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Volume 9 – Issue 2 • 16 Pages

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october 9-15, 2015

DATELINEUSAfrom the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

“The world cannot allow a country, no matter how powerful, to claim an entire sea as its own nor should it allow coercion to be an acceptable dispute settlement mechanism,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told the 70th UN General Assembly last Oct. 2.

rosario told the 70th UN General As-sembly last oct. 2.

he also asked China to join the de-liberations on the case filed by manila with the hague-based UN arbitral tribunal contesting Beijing’s massive claim in the West Philippine sea.

“With the growing support from the international community in peacefully resolving disputes in the south China sea, including through arbitration, the Philippines believes that the final out-come of this arbitration process would pave the way for a settlement of the maritime disputes,” Del rosario said.

he said manila hopes to finally see Beijing’s actions match its declara-

tions so there would be real easing of tensions in the West Philippine and south China sea.

In reply to Del rosario, the Chinese delegation said that while China want-ed peaceful settlement in accordance with international law, it reiterated its preference for direct negotiations and consultations.

China emphasized that its claim of sovereignty over the south China sea and West Philippine sea is based on historical and legal foundations.

“Given that the south China sea is an international waterway, the stron-ger the reason to settle any disputes

PH tells China: No country can claim an entire seaby Pia Lee-Brago

Philstar.com

mANILA—No matter how big or powerful a country is, it can never justify staking claim over an entire sea or use force to assert such claim, foreign Affairs secretary Albert del rosario said in an address before the United Nations General Assembly in response to China’s insistence that the West Philippine sea is theirs.

“the world cannot allow a coun-try, no matter how powerful, to claim an entire sea as its own nor should it allow coercion to be an acceptable dispute settlement mechanism,” Del

Justice Antonio T. Carpio discusses the nine-dash line and the South China Sea dispute during the Banyan Tree Leadership Forum on Monday, Oct. 5 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). PH Embassy photo

WAshINGtoN, DC—senior Associate Justice Antonio t. Carpio of the Philip-pines’ supreme Court, delivering a lecture hosted by a think tank october 5, issued a challenge to the international community on China’s territorial claims in the south China sea.

“Will the world community allow a single state to rewrite the Law of the sea, so this single state can exercise indisputable sov-ereignty to almost an entire sea, subject the high seas to its sovereign jurisdiction, and seize large areas of other coastal states’ eeZs (exclusive economic zone), which are their legal maritime entitlements under both customary international law and UN-CLos?” Carpio asked during his lecture on China’s nine-dash line claim and the south China sea dispute at the Center for strate-gic and International studies (CsIs).

“maritime security and the south China sea will continue to impact Us-China re-

China’s 9-dash threatens ruleof law, JusticeCarpio tells D.C.

A LA s V e G A s mother of four plead-ed guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon on thursday, oct. 1, after admit-ting that she ordered to have her husband killed in order to collect his life insur-ance.

m i c h e l l e A n t -wanette Paet, 33, sobbed in court, as she revealed that she

Michelle Paet Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Las Vegas mom pleads guilty to husband’s murder

the Department of homeland security (Dhs) is gearing up to implement a program that allows certain family members of filipino and filipino-American World War II veter-ans to receive parole to come to the United states.

following President Barack obama’s ex-ecutive actions on immigration announced last November, a White house report recom-mended a few ways that federal agencies can “modernize and streamline” the immigration system.

A July 2015 report entitled “modernizing and streamlining our Legal Immigration sys-tem for the 21st century” stated that certain family members can be eligible to come to the United states to provide support and care for aging filipino veterans who are Us citizens or lawful permanent residents.

“Parole, as provided for under the Immigra-

Homeland Security to create parole program for Filipino WWII veterans

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VICE PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS. Sen. Bongbong Marcos (inset) announced on Monday, Oct. 5 that he has decided to run for vice president in the 2016 elections. Also on Monday, Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo accepted the Liberal Party’s offer to run with administration standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. Inquirer. net, Malacañang photos

International lawyer Amal Alamuddin Clooney and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Philstar.com photos

A UNIteD Nations body has called for a “reconsideration” of the bail plea of former President and now Pampanga rep. Gloria macapagal-Arroyo, calling her detention “arbitrary” and a vio-lation of international law.

the UN high Commission on human rights Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) issued the opinion on oct. 2 on a complaint filed by Arroyo’s lawyer, London-based barrister

Amal Alamuddin-Clooney, the Lebanese-born wife of holly-wood actor George Clooney.

But sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-tang thursday defended the first Division’s decision to deny Ar-royo’s plea for bail, insisting that the graft court did not violate any international law.

malacañang also stood firm that the government has not vio-

UN slams Arroyo detentionShe’s getting due process under PH laws–Palace

by giL C. CaBaCungan and nikko dizonInquirer.net

Bongbong Marcos, Leni Robredo announce bids for PH vice president

by agnes ConstanteAJPress

ferDINAND “Bongbong” marcos, Jr., the son of late former president ferdinand marcos, and Camarines sur rep. Leni ro-bredo, have joined the pool of Philippine vice presidential con-tenders for the 2016 presidential election.

marcos, Jr., on monday, oct. 5, declared his bid for the position without attaching himself to a presidential candidate. robredo, on monday, formally accepted the offer to run alongside Liberal Party presidential contender mar roxas.

the announcement of the two

they have built their massive fortune through several genera-tions, growing and diversifying their empire while keeping the family in control of the board-room. they lead conglomerates with combined market value of P1.5 trillion or about 12 percent of the Philippine economy.

they are the sy, Zobel and Aboitiz families—three clans

seNAte minority Leader Juan Ponce enrile on Wednesday, oct. 7 moved to open plenary debates on the committee report on the mamasapano massacre to pre-vent the injustice done to the 44 police commandos from being drowned by the noise and frenzy of the 2016 election fever.

In a privileged speech, enrile said that he believes that it is the

by Jefferson antiPordaManilaTimes.net

by doris dumLao-aBadiLLaInquirer.net

Enrile wants debateson Mamasapano report

senate’s duty, to the policemen who perished to put this crucial matter into the records of the senate plenary session.

“It is not only for the courage, the valor, and the sacrifices of the fallen and surviving special Action force members in that ghastly and brutal carnage to be placed in the annals of this au-gust Chamber, but also to dem-onstrate to the general public and

Sy, Zobel, Aboitiz among Asia’s top 50 richest families

from the Philippines which land-ed on forbes Asia magazine’s list of 50 richest families in Asia for 2015.

this is forbes Asia’s inaugural list of Asia’s top business dynas-ties which, the magazine said, was in recognition that “family was at the core of Asia’s biggest conglomerates and some of its best-known brands.”

tim ferguson, editor of forbes

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october 9-15, 2015 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

From the Front Page

thereof at an international level, under international law, includ-ing arbitration under Annex VII of UNCLOS,” the DFA said, re-ferring to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“We cannot, moreover, accept China’s illegal actions on its ar-tificial islands as fait accompli,” he added.

PH tells China: No country...PAGE A1 Meanwhile, the Philippine

Navy and the navies of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore began on Mon-day, Oct. 5 a US-led joint naval exercise in the West Philippine Sea, including in areas near Pan-atag Shoal off Zambales.

The Southeast Asia Coop-eration and Training (SEACAT) kicked off in the area within the

operational jurisdiction of the Na-val Forces NorthWest (NFNW).

“Exercise SEACAT is a sce-nario-driving tracking exercise which focuses on real time in-formation exchange between navy units involved, coordinated monitoring and close observa-tion on our respective maritime territories, tracking suspicious vessels and eventual conduct of visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS),” Navy spokesman Com-mander Lued Lincuna said.

China’s 9-dash threatens rule of law...PAGE A1

lations and China’s relations with its neighbors. We are pleased Justice Carpio’s speaking tour in the US kicks off today at CSIS. His thoughts will certainly enrich the discourse on what has been char-acterized by Professor Michael Tkacik of Stephen Austin State University as possibly the single most important dispute in the world today,” Ambassador Jose L.

Cuisia, Jr. said in his remarks.Affects whole worldAccording to Carpio, China’s

national boundaries under the nine-dash line have effects not only on the Philippines, but also on other countries in the region and the world.

“The Philippines loses about 80 percent of its EEZs facing the West Philippine Sea, including the entire Reed Bank and part of

the Malampaya gas field. Malay-sia loses about 80 percent of its EEZ in Sabah and Sarawak facing the South China Sea, as well as most of its active oil fields in the same area. Vietnam loses about 50 percent of its total EEZ. Bru-nei loses about 90 percent of its total EEZ. Indonesia loses about 30 percent of its EEZ facing the South China Sea in Natuna Is-lands, whose surrounding waters comprise the largest gas field in Southeast Asia,” said Carpio.

Through the nine-dash line, China claims the high seas, which, under international law, are considered global commons. Any country in the world, includ-ing those that are landlocked, can exploit national resources in high seas, hence, the entire world is affected by China’s expansive claim, Carpio explained.

UNCLOS violationThe Justice reiterated that ac-

tivities by China to enforce the nine-dash claim violate the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. Such activities threaten peace, security and sta-bility in the region, he argued.

In 2002 China, along with mem-ber countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed that the South China Sea dispute shall be resolved “in accordance with universally recognized prin-ciples of international law, includ-ing the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

Eleven years later, China has begun insisting that historical facts be accepted as additional basis of its claim.

“After the Philippines filed in January 2013 its arbitration case against China under UNCLOS, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi declared that the South China Sea dispute should be resolved in ac-cordance with historical facts and international law,” said Carpio.

No historical basisHowever, according to Carpio,

the nine-dash line has no histori-cal basis.

Official and unofficial maps of China from 1136 during the Song Dynasty until the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 show that the southernmost territory of China has always been Hainan Island.

Hua Yi Tu, a Chinese stone map from the 12th century, excludes

lated the rights of Arroyo, who remains in hospital detention while on trial for plunder.

Clooney sent the news of the WGAD’s decision to endorse in full all arguments of Arroyo to her Filipino lawyer, Lorenzo Gadon, in an e-mail on Wednes-day.

“Mrs. Arroyo and her legal team welcome the UN’s expert opinion and urged the Philip-pine government to comply with it immediately,” Clooney said.

In the decision quoted by Clooney, the WGAD—which she described as a “prominent UN body composed of five inde-pendent human rights experts—urged the Sandiganbayan to reconsider Arroyo’s petition for bail and accord her with “an en-forceable right to compensation for the deprivation of liberty, which already occurred.”

Clooney said the WGAD re-quested the Philippine govern-ment to ensure “fair trials” and proceed with the cases without undue delay.

Illegal detentionIn her e-mail, Clooney said the

UN body found Arroyo’s deten-tion arbitrary and illegal because “the Sandiganbayan failed to take into account her individual circumstances, failed to con-sider measures alternative to pretrial detention, and because of undue delays in proceedings against her.”

The WGAD also found her de-tention “politically motivated” because her confinement was due to “her exercise of her right to take part in government and the conduct of public affairs” and “because of her political… opinion,” Clooney said.

She reported that the UN body underscored the Aquino admin-istration’s decision to stop Ar-

UN slams Arroyo...PAGE A1

she had yet to read the WGAD opinion but she criticized the UN body’s findings.

“They should understand what’s in our Constitution and our rules of court,” De Lima said.

“It’s as if they were taking the issue of the denial of bail, but it’s in our Constitution, it’s in our laws. While international law forms part of the law of the land under the doctrine of incorpora-tion, what’s in our laws should be obeyed,” she added.

Senate President Franklin Dril-on said Arroyo was being tried according to Philippine laws.

“We have our laws here. She is being tried in accordance with our laws,” he said.

PH can’t be forcedIn an interview with reporters

Thursday, Gadon admitted the UN body could only pursuade and not force the Philippine gov-ernment to follow its recommen-dation.

He said, however, that he hoped the government would heed the WGAD because state agencies were the respondents in the case.

He also noted that the case was obviously weak and that Ar-royo was being singled out be-cause all of her corespondents had been granted bail.

Arroyo appealed to the Su-preme Court in April after the Sandiganbayan last year denied the petition for bail she filed in January 2013 and a supplemen-tal motion she filed in October of the same year.

Arroyo is detained at Veter-ans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City while being tried on charges of plunder involving al-leged use of P366 million in in-telligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office “for personal gain” in the last three years of her administration, from 2008 to 2010.

royo from traveling in November 2011 in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling allowing her to seek medical treatment for her neck and spine illnesses.

Philippine lawsIn an interview with reporters

during the Sandiganbayan’s bud-get presentation at the House of Representatives Thursday, Tang said: “We have our own judicial process that has to be observed and the First Division of the court has precisely observed this process in place. I don’t think the court has violated any inter-national law and the court has al-ways observed all the processes that are in place in the country.”

She said the Sandiganbayan would not change its decision unless there was a “radical or significant material change in her case.”

In Malacañang, Communica-tion Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Arroyo had been “ac-corded such due process and has availed herself of various legal remedies under Philippine laws.”

Arroyo’s case is being heard by Philippine courts, indepen-dent bodies that have the “sole jurisdiction” to decide on the de-tention of accused like her, Co-loma said.

“The Philippine government or any international body, for that matter, cannot interfere nor influence the course of an inde-pendent judicial proceeding,” he said.

Appropriate responseColoma said, however, that

the government had taken note of the WGAD opinion.

The government, he added, “will prepare an appropriate re-sponse, according to the WGAD’s rules.”

Outgoing Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday said PAGE A4

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 9-15, 2015 A�From the Front Page

tion and Nationality Act, gives DHS discretion, on a case-by-case basis, to permit individu-als to come to the United States for a temporary period of time based upon urgent humanitarian reasons or for significant public benefit,” the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a statement on Friday, Oct. 2.

However, the parole does not grant the family member any permanent right to remain in the United States.

Estimates indicate that as many as 26,000 Filipino veter-ans (of the over 260,000 Filipino soldiers who fought) are US citi-zens, after long being excluded from a law that granted citizen-ship to foreign soldiers serving in the US forces. Some of the veterans have petitioned family members from the Philippines to join them in the United States; however, wait times can last years, often times exceeding 20 years, due to statutory visa caps.

With the population of veter-ans rapidly aging—the White House estimates around 6,000 veterans are still alive in the US today—having family members by their sides would provide them with the necessary support and care.

The United States has set up similar parole programs, such

Homeland Security to create parole...PAGE A1

as the Cuban Family Reunifica-tion Parole Program and the Hai-tian Family Reunification Parole Program. Under those parole programs, the beneficiaries are allowed to come to the US and be eligible to apply for work au-thorization while waiting to ap-ply for lawful permanent resident status.

Though the roll out date of the policy affecting Filipino veterans and their families is yet to be an-nounced, the USCIS and State Department will provide the ap-plication process, and will be separate from the general fam-ily-based immigration system.

In the meantime, the USCIS is developing criteria and an ap-plication process for this parole program, and will announce them in the coming months.

The agency warns, however, that individuals cannot cur-rently apply and any application received before the program is implemented risks being denied.

“[The] USCIS is not yet ac-cepting applications for parole under this program and indivi-du- als should not submit parole requests under this program at this time. People should avoid scams--anyone claiming that applications can be filed now should not be trusted,” Shin In-ouye, a USCIS spokesperson said in a statement. (Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)

and her then-boyfriend, Michael Rudolph Rodriguez, planned to murder Nathan Paet, who was a US Air Force service member and Iraq War veteran from Guam.

By pleading guilty, she avoids the death penalty. Her sentencing is scheduled for December 14, ac-cording to The Associated Press. She could either face life in prison without parole or the possibility of release after 21 years.

Prosecutor Frank Coumou told the jury that Rodriguez waited outside the Paet residence on Dec. 1, 2010, and was signaled by a text message that Nathan Paet was getting ready to leave for work at Nellis Air Force Base.

One of the messages Michelle Paet sent read, “He’s rushing to get out the door. Lol.”

Nathan Paet was shot five times in the back by Rodriguez and reportedly collapsed in front of his wife and their four children, before being pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

According to police, neighbors saw a black Cadillac leave the Paet residence. Afterward, other witnesses reported that they saw Rodriguez at Jessica Ashley and Corry Hawkins’ apartment, where he allegedly burned his clothes in their fireplace. Ashley and Hawkins are considered co-defen-dants and are still awaiting trial, The Associated Press said.

Rodriguez, 36, who was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, burglary and weapon possession on Sept. 25, is expected to be sentenced separately and will face life in prison without parole. He has agreed to the life sentence and to waive future appeals to

Las Vegas mom pleads guilty...PAGE A1 avoid the death sentence. Arrest

records show that Rodriguez had previously been convicted of at-tempted forgery charges in 2007 and 2008.

Michelle Paet and Rodriguez met each other while working at a telemarketing company in Las Vegas. The two reportedly planned the murder two months before and were going to be to-gether after.

Michelle Paet revealed that the murder plot was conspired to collect $650,000 in life insurance — $400,000 from the military and $250,000 from her husband’s insurance policy.

In court on Thursday, she tear-fully apologized to her slain husband’s relatives.

“I’m sorry. I love you guys. I love my kids,” she said.

Nathan Paet’s mother, Car-melita Paet, said that she accepted Michelle’s apology and did not want the death penalty.

“We did not want that because Guam doesn’t have it,” Carmenita Paet said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal “It’s never been an option back home, so we’re not used to that idea. And honestly right now, I feel that killing another person would not bring my son back. It’s not going to do anybody any good. It just breaks my heart, really, to think of killing another person. It doesn’t matter what they’ve done. I can’t handle that idea.”

A source told the Asian Journal that Michelle Paet is of Filipino descent, and had met Nathan Paet in Guam. The two were high school sweethearts and were married in 2006. (Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)

new bids brings the total of vice presidential candidates to six. Other candidates for the post include Sens. Francis Escudero, Antonio Tillanes IV, Alan Peter Cayetano and Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan.

Robredo is the only female candidate and contender from the House of Representatives.

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Mar-cos

Marcos, in a statement an-nouncing his bid, said he be-lieves elected officials have an obligation to their people to help change the country’s history by eliminating “the politics of per-sonality,” which he credits as a large reason the Philippines has become a corrupt state where the wealth divide continually widens.

“I have decided to put my po-litical fortune in the hands of the Filipino people. I humbly ask them to judge whether or not I am worthy of their trust to be vice-president on the strength of my performance as a public servant

Bongbong Marcos, Leni Robredo announce...PAGE A1

“a breath of fresh air” for the Lib-eral Party.

“Nakikita ko sa kaniya yung manner that she speaks, sincere at makikita mo ang kaniyang in-telligence (I can see in the man-ner that she speaks that she is sincere, and you can see her intelligence),” Gonzales said, ac-cording to Inquirer.

Binay without a running mate

With the new announcements and as the 2016 election edges closer, Binay remains the only presidential candidate without a running mate.

The selection committee of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) announced Tuesday, Oct. 6, that it is formally requesting for Sen. Gringo Honasan to become Bi-nay’s running mate in 2016, Phil-star reported.

Honasan rejected a potential partnership with Binay in late September, but his party mates said he would probably change his mind for the UNA, where he serves as vice president, Rappler reported.

in the last 26 years,” he said.While there have been talks

of Marcos pairing up with Vice President Jejomar Binay, he said they were “mere speculations.”

Binay was a human rights at-torney who battled the dictator-ship of Marcos’ late father, for-mer President Ferdinand Marcos. The vice president was also an ally of former President Corazon Aquino, Marcos’ rival.

“Any team-up with the Vice President must be rooted on a shared vision for our country, a common platform of government as well as political perspectives,” Marcos said.

The vice presidential candidate did not address allegations of mass corruption and rights viola-tions against his late father, The Associated Press reported. Every year, the Philippines still marks the anniversary of when the Mar-cos regime was overthrown in 1986 as a victory of democracy.

Leni RobredoRobredo, the widow of former

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo,

was initially hesitant about ac-cepting Roxas’ offer, particularly given her three daughters’ op-position to her running for the position. However, she said she decided to move forward with it because she was certain it is what her husband would have wanted, Inquirer reported.

“I am not Jesse. But when he died, it was clear to us, his family, that he was hoping that we too will have to sacrifice to the best of our abilities, similar to his sacri-fices, to contribute to our nation,” she told Inquirer.

As the sole female running for vice president, the Carminas Sur representative is likely to receive little criticism from her male ri-vals, Majority floor leader Neptali Gonzales II said in a press confer-ence.

“It’s going to be a problem for the men in next year’s elections. In our culture, women are usually spared from criticism by men,” Gonzales said in Filipino, accord-ing to Inquirer.

Gonzales also called Robredo PAGE A4

to let the people know how their Senate dealt with the complex issues that were discovered and brought to light during the Senate investigation,” Enrile said.

He explained that the public should know the stand of each senator on the recommendations contained in the report submitted by the Senate committee on pub-lic order and dangerous drugs chaired by Senator Grace Poe.

Enrile wants debates... MAMASAPANO INCIDENT COMMITTEE REPORT. Minority Floor Leader Juan Ponce Enrile inquires about the status of the committee report on the Mamasapano incident during the plenary proceedings. “It is not only for the courage, the valor, and the sacrifices of the fallen and surviving SAF members in that ghastly and brutal carnage to be placed in the annals of this august Chamber, but also to demonstrate to the general public and to let the people know how their Senate dealt with the complex issues that were discovered and brought to light during the Senate investigation,” Enrile said in his privilege speech. Senate photo by Joe Arazas

PAGE A1 “Everything must come out. I’m demanding that every moment of those hours from dawn of Sunday (Jan. 25, 2015) when the event started until it ended that same day, the movement, the action, the presence or the absence of every high official of government in this country must be accounted for,” Enrile insisted.

Poe said debates on the com-mittee report will be held “at the soonest possible time.”

october 9-15, 2015 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A� Dateline USa

Senator Charles e. Schum-er recently announced his sup-port for legislation to recognize october as “Filipino american History Month.” the legislation recognizes the numerous con-tributions of Filipino americans to american culture and soci-ety. Specifically, this bi-partisan legislation establishes “Filipino american History Month” as a time to promote Filipino culture and study the rich Filipino amer-ican history.

“Filipino americans have made indelible contributions to our country: serving valiantly in every american conflict since the Civil War; spearheading so-cial movements; and innovating in our health care and technol-ogy sectors, among many other things. they are a family-orient-ed and patriotic people who have long been integral parts of every community they live in. Like the other cultures and heritages we celebrate as integral parts of the american cultural mosaic, the Filipino american culture de-serves its month in the sun,” said Schumer, who noted his home-town of new York is home to many thousands of long-estab-lished Filipino american families

Schumer to co-sponsor resolution designating October as ‘Filipino American History Month’

Legislation would recognize & honor 400 years of Filipino American contributions spanning first recorded presence in 1587 to present day

and new immigrants alike.Filipino americans played im-

portant roles in defending amer-ica in conflicts such as World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Glob-al War on terror. over 250,000 Filipinos fought in World War II, many coming home injured or passing away; by the end of the war, Filipinos had earned more than 50,000 decorations. to date, nine Filipino americans have received the america’s highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Historically, Filipino ameri-cans have been very involved in

advocating for workers’ rights. Labor leaders such as Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Itliong were integral to the multiethnic United Farm Workers movement that led to numerous labor reforms and advancements. Filipino ameri-cans are also an important part of the United States workforce, especially in the field of health-care. additionally, they have made numerous contributions to academia and research, culture, and business.

Schumer announced his sup-port for bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) establish-ing “Filipino american History Month.” He explained that ef-forts should be made to continue promoting the study of Filipino american history and culture to include the largely-overlooked writings and teachings of mi-nority groups that contributed to the development of american society. By noting the accom-plishments and historical impact of one group, it strengthens all members of society. Schumer said that it is imperative that the United States recognizes the ac-complishments of Filipino amer-icans.

Senator Charles E. Schumer

welcome remarks, read by Con-sul Kerwin tate, he stated that “Jersey City has been a nexus of Filipinos on the east Coast, and the warmth with which this city has welcomed Filipinos through the decades has been, in turn, reciprocated by the Filipino com-munity here, who can always be counted upon so support the city’s worthwhile initiatives. I am proud of the effort they have ex-erted to keep this beautiful place a bastion of Filipino-american friendship not just in the east, but in the entire United States.”

the PaFCoM then screened a short film depicting the activism and economic contributions the Filipinos had made, and contin-ue to make, to the city. the film shows that Jersey City would not be what it is today without the contribution of the Filipino com-

munity. In his very moving keynote ad-

dress following the film, Jersey City Deputy Mayor Marcos Vigil reflected on the shared history not just of the Filipinos in ameri-ca, but of the former Spanish col-onies, sharing that he, too, was an immigrant, having arrived in the United States from Puerto rico, and that he saw in the Fili-pino community many traditions which his Puerto rican parents and grandparents had, in some form, observed as well.

“I have always felt a great de-gree of admiration, respect and gratitude to the Filipino culture”

With the success of the kick – off event, the Consulate plans to rotate this among the major cities in the in the US northeast with significant Filipino popula-tions in the coming years.

Philippine Consulate General celebrates FilipinoAmerican History Month with Jersey City kick-off event

President of Pilipino-American Friendship Committee (PAFCOM) Judge Victor Sison (2nd from R) and Officers and Board of Directors of PAFCOM before the opening of the Kick Off Event of the Filipino-American History Month welcome the Jersey City Deputy Mayor Marcos Vigil (5th from R), Councilman Rolando Lavarro ( 4th from L) and Consul Kerwin Tate of the Philippine Consulate General New York.

Jersey City Deputy Mayor Marcos D. Vigil commended the Filipino historic public service leaders in Jersey City as his pioneers such as Ms. Linda Mayo, the first Filipino Deputy Mayor.

Consul Kerwin Tate delivers the Welcome Remarks of Consul General Mario L. de Leon, Jr. at the New Jersey City University for the Kick-Off Event of the Filipino-American History Month.

PAFCOM Chair Dr. Connie Uy presented a video highlighting the contributions of Filipino diaspora in the development of Jersey City.

JerSeY CItY - the celebration of the 2015 Filipino-american History Month commenced with a Kick-off event in Jersey City on thursday, oct. 1. the Kick-off event is the newest flagship project initiated by the Philippine Consulate General in new York.

the event was held at the new Jersey City University, and was organized with the help and sup-port of the Philippine – american Friendship Committee (PaF-CoM), the new Jersey Filipino-american Historical national So-ciety and the Filipino community members of new Jersey.

Filipino - american History Month started in the State of Cali-fornia in 1988, and was officially recognized by the California De-partment of education, which put it in its calendar of celebration in 2006. nationally in the United States, the House of the 111th Con-gress introduced a House resolu-tion 155 (H. reS. 155) to officially recognize october as the month of history for Filipinos. In october 2009, the Senate of the 111th Con-gress passed a resolution recog-nizing Filipino american History Month. In november 2009, Con-gress passed the resolution (H. reS. 780), officially recognizing october as Filipino american His-tory Month. It has quickly gained traction in the Filipino communi-ties US-wide as an importance commemorative month.

the Philippine Consulate in new York chose Jersey City as the very first site of the Kick-off event because of its rich history of Filipino interaction, and be-cause of the high concentration of Filipinos who call the city their home. In the Consul General’s

“Senator Honasan is very easy to talk to because he is a party member,” Una Secretary-Gen-eral JV Bautista previously told rappler. “It just takes some ne-gotiation. In the case of Senator Bongbong, it’s more complicated because he is a member of the nacionalista Party.”

Binay had previously consid-

Bongbong Marcos, Leni Robredo announce...PAGE A3

China’s 9-dash threatens rule of law...PAGE A2

disputed islands in the South Chi-na Sea from China’s territory. the 1986 Huang Chan Zhi Sheng Yu Di Quan tu or the Qing empire’s Complete Map of all Provinces shows that Hainan Island was a part of Guangdong Province and became a separate province only in 1988.

official and unofficial maps of the Philippines from 1636 un-til 1933 show that Scarborough Shoal has always been part of the Philippines.

the 1734 Murillo Velarde Map shows Scarborough Shoal and some features in the Spratly Group of Islands as part of the Philippines. the Islas Filipinas, Mapa General observatorio de Manila published in Washington, D.C. in 1899 by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey shows Bajo Masinloc, which also refers to Scarborough Shoal, as Philippine territory.

according to Carpio, the Phil-

ippines has not only historical basis for its claim to Scarborough Shoal, but also legal basis.

“the 1898 treaty of Paris be-tween Spain and the United States drew a rectangular line wherein Spain ceded to the United States all of Spain’s territories found within treaty lines. Scarborough Shoal lies outside of the treaty lines. However, two years later, in the 1900 treaty of Washington, Spain clarified that it had also re-linquished to the United States all title and claim which Spain may have had at the time of the con-clusion of the treaty of Paris, to any and all islands belonging to the Philippine archipelago, lying outside the lines of the treaty of Paris. thus, Spain ceded Scarbor-ough Shoal to the United States under the 1900 treaty of Wash-ington,” said Carpio.

Will stand by Tribunalthe visiting Justice ended his

lecture by reiterating that the Philippines will stand by UnCLoS

and the ruling of the arbitral tri-bunal with regard to the maritime dispute.

“If UnCLoS does not apply to the South China Sea dispute, as when China’s nine-dashed lines are allowed to gobble up the eeZs of coastal states as well as the high seas, then UnCLoS, the constitution for the oceans and seas, cannot also apply to any maritime dispute in the rest of the oceans and seas of our planet. It will be the beginning of the end for UnCLoS. the rule of the naval cannon will prevail in the oceans and seas of our planet, no longer the rule of law. there will be a naval arms race among coastal countries,” said Carpio.

Washington, D.C. is the first stop of Carpio’s U.S. tour to con-duct lectures on the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea dispute. He will bring the lecture to new York City and San Francisco in the next few days. (Inquirer.net)

ered Davao City Mayor rodrigo Duterte, Manila Mayor Joseph estrada, Sen. Grace Poe and roxas as possible running mates, but each of them rejected offers to join him.

In august, Binay indicated Marcos was his preferred part-ner, despite contradictions that would exist given their political histories.

Should a Binay-Honasan part-nership emerge, it would also contain its own set of discrepan-cies. Both politicians participated in support of the eDSa People Power revolution that ousted former president Ferdinand Mar-cos in 1986, but Honasan led two unsuccessful coups against aqui-no; Binay defended aquino from those attempts. n

operational challenges inherent in family businesses.

to qualify, a family’s wealth

and participation in building that fortune has to extend to at

asia, said: “Just as a family busi-ness brings its useful product to market and evolves from there, this inaugural ranking opens the door to new discoveries in fu-ture years.”

the list was topped by South Korea’s leading chaebol or busi-ness family—the Lee clan—which controls the Samsung Group. It has an estimated wealth of $26.6 billion. Sam-sung Group’s revenue in 2014 was equivalent to 22 percent of South Korea’s gross domestic product.

Forbes asia sees many busi-ness dynasties holding wide regional sway with their sprawl-ing, cross-border empires. the list recognizes such prominence as well as the succession and

Sy, Zobel, Aboitiz among...

The Sy, Zobel and Aboitiz families are included in the Forbes list of Asia’s richest families.

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PAGE A5

In an interview with the Span-ish network telemundo, Demo-cratic White House contender Hillary Clinton accused the obama administration of break-ing up families through an “ag-gressive” deportation policy, call-ing current immigration policies too “harsh.”

Her comments echoed long-running complaints of the immi-gration advocates, who argue that President obama’s immigration programs are “overly harsh,” said the Wall Street Journal.

“the deportation laws were in-terpreted and enforced, you know, very aggressively during the last six and a half years, which I think his administration did in part to try to get republicans to support comprehensive immigration re-form,” Clinton said Monday, oct. 5 to telemundo news’s Maria Celeste arrarás. “It was part of a strategy. I think that strategy is no longer workable.”

“So therefore, I think, we have

to go back to being a much less harsh and aggressive enforcer,” she added.

Beforehand, Clinton has faith-fully defended the president, ar-guing that the deportations that occurred on his watch were not a matter of choice, but were all that he could do within the law, said CBS news.

the comments also contra-dicted a remark Clinton made in 2014 with Cnn: “I also think that we have to understand the diffi-culty that President obama finds himself in because there are laws that impose certain obligations on him.”

the number of deportations un-der the obama administration in the past 12 months has been at a record low for the first time since 2006, the associated Press re-ported on tuesday, oct. 6. though more than 2.4 million immigrants have been deported since he took office in 2009, they have declined by 84,000 between 2014 and 2015

-- marking the largest year-over-year decline since 2012.

In november 2014, President obama ordered to prioritize the deportation of people with seri-ous criminal convictions, gang members, and those who have crossed the border recently. the action all but directed that most other undocumented immigrants could continue living in the US without fear of removal.

obama promised to push for immigration reform early in his presidency, but the legislative battle did not begin in earnest un-til 2013, after he began his second term. Later, the Senate took up and passed a comprehensive bill, but not before deportation figures were climbing every year under Immigration and Customs en-forcement, and the US border se-curity budget surged. Many con-sidered the president’s actions a way to show republicans that he was serious about enforcement,

Clinton criticizes Obama admin’s deportation policies

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(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 9-15, 2015 A�

Dateline PhiliPPines

MANILA—In preparation for the Christmas season, the Bureau of Customs has tightened its rules on holding up suspected cargoes for inspection to fast track their re-lease and avoid a repeat of a port congestion last year.

“Effective immediately, ship-ments can only be held through a validly issued alert order. Any offi-cial, employee or person who aids in detaining a shipment in a man-ner not compliant with this shall be subject to administrative and criminal actions,” Customs said on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Alert orders are issued to ship-ments which are found to have contain potential illegal imports or in violation of existing trade laws. The order allows Customs to conduct personal inspection aside from the common X-ray evalua-tion.

Seeing potential abuse in hold-ing up cargoes, the lifting of an alert order by Office of the Com-missioner should act as a free-pass to the shipment which should not be held by any other Customs of-ficial.

Previously, alert orders can be issued and lifted by the commis-sioner, deputy commissioners for intelligence and enforcement groups as well as all district col-

Cargo forwarders are on overdrive 24 hours a day for the holidays. Inquirer.net photo

Customs vows to speed up cargo inspection as holiday season nears

by Prinz MagtulisPhilstar.com

lectors. The new regulations limit the lifting of the alert order to the Customs chief and the district col-lector in charge of the shipment.

“A shipment already alerted and examined shall not be subject to another alert or examination to minimize unnecessary costs for importers,” the bureau said.

“Once the alert order has been lifted and the shipment has been tagged in the On-Line Release System, no alerting office can hold it any further for whatever reason, unless a recommendation is sub-mitted to the commissioner for an issuance of a special stop order,” it explained.

Agaton Uvero, deputy commis-sioner for assessment and opera-tions coordinating group, said the

new rules will help prevent con-gestion at the country’s ports dur-ing the holiday season when ship-ments dramatically increase.

“(This) will address the appre-hensions of… traders, importers, shipping lines and forwarders with regard to the possible repeat of the port congestion problems last year which resulted (in) bil-lions of losses to the business community,” Uvero was quoted in the statement as saying.

Manila ports got congested last year after an expanded a truck ban in the Metro extended hours trucks were not allowed to ply the area. The move was intended to ease heavy traffic, but businesses said this also delayed deliveries to outlets.

MANILA—Malacañang ad-mitted there were lump sums in the annual budget but that these were intended to ensure ready funding for emergency expens-es, such as during calamities.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda made the clarification as he assured the Supreme Court of the executive department’s prompt reply to a directive that it answer a petition filed by the Philippine Constitution Associa-tion questioning the billions of pesos in lump sum allocations this year.

“We will not hesitate to re-spond. We are in good, sound le-gal footing. What (Budget Secre-tary Florencio) Butch Abad said publicly in media, we will defend before the courts,” he told re-porters in a briefing.

Lacierda underscored the need for the national government to regularly allocate contingency funds for calamities like Super Typhoon Yolanda that devastat-ed the Visayas and killed at least 6,000 people in November 2013.

“There are lump sums that are necessary, for instance contin-gency fund,” he said. “How do you predict how many storms are coming? You know I would be glad if Neri Colmenares will be able to divine to us how many storms will

Palace: There has to be lump sums in national budgetby Delon Porcalla

Philstar.com come in 2015 or 2016,” he said, referring to the Bayan Muna par-ty-list congressman.

“It’s something that’s very hard to specify. So out of neces-sity, you need to have such fund as Secretary Butch Abad has al-ways said,” Lacierda said in Fili-pino. “We’re not denying it – es-pecially the contingency fund,” he said.

“Until such time that they can define to us how much it will cost per typhoon and how many typhoons will be coming in a given year in our country, it will always have to be a fund that will be parked in a place where it will answer all the concerns for disas-ter,” he maintained.

Philconsa, led by its president Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, along with former budget sec-retary Benjamin Diokno, former senator Francisco Tatad and Archbishops Fernando Capalla, Romulo de la Cruz and Ramon Arguelles, filed a petition with the SC seeking the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the implementation of provisions in the Constitution that make the allocation of lump sums possible.

In a full bench session Tuesday presided over by Justice Arturo Brion, the SC ordered Malaca-ñang and Congress to respond to Philconsa’s claims in its peti-

tion. An insider said the SC gave the respondents 10 days from receipt of notice to comply with the order.

Earlier this month, a group led by former national treasurer Le-onor Briones of anti-corruption watchdog Social Watch Philip-pines filed a similar petition. In that case, the SC also ordered the government to answer the peti-tion.

Abad said lawmakers were ac-tually to blame for the existence of lump sums as they were the ones who approved the budget program.

“The 2015 budget is an act of Congress. We are just implement-ing it,” the budget chief said.

In filing the SC petition, Phil-consa cited the “scandalous and unconscionable freight” of P424-billion lump sum that were “clev-erly embedded” in nine depart-ments and two agencies.

The two agencies of the ex-ecutive department are directly under the office of President Aquino.

Among the specific uncon-stitutional provisions the peti-tioners cited in the General Ap-propriations Act of 2015 were Section 65 on lump sum ap-propriations, Section 70 which redefined “savings” and Section 73 which allowed realignment of funds.

ments of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is a 1992 interna-tional treaty signed by 182 states, including the governments of the Philippines and Canada. The treaty prevents the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries.

“I spoke to him (Canada’s for-eign minister) several times in various meetings that we’ve had abroad,” Del Rosario said.

He noted that the Philippines has engaged Canada in bilat-eral consultations to resolve the waste problem.

The foreign affairs chief like-wise disclosed that the DFA ear-lier sought the advice of the Ba-sel secretariat headquartered in Switzerland.

“(We have) been advised to seek a resolution in a bilateral level,” Del Rosario said.

In a meeting on October 1, the inter-agency task force com-posed of representatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) has affirmed the earlier decision to engage Canada in bi-lateral talks and monitor the on-

going cases.The Department of Justice has

filed two cases against Valenzu-ela City-based Chronic Plastics, the counterpart of the exporter Chronic Inc. based in Canadian province Ontario for violating the Republic Act 6969 or the Act to Control Toxic Substances and Hazardous Nuclear Wastes and the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP)

Del Rosario reiterated the DENR’s findings that the wastes from Canada were neither haz-ardous nor toxic.

The government’s inter-agen-cy task force was earlier criti-cized for allowing the Canadian rubbish to be dumped at a sani-tary landfill in Tarlac, which was stopped due to protests from lo-cal officials and residents.

Legarda at the hearing noted that she was elated at the DFA’s clarification. “That makes it very clear that Canada should take back its wastes,” the senator said.

The vans containing household garbage including used diapers and kitchen waste have been stinking and posing health haz-ards in Subic and Manila ports since June 2013.

Sy, Zobel, Aboitiz among...PAGE A4

least three generations while the minimum combined net wealth to make the cut was $2.9 billion.

Nearly half of the richest families in Asia are of Chinese descent, but none of them is based in mainland China, where conglomerates are young and run by first generations, Forbes Asia said.

Families from India hold 14 of the 50 spots, making it the na-tion with the highest represen-tatives of top business dynasties in the region.

From the Philippines, the fam-ily of tycoon Henry Sy—whose SM Investments Corp. operates the country’s biggest banking, real estate and retailing busi-nesses—ranked No. 13. The real estate business under SM Prime Holdings is now one of the larg-est in Southeast Asia.

The wealth of the Sy family is estimated at $12.3 billion. Flag-ship conglomerate SM Invest-ments Corp., which has a market capitalization of P706 billion, is the country’s most valuable company.

The Zobels ranked 35th, with an estimated wealth of $4.2 bil-lion. The Zobels lead the coun-try’s oldest conglomerate, Ayala Corp., which is into property, banking, telecommunications, utilities, power generation, in-frastructure, electronics manu-facturing and education ven-tures. Ayala Corp. is valued by the market at P477 billion.

The Aboitiz family, with an estimated wealth of $3.6 billion, landed 44th on the list. The Cebu-based family is into power generation, banking, food, real estate, cement, ship building and infrastructure businesses. Holding firm Aboitiz Equity Ven-tures is valued by the market at P320 billion.

OriginsSy family patriarch Henry

Sy Sr. migrated from the im-poverished town of Hong Xi in Long Hu, Jinjiang in Fujian when he was a teenager to live in the Philippines with his fa-ther, Xiu Shi Sy, who was op-

so they would approve a plan that included a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, ac-cording to Huffington Post.

“I think we’ve learned that the Republicans, at least the current crop, are just not acting in good faith,” Clinton said Monday.

Clinton also said that she would continue to deport violent people and felons, but said too many “up-right, productive people with a minor offense had been hauled in and deported. And I’ve met their wives and their children--and I just don’t believe in that.”

To her supporters, Clinton said she would order these changes within her first 100 days in of-fice by directing her Department

Clinton criticizes Obama admin’s...PAGE A4

Water. Seven siblings control more than one-third of the company, Forbes Asia said, counting three of the eighth generation now involved in the business.

Jaime Zobel de Ayala II, the eldest son, is chair and CEO while brother Fernando is presi-dent and COO.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures was founded by Paulino Aboitiz, a son of a Spanish farmer, in the late 1800s after he migrated to the Philippines from Spain. This group began as an abaca-trad-ing and general-merchandise venture and later moved into inter-island shipping, transport-ing goods across the Visayas. AEV went public in 1994 but construction and shipbuilding businesses were kept privately held.

Forbes Asia noted that 19 family members, mostly fourth- and fifth-generation Aboitizes, were involved in day-to-day op-erations.

“The family, known to hold reunions for 400-plus relatives, has a constitution and formal process for those descendants interested in joining the com-pany,” the magazine said.

Being an Aboitiz is not an au-tomatic ticket to employment in the family business. Each fam-ily member has to seek employ-ment elsewhere and only those who show great potential are in-vited to join the conglomerate.

Asia’s richestAsia’s 10 richest families and

their estimated net worth are as follow:

• Lee of South Korea, $26.6B• Lee of Hong Kong, $24.1B• Ambani from India, $21.5B• Chearavanont of Thailand,

$19.9B• Kwok of Hong Kong,

$19.5B• Kwek/Quek of Singapore,

Malaysia, $18.9B• Premji of India, $17B• Tsai (Financial) of Taiwan,

$15.1B• Hinduja of India, UK, $15B• Mistry from India, $14.9BForbes Asia said the list was

compiled after reviewing fami-lies of 550 members of Forbes 11 Asian Rich Lists (excluding Australia).

erating a small-time grocery business. Much has been writ-ten about his early struggles especially during World War II when his family lost everything, prompted his father to go back to China. Henry Sy decided to stay in the country, initially get-ting into merchandise trading and eventually striking a gold mine in retailing and shopping mall development. Since then, he has become a legend at spotting opportunities, drawing consumers to wherever he puts up a new SM shopping mall in the Philippines.

Forbes Asia said: “…The fam-ily’s growth plans involve build-ing micro cities around some of its existing mall properties. The family also has a stake in privately owned electricity firm National Grid Corp., which supplies power to the entire country. Sy’s children are all involved in management. They meet weekly over lunch to dis-cuss the business. Grandchil-dren are taking active roles,” the magazine said.

Ayala Corp. is now run by seventh generation Zobels. The conglomerate traces its roots to Casa Roxas, which was set up in 1834. Based on published his-tory, Casa Roxas was put up by Antonio de Ayala, a poor young man from the small town of Ayala in Spain’s Basque region, who came to the Philippines and worked as assistant to Domingo Roxas, descendant of settlers who had arrived by way of Aca-pulco in the late 1770s. While the Spanish upper class looked down on farming and working on soil, Roxas went deep into agriculture, cultivating sugar and cotton in his Batangas and Laguna farms. Together, these two men put up a Manila busi-ness house that would engage in commercial production of spir-its, among others.

From that small distillery es-tablished 181 years ago, Ayala is now one of country’s larg-est conglomerates and a hold-ing company for Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Telecom and Manila

lenged in court. “I want to do more on an in-

dividual basis by putting more resources, more personnel into the system to try to help as many people as possible get a different status,” Clinton told Arrarás, add-ing that she would consider addi-tional people for deportation relief who are not currently covered.

She also repeated that she would keep fighting to get ap-proval in Congress for an immi-gration bill that was already tried by Obama.

“In the meantime, I’m not gon-na be breaking up families,” she said. “I think everybody is entitled to a second chance. I don’t want to see families disrupted, families deported. I want to see compre-hensive immigration reform.” (Al-lyson Escobar/AJPress)

of Homeland Security to “take a hard look about how we change the way the laws are applied.”

Over the past few months, the former secretary of state has worked hard to win the hearts of her Hispanic voters--an important constituency in the Democratic Party.

She also repeated her promise to expand upon Obama’s DREAM Act, as well as his earlier attempt to grant temporary relief for eli-gible undocumented immigrants, and issue work permits to some four million who have been in the US for at least five years and have naturalized or LPR (legal perma-nent residents) children. Obama’s policies--in the form of execu-tive actions--are now being chal-

PH, Canada eye bilateral solution to smuggled wasteby niña P. calleja

Inquirer.net

MANILA—The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday took a stronger position on the pres-ence of Canadian wastes in the Philippines, categorically saying it was a violation of domestic laws and the Basel Convention.

But filing a case against Cana-da IS not among the Philippines’ options since it considers “bi-lateral solution” as its primary approach in resolving the waste problem.

“It is a violation of the Basel Convention. We conveyed this vi-olation to Canada through a note to the foreign minister,” Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario said during the Senate budget delib-erations for the DFA.

Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on fi-nance presiding over the hear-ing, asked Del Rosario to clarify the DFA’s position on the issue of the 50 containers filled with rubbish shipped from Canada to the Philippines back in 2013. The wastes have been left to rot in the ports of Manila and Subic.

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Move-

october 9-15, 2015 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

Inquirer.net photo

I HAD a chance to watch the movie Hen-eral Luna with my wife and family members and I was truly im-pressed with the crowd that it pulled. The lines at SM BF on Sukat Road were long and we couldn’t get seats for the mid-afternoon screening. We had to buy tickets for the next screen-ing three hours later and had to kill time waiting for it. We also had to make do with seats so close to the screen, it was practically like watching a show on a big screen TV with our faces a few inches from the set.

But I enjoyed every minute of the movie, the discomfort was well worth it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I wouldn’t mind watching it again, although I would prefer better seating.

I found the film very entertaining. It reminded me of the dozens of films I wrote for Jun Aristorenas, Tony Fer-rer and Ramon Revilla decades ago. I realize, that sounds almost blasphe-mous, talking about Heneral Luna in the same breath as Harabas, Agent X-44 and Nardong Putik. I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s just that, as an old hand in movie making, I couldn’t help noting how the makers of Luna applied familiar cinematic touches that my late director friend, Tony Santos, referred to as “Ap-proved kwela.”

Considering how the audience loved the irreverent depiction of familiar his-torical figures and the overdose of in-vectives spit out by the Luna character I’m not surprised that Donald Trump is leading in the GOP presidential derby and Davao’s Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has endeared himself to many Filipino vot-

ers looking for some-one to elevate to the presidency. The pres-ent generation has become so jaded that one needs to use the shock tactics of Trump and Duterte or Tony Santos’ approved kwe-la techniques to gain

attention Heneral Luna does that with dia-

logues and scenes intended to elicit spontaneous laughter or jolt the mov-iegoers in their seats (“Puñeta” has the same recall potential as Ramon Revilla’s “Bwakang ina” in Nardong Putik). And then, there’s the sequence where Luna dragged a Kawit Katipunero captain be-fore his troops by the poor fellow’s balls. The audience loved that. I did too. Who cares about authenticity? And to rub it in, the officer was earlier shown in bed with a woman – as in, “How could he do that while fellow Katipuneros were being slaughtered?Ummmm. Buti nga!

Having said that, I would like to caution the serious students of motion picture art or of history to lower their expectations of the film because they could be in for some disappointment. I would suggest that, whatever their filmic or academic background, they should just go watchHeneral Luna for its entertainment value. I guarantee that they will enjoy it as I did.

I also hope that the producers don’t feel too discouraged if they don’t win any awards at the Oscars where, I un-derstand, they plan to enter the film. But, I’m hoping I’m wrong. Maybe it will gain some critical acclaim for the novelty of a movie where Americans are presented as the bad guys.

I feel like an odd man out writing like

this about a piece of creative work that a lot of people I know have been heap-ing with glowing praise. And let me tell you, these are folks who don’t normally watch Filipino movies and who have genuinely good tastes.

Like me, I’m sure they were prepared to take a positive attitude towards a film that had enjoyed a lot of good reviews in social media (pretty much like perceiv-ing Grace Poe as the great possibility for the Philippine presidency and Leni Ro-bredo for the vice-presidency because of all the positive press).

Unlike them, however, I can’t watch a movie without subsequently asking my-self if it was really well-made or if I en-joyed it because I wanted a no-brainer to relax with. To be frank, I regard Hen-eral Luna as a no-brainer – but, in that context, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and well-made one, especially with the cos-tumes and production design. .

From a more serious perspective, the character of Antonio Luna could have used more in-depth development. There was an attempt to do that by means of soliloquys (a-la Hamlet’s “To be or not to be”) as well as in the sequence where Luna’s mother asked him to close his eyes and recall his blissful childhood with his brother Juan. I can almost see the director and the screenplay writers discussing the need for such a scene “in order to depict the complex character of the hero and soften his harsh, explosive persona.”

But that technique reminded me more of the dream sequences that old-time Tagalog movie makers employed to provide relief from too muchbak-bakan and patayan.

There was an opportunity for the writers to have portrayed with more depth Los Indios Bravos in Europe

- Jose Rizal and the Luna brothers among them - as a background for the Filipino intelligentsia’s incipient strug-gle for freedom. This could have been a better setting to explain the motivations behind Antonio Luna’s characteriza-tion. But then, even Vivencio Jose, the author of the book, The Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna, on which the movie was based, apparently failed to do that, too. According to a scholarly review of the book, “its failure to situate Luna within the organized nationalist activity of Fili-pino activists in Europe makes Luna’s activities during this period seem rather unconnected and gives little idea of the progressive evolution of his thought.”

This probably left the screenplay writ-ers with no other option but to depict Luna’s mercurial character and military genius in the most obvious manner - like commandeering a train and riding straight into the enemy lines on horse-back.

Having said that, it makes me won-der why Emilio Aguinaldo was shown as such an impotent figurehead caught in the midst of the wrangling and the screaming of Philippine history’s most prominent personalities. Was this also the way Aguinaldo was depicted in Jo-se’s book? I wonder.

One can hardly believe that this was the same revolutionary leader who declared Philippine independence in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898. I’m no big fan of DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya, but I can appreciate his discomfort with the cinematic treat-ment of his great grandfather’s role in Philippine history.

Come to think of it, I’m wonder-ing what prompted the producers to make Heneral Luna. Was it intended as an art film (what movie scribes refer to

as “pang-award)? Or did they produce it for its box-office potential because of the way the source material overturned the cookie-cutter versions of Philippine history and exposed our heroes as hav-ing feet of clay? If it was for the last rea-son, they have apparently succeeded. The movie is a bona fide box-office hit.

The opening titles did acknowledge that the producers had blended histori-cal facts with cinematic fiction. About that aspect, historian Ambeth Ocampo had this to say in his newspaper col-umn: “Everyone who comes out of Hen-eral Luna blames Aguinaldo—an over-simplification because history is more complex than our textbooks make it out to be. History is not about memorizing ‘facts’ or reacting emotionally, but be-ing critical of facts and narratives. Agui-naldo is a soft target in a complex story where there are other villains. Some of the villains are not people but flaws in human nature and Philippine society.”

Oversimplification may be the best way to describe Heneral Luna as a por-trayal of history and of historical figures. Even the way the dialogue was delivered by such characters as Gen. Arthur Ma-cArthur and by John Arcilla’s Luna was much like a zarzuela - like hitting you on the head with a hammer, in a case you didn’t get the point.

And in the scene where Luna was killed, the director really went all out to squeeze it for all its gory potentials. Steve Reeves as Superman couldn’t have remained standing that long from all the bullets pumped into Luna at close range, not to mention being hacked with bolos.

Eventually Luna died, of course. And this was where you could almost hear someone in the audience moan, “Say-ang, namatay ang bida.” (gregmaca-benta@hotmail.com)

Heneral Luna, the movie

THERE may only be three candidates who have officially declared that they are seeking the high-est office in the Philippines, but as of press time, it may be (at least) a six-way fight for the posi-tion of vice president for the May 2016 Philippine Elections.

The Liberal Party has found a co-pilot for Sec. Mar Roxas in his quest to stir the Philippine gov-ernment toward “Daang Matuwid”: Cong. Leni Ro-bredo. The reluctant widow of the much beloved DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo has finally embraced her new calling, after getting the blessings of her daughters who were opposed to her running for higher office.

The Robredos’ eldest daughter Aika posted a quote on social media that somehow encapsulates why the family decided to heed the calling for Leni to run for VP: “‘It’s impt, Dumbledore said, to fight & fight again, & keep fighting. For only then can evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated.’”

Sen. Chiz Escudero, long time friend of presi-dential polls frontrunner Sen. Grace Poe, has been on board with Poe from the beginning and the two are running as Independents while seeking the

support of other parties.As of press time, VP Jejomar

Binay – who is running under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) – is still in a quandary over who will be his running mate, after failing to get the “matamis na OO” from Sen. Grace Poe and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Though it has been much publicized that the Binay-Marcos tandem has been shaping up, the Marcos camp reportedly decided that it would be to their candidate’s best political interest to aban-don such option because of Binay’s diminishing approval and trust rating in recent polls, following corruption allegations against him and his family.

As of press time, the UNA camp has reportedly been wooing Sen. Gringo Honasan to be his run-ning mate.

Sen. Bongbong Marcos has decided to run on his own without a president, although he has report-edly been seeking to be in tandem with Rodrigo Duterte, if the popular Davao City Mayor decides

to join the race to Malacanang.Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is an-

other VP candidate who has been waiting to run with Duterte, hav-ing announced his own VP bid in Davao City, with Duterte “al-most” endorsing Cayetano when in effect he said Cayetano could beat all other VP bets.

Finally, there is Sen. Antonio Trillanes, another VP-wannabe running without a president.

This VP race that is getting to be more crowded than the presidential race is something absurd for us Fil-Ams who vote here in the United States. Here in America, the presidential and the vice presidential candidates of each party run and cam-paign together as a “team”. A vote for one is the vote for the other.

When a tandem wins, the president and the VP work together to fulfill their campaign promises to the people, guided by their collective ideological and philosophical rationale in their quest for public office.

In contrast, candidates for president and vice

president in the Philippines may run together or as independents. The emerging winners for the two top posts of the executive branch of government may come from two opposing parties. Ergo, his-tory has proven time and time again how this set up has caused the president and the VP to work against each other and not together in performing their duties for the country.

I wonder when this will ever change. I hope the Philippine Constitution will be amended so that the president and VP may really work together for the Filipino people; to make this happen, the election laws should mandate that a vote for the president means a vote for the vice president counterpart.

In the meantime, who are you inclined to vote for the position of vice president: Leni Robredo, Chiz Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano, Bongbong Marcos, Antonio Trillanes or Gringo Honasan?

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

Who is your VP pick: Robredo, Escudero, Cayetano, Marcos, Trillanes or Honasan?

TURNING out to be an even more exciting race than the presidency in next year’s elections is the competition for the second most power-ful seat in the country between some of the biggest names in Philippine politics.

Royal rumble

The vice president’s responsi-bilities are akin to that of the presi-dent’s. This highly coveted position, according to the Office of the Vice President, is guided by objectives such as the pursuit of political stability and eco-nomic goals of the country. The vice president is also responsible for the promotion of foreign invest-ments, international trade and diplomatic relations, peace and order, safety and welfare in coordination with law enforcement agencies. And much like the president, the vice president is expected to protect the interest of national constituency.

Among those who have already confirmed their bid to be next vice president are Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Camarines Sur Representative Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo. Senator Gregorio Honasan II is ex-pected to join the roster to run alongside Vice Presi-dent Jejomar Binay, who is gunning for presidency, under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

Leading the pack is Sen. Escudero, who could be a runaway vice presidential winner if the elec-tion was held today. Based on the latest Pulse Asia survey, he topped the list for the most preferred candidates for vice president and would win 23 per-cent of the votes. In his announcement last Sept. 17, Escudero said that he and running mate Sen. Grace Poe will establish a “Gobyernong may Puso (Government with a Heart)” that will raise the bar

of public service by removing “slow and inefficient” people in the gov-ernment. He added that by using the national budget as a framework, their administration would prepare a

platform for every department to address problems of all sectors.

Sen. Marcos declared his bid earlier this week and said he leaves it up to the Filipino people to judge whether he deserves another shot at another posi-tion. “I believe that elected officials have an obliga-tion to our people to help change the course of our nation’s history by banishing the politics of person-ality, which to me is one of the primary causes why our country today has become a soft state where the rich become richer, the poor become poorer, graft and corruption is endemic, the drug menace pervades, injustice is the norm and government in-competence is accepted,” Marcos said. He is cur-rently courting Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to be his running mate.

Sen. Cayetano, who is also courting Mayor Duterte to be his running mate, has formally an-nounced his bid for vice presidency.Duterte earlier lauded Cayetano for his “good grasp of practical solutions” for the country’s problems on poverty, poor infrastructure, and lack of inclusive economic growth. While they have yet to formalize a partner-ship, Cayetano “continues to pray for a president who will take on the challenge of creating genuine change in the lives of Filipino families.”

Editorial

Running under the Magdalo Group, Sen. Trillanes said his decision to run as vice president is a big challenge to widen the scope of his service to the Filipino people. While he expects his bid to be a long shot, Trillanes believes that his mission to up-lift the nation, fix the government and help the Fili-pino people will help him win the race.

After her earlier reluctance to seek a higher posi-tion, Rep. Robredo finally accepted the administra-tion’s offer to be the vice president of Manuel “Mar” Roxas II under the Liberal Party. While she vowed to continue the achievements of President Benigno Aquino III’s “Tuwid na Daan (Straight Path)” policy,

the unassuming congresswoman said her platform will focus on the poor and disenfranchised. “I offer myself fully especially to those who wear slippers, who are downtrodden and those who are neglected by society,” Robredo said.

Based on this preview, it is clear that the cam-paign season leading to next year’s elections will be a grueling journey for both candidates and vot-ers. Although by adopting popular platforms to gain more popularity and votes, seem to be an easy route, even the most accurate polls cannot predict how the race will pan out. For these contenders, the test has just begun. (AJPress)

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(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 9-15, 2015 A�Dateline PhiliPPines

MANILA—The Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will have to wait until after All Soul’s Day when Congress resumes session on Nov. 3, Senate President Frank-lin Drilon said.

“The BBL is difficult to pass before we adjourn on Oct. 10. So, it will have to wait when we come back in November. We hope to finish it by December,” Drilon added.

If the measure is not passed by then, Rep. Celso Lobregat (1st District, Zamboanga City) be-lieves that it may not be passed during the Aquino administra-tion.

He said the BBL was simply overtaken by the killing of 44 members of the police Special Action Force in January by mem-bers of the Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freeedom Fighters.

Lobregat pointed out that Congress is still in the period of interpellation, preceding the period of amendment, “which also takes a long period of time because every amendment will have to be voted on” and needs a quorum.

At the Senate, Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and his deputy Vicente Sotto III are still lined up for debates with Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the bill’s sponsor.

Drilon said even the interpel-lations will not be finished as Congress goes on All Soul’s Day break and Marcos is also busy with other appointments.

“It is hard to finish this since Senator Marcos has other ap-pointments outside. He has not been in the hall. That’s the reality that we face,” he said.

Government peace panel chair-man Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said that the election fever should not be used as reason to defer work on BBL.

She added that politicians who will run in the 2016 elections need not worry about their popu-larity rating when championing the measure.

“Recent surveys point to in-flation, poverty and corruption as the most critical issues for voters. The BBL, and even the peace process in general, should be seen for what it is: a tool to bring socio-economic and politi-cal justice in the Bangsamoro,” Ferrer said.

She believes that there is still time to pass the measure next month.

“Why pass it in December if we can do it this November? After all, with the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Conference) here, the world will once again be watch-ing the Philippines and it will be good for the whole country to have a BBL before then. Leaders around the Asia Pacific would want assurances that the Philip-pines is peaceful, progressive and ready for development and integration. Let us not let that international meet be a missed opportunity. It is never too late to achieve something good,” Ferrer said.

Drilon, a re-electionist sena-tor, admitted the difficulty in get-ting a quorum at the session hall with the upcoming filing of cer-tificates of candidacy before the Commission on Elections next week. (With Roel Pareño, Jose Rodel Clapano, Marvin Sy/Phil-star.com)

BBL not dead as Senate resumes debates on November 3

Manny Pacquiao to run for Philippine SenateMANNY Pacquiao is set on

proving he’s more than just a king in the boxing ring.

The 36-year-old Philippine boxing hero announced his plans to run for the Philippine Senate on Monday, October 5.

“Yes, I’m going to run for a Senate post this coming 2016 election,” said the fighter, who was elected congressman in 2010, representing the Saran-gani province in Mindanao. “But as to which party, that’s still to be determined.”

The 8-division world boxing pro announced his bid for Sen-ate during his State of the Dis-trict Address to constituents at the provincial gym in Alabel, capital of Sarangani, the Philip-pine Star reported.

“In the coming days, I will be embracing new levels of re-sponsibility. I will be confront-ing tough challenges,” said Pacquiao. “My second term as your congressmen will soon be over, but I will continue to be of service to you and to our fellow Filipinos.”

Pacquiao is in the “Magic 12” of recent senatorial preference surveys, according to Rappler. The latest Pulse Asia survey on next year’s elections determines who is being re-elected in lead-

ership and returning to office. Pacquiao is one of four first-time senatorial contenders.

According to the preference survey, 12 senators will be fin-ishing their terms in 2016, to fill the “Magic 12.”

Pacquiao got 39.6 percent of the vote, and ranked 7th-11th, showing generally positive rat-ings.

He is reportedly under pres-sure from political advisors and allies to break free from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejo-mar Binay, whom he has been publicly loyal to. He was present when the UNA proclaimed Binay as its presidential candidate.

Pacquiao is head of the Peo-ple’s Champ Movement, a local political party that aligned with Manny Villar’s Nacionalista Par-ty during the elections in 2010. He is a political rival of the An-toninos, who ruled General San-tos City for 26 years, Rappler reported.

Pacquiao ran and lost to Dar-lene Antonino-Custodio for the 1st District of South Cotabato, covering several towns in South Cotabato and General Santos City.

In 2010, he moved to Saran-gani, where he ran and won for the lone congressional seat, and ran again unopposed three

years later.After winning eight world

championships in different weight divisions, Pacquiao lost the most expensive fight in box-ing history (with a record 4.4 million pay-per-view buys) by unanimous decision to his Amer-ican rival, Floyd Mayweather Jr., in the May 2nd “Fight of the Century.”

Controversy arose when Pac-quiao later reported a torn rota-tor cuff in his right shoulder, for which he underwent surgery. He is not expected to be able to fight until next year.

Pacquiao has been harshly criticized for his performance, or lack thereof, in the House of Representatives, said Agence France-Presse. The congress-man has been listed among the legislators with the most absenc-es from meetings and events.

On social media, the reaction to Pacquiao’s bid was largely negative.

“Pacman, you’re my idol. But in the boxing ring. Not in Con-gress. Sorry,” one fan posted on Twitter.

“You can’t even go to sessions in Congress. Now you want to go to Senate? What are you go-ing to do there?” said another Twitter user.

“PH government is indeed a circus,” one tweet read.

by Allyson EscobArAJPress

Manny Pacquiao announced his plans to run for the Philippine Senate on Monday, October 5. AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee is not seeing re-election as vice governor of Sarangani, but his brother Rogelio (Roel) Pacquiao is slated run for the congressio-nal seat that Manny will vacate next year.

His promoter, Bob Arum, said in September that he expects the boxer to get back in the ring once more before he retires to focus on his political career.

“I believe he’ll take one more fight, then run for the Senate in the Philippines,” Arum told the Los Angeles Times. “He could fight twice more, I guess, but it sets up better for him to fight, then run.” n

Commission on Audit Commissioner Heidi Mendoza also serves as the external auditor for the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization and International Labour Organization.

UNITED Nations Security-General Ban Ki-moon told the General Assembly on Monday, Oct. 5 that he intends to appoint Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Heidi Mendoza as the undersecretary-general of the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

Once the General Assembly gives it formal approval, Men-doza will serve under a five-year non-renewable term, the UN said in a statement.

The OIOS is the internal over-sight body of the UN, which as-sists “the Secretary-General in fulfilling his oversight responsi-bilities in respect of the resourc-es and staff of the Organization through internal audit, monitor-ing, inspection, evaluation and investigation services.”

UN chief nominates COA commissioner to head UN internal oversight office

THREE-PEAT. The National University (NU) Pep Squad emerged for the third straight year at the top of the UAAP Cheerdance Competition on Saturday, Oct. 3. Appearing as cavemen with faux animal fur vests, NU’s dancers committed a few mistakes but garnered the most points for their dance routine. Inquirer.net photo

by christinA M. oriElAJPress Mendoza has been with the

COA since 2011 and is the chair-person of the audit committee on public sector auditing standards board.

As a certified public accoun-tant, Mendoza has over 20 years of service in government, special-izing in audit, investigation, fraud examination, anti-corruption and integrity advocacy. She is also the external auditor for the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization and Interna-tional Labor Organization.

Before the COA, Mendoza worked with the Asian Devel-opment Bank and was also a member of the board of advisers of the Ateneo de Manila Univer-sity School of Government, GMA News reported.

She will replace Canadian Car-man L. Lapointe whose term end-ed in September. n

october 9-15, 2015 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

peopleevents

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entertainmentoctober 9-15, 2015

2The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY OcTObER 9, 2015

An Asian Journal Magazine

by MoMar G. Visaya/AJPress

The United Nations established April 2 as ‘World Autism Awareness Day’ back in December 2007 in order to raise more knowledge and understanding about this health concern, which affects approximately one out of every 150 children around the world. The UN General Assembly unanimously agreed to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of children and adults, who are affected by autism, so they can lead full and meaningful lives.

The entire month of April is Autism Awareness Month, giving more time to offer the opportunity to highlight the growing number of children identified with autism.

This early, the people behind San Francisco-based non-profit Autism hearts Foundation has partnered with agencies in order to come up with big events to celebrate next year.

Last week, Autism hearts, in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations, and Autism Speaks presented the Fashion Arts Autism Benefit Fashion Show (FAAB) at the Gallery Lobby of the Philippine Center in New York.

Consul General Mario De Leon hailed the program partners in their work that uplifts the lives of persons diagnosed with

autism and to increase the public understanding of the condition.

“I’m proud to be wearing a Barong Tagalog with a design by the National Artist Abdulmari Imao and the hand-painting was done by an autistic child. These children can have positive contributions to the society and it’s just a matter of us helping them in the process,” Consul General de Leon said. “Among Filipinos, there is this stigma attached to autistic children but I think it is about time that we see their contribution to mainstream society and this particular event today depicts that.”

Deputy Permanent Representative of the Philippine Mission to the UN Susan Natividad spoke in behalf of Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre and relayed their preparations for the United Nations World Focus on Autism.

“People with autism have enormous potential. Most have remarkable visual, artistic or academic skills. Thanks to the use of assistive technologies, non-verbal persons with autism can communicate and share their hidden capabilities,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the celebration of the World Autism Awareness Day earlier this year.

Autism Hearts“For this fashion show, we

are showcasing the talents of

‘Fashion arts autism BeneFit’Wearable art,

Fashion and autismour special artists with autism as young as 14 years old,” said Lynda Borromeo, Founder and President of Autism hearts Foundation Philippines, Inc., a community-based center engaged in the development of support services for children and adults with autism.

The organization currently has five artists who hand-paint their masterpieces on piña (pineapple) fabric, which are eventually transformed into beautiful Filipiniana gowns and barong tagalogs. They are trained in Kalibo, Aklan by the India de la Cruz-Legaspi.

“This is the first time that it is going to be done and we would like to raise awareness and inspiration to other people like them, that they can be the best that they can be. We would like to show the world that when you see them and their work, you will not see the disability, you will see the abilities that they have,” Borromeo said.

Artworks hand-painted by autistic children into piña fabrics are also fashioned into shawls, wraps, skirts and evening wear by designer Anthony Legarda. Some of these were highlight in the show, along with a couple of intricately designed evening gowns.

Masterpieces by Filipino National Artists Jose Joya, Fernando Amorsolo, Vicente Manansala, Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco and Mauro Malang, among others served as inspiration for the creations of the autistic artists.

“What we showed tonight is just a teaser for the big fashion event we are doing next year,” Borromeo added while explaining that what she was wearing was created by mixing the work of autistic artists inspired by top Filipino artists Oscar de Zalameda and Manuel Baldemor. “But they don’t copy, they are inspired our national artists and they do their own versions.”

After a tour in Manila, San Francisco, New York and Geneva,

the gowns will be showcased in April 2016, in time for the celebration of the next World Autism Awareness Day.

The year-long fashion tour will come full circle in April 2017, with the gowns given to the winning bidders in Manila. According to organizers, the proceeds of the auction will help the participating artists save up for their future.

While most artists would think of putting their masterpieces on canvas, the group behind Autism hearts thought of coming up with ‘wearable art’ and as such, the ‘Fashion Arts Autism Benefit’ Show was conceived. Instead of painting on canvas, the five artists would paint their masterpieces on the exquisite silk-like threads of the piña fabric, considered by many designers as the queen of Filipino fabrics.

Once their work is done, fashion designer Anthony Cruz Legarda gets into the picture.

“It’s a new medium, since most of them have been used to painting on canvas,” Legarda remarked. “After a month or so of doing it, it became easier for them to express their ideas and emotions. They are really very

The following “red flags” may indicate your child is at risk for an autism spectrum disorder. If your child exhibits any of the following, please don’t delay in asking your pediatrician or family doctor for an evaluation:

• No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter

• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by nine months

• No babbling by 12 months• No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, showing,

reaching or waving by 12 months• No words by 16 months• No meaningful, two-word phrases (not including imitating

or repeating) by 24 months• Any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age(Source: Autism Speaks)

a lifelong developmental disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life. It results from a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, mostly affecting children and adults in many countries irrespective of gender, race or socio-economic status. It is characterized by impairments in social interaction, problems with verbal and non-verbal communication and restricted, repetitive behavior, interests and activities.

The five artists featured by Autism hearts sent in their video messages to the supporters of the project. It showed the range of autism across a spectrum of developmental disorders where a couple of them who were non-verbal attempted their best to say thank you to the audience while one was articulate in extending his feelings and emotions.

“We’ve seen a lot of great artistic work from people with autism and it is about time that we bring these talents to the international stage,” Borromeo stated. “The hand painting they do on piña fabrics is meaningful to them as we are empowering them to become more self-sufficient and who knows, this [work] may open more doors for them in the future.”

artistic people.”he considers this new chapter

as an exciting moment not only in his career but in his life as well.

“We get to help young people express themselves through art. This is, really, fashion for a cause,” he emphasized. “People with autism are very talented, we just have to give them a chance and include them in our daily lives and we will be a better community because of that.”

According to the UN, autism is

NeW YORK—Opening the celebrations of the Filipino-American history Month for the youth sector, the Philippine Consulate General New York convened with the second-generation and young professionals of Connecticut for the third leg of the Leadership and Mentoring Seminar (LMS):

empowerment for the emerging Generation at Yale University in New haven last on Saturday, Oct. 3.

More than 70 attendees showed up at the Lisnly-Chittenden hall in the event co-organized by the Yale University KASAMA, Yale Asian Network, University of

Connecticut Filipino-American Students Association (FASA), and program partners Joe Battad of Philippine-American Association of Connecticut, Inc. and Oliver Sawi of FASA.

Vice Consul Khrystina Corpuz welcomed the attendees and gave a background on how the LMS came about – that in 2013,

Connecticut Fil-Am youth increasescommunity awareness through leadership and mentoring seminar with PCGNY

Ms Gina Apostol shows a stereo card from her personal collection while asking the audience to “fill in the gap in the stories of the colonizers from our own perspective.” Jezreel Jardeleza of UConn FASA was quick to volunteer as an example of a youth leader among his organization. Photos by Dondee Santos

the Leadership and Management Seminar for the traditional Filipino community organizations brought the understanding that for the Filcom organizations to achieve longevity, the elder community leaders must be able to transition leadership to the younger generations. That was what catalyzed the Consulate to create a program for the emerging generation to be empowered and take on this responsibility capably and confidently.

The morning started with an examination of Filipinos’ historical ties with Americans

with Ms Gina Apostol’s module on Understanding the Filipino: Colonization and Revolution. She showed stereo cards to convey her message that history is written by the victors, and that we should see our own history through our own people’s perspectives. Fill in the gaps in the stories from the colonizers’ point of view with what are our ancestors’ own versions of the story.

Dean Mary Grace Almandrez of Brown University gave an impassioned pep talk to the audience with her Leadership and Motivation session. Relating

her story as a young immigrant girl from Olongapo growing up in a white-dominated suburb in San Diego, she learned earlier on to look on to her grandmother as a leader in the community she grew up in. She urged the youth members to break the traditional stereotypes of leadership: white, male, hierarchical, and old, and start to use education for critical thinking and disruption.

Innovative restaurateur Nicole Ponseca of Maharlika/Jeepney shared her tricks of the trade in the module events Planning 101. She enumerated

Continued on Page 6

Consul General de Leon with Lynda Borromeo and guests

Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr. Lynda Borromeo, founder and president of Autism Hearts

Lynda Borromeo showing Consul General and Mrs. Mario de Leon her outfit, inspired by premiere Filipino artists Zalameda and Baldemor.

Shawls, wraps and gowns, all hand-painted by artists with autism. AJPress photos by Momar G. Visaya

3The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY OcTObER 9, 2015

An Asian Journal Magazine

Atty. MichAel

Gurfinkel, eSQ

ImmigrationCorner

DEAR Attorney Gurfinkel:I was petitioned by my US

citizen father, and after waiting for over 15 years, I was finally interviewed and just received my immigrant visa, which was delivered by the Embassy’s courier.

The immigrant visa is valid for several months. Would there be a problem if I remain in the Philippines for a few more months, to wind up my affairs, before I finally go the US?

Very truly yours,S.C.

Dear S.C.:If a person has been issued

an immigrant visa, they should depart for the US as soon as possible. You never know if circumstances or the law may change, affecting the validity of your immigrant visa. Even if a beneficiary is issued an immigrant visa, if the petitioner dies before

Enter the US ASAP with your immigrant visa

the beneficiary enters the US, then the visa is considered automatically void. (Although “humanitarian revalidation” may be available in such circumstances, it is very difficult and time consuming to obtain and may not be granted.)

What if new laws, cases, or policy interpretations result in a person no longer becoming eligible for his immigrant visa? Then all that time and effort were wasted.

My point is you should not delay coming to the US because you never know if the laws or circumstances will change before you enter. You should come to the US, obtain your green card, and you can literally go right back to the Philippines (as a green card holder) and finish up your affairs. If you expect to be out of the US for a long time (such as to finish studies), you can come to America, get your green card, and apply for a re-entry permit, which would allow you to stay outside

the US for almost 2 years at a time. At least you have your green card, and don’t have to worry that laws and circumstances could change, which might void your visa.

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

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

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

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

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

CAN A DAUGHTER IMMIGRATE SOONER IF HER MOTHER NATURALIZED AND HER PETITION WAS RECLASSIFIED? THIS QUESTION AND MORE WILL BE ANSWERED THIS SUNDAY! Leading US immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel answers this question from Louise (top left). Ramon (top right) asks what is the fastest way he can be with his wife, and Kristine (center bottom photo) asks if her husband can get his green card in the US despite being out-of-status for a long time. Get answers to these questions and more, on a brand new episode of the information-packed, award-winning public service program — “Citizen Pinoy,” this Sunday, October 11 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

any age.Here are some tips on how to

improve your memory:• Give your brain a workout.

You have to challenge yourself to learn something new. Learn a new language, a new skill like dancing or a sport, playing a musical instrument or a new piano piece. In short, anything that requires mental effort. Keep pushing the envelope; if a new skill becomes too easy, go to the next level. Choose activities that are challenging but at the same time, enjoyable and satisfying.

• Don’t skip the physical exercise. Physical exercise helps the brain stay sharp as it increases oxygen to the brain and reduces the risk of disorders that lead to memory loss such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also reduces stress hormones and plays an important role in neuroplasticity by boosting growth factors and stimulating new neuronal

connections.Aerobic exercise is good

for the brain, so choose the activities that keep your blood pumping. In general, what is good for the heart is great for the brain.

• Get your ZZZZs. Sleep is critical to learning and memory as it is necessary for memory consolidation with the key memory-enhancing activity occurring during the deepest stages of sleep. 95% of adults need between 7.5 and nine hours of sleep.

Sleep experts advise that we should go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time each morning. We should avoid all screens for at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted by TVs, tablets, phones, and computers triggers wakefulness and suppresses sleep hormones, such as melatonin, that make you sleepy. And most of all, cut back

Remember these tips on how to improve your memoryby Mayenne CarMona

Philstar.com

the brain to adapt and change even into old age. The brain has that uncanny ability to reshape itself in order to increase your cognitive abilities, enhance your ability to learn new information, and improve your memory at

FACT: Brain power can be improved at any age. The human brain has an astonishing ability called neuroplasticity. It enables

on caffeine as it may interfere with sleep at night.

• Make time for friends and have healthy relationships. Research shows that having meaningful friendships and a strong support system is vital not only to emotional health but also to brain health. In a recent Harvard study, researchers found that people with the most active social lives had the slowest rate of memory decline.

• Keep stress in check. Stress is one of the brain’s worst enemies. Chronic stress destroys brain cells and is linked to memory loss.

• Have a good laugh. Laughter is the best medicine and that holds true for the brain and memory. Listening to jokes and working out punch lines activate areas of the brain vital to learning and creativity.

• Eat a brain-boosting diet. Get your Omega 3 fatty acids that are so beneficial for brain health. Like cold water fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, halibut,

trout, mackerel, sardines. Non-seafood items include walnuts, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, winter squash, kidney and pinto beans, spinach broccoli, and soybeans.

Diets high in saturated fats, such as red meat, whole milk, butter, cheese, cream, and ice cream, increase your risk of dementia.

Eat more fruits and vegetables as they are packed with antioxidants that protect the brain cells from damage.

• Identify and treat health problems. There are many diseases, mental health disorders, and medications that interfere with memory. Cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, such as cholesterol and high blood pressure, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, thyroid imbalances, depression, and some medications, can cause cognitive impairment, forgetfulness, sluggish thinking, and confusion, and memory loss.

The brain has that uncanny ability to reshape itself in order to increase your cognitive abilities, enhance your ability to learn new information, and improve your memory at any age. Philstar.com photo

Dahil sa Volunteering resources ng AARP, sina Lloyd at Lisa at iba pang kagaya nila ay makakahanap ng paraan to give back to the community, enriching their own lives and the lives of the many they touch.

As a prominent journalist and publisher, Lloyd and Mona Lisa informed audiences around the country. Naniniwala silang sharing is caring, and giving back to the community remains their passion. “When we turned 50, we found that AARP was like a support group with great resources and platforms. Learning about others’ experiences made us realize how connected we are with others.” They continue to reach out further to the children of the U.S. and the Philippines sa pagbibigay ng kanilang oras, experience at educational assistance sa mga batang kaisipan. With AARP’s great variety of Volunteer resources, ikaw rin ay makakahanap ng exciting at fulfilling opportunities to live a fuller life. Visit aarp.org/aapi or call 1-866-805-1986 today.

AARP is a non-profit organization committed to enhancing your life at 50-plus by providing trusted and useful resources to help you stay active, engaged and vibrant.

Caregiving • Health & Wellness • Fraud Watch • Volunteer • Life Reimagined

This could be our most groundbreaking story yet.Lloyd LaCuesta, Former Broadcast JournalistMona Lisa Yuchengco, Magazine PublisherAARP Members

AARP_15_Lacuesta Testimonial_HP_FIL_AJ.indd 1 10/2/15 7:31 PM

4The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY OcTObER 9, 2015

An Asian Journal Magazine

BoBBy T. yalong

On thePEP FrontPeople, Events, Places

PACCAL confers Award of Distinction on 18 during its 23rd Anniversary

(PArt 2)AftEr having successfully

attained the vocation they had long ambitioned aside from being on the top of their craft, there’s a great number of flourishing and accomplished men and women who could still find time to be actively involved in various worthwhile community activities while altruistically contributing their proficiency to the growth and development of society.

In this connection, the Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc. (PACCAL), in its continuing effort and unprecedented advocacy to recognize and honor filipino-Americans who have distinctly excel in their chosen fields of endeavor and, at the same time, being of service to the community and inspirational guide to those walking behind, the organization incorporates a grandiose ceremony with their up-coming noteworthy event.

On Saturday, October 10, 2015 at the ramada Plaza Newark Liberty International Airport Hotel (160-A frontage road, Newark, NJ 07114) at 1:00 PM, eighteen (18) successful fil-Ams will be distinctly honored with a dinner-dance gala while the event’s vigor and mood will be heightened with magenta motif for universal harmony and emotional balance.

PACCAL 23rd founding Anniversary has Dr. Elizabeth B. Divinagracia as its Honorary Chairperson with Joanne Sy Bhatia as Honorary Co-chair while ramona S. Gapasin and rebecca Samanyaphon are designated Ball Chair and Co-chair, respectively.

After a thorough screening and meticulous selection process, PACCAL’s Awards Committee came up with 18 official recipients of this year’s Award of Distinction.

Here are the final nine (9) official awardees:

Eloisa Porto – Community Leadership

Eloisa Algozo Porto has been in the community service for nearly two decades. Her involvement with community affairs started in

Angel Ram Atty. Rio Guerrero

Bobby (The Pianoman) Ramiro Dr. Rod Castillo

Eloisa A. Porto Joanne Sy Bhatia, Honorary Co-chair Joey B. Cruise

John Gadia Pancho Bernaldez Saif Titi

1996 when she joined SJBUSAA, the hometown association of her husband, Armand Porto. Since then she had joined other groups such as PAfCOM, PACCAL, the Catholic Action of Mary and the Seniors Club, Inc., not just as an active member but officer, as well. She had widened her involvement with community- based organizations when she participated in organizing the Ladies for rizal-New Jersey Chapter in 1999 where she held positions from treasurer, then Vice President and presently leads the association as its President since 2013. As President, she was responsible for a Declamation Contest on Dr. Jose rizal’s “My Last farewell’ held at the City Hall of Jersey City in 2014. Eloisa holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a Certified Public Accountant.

Rodrigo Castillo, MD – Medical Profession (Pediatrics)

Dr. rod Castillo migrated to the US in 1980 ably armed with a medical degree from the far Eastern University and had his pediatric residency training in Brooklyn, NY. Conscientiously active in private practice in West New York and Secaucus, NJ, together with his personal and professional partner Dr. Elma De Villa Castillo, Dr. rod (ditto with his wife) is a member of the Philippine Medical Association in America, Philippine Pediatric Society in America, American Academy of Pediatric in NJ, and an active entity in every filipino-American Community event. His compassionately generous nature (he sponsors poor but deserving students to medical school) and empathetic ways (he sends medication and financial support to indigent families back home) duly earned for him (and Dr. Elma, of course) the distinct NJ Parents of the Year and recognized by the National

Parents of the Year in NYC, as well.Angel Ram – Female Vocal

EntertainerJoan “Angel” Dacayana

ramchand, more popularly known in the entertainment arena with an intriguing moniker as Angel ram, has forayed and gradually explored the vastness and diversity of the tri-state area’s demanding entertainment hubs, merely armed with her powerful voice, strong will-power and keen determination to make it big. the sultry chanteuse, aptly gifted with a dominantly high-pitched vocal range and cleverness in lyrical interpretation, performs adeptly sans qualms and reservations. Enviably equipped with a wide array of repertoire that suits her extremely variable vocal range, Angel ram is currently the toast of every event, be it in an undersized cozy nook or colossal dome, and admittedly enjoys the never-ending blessings that

come her way. If there’s but one magnificent obsession there is, that would be to penetrate the mainstream industry and release a self-titled album.

Saif Titi – Pharmaceutical Profession

A non-filipino married to a filipina, Saif titi has a heart that throbs of Pinoy sentiments while instantaneously adapting to the filipino way of life. A distinguished alumnus of the University of Wyoming (1979) and a registered Pharmacist for the past 36 years, Saif was a clinical pharmacist prior to the opening of his own pharmaceutical business in 1983, the Noble Pharmacy. He has selflessly served the community of Jersey City with the same length of time that he has had his diploma. His unparalleled dedication to his profession and the unconceivable service he has accorded the public didn’t escape from the scrutiny of award-giving organizations that justifiably recognized his invaluable contribution. A current events writer of a local paper he manages, Saif is an entrepreneur by trade and a pharmacist at heart… and enjoys life to the fullest with the support of his 3 children and inspiration he derives from his 2 grandkids.

Bobby Ramiro – Piano Virtuosity

When they say singers are born and not made… so were

musicians…specifically, pianists. Bobby ramiro, “the Pianoman” as a he’s fondly addressed, has played in the best hotel chains worldwide before finally settling in New York. formerly a child actor, teen heartthrob, and one of the most promising recording artists of his time, Bobby has evolved into a most sought after pianist, singer, and musical arranger. With skilled fingers that could gently caress every ivory and ebony key and a great sense of musicality, Bobby, is no doubt, a living master of his craft and on top of his peers. His performances carry a lightness that has been characterized as childlike yet mesmerizing while echoing the depth and maturity of a self-made artist that he is.

Joey Bautista Cruise – Aesthetic & Beauty Enhancement

Calamba, Laguna-bred Joey B. Cruise is the middle child among 6 boys and 6 girls born to a couple of hand-to-mouth existence. that adverse domestic situation earnestly fueled his aspiration to strive doubly hard, deliver change, and make a difference. Gifted with a keen business acumen Joey was able to send himself to school from peddling dried fish and other commercial goods. A graduate of Physical therapy from the Pine City Doctors College he landed job at the Philippine Military Academy. His idea of the “greener

Continued on Page 5

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FOR SALEEMPLOYMENT SERVICES

5The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY OcTObER 9, 2015

An Asian Journal Magazine

AEGIS IN NYC. Fans of Aegis now have the chance to watch them perform live in concert as the band embarks on the New York leg of their multi-city American tour. The band members arrived this week and they enjoyed a hearty meal at Tito Rad’s in Queens a few days ago. Aegis will be performing at the TriBeCa Performing Arts Center on Friday, October 9.

Monette

AdevA MAglAyA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

(Part 2 of 3)VIGAN has pedigree. And tons

of character. It was founded 438 years ago in 1572, a half century after Magellan first stumbled onto our shores and made the fatal mistake of messing with the feisty Lapulapu. But I digress and apologize for sounding flippant about history.

Vigan’s name is derived from “bigaa”, a tuberous root plant related to the edible “gabi” with big, bright green fronds common to the place. Vigan is the third Spanish city to be built in the Philippines, after the first one in Cebu and the second, in what is now Manila. Once in Vigan, you can take a calesa just for the experience but a hale and hearty visitor equal to the task, can do a walkabout in comfy sandals, shorts and T-shirt, an anahaw fan, a bottle of water, a camera, a cellphone and a wide-brimmed hat. Nearly all the points of interest, are within walking distance of each other: the St. Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral; Plaza Salcedo; the Burgos House—the best by far in the region—which was also called the Ayala Museum at one point for the family’s role in its preservation; the Archbishop’s Palace; the Crisologo Museum; Plaza Burgos, Syquia Mansion among others.

But the core of a visit to Vigan must be focused on the Kamestizoan district, also known as Heritage Village, along Calle Crisologo where one will find the few remaining ancestral houses on a street showing the classic lines of Spanish architecture. On the street level are shops and persuasive sellers peddling souvenirs, local crafts and antiques.

Of the goods available, the cotton Ilocano blankets locally woven in simple plaid patterns and in varying thread counts and quality deserve some attention. They are not as collectible as the hand-made, colorful Amish quilts that command top dollar but these

Bagnet and Vigan empanada, anyone?

“Lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” — Susan Butler Anderson

are blankets that are meant to be used to give one a warm, fuzzy feeling, not unlike Linus’ security blanket, on a hot summer’s day or blustery winter’s night. These pure organic cotton blankets woven the old fashioned way is breathable fabric that loses its form and sheen when washed but sure feels wonderful on the skin after repeated uses. Perhaps only India and other cotton-growing countries have something similar. Burnay pottery in natural or stained earth tone colors has primitive appeal and is perfect for homes and gardens but quite cumbersome to lug around if you’re traveling light. Leave them for the locals instead.

Find delight in Ilocano cuisine. Like the people in the region, there is nothing bland or tentative about it. It either grabs that part of the brain that controls your taste buds or not at all. A trip to Vigan is not complete without tasting its famous langgonisa, tiny bite-sized pork links with distinctive vinegar, garlicky taste that puts the kielbasa in the dust.

Then there is delicious bagnet, Ilocano chicharon, deep fried pork meat, best eaten with garlic rice, big red tomatoes with pure Sukang Iloko as dipping sauce while other food fanciers use freshly cooked bagnet crushed and sprinkled generously on top of any pancit recipe “to kick it up a notch”, as Emeril would say; chichacorn for snacking, tastes very much like the commercial Boy Bawang brand; crunchy empanada—Vigan style—is not the regular empanada you know and scrumptious okoy prepared fresh and deep fried in black woks in the many tiny food stalls in Plaza Burgos is something you have to check out while sitting on the park benches as you chow

down on your order. You pretend to be oblivious of the townspeople openly gazing at you with wide-eyed curiosity while you fumble in your purse for some chump change, feeling guilty about panhandlers with babies in their arms asking for money or food.

Counterbalance all that cholesterol by dipping everything dripping in fat that you put in your mouth in genuine Sukang Iloko much like Drano’s action to clogged plumbing. Or chase it down with jasmine or green tea as the Chinese do after a 10-course lauriat banquet. For added measure, be sure to sweat out all those nasty cloggers with aerobics exercise. If not, eat in moderation following the RULE OF PALM, which the dietary experts say, is to eat only what you can fit in the palm of one hand. Sigh …

You can dine alfresco on a moonlit night at Café Leona. The café is named after Leona Florentino, the creative dame who lived centuries ahead of her time. She has the distinction of being a noted poetess, the product of an educated, illustrious family headed by Isabelo delos Reyes, with a verifiable claim to being a distant relative of Jose Rizal. Her statue with a sprig of laurel on her head and garbed in native “saya” sits pensively in front of Max’s Restaurant.

The famous fried chicken restaurant which has gone global following the hordes of Filipinos who have left the country for greener pastures, is housed in a modern, stylized version of a Vigan House right down to the capiz windows—a deliberate effort to blend in with the Vigan character— but more than likely, in compliance with a mandated city ordinance. For those leery

From Page 4PACCAL confers Award of Distinction...

pasture” was the USA where he migrated in 2004, worked at an Engineering company and studied Cosmetology with masters as a Skin Care Specialist. Initially concentrated on house-to-house service, “frugality with a focus” effectively made Joey a successful skin care entrepreneur and in just 7 years, he productively established 6 branches in diverse locations: Jersey City, NYC, Virginia Beach, Jacksonville (Florida), Orlando (Florida), and Hawaii.

John Gadia – Entertainment Production

Little John or Li’l John’s (John Gadia’s alter moniker) foray into the business that made him affluently comfortable started from a mere hobby…playing music, hosting parties, and renting lights and sounds but his skilled service laced with affable charm attracted growing numbers of clientele and his zone of operations broadens. That inspired him to fully invest and give his passion a blast. His entrepreneurial expertise gained prominence and business turned even more lucrative that helped in organizing fundraising events to benefit Typhoons Ondoy (2009), Sandy (2012), and Yolanda/Hayan (2013). Blessings abundantly shower on John for he generously shares whatever he bountifully receives. Li’l John has successfully mounted well-attended concerts topbilled by big named stars recently of which was the legendary Air Supply at the Town Hall. Inspired by generous Filipinos,

Li’l John created a Facebook page account: F.A.T.H.E.R. (Filipinos Able To Help Eager & Ready).

Rio Guerrero – Legal Profession

In his 17 years of legal practice, Atty. Rio Guerrero is a founding partner with the boutique immigration law firm Guerrero Yee LLP located in Manhattan. A nationally-recognized expert in the niche fields of family, corporate, and healthcare industry immigration, Guerrero is the recipient of a number of awards from legal and Filipino-American organizations including a National Asia Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) “Best Lawyers” national award and the Filipino-American National Historical Society’s “Contributions To Excellence” award. For the past 8 years he has taught as an Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law with the CUNY School of Professional Studies. Married with 2 kids, Guerrero is currently the President of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York, Rio also serves as a Co-chair on the Immigration Law Committees of both NAPABA and the Asian-American Bar Association of New York while holding leadership positions within the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and various Fil-Am community organization.

Pancho Bernaldez – Teaching Profession

Pancho Bernaldez is a professional teacher with more than 28 years of combined

teaching experience here in New York City Department of Education and Philippine DepEd in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao. A tenured staff in middle/high school being a Math specialist, Pancho has been a guest speaker and lecturer to various colleges and universities of the Philippines, and Philippine DepEd Divisions on the “Balik-Turo” or “Return to Teach” Program, aside from having an international reputation for founding the Association of Filipino Teachers in Eastern America, Inc. (AFTEA, INC.). Throughout his career he has blurred the boundaries between education, practice and research by creating and developing as a researcher of the Filipino association’s website, worked as community service coordinator of Filipino teachers and had experienced teaching college and high school Math in Philippine Department of Education. Aptly armed with both Bachelor and Master’s Degree from Bukidnon State University, Philippines with a BSE in Mathematics and MA in Math education as Philippine DepED Scholar in addition to Gifted And Talented (GATE) Graduate program from Touro College in New York City, Pancho was one time math coordinator and math coach in Division and Regional Philippine Math Olympiad competitions and chess coach at New York City DOE.

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

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has selected five exceptional attorneys to receive NAPABA’s highest honor — the Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award. This award recognizes the outstanding achievements, commitment, and leadership of lawyers who have paved the way for the advancement of other Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys. These Trailblazers have demonstrated vision, courage, and tenacity, and made substantial and lasting contributions to the APA legal profession, as well as to the broader APA community.

The 2015 Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazers Awards will be

presented on Nov. 6, 2015, at a special ceremony during the 2015 NAPABA Convention in New Orleans, to the following recipients:

• Captain Benes Z. Aldana — United States Coast Guard

• Assemblymember Rob Bonta — California State Assembly

• David Louie — Kobayashi Sugita & Goda LLP

• Justice Sabrina Shizue McKenna — Supreme Court of the State of Hawai’i

• Judge Amul Thapar — United States District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky

The 2015 Trailblazers class is represented by a diverse and impressive group. Captain Aldana serves as the Staff Judge

Advocate (Chief Legal Officer) of the Eighth Coast Guard District, the largest district in the Coast Guard, and is responsible for providing legal advice to the district commander and oversees the provision of legal support to over 4,700 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel at over 80 operational units spanning 26 states. Additionally, he serves as an appellate judge to the U.S. Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals.

Assemblymember Bonta is the first and only Filipino American ever elected to the California State Legislature in the 165 year history of the state and has led a number of significant legislative efforts to empower

NAPABA announces 2015 Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award recipients

Continued on Page 7

Continued on Page 6

LEADING US immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel continues to answer Kapamilyas one-on-one and face-to-face, in his Law Offices in Glendale, California.

Can my US citizen father petition a daughter from his first marriage, even if he already has another family in the US?

I’m a US citizen and married

my husband who has been out-of-status since 2004. Can he get a green card in the US even if he was out-of-status for a long time?

What is the fastest way for a US citizen to bring his new wife over to the US?

Catch an all-new edition of your information-packed, award-winning public service

program on television – Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot–on Sunday, October 11 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

Also, for latest immigration news and updates, please “like” and “share” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gurfinkellaw.

(Advertising Supplement)

Get the answer and more this Sunday on ‘Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot’

Daughter’s petition reclassified when her mother became a US citizen — Is there still hope?

Content: Philippine GoldPublication: Asian JournalIssue: September 18, 2015Trim: 5.69" x 10.56" (1/4 page)

Special Group Tour Packages available for $20.00 per person; includes: A docent-led tour of the exhibition, a snack and drink from the Garden Court Café, and 10% off purchases at AsiaStore. Reservations required. Please email PhilippineGold@AsiaSociety.org or call 212.327.9237.

For details and tickets, visit AsiaSociety.org/Philippines2015 or call the box office at 212.517.ASIA(2742) Monday through Friday, 1–5 PM.

EXHIBITION

Video Spotlight: PhilippinesThrough January 3, 2016

LOBBY SHOWCASE

Filipino Design Now Through January 3, 2016

FOOD

Pop-up Filipino Food BarFridays, October 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 • 6–9 PM

SYMPOSIUM

Encounters with Early Asian GoldSaturday, October 3 • 11:00 AM

PERFORMANCE

Alamat: Stories of Philippine Gold with Ma-Yi Theater CompanyMonday, October 26 • 8:00 PM

PERFORMANCE

Voicing the Ancestral Sacred: Grace Nono and EnsembleFriday, October 30 • 8:00 PM

(Detail) Kinnari. Surigao. Ca. 10th–13th century. Gold. Ayala Museum, 81.5189. Photography by Leandro Y. Locsin, Jr.; Image courtesy of Ayala Museum

Join us during Filipino American History Month for an exhibition of over 100 spectacular

works of gold, highlighting the prosperity and achievements of 10th–13th century Philippine kingdoms. A point of great pride for the Filipino community, this exhibition is a rare opportunity to experience the rich culture and heritage of the Philippines. A season of related programs celebrates Philippine culture, performing arts, film, design, cuisine, and more.

Exhibition organized by Asia Society, New York, and Ayala Museum, Philippines.

Asia Society Museum, New YorkTHROUGH JANUARY 3, 2016

ON VIEW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE UNITED STATES

Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms is made possible by Ayala Corporation with additional support provided by Bank of the Philippine Islands, Del Monte Foods, Inc., Philippine Airlines, ABS-CBN The Filipino Channel, Tourism Promotions Board, Philippines, FedEx Express and other generous benefactors.

725 Park Ave. (at 70th St.)New York • 212.288.6400AsiaSociety.org/NYC

6The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY OcTObER 9, 2015

An Asian Journal Magazine

Handang Tumulong Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization whose mission is to help natural disaster victims in the Philippines has once again orchestrated successfully its annual fund raising 5K Run / 1 mi fun walk event on Sept. 13 at the north Cove Field of Liberty State Park in Jersey City. With the shared leadership and commitment of its president, nelsie Parrado, and event chairperson Jennie Jonson, the group has raised over $9,000 to be set aside as disaster relief funds for future humanitarian use. The event won’t be a success without the help and cooperation of the officers and members, friends, volunteers, sponsors, food and monetary donors, runners and walkers who painstakingly showed up that morning, supportive and energized. an estimated 100 participants competed. Singing the national anthems was Melody Bustos of Bridgewater, nJ. Hon. The Honorable Mario de Leon, Consul general of the Philippine Consulate in new York was the guest of honor who spoke about empowerment of the people gathered together for one worthy cause.

Top Male Open finishers were: arland Macasieb, Segundino Cardines, and anthony Robertson.

HTFI’s 5K Run Race: A success story

Top Female finishers were Miranda Hafford, Emiko Kudo Tradewell, and Jennifer Mutch. Children winners included Samuel geiger, and Lawrence Umali. Winners in their respective categories were awarded trophies and medals. all finishers were

given medals.Sponsors of the event

included the following: Jennie Jonson, UPMaSa, PPSa, naven Jornadal, adam norbury, gMa Pinoy TV, aRC Beauty Salon, Hudson Rehab Spa, PIdCI, and asian Pacific Travel Services.

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

Americaalendar of EventsacrossC

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

LA Builder Lions Club 25th AnniversaryThe Los Angeles Builder Lions Club will celebrate their 25th Anniversary and Annual

Outstanding Parents Night on October 10, 2015 at the Almansor Court banquet hall (700 S Almansor St, Alhambra, CA 91801). Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For further questions, please call Lion Bill Menor (323) 465-0613, Lion Yoli Ramo (213) 305-1332, chairpersons or Lion Tita James, co-chair at (818) 203-2325.

OctOber 10

UNITED LAB-USA 32nd Anniversary The UNITED LAB-USA will celebrate their 32nd Anniversary on Saturday, October 17,

2015 at Royal Garden in Cerritos. The association is headed by Rey Guieb, President. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For other questions, please call Felix Belen, outgoing president at (626) 839-0736.

OctOber 17

UERMMMC - Medical Alumni Association Inaugural Ball The University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center - Medical Alumni

Association of Southern California (UERMMMC - MAASC ), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corpora-tion which participates in many humanitarian projects and medical missions to barangays in the Philippines, will hold its Inaugural Ball and Dinner=Dance on October 17, 2015 at the Manhattan Beach Marriott (1400 Parkview Avenue; Manhattan Beach, CA 90266). Proceeds from the event will benefit underserved areas and families in Lucena, Quezon and District 2 of Pampanga (Lubao, Sasmuan, Guagua, Floridablanca) who are in need of medical and surgical care. The theme of the Inaugural Ball will be “A Black and White Event.” The evening starts at 6:00pm. Tickets are $90 per person and are tax deductible; VIP packages ranging from $500 and up are also available. For more information, please call Dr. Teri Pastor at 310-707-8480, Gloria Legaspi at 951-496-0536 and Lucy Babaran at 818-395-9348. We thank our guests and sponsors for their generous support!

Paco Catholic High School Class of 1964 Reunionsa Amerika” at the Gold Coast Casino & Hotel (4000 Flamingo Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89103)

in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 25-27, 2015. Reminisce with your schoolmates from 50+ years ago and re-live memorable high school days! Reconnect with your old friends and make some new ones! This is the first reunion gathering in the US since our 50th grand reunion. For more information, please contact: Dan Hidalgo - danielh616@hotmail.com; tel. (914) 310-0864 / (914) 740-7028. Ester Tadeo Celestino - cesarucelestino@yahoo.com; tel. (201) 433-0727/ (551) 574-8511. Minda Cuario Cameron - meandatwo@aol.com; tel. (813) 633-5642. Ed Bondoc - bondoced@yahoo.com; tel. (415) 342-9877. Gertrudes “Nette” Descallar Collyer - mycolly@roadrunner.com; tel. (818) 767-8175.

OctOber 25-27

FPAC 24 - “Balik tanaw, Pananaw bukas”Save the date! The 24th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC) will be cel-

ebrated on Saturday, November 7, 2015 at El Pueblo de Los Angeles (125 Paseo De La Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012). and will feature contemporary and traditional Filipino food, music, dance, crafts and culture. FPAC is the longest-running Filipino cultural celebration in Southern California. This year’s theme for the City of Los Angeles’ Filipino American Event is “Balik tanaw, Pananaw bukas” a Tagalog phrase meaning “looking backward, looking forward, and celebrates the rich experiences of being Filipino American. As a community we honor the cul-ture paved by our ancestors, and move forward with a grateful understanding of our Filipino American history. This is the spirit that keeps FPAC going. Please check www.filmarts.org for more event updates. For Sponsorship Inquiries please contact us at 213-380-3722; or info@filamarts.org. For exhibitor (food and business) information, contact John Swing at jswing@esipa.org. #FPAC24

NOVeMber 7

Legionarios del Trabajo in America Triennial ConventionThe Legionarios del Trabajo in America, Inc. will hold its 18th Triennial Convention, Octo-

ber 15-18, 2015, at the Clarion Inn and Suites in Stockton, CA (4219 Waterloo Rd, Stockton, CA 95215). For more information, please contact Cora Gines at (209) 957-0217 / (209) 406-5438, or Elena Gabriel at (209) 598-1436.

OctOber 15-18

CANA in Galilee Couples RetreatThe CANA Marriage Renewal Movement will have their 59th couples retreat at the Holi-

day Inn & Suites, Fullerton, CA (2932 Nutwood Ave Fullerton, CA 92831) on Oct. 16-18. It is a 3-day experience designed to revitalize the interpersonal growth of the couple towards each other and God. Through a particular method of communication and dialogue, they dis-cover their “coupleness” and couple power in a new way. The retreat starts on Friday evening with registration and orientation at 6 pm, and ends with the celebration of Eucharist on Sunday evening. We request a donation of $300 per couple to cover hotel accommodations, meals and snacks. No one is refused the opportunity to attend the retreat because of lack of funds, but prior arrangements must be made. Registration is still open, please contact Alain or Cecile Graziani (818 421-6505), email cnagraziani@charter.net, or St Lorenzo Ruiz Parish Office (909) 595-9545.

OctOber 16-18

Mandacal 26th Anniversary Dinner-Dance MANDACAL (Mandaluyong Civic Group of Southern California) would like to invite you

to attend its 26th Anniversary Dinner Dance on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at the Embassy Suites Glendale (800 North Central Ave. Glendale, CA 91203). The event is a sit down dinner with live music by the Hill Tops Band #1, providing your favorite dance music from 5pm until midnight. There will be raffle prizes and many fabulous door prizes to be given away. Come enjoy a night of great food, excellent music, and pure fun with your family and friends! Tickets are $55 each. For tickets and information, please call: Becky 818-572-3261, Espee 626-383-3621, or Julie 858-337-9224.

OctOber 24

Bohol Children Bamboo Ensemble in ConcertPresented by Bible Christian Fellowship Church, the one-of-a-kind Bohol Children Bam-

boo Ensemble, hailing from Alicia, in Bohol province, will perform at various locations during their first-ever tour in the US. 23 young performers from Katipunan Elementary School and the Bohol community will perform using traditional bamboo instruments, including a ukulele, drums, flutes, and bass. There will also be special guests, inspiring music, and traditional dances of the Philippines. For many of these young performers, it is their first time to visit the US, and they are eager to share their talents with the community. The show on Saturday, Oct. 24 will take place at Rosemont Elementary School Auditorium (421 Rosemont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026) at 6:30pm; on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Bible Christian Fellowship Church (456 Rosemont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026) at 6:30pm; and on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Search to In-volve Pilipino Americans (SIPA - 3200 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026) at 6:30pm. Light refreshments will be served. Ticket prices vary from $10, $25, and $50. For tickets and more information, please call 213-249-6672.

some factors to think about when staging a memorable occasion, and gave some tips about working the crowd during an event. She also highlighted the importance of networking and “building a squad” to mutually support each other on the way to success.

Massachusetts public attorney Jennifer Coliflores opened the audience to the opportunity to learn from a role model in her module “Enriching Yourself Mentorship”. Ms Coliflores suggested that the students turn to more experienced friends, teachers, elders in the community for different aspects in their lives. In a group activity, the students and young professionals realized that mentoring is a two-way learning process where mentors also learn more about themselves by imparting lessons to their mentees.

Consul general Mario de Leon, Jr. gave the keynote speech and highlighted some lessons learned from the previous speakers. He pointed out the trend of Filipino-americans already breaking into the mainstream and occupying leadership positions in policy, government and business. He disclosed his vision to the Fil-am youth of Filipinos taking over leadership positions not only the community, but in mainstream american society. He echoed the motto, “Know history, know self. no history, no self.” He hailed the young attendees as having the best of both worlds as Filipino-americans - having core values as Filipinos, and the opportunities as americans.

In the afternoon, two panels discussed issues concerning the youth members’ participation in the community.

The first panel surveyed the current state of youth involvement in the community. The panelists - FInd national director Keno Rivera; Yale KaSaMa Political director Luna Beller-Tadiar; UConn FaSa Representative Ryan Verano;

Connecticut Fil-Am youth increases...From Page 2

Oliver Sawi, Adviser of UConn FASA decsribes his sense of accomplishment when he deals with his enthusiastic members and students; (R) ConGen De Leon relays his message to the Fil-AM youth, “Represent the Filipinos as leaders in the mainstream US society.”

College-level community members and young professionals describe their participation in the community and discuss how to increase their involvement by communicating their ideas clearly and exploring partnerships.

new England Filipino association (nEFaI) youth member Michael Stiefel and Connecticut-based young professional and PaaC member allan Tanchiato all related their contributions to the organizations they belong to. It was brought up that the young members’ interests sometimes do not fit that of traditional organizations and the older community does not overlap with what they look for in an association. The young members have the energy but sometimes have no outlet, resources or network to put them in action. It was resolved that with the LMS connecting them to new contacts, the youth can work among themselves and have an opportunity to get support from the Consulate or older orgs.

The second panel Strengthening our Ties to the Philippines Through Social Enterprise relayed more tangible and practicable ways to channel the youth’s energy and ideas to organizations which already have the means to give back to the Philippines.

Rexy Josh dorado of Kaya Collaborative explained his company’s internship program with an innovative curriculum to impact social venture and community partners in the Philippines. gabriela new York’s Cole Carothers shared

her insights on social change prompted by her experience in gabriela’s immersion program in the Philippines, focusing on the indigent communities and the urban poor.

Howie Clavite as a volunteer shared the vision of gawad Kalinga of ending poverty for 5 million families by 2024 through their gK villages and self-sustainable communities. Kirklyn Escondo, President of UniPro provided guidance on how their organization consolidates the youth communities of new York and new Jersey towards productive and enriching programs that empower the future generations and tells the students, “Your being Filipino does not stop in school.”

Councilman Jonathan Wong of Mahwah County, the youngest Filipino-american elected into US government encouraged his peers in the audience to consider running for government office, because “the biggest impact (one) can do in policy is if you hold a position to make decisions for the greater community.”

LMS for the Second generation was launched in new York in September 2014; followed by a Boston leg in april 2015. The last Leadership and Mentoring Seminar will be held at Rowan University in glasboro, new Jersey on Oct. 24.

of leaving the tech world for protracted periods of time, it is comforting to know that Max’s Vigan is a wi-fi zone, combining the best of the old and new worlds.

Of course, you can find the omnipresent Macdonald’s,

Bagnet and Vigan empanada...From Page 5 Jollibee’s, greenwich Pizza and a

few well-known restaurant chain branches that jockey for position and market share in Vigan. Many visitors with less than adventurous taste buds and a hankering for what’s safe and familiar, can simply go to these restaurants for

predictable, affordable fastfood fare and come out happy. (To be continued)

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

7The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY OcTObER 9, 2015

An Asian Journal Magazine

New York, NY—Starting october 23 at 10am eST, watch Makilala, the first Filipino-American TV Talk Show in the NY Metro area to be aired on Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN), their new home. “we are excited to reach a larger audience by joining the largest public access network in the world. More Filipino Americans can now view Filipino-related programming outside of the typical filipino channels.” said rachelle ocampo, one of the Producers and Co-Hosts of Makilala. Viewers can watch Makilala at MNN’s Lifestyle Channel 2, specifically if they are a subscriber for FioS- 34; rCN- 83; TwC- 56 & 1996.

Makilala’s first episode on MNN, taped at el Barrio Firehouse in east Harlem, features a review and commentary on the “Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten kingdoms” exhibit at the Asia Society, hosted by Jen Furer, Cristina DC Pastor, and rachelle ocampo with guests Ceo and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis and edwin Josue as organizers of the exhibit. They discussed the history of pre-colonial Filipino

Watch Makilala: The First Filipino-American TV talk show at their new home

From Page 5NAPABA announces 2015...

the APIA community, including: Assembly Bill (AB) 7 to establish a state day of recognition to honor Filipino American labor leader and California hero, Larry Itliong; AB 123 to require the state public school curriculum to include the contributions of Filipino Americans to the farm labor movement in California; and AB 817 to assist the nearly 2.6 million eligible voters in California who are not yet fully proficient in english by providing them with language assistance at the polls.

Mr. Louie most recently served as the attorney general of the State of Hawai‘i from 2011 to 2014 — the first Chinese-American attorney general in the nation. As attorney general, Mr. Louie was the chief law enforcement officer for the state, providing advice, counsel, and representation to all aspects of state government (including the Governor) on all legal matters for the state, both civil and criminal. He was

a member of the Governor’s Cabinet, and managed and supervised the Department of the Attorney General, made up of approximately 750 employees, 185 deputy attorneys general, 50 investigators, and oversaw 23 supervisors.

Justice Mckenna is the Associate Justice for the Supreme Court of the State of Hawai’i. She has ruled on hundreds of cases during her 21 years on the bench, most notably: Justice Mckenna ruled in 2002 the state Child Support enforcement Agency had to account for more than $3.5 million in uncashed child support checks. The decision cleared the way for thousands of parents to receive payments; and ruled in 2003 that Hawai’i could transfer ceded lands for affordable housing on Maui and Big Island. The Hawai’i Supreme Court cited the 1993 federal Apology resolution in reversing Mckenna’s decision and ordering a halt to the transfers. In 2009, the U.S.

Supreme Court overturned the state Supreme Court’s ruling.

Judge Thapar was nominated by President George w. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the eastern District of kentucky and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2007, making him the nation’s first South Asian American Article III judge. Prior to his confirmation, Judge Thapar served as the U.S. attorney for the eastern District of kentucky. while U.S. attorney, Judge Thapar was appointed to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) and chaired the AGAC’s Controlled Substances and Asset Forfeiture subcommittee.

NAPABA congratulates the 2015 Daniel k. Inouye Trailblazer Award recipients and thanks them for paving the way for Asian Pacific American attorneys.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.

artistry paved in gold and urged the Fil-Am community to view the exhibit.

The “Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten kingdoms” exhibit at the Asia Society, located at 725 Park Avenue and east 70th Street in Manhattan runs through January 3, 2016. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11am-6pm; Fridays 11am-9pm.

This episode was not the only milestone under Makilala’s sleeves this month. on october

31, Makilala will be awarded The outstanding Filipino Americans in New York Awards for Media and Publishing. “It will be an incredible honor for the Makilala TV team as we are just nearing our 3rd year,” said co-host Jen Furer. other awardees include past Makilala guest speakers: Councilmember Jon wong for Youth & Sports, Dr. kevin Nadal for education, research & Technology, Gail Banawis for entertainment, and Chelle Lhuillier for LGBT Advocacy. Elizabeth Ramsey with daughter Jaya. Photo from Jaya’s Facebook account

eLIzABeTH ramsey, the singer-actress dubbed as the country’s “Queen of rock and roll” for her rip-roaring live performances that married music, dance and comedy, died on Thursday morning, according to her daughter, recording artist Jaya. She was 83.

In her official Facebook account, Jaya paid tribute to her mother for giving “love and laughter,” not only to their family, “but the whole nation.”

“Mama Beth is now with our Lord…Thank you for the love and prayers. And I rejoice because she passed in her sleep—in peace, in God’s loving arms,” she said. “Bye, Mama. Until we meet again. I love you forever.”

The official cause of ramsey’s death wasn’t immediately available. “we’re still waiting,” Jaya told the Inquirer in a text message.

Last August, the veteran performer, who was to turn 84 on Dec. 3, was confined in the intensive care unit of the Philippine Heart Center, after suffering a seizure induced by hypoglycemia. She was said to have recuperated after the attack.

ramsey, who was born to a Jamaican father and a Filipino-Spanish mother in San Carlos City, Negros oriental, burst onto the scene when she won a singing competition in the noontime variety program “Student Canteen”

Jaya on mom elizabeth’s passing: ‘Bye, Mama… I love you forever’

by AllAn PolicArPioInquirer.net

in 1958. “It was my first big break,” she said in an interview with the radio station dzMM last year.

In the same interview, ramsey related that, after the contest, she booked gigs at the Manila Grand opera House with the help of Chiquito’s brother.

She then moved to Clover Theater, where she held court for around seven years, and performed with the likes of eddie Mesa, Aruray and Casmot and Balot.

A vivacious personality on and off stage, ramsey also ventured into acting during her career that spanned over five decades. She

was nominated best supporting actress in the 1963 Famas Awards for her performance in the drama “Ang Bukas ay Akin.”

other movies of note ramsey appeared in were “Prinsesa Naranja” (1960), which featured Fernando Poe Jr. and “reyna ng Pitong Gatang” (1980), which was top-billed by Nora Aunor.

She has four children: Isaac, Ana and Susan Johnson, whom ramsey had with a man of Jamaican heritage her father married her off to; and Jaya, whom she had with Filipino rey kagahastian.

MANILA—Gerald Anderson has shared the stage with his ex-girlfriends kim Chiu and Maja Salvador.

kim was Gerald’s first showbiz girlfriend. They met each other in 2006 when they joined ABS-CBN’s reality show “Pinoy Big Brother Teen edition.”

Meanwhile, Gerald and Maja ended their two-year relationship

earlier this year.“I’m good, siyempre,” he

replied when asked about their performance, in an interview with MJ Felipe aired in “Bandila” on Monday, oct. 5.

“Isa lang naman ang goal naming lahat, e, it’s to bring entertainment at ma-inspire pa ‘yong mga tao. Hindi na namin iniisip ‘yong mga gano’n,” he

added.The three of them were all

present in the recent Star Magic Ball, although their paths didn’t cross that night.

Gerald is currently busy working on the film “everyday I Love You,” which stars Liza Soberano and enrique Gil. It’ll be in cinemas on oct. 28. (Philstar.com)

Gerald Anderson performs with Kim, Maja

8The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY OcTObER 9, 2015

An Asian Journal Magazine