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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The Fil ip ino AmericAn communiTy newspAper

w w w. a s i a n . c o mVolume 15 - No. 8 • 3 Sections – 20 Pages FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016

1001 Bayhill Drive, Suite 200, San Bruno, CA 94066 • Tel: (650) 616-4150 • Fax: (650) 616-4152 • www.asianjournal.com Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, LAS VEGAS, NEw YORk/NEw JERSEY

DATELINEUSAfrom the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

ASEAN SUMMIT. President Barack Obama, left, shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, center, after posing for a group photo with other leaders of ASEAN, the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Other ASEAN leaders in photo are from left are, Philippines President Benigno Aquino III, Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais

After a day of discussions on economic issues and trade, the Association of southeast Asian Nations (AseAN) switched gears on tuesday, feb. 16, by work-ing toward reaching a common stance on territorial disputes in the south China sea.

“the United states and

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

US-ASEAN summit focused on business opportunities, peace in South China Sea

World leaders create measure to boost ASEAN economies

Parties call for mutual respect, peace in the regionby Agnes ConstAnte

AJPressAseAN are reaffirming our strong commitment to a regional order where international rules and norms and the rights of all nations, large and small, are upheld,” Us President Barack obama said at the end of the summit, according to reuters.

“We discussed the need for tangible steps in the south Chi-na sea to lower tensions includ-ing a halt to further reclamation,

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

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

the 37-year-old filipina stayed inside the restroom for 10 minutes and left the

Filipina arrested for abandoning newborn in West Covina

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

A fILIPINo man who admitted to con-ducting surveillance for a law enforce-ment task force in the Philippines linked to the disappearance of a number of op-position politicians was deported to the Philippines last week by Us Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICe), accord-ing to a news release from the agency.

regor Cadag Aguilar, 42, was escorted by ICe enforcement and removal opera-tions (ero) and arrived in manila mid-day Wednesday, feb. 10, Pacific stan-dard time. his repatriation follows his arrest on Jan. 5, 2015 in Union City in

US deports Filipino human rights violator

Regor Cadag Aguilar

new construction and militari-zation of disputed areas,” the president said.

Washington and AseAN mem-bers agreed that territorial dis-putes in the region should be resolved peacefully and through legal means, according to re-uters. however, both parties did not reach a common stance on the conflict.

by Allyson esCobArAJPress

Nations (AseAN) is meant to be a crucial step in the Us effort to “rebalance” foreign policy to-ward the Asia-Pacific, to improve relations with southeast Asian allies, and to address key issues including maritime security, Is-lamic state extremists, and the south China sea.

the 10-nation axis (the world’s seventh largest econo-my) is also crucial for the growth

of many American companies, including Us firms, who are the largest foreign direct investors in the AseAN region--America’s fourth largest export market--and contribute over half a mil-lion jobs in the Us, reported Al Jazeera. It is the first summit meeting held on Us soil.

other nations’ heads of gov-ernment present at the summit

the New York times travel show, the largest and longest-running trade and consumer travel show in North America, ended a couple of weeks ago on a high note. the attendance to the show this year was the highest in nine years and the second most

by MoMAr g. VisAyAAJPress

DOT encourages tourists to revisit PH

‘ViSiT THE PHiliPPiNES AgAiN 2016’

Nike dumps Pacquiao as endorser after insulting comments toward gays

the backlash has started.Nike on Wednesday, febru-

ary 17, announced that it has dropped manny Pacquiao as an endorser after the boxer re-marked that people who engage

BINmALeY, Pangasinan — Vice President Jejomar Binay told Pangasinenses during his visit to the province last tuesday, feb. 16 that he is the most capable and fit for the job of president, citing his experience as execu-tive and administrator in various offices for more than 20 years.

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

“Pinag-uusapan natin dito karanasan sa pamumuno hindi yong karanasan sa ibang laran-gan,” Binay said, referring to Poe.

Binay, who topped the presi-

Binay: i am the most capable, fit for president

attended New York times travel show ever.

Almost 30,000 people trooped to the Jacob Javits Convention Center over the weekend when the show was on, despite near-freezing weather. there were more than 500 exhibitors, includ-ing the Philippine Department of tourism, an annual supporter of

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in same sex relationships are worse than animals.

“We find manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent,” Nike said in a statement, according to esPN. “Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting

by eVA VisperAsPhilstar.com

dential race surveys, made a surprise visit in Binmaley before proceeding to Lingayen town where he was to address the Boy scouts of the Philippines (BsP), which he heads.

Despite topping the surveys,

Vice President Jejomar Binay

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by MoMAr g. VisAyAAJPress

FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150A�

From the Front Page

NO CONTACT POLICY. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be re-implementing the “no-contact apprehension policy” on erring motorists on the major roads of Metro Manila, including EDSA and Commonwealth Avenue. In its regular meeting on Tuesday,, Feb. 16, the Metro Manila Council (MMC) that serves as the policy-making body of the MMDA approved the resolution that would re-implement the policy. According to MMDA Chair Emerson Carlos, the measure will be re-implemented starting next month. Philstar.com photo

included presidents from In-donesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

President Benigno Aquino III and members of his Cabinet ar-rived in California on Monday morning for a brief visit. They were welcomed at the airport by a senior protocol representative from the US State Department; Jose Cuisia Jr., Philippine Am-bassador to the US; and Consul-ate General Leo Herrera-Lim.

The Philippine delegation consists of Foreign Affairs Secre-tary Albert del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, De-fense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal Jr., Economic Planning Secretary Emmanuel Esguerra, Communi-cations Secretary Herminio Co-loma Jr., Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Climate Change Commissioner Emmanu-el de Guzman, reported The Phil-ippine Star.

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

“Early in my presidency, I decided that the United States, as a Pacific nation, would rebal-ance our foreign policy and play a larger and long-term role in the Asia Pacific. And this has in-cluded engagement with South-east Asia and ASEAN, which is central to the region’s peace and prosperity, and to our shared goal of building a regional or-der where all nations play by the same rules,” Obama greeted leaders in his opening remarks. “This summit marks our seventh meeting. At your invitation, the United States joined the East Asia Summit, and together we’ve

made it the region’s leading fo-rum for addressing political and security challenges.”

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

“Our sustained engagement is delivering concrete results that benefit all of us--momentum that we can build on here at this sum-mit,” he said. “Here, we can ad-vance our shared vision of a re-gional order where international rules and norms, including free-dom of navigation, are upheld, and where disputes are resolved through peaceful legal means.”

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

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

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

The lack of consensus over Chinese policy currently divides ASEAN’s member nations, who

all want to handle the China situ-ation differently without anger-ing leaders.

On Day 2 of the summit, lead-ers met for a working session, where Pres. Obama was seated between representatives from Singapore and the Philippines. The result of an hours-long meet-ing included a joint US-ASEAN statement, the “Sunnylands Dec-laration,” which calls for “Mutual respect for sovereignty, territori-al integrity, equality and political independence of all nations by firmly upholding the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, the ASEAN Charter and international law.”

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

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

After the summit, Aquino was scheduled to be in Los Angeles for a working visit, where his ac-tivities included addressing the Los Angeles World Affairs Coun-cil at the Intercontinental Hotel, receiving an honorary Doctor-ate of Humane Letters degree at Loyola Marymount University, and meeting with the top execu-tives of three big LA-based com-panies (Walt Disney Internation-al, Western Digital Corporation, and AECOM’s Enterprise Growth Solutions).

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

World leaders create measure to boost…

In a joint statement, the US and ASEAN restated principles of cooperation between the two, such as “mutual respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, equality and political indepen-dence of all nations … and a shared commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes.”

The Philippines is among na-tions with claims at stake, along with others including Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

On Tuesday, Vietnam’s prime minister called on the US for a greater role in island-building and preventing militarization in the Sea, the government said, according to Reuters.

Premier Nguyen Tan Dung on Monday, suggested that the US uses a stronger voice and “more practical and more efficient ac-tions,” Reuters reported.

But some ASEAN members, in-cluding Cambodia and Laos, have close economic ties to China.

China has accused the United States of looking for maritime he-gemony in Asia.

“The United States is not and will never be a spokesman for an independent organization like ASEAN on any issue. It is time for sober-minded ASEAN nations to distance themselves from U.S. interference,” read a report by Chinese news agency Xinhua.

“It is China’s unswerving

stance that the disputes over the South China Sea should be set-tled through direct one-on-one negotiations and consultations between China and the countries concerned,” according to the same report by the agency.

However, Washington claims its interest in the disputed region is preserving freedom of naviga-tion, Reuters reported.

Freedom of navigation “must be upheld, and unlawful com-merce should not be impeded,” Obama said, adding that the US would “continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and … support the right of all countries to do the same.” n

Parties call for mutual respect, peace…PAGE A1 t

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DOT encourages tourists to revisit…the travel show.

This year, the tourism depart-ment showcased the Tourism Promotion Board’s newest cam-paign, ‘Visit Philippines Again 2016’, an offshoot of the success-ful ‘Visit Philippines Year 2015’ project.

Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr., accompanied by Ms. Eleanor De Leon, Philippine Department of Tourism New York (PDOT-NY) Representative Michelle Cristalle Dy-Vera, as well as Consul Felipe Carino III, welcomed prospective travelers visiting the Philippine

booth to learn about the latest tourism packages. Also in atten-dance were Ms. Zeny Pallugna and Mr. Joey Chanco of PDOT-NY and Ms. Daniella Usmanova representing Philippine Airlines.

A three-day event for travel enthusiasts, the New York Times Travel Show boasts of exhibitors representing over 150 countries. The event showcases products like exploring domestic and in-ternational hot spots, familiar favorites and under-the radar crowd-free escapades.

The travel show features, among others, the Travel In-

dustry Conference, consumer seminars, and an interactive exhibition including more than 500 exhibitors from Africa, Asia, Australia/South Pacific, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Mexico and the United States. In addition to discounts and special offers, the show pro-vides educational seminars and live entertainment for families, individuals, couples and seniors.

Consul General Mario De Leon lauded the efforts of the Philip-pine Department of Tourism and PDOT-New York which are ac-

and standing up for the rights of the LGBT com-munity.”

Pacquiao’s controversial interview with TV5 be-came viral online on Monday. The issue was picked up by local and international press. Filipino per-formers Aiza Seguerra and Vice Ganda issued their own statements castigating Pacquiao calling him a ”bigot” and a “false prophet”. TV host and tal-ent manager Boy Abunda also delivered a stinging rebuke on his late night show on ABS-CBN saying that Pacquiao “crossed the line”.

On Tuesday, Pacquiao took to social media and posted an apology through his Instagram account.

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

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

In a little over 24 hours, the petition has gener-ated more than four thousand signatures. Online and mainstream news outlets have also picked up the news. TMZ reported that Nike is “preparing to cut ties with boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao af-ter his last round of anti-gay comments.”

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

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

“I’m not surprised at all that the message of the petition that companies like Nike should not pro-vide a platform for Cong. Manny Pacquiao’s anti-gay positions has resonated with so many Filipinos all over the world, gay and straight,” de la Cruz

added. Born in Manila and raised in Bacolod City, the

30-year-old de la Cruz is a graduate student of an-thropology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Like many Filipinos, de la Cruz was proud of Pac-quiao’s achievements on the ring.

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

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

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

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Nike dumps Pacquiao as endorser…

Manny Pacquiao

(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 A�Dateline USa

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

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

“Ladies and gentlemen, I think I am the most capable and fit for the job of president,” he said, cit-ing what he went through in life – a poor childhood and years as mayor, vice president and chair-man of the Metro Manila Devel-opment Authority – all molding him to become a good executive and administrator.

If elected, Binay promised to spend for the needs of the peo-ple.

“When you are given a budget, you are supposed to spend that. How can they defend themselves on the issue on underspend-ing? The government is there to spend, not to save,” Binay said.

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

Binay: I am the most capable…

tively promoting attractive travel packages to mainstream travel-ers as well as Filipino-Americans in cooperation with US travel operators and international air carriers. There were several outstanding travel packages to off-the-beaten-path destinations in the Philippines that are widely popular among American retirees and younger generation Filipino-Americans that can be marketed extensively, he added.

PDOT-New York’s Ms. Mi-chelle Dy-Vera is upbeat for the tourism and travel industry in the Philippines this year. She said that her office is aiming to expand partnerships and develop coop-eration with US travel operators and agents, mainstream orga-nizations, including air carriers, to include travel packages to the Philippines in their promotional efforts and publications as well as encourage a side-trip to the Philippines for American travel-ers to Asia. She found this year’s attendees to the Travel Show with increased interest on the Philip-pine tourism destinations.

In order to further promote the campaign in New York, TPB through the DOT have placed ads on the Gray Line double-decker buses that bring NYC tourists to the various landmarks and desti-nations in the city.

2016 promises to be another good year for Philippine tourism

as global publications continue to recommend the county as a must-visit destination.

National Geographic picked the Philippines as one of their top des-tinations for 2016, along with Bur-gundy, France; Glasgow, Scotland and Hokkaido, Japan. Cebu and Boracay made it to this year’s ‘Best Islands’ survey of Conde Nast’s Traveler magazine readers who unanimously voted for Palawan to be the best island in the world for the second year in a row.

“Visit the Philippines Again 2016”

The campaign was launched by the Department of Tourism Sec-retary, Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. last November at the World Travel Market 2015 held in The Gherkin in London. The campaign aims to attract more visitors from all over the world to the Philippines and encourage them to return this year for more fun and feel-good adventures.

As a kick-off to the campaign, the Philippines hosted the ASEAN Tourism Forum on 18 – 25 Janu-ary 2016 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. Similar to Visit Philippines Year 2015, oth-er exciting activities have been lined up to sustain the interest of the traveling public.

Among the major events being showcased are Madrid Fusion Manila 2016 in April for foodies, the MTV Music Evolution 2016 in May for music-lovers and the

DOT encourages tourists to revisit…2016 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship in August for sports and outdoor enthusiasts.

Major musical acts such as Madonna and Andrea Bocelli have scheduled concerts in Ma-nila as well.

As of October 2015, the Depart-ment of Tourism has recorded a total of 4,226,489 international tourist arrivals to the Philippines from January to October 2015. The figure is an 11.13% increase from the same period of the pre-vious year. n

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establishment through its front doors. A customer said that he saw Trinidad leave, dripping a trail of blood, and informed an employee.

Witnesses heard cries from the restroom and saw an umbili-cal cord hanging out of the toilet. A newborn baby boy was found sitting upright, half-submerged in the toilet.

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

According to reports, Trinidad gave birth in the restroom and left the placenta in the trash can.

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

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

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

The baby was in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care and re-mains in critical condition, as of press time. He is expected to survive.

Police found Trinidad nearby at the Pep Boys Auto Parts & Ser-vice shop. She was later taken to the hospital for treatment, and will be booked on suspicion of at-tempted murder and child aban-donment once released. Lopez said bail will be set at $2 million.

Trinidad also has a $30,000 narcotics-related warrant out-standing for her arrest. She was arrested on Jan. 3 for possession

of a controlled substance and possession of drug parapherna-lia, according to police records.

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

The sandwich shop is located in a Filipino-concentrated shop-ping center, where employees of various businesses said Trinidad has been a local transient for years. She frequently begged for food and money in the area.

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

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Northern California.Aguilar originally entered the

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

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

peared and was assumed dead. Aguilar further testified that

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

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

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

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

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

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FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150A� Dateline USa

SAN FRANCISCO – A 17-year-old blind Filipina American high school wrestler who is going blind got the attention of Raleigh, North Carolina television news recently.

Liana Mutia, a Millbrook High School senior, told ABC 11 News in Raleigh, “I usually can tell by the handshake how strong (my opponents) are. “The touch of the handshake is about the only pre-match gauge she’s got.

She describes her myopia and

Legally blind Fil-Am in North Carolina is a top wrestler, student

astigmatism: “It’s like having a large blind spot in the center of my vision with a lot of distortion around the edges.”

Mutia has been losing her sight since her sophomore year and is now legally blind. Judo is her primary sport, but she added wrestling two years ago both for the conditioning benefits and self-reliance as her vision dete-riorated.

“I didn’t want to be useless. I wanted to be useful to someone,

somehow and if that meant get-ting into a spot and wrestling, then so be it.” Mutia told ABC News 11.

Mutia could have graduated last year at age 16 – she has a 4.7 GPA, carrying exclusively AP classes this year.

Next year, it’s off to the Olym-pic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., where she’ll train for the 2020 Paralympic Games. She will also be in pre-med at the University of Colorado. n

Filipina Canadian pleads guilty to human trafficking

SAN FRANCISCO – A Filipino Canadian woman in Edmonton, Canada pleaded guilty to human traf-ficking and illegally employing foreign nationals Tuesday, February 2.

Jennilyn Morris, 46, originally from the Philip-pines, pleaded guilty to two counts in Court of Queen’s Bench under the Immigration and Refu-gee Protection Act.

Morris knowingly used false or misleading in-formation to encourage immigration to Canada between 2007 and 2010, according to a report by CBC News.

Also, Morris between 2006 and 2010 hired at least 68 foreign nationals in work they were not authorized to do.

She offered jobs to two men and a woman from the Philippines in her Canada-based company, De-mot Cleaning, and gave them legitimate employ-ment contracts.

But three Filipinos, Robert Blando, Michael Faus-tino and Teodora Bautista, testified that Morris un-derpaid them for work and overtime stipulated in the contracts. Also she did not use them only in the positions approved in the contracts.

Blando, Faustino and Bautista were only allowed to work for Demot, but Morris also used them at Webco. She also paid them two dollars an hour less than their offers. Also she made Bautista ille-gally work as a caregiver for her children and as a housekeeper.

Morris was arrested by the Canadian Border Ser-vices Agency.

Morris employed at least 68 foreign nationals who were not authorized to work in Canada for her or any of her related companies.

MASS WEDDING. About 169 couples who have been living together without the benefit of marriage joined a mass wedding in the Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos City, Pangasinan on Sunday, Feb. 14. The brides wore long, white dresses and floral headdresses while the grooms were in red knee-length pants and cream polo shirts with leis around their necks. The Valentine’s Day mass wedding was sponsored by the Pag-IBIG Home Mutual Development Fund and the city government, led by Mayor Arthur Celeste. Philstar.com photo by eva Visperas

SUPREME Court Justice An-tonin Scalia, known for his fiery, sharp rhetoric and ultra-conser-vative views, died in his sleep, as confirmed by the US Marshals Service and the Supreme Court. He was 79.

Scalia died in his guest room at the Cibolo Creek Ranch in Texas while on a hunting trip, accord-ing to a statement by Texas Gov-ernor Greg Abbot. He was found dead on Saturday, Feb. 13.

People at the ranch summoned a Catholic priest from Presidio, 30 miles away, to administer last rites to the Catholic justice, reported the Los Angeles Times. “It appeared as though he had passed away in his sleep,” said Elizabeth O’Hara, a spokeswom-an for the Diocese of El Paso.

Scalia had served as a jus-tice in the Supreme Court since 1986. He was well known for his sharp intellect and fancy for ver-bal combat, often intimidating lawyers with his opinions and lengthy speeches, heavily-word-ed dissents, and caustic attacks on modern liberalism. His style of conservatism was described as “rigid,” and some would say “angry,” “out of touch” with pro-gressive America.

As a justice, Scalia was known for interpreting the Constitu-tion by its original words and meaning, not with contempo-rary thinking. He once said they liked a “dead Constitution,” not a “living” one that evolves. He believed in the constant chang-ing of laws, but no changes for the Constitution itself through judges’ rulings, and said his job

Supreme Court justice’s death leaves vacancy in high court

by Allyson EscobArAJPress

was to “preserve an enduring Constitution.”

President Barack Obama paid tribute to Scalia as a “brilliant ju-rist who influenced a generation of judges, lawyers, and students. [Justice Scalia] will no doubt be remembered as one of the most consequential judges and think-ers to serve on the Supreme Court.”

“[Scalia was] a giant of Ameri-can jurisprudence, who almost singlehandedly revived an ap-proach to constitutional inter-pretation that prioritized the text and original meaning of the Con-stitution,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky).

Scalia was a “brilliant man with a probing mind,” praised Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), “[even though] we disagreed on so many issues.”

Even the strongly-worded Re-publican presidential candidate Donald Trump lauded the justice for his “reverence for the Consti-tution and his legacy of protect-ing Americans’ most cherished freedoms.”

As for the vacancy in the high court, Obama’s next urgent task is to find a replacement. Jus-tice Scalia’s unexpected pass-ing set up a major confrontation between the president and the Republican-led Senate, which has already vowed to block any nominee.

Obama called for a “timely vote” in a Senate led by Repub-licans, who argue that the choice should be left for the next presi-dent.

“I plan to fulfill my constitution-al responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time,” Obama told reporters from the ASEAN

summit in California. “These are responsibilities that I take seri-ously, as should everyone. They are bigger than one party. They are about our democracy, and they’re about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life, and mak-ing sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned.”

Often when facing a Senate controlled by the other party, the President will seek a bipartisan nominee. However, the stakes are high for Obama to nominate a liberally-sound candidate who aligns with his views, with the Supreme Court facing big-ticket issues this year; including abor-tion, climate change, immigra-tion rights and gun control.

Behind the scenes, the White House administration had start-ed to review a list of names for the president’s counsel office and Justice Department to have at the ready.

In his eight years as president, Obama has made two successful nominations for the high court: Sonia Sotomayor to replace Da-vid Souter in 2009, and Elena Ka-gan to replace John Paul Stevens in 2010.

Iowa Sen. Charles E. Grass-ley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said that it has been “standard practice for nearly 80 years that presidents not name Supreme Court choices in a pres-idential election year.”

“Given the huge divide in this country…it only makes sense that we defer to the American people who will elect a new president to select the next Su-preme Court justice,” Grassley said. n

These included people who had work permits for an unrelated company, people who were un-der the Live-In Caregiver Program, held work per-mits for other employers, and are on visitor visas.

As well as owning Demot Cleaning, Morris owns Smokey Joe’s Hickory Smoke House, and she had a contract with Webco Printing to provide work-ers for certain taskes. She also owned four city homes and used three of them as rental units for the foreign workers.

The workers felt Morris would fire them and send them home if they refused the work or com-plained. Some of the victims reportedly are no lon-ger in Canada.

Human trafficking can lead to a fine of $1 mil-lion, life imprisonment or both, while misrepre-sentation can garner up to $100,000 in fines and up to five years in prison. (Inquirer.net)

Filipina Canadian Jennilyn Morris pleaded guilty to human trafficking before a Canadian court.

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Pope Francis receives ‘Lolo Kiko’ doll from Pinoy priest

SWS: Sotto, Lacson, Recto top Senate surveyby Helen Flores

Philstar.com

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

by evelyn Macairan Philstar.com

Roxas undaunted by survey resultby carla P. GoMez

Inquirer.net

MANILA—Sen. Vicente Sotto III continued to lead senatorial candidates for the May elections based on the results of the latest BusinessWorld-Social Weather Stations (SWS) pre-election sur-vey.

The results showed Sotto ob-taining 52 percent voter prefer-ence for this month, from 56 per-cent in January.

The survey, conducted from Feb. 5 to 7, used face-to-face in-terviews of 1,200 validated voters nationwide and had a sampling error margin of plus or minus three percentage points.

Coming in second is former senator Panfilo Lacson, whose rating remained at 49 percent.

Sen. Ralph Recto took third spot with 46 percent, unchanged from his January score.

Former senator and food secu-rity presidential assistant Francis Pangilinan ranked fourth with 42 percent, from 46 last month. He is followed by Senate President Franklin Drilon with 40 percent, from 43 in January.

Ranked sixth is former senator

Juan Miguel Zubiri with 38 per-cent from 39 last month.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III is in seventh place with 37 percent from 42 percent.

Boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao and for-mer justice secretary Leila de Lima are tied at eighth and ninth places with 35 percent each.

Pacquiao’s voter preference dropped by two points while De Lima’s score increased by two.

In 10th place is former Ak-

bayan lawmaker Risa Hontiveros with 27 percent from 28 percent.

The SWS survey showed a close fight for the last two seats among Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, with 26 percent from 28; former senator Richard Gordon, 26 from 31 percent; Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, 23 percent from 17, and former Technology Education and Skills Development Authority head Joel Villanueva with 22 from 19 per-cent last month.

The results of the latest BusinessWorld-Social Weather Stations (SWS) pre-election survey showed Sen. Vicente Sotto III obtaining 52 percent voter preference for this month, followed by former senator Panfilo Lacson with 49 percent, and Sen. Ralph Recto with 46 percent. Philstar.com photo by Efigenio Toledo IV

BACOLOD CITY—If Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas was upset over his standing in recent survey results, he did not show it during his sortie in Ne-gros Occidental.

Roxas appeared upbeat Tues-day, Feb. 16 when he urged Ne-grenses to vote for his running

mate, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo and his senatorial slate in three separate rallies in the province where his mother, Judy Araneta-Roxas, is from.

At least 5,000 people attended the LP rally in the public plaza in Silay City and about 8,000 in a coliseum in Bago City in the af-ternoon.

The sorties came a day after the Social Weather Station sur-vey results placed Roxas third in the presidential race, dropping three points from January to the first week of February.

Vice President Jejomar Bi-nay topped the survey with 24 percent followed by Sen. Grace Poe and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who tied for the second spot.

Despite the results, Roxas cracked jokes in Hiligaynon, danced to his upbeat campaign jingle, and kissed elderly ladies during the rallies.

During the rally in Silay, Ne-gros Occidental Gov. Alfredo

Marañon Jr. introduced Roxas as “the pride of Negros” and the most qualified bet for the presi-dency.

Roxas’ speech ended with a shower of yellow confetti and cheers from the dancing crowd.

Roxas, in an interview, brushed aside the recent SWS results, saying survey results usually rise and fall.

What was important, he added, was the survey to be conducted on Election Day.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said they were depend-ing on Negros Island and West-ern Visayas to give the LP bets and Roxas a big lead to cover for areas where they may not be so strong.

“We hope to get broad-based support in Negros and Bacolod,” he said.

Drilon said he was not con-cerned about Roxas’ standing in the recent survey, saying the LP standard bearer could still re-cover.

MANILA—A Filipino priest studying in Rome gifted Pope Francis with a doll that resembles the pontiff in Rome’s cathedral last Thursday, Feb. 11.

Fr. Robert Young presented the “Lolo Kiko” doll to Pope Francis at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, according to CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Phil-ippines.

A photo posted on the Face-book page of Vatican Radio shows Pope Francis delighted while holding the doll given by Young.

Lolo Kiko was the nickname given by Filipinos to Pope Fran-cis when he visited the Philip-pines in January last year.

Young, who is taking up his Doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, said he took the oppor-tunity to give the doll to the 79-year-old pontiff.

Young said he had to cross se-curity lines to be able to get near the pope.

The pontiff visited the cathe-dral for the annual meeting with the Roman clergy.

After his speech, Pope Fran-cis excused himself as he had to prepare for his apostolic visit to Mexico. When the pontiff was walking down from the platform, Young ran and shouted “Santo Padre.”

The priest approached Pope Francis and said in Italian, “Here’s a gift for you, made in the Philippines by a friend of mine.”

The pope smiled and replied: “Oh Lolo Kiko! Is it for me?”

“I said, ‘yes’ and he replied,

‘grazie,’” Young, who belongs to the Prelature of Batanes, said.

Although it was just a brief en-counter, the priest said it would be a lifetime memory for him.

“I was so happy. Pope Francis remembers the Philippines so well with Lolo Kiko. It was a once in a lifetime experience. It may not happen to me again,” Young said.

He said the doll came from a friend in Manila, who made the Lolo Kiko dolls as souvenirs for the papal visit.

Photo from Vatican Radio shows Pope Francis delighted with the ‘Lolo Kiko’ doll given to him by Filipino priest Robert Young.Mar Roxas

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Business tripPRESIDENT Barack Obama welcomed leaders from the Association

of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday, Feb. 15, to discuss terrorism, maritime security, trade, and climate change.

RigobeRto tiglao

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

Why you should apply for US citizenship now

“Economic growth that is inclusive, creating op-portunity for all; mutual security and the peaceful resolution of disputes; human dignity, including re-spect for human rights, and development that is sus-tainable — that is our vision. That’s what brings us here together today,” Obama told the ASEAN heads of state.

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

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

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

According to Philippine Ambassador to the US

Jose Cuisia Jr., the summit is an opportunity for leaders of the ASEAN and the US to have candid conversations about issues of mutual concern.

Cuisia also highlighted that the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the US have never been more vibrant. He added that the two countries

have reaffirmed their commitment to maritime security, climate change, violent extremism and economic en-gagement.

“As we mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-US relations, we highlight the du-

rability, comprehensiveness, and dynamism of our ties. We have always been supportive of the rebal-ance to Asia-Pacific policy of the United States as it is an opportunity to deepen further our alliance in various areas of cooperation,” he said.

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

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

Editorial

The history of state visits goes back several hun-dred years. These formal visits are an important part of international diplomacy—to reinforce excellent relations, and intensify cooperation and exchanges between economies. There will never be a lack of subjects that need to be addressed between gov-ernments. Issues to be discussed such as economic balancing, security challenges and maritime coop-eration, (of bilateral and global importance) should

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

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

ManilaTimes.net photo

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

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

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

On The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America,” Pinoy Panawagan legal counsel Atty. Lou Tancinco shares the important reasons why, which I hope can help you make that urgent decision:

1. Family unityGreen card holders or non-US citizens who

are permanent residents may petition their un-

married children as well as their spouses. However, unlike US citizens, they are not allowed to petition their parents, their mar-ried children and their siblings.

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

Filipino immigrants who are family-oriented would prefer to be naturalized as US citizens rather than wait to be reunited with their family members.

2. Avoiding separationOnce a green card holder migrates, the per-

manent resident status is not really “permanent” in the sense that it may be revoked for cause by the US Department of Homeland Security.

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

This happened to a longtime Filipino immi-

grant who was arrested for a traffic violation but was later found to have a criminal his-tory. The criminal convic-tions he had were deportable offenses and resulted in his deportation from the United States; consequently, he was separated from his US citizen spouse and children. This sit-

uation could have been avoided if the immigrant was a naturalized US citizen at the time of con-viction.

To prevent any unintended immigration con-sequences, it would be best to apply for US citi-zenship as soon as the immigrant meets the eli-gibility for naturalization.

3. Civic engagementFilipinos are the second-fastest growing mi-

nority group, and integration to the adopted land becomes critical. Naturalized US citizens are given access to voting, political rights and can seek equal protection of the law. A natural-ized US citizen may hold elected positions that will not only protect the interests of their con-stituents but also their community.

4. Federal employmentA naturalized US citizen may be afforded op-

portunities for federal employment with better benefits. Many Filipinos have joined the US mili-tary and have become US citizens giving them the ability to petition family members and enjoy military benefits.

5. Ease of travelThis is probably the least important in terms

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

Certainly, there are more than these five rea-sons to apply for US citizenship. The motivation may be toward immigration integration but it does not take out the “Filipino” in the immi-grant.

With success or failure, the Filipino natural-ized US citizen will still be perceived as a Fili-pino in his/her adopted land.

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

gel SantoS-ReloS

The Fil-Am Perspective

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

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

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

Ms. PAndAyGrace Llamanzares surrounded

by posters of movies she should be grateful for.

The first candidate is Ms. Panday, Panday II, or Panday’s daughter – Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares. C’mon, people are not voting for this foundling, or more probably the winter-spring lovechild of a 51-year old Philip-pine President with a 20-year old

starlet, even putting her at the head of the pack.

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

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

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

This is not a conjecture. That Laylo survey reported that 45 per-cent of the 29 percent who chose Llamanzares for President picked her because she is “kind, like her father,” that she will “continue the good work of her father” and that she will “fulfill her father’s

promises.” The father here obvi-ously does not refer to FPJ, as a person but to his Panday image and other movie-screen heroes he had portrayed.

As amazing as that is the fact that a further 7 percent respond-ed that they will vote for Llaman-zares because she “provided housing for the poor, fought the rights of women, gave scholar-ships, helped calamity victims and helped those in financial need.” But Llamanzares really hasn’t done any of those: clearly they are projecting non-existent accomplishments on her, the re-sult of their belief that she is a hero’s daughter who does such kind things.

Such delusion, the mix-up of reel and real, is certainly not an infliction solely of the poor, and therefore, uneducated. Lla-manzares garnered the highest percentage of her supporters, 30 percent, among the ABC eco-nomic class, bigger than the 27 percent in the E class.

That is really a repeat of the presidential elections of 2004, when ousted President Joseph Estrada helped his best friend, Poe (Grace’s adoptive father), run for the top post against President Arroyo. Estrada convinced the in-troverted actor to run and win the presidency, because otherwise, Estrada would spend the rest of his life in jail for the plunder charges filed against him. Given that Poe lost by only 3 percentage

points to Arroyo, Estrada now banks his hopes on the Panday’s daughter to sneak into the tight race and win the presidency this year. Those behind Llamanzares are the same gang of support-ers as Estrada’s shadowy cabal of Chinese Filipino businessmen that included William Gatchalian.

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

Clone,” or a better “Mini-Me:” Manuel Roxas 2nd. “Mini-Me” is that character in those Austin Powers comedy movies – the clone of villain Dr. Evil, identical in every way with the main char-acter but “one-eighth his size.” It was a hilarious scene when Dr. Evil, even if visibly disappointed that his clone is a dwarf, pomp-ously dubs it “Mini-Me.” A simi-lar scene came to mind when Aquino raised Roxas’ hand as he declared him the Administra-tion’s candidate, even if he knew he was rating badly in the voter-preference polls.

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

Roxas fits the role to a tee. The Mini-Me of the movies often hi-lariously tries to be tougher than Dr. Evil, only to hide later behind his boss’s legs. Roxas also of-

ten tries to appear tougher than Aquino, as when he told the Ta-cloban mayor Alfred Romualdez in the wake of Yolanda’s dam-age: “Let’s face it, you are a Ro-mualdez and the President is an Aquino.” Or when he replied to Duterte’s remark that he would slap Roxas when he sees him: “Bakit pa sampalan, pambabae ‘yan, suntukan na lang, ‘di ba?” But he kept his mouth shut when Duterte challenged him to a gun duel.

What dooms Roxas, and ex-plains his low ratings, is that while 42 percent of those who chose him did so because “he will continue Aquino’s programs,” 38 percent did not vote for him because he will be “like Aquino who hadn’t changed things in the country,” and that he is pre-cisely a Mini-Me, “walang saril-ing decision, sunud-sunuran kay Aquino.” That is, it’s a wash be-ing Aquino’s clone.

dirty HArry, tHE sHEr-iFF

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is the contest’s Dirty Harry, the Wild West Sheriff. In the Laylo survey, nearly 70 percent picked him because of his tough anti-crime stance: “he is a disciplinar-ian and really punished criminals (22 percent),” “eradicated drug pushers and illegal drugs (20 percent),” “eradicated crime un-der his leadership (12 percent),” “strict in implementing the law (8 percent)” and “wielded the iron

fist in disciplining Filipinos (7 percent).”

Duterte has been mayor of Davao City for 20 years since 1988 (his daughter Sarah became mayor so he could skirt the term limits), and a congressman from 1998 to 2001. But those who chose him perceived him almost totally as a man who vanquished crime and who could “discipline Filipinos.”

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

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

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

the MayorAbout 20 percent of respon-

dents chose Vice President Je-jomar Binay because “he could replicate his success as mayor in developing Makati” on a na-tional scale. (“Napaganda/na-paunlad niya ang Makati, baka magawa niya sa buong bansa.”) The “good mayor” aiming for the presidency, that is.

This is the reason why the PAGE A7

(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • febRUARy 19-25, 2016 A�Dateline PhiliPPines

Pinoy youth urged: Nurture EDSA spiritby Ghio onG

Philstar.com

The Candidates: Ms. Panday, the Dirty...Aquino-Roxas camp undertook an expensive two-year campaign to defame Binay’s track record as mayor, and tried to show that his stint was one of corruption, the biggest instance of which, they alleged, was the purport-edly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II.

The Administration failed in this intense defamation cam-paign, even if it was supported by the biggest newspaper in the country, and the plot even back-fired, which explains why Binay is now leading in the voter-pref-erence surveys.

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

PAGE A6

MANILA—With the only son of Ferdinand Marcos looking poised to win the vice presiden-cy and some sectors expressing a wish for martial law discipline, those who fought the dictator-ship are hoping that younger generations of Filipinos will un-derstand the struggle for free-dom that culminated in the 1986 people power revolution.

A key player in the revolt ex-pressed hope yesterday that the youth would understand the hardships Filipinos went through in fighting for freedom during martial law.

“We will make the youth know and feel how difficult it was for the Filipino people 30 years ago,” Maria Montelibano, exec-utive director of the EDSA Peo-ple Power Commission (PPC), told The STAR.

Montelibano said she was wondering why there are young Filipinos who see the martial law years as the “best time in Philip-pine history.”

She was referring to posts on social media about the strict enforcement of discipline that made the Philippines a devel-oped country under former Mar-cos.

“We want the younger gen-erations to know the facts about

EDSA revolution. They had no idea how painful it was for us to go through that period in our lives,” Montelibano said.

“People who defended for their rights got killed, some dis-appeared and their families are still grieving for their loss until now,” she added.

The PPC will open the “ex-periential museum” at Camp Aguinaldo on Feb. 25 as part of the commemoration of the 30th EDSA People Power Revolt, with the theme “Pagbabago: Ipina-glaban Mo, Itutuloy Ko.”

Assistant Secretary Celso San-tiago of the Presidential Com-munications Operations Office said there are eight halls in the museum, which would exhibit the abuses suffered by the vic-tims of martial law.

It would also feature holo-grams portraying martial law victims, including student activ-ists Edgar Jopson and Lorena Barros.

The actual military tank that blocked rallyists along EDSA during the 1986 revolt will be displayed in the museum.

A key player in the revolt expressed hope that the youth would understand the hardships Filipinos went through in fighting for freedom during martial law.

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

Binay took a clever move when he collaborated with the Aquino Administration as that added to his political support base. Due to his work as Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns, 11 percent of respondents chose him because “he has helped OFWs in trouble in other countries.”

One of Binay’s strong points as revealed in the Laylo survey

where 14 percent of those who supported him selected him be-cause “he grew up poor, and therefore he is pro-poor.”

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

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

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(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 CJ�

COMMUNITYJ o u r n a l

Atty. RobeRt Reeves Devin ConnollyAnD shAm

Your ImmigrationSolution

DESPERATE times call for desperate measures! We have all heard this phrase many times in our lives. But the real-ity is that these desperate mea-sures often produce disastrous results. In the context of im-migration law, the desperate act of marrying someone solely for a green card almost always ends very badly.

Marrying a person solely for a green card is often called a “green card marriage,” but the more official term used by the US Citizenship and Immigra-tion Service (“USCIS”) is “sham marriage.” It has been a plot-line in multiple Hollywood mov-ies and television shows over the years, including most re-cently in the primetime drama “On The Wings of Love.”

“On The Wings of Love” is a fictional story about a young Filipina who dreams of coming to the U.S. for a noble reason – to visit her mother’s gravesite. After entering the US she is ad-vised to get married to a US cit-izen so that she can be granted lawful permanent resident sta-tus (“green card”). Before long there is a payment of $7,500 to a person willing to marry the Filipina. The newlyweds are subsequently coached to stage fake photographs, pretend they are a couple, and even to memo-rize personal information about their spouse so that they can pass the required interview.

Though “On The Wings of Love” is a fictional television show, this scenario too often is played out in real life because many people mistakenly believe that marrying a US citizen is an easy way to obtain a green card. The USCIS is well aware that many people are willing to marry a person for the sole purpose of obtaining a green card. For this reason, they

Green card marriages are not a realistic option

dedicate a substantial amount of resources towards detecting these “sham marriages.” Be-cause of the USCIS’ efforts, it is crucial that a person applying for a green card on the basis of their marriage understand what the USCIS considers to be a valid marriage for immigration purposes.

First, the immigrant and their US citizen spouse must prove that their marriage is “bonafide.” This is not an easy task because the USCIS offi-cers are highly trained to detect sham marriages. And remem-ber, the USCIS does not have to prove that the marriage is a sham.

The immigrant and their US citizen spouse must show that they “intended to establish a life together” at the time they en-tered into their marriage. Oral statements of the immigrant and their US citizen spouse are not sufficient, and neither are writ-ten statements of friends and family members. On the con-trary, the USCIS will also want to closely examine the conduct of the parties, e.g., is the cou-ple residing together, how long have they known each other, are they conducting themselves as husband and wife, etc. The USCIS will also consider wheth-er the parties have a sufficient amount of documentation prov-ing the bonafides of their mar-riage.

The USCIS will also common-ly want to ask the immigrant and their US citizen spouse per-sonal questions about their re-lationship. The potential ques-tions a person may be asked are nearly limitless, as the USCIS may ask just about anything they believe a person should know about their spouse. While you can try and learn as much as possible about your spouse, it is virtually impossible to learn enough about another person if you are not really married to

them. Sure you can learn your spouse’s date-of-birth or name of their employer, but how do you expect to know about your spouse’s eating habits unless you actually live together? How are you going to know about your significant other’s daily routine unless you are mar-ried?

Another issue that sometimes comes up is what happens if the US citizen spouse dies or physi-cally or emotionally harms the immigrant. Despite the break-down of the marriage, the im-migrant may still be eligible to apply for their green card. However, they will still have to prove that the relationship was bonafide at the time of the in-ception of the marriage.

The risks of entering into a “sham marriage” are substan-tial. Fines, jail time, but no green card. In fact, the person being petitioned will be barred from ever being petitioned again as an immigrant, even if the subsequent relationship is bonafide. We all understand that sometimes you may think a “green card marriage” is the only option, but an experienced and knowledgeable immigra-tion attorney will advise you against following this illegal, and almost sure-to-fail path, despite what you may see on television or in the movies.

***Atty. Reeves has represented clients in numerous landmark immigration cases that have set new policies regarding INS action and immigrants’ rights. His offices are located in Pasadena, Irvine, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Makati City. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com.

***The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case. (Advertising Supplement)

PHILIPPINE specialty food products under the Food Philip-pines brand delighted the hearts and appetite of the US market during its appearance in the 41st Winter Fancy Food Show (WFFS), the largest food and beverage trade show in the West Coast, last 17-19 January 2016, at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA USA. Food Philippines placed at the fore 17 homegrown enterprises with different social, cultural, and environmental advocacies at the core of their businesses for its third participation in WFFS. The participating companies of-fered premium-quality specialty food products ranging from pro-cessed fruits, frozen and canned tuna, ethnic food, condiments, sauces and mixes, and snacks.

Trade Commissioner Nica-nor Bautista remarked that year 2016 was a record year for the Philippine delegation at WFFS, with Philippine specialty food products and their social respon-sibilities getting the attention of huge importers, distributors, manufacturers, and retailers in

PH specialty food products gain ground at a major US trade show

CITEM records over USD44M worth of negotiated sales

Food Philippines brought more than just high-quality, export-ready specialty food products in West Coast’s largest food and beverage trade show. The industry brand and the participating companies brought with them food products with a heart—those that have social, cultural, and environmental advocacies.

the US during the trade show. A total of 540 inquiries and negoti-ated sales amounting to over USD44M signifies

uPAGE CJ3

EXTERNAL risks brought on by a slowing Chinese economy and cheaper oil led the gov-ernment to cut the economic growth target for this year to 6.8-7.8 percent from the previ-ous 7-8 percent.

According to Rosemarie G. Edillon, National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) assistant director general, the target average growth range for 2017 is projected between 6.6 and 7.6 percent; for 2018, 7-8 percent; and for 2019, 6.9-7.9 percent.

Gov’t lowers 2016 GDP growth targetby Ben O. de Vera

Inquirer.netExternal developments were

the primary reason for the slight downgrade in the growth goal for this year, especially the slowdown in China and the de-cline in the price of oil, Edillon said in a press conference fol-lowing a meeting among rep-resentatives of the interagency Development Budget Coordina-tion Committee.

As a result, the government has also cut its exports and im-ports growth targets to 5 percent (from 6 percent) and 10 percent (from 12 percent), respectively, based on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Balance of Payments and International Investment

Position Manualprojection.As for challenges on the do-

mestic front, Edillon cited the risks brought on by a prolonged dry spell due to the El Niño weather disturbance, although she noted that it was being ad-dressed since the latter part of last year.

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad pointed out that, de-spite the external challenges, the economy continued to be more driven by domestic de-mand.

Edillon noted that domestic demand grew 8 percent last year, enabling the GDP to ex-pand by 5.8 percent. n

FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150CJ� Community Journal

MonetteAdevA MAglAyA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

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

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

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

Two young Muslim Chechen brothers, who together with their families came as refugees 10 years ago and who lived much of their lives on state welfare alleg-edly committed this heinous as-sault on American soil.

The older terrorist died in a volley of gunfire and after being run over and dragged allegedly by his own brother. The surviving younger brother claim that they, particularly his brother who was

Pressure cooker violencethe ringleader of the bombing, was angered by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and are defend-ing attacks on Islam. He is doing time for his crime yet he and his family are without remorse.

They murdered 3 innocent by-standers: a boy of 8, a 29 year old woman who was a restaurant manager, a 23 year old Boston University grad student of math and statistics from China and a well-liked 26 year old campus police officer at MIT. The offi-cer was killed by multiple gun-shot wounds while in his squad car. Another police officer was gunned down. More than 180 people were injured and maimed while more than a dozen spec-tators have lost their limbs. So many people’s lives were turned upside down by these malcon-tents.

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

Our hearts are heavy and there is a collective pall of gloom among the general population. Sadly, violence is a feature of modern life. A cursory glance at the day’s news everywhere

around the world indicates that nothing much seems to have changed. We seem to be stuck on some kind of groove from hell. Man’s own inhumanity to man continues unabated and is still at an all-time high.

In 2010, Omar Thornton, a black driver of a beer distribu-tion warehouse, was recorded on video stealing beer from the Con-necticut company he was work-ing for. Confronted with the evi-dence, he was given the choice to quit or be fired, instead, he pulled out a gun hidden in his lunchbox and blasted away at his superiors, who happen to be all white, and according to one vic-tim who survived the carnage, as “cold as ice” fatally killed eight good people and injured two others before killing himself. The race card was immediately pulled out as a motive among the pundits trying to put a racial spin on the tragedy. The fact remains that one evil man wiped out the lives of eight good, productive people and forever marred the lives of those around him.

There’s a common thread — one man driven by religious fanaticism, rage, jealousy, para-

CARLOS is a married child petitioned by his US citizen fa-ther. His priority date is October 30, 1992 and it’s just a matter of months before his visa becomes available. Unfortunately, his fa-ther who is 87 years old, suffered a heart attack after Christmas and is now in a care facility. He ap-plied for a tourist visa so he can visit his father but his application was denied. His family wonders if there is a way for Carlos to see his ailing father.

Foreign nationals or aliens who have urgent medical and family needs like Carlos —but cannot obtain visas from embas-sies abroad — can try to apply for a Humanitarian Parole.

Humanitarian Parole is highly discretionary and is not an immi-gration benefit. It is considered as an “extraordinary measure, sparingly used only in urgent or emergency circumstances, by which the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Secu-

The CTVFiles

AurorA VegA-Buzon, esq.

Humanitarian Parole for urgent medical and family cases

rity may permit an inadmissible alien temporarily to enter or re-main in the United States.” It is “not intended to bypass im-migration procedures or avoid visa processing procedures and timelines” and is granted only upon clear evidence that the “pa-role applicant has exhausted visa processes, including any waivers to grounds of inadmissibility.”

Section 212(d)(s)(A) of the Im-migration and Nationality Act (INA) authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Se-curity to “in his discretion, parole into the United States temporar-ily under such conditions as he may prescribe only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitar-ian reasons or significant public benefit any alien applying for ad-mission into the United States,.. .” In practice, the Secretary’s parole authority is delegated to the 3 bureaus of the Homeland Security — the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (US-

CIS), the Immigration and Cus-toms Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — who all exercise parole authority concurrently.

Humanitarian Parole is cat-egorized based on which agency will receive and adjudicate the application. The following cases must be submitted to the USCIS: 1. Urgent medical, family, and related needs; and 2. Aliens who will participate in civil proceed-ings where all parties are private litigants. On the other hand, ICE will be the adjudicating au-thority for the following cases: 1. Aliens who will participate in administrative, judicial, or legis-lative proceedings, and/or inves-tigations, whether at the federal, state, local, or tribal level of gov-ernment; 2. Aliens in removal proceedings or who have final orders, as well as aliens granted deferred action by ICE at any point after the commencement of

uPAGE CJ3

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

Unparalleled work ethicIn my new book, “Ensuring

Your Family Business Legacy,” I identified eight out of the twelve most famous Filipino entre-preneurs and included wealthy businessmen whose families emigrated from Mainland China to the Philippines before World War II when the economy was strong.

I mentioned in my last column and I wish to reiterate that even if each took a different approach, there is one common denomina-tor among them before they be-came famous Filipino entrepre-neurs — unparalleled work ethic

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

The following list, initially three due to limited space, gives an overview of the most famous Fili-pinos in business, mostly Chinese with a handful of Spanish mesti-zos. I will start with the four most popular and successful business-men. I am hoping my readers can learn a lot from these icons of the Philippine business scene.

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

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

Prof. enrique M. soriAno

The KiteRunner

The makings of a successful Chinese entrepreneur

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

2. Lucio Tan. Lucio Tan worked as a janitor in a cigarette fac-tory. After a few promotions, he eventually resigned and started his own tobacco company. This company grew to capture a 60% share of the Philippine market. With its strong revenues, Tan was able to diversify. This famous Filipino businessman now owns several prominent Philippine companies, many of them blue-chippers. The biggest chunk of his fortune comes from his Hon-gkong based Eton Properties. Among the country’s wealthiest businesmen, Tan is arguably the most enigmatic. He is the most elusive, preferring to stay out of the limelight. His 2015 net worth is US$4.3 Billion according to Forbes.com.

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

Later, he moved to Manila where he studied Accounting at the University of the East. For economic reasons, he would head to school walking rather

than riding on public transpor-tation. During his early years in business, the local government unit of Quezon City honored him as “Businessman of the Year” in 2004. Tan now runs the Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGI), com-posed of four companies namely Megaworld Corporation, Em-perador Distillers, Inc., Travel-lers International/Resorts World Manila and Goldern Arches De-velopment Corporation.

* * *Prof. Soriano is an ASEAN Family Business Advisor, Book Author, Executive Director of Asean-based Consulting group, Wong + Bernstein Advisory and Program Director for Real Estate and the former Chair of the Marketing Cluster of the ATENEO Graduate School of Business. He is slated to deliver a talk on Philippine Business and Franchising Opportunities. The first talk is in NY on Feb 1 at the Philippine Consulate and Boston on Feb 4 at the Harvard Campus and in LA. The talk is organized by the Philippine Consulate in New York, in coordination with the Bagong Kulturang Pinoy (bkpinc.org), the Harvard Philippine Forum, TFC with Asian Journal as media partner. For those interested to attend, pls email nzuelke@gmail.com. Prof Soriano’s business articles can also be accessed at www.Faminbusines.com.

uPAGE CJ3

a promising market in the West Coast. The best-selling products include virgin coconut oil (VCO), coconut sugar, frozen tuna, ba-nana chips, frozen saba, organic muscovado sugar, upland rice and jasponica rice, and sea salts. Buyers were mostly looking for natural, organic, fair trade, and healthy products in internation-ally accepted packaging, which the Food Philippines pavilion of-fer.

“Given the warm reception of social enterprises and their spe-cialty food products in the WFFS, Food Philippines looks forward to the continued promotion of specialty food products with

added social dimension in other food and beverage trade shows abroad,” shares Rosvi C. Gaetos, executive director of the Center for International Trade Exposi-tions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade and Indus-try (DTI). “We are also consider-ing a participation in the Sum-mer Fancy Food Show to sustain the impression we have made in WFFS, and continue position-ing the Philippines as a source of high-value, fresh, healthy and natural food products.”

Food Philippines is a brand-ing initiative of DTI-CITEM that unifies the promotional efforts of the government in overseas

trade exhibitions and events to project one brand, one image, one voice.

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is the export promo-tion arm of the Philippine De-partment of Trade and Industry (DTI). CITEM is committed to de-veloping, nurturing, and promot-ing globally-competitive small and medium enterprises (SMEs), exporters, designers, and manu-facturers by implementing an Integrated Approach to Export Marketing in partnership with other government and private entities. For more information on its services and events, please log on to www.citem.gov.ph. n

PH specialty food products gain ground…PAGE CJ1 t

Lucio Tan Henry Sy

Andrew Tan

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Atty. MichAelGurfinkel, eSQ

ImmigrationCorner

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FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 20

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

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

MARCH 4-6

“An Enchanted Evening” Dinner-Dance for Gawad KalingaAs part of the GK USA National Summit, you are cordially invited to a dinner-dance,

themed “An Enchanged Evening,” to benefit programs of Gawad Kalinga and GK En-chanted Farm. The Dance will take place on Saturday, March 5, 7:00pm, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). The cost is $100, with formal attire. The all-night program will include dinner, induction of the GK-USA Board of Directors, remarks from the Chairman of the Board, and all-night dancing. For more details on sponsorship packages for Gawad Kalinga builders and feeding programs, as well as GKEF programs and scholarships, please visit gk-usa.org. For tickets, please visit gk-usa.org/dinnerdance.

MARCH 5

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

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

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

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

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

removal proceedings, regardless of whether the alien is within or outside of the US; 3. Aliens who will participate in events hosted by an international organization located within the US (e.g., UN, OAS); 4. Section 7 parole (50 USC 403[h]); and 5. Intelligence. Aliens who are registered sourc-es of a member of the US Intel-ligence Community and whose parole furthers the National Intelligence mission, or aliens whose parole is sought by the Department of State Cooperative Threat Reduction Program or by the Intelligence Community.

The above list is non-exhaus-tive and USCIS will adjudicate all other parole applications that are not otherwise assigned to ICE and/or the CBP.

Only a foreign national or alien who is outside the United States can apply for Humanitar-

ian Parole. Anyone may file the application - the parole applicant himself, a sponsoring relative, an attorney, or any other interested individual or organization. The application must be accompanied by supporting documentation of the emergency or urgent nature of the applicant’s circumstances, and proof that applicant has tried to secure a visa and/or applied for waiver of inadmissibility but was denied. In cases of medi-cal emergencies, there must be an accompanying medical cer-tificate regarding the diagnosis; lack of appropriate treatment in the home country or neighbor-ing country; duration and cost of treatment in the United States; ability to pay for the treatment; and evidence of strong ties to the home country to guarantee ap-plicant’s return to his/her home country.

An initial grant of parole is

only for a set period of time that corresponds with the length of the emergency or humanitarian situation, but not to exceed one (1) year. However, an extension may be requested. Humanitar-ian Parole does not give a parol-ee any permanent immigration status and does not authorize a parolee to work in the United States.

* * *Atty. Aurora Vega-Buzon is a partner in Chua Tinsay & Vega, A Professional Legal Corporation (CTV) - a full service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Philippines. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (619) 955-6277; (415) 495-8088; auvega@ctvattys.com

(Advertising Supplement)

Humanitarian Parole for urgent medical and…PAGE CJ2 t

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

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

• Don’t ask USCIS to “expe-

Things that can mess up your child’s CSPA eligibility

dite” the approval of the petition! Under the mathematical calcula-tion, the longer USCIS takes to approve a petition, the more time you can subtract from the child’s age when the priority date be-comes current. The faster the USCIS approves a petition, the less time you can subtract from the child’s age. If USCIS took three months to approve the peti-tion, you can only subtract three months from the child’s age. If USCIS took two years to approve the petition, you can subtract two years from the child’s age. There-fore it is always better, for CSPA purposes, for the USCIS to take longer to approve the petition.

• Your child must “seek to ac-quire a visa” within one year of when the priority date is current. Not only does a child’s age have to be under 21, but the child must also “seek to acquire” a visa with-in one year of availability. This is done by filing certain forms with either USCIS or NVC. In other words, CSPA eligibility is a two

– step process. There have been many cases where the child’s age was calculated to be under 21 years of age, but the parents messed up by failing to satisfy the second step of “seeking to ac-quire” the visa for the child within one year of visa availability.

• Don’t naturalize after your child’s 21st birthday if he or she is CSPA eligible. If your child’s age is calculated to be under 21 and the child seeks to acquire a visa within one year, but the par-ent naturalizes after the child’s 21st birthday, the child’s CSPA eligibility is destroyed. I know of several cases where the child qualified under the CSPA: the age was locked in, and the only thing left was the visa interview. But the parent went out and nat-uralized, which destroyed CSPA eligibility. There have been pub-lished court decisions specifi-cally holding that if the parent naturalizes after the child’s 21st birthday, the child is no longer eligible under the CSPA.

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

erly strategizing the case.* * *

Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and

does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.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)

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

noia, desperation, depression over economic pressures, family problems or just plain deranged, decided he can’t take it anymore and instead of committing sui-cide, decide to inflict murder and mayhem killing several others, either his own family members or total strangers.

In 2009, there were more than 7 mass murders committed by ordinary people, with a total ca-sualty count, including the mur-derers themselves, of more than 60 people before the first 100 days of the year were over. It is 6 years later and this tragic so-cial phenomenon is still trending upwards.

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

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

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

Evil glamorized by repetition and attention-getting drama seems to have morphed into many other incidents in North

America and elsewhere, result-ing in incalculable, untold pain and suffering among families of the victims.

Who can forget the theater killings in Colorado? Who can forget the great pain inflicted by the Virginia Tech mass murder which snuffed out the lives of 32, including Cho, the killer, who was a quiet, deranged malcon-tent who never quite fit in.

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

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

He was a Vietnamese immi-grant named Jiverly Wong, aka Vuong, a quiet, social misfit, driven by severe paranoia and frustrated over his “poor life” and poor English skills, gunned down 12 others in an immigrant center, 10 of whom came from 8 countries and who were students just trying to learn English as a second language.

One was a Filipina, Dolores Yigal, then, a recent immigrant

who was studying so she could find a job. One was a long time substitute teacher named Rober-ta King. One was an Iraqi woman who survived 3 car bombs in her native Iraq and left behind a dev-astated family, a daughter at the Sorbonne in Paris and another daughter, a Fulbright scholar. All these lives were cut off by one sorry excuse for a human being in one fell swoop.

Among ordinary families from all strata and from nearly every ethnic group, there has also been a rash of killings among fathers who have decided to kill them-selves because of their failures and are taking their whole family with them. On rare occasions, it is a mother who does it.

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

Perhaps, some of this is fu-eled by the effects of crumbling social and cultural mores. Or this could simply be the effects of the economic downturn. Some are unable to cope with mount-ing financial pressures. And yet to merely focus on economics as the root of this troubling phe-nomenon is shortsighted and misses the whole point.

(To be continued next week)* * *

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

Pressure cooker…

A SLOWDOWN in remittance growth should not be a cause for concern, research consultancy Capital Economics said, as there are signs the economy is finding other drivers.

In a research note, Capital Eco-nomics Asia economist Gareth Leather said growth in money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFW) likely settled be-low 5 percent last year.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi-nas has yet to release full-year 2015 remittance data. As of end-November, the amount of cash transfers through banks totaled $22.84 billion, up 3.6 percent from a year earlier.

“Given that remittances are equivalent to around 10 percent of GDP (gross domestic product) and play a key role in supporting private consumption and keeping the current account in surplus, it is perhaps no surprise that the slowdown has got some analysts worried,” Leather noted.

This should not be a major cause for concern, he said, point-ing out that while remittance

‘Remittance slowdown not a cause for concern’by Mayvelin U. Caraballo

ManilaTimes.net

growth has slowed in US dollar terms, depreciation has meant that flows are holding up much better in peso terms, which is what matters for domestic pur-chasing power.

“The broader economy hardly seems to have been affected. Growth last year came in at 5.8 percent, making the Philippines one of the fastest-growing econ-omies in Asia,” Leather added.

Going forward, Capital Eco-nomics expects remittance growth to remain constrained this year, penciling in an expan-

sion of just 4 percent in both peso and US dollar terms.

“But even if remittances do remain weak, this shouldn’t be a disaster,” Leather said.

He pointed out that other sec-tors of the economy, notably manufacturing and business out-sourcing, were growing strongly and should more than make up for the weakness in remittances.

“The Philippines could finally be reaching a stage where it no longer needs to send people abroad in order to grow quickly,” the economist concluded. n

PAGE CJ2 t

FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150CJ� PeoPle & events

THE advent of e-commerce is just changing the retail property landscape, not at all threatening to bring brick-and-mortar stores to extinction, real estate analysts believe.

On the home front, Filipino consumers will still prefer to shop at the malls, at least in the short term, according to Antton Nordberg, head of research of KMC Mag Group, the Philippine associate of global British prop-erty advisory firm Savills.

Nordberg said e-commerce would certainly have a stronger impact on the retail market in the long term, as retail sales are going to be more on the online side.

But then, he stressed, such should not be a threat to the property markets, but rather an opportunity for the physical stores to innovate.

“The retail sales are going on-line more and more,” Nordberg observed. “However, I don’t see it necessarily as a threat for the property markets, since it is just changing the nature of retail-ing and the physical stores into showrooms. Property markets just need to be innovative to earn from it.”

American commercial real es-tate firm CBRE has been track-ing the development of e-com-merce for several years.

In a recent report, CBRE said retail sales around the globe would still be stronger this year, vis-à-vis e-commerce sales.

“Stores and malls play a fun-damental role in people’s lives by fulfilling immediate needs and providing leisure and en-tertainment opportunities,” the

Is e-commerce busting the malls?The digital age is prompting stores to innovate

by Catherine talaveraManilaTimes.net

CBRE report said. “Hence, we do not see the growth of e-com-merce as a threat to the sector.”

Based on CBRE’s How Con-sumers Shop Survey 2014, 87 percent of consumers in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) still visit stores to buy their products.

CBRE noted that aside from e-commerce, social media ap-plications is now becoming es-sential for retailers, especially in the fashion industry.

“In the face of an increas-ingly rapid and effective e-retail world, malls and stores are us-ing omni-channel strategies to create customer engagement,” CBRE said. “The best-run malls are (even) adopting business-to-business apps to communicate real-time footfall information to retailers.”

CBRE said successful malls and town centers should re-quire two-way digital commu-nication strategies for websites, smartphone apps, social media, games and email marketing for closer client engagement.

Lisa Pomerantz, senior vice president of global communi-cations and marketing at New York-based Michael Kors brand, cited the mobile application

Snapchat, as a way to reach out to consumers.

“We’re always looking to tell our brand story on the platforms our fans are using and loving,” Pomerantz said. “Snapchat pro-vided a unique opportunity to take our All Access Kors strat-egy a step further, allowing us to share intimate, behind-the-scenes moments from our run-way show with fans around the world.”

E-commerce is a complimen-tary feature of the retail sector, said Janlo de los Reyes, manag-er of research and consultancy at global property advisor Cush-man and Wakefield Philippines.

De los Reyes said e-commerce offers consumers the conve-nience of shopping without leaving their homes, but pointed out that this won’t endanger the malls business.

“No, I don’t think it will be a threat to the retail property sec-tor,” De los Reyes said. “People still want to inspect the goods they are purchasing.”

He noted that e-commerce offers products that are mostly classified as “non-perishable goods,” such as clothing, which means consumers would still opt

EUROPEAN plane-maker Airbus said Wednes-day, Feb. 17, it had won a $1.85 billion deal for the purchase of six A350-900s by Philippine Airlines (PAL), flag-carrier of one of Asia’s fastest growing economies.

PAL also has the option to purchase an addition-al six of the aircraft, the two companies announced at the Singapore Airshow.

Separately, PAL also signed a $600-million or-der with Rolls-Royce for Trent XWB engines to power the six A350s, the airline said in another statement.

PAL President Jaime Bautista said the planes will be used for PAL’s non-stop, long-haul flights from the Philippines to the United States, Canada and Europe.

The Philippines’ economic growth in the past six years under President Benigno Aquino 3rd, who steps down in June, averaged 6.2 percent, one of the strongest performances in Asia, boost-ing travel demand.

The Philippines also relies on a diaspora of around 10 million Filipinos, or 10 percent of the population, many of them residing in the cities tar-geted by PAL.

The airline plays a key transportation link for millions of Filipinos who work abroad, with a route network tracing the key destinations of the labor diaspora.

“We are happy to announce that today we will commit to acquire six A350-900 series which will allow us . . . to fly non-stop from Manila to New York, allow us to increase our presence in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and also to Van-couver and Toronto,” Bautista told a news confer-ence.

“This aircraft will allow us to improve our opera-tions to Europe, [it] will be used to fly from Manila to London.”

He added that the aircraft “will really support our mission of becoming a full service

five-star airline in five years.”Delivery of the aircraft will start in 2018.“The A350s range capability has been an im-

portant factor in our decision, enabling us to of-fer non-stop service on all our premium long-haul routes,” Bautista said.

The order is worth $1.85 billion at list prices, al-though airlines usually get discounts on their pur-chases. (Manilatimes.net)

PAL signs $1.85-B deal for 6 Airbuses

MANILA — Japanese electric vehicle maker Bemac Electric Transportation Philippines Inc. has bagged a $30-million deal to produce 3,000 electric tricycle (e-trike) units under the joint project of the Department of Energy and Asian Development Bank.

In a statement, Bemac said it will produce and deploy the 3,000 e-trike units within the year after completing a series of negotiations with DOE and ADB.

“After rounds of price negoti-ations, the final price was settled

Japanese e-vehicle maker bags $30 M e-trike dealby Danessa O. rivera

Philstar.comat around $30 million for the production, delivery, and servic-ing of 3,000 electric tricycles,” the firm said.

This means the cost per e-trike unit amounts to $10,000, or equivalent to P474,800 per unit, based on current foreign exchange rates.

Last month, DOE Undersecre-tary Donato Marcos said the se-ries of negotiations with Bemac resulted in better price per unit and features of the e-trikes con-tract.

Marcos said the pricing has now been reduced from around P600,000 per e-trike during the first bid.

In addition, the contract will also include a five-year warranty on the e-trike battery, three-year Land Transportation Office reg-istration and three-year compre-hensive insurance.

In a recent visit to the country, Uzushio Electric Co. president Masato Oda said the company is very serious in its electric vehicle business in the country and is looking at possibilities of intro-ducing more variants, including four-wheeled EVs.

At the same time, Bemac is also looking to expand to other ASEAN markets.

Uzushio first launched an elec-uPAGE CJ5

IN support of the Town’s goal to increase energy and water ef-ficiency, the City Council in Col-ma recently passed resolutions which allow businesses to take advantage of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing. PACE is a new and innovative way for commercial property owners to pay for energy effi-ciency upgrades, on-site renew-able energy projects, and water conservation measures. PACE funding is provided or arranged for up to 100 percent of a proj-

PACE Financing for Businesses in Colmaect’s costs, and is repaid with an assessment on the property tax bill over a term of up to 20 years. PACE is a national initiative, but programs are locally based and tailored to meet local market needs. Some quick facts:

• PACE financing is available for all types of commercial and industrial properties, large and small.

• Financing approvals are simple, but PACE projects must be permanently affixed to the property and save money for the

property owner.• Benchmarking, energy au-

dits, and evaluations can be used to ensure that projects make sense.

• PACE is 100 percent volun-tary. In communities that adopt PACE, assessments are only paid by participating owners, and only for their own projects.

The approved lenders for Col-ma include California First, Fig-tree and Hero. You may contact them directly if you have any ques-tions about their programs. n

uPAGE CJ5

EMPLOYMENT

FOSTER HOMECARE

EMPLOYMENT FOR SALE

(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 CJ�

tric vehicle development pro-gram in 2011, while the DOE an-nounced the e-trike project with ADB in 2012.

Since then, the company has prepared systems in the country for the manufacture, sale, and distribution of 6,000 vehicles yearly with cooperation from lo-cal partner companies — notably

Almazora Motor Corp. as its local assembly partner.

The supply of 3,000 e-trikes is the initial phase of the $504-mil-lion e-vehicles program, a joint undertaking of the DOE and the ADB.

These units will be rolled out in Metro Manila, Region 4-A and Region 4-B, as earlier stipulated in the bidding. n

Japanese e-vehicle maker bags…PAGE CJ4 t

SURVIVING World War II veterans will com-memorate the 74th anniversary of Prisoners Of War Day and the Fall of Bataan on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

The Commemoration and remembrance cer-emony will start at 2pm in the Filipino Veterans Education Center. War Memorial Veterans Build-ing, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco.

Please join us as we commemorate this historic

anniversary of Day of Valor without distinguish-ing between the victors and the vanquished. In the spirit of reconciliation, friendship and international cooperation, let us leave the past behind us as we move forward – with joined hands – to attain peace for all mankind.

The event is open to the public. Please RSVP naffaasf@gmail.com or RudyAsercion@gmail.com or call (415) 564-6262. n

POW Day at the Filipino Veterans Education Center on April 9

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Edwin M. Lee re-cently announced an emergency relief plan for the local crab and fish industry affected by the delay of the local Dungeness crab season in California caused by the presence of domoic acid. The Port of San Francisco’s Crab Industry Relief Plan would waive fees and rents for a three month period for the berthing, storage and leasing for commercial crab boat owners and receivers, and through the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), the City will provide customized busi-ness assistance to the Port’s local commercial crab fishermen and receivers.

“San Francisco’s Dungeness crab is known around the world, and the delay of crab season has taken a substantial toll on the livelihood of the men and women in the local commercial crab in-dustry,” said Mayor Lee. “This plan will mitigate the economic impact to the small businesses who depend on the crab industry for income and will help families during this time of crisis.”

The Port’s proposed Crab Industry Relief Plan, being voted on by the Port Commission this after-noon, would help to provide temporary financial relief to the Port’s local crab fishermen and receiv-ers/processors by waiving specific fees and rental charges for the three months that correspond with the opening of the commercial wild salmon sea-son. The proposed Crab Industry Relief Plan rec-ommends a three month suspension of berthing fees for permanent San Francisco berth holders with valid commercial Dungeness crab fishing per-mits from the State Department of Fish and Wild-life; crab pot storage fees; and rental charges for Port crab receivers who hold valid State Fish and Wildlife landings of crab from crab boats at their Port of San Francisco facility from November 15, 2014 through June 15, 2015.

“The Port’s proposed plan would throw a lifeline to many small businesses, fishermen and deck-hands during a period of unprecedented financial impacts,” said Port Executive Director Monique Moyer. “The Crab Industry Relief Plan will not make these businesses whole, but it’s a sensible plan to help sustain this important community and give back a small margin of what they have given our Port for more than a century.”

In addition to the Port’s efforts, Mayor Lee has also directed the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) to provide cus-tomized business assistance to the Port’s local crab fishermen and receivers. OEWD will also pro-vide employment services to assist workers in the crab fishing industry who are in transition from the fishing closure. OEWD will conduct proactive out-reach to inform affected workers about free work-force services including job search assistance; career exploration and planning; job preparation workshops; training opportunities; and access to

computers, fax, and copy machines; unemploy-ment information; and supportive services, such as childcare and transportation.

“This is an industry made up of small family owned operators that depend on the season to support their families and their workforce,” said OEWD Director Todd Rufo. “From direct busi-ness assistance to employee services, we’re here to help these local businesses and their affected employees during these tough times.”

The Port’s Pier 45 is one of the West Coast’s major commercial fishing centers. According the State of California Department of Fish and Wild-life, in 2014, 19.2 million pounds of fish landings with a gross value of $26.2 million were landed at the Port of San Francisco. The fishing industry generated approximately $2.35 million in revenue for the Port in fiscal year 2015/2016 with 129 long term berth holders at the Wharf and numerous re-ceivers and processors. The main fishing seasons in San Francisco are salmon (April to fall), crab (November to spring) and herring (December to February).

Recently, the local fishing fleet has suffered a double hit as four years of drought conditions have severely impacted the wild salmon run greatly lim-iting last year’s commercial salmon season. Com-bined with the fact that there’s been no local crab season, many of the Port’s crab boat owners and receivers have been pushed to the economic brink. Many of the crab fleet and receivers earn the lion’s share of their annual revenue in a two month pe-riod, from mid-November through mid-January.

“Our fishing boat fleet and the crab receivers have been devastated by this lack of a season,” said San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association President Larry Collins. “The assistance that the Port and City propose will greatly help these small businesses weather this storm.” n

Mayor Lee announces emergency assistance to commercial crab boats and receivers due to lack of dungeness crab season

City to aid local crab industry affected by compromised crab season

Mayor Edwin M. Lee

to buy other goods at the malls.From another perspective, Claro

Cordero Jr., head of research and consultancy in the Philippines of global property services firm Jones Lang Lasalle, said e-com-merce would even give impetus to the resurgence of the logistics and warehousing property sector, complementing the now more ac-tive retail sector.

Julius Guevara, director for research and advisory at global property advisor Colliers Inter-national, shares this sentiment about virtual retail trade.

“This is a growth market that we’re very bullish about,” Cordero said. “We think that it would not only impact retail, but it could also positively impact the logistics and industrial mar-ket.”

He noted that some develop-ers are considering the e-com-merce trend.

“But I don’t know what their particular strategies are,” he said. “Moving forward, this is a sector that we need to pay close attention to.” n

Is e-commerce busting the…PAGE CJ4 t

FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150CJ�

Friday, February 19, 2016

To capture the stories of San Francisco’s South of Market Fili-pino cultural district, three artists examine the stories of Bay Area Filipinos through the popular se-quential storytelling art of comics. The exhibit entitiled, “Kwentohan Komiks: Pinoy Stories in Pictures & Words,” is a participatory cultural arts engagement project exploring the personal histories of Filipinos in the city. Using the arts of photography and comics, these artists, along with commu-nity members with unearth these stories.

“Kwentohan: Splendor of wound” by

trinidad eScobarIn 2014, with funding from

the San Francisco Arts Com-mission, Kularts commissioned cartoonist, poet and educator in Oakland, California Trinidad Escobar a 52-page comic book inspired by stories of Filipino-

Americans in San Francisco.In “Splendor of Wound,”

Escobar weaves a compilation of heartfelt, meaningful and remark-able stories in her work Inspired by five Bay Area Filipinos, the tale is anchored by the life story of a former incarcerated man who returns to his home in the South of Market over 20 years later and decides to work as a violence-prevention community counselor.

Escobar’s writing and visual art have been featured in various publications such as “Rust & Moth,” “The Womanist,” “The Walrus,” “Red Wheelbarrow,” “Solo Cafe,” “Mythium,” “Tayo,” “Maganda Magazine,” the an-thologies “Walang Hiya,” “Over the LIne,” “Kwento,” and more. She has also been a guest artist and speaker for the San Jose Mu-seum of Art, Pilipino Komix Expo, LitQuake, and The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. Her

SF2 cover storyThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - February 19, 2016

Don Aguillo

by Malou liwanag-Bledsoe /AJPress

‘Kwentohan Komiks’: Capturing Pinoy stories

in pictures and wordsSTORIES are told not just by words, but also with pictures. A comic

book, for example, not only tells stories, but also gives a visual tale of characters and situations.

Kularts’ artistic director Alleluia Panis

Raf Salazar’s ‘The Clan of Saints Bay’

Don Aguillo’s ‘They Hear the Cry for Help’Continued on Page SF3Trinidad Escobar Trinidad Escobar’s Splendor of Wound

experience in digital art, concept and production design.

Salazar is also a concept art-ist, illustrator and designer. He’s the co-creator of the webcomic series regrbl.com and currently an illustrator for Anime USA, concept artist for Game Fly Publishing and has worked with Zeitgeyser and video game company Render Junkies. He has received awards from Otakon, NY Anime Festi-val, Setsucon, and PAX 10 Indie Game. He studied at The Art Institute of Florence, Italy and re-ceived his BFA in Communication Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Kularts, headed by its Execu-tive Director Alleluia Panis, hope that through the profound and lasting impact of visual art works and the participatory art-mak-ing experience in “Kwentohan,” will provide a connection to the Filipinos’ own sense of history and cultural pride, as well as give visual presence in the community.

Through this project, Kularts engages individuals, artists, residents and SoMa organiza-tions in a collaborative effort to create a new work that celebrates

graphic memoir “Crushed” will be released in 2017 by Rosarium Publishing. (To follow her work: www.trinidadescobar.com / Insta-gram: Escobarcomics).

“Kwentohan: SoMa SuperheroeS edition” by don aguillo and rafael Salazar

In 2015, as Filipino residents, community organizations and small non-profits feel the accel-erated push of development in the city, Kularts responded with “Kwentohan: SoMa Superheroes Edition,” a graphic-novel style artworks of heroes’ adventures in a fantastical universe.

With a small Community Action Grant, Kularts commis-sioned Don Aguillo to created poster art and Rafael Salazar to create a webcomics entitled “The Clan of Saints Bay.” Salazar and Aguillo’s creations are inspired by everyday people who tirelessly work to improve the lives of the people in SoMa. In fact in 2014, Kularts invited residents and com-munity members to tell their San Francisco stories through one-on-one interviews at the Bayanihan Community Center and Gene Friend Park Recreation Center. The second call-out was for online submissions in 2015, and made a third call out to share stories about people they believe exem-plify heroism in the community.

Aguillo, a concept artist and illustrator with years of experi-ence in production design, pre-visualization, and traditional art; is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with Honors in Drawing and Painting. He later garnered

ing remarkable came out of this endeavor, so Coco went back to pursue his studies, putting his mainstream showbiz career in the backseat.

Coco was already starting to feel comfortable partaking in smaller-scale projects instead, when he came across with Ferdinand Lapuz, a respected promoter of Filipino films in international festivals. He of-fered Coco the lead role in the movie Masahista, his initial foray into the independent film genre. Innocent to the provocative nature of the project directed by Brillante Mendoza, Coco jumped into the so-called œindie film scene amidst personal doubts in high hopes of competing abroad, so he can seek a better job pros-pect in another land.”

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

Coco’s life story as a regular OFW starring in several indie films, to being one of the finest actors in Philippine cinema has taught him – and those who want to be like him – that dedication to one’s craft will reap success, if he or she is just patient, hardworking as most of all, humble. I admire him for being one of the truest person in showbiz. He doesn’t try as hard to associate himself to controversial personalities or gimmicks. He is just plain, old,

SF3FeaturesThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE – February 19, 2016

By MoNET Lu

“PALOMA,” “Cardo” “Daniel Guidotti” “Bestfriend Em-man.“—these are just some of the roles he portrayed and yet these are the very characters that were etched in our memories and became part of our lives as avid teleserye fans. Each of the roles are so distinct from each other and yet, all of them attest to the quintessential chameleon acting of Coco Martin.

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

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

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

His website narrates his jour-ney to stardom saying; “While his early years in the limelight were plagued with uncertainty, he still grabbed the opportunity to make every new experience count. Coco was launched as part of Star Circle Batch 9, landing him supporting roles in several films like Luv Txt and other television shows. Noth-

local heroes, gives voice to the issues that affect the Filipino community, visually engages in our history and addresses the political and social goals of the neighborhood.

“Kwentohan” is commis-sioned by Kularts with funds from the San Francisco Commission-Arts & Communities Innovative Partnership, SoMa Community Action Grant, Zellerbach Founda-tion, California Arts Council, SF Foundation and Grants for the Arts. The exhibit opened last Thursday, Feb. 18 and will be open to the public until April 17, 2016 at the I-Hotel Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny at Jackson in San Francisco.

For more information about the artists and the “Kwentohan Komiks” exhibition visit http://ku-lart.org/wp/makingvisible/kwen-tohan/.

‘Kwentohan Komiks’: Capturing Pinoy stories...From Page SF2

Coco Martin on his journey to fame

Coco Martin

down-to-earth “probinsyano” like the character he plays.

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

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

***Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-

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

Grammy awards: A night of epic tributes and electric performances

by Allyson EscobArAJPress

Bruno Mars takes home 3 Grammys

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

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

Taylor Swift took home presti-gious album of the year award for

Continued on Page SF4

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

SF4 celebrityworldThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - February 19, 2016

celebrity worldBy Ferdie Villar

How your favorite celebrities spend Valentine’s Day

IT’S almost a week after Valentine’s Day but we’re still hoping that people will continue to be in love and stay in love. I’m sure many people celebrated the day, and we’re curious how our favorite celeb-rities spent their Valentine’s.

Some got flowers—while others declared how much love they are feeling for their special someone. There were also some celebrities who had to work that day, but they still managed to post an Insta-gram pic or two. Here’s how your favorite stars celebrated Valentine’s Day this year:

Toni Gonzaga: The actress and TV host received a bouquet of roses from her husband, director Paul Soriano in spite of the fact that the lat-ter was in Berlin, Germany for the prestigious Berlinale Film Festival. On another note, the couple is supposedly expect-ing their first child. The word is Toni is pregnant, but yet to announce the good news.

Erich Gonzales and Daniel Matsunaga: The actor gave his girlfriend a giant bouquet of red roses that had fans swooning. Erich posted a picture on Instagram with the caption, “1John 4:19 Thank you @dandanmatsunaga, Eu amo voce todos os dias P.S. #BMLDeal tomorrow on Be My Lady.”

Xian Lim and Kim Chiu: Although they haven’t con-firmed anything about the real status of their relationship, ac-tor Xian Lim surprised Kim Chiu with a huge heart—all made with red, white and pink roses.

Iya Villania and Drew Arel-lano: Romance is never over for this husband and wife team.

The two went on a trip to Syd-ney and visited Bondi Beach. In her Instagram post, Iya wrote, “Welcome to Sydney, my Valentine #HappyValentines

#Bondi #Vamos #Gringo #May-Forever #LoveWins.”

Hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! Always stay in love.

Joshua Apolinario, son of Homeland Security employee in Washington, DC Ermin and Theresa Apolinario, celebrated his birthday at their residence in Springfield recently. Shown in photo are (L-R) the celebrant’s sister Jessica, parents Ermin and Ting Ting, and Joshua.

Deputy Consul Jaime Ascalon officially cut the ceremonial ribbon during the grand opening of Golden Gate Insurance Agency in San Bruno recently. Shown in photo are (L-R) Ana Marie Martin, Consul Ascalon, business owner Cristina Ceres, President of Fil-Am Democratic Club Dorie Paniza, and Daly City Vice Mayor David Canepa.

Actress and TV host Toni Gonzaga posted on her Instagram a bouquet of flowers she received from her husband, director Paul Soriano although he was in Germany during Valentine’s Day. Photo from @celestinegonzaga

Cupertino jetsetter couple Suresh and Rema Vasa celebrated their Valentine’s Day in Lake Tahoe.

Former beauty queen and fashion model Marilen Bernardo is leaving for the Philippines to attend the Bernardo annual family reunion at their residence in Forbes Park in Makati.

Actor/model Daniel Matsunaga surprised her girlfriend Erich Gonza-les with a giant bouquet of red roses. Photo from @erichgg

Actor Xian Lim is shown with actress Kim Chiu and the huge flower-filled heart he gave her for Valentine’s Day. Photo from @chinitaprincess

From Page SF3“1989,” during the live ceremony on Monday night, held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. It was her third Grammy win of the day. (She also took home Best Pop Vocal Album for “1989” and Best Music Video for “Bad Blood,” featuring Kendrick Lamar.)

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

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

28-year-old rapper Lamar, who earned a record of 11 nominations, received his fifth Grammy of the day for best rap album for his acclaimed “To Pimp a Butterfly.”

“First off, glory to God, that’s for sure,” said Lamar, who also thanked family and those who worked on the album. He added, “This is for hip-hop.”

Compton-based Lamar had one of the most powerful and talked-about performances of the night, with onstage images of jail

Grammy awards: A night of epic...cells, a giant fire and tribal danc-es, and the word “Compton” superimposed over an image of the African continent. The rapper emerged in chains to perform a medley of his songs “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright,” from his award-winning album “To Pimp a Butterfly.”

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

The Hollywood Vampires--which includes Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry--also made their fiery television debut, introduced by Dave Grohl. The group paid homage to the leader of Motorhead, late singer-song-writer Lemmy Kilmister.

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

Singer-songwriter Chris Sta-pleton was awarded best country album of the year win for “Travel-ler,” while Ed Sheeran’s “Think-

ing out Loud” was named Song of the Year. The British artist also received his first Grammy ever for best solo pop performance. Rock quartet Alabama Shakes won the best rock performance with “Don’t Wanna Fight,” which was also named best rock song of the year, and the group won best alternative music album for “Sound & Color.”

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

Adele, whose new record “25” will make next year’s Grammy’s cut, had a rare weak performance when the sound cut out during her live rendition of “All I Ask.” “The piano mics fell on to the piano strings, that’s what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune. Sh*t happens,” Adele tweeted later, brushing off the unavoidable technical difficulties.

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

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

Entertainment SF5The Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - February 19, 2016

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach at the Sherri Hill Fall 2016 show in New York.

by Remy UmeRezInquirer

Pia Wurtzbach takes the New York fashion runway by storm

THE reigning Miss Universe has been setting the New York stage on fire for the past few days.

Aside from walking in a Carmen Marc Valvo dress at the Red Dress Collection 2016 event on Thursday, Feb. 11, Pia Wurtzbach has also strutted the runway in a Sherri Hill designed formal evening wear.

Clad in a derriere baring blue gown, the Filipina beauty walked fiercely and elegantly along with other models.

Red Dress fashion event was produced by the Ameri-can Heart Association to raise awareness on heart disease in women.

Aside from sharing pho-tos of her on the runway, the 26-year-old beauty queen also shared a photo of her with American supermodel and actress Carmen Dell’Orefice at the backstage. (Alixandra Caole Vila/Philstar.com)

Jericho Rosales, 20 years laterSTAR Magic hosted a thanks-

giving party recently for Jericho Rosales, who is celebrating his 20th year in show business this year. Soon after winning in “Eat Bulaga’s” Mr. Pogi tilt, he be-came a part of Star Circle in l997 and ABS-CBN has become the actor’s home ever since.

In his younger years, people saw him as one of the Hunks, along with Piolo Pascual, Diether Ocampo, Carlos Agassi and Ber-nard Palanca. He also showed interest in music by forming a band called Jeans.

The Asian release of the hit drama series, “Pangako Sa ‘Yo,” with Kristine Hermosa, ampli-fied the actor’s popularity. He gained a solid fan base in Sin-gapore, Indonesia, Cambodia and South Africa and appeared in a TV series, “Kusinero,” in Malaysia.

More television and movie projects honed Echo’s acting skills, including a remake of FPJ’s “Ang Panday.” In 2011, another soap with Kristine Hermosa, “Dahil May Isang Ikaw,” was nominated as best telenovela in the International Emmy and New York film festivals. He also starred in “Kahit Isang Saglit,” partly shot in Malaysia, costar-ring Carmen Soo.

For the indie movie, “Alag-wa,” Jericho bagged the best actor award from the Urian and Famas. He expressed regret for not having been around to re-ceive the best actor trophy for

his portrayal of a dying man in “Walang Forever” in the MMFF last December. He is doubly happy that the movie with Jen-nylyn Mercado also scored well at the box office.

From Mr. Pogi to best actor awardee.

Has Ai-Ai given up on Jiro Manio?by Ricky Lo

Philstar

JUST when Ai-Ai delas Alas thought that everything was a-okay with her anak-anakan (“foster” son) Jiro Manio, she was hit by something like a hammer to her head.

We all knew how Ai-Ai saved Jiro (who played one of her sons in the “Tanging Ina” franchise) from total self-de-struction (no thanks to reported drug dependence) by entering him in a wellness/rehab center after Jiro was found wandering aimlessly at the NAIA 3.

“That’s how much Ai-Ai cares for Jiro whom she treats as a real son,” Ai-Ai’s confi-dante told Funfare.“She really wants him to reform so that he can go back to acting. Mahusay kasing aktor ang bata.”

For more than six months, Ai-Ai would check on Jiro at the center, shouldering all his requirements and needs includ-ing the P60,000 monthly due and around P30,000 for Jiro’s medical needs.

“He’s coming clean,” was all that Ai-Ai would say every time the movie press would ask her. “He’s gaining weight and on the road to recovery.”

Spoken too soon, it turned out.

Two weeks ago, Jiro was released from the center.

“Ai-Ai rented (for P15,000) a condo unit for him and his guardian,” added Ai-Ai’s con-fidante. “Jiro was supposed to make a comeback via the GMA show “Magpakailanman,” so Ai-Ai had him go through a workshop together with Ai-Ai’s son Sancho. When he was asked

to speak, Jiro thanked every-body…yes,everybody…but Ai-Ai. Of course, Sancho was hurt. He told Jiro, ‘My mom has done everything for you, what else do you want her to do?’ Then Sancho cried in frustration and disappointment. Jiro may be drug-free but something is very wrong with him.”

Ending of this morality tale?“Ai-Ai sent Jiro back to

another rehab center in the province, cancelled the con-tract for the condo unit that Jiro and his guardian occupied

for barely two weeks,” said Ai-Ai’s confidante. “How long he will stay there, nobody knows, nobody can tell.”

Ai-Ai has virtually kept her hands off Jiro, endorsing him to his family, saying, Kayo na po ang bahala sa kanya.”

As it is, Ai-Ai has done ev-erything that she could for her “foster son.”

“It’s now up to Jiro if he wants to change,” concluded Ai-Ai’s confidante. “Nasa kanya na kung gusto talaga niya mag-bagong buhay.”

Jiro Manio before (left) and after his rehab (right), with his Nanay-nanayan (‘foster mom’) Ai-Ai delas Alas (below, with Ai-Ai’s son Sancho)

Isabelle Daza won’t quit showbiz after weddingby Ricky Lo

Inquirer

FIRST cousins Georgina Wil-son and Isabelle Daza are getting married this year, the former to her British boyfriend Arthur Bur-nand in April and the latter to her French boyfriend Adrien Semblat end of this year. Georgina’s mom Aurora and Isabelle’s mom Gloria (Diaz) are sisters.

“I want our wedding to be intimate and elegant,” Isabelle told Funfare. “It will be a Catholic wedding.”

Isabelle, 27, has been go-ing steady with Adrien, 35, for six years. Adrien is the country manager of Adidas Philippines who came to Manila in 2008, the same year he and Isabelle were introduced to each other by their common friend Karen Jardenli (who’s with Bench).

During more than 12 years in the sport industry, Adrien devel-oped an expertise that includes team management, retail/com-mercial/marketing strategy/im-plementation and execution. He described himself as “passionate by sports” who plays football and does triathlons.

Adrien said that he has found a second home in the Philippines.

“I really wanted to experi-ence working abroad and leave my comfort zone to live in a very different, challenging and enriching life,” he was quoted in an interview with PeopleAsia in 2011. He didn’t even know where Manila was and had to find out through Google. “When I got here, I found Manila to be a pretty oppressing city with its heat, crowd, traffic and pollution. But within months, I settled in my apartment and met Filipino friends. I found them to be the nicest people on earth, very curi-ous and helpful. Aside from Ma-nila, there are the most beautiful beaches…”

It didn’t take long before he and Isabelle met…and matched. The rest is a beautiful love story.

“Am I quitting showbiz after the wedding?,” asked Isabelle (who is starring in the ABS-CBN

soap “Tubig at Langis” with Cris-tine Reyes and Zanjoe Marudo). “No, I will still work…if showbiz will have me, hahaha!!!We are going to settle down in Manila.”

Asked if she and Adrien are compatible (no “cultural differences?”), Isabelle said half-joking, “Hmmmm,we’ll find out soon enough. Hahaha! We both like sports and being active. We love to travel. I’m still in the process of teaching him how to love shopping and selfies.”

Adrien looks like a movie star. When he agreed to act as one of the judges (together with 1973 Miss Universe Margie Moran) in the Super Sireyna pag-eant on “Eat, Bulaga!” in which Isabelle used to be a co-host, Adrien became an overnight sensation on social media.

“Actually,” revealed Isabelle, still half-joking. “I forced him, and he didn’t have a choice. He’s somewhat camera-shy, eh.”

In an exclusive interview with Hola! magazine which broke the news about the couple’s engagement, Adrien mentioned Cambodia, Laos and Thailand among the countries he and Isabelle have visited.

“Southeast Asia was our first trip together,” Isabelle told Hola! “Then we went to California together. Adrien loves exploring the Philippines, including our beaches and mountains. I think he has been to more islands than I have ever been.”

Their latest trip was to

Morocco (their first time to stay at an Aman resort) where Hola! did the exclusive pictorial for its February special issue.

“The proposal was done in Cappadocia, Turkey,” Isabelle told Funfare. (The story was reported also as a “scoop” by Hola! in a past issue.) “First, we rode the hot-air balloons early in the morning. We went back to the Museum Hotel and had breakfast. Well, I ate!!! A lot!!! Adrien didn’t. I think he was too nervous. Then after breakfast, he popped the question to me.” The pre-nup shoot was done in Morocco, mostly at the central plaza of Marrakesh. It was orga-nized by Oro China and Access Travel purposely to announce their engagement in Hola! magazine.”

According to Hola!, “there’s something far more special about the story than just the sweethearts’ latest African adventure. What makes this trip literally one for their personal history books is the notion that this exclusive Hola! feature will forever be immortalized as the couple’s official print-published proclamation and celebration of their much-talked-about engage-ment.”

Isabelle is not sure yet what the exact date of their wedding is, and where.

“Basta,” she said, “it will be a simple one, with only close friends and family members at-tending.”

Isabelle Daza and her French fiancé Adrien Semblat are nature-lovers who love to travel. They got engaged during a trip to Turkey.

The Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - February 19, 2016SF6

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