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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The Fil ip ino AmericAn communiTy newspAper

w w w. a s i a n . c o mVolume 14 - No. 42 • 3 Sections – 24 Pages october 16-22, 2015

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

Democratic presidential hopefuls Jim Webb, former US senator from Virgina; Bernie Sanders, US senator from Vermont; Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, senator and first lady; former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley; and Lincoln Chafee, a former governor and former US senator from Rhode Island took the stage for the CNN/Facebook debate on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

This handout photo taken on March 17, 2015 by satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe shows a satellite image of vessels purportedly dredging sand at Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea. Inquirer.net photo

PH welcomes US ships in disputed seabe consistent with international law and a rules-based order for the region,” the department added.

sources at the Us Defense depart-ment last week revealed that Washing-ton is likely to send at least one ship to the disputed areas where China has built lighthouses and airstrips for military and civilian use.

this move, sources said, was to defy Beijing’s claim in a region where $5 tril-lion worth of trade passes by annually.

China has built military structures on two reefs–fiery Cross and Johnson south. these reefs are being claimed in part by the Philippines.

by Bernice camille V. BauzonManilaTimes.net

the Philippines on tuesday, oct. 13 welcomed Washington’s plan to send ships near China’s man-made but dis-puted islands in the West Philippine sea (south China sea), noting that it is within the concept of international law.

In a statement, the Department of foreign Affairs (DfA) said it is the “paramount concern” of all nations “to safeguard freedom of navigation and overflight in the south China sea.”

“If the Us decides to send naval ves-sels within 12 nautical miles of the re-claimed low-tide elevation features in affirmation of this objective, this would PAGE A2

Mrs. Donna Ray, Bataan Legacy Historical Society Board Member (BLHS) Robert Hansen, Bataan Death March survivor PFC David Tejada and VA Admiral Charles Ray during the opening of the BLHS exhibit at the San Francisco Public Library.

the road to history is long and winding and requires vigilance and utmost will. filipinos have been part of the fabric of the Unit-ed states even before the 1700s with the first recorded settlement in Louisiana. since then, filipi-nos have made significant contri-butions in the labor movement, during World War II (in the Us and the Philippines) and in the civil rights movement. But why

is it that our place in the history of the United states remains ob-scure? there are approximately 3.4 million filipinos in the Us as of the 2010 census, making it the second largest Asian population in the country and the largest in California. While we are making some strides in the local level in California, we have yet to have representation in the Us Con-

Securing our place in historythrough education

Significant contributions of Filipinos in WWII remain obscure in US history

by cecilia Gaerlan, executiVe DirectorBataan Legacy Historical Society

PAGE A2

LAs VeGAs—Democratic presi-dential hopefuls took to the stage for the first debate on tuesday, oct. 15 at the Wynn hotel.

the two-hour debate, which was aired and moderated by CNN and sponsored by facebook, featured five candidates: hillary Clinton, for-mer secretary of state, senator and first lady; Bernie sanders, Us senator from Vermont; former maryland Gov. martin o’malley; Jim Webb, former Us senator from Virginia; and Lincoln Chafee, former governor and former Us senator from rhode Island.

CNN host Anderson Cooper served as the moderator, while Dana Bash, chief political correspondent for the

Sanders, Clintontake the lead infirst Democraticpresidential debate

by christina m. orielAJPress

PAGE A2

A PhILIPPINe native who oper-ated a large car dealership in Glen-dora, California before fleeing the United states nearly 30 years ago pleaded guilty monday, oct. 5, to federal charges for bank fraud and lying to banks, according to the Us Attorney’s office.

eminiano “Jun” reodica Jr., 71, entered his plea a day before he was scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles, City News service

Former Filipino car dealer pleads guilty to fraud in decades-old case

Eminiano ‘Jun’ Reodica Jr.

by aGnes constanteAJPress

banks include first Central Bank, first Los Angeles Bank, Imperial savings, manilabank and Union Bank. specifically, reodica admit-ted to simultaneously promising the same car contract as collateral to two different banks.

Press reports in the 1980s told the story of how reodica initially worked as a busboy at restaurants in Los Angeles and then went on to own one of America’s largest deal-erships.

reported, admitting to defrauding banks out of nearly $50 million in the 1980s. At the time, reodica was president of Grand Wilshire Group of Companies, which in-cluded Grand Chevrolet, then the country’s third-largest car dealer-ship.

he further admitted to engaging in schemes to defraud banks and making false statements to at least five banks from 1984 to 1988, ac-cording to a release from the Us Attorney’s office. Among these PAGE A2

the camp of suspended makati City mayor Jejomar er-win “Junjun” Binay slammed the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and

Binay camp cries ‘harassment’from DILG, Makati Police

by aries Joseph heGinaInquirer.net

the makati City Police for alleg-edly harassing them.

In a statement, Binay’s spokesperson Joey salgado said that at 8:30am on Wednesday, oct. 14 a convoy composed of

PAGE A4

WIth record-low turnouts in one of the most populous states in the nation, California is making it even easier for people to become active registered voters.

Governor Jerry Brown signed a measure on saturday, oct. 10 that would eventually allow Californians to be automatically registered to

Automatic voter registration in California approvedSet of bills to change voting processes, improve turnout

A LAs VeGAs mother of four plead-ed guilty to conspir-acy to commit mur-der and first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon on thursday, oct. 1, af-ter admitting that she ordered to have her husband killed in or-der to collect his life insurance.

michelle Ant-wanette Paet, 33, sobbed in court, as she revealed that she

Michelle Paet Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Las Vegas mom pleads guilty to husband’s murder

PAGE A3

PAGE A3

october 16-22, 2015 • NorcAL ASIAN JoUrNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150A�

From the Front Page

Manila has wholeheartedly accepted Washington’s plan to send ships to the region as it depends also on a decades-old treaty–the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty–between the Philippines and the United States for mili-tary “back-up” in case disputes with China end in armed con-flict.

“Failure to challenge false claims of sovereignty would undermine this order and lead China to the false conclusion

PH welcomes US ships...PAGE A1 that its claims are accepted as

a fait accompli,” the DFA state-ment said.

A report of the US Defense department said China has re-claimed more land in the disput-ed sea in the past two years than other claimants combined in the past 40 years.

Beijing claims 90 percent of the West Philippine Sea, includ-ing islands and waters near the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei Darus-salam.

need a path toward citizenship, we need to take people out of the shadows.”

In response to rising college costs and student loans, Sanders proposed “free” public college tu-ition, while Clinton said students should work 10 hours a week to earn their tuition at public institu-tions.

With the number of shootings in the United States, the candi-dates took on the issue of gun control, largely clashing over how to go about it.

Clinton criticized Sanders for not being tough enough on guns and even voting against legisla-tion that mandated background checks. She, O’Malley and Chafee directly went after the National Rifle Association (NRA) in their responses and pressed massive gun controls, while Webb defend-ed the 2nd Amendment.

Another moment of disagree-ment between Clinton and Sand-ers came when Sanders lashed out against the “casino capital-ist process” and “Wall Street’s greed,” to which Clinton said being anti-capitalist would go against the system that built America’s middle class.

“…When I think about capital-ism, I think about all the small businesses that were started be-cause we have the opportunity and the freedom in our country for people to do that and to make a good living for themselves and their families…[W]e would be making a grave mistake to turn our backs on what built the great-est middle class in the history,” she said.

The candidates were also asked to name the “greatest national se-curity threat to the United States”;

responses included the situation in the Middle East, nuclear weap-ons, climate change and the US’ relationship with China.

Though there were not as many dynamic moments or bick-ering between candidates as seen during the past two Republican debates, the discussion provided more substance on top issues.

“On this stage you didn’t hear anyone denigrate women,” O’Malley said in his closing state-ment. “You didn’t hear anyone make racist comments about new American immigrants. You didn’t hear anyone speak ill of another American because of their reli-gious belief. What you heard in-stead on this stage tonight was an honest search for the answers that will move our country forward…”

The next Democratic debate is scheduled for Nov. 14 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Though the list of participants is yet to be disclosed, the five candi-dates who appeared in Las Vegas will likely be included.

Post-debate reactionsAfter the debate, a CNN/Face-

book poll showed that 81 percent of online voters thought Sanders was the winner, while 13 percent were in favor of Clinton. Scores for O’Malley, Webb and Chafee were below 3 percent.

Despite claims from Sand-ers’ camp that he dominated the stage, Clinton supporters praised her performance and asserted that she is the clear frontrunner in this race.

“[Clinton] did really well. She showed herself to be a leader for this country…[and] laid the groundwork for winning,” Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said in the

Sanders, Clinton take the lead...PAGE A1 “And I know how to find common

ground, and I know how to stand my ground, and I have proved that in every position that I’ve had, even dealing with Republi-cans who never had a good word to say about me, honestly.”

When asked whether she wanted to respond to her use of a private email account while secre-tary of state, she firmly said “no.” Even Sanders, Clinton’s closest opponent, came to her defense by saying Americans “are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails,” which led to agreement from Clinton and a handshake, as the crowd cheered.

In the two hours, a range of is-sues was discussed, from immi-gration, free education, gun con-trol and national security.

On immigration, Sanders was asked to explain why he rejected Pres. Bush’s immigration over-haul in 2007 to which he respond-ed that he has voiced concerns over guest-worker programs be-cause of the working conditions and because temporary foreign workers do not help reduce US unemployment.

“I voted against that piece of legislation because it had guest-worker provisions in it which the Southern Poverty Law Center talked about being semi-slavery. Guest workers are coming in, they’re working under terrible conditions, but if they stand up for their rights, they’re thrown out of the country,” Sanders said. “My view right now -- and always has been -- is that when you have 11 million undocumented people in this country, we need compre-hensive immigration reform, we

network, and CNN en Español reporter Juan Carlos Lopez asked additional questions.

15.3 million people tuned in on Tuesday night, making it the highest-rated Democratic debate in history, the network said.

Clinton and Sanders, who have been leading in the polls, got the most speaking time. The three other candidates remained on the sidelines with minimal opportuni-ties to make themselves stand out, which was crucial as this platform was their introduction to Ameri-can voters.

The progression of the night shifted in favor for Clinton — whose email controversy has overshadowed her campaign and has been a point of attack for Republicans — as she worked to regain trust from Democrats by highlighting her competency after nearly a quarter century in politics and defending her his-tory of flip-flopping on issues like immigration, same-sex marriage and trade deals.

The first question addressed that inconsistency, to which Clin-ton said, “Well, actually, I have been very consistent. Over the course of my entire life, I have al-ways fought for the same values and principles, but, like most hu-man beings — including those of us who run for office — I do ab-sorb new information. I do look at what’s happening in the world.”

Her political leaning, whether she was a progressive or moder-ate, was also under question.

“I’m a progressive. But I’m a progressive who likes to get things done,” she responded.

However, when investigations into the business began as it was collapsing in 1988, Reodica fled to the Philippines.

A 1994 indictment filed against Reodica stated that lenders who approved substantial lines of credit to his dealership were alleg-edly impressed with his high-risk customers’ ability to make on-time monthly payments on their auto loans.

Afterward, it was found that Re-odica hid from banks that custom-ers were delinquent on their auto loan payments, that his employees allegedly made payments for de-linquent customers, that he repos-sessed and resold cars without in-forming banks, and that he erased negative information on custom-ers’ credit reports, according to a 2014 Asian Journal report.

The fraudulent scheme further involved employees who were in-structed to forge customer signa-tures on car contracts. The forged contracts would then be promised

Former Filipino car dealer pleads...

gress or Senate. Bataan Legacy Historical So-

ciety (BLHS) was conceived and created to address the lack or even absence of information about the Filipino defenders of WW II. Most textbooks only mention American defenders, but seven-eighths of the main line of resistance in the Bataan Peninsula were manned by Filipinos. After President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war against the Empire of Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the ravages of war did not reach the continental United States. In-

Securing our place in history...PAGE A1

stead, the war was fought in the Philippines, its colony from 1898 to 1946, where thousands of Fili-pino and American soldiers died and a million civilians perished. But this seminal part of US history is not yet taught in high schools in the nation.

In 2011, the California Legis-lature passed AB199, which “en-courages for the inclusion of the role of Filipinos during World War II in the social sciences curriculum for Grades 7-12 in California.” One would think that the Filipinos will finally find their place in American history but unfortunately the legis-

lation has not yet been implement-ed. While the bill had the inten-tion of giving credit to the Filipino soldiers of WW II, the tenuous verbiage in the bill (“encourages” instead of “requires”) is probably one of the main reasons why it has never been implemented.

Last year, BLHS initiated a peti-tion to the California Department of Education through change.org to implement this legislation by including it in the social sciences curriculum for Grades 7-12. It so happened that the social sciences curriculum was in the process of being revised by the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC), an advisory body to the California State Board of Education (SBE)

on matters related to curricu-lum, instructional materials, and content standards in accordance with Education Code Section 33530-33540. The IQC received many emails and letters of support for the implementation of AB199. In November, 2014, the IQC pro-posed a two-line edit to the cur-riculum framework to include the following: “Students should also study the contributions and sacri-fices of the Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who fought for the defense and liberation of the Phil-ippines, including events such as the Bataan Death March and the liberation of Manila.”

Last week, the History-Social Science Subject Matter Commit-tee of the IQC had an open meet-ing to discuss edits to the draft curriculum framework for the His-tory-Social Sciences Curriculum. This time, the IQC proposed a one-page edit describing the Bata-an Death March and World War II in the Philippines. While the Department of Education clearly intends to implement AB199, the process of revising the curricu-lum framework is a long, arduous process involving ten steps. Last week’s meeting was only Step 6 and the proposed curriculum framework has yet to be approved by the entire Instructional Quality Commission in November and will be submitted to the State Board of Education for final approval some-time in May, 2016. The last time the History-Social Sciences cur-riculum was revised was in 2005.

The topic of civil rights move-ment in California and the role of the Mexican-Americans were brought up during the October 9 meeting. But there is no mention of the seminal role of the Filipinos in the proposed curriculum for the civil rights movement. Filipino students at San Francisco State University took part in an unprec-edented strike that demanded the establishment of the first Ethnic Studies Department in the coun-try. Members of the Philippine-

PAGE A4

PAGE A1 to a second bank.Reodica also admitted he direct-

ed his employees to take loans for cars they weren’t actually buying, as a means of bringing more mon-ey into the dealership. The 1994 indictment claimed that those cars would be sold to dealership cus-tomers; the dealership would then make payments on the employee loans and include the fraudulent sales in their reports to persuade investors to continue financing the operation, according to court documents.

In a September 1988 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Impe-rial Savings lawyer Victor Vilaplana called Reodica’s scheme “one of the most elaborate and well-con-ceived scams imaginable.”

A number of investors in Reo-dica’s scam, including Imperial Savings, suffered financially after Grand Chevrolet filed for bank-ruptcy in 1988. Filipino profession-als, many of whom were doctors, were among those who invested in

PAGE A3

PAGE A3

(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • OCtObeR 16-22, 2015 A�From the Front Page

vote when they go to the DMV to obtain or renew their driver’s license.

Assembly Bill 1461, which also includes an option to opt out of registering, was intro-duced in response to the dismal 42 percent voter turnout in last year’s statewide election in No-vember, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The bill, along with 13 oth-ers the governor signed, will “help improve elections and ex-pand voter rights and access in California,” Brown’s office said in a statement.

According to California Secre-tary of State Alex Padilla, around 6.6 million Californians who are eligible to register to vote are not registered. Padilla support-ed the legislation as a way to in-crease voter participation.

“The new Motor Voter Act will make our democracy stronger by removing a key barrier to vot-ing for millions of California citi-zens,” Padilla said on Saturday. “Citizens should not be required to opt in to their fundamental right to vote. We do not have to opt in to other rights, such as free speech or due process.”

The new registration process will not be offered until the state completes work on a new voter registration database called VoteCal, which is expected to debut around June 2016, at the

Automatic voter registration...PAGE A1 start of the presidential primary

election. VoteCal would auto-matically register applicants when they visit a DMV office to get a new license or renew an expiring one, unless they decide to opt out.

The data collected by the DMV will be provided to the Secretary of State’s office, which would verify a CA resident’s legal eligi-bility to vote before registering them. Drivers also have the op-tion to cancel their voter regis-tration any time.

Currently, driver’s license ap-plications ask people if they want to register to vote. If interested, people are supposed to be given a paper registration form to fill out. Voting rights activists, how-ever, say that does not always happen.

“It’s removing the first barrier to voting, which is registration,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), who authored the bill. “It’s going to lead to millions more Califor-nians being registered to vote, which means more people we can talk to.”

CalPRIG Executive Director Emily Rusch agreed that the voter registration bill was much-needed medicine for an ailing, sometimes ineffective system.

“A well-functioning democ-racy depends on the participa-tion of its citizens,” said Rusch, noting that the registration gap

is most severe among younger people. According to data, only 52 percent of eligible youth vot-ers (between ages 18-24) were registered to vote before the last election.

AB 1461 also follows a move made by Oregon earlier this year to adopt the nation’s first auto-matic voter registration law, said The Associated Press.

Over the weekend, Brown also signed a bill (SB 439) that per-mits county elections officials to offer conditional voter regis-tration and provisional voting at satellite offices during the 14 days right before Election Day in November. The measure would make voting more convenient, according to Sen. Benjamin Al-len (D-Santa Monica), who au-thored the bill.

The measure cannot be imple-mented until VoteCal database is operational, but is expected to make voting more convenient.

Another new law Brown signed will allow voters who use vote-by-mail ballots to drop them off before Election Day in secure boxes located throughout the community, such as in shopping malls, libraries, and other public locations. These secure drop-off locations would make it easier to cast ballots, officials say.

The measure by Sen. Fran Pav-ley (D-Agoura Hills) will require the Secretary of State to develop

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rodriguez, 36, who was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, burglary and weapon posses-sion on Sept. 25, is expected to be sentenced separately and will

Las Vegas mom pleads guilty...PAGE A1 face life in prison without parole.

He has agreed to the life sentence and to waive future appeals to avoid the death sentence. Arrest records show that Rodriguez had previously been convicted of at-tempted forgery charges in 2007 and 2008.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A source told the Asian Journal that Michelle Paet is of Filipino

PAGE A4

descent, and had met Nathan Paet in Guam. The two were high school sweethearts and were married in 2006. (Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)

Sanders, Clinton take the lead...PAGE A2

post-debate spin room, adding that Clinton demonstrated how she differs from President Barack Obama, yet how she will contin-ue on from what he was accom-plished.

“I thought when she said ‘I’m a progressive who could get things done,’ that kind of summed it up and it was the best combination of ‘I’m right there on the issues that people care about but I know how to make it happen,’ added Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.).

She noted that much of the fo-cus on Tuesday was on domestic policy, but has no doubt that for-eign policy — an area Clinton has expertise in — will be brought up in later debates.

“I think all of the candidates sounded so much better than the Republicans. There is general con-sensus that we need to have com-prehensive immigration reform. Senator Clinton laid out a plan for expanding DACA and DAPA and making sure the children here are able to go to school, get a job and obtain their potential. So, I’m very pleased that they are making this a priority,” Titus said.

Titus, who represents Nevada’s 1st District, which has a large concentration of Asian residents, particularly Filipinos and Chinese, said she will continue mobilizing voters leading up to the election.

“Education for children in the Asian community is very important — they want their children to get ahead and I respect that. A num-ber of Asians in my district own small businesses so they want to be sure that the economy is mov-ing forward and that the tax struc-ture benefits them,” she said.

(RNC), said. RNC chairman Reince Priebus

said in a statement that the de-bate was predictable and showed the “weak caliber of Clinton’s competition.”

“Clinton’s record of hypocrisy and flip-flops on everything from Wall Street, trade, immigration, and foreign policy was on full dis-play. Her unwillingness to fully explain the circumstances sur-rounding her secret email server, and the ongoing FBI investigation into it, further damages her cred-ibility,” he said. “Judging from to-night, it’s clear why the Democrat National Committee limited the number of debates – their bench of candidates for the most power-ful office in the world is laughable at best. Clinton needed to shine and she came up short.”

Real estate mogul and Re-publican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who live tweeted the “boring” debate, wrote that, “there is no STAR on the stage tonight!”

“[Clinton] got through it fine. It was a very kind debate, very gen-tle. She came out the winner,” Trump later told ABC, adding that Sanders missed his chance to attack Clinton.

There is no word yet on wheth-er Vice President Joe Biden will enter the Democratic race, though he is expected to an-nounce his decision sometime this week. Even with Clinton’s strong performance on Tuesday, supporters are still pushing for the vice president to run.

When asked to comment to about the debate, Biden briefly told reporters in Washington, “I thought every one of those folks last night…I thought they all did well.”

A rally for Clinton was sched-uled on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 14, at Springs Preserve in Las Vegas, before she continues on the campaign trail.

In Southern California, a coali-tion of Filipinos is gearing up to launch Filipinos for Hillary next week.

“…I know [Clinton] will be the best advocate in the Oval Of-fice for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) commu-nity. Her campaign is the only campaign that has reached out to the community and is actively engaging with us and for this I will make sure she wins in 2016,” said Melissa Ramoso, immedi-ate past state chair of the Filipino American Democratic Caucus for the California Democratic Party who is spearheading efforts for Filipinos for Hillary.

Ramoso, who watched the de-bate with her socially conservative parents, said that it’s important for AAPIs to recognize Clinton’s track record of listening to and fighting for the community.

Despite the rally of support for Democratic contenders, Repub-licans have reacted to what was discussed on Tuesday.

“Tonight’s Democrat debate proves once again that the Demo-crats are only interested in pro-moting an out-of-touch liberal agenda and not providing long-term solutions to everyday issues facing Filipino Americans. Re-publicans will continue working toward earning the trust of voters across the country – something Hillary Clinton and the Demo-crats have failed to do,” Ninio Fe-talvo, APA Press Secretary for the Republican National Committee

october 16-22, 2015 • NorcAL ASIAN JoUrNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150A� Dateline USa

DILG cars and patrol cars of the Makati Police showed up at the Binays’ residence in San An-tonio Village to serve the Om-budsman’s order sacking the mayor from office.

Salgado said that the commu-nity was roused by the arrival of the convoy

“Over-acting naman ang DILG. Malinaw na harassment ang ginawa nila,” Salgado said.

(The DILG was ‘over-acting.’ What they did was clearly ha-rassment.)

He said that its act of serving the Ombudsman’s order would have traumatized the children of the embattled mayor.

“Mabuti na lang at pumasok na sa eskwela ang mga anak ni Mayor Junjun kung hindi ay baka na-traumatize sila na makitang pinaikutan ng mga [patrol] cars ang bahay nila,” he said.

(Thankfully, Mayor Junjun’s children had already gone to school, otherwise, they would have been traumatized by the sight of their home being sur-rounded by [patrol] cars.)

Unfazed by the incident, Salgado said that the alleged

Binay camp cries ‘harassment’...CALIFORNIA Governor Jerry

Brown made a landmark decision toward closing the longstanding wage gap between men and wom-en by signing one of the toughest pay equity laws in the nation on Tuesday, Oct. 6,

The California Fair Pay Act, first introduced and authored by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), was the response to a report by the US Census Bu-reau and Equal Rights Advocates, which found that women in Cali-fornia working full time made an average of 84 cents for every dol-lar earned by men in 2013.

“The inequities that have plagued our state and have bur-dened women forever are slowly being resolved with this kind of bill,” Brown said at a ceremony at the Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park in Richmond, Cali-fornia.

The measure will also give em-ployees more grounds for chal-lenging perceived discrimination and injustice, the Los Angeles Times reported. It prohibits em-ployees from facing retaliation for discussing their pay rates, and allows them to challenge pay dis-parities at work.

“Today is a momentous day for California, and it is long overdue. Equal pay isn’t just the right thing for women, it’s the right thing for

our economy and for California,” said Sen. Jackson at the event. “Courts have interpreted current law to mean that male and fe-male workers must hold exactly the same jobs to require equal pay…Now they’re going to have to value the work equally.”

Gov. Brown’s office also said in a statement that the bill was “among the strongest in the na-tion,” receiving bipartisan sup-port, according to Reuters.

“[This measure] is a very impor-tant milestone,” he said, adding it will help California in “reaching toward greater equity.”

Employers sued by workers would have to show that wage dif-ferences are “due to factors other than sex,” such as merit or senior-ity; that they are job-related and reasonable; and that they are not due to discrimination.

Workers who believe they have been discriminated against said Tuesday that the new law would help bolster future labor cases. Employers will now be “account-able to pay women fairly,” said Aileen Rizo, a math consultant for the Fresno County Office of Edu-cation, who is suing the agency for allegedly paying her male col-league $12,000 more a year for the same work.

The California Chamber of Commerce initially opposed the

bill, but last week the business group said it ultimately changed its mind because “the legislation created a fair balance for workers and employers.”

Republican lawmakers and na-tional women’s rights leaders said the legislation was “a model for other states and for Congress,” where similar efforts have been stalled by Republican opposition.

Businesses said they expected more lawsuits once the new rules take effect on January 1.

Equal Rights Advocates pointed out that wage disparities were particularly stark for Latina and African-American women.

Women of color and mothers “continue to lose precious income to a pervasive, gender-based wage gap,” said Jennifer Reisch, legal di-rector of Equal Rights Advocates.

It is also said that about 1.75 homes in California are headed by women, and the wage gap be-tween the sexes costs families in the state roughly $39 billion in a year.

“The win here is undeniable. We think of 2015 as the year of fair pay,” said Equal Rights Advo-cates Executive Director Noreen Farrell.

The bill was also part of a pack-age of reforms that has been pushed by California’s Legisla-tive Women’s Caucus, which also

aimed to make workplace sched-uling more accommodating to families, and to increase federal aid to infants and children. The bills have not yet passed.

The Obama administration has also made gender pay discrimi-nation a priority in its agenda. In 2009, the White House signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and took some executive actions on the issue last year.

California already has laws that ban employers from paying wom-en less than men for the same jobs. The new California Fair Pay Act will broaden this prohibition, by saying bosses cannot pay their employees less than those of the opposite sex for “substantially similar work,” even if their titles are different or they have different job sites.

The new law is the strongest in the US, according to the National Partnership for Women & Fami-lies, a Washington-based non-profit advocacy group focused on fairness in the workplace.

Commented Hollywood actress Patricia Arquette, who publically called for gender wage equality in her Academy Awards acceptance speech, “This [law] is a critical step toward ensuring that women in California are seen and valued as equals.” (Allyson Escobar/AJ-Press)

Gov. Brown signs bill aimed at eliminating gender wage gap

American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) organized effectively in getting high school students to apply for college through the Equal Opportunity Program. They also fought for the rights of the “Manongs” as well as other issues concerning the Filipino American community. These are great con-tributions that have enriched the fabric of California but unless we work together in getting these in-cluded in California’s history, no one will know about them except the Fil-Am community.

During last week’s meeting, there were around 20 speakers

Securing our place in history...PAGE A2 from the American Hindu com-

munity during the public address. They are working on the inclu-sion of Hinduism in the curricu-lum section for World Religion. Perhaps we should take a lesson from this. Unless we invest time, money and resources to ensure that our own history is learned by students before the university level, we cannot be seen as a via-ble force in the community. Aside from working on getting Fil-Ams in strategic elected positions, in the local, state and hopefully in the national levels, we should ensure that our contribution to the history of California and the

Former Filipino car dealer pleads...PAGE A2

Reodica’s business. Some families also had to file for bankruptcy, ac-cording to a 2014 Asian Journal report.

In 1992, Reodica became an Australian citizen under the name Roberto Abrian Coscolluela, Jr., according to court documents. He

PAGE A1 harassment will not deter Vice President Jejomar Binay from running for president.

“Halatang-halata na gusto nilang sindakin si Mayor Binay at iparating ang mensahe na ang administrasyon ang kala-ban ng pamilya Binay. Nagka-kamali sila kung akala nila ay mahahadlangan nila ang deter-minasyong maglingkod ni VP Binay at ng kanyang pamilya,” he said.

(It is very obvious that they intend to daunt Mayor Binay and that they are delivering the message that the administration is an enemy of the Binay family. They are mistaken if they think that they can get in the way of the determination of VP Binay and his family to serve.)

Last October 9, the Ombuds-man ordered the dismissal of Junjun Binay and other city officials over the controversial Makati City Hall Building 2.

Ombudsman Conchita Car-pio-Morales said Binay will be dismissed for grave misconduct and dishonesty, as there were “irregularities in the services and contract for the construc-tion in several phases of the parking building.”

Automatic voter registration...PAGE A3

guidelines for the use of drop-off boxes, including security mea-sures, by Jan. 1, 2017. Pavley noted a big problem with voting in Los Angeles County, which has 10 million active voting residents and only one drop-off location.

“This may have contributed to the fact that only 38 percent of voters in LA County used [vote-by-mail]…nearly 20 percent lower than any other county in the state,” Pavley said.

AB 363, another bill that was signed, will speed up election returns by allowing county elec-tions officials to begin counting votes before the close of the polls on Election Day. Other new rules require the state to pick up the tab for election recounts, rather than requiring candidates to pay for them.

The new Motor Voter Act for automatic registrations will take effect on Jan. 1.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Los Angeles applaud-ed the new program meant to bolster voter turnout for the up-coming primary.

“We are grateful the leaders

Authorities arrested Reodica at Los Angeles International Airport in November 2012, during a lay-over on a flight to Canada. Trav-eling under his Australian alias, Reodica was requested by airport security to complete a fingerprint scan, which revealed his identity.

“The guilty pleas by this defen-dant should be a warning to all fugitives facing charges in federal

court that the United States De-partment of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office have a very long memory,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker of the Central District of California.

Reodica will be sentenced in February 2016. He faces up to 79 years in federal prison and a $6.5 million fine or two times the loss that resulted in his offenses. n

lived in Australia for two decades where he defrauded customers, posing as an accountant, real es-tate agent and insurance agent in Cairns and Brisbane. Court re-cords and sources from Brisbane allege that Reodica, as Coscolleula, defrauded several members of the Filipino-Australian community.

in the state are taking an active role in improving our democ-racy, particularly at a time when some states are making it more difficult to register to vote,” said Stewart Kwoh, executive direc-tor of Advancing Justice - LA, in a statement. “Despite an in-crease of Asian American reg-istered voters statewide, only 59 percent of those eligible are registered to vote. We hope the new Motor Voter Program in-creases this number.”

Advancing Justice - LA also expressed its disappointment in Brown’s vetoing of AB 182, a bill co-sponsored by the legal and civil rights organization. This measure would have made it unlawful for local jurisdictions to draw districts in a way that dilutes votes from California’s vibrant communities of color.

“Just as it is important to get people involved in the demo-cratic process, it is equally im-portant that the votes they cast are meaningful,” said Deanna Kitamura, supervising attorney for Advancing Justice - LA’s De-mocracy Project. (Allyson Esco-bar/AJPress)

US is embedded in the curricu-lum for high school levels. This has a wide and long-term impact on how society perceives the Fil-Ams. But this will not be possible if we do not present a united front behind these issues.

We should also collaborate with other groups, including main-stream ones, so that they can learn about our contributions to history. In trying to get AB199 implement-ed, BLHS has collaborated with other groups with similar goals. It has presented the stories not just of Filipinos, but of Americans who fought in the Philippines during WWII as well as other Allied forces that helped during the liberation. It opened a 4-month exhibition on WWII in the Philippines on Sep-

tember 12 at the San Francisco Main Library in collaboration with Memorare Manila 1945, the Phil-ippine Consulate General of San Francisco and the San Francisco Public Library. A conference on the same topic will take place on October 24 at Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Main Library featuring speakers from different perspectives.

Let us hope that the legacy of our Filipino ancestors will bind the Filipino community not just in the US but also in the Philippines. We have a proud and illustrious his-tory that is worth fighting for. Let us act now!

(For more information about the Exhibition and Conference, please visit www.bataanlegacy.org)

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Sen. Miriam Defensor-San-tiago on Tuesday, Oct 13 said the Philippines will be a “much bet-ter country” if she will become president in the “near future.”

“If I become president some time in the very near future, this country will be much better than it was before. Today, this coun-try suffers from the malaise of plunder. Plunder is when you look at a person and the person looks at you and you feel like eating each other up. It’s like cancer,” said Santiago, who is currently on medical leave at the Senate for battling Stage 4 lung cancer.

“The one thing bad about can-cer is it tends to eat up its neigh-bor,” she added.

Santiago said she will try “to make this country better” through her faith and with the help of fellow Filipinos.

“So we will try to make this country better simply by trust-

Miriam Santiago: PH will be much better if I become president

by Yuji Vincent GonzalesInquirer.net

ing in the Lord, trusting in your-self—trusting that you yourself may lead in God’s great heaven where we know He loves,” the senator added.

Santiago made the statement during the meet-and-greet and book signing event for “Stupid is Forevermore,” the sequel to her best-selling collection of witty pick-up lines, jokes and anec-dotes Stupid is Forever.

In a Facebook post last week,

Santiago hinted through a quote graphics that she may vie for the presidency in next year’s polls: “I am not going to be coy. Society leaders have urged me to seek the presidency. I can rise to the occasion.”

She also uploaded in her Face-book account a video clip of her speech during her 1992 presi-dential run, where she lost to for-mer president Fidel V. Ramos in a hotly contested race.

Perennial presidential candidate Elly Pamatong, left, and Congressman Augusto Syjuco pose for the media shortly after filing their certificates of candidacy for next year’s presidential elections Monday, Oct. 12 in Manila. ManilaTimes.net photo

MAnILA—Malacañang sees nothing wrong with the high number of individuals—includ-ing possible nuisance candi-

Palace: High number of presidential hopefuls shows dynamic democracy

by louis Bacani Philstar.com

dates—who aspire to run for president next year.

“The high number of presiden-tial aspirants attest to the dyna-mism of our democracy and re-flects the desire of well-meaning Filipinos to actively participate

in the electoral process,” Com-munications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a press brief-ing.

“Come election time, we ex-pect our bosses to exercise sound judgment in their selection of fu-ture leaders of the country,” he added.

Coloma said besides the age and citizenship requirements, the Constitution does not impose other restrictions on presidential hopefuls.

“Kaya sino naman tayo para humadlang sa pagnanais ng mga indibidwal na ialay ang sarili nila sa paglilingkod,” he said.

As of Wednesday, Oct. 14, close to 60 people have filed their certificates of candicacy for president.

Coloma said the Commission on elections is expected to weed out the nuisance candidates.

“Sila ang nangangasiwa sa proseso ng pag-alam kung ang mga naghain ng certificate of candidacy ay dapat na ituring na nuisance candidates ayon sa de-pinisyon sa batas,” he said.

MAnILA—Former Manila may-or Alfredo Lim, 85, challenged his rivals, led by 78-year-old Mayor Joseph estrada, to go jogging with him to prove they remain healthy and can still lead the city govern-ment.

Lim issued the challenge as he filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) with the Commission on elections office in Arroceros, Ma-nila.

“I walked from the monuments of (former President) Cory (Aqui-no) and ninoy (Aquino). Let’s fight by jogging. That is the trou-ble when people are concentrated on throwing mud at others,” Lim told reporters.

The monuments are at the in-tersection of P. Burgos street and Roxas Boulevard.

Lim, who is running under the banner of the Liberal Party (LP), said he decided to run again for mayor of Manila because he can-

Lim wants jogging, Erap eyes boxing as fitness testby jose Rodel clapano

Philstar.comabout? A plunderer is the brother of a liar,” Lim said in Filipino, adding that he has been in public service for 54 years and has never been charged with stealing money from the government.

estrada was convicted of plun-der and pardoned shortly after-ward by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Lim vowed to return the pro-grams to provide free hospitaliza-tion and medicine as well as free college education for residents, all of which he said he instituted.

He also criticized estrada’s policy of having private firms re-habilitate and run public markets, saying that a public market reha-bilitated by a private firm cannot impose low rates because the firm is concerned over profits.

Lim also said real estate taxes, which he kept to a minimal level, were increased by 300 percent when he left city hall.

Fund-raising fightestrada, on the other hand, said

Lim’s challenge to go jogging is “too light” and “for the oldies.”

He challenged Lim to a fund-raising boxing or mixed martial arts fight “with or without gloves” as he shadow-boxed in front of reporters during a press confer-ence.

estrada also junked suggestions for him to have a debate with Lim, saying he had already defeated his rival in a debate in 2013.

He insisted that based on a Commission on Audit report, Lim left the city bankrupt in 2013 with P3.5 billion unremitted to the Bu-reau of Internal Revenue, P800 million in unpaid power bills and over P600 million in unpaid water bills.

As for his plunder conviction, es-trada said the Catholic Church and the late former President Corazon Aquino vindicated him when they publicly apologized to him.

He wished Lim “good luck” and that he was being “kind to old men.”

not stomach seeing the city gov-ernment being handled by “plun-derer and a liar.”

He belied allegations that he left the city government bank-rupt, saying that while Manila had debts, the money he left with the city treasurer’s office, deposited in the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines, was P770 million.

“What bankruptcy he is talking

JUST like his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the namesake son is a believer in the magic of numerology.

That was why, after declaring martial law on Sept. 23, 1972, the elder Marcos backdated his Proc-lamation no. 1081 to Sept. 21, be-

Bongbong Marcos believes in numerology, too

by tina G. santosInquirer.net

Senator Bongbong Marcos with his wife Iza Araneta files COC for Vice President at the Comelec on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Inquirer.net photo by Marianne Bermudez

cause it is divisible by 7, regarded as an auspicious day.

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. believes that the no. 7 will still bring luck in his bid to run for the vice presidency in 2016.

“I was told that I was the seventh person to file certificate of candi-dacy [for Vice President]. I guess

PAGE A7

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago Inquirer.net photo

Former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim

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Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

SAN FERNANDO, Pampan-ga—The camp of former Presi-dent and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is set to file another petition for bail before the Sandiganbayan af-ter the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found her continued detention arbitrary and illegal under inter-national law.

Lorenzo Gadon, lawyer for Arroyo, said they are planning to file a new petition for bail be-fore the anti-graft court based on the recommendation of the UN body.

In its opinion released on Oct. 2, the five-member UN body urged the Philippine govern-ment to reconsider Arroyo’s bail

LP SLATE. Liberal Party (LP) chairman President Benigno S. Aquino III raises the hands of the administration senate slate for the 2016 national elections during the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid: Ang Pagpapakilala at the Balay Expo Centro Building in EDSA corner McArthur Avenue, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City on Monday, Oct. 12. The 12 senatorial bets includes COOP NATCCO party-list Representative Cresente Paez; Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) director and former Akbayan party-list Representative Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel; former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Emmanuel “Joel” Villanueva; former Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla; Senator Ralph Recto; Senate President Franklin Drilon; former Senator and former food security czar Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan; former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima; Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary for Muslim Affairs and Special Concerns Nariman Ambolodto; Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona III; and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) general manger and chief operating officer Mark Lapid. Also in photo are LP Presidential Candidate former DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas II; LP Vice Presidential Candidate Camarines Sur 3rd District Representative Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo; and LP vice chairman and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. Malacañang photo

Arroyo camp to file bail petition anewby Ric Sapnu

Philstar.com

plea “in accordance with the rel-evant international human rights standards and to accord the for-mer president with an enforce-

able right to compensation for her continued detention.”

The gist of the UN working group’s opinion was relayed to Gadon by international human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin Clooney by e-mail on Oct. 7.

Clooney had filed a human rights violation case against the Philippine government before the UN on behalf of Arroyo.

“The Philippine government will lose face if we will not abide by the internationally accepted principles of law,” Gadon said.

Arroyo’s camp maintained that the former leader should be granted bail while on trial for plunder for alleged misuse of in-telligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Arroyo is under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medi-cal Center in Quezon City.

the lucky 7 for us Marcoses is still here. I think it’s a good omen,” Marcos told reporters shortly after he filed his COC for Vice President at the Comelec main office in In-tramuros, Manila.

Accompanied by his wife Liza and his mother Imelda, Marcos

PAGE A5

Bongbong Marcos believes...was mobbed by members of the media, supporters and employees of government offices in Intramu-ros.

“Thank you for taking interest. Even in filing my COC you are al-ready here. I hope this is a good sign,” Marcos said.

Tension rose at the poll agency ThE net satisfaction rating of

the administration of President Benigno Aquino III improved by six percentage points during the third quarter of 2015, according to the results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The “good” +37 net satisfac-tion rating of the Aquino admin-istration was an improvement from its second quarter net rat-ing of +31.

The survey, conducted from Sept. 2-5 among 1,200 respon-dents, showed that 59 percent expressed satisfaction with the Aquino administration’s perfor-mance, while 22 percent were dissatisfied and 18 percent were undecided on the issue.

The administration got a “good” public satisfaction rat-ing on providing enough supply of electricity, helping the poor, foreign relations, promoting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, and promoting human rights.

The survey, however, showed that the Aquino administration got a “bad” or -47 public satis-faction on the issue of resolving the Maguindanao case.

Meanwhile, the administra-tion’s public satisfaction rating remained “moderate” with +24 from +18 in June 2015 while the satisfaction rating in Luzon im-

Aquino administration’s satisfaction rating improves - SWS survey

by neStoR coRRaleSInquirer.net proved from “moderate” +29 to

“good” +44.In Visayas, the satisfaction

rating stayed at “good” with +34 from +43 while Mindanao re-mained with a +34 good.

On Tuesday, Malacanang wel-comed the results of the SWS survey.

“These positive results re-affirm our platform rooted in

service and integrity—one that pursues widespread reform and ensures that the benefits of progress reach all Filipinos, regardless of their location, pro-fession, or status in life. This is what we call inclusive growth. This is what we call daang matu-wid,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a state-ment.

as Marcos and his wife were being led to the area where the media could ask him questions.

Members of the media, support-ers and government employees all went into a frenzy, wanting to take photos or videos of Marcos.

Because of the chaos, Marcos was immediately whisked away from the press and did not grant an interview.

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instead of the actual billings, they used the advertising firm Nielsen’s rate cards, which con-tained the networks’ advertising rates, and for each time slot.

Roxas’ camp initially wanted the PulseAsia polls to be under-taken in August, right after Presi-dent Aquino announced on July 31 that his DILG Secretary would be their party’s candidate for President in the 2016 elections.

The survey, however, was de-layed for technical reasons. The polling firm in its report, though, still referred to Aquino’s “official endorsement” as one of the “key developments that took place in the weeks immediately prior to and during the conduct of the in-terviews for the survey.”

Roxas 2nd’s strategy was to conceal the impact of the massive TV ads. Instead, it portrayed the doubling of his ratings—from 10 percent in June to 20 percent in September—as a result of Aqui-no’s “endorsement” power.

Aquino’s cousin, Rafael Lopa, had been president of PulseA-sia—that was just a few years back, during which he studied the intricacies and nuances of polling in the Philippines, including how to use it for propaganda. While neither Lopa nor any of Aquino’s relatives still remained with Pul-

seAsia at the time of the Septem-ber poll, it is believed that the Liberal Party or some financial supporter has been commission-ing most of the firm’s surveys.

TV ads crucialThe reason why TV ads are

crucial in presidential surveys is the fact that TV news now has become the main source of infor-mation for 50 to 70 percent of re-spondents, according to surveys I have seen.

Only 30 percent of respondents report that their main source of in-formation is “family and friends.” Radio news accounts for 28 per-cent, while newspapers (mostly tabloids, and only one of them) 10 percent. Other surveys even report that only 5 percent of re-spondents say that they get their information on national issues and politics from newspapers. Despite all the hype on social me-dia, it reaches barely 4 percent of voters, which is not surprising since most Filipinos are poor and don’t own PCs.

“Talo ka na kaagad, if you don’t have TV ads,” Richard Gordon, who ran in the 2010 presidential elections said. “We had no choice but to have TV ads, but then we didn’t have the money to sustain that,” he explained.

It is indisputable even among

pollsters in the US that a survey’s timing is crucial in the kind of re-sponse interviewers receive from their sample. The Aquino camp, in collaboration with PulseAsia, has been adept in using this tech-nique.

For example, in its bid to trig-ger a coup in 2007, PulseAsia all of a sudden came up with a survey that posed the question: “Who do you think has been the country’s most corrupt President?” Presi-dent Arroyo came out as the most corrupt in that survey, with Presi-dent Joseph Estrada, who was convicted of plunder, coming in third, after Marcos.

Of course she would, given that weeks and days before the sur-vey, newspapers’ front-pages had banner headlines on allegations of corruption against Arroyo and her family – although not a single one of those allegations had been proven after seven years, so that today some other names than hers come to the fore when ques-tions about corruption are raised. What respondent at that time would bother to jog his memory to remember Estrada’s graft mon-ey from jueteng and the tobacco excise tax?

Who asked and paid for the sur-vey? “I did,” said Senator Sergio Osmeña III at that time, one of the

most vocal allies of Aquino. “Any problem with that?” the haughty senator said with an ear-to-ear grin.

Roxas’ face appeared in the ads for a month, and for a few min-utes on primetime TV. That would somehow stick in viewers’ minds.

After that, a PulseAsia inter-viewer approaches a respondent and asks “Quick, quick, who would you vote for if elections were held today, and you’ve got to choose or you’d appear stu-pid?” Naturally, the respondents will choose the name of the first image that comes to their mind.

Note that PulseAsia and SWS have never asked a critical ques-tion that would change poll re-sults very radically, as numerous critiques of opinion polling all over the world have pointed out. This is the question: Have you decided which candidate to vote for as President in the May 2016 election? Responsible and pro-fessional pollsters abroad would not force respondents to choose a candidate if he replied first that he hadn’t made his choice. More on that in my future columns.

It’s “quick, quick” because Pul-seAsia and its rival SWS often ask a respondent (would you believe?) 150 to 200 questions—“rider questions” they call these—for

each of their survey “runs.”These often include such mar-

ket-research questions as the kind of toothpaste or deodorant a respondent uses, since a particu-lar survey may involve dozens of “riders,” each with his own set of questions, for which they paid the pollster P50,000 to P1 million, for a sample of 1,200 respondents. (Why can’t PulseAsia and SWS, which claim to be champions of democracy, be transparent and tell us how many questions they ask, and what are these for every survey they undertake, and how much income they get for these?)

I wonder if PulseAsia and SWS ask before the who-will-you-vote-for question: Do you believe the allegations of corruption against Binay being investigated in the Senate?

We wouldn’t know whether such questions were asked unless these pollsters make public their actual survey questionnaire, but they have never done so.

This, dear reader, is what our purportedly noble exercise in democracy has come to. Toward May next year, the amount of TV ads a candidate can pay for could determine who would be in charge of the fate of 100 million Filipinos for the next six years.

“We ask relevant parties to speak and act discreetly, respect China’s sovereignty and security interests, and do not make any provocative moves,” Chinese Ministry of For-eign Affairs spokesman Hua Chunying said.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent this stern warning following a planned deployment of US Navy ships in territorial waters claimed by China.

Earlier, the US Pacific Command (USPACOM) presented the White House and Pentagon leaders the option to conduct a freedom of navigation ex-ercises off of the disputed territory. Defense Sec-retary Ash Carter said that the US would, “fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as US forces do all over the world.”

The Philippines welcomed this development and echoed the clamor for freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokes-person Charles Jose said that if the US “decides to send naval vessels within 12 nautical miles of the reclaimed low-tide elevation features in affir-mation of this objective, this would be consistent with international law and a rules-based order for

the region.”China and the Philippines have

competing claims to some parts of the South China Sea. China claims the largest swathe of the strategic

water, which is believed to have significant oil and gas deposits. It has continuously rejected other na-tions’ claim (including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei) on the strategic waters.

Citing peaceful resolution on the jurisdiction over the disputed waters, the Philippines has pleaded its case to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). It is now awaiting results of the preliminary hearings over the Philippine claim. The ITLOS is an intergovernmental organization created through the directive of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea and es-tablished by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), signed at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Dec. 10, 1982.

Ironically, China is a signatory of the UN charter, which is governed by the rules and principles of general international law. Under the UNCLOS, all parties have agreed to “due regard for the sover-eignty of all States, a legal order for the seas and

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Gel SantoS-ReloS

The Fil-Am Perspective

Kababayans react to law allowing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients

Inquirer.net photo

MILITARY superpower China is not afraid to flex its muscles as it once again asserted sovereignty over its reclaimed islands in the South China Sea. It warned any country against taking “risky and provocative action” by attempting to come within 12 nautical miles of the islands.

oceans which will facilitate international commu-nication, and will promote the peaceful uses of the seas and oceans, the equitable and efficient utiliza-tion of their resources, the conservation of their liv-ing resources, and the study, protection and pres-ervation of the marine environment.”

To ensure the general peace and to obviate the recourse to force, all parties involved should be

reminded of their adherence to international law. In international conflicts such as the South China Sea dispute, multilateralism should be the detente before affected parties turn to belligerent forces. The principles representing international law are simple, they are based upon universally accepted values and moral standards to achieve global peace and order. (AJPress)

CALIFORNIA has joined Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that legalizes assisted sui-cide for terminally ill patients. Begin-ning January 1, doctors can prescribe medication to end a patient’s life if two doctors agree the person has only six months to live and is mentally compe-tent to make such decision.

Supporters of the bill said the mea-sure would help end-stage cancer and other patients to die with less pain and suffering, allowing people who are ter-minally ill to die with dignity and great-er comfort. Those who oppose the law contend that unscrupulous caregivers or relatives could pressure vulnerable patients to take their own lives.

As a compromise with lawmakers who were worried about unintended consequences, such as the targeting of the poor, elderly and disabled, the law will expire after 10 years unless extended.

Our kababayans around the world have mixed reactions about this law and here are some of their comments:

Ramon Yadao from Manila stated: “Yes. My life. My terms.”

Rowena Orejana from New Zealand said NO, sharing the following reasons from the website NZCatholic.com, ar-ticulated by Dr. Peter Saunders, the campaign director of the United King-dom-based Care Not Killing Alliance.

“In the UK, there are four reasons

why politicians are against the bill.

The first is public safety. ‘If you change the law, you inevitably end up putting pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives out of fear of being either a financial or emotional burden upon others. And so it’s been all about pro-tecting the vulnerable people, particu-larly those who are elderly depressed, or who are disabled or sick,’ he said.

The second is that the status quo is okay. He said the law is clearly defined and in cases where there are justifi-able causes, few end up in jail. ‘The best laws are those that give clear-cut boundaries. We say, you must not trav-el above 100km/h on the highway. We don’t say it’s 100km/h unless you’ve got a sick child or you’re late for a re-ally important appointment,’ he said. ‘It’s clear. Then, we deal with cases of those, after proper investigation, that have [a] legitimate excuse.’

He said there are limits to personal freedom. ‘We are not entitled to the freedoms which undermine the reason-able freedoms of others. Changing the law for a small group of determined people actually removes legal protec-tion from a much wider group of vul-nerable people who then become prey to those with an interest in their deaths,’ he stressed.

The third rea-son, he said, is when there is good palliative care, requests for assisted deaths are rare. The fourth is the fact that opposition comes from a lot

of different groups. Dr. Saunders said legalising physician-assisted suicide is not a slippery slope but more of a ‘mis-sion creep’ or an ‘incremental exten-sion’. ‘Sympathetic doctors will try to widen it. If you think about their main arguments, choice and compassion, those could apply to a wide range of people.’

He said people will put a value on human life, whether or not it is still financially or emotionally viable. ‘It’s the relative costs of chemotherapy, pal-liative care and lethal drugs. Is that a temptation that we want to put in front of our legislators?” he asked.”

Leandro Quinatana from Hawthorne, California intimated: “If living with ex-treme, unendurable pain, an individual should have the legal option to end his life in a civilized and dignified man-ner.”

Teta Limcangco from Manila tweet-ed: “This is a tough question but at the end of the day... it still boils down to one’s conscience. IMHO… I doubt if that bill will pass here coy. RHbill

nga, pahirapan pa.”Alvinture8 from Manila also tweeted:

“I prefer natural death, I still believe in miracles.”

Amber Khan, a doctor from New Jer-sey, wrote:

“I do believe in life and I believe in God. I don’t believe in taking over the role of God. The multi-billion dol-lar Pharmaceutical Pain Industry can make [the] end of life comfortable, till it is the end of life! Every life will come to its natural end. Would I ever want to suffer? No!!! But will I kill myself or put that burden on another person? ABSO-LUTELY NOT!

As a doctor, over the years I have learned that people have a very dif-ferent threshold for pain, suffering, or even patience.

Please be mindful and ask yourselves that once euthanasia is legalized, who will determine that it is ok to end a per-son’s life, when pain and its perception is so subjective! When every doctor has a different threshold for dealing with patients who are suffering? Do you want me to kill you because you are taking too much of my time, my emo-tions, and my endurance? And then, remember, that the Hippocratic Oath, that we as doctors, take to heart, and what drives us to take care of every life, regardless of anything, including our own safety i.e. driving in a blizzard with unpaved roads or regardless of the fact that we will never be paid because you

don’t have insurance, will mean noth-ing!

So Dear advocates of euthanasia, kill yourselves! Deal with the consequenc-es. Or let your loved ones live with that burden! Do not make your doctor your scape goats! Or seek an expert field of amazing Pain Management Doctors. Your Insurance covers it. YES! It is your life. It is on your terms!

Extreme pain? You want to end your life in a dignified manner by asking a doctor to drown you with Morphine? Where is the dignity there? So please, before you all start with the right to die because you can’t take it, or you can’t let your family suffer, think about the implications, the manipulation by family members when a patient can’t speak for themselves, or even the con-venience of a doctor who now will be given the power not to just save lives, but takes lives! Talk about the God Complex!!!!! And keep in mind, once euthanasia is legalized, you won’t ever be able to trust your doctor. One of the last breeds of humans, still living and fighting every day for their patients at the expense of everything and every-one in their lives. “

* * *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

RigobeRto tiglao

Commentary Roxas II spends P257 million on TV ads to boost ratings

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Manuel A. Roxas II spent P257 million on television ads from Aug. 15 to Sept. 15 to push up his ratings in the presidential pref-erence polls undertaken by Pul-seAsia from Sept. 8 to 14, and by the Social Weather Stations from Sept. 2 to 5 as well.

Given the basic flaw of such polls as practiced in this coun-try, the massive spending for ads in a month’s time—P9 million a day—raised Roxas 2nd’s ratings to 20 percent from the poll body’s survey in June, when only 10 per-cent of the respondents said they would vote for him in 2016.

The Roxas camp, I was told, has also put up billboards worth P100 million mostly outside Metro Ma-nila to increase his name-recall. (Never mind, of course, that this practice is illegal before the offi-cial campaign period starts. “Just don’t say in the ad, ‘Vote for me’,” an election lawyer I asked ex-plained.)

The TV networks supplied Rox-as’ advertising costs, although

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october 16-22, 2015 • NorcAL ASIAN JoUrNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150A10 Dateline PhiliPPines

And that’s why Aquino and Roxas, who have spent the past five years making sure that by hook or by crook they have the campaign funds, are confident they’ll still win, despite the utter mess they’ve done to the coun-try.

Why Duterte begged offI wouldn’t be surprised if ex-

would-be presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte had heard of Roxas 2nd’s P257 million splurg-ing on a TV ad campaign for just a month, and decided it’s useless for him to run.

Ignoring the reports that he

Roxas II spends P257 million...PAGE A8 was ill, Duterte likely refused

to run because—despite all the prodding from his fans, who even held a demonstration in Manila to show him their support—the rich businessmen egging him on to run hadn’t really put their money where their mouths were. Other than the Dominguez and Alcantara clans of Davao, there hasn’t been a report of a tycoon taking action to support his bid. And both the Dominguezes and Alcantaras aren’t exactly the type to put up front “real” contribu-tions in the scale of say P100 or P200 million.

Yes, that’s the kind of money

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima explained that the team of DOJ prosecutors and National Bureau of Investigation agents failed to establish the identities of the killers of the commandos from the 84th SAF company in Barangay Pidsandawan last Jan. 25.

MANILA—There was no cov-er-up in the fact-finding probe of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the case of nine of the 44 po-lice Special Action Force (SAF) commandos slain in the Mama-sapano clash last January.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said this in response to criticisms on the second part of the Mamasapano investigation report released last week where no charges were filed.

In contrast was the case of the 35 SAF men where 90 mem-bers of the Moro Islamic Liber-ation Front (MILF), Bangsam-oro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and private armed groups were charged with direct assault with murder.

De Lima said the insinua-tion made by critics, including former SAF director Getulio Napeñas, that there could be a whitewash in the probe was “very unfair and unfounded.”

“I suggest that Napeñas and the other critics read first the full text, albeit reducted, of the second report before passing judgment,” she said in a text message.

De Lima: No whitewash in 2nd Mamasapano reportby Edu Punay

Philstar.com

De Lima explained that the team of DOJ prosecutors and National Bureau of Investiga-tion agents failed to establish the identities of the killers of the commandos from the 84th SAF company in Barangay Pidsan-dawan last Jan. 25.

“We can only do so much. We cannot invent our findings,” she added.

In the 120-page report, prob-ers concluded that a crime was indeed committed as the death of the nine SAF members was the result of a series of deliber-ate acts by armed individuals with whom the 84th Seaborne engaged in a brief firefight in the course of the assault on the hut of international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan.

MAGUINDANAO—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Libera-tion Front (MNLF) on Tuesday, Oct. 13 signed a “unified decla-ration” calling for the approval the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as an embodiment of each other’s separate peace pacts with Malacañang.

The two-page declaration was signed in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao by the figurehead of the MILF, Al-Haj Murad Ebra-him, and former Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, chairman of the largest of three factions in the MNLF.

The crafting of the declara-tion, where both groups warned of rejection of a “diluted BBL,” was witnessed by representatives from various civil society organi-zations and officials of the Malay-sian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT).

The draft BBL is still pending in Congress, mired by controversies and constitutionality issues. Sen-ate has its own version of the bill, but stripped of most of what are for the MILF important provisions needed to address the decades-old Moro rebellion in Southern Mindanao.

Murad and Sema acknowl-edged extensively in separate messages the presence in the event of the representatives of IMT, which is comprised of sol-diers from Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Libya and non-uniformed conflict-resolution ex-perts from Norway, Japan and the European Union.

MILF, MNLF sign ‘unified declaration’for approval of Bangsamoro Basic Law

by John unson Philstar.com

The IMT has been helping en-force the government-MILF in-terim non-aggression pact since the late 2003.

Murad and Sema had both said enacting the draft BBL into law, based on its original draft, is a fulfillment of the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro be-tween Malacañang and the MILF and the September 2, 1996 gov-ernment-MNLF final truce.

They also both stated in their unified declaration that only a BBL patterned from the draft submit-ted to Congress by the Bangsam-oro Transition Commission (BTC) can address the nagging decades-old Mindanao Moro issue.

The BTC, chaired by the MILF’s chief negotiator, Muhaquer Iqbal, is comprised of seven representa-tives each from the rebel group and the government.

Sema’s group, the largest from among three factions in the MNLF, is not hostile to the MILF.

Sema said they will readily recognize and honor the BBL if passed into law according to its original draft as proposed by the MILF-led BTC,

The founder of the MNLF, Nur Misuari, who also leads another faction in the group, is rabidly opposed to President Benigno Aquino III’s diplomatic dealings with the MILF.

The MNLF-MILF unified decla-ration also stated that both groups are to reject any BBL which is not a prototype of the proposed mea-sure the BTC drafted.

The proposed BBL is the en-abling measure for the replace-ment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

with a more politically and admin-istratively empowered Bangsam-oro political entity.

The declaration also called on Mindanao’s Moro communities to continue supporting the Mindan-ao peace process and the efforts of President Aquino and the Or-ganization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to put diplomatic closure to the decades-old secessionist up-rising in the country’s south.

The OIC, a bloc of more than 50 Muslim states, including pe-troleum-exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa, helped broker the now 19-year government-MNLF peace agree-ment.

Sema and Murad had told re-porters, after the signing of the unified declaration, the govern-ment should consider as divi-dend of the peace process their respective groups’ having opted for self-rule under the Philip-pine flag instead of secession from the country as originally demanded.

The event, held at the MILF’s Camp Darapanan in west of Sul-tan Kudarat town, was witnessed by about a thousand field com-manders of the rebel group and MNLF community leaders from across Mindanao.

Also present in the ceremonial signing of the unified declaration were MNLF representatives from the Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi area, among them former ARMM As-semblyman Hatimil Hassan and Muslimin Jakilan, who is incum-bent regional labor secretary of the autonomous region, both eth-nic Yakans from the island prov-ince of Basilan.

our elite give to the candidates they bet on, with probably half of that going to the likely runner-up, and maybe even a third to a base-ment dweller. That’s why if you look back: those who ran for the presidency and vice presidency and lost, didn’t brood in melan-choly, but often transferred to a more posh village or bought a Manhattan apartment.

I was told that yes, some businessmen were donating to Duterte’s campaign chest, but gave only ‘loose change,’ that is, in the scheme of things, a mil-lion pesos here, maybe 2 million there. Duterte was waiting till the last minute to get pledges of the real kind. But nothing came. (Ma-nilaTimes.net)

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Your ImmigrationSolution

TWO recent developments in the world of ‘extreme hardship’ waivers will allow many more ap-plicants to apply and should result in a higher proportion approval for well-prepared applications. First, USCIS recently announced that the provisional waiver pro-cess will be made available to all persons who have an immigrant visa available regardless of the petitioner’s status. This proposal significantly expands eligibil-ity to apply for the provisional waiver which was previously lim-ited to beneficiaries of immediate relative visa petitions, essentially spousal or parental-child peti-tions (not including adult chil-dren) from US citizens. Under the new regulation all persons with an approved petition and available visa, regardless of visa category will be eligible to par-ticipate in the provisional waiver program if otherwise eligible. Of course, obtaining a provisional waiver still requires establishing extreme hardship to a US citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent.

The second change involves how USCIS will judge ‘extreme hardship’ and is seen by many experts as a sign that USCIS may be relaxing the ‘extreme hard-ship’ standard. On October 7, 2015 USCIS disseminated a draft policy memorandum which, if made effective, will significant-ly impact the way the agency makes decisions on applications for ‘extreme hardship’ waivers.The new policy would impact all types of waiver application including waivers for unlawful presence-including provisional waivers which were discussed above-, for misrepresentation and for criminal convictions.

This new policy should be of particular interest to persons who have filed for waivers in the past and had their applications denied or to persons who have not filed waiver applications because they

USCIS issues proposed guidance on ‘extreme hardship’ and expansion of the provisional waiver programwere worried that they would not be able to establish the required level of ‘extreme’ hardship. Of course, it will also be beneficial to all new waiver applicants go-ing forward. Before turning to the particulars of the proposed new policy it will be useful to have a little background on the ‘extreme’ hardship waiver and when it is required.

To be eligible for permanent residency in the United States a person must be admissible under the Immigration and National-ity Act (INA). The INA lays out multiple potential grounds that will make a person inadmissible. Some of these grounds include having made a material misrep-resentation (like lying about one’s marital status, or using an altered visa or passport to enter the coun-try), having been unlawfully pres-ent in the United States for over six-months and then departing the country, and certain crimi-nal convictions. However, these and other grounds of inadmissi-bility can sometimes be waived. Most such waivers require a showing“extreme hardship” to qualifying relativesincluding US citizen or Lawful permanent resi-dent family members.

The challenge in extreme hard-ship waiver cases is establishing that the hardship to a qualifying relative rises to the level of ‘ex-treme.’ USCIS has long recog-nized that some hardship will result if a family member is not allowed to stay in the US with their loved ones or if US citizen or lawful permanent relatives must relocate to a foreign country to be close to their spouse, parent or child. This being the case US-CIS has said that ‘extreme hard-ship’ is hardship that rises above and beyond the level of hardship which is typically to be expected under either scenario.

Importantly, the new policy provides direct guidance to US-CIS officers about factors which would ‘strongly suggest; and support a finding of ‘extreme

hardship’. Some of these fac-tors are hardships which experi-enced attorneys have raised with USCIS for years but which USCIS previously did not recognize as justifying a finding of ‘extreme hardship’. Some of the factors identified include substantial displacement of care of appli-cant’s children, Travel Warn-ings against travel to country of residence, active military duty of qualifying relative, medical dis-ability, and prior grant of asylum or refugee status.

Extreme hardship can still be established absent one of these factors and, crucially, the mere presence of one of these factors may not be sufficient in and of it-self. As always obtaining approv-al of an ‘extreme hardship’ waiv-er will come down to carefully and thoroughly documenting all issues relevant to hardships in any particular case. Often, even when applicants have strong equities in their case they have their waivers denied because of a failure to present their cases ef-fectively to USCIS. This is why quality representation can be the key to obtaining a waiver.

In coming weeks we will pro-vide additional information from this new proposed policy on ‘ex-treme hardship’ determinations. If you or a loved one believe you have inadmissibility issues, you should consult a knowledgeable and experienced immigration lawyer.

***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)

ARE you or someone you care about having un-usual thoughts or difficulty concentrating? Are you hearing things that others don’t hear or feeling like you can’t trust anyone? These types of symptoms are more common than you may think – in fact, 1 out of every 5 teenagers experiences some of these symptoms.

If early symptoms go on for a long time or get worse, they may be the first warning signs of early psychosis, which can lead to severe disorders, such as schizophrenia. This is why it’s important to seek help as early as possible – before they lead to life-destroying diseases. (Psychosis is a term used to describe a mental health disorder when people lose touch with reality.)

Prevention worksMental illness requires strong prevention efforts

and treatment, just like other medical illnesses. Because most adult mental illness begins early in life, detecting and treating mental illness early can have a positive impact on a person’s life, as well as their family, and the community. Research shows that up to 85% of people who experience a first episode of psychosis and receive treatment can re-cover completely.

Just like medical illnesses, such as heart dis-ease or diabetes, early detection, prevention ef-forts, and treatment for mental illness can signifi-cantly improve how long someone lives and their quality of life.

Research shows that the beginning of seri-ous mental health illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, usually happens to people in their late teens or early adulthood, and that the illness develops very gradually. These early symptoms of psychosis have been overlooked or even worse, misdiagnosed. And most people liv-ing with mental illness never receive preventive or early treatment.

It’s only in the past few years that early de-

tection and intervention programs for psychotic disorders have been set up around the world. The early results from these programs show that people at high risk for psychosis can be identi-fied and successfully treated to prevent the illness from getting worse, and improve a person’s so-cial, school and work life.

The road to recovery begins with PREPSan Mateo County’s new Prevention and Re-

covery in Early Psychosis (PREP) program offers a unique personal treatment plan and services to help each person experiencing early symptoms of psychosis to get their life back on track.

PREP offers services and support for youth and young adults, ages 14-35, to reduce and control symptoms of psychosis and restore some of the mental abilities damaged by the disease – all provided in the community wherever some-one needs them.

While there is no known cure for psychosis, through early diagnosis and effective treatment, PREP’s 5-year mission is to treat most cases of psychosis into remission, allowing these individu-als, and their families, to live a fulfilling life.

Medication and therapy can each have posi-tive results in treating early psychosis – but do-ing them together has been shown to be much more effective. PREP aims to treat people with lower doses of medications while decreasing hospitalizations. The road to recovery begins with PREP.

Do any of these early warning signs explain what you or someone you love, has been feeling?

Do you often feel that:• you can hear or see things that others don’t?• you can’t trust anyone?• your food may be poisoned?• someone is watching you?• people or places you know seem different?

Mind your mindPREP identifies and treats young people with

mental illness - before their problems become a crisis

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SAN FRANCISCO -- On No-vember 6 to 8, 2015, the Fed-eration of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC) will commemorate and celebrate its 19th year anniversary at the 2015 FPACC Bi-National Busi-ness Conference, a.k.a. Federa-tion 2015, which will be held at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The orga-nizers of the biennial, bi-national

2015 FPACC Bi-National Business Conference: Bridging trans-Pacific commerce in a changing world

gathering of members from vari-ous Filipino American Chamber organizations and business com-munities in the USA and the Phil-ippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) expect to enhance and strengthen the organization’s volunteer work in “Bridging Trans-Pacific Com-merce in a Changing World”, which is also the conference’s theme. Federation 2015’s partner

and collaborator is FPACC Foun-dation Inc. while the co-hosts are the Las Vegas Filipino American Chamber of Commerce and the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Nevada.

Federation 2015 promises an exciting, engaging, and timely general program with moder-ated business-to-business (B2B) interactions and transactions,

uPAGE CJ3

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

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

This could be my best move yet.Loida Nicolas Lewis, AARP MemberChair and CEO of TLC Beatrice, LLCPhilanthropist

Dahil sa Health and Wellness resources ng AARP, si Loida at iba pang katulad niya are now able to have as much fun in the ballroom as they did in the boardroom.

Loida has enjoyed a long career as a successful businesswoman, and she remains just as active today. Bilang miyembro ng halos 20 na taon, she keeps current with AARP publications on health, diet, exercise at iba pang activities that help her enjoy life and live it to the fullest. Not surprisingly, her boundless energy and generous contributions para sa Filipino community have made her a role model for many. Para kay Loida, walang hanggan ang mga posibilidad and the best is yet to come. AARP offers members a wealth of resources na siguradong makapagbibigay ng saya, sigla at importanteng impormasyon para rin sa inyo. To learn more, visit aarp.org/aapi or call 1-866-805-1986 today.

AARP_15_Lewis_Testimonial_HP_FIL_AJ.indd 1 10/9/15 12:08 PM

OCTOBER 16-22, 2015 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150CJ� Community Journal

The CTVFiles

Atty. Dennis ChuA, esq.

THE spouse of a US citizen will be granted permanent resi-dent status after the US citizen files a petition for the spouse. If the spouses have not yet been married for at least two years at the time the petition was filed, the spouse shall be only granted conditional resident status by the USCIS. The conditional resident spouse shall enjoy all the benefits and privileges of a permanent resident. They can work and travel without further authoriza-tion from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The only difference is that the condition-al resident spouse’s status will expire two years from the time permanent resident status was granted. This rule was enacted to give the US Citizenship and Immigration Services another opportunity to look into whether or not the relationship between the spouses is a bona fide one.

Prior to the expiration of the conditional status, both the US

Separated before conditional resident status expirescitizen spouse and the condi-tional resident spouse must file another application to have the conditions on residence re-moved.

If the conditional resident status fails to file the petition to remove the conditions on resi-dence, the permanent resident status will be terminated and in some cases, removal proceed-ings may be instituted against the conditional resident spouse whose status has already been terminated.

Things may not work out be-tween the spouses before the expiration of the conditional sta-tus such that the spouses may have already been living sepa-rately. The law requires the both spouses must file (unless the US citizen spouse is deceased) the petition to remove the conditions on residence jointly, unless the following can be shown by the conditional resident spouse: (1) the conditional resident spouse entered the marriage in good faith but the marriage was termi-nated by divorce; or (2) the con-ditional resident spouse entered

the marriage in good faith but the conditional resident spouse was battered or subject to ex-treme cruelty by the US citizen spouse.

What then happens to a con-ditional resident spouse whose marriage has not yet been termi-nated by divorce and was not bat-tered by the US citizen spouse? Since the conditional resident spouse’s marriage has not yet been terminated by divorce, can the conditional resident spouse file the petition without the US citizen spouse signing the joint petition?

Based on a USCIS memo-randum, USCIS will allow the conditional resident spouse to file the petition even without the submission of the required judgment showing that the mar-riage has been terminated. The USCIS will however later issue a Request for Evidence giving the conditional resident spouse around 87 days to submit the divorce decree. Should the conditional resident spouse fail to submit the divorce decree

TRACY, CA – The Pick and Pack Savings Event by William Lyon Homes features savings on quick move-in homes at Maple-wood in Tracy for a limited time only. Buyers should visit soon to learn how they can pick their fa-vorite way to save big on design studio credit, closing costs or additional appliances when they purchase a new single-family home at Maplewood. Residences include Homesite 13, with ap-proximately 3,092 square feet, four bedrooms plus a bonus room and three baths. A spacious Resi-dence Three design, this home also has more than $30,000 in builder-included upgrades. Visit www.LyonHomesMaplewood.com to learn more.

“This opportunity ends soon so buyers should act quickly,” said Kathy Floyd, Director of Sales for William Lyon Homes. “Stop by and find out how you can move-in to your new home before the holidays.”

Additional neighborhoods par-ticipating in this event include Cielo at Palmilla in Brentwood, Oak Crest at Hidden Glen in An-tioch and Victory at Vista Del Mar in Pittsburg. Learn more at www.lyonhomes.com/northern-california.

Maplewood’s residences span approximately 2,878 to 3,324 square feet with four to six bed-rooms, three to four baths and two-car attached garages. Prices start from the $500,000s and ho-meowners benefit from no Mello Roos and no HOA fees.

The Altamont Corridor Ex-press ‘ACE’ Train is within walk-ing distance and residents have easy access to the “H” Train commuter station, I-580, I-205 and I-5. Offering easy access to local schools, Maplewood is also

Don’t miss quick move-in opportunities at Maplewood by William Lyon Homes available for a limited time only

across the street from a park with a tot-lot, playground and half-court basketball.

Throughout October 2015, brokers will receive a 4% refer-ral fee per closing. Brokers must bring client on first visit to reg-ister for broker referral fee. Buy-ers cannot be registered online prior to first visit. Broker refer-ral fee to be paid at the close of escrow.

It matters who your builder is and William Lyon Homes is a company built upon a legacy of pride and integrity. A team of visionaries who are passionate about homebuilding and com-mitted to providing a high qual-ity homebuying and homeown-ership experience, William Lyon Homes has earned a solid track record for outstanding construc-tion and customer service since 1956. The company continues to expand its well-respected brand beyond California, Arizona and Nevada and into other market areas across the Western region with the acquisition of Polygon Northwest Homes, its newest division in Washington and Or-

egon, and its Village Homes di-vision in Colorado. William Lyon Homes’ shares are publicly trad-ed on NYSE under the symbol WLH. For updated information and to learn more, visit www.lyonhomes.com.

To visit Maplewood, travel east on I-205, exit 11th Street and turn left at Crossroads Drive, then left on Solomon Lane. The Sales Gal-lery is on the right and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please call 209.221.8946 or visit www.Ly-onHomesMaplewood.com.

Prices, plans and product in-formation subject to change.

*All homes subject to prior sale. Buyers must purchase between September 12, 2015 and Octo-ber 31, 2015 and close escrow by December 18, 2015 to qualify. Homes that do not already have flooring are subject to added price if upgrade is selected by buyer. Prices and availability of homes subject to change without notice. See sales counselors for details.

CalBRE License #00982816.� (Advertising�Supplement)

• you have a special ability or super powers?

• your thinking is unusual or frightening?

Do you have difficulty con-centrating, have less energy, are nervous or short tempered, are more sensitive to sounds or light, or have a strong desire to be left alone?

If you, or someone you love, can say yes to several of these questions, PREP may be the right answer.

The first step to recovery is

to call and set up a time to talk with an early psychosis therapist about what’s happening to you, or your loved one.

Referral line (650) 504-3374. You can also take the PREP

Screening Survey. It’s free and confidential. If the screening shows that it’s a good idea to seek help, the next step is to speak with a clinician who will talk to you about the symptoms you or your loved one are expe-riencing.

If after an assessment, treat-ment is recommended, you will

already be in the right place to start receiving treatment, and we are here to support you or some-one you love through the entire process.

To learn more about San Ma-teo County’s new PREP program, visit www.prepwellness.org/san_mateo.html.

PREP is located at 1108 South El Camino Real in San Mateo.

Psychosis is a treatable dis-ease, and caught early, it’s pos-sible to prevent or delay a dis-abling psychotic illness. The sooner you know what’s happen-ing, the better chance you have to recover. n

Mind your…PAGE CJ1 t

uPAGE CJ3

(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 16-22, 2015 CJ�

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

Americaalendar of EventsacrossC

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS!PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT

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

FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS

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

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

OCTOBER 17

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

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

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

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

OCTOBER 15-18

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

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

OCTOBER 16-18

FACCOC 21st Annual GALA Join the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County on Saturday,

October 17th for an evening of casino games, recognition of local business owners, inspir-ing presentations, and entertainment at the 21st Annual GALA, “Monte Carlo Night,” at the Wyndham Hotel (12021 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92840). Registration and network-ing starts at 5pm. There will be cocktails and classic casino games such as blackjack, craps, roulette, and wheel of fortune available to guests from 5:30 to 7pm. Arrive early to take advantage of casino-style games and the photobooth (provided by OC fotobooth) before our main program and dinner starts. For RSVP tickets, sponsorships and vendor tables informa-tion, please visit www.faccoc.org.

FilAm Art Alive! Comes to San Diego FilAm Art Alive! is proud to announce the first annual San Diego event bringing together

amazing local Filipino-American artists, entertainment, food vendors, and more surprises. FilAm Art Alive! will be on Sunday, October 18, 2015 at Sushi On A Roll (1620 National Ave. San Diego, CA 92113) restaurant from 2-6pm. The Art Miles Murals Project in partnership with Philippine Art Miles is thrilled to join the festivities with the magnificent “Fishes of the Ocean” mural, a 250-foot section from the 6-mile longest mural visiting from the Philippines. The mural is presented by On The Spot Artist Association, headed by Rolando De Leon of Quezon City. “Fishes Of The Ocean” is a part of UNESCO’s 70th Anniversary celebration. This FREE event will feature interactive art of various mediums, food vendors, live entertainment, folklore and dancing, and much more! For further information and questions about FilAm Art Alive!, please contact: filamartalive@gmail.com, or Laarni Thornton at 619.781.2727. Visit our Facebook for more details: www.facebook.com/FilAmArtAlive.

OCTOBER 18

Community Journal

Atty. MichAelGurfinkel, eSQ

ImmigrationCorner

WASHINGTON, DC—Novem-ber is National Family Caregiv-ers Month and AARP is launch-ing a national campaign to bring awareness to the important role that family caregivers play in the lives of their loved ones. AARP’s Random Acts of Kindness for Caregivers contest will begin on October 15 with the goal of en-couraging people to recognize and reward caregivers – many of whom spend 18 hours per week providing care like bath-ing, dressing, preparing meals, administering medications, driv-ing to doctor visits or paying bills – in small but meaningful ways.

“Caregiving may be one of the greatest expressions of love and it’s woven into the lives of one in six adults,” says AARP Family and Caregiving Expert Amy Goy-er, author of the new book Jug-gling Life, Work and Caregiving. “A staggering 40 million family caregivers provide support for loved ones and, as a caregiver myself, I know that the smallest acts of kindness – like holding a door for someone pushing a wheelchair, surprising them with flowers, or even taking a care-giver’s dog for a walk – can be memorable moments in the life of a caregiver.”

Kindness contest to help family caregivers

More than half of caregivers say they feel overwhelmed by the amount of care their fam-ily member needs. Through the Random Acts of Kindness for Caregivers contest, AARP hopes that by encouraging people to show family caregivers small signs of support, it might en-courage overwhelmed caregiv-ers, free them up to have more time with loved ones they care for, or even give them personal time to relax and rejuvenate. Those sharing simple acts of kindness are encouraged to submit stories and a photo of

AARP launches National Caregiving Awareness Campaign

Show kindness to 40 million caregivers during National Family Caregivers month in November

their random acts to the contest website found at www.aarp.org/caregiverkindness. In March, AARP will select 12 winners who have made a meaningful differ-ence in the lives of family care-givers. The winners will share a $10,000 prize.

24 Hours inside a caregiver’s world

The October issue of AARP The Magazine is taking readers inside the hearts and homes of caregivers across the country. Through pictures, videos and compelling stories, readers will learn about ordinary people car-ing for spouses, friends, children, and parents. Some of the families featured live with the people they care for and one caregiver has to board a plane frequently to care for her mom.

Overall, the face of caregiving is changing. While most care-givers are women, 40 percent of caregivers are men. Surprisingly, 1 in 4 caregivers is a Millennial (between the ages of 18 and 34) and 60 percent of caregivers pro-vide care for an adult while work-ing outside of the home, requir-ing them to balance caregiving and work responsibilities.

Virtual Family Caregiving Fair

To help caregivers like the ones featured in AARP The Mag-azine, AARP is hosting a Virtual Family Caregiving Fair that will take place on Thursday, Novem-ber 19, 2015 from 12pm – 4pm EST. From the comfort of a home or office, a caregiver can register and join the free fair online at aarp.org/familycarefair. During the virtual fair, a caregiver can tour the exhibit hall with over 15 booths showcasing various care-giving resources and programs, enter a “mix and mingle” lounge to connect with experts and other caregivers through online chats, visit a virtual auditorium to view scheduled and on-demand

presentations and videos, and explore a library with additional resources for caregivers.

For more information about how AARP is supporting National Family Caregivers Month and for more caregiving resources, visit the AARP Caregiving Resource Center at http://www.aarp.org/caregiving.

About AARPAARP is a nonprofit, nonpar-

tisan organization, with a mem-bership of nearly 38 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as health-care, employment and income security, retirement planning, af-fordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. We advo-cate for individuals in the mar-ketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members ob-tain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services. A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational informa-tion, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world’s largest circulation magazine; AARP Bul-letin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Español, a Spanish-language website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contribu-tions to political campaigns or candidates. The AARP Founda-tion is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older per-sons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the Dis-trict of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.

(Advertising Supplement)

within the time period given by the USCIS, the petition to re-move conditions on residence will be denied by the USCIS. The conditional resident spouse will however have another op-portunity to present the divorce decree before an immigration judge should removal proceed-ings be instituted against the conditional resident spouse. If

the marriage between the con-ditional resident spouse and US citizen spouse can no longer be salvaged, the conditional spouse might have to file a divorce peti-tion right away to have the con-ditional resident status removed in a timely manner.

***Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a partner in The Law

Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV), a full ser-vice law firm with offices in San Francisco, San

Diego and Manila. 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-cli-ent 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 (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; Dchua@ctvattys.com. The CTV At-torneys will be at Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo on October 19, 2009 from 5pm to 7pm to hold a FREE legal clinic. (Advertising Supplement)

Separated before conditional resident…PAGE CJ2 t

idea exchanges, networking, and memorandums of understand-ing interwoven throughout the 2-1/2 days’ activities. The program opens with the “Women’s Entre-preneurial Summit” on Friday, which also includes home-based entrepreneurs, a trade show ex-hibit that is open to the public for two days, and an evening welcome reception. The Saturday morning program is dedicated to US-based business and economic matters while the afternoon session is fo-cused on Philippine and interna-

tional topics of interest, highlight-ed by a formal evening gala event. FPACC’s biennial election of its of-ficers and board members will also take place during the conference. The Sunday morning session is scheduled to showcase the memo-randums of understanding among the conference’s bi-national and domestic business stakeholders and present the incoming board of directors’ strategic plans.

Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino is located at 3770 Las Vegas Boule-vard South, Las Vegas, Nevada. Registration and hotel booking

information are found at http://FPACC.net and http://fpacham-ber.com/FED_2015__Bi-Nation-al.html. Register online at http://tinyurl.com/federation2015. As of press time, the “early bird” discounts for registration ends on August 30, 2015. Sponsor-ships, including media spon-sorships, and advertising op-portunities are also available at FEDERATION2015@FPACC.net. For more information, contact Marie Cunning, FPACC Presi-dent, at Marie.Cunning@FPACC.net or (602) 573-6936. n

2015 FPACC Bi-National Business Conference…PAGE CJ1 t

EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employ-ment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose prior-ity date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current,” but later ret-rogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

Beginning in October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Applica-tion Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eli-gible), even though the Visa Issu-ance Date (which is the old “pri-ority dates” from previous Visa Bulletins) is not yet current. This allows people to obtain work au-thorization much sooner than be-fore, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for a green card.

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

active member of the State Bar of California

The November 2015 priority dates

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows:

FAMILY CATEGORY:

First Preference

Second Preference

Third Preference

Fourth Preference

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Third Preference

Other Workers

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

(2A) Spouse and minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holder

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holder

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens.

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens.

Professional/Skilled Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

ApplicationFiling Date

Visa IssuanceDate

September1, 2005

June 1, 2002

March 1, 2015 May 15, 2014

May 1, 2005 November 1, 2004

August 1, 1995 October 8, 1993

January 1, 1993

June 15, 1992

Visa Issuance Date

January 1, 2010

January 1, 2010

June 15, 2007

June 15, 2007

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

outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

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

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

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

CAN A LONELY WIFE STILL PETITION HER HUSBAND EVEN IF SHE IS UNEMPLOYED? THIS QUESTION AND MORE WILL BE ANSWERED THIS SUNDAY ON “CITIZEN PINOY!” Leading US immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel replies to this question from Jovelle (left). Also, get answers to questions like: Can my mother have a second chance, after being banned from the US for 10 years for overstaying? Can my brother immigrate as “single” since he has been separated from his wife for over 25 years? Get the answers to these questions and more, on a brand new episode of the information-packed, award-winning public service program — “Citizen Pinoy,” this Sunday, October 18 at 6:15pm PST/EST (9:15pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

THIS Sunday, leading US immi-gration attorney Michael J. Gurfin-kel continues to answer questions from Kapamilya, one-on-one and face-to-face, at his Law Offices in Glendale, California.

Can my mom qualify for a “waiver” and re-enter the US af-ter she was banned for 10 years for overstaying as a tourist?

Can son’s ‘secret marriage’ affect mother’s petition for him as ‘single?’

Get the answer to this question on ‘Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot’If I petition my mother, can her

14-year-old adopted daughter be included in the petition?

Can a wife petition her hus-band even if she’s unemployed and not able to provide financial support?

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

on television – Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot–on Sun-day, October 18 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

Also, for latest immigration news and updates, please “like” and “share” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gurfinkel-law. (Advertising Supplement)

OCTOBER 16-22, 2015 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150CJ� Community Journal

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

We are trying to reach out to all members residing all over the world to disseminate information about the upcoming event. For more details about the reunion,

Former PVB employees 2016 Grand Reunionplease contact the following members through their Face-book accounts:

Southern California – Aurora Carillo

Northern California – Angie Virola

Philippines – Lourdes Barbero Ramos and Lyn Lagpitanghap

We look to forward to see you all!

THE South San Francisco Farmers’ Market season opened last May 2nd at Orange Memori-al Park and continues every Sat-urday from 10am – 2pm, until October 24. A variety of activi-ties for all ages and interests are featured each Saturday.

This week at your Farmers’ Market, South San Francisco Parks and Recreation will have an informational table. Stop by the South San Francisco Farm-ers’ and enjoy some of the great produce and try some of Coun-try Grill’s Rotisserie Chicken and more!! There will also be free CalFresh screening and en-rollment this weekend.

Also check out the South San Francisco Farmers’ Market video highlighting everything the market has to offer on You-Tube.

2015 South San Francisco Farmers’ Market open through Oct. 24Lastly, don’t forget to Share

Facebook video post for a free basket of strawberries on Face-book.

Additional information on special events throughout the season will be available on the City of South San Francisco’s website and on the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association website. We hope to see Satur-

day!For more information on

South San Francisco Farmers’ Market please visit the City’s Farmers’ Market facebook page or visit the South San Francisco City website.

Or Pacific Coast Farmer’s Mar-ket Associates at www.pcfma.com. You can also find PCFMA on Facebook. n

MonetteAdevA MAglAyA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

(Conclusion of 3 parts)VIGAN has plenty of other

points of interest to offer. Go see Chavit Singson’s “Baluarte” or “fortress” —it’s name embla-zoned on a rise for all to see. As of this writing, Chavit has a col-lection of exotic animals which include about nine tigers and a lion, ostriches, deer, a yellow snake, ducks, a stable full of min-iature horses and on the softer, gentler side, a butterly garden of over 500 varieties. It’s open to the public and there are still no entrance fees at this time.

All you need do is to tip the guides generously for the time and trouble it takes to bring you around. Be warned that not ev-eryone is given the privilege of touring the innards of his private house. It’s a selective process and largely the luck of the draw. The grapevine tells me that oc-casionally, the man who is seen frequently with Manny Pacquio, if he is in the mood, conducts the tour himself. I suppose that depending on the timing, the volume of the crowds and how you come across to the guide on the day you visit, you may be given the chance to explore Chavit’s Baluarte, which is ap-propriately named. It sits atop a strategic high point of Vigan real estate, that can give ad-vance warning of the approach of enemies from the ground and air, in times of war while afford-ing a magnificent nearly 180 de-gree view of the horizon where the sky and the South China Sea merge and meet seamlessly in deep shades of shimmering blue during quiet times.

Chavit’s older house sits on a bluff and can be accessed by stairs carved in stone from the reception area where Aries, our guide, gave us a comprehen-sive tour of Baluarte and its fea-tures. There’s a lot of thought that went into this house and it shows. Chavit Singson is the colorful, controversial self-pro-claimed “Tiger of Ilocos” and two color photo cut-outs of Cha-vit cuddling with two of his pet tigers meant to greet visitors to his enclave make sure you re-member that image of power, strength and wile clearly. You somehow wait and listen for the movie soundtrack of Rocky’s

Begone to Vigan!Chavit’s ‘Baluarte’

‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’ — Mark Twain

“Eye of the Tiger” to play off the sound system dramati-cally to complete the presen-tation. There’s nothing of the sort though. For the moment, you forget the controversy he was embroiled in, the “Jueteng gate” that helped topple one Philippine presidency years ago as you explore his lair, or come to think of it, perhaps this is just one among others. After all, a really smart tiger in a jun-gle full of foes, must have two strongholds at least, one public and another one, far beyond probing eyes.

Baluarte was still a work in progress about 5 years ago. The concrete, multi-storied turret-like, round, glass-walled struc-ture — a Viganesque version of the Tower of Babel under con-struction at the time, standing on its toes to kiss the skies, is now complete and is part of the attraction for curious tourists.

But the older house itself is interesting, holding insights to the owner’s personality, eccen-tricities, taste and preferences. Its size is unimposing and its proportions just right using the principles of classic bilateral symmetry and wide open spac-es. It’s glass walls allow as much light as it can take. The prin-ciples of feng shui is practiced here, or so it seems. It uses huge mahjong tiles as décor on its wrap-around glass walls while climate controlled air condition-ing keeps the temperature just comfortable. A life size stuffed toy tiger sits draped atop the grand piano.

A multi-gallon aquarium of exotic fish blends unobtrusively, quietly with the surroundings while a stand of black-faced computers line one side. A stack of books on a side table by the sofa on a surprisingly wide range of classical subjects give an insight to the man’s intellec-tual pursuits. Or it can all be for show, depending on your per-suasion and perception of the

man himself. The tiger is a wily creature after all that can size up its quarry with quick accuracy.

There is a sparkling pool, wa-terfall and a gazebo. The water supply and plumbing system must be top grade or all that green sweep of the land would turn to brown crud in the op-pressive tropical heat, not to mention the stink that would reek from the animal droppings, if water were scarce. Everything is neat and clean and odor-free. Credit the man for his intelli-gence and thorough planning. Manicured, velvet green lawns and trim grounds on the basin below where well-fed animals are kept by a bevy of trained keepers, attendants and ground-skeepers attest to that.

A chapel stands just before the approach to the house and grounds itself. You can’t help noting a rich man’s toy— a bright yellow 2-man submarine gathering dust like a fish out of water— splayed hopelessly just beside the cooped up South American alpaca probably won-dering what the heck he is doing in Vigan instead of grazing an Andean mountainside. Ostrich-es strut about chasing a flock of ducks on the grounds.

A “tiger” such as this one with the financial clout and strong and loyal political base can al-ways hold his own jostling and moving with the powers-that-be while surrounding himself with a coterie of armed bodyguards for self-preservation. It takes se-rious money to build, maintain and preserve a place such as Baluarte. To his credit, he shares the place for the public to enjoy as well. Altruism? Perhaps. Ego massage? You decide.

Begone to Vigan. With its old and new facets, it is well worth the trip.

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

SAN FRANCISCO – Diverse consumers feel optimistic about the current US economic out-look, according to the third “How American Buys and Bor-rows” survey by Wells Fargo & Company and Ipsos. Eighty-eight percent of diverse consumers surveyed report having a posi-tive outlook compared to 79 per-cent of the general population - a seven percent increase from last year for diverse consumers. This is the second wave of data Wells Fargo has released as part of its annual support of the American Bankers Association’s Get Smart About Credit campaign.

When asked about personal finances, on average 60 percent of African American, Asian and Hispanic consumers said they expect their financial situation to be “somewhat” or “much” better a year from now, compared to 48 percent of the general popula-tion. The survey, fielded in June 2015, measured attitudes and behaviors about finances and managing credit of more than 1,000 African American, Asian and Hispanic consumers.

“Our vision of helping cus-tomers succeed financially means making sure our cus-tomers know where to go for the information and resources they need to take charge of their credit. That’s why we support

Diverse consumers overwhelmingly optimistic about financial futureWells Fargo survey affirms African American, Asian and Hispanic communities

more hopeful about finances, managing credit than general populationGet Smart About Credit month to ensure we’re highlighting the tools and resources they need to make informed credit choices,” said Shelley Freeman, head of Wells Fargo’s Consumer Credit Solutions group. “With optimism high, it’s especially important that we continue to offer our diverse customers access to the information and resources they need.”

Survey results – diverse com-munities more hopeful than gen-eral population

When looking at diverse com-munities, the findings unveiled that, similar to the general popu-lation, diverse consumers believe that when used wisely, loans and credit can help individuals reach their financial goals. However, diverse communities vary in how proud they are about their own credit scores. Among the gen-eral population, 51 percent of consumers report feeling proud of their credit score, compared to 59 percent of Asians, 34 per-cent of African Americans and 48 percent of Hispanics who report the same.

Though diverse consumers are optimistic, their confidence levels are lower. Fifty-one per-cent of Asians, 46 percent of Afri-can Americans and 53 percent of Hispanics compared report feel-ing they may not know enough

about making good borrowing decisions compared to 58 per-cent of the general population.

10 Tips to get Smarter about credit

Good credit helps with more than borrowing. It can factor into everything from renting an apartment and getting a cell phone, to landing a job. Lenders, landlords, utility providers, and employers can all review credit reports when making decisions. Here are 10 tips to help manage credit:

• Monitor your credit regu-larly

• Know your credit limits• Know that good scores =

good rates• Don’t make late payments • Know your debt-to-income

ratio• Start with a college or se-

cured credit card• Pay down highest interest

rates first• Live within your means• Pay more than the minimum• Set up account and autopay

alerts For more information about

ways to establish or improve credit – or better manage debt – consumers can visit Wells Fargo’s Smarter Credit Center online at and our free financial education program, Hands on Banking. (Advertising Supplement)

EMPLOYMENT

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PSYCHIC

PERSONALFOR SALE

(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 16-22, 2015 CJ�

OCTOBER 16-22, 2015 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150CJ�

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Friday, October 16, 2015

SF2 cover storyThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - October 16, 2015

by Malou liwanag-Bledsoe/AJPress

There’s a saying that goes, “Music gives a soul to the uni-verse, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”

I couldn’t agree more.But with jazz music, some-

thing magical happens. It is a genre that is difficult to define, with its heavy use of improvisa-tion, polyrhythms, syncopation and the swung note; with as-pects of many other genres of music. When it touched parts of the world, it meshed with lo-cal cultures, giving rise to many distinctive styles.

In the United states, jazz has grown into different styles from New Orleans in the early 1910s, to the Kansas City jazz in the 1930s, Gypsy jazz, Bebop and Cool jazz in the 1940s, to free jazz to the 1950s. A lot more styles came out after those eras, and the genre grew into others like Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban jazz.

Through the years, jazz musicians who were put into the spotlight were notably African-Americans, like Louis Armstrong and JJ Johnson. What the public didn’t know that Filipinos were playing it as well. here in Northern Califor-

8th San FranciSco Fil-am Jazz FeStival

Celebrating the Fil-Am heritage in jazz musicHonoring legendary jazz musician Lazaro “Lloyd” Pementil

Pementil with author Robert Danziger

ing, celebrating contributions of Filipino-Americans and all artists to jazz, latin, jazz, blues, r&B, soul and world music.”

“Over the past eight years we have consistently presented world-class artists at the best venues in the sF/Bay Area...venues which have tradition-ally excluded our people of color due to racism or some other reason that has nothing to do with artistry and qual-ity of the music they create,” wrote Myrna Zialcita, Founder and Director of sFFAJF. “By sheer necessity and by thinking ‘outside the box’ we have man-aged to open doors by execut-ing ‘firsts’ in the genre.”

These firsts include pre-senting sFFAJF in 2008 as a nonprofit organization, as well as introducing Fil-Am artists at a Christmas program at Fort Mason’s Officer’s Club.

Another was the presenta-tion of Afro Filipino King of Latin soul, Joe Bataan, who was publicly billed for the first time as an “Afro Filipino” artist during the 2011 sFFAJF in Yoshi’s in san Francisco.

“Pinoy jazz in the United states started in stockton -- a major railroad hub at the time -- that brought jazz musicians from across the country and

from LA and san Francisco,” said Carlos Zialcita, sFFAJF’s Founder and executive Direc-tor. “Pinoy musicians got a chance to see them and be inspired to play the music and join a profession that would take them away from work-ing in the agricultural industry, even if only part time.”

Citing that Pinoy jazz scholars richie Quirino (son of former national historial, the late Carlos Quirino) and Theo Gonzalves both attested to stockton as its origin, he also noted that the “Pinoy Jazz Triangle” was san Francisco, Vallejo and stockton.

Celebrating the life and music of Fil-Am jazz artist Lazaro “Lloyd” Pementil

This year’s celebration will highlight the life and music of Lazaro “Lloyld” Pementil, a Filipino who left the Philip-pines at the age of 17 to work in the sugarcane plantations in hawaii. From hawaii he came to the mainland, worked as a busboy and eventually settled in salinas as a field laborer. sFFAJF will honoring Pementil with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be accepted by one of his daughters.

nia, the annual san Francisco Filipino-American Jazz Festival (sFFAJF) is on its eighth year, and the event lives in its mis-sion of “presenting, preserv-

Lazaro Lloyd Pementil

Pementil (far left) with his band

Performances by:Mon Davidrecognized as one of the

most respected singers in the Philippines, as well as a remark-able songwriter and musician. he was the drummer and vocal coach of the country’s most enduring pop icons – the Apo hiking society for seven years until he decided to pursue a solo career. In 2006, David won the London International Jazz Vocal Competition, besting 106 other contestants from 27 countries. he was soon signed by the UK-based Candid label to record My One and Only Love. Mon shares with the whole world his unique aristry and his philosophy that music that comes from the heart can indeed heal, build, inspire and unite.

Evelyn & Miguel Juteau Miguel is a music composer

and guitarist of French-spanish descent, he started his musical career in France, performing in the pop, flamenco, and Latin jazz genres. After recording a couple of his own compositions in his early 20s, he moved to Granada, spain to study flamenco guitar. he later fell in love with Brazilian music, a passion he has nurtured ever since. Vocalist, composer, and arranger evelyn Juteau, started her singing career in her native Cebu, working with many leading jazz bands and perform-ing with Miguel in Barcelona and Paris. In 1998, the couple exchanged marriage vows in France and started performing as a duo in Paris and later, in Manila in hotels. The following

Celebrate the 8th Annual san Francisco Fil-Am Jazz Festival

October 24, 6pm, I-HotelManilatown Center

868 Kearny Street, San Francisco

year, Miguel and evelyn formed the Aquarela band, which means “watercolor” in Portuguese. The group quickly defined itself as the most genuine representative of Brazilian music in the local entertainment scene. In 2007 Miguel and evelyn, with Aquare-la, released their first album, Bossa Nova Affair, distributed by Universal records. Changes is Aquarela’s second album featur-ing mostly original compositions from Miguel and evelyn. This highly talented and entertaining couple are now based in the san Francisco Bay Area and are look-ing forward to continuing their passion in music. They are the winner of the Best World Bossa Award at the 22nd AWIT Awards in 2009 for Usahay by Juanito Angos and were also nominated the same year for their original Tagalog composition, Boracay with lyrics by Mon David.

Tickets are at $40 (general) and $35 (seniors). For tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com and/or www.sFPinoyJazzFest.com.

Mon David

Evelyn & Miguel JuteauContinued on Page SF4

SF3featuresThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE – October 16, 2015

By MoNET Lu

San FranciSco

AS many would say, “Beauty comes in many forms.” From someone coming from the aes-thetics department, I know this by heart. It is the very core of my project, “The Beautiful Life Celebration,”which celebrates the beauty in life. Whether it is through one’s beautiful career, passion and even womanhood. Today, it is my honor to tell the story of our 2015 Beautiful Life Celebration’s Woman of the Year, Ms. Olivia Quido.

My earliest recollection of Olivia Quido-Co (most com-monly known to her clients and friends as “Ms. O”) is when I met her in 2003 at a conven-tion in LA. She was in her booth when I approached her and asked if I can feature her in one of my shows. She was still start-ing out as an esthetician.

Back then, she was just renting out a small space for her skincare business. Now, they have successfully branched out into two outlets, one in Cerritos and the other in Eagle Rock—talk about hard work and determination. Yet, aside from Ms. O’s impressive work ethics, she has passion and an

Ms. Olivia Quido-Co: ‘Beauty’ in the Life of a Beauty Expert

astounding faith that “can move mountains.” When she told me about her plans, I instantly believed with all my heart that this woman is going to make it. I know when a person is dead serious and determined to fulfill her passion.

One important quality that stands out in Ms. O is her faith in Christ. She is a born-again Christian who lives out her faith and strives to “do the will of God.” She says that her life verses include: Malachi 3:10, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test… if I will not open the windows of heaven for

you…” Another one is Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the King-dom of God… and all these things will be added to you.”

Olivia and her family goes to Shepherd of the Hills for Sunday Service. I love that I can always come to her for advice. She has the wisest words to calm my fears and worries. When I was going through a lot in my life, she was there for me. She is, for me, a living testimony of what a Woman of God is like.

Before her success in the skin care business she started out as a regular employee. After finishing her course in Cosmetology (with focus on

Myx TV GM Miguel Santos makes list of CableFax’s ‘Most Influential Minorities in Cable’

LOS ANGELES—For the second year in a row, Miguel Santos, general manager of Myx TV, the only English-language multicultural Asian American entertainment network in the US, has been named among CableFax The Magazine’s prestigious “The Most Influential Minorities in Cable”. Santos is the only ex-ecutive from all Asian and Asian American networks operating in the United States who is included in the list.

CableFax: The Magazine is published four times a year, written with the same zest and vigor readers have come to expect from CableFAX Daily. The Magazine serves to honor and recognize leaders and leading programs in the cable industry. Readers can see who the top performers are in the marketplace and keep up with the latest strategies and programs that drive revenue and keep the market moving forward.

According to the write-up: “Santos oversees the Asian American network’s (Myx TV) strategy, programming, produc-tion, marketing, ad sales and business development, with the goal of elevating the narratives of one of the most under-represented minority groups in media. With Santos at the helm, the net launched on Time Warner Cable in southern Cali-fornia last November. He also upped the net’s digital offerings

and launched four new origi-nal programs. Santos defines diversity as ‘something beyond physical manifestation of race or gender - it’s about every-thing that makes us human such as our beliefs, personalities, and experiences.’”

Santos evolved Myx TV, a channel owned and operated by ABS-CBN International - a subsidiary of the world’s largest Filipino multimedia conglom-erate, ABS-CBN Corporation - from a linear, music-based channel into the award-winning, multi-platform entertainment network that it is today. To complement the cable channel, which is available through pro-viders such as Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Bright House and DIRECTV, Santos has expanded distribution to include the AVOD app on Roku, Samsung Smart TV and Blu Ray, Sony Bravia and Blu-Ray.

With its diverse program-ming line-up, Myx TV has transitioned from its early start within the Asian-American youth community into a prolific, mainstream media brand. The network successfully launched several new original series, including the docu-series, “I’m Asian American and...;” the cooking competition, “Eat Your Words” and the costume-de-sign competition, “Call to Co-splay.” New for the 2015 slate is the “I’m Asian American and…” spinoff, “The Doll Life” and original YouTube programming,

including: “Buddha Smash,” “Snaxxx” and “The Alternative.”

In addition to its unique blend of original content and domestic/international acquisi-tions, under Santos’ vision, Myx TV also produces concerts and music videos for independent music artists. Santos has helped the network become one of the first American cable networks to air Korean pop (K-Pop) music videos in the US.

Santos has also lead Myx TV in various philanthropic endeav-ors, helping the network join the ranks of highly prestigious enter-tainment companies to become an official partner of Got Your 6, a nonprofit campaign working with Hollywood to empower veterans and foster understand-ing between military and civilian communities.

Miguel Santos, general manager of Myx TV

director Arami Ullon.Nominations for the 88th

Academy Awards will be an-nounced on Jan. 14 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, and the hardware handed out Feb. 29 at the Dolby Theater in Hol-lywood.

Last year, Polish film Ida won the Oscar best foreign language film award. Among the notable entries for the 2016 foreign language Oscar are Spain’s Flowers, Sweden’s A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Re-flecting on Existence, Poland’s 11 Minutes, Switzerland’s Iraqi Odyssey, Taiwan’s The Assas-sin, Uruguay’s A Moonless Night, Afghanistan’s Utopia, Canada’s Felix and Meira, Czech Republic’s Home Care, Colombia’s Embrace of the Serpent, China’s Go Away Mr. Tumor and Argentina’s The Clan.

The Academy picks nomi-nees for the foreign language Oscar from submissions from individual countries, which can only put forward one candi-date each year. (Philstar.com)

Philippines enters ‘Heneral Luna’ in oscars

MANILA—Historical ac-tion biopic Heneral Luna has been officially selected as the Philippines’ entry to the 88th Academy Awards.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Heneral Luna has completed all the requirements to qualify for the Oscar foreign film cat-egory.

Heneral Luna, which stars John Arcilla, tells the story of Antonio Luna, a patriotic general who led the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the

Philippine-American war.The film opens with the

hostilities between US coloniz-ers and Filipinos and culmi-nates in the brutal assassina-tion of Luna on June 5, 1899 – an era in which Luna served as the supreme chief of the army under the first Philippine republic.

A total of 81 countries have submitted their of-ficial entries for the foreign language film Oscar race. Paraguay is the only first timer, with its entry Cloudy Times by

Continued on Page SF4

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SF4 celebrityworldThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - October 16, 2015

celebrity worldBy Ferdie Villar

Showbiz personalities runningin the 2016 Philippine elections

SAN FRANCISCO—AARP was proud to sponsor the Fili-pino American History Month Celebration last Sunday at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco for the second consecutive year. More than 2,800 attendees celebrated the Bay Area’s vibrant Fili-pino American community. AARP Community Ambas-sador (Ret.) Major General Tony Taguba was the keynote speaker at the opening cer-emony and called attention to the challenges of family caregiving.

After his elderly parents became ill, Gen. Taguba and his siblings were ill-prepared to care for them. Faced with tough decisions about their declining health and dwin-dling finances, they managed

to care for them the best they could. To help others, Gen. Taguba became an AARP Community Ambassa-dor to advocate for caregiv-ers and their families.

“It’s a topic we don’t openly discuss, but fam-ily caregiving is a national public health issue that af-fects 44 million households in the country,” said Gen. Taguba. “Families must have the difficult, but necessary conversation about the needs of family members and start planning how to cope with day-to-day decisions required to care for loved ones.”

Visit aarp.org/caregiving to find resources, connect with experts and other caregivers, and get more information.

*Advertising Supplement

Maj. Gen. Tony Taguba callsattention to family caregiving during

Filipino American History Month

AARP Community Ambassador (Ret.) Maj. Gen. Tony Taguba at the Filipino American History Month Celebration at the Asian Art Museum on October 4 in San Francisco.

AARP Community Ambassador (Ret.) Maj. Gen. Tony Taguba addresses the audience at the opening ceremony of the Filipino American History Month Celebration at the Asian Art Museum on October 4 in San Francisco.

The opening ceremony of the Filipino American History Month Celebration at the Asian Art Museum on October 4 in San Francisco. Photo credit by Jon Rendell

From Page SF3

Ms. Olivia Quido-Co...skincare) she worked at a spa in Monterey Park. After realizing that her meager income just won’t cut it, she decided to open up her own business. She rented a small room inside Lody Styling Center in Artesia. The owner, Lody Garcia maybe saw what I see in Ms. O, that she became one of the people who helped Ms. O build her brand and network. Lody stands as Ms. O’s second mom.

Right now, Ms. O owns and operates O Skin Care+Spa (Medical Spa). It is a complete medical service facility that specializes on a wide a range of skin treatment, from facials to 3D eyebrow sculpting and stem cell rejuvenation, among others. She also has TV beauty seg-ment in “Adobo Nation” called, “Beauty by Ms. O.” It is fea-tured every Sunday at 6:45pm

through Kapamilya TFC. When I asked Olivia to talk

about the beautiful life she lives, she said, “Everyday is a day to give thanks to the Lord for the beautiful life he has given me through the years. I have nothing else to ask Him because I honestly believe that He has blessed me with every-thing – and even more. I love being able to help others look beautiful, but most importantly, I love the opportunity to show God’s love and share His Word to my clients. As Matthew 4:19 says, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ – This is what I long to do for the rest of my life. A life of worship to God is for me is the most beau-tiful life anyone could live”

Olivia is married to her equally talented husband, Ja-son Co, whom she considers an “engineer trapped in a financial

advisor’s body.” She says her husband handles and operates their spa machines. He is very supportive and a great father to their three beautiful children namely, Faith (6), Timothy (4), and twins, Toby and Julia, who are turning 1 this October 23.

To my friend who knows a lot about Beauty, thank you for showing us what real beauty is like.

***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

THERE is no doubt that being in the entertainment industry has its advantages. A star’s popularity makes him or her a household name, and name recall is one of the ways of winning an election.

A lot of artists have suc-cessfully ventured into poli-tics like former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada, Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, Leyte Representative Lucy Tor-res-Gomez, former Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. and his son, Sen. Bong Revilla, and former Rizal Vice Governor Jestoni Alarcon to name a few.

Next year’s elections is no different as a number of stars have filed their Certifi-cate of Candidacy (COC) last

Tuesday, October 13. Among them are:

• Edu Manzano, running for senator, independent can-didate - Aside from serving as Vice Mayor of Makati City from 1998 to 2001, the actor/TV host also became the Op-tical Media Board Chairman (OMB) from 2004 to 2009.

• Ronnie Rickettes, run-ning as representative of Muntinlupa, United National-ist Alliance (UNA) - Action star Ronnie is also currently the OMB Chairman since 2009.

• Vandolph Quizon, for councilor in Paranaque - A newbie in politics, the son of the late Comedy King Dolphy and actress Alma Moreno said that he is ready to face this new step in his life.

• The former Viva Hot Babes member Andrea del Rosario, for vice mayor in Calatagan, Batangas.

• Actor and singer Lance Raymundo is running as coun-cilor for San Juan City, along with former comedian Inday Garutay.

According to the Commis-sion of Elections (COMELEC), the filing of COCs will be open until Friday, October 16, for those running in the 2016 elections, from President down to Local Government posts. We will see who else from showbiz will try to meet the deadline.

***Our heartfelt sympathy

goes out to the family of singer, actress and comedi-

enne, Elizabeth Ramsey, who passed away last October 8 at the age of 83. Her daughter, Soul Diva Jaya, confirmed her mother’s death in a Facebook post.

“Mama Beth is now with our Lord...83 years has been full. Love and laughter, she has given not just our fam-ily but the whole nation. Thank you for your love and prayers and I rejoice because she passe[d] in her sleep. In peace. In God’s loving arms. Bye mama, until we meet again. I love you forever.

Actor/TV host Edu Manzano is one of the celebri-ties who filed their candidacy for next year’s Philip-pine elections. Edu, who also served as vice mayor in Makati City before, is running for senator.

Current Optical Media Board Chairman and action star Ronnie Ricketts is running as representative in Muntinlupa for next year’s elections.

Vandolph Quizon, son of the late Comedy King Dolphy with actress Alma Moreno, is running for councilor in Paranaque City.

Former beauty queen and fashion model Marilen Bernardo is now connected with pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson where she can utilize her molecular, cellular and developmental biology degree.

Singer/comedienne Elizabeth Ramsey, also known as the Philippines’ Queen of Rock and Roll, passed away last October 8 at the age of 83.

Asia’s Queen of Songs Pilita Corrales is shown with Antioch community leaders Mercedes Johnson, Vangie Perez and Angela Julao after her successful show held last Friday, October 9, at the Creative Arts Theatre in Pittsburg.

Mila J. Claro from Sacramento and Gloria P. Sebastian from Honolulu, Hawaii are among the candidates for Mrs. Bangui International 2016 to be presented during the 3rd year anniversary of the Sons & Daugh-ters of Bangui International on October 24 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Burlingame.

Bangui, Ilocos Norte Mayor Diosdado I. Garvida will be the guest speaker during the 3rd year anniversary of the Sons & Daughters of Bangui International on October 24 to be held at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Burlingame.

Pementil’s story is included in the book and film, The Sounds of the Filipino American Experience - the Bradenburg 300 Project written by Robert Danziger, which was shown at the Filipino American Experi-ence exhibit at the National Steinbeck Center in 2012.

Danziger writes about Pementil’s daughter, Mrs. Burnette Riley, during her talk about her father.

“She (Riley) mentioned that her father hired out as a musician when he was not do-ing labor in the fields around Salinas. The short-handed hoe was his instrument in the fields. Once home, he would play gui-tar, violin, double bass, ukulele or mandolin -- anything with strings on it. Lloyd and his wife Edna (Janke) Pementil ‘loved’

From Page SF2

Celebrating the Fil-Am heritage...singing along with Gene Autry whenever they heard him sing on the radio.’”

In fact, Danziger wrote that Riley remembers her parents loved singing along with Gene Autry -- one his biggest hits then was the song You Are My Sunshine -- and how the memory still gives her a warm feeling just thinking about it.

“Lloyd Pementil was a farm worker who would work a 12-hour shift, then come back from the labor camp, take a long shower, and come out wearing a three-piece suit, fedora and two-tone shoes. He would gather the children and play music for them until bedtime. Then he would take his own beloved children and sing them to sleep, playing You Are My Sunshine.”

Adding that Pementil was

self-taught, he and his four-piece band learned songs by going to cafes and places with juke boxes, using their own money to feed the machines with nickels until they learned a particular song.

“He didn’t have the re-sources of an Albert Einstein, or the voice of Martin Luther King, but in doing everything you can to make this world a better place, he was every bit their equal,” Danziger wrote.

Pementil passed away in 2012 in Salinas at the age of 103.

*Many thanks to Carlos Zial-cita, Myrna Zialcita and Robert Danziger.

**All photos of Lazaro “Lloyd” Pementil (cover and in-side) courtesy of Mrs. Burnette Riley and Robert Danziger, Bradenburg 300 Project.

entered show business after winning a singing contest in the noontime show Student Canteen in 1958.

Ramsey’s last appearance was on ABS-CBN’s hit celeb-rity competition, Your Face Sounds Familiar on May 10. The total performer that she was, she delighted the audi-ence with her electric version

of Tina Turner’s Proud Mary.“Ang inaasahan ko ngay-

ong gabi ay ang bayad ko,” she jokingly quipped that sent the audience into laugh-ter. “Biruin mo mag-guest ka pa eh 83 ka na. Pag 83 ka na humihingal ka na eh.”

In August, Ramsey was reportedly hospitalized after suffering from a stroke.

Thank you Jesus,” Jaya wrote.Born in December 3, 1931,

Ramsey has been regarded as the Philippines’ Queen of Rock and Roll, and the Original Queen of Comedy, with her trademark Visayan accent and raspy voice. She

SF5The Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - October 16, 2015

The Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - October 16, 2015SF6

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