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L O S A N G E L E S

MM I D W E E K

E D I T I O N w w w . a s i a n j o u r n a l . c o m

1210 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91204

w w w . a j d i g i t a l e d i t i o n . c o m

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DATELINEUSAFROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

December 26-29, 2015

Volume 25 - No. 101 • 4 Sections – 36 Pages

LOS ANGELES – Less than a week before Christmas, Khanly and Ana Saycon prayed and lit candles Saturday night, Dec. 19 in the parking lot of an arcade in Long Beach where their son was shot dead by the Long Beach police a few days earlier.

Mharloun Saycon, a 39-year-old Car-son resident who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was fatally shot while sitting inside Looff’s Casino Game of Skill in Long Beach Monday night, Dec. 14.

Police said he was wielding a knife and

Vigil held for mentally ill Fil-Am shot dead by police

MANILA – Filipino boxing super-star Manny Pacquiao on Wednes-day, Dec. 23 hailed Pia Wurtzbach for winning the mother of all beau-ty pageants and bringing back to the Philippines the Miss Universe crown.

Pacquiao said regardless of the controversy surrounding last Sun-day’s coronation night in Las Vegas, Wurtzbach delivered on her prom-ise to make the country proud.

Wurtzbach ended a long 42-year

Manny o�ers April �ght to Pia

AUTHORITIES are stepping up security measures at this year’s Rose Parade and Rose Bowl, following the recent terrorist shooting attack in San Bernardino which rattled the Southern California region.

“Recent mass shootings in San Bernardi-no and Paris will have law enforcement on heightened alert during the events that annu-ally draw hundreds of thousands of specta-tors into the city…events at home and abroad have put added attention on the safety efforts at the annual Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game,” Steve Mermell, the city of Pasadena

Heightened security for Rose Parade and Rose Bowl following SoCal attack FOLLOWING the heated controversy sur-

rounding this year’s Miss Universe pageant competition, many people are taking sides as to who they really support for the presti-gious crown.

After show host Steve Harvey mistak-enly announced on live television that Miss

MISS INFORMATION MIX-UP

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach apologizes

by ALLYSON ESCOBARAJPress

by ABAC CORDEROPhilstar.com

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Philippines �rst in Asia to approve dengue vaccine

by AGNES CONSTANTEAJPress

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THE Philippines on Tuesday, Dec. 22, approved the sale of the world’s first dengue vaccine, marking the first Asian country to do so.

In clinical tests conducted on 40,000 people from 15 countries, the vaccine, Dengvaxia, was found to immu-nize 66 percent of people aged 9 and older, and reduce the risk of hospitalization by 80 percent.

“It’s a major step in the prevention of dengue and for public health,” said Oliver Charmeil, president and chief executive of Sanofi Pasteur, in a statement.

Every year, up to 400 million people across the globe are infected with the mosquito-borne disease in more than 100 countries where it is endemic; two-thirds of these cases are in Asia, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In its deadliest form, it kills 22,000

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FIVE commissioners of the Com-mission on Elections (Comelec) have consistently voted to favor the petitions disqualifying presidential aspirant and Sen. Grace Poe.

On both motions for reconsideration filed by Poe’s camp, the five commis-sioners—Al Parreno, Luie Tito Guia, Ar-thur Lim, Rowena Guanzon and Sheriff

Abas—ruled to uphold the earlier deci-sions of the first and second divisions canceling Poe’s certificate of candida-cy, saying she has not been a resident of the Philippines for the past 10 years and she is not a natural-born Filipino.

“The majority, five commissioners in both cases, voted that there was delib-erate attempt to mislead the electorate. The decision in the first division states that both—her statement that she is a natural-born citizen and that she had

10-year residency—are false and she intended and attempted to mislead the electorate,” Guanzon told the press on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

The commissioner said majority of the Comelec’s seven commissioners believed Poe should know the law as a legislator.

“The respondent knew that she was adopted and not natural-born and yet, being a legislator, a lawmaker, she is expected to know the law and to follow

it. In residency, the resolution states that she could not have started her do-micile in the Philippines in May 2005 because at the time, she was just a for-eign visitor temporarily staying in the country,” she said.

Elamparo caseOnly six commissioners voted on the

motion for reconsideration on the peti-tion filed by lawyer Estrella Elamparo as Commissioner Christian Robert Lim inhibited.

In the Elamparo petition, five com-missioners believed Poe failed to sat-isfy the 10-year residency requirement while Commissioner Guia dissented. On the issue of natural-born citizenship, all six commissioners said Poe was not a natural-born Filipino.

On the issue of whether or not there was an attempt by Poe to mislead the electorate on her residency and citizen-ship, four commissioners concurred.

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by ARIES JOSEPH HEGINAInquirer.net

MANILA – Vice President Je-jomar Binay has regained his lead in the latest survey on presi-dential candidates conducted by Pulse Asia.

The non-commissioned poll, conducted from Dec. 4 to 11, found 33 percent of 1,200 re-spondents want Binay, the Unit-ed Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard-bearer, as president.

Binay’s rating jumped by 19 percent from the 14 percent he garnered in the Pulse Asia survey in September.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Grace Poe, with

Binay back at the top; Duterte, Poe tied for 2nd

by HELEN FLORESPhilstar.com

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

On granting the petition, five commissioners voted in favor of canceling Poe’s COC while Com-elec Chair Andres Bautista dis-sented.

Consolidated petitionFive commissioners also voted

to cancel Poe’s COC based on the consolidated petition of former University of the East College of

Law dean Amado Valdez, De La Salle University professor Anto-nio Contreras and former Sen. Kit Tatad.

On the issue of residency, Guia and Christian Robert Lim dissented while Bautista, Arthur Lim, Abas, Guanzon and Parreno believed Poe failed to satisfy the 10-year residency requirement.

All seven commissioners be-

lieved Poe was not a natural-born Filipino.

Meanwhile, Guia, Bautista and Christian Robert Lim said Poe did not attempt to mislead the public regarding her residency and her being a natural-born Fili-pino. They were outvoted by four commissioners.

Five commissioners voted to grant the consolidated petition.

Guanzon said Poe’s camp did not present any new arguments or new jurisprudence which could have helped the commis-sioners to overturn their previous decisions.

No outside influenceMeanwhile, Guanzon denied

any outside influence or political pressure in upholding the dis-qualification cases against Poe.

“We are here because we are constitutional commissioners. We should uphold and protect the Constitution; that is our duty. Our duty is to ensure that the true will of the electorate pre-vails,” she said.

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23 and 21 percent, respectively, were statistically tied at second place.

Duterte, who filed his certifi-cate of candidacy (COC) for pres-ident under the Partido ng De-mokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan on Nov. 27, got a seven-

point increase in his rating from 16 percent in September.

Poe suffered a five-point drop in her rating from 26 percent.

Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas took the fourth slot with 17 percent, down from 20 percent in September.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-San-

tiago was in fifth place with four percent, up from three percent in September.

Most favoredDuterte was the most favored

presidential candidate in Mind-anao, obtaining 43 percent voter preference.

In Metro Manila, Binay, Duterte and Poe shared the top spot, obtaining 30 percent, 27 percent and 21 percent, respec-tively.

In the rest of Luzon, Binay with 34 percent and Poe with 29 per-cent were the leading presiden-tial bets.

Binay was also the top choice among Visayans with 34 percent and Roxas, 27 percent.

Binay was the top choice of those in Classes D and E at 30 percent and 42 percent, respec-tively.

Duterte, Roxas, Binay and Poe with voter preferences of 28 per-cent, 22 percent, 20 percent and 19 percent, respectively, were leading in Class ABC.

The survey has an error mar-gin of plus or minus two percent-age points at the 95 percent con-fidence level.

Pulse Asia research director Ana Maria Tabunda said the rul-ing of the First and Second Divi-sions of the Commission on Elec-tions cancelling the COC of Poe for failing to meet the citizenship and residency requirements of presidential candidates affected Poe’s rating.

“Some respondents thought she has been disqualified. Others may be unsure she can still run,” Tabunda said in a text message

Binay back at the top; Duterte, Poe…t

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Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez Arévalo was the winner, only to backtrack moments later to proclaim Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach as the true Miss Universe, crowds including the beauty pageant contestants themselves were both shocked and enraged.

“I will take full responsibility for this. It was my mistake. It was on the card,” Harvey immediately said live on TV, flashing the card onscreen as the show’s credits began to roll. “Horrible mistake, but the right thing. I could show it to you right here. Please don’t hold it against the ladies…it was still a great night.”

Harvey has since apologized for the incident, but not without negative feedback.

“Harvey should pay a fine of $100,000, to Miss Colombia and to the Miss Universe [Wurtz-bach],” said former Miss Uni-verse Philippines, Gloria Diaz, in an interview with TV Patrol. Diaz won the title in 1969.

Entertainment Tonight report-ed that Harvey, 58, will likely be returning to the Miss Universe stage to host the pageant “for at least three years, possibly even as many as six or seven,” the source revealed, pending the fi-nalized contract.

Media agency WME/IMG said that the crowning mix-up was a result of Harvey being unable to practice the ending of the show, when the voting results are an-nounced, and did not attend the full dress rehearsal before the live taping. The agency has also said they “really love” Steve Har-vey, and have no doubts about bringing him back to host.

“Again it was an honest mis-take. I don’t want to take away from this amazing night and pag-eant. As well as the wonderful contestants. They were all amaz-ing,” Harvey later tweeted.

But Pia Wurtzbach, the 26-year-old half Filipino, half Ger-man actress, model, and now Miss Universe titleholder handled the heat with style and grace.

“Wow, what an honor it is to represent our country in the most prestigious pageant ever,” she said on Instagram.

The day after her big win, the pageant queen posted a stun-ning photo with her crown and sash, with the caption: “42 years of drought and now it finally reigns. Mabuhay! Maraming sal-amat po sa inyong lahat!”

She also took the time to apol-ogize to Miss Colombia for the mix-up, saying she initially “had mixed emotions,” because “I re-ally wanted to win, but felt sad for Miss Colombia.”

However, Wurtzbach knows everything happens for a reason. She later posted a picture of her prayer devotional with the cap-tion, “Everything makes sense now. In God’s perfect timing.”

We’re trying to fix everything, and I’m trying to explain to ev-eryone. I hope that I didn’t upset anybody, like the Latino commu-nity, and especially the fans of Miss Columbia,” Wurtzbach said in an post-show interview posted on TMZ.

Keeping the best interests of the Philippines in mind, she spoke out to viewers worldwide, “I’m the voice of Miss Universe now, and I’d like to send my apologies for any confusion that happened. I hope this doesn’t af-

fect your relationship with Miss Universe, and of course your re-lationship with the Filipino com-munity as well.”

“Pia brought her A-game, was competitive, and she deserved it”

Hollywood gossip blogger Per-ez Hilton, who served as one of the judges in the 2015 Miss Uni-verse, broke his silence on the polemic pageant.

Perez said that he refused in-terviews so that he would be able to talk about the contest in his podcast hosted on his own web-site, reported Inquirer. In the podcast, he compared Wurtz-bach with first runner-up Ari-adna Gutierrez Arévalo, saying that the Filipina delegate truly deserved the title.

“Miss Colombia was the most beautiful contestant, but I don’t think she deserves to win the title, and she didn’t win the title for a variety of reasons,” Hilton told his co-host Chris Booker on the show.

“Here’s the difference be-tween Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia. Miss Philippines came to win. Miss Colombia came to lose. Colombia came there as if she had already won. And that’s sexy also and intoxicating, that confidence. But I think that she came there thinking she would really win. Whereas Miss Phil-ippines came with something to prove,” he further said.

Hilton explained that although Arévalo, who was stunning in the evening gown competition, was considered as among the front-runners, it was Wurtzbach who surprised him during the com-petition.

“She really surprised me. I wasn’t expecting her to be fierce

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach…

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drought for the Philippines. The last Filipina to be hailed as Miss Universe was Margie Moran-Floirendo in 1973 after Gloria Diaz won it in 1969.

Pacquiao cited Wurtzbach for keeping her composure amid the controversy and then being magnanimous in victory after the crown was taken back from the Colombian contestant.

“Courage is grace under pres-sure – this is what Pia showed in the middle of the confusion and controversy that marked her coronation as the new Miss Uni-verse,” Pacquiao told Philboxing.com.

The 37-year-old boxing super-

star recalled that after his defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May, Wurtzbach made a promise to make up for Pacquiao’s loss.

“Remember when I lost to Floyd last May, she made a promise to all of us Filipinos that she will avenge that defeat come the Miss Universe pageant, which she has just fulfilled,” said Pacquiao.

“Ipinangako niya yun at tinu-pad niya. Ang masabi ko lang ay tatandaan ko ang mga yun (She promised and she fulfilled it. All I can say is that I will remember that) which I intend to use as in-spiration and motivation for me in my next fight,” added Pac-quiao.

He said Wurtzbach’s victory will inspire him in his next fight.

Pacquiao vowed to return the favor.

“Kung kaya nga’t ipinangan-gako ko rin sa kanya na iniaalay ko sa kanya at sa mga kababayan natin ang susunod kong laban at pipilitin ko ring ipanalo alang-al-ang sa bayan. (That’s why I also promise to dedicate my next fight to her and to my countrymen and that I will do my best to win),” said Pacquiao.

The eight-division world champion has yet to name his opponent for what’s being billed as his farewell fight on April 9 in Las Vegas. (With Dino Maragay/Philstar.com)

Manny o�ers April �ght to…t

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to The Star.Chiz tops VP raceSen. Francis Escudero contin-

ued to be the top choice for vice president, garnering a 29 percent voter preference.

Escudero’s rating increased by six points from 23 percent in September.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took the second spot with 23 percent, up from 13 points in September.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo got 18 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

UNA vice presidential can-didate Sen. Gregorio Honasan obtained nine percent. Honasan was not included in the Pulse Asia’s September 2015 electoral survey as he only announced his

intention to run for vice presi-dent during the filing of COCs last October.

Independent vice presidential candidate Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s rating stayed at four per-cent.

Metro Manila residents and those in the rest of Luzon were most supportive of the vice presi-dential bids of Escudero (30 per-cent and 33 percent, respective-ly) and Marcos (28 percent and 26 percent, respectively).

In the Visayas, the leading candidates for vice president were Escudero, 27 percent; Ro-bredo, 21 percent and Cayetano, 18 percent).

Most of the respondents from Mindanao were inclined to elect Duterte’s running mate Cayetano with 27 percent; Escudero, 21 percent and Marcos, 19 percent.

In Class ABC, the top choices for vice president are Escudero (26 percent), Marcos (20 per-cent), Robredo (18 percent), Cay-etano (17 percent) and Honasan (11 percent).

Those in Class D are most likely to vote for Escudero (29 percent) while those in Class E are most supportive of the vice presidential bids of Escudero and Marcos, 29 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

WelcomeBinay welcomed the results of

the survey. “Surveys, as I often tell my supporters, are snapshots of our people’s sentiment at a given time,” he said, adding that the most important survey is on Election Day.

Binay said Filipinos continue to trust him despite the efforts of

Binay back at the top; Duterte, Poe…t

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and fabulous,” the Hollywood-based entertainment blogger said.

The outspoken Hilton called out Gutierrez for her snarky at-titude during the question and answer portion.

“I don’t know if the people at home could see this [on TV,] but Miss Colombia was being straight-out diva-bitch rude to her translator…she was giving the most awful side-eye, throw-ing major shade because Co-lombia was not happy with the pace or the way the translator was translating,” he said, of Guti-errez’s attitude. “It was a major turnoff.”

“It wasn’t just that [Arévalo] didn’t give the best answer. And it wasn’t just that she came across not just me, but several of the other judges as bitchy and arrogant. It was that Miss Philip-pines gave a better answer,” the judge added.

When asked by Harvey why she should win the competition, Wurtzbach answered, “To be a Miss Universe is both an honor and a responsibility. If I were to be Miss Universe, I will use my voice to influence the youth and I will raise awareness to certain causes like HIV awareness that is timely and relevant to my coun-try, which is the Philippines. I want to show the world, the uni-verse, rather, that I am confident-ly beautiful, with a heart.”

Hilton said he was impressed by Wurtzbach’s performance in both

question and answer portions.“It was the second time that

Pia gave a great answer, actu-ally a better answer, and by that point, I felt like wow, she really brought her A-game, was super competitive, but also, she de-served it. To me, there’s a real beauty, and grace, and elegance in Pia. She is Miss Universe.”

Hilton also compared Arévalo to her doppelgänger and fellow Colombian actress, Sofia Ver-gara.

“Miss Colombia, you’re Sofia Vergara. You’re not Miss Uni-verse. You look so much like Sofia Vergara. It’s spooky how much she looks like Sofia Vergara,” he said, lightheartedly. “Miss Philip-pines is perfect for being a Miss Universe, but I think that Colom-bia can go on like Sofia Vergara and be a crossover success in the US, and be a Spanish-language personality or, if her language improves, an English-language personality.”

“Whereas this other girl [Pia], she was just being herself and not trying to emulate anybody else. I felt like she earned it and won it fair and square,” he said.

Aside from Hilton, the other judges in the pageant were for-mer Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo, actress-comedian Niecy Nash, and former American football player Emmitt Smith. The audience worldwide and the 77 eliminated contestants from other countries were also asked to vote during different segments of the competition.

Hilton said the judges’ votes were “unanimous.”

The media personality closed the podcast by saying that amid the gaffe and controvery it had caused, it was important to know that the Philippine delegate won the competition “fair and square.”

“It’s important to know that Miss Philippines won it fair and square. All of the judges thought so. She deserved to win. It’s not just a physical beauty contest,” he said.

After several reports that Arévalo, who was de-crowned on stage by last year’s winner (and fellow Colombian) Paulina Vega, has been unable to let go of the crown, the 21-year-old model posted an Instagram photo thanking her fans for their “support and strength.”

“I am the most fortunate and thankful for having the support not only from one country but from the whole entire world…I was able to bring happiness to my country after becoming Miss Universe for only a couple of minutes,” she wrote on Dec. 22. “Today because of that, Colom-bia and the LATIN COMMUNITY are being talked about in every corner of the world.”

Arévalo also acknowledged Wurtzbach and the Philippines for the win, saying “the happi-ness you must be feeling must be incredible.”

“Life continues and in the fu-ture we will find out why things happen the way they happen,” she finished. ■

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach…t

people annually, the organization says.

Dengue was previously con-sidered a disease of the tropics and was formerly endemic in only nine countries. However, phenomenons like globalization and urbanization are facilitating its spread into more temperate zones.

There is no known cure for the disease and the WHO says more than half of the world’s population is potentially at risk. Symptoms of the disease include fever, and muscle and joint pain.

The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration approved Dengvaxia for the prevention of

Philippines �rst in Asia to…dengue caused by all four types in individuals between the ages of 9 to 45 who reside in endemic areas.

Dengvaxia is manufactured by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi. Research and develop-ment for the vaccine took 20 years and cost more than €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion), according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Several million doses of Dengvaxia are ready to ship, and annual production is expected to hit 100 million doses by 2017, according to Sanofi experts, AFP reported.

The drug was first approved in Mexico and is being reviewed by about 20 countries in Asia and Latin America. ■

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She said the claim of Poe’s camp that the cases would be decided faster if the Comelec de-cided to consolidate the petitions was unfounded.

“We did not consolidate be-cause these were cases filed separately and were raffled to

t different divisions. You cannot say that if all these cases were consolidated, it would have been resolved faster. I don’t think so,” Guanzon said.

In the end, the commissioner said it was best for the parties to present their case before the Su-preme Court.

“I was saying it at the en banc, that we should decide on this a week ago. It is best for the par-ties to just go to the Supreme

Court. But, some commissioners were not ready with their sepa-rate opinions,” Guanzon said.

“We would like to assure the public that the commission has done its duty. Since the Su-preme Court is the final arbiter, it is best for the parties to go to the Supreme Court so that is-sue can be resolved with finality and certainty because the people have a right to choose their next leader.” ■

SEAFOOD CITY 1

his opponents to destroy his and his family’s name.

He said he expects his oppo-nents to continue their demoli-tion campaign against him as elections draw near.

AffectedPoe and Escudero admitted

the disqualification cases she is facing have affected her ranking in surveys.

“The disqualification cases thrown my way have created confusion among the people,” Poe said.

She expressed hope she could overcome the difficulties she is facing and prove that she is qual-ified to run for president.

“I will hurdle this and prove that I am a qualified and legiti-mate Filipino candidate. Sen. Grace Poe is still your candidate for president in 2016,” she said.

She said she regards surveys as a guide to “work harder, reach out to more people and get across my platform of governance, where no one is left behind.”

Escudero said he remains posi-tive Poe would bounce back once the SC rules in her favor.

UnfazedRoxas was unfazed by the lat-

est Pulse Asia survey, saying the most important survey is during the Election Day.

“We have seen things are still volatile. Last month, Grace was on top. Last week, it was Duterte. Now it’s Binay. Maybe next time, I will be the frontrunner,” Roxas said.

He said what is important is he has a clean record, a clear platform on where to bring the country. “I’ll just continue my campaign,” he said. (With Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, Au-rea Calica)

Binay back at the top…t

SAN FRANCISCO – Police in Middletown, New Jersey, re-ported that a 22-year-old Filipi-no resident is missing has been missing since Sunday, Decem-ber 13, after he was last seen at 1:30 a.m. at his home on Ken-tucky Avenue.

A massive search was launched Sunday near Natco Lake to try and find John Fer-nandez, 22, but there was no sign of him, police said.

Fernandez is described as 5’10 with a thin build and black hair. He may be wearing a dark gray leather jacket with a gray fabric hood and black high top “Heely” sneakers with wheels similar to a roller skate, accord-ing to a report by the Middle-town Patch. His Facebook page says he studies accounting a Se-ton Hall University.

Divers were called in from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Of-fice Underwater Search team to search the lake and police dogs were also used in the search. ATV units and the sheriff’s de-partment helicopter combed the wooded area, but there was no

Police searching for Fil-Am missing near New Jersey lake

sign of Fernandez,Anyone with information is

asked to call Detective Kelly God-ley of the Middletown Police De-partment at (732) 615-2120. ■

40% drop in proportion of Calif. kids with no health coveragePALO ALTO, California —

More California children than ever have health coverage. Be-tween 2010 and 2014, the es-timated percentage of children who were uninsured in California fell to 5 percent, a 40 percent drop , according to the most re-cent data available on Kidsdata and collected by the American Community Survey.

The shift, which represents an estimated 350,000 more children who now have insurance cover-age, is largely due to the imple-mentation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

California’s downward trend

mirrors national trends. Across the country, the rate of uninsur-ance fell to 6 percent, a 25 per-cent drop, during the same time period.

Still, with nearly 500,000 chil-dren in the state lacking cover-age, many gaps remain. An es-timated 11 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native children, for example, were uninsured in 2014—double the percentage for all children and higher than all other racial/ethnic groups.

Immigrant children, especially those with undocumented par-ents or those who are themselves

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Assistant City Manager told the Los Angeles Times.

“However, each and every year, the city of Pasadena, work-ing closely with its partners, the Tournament of Roses and federal, state and local law enforcement undertake significant efforts to ensure public safety,” he said.

Though officials have stressed that they have not received any threats targeting the annual event, the city said on Tuesday, Dec. 22 that “enhanced secu-rity measures” would be in effect along the Pasadena parade route and at the Rose Bowl Stadium on January 1, the first day of the new year.

The Rose Bowl stadium, with a capacity of 92,542, is the 12th largest stadium in the US. The 102nd game will match two of the top college football teams in the Big Ten and Pac-12 con-ferences, the Iowa Hawkeyes against Stanford Cardinal.

The 127th Tournament of Roses Parade, an annual tradi-tion dating to over 100 years old, has a regular attendance of over 700,000 people from across the US and worldwide.

In a news conference with re-porters Tuesday, officials said there would be more security cameras along the route, with cameras covering the entire pa-rade route and the game, as well as dozens of trained K-9 dogs to sniff for bombs. They also said the public should expect police officers to be both uniformed and undercover, mixed in with the crowds, along with at least 12 rapid emergency response teams standing at the ready.

Mark Selby, a deputy special agent with Department of Home-land Security Investigations, said that the annual event would re-ceive increased federal resourc-es and funding this time around, meaning “greater access” to the DHS.

“On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, federal personnel will be employing a variety of

explosive-detection methods, as well as at key venues across the city from bomb-sniffing dogs to sophisticated devices that regis-ter even minute amounts of ra-diation,” Selby told the Pasadena Star-News.

“Pasadena’s iconic celebra-tion will receive more federal support than in any year before, after receiving a Special Event Assessment Rating 1, a desig-nation given to the Super Bowl and fewer than 12 other national events each year.”

Both the Rose Parade and game received the SEAR 1 Rating last year, which is determined by how iconic an event is and how many people attend, as well as other world events, according to Selby. DHS and the Pasadena Po-lice Department have increased overall security in response to the radicalized terrorist attack that killed 14 and injured 21, but the bulk of their preparations be-gan much earlier, officials said.

“This is not a Band-Aid to throw on an open wound. This year’s the first year we’ve re-ally increased our footprint,” he added.

Pasadena Police Spokeswom-an Tracey Ibarra also noted the higher rating means the depart-ment, which leads security detail, is more prepared than ever.

“We’ve always had some [fed-eral resources] but now we have much more,” she said. “We are sitting down and having confer-ences and meetings with [the DHS] on a daily basis.”

Residents and visitors should expect more police, extended se-curity measures, and increased technology (automated license plate scanners, advanced de-tection devices) throughout the city.

Law officials urged the public to remain vigilant, be aware of their surroundings, and to report any suspicious packages or activ-ity.

In a statement, the Pasadena Police and fire officials reiter-ated that drones will not be not

allowed at any of the events. The city also prohibits tents, sofas, and scaffolding along the parade route. Umbrellas and selfie sticks are also are not allowed inside the stadium or within the secured grandstand area of the parade. The Rose Bowl Stadium also has a strict “Clear Bag” policy, which specifies the types of bags and purses (clear plastic, small-sized clutches) allowed into the arena.

“Our focus is a strong enforce-ment effort, and to help our foot-ball fans and our parade-goers to enjoy the parade,” said Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez. “Our greatest value are the peo-ple who are going to be on the parade route.”

Fire officials reminded par-ticipants to dress warm, because overnight low temperatures are expected to be in the high 30s, and high temperatures expected in the low 60s on January 1, re-ported MyNewsLA.

A hotline for suspicious activ-ity or persons will be available for attendees at (626) 744- 4241, while those in life-threatening emergencies should directly call 911.

More information is avail-able on the city of Pasadena’s website, www.cityofpasadena.net. (Allyson Escobar / AJPress)

Heightened security for Rose Parade…t

threatening customers. He dis-regarded “verbal commands to drop the knife,” according to Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) Sgt. Brad Johnson.

The officers tried a “less-lethal electronic control device and ba-ton, and neither less-lethal force was effective,” Johnson said.

One of the witnesses, Pat Don-ovan, told the Inquirer Saycon was sitting in a chair and fiddling with a knife “and not attacking anybody” when the police en-tered the arcade and ordered him to drop the knife.

“He was holding [the knife] on his lap. It was folded,” said Don-ovan, who added he was about 10 feet away from Saycon. “They didn’t have to shoot him.”

Donovan, a Long Beach resi-dent, joined Saycon’s family and friends who braved the cold and rainy weather to hold a prayer vigil in the arcade’s parking lot Saturday night.

“Mharloun was a really kind person,” Polly Khiv, Saycon’s life coach for the past five years, told the Inquirer. “He wasn’t some-one who would be defiant against authority. I never had any issues with him being confrontational.”

Saycon died at the scene, ac-cording to Los Angeles County Coroner’s Assistant Ed Winter.

Homicide detectives and the LA County District Attorney’s Of-fice are reviewing the video that captured limited portions of the incident, said a release issued by the LBPD. (Nimfa U. Rueda/In-quirer.net)

Vigil held for…t

THERE’S a link between gum disease and breast cancer for middle-aged and older women, according to a new study.

The report, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, found that women with gum dis-ease are 14 percent more likely to develop breast cancer.

Researchers from the Univer-sity of Buffalo in New York ana-lyzed data on about 73,000 post-menopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study who did not have breast cancer.

About 25 percent of partici-pants said they had periodontal disease, a chronic inflammation and infection of the gum tissue around the base of the teeth. The condition is linked to stroke, dia-betes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

About six-and-a-half years af-ter the study began, scientists followed up with the women and found that more than 2,100 had been diagnosed with breast can-cer.

Previous studies have found that the effects of periodon-

Gum disease linked to breast cancer, study �ndsby AGNES CONSTANTE

AJPress

tal disease vary depending on whether an individual smokes, a factor researchers accounted for in the study.

“We know that the bacteria in the mouths of current and for-mer smokers who quit recently are different from those in the mouths of non-smoker,” said lead author Jo Freudenheim, distinguished professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Profes-sions, according to Reuters.

The risk increase for develop-ing breast cancer was most no-ticeable in women who smoked cigarettes or had quit within the last 20 years and had gum dis-ease: they were found to have a 36 percent higher risk of the cancer.

“We don’t know if it’s casual, we need to keep that in mind,” Freudenheim said.

Women who smoked had a 32 percent higher chance of de-veloping the cancer if they had periodontal disease, although the association was not statisti-cally significant; those who never smoked or had stopped more than 20 years ago had a 6 and 8 percent risk, respectively, if they

had gum disease.“It could be that periodontal

disease means there’s kind of a general inflammation in the body,” Freudenheim said. “In-flammation is related to a num-ber of cancers and strokes and heart diseases, so it could be that chronic inflammation is causing both.”

Scientists also suggested that bacteria from gum disease may enter the body’s circulation and affect breast tissue. However, the report said more research is re-quired to confirm a causal link.

Gerard Linden, a professor of periodontology at the Center for Public Health at Queen’s Uni-versity Belfast in Northern Ire-land who was not involved in the study, told Reuters that changes in sex hormone levels due to menopause may have an effect on how breast tissues respond to a stimulus like bacteria.

The study did come with some limitations, including that wom-en self-reported their periodontal disease. Furthermore, it involved women already enrolled in a long-term health survey and were more likely to be more health-conscious than others, as well as more likely to be getting regular dental and medical care. ■

undocumented, are at particular risk of being uninsured and with-out regular health care.

Children with health insurance are more likely to receive needed medical care and have improved school performance, and they are less likely to have costly hos-pitalizations.

Providing high-quality, ac-cessible, and affordable health care to children requires com-prehensive insurance coverage for all children; an appropriately trained and compensated pro-vider base, including a sufficient number of subspecialists; paren-tal understanding about what care is needed and how to obtain it; and effective systems of care, including “medical homes.”

Continued, effective imple-mentation of the ACA, including efforts to streamline enrollment and renewal processes, will influ-ence progress in future years. ■

40% drop…t

MANILA – Presidential aspi-rant and Davao City Mayor Ro-drigo Duterte wants a total ban on firecrackers nationwide if he wins in 2016.

Duterte to ban �recrackers nationwideA city ordinance in Davao, in

place for 14 years, bans the pos-session, sale and use of firecrack-ers and pyrotechnic materials.

He said everyone’s safety dur-

ing the holidays is of prime con-cern, as he noted that the ban in Davao has resulted in “zero inju-ries” in the city.

Duterte said the true spirit of Christmas is the birth of the baby Jesus and babies are not sup-posed to be disturbed from their sleep by such a noisy tradition.

“Ssssttt… silence. There should be silence. Silent night because Jesus is born. And if you use firecrackers, the baby will cry… do you want Jesus to cry? So it should be silent,” he said.

“There can be no compro-mise for firecrackers and pyro-technical materials. I want them banned even on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and all year round,” Duterte said.

He also wants a ban on the fir-ing of guns during the holidays, particularly on New Year’s Eve.

“What goes up must come down… you know that if you are firing your gun in areas where there is a lot of habitation there is always that possibility of kill-ing a human being,” the mayor pointed out.

He said violators should expe-u

By Janet Napolitano

Editor’s note: This column is one in a series written by University of California President Janet Napolitano as part of a partnership with New America Media, whose members include this publication.

Many young people aspire to be a University of California student but assume they won’t qualify or can’t afford to attend.

I want to address both issues and let you know our doors are open. We are aiming to enroll more California students than ever before, and now students hoping to transfer from a California community college to a UC campus in fall 2016 have a little more time: The deadline to apply for admission has been extended to January 4.

What can I do to make sure I’m prepared?UC wants to see that transfer students have

a strong foundation in their chosen major and in essential courses like English and math. We look at all the community college courses you’ve taken to see which ones count toward admis-sion and your major – and that you’ve earned strong grades. We have guidelines for what you’re required to complete to be competitive for admission to different campuses and majors. You may be closer than you think, so don’t rule yourself out.

We give California community college stu-dents first priority over other transfer applicants, and many UC campuses offer guaranteed admission for well-prepared transfer students. Find out more about transfer admissions at: http://ucal.us/transferbasics.

How do I apply?You can use one application to apply to one

or more of the UC campuses. You will increase your chances of being admitted if you apply to more than one campus at http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/apply-online/.

How can I afford to attend?More than half of our undergraduates pay

no tuition at all. If your family makes less than $80,000 a year, our Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan ensures that your systemwide tuition and fees are covered.

Over two-thirds of UC undergraduates receive grants and scholarships, averaging $16,300.

Financial aid is available to California resi-dents, and the California Dream Act provides aid for undocumented students.

You should apply for financial aid even if you don’t think you will qualify. It’s the only way to be considered for every type of aid possible, regardless of your family income level. You have to complete the Free Application for Federal

Student Aid (FAFSA) to be eligible.What you discover may surprise you. There

are forms of assistance to help families with a range of incomes, ranging from work-study or part-time employment to loans. Half of our students graduate with no debt. Those who do graduate with an average debt of $20,000, which is less than the price of the average car (and, unlike cars, UC degrees don’t depreciate the minute you drive off the lot!).

What are my chances of being admitted?Gaining admission to UC is very competitive.

Nonetheless, if you are a California resident attending a California community college and meet all the requirements, you will be offered admission to a UC campus, but not necessarily at your campus of first choice.

About 85 percent of UC undergraduates are California residents. A total of 41 percent are the first generation in their family to attend college, and 42 percent come from low-income families.

The University of California is eager to wel-come you to the UC family.

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Fatal crash on Las Vegas Strip leaves dozens injured Hit-and-run suspect was honored for turning her life around

LAKEISHA Holloway, the 24-year-old woman accused of de-liberately driving onto a packed sidewalk several times through a crowd of pedestrians along the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, Dec. 20, was publicly honored for turning her life around from homelessness to a government job.

“Boy, have I come a long ways,” Holloway says in a 2012 video by the Portland Opportu-nities Industrialization Center, which helps at-risk youth with education and career train-ing, according to CNN. “I was a scared little girl who knew that there was more to life outside of crime, drug addiction, lower in-come, alcoholism, being under-educated--all of which I grew up being familiar with.”

Everything changed on the night of Dec. 20, when police reported a fatal incident on Las Vegas Boulevard, steps away from the Planet Hollywood Re-sort & Casino where the 2015 Miss Universe pageant was tak-ing place before a live audience. The crash left one person dead, identified as 32-year-old Jessica Valenzuela. Dozens (at least 35 people) were reported injured, with multiple persons in critical condition.

“The videos obviously show intention,” said Nevada Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo in a press conference on Dec. 21. Vid-eos from bystanders show Hollo-way driving her 1996 Oldsmobile sedan into the sidewalk, smash-ing into pedestrians, some of whom fought back by jumping onto the car. Holloway drove off from the scene and parked at a nearby hotel, the Tuscany Suites and Casino, before speaking with the valet/a security officer, ad-mitting what she had done and telling them to call the police.

A 3-year-old toddler was dis-covered in the back seat, appar-ently Holloway’s daughter. The child was in good condition and is now under the care of child services, Lombardo said.

Metro Police Deputy Chief Brett Zimmerman denied ini-tial reports that suggested the involvement of gunshots. “The preliminary investigation indi-

cates [Holloway] jumped the curb just south of Paris Hotel, striking numerous pedestrians, before continuing north on Las Vegas Boulevard. The vehicle hit pedestrians in two separate locations—just before Paris and then in front of Paris,” Zimmer-man said.

Holloway will be charged with

by ALLYSON ESCOBARAJPress

murder with a deadly weapon (her car) and other charges re-lated to the incident, which oc-curred at 6:38 pm on Sunday evening, reported USA Today. She also faces charges of leaving the scene of the accident, as well as child abuse or neglect.

Charges could be filed as early u

as Tuesday [Dec. 22], said Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson. Holloway is being held without bail at Clark County De-tention Center.

In the arrest report, Holloway said she lived in Oregon and had been visiting Las Vegas for about a week, apparently living out of her car and parking it at garages throughout the city. After her arrest, Holloway told police she was in a “stressful period” that day, “where she was trying to rest/sleep inside her vehicle with her daughter, but kept getting run off by security of the proper-ties she stopped at.”

“She ended up on the Strip, ‘a place she did not want to be,’” the report quotes Holloway as say-ing. “She would not explain why she drove onto the sidewalk but remembered a body bounding off her windshield, breaking it.”

“We are treating this as an in-tentional act,” said Metro Police homicide Lt. Dan McGrath, ac-cording to the Las Vegas Sun. Lombardo said Monday that he did not believe the incident was terrorism-related, but the depart-ment is “still working through it. We are not 100 percent ruling out the possibility of terrorism.”

Investigators said Holloway had run out of money and that she and her daughter had been living in the car. They believed she was headed to Dallas to find her daughter’s father after they had a falling out.

However, a family representa-

tive said that Holloway was not homeless, had a job, and came from a loving family. The repre-sentative declined to comment on what could have prompted the incident.

Holloway’s cousin, LaShay Hardaway, described her as “an overachiever” and “a hard-driven young mother” who spent long hours designing clothes and do-ing her best to support her young daughter, reported LA Times. “She’s never been homeless.”

“She was such a great kid while she was a part of our pro-gram,” said a youth employment staff member at Portland OIC, the non-profit that honored Hol-loway just years before.

Antonio Nassar told the Sun he had just walked out of Planet Hollywood when he saw the car roar onto the sidewalk, careen-ing into pedestrians. It also brief-ly dragged a young boy, he said. “By the time I looked over to the right, all you could see was [her] driving away, and people were bouncing off the front of the car,” Nassar said.

The sound of the car hitting people was like “watermelons falling on the sidewalk,” he add-ed. “It was chaotic. I was running down the street saying, ‘Move! Move! Get out of the way!’”

Another bystander, Justin Co-chrane, said he and two other people had just sat down for din-ner when the car began speeding onto the sidewalk.

“It was mayhem and it was very intentional,” Cochran told

CNN. “People were flying. It was a sound I will never forget. It (the car) wasn’t hitting cars, it was hitting people. I’m shaken still.”

Clark County Fire Department spokesman Jeff Buchanan said six victims were transported to Sunrise Hospital & Medical Cen-ter and University Medical Cen-ter in critical condition. At 11:15 pm, authorities listed those six in stable condition. Victims also were sent to Spring Valley Hos-pital, according to Metro Police. Four victims were treated and released, including members of Oregon’s Pacific University wrestling team, who were in Las Vegas for a tournament.

The case eerily mirrored a fa-tal incident from ten years ago, when the driver of a stolen car deliberately plowed into pedes-trians on the Strip, killing three people and injuring a dozen oth-ers. Stephen Ressa of Rialto, Cal-ifornia, pleaded guilty but men-tally ill and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In her video from 2012, Hol-loway said she was homeless in high school and nearly failing all her classes. Through the help of the Portland non-profit program, she graduated with a B+ average, went on to college and started working with the United States Forest Service.

“Today, I am not the same scared girl I used to be,” she says in the video. “I’m a mature young woman who has broken many generational cycle(s) that those before me hadn’t.” ■

Fatal crash on Las Vegas Strip…t

SAN FRANCISCO–Two Fili-pino ship officers were indicted by the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, Dec. 15 for illegally discharging oily waste into US waters earlier this year.

A federal grand jury in Green-ville, North Carolina, returned the nine-count indictment against the

US Justice Dept. indicts 2 Filipinos for illegal waste dumpingmen, chief engineer Rustico Yabut Ignacio and second engineer Cas-sius Flores Samson, according to a report by Splash247.com.

Two Filipino ship officers of the Greek-owned Ocean Hope were indicted for illegally dump-ing oily waste in US waters.

The two officers stand accused

of using a “magic pipe” to cir-cumvent pollution prevention equipment. They allegedly in-fluenced other crewmen aboard Greek-owned cargo ship Ocean Hope to go along with the decep-tion, fake relevant log entries and lie to US Coast Guard (USCG) in-vestigators about the incidents.

SEVERE weather is not unusual during the holiday season in the US, but 2015 is proving to be warmer, wetter, and windier. The Northeast experienced humid, spring-like temperatures on Christ-mas Eve, while several states in the South were hit by large gusts of wind and tornadoes. Flash flood alerts, tornado watches and warnings were issued in at least nine states, with around 45 million people in the Northeast, South, and Midwest who were possibly affected. Temperatures were ex-pected to run some 30-40 degrees above normal, and dozens of cities were likely to experience their warmest Christmas weekend on record, breaking records this month to well above average, thanks to strong El Niño patterns. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and all over the West Coast, temperatures were slightly chillier, with winter rains providing fresh snow in the Rockies and the northern Sierra Mountains.

A TEXAS grand jury has decided not to indict anyone relating to the death of Sandra Bland, the African-American woman who was found dead in her jail cell in July, three days after being arrested for allegedly failing to use her turn signal. The case raised questions of excessive police force on ra-cial minorities. “After reviewing all the evidence in the death of Sandra Bland, a Waller County grand jury did not return an indictment in the death of Bland, nor were any indictments returned against any employee of the Waller County Jail,” said prosecutor Darrell Jordan, after the grand jury met for more than eight hours on Dec. 21. No evidence of murder was found. However, the jury will recon-vene in January to consider whether to indict people on other unsaid charges in connection with the case, Jordan said. No Waller County Jail employee would be charged. Bland was 28-years-old.

STATE Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and the California Department of Consumer Affairs announced Tuesday, Dec. 22 that providers who log in with secure Web browsers will be using the new version of the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System, known as CURES 2.0, starting on Jan 8. The technology will allow healthcare providers to use a faster, more secure database aimed at combating drug abuse. The system is designed to prevent overdoses and illegal sales of prescrip-tion drugs, and helps guard against patients receiving narcotics from different physicians or taking harmful combinations of drugs. CURES database allows providers to review a patient’s medication history before prescribing new drugs. Over 5.5 million such requests have been processed so far in 2015 alone. “This innovative prescription drug database ensures that California continues to lead the fight against our country’s prescription drug abuse epidemic,” Harris said.

LOS ANGELES Airport travelers--you can get a Lyft home now. On Wednesday, Dec. 23, Lyft became the first ride-sharing service to pick up passengers at LAX. Los Angeles City Hall officials announced that the app-based service, which allows travelers to request rides on their smartphone, will be a major improvement for city travel, including traffic gridlock and pricey parking rates. The permit negotiations (made well before Lyft’s larger rival, Uber) will amount to the biggest change to ground transportation options at LAX since shared-ride vans in the 1980s.

rience detention in the country’s jails, which are mostly congested and dirty.

Support for steel industryDuterte also vowed to devel-

op the country’s steel industry, eventually providing jobs to thou-sands of unemployed Filipinos, if elected president in 2016.

Duterte believes the country’s

Duterte to ban �recrackers…industrialization, just like any other developing country in Asia and first-world Japan and South Korea, would hinge on having its own steel industry.

“In any country that has progress, there has to be indus-trialization. To create jobs, we must create factories [and] we have to build industry. We have to realize our long dream of

having our own steel industry,” Duterte said in a radio interview with dzRJ, the media partner of The Star.

Comparing the Philippines to its neighbors, Duterte claimed other Asian countries have been progressive because they have their own steel industry, which uses raw materials from the Phil-ippines. (Philstar.com)

t

MANILA – With a new chief at the helm, the Presidential Com-mission on Good Government (PCGG) this year made sure the public would never forget the lavish lifestyle and excesses of the family of the late dictator Fer-dinand Marcos.

In November, the PCGG, along with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Office of the Presi-dent, reopened the high security vault of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to retrieve and pre-pare for auctioning three jewelry collections of former first lady Imelda Marcos.

Rival auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s held a weeklong appraisal of the collections, composed of over 760 pieces of jewelry and other luxury items confiscated by the government following the EDSA People Pow-er revolt in 1986.

Initially valued in 1991 at around $6 million to $8 million, the total worth of the collections – which also include designer bags and wristwatches – is ex-pected to significantly increase due to the inclusion of previously overlooked jewels and higher val-uation of the jewelry. Final valua-tion has yet to be announced.

Discovered during the apprais-al, which was opened to the me-

PCGG prepares to auction Imelda jewelrydia on two separate occasions, was a rare 25-carat, briolette-cut pink diamond that may have been owned by a mogul emperor.

Appraisers, which noted the rarity of pink diamonds, initially valued it at $5 million. The jewel was previously overlooked as it was only identified as one of the “loose jewels” in the so-called Hawaii Collection.

Under the custody of PCGG, the Hawaii Collection is com-posed of around 300 pieces of jewelry seized from the Marco-ses by the US Customs in 1986.

The Roumeliotes Collection, composed of only around 60 pieces of jewelry but is deemed as the most valuable among the three, was seized from alleged Marcos associate Demetriou Roumeliotes as he tried to smug-gle it out of the country.

It was later forfeited in favor of the BOC as the attempt to smug-gle the jewelry was a violation of the Tariff and Customs Code.

Also being assessed of its val-ue is the Malacañang Collection composed of over 400 pieces of luxury jewelry and other items left at Malacañang after the Peo-ple Power uprising.

The Sandiganbayan declared in 2014 that the collection was part of the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses. The ruling is currently being appealed by the former first lady before the Supreme Court.

“This will significantly open the way for determining a final resolution on the said assets, in-cluding the possible auction of the same,” PCGG chairman Rich-ard Amurao said, referring to the appraisal process.

An online petition, however, is asking the PCGG not to auction the jewelry pieces and instead just have them displayed at the National Museum.

Lost paintingsThe PCGG announced plans to

seek public support for its search for missing works of masters that were reportedly part of the vast art collection of the Marcos fam-ily.

Based on the Missing Art Movement website, http://miss-ingart.ph, the missing paintings bought by the Marcoses allegedly using people’s money were those by Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Pi-casso, Monet and Michelangelo.

In 2014, the Sandiganbayan is-sued a writ of attachment order-ing the confiscation of some 140 paintings from the Marcoses.

Included in the list of paintings were masterpieces such as the “LaBaignade Au Grand Temps” by Pierre Bonnard, “Madonna and Child” by Michelangelo Buonarroti, “Vase of Red Chry-santhemums” by Bernard Buf-fet, “Still Life with Idol” by Paul Gauguin, “Portrait of the Mar-

DATELINE PHILIPPINES

u

by JANVIC MATEOPhilstar.com

Escudero con�dent Poe will regain poll standing once Supreme Court rules on disquali�cation cases

VICE presidential bet and Senator Francis “Chiz’ Escudero is confident that Senator Grace Poe will regain her lead in the presidential surveys once the Su-preme Court (SC) rules against the disqualification cases filed against her.

Escudero, running mate of Poe, said it could not be denied that the decisions of the Com-mission on Elections’ First and Second Divisions to disqualify her have affected Poe’s standing in the surveys.

“Dawalang bagay, una talgang mag ti-taper off naman yung mga survey habang papalapit ang elec-tion dahil unti-unting nagde-deci-sion ang ating mga kababayan,” he said, reacting to the latest Pulse Asia survey which showed Vice President Jejomar Binay as the voters’ top choice for president if

elections were be held today.(Two things, first, survey [re-

sults] will eventually taper off as election day draws near because the people are slowly deciding on their choices.)

“Pangalawa, hindi rin natin maipagkakaila na nakaapekto yung dalawang disqualification orders ng Comelec’s First at Comelec’s Second Division na hopefully, pag pumabor kay Sen-ator Grace ang Korte Suprema mababawi din naman yun,” Es-cudero said.

(Second, the impact of the two disqualification orders of the Comelec First and Second Divi-sion cannot be disputed, and hopefully, the Supreme Court fa-vors Senator Grace [Poe] so that the effect would be recovered.)

The two divisions of Comelec have already decided to disquali-fy Poe for allegedly making false statements about her period of residency in the country and her

status as a natural-born Filipino but the lady senator appealed the decision at the Comelec en banc.

But Escudero pointed out that only the SC can disqualify a can-didate.

Aside from four disqualifica-tion cases at the Comelec, an-other petition seeking to unseat Poe as senator over her citizen-ship has also been pending at the high tribunal.

Escudero hopes that the SC would come up with a decision on all the cases against Poe before the May 2016 elections. He also expressed confidence that the high tribunal, based on its juris-prudence or previous decisions, would favor the lady senator.

“Uulitin ko, Korte Suprema la-mang ang pwdeng mag-disqualify sa isang kandidado. Hindi ang Comelec, hindi ang SET [Sen-ate Electoral Tribunal] o ang iba pang mga bodies na nagpapasya o nagde-decision,” he further said. ■

by MAILA AGER Inquirer.net

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OPINION FEATURES

AS in previous years, Congress passed the General Appropriations Act for 2016 before the current year ended. President Aquino signed the GAA into law the other day, correctly pointing out that the annual appropriation has always been passed on time under his watch.

Tracking problem

In the previous administration, Congress was notorious for fail-ing to pass the national budget on time. This meant the automatic reenactment of the old GAA, which opened nu-merous opportunities for fund juggling and mis-use of public funds. It also wreaked havoc on the budget process, wasting the efforts of government agencies in preparing their proposed funding ap-propriations. Combined with the pork barrel and numerous discretionary funds, the GAA offered wide opportunities for corruption.

The Supreme Court has since struck down as unconstitutional the congressional pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund and its cousin that was developed under the Aquino administration – the Disbursement Acceleration Program.

But significant reforms have also been intro-duced in the budget process in the past years. Apart from the timely enactment of the GAA under President Aquino, government agencies are now required to upload online their budgets and ex-penditures for public scrutiny.

There’s one serious problem, however, which must be remedied by any administration that is sin-cere in its campaign for good gov-

ernance and the judicious use of people’s money. Donor governments and organizations have noted that it is nearly impossible to accurately monitor the implementation of state-funded projects and programs in this country, including those that utilize official development assistance. Project codes that are needed for tracking implementation are changed from agency to agency. There is no unique ID for a project or program.

Certain members of the donor community have remarked that the situation gives credence to the observation of former senator Panfilo Lacson that much of the GAA is in fact one big pork barrel, with officials of implementing agencies enjoying wide discretion in fund utilization.

Addressing the problem does not require a constitutional amendment. President Aquino, with his avowed commitment to the straight path, has several months left to remedy this problem. (Philstar.com)

Guest Editorial

“CAN you by worrying about yourself, change the person you re-ally are? Does your anxious thought help to pay bills, does it make your work succeed, does it reap the harvest or fill the barn? You are a spiritual being, and your life is lived from within out. Relax and let go, and let life fulfill itself in you and as you.” -- Eric Butterworth, “Discover the Power Within You: A Guide to the Unexplored Depths Within”, 1989.

Have you seen folks flock to greet their former pastor? Well, I did! Fr. Rodel was described by one of his former parishioners, Noel, as a magnet, a glue of some sorts who unified the parishioners of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

For me, Fr. Rodel is a visionary pastor, whose holiness is reflected in moral alignment: his faith-based demeanor fueled by positive enthusiasm, openness to cultures, joy and a deep sense of empathy and love for all peoples. He empathizes with Latinos, speaks their language and immerses in their cultures. He does the same with Filipinos and Jews.

On night two of Simbang Gabi, he was invited to be the principal celebrant, and he concelebrated it with Fr. Alex Aclan, Fr. Paolo del Carmen, while Brother Josh Diener helped out.

Fr. Rodel’s homily was both in English and Ta-galog, his desire to address the English-speakers in the parish, as well as those who spoke Tagalog.

He started a conversation with a grandma, a lola, in Tagalog. He asked her where she is from to which she said, Davao. He answered, “Ah, Duterte’s province.” Then, she asked him the same question, and he answered, “Pampanga.” “Ah, so related to Gloria Macapagal.” Then, she asked “what is your surname?” Fr. Rodel answered, “Balagtas.” “Do you know the pastor Balagtas who was always fundraising to the point that he was labeled -- ‘mukhang-pera?” Then, she said, “Ang ganda-ganda po ng simbahan.” (The church is really a beautiful structure). Now, Fr. Rodel fes-sed up - “Ako po iyon.” She is surprised, “How come you are now bald?” He says, “Di bale po, gwapo pa rin.” (Still handsome). The parishioners all laughed.

That was enough to wake us all up, some half-sleep. This was 5 am mass in East Hollywood and the parking lots were full with no spaces to spare, even for the former pastor. (In the past, visiting priests had reserved parking spots). Heavy rain and cold wind were not enough to deter any of

these parishioners from com-ing.

“We read about Jesus’s ge-nealogy, the bloodline of his ancestors. Why did we read about this,” he asked?

It was written to prove to folks then that Jesus is the Messiah, the true one who came from the lineage of Da-

vid and Abraham, a necessary, vital family line, during Jesus’ time.

“What else could be the reason,” he asked? He is preaching to a rapt audience who wants to hang onto every word he uttered.

“What are the motives?” He helps us out, “to discover that Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. We need to display the flag of being a Chris-tian nowadays. There are many problems in the world today, but we are after all, siblings and fam-ily members of Jesus Christ, by virtue of water of baptism and the Holy Spirit,” he said.

Then, he asked, “who is watching GMA’s Al-dub?” This is the teleserye that has caught the na-tional imagination of Filipinos in the Philippines, whose one episode attracted over 10,000 in one venue. You remember that one said, “Tamang Pa-nahon, “ he asked. Just like that “tamang pana-hon (appropriate time)” we too need to share and to express to others we are Christians.”

“That story of Jesus is our story, our stories are stories of God,” he had us call to mind what Fr. Randy Odchigue once said in his homily, and Fr. Rodel continues, “We need to discover we are sib-lings, relatives of Jesus Christ, whether we have sharp or flat noses.”

Now, in a collective call for critiques - he asked, “Is this happening? Is this what we are, true Chris-tians? Do we know how to love, do we know how to forgive, do we know how to unite? This is the challenge of every parish, of every community, of every nation. For 12 years, we are together. To me, this parish is special. Kahit magmukha akong pera (even if I am accused as concerned about funds), I hope we became one true family in discovering our faith, the genealogy of Jesus, that we are one in Baptism, we are a family, cultivating this unity amongst all of us.”

He was on a roll and the audience was wrapped up in all his words: “Are we discovering the mercy of God -- that in our brokenness, in our human im-perfections, Jesus became part of us. Tamar - was a prostitute, a deceiver, a liar, she dressed up as a harlot, she wanted to have a child of Judah and she bore twin sons, Perez and Zerah, and she did

that as a result of deception. Rahab, the mother of Boaz by Salmon was another harlot in Jericho. King David was a wife-stealer. He had Uriah, the Hittite, killed to take Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba for himself.”

He continued, “Jesus did not come to a per-fect family, he was born into a lineage of thieves, prostitutes, liars. This is the year of mercy, we are called to “Be Merciful as your Father is,” there’s so much hatred in the world, people destroying each other --- it is the year to be merciful as the Father is. The second discovery is truth, the per-son of Jesus Christ - Raise the flag of Christian-ity. Misericordes sicut pater! It is the right time and the right moment to show that we deserve a good pastor, that we behave as children of God, a family, that God’s mercy is on us and we need to be merciful towards one another. Simbang Gabi is about Emmanuel, God is here.”

Then, he closes with:Simbang Gabi/hindi simbang tabi/hindi simbang

landi/hindi simbang tulog/hindi porma porma lang sa tabi. (Simbang Gabi is not to be on the margins, it is not to flirt, it is not to sleep, it is not to simply put on the veneer).

With that, the congregation erupted in sponta-neous applause. This is a very perceptive and sen-sitive congregation, they show their appreciation quite spontaneously!

With that, the choir gave us their most beautiful singing, as the day before! It was a special day of worship on the second day of the nine-day novena masses, culminating on Dec. 24 at 5am.

P.S. I stumbled onto this Church about seven years ago. Fr. Rodel welcomed me, as he did, my friends. At one time, Simbang Gabi was a mag-net for local press media, consular officials, small business owners, and even Lutherans. Fr. Rodel welcomed all and brought some of his priests/friends from parts of the US and some from the Philippines to give homilies to us during Simbang Gabi. Those were special moments of multicultur-al faith-based solidarity! We all became spiritual members of one family, the family of Jesus Christ!

* * *

The Family of Jesus Christ: A Simbang Gabi homily by Rev. Fr. Rodel Balagtas

PROSY ABARQUEZ-DELACRUZ, J.D.

Rhizomes

DATELINE PHILIPPINES

WHY DO people feel com-pelled to give gifts on Christ-mas? Is it really the thought that counts? Why do some people feel uncomfortable about certain presents? Are Filipinos naturally inclined to give gifts?

Four experts shared their thoughts on the psychology of gift-giving among Filipinos this holiday season.

Filipinos, according to soci-ologist Niño Tobias, have the propensity to be more generous, especially during Christmas.

“We want to make other peo-ple happy,” he said. This trait, which is primarily reflected by our hospitality culture, trickles down to how we celebrate the holiday season, he added.

“Hospitality is a way of shar-ing yourself with other people. We enjoy giving, that’s why Christmas in the Philippines is exaggerated. You see, even the poor will spend just so he can give,” said Tobias, a sociology professor at University of Santo Tomas.

Giving is also a Filipino’s “ex-pression of love,” heightened during Christmas because Fili-pinos are predominantly Catho-lic and believe that they are celebrating the birth of Christ, who was God’s best gift to the world, explained Fr. Carmelo Arada Jr., an official of the Ma-nila Archdiocese’s commission on liturgy.

Arada cited the earliest link between gift-giving and Christ-mas as the birth of Christ in a manger when the Three Wise Men, also known as the Three Kings, gave the Infant Jesus the best gifts they saw fit for a king: frankincense, gold and myrrh.

God’s grace“Christmas gift-giving is spe-

cial for Filipinos,” the priest said. “On other occasions, we call the gifts regalo. But dur-ing the Christmas season, the correct term for gifts becomes aguinaldo, which refers to the imitation of God’s grace. God gives us grace.”

And this divine link explains why Filipinos are “generous gift-givers,” Arada said.

Agreed Cid Terosa, vice dean of the University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics: “Filipinos always aim for the best when they give. Most of the time, they give what their recipi-ents value the most. We tend to

please.”Neuropsychologist Danilo

Tuazon, who believes that hu-man beings are naturally selfish, however explained that even without the spiritual aspect of Christmas, gift-giving has al-ways been one of the five “ex-pressions of emotions.”

The other four are touch, time, service and words of affir-mation.

People in general give gifts because their brain is telling them to share what they have, Tuazon said. “This makes givers feel good about themselves.”

He explained: “Gift-giving is basically an expression of the brain…. To express your love you have to do something about it. Love has its own neuro pres-sure in the brain and no matter what, [love] must come out,” he added.

Ironically, the neuropsycholo-gist said, despite everyone hav-ing emotions, not everyone wants to give or receive gifts.

Form of business“We all have different expres-

sions of emotions,” Tuazon said. “The danger is when you give gifts to someone who does not feel comfortable receiving them. Not that the person is ungrate-ful or unappreciative. It’s just that his or her brain is not wired to understand gifts as a form of love.”

Because that recipient is not comfortable with the gift-giving, “the tendency is for that person to want to reciprocate immedi-ately, or what we call kaliwaan (give and take),” he said.

“The recipient would now feel pressured to give you something back. Primarily because of pres-sure in Filipino society, (he or she) feel that it’s against good manners not to give back. This makes gift-giving not a form of love, but a form of business,” he added.

When a giver refuses to un-derstand the real needs of re-cipients and how they express their emotions, misunderstand-ing may set in, Tuazon said.

The culture of utang na loob (debt of gratitude) also worsens the kaliwaan culture, Arada said. Filipinos tend to give the best gifts to people they are most grateful to, sometimes even when they cannot afford it.

Tuazon confirmed this. “When utang na loob sets in, the re-ceiver thinks: he thought of me so I should think of something for him too. Or else, nakakahiya

(it would be embarrassing). The word hiya (shame or loss of face) is [more] a social pressure than a neuro one.”

Reciprocal approach“That is wrong,” Arada said.

“The concept should be to pay it forward, not to pay someone back.”

For Tobias, such a “recipro-cal” approach could turn what used to be a “divine concept” of gift-giving into something ma-terialistic, consumerist and op-portunistic. The pressure to give something, he said, could slowly become ingrained in Filipino culture.

“There are expectations about those who have the ca-pacity to provide and share. [The thinking becomes] ‘since you are more blessed, you’re supposed to share your bless-ings with other people.’ It’s a pressure among those who are required to give. So rather than lose face, they’d rather stay out of sight,” Tobias said, referring to the common practice among godparents to conveniently be out when their godchildren come calling.

The materialistic approach is evident as well in how parents and engaged couples choose their baptismal and wedding godparents, Tobias noted. Rath-er than choose people who can guide their spiritual growth, couples and parents now choose patrons based on their wealth, popularity and position.

“Why do you need 20 sets of godparents? Why choose your boss as a godparent? I’m not saying it has become a busi-ness, but [choice] has become material-based. The ninong and ninang now feel pressured to give something to their godchil-dren during Christmas,” he said, adding that giving is “both a strong point and a vulnerability among Filipinos.”

Indeed, Tuazon said, as time passes, the purpose behind gift-giving also changes, and has now evolved into a form of “in-vestment.”

Santa Claus, not JesusAmong practical-minded Fili-

pinos, gift-giving has become a strategy to get “better services and more doors opened for bet-ter opportunities, or [a means] to strengthen or maintain good relationships,” he added.

“Now, gift-giving has becomes tainted with politics because of the coming election. Some give

u

MANILA – The amount of agriculture and infrastructure damage caused by Typhoon Nona has ballooned to more than P6 billion, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduc-tion and Management Council (NDRRMC) and regional civil defense reports.

Mimaropa was the region worst hit by the typhoon, sus-taining P2.28 billion in damage, data from the Office of Civil De-

‘Nona’ damage exceeds P6 billionfense Region IV-B showed.

Damaged infrastructure in the region totaled P588.53 million while the amount of agriculture damage hit P1.69 billion.

The amount did not include the cost of damaged lifelines like communication and water facili-ties and power lines in the region, which totaled P292.98 million and damaged private properties which hit P3.16 million.

Eastern Visayas, meanwhile, sustained infrastructure and agriculture damage worth P1.75 billion, according to the

NDRRMC.Central Luzon recorded P1.19

billion worth of damage while the Bicol region sustained P918.79 million. The cost of agriculture and infrastructure damage in Cagayan Valley reached P195.77 million while that of Calabarzon hit P30.47 million.

A total of 246,780 houses were damaged in five regions. The death toll from the typhoon has reached 42 while the num-ber of injured persons reached 24. Four people remain missing as of Wednesday. ■

IT is not true that the infamous terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has training camps in the country, the Philip-pine government said Tuesday, Dec. 22.

“According to National Secu-rity Adviser Secretary Cesar Gar-cia, ‘ISIS has no training camps in the Philippines,” Communica-tions Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a text statement.

He quoted Garcia saying that “ISIS-linked personalities” have

Gov’t denies presence of ISIS training camps in PH despite video

tried to link-up with local jihadist or terrorist groups.

“Some of these ISIS-linked personalities, who are really few in number, have also sought ref-uge in the base areas of these lo-cal terrorist groups,” Garcia told him.

UK-based tabloid MailOnline reported that the Philippines “has become the latest ISIS tar-get for expansion” as it shared a video footage of what is said to be an ISIS training camp in the Philippines.

The video features a man talk-ing in Filipino, encouraging oth-

ers to join the group, and recruits undergoing training. They are shown scaling rope and wooden ladders and practicing with fire-arms.

The report quoted Armed Forces of the Philippines-West-ern Mindanao Command spokes-person Filemon Tan Jr. who at-tributed the video to the group Ansar al-Khalifa.

Ansar al-Khalifa supposedly declared its support for ISIS but MailOnline also quoted AFP spokesperson Colonel Restituto Padilla saying that the group has no proven links with the ISIS. ■

by ALEXIS ROMEROPhilstar.com

by KRISTINE ANGELI SABILLOInquirer.net

The grace behind Filipino gift-givingby AIE BALAGTAS SEE

Philstar.com

SEAFOOD CITYADVERTORIAL

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DATELINE PHILIPPINES

MANILA – Thirteen out of 89 candidates for senator have a statistical chance of winning seats in the May 2016 polls, with Sen. Vicente Sotto III so far lead-ing the race, according to the lat-est survey of Pulse Asia.

Sotto got the support of 67.9 percent of 1,200 registered vot-ers asked in the Pulse Asia poll, taken from Dec. 4 to 11.

Five individuals shared the sec-ond spot: Sen. Ralph Recto (58.9 percent), former senators Panfilo Lacson (58.5 percent), Richard Gordon (57 percent) and Juan Miguel Zubiri (55.9 percent), and Senate President Franklin Drilon (55.1 percent).

Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Mod-ernization Francis Pangilinan obtained 54.5 percent, and was ranked 2nd to 8th places.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III was in 7th to 9th places with 49.8 per-cent, followed by former Justice secretary Leila de Lima at 8th to 9th spots with 46.8 percent.

Ranked 10th to 13th places were Saranggani Rep. Manny Pacquaio (40 percent), Sen. Teo-fisto Guingona III (38.6 percent), Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian (36 percent) and for-mer Akbayan Party List Rep. Risa Hontiveros (35.7 percent).

Former Technology Education and Skills Development Author-ity director general Joel Villan-ueva received 29.4 percent, fol-

De Lima, Pacquiao among 13 strong contenders in senatorial race

lowed by former Metro Manila Development Authority chair-man Francis Tolentino with 23.5 percent, actor Edu Manzano with 22.4 percent and Leyte Rep. Fer-dinand Martin Romualdez with 21.6 percent.

Former Pampanga governor Mark Lapid got 20.9 percent, fol-lowed by Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno with 19.2 percent, ac-tress and Paranaque City coun-cilor Alma Moreno 11.4 percent, former energy secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla 9.6 percent, mi-grant workers advocate Susan Ople eight percent and Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo 6.5 percent.

Only 1.1 percent of Filipino registered voters are not inclined to vote for any of the candidates included in this senatorial elec-

toral survey, while less than one percent either do not know whom to vote for as senator (0.9 per-cent) or refuse to identify their preferred senatorial candidates (0.3 percent), Pulse Asia said.

Pulse Asia said Filipinos are naming an average of nine of their preferred candidates for senator, with most of them al-ready having a complete slate for the Senate (55 percent).

The names of the candidates in the Pulse Asia’s December 2015 electoral survey were based on the COCs submitted to Comelec last Oct. 12 to 16, the pollster said.

Pulse Asia’s nationwide sur-vey has an error margin of plus or minus two percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. ■

by HELEN FLORESPhilstar.com

queza de Sta. Cruz” by Francisco de Goya, “L’Aube” by Joan Miro, “Femme Couche VI (Reclining Woman VI)” by Pablo Picasso and “Jardin de Kew pres de la Serre 1892” by Camille Pissarro.

The National Bureau of Inves-tigation recovered five minor art-works in a raid, but none of the masterpieces.

Replicas recovered from the Marcoses included three copies of the Madonna and Child, 11 works by Paule Gobillard and a Picasso Replica Bass strokes.

PCGG commissioner Andrew de Castro said the website was part of the PCGG’s efforts to in-volve the public in the search for the missing artworks.

New leadershipRichard Roger Amurao and De

Castro are among the new ap-pointees of President Aquino to the PCGG, the agency created in 1986 to run after the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.

In May, Aquino appointed then PCGG chairman Andres Bautista to head the Commission on Elec-tions.

Amurao, then a commissioner, took over the top PCGG post in an acting capacity.

An Ateneo Law and London School of Economics graduate, Amurao was consultant of the Asian Development Bank’s Gov-ernance in Justice Sector Reform Program prior to his appointment to the PCGG.

Former commission secretary Ronald Chua and De Castro were later appointed commissioners, joining Vicente Gengos.

Earlier this year, the PCGG also tried to auction off the 18.5-hect-are Payanig sa Pasig property, which is being claimed by a firm owned by a nephew of former Ilocos Sur congressman Chavit Singson.

The PCGG in July declared a failed bidding of the property after only one interested bidder – Robinsons Land – turned up on bidding day.

The agency said it would study options allowed under privatiza-tion rules such as negotiated sale or rebidding. The property has an initial bid price of P16.45 bil-lion.

In its statement, the PCGG said there had been numerous attempts to stop the bidding, in-cluding “threats” to members of the commission.

Lawyer Dennis Manalo, rep-resenting BLEMP Commercial Philippines headed by Richard Singson, said the agency only

has itself to blame for the failed bidding.

BLEMP said it holds the origi-nal titles to the property and is in actual possession of it since ac-quiring it from Mid-Pasig Land Development Corp. in the 1970s.

But the PCGG maintained that the disputed land is owned by the government as it was sur-rendered by alleged Marcos as-sociate Jose Yao Campos to the commission in 1986.

BLEMP filed a graft case against members of the Privati-

zation Council and former and current officials of the PCGG in connection with the issue.

Also this year, the PCGG fin-ished its full accounting and in-ventory of all known coco levy assets and estimated them to be at P93 billion.

Of the P93 billion, PCGG said there was cash redemption value of P74 billion already declared as public funds that should be exclusively used by the coconut farmers and for the development of the coconut industry. ■

PCGG prepares to auction Imelda…t

because they want to receive something back,” Arada said.

Tobias noted that cultural transmission and cultural impe-rialism had also influenced Fili-pinos to become materialistic. The best proof of this, he said, is that most stores or even Filipino homes have Santa Claus—not Jesus Christ—as a symbol for Christmas.

“[People] used to personally buy gifts to give during Christ-mas. Now, they just give cash,” he noted.

Still, Tobias conceded. “We genuinely give from the heart and pocket. Unlike in First World countries where money is rather easy, Filipinos work

hard for the money so it’s no joke when they decide to give cash,” he said.

Multiplier effectFor Terosa, spending to im-

press is not all bad, especially when since money spent during the holiday season boosts the country’s economy.

“In general, consumption spending is good for the econ-omy. It has a multiplier effect because it also generates pro-duction. People don’t just spend more, people also earn more,” he said.

The good news is that people now have more purchasing pow-er and more choices to choose from. The bad news is, with big-ger demand, “things become a

bit more expensive,” the eco-nomics professor added.

“The biggest consideration is income,” Terosa said. “It’s whether or not you have the amount needed to buy gifts for your loved ones. The main dif-ference is planning. Those with steady income can plan, while those who don’t become impul-sive buyers as soon as the money comes in. The thing is, impulse buying may not be worth your money.”

To give better gifts, Tobias said, “[We] can enhance the present with good values.”

Hopefully, Arada said, Fili-pinos would see that the real meaning of gift-giving as “a mir-ror of God’s generosity.” ■

t

The grace behind Filipino gift…

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SHOWBIZ&STYLEJOURNAL

Pinoy superstar artist to draw Star Wars comicby RICK OLIVARES

Philstar.com

MANILA—The adventures of beloved characters from a galaxy far far away are now being drawn by someone not too far away.

Filipino comic book artist Leinil Yu, who has drawn such high-profile comics such as Civil War and Wolverine for Marvel, Superman: Birthright for DC, and Superior under Icon to name a few, will be working on the Star Wars comic beginning February 2016.

“I think my coming onboard is very timely,” said Yu who was all smiles as fans crowded the Prom-enade Hall in Greenhills for Star Wars Saturday, December 19. “I was supposed to do a Han Solo book then they (Marvel) switched me over to the main Star Wars series. But before I could really begin work on Star Wars, they asked to do the Darth Vader An-nual. Now I didn’t know that the Darth Vader Annual was coming out during the opening week for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ so that made it pretty cool.”

Yu admitted to be an old-time Star Wars fan and the new pencil-ing gig is a dream come true for

him. “Drawing Star Wars is some-thing I said yes to immediately. Why not? Who doesn’t love Star Wars? You’re talking about Han Solo, Darth Vader, the cast and crew that we grew up with in the main book. What is not to like? However, if they asked me to do a Jar Jar Binks mini-series that’s another thing.”

Han Solo, arguably the most popular of the Star Wars charac-ters, is Yu’s favorite. Yet the artist admitted that he hasn’t gotten a full grip on all the characters just yet. “It’s one thing to enjoy them on film as a fan and it’s another

to draw them. I just started work-ing on the characters so I haven’t figured them out. You can say that I am still getting to know the characters better. It usually takes me a couple of issues before I get into the groove of the book I am working on. But so far, I like draw-ing Han and everyone. The cast is so diverse it’s fun for me. It’s also a test to what I can do with this icon of a franchise.”

“It’s being solicited for Febru-ary but I am still working on it. It’s harder because it’s the Christmas season.”

Fans mob ‘AlDub’ pair in �lmfest paradeby ALLAN POLICARPIO

Inquirer.net

AS EXPECTED, the float of the romantic comedy “My Bebe Love” drew a mob of giddy fans, most of them wildly waving banners and holding aloft glossy magazines with the phenomenally popular “AlDub” couple—Kapuso talents Alden Richards and Maine Men-doza—on the cover.

Doing the AlDub signature pa-bebe (cute) wave as if on autopilot, many of the fans screamed their heads off in a desperate attempt to have Richards and Mendoza look their way.

But if the fans circling the love team were composed mostly of women and children, the men

were not too far either.A couple of meters away, male

fans scaled road barriers and hoist-ed camera phones, all the while bellowing “I love you!” at Japanese actress and former adult video star Maria Ozawa, who was atop the float of the movie “Nilalang.”

Welcome to this year’s edi-tion of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which was her-alded by the customary Parade of Stars Wednesday. This year’s 41st MMFF was expected to draw a massive number of spectators to the streets for a chance to get closer to today’s most bankable stars and love teams on top of their movies’ gaily decked floats.

True enough, as early as 11

a.m., two hours before the parade’s scheduled start, throngs had al-ready gathered on Edsa Exten-sion, Diokno Boulevard and Coral Way, and areas near SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, where the floats were parked and given finishing touches.

The eight floats made for very visible advertisements for the Filipino films that would be shown in theaters from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, 2016: “All You Need is Pag-ibig,” “Beauty and the Bestie,” “Buy Now, Die Later,” “Haunted Man-sion,” “#WalangForever,” “Nilal-ang,” “My Bebe Love: #KiligPa-More” and “Honor Thy Father.”

Ignoring the scorching heat,

REVISED_AARP_15_Lacuesta Testimonial_HP_FIL_AJ_final.indd 1 10/23/15 11:17 AM

MOONLIGHTING

by MYLAH DE LEON

2016 wish list

In every wish, there will be glimpses of kind virtues, to encourage and console.

It could be something modest or even mundane, something fantastic or utterly practical. It can take you to the other side of the world or a walk around the corner.

Wishing makes it easier to believe in happiness than pain -- be it from daydreams, fantasies or castles in the air; to aspirations which drive us forward and impel us to make things happen. It can also be from recognizable goals to grand pipe dreams, and every-thing in between.

Looking into our record of wish lists, we realize how they reveal a lot of ourselves. Our wishes come straight from the core -- it is about who we are or who we can become.

A energetic wish list propels us to go after our happiness, whether in doing something generous or something for yourself.

It sets our goals from Janu-ary 1st to our achievements by December 31st.

There’s the wish to accept my life for what it is and to embrace it; live within my limitations;

identify what really is my mis-sion in life.

To experiment with life by mixing ingredients and trying new formulas, accepting that pain and disappointment are parts of life but don’t dimin-ish it.

To acknowledge my weak-ness as I try to lower my life’s expectations.

To stop being judgmental, overcoming all the sorrows life may have in store for me; to stop rudeness when I see it or when I do it.

I wish I could write my novel before I’m 80, and win respect for what I am and not for what I’ve done.

As I try to see through the images of those around me, I’ll concentrate on the substance of their inner quality, conquer and put my faith in reason -- if I could ask God one important question.

I wish I could speak more elo-quently, with my actions more than the intelligence of words.

I wish I could repair one’s broken heart, overcome diffi-culty in a relationship and leave a legacy of good feeling.

I wish I could mind my own business, overcome my impu-dence, know what I can over-look by creating rather than complaining.

I wish for clear judgment before the allure of words, to beat my deadline and not to give

grief to my editor.I wish I could look good with-

out make-up, confront anxiety with grace and humor, and do laughing meditations.

I wish I could not just meet but exceed expectations of people I love.

Your wish list is the accumu-lated profile of your changing views of happiness, your own evolving values and your own fulfillment.

I wish all my wishes could come true -- and be careful of what I wish for.

The New Year was paddled across America in the traditional sounds of noisemakers and fire-works, which mingled with the ringing of the bells and signified merriment, joy and hope.

In Afghanistan, young sol-diers stood in frozen vigil at some lonely shore this New Year. They wished that they, too, could be home and join the New Year revelers.

It is also during the New Year I feel the deepest moments of gratitude for these young men and women, dripping with weapons. I wish they, too, could be home -- sipping cider by the fire.

But if there is something very clear about New Year’s, we can all look on the brighter side and celebrate hope -- the lengthen-ing of each day from this point promises the vital return of spring.

Pinoy superstar artist to draw...

Regarding ’Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ Yu said he loves it. “I love it. I had high expecta-tions because it is JJ Abrams. But I have some reservations as a fan though. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and look forward to watching it again.”

Star Wars Saturday was orga-nized by Filbar’s and the alliance of pop culture stores thoughout Manila.

The Star Wars franchise re-turned to Marvel this 2015 when Disney purchased Lucasfilm Ltd., ending close to two decades run under Dark Horse Comics. It was Marvel that originally published Star Wars concurrent to the original film’s release in May of 1977.

Fans mob ‘AlDub’ pair in �lmfest...the fans—some of whom brought with them their toddlers and in-fants—camped out on surrounding sidewalks. Some hopped from one float to another taking selfies, while others secured a bird’s eye view on

the overpass nearby.Third-tier castWaiting for the parade to start,

some of the stars willingly gave press interviews, including Rich-ards, who had been part of previ-ous MMFF entries, but only as—in

his own words—a “third-tier” cast member. This time, he shares top-billing with Vic Sotto, Ai-Ai de las Alas and Mendoza.

Just as excited “to give joy” to fans was multiawarded actor-di-

Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice, LLCPhilanthropist

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.

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

New rules proposed to improve child care quality, health, and safety

NEW proposed rules to improve child care were announced today by HHS’s Administration for Chil-dren and Families. The proposed rules offer additional guidance on program requirements established in the bipartisan Child Care and De-velopment Block Grant Act of 2014, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in November 2014.

The new law reauthorized the Child Care and Develop-ment Fund program for the first time in 18 years. It also made significant changes to increase the success of children served by the program and their families, including increasing health and safety requirements for child

care programs and providers, making child care financial assis-tance more stable for low-income working parents, improving and expanding information parents have about child care options, and raising the quality of child care. The Notice of Proposed Rulemak-ing published today proposes additional guidance on specific program requirements.

“Last year’s bipartisan pas-sage and signing of the child care law represented an historic re-envisioning of the Child Care and Development Fund program,” said Secretary Burwell. “The law and these proposed rules will protect children by setting new require-ments for background checks and

health and safety training for child care providers.”

The law and proposed rules also require states to invest more in the coming years to improve the quality of care for all children in child care settings.

“Parents deserve to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing their children are in safe care settings with knowledge-able staff,” said Mark Greenberg, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families. “The new background check and training requirements in the law help give them that peace of mind.”

The public is invited to submit comments on these proposed rules. (HHS.gov)

It’s Janella Salvador’s time to shineby DOLLY ANNE CARVAJAL

Inquirer.net

THE time is ripe for OPM (Original Pinoy Music) “Pop Sweetheart” Janella Salvador to achieve full stardom. That’s why Mother Lily and Roselle Monte-verde tapped her to headline Regal Entertainment’s 2015 Metro Ma-nila Film Festival entry, “Haunted Mansion.” It picks up from where the horror trilogy, “Shake, Rattle & Roll,” leaves off.

In the movie, Janella portrays gifted Ella, who sees dead people around her.

The teen sensation is no lon-ger known just as the daughter of artists Juan Miguel Salvador and Jenine Desiderio; she has al-ready found her niche and carved her name in the biz. Que bella Janella!

Here’s my tête-à-tête with Janella:

What was your spookiest experience?

I personally did not have a spooky experience in the man-sion, but as soon as I got inside, it was really creepy! It felt like… someone was watching you.

I’ve heard stories from others about their experiences. Accord-ing to one of my fellow actors, his assistant saw an old man with a bloody head standing right outside my standby area after I left!

If your house were haunted by the spirit of a famous dead person, who would you want it to be?

I’m a scaredy cat, so if some-one haunted me, I’d want it to be someone I want to meet (laughs). So I guess it would have to be Audrey Hepburn! I love her and I’d ask her for tips.

How has your mom and dad’s separation made you stronger?

I honestly have no memory of the actual separation, and I grew up perfectly fine without feeling incomplete. I guess my mom did a pretty good job at being both parents.

In what ways are you like your mom and like your dad?

I am like my parents in terms of musicality. I feel like I’ve had it since I was a baby, because music is such a big part of my life.

My mom, we love to eat a lot. We both love cats…I have 10—we love all animals, actually. And sometimes, my mom and I even share clothes.

How would you describe your relationship with your dad after rekindling ties with him recently?

It wasn’t exactly a big change, but at least I feel like there was an opening. It’s a start.

What things about boys don’t you understand?

I observe people individually, and I’ve never had the chance to actually be with a guy, but… [I] want guys to be gentlemen.

Why should people watch “Haunted Mansion”?

The experience of watching horror movies is a thrilling experi-ence. I’ve seen the very scary parts of our movie. I’m a horror fan. I got my full dose of its scariness. We have a lot of ghosts to show—and each has a story to tell!

Plus, my character here, a bullied person, will inspire a lot of people. I’m proud to say that this is one of Regal’s biggest horror films ever. If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will!

It’s directed by Jun Robles Lana. We all worked so hard on this film, so hopefully everyone will be able to appreciate it.

rector Cesar Montano, who was marking his return to the festival with the action-thriller movie “Nilalang.”

Gracing the movie’s float which was decked out like a mobile bar on an 18-wheeler truck, was Montano’s leading lady, Ozawa. “I heard that it’s going to be a long drive, so I’m wearing flats!” said the Japanese-Canadian actress who was marking her debut in a local movie.

Some 90 minutes after the scheduled 1 p.m. start, the motor-cade began to inch forward, the fans punctuating their welcome with earsplitting shrieks and en-thusiastic waves, as their favorite stars waved back and tossed movie posters, candies and shirts to the excited revelers.

The float of the romantic drama #WalangForever was a simple one, with only posters of its lead stars Jennylyn Mercado and Jericho Rosales as trimmings. The two, who were both dressed casually, still looked every inch like movie stars.

For the horror flick, “Haunted Mansion,” the float carried a scaled-down version of an ancient-looking house, its red roof strewn with tree branches from which dangled several human skulls. The movie’s cast was led by ris-ing young stars Janella Salvador, Marlo Mortel and Jerome Ponce.

Probably the most intriguing float was that of the movie “Honor Thy Father.” Fashioned after a

Fans mob ‘AlDub’ pair in �lmfest...

mining site, the float had other elements that hinted of the movie’s plot, including colorful windows installed at the back, and a carved face on the front whose eyes and mouth were plastered with money. The movie stars John Lloyd Cruz.

Far more cheerful and straight-forward was the yellow and blue float of “My Bebe Love,” which was covered with red hearts, roses and ribbons. Joining the AlDub couple on it were perennial MMFF stars Sotto and De las Alas.

Wired welcomeThe cast of the comedy film

“Beauty and the Bestie” received a similarly wired welcome, thanks to the combined star power of its cast: real life best friends Vice Ganda and Coco Martin, and young actors James Reid and Nadine Lustre,

whose “JaDine” love team com-mands a huge following.

With the weather being quite unpredictable the past couple of days, young star Janine Gutierrez of the comedy-horror film “Buy Now, Die Later,” said she planned to bring sunscreen lotion and um-brella just for good measure.

President Aquino’s sister Kris was as visible in a brightly colored float with big photo cutouts of the cast of “All You Need is Pag-ibig”—the popular love teams of Kim Chiu and Xian Lim, and Jodi Sta. Maria and Ian Veneracion. Despite doctors advising the con-troversial TV host-actress against staying under the sun for too long, Kris said she felt compelled to go, as attending the parade was a “requirement.”

REVISED_AARP_15_Taguba_Testimonial_HP_FIL_AJ_final.indd 1 11/4/15 9:37 AM

BY MONET LU G. TÖNGI

The Global Kababayan

Programming of Kababayan Today, December 28, 2015 - January 1, 2016

DEC. 30 - Singer and Filipino Icon Eddie Mesa and his daugh-ter, actress Cherie Gil, share details on their upcoming concert in LA. The Eigenmann family also pay tribute to the patriach of their clan.

Dec. 29, 2015 - Top Stories of 2015 Part 1: The Asian Journal shares the top news items rel-evant to the Filipino community from January to June 2015.

Dec. 30, 2105 - Part 2 of our Top Stories of 2015: The Asian Journal shares the top news items relevant to the Filipino community from July to Decem-ber 2015.

Dec. 31, 2105 - Our feature on Filipinas looking for love online that aired last June was a hit. Since this is our top hitter online, we are doing a Part 2 to explore why younger Filipinas look for love online with older American men.

Jan. 1, 2016 - Get to know Deo

Jaravata, a Fil-Am that has ran over 600 marathons in his life.

***

JLC loses hair for Honor Thy Fatherby RICKY LO

Philstar.com

FOR John Lloyd Cruz (JLC) who values his hair as much as he does his face (he and Angel Locsin are endorsing Head & Shoulders shampoo), there must have been a good reason for him to agree to lose it for a movie, Reality Entertainment’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry “Honor Thy Father” (formerly titled “Conman”) directed by Erik Matti.

“It was an act of courage,” said John Lloyd. “Mas mahirap mag-pakalbo kaysa pumatay,” without giving away his character (for the benefit of those who haven’t watched the movie).

Besides being his first time ever to join MMFF, John Lloyd considers the movie (graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board) a “brand-new experience, a dream project come true,” echoed by Regal Matriarch Mother Lily Mon-teverde who revealed that making a movie with John Lloyd was a long-time dream. (“HTF” took over the slot vacated by Gil Portes’ “Hermano Puli.”)

“HTF” premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Fes-tival where it received good reviews from The Hollywood Reporter which described it as “a strong portrait of inequality and vigilante justice in modern Philip-pines.” It’s the latest collabora-tion of Reality producers Erik and Dondon Monteverde (Mother Lily’s son), after “Prosti,” “Pa-Siyam,” “Exodus,” “Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles,” “Rigodon,” “Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2” and the critically-acclaimed action-thriller “On The Job (OTJ)” for which Piolo Pascual (as a cop) and Gerald Anderson (as a hired killer) were widely praised. John Lloyd is co-producer of “HTF.” He has worked with Erik on a TV commercial.

“After ‘OTJ,’” said Erik, “I want-

ed to do a family drama. I think the movie will make even Popoy’s fans cry,” referring to John Lloyd’s character in “A Second Chance” (with Bea Alonzo as his girlfriend Basha) which is turning out to be the Philippines’ all-time box-office hit with a staggering P450M-plus gross so far (and counting).

Written by Michiko Yamamoto, ‘HTF’ is the saga of a father named Edgar (John Lloyd). The invest-ment business run by Edgar’s wife Kaye (Meryll Soriano) collapses, prompting co-financiers to pres-sure the couple to return their money. Kaye turns to her formalist church to borrow their past dona-tions. The church’s bishop (played by Tirso Cruz III whose perfor-mance is said to be “pang-award”) turns down the request and simply gives them prayers. Edgar is forced to resort to extreme measures to keep his wife and their daughter Angel (played by Krystal Brimmer) safe and alive.

Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, who with Kahlil Ramos play John Lloyd’s brothers, confirmed what Erik said.

“No actor has ever made me cry,” Dan confessed, “only John Lloyd. I watched ‘A Second Chance’ twice and I cried. I cried again when I watched the ending of ‘Honor Thy Father,’” adding as he turned to John Lloyd during the presscon, “ikaw, ha, pinaiiyak

mo ako.”Like Erik, Dondon is all praises

for Krystal who, against her par-ents’ wishes, readily parted with her curly and wavy locks, saying, “maski ayaw ng mommy at daddy ko, ginawa ko ‘yon dahil ‘yon po ang dapat sa isang tunay na artista,” drawing applause from those at the presscon.

“It was needed in the scene,” explained Dondon. “In the story, a bad couple (played by Yayo Aguila and Lander Vera-Perez), who lost their investment, shaves the head of Krystal. The girl is so embar-rassed that she refuses to go out of the house. To console his daugh-ter, John Lloyd shaves his head and assures Krystal that there’s nothing wrong with being bald.”

John Lloyd is so proud of “HTF” that, he said, he wouldn’t have any other film as his MMFF “debut.”

“Ito ang gusto kong entry,” John Lloyd reiterated.

There’s no way of telling wheth-er or not “HTF” will or can equal the box-office gross of “A Second Chance,” but the fearless forecast is that John Lloyd will, knock on wood, run away with the Best Ac-tor plum.

Asked about his reaction, John Lloyd said, “I’m not good at pre-dicting. But more than the awards, I’m more concerned about how the audience will receive the movie.”

Announcement of Miss Universe 2015: The ‘most beautiful’mistake ever made in history

I WAS about to step out of the auditorium disappointed – once again – when suddenly I heard louder cheers; I turned around and saw the host, Steve Harvey onstage and Miss Colombia just standing there. I wondered, ‘Isn’t she supposed to take her first

walk as Miss Universe?’ Then Harvey confessed about what seemed to be the most wonder-ful ‘mistake’ that will change the course of the ‘universe.’

Last December 20, the Miss Universe 2015 Beauty Pageant held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas

scored yet another unforgettable moment in the pageant history – and perhaps in the hosting arena – when Steve Harvey announced the winner, only to take it back five minutes after. Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez was initially crowned as Miss Universe 2015 but by some twist of epic-failure made by the host, the crown was taken off her head and was put on the head of its rightful bearer – our very own – Miss Philip-pines, Pia Wurtzbach. I was there watching it all unfold right before my eyes. It was like watching a documentary slash prank show slash Telenovela! The surrealism is just unexplainable.

A few months before the un-imaginable happened, I was preparing to leave for Vegas to watch the pageant. I didn’t want to keep my hopes up because I have not gotten over Janine Tugonon’s placing 1st Runner-Up in Miss Universe 2012; I was confident that she was going to bring home that crown – only, it didn’t hap-pen. So here I am three years after, and sworn never to expect anything at all. When I got to the hotel, I was touched by the sup-port of fellow Filipinos who flew all the way there to cheer for our lovely candidate. The men were all wearing Barong Tagalogs while the women slipped into their most fashionable Filipiniana. So much love and patriotism, I thought.

The competition started with the usual parade of beauties in their national costume. All the women were stunning and very confident. But the one thing that stood out like the rest of the can-didates, is the loudest cheer you will ever hear from the Filipino supporters. As most foreigners described it, it did seem like we (Filipinos) brought the whole country there. Pinoys were waving Philippine flags and screaming their lungs off whenever Miss Wurtzbach’s about to strut her stuff. It was so moving. It is very evident that most Filipinos, re-gardless of gender, still go gaga over the Miss Universe pageant. As I call it in one of my past col-umns, this is the “Superbowl” of countless Filipinos worldwide.

As I watched Ms. Wurtz-bach beam with pride as she introduced herself, I affirmed her

Welcome 2016 with a bang! Party in style at the Café Sierra at the Hilton Universal CityFOR New Year’s eve on

Thursday and New Year’s day on Friday next week, Hilton Universal City is pulling out all the stops to welcome 2016 with the biggest BANG. With its high vaulted ceilings and luxurious appointments that create a classy atmosphere, no one this side of the Pacific Ocean comes close with what Café Sierra at the Hilton has to offer.

On New Year’s Eve, Café Sierra, now the FilAm com-munity’s favorite, higher end watering hole, will present its mouthwateringly delicious and sumptuous Holiday Seafood and Prime Rib Buffet.

Picture the Café Sierra Buf-fet—so luxurious, it is fit for royalty. Imag-ine yourself d i n i n g o n D u n g e n e s s Opilio & King Crab Legs , Shrimp, Oys-ters, Mussels on ice, Hand-carved Prime Rib & Leg of Lamb, Chi -nese Special-t ies, Made-t o - O r d e r Sushi, Tapas a n d Ta c o s Act ion Sta-tions, Festive Holiday Des-serts, Choco-late Fountain and so much more.

O n N e w

Year’s Eve, December 31st, DAVID HERNANDEZ, the Amer-ican Idol Finalist who has made a name for himself after making the cut in the iconic talent show will headline the entertainment with his beautiful rendition of old time favorites and new hits. The show will feature the talents of other special guests.

For the Midnight Cham-pagne Toast, there will be party favors and a Baloon Drop to make the event an eye-popping, fun-filled memorable event to fill the heart with gladness when the clock strikes 12 at midnight.

A Dinner Dance Gala will be from 9–11:30pm: Adults $93 and Children (3-10) $43. For

Early Seating, Buffet from 5 – 7pm: Adults $65 and Children (3-10) $30.

For New Year’s Day on Fri-day, January 01, 2016, there will be the Holiday Champagne Brunch Buffet from 11am to 2:30pm. Adults: $55 and Chil-dren (3-10) $26. Later on in the evening hours of the first day of 2016, there is the Holiday Sea-

food & Prime Rib Buffet Dinner from 5 to 10:30pm. Adults: $64 and Children (3-10): $30.

Welcome 2016 with joy! Cel-ebrate with your loved ones and BE HAPPY THE WHOLE YEAR THROUGH. Book your reserva-tions at (818) 509-2030. You can log on to www.CafeSierraHilton.com for more information.

launched the Filipino flavors—Cala-mansi, Guyabano, followed by Da-landan. Over the years, our customers have helped us refine our products to be what it is today, loved and enjoyed not only by Asians, by also the larger American population.”

With Pure Calamansi, Filipinos can get the same unique citrus taste that brightens up any dish or bever-age, something lemons or limes can’t match. “Now, kababayans can make sinigang with natural calamansi in place of the dry mixes where MSG is used,” added Sharon.

Health benefitsCalamansi is extremely beneficial

for the body as it eliminates toxins that can help in weight loss. Drink-ing warm water with calamansi in the morning assists the digestive system to make the process of elimi-nating waste products from the body

easier. Also, taking calamansi juice could alleviate constipation.

Containing far more vitamin C than lemon, it can help build one’s immune system, prevent os-teoarthritis, lower cholesterol and maintain kidney health.

SunTropics Pure Calamansi is also beneficial for diabetics. Since it does not contain added sugars, people who “sugar challenged” can still enjoy cala-mansi juice making it their way, with their choice of sweeteners like agave, stevia or honey.

Other benefits of calamansi include as a skin bleaching agent, body cleanser, boosts collagen production, banishes body odor, good as mouth-wash, helpful in dealing with hangovers, great tonic for the liver, lightens urine color and eliminates dandruff.

SunTropics Pure Calamansi is available at Seafood City, Island Pacific, Manila Oriental, Pacific Super-markets and Amazon.com.

For more information about SunTropics and their other products, visit www.suntropics.net.

CALAMANSI, known as calamondin in other countries, is a sour fruit indigenous to the Philippines. For many Filipinos, it is an important staple in the kitchen, especially used in beverages or in dip-ping sauces.

It is easy to grow the plant in your backyard, because it thrives in warmer climates.

Here in the United States, some have luckily dodge low temperatures and have successfully cultivated some calamansi plants in their homes. However, these are far and few in between that many Pinoys have to rely on bottled juices or use lemon or lime instead when a recipe calls for calamansi.

The good news is that this favorite Filipino sour goodness is now available in selected grocery stores with Sun-Tropics Pure Calamansi. This is not your usual fruit-in-a-bottle that you can find that contains high fructose corn syrup, as calamansi puree is the ONLY ingredient in SunTropics Pure Calamansi. This guarantees you that every bottle made with its main premium ingredient with no added sugars or preservatives.

“We created Pure Calamansi to give Filipinos what they’ve missed from the Philippines—cooking with cala-mansi,” said Sharon Sy Lao of SunTropics. “Calamansi is (an) indispensable ingredient int he Filipino kitchen, used as a souring agent in broth, marinades and dipping. For SunTropics Pure Calamansi, we freshly squeeze calamansi, process it to protect the delicate flavor of the calamansi and bring it to the US to be bottled and shared with our kababayans.”

The calamansi used in their products are grown at their farms in Mindoro. “Our family in the Philippines manages the puree extraction making sure that the bit-ter notes from the calamansi rind is minimal,” added Sharon.

SunTropics started in 2003, when Sharon and her husband, Ashley, saw that there was a lack of “real” fruit tropical juice in the US market.

“Especially none that was as good of a flavor as that of the fruits of the Philippines,” shared Sharon. “We

The goodness of SunTropics Pure CalamansiUses, recipes and health benefits of calamansi

Apart from being consumed as a juice, pure calamansi can also be used in cooking. Below are some recipes created by Chef Cocoy Ventura using SunTropics Pure Calamansi you can try in your own kitchen.

Ingredients:1 bag washed baby arugula2 tbsp. SunTropics Pure Cala-mansi4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil1 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepperShaved parmesan cheese

Procedure:1. In a large salad bowl, mix cala-mansi, olive oil, salt and pepper. 2. Toss arugula greens until coated with dressing. 3. Transfer onto a plate, garnish with shaved parmesan. 4. Served with grilled or fried meats.

Ingredients:4 cups water4 tbsp. SunTropics Pure Calamansi4 tbsp. fish sauce (Patis)2 tsp. sea salt1 yellow onion, quartered3 stalks green onion, cut in 3” length3 tomatoes, quartered1 lb. pork baby back ribs, cut into manageable pieces6 pcs. long beans, cut into 3” length1 eggplant, cut 1” across6 pcs. okra, tops cut off6 small taro roots, peeled

Prcocedure:1. In a large pot, boil pork ribs with water and salt. Skim off foam while in a rolling boil, about 20 minutes.2. Add onion, green onions, tomatoes and taro. Bring down heat to me-dium. Secure lid.3. Add fish sauce, salt and Pure Calamansi and let it simmer for 30 minutes.4. Add more Pure Calamansi to adjust sourness. Season with fish sauce and black pepper if needed.5. Serve with rice.

Arugula salad(2 servings)

Pork Sinigang(2 servings)

Ingredients:4 medium filet of sole4 tbsp. Sun Tropics Pure Cala-mansi

Procedure:1. In a large frying pan, melt but-ter until it bubbles and browns slightly over high heat—do not burn.2. Meanwhile, season sole filets with salt and pepper and dredge with all-purpose flour.3. Fry filets in butter, turn after 3 minutes or longer until golden brown.

4. When filets have been browned, set aside and finish sauce.5. Bring down heat to me-dium. Add water (or wine), capers and calamansi. Scrape frying pan for bits and pieces and until sauce has reduced slightly.6. Pour over sole filets, serve with sautéed vegetables or salad.

4 tbsp. butter2 tbsp. capers¼ cup of water or white wineAll purpose flour for dredgingSalt and pepper to taste

Sole with Calamansi Butter and Capers(2 servings)

Wi Spa: an urban sanctuary in the

heart of LA

Wi is divided into gender-spe-cific floors, where the spa and other facilities are located, as well as locker rooms and changing ar-eas. For Korean spa newbies, it’s best to take a shower once you get settled in to wash away the day’s grime (dirt and the tubs do not make a great combination) and to ensure you get the maximum ben-efits of anything you decide to do, like sweating it out in the sauna. Outside the bathing areas, you’ll find changing rooms, complete with vanities and toiletries.

And take this as a fair warning to expect nudity from guests of the same gender, but any judg-ments and awkwardness should be left at the door.

If you want to treat yourself further, the spa offers a menu of body treatments at the fraction of the price tag you’d find at a spa elsewhere in the city. Better yet, if you purchase a treatment worth $110 or more, the entrance fee is waived. The usual spa treatments,

like acupressure massages, fa-cials, manicure/ pedicure, can be booked by reservation. But one must try the full-body scrub, per-haps Wi’s signature offering.

Based on the traditional Korean technique of buffing, the scrub en-tails a procedure of sloughing off dead skin cells with an exfoliating towel, as you lie down on a table and get doused with water every so often. It may take a few minutes to get accustomed to the inten-sity, but the person (of the same gender) administering the service repeatedly asks you if you’re do-ing fine. The service can last 35 minutes ($30) or can be reserved as a $90 package complete with the scrub, aroma oil massage, a face mask and hair shampoo, which all lasts for 90 minutes. Depending on one’s pain toler-ance, the impression afterward may vary, but you’ll feel cleaner after the dead skin is washed off to make way for the lasting effects of radiating, supple skin.

On the co-ed floor (called the Jimjilbang, which translates to “bathhouse”), guests are required to wear the yellow T-shirt and khaki shorts received upon check-in. There you’ll find families and couples convening at one of the five specialty sauna rooms, nosh-ing on Korean cuisine staples at the full-service restaurant, or tak-ing in fresh air on the rooftop deck. The floor also features a kid’s area, a library and computer room.

It’s worth noting that the five sauna rooms—Bulgama, Salt, Clay, Jade and Ice—boast unique characteristics that contribute to the detoxification and healing powers. The Bulgama is set at 231 degrees, inviting guests to lie down somewhere between 10 to 15 minutes to sweat out toxins from the body; Salt features min-erals to purify and strengthen the body; layers of clay improved from Korea are placed in the Clay sauna to aid in lymphatic stimulation and heavy metal detoxification;

the Jade room is hot to relieve any tension and stress; and the Ice sauna is recommended to end your visit to cool the body’s temperature, tighten the skin and improve circulation.

If you felt like you’ve detoxed enough from technology, free Wi-Fi is provided throughout the building to bring you back from your moment of zen, as are TVs in lounge areas.

Before you leave, don’t forget to take another shower and close out your tab. Whether you stay for an hour or the whole day, it’s nearly impossible to not feel rejuvenated and make you itch for another visit. Good thing, Wi won’t leave holes in your wallet. (AJPress)

Wi Spa is located at 2700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057 (on the corner of Ram-part). Visit http://www.wispausa.com/ for more details on spa services and specials.

THINK of a spa and the im-mediate perception is an air of pretense and privilege that only a select few can indulge in, given the exorbitant prices.

However, if you live in Los An-geles, Korean spas have sprouted up, contributing to the idea that pampering oneself and affordabil-ity are not mutually exclusive.

Though the options are abun-dant, among the best is Wi Spa, known as the “Disneyland of Korean day spas.” While there are no shiny bells and whistles to it, the spa certainly lives up to its reputation as an urban sanctuary, and it’s family-friendly too.

Prior to venturing into a Korean spa, one must understand the significance it plays in Korean culture: a communal place for friends and families to gather, bathe and receive the therapeutic benefits rooted in ancient bath-house traditions.

Conveniently located in be-tween Koreatown and Downtown, Wi Spa itself is an expansive,

multi-level facility (48,000 square feet, to be exact) that blends the bathhouse tradition with the mo-dernity of marble and glass interi-ors. It is open 24/7, so you can go anytime, even on a whim.

Enter Wi and the process of unwinding begins. For starters, valet parking is complimentary to relieve you of the stress of having to find parking, especially when there are a lot of guests checked in.

With the $25 admission fee, you gain full access to amenities like a fitness room, pools, showers, saunas, a restaurant, and the roof-top deck. A wristwatch is given as your locker key and form of iden-tification during your stay.

The rush of cramming in the day spa experience and trying out all the rooms is practically gone, as you are welcome to stay for hours on end. There are spaces to lounge in between services and even designated “sleeping rooms” for those who want to doze off in peace.

place in the top 15. I was sure she would make it. It was later confirmed through the pre-judg-ing results that she in-deed made it to top 15. Then came the swimsuit round. Slowly but surely I started breaking my vow of not expecting anything as I confidently told myself that this lady is definitely going to be on the top 10, and she actually did. I was so ex-cited and have moved on from the disappointment I felt 2 years ago. When it came down to the top 5 where the ladies were asked their individual questions, I was holding on to my seat like a pas-senger on a fast-and-the-furious-race car. In the same breath, our Kababayans too were all praying and hoping that Ms. Philippines would give a good answer. Then the question was asked. I held my breath as I listened intently to Ms. Wurtzbach’s answer to the question of US military presence in the Philippines. To which the brilliant half-Filipino, half-Ger-man beauty concluded with, “…we are very welcoming with the Americans and I see no prob-lem with that at all.”

That was it. All it took was a wise answer and I knew, we (Ms. Philippines) are going to be on the Final 3. Not very long after that, the final question was asked to each of the candidates. Ms. Philip-pines’ answer was by far the most honest, precise and straightfor-ward. I was so sure we are going to take home the crown.

We all know that the moments that followed the last Q&A portion

Announcement of Universe...

were the most intense; yet at the end of it all, beauty, grace and humility resigned. Ms. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was crowned Miss Universe 2015.

I want to congratulate Ms. Pia Wurtzbach’s Mentor, Jonas Gaf-fud. And To Aces and Queens, More power and be encouraged.

To the new Miss Universe who has both beauty and brains, Ms. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach: Mabuhay Ka! You are indeed ‘confidently beautiful with a heart.’

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ATTY. ROBERT REEVES DEVIN M. CONNOLLYAND NANCY MILLER

Your ImmigrationSolution

DEPARTING the United States when you are not a US citizen can lead to serious problems upon your attempt to return. This is true for both lawful permanent residents and for non-citizens with pending applications or non-immigrant visas.

Many lawful permanent resi-dents mistakenly believe that a green card guarantees their re-admission to the US after travel-ing abroad. Not true. Everyone seeking entry into the US is sub-ject to inspection. If questions of inadmissibility arise during these inspections, the non-citizen can be placed in secondary inspec-tion or in Removal Proceedings where the alien will have to fight to remain in the US and keep his lawful status.

There are many reasons why a person already granted per-manent resident status may face problems when attempting to return to the US. One common reason is based of the amount of time the alien has spent out-side of the US. Attending school, working abroad, caring for an elderly relative, are all possible reasons for remaining out of the US for an extended period of time. The issue is one of intent. Did they intend to abandon their permanent resident status or did they always intend to continue to live in the US? The question is one of fact and must be resolved by sufficient persuasive evidence submitted by the alien.

To help reduce the risk of be-ing charged with abandonment, the permanent resident who foresees being out of the US for an extended period of time should obtain a re-entry permit. The re-entry permit may allow a resident to remain outside of the US for up to 2 years while main-taining permanent resident sta-tus. This travel document must be applied for before departing the US and is usually granted for a 1 or 2 year period of time. However, while the re-entry per-

What to know before you go

mit makes admission at the end of the period of absence more likely, it is not a guarantee that the green card holder will be re-admitted as a lawful permanent resident. Again, the question is one of intent and the evidence provided to show proper intent is essential.

A special immigrant returning resident visa (SB-1) may become necessary if the resident failed to obtain a re-entry permit be-fore leaving or remained outside beyond its expiration date. The SB-1 is issued by consular of-ficers at a US Embassy. It will only be issued if the resident is able to clearly demonstrate that he or she always maintained the intent to reside in the US. They must also demonstrate that the cause of their protracted stay outside of the US was beyond their control. Consular officers begin their analysis by assuming that one who intended to remain a permanent resident would have applied for a re-entry permit pri-or to departing the US. And it is the alien’s burden to persuade the officer that her conclusion is incorrect.

Another reason why a green card holder might be refused ad-mission is a prior criminal con-viction. Crimes of a serious na-ture (and sometimes even those that might not seem serious) may result in a refusal of admission. At that point, the alien could be paroled into the United States and given a chance to fight for

their green card status in Immi-gration Court. Resolution of this potential problem might include obtaining a waiver of inadmissi-bility or naturalizing (if eligible) prior to departing.

A person with a pending ap-plication for permanent resident status who did not obtain ad-vanced parole before she left will be deemed to have abandoned her application. So, advanced parole is essential if one wishes to travel out of the country and continue to pursue her applica-tion for a green card.

Advanced parole is also necessary in order to avoid in-curring the 3-10 year unlaw-ful presence bars for having remained in the US in unlawful status beyond a period of time. The Board of Immigration Ap-peals has ruled that aliens who travel on advanced parole are not considered to have departed the US and, therefore, have not triggered these bars.

A non-citizen who entered the US on one type of visa (such as a visitor’s visa) and then changed status (to student or H1B etc) may be required to apply for a visa in that new category at their US Consulate in order to return to the US.

Those in removal proceedings or with existing removal orders invoke a whole different set of problems that are not addressed in this article.

Anyone without US citizenship u

ATTY. RAYMOND BULAON

Minding Your Finances

VICTOR SY, CPA, MBA ANDARLENE AL-OS,CPA, MBA

Tax Tips

ATTY. KENNETH URSUA REYES

Barrister’s Corner

I KNOW that our economy in the last several years has caused a lot of financial problems for a lot of people. A lot of families are struggling financially every month and are living paycheck to paycheck, thus making it impos-sible for them to save for their future. They feel like no matter how hard they work, there never seems to be enough money to go around and they’re always broke before next payday.

Chances are you know some-one who is struggling just to keep their head above water. Maybe they’ve lost their job. Maybe their business is not doing too well. They are living on the edge every month and they feel that they could fall off anytime. Un-fortunately, very few people have a safety net, like some kind of an emergency fund that can keep them going for a short time while they are trying to figure out their next step.

It’s easy to blame the economy for our money problems. How-ever, one thing I’ve learned over the years as a bankruptcy attor-ney is that with certain people, there ALWAYS seems to be a fi-nancial crisis no matter how the economy is doing, good or bad. No matter how much money they make, there never seems to be enough because as their income

Get out of debt and start saving again in 2016

rises, so do their expenses. For example, if they get a raise, they will always find a way to spend that extra money instead of sav-ing it. As long as they can make the minimum payments on their credit cards, they think they’re doing OK and that they have their finances ‘under control’.

If you are spending all of your income every month, you are making yourself very vulnerable to a lot of changes that life may bring your way. With no cushion to fall on if you lose your income, you can have an immediate fi-nancial crisis that you are not prepared to handle. So how do you create a safety cushion?

The first step is to start sav-ing part of your income every month starting NOW. Not later when you think you’re doing bet-ter. Not later after you’ve paid off all your debts. The time to start is now. This may seem counter-intuitive if you’re buried in debt but I personally think that sav-ing money even while you’re in debt gives you a psychological advantage knowing that should you have a financial emergency, your family will not be out in the streets the following month be-cause you have nothing to live on. Pay your debts but also find a way to slowly build an emergency fund. This is money that should NEVER be touched except for an emergency.

If you are drowning in debt,

you need to figure out a way to reduce or eliminate your debt. A lot of you reading this can’t even put aside a couple of hun-dred dollars a month because you can hardly pay your credit card bills on time. If you are fi-nancially strapped every month because of high debt payments, you need to figure out a strat-egy to escape the debt trap so you can start building a good financial future for yourself and your family. The payments you are making on your debts every month should be money you are saving. Think about it.

As we start another year, it’s time to review your financial situation and set new goals for yourself and your family. Make 2016 a better year! If you are in debt and need professional help, don’t be embarrassed in finding out what your options are and asking for legal help. For a free consultation, please call my office at the Toll-Free number, 1-866-477-7772. We have offices in Los Angeles, Cerritos, Pasadena and Valencia. I will help you get your financial house back in order.

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1. CAPITAL assets include al-most everything you own and use for personal purposes, plea-sure or investment.

2. The following are capital assets: your home, household furnishings and stocks held in a personal account.

3. The following are not capital assets:

• Inventory held mainly for sale to customers in a trade or business.

• Accounts or notes receivable from a trade or business.

• Depreciable property used in a trade or business.

• Real estate used in a trade or business or as rental property.

• Supplies regularly used in a trade or business.

• The right to receive future ordinary income payments (for example, right to lottery win-nings).

• Self-created copyrights, liter-ary, musical or artistic composi-tions, letters or memoranda, or similar property.

4. A sale or exchange of a capi-tal asset produces a capital gain or loss. The difference between the amount you paid for the as-set and its sales price is a capital gain or capital loss.

5. Capital gains and losses are classified as long-term or short-term - long term if you hold the

12 tips about capital gains and losses

property for more than one year, short term if you hold it for one year or less.

6. If your long-term gains ex-ceed your long-term losses, the difference is a net capital gain. If your gains exceed your losses, you end up with a net capital loss.

7. You pay tax on all net capital gains, but cannot deduct all capi-tal losses.

8. There is an annual limit on capital losses of $3,000 ($1,500 if married filing separately).

9. You may carryover capital losses that exceed annual limits indefinitely.

10. The tax rate on a capital gain depends on the holding period, type of capital asset and taxpayer’s ordinary income tax bracket.

11. The tax rates that apply to net capital gain are generally lower than the tax rates that ap-ply to other income.

12. Use new Form 8949 to interact with the old familiar Schedule D. List transactions on Form 8949 and carry subtotals to Schedule D.

Recent Developments:• The 15% capital gain rate

expired in 2012. Top rate went up to 20% for taxpayers whose income exceed thresholds set for the 39.6% rate ($400,000 S, $450,000 Joint, $425,000 Head of household).

• 100% exclusion of gain from qualified small business

stock expired but was retroac-tively extended for two more years by The American Taxpay-er Relief Act of 2012, so that it applies to otherwise qualifying stock acquired before Jan. 1, 2014. The other requirements, including the five-year holding period requirement, were not changed.

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THE holidays and the end of the year are times to think about who you would like to in-herit your estate in case you pass away or at least who among your closest friends (BFFs) and family members are even deserving of inheriting from your estate. In doing so, you should also think about which vehicle you plan to use in implementing your estate plan. One of the best vehicles in implementing your estate plan is a revocable living trust. Five major benefits of establishing a revocable living trust are:

Your estate can avoid the time,

Five bene�ts of establishing a revocable living trustcost, and hassle of going through the probate court process.

If you pass away without a will (intestate) in California, one of your close family members would have to file a petition in probate court to probate your es-tate. Your estate will be divided and distributed according to the California probate code rules of intestate succession. Even if you have a will when you pass away, your family would still need to file a petition in probate court if your estate is worth over $150,000 and go through the probate pro-cess. This can become a circus if certain beneficiaries contest the validity of the Will or the distri-bution of the estate. Your estate will pay for attorney’s fees, pro-bate referee fees, appraisers and other experts, CPA fees, etc. If

people contest the case, your es-tate would end up paying legal fees to defend the estate in litiga-tion. The entire process can take anywhere from nine months to years depending on the conten-tiousness of the probate case.

With a revocable living trust, your trustee or successor trustee (if you were the initial trustee) would administer the trust and distribute the estate according to the trust document without hav-ing to open a probate court case. If the trust is funded with all your assets, it is possible to adminis-ter and distribute the trust assets without any Court involvement at all. This process is a lot faster than going through probate.

Your estate is not public re-cord

When you file a probate case,

should keep in mind that re-entry is not guaranteed. It is the non-citizen’s burden to show that they are eligible for admission. Give yourself the best chance of making your readmission to the US uneventful. Consult a knowl-edgeable and experienced immi-gration lawyer before you go.

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What to know before you…

the public has access to your probate case file. The public will know the assets of the estate including the values of those as-sets. If the Will is admitted into probate, the terms of the Will is open to public scrutiny.

Establishing a revocable living trust makes your estate affairs private. Strangers do not have access to the terms of your living trust. Only certain beneficiaries and possible heirs can request a copy of the revocable living trust after you pass away.

You can dictate who will in-herit from your estate.

If you pass away without a Will, your estate will be divided and distributed in Probate Court following the rules of intestate succession in the California pro-bate code. Certain relatives will

be entitled to a share of your estate even if you feel they are not deserving. By establishing a revocable living trust, you can designate who you want to in-herit from your estate. You can designate what and how much

each one will received from your estate after you pass away. The assets distributed to each benefi-ciaries does not have to be equal. The people you designate as beneficiaries of your living trust

t

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ATTY. C. JOE SAYAS, JR.

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights

DEAR Attorney Tan,I would like to know if there is any way for my family and I to stay

in the US if I invest in a US business. While I do have some money to invest, I do not have the $500k-$1m that I read was necessary to get a green card through investment. Do I have any other options? - S.K.

Dear S.K.,You should consider the E-2 Treaty Investor visa, which is a non-

immigrant visa that allows a person to be admitted to the US with investment of a “substantial” amount of capital in either a new or existing US business.

A main objective of the E-2 Treaty Investor classification is to promote and encourage investment in the US. Accordingly, the Treaty Investor must demonstrate that he/she is actually investing a substantial amount of capital in the US enterprise. The Treaty Investor must show that he/she is placing capital at risk with the objective of generating a profit; the capital must be subject to loss if the investment fails. There is no specific amount of money that is required to be invested to be considered “substantial.” Whether an investment is considered “substantial” is determined on a case-by-case basis.

The benefits of an E-2 Treaty Investor visa include an indefinite period of stay in the US with ex-tensions of the E-2 visa. An E-2 Treaty Investor is allowed a maximum initial stay of 2 years, and re-quests for extension can be obtained in increments of 2 years. There is no limitation to the number of extensions an E-2 Treaty Investor may request. The E-2 Treaty Investor visa is a non-immigrant visa, and accordingly, the Treaty Investor must maintain an intent to depart the US whenever the E-2 status expires.

Another important benefit for an E-2 Treaty Investor is the ability to be accompanied to the US by his/her spouse and unmarried children who are under 21 years of age. An E-2 Treaty Investor’s spouse may apply for work authorization in the US, and no restriction is placed as to where the E-2 spouse can work. The spouse can work for another employer. Further, children who are under 21 years of age may enroll in US schools. The immediate family come to the US under the E-2 clas-sification as dependents of the Treaty Investor. The family members will have the same duration of stay as the Treaty Investor.

In addition, an employee of a Treaty Investor may come to the US under the E-2 classification pro-viding that he/she is the same nationality of the Treaty Investor, and either has duties of an executive or supervisory character or has other special qualifications.

What are the general requirements to obtain an E-2 Treaty Investor Visa? To obtain E-2 Treaty Investor status, a person: 1) must be a national of a country with which the US maintains a treaty of commerce or navigation, 2) either has invested or is in the process of investing a substantial amount of capital in a US enterprise, and 3) seeks to come to the US to develop and direct the enterprise in which he/she is investing or is going to invest.

Consideration of the E-2 Treaty Investor visa is made on a case-by-case basis. The assistance of an experienced attorney who can assess the proposed type of business in which investment is contemplated as well as the amount of investment is therefore recommended.

* * *Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a grad-

uate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association.

E-2 treaty investor visa allows for stay in us along with family

SARAH Wellens works as a sales representative for Daiichi Sankyo, a Japan-based phar-maceutical company with about 3,000 employees in the United States. The company hired Ms. Wellens, an experienced sales rep, in September 2009. Upon her hiring, she was assigned to a lower level position and lower compensation tier than similar male employees. Over time, she received lower merit increases, bonuses, and other compensation perks compared to male sales rep-resentatives, and was passed over for promotion for less qualified male sales reps. After she became pregnant in 2010 and took mater-nity leave in 2011, she was again passed over for promotion. While on maternity leave, her male su-pervisor commented to another male sales employee that Wellens was a “baby-maker.”

This same supervisor regularly praised male sales employees for their accomplishments and sup-ported their careers, but failed to extend the same recognition and support to female sales repre-sentatives, especially those with children. Worse, this supervisor made disparaging and offensive remarks regarding pregnancy and motherhood. When Wellens complained about gender and pregnancy discrimination, the supervisor called her a “disgrun-tled employee.”

Another female sales rep, Kelly Jensen, started working for Dai-ichi Sankyo in August 2008. Like Ms. Wellens, Ms. Jensen was as-signed to a lower level position and lower compensation tier in comparison to similar male em-ployees. She was paid a lower salary, and received lower merit increases, bonuses, and other compensation perks than similar male sales reps. In August 2011, Jensen became pregnant and went on maternity leave. After

All we want for Christmas is. . . equal pay for equal workthe male sales leadership team learned of Jensen’s pregnancy, they took away a high perform-ing product from her and gave it to a male sales rep. As a result, the male sales rep’s sales rank-ings, bonus opportunities, and promotion prospects increased, while Jensen’s sales rankings and employment opportunities decreased.

When they each returned from maternity leave, Wellens’ and Jensen’s regular paychecks were dramatically decreased, alleg-edly as a post- maternity leave compensation offset. The HR department apparently misman-aged their disability/maternity leave benefits and claimed that Wellens and Jensen were over-paid during their respective ma-ternity leaves.

Wellens and Jensen are but two of six employees who sued the company for gender and pregnancy discrimination, on be-half of themselves and other fe-male employees who were simi-larly mistreated by the company. The employees claimed that the “glass ceiling” at the company is indisputable, and that while fe-male employees dominate rank-and-file sales positions, male employees control all levels of management, and there are no women at the top executive level. The women accused the compa-ny of, among many things, toler-ating and cultivating a hostile en-vironment in which women and mothers are openly devalued, and where female employees who complain of gender discrim-ination are retaliated against and pushed out of the Company.

The federal judge handling the case granted certification, allow-ing the employees to proceed to trial as a class. Rather than pro-ceed to trial, the company has agreed to pay $8.2 million to set-tle the class action suit, of which

more than $4.6 million will go to the class members.

California has prohibited gen-der-based wage discrimination since 1949. To bolster existing laws, a new law in 2016 pro-vides that an employer shall not pay any of its employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of the opposite sex for substantially similar work, and performed under similar working conditions. “Substantially similar work” may mean the employees may have different titles or work at different sites but their work are essentially the same. In other words, the lower paid employee doesn’t have to prove that the higher paid employee of the op-posite sex has exactly the same job as she (or he) does. If dif-ferences in wages exist, the dif-ference must be legally justified based on one or more of the fol-lowing factors:

a) A seniority system b) A merit system c) A system that measures

earnings by quantity or quality of production

d) A bona fide factor other than sex, such as education, training, or experience.

Discriminated employees will be entitled to damages as well as appropriate equitable relief.

does not even have to be close family members. You can des-ignate anyone as a beneficiary, with certain exceptions, of your estate.

You can structure your estate to minimize estate taxes

If your estate is valued above

the estate tax exemption, estab-lishing a trust can allow you to divide up your estate into smaller sub trusts to minimize the overall estate tax effect on your estate. It allows you to set up a vehicle for certain charitable giving which carries tax advantage and asset protection.

You can choose who will ad-minister your estate after your death

When you establish a revo-cable trust, you can appoint someone else as trustee or you can appoint a successor trust-ee if you are the initial trustee. The trustee will be administer-

Five bene�ts of establishing a…t

ing (managing) the trust after you pass away without a need to open a probate court case. This allows for continuity in operating the trust and the ef-ficient and cost effective distri-bution of estate assets. If you are concerned about whether you can trust any family mem-bers as your trustee, you can appoint an institution as a pro-fessional trustee to carry out the terms of the declaration of trust. These type of trustee services are often offered by banks, financial institutions,

wealth management firms, and business management firms for a reasonable fee. This minimizes conflicts within the family and prevents negligence and wrong doing by inexperi-enced family members.

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ATTY. LAWRENCE YANG

Debt Relief

ON Friday, the 25th, the entire Christian world will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ 2015 years ago. Christmas is the birthday of Jesus who is the manifesta-tion of God’s love and mercy for mankind. He is consubstantial with the Father, God from God, begotten, not made and through

World celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ when God became manHim all things were made, and all things are held together. What holds the whole universe togeth-er is Jesus Christ. All these atoms, protons, neutrons, all the laws of physics which men discover, Je-sus is the one who holds all of these, everything in the universe, it is He who holds these together, and it is because of Him that the universe and everything in it ex-ists. Therefore, the birth of Jesus Christ is the most significant and important event in the entire his-tory of mankind. On that day, God became man and walked among

us, to die for our sins, to explain to us that in his infinite mercy and love for humankind, He sent His only and beloved son, to redeem us from our fallen nature, the save us from our damnation, the free us from the claws of Lucifer, who spearheads the rebellion against God because of his pride.

This is what the Christian world celebrates on Friday, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christmas is not about gift giving. It is about God becoming man. It is the expression of God’s love for his creation, on the pinnacle of which is man and woman. Our ancestors, Adam and Eve, broke their relationship with God when they ate of the forbidden fruit at the instigation of Lucifer. Before the fall, Adam and Eve never felt hunger; want, deprivation, illness, fear and they never aged. Their bodies were made to last for eter-nity. This is really what our bod-ies were meant to be. We were not meant to get old, get sick and die. We were supposed to have bodies that never got old, never got sick, and never died. We were meant to have perpetual youth for eternity with our Father in heaven. But once Adam & Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the tree of life, they lost their innocence before God, they chose to follow Lucifer and lost their trust in God, they chose the way of the flesh, so as a consequence, their bodies became inferior and became sub-ject to decay. This was not God’s original plan for humankind.

How can the broken relation-ship between God and human-kind be rectified, how can it be restored to where it was before? No man or woman has the in-trinsic self worth to do this. No amount of money or sacrifice or good works can heal this broken relationship. Even if you com-bine all the wealth of all the bil-lionaires and millionaires in the world and give them all to charity in the name of man or woman, this broken relationship will not heal. Man or woman has no pow-er to heal this relationship. So our God, in his infinite love and mercy for us, decided to send in his only and begotten son Jesus Christ to become man, to die for our sins, to restore the broken re-lationship to where it was before -- before Adam and Eve broke it and before sin entered the world.

Therefore, the birth of Jesus Christ is the expression of God’s mercy and love for us who are by our very nature worthless no mat-ter how much material wealth or power we have. You cannot buy

your way to heaven with money or good works of charity. You cannot buy your way to heaven by ritualistic religiosity. The only way you can get to heaven is if you let Jesus Christ into your heart because the only way you can get to the Father is through Jesus Christ. “No one gets to the Father, except through Me And I am the way, the truth and the life,” said Jesus. That is a plain and simple statement. And God does not lie. There are no ifs and buts about it. All these things that peo-ple do, craving for power, wealth, wars, drugs, pleasure etc., these are just chasing the wind, they are all for nothing. At the end of our life, we all die. Death is the

great equalizer, is it not? Isn’t it safer for you to believe now that Jesus is the way to enter heaven? You are gambling with your soul. I don’t think you will enjoy being in hell for the rest of eternity.

There is only one true God. That is why God has said that He is the one true God, and there are no other Gods except Him. By God, we refer to the God of Moses and Israel, whose only Son, Jesus Christ, became man and died for our sins, to redeem us, to give us a chance to enter heaven and be with them for eternity with bodies that last forever. This means the one true God is Adonai, El Shad-dai, El Elohim, Yahweh, Jehovah. Those are His names. So, on

Christmas day, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, God who be-came man. Give your gifts if you must, but don’t ever forget what Christmas is really about.

“Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the new born King. The King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!”

REVERENDRODEL G. BALAGTAS

To Live With Faith

MANY Filipinos worldwide posted pictures of Simbang Gabi Masses on social media such as Facebook. Their photos showed happiness, harmony and con-tentment. There were even pic-tures of parishioners attending Simbang Gabi Masses in flooded churches. That was quite re-markable, wasn’t it? It showed people’s religiosity and devotion to these nine days of Simbang Gabi Masses in preparation for Christmas day.

There were also priests like me who used Facebook to post our Simbang Gabi homilies. Our pur-pose was to draw attention not to ourselves but to Christ, our Savior. It was to spread His Good News and the many ways we in-terpreted the Gospel Readings. And we hope that they trended and made people talk and reflect on the messages. We hope that they have transformed people’s lives and parish communities.

For example, one of the Gospels that I spoke was about a people who were intrigued by the giving birth of Elizabeth in her old age. They were the neighbors and rel-atives of Elizabeth and Zachariah. It was a scene of people coming to the house of the elderly couple to share in the joy of their long-awaited son and to talk about their astonishment on how God had shown mercy to this couple.

But I asked, “Were these neighbors and relatives really intrigued and astonished by the birth of this elderly couple’s son?

Re�ecting on a Simbang Gabi homilyOr were they just nosy and paki-alamera (people who like to med-dle in other people’s lives)?

In the Gospel, the neighbors and relatives were suggesting names for the child at the time of his circumcision. “Call him Zechariah after his father,” some of them said. Others mentioned some more possible names. Eliz-abeth, the mother, insisted that the child should be named John, which means God is gracious. Then the neighbors commented that there is no one among their relatives who has this name. They made signs, asking Zechariah, the father, what he wished the child to be called. Finally, Zecha-riah was able to speak after being mute for months. He wrote on a tablet, “John is name.”

The Gospel went on saying how the neighbors went around spreading this news. “What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him,” they shared to the whole village and the neighboring villages.

Hopefully, I reflected, they were not just really nosy neigh-bors. Hopefully, they were touched by this event in their lives and saw the hand of God in the birth of this child. Hopefully, they were indeed filled with faith and shared the Good News of God’s visit to his people.

Today, when we talk about Good News in parishes, society, and even in politics, we should talk about the good things hap-pening among us. The sad thing is instead spreading good news, we share gossip and criticisms of other people. The sad news

is that we often hear people who pull each other down, what we, Filipinos, call “crab mentality” instead of pushing people up, affirming them for their achieve-ments and the good things they do for God, country, and other people. We hear demeaning and damaging words of people’s rep-utations. The sad news is that we don’t often control our tongues or our emotions to the extent of hurting one another. And the worst thing is that we condone or give excuses to the “pagmu-mura” (curses) of some people.

We often say that “sana araw-araw pasko” (we hope that every-day is Christmas) as a sign of our longing for joy, harmony, peace and generosity in our lives. We can have this if only we become conscious of what it is to live an authentic Christian life. It is to be like Mary—pure in intentions, tru-ly concerned about the well being of others, disciplined and rever-end in speech, and always seeing the goodness of other people.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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People and Events

LOS ANGELES – U.S. Citizenship and Immigra-tion Services (USCIS) will present a naturalization information session in English and Spanish at the Carson Public Library on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016.

The public is invited and USCIS personnel will be on-hand to discuss the naturalization process step-by-step and provide information about eli-gibility and residency requirements, application forms, fees, the background security check and processing times. Participants will also see sample questions from the naturalization test and receive an overview of U.S. history and civic principles.

As the second largest city in the country, Los An-geles is home to immigrants from more than 140 countries who speak 224 languages. The State of California is home to nearly 3.4 million permanent residents, 2.5 million of whom are estimated to be

eligible to apply for naturalization.The session is part of a larger USCIS initiative to

help immigrants better understand the naturaliza-tion process, including the content of the natural-ization test, and become familiar with free educa-tional resources and materials available from the agency.

Free educational materials will be given out while supplies last and bilingual Immigration Service Of-ficers will be available to answers questions.

Date & Time: Saturday, January 30, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Location: Carson Library, 151 East Carson Street, Carson, CA 90745

Languages: English and SpanishMore information available at: www.uscis.gov/

outreach/upcoming-local-engagements ■

USCIS to present naturalization information session at Carson Public Library

Will showcase civics, citizenship and other products and services

MEMBERS of the Beta Rho Fraternity and So-rority International Incorporated and Beta Rho Upsilon of USA (UST students from the Colleges of Engineering, Architecture, Science and Liberal Arts) gathered for a Christmas party and Dennis

Lapuz’s birthday celebration on Dec. 13, 2015, at the latter’s Long Beach house. The next get to-gether will be in March 2016. For more informa-tion, contact: Frank Lota (818) 633-9221 or Dennis Lapuz (562) 301-2303. ■

UST alumni gather for Christmas and birthday celebrations

29th Anniversary Feast of Santo NiñoSANTO Niño Cruzada USA,

with the participation of the Ca-thedral Knights of Columbus and a Sinulog group, is inviting every-one for a holy mass to celebrate the 29th anniversary of the Feast of Santo Niño, the Divine Infant Jesus, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown

Los Angeles (555 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90012) on Sun-day, January 17, at 3:30pm.

The main celebrant is Monsi-gnor Kevin Kostelnik, with Father David Gallardo as concelebrant.

For more information, please contact any of the following offi-cers: Romy & Tess Esturas (213-

387-9682), Rey & Tess Edpao (818-469-7292), Lilia Figuracion (626-394-2661, Carmen Estrada (213-413-2881), Fe Montana (323-218-1587), Ester Paredes (213-864-1149), Fe Reyes (213-413-5286), Laurie Dolorfino (213-407-0097), and Cherry Guerrero (213-632-2096). ■

&MARKETPLACESHOWROOM

Business Quote of the Week

“If we don’t re-charge the American Brand, all future challenges - economic, social and political - are destined to be driven to the brink, further

jeopardizing the strength and competitiveness of our country and its citizens”

- Alan Siegel, CEO of Siegelvision

World Bank extends $500-M credit line to Philippines fordisaster risk program

Under new law, IRS can revokepassports of delinquent taxpayers

Volume of Asia real estate transactions to rise in 2016

ATTY. MICHAELGURFINKEL, ESQ

ImmigrationCorner

AN important part of Christ-mas is buying gifts for loved ones. Filipinos are busy fill-ing their balikbayan boxes with pasalubong, to send to their families “back home.” The pas-alubong may consist of clothes, food items, electronics, or other useful items, given as a way of “sharing one’s blessings.”

However, many Filipinos for-get about what could be the most important “gift” for their family members: legalizing their status, or finding a way for their family members to immi-grate to the U.S. and be reunit-ed, under the same roof, not only during Christmas, but all year round. I know that some people have been separated

A wonderful Christmas gift for your familyfrom their family members for many years, because they have not done anything about their immigration situation. Yet if you ask the family members back home, they probably be-lieve that nothing that could be bought in any store would mean as much as the family be-ing together.

Other people have their chil-dren with them in the US, and their children could be eligible for work authorization, driver’s license, SS #, etc. under DACA. What a wonderful present for a child!

If you have not yet done any-thing about your immigration situation, and are spending yet another lonely Christmas in the U.S., maybe now is the right time to switch your spending priorities – from the usual balik-

bayan box items to the real gift a family wants – being together in the US Or at least make a New Year’s resolution to finally take steps to either legalize your sta-tus and/or bring your family to America.

On behalf of myself and my law office, Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!

* * *

DELINQUENT taxpayers who owe $50,000 or more to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may have their passports revoked under a new law Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed on Dec. 4.

The new legislation is part of a law known as the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. The section is called “Revocation or De-nial of Passport in Case of Certain Tax Delinquencies.”

In addition to stripping indi-viduals owing at least $50,000 of an American passport, other provi-sions of the new law include that the IRS turn over certain unpaid tax delinquencies to private debt collectors.

There are some exceptions to the legislation, including taxpay-ers who have come to installment payment agreements with the IRS, minors with large unpaid tax amounts, certain military personnel and innocent spouses. Addition-ally, individuals seeking hearings would not have their passports revoked, according to The Arizona Republic.

Americans who happen to be out

by AGNES CONSTANTE AJPress

of the country when their passport is revoked will be allowed to return home.

“Inactive” tax delinquencies would be handed to private debt collectors if the IRS has attempted and failed to locate the taxpayer and collect unpaid taxes, or if the agency finds that a particular collec-tion is “not worth their time,” said Tom Wheelwright, a certified public accountant and chief executive of-ficer at ProVision Wealth Strategies, the Republic reported.

Further details are still in prog-ress, the Republic reported. How-ever, an agency spokesman said the IRS will implement the terms “as soon as feasible,” according to RT.

In 2014, the IRS reported more than 12 million delinquent accounts owing about $131 million in as-sessed taxes, interest and penalties. Many American citizens with severe delinquencies are those residing in other countries, Mark Luscombe, principal federal tax analyst at researcher Wolters Kluwer in Chi-cago, told the Republic.

Congressional analysts also ex-pect that the new rule will raise ap-proximately $400 million through-out the next decade, Luscombe told the Republic.

Some believe the $50,000 threshold set by the legislation is too low, including author Lief Simon, who wrote in Offshore Living Letter, a publication about living and investing overseas, that the $50,000 threshold is farther-reaching than what it might seem. He noted that penalties and interest count toward the amount.

“In our current age, it’s not that uncommon or difficult to find your-self owing the IRS fines of more than [$50,000], perhaps, for example, for not filing forms you didn’t know you needed to file. The minimum fine for not filing your FBAR [For-eign Bank and Financial Accounts report] is [$10,000]. However, if the IRS decides that you willfully failed to file your FBAR, the penalty jumps to [$100,000] or [50 percent] of the account values, whichever is greater,” Simon wrote.

Wheelwright shared a similar view. He told the Republic that incurring such a debt would not take much if a person lost a job or wound up with big medical bills. Furthermore, contacting the IRS is proving increasingly difficult, with the agency answering less than half of telephone calls from taxpayers.

MANILA—The World Bank is extending a $500-million credit line to help the Philippines pre-pare for further damage caused by natural disasters.

The credit line will come from the Second Disaster Risk Man-agement Development Policy Loan with a catastrophe-deferred drawdown option (CAT-DDO 2), which provides a $500-million package to strengthen invest-ment planning and regulations to reduce disaster risks and help manage the financial impacts when disasters strike.

CAT-DDO 2 gives the Philip-pines flexibility to use the funds as needed.

The World Bank said the draw-down period is three years and renewable up to four times for a total of 15 years. Amounts repaid during the drawdown period are available for subsequent with-drawal.

World Bank country director Motoo Konishi said this new operation signifies the World Bank’s recognition of the Philip-pines’ comprehensive efforts to strengthen the country’s capacity for managing disaster risks.

The World Bank official said if not managed well, disasters can roll back years of development gains and plunge millions of people into poverty.

by TED P. TORRES Philstar.com “Disasters can induce and

exacerbate poverty through the loss of lives, destruction of assets, disruption of economic activities and trade, and indirect impacts on health, mobility, gender equal-ity, and access to education,” Konishi added.

The Philippines was the first country in the Asia and Pacific region to use this type of financ-ing option with the CAT-DDO in 2011.

“This second CAT-DDO will provide the government with a platform for sustaining reforms and effectively implementing the country’s disaster risk reduction and management program,” the World Bank said yesterday in a statement.

Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said the Philippines could access the credit line following “a state of calamity” declared by the President.

“The Philippines is among the most vulnerable countries in the world. Together, the 20 most vulnerable countries face escalat-ing losses of $44.9 billion due to climate-related natural disasters alone. Inaction is set to cost us even more. With the number set to multiply almost 10-fold by 2030, amounting to $418 billion, we turn to innovative financing mechanisms to boost our resil-ience,” Purisima said.

by CATHERINE TALAVERAManilatimes.net

THE volume of real estate transactions in Asia is predicted to increase in the coming year, as investors will be lured into the region by attractive yields, according to a report by Colliers International.

Colliers said it sees cross-border investments to remain center-stage in Asia, but noted that although investment capital will continue to go overseas, yields in the Western markets are compressing, which makes investment-grade assets in core locations hard to find.

Colliers said yields in Asia would moderately increase in 2016, as market players in the region are gradually pricing higher and adjusting to the concern of further economic slowdown in China.

“Long-term investment funds looking for higher yields will be lured back to the region due to favourable fundamentals and more-attractive yields,” said Colliers.

Colliers noted that volume of intra-regional flows within Asia jumped by 20.7 percent year-on-

year to $33.5 billion.“Together with the lower cost

of funding expected in markets like China, and the relaxation of cooling measures in a number of countries, Colliers expects intra-regional flows to improve further in 2016,” said the report.

Colliers also noted that sales transactions in Asia have re-mained resilient, as the region remained a top choice for off-shore real estate capital.

This is mainly driven by the ongoing urbanization in the re-gion and the rapidly expanding middle class, the report said.

Colliers added that investment volumes across all asset classes in Asia slightly increased in the first three quarters of 2015 at $40.2 billion vis-à-vis the $37.1 billion registered in the same period last year.

“This represents a slight up-tick in sales transactions, with several sizeable deals taking place in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong, primarily office properties,” said Colliers. “Given the positive sentiment towards property investment in Asia, similar investment levels are

Rebecca Verzosa-Santos, �rst PAL international stewardess: A PAL icon has �own home

Philippine ind’l climate generally peaceful in 2015by MAYEN JAYMALIN

Philstar.com

by JONATHAN P. GESMUNDO Philstar.com

MANILA—Fourteen of the country’s 16 regions remained strike free this year, the Depart-ment of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the DOLE has ef-fectively maintained a peaceful industrial climate nationwide in year 2015.

“By keeping the incidence of work stoppages at single-digit level in 2015, we have effectively

maintained a peaceful industrial climate,” she said.

Out of 219 notices filed before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, an attached agency of DOLE, only five turned into work stoppages.

Baldoz said three strikes were declared in Calabarzon region and a single work stoppage in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“The good news is that the NCMB disposed all of the five work stoppages handled through amicable settlement to achieve 100 percent disposition and settlement rate,” she noted.

During the same period, the amicable settlement of 75 percent or 165 out of 219 notices of strike/lockout resulted in the facilitation of P425 million monetary benefits granted to 4,539 workers.

The NCMB also handled 467 preventive mediation cases dur-ing the period. Out of 467 cases, 85 percent or 397 were settled leading to the grant of P85 mil-lion monetary benefits to 1,649 workers

Based on NCMB data, Baldoz said the 14 other regions nation-wide were strike- and lockout-free in 2015.

GMA News Media revenues rise 56%by LOUELLA D. DESIDERIO

Philstar.com

MANILA—GMA New Media Inc. (NMI), a wholly-owned sub-sidiary of broadcast firm GMA Network, Inc. saw a 56 percent increase in its online advertising revenues in the first 11 months from last year amid higher portal traffic.

GMA said NMI’s revenues from online advertising reached P71.5 million for the January to November period.

The jump in revenues was at-tributed to NMI’s growth strate-gies for the year, which include the optimization of the GMA Net-work portal (www.gmanetwork.com) for the efficient adoption of programmatic buying, continuous website enhancements paired with the effective use of social media, and initiatives to provide users an engaging browsing ex-perience.

The increase in revenues was also due to the higher traffic to the websites of GMA News Online (www.gmanetwork.com/News) and GMA’s official entertainment

website (www.gmanetwork.com/Entertainment).

Data from Effective Measure showed GMA News Online’s page views posted a 115 percent year-on-year growth to reach one billion in the first 11 months, while the firm’s entertainment website saw a 537 percent year-on-year surge in visits to reach 643 million as of end-November.

The GMA Entertainment portal beat ABS-CBN.com in terms of total year-to-date page views, with the latter generating 561 million visits.

Unique browsers for GMA News Online and the entertain-ment website also grew 60 percent to 13 million, and 265 percent to 4.9 million, respectively.

“Besides the steady growth in online traffic, advertising inven-tory has likewise expanded due to continuous back-end improve-ments that create more opportuni-ties for monetization. We remain focused on strengthening our efforts to further increase our potential for added revenues,” Dingdong Caharian, GMA New

Media senior vice president and general manager said.

The firm’s YouTube revenues also jumped by 101 percent for the January to November period this year compared to the same period last year due to the rise in online video consumption.

NMI’s subsidiary, Digify Inc., likewise saw a 49 percent growth in revenues in the 11-month pe-riod this year from last year.

The growth was attributed to the continued demand for mobile, web and smart TV applications.

Digify bagged several key accounts, including SM Prime Holdings Inc., which commis-sioned the company to develop its SM Supermalls iOS and Android mobile apps.

The company also strength-ened its partnership with Sam-sung Electronics Philippines Corp. by handling all the interac-tive displays in three museum ex-hibits sponsored by the latter such as Propaganda and Frames of Reference at the Lopez Museum, and BenCab in Two Movements at the Yuchengco Museum.

Volume of Asia real estate...likely to continue in 2016.”

The report also mentioned that U.S. interest rates would likely edge up gradually in 2016.

It noted that real estate yields would likely increase in markets like Hong Kong and Singapore, as the interest-rate cycle is due to kick in.

Meanwhile, Colliers said cost of funding would head into the south markets, such as China and India, as their governments continue to make pre-emptive

Peso gains strength after US data releasesTHE peso on Wednesday, Dec.

23 closed at its strongest in a more than week against the dollar following the release of latest US economic data.

The Philippine currency gained 11 centavos to close at P47.22 to $1 from Tuesday’s P47.33.

Wednesday’s finish was the strongest since December 10, when the peso stood at P47.19.

“The dollar remained broadly

lower against the other ma-jor currencies after the release of downbeat US economic re-ports, dampening demand for the greenback,” Metrobank Research said.

US gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 2 percent in the third quarter, bet-ter than expectations of 1.9 per-cent but down sharply from 3.9 percent in the second quarter.

US existing home sales, mean-while, tumbled 10.5 percent to a 10-month low of 4.76 million units last month from 5.32 million in October.

The peso opened at P47.25 to $1 at the Philippine Dealing System before trading between P47.20 and P47.31.

Total transactions rose to P427 million from P394.3 million on Tuesday.(ManilaTimes.net)

MANILA—A Philippine Air-lines (PAL) icon has flown home to the heavens, giving inspira-tion to today’s corps of airline frontliners.

Rebecca Verzosa-Santos, the first international stewardess of Philippine Airlines who served on the epic first trans-Pacific flight of PAL to fly home weary American soldiers after World War II, passed away on Dec. 14 in New York due to complications from a heart attack she suffered late September 2015. She was 92 years old.

Becky etched an unparalleled record in PAL’s nearly 75-year history. She was one of PAL’s first domestic cabin attendants at the resumption of operations

in February of 1946 after the Second World War. She was as-signed to train the first cabin crew of Japan Airlines when it was a start-up carrier. She wrote PAL’s first manual for flight attendants, the basis for today’s cabin crew training manuals. After training other cabin crew, she became the first head of PAL’s baggage handling unit — the Baggage Claims Department.

She once said, “It’s a beautiful experience to help people find their lost baggage.”

But her claim to fame was that 41-hour-long first trans-Pa-cific flight that made stopovers at Wake Island, Guam, John-ston Atoll and Honolulu before landing at Oakland, California, using a four-engine DC-4 that was chartered from Trans Ocean Airways.

On July 31, 1946, she looked after 40 homesick US soldiers, manually pumping air into mat-tresses for them to sleep on dur-ing the long flight. Becky said, “I slept on the bucket seats.”

For passenger meals, she pre-pared coffee using hot water from thermos bottles and provisions of sandwiches.

She became a PAL stewardess at age 22, passing the minimum height requirement of five feet. After her studies at the University of the Philippines, she briefly worked at the US Air Force before applying at PAL.

“I applied not so much because I would get to travel but because I thought the work was exciting and fun and challenging,” she said.

Becky was last with PAL of-ficials, including PAL Chairman Dr. Lucio C. Tan and PAL presi-dent Jaime J. Bautista, during a dinner-reception celebrating the flag carrier’s return to New York in March 2015.

She was a special guest at that star-studded dinner in Manhattan (her second home since 1987)

where Becky received a stand-ing ovation after her pioneering contributions to the flag carrier were cited by Mr. Bautista.

Dr. Tan, who was humbled by the presence of a PAL pioneer that night, gifted Becky with two round-trip Business Class tickets — New York-Manila-New York — so she could come home but did not have the time because even at her age she continued to travel with friends.

Granddaughter Alex recounted she would almost always chap-eron her so-called “partner in crime” to different trips and reunions and often get sidelined once participants started pouring their attention onto Becky.

Weeks after the heart attack, friends and former colleagues would check on her at her small sixth-floor apartment on 27th Street in Manhattan.

She is survived by her children — Fr. Caesar (one of the chaplains at the University of Asia and the Pacific), Gary (works at the stock market), daughter Rebecca (who works at the United Nations International School in New York), son-in-law Tim Murry, and granddaughter Alex whom Becky looked after since birth.

Fr. Caesar, recounted how his parents met: “My mother was invited on a blind date by her best friend, also a flight attendant. Captain Miguel Santos, who flew with the US Air Force, was paired with Becky. That blind date even-tually led to marriage.”

Becky has left volumes of memories and a trail-blazing re-cord (41 years, to be exact) in lo-cal commercial aviation history.

In a New York coffee-table book that featured her, she was quoted as saying, “Make use of all your faculties while you are going toward your golden years, because you want to be of service. To give yourself, to love — this is why we are on earth.”

adjustments in their monetary policies to stimulate growth.

“With the prevailing price gap narrowing, and developers expected to pitch more projects at reasonable prices, a number of Asian governments are likely to review existing cooling mea-sures (e.g. stamp duties and bank-lending restrictions),” Col-liers reported.

Colliers said this would cause market sentiment to likely pick up again, increasing the volume of sales transactions in the re-gion.

Eight ways to prevent and stop Sudden Unintended Acceleration

A glimpse of Formula One’s future

THERE’S been a lot of media coverage (social, responsible, and otherwise) about the incidents rounded up under the dubious heading of “Sudden Unintended Acceleration.” The very name is unhelpful. All car crashes, except for ones deliberately wanted by the driver, can be called “sudden and “unintended,” and all move-ments of a vehicle can be termed “acceleration.”

That the cause of such a crash can be due to a fault in a vehicle allowing it to surge forward or backward on its own has not been proven. Yet there are physical causes that will result in a car be-ing more susceptible to a crash. These have been documented as well.

Here are some pointers on keeping your car and driving free of unintended acceleration (the ones with an actual cause):

1. Make sure you use the prop-er floor mats. Stuck accelerator pedals are one of the most promi-nent causes of runaway vehicles. Use only the factory-supplied, original floor mats for your model of vehicle, or floor mats that have been designed specifically for your car. A different shape of mat may trap the accelerator pedal, and be very difficult to dislodge when the car is at speed.

2. Familiarize yourself with the pedals of your car. How many times have you looked at the pedals of your car? Chances are, unless you’ve once have installed some accessory, it’s once or never. We complacently believe that the gas, brake and clutch pedal are all

How to road trip: A survival guideIF you’re planning to be among

the one in four people expecting to take a road trip this year accord-ing to AAA, there are a few steps you can take to prepare for your trip to ensure it goes off without a hitch. Whether you are traveling near or far this holiday season, these five tips will keep your car and travel companions in good spirits from point A to point B and everywhere in between.

1. Plan ahead and include all your travel companions. Be sure everyone in the car will have a special destination or point of interest to look forward to during the trip. Gather ideas of potential pit stops along your route in ad-vance and let your group weigh in to chart the course. There are a variety of online trip planning tools that make it easy for every-one to offer suggestions and rank their choices.

2. Road trip activities. Good playlists and great conversa-tions are the cornerstone for all memorable road trips. The games you played on road trips during your childhood are still fun and entertaining. Eye Spy, the license plate game and 20 questions are all good, low-tech ways to engage all your travel companions who are along for the ride. Try a seated “scavenger hunt.” Write out a list of likely items to spot along the route or at the sites you visit and the first one to check off the whole list gets to choose the next rest stop.

3. Keep the car comfy. An-ticipate the various needs and

comfort of your travel compan-ions by stashing a few pillows and blankets in the car. Having a pillow will allow your passengers to take a quick nap before it’s their turn to drive. And keeping an extra blanket or two in the car will eliminate the battle over the air conditioning. Bring along cookie sheets or cutting boards for the kids to have on their laps so they can write, draw or do small puzzles in the car.

4. Pack smart snacks. Keep your body fueled while you’re on the road with portable and share-able snacks. Granola bars, fruit and crackers are easy options for snacking in the car. If you can’t decide between sweet and savory, try COMBOS Sweet & Salty Cara-mel Crème Pretzel and Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzel. The new snack is perfect for road trip noshing and satisfies both sweet and salty cravings! For more information visit www.Face-book.com/COMBOS and www.COMBOS.com.

5. Prepare for the unexpected. Even the best-laid plans can hit a bump in the road. Road construc-tion, flat tires and traffic can all put a damper on your road trip caus-ing delays and frustration. Make sure your car is road ready before you head out—check the oil and wiper fluid levels and make sure all the tires, including the spare, are properly inflated. And as a precaution, program the number of a nationwide emergency au-tomobile service in your phone. (ManilaTimes.net)

by JASON K. ANGInquirer.net

in familiar positions. In reality, ped-als vary in size and position. Some brake pedals are wide and close to the accelerator, others narrow and farther. Take some time to look at the pedals while stepping on them, to see how your foot movement af-fect the car’s primary controls (of course, do this while the engine in stopped).

3. Always step on the brake when shifting an automatic transmission from “Park” or “Reverse.” The “Drive” position in an automatic transmission can propel the car forward, even if you don’t step on the accelera-tor. Shifting from “Park” or “Re-verse” to “Drive” will immediately get the car moving forward. To eliminate the chance of the car surging when you shift to drive, step on the brake when shifting to “Drive.”

4. Maintain your brakes. The brakes of any car are designed to be more powerful than the engine, and it’s been demonstrated that a full application of the brakes can bring a car, even at full throttle and at speed, to a stop. That is, if they have been properly maintained. The brake fluid, pads and shoes should be inspected and replaced regularly. (That being said, the distance for a full stop can be far too long, and carmakers are be-ing urged to install more safety devices to allow the brakes to be more effective.)

5. Know what to do if you your car surges forward without your intending it to.

• If your foot is on the accelera-tor, lift it off.

• Apply the brakes with a con-tinuous, strong push on the pedal.

Pumping the brakes will bleed off vacuum from the brake booster, making the pedal harder to push. Partially applying the brakes will cause them to fade.

• Shift the transmission into neutral, park, or reverse.

• If your car has an electric park-ing brake, engage it continuously. In most vehicles, electric parking brakes are designed to allow the passenger to stop the vehicle in case the driver loses control or consciousness.

6. Know how to switch off the engine. This should be obvious, as there’s either a key or a button. As a safety precaution, the button may not switch off the engine im-mediately. Some cars require a long press (three seconds or more) to stop the engine. Manufacturers and dealers of cars with Start/stop buttons should inform their owners

on how to stop the engine in an emergency.

7. If you have doubts about your car’s safety, bring it for a checkup. If you experience some-thing odd about your car’s driving behavior, bring it to the dealer or a qualified mechanic. Have the pedals, the engine and the brake system checked. The dealer or mechanic should have a diagnostic tool that can download error codes from the car’s ECU (engine control unit). This can help detect faults in the car’s systems.

If there’s a recall for your par-ticular model, bring in the car for the repair immediately.

8. Be familiar with features like cruise control before using them. As cruise control can main-tain a specified speed and cause a car to crash if not used properly, know how to switch it off.

McLaren unveils MP4X concept F1 racer

IN recent years, Formula One has been at the very forefront of automotive performance, safety and environmental consciousness, with some of its innovations even crossing over to the production-car world.

One good example of a com-pany that thrusts development in F1 into production cars is British performance-car firm McLaren that recently developed its MP4X concept F1 racer to not only show-case their engineering prowess, but also to paint their portrait of where F1 could go.

“We have combined a number of F1’s key ingredients – speed, excitement and performance – with the sport’s emerging narratives, such as enclosed cockpits to en-hance driver safety and hybrid power technologies,” said John Allert, group brand director of McLaren Technology Group.

“Formula 1 is the ultimate gladi-atorial sport and the future we envisage will be a high-tech, high-performance showcase that excites fans like no other sport,” he said.

Closed canopy, mind-control functions

Fans would certainly be excited about the MP4X’s styling since it appears to be the spawn of a fighter jet and the Batmobile. Its sleekness is a product of the deep-black paint, the huge fenders and that canopy, with blood-red stripes making the racer more menacing.

As cars tend to be material manifestations of the socio-political climate that they are created in, the company said the canopy reflects the on-going debate regarding closed cockpits in F1 as a result of deaths and serious injuries from crashes involving the decades-long, open-cockpit design. Much like a fighter jet, the glass section (and even the steering column) opens upwards and is designed to provide good driver visibility (as it repels water and sunlight), improved crash protection and easy accessibility in the event of a rollover crash.

Inside the canopy, McLaren has integrated technologies that

could rival the Mach 5 race car from Speed Racer as the MP4X is envisioned as a vehicle with no physical controls. All the car’s functions will be controlled through hand gestures or with the power of the driver’s mind, which the company said could emerge from technology developed from its part-nership with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline on neurological diseases.

Taking more cues from combat aviation, MP4X drivers get a 360-degree, head-mounted, augment-ed-vision display with a heads-up screen that has cues for everything from caution flags to track debris. The interior also allows race crews to monitor the driver’s vital statis-tics and driving performance, while F1 viewers get to feel like they’re driving the car with a visual system from the driver’s perspective.

To add to the festival of sci-fi technology, MP4X drivers wear a special tracksuit with smart fabrics that can harvest and store energy. In a crash, the suit can also display impact trauma on the driver’s body to assist medical crews in assessing injuries.

Self-healing chassis, solar pan-els

Moving back to the MP4X’s body, the car is designed as a 350-kilometers per hour digital billboard since it integrates green-screen virtual logos instead of the usual stickers. Much like how on-line advertisers target consumers based on their browsing habits, the company said the logos mean that the car will look different, depend-ing on who’s looking.

Helping to power all these ads are solar cells that capture light en-ergy to make electricity that either augment the car’s electrical system or to produce extra boost. The body includes active aerodynamics to improve handling at all speeds, along with body panels that change shape under certain driving condi-tions. These complement the use of downforce-adding ground effect underneath the car, which has been banned in F1 since the early 1980s. (ManilaTimes.net)

Longo Toyota delivers world class experienceBEING the premiere Toyota

retailer in the nation, Longo Toyota aims to deliver a truly world-class experience to our guests on every transaction, everyday.

It all starts with our friendly and welcoming staff, a clean and modern environment, and a wide range of services to make your visit pleasant and convenient. Here are some of our key amenities at Longo Toyota:

Auto Club of Southern California (AAA)

In November 1999, Longo Toyota became the first automotive dealership in the US to have the Auto Club on its premises. For 14 long years, our Auto Club branch has served countless satisfied Longo customers with its wide array of services

Today, our on-site branch offers DMV services, airline, car and hotel reservations, discounted movie and local attraction tickets, membership processing, OnBoard Teen Safe Driver Program, and more. Sign up at our Longo Toyota branch and get $13 off the original membership application price. Located in our new car showroom, our AAA branch is open Mondays thru Saturdays, from 11am to 7pm.

Verizon Wireless Premium Retailer

Longo Lexus is the first car dealership in the US to provide Verizon Wireless and Verizon Wireless Neighborhood services on-site. Our Verizon branch offers the latest in telecommunications, mobile devices, accessories and services. We also offer complimentary cellphone charging stations for our customers. Our Verizon retailer is located inside our parts retail center. Our Wireless Playground is open Monday-Friday, 7am-7pm; Saturday, 7am-5:30pm; and Sunday, 8-4pm. Please call (888) 623-2133 for more information.

Starbucks and SubwayWhile waiting for your car

to come out of our car-care service lines, you can enjoy a quick bite at Subway or a nice refreshing drink at Starbucks. We offer healthy dining options with Subway’s wide variety of sandwiches, salads, and wraps.

If you’re thirsty and you’re looking for that quick coffee

fix, you can grab a refreshing Hazelnut Macchiato or a smooth Caramel Frappuccino at Starbucks. Offering only the finest coffee specialties, teas, juices, and assortment of pastries, there’s something for everybody at our on-site Starbucks branch.

Both our Subway and Starbucks branches are available for catering services.

Enterprise Rent-A-CarLongo Toyota also has two

Enterprise Rent-A-Car offices on its premises. One is located adjacent to the Service Drive in the Pre-Owned Vehicle Showroom, and the other is in the Collision Repair Center. Customers are welcome to utilize the Enterprise rental services, regardless of whether or not they leave their vehicle in Longo for any car service.

Complimentary Vehicle Delivery Service

Longo Toyota also offer complimentary vehicle delivery service. Our delivery service is available 6 days a week, Monday thru Saturday, anywhere within a 60-mile radius of Longo Toyota.

Longo Toyota Parts and Accessories Department

You can also shop at the Longo Toyota Parts and Accessories Department, which carries a wide selection of genuine Toyota parts and accessories for your vehicle. With thousands of parts and accessories in stock, we definitely have whatever it is you’re looking for. Our boutique also carries a selection of Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses, women’s and men’s apparel, and so much more.

Shuttle ServiceFor your convenience, Longo

Toyota offers complimentary shuttle service while your vehicles are being serviced. Our shuttles can take you to virtually anywhere within a 15-mile radius of Longo Toyota – be it your home, work, the mall, or even the parlor! Anywhere!

An engaging stayWhile we understand that our

customer’s time is precious, we realize that many of them may need Internet connectivity at all times. As such we are more than happy to provide FREEWiFi throughout our facility, and FREE use of our great business center. In our business center, we provide a quiet setting where our guests can work on our computers or on their own laptops.

We also provide free use of an iPad for Longo guests who are waiting for their vehicles. Our Guest Check-in representative will be more than happy to arrange this for you.

If you decide to bring the kids to the dealership, boredom will never be a problem. We also offer a variety of video games and DVDs just for kids so that they can also enjoy their visit to Longo Toyota.

For more information on our Longo Toyota Guest Services, please log on to http://www.longotoyota.com/dealership/amenities.htm.

Longo Toyota is located at 3534 North Peck Road, El Monte, CA 91731. Call (626)539-2584 to set up your appointment.

GLENDALE NISSAN1/2H

CHRISTMAS Day is come and gone, but the holiday season is still in full swing at Glendale Nissan.

With the season of giving winding down, Glendale Nissan is still giving to its kababayans with attractive lease specials during its Holiday Event, which runs until Jan. 1.

For a limited time, offers include special pric-ing on the 2015 Altima, the 2015 Nissan Sentra S, the 2015 Rogue, the 2015 Pathfinder S, and the 2015 Quest S, as of this writing.

“All new kababayans are welcome at Glendale Nissan,” said Filipino salesman John Sison, who works alongside Christian Rabia in the dealership’s Filipino sales team.

Sison says that among Filipino clientele, Sen-tras, Altimas and Rogues – all family cars – are particularly popular. But the dealership has much more in store.

Glendale Nissan is well-known for having one of the best selections of Nissans to choose from in the Los Angeles area. During its Holiday Event, customers will also be able to browse

2016 models.The dealership aims to provide excellent

customer service, and was recognized by Nis-san Motor Company as an Owner First Award of Excellence dealer for its superior client service. One of the small ways it does this is by offering complimentary coffee to its customers.

In addition to its physical location, Glendale Nissan has an online showroom that makes it easy for customers to browse its huge selection of new, pre-owned and certified vehicles. Custom-ers can also search based on exact specifications, as well as search for vehicles within a designated budget. Other online features include live chat, a credit score estimator, the option to request for a quick quote, and access to the financing application.

Glendale Nissan727 S Brand Blvd.Glendale, CA 91204Tel: (818) 240-6000Hours: Monday to Saturday 8:30am to 10pm;

Sunday 9am to 9pm

Keyes Toyota: Your top car dealership choice in San Fernando Valley

FOR folks living in the San Fernando Valley, it can be quite easy or quite difficult in picking the car dealership where you will buy your next car from. With a whole host of dealerships lining up the valley, customers can easily get lost in the woods, trying to pick out the dealership that’s right for them.

With regards to Toyota cars, one particular dealer-ship comes to mind when it comes to convenience, com-fort, excellence, and custom-er satisfaction: Keyes Toyota.

For over half a century, Keyes Toyota has served the San Fernando Valley, ad-dressing all the automotive needs of Angelenos across 13 car franchises. With dealer-ships located conveniently near major residential hubs, customers are assured of a supreme buying experience in the pleasant and comfort-able show rooms at Keyes dealerships!

With the widest selections of automobiles across Los Angeles, Keyes can help you find the car of your dreams. Family owned and operated, Keyes dealerships are all com-mitted to providing the most excellent service available to ensure customer satisfaction. Factory-trained technicians and sales professionals are all ready to address your auto-motive needs.

At times, prospective buy-ers may have difficulties in securing approvals for car financing. Thankfully, Keyes Toyota has a number of pro-

mos and programs to help first time buyers, new graduates, military veterans, and all other clients facing financial difficul-ties.

For many Filipinos, Toyotas are really their automobiles of choice for the family. Toyota’s reliable, dependable, and eco-nomical cars perfectly suit the needs of the Filipino family. Pinoys, who prioritize the fam-ily’s comfort above everything else, can find the right van or SUV that can comfortably seat five to seven passengers.

According to Keyes Toyota, any car you choose is sure to be a gas saver, perfect for those who value car economy above all else. Aside from that, customers can rest easy, know-ing that they are covered with Toyota Care.

Factory-trained Toyota techni-cians will help fulfill your main-tenance obligations and help improve your Toyota’s value and performance. Toyota Care

will keep track of your mainte-nance history, and will also de-liver timely reminders for your scheduled maintenance.

Rene Pascual, another sales professional for Keyes Toyota, he personally loves Toyota cars because of their wide variety of car models—from sedans, vans, trucks, pick-ups, and hybrids. In serving the Filipino community, Pas-cual also finds that having this wide selection of cars gives the Filipino family the chance of finding the right car to match their comfort and budget. Pascual fluently speaks Tagalog, Cebuano, and Ilonggo.

Popular Toyota models among Pinoys include the Co-rolla, Camry, Sienna, and the Prius.

However, the Camry is one of the most recommended car for Pinoy buyers. The Camry is loaded with features that Filipinos look for in their cars: spacious seating, up-to-date technology, and overall per-formance.

The Filipino Keyes Con-nection of Rene Pascual and Sammy Estrella are all com-mitted to excellence and cus-tomer satisfaction. With the full support of Keyes General Sales Manager Sam Kassis, Boni, Rene and Sammy can ensure that the Pinoy fam-ily will get the best deals at Keyes Toyota.

Give them a call today at (800) 575-1153 or better yet visit them at 5855 Van Nuys Blvd. in Van Nuys.

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