STEALING FREE NEWSPAPER IS STILL A CRIME !

AB 2612, PLESCIA CRIME PH child labor still unchecked WEEKLY ISSUE 70 CITIES IN 11 STATES ONLINE Vol. IX Issue 445 1028 Mission Street, 2/F, San Francisco, CA 94103 Tel. (415) 593-5955 or (650) 278-0692 Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 Pro-Duterte group supports revolutionary PH NEWS | A3

Rockets beats Warriors gov’t if President is ousted on opening day By Daniel Llanto | FilAm Star Correspondent

A group called Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Execu- tive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC) emerged in the middle of the controversy generated by the latest threat made by President Duterte to declare a revolutionary government if the political opposition carries on with its de-stabilization and ouster plot. The plot to de-stabilize and eventually oust Duterte from SPORTS NEWS | A5 the presidency was confirmed in what looks like a well-funded campaign of MRRD-NECC to sway public opinion on the serious- Nokor: ‘Nuclear war any ness of the threat and the justification for such a declaration of a moment!’ revolutionary government if the problem persisted. In a statement, MRRD-NECC said all moves that seek to de- stabilize his administration and eventually oust him from power are doomed to fail because of the people’s overwhelming support for his governance. “Let us not be swayed and sweet-talked by these de-stabilizers and demagogue politicians whose only advocacy is to grab power from the government. Let us continue to support the President in his advocacy against illegal drugs, corruption, criminality, insur- WORLD NEWS | A9 gency and poverty and condemn and oppose these plotters and de-stabilizers,” the Duterte support group said. President Rodrigo Duterte Kate Winslet on (Photo: www.rt.com) TO PAGE A7 Weinstein PH kicked out of UN council if EJK Sen. Poe cites Customs janitor with denials, non-resolution continue a Porsche to urge lifestyle checks By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent By Macon Araneta | FilAm Star Correspondent Human Rights Watch (HRW) Deputy Director for Asia Phelim Kine ENTERTAINMENT | B6 warned that the Philippine govern- ment will not get away scot-free even Regine, Sarah, Mark if President Rodrigo Duterte takes his in concert together campaign against illegal drugs away from the Philippine National Police (PNP). “If Duterte believes that declaring another suspension in police killing operations will ease pressure for a UN-led international investigation into the drug war, he should think again,” he said. ENTERTAINMENT | B7 He noted that the change in public sentiment coupled with low ratings is a sign that Duterte “is finally feeling the Southeast Asian IS head heat” but it doesn’t end there. Senator Grace Poe “His war won’t end until there is (Photo: www.stateofthephilippines.com) justice and accountability for its thou- Saying that lifestyle checks should ed by these agencies go to government & Maute chief killed but sands of victims,” he said. be the easier way to pin down the Al coffers,” she said. HRW Geneva Director John Fisher Capones at the Bureau of Customs She acknowledged that corruption terror threat remains earlier cautioned that if the govern- (BoC) and the Bureau of Internal Rev- has plagued these two revenue-gener- By Daniel Llanto ment continues to deny and not resolve enue (BIR), Sen. Grace Poe on October ating agencies for the longest time. FilAm Star Correspondent these killings, the Philippines can be 16 said “It’s time to put an end to the “We have seen Customs employees kicked out of the United Nations Hu- gall and hubris of these people who with meager salaries acquire properties The military achieved a major man Rights Council (UNHRC) al- had it too good for way too long under with values way beyond what they sup- victory in the now month-long Marawi though this is “very rare and extreme.” the pretext of serving the people.” posedly can afford,” said Poe. City siege when government troops It is a measure that can be taken by the “This is a sure-fire way of forfeiting For example, she said Ruben killed Islamic State (IS) Southeast UN General Assembly in New York. the money these people have siphoned, Taguba, the father of Mark Taguba, the Asian head Isnilon Hapilon and Maute (T-B) HRW Deputy Dir. Phelim Kine and HRW Geneva Director John Fisher TO PAGE A7 stem corruption at the agencies they whistleblower in the PHP 6.4 bil group leader Omarkhayam Maute but (Photos www.hrw.org) work, and ensure that revenue collect- TO PAGE A7 security analysts believe this does not eliminate the terror threat in Mind- anao, let alone Southeast Asia. Covered California responds to Trump’s Order, Majority of Filipinos believe EJKs exist, Catholic Church Kumar Ramakrishna, a terrorism expert from Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam insurance reduction cuts in new Obamacare should monitor anti-drug campaign – survey School of International Studies, said By Corina Oliquino | FilAm Star Correspondent the death of Isnilon in particular is “a overhaul attempt significant operational and symbolic MANILA – Support for the Du- from one quarter to another since Sep- All the news coming out of Wash- prepared to renew from Nov. 1 through blow to IS-linked groups in Mindanao terte administration’s “war on drugs” is tember 2016, according to the latest ington might lead to the conclusion Jan. 31. The system is trying to make and to ISIS Central in Syria” but he the majority sentiment among Filipi- Pulse Asia Survey. that health insurance in California is in sure you will not be priced out of cov- cautioned that it was far from the end nos at 88 percent with levels of aware- Pulse Asia also notes that for Sep- trouble. Not true. erage. Many--if not most--Californians of IS in the strife-torn southern Philip- ness in the Philippines as a whole and tember 2017, awareness of the cam- If you are getting a subsidized who have gained coverage through the pines or Southeast Asia. in the various areas and classes have paign against illegal drugs being policy through Covered California, be TO PAGE A7 TO PAGE A7 remained unchanged year-on-year and TO PAGE A7 A2 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 FilAm Star A3 ph news Lacson to hazing suspect Trangia: Attend hearing or face arrest PH efforts to eliminate child labor cited but Ralph Trangia, one of the primary suspects Declassifying testimony sugarcane, domestic workers, the sexually in the fatal hazing of Horacio Tomas “Atio” Cas- Before the hearing, Lacson said, the com- tillo III may be cited for contempt and ordered mittee would have a caucus on “how to go about exploited remain unchecked arrested if he fails to attend today’s Senate hear- declassifying” the testimony that another Aegis ing on the matter, Sen. Panfilo Lacson warned on Juris member, John Paul Solano, gave in a By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent Tuesday. closed-door session last month. The Senate committee on public order and The committee may also release the tran- The United States Department of Labor dangerous drugs has summoned 14 persons, script of Solano’s testimony if he refuses to talk (DOL) commended the Philippine government’s including Trangia, to shed light on the death of during the hearing, Lacson said. efforts to eliminate child labor amid reports from the University of Santo Tomas law freshman last “We may also share his testimony [with] the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that month. the Department of Justice and the Manila Police around 2.1 million Filipino children are exposed Lacson, the committee chair, said that the District conducting the investigation,” he said. to hazardous labor, which includes mining. 14, mostly members of Aegis Juris, were invited (Jocelyn R. Uy / inquirer.net) The findings of the DOL’s Worst Forms of to the hearing set on Sept. 25 but none of them Child Labor report for 2016 showed the Philip- showed up. pine government has made a significant advance- “If they ignore the subpoena and do not ap- ment in its drive to ensure the protection of pear [today], they may be cited for contempt and children’s welfare. could be ordered arrested,” he told reporters. It said this was realized through policies such Trangia flew to Chicago with his mother, as the release of the revised and expanded list Rosemarie, hours after Castillo’s death on Sept. of hazardous occupations for children and the 17 was reported by the media. They returned to passage of the Children’s Emergency Relief and the country on Oct. 10. Protection Act last year. Aside from Trangia, also summoned by the It also cited the establishment of the Inter- Senate are Arvin Balag, Aeron Salientes, Mhin net Crimes Against Children Office under the (Photo:site.clkss.org.ph) Wei Chan, Mark Anthony Ventura, Oliver John Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division of the Philip- Audrey Onofre, Ranie Rafael Santiago, Zimon pine National Police (PNP) and the updating of Padro, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Karl Matthew the Philippine Program against Child Labor. Villanueva, Jose Miguel Salamat, Danielle Hans The DOL also praised its Philippine coun- Matthew Rodrigo, Axel Munro Hipe and Mar- Ralph Trangia terpart’s amendments to the Revised Rules on child labor laws remains challenging due to the celino Bagtang. (Photo: www.cnnphilippines.com) Labor Laws Compliance system, which prioritizes limited number of inspectors, lack of resources inspection of establishments employing minors. for inspections, and inspectors’ inability to enter Tne Philippine Department of Labor and private homes,” it added. Employment (DOLE) stated that this is the fifth The DOL urged the Philippine government 2 dead as rains, floods hit Zamboanga year that the country has gotten such a citation. to take the following actions to step up efforts people) staying in barangay Earlier this year, DOLE together with the against child labor: halls and a public gymnasium Department of Social Welfare and Development • Increase the number of labor inspectors as floodwater rose in the west- (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), • Authorize the Sagip Batang Manggagawa ern portion of Zamboanga. and Department of Environment and Natural (SBM) Quick Action Team to inspect private “Rain keeps battering Resources (DENR) launched the campaign “Isang homes for child domestic workers. the city and we expect more Milyong Batang Malaya.” • Restructure the National Child Labor flooding, but we have trained In coordination with the International Labor Committee (NCLC) to give it legal mandate and barangay officials [in disaster Organization (ILO) and environmental group Ban resources response and they] are man- Toxics, the campaign intends to eliminate child • Ensure education is accessible to all chil- dated to respond immediately,” labor by 2025, one of the targets set in the United dren Salazar said. Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. • Provide resources to help out-of-school The villages of Vitali and But despite the gains, the DOL acknowledged youth avail of the Alternative Learning System Mangusu have been under that much still has to be done to fight child labor. program water since Sunday when a river “Children in the Philippines perform dan- SBM is an inter-agency response mechanism overflowed. gerous tasks in the production of sugarcane. that detects, monitors, and rescues child workers (Photo: www.cnnphilippines.com) Six houses in Vitali were Children also engage in the worst forms of child in “hazardous and exploitative working condi- swept away by rampaging labor, including forced domestic work and com- tions.” The NCLC, meanwhile, is a coordinating floodwater. mercial sexual exploitation,” the report reads. body composed of government agencies, employ- ZAMBOANGA CITY — At Mayor Maria Isabelle Sala- Sections of the villages “Despite the existence of strong mechanisms ers, and labor unions involved in implementing least two persons died while zar did not identify the fatali- of Labuan, Maasin, Patalon, to respond to cases of child labor, enforcement of and monitoring policies on child labor. more than 12,000 people were ties. She said another resident Limpapa, Sinunuc, Ayala, Tal- displaced by flooding triggered was reported missing. isayan, Campo Islam, Calarian by heavy rains in the past three Salazar said her office and Recodo were also flooded. days in the city. recorded 2,448 families (12,240 (Julie S. Alipala / inquirer.net) A4 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 ph news Prosecutors to amend charges v.s. De Lima GMA joins ruling PDP-Laban, may return to senate State prosecutors are plan- ning to revise the drug traf- By Macon Araneta | FilAm Star Correspondent ficking case they filed against detained Sen. Leila de Lima, “No awkward feelings,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano Agu- said Senate President Aquilino irre II disclosed on Tuesday. “Koko” Pimentel when sought “I heard that they will make for his comment on the possi- an amendment. I don’t know bility of having former presi- if they will pursue it. It’s the dent and now Pampanga Mayor call of the [National Prosecu- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in tion Service]. It’s not up to us,” the PDP-Laban and sharing the Aguirre told reporters. same stage when they both run Aguirre said that the pros- ecutors were supposedly study- for senator in the coming 2019 (L-R) DOJ Sec. Vitaliano Aguirre II and Sen. Leila Delima elections. ing the position that Solicitor (Photo: www.pinoynewz.com) Pimentel, also president General Jose Calida explained of the ruling PDP-Laban, is during the oral arguments on tained in Camp Crame since her In the majority ruling a re-electionist. Arroyo will De Lima’s petition in the Su- arrest on Feb. 24, was indicted written by Associate Justice likely return to the Senate after preme Court. for violation of Section 5 in Presbitero Velasco Jr., the serving her third and last term Calida had told the magis- relation to Section 3(jj), Section tribunal said that state prosecu- as representative of the second trates that De Lima should have 26(b) and Section 28. tors were allowed to “amend the district of Pampanga. been charged with violating Section 3(jj) refers to the information at any time before The former president and Section 26 of Republic Act No. trading of illegal drugs, while arraignment.” her husband, former First 9165, or the Comprehensive Section 28 covers the crimi- “Since [De Lima] has Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, nal liability of public officials not yet been arraigned, then were charged by Pimentel with instead of violating Section 5 of involved in the proliferation of the information … can still be an electoral sabotage case in the the law. narcotics. amended pursuant to Section 2007 elections. Section 26 pertains to Asked if amending a 14, Rule 110 of the Rules of (L-R) Sen. Koko Pimentel and Mayor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo “any attempt or conspiracy” to complaint already filed in court Court,” the high court said in its Earlier, Pimentel also filed (Photo: www.gmanetwork.com) an election protest against import, sell, trade, administer, was authorized, Aguirre said: ruling. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri over House Speaker Pantaleon it for a later time. Senate slate dispense, deliver, distribute “That’s legal. The solicitor gen- It added: “All these, at least allegations of election fraud in Alvarez, Arroyo said her joining will be finalized maybe in Feb- and transport illegal drugs, and eral himself said the Supreme preliminarily, outline a case for the 2007 polls. Zubiri, an ally of the PDP-Laban is to consolidate ruary 2018 but target date is ad- maintain a drug den, produce Court did not see anything illegal drug trading committed Arroyo, was declared the 12th support for the President. justable. You know in politics, narcotics and cultivate sources wrong with it.” in conspiracy by the petitioner winning senator then. Pimentel “It is a matter of course as things can change abruptly,” the of illicit substances. Last week, the high court and her coaccused.” replaced Zubiri in 2011 after he we have been talking about this Senator said. On the other hand, Section voted 9-6 to junk De Lima’s The magistrates also held was declared the lawful winner. for quite sometime,” she said. “Party slate will be done 5 prohibits the “sale, trading, petition for certiorari due to that the failure of any lower In his openness to accept Arroyo said she supports objectively. My feelings or opin- administration, dispensation, several technicalities as it ruled court judge to “order the correc- Arroyo to the ruling party, the Duterte administration and ion should not matter. We will delivery, distribution and trans- that Presiding Judge Juanita tion of a defect in the informa- Pimentel stressed that people the President’s campaign for a have surveys and analyze data portation of dangerous drugs Guerrero of Muntinlupa City tion curable by an amendment change and circumstances federal form of government. extensively. (It) also depends and/or controlled precursors Regional Trial Court Branch amounts to an arbitrary exer- change, especially in politics. Pimentel said Arroyo on their belief in federalism,” he and essential chemicals.” 204 had jurisdiction to hear the cise of power.” (Marlon Ramos “We should not close doors must be the one to change by also said. De Lima, who has been de- case. / inquirer.net) or burn bridges unless abso- embracing the PDP-Laban’s Aside from him, Pimentel’s lutely called for or warranted,” core principles of belief in God, initial choices for the PDP- he said. human dignity, love of coun- Laban slate include Major- Robredo calls for unity as gov’t starts rebuilding Marawi “If someone wants to help try, equal opportunities for all, ity Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, Vice President Leni Ro- the war for the dedication and at katahimikan sa Marawi,” Ro- the cause of federalism, then consultative and participatory Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo bredo on Tuesday called for heroism they showed to bring bredo said in her speech during why not accept him her with democracy, and federalism. Benitez, Bataan Representa- unity as the government starts back peace in the city. the first anniversary celebration open arms?” he added. However, Pimentel said tive Geraldine Roman, Davao rehabilitating Marawi City, “Sumasaludo po tayo sa of her flagship program Angat Arroyo, a known ally of the there was no talk yet on Ar- City Rep. Karlo Nograles, and which bore the brunt of the tapang at dedikasyon ng ating Buhay. President, recenty took her oath royo’s possible return to the former Metropolitan Manila months-long siege by Islamic mga sundalo at iba pang mga At the event, held at the as member of PDP-Laban. Senate but he has, so far, not Development Authority Chair- State-inspired terrorists. kawani ng gobyerno, at sa kanil- SMX Convention Center in During her her oath before opposed to it. man Francis Tolentino. Robredo also hailed the ang sakripisyo at kabayanihan Pasay, Robredo launched the party’s secretary-general, “No idea yet. Let’s reserve military and police forces in para maibalik ang kapayapaan TO PAGE A7 FilAm Star Classifieds (650)278-0692 . (415)593-5955

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Please send resume to: [email protected] or call (650) 278-0692/ (415) 593-5955 WANTED ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: WANTED FilAm Star, one of the fastest growing Travel Agent Filipino-American newspaper companies is expanding and has immediate openings. Should have at least 2 years Please send resume to: experience with Sabre [email protected] SEND RESUME TO: or call (650) 278-0692/ Fax #: 1-800-446-6191 Email address: [email protected] (415) 593-5955 Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 FilAm Star A5 sports Chargers edge out Raiders, 17-16 Story and photos by R. Mascardo news OAKLAND -- The Los An- about being 2-4, especially NBA: Rockets spoil Warriors’ geles Chargers lost four suc- with the game against Kansas cessive games to the Oakland City Chiefs on Thursday night opening night Raiders, the previous three by looming. three points. Chargers running back The new-look Houston This time, the Chargers Melvin Gordon carried 25 Rockets roared back to beat NBA were on the right side of a times for 83 yards and a champions Golden State 122-121 close game against the Raid- touchdown and caught nine on Tuesday, spoiling a celebra- tory night at the Warriors’ Oracle ers. passes for 67 yards and a Arena in Oakland. Nick Novak kicked the score. The Warriors marked the winning 32-yard field goal as Rivers threw for 268 opening of the new season by the time expired, lifting the yards and one touchdown, handing out their championship Chargers to a 17-16 victory. completing 25 of 36 passes. rings and raising their 2016-17 The Raiders, who began The Chargers hadn’t won championship banner. the season with Super Bowl back-to-back games since Despite a furious rally by the hopes, have a different feeling nearly a year ago when they Rockets, the Warriors thought beat Denver in week 6 and they had won the game with a last-gasp basket from Kevin Atlanta, week 7. Durant, but the clock had expired (L-R) Klay Thompson, Kevin Looney, and Steph Curry shows off their The Raiders took a 16-14 a fraction of a second before the championship rings at the opening day game against the Houston Rockets lead with 7:51 left on Cordar- ball left Durant’s hand and it was (Photo: www.youtube.com) relle Patterson’s 47-yard end the Rockets celebrating at the end around for a touchdown. Gior- of the night. Two offensive rebounds gave James Harden had 27 gio Tavecchio, who made all P.J. Tucker had given the Rockets another possession in points, Gordon 24 and Tucker the final minute. They trailed 121- 20 for the Rockets. Former Los nine of his field goal attempts Houston the lead with a two free throws with 44.1 seconds remain- 120 when Tucker was fouled and Angeles Clippers point guard missed the extra-point try and made both his free throws. Chris Paul, brought in to help the the Raiders’ lead remained ing. The Rockets trailed by as Golden State, who lost only Rockets challenge the Warriors two points. many as 17 and by 11 points 15 times last season, turned the in the West, had just four points The Chargers and the entering the fourth quarter. ball over on their next possession. with 11 assists and eight rebounds Raiders then had three-and- in his debut for Houston. out. After an Oakland punt, Nick Young, a new arrival at the Chargers began their final Golden State this season, led the drive and kicked the winning Warriors with 23 points off the bench. field goal. Curry scored 22 and Durant The Chargers (2-4) are 20 for the Warriors, who saw tied with the Raiders in the Draymond Green depart in the cellar of the AFC west. third quarter with a knee strain. Before exiting, reigning defensive player of the year Green pulled down 11 rebounds and handed out 13 assists to go with nine points. “He was our best player to- night,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr (L-R) Houston’s James Harden trying to keep up with Steph Curry of GSW said. “He was the guy bringing (Photo: www.sfchronicle.com) the energy and the life. We didn’t have much energy from most of They were down 114-107 after a They had a chance to win when the group tonight. three-pointer from Warriors star Curry missed a three-pointer with “As soon as he went out of Stephen Curry with 5:12 remain- five seconds left. the game things went south for ing. A deflection brought the us,” Kerr added. “We just couldn’t But the Rockets wouldn’t go ball to Durant, whose attempt get any traction.” away, producing a late flurry that from the baseline fell to thrill the The Warriors became just included a three-point play by crowd, only for a review to show the fourth defending champions Eric Gordon and a three-pointer it left his hand too late. since 2000 to lose their opener by Tucker. “I knew I was cutting it the following season. (AFP) close,” Durant said. A6 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017

opinion In every divine call at the Pangarap Village Church, Brother Ramil has to walk kilometers of Dual Voice muddy or dusty clay foot trails on moonsoon or swel- tering tropical months snaking downhill and uphill PerryScope from the upland community. Poor helping poor The settlers were prohibited by armed guards to travel the 10-kilometer concrete road inside Ciudad FEDERICO A. ‘Moron-in-Chief’ Real. Hence, they have to trek a round about route. ESPIRITU Sweating or drenched depending on the weather, PERRY DIAZ Brother Ramil, would either walk barefooted with his Abject poverty in our rubber sandals tucked by the side of his black mission It’s not everyday that or overturn of social system, makes even those with native land certainly has bag, his white shirt and black pants neatly folded in- someone would call the normal thinking faculty think about discretion and complex roots, tentacles side together with his Bible and religious references. most powerful leader in composure.” and manifestations. His worn out shoes are tied by their strings and hung the world a “moron” or So, where is all this hyperbole leading? With FilAm balikbayans ac- on his nape and shoulders. anything close to that. But North Korea conducting 19 missile tests and one customed to the comforts It is picture perfect imagery of a sojourning, that’s what Secretary of nuclear test in 2017, North Korea is getting closer of their adopted host na- dedicated mission worker if captured in photography State Rex Tillerson did. to its goal of developing a nuclear-armed intercon- tions often either silently or painting. After the kilometric walk, Brother Ramil And for those who don’t tinental ballistic missile that could target the U.S. or vocally whine when retrogressive culture shock stops by a friendly variety store where the owner al- know what it means, the North Korea is now believed to possess 60 nuclear implodes as soon as they land at the Manila airport, lows him to clean up at the back corner. He then puts Merriam-Webster diction- weapons. much more traverse the scenes of impoverished life on his white shirt, black pants, socks and the olden ary defines “moron” as a “very stupid person” or Trump’s miscalculations of kababayans in their sojourn back to respective but shiny shoes, subsequently wrapping in plastic his “a person affected with mild mental retardation,” But North Korea’s nuclear blackmail is only the hometowns. rubber sandals and tucked carefully inside the bag. which then begs the question: Is Donald J. Trump a tip of the iceberg. While the threat can be neutral- Many merely shrug off the gloom fate of fellow- Lo and behold, he transforms into his other moron? ized at a very high cost in lives and resources, there men stuck in their miseries but many can be also be preacher attire. He still rode the jeepney toward the But whatever you might think about it, the real are a number of Trump miscalculations that could game changers like Good Samaritans. They long to 5-kilometer away gateway of Pangarap Village. The reason Tillerson called Trump a moron is actually change the world order. uplift the quality of life of Filipinos back home. last stretch is half-mile walk toward the church. “terrifying” as the Daily Beast reported the incident In my column, “Trump’s geopolitical miscal- Gerry Carriedo is one such FilAm. I feel the When Brother Ramil stands and leads in worship on October 4, 2017. It reported that the insult came culations,” (May 12, 2017), I wrote: “But the worst intensity in his generous heart as he passionately nar- his fellow Catholic Christians, there is not an iota of one day after “a meeting about Afghanistan in which in Trump’s miscalculations in Asia was his decision rates his years of serving the poor with love, building ordeal that can be traced on his joyful and glisten- Trump compared the process of reviewing strategy to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a shelters for families who cannot afford decent habita- ing face. Out there, there are many Brother Ramil tion and sending needy youth to school. in the country to the renovation of a high-end New security and economic agreement between 12 coun- who are poor serving the poor but richly blessed with He speaks with resolve about giving up and sell- York restaurant.” It then said that NBC News re- tries led by the U.S. Seven of the member-countries divine treasure nobody can steal from them. ing his large mountain house abode to help more or ported that “Tillerson called Trump a ‘moron’ after a hail from the Asia-Pacific: Australia, Brunei, Japan, Poor but millionaires in faith and servitude. Our donating a family lot in Marikina to erect houses for meeting concerning the US’ nuclear arsenal in which Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Vietnam, of beloved Philippines may be wallowing in poverty the homeless. In a recent forum, Carriedo, in cracking Trump asked for 10 times more nuclear weapons.” which four are ASEAN members (Brunei, Malaysia, incidence. The Filipinos religiosity, spiritually and voice, asked “Who will help the poor when you are According to NBC News, the meeting was in Singapore, and Vietnam). Collectively, the TPP devotion to the Almighty Father, Mother Mary and poor?” July and Trump’s “insane request” was apparently member-countries account for 40% of world trade. Jesus Christ can be no match to stacks of gold stashed His audience who are fellow missionaries serving in response to information Trump was given about Ironically, it was the U.S. under the presidency of at the Federal Reserves. the poor understood from where Carriedo was com- Our nation is still the beacon of Catholism in the US’ steady decrease in nuclear weapons since Obama who started the negotiations among the 12 ing from. They know that one has to possess purity the late 60’s. The officials at the meeting were said countries. Unfortunately, while 11 countries ratified Asia. Filipino seminaries and ordained men-in-robe in heart and soul before you can truly commit oneself fill-up that widening deficit of priests around the to be surprised by his request, and had to explain TPP in 2016, the U.S. Congress under Republican to servitude for the impoverished in material and world. America and the rest of the globe continue to to Trump “the legal and practical impediments to a control failed – or refused – to ratify it in the last spiritual endowments. sink in a quagmire of Poverty of the West in faith and nuclear buildup.” few months of Obama’s presidency. When Trump Servanthood has to be Christ-like, magnani- spirituality. The NBC News reported further that Trump took over, withdrawal from TPP was one of his first mous, sincere and faithful. In our daily lives, we The Philippines rises above the rest in Christian said several times that he also wanted more troops acts – victims of his vindictive assault on policies encounter personalities that fortunately befit this life. Our nation will certainly rank in top spot in the and military equipment. But officials told NBC and programs that Obama implemented.” genre: rich both in soul and pocket. Possessing both Heavenly Kingdom. Even our poor serves the poor News that no increase in the nuclear arsenal is China fills the void enrichment makes helping loftier. when most affluent stonewall. planned. Soon after the meeting ended, the officials With the U.S. out of the “big picture,” it is an- What about if the server is endowed in heart but Potpourri: What becomes of America without who stayed behind overheard Tillerson say that ticipated that China would step in to take the place deprived of material treasures? The latter factor be- Filipino caregivers? In years, caregiving has been Trump was a “moron.” When a reporter asked Til- of the U.S. in the TPP. It’s ironic that TPP, which comes a game changer. But not for one servant leader major preoccupation of Filipino settlers in the Land lerson to confirm if he called Trump a “moron,” he the U.S. was instrumental in forming as a counter- who always inspire me that I always share his story. of Milk and Honey. Pinay babysitters teach their ward didn’t dispute it. balance China’s dominance in world trade, would Sometime in 2010, my missionary mentor Man- how to pray. American families’ taste buds are whet- But what might sound “petty” is a serious end up circling in China’s orbit. ny Patayon (now based in Los Angeles) and I were ted with adobo, lumpia and pansit. The elderly are problem… a very serious problem, considering that But while the TPP might hurt the U.S.’s trade back-to-back speakers in a Christian Life Program provided not only loving health services but spiritual the person referred to as a “moron” is the most relations, there is nothing more destructive than of the Catholic ministry, Couples for Christ (CFC), in care before their final journey. powerful man on earth who has at his disposal more Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Pangarap Village Church in Northern Caloocan. Families and their children will feel the pinch than 5,000 nuclear warheads. And he wanted to agreement last June. The agreement was adopted It was raining cats and dogs and the beating of without their Ate or Kuya by their beck and call or increase that number tenfold? This man is not only by consensus by representatives of 196 parties at the heavy downpour whipped by strong winds was deaf- sometimes abuse. America will not grind to a halt but a “moron,” he is the “Moron-in-Chief.” And he must 21st Conference of the Parties of UNFCCC in Paris ening pre-program conversations. From the concrete in this society of prosperity, life’s comforts will be at be crazy, too! on December 12, 2015. To date, 195 members have stairs, emerged a soaked diminutive figure wiping off stake without the Pinoy caregivers....Nang huling nag- Dr. Strangelove signed the agreement, 168 of which have ratified it. rain drops on his hair, face, white shirt, black pants palamig sa Seafood City Concord ang aming pangkat Which reminds me of the 1964 movie, “Dr. By Trump’s withdrawal, the U.S. will join two other and bag with small worn out washcloth. sa paglilingkod sa Panginoon bilang padespedida sa Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and U.N. member countries – Syria and Nicaragua -- He was introduced to us as Brother Ramil Dela kapatid na si Joemar Salumbides bago bumalik ng Love the Bomb.” It is a political satire black comedy that haven’t signed on. Vega who after the casual greetings and handshake, Maynila, nakatuwaan kong bilangin ang mga puti na film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear On October12, 2017, Trump brought his war to went on center stage and started the worship praising kumakain rin sa Chowking. Minsan ay ginagawa ko war between the Soviet Union and the United States. the home front, launching an assault on Obamacare. as his Bible laid in the lectern in front of him. rin ito sa Jolibee. Nakatutuwang mauubos na ang da- Although the Cold War is now over, the specter He issued an executive order that stopped payments The thundering voice of exhortation of Brother liri sa dami ng mga hindi nating kalahi na nahihilig sa of a nuclear war is still very real. With North Korea worth billions of dollars to health insurers to subsi- Ramil conquered the tempest of howling storm even pagkaing Pilipino. Pausukin pa ang putaheng Pinoy! threatening to attack the U.S. with a barrage of dize low-income Americans. It was a move health with the absence of microphone. Everybody was in- The onslaught of Hurricane Harvey and Irma nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, it has driven Trump insurers have warned will cause chaos in insurance fected with the empowered anointment of Bro Ramil brings to mind the difference in state of preparedness closer to the brink of madness and self-destruction. markets and a spike in premiums. in his worship leading that concealed his modest of both the people and government units in facing The sad part of it is that the whole humankind would The following day, Trump did what he’d been education. disasters with that of our systemic risk reduction ap- His lips blurted out voice of God praising and suffer, nay perish. threatening to do and that is: pull out of a deal freez- proaches back home. I know people would react that praying that really set the tone for the spiritual activ- In less than a year in the presidency, Trump has ing and reversing Iran’s nuclear program if Congress response variance basically is a factor of economics ity amid nature’s show of wrath. Our tete-a-tete with reduced the world’s only superpower to an impotent and U.S. allies do not agree to strengthen it. In but human will interplays as well. Brother Ramil after our speaking turn revealed more eunuch denigrated by rogue states like North Korea trying to justify his decision, Trump said: “As I have Degree of managing suffering is always the chal- surprises as he bared himself to us while partaking of and Iran. said many times, the Iran deal was one of the worst lenge among disaster responders in both the First and a modest peso-worth pastry from the corner bakeshop When Trump addressed the U.N. General As- and most one-sided transactions the United States Third World setting. Americans visibly have low toler- and faint fruit juice. sembly with a threat to “totally destroy North Korea” ance for disaster havoc. Filipinos identified with the has ever entered into.” The worship leader was rich in soul but poor in if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies, Sad to say, what Obama put together in the fate of Puerto Rico ravaged by Hurricane Maria. material posessions. His audience mostly are poorer However, the frequency of tempests and crises North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un responded: “I will eight years he was president, Trump dismantled residents of Pangarap Village facing onslaught evic- surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged them in eight months. And it would probably take in the Philippines has made its people pliant like the tion from the homes by a wealthy Araneta scion who bamboo in enduring natural and man-made calami- U.S. dotard with fire.” Kim’s personal response another eight years –maybe more -- to put them saber-rattled with a favorable land ownership claim ties....Sabi nga ng matatanda, ang ating kalahi ay marked an escalation of the word war between back together. As someone once said, “Rome wasn’t court decision. marunong mamaluktot habang maigsi ang kumot. Trump and Kim. North Korea’s state-run news built in one day, but they were laying bricks every Brother Ramil and family did not own a home Subalit kailangan namang hangarin nating lahat na agency KCNA then released the following state- hour.” In the case of the U.S., Trump is burning it, until they became beneficiary of CFC ANCOP (An- tulong-tulong palakihin ang kumot upang matapos ment: “The mentally deranged behavior of the U.S. day after day. And he fiddled while doing it. swering the Cry Of the Poor) shelter program in the ang pamamaluktot. president openly expressing on the UN arena the ([email protected]) upland area of the 1,096 hectares Ciudad Real subdi- (You may correspond with Dual Voice at dvoicef- unethical will to ‘totally destroy’ a sovereign state, vision in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan. With his [email protected]) beyond the boundary of threats of regime change innate leadership, he became elder of the relocated families in the new resettlement community. fices are worth appreciating, just like St. Teresa of Calcutta (also known as Mother Teresa), a As I See It teacher for 20 years who sacrificed a lot working with people who needed her services. The Opinions expressed by our writers and World teachers’ day: Thank a teacher today! They belong to teachers who need to get their contributors do not in any way reflect the hands dirty, according to Barnhart who said, “For opinion of the management of Fortune News ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO community by staying to teach in their respective my money, future teachers need to be willing to Media Inc. Many may not know alma maters, instead of going to Manila or going jump in and sleuth away. Look, listen and apply Fortune News Media Inc. that there’s a world abroad. Recognized were overall reunion organiz- some basic trouble-shooting techniques when Publisher teachers’ day… well, er Fe Gonzales Sepulveda, Our Lady of the Lilies things go south. And, with technology, disaster Harvey Barkin there is! World Teach- Academy (OLLA ’63) who taught English and is only as certain as your cocksure attitude that Editor-in-Chief ers’ Day, also known as public speaking after her college graduation; Dr. everything will work. “No Fear” should be the International Teachers’ Clare Adalem, Urdaneta Community High School mantra of teachers who face pesky equipment. Edwina Aniag Heck, with the vast resources of the World Wide Vice President for Marketing and Operations Day, is celebrated on (UCHS ’60) taught in the Central School and the October 5 annually since mother high school and then put up her own Web, a solution is often not far away. If, for ex- Gary De Guzman 1994 with this year’s school – the St. Clare College of Caloocan City; ample, a projector and laptop aren’t playing well Vice President for Community Relations theme, “Teaching in Myrna Ortiz del Rosario, UCHS ’60, taught in together, “Google it”. In short, a teacher needs to Anchet Manosca Freedom, Empowering Teachers”! This might be elementary and secondary levels; Paz de Guzman be brave enough and have confidence in himself Creative and Production Manager late for this issue, but it’s never too late to empha- Fontamillas, UCHS ’51 taught Pilipino in high or herself, and need not panic. That’s the kind of Atty. Crispin Lozano size that we should recognize and appreciate school; and Dr. Bernadette Ortiz Ordonez, UCHS alumni teachers we have. Dr. Philip Chua / Rodel Rodis teachers all over the world! ’64, Principal 1V, taught social studies. With academic freedom and empowerment Ben Lou / Perry Diaz Its aim, aside from recognizing their efforts There were alumni I know, who were not as the focus of this year’s World Teachers’ Day Federico Espiritu / Elpidio Estioko and sacrifices in educating our youths, is to focus able to attend the reunion at Las Vegas, but also (WTD), educators around the world took time in Columnists on “appreciating, assessing and improving the taught in elementary and high school in Ur- highlighting the many challenges the education Macon Ramos-Araneta educators of the world and to provide an oppor- daneta. We have Gilda Doot Nickel, UCHS ’65 sector is facing today. Education International Corina Oliquino / Lara Climaco (EI) Deputy General Secretary David Edwards Daniel Llanto tunity to consider issues related to teachers and who taught at Divine Word College in Urdaneta Correspondents teaching”. (DWCU); Feliciana Sarga, UCHS ’65 who taught put it in a podcast release last week saying: “Like It’s a known fact that a teacher nourishes the in the barrio high school; Praxedes dela Cruz, many other risky and socially highly valuable Ann Gauna professions, teachers everywhere should be pro- Marketing Associate soul of a child for a lifetime. He or she presents UCHS ’65, also taught at the barrio high school; the past, reveals the present, and creates the Elenita Gerola, UCHS ’65; Rolando Sabado, tected, not persecuted”. Jho Bule future. And… many say, in describing a great UCHS ’65 taught Physical Education; and Diego Observer, in its October 5, 2017 editorial, Photographer teacher: The mediocre teacher tells; the good Consolacion, UCHS ’65, current president of features the role of teachers in society. “Many of Glenda Bule teacher explains; the superior teacher demon- UCHS Batch ’65, among others. I may have you may not know that such a day exists but it Event Coordinator strates; and the great teacher inspires. forgotten many alumni teachers but to them go does, and we figured that with all the talk of edu- So a teacher serves as a source of inspiration our deep appreciation for the service they do as cation in recent times, we would take a moment FilAm Star is published weekly to recognize the special day set aside for teachers by Fortune News Media Inc. and is not the one who lets you choose a path, but teachers. www.filamstar.com he or she is the one who directs you in your path. Despite the fact that the teaching profession from around the world”. Happy Teachers’ Day! is often not completely understood, these teach- The description continues, “This recommen- Headquarters: Last week, during the multi-high school ers chose to teach and work with students in their dation sets forth the rights and responsibilities 1028 Mission St., 2/F, reunion of three high schools from Urdaneta community sharing their expertise and care. For of teachers as well as international standards for San Francisco, CA 94103; City, Pangasinan during its gala night held at the most part, they are underpaid, underappreci- their initial preparation and further education, Tel. (650) 278-0692 or (415) 593-5955 Tropicana Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, the organiz- ated, and under-resourced and they are typically recruitment, employment, teaching and learn Email: [email protected] ers recognized the alumni who gave back to the asked to do more with less in return. Their sacri- TO PAGE A7 Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 FilAm Star A7 PRO-DUTERTE GROUP is only borne out of the President’s desire to establish COVERED CALIFORNIA rather than enroll in a Covered California plan, since ... FROM PAGE A1 an authoritarian government. ... FROM PAGE A1 you will not get a subsidy. “Let’s call on all political forces to work for the These are the people who are truly suffering with nation. Extra constitutional methods to seize power or higher premium costs and are helping drive the politi- The MRRD-NECC expressed support to the pos- state exchange will face premium costs similar to last maintain power have not worked well for us in the past cal debate over fixing or repealing Obamacare. sible declaration of a revolutionary government, noting year thanks to the escalator in federal tax credits built and would surely be damaging in the future,” Angara Hamady offers a reality check. “If you’re making that many public officials who are protected by the into the plan. said. concept of security of tenure have “used their positions $60,000 to $70,000 and if you have four, five mem- But Sen. Panfilo Lacson was not bothered, pointing Recent developments created plenty of confusion for self-gratification and advancement of their greed.” bers in your family you’re not getting any assistance. out that the public should, by now, get accustomed to among consumers. Even before the Trump announce- Duterte earlier said he would declare a revolution- If you are in your early 50s and you have kids you’re Duterte’s “impulsive” remarks. ments of last week, only 31 percent of the insured na- ary government if communists and other groups sup- going to be paying $2,000 to $3,000 a month.” “Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said tionwide knew signups would begin Nov. 1 and nearly ported by his opponents attempted to de-stabilize his Low income folks on Medi-Cal, retirees and Duterte should be given the benefit of the doubt when 60 percent of the uninsured believed the Affordable government. His daughter, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte disabled people on Medicare, and undocumented im- he made such a statement as his office receives all kinds Care Act would be cancelled next year, according to a also said the threat of de-stabilization is “as real as ter- migrants face their own enrollment issues. of sensitive information. poll by Get America Covered. rorism.” If your incomes is below 138 percent of the federal Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, a minority bloc Here is what has been going on in Washington The MRRD-NECC lashed at politicians who are poverty line you qualify for Medi-Cal and can enroll member, called on members of government to work after the Republican majority in Congress failed to inciting the people to “rise up” by “sowing misinfor- anytime during the year. together for political stability in the country, “despite repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA or mation, misrepresentation and propaganda.” It was If you are turning 65 years old, three months after differences in opinion and political color, as political Obamacare): indicated that the group of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is your birthday you have seven months to enroll in Part uncertainty will not benefit the country.” On Oct. 12, President Donald Trump signed two among those plotting to remove the President. A (for hospital expenses) and Part B (for doctor visit “While we disagree with some policies of the executive orders, both of which were seen as steps “Ironically, these politicians do not have any expenses) of Medicare. If you’re already enrolled in a administration, we don’t want trouble for our country. toward unraveling the ACA. sterling record to identify them as good public servants, Medicare advantage HMO plan you can switch plans De-stabilization and political uncertainty are not good The first order instructed federal agencies to rather, as experts in de-stabilization and mutiny. In or go back to traditional Medicare every year between for anyone,” Aquino said. begin writing new regulations that would allow greater fact, recidivist mutineers and putschists,” it said. October 15 and December 1. If you are disabled and He urged Duterte not to equate dissent with de- latitude for so-called association health plans. Under The group hit the Supreme Court (SC) and the under the age of 65, you can get Medicare after 24 to stabilization, saying that “speaking from the heart about these plans small businesses in the same industry or Office of the Ombudsman for committing “selective jus- 35 months. political issues and even expressing outrage does not trade can join up and offer insurance to members. tice” by acting on the complaint against Duterte rather Hamady noted that adult undocumented immi- signify an intent to de-stabilize.” The Trump Administration wants the associations than addressing the backlog of cases against officials of grants can buy insurance outside of Covered California Aquino also called on Malacañang to respect the to be able to offer insurance plans that do not meet past administrations. but will not qualify for any assistance. various voices and opinions on contentious policies like the full scope of Obamacare coverage, thus resulting Duterte’s threat to declare a revolutionary govern- Wright said that “the 200,000 undocumented the war on drugs, as he warned that a revolutionary in cheaper premiums. Significantly, the associations ment to quell destabilization attempts against his children (qualified in Health4allkids by SB 75) who are government may only lead to increased political insta- would also be able to enroll individuals, even if they administration drew mixed reactions in Congress. covered since last May are state funded in Medi-Cal bility, a fragile democracy and a weaker economy. reside outside the state where the association is based. Sen. Sonny Angara said “we will all lose” if the and are not impacted by these individual changes to The second order ended billions of dollars in pay- threat is made good, while Sen. Risa Hontiveros said it the individual insurance market.” ments to insurers to compensate them for Obamacare- Junk insurance ordered reductions in deductibles and other out of The executive order on Association health plans SOUTHEAST ASIAN IS Omarkhayam’s brother – was killed in the fighting. pocket costs faced by low income enrollees. Many saw has longer term implications, said Betsy Imholz, Spe- ... FROM PAGE A1 Hapilon was key to IS’s efforts to establish a base this as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the insurance cial Projects Director for Consumers Union. in Southeast Asia as the jihadists increasingly lose markets, by putting pressure on insurers’ bottom lines, ground in the Middle East. His reported killing is un- “We believe this really heads toward splitting the “Just because the Marawi siege is forcing them to dramatically raise premiums and pos- doubtedly a blow for the jihadists, analysts said. market and siphoning off healthy people, leaving older coming to an end does not mean the threat is over. sibly leading them to abandon ACA exchanges. Professor Rommel Banlaoi of the Philippine Insti- and those less healthy consumers for the Exchanges,” IS-linked militants there will regroup and lay low for a By Tuesday a bipartisan agreement had been tute for Peace, Violence, and Terrorism said the military she said. By allowing the associations to skimp on while, while rebuilding their strength,” he said. announced in a Senate committee to restore the pay- should prepare for retaliation after it killed Omar Maute coverage, the risk increases that consumers will be Kumar told Manila media that a Malaysian mili- ments, along with giving states more flexibility to work and Isnilon Hapilon. “The death of the two leaders shall buying “junk insurance,” she said. tant involved in the Marawi siege, Mahmud Ahmad, around parts of the ACA. Trump at first seemed to not make our law enforcements complacent because “Before ACA we encountered people who thought would likely step up to lead the IS-linked fighters in support the deal, then backed away from it.) we have seen many times in the past that the death they had full coverage. But it turned out, for example, Mindanao and stay in contact with the jihadists in the The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had of leaders will not stop these terrorist organizations Middle East. that if they got cancer, they could not get chemothera- from wreaking terrorist havoc,” Banlaoi said on a TV reported that discontinuing the payments could cause The military said the IS regional leader, who was py for Outpatient (services). We’re very concerned that interview. premiums to increase by about 20 percent next year on the U.S. most wanted terrorists list, died in a dawn we’re going to see more confused consumers who can’t The military, he added, has to prepare for “possible and by 25 percent in 2020. It also said that federal tax offensive alongside Omarkhayam Maute, who allied get insurance they thought they had and are paying retaliatory attacks” considering that Hapilon’s second credit subsidies, which are tied to the premiums that with Hapilon to plot the take-over of Marawi. IS- more for it.” in command, Furuji Indama, now heads a battalion of a would go up, would increase the Federal deficit by supporting gunmen overran Marawi in May following a Xiomara Pena, National Hispanic Outreach separate ISIS caliphate in East Asia. about $194 billion over 10 years and an estimated one foiled attempt by security forces to arrest Hapilon. manager for the non-profit Small Business Majority, “The death of Hapilon and Maute will just send our million could lose their insurance. Hapilon, a key figure in the kidnap-for-ransom said “These multi-state plans will offer fewer consumer law enforcement authorities into a new form of battle Health Access California Executive Director outfit Abu Sayyaf, emerged as leader of IS in Southeast safeguards. In fact, the points covered by some asso- against terrorist threats. Their deaths will not end our Anthony Wright had called the elimination of the Asia in 2016 when a video appeared showing militants ciation plans will not be actually protected in the state fight to end terrorism in the country,” said Banlaoi. insurance payments “wantonly destructive and de- from the group urging extremists to unite under his where (the insurance buyer) lives because the regula- Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Hapilon stabilizing.” leadership. tions created for these plans will supersede state laws and Maute were killed in a military assault, with the He noted that “Covered California has antici- Omar Maute was a leader of the Maute group, a like those we have here in California.” help of a hostage who divulged the terrorists’ where- pated this action and has taken steps to address it by ragtag outfit that emerged from a decades-old Mus- The impact of Trump’s Executive Order also abouts. The military is still chasing a certain Dr. working with insurers to focus on premium spikes that lim separatist rebellion in Mindanao. His group also greatly impacts small businesses. According to the U.S. Mahmud, a Malaysian terrorist who could still be hiding are the result of this action and focus on subsidized pledged allegiance to IS and joined forces with Hapilon Treasury Department, one in five ACA market place in a building in Marawi’s battle area. Silver Plans in the Exchange.” By putting a 12 percent to overrun Marawi. participants in 2014 was self-employed or a small busi- “We may be announcing the cessation of hostilities surcharge on premiums in the benchmark Silver Plan, Hapilon and Maute were the final two extrem- ness owner. In California alone, nearly 500,000 ACA in Marawi within this week. We will assess the entire Covered California was able to guarantee insurers ist leaders holding out against a military offensive to marketplace participants were either self-employed or Mindanao if there is a need to recommend to the Presi- would be made whole and that consumers would not oust the militants from Marawi. Last month Abdullah small business owners. dent to lift martial law (in Mindanao),” said Lorenzana. face higher costs because the silver plan hike would be Maute – another key leader of the Maute group and “We know that prior to ACA, small businesses fully subsidized. and their employees represented a disproportionate Still, “We do fear, in the short term, that folks will 84 percent and 71 percent to 81 percent, respectively). share of uninsured workers” Pena said. By 2015, those MAJORITY OF FILIPINOS be scared away by the double digit premium increases Of the total figure of 76 percent, 43 percent are very numbers have fallen dramatically thanks to ACA. ... FROM PAGE A1 in the Silver product, not realizing that they are sub- worried about the possibility of this happening to them “All these data make clear we simply can’t return sidized and so, may fall off coverage. And there may or someone they know while 34 percent are somewhat carried out by the national administration is essentially to the old days of doing business” she said. “We need worried. Around the same percentages of Filipinos are be others who are not subsidized who are finding that ‘universal’ not only at the national level but also across to make it easier for small business owners, their either ambivalent on the matter (13 percent) or are not they can get a plan without the 12 percent surcharge geographic areas and socio-economic classes at 100 employees and self-employed Americans. This means worried (11 percent),” Pulse Asia added. outside the Exchange.” percent. upholding ACA and strengthening the law rather than The Catholic Church and the war on drugs It is understandable if people are confused, said “Only two percent of Filipinos are not supportive trying to repeal it or chipping away at it.” Most Filipinos or 58 percent of them say the independent ACA agent Neil Hamady. Even without of the campaign while nine percent are unable to say if As it is, California has the largest drop in unin- leaders of the Catholic Church should help with the re- the latest political machinations, enrolling in Covered they support or do not support the same. Less than one sured rate of all the 50 states. This year, the State had habilitation of drug addicts, Pulse Asia noted that this is California policies can be complicated. For example, to percent of Filipinos are unable to state their position on several initiatives to strengthen ACA including: a full the preferred action of most Filipinos across areas and get covered by Jan. 1 you must be enrolled by Dec. 15. the matter, even in terms of indecision,” Pulse Asia said. three-month open enrollment period beginning this classes (53 percent to 64 percent and 54 percent to 60 “If you enroll any time between November 1 to Majority of Pinoys or 73 percent of them believe year (AB 156--Wood); staying with a doctor when a percent, respectively). Around the same percentages of December 15 your effective date will be January 1. But extra-judicial killings (EJKs) are occurring in the con- switch is necessitated by an insurer abandoning the Filipinos say the leaders of the Catholic Church should if you enroll one hour after December 15; it would be duct of the Duterte administrations ‘war on drugs.’ market (SB 113—Hernandez) like in a pregnancy, either monitor the conduct of the anti-illegal drugs February 1.” Between the months of June and September 2017, chemotherapy or a scheduled surgery; and required campaign (46 percent) or release statements expressing Application to Obamacare is on-line and hotline Pulse Asia reveals that agreement with the view that notice before an increase on prescription drugs (SB their concern about the deaths that have taken place numbers with live support were set up to make the EJKs exist becomes slightly more pronounced (an 17—Hernandez). as a result of the campaign (40 percent). Both options process easier. If your family income is less than 400 increase of six percent) while disagreement eases mark- Harvey Barkin wrote this story while have the support of most Visayans (51 percent and 52 percent of the federal poverty line it makes sense to edly (a drop at nine percent). participating in the USC Center for Health percent, respectively). seek that assistance, Hamady said. But above that “On the other hand, 20 percent of Filipinos do not Journalism‘s California Fellowship. “The third most often mentioned action among you may as well go directly to a carrier or to an agent believe EJKs are happening in the implementation of Filipinos is for the Catholic Church leadership to assist the anti-illegal drugs campaign. Almost one in 10 Fili- TokHang. in litigating alleged abusive law enforcers (28 percent). PH KICKED OUT pinos (seven percent) refused to answer the question,” The order comes two days after a Social Weather Only about one in 10 Filipinos would like for the latter ... FROM PAGE A1 Pulse Asia noted. Stations (SWS) survey showed Duterte’s public satisfac- to take a hands-off policy when it comes to the “war on According to the polling company, during the tion rating plunging, believed to be due to the continu- drugs” (13 percent) or to embark on an international He observed that the Philippine government has period June to September 2017, there is a decline in ous rise of killings in his violent war on drugs. campaign to exert pressure on the Duterte administra- been anything but cooperative with international bod- the percentage of Filipinos who do not believe EJKs are So far, at least 3,850 people were killed in po- tion to suspend “Oplan Tokhang” (11 percent),” the ies. occurring in the conduct of the administration’s anti- lice operations while at least 2,290 others were killed survey noted. Duterte had constantly lashed out against the Unit- illegal drugs campaign. mostly by vigilantes. Majority of Pinoys belief on EJKs ‘disturbing’ ed Nations and other foreign institutions that called for “Similar movements are registered in Mindanao However, the Philippine government has consis- In a report by GMA News, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the end of killings in his war on illegal drugs.. (-15 percentage points) and in Class D (-10 percentage tently denied the existence of extra-judicial killings also a former Philippine National Police chief, said on But Duterte has remained unfazed by the threat points). And while the increase in the percentage of (EJKs) in the country despite another SWS survey Monday that Filipinos’ belief on EJKs amid the govern- and even condemned critics who said the Philippines Filipinos who believe the allegation that EJKs are tak- showing that seven in 10 Filipinos are worried about ment’s war on drugs is “revealing, if not disturbing.” could be kicked out of the UN human rights council ing place in the implementation of the “war on drugs” themselves or people they know becoming a victim. “Undeniably, it shows frustration among a big over the killings in his war on drugs. “My God, do it, falls short of being considered significant (+6 percent- But PNP Chief Director Gen. Ronald dela Rosa said majority of our people who seem resigned to the reality stupid! Do it now!” Duterte said. age points), a notable increase is recorded in Mindanao he will ask the President to bring them back at the helm that the country’s drug problem could be solved even Duterte complained that members of the European (+17 percentage points),” the survey said. of the war on drugs if things get worse. by resorting to extra-judicial means, as perceived and Union “were all focused” on the number of deaths in his A month before the conduct of the survey, 17-year- He expressed apprehension that their progress projected, rightly or wrongly by human rights groups drug war. old Kian Delos Santos was killed in an anti-drug opera- would go down the drain in the future, after PDEA takes and other critics of the administration’s methods in In a memorandum dated October 10, Duterte tion by Caloocan police. the lead in the drug war. addressing the same,” Lacson said in a text message to ordered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency “Nearly all Filipinos know about the case of Kian “It’s like we are going back to zero. Drug push- GMA News. (PDEA) to be the “sole agency” to conduct all campaigns delos Santos (94 percent), with most of them (76 ers are saying ‘hallelujah,’ they were long starved and “One thing is certain though -- the drug problem and operations against illegal drugs. percent) expressing concern that they or someone they deprived of drug money. Now, there are no cops to stop has persisted all these years and it’s only now that This means that the PNP, which has been at know may meet the same fate because of the ‘war on them,” he said. Filipinos finally see a president who has shown politi- the forefront of the war on drugs, will terminate its drugs,’” Pulse Asia said. cal will and dogged determination to fight and lick the high-profile programs Oplan Double Barrel and Oplan “This sentiment is shared by big majorities in each problem hands on,” Lacson said. geographic area and socio-economic class (74 percent to HEALTH@HEART Norovirus and common cold viruses could con- SEN. POE CITES agencies is appropriate, given the recent revelations in ... FROM PAGE B5 taminate food, tables, chairs, plates, cups, glasses, uten- the Senate regarding huge amounts of payoffs or tara. sils, hand rails, door knobs, elevator buttons, dialpads, ... FROM PAGE A1 counters, tables, etc. Those surfaces are “naturally” He said, “Those with assets or lifestyles not listed usually lasts for 24 to 48 hours. Victims may be conta- in their SALNS should be prosecuted under the laws on teeming with microorganisms. This is the reason why lion shabu pay-off, allegedly acquired multi-million gious for about 2 weeks after recovery. graft and forfeiture. No less than the constitution calls frequent handwashing and not touching the face (and properties while working at the BoC as a mere customs Hygiene is the key on public servants to lead simple and modest lives.” those surfaces) are essential habits that significantly police. Since the introduction on all cruises of hand sani- Sen. Win Gatchalian also supports this initiative lower the risk of acquiring these infections. “Previously, a Customs employee earning only PHP tizer (70 percent ethyl alcohol which kills 99.9 percent of the Department of Finance (DoF) to conduct lifestyle While the viruses we commonly encounter cause 9,000 a month was able to buy a Porsche,” she said of germs within 15 seconds), the outbreaks of norovirus checks on its officials and employees, especially revenue illnesses and misery, using hand sanitizers after touch- while referring to a janitor at the BoC who bought the and other contagious illnesses on cruises have dramati- officers. ing handrails and doorknobs, etc., in public areas, and high-end vehicle. cally gone down. As always, the onus is on all the crew He said the nature of their work, as stewards of the washing hands frequently will greatly protect us. Always Poe said she always advocates for less human members and guests on board. One single infected per- government’s wealth, makes them prone to temptations be aware that germs, invisible to the naked eyes, are on interaction in such agencies, especially since most son’s virus is enough spread and contaminate the entire of corruption. our skin, especially in our hands, and are swarming, transactions can be done on-line or by using a computer ship and cause an epidemic on a cruise or a hospital, “Therefore, it is essential for DoF personnel to be ever-present, all around us. All we have to do is to wash or app in a smart device. household, dormitory, nursing home, restaurant, day completely transparent about their personal finances.” them away, often. She said this will result in transparency and less care center, etc. “Our problem is, the higher the rank, the smarter Visit philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail. opportunities for corrupt officials to earn illegally. The good old-fashioned handwashing, with or they get in hiding assets. We just have to outthink com Sen. Chiz Escudero also aired his support for the without soap, works wonders anywhere we are, even at them,” said Finance Undersec. Bayani Agabin. the lifestyle checks of BoC and BIR officials. home. The DoF is conducting lifestyle checks on its em- He said It should be done regularly to revenue ployees and on those working at its attached agencies collecting agencies. He believes this could help in the AS I SEE IT teachers continue in the profession for recognition and after finding out that some workers own expensive con- government’s anti-corruption drive. financial rewards. Instead, they do it because it is what they dominium units and cars despite their meager salaries. ... FROM PAGE A6 Sen. Sonny Angara said lifestyle checks on revenue like to do; it is their calling. I subscribe to the idea that teachers will never receive ing conditions. Since its adoption, the recommendation has what they deserve, but for one day a year, we can at least ang pagbabalik ng tiwala sa isa’t isa.” ROBREDO CALLS been considered an important set of guidelines to promote show some appreciation for what they do. So, if we can ... FROM PAGE A4 “Kaya ngayon higit na kinakailangan ang ating teachers’ status in the interest of quality education.” meet them face-to-face and shake their hands, or better pagtutulungan at pagkakaisa para makamit ang tunay So today, we would like everyone to take the time out still, give them a hug, so much the better. at pangmatagalan na kapayapaan,” she said. of your very busy schedules and say thank you to a teacher. another initiative, Angat Kabuhayan, which will serve Customary practices recognizing teachers include After more than five months of fighting, govern- Expressions of gratitude are rare for teachers, so we are as a platform in linking communities to high-growth flooding the teacher’s desk with flowers and chocolates and ment troops finally neutralized terror group leaders sure that they would welcome and appreciate your gestures. enterprises in various industries. most importantly, sending hand-made cards and hand- Isnilon Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute, who led the A teacher is not a babysitter, so they say… and school written notes. “Ang pagwawakas po ng labanan sa Marawi ay siege starting on May 23. is not a day care. Let’s remember that teachers are profes- Thank a teacher today! It means a lot to them! simula pa lamang ng mahabang proseso ng paghihilom More than 100 government troops died in the sionals, and they do a job that is in our best interest. Be- (For feedbacks, comments… please email the author at pagbangon muli,” Robredo said. “Hindi magiging firefight.(Julliane Love De Jesus / inquirer.net) sides, it takes a special kind of person to become a teacher @ [email protected]). madali ang rehabilitation at reconstruction, pati na din because it takes patience and understanding… Few, if any, A8 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 business & PH exports to EU seen hitting $10B in ’17 tech news ippine exports to EU reached $6.78 billion in 2016, marking it as one of the country’s big- gest trading partners last year. Based on Mr. Jessen’s esti- Itama po natin! mates, this is expected to grow even more than half by yearend BEN LOU certain procedure, then the insurance compa- after trade statistics showed nies cannot increase the premiums yearly. good figures so far. Q: What is wrong This is why it works in the U.K., in Cana- “We now expect that with Obamacare that da and in France. And this is why Obamacare exports from the Philippines all the premiums are does not work. to the EU will exceed $10 bil- going up? Ang ating lesson, Kung gagaya tayo, lion this year. It is very large A: The idea pagbutihan para di mabigo. because of the very high growth rate. In fact, we are the fastest behind Obamacare is At Debt Aid Consulting, we pride our- growing export market for the good but the mecha- selves with providing only Federal Trade DTI Sec. Ramon Lopez Philippines among any of your nism that makes it Commission compliant programs. Our (Photo: www.cogitasia.com) markets,” he said yesterday. work is the one that is defective. Let me put programs are here to help you get out of debt it in something that is easy to comprehend Trade and Industry Sec- ers that he hoped the Philip- He later added on the sooner than later and we do not send your sidelines of the summit that the by an example. If a car had tires which are retary Ramon Lopez warned pines would never be put in a information outside of the country. of a “strong reaction” from the situation wherein it would be increase in agricultural food not 100% round and is unbalanced, the If you need help in getting out of payday Duterte administration if the subjected to EU’s interference. exports would help drive the car would run improperly and cause other loans, or any other unsecured debts, call Debt European Union (EU) would When asked what he meant by a country in exceeding the $10- problems like for the shocks, springs and Aid Consulting. We have free Credit Repair interfere in the Philippines’ strong reaction, Lopez referred billion mark. more. Obamacare is the same. That’s what I while and after your program. We do not domestic affairs, reiterating back to Mr. Duterte’s previous While he did not specify mean when I say the mechanics around it is use call centers which keeps your informa- the government’s threat that comments. how much of this value would defective. tion safe. We have a new program that it would be willing to cut trade “I just made it clear that enter the EU bloc through the Let’s look at this government program reconstruct debts for half of what you would ties when pushed to a corner. that would be our position if current preferential arrange- in depth. Obamacare requires that every pay our competitors. We also provide legal In his speech before an there is an interference. It’s ment with the Philippines, individual living in the U.S. need to have assistance that keeps collectors away. We audience of the European and good that [the group] was not government officials have often health insurance. You can acquire this from take Federal Credit Unions, Military Debts, Philippine businessmen at the an EU-sanctioned group. Obvi- cited the Generalized System of Preference Plus (GSP+) as an your employment and if they do not offer it, Payday loans and high interest personal loans EU-Philippines Business Sum- ously, that would affect [trade mit yesterday, Lopez called for negotiations] if and when that important asset in the country’s you must get assistance from the government in our program too. This is exclusively avail- mutual respect for each other’s [interference] happens. But exports to the bloc. in order to have it or you will face fines at Tax able for Debt Aid Consulting clients. None of filing. That part would be great but the pre- sovereignty. hopefully, it doesn’t. Hopefully, The GSP+ allows zero tar- our competitors provide this program. You iffs on more than 6,000 Philip- miums that Obamacare offers are not exactly This comes on the heels of that so-called interference won’t are well protected. pine products that are exported cheap or close to being free. This is the part last week’s confusion in Mala- happen,” he said. We only provide Federal Trade Commis- cañang that led to President European Chamber of to the EU. This perk, which that is causing the problem. sion compliant programs. Debt relief compa- Duterte threatening EU country Commerce in the Philippines only a few countries enjoy and If you look at other countries who has a nies who charge non refundable upfront fees ambassadors to leave the coun- (ECCP) president Guenter Taus the Philippines being the only government subsidized health plan, every- are in violation of the ban. Go with Debt Aid try within 24 hours. told reporters that the business Asean nation to benefit from thing has to be controlled by the government. Consulting! The call was triggered by a group had grown “immune” it, is given on condition that Meaning including the Insurance companies Do not fall for marketing gimmicks say- group of EU parliamentarians against such unpredictable and the beneficiary state adheres to and the Medical providers. So what does this ing that they have the right program for you. who criticized the administra- often controversial comments certain international conven- mean? Most marketing companies only have one tion’s bloody war on drugs and from Mr. Duterte. tions, including one concerning With Obamacare, they obligate the program and will enroll you in that program political prosecution of opposi- “We know rhetoric is human rights. consumers with health insurance but they whether it fits you or not. So beware! tion. The EU has disassociated rhetoric and we have taken it Since being granted the status in December 2014, the do not obligate the Insurance companies and Ben Lou at your service! I have over itself from the group’s com- with a smile. We have issued a ments, noting that those did not statement that is very loud and utilization rate of the perk has the Health providers to a price ceiling. What 30 years of real financial experience. If you represent the official position of clear. The issue has been ad- been increasing on a yearly this means is that if a patient was to go to a would like sound financial advice, call us the bloc. dressed adequately and I think basis. According to data from provider and get charged so much can also at Debt Aid Consulting. We do not use call go to a different provider and get charged Before Lopez delivered that should be the end of it,” he DTI, utilization rate in 2015 centers like Financial Rescue. No one has has been 68.3 percent, which much, much more or much, much less. There his speech during the summit, said, referring to EU’s state- the right to put your information at risk. Say EU Ambassador Franz Jessen ment disowning the comments rose to 70.87 percent last year. is no price control by Obamacare on the no to LLC corporations in Canada! Debt Aid said in the same event that he of the EU parliamentarians who Moreover, according to Euro- service that providers charge. That is where Consulting is the first and only Filipino debt remained confident in the bloc’s recently visited the country. stat data, the statistical office the mechanism breaks down. Because if a restructuring company incorporated in the relationship with the Philip- EU’s Jessen said that the of the EU bloc, the Philippines patient keeps going to an expensive health US and Canada. pines. He said that Philippine bloc had seen a “significant in- exported 1.7 billion euros worth provider, his or her premium can and will Now serving the Caribbean Islands! exports to the EU could even crease” in EU imports last year of products under the GSP+ certainly go up the following year because Tawag na po sa 1-888-341-5234 at tutu- “exceed $10 billion” this year, from all over the world, includ- scheme last year, a nearly a the insurance has to pay a lot for the services lungan po namin kayo. marking a growth of more 50 ing the Philippines, as part of 10-percent increase from 2015. required. If they put a price control, meaning Itama po natin ang mali! percent from 2016. the bloc’s economic expansion. (Roy Stephen C. Canivel / a doctor can only charge this amount for a On the sidelines of the According to the Philippine inquirer.net) summit, Lopez told report- Statistics Authority (PSA), Phil- AFP survey sees China’s growth slowing amid debt crisis fears BEIJING, China — China’s credit growth to perk up activ- central banks — warned China’s after the Communist Party kicks economic growth likely eased ity ahead of the all-important banking sector could be facing off its twice-a-decade congress in the third quarter but is on congress,” said Alaistair Chan, an imminent debt crisis, fueling to rubber-stamp Xi’s second course to beat the government’s an economist at Moody’s. fresh fears of a blowout that term and reshuffle its leader- annual forecasts, analysts say, “The housing market is could hit the global financial ship. providing a boon for the Com- cooling at an orderly pace but system. However, analysts say his munist Party as it prepares to activity there remains buoyant.” ‘General disappointment’ first five years, while promising hand Xi Jinping a second term However, an ever-expand- There also are lingering so much such as further open- as president. ing debt mountain continues to worries of a possible trade war ing up the economy and over- While the expected 6.8 unnerve China-watchers and with the US following President hauling lumbering state-owned percent rate in July-September has already led two agencies to Donald Trump’s protectionist companies, has fallen short of is well off the breakneck figures downgrade the country’s sover- rhetoric and accusations that expectations. enjoyed 10 years ago and weak- eign rating. Beijing is undermining US jobs. “There has been general (Photo: www.money.cnn.com) er than the previous two quar- Total debt as a percent of The analysts surveyed by disappointment on economic ters, it suggests the key driver of gross domestic product has AFP said they saw the economy performance and direction,” Still, the PBoC’s Zhou told The slowdown in GDP global expansion is stabilizing grown more than 10 percent expanding 6.8 percent this year, said Christopher Balding, bankers and policy makers growth mainly reflects the cool- after years of slowing. per year on average since the in line with a recent IMF fore- economics professor at Peking gathered in Washington at the ing property sectors as curbs The estimate in a survey of 2008 financial crisis, according cast but much better than the University in Shenzhen, China. weekend that he expects seven bite, said Nathan Hung Lai analysts by AFP follows a series to International Monetary Fund government target of around “China is significantly more percent growth in the second Chow, a senior economist at of positive indicators including estimates, and the head of the 6.5 percent. centralized than it was even five half of the year, adding momen- DBS Bank. increased domestic consump- central People’s Bank of China The world’s number two years ago. At this point, it would tum “has rebounded”. “Consumption continues tion, improving exports thanks Zhou Xiaochuan warned the economy grew 6.7 percent in be very difficult for anyone to Analysts say China’s transi- to be the main growth driver. to a pick-up in the global country “needs to deleverage”. 2016 — its slowest rate in more make a serious argument that tion to from an economy based That, along with robust public economy, and rising inflation. Earlier this year the Bank than a quarter of a century. China is seriously interested on exports and state investment investment, will support China’s “The government has for International Settlements The official readings will in opening up economically,” to one driven by domestic con- expansion. (inquirer.net) tacitly allowed a mild pickup in — dubbed the central bank of be released on Thursday, a day Balding told AFP. sumption is well underway. Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 FilAm Star A9 world news Trump warns McCain: North Korea says ‘a nuclear war ‘I fight back, and it won’t be pretty’ may break out any moment’ US President Donald Trump UNITED NATIONS — Tillerson said Sunday that diplo- Cold War era.” He noted that the reignited a long-standing feud North Korea’s deputy U.N. am- matic efforts aimed at resolving nuclear weapon states, including with John McCain Tuesday, bassador warned Monday that the North Korean crisis “will the United States, boycotted ne- warning “I fight back, and it the situation on the Korean pen- continue until the first bomb gotiations for the Treaty on the won’t be pretty” after the re- insula “has reached the touch- drops.” His commitment to di- Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons spected senator appeared to take and-go point and a nuclear war plomacy came despite President that was approved in July by 122 aim at him in a speech. may break out any moment.” Donald Trump’s tweets several countries at the United Nations. The relationship between Kim In Ryong told the U.N. weeks ago that his chief envoy “The DPRK consistently the pair -- one a veteran law- General Assembly’s disarma- was “wasting his time” trying supports the total elimination of maker and war hero, the other a ment committee that North to negotiate with North Korean nuclear weapons and the efforts real estate tycoon and political Korea is the only country in the leader Kim Jong Un, whom he for denuclearization of the entire neophyte before he assumed the world that has been subjected derisively referred to as “Little world,” he said. But as long as presidency -- has long been testy. to “such an extreme and direct Rocket Man.” the United States rejects the But the acrimony has risen nuclear threat” from the United to a new level with Trump’s lat- States since the 1970s — and est threats, which come just over said the country has the right a week after a war-of-words with to possess nuclear weapons in another senior legislator from self-defense. his own party, Bob Corker. He pointed to large-scale Speaking on Monday night military exercises every year at an event in Philadelphia to (L-R) President Donald Trump and US Sen. John McCain using “nuclear assets” and said (Photo: www.azcentral.com) honor his life’s achievements, what is more dangerous is what McCain had railed against and I do what I need to do for against Republican attempts he called a U.S. plan to stage a the “America First” approach the people of Arizona,” he said. to repeal Obamacare -- one of “secret operation aimed at the espoused by the Trump admin- Regarding the president’s Trump’s main campaign prom- removal of our supreme leader- istration. suggestion he would fight back, ises -- were influenced by the ship.” “To refuse the obligations he responded simply: “I have desire for revenge. This year, Kim said, North of international leadership... faced some pretty tough adver- McCain on Monday received Korea completed its “state for the sake of some half-baked, saries in my life.” the backing of another long-time nuclear force and thus became spurious nationalism cooked up ‘Lincolnesque’ Trump critic Mitt Romney, who the full-fledged nuclear power by people who would rather find The Trump-McCain feud was also the Republican candi- which possesses the delivery scapegoats than solve problems has a long history. date for president in 2012. means of various ranges, includ- North Korea Ambassador to the UN Kim In Ryong is as unpatriotic as an attach- Trump -- who in addition “Ran against him, some- ing the atomic bomb, H-bomb (Photo: www.zimbio.com) ment to any other tired dogma of to being a businessman was times disagree, but proud to be and intercontinental ballistic the past,” said the 81-year-old, also a reality TV star winning a friend of @SenJohnMcCain: rockets.” North Korea’s deputy U.N. treaty and “constantly threatens who was diagnosed with brain the White House -- questioned hero, champion of character and “The entire U.S. mainland is ambassador called his country’s and blackmails the DPRK with cancer in July. McCain’s military record in last night, Lincolnesque,” said within our firing range and if the nuclear and missile arsenal “a nuclear weapons … the DPRK is Trump lashed out Tuesday, July 2015, earning widespread Romney. U.S. dares to invade our sacred precious strategic asset that can- not in position to accede to the telling conservative radio host rebuke for saying “I like people The latest battle with a territory even an inch it will not not be reversed or bartered for treaty.” (AFP) Chris Plante: “People have to be who weren’t captured” in com- senior member of the Repub- escape our severe punishment anything.” careful because at some point I ments that threatened to derail lican party comes after Trump in any part of the globe,” he “Unless the hostile policy fight back. his presidential ambitions just a engaged in a heated exchange warned. and the nuclear threat of the “I’m being very nice. I’m be- month after announcing his bid. with senior Senator Bob Corker, Kim’s speech follows es- U.S. is thoroughly eradicated, ing very, very nice. But at some Former Navy pilot Mc- who accused the president of calating threats between North we will never put our nuclear Call to advertise point I fight back, and it won’t be Cain spent more than five years pushing the country to the brink Korea and the United States, and weapons and ballistic rockets on pretty.” as a prisoner of war in North of World War III. increasingly tough U.N. sanc- the negotiating table under any McCain has proved a Vietnam where he was tortured, Trump’s frequent spar- tions. circumstances,” Kim said. 1-415-593-5955 x141 thorn in Trump’s side in recent while Trump received student ring with congressional leaders Russian President Vladi- He told the disarmament months, twice helping to scupper and medical deferments that is seen as perhaps damaging mir Putin said Monday that his committee that the Democratic Republican attempts to repeal a prevented him from being en- to his legislative agenda, with country is curtailing economic, People’s Republic of Korea — healthcare law that was a signa- listed in the conflict. a potentially bruising fight for scientific and other ties with North Korea’s official name ture accomplishment of former In August, McCain broke tax-reforms that could divide his North Korea in line with U.N. — had hoped for a nuclear-free president Barack Obama. party ranks to call Trump “often party on the horizon. sanctions, and the European world. Asked by AFP what he made poorly informed,” adding he “can Republicans currently hold Union announced new sanctions Instead, Kim said, all visit our website of the president’s latest missive, be impulsive in his speech and only a slim majority in the Sen- on Pyongyang for developing nuclear states are accelerat- McCain shrugged the matter conduct.” ate, with 52 of the chamber’s 100 nuclear weapons and ballistic ing the modernization of their www.filamstar.com off. “I do what I have to do and I Some political observers seats. (AFP) missiles. weapons and “reviving a nuclear work with him as much as I can, wondered whether his votes U.S. Secretary of State Rex arms race reminiscent of (the) A10 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 FilAm Star B1 community The Minority as the new majority in Cinematografo International Film Festival Catholic devotees celebrate Our Lady as a source of truth.” It is but fitting to premier of Fatima centennial anniversary Cinematografo International Film Churches of the Catholic faith- Festival in San Francisco where ful brimmed with devotees of the the city’s culture is diverse in terms Our Lady of Fatima as they com- of arts, music, food, and culture. memorated and celebrated the 100 According to CBS SF Bay Area, “the years anniversary of the Miraculous San Francisco Bay Area is home to Lady’s apparitions before three chil- some of the world’s most renowned dren shepherd in the idyllic village film festivals. From intimate, small- of Cova de Iria in Fatima, Portugal. town festivals to grand scale events Around the world, Our Lady featuring hundreds of movies and of Fatima devotees and pilgrims the biggest names in Hollywood.” recited the Holy Rosary just as To have another festival like Lucia dos Santos, Francisco Marto Cinematografo is not redundant, and his sister Jacinta were asked by nor does it crowd the landscape. Mother Mary to pray the rosary for In fact, CIIF is a welcome addi- the conversion of sinners and the tion because the festival offers the return of souls to God during the chance for these unique stories to six apparitions that happened from be presented, and will help amplify May to October, 1917. the voices of the writers, directors, At the Good Shepherd Church and producers who need an arena (L-R) ABS-CBN International Marketing Specialist Mimi Dayo-Arguelles; in Pittsburg last October 13, on which life, as seen through their Publicist Vince Johnson; Festival and Industry Forum Adviser Corey multi-racial Catholics, dominated lens, can unfold. Tong; CIFF 2017 Executive Director John-D Lazatin; Chief of Staff at by Filipino-Americans, converged David Lamble, film critic for Fr. Karl celebrating the anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima CA State Board of Equalization Genevieve Jopanda; CIFF 2017 Festival for the Holy Mass and nocturnal The Bay Area Reporter, argues that Director Miguel Sevilla; President/Founder or Larsen Associates Karen procession. Similar activities were niche festivals are very important Larsen; ABS-CBN International Global Marketing Head Pam Castillo at undertaken at the Immaculate when he said that “it’s the festivals the Cinematografo International Film Festival launch and press confer- Heart of Mary, St Anthony Church that give Bay Area film goers the ence at the AMC Dine-In Kabuki 8 Theaters in Japantown. (Photo courtesy in Oakley, St. Ignatius Church in chance to catch films that they of Pia Lopezbanos-Carrion) Antioch and other churches in the otherwise couldn’t see.” Lamble Diocese of Oakland. SAN FRANCISCO, Oct what we want to showcase.” Lazatin adds that “for over half a century, In his Homily, Father Carl 17, 2017 --- The very first Cin- underlined that “Cinematografo’s people have been nurtured through Arcosa urged the devotees of Our ematografo International Film Fes- objective really is to put the Filipino film festivals to understand foreign Lady of Fatima Shepherd Parish to tival (CIFF), a film exhibition series talent on the world stage.” films.” Festivals like Cinematografo “Pray for peace... ask for miracle and networking event designed to The Honorable Gregory Chew, is also very crucial for producers. that we realize that we are miracles elevate and showcase emerging San Francisco Arts Commissioner According to Lamble, “this is their ourselves as children of God... Filipino and Filipino-American At Large, firmly stated that “we one shot to get an important, in- start bringing the peace of Christ talent, films and television content have to tell our stories, true stories, fluential audience. Since the film is as children of God... daily miracles to the world stage, was launched in especially Asian films and stories. not likely to open in San Francisco, happen...Everyday that we wake up a by-invitation presser at the AMC We’re 22 and a half million people it’s the only shot you get. You better is a miracle...Grant us the miracle Dine-In Kabuki 8 in San Fran- in this country now and we don’t take advantage of it.” that we are looking for which is cisco’s Japantown last week. The have enough voices.” That is why Festival Highlights peace... Pray for the world, for our initial Cinematografo is a project Chew strongly feels that Cin- Cinematografo happens on church for our unity.’’ of the leading Filipino media and ematografo is important. November 9-12 at the AMC Dine-In After the Mass the devotees entertainment company ABS-CBN Festival Director Miguel Kabuki 8 Theatres in Japantown. marched in procession with the Our International. The press conference Sevilla recognizes the importance of That will be a four-day exhibition Lady of Fatima statue while recit- was attended by representatives movies as a platform to present the of screenings, panels, and intimate ing the rosary from the altar to the Willie assisting the devotees during the flower offering from various Bay Area publications, realities of the present times. Sevilla industry networking that will fea- church complex. It was enthroned the San Francisco Film Commis- weighs in when he says “two coun- ture narratives, documentaries, and at the spacious function hall where headed by Willie and Linda Ilas in Popes in their reign endorsed the sion, and the Philippine Consulate tries, an ocean apart and long-time short films from North America and they offered flowers led by three collaboration with other ministries Fatima apparitions and the mes- in San Francisco. allies, have now reached a turning the Philippines from Filipino and shepherd-attired children. of the Good Shepherd Church. sages given to the three shepherds The vision and objective of point in their respective histories. Filipino-American filmmakers. They then viewed a photo FilAms even traveled to Fatima even as several Popes even went on Cinematografo was presented at It is almost irresponsible, nay im- The Festival opens with Ang exhibit chronicling the apparitions for the eventful centennial pilgrim- pilgrimage at the apparition site. the presser. Executive Director for possible, to celebrate Philippine cin- Larawan (The Portrait), adapted saga displayed prominently at the age like Kevin and Beth Casarino of Pope Francis has granted special CIFF 2017 John-D Lazatin says that ema, the Filipino, and the Filipino- from the musical play of the same hall. Subsequently, Father Carl Sacramento, Regina Lim Delfino, plenary indulgence during the “with all the content that we create, American, and not recognize how title based on National Artist Nick blessed with prayer and Holy Water Phoebe Fernandez of Sacramento Church’s centennial celebration of I believe that film is the strongest these issues have permeated our art Joaquin’s three-act play “A Portrait all the Fatima statuettes, rosaries, and others during a pilgrim trip the Fatima apparitions from No- form. You’ve got narratives, docu- of storytelling. More and more, in of a Filipino as an Artist.” Director images and icons brought by pa- organized by Bishop Myron Cotta of vember 27, 2016 to November 26, mentaries, and shorts. Film is really this era of fake news and alternative Loy Arcenas, lead actress Rachel rishioners that lined up the center the Diocese of Sacramento. 2017. A plenary indulgence is the a piece of art, and art is basically facts, we are now looking to movies TO PAGE B3 stage where the Our Lady of Fatima The Roman Catholic Church full remission of temporal punish- statue stood divinely enthroned. not only approved but widely ment due to sins which have already The event was anchored by La promotes the Fatima apparitions as been sacramentally forgiven. (Story Pieta International Prayer spear- worthy of belief. Seven successive and photos by Federico Espiritu) B2 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 26th Festival of Pilipino Arts & Culture Echo Park, Los Angeles

CFC now avid readers of FilAm Star

Apl.de.Ap, of The Black-Eyed Peas, and Jessica Reynoso, who rose to fame when she finished off as a finalist in season one of the popular reality competition, The Voice of the Philippines. Other guests and performers were Los Angeles Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson, DJ Virman, Kronika (Soulection), Anatalia Villaranda of The Voice Season 12, Bella Fiasco, Joel Quizon (Disco Manila). Photos by Jhay Oh Otamias.

Former ABS-CBN ASAP dancer in Berryessa festival

San Jose, CA - Princess Ryan, former ABS-CBN ASAP San Mateo County Supervisor, David J. Canepa, hosted Asia’s Queen of Songs, Ms. Pilita Corrales and special dancer performed last Saturday at the St. Victor Catholic a citizenship workshop where 300+ residents completed guest Mitch Smith performs to a sold-out crowd last Church’s Family Festival in the church’s compound in Ber- their citizenship applications on-site. Oct. 15 at the San Francisco Hilton Airport Bayfront. ryessa with her students from Viva Gala Dance Studios from Union City. Ryan said she and her students “…are honored to perform in the church’s festival to be able to provide en- tertainment to parents, children, and other festival attendees as we bring our group to the Bay Area.” Nathan Pagdilao, 5, Ryan’s youngest student at his first stage appearance and his first time to perform in public, but he did an excellent job. He is the son of proud parents Melvin and Ermalyn Pagdilao from Fremont. “I’m proud of him,” Ermalyn said. – Elpidio R. Estioko

Daly City Filipino-American History Month Celebration held last Saturday, October 14,2017 at Marchbank Park in Daly City. A free event partnered with the TFC hosted by Balitang America Desk Editor Henni Espinosa and Correspondent Rommel Conclara. Photo shows City Officials: San Francisco Senator Scott Weiner, SF As- semblymember Phil Ting, Daly City Mayor Glen Silvester and Vice Mayor Juslyn Manalo holding certificate of recognition given by Assemblymember Ting. Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 FilAm Star B3 community 71st Grand National Rodeo Livestock Exposition, Horse Show and Rodeo, October 13 -14 & 20-21 awareness Cow Palace CEO. “As the world changes this event remains a Great California ShakeOut helps Californians pillar of western tradition in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has prepare for the state’s next earthquake never been more important for California Earthquake energy and can create more will participate at its office in residents of California to know Authority encourages partici- powerful shaking. Sacramento and will also have the narrative of Rodeo, featur- pation in drill, other prepared- “California is earthquake representatives at ShakeOut ing traditional rodeo events ness steps country,” said Glenn Pomeroy, events in Los Angeles and in the including bareback riding, steer SACRAMENTO -- In the CEO of the California Earth- San Francisco Bay Area. wrestling, team roping, saddle past two months, Californians quake Authority (CEA). “We “Taking the proper actions bronc riding, tie-down roping, have seen news of one deadly need to ask ourselves whether during an earthquake can save bull riding and barrel racing. natural disaster after another — we’re prepared to survive and lives and reduce the risk of During the livestock expo- five hurricanes in the Atlantic, recover when the next damag- injury,” said Pomeroy. “Shake- sition, real farm equipment and two earthquakes in Mexico, ing earthquake strikes — and Out is a perfect opportunity to animals are on site with interac- multiple massive fires in if we aren’t, we need to take practice—and to review other tive displays to learn about how California and the devastation action now to change that.” aspects of emergency plans and food is grown. Exhibitors will these catastrophes can cause. One way to prepare for financial preparations to ensure (L-R) Nida Sylvester, Supervisor David Canepa, Vice Mayor Juslyn show cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, Each has served as a powerful California’s next earthquake is you’re ready for the unex- Manalo, Al Perez and Deputy Consul General Jaime Ramon Ascalon and rabbits, along with photog- reminder to Californians that to participate in the Great Cali- pected.” Cow Palace, Daly City – seniors, and can be purchased raphy and fine art. natural disasters happen, often fornia ShakeOut on October 19, Visit www.ShakeOut.org The Cow Palace is bringing back online at www.grandnationalro- Other highlights include: without warning — and that we at 10:19 a.m. and practice how to register to participate in the the Wild West to the Bay Area deo.com or in-person at the box • Western marketplace need to be prepared. to stay safer when the ground Great California ShakeOut. with the annual Grand National office. Although tickets must (open daily from 2 pm – 11 pm) Earthquake risk is real shakes. ShakeOut has become To learn more steps to Rodeo, Livestock Exposition be purchased for the Grand • Classic Western BBQ with in California. The California a global event and is now the earthquake safety, including and Horse Show, October 13 -14 National Rodeo, the Livestock down-home comfort food Geological Survey has mapped world’s largest earthquake how to strengthen your home and 20-21, at the Cow Palace Exposition, Horse Shows, • Nightly Live music by thousands of faults in California drill. It takes place on the third and how to purchase earth- (2600 Geneva Ave., Daly City, Interactive Agricultural Area, Buck Nickels & Loose Change and considers more than 500 of Thursday of October each year quake insurance, visit CEA’s CA). and Marketplace are FREE and Band, and Chad Bushnell and them to be active and danger- in houses, schools, businesses website at EarthquakeAuthor- Now in its 71st year, the open to the public. Ashley Barron. ous. And the latest Uniform and many public spaces. Last ity.com. Reporters can find Grand National Rodeo will For more details visit www. • Equestrian competitions California Earthquake Rupture year, more than 10.6 million additional details about CEA celebrate the time-honored cowpalace.com, contact info@ • “Tough Enough to Wear Forecast projects “multi-fault Californians participated, and and ShakeOut by visiting CEA’s tradition of America’s West cowpalace.com or call 415-414- Pink” day (in support of breast ruptures” — simultaneous more than 55 million people online press room. by presenting the best of the 4100. “It’s extremely exciting to cancer awareness month) ruptures of multiple faults, a participated worldwide. best in the competitive sport of see participants and exhibitors • Military Day (GNR part- phenomenon that releases more CEA, a sponsor of the drill, rodeo. from all over the west come ners with organizations that Ticket prices are $23 for together at the Grand National provide services for Veterans) Graton Resort & Casino commits $1M to support adults Dress Circle, $44 for Box Rodeo to share their passion for • Mechanical bull rides and Seats and $14 for children and agriculture,” said Lori Marshall, more! those impacted by Northern California fires

THE MINORITY AS There will also be industry our culture and all its complexities ROHNERT PARK – Graton Resort & Casino. “Not only are lion commitment, Graton ... FROM PAGE B1 forum and panels where influential and nuances. If all these translate Resort & Casino, the entertain- hundreds of our very own team Resort & Casinos has already and visionary Filipino, Asian- into more conversations about ment and gaming destination in members and tribal mem- been providing shelter via its Alejandro, and composer Ryan American and independent industry Filipinos, and into a more positive Rohnert Park, CA, recently an- bers displaced permanently hotel rooms to evacuees and leaders and festival programmers attitude towards them, then the Cayabyab will be attending the U.S. nounced that it continues to premiere on November 9. can discuss Filipino and Asian mission of ABS-CBN burns brightly American talent, international in Cinematografo.” has committed provide needed There will also be conversa- $1 million to resources to tions with three Filipino-American perceptions of the Philippines and A discussion at the Festival support those the local com- filmmakers who will preview their Filipino culture, and to leverage will tackle the imperative “The new films that are co-productions common vision and share networks Minority as the New Majority.” It impacted by munity includ- with Cinematografo Originals. and collective resources. will focus on Filipinos as an often the devastation ing providing Another highlight of the festival is a The Minority as the New Ma- “invisible minority” throughout the caused by the food to first tribute to documentary filmmaker jority world, including in the Asian-Amer- multiple fires responders and Raffy Lopez, COO of ABS-CBN ican media and film landscape. It Ramona Diaz. Her latest, award- throughout the creation winning film Motherland (Sundance International, stated that he “has is time to let the voices of a new always believed that films are pow- era of storytellers be heard and Northern California. from their homes but we are of a Team Member Assistance 2017), about one of the world’s “We are deeply saddened heartbroken for the countless Fund to provide immediate largest maternity wards located in erful purveyors of culture. When resonate around the world for these by the ongoing destruction in neighbors, families and friends resources such as food, clothing Manila, will be screened, followed moviegoers leave the theaters, we are stories that depict the human by an intimate conversation about provide them with a little more condition, the realities that sur- our community,” said Greg whose lives have dramatically and toiletries to the hundreds of her work and prolific career as one understanding of who we are or round humanity in these most Sarris, Tribal Chairman of the been affected by this ongoing team members and their fami- of the most renowned Asian women we trigger a curiosity or hunger for interesting of times. Federated Indians of Graton devastation.” lies displaced by the fires. documentary makers today. them to know and learn more about Rancheria, owners of Graton In addition to its $1 mil- B4 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 legal & law The fight to protect voting rights continues Common Grounds for Denial of Naturalization Applications ATTY. CRISPIN CADAY LOZANO There are 1. On October 2, 2017, we received an ap- a number of proval of adjustment of status from USCIS for grounds upon a client who entered without inspection but has which you can be Sec. 245(i). denied on your 2. For the week ending September 15, 2017, naturalization ap- we received three Immigrant Visa Approvals plication. Usually, in U.S. Embassy Manila for three applicants submitting an ap- who entered as seaman under the Provisional plication will allow Waiver Program. USCIS to review 3. For the week ending September 8, 2017, your application to we received four N-400 Naturalization approv- obtain your green als. card and your entire file. 4. On August 31, 2017 we received an ap- The USCIS will verify if your married is in proval of adjustment of status for a client who good faith by the time you get your green card. problems with birth certificate which we cor- If you get your green card through petition by a rected. relative, USCIS will verify whether your rela- 5. On August 25, 2017, we received approval tionship with the petitioner is good at the time of I-751 removal of condition on same sex mar- you get your green card. This happen when riage. a spouse petition an alien but at the time the 6. On August 18, 2017, we received two ap- green card was issued they were no longer mar- provals for N-400 applications. ried. USCIS will also verify if your petition was 7. On August 16, 2017, we received an based on unmarried status at the time of issu- approval of I-601A provisional waiver for a ance of green card but actually you are already Mexican client. married when the green card is issued. If the 8. On August 10, 2017, we received a grant (Photo:www.knowyourmeme.com) USCIS found out that the green card was issued from the Immigration Court on a Motion to We all know the power of the vote. were supposedly more likely than Whites to in error, they can confiscate your green card Terminate Removal Proceedings for a client and send you to removal proceedings. whose criminal case we have dismissed in One person, one vote serves as the basic commit.” The USCIS will also verify whether you have criminal court. ethos and measurement of any democratic na- This meant that, “the law removed the done something that will make you removable 9. On July 18, 2017, we received an ap- tion. Without true voter protection, integrity vote from those convicted of such ‘furtive for the U.S. Green card holders are subject to proval of green card at the U.S. Embassy Manila and universal access, America’s light on the offenses’ as burglary, theft, arson, obtaining the grounds of deportability found in Section for the family of a client who was granted a hill dims. money under false pretenses, but the ‘robust 237 of the Immigration and Nationality Act waiver of misrepresentation. His wife and Since Shelby V. Holder dismantled the crimes of Whites,’ which included robbery and (I.N.A.). For instance, you can become deport- children were approved after the court granted Voting Rights Act, many southern, states with murder or ‘crimes in which violence was the able for having committed certain crimes or the waiver. a history of voter suppression and related principal ingredient,’ were not.” immigration violations, engaged in subversive 10. On June 28, 2017, we received a with- oppression of Black communities, could, Today, we know the impact of felony dis- or terrorist activities, or even failed to advise drawal of inadmissibility and removability once again, enact laws that would attempt enfranchisement and the role it plays in keep- USCIS of your change of address within ten charges from the Customs and Border En- to manipulate the sole entity which made all ing millions of individuals, who have served days of moving. If you happen to have spent forcement for a client who was charged with Americans equal: the vote. their time, from being able to vote. six months or more outside the United States drug case while he was entering San Francisco During the Presidential election of 2016, The end result of these post-Recon- and then returned, you were also subject to the Airport from the Philippines. The case was the first in 50 years without full protection struction constitutional conventions, which grounds of inadmissibility upon your return, withdrawn after we have expunged the drug of the VRA, six of the 14 states implementing suppressed the vote through legal and often which cover not only various crimes and viola- case in Criminal Court. restrictive voter laws were previously covered terroristic means and the Black Codes, was tions, but the issue of whether you have become If you have immigration problems the Law by Section 5 of the VRA. Additionally, five of that, in states like Mississippi, the number of a public charge (received need-based govern- Offices of Crispin C. Lozano can help you find a those states—Mississippi, Texas, South Caro- eligible Black voters registered dropped from ment assistance) or developed certain physical solution before your problem gets worse which lina, Alabama and Virginia—put in place new 70 percent in 1867 to less than 6 percent in or mental disorders that present a threat to the could lead to deportation and family separation. voter ID laws. 1892. In Louisiana, Blacks made up over 44 public or yourself. Crispin Caday Lozano, Esq. is an active Since 2010, twenty states have placed ad- percent of the electorate after the Civil War, If, during your application for citizenship, member of the State Bar of California, the USCIS notices that you have become removable American Immigration Lawyers Association ditional obstacles to the ballot box and accord- but less than 1 percent after 1920. or were inadmissible upon entry to the U.S., it and San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. ing to the Brennan Center for Justice, “states This is the ugly history of voter suppres- can place you into removal proceedings and you He specializes in immigration law and per- most likely to pass new voting restrictions sion, where those who often drape themselves may lose your green card. sonal injury. For free consultation email or call were those with the highest African-American in patriotic rhetoric and colors, also wear Note: This is not a legal advice. ([email protected] / 1-877-456-9266) turnout in 2008, those with the highest His- the millions of stolen and suppressed votes SUCCESS STORIES panic population growth between 2000 and around their necks like rotting, white alba- 2010, and/or those formerly covered under trosses of political expediency, while keeping Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.” their foot solidly on the throat of true democ- In 1858, when running for the U.S. Senate racy, which remains handcuffed and unable to from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln said: breathe. “A house divided against itself can- It would be great if we could solely discuss not stand. I believe this government cannot our nation’s affair with voter suppression in endure, permanently half slave and half free. I some historical context with little to no impact do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do on our current nation’s politics. Yet, regard- not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it less of how idealistic we are in believing that will cease to be divided. It will become all one we can make democracy real for all people, we thing, or all the other…” know, in our hearts, it is not. Lincoln would go on to lose that election Last year, the NAACP won nine major to Stephen A. Douglas, but the words he ut- federal cases, critically confronting all man- tered would last the test of time. Today, we ask ners of ugly, unconstitutional voter suppres- the same question: Can a nation half-slave and sion, including voter purging, intimidation, half-free continue? and misinformation. In North Carolina, our It’s the same question athletes like Colin state conference saved nearly five percent of Kaepernick ask when they are singled out for the electorate when the U.S. Court of Appeals freedom, yet their brothers remain in chains. for the Fourth Circuit ruled that the state If the vote is actively suppressed in communi- legislature had enacted discriminatory voting ties of color and poor communities, are we laws that intentionally targeted and disenfran- really free or just half-free? chised Black voters. Sometimes history will repeat itself, if we The NAACP continues to take on legal give it enough time and a little help. battles against the newest generation of voter What is the difference between our pres- suppression models being implemented ent, partial believers in democracy, who cal- through bottle-necked voting districts in lously promote gerrymandering, mischievous Virginia, partisan gerrymandering in Texas or voter ID laws, poll moving and poll closing North Carolina that intentionally target and or voter purges, and those who engineered severely dilute not only the vote of African the post-Reconstruction elimination of Black Americans, but also Latino populations. Power in the South? In Indiana, our state conference recently During the first post-Civil War election sued the Secretary of State Connie Lawson, in which Blacks could vote, they provided who is a member of the Pence-Kobach Com- 700,000 votes to help elect Ulysses S. Grant mission, to prevent her from turning over to the White House in 1868. The often-untold personal voter information and to also prevent secret is that before the Civil Rights Era, the her from using the allegedly discrimina- where Black voters in the South once again tory and inaccurate “Cross Check” system as a sought out the ballot box in greater numbers, means of purging voters. we stood ready at the first opportunity to use In Texas, the NAACP has also been suc- the vote, when treated as free people. At that cessful in challenging racially-biased and time, and clearly to some today who seek to unfair redistricting plans and recently won suppress the vote, this was not acceptable. a voter ID case, where more than 600,000 During the 1898 constitutional convention individuals were disenfranchised by the law. in Louisiana, Thomas J. Semmes, chair of the We also saved 608,470 votes with a victorious Judiciary Committee of the Convention and decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the former president of the American Bar Asso- Fifth Circuit. ciation said, “We (meet) here to establish the In states like Georgia, our state confer- supremacy of the White race, and the White ence is challenging a law that allows voting race constitutes the Democratic Party of this lists to be purged simply due to failure to vote State. The Convention of 1898 interpreted its and in Ohio we are supporting the A. Phillip mandate from the people to be, to disenfran- Randolph Institute et al, in their case, which, chise as many Negroes and as few Whites as like Georgia, seeks to remove people from the possible.” voting rolls, due to their inability or failure to This process was replicated throughout vote. the South as Andrew L. Shapiro points out Oftentimes, the flashier issues and non- in his Yale Law Journal article, “Challeng- stop, highly visible attacks against the foun- ing Criminal Disenfranchisement Under the dation of our nation’s values take our minds Voting Rights Act: A New Strategy” (1993). off of the critical bread and butter issue that, He highlights how Mississippi’s constitu- without which, there is no true democracy— tional convention of 1890 became a prototype the vote. for implementing constitutional provisions We cannot sleep through this period of designed to disenfranchise those individuals, time, and through all means necessary, we who committed “certain crimes, which Blacks must #StayWoke.. (NAM) Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 FilAm Star B5 health & Health@Heart Radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki lifestyle

PHILIP S. CHUA, of U-235 and the 12 pounds of Pu-239 were Scientists may have found MD, FACS, FPCS pulverized into particles and the plume dissipated Together with by the wind over land and mostly to the sea. Data a cause of dyslexia some colleagues, my show there was only a slight increase of leuke- A duo of French scientists said Wednesday wife, Farida, and I just mia in Nagasaki region but there were no added they may have found a physiological, and seem- returned to Las Vegas incidence of cancers in and around Hiroshima. ingly treatable, cause for dyslexia hidden in tiny An amazing feat of luck. from an 11-day Japan light-receptor cells in the human eye. I could not find information as to whether Explorer Cruise on the In people with the reading disability, the cells these two atomic bombs (Code-named “Little Celebrity Millennium, were arranged in matching patterns in both eyes, Boy” for Hiroshima and “Fat Man” for Nagasaki) claimed to be the largest which may be to blame for confusing the brain by were specifically designed to explode high up in cruise vessel in Asia, producing “mirror” images, the co-authors wrote the air to minimize ground contamination. at 91,000 tons, 965 ft. long, 105 beam, and an in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. occupancy of 2,138. There were more than 300 Those atom bombs are grenades compared In non-dyslexic people, the cells are arranged Filipinos working admirably onboard. We felt at to the present day nuclear bombs, which are more asymmetrically, allowing signals from the one eye home, and proud of our kababayan. sophisticated, more powerful, and greater in their to be overridden by the other to create a single Besides going to Tokyo, Chiba, Yokohama, ability to obliterate even an entire nation. image in the brain. other ports of interest in Japan, we toured Indeed, 38-year old Kim Jong Un should (Photo:www.time.com) “Our observations lead us to believe that Nagsaki, a city of 263,000 (among them 9,000 grow up and realize that he could get burned (and we indeed found a potential cause of dyslexia,” Japanese soldiers and 400 Allied POWs), when North Korea could disappear from this earth) study co-author Guy Ropars of the University of it was devastated by an atomic bomb dropped when he continues to play with fire with bravado at the centre of the cornea of the eye known as the by American squadron commander and pilot of and recklessness. Rennes, told AFP. fovea. But there is a small hole (about 0.1-0.15 Bockscar, Major General Charles W. Sweeney, at Viral outbreaks on cruise ships It offers a “relatively simple” method of diag- 2:45 AM on August 9, 1945, killing about 80,000. Thank God, our Japan Explorer cruise was a nosis, he added, by simply looking into a subject’s millimetres in diameter) with no blue cones. Three days earlier, at 8:15 AM, on August 6th, healthy and totally enjoyable experience. Some- eyes. In the new study, Ropars and colleague Al- an American B-29 bomber “Enola Gay” piloted times, cruises could be marred by an outbreak of Furthermore, “the discovery of a delay (of bert le Floch spotted a major difference between by BG Paul W. Tibbets deployed the world’s first illnesses. about 10 thousandths of a second) between the the arrangement of cones between the eyes of atomic bomb over Hiroshima, then Japan’s 7th On May 9, 2016 CNN reported “More than primary image and the mirror image in the op- dyslexic and non-dyslexic people enrolled in an largest citiy, with a population of about 420,000, 200 passengers on a British cruise ship have posing hemispheres of the brain, allowed us to experiment. which plummeted to 137,197 following the fallen ill with the gastrointestinal condition develop a method to erase the mirror image that In non-dyslexic people, the blue cone-free nuclear disaster. norovirus. The US Center for Disease Control spot in one eye -- the dominant one, was round The second bombing (Nagsaki) was the final said 252 of 919 passengers -- 27% -- have gotten and in the other eye unevenly shaped. warning which led to the unconditional surrender sick on the Balmoral, a ship operated by Fred In dyslexic people, both eyes have the same, of Japan on August 14, 1945, named V-J (Vic- Olsen Cruises and most recently docked in Maine. round spot, which translates into neither eye be- tory over Japan), which ended World War II and Eight of 520 crew members have come down ing dominant, they found. saved millions more lives on both sides. with norovirus.” New reports on May 4, 2017 said “The lack of asymmetry might be the biologi- As of 2015, the population of Hiroshima cruise ships norovirus outbreaks at 15 year low cal and anatomical basis of reading and spelling was 1.594 million and Nagsaki, 429,508. Both in 2017, the lowest since 1994. Nearly 25 million disabilities,” said the study authors. are thriving metropolis today, vibrant, booming are expected to take a cruise this year. There were Dyslexic people make so-called “mirror er- with millions of tourists visiting from around the outbreaks in 19 cruise ships in 2004, only two as rors” in reading, for example confusing the letters world. of May this year, like in 2001. “b” and “d”. Level of radiation mystery The cruise industry is mandated by law to “For dyslexic students their two eyes are report to the CDC any outbreak that exceeds 2 The radioactive particles from the atomic (Photo:www..dyslexia-reading-well.com) equivalent and their brain has to successively rely bombs 72 years ago were supposed to render both percent of the total number of passengers/crews on the two slightly different versions of a given cities uninhabitable for thousands, and millions, on onboard. In the case of the Celebrity Millen- visual scene,” the duo added. of years. nium we just cruised on, that would mean an The team used an LED lamp, flashing so fast “Today, the background radiation in Hiro- outbreak involving at least 43 persons. US-bound is so confusing for dyslexic people” -- using an that it is invisible to the naked eye, to “cancel” shima and Nagasaki is the same as the average ships from foreign ports are required to report LED lamp. one of the images in the brains of dyslexic trial amount of natural radiation present anywhere on the totl number of gastrointestinal disease cases, Like being left- or right-handed, human be- participants while reading. Earth. It is not enough to affect human health,” including zero, evaluated by the medical staff 24 ings also have a dominant eye. In initial experiments, dyslexic study partici- according to scientific reports. hours prior to arrival at US ports. As most of us have two eyes, which record pants called it the “magic lamp,” said Ropars, but But why? What happened? Why are these Norovirus is a common cause of acute slightly different versions of the same image, further tests are required to confirm the tech- two cities in Japan safe again, so soon? gastroenteritis, popularly called the stomach the brain has to select one of the two, creating a nique really works. Uranium-235 was used for the bomb over bug or stomach flu, which causes about 20 mil- “non-symmetry.” About 700 million people in the world are Hirsohima and Plutonium-239 over Nagsaki. The lion illnesses a year in the United States, most Many more people are right-eyed than left, known to suffer from dyslexia -- about one in ten half-life of U-235 is 700 million years, the Pu- often in crowded environments like dormitories, and the dominant eye has more neural connec- of the global population. (AFP) 239, 24,000 years, if they had reach and exploded restaurants, hotels, cruise ships, nursing homes, tions to the brain than the weaker one. and day care centers. Common cold is higher in on the ground. Image signals are captured with rods and incidence than norovirus, but it is more infamous Information from the Hiroshima and Nag- cones in the eye -- the cones being responsible for because of the mandatory strict reporting legal saki Peace Museums provided the answer to the colour. requirement. mystery. “b” or “d” When exposed to norovirus, it takes about Both bombs exploded high up in the air, The majority of cones, which come in red, one to three days for symptoms to appear, and it 1,968 feet for Hiroshima and 1,800 feet for Nag- green and blue variants, are found in a small spot saki. They never hit the ground. The 139 pounds TO PAGE A7 HOROSCOPE http://www.starlightastrology.com

Aries Libra (Mar. 21- April 20) (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) It might be time to do some of those chores at Offer consolation, but don’t give them any home. Try not to discuss important matters with direction. Female members of your family may colleagues. Your contributions will be valued be difficult to deal with. Take a close look at and helpful. You can find solutions if you are contracts and agreements that have been offered willing to communicate. to you. You can look into new jobs but don’t Your lucky day this week will be Wednesday. count on getting help from someone who may have promised you assistance. Taurus Your lucky day this week will be Sunday. (Apr. 21- may 21) You may want to take another look at the Scorpio investment you are about to make. Get out and, (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) about. Upgrading at this point is not a bad plan. Observations will be far more productive. Answers to LAST WEEK’S Krosword Your involvement in organizational events could You may end up being blamed if anything goes open doors to new and exciting opportunities. wrong. Older family members may try to put Your lucky day this week will be Thursday. unreasonable demands on you. Property deals will pay big dividends. KrosWord Gemini Your lucky day this week will be Friday. (Source: Classic Pilipino Krosword, as edited by Ramon S. Lorenzo) (May 22-June 21) Try looking into new ways to make extra Sagittarius PAHALANG money. Plan to get out and do a bit of travel. (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) 1 Malawak You will find that you can work progressively at Think twice before you pursue an unrealistic improving yourself this week. Someone left a endeavor. You’ll find it easy to upgrade your 7 Barkilyos real mess for you to sift through. environment by redecorating or changing your 11 Pilipit sa leeg Your lucky day this week will be Tuesday. residence. You will get drawn into groups that 12 Tauhan sa Bibliya are not favorable to you. Children may be less 13 Advanced Placement Cancer than honest with you. 15 Munting palengke (June 22-July 22) Your lucky day this week will be Sunday. 17 Subscriber Identity You will be able to make changes regarding Module your living arrangements. Take some time out. Capricorn 19 Batong hiyas You need to make your lover feel wanted, not (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) 20 Mataas na baraha like a piece of the furniture. Don’t force your Get back to the comforts of cottage or home. opinions on friends or relatives unless you are Disharmony in your relationship may cause 21 Balwarte ni Lim prepared to lose their favor. minor ailments. You may want to take a trip; 24 Higit Your lucky day this week will be Sunday. however, before you do, make sure that your car 25 Sikat na Peter is serviced properly. Be careful how you handle 26 Pagbubunganga: Ingles Leo friends and relatives, they may take things the 27 Klase ng pasahod (July 23-Aug 22) wrong way. 29 Kapital ng Qatar You should expect to have changes in your Your lucky day this week will be Sunday. 30 Global Arbitration Review home. You have to believe in yourself and 32 Katasan: Ingles your talents. You can make extra cash by Aquarius 33 Inintindi moonlighting. Do not lend money to friends, (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19) or contribute more than necessary to groups You should be in business for yourself. You 37 Tayong dalawa unworthy of your cash. may need help with your financial situation. Your 38 Pera ng Hapon Your lucky day this week will be Monday. ability to be practical in business will help. Your 39 Uri ng eclipse ability to ferret out secret information will lead 41 Habag Virgo you to an inside scoop on an amazing financial 42 Kulay ng kabayo (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) deal. PABABA Your boss won’t be too thrilled if you leave Your lucky day this week will be Thursday. things unfinished. Invest wisely. Your personal 2 Simbolo ng Arsenic 14 Ms. Pilapil, artista 33 Ms. Villania, artista life could have you tied up in knots. Don’t Pisces 3 Daglat na wika 16 Panulat 34 Bago: Ingles let domestic problems interfere with your (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) 4 Guho 18 Marangya 35 Palayaw ni Leopoldo objectives. Think twice before you volunteer Be prepared to lose friends or alienate other 5 Kalihim: ikli 21 Din 36 Petrolyo information. people if you insist on being stub born. Be 6 Kapital ng Lanao del Norte 22 Kabuuan 40 Simbolo ng Radium Your lucky day this week will be Saturday. willing to listen, but don’t be fooled. Visit 7 Bayan sa Pangasinan 23 Bilisan someone who hasn’t been feeling well lately. Get 8 Putok: Ingles 25 Katapat ng kasalanan busy. 9 Analog Telephony Adapter 28 Unit ng kuryente Your lucky day this week will be Wednesday. Answers to this week’s Krosword 10 Salungat ng mabuti 31 Hita on NEXT WEEK’S issue B6 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 entertainment Hollywood speaks up on Harvey Weinstein sexual allegations Kim Chiu explains why she can’t replace LOS ANGELES—Kate Kris Aquino as horror box-office queen Winslet, who worked with Harvey Weinstein, did not mince words While many believe that when asked recently about the she is on her way to being the sexual assault and harassment next “horror queen,” Kapamilya allegations surfacing one after an- actress Kim Chiu does not even other against the movie producer. think about it. She believes the “It’s actually not that surpris- crown will always belong to ac- ing, given the level of bullying tress and TV-host Kris Aquino. and awful behavior that we all Chiu has now embarked on a have experienced with Harvey,” solo starrer via her latest horror said Kate, whose second and last film, “The Ghost Bride”. With movie with Harvey was “The high expectations on the movie, Reader,” for which she won not to mention being helmed by the Oscar best actress award in the great Chito Rońo, many feel 2009. In her acceptance speech, that she could be following the she made it a point not to thank footsteps of Aquino, who also Harvey. happens to be her close friend. In this column, Rosie O’Donnell, Rachel Bloom, Mark “Hindi pwedeng pantayan, Ruffalo, Jeff Goldblum and hindi pwedeng sapawan siya Tessa Thompson also commented po talaga ay isang Kris Aquino about the allegations that rocked at marami nang napatunayan. Hollywood and the world. We Nagkataon lang siguro, wala pa interviewed all these stars in LA namang box-office pero hoping except Kate, whom we talked to ako. Wala pa naman po akong in New York. napatunayan kaya hindi ko pa Kate Winslet, star of Woody po matatawag ang sarili kong Allen’s “Wonder Wheel” ganon,” she said at the movie’s Kim Chiu I put out a statement, which press conference today. (Photo: www.twitter.com) I’m sure you saw. It was a very ([She] cannot be equaled, thought-through statement that [she] cannot be outshone, she is I wrote with a pencil and paper. the one and only Kris Aquino and she has already proven a lot. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, there It was very hard to write. I was Kate Winslet is still no box-office proof yet, but I’m hoping [for good results]. I haven’t proven anything yet, that’s f**king angry that I had to even (Photo: www.wikipedia.com) why I can’t call myself a horror queen.) write it. Excuse my language. It Furthermore, while said she won’t ever be able to replace the queen, she will strive hard to earn makes me want to cry. I whole- a title of her own. She also shared that top-billing an entire movie all by herself even adds to her heartedly support them—they’re Gogh more blue, especially when It’s good for us. It’s good for victims, these women. you’re the guy framing.’ He didn’t men to stand up for women. It’s worry. It’s disgraceful, disgusting, enjoy that analogy or metaphor, good for us to cross racial bound- “Sa kanya lang ‘yun di pwede, di pwede, gagawa tayo ng iba. First time ko po na ako po mag-isa absolutely appalling. Any woman and he called me a “c**t.” aries, to stand up for people who sa poster. ‘Nung nakita ko po di ko po alam mararamdaman ko, doble-dobleng pressure po nararam- in any workplace anywhere in the But, everyone knows. I need to be stood up for. daman ko,” she said. world should never ever have to believe Ashley Judd and every God knows the casting couch (She owns the title [of horror queen]. I’ll make my own. It’s my first time to be featured solo on a endure this level of degrading, woman who’s saying what hap- was there when I started 50 years movie, too. When I saw the poster, I didn’t know what to feel. I just felt that the pressure is doubled.) vile treatment. pened to them happened to them. ago. It was Schwab’s on Sunset “The Ghost Bride” will hit theaters nationwide starting Nov. 1. (Clarizel Abanilla / inquirer.net) My hope is that when all of I don’t think women like to admit (Boulevard)—and that was where this “horrific-ness” is over, this that [something like] this hap- the girls met the “promisers.” will in some way send a message pened. It’s a problem, and it’s important to other women that if this hap- Or that they were somehow that it has come to light, because Valeen regrets fighting with basher pens to them, they must speak the victim of a predator like Bill it needs to be looked into. It has Actress Valeen Montenegro, who recently reacted to a negative post by a follower on Instagram, up. Cosby. Nobody wants to wear that existed in one shape or form for said she regretted having done it and wished she had just let it slide. We will believe them. We will coat of shame. The shame belongs all the years that I’ve been doing “Because of what I did, she also got attacked by other netizens. She didn’t deserve that, either,” help them, and we’ll stop it. It’s a to the man who did it, and not to this. the actress told reporters during an event for her latest movie, Dominic Lim’s rom-com “The Write time when women have to, more the woman who was the victim I never understood why Moment.” than ever, come together and of it. feminism has such a negative “I hope I was able to send a clear message to bashers,” Valeen pointed out. “Be sensitive to what absolutely unite and say no, we Rachel Bloom, star of the connotation. Women are second- other people will feel about your comments, especially if you don’t know the person. series, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” class citizens, and they’re still are equal to men and we will not “The problem with them is that they’re so brave when they post things, but they become meek I don’t understand why “fem- fighting it, not just for the money, be treated in this way. We have to when they meet the subject of their comments.” inist” had become a bad word. but because men have been able change this now. Valeen said she understood that online bashing has now become a downside of being a public I hadn’t heard stories Feminism is humanism. It’s just to get away with stuff that they acknowledging that women have shouldn’t be allowed to. figure. “A general principle for me is, ‘Huwag kang papatol.’ It’s just a waste of time. But I felt that she (before). Harvey was always so went too far and too personal by saying that … I merely looked like Heart’s alalay (assistant).” impossible to deal with that it just as much of a right as men to Tessa Thompson, who plays Valeen was referring to Heart Evangelista, who plays her nemesis in the GMA 7 series, “My Ko- wasn’t a surprise, sadly. I heard it pursue what they want. So, the Valkyrie in “Thor: Ragnarok” rean Jagiya.” and was as shocked, appalled and idea that it’s just this man-hating I applaud all of the people, horrified. Emma Thompson and I army of women out to destroy not just women but also men, “If it were other actors, I’m sure they would also feel affected,” she said. “I also apologized to her. I were talking about this the other penises, pun intended, that’s a who are coming forward and talk- bet she got a lot of hate mails because I reposted her comment.” day. It’s actually not that surpris- fallacy. ing about their experiences. She conceded that she should just have ignored it: “But I’m only human. I’m not perfect; I also get ing. I don’t know a single person I’ve been sexually harassed There have been men like hurt.” who hasn’t experienced some a ton in workplaces. Hollywood Terry Crews, who came forward “The Write Moment” is an entry in the 2017 QCinema International Film Festival. unpleasantness (with Harvey), on actually being less so, because in and talked about [his own] expe- Valeen explained: “I can relate to my character. Once I decide to do one thing, I’ll push through a professional business level. the places where I worked, there rience with an executive. with it.” (Marinel R. Cruz / inquirer.net) I just feel fortunate that as a was more awareness. On my way here, I was talk- woman who started making films Sexual harassment exists. I ing to my driver, who’s male, at the age of 17, I had a female can’t count the number of women about all of these cases. He talked agent whom I still have. I’ve had I know who’ve been sexually to me about two experiences he’s the same agents for 25 years. To harassed in the workplace in and had with being touched unwant- have had both Hylda (Queally) out of Hollywood. [But] women edly by men in positions of power and Dallas Smith in my life—all are starting to come out. They’re in Hollywood. It’s an important of this time, I’ve never been more starting to empower each other. time for people to speak candidly grateful to have had a strong CBS, which is my studio, about abuses of power. female agent who has consistently has a strict no-retaliation policy, For me, Hollywood is a protected me from this kind of where if you complain about microcosm of what happens treatment, never putting me in discrimination or sexual harass- everywhere. an environment in which I would ment, you legally cannot be It’s unfortunate that it’s have possibly felt vulnerable or in discriminated against. We need taken so long. I’m so sorry for the any way manipulated. to let people know that those poli- people who have been person- I’m a strong, ballsy person. I cies exist. ally struck and have had to carry swear to God if anything like this People are starting to find that on their own for so many had ever happened to me, I would their voice to drop their fear. years. It’s vital that we hold folks have taken off a heel and put it There’s a lot of fear. The women, I accountable … and really excavate right through his face. I abso- totally understand. I was a young the inequity that exists, not just in lutely would have done that, but actor. I was desperate, vulnerable. our industry, but culturally. I’m one of the lucky ones. I had I would find myself in positions Jeff Goldblum, who plays a career established fairly early that didn’t feel good to me, that Grandmaster in “Thor: Ragnarok” on, so I was never ever placed in went against my values. I tried I am proud of the women one of these awful hotel-room to fit in with people I would nor- who have come forward. I hope scenarios. mally never want to be around, this [leads to] a new chapter in Everyone in Hollywood knew because I wanted to make it. the empowerment of women in that story and that wasn’t news When you do that, you feel all ways, and the unacceptability to anyone. He once called me ashamed of yourself. You feel of the use of power to leverage “See You Next Tuesday” (“c**t,” ashamed just to even be in the unwanted favors. phonetically). I was in M. Night same room with somebody like No joke about that. It’s vio- Shyamalan’s film, “Wide Awake.” that. This is in every industry, lent and ugly. So, I’m hopeful that Night, then a very young film- and it’s happening to both men this becomes an opportunity for maker, called me crying and was and women. It’s abuse of power. us to learn more, become more like, “He (Weinstein) re-cut the The fact that people are com- sensitive, and to have gender film. Would you help me and go ing out of their comfort zones and equality and respect for everyone, to this meeting?” making space for the women to everywhere. (Ruben V. Nepales / “I said to him (Weinstein), come out, and for us to hear their inquirer.net) ‘You don’t have a right to tell Van stories, [that’s] a positive thing. GMA is first local TV network to implement closed captioning in Philippine free TV Leading broadcast station especially beneficial to viewers GMA Network has officially who are deaf or who are hard of started implementing closed hearing. captioning beginning October, The Network’s move is in becoming the first local TV sta- compliance with Republic Act tion in the country to do so. No. 10905, which requires “all Offering a more inclusive franchise holders or operators viewing experience, GMA’s of television programs to broad- Currently, the Network closed captioning enables its cast or present their programs is fully implementing closed- viewers to read a full transcrip- with closed caption option…” captioning in all movie blocks tion of the dialogue as well An initial test of this shown on GMA-7 and select as other key elements of the service was applied to the film movies on GMA News TV and program such as background Mission Impossible, which was will be operational on certain music, effects, etc. at the bot- aired on Kapuso Movie Festival television models. tom part of the screen. This is last September 28. Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 FilAm Star B7 entertainment Watch: Maine Mendoza becomes an author with first book Taking a break–and making it in the biz again Fans of “Eat Bulaga” host record on Twitter for the most co-host Joey de Leon live about Most starlets and stars are in the biz Maine Mendoza have something to stay—and to maximize their earning to look forward to again. The and drawing power for the longest pos- it-girl announced that she will sible term. launch her own book. Of late, however, some show biz stars In her Facebook post, she have been doing the unthinkable, and gave a sneak peek of her first calling it (temporarily) quits—like Andi book titled “Yup, I’m That Girl”. Eigenmann and John Lloyd Cruz. What The book will retail for P295 gives? and will be sold in bookstore In Andi’s case, she says she wants and newsstands. No word yet as to focus on taking care of her 5-year-old for its official release. daughter. As for John Lloyd, some ob- Mendoza launched her ca- reer in 2015 when she joined the servers opine that he’s been working too hit noon time series as the silent hard and too long, and needs to rest and yet funny maid character to Lola recharge his creative batteries. Nidora (played by comedian (Photo: www.twitter.com) Others more subjectively speculate Wally Bayola in drag), named that he’s developed some not so desir- Yaya Dub. used hashtag in 24 hours. his comments on depression, able habitual preferences or dependen- Her accidental pairing with While generally known as a by telling him that the condi- cies that he has to wean himself away actor Alden Richards soon sent funny and lively celebrity who tion is real and those who have from, before they affect his career—so, he her to superstardom, causing gels well with the rest of her co- it should be understood and should be given the time and space to do the show’s ratings to go through hosts, Mendoza has also shown supported. De Leon has since exactly that. the roof, attract legions of fans that she can make a stand apologized for his remarks. Thus, instead of raising their eye- who collectively call themselves among her contemporaries in (Katrina Hallare / inquirer.net) brows and playing the blame game, AlDub Nation, and snagging the the show. She recently answered onlookers should support his not self- serving but self-saving move—and wish him well! Regine Velasquez, Sarah Geronimo, Mark As for other show biz denizens who’ve occasionally opted to take a Bautista reunite for R30 concert long-delayed and well-deserved break, John Lloyd Cruz they include many starlets and stars (Photo: www.wikipedia.com) Pop royalties Mark Bautista 2004. Later they both who have been “obliged” to become the and Sarah Geronimo reunite ventured in numerous breadwinners, not just of their impov- had been so busy going from one big project with songbird Regine Ve- other movies sepa- lasquez-Alcasid for her much- rately. Bautista starred erished families, but of their lazily dependent to the next that he had already depleted his awaited R30 concert, happening in “Masikip sa Dibdib” clans! creative “capital.” at the Mall of Asia Arena on in 2004, “Paano Kita Some of them are mere children, and yet Bothered and bewildered, the star asked Oct. 21 to 22. Iibigin” in 2007, “Baler” they work long hours and have “forgotten” how us what he could do to build up his thespic Bautista recently posted a in 2008, “Kimmy Dora” it is to be carefree kids, just so they can pull capital again, and we urged him to take a well- photo of the three of them to- in 2009 and “Of All The their deserved break from his workaholic and enor- gether via Instagram, which he Things” in 2012, among loved ones out of the quicksand of poverty. mously profitable career, to “fill in the blanks.” completed with a nostalgic cap- others. Unfortunately, some of their relatives have And, how could he do that? We advised tion, “Team Star for a Night”. Geronimo, on the become so complacent and dependent on them him to pay attention to his personal relation- “Star for a Night” was a other hand, top-billed that they don’t do any work at all! So, the poor, ships, travel, reflect, reevaluate, go into new singing contest produced by record-breaking romantic juvenile breadwinners can’t be blamed if they hobbies and adventures—and just take a good, Viva Television, which aired comedies. She starred take a good, long rest from the show biz rat long time off—to “smell the roses.” from 2002 until 2003. Hosted with award-winning Ka- race for a while, just to teach them a lesson Surprisingly, the star followed our advice— by Velasquez, Geronimo was pamilya actor John Lloyd they need to learn. and he was happy to see that, when he hailed as the grand champion Cruz in a hit trilogy which Other hardworking luminaries in need of got back to performing much later, he did in the contest. Placing behind started with “A Very a good, long break are stars who have been have a fresh her was Bautista, whose stint Special Love” in 2008, (Photo: www.twitter.com) working so continuously that they’ve begun to pool of creativity and empathy to draw at “Star for a Night” also paved “You Changed My Life” repeat themselves and have lost their creative from, and his portrayals were no longer bland the way for a successful singing in 2009, and concluded bite and edge. and predictable. career in local showbiz. with “It Takes a Man and remained with the Kapuso net- To illustrate: Some years ago, a popular Would that other overworked and artisti- Eventually, Geronimo and a Woman” in 2013. Recently, work throughout the years and cally “depleted” stars also did themselves that Bautista made names in singing their hit tandem reunited in is regularly seen in her Satur- star asked us for advice on how to keep his ca- and acting. Together, they were another box-office hit, “Finally day cooking and lifestyle show reer from going blah, and we candidly told him big and necessary favor! (Nestor U. Torre / able to star in the fantasy movie Found Someone”. “Sarap Diva”. (Clarizel Abanilla that his movie performances had in fact already inquirer.net) “Lastikman: Unang Banat” in Meanwhile, Velasquez / inquirer.net) become predictable and knee-jerk, because he B8 FilAm Star Ocotber 19 - 25, 2017 entertainment Watch: John Prats turns director for ‘Gandang Gabi, Vice!’ episode Actor John Prats took another shot at the director’s chair for an episode of the evening comedy talk show “Gandang Gabi, Vice!” last week. Prats uploaded a behind-the-scenes video of his directorial experience on Insta- gram. Director Arnel Natividad lent his years of experience to Prats, guiding him during the taping. Aga Muhlach, who was the guest for the episode, got a pleasant surprise when he was ushered backstage to see Prats waiting for him. Prats had his directorial debut when he sat in the director’s chair for an episode of “Tonight with Boy Abunda” last August. Director Natividad was also present to guide him. The seasoned director posted a photo John Pratts on IG with the caption, “Mentoring a future (Photo: www.bandera.inquirer.net) director Good job Direk Pratty @twbaofficial #RakEnRol.” (Alfred Bayle / inquirer.net) Home is where the heart is at Mowelfund We’ve been boosting the projects of Mowelfund (the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation) since its “es- sential” inception four decades ago, so we were all present and accounted for on Sept. 16, when the founda- tion launched its first housing program in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. We hitched a ride with Mowelfund’s president and “spark plug,” Boots Anson Roa Rodrigo, who was visibly thrilled that the movie welfare group was going into affordable housing for its members—on top of its already impressive array of services, including medical, educational, burial, skills training and other advoca- cies. This “Mowelfund homes” dream has taken many years to be actualized, starting with a lot donation and various efforts to get to the building stage—until the present outcome, a partnership with San Jose del Monte’s Mayor Arthur Robes, 1st District Rep. Rida Robes and the National Housing Authority. When we got to the housing site at Phase 6, Towerville, SJDM, Mowelfund unit awardees and their families greeted Boots and foundation officials, employees and volunteers with great joy—and pride in the “houses turned homes” that they were still in the process of furbishing and decorating. Indeed, for us Filipinos, there’s nothing like a home to call one’s own to bring out the best and strongest emotions and motivations to do our utmost for our families—and to feel really good about ourselves! These inspired feelings were further bolstered by the presence of Mowelfund chaplain and board mem- ber Fr. Larry Faraon, who made it a point to move around and bless each and every housing unit, despite the blazing noontime sun and other exigencies. His and Boots’ inspirational talk during a simple luncheon program later brought happy tears to the new homeowners’ eyes, and they vowed to live up to the faith and trust invested in them. Instructively, Mowelfund’s first housing awardees make up a varied cross-section of the local TV-movie industry itself, particularly the “unseen” workers behind the camera or away from the stellar glitter and glow—like technicians, stuntmen, gaffers and gofers. We hope that, in the future, some established and prosperous stars who make millions per project will also separately or collectively fund the construction of more Mowelfund homes for their less prosperous and famous coworkers. That isn’t an idle or unattainable prospect: Some years ago, Julius Babao and his wife, Christine Bersola, put up some 20 homes for the homeless—and that generously “sharing” gift keeps on giving to this day. Other stars with extra cash can do the same under Mowelfund’s auspices, too! (For your donations to the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, call 727-1915, or fax 727-2033). Thanks, in advance, from Mowelfund’s chair emeritus Joseph Estrada, chair Marichu Vera Perez, presi- dent Boots Anson Roa Rodrigo and board member Boy Vinarao, Rez Cortez, Jim Baltazar, Fr. Larry Faraon and VP Jim Baltazar. And the foundation’s first housing awardees thank them in turn, for helping turn their families’ lives and prospects around. With more donations and housing units, may their numbers increase, multiply and “subdivide” in the coming years!” (Nestor U. Torre / inquirer.net)