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FILIPINOS MAKING

VOL. 11

NO. 6

Toronto Hospital ICU free of Covid-19 patients

for first time in 14 months Page 4

Happy Filipino Heritage Month

Seniors Month Feature

Francisca Susano: 123-year-old Filipina could be the world’s ‘oldest living person’

By Waves News Staff

Francisca Susano was born nine months before the in-augural (June 12, 1898) declaration of Philippine Independence. She cele-brated her 123rd birthday on September 11, 2020.

While the pandemic has

threatened life’s longevity among many individuals, lola Francisca Susano proves that a healthy life-style is actually the best defense against diseases and aging. Surpassing Jeanne Calment, who was considered the oldest living

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Health

Barrier-Free

Vaccine Clinic

at Little Manila

Page 15

The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, proudly holds the Philippine flag as he joins Philippine Ambassador Rodolfo Dia Robles and wife, Ms. Nora San Buenaventura, during the official flag raising ceremony in Ottawa, to commemorate the 123rd anniversary of Philippine Independence Day. Minister Mendicino was also honoured by the Philippine Consulate General with the Quincentennial Award 2021 for the former's con-tributions to the Filipino community.

Celebrating our Filipino Heritage The month of June is filled with many celebrations.

Filipino Heritage Month.

On October 31, 2018, the House of Commons unani-mously passed M-155, a private motion sponsored by MP Salma Zahid which declared the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month in the whole of Canada.

On June 1, Canadian leaders from coast to coast hon-oured Filipino frontliners and their contribution to the country's fight against COVID-19 pandemic as they celebrate Filipino Her-itage Month via online fes-tivities.

In a video posted on Filipi-no Canadian National Con-gress, Canadian Prime Min-ister Justin Trudeau hailed the contributions of Filipi-nos in communities in Can-ada, citing over 837,000 people with Philippine origin living in Canada.

"For all of us, the month of June is an opportunity to learn about your rich histo-ry, to embrace your vibrant culture because everyday you make our country a better place to live in and even though we can't be together again this year

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Philippines

Duterte tells public: Get Vaccinated or

Die

Page 7

Asian Hate

Jordan Clarkson

helps restore

vandalized truck

Page 5

Page 2 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FILIPINO BUSINESSES

June 2021 Page 3

Filipinos Making WAV ES

The achievements and

contributions of the global

Filipinos are more than enough

reasons to celebrate…

FILIPINOS MAKING WAVES

WAVES NEWS—CANADA

Statement of PM Justin Trudeau on Philippine Independence Day

“Today, we join the Filipino community in Canada and around the world to celebrate the 123rd anniversary of Philippine independence.

“Canada and the Philippines enjoy very strong people-to-people ties and a relation-ship built on shared priorities, including international trade, peace and security, and gender equality. We also collaborate through various multilateral organizations, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Nearly one million people of Filipino descent live in Canada and make our country a better place every day.

“Across the country, many members of the Filipino community have taken on essen-tial roles in the fight against the global COVID‑19 pandemic. Some have been on the front lines, keeping Canadians safe and healthy, and caring for our most vulnera-ble. I thank them for their courage and sacrifices during these difficult times. You have shown us the best of what it means to serve your community.

“Today, and throughout June, as we mark Filipino Heritage Month, I invite all Canadi-ans to recognize the significant contributions Filipino communities make to our coun-try. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish all those celebrating today a hap-py Independence Day.

“Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan!”

Statement by Minister Chagger on Filipino Heritage Month

Today marks the beginning of Filipino Heritage Month, an opportunity to highlight the invaluable contributions that Canadians of Filipino descent have made to the so-cial, economic and cultural fabric of Canada.

Canada is home to nearly one million people of Filipino descent, one of the fastest growing communities in the country. This month and beyond, let us recognize com-munities of Filipino descent and celebrate the important role they have played and continue to play in creating an open, diverse, and consciously more inclusive socie-ty.

As we continue our fight against the COVID-19 pandem-ic, let us both acknowledge and appreciate the contribu-tions made by Filipino communities across the country in many essential roles. Your hard work and resilience are noticed and appreciated.

As Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, on be-half of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, I invite everyone from coast to coast to coast to learn more about the cul-ture and traditions of the Filipino community in Canada. Keep well and safe. Mabuhay

Horwath's NDP marks first Filipino Heritage Month

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement marking Ontario's very first Filipino Heritage Month, a month now formally recog-nized thanks to a bill from Scarborough Southwest MPP Doly Begum, which was officially proclaimed just weeks ago:

"It is my immense honour to wish a very happy first Filipi-no Heritage Month to the Filipino community of Ontario.

Our province is home to over 337, 000 people of Filipino origin, and we owe a great deal to Filipino-Canadians for the tremendous contributions they have made and contin-ue to make to the social, cultural and economic fabric of Ontario.

I want to especially thank the work of those Filipino On-tarians who are essential workers and have worked hard to keep Ontarians safe and healthy, and to keep the prov-ince moving, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Going forward, the month of June will be a significant oc-casion to celebrate the history and achievements of the Filipino community, as it marks the important Philippines Independence Day on June 12.

Thank you to the individuals and organizations that have

worked to make this important initiative a reality, and to Scarborough Southwest MPP Doly Begum, who brought this exciting bill forward.

On behalf of Ontario's NDP, a very happy Filipino Heritage Month to all."

Statement from Scarborough Southwest NDP MPP Doly Begum

I am very honoured to have had the support and blessings of the Filipino community over the past year as they worked with my office to ensure the passage of Bill-217: An Act to Proclaim the Month of June Filipino Heritage Month in Ontario.

Throughout the past year, I have had the wonderful fortune of getting to work with many members of the Filipino community, including leaders, elders, and youth, to make this bill and this commemoration a reality.

Filipino Heritage Month must be marked as a celebration of the vibrant Filipino commu-nity here in Ontario, but also a reminder to acknowledge the immense contributions of Filipino-Canadians.

This year, especially, many Filipino Canadians have been on the front lines fighting to keep Ontarians safe and protected. As we celebrate the wonderful culture and this com-munity, we must also actively work towards building awareness and solutions for the challenges and barriers that Filipino-Canadians face in Ontario.

I am humbled to have the privilege of working with the Filipino community, and repre-senting the many Filipino-Canadians in my riding of Scarborough Southwest. Mabuhai!”

Canada’s House of Commons, on October 30, 2018, unanimously passed M-155, a motion officially designating the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month across the country. MP Salma Zahid—Scarborough Centre sponsored the motion that led to the declaration on a fed-eral level.

Historic Day for Filipino Canadians

Page 4 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES WAVES NEWS—CANADA

Undocumented caregivers, they are unseen among us

By Faye Arellano Maria, 35, arrived in Cana-da a decade ago under the defunct Live-in Caregiver’s Program. Her initial em-ployer changed her mind about hiring her and imme-diately released Maria on her first week.

It took Maria about seven months to find a new em-ployer who was willing to do the required paper-work. This time, Maria en-dured almost two years of abusive working conditions and unfair treatment be-fore deciding to escape from her new employer.

“I was hired as a nanny for a toddler and yet I was also expected to do all the housework. At first, I did not mind despite the heavy chores, long work hours and insults I received from my female employer, ” she said. She always got in trouble with her employer when Maria would priori-tize taking care of the tod-dler before doing the housework.

“She was obssessed with a spotless house and would constantly check the sur-faces for dust,” Maria re-called. “Sometimes she even wanted me to vacuum the floor while holding the baby in my arms,” she said.

Maria tried numerous times to leave her employ-er, but her employer would not accept her resignation. When Maria finally mus-tered the courage to escape the deplorable working conditions, she had no idea that she would end up in a more precarious situation.

Hoping to complete the required two-year work experience in order to ap-ply for permanent resi-dence status, Maria took a job in King City, Ontario

However, by the time that the new employer was able to obtain the Labour Mar-ket Opinion, Maria’s work permit had expired. She enlisted the help of a law-yer to restore her work permit and her legal status, but to no avail.

By 2014, Maria was al-ready accustomed to living and working in the shad-ows. She took on “under

the table” cleaning jobs that paid $12 an hour. She would ask people or check community billboards for menial work opportunities.

For the last four years, Ma-ria has been working as a caregiver for a family. Ma-ria has continued to fill a job that she originally took on when she first set foot in Canada.

Maria is just one of the many non-status caregiv-ers. They perform the same chores that regular caregiv-ers do, but they do not have protection and they live in constant fear and vulnerability.

Undocumented caregivers are exposed to all kinds of abuse and exploitation.

It is a fact that Canada re-lies on foreign caregivers to take care of their chil-dren, elderly and loved ones with disability.

These caregivers are need-ed at homes, hospitals or long-term care facilities to render vital services to Ca-nadian families.

By employing caregivers, Canadians leave their homes for work with peace of mind and confidence that their young children are being taken care of. With Canada’s ageing pop-ulation, the need for care at home, long-term facilities and hospital will only con-tinue to grow. Canadians with disabilities also bene-fit from the care and sup-port of a dedicated caregiv-er.

Most foreign caregivers are successful in transitioning to being permanent resi-dents. However, there are those who have lost their

legal status because of vari-ous reasons. There are those who are refused be-cause they did not meet the two-year work experience requirement within the prescribed time period. Others are able to file ap-plications for PR only to be refused because of missing information, lapse of time and some other reasons beyond their control.

These days, many caregiv-ers are losing legal status specifically because of the two requirements- post-secondary education and language proficiency- that were first introduced by then Conservative Immi-gration Minister Chris Alex-ander in 2014 when the LCP was reformed.

What was then a decades-old caregiver program that guaranteed an automatic permanent path for partici-pants in exchange for the kind of work that few Ca-nadians are willing to do, was drastically altered to a purely foreign temporary workers’ stream.

In 2019, two new caregiver pilot programs were again launched this time by the Liberal government. The Labour Market Impact As-sessment was scrapped under these two new pilots and work permits became occupation-specific making it easier to participants to change employer. These two particular changes made the caregiver pro-gram more favourable to participants.

But when Covid-19 pan-demic hit in early 2020, the pilot program failed to show the success story

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Toronto hospital ICU free of COVID-19 patients for first time in 14 months

Katherine DeClerq

TORONTO -- A Toronto hos-pital network says that one of its intensive care units has zero COVID-19 patients for the first time in more than 14 months.

The University Health Net-work (UHN) posted the good news on social media Wednesday night, saying the Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit (MSICU) has been treating COVID-19 patients since March 26, 2020.

“This is the first time the MSICU at Toronto General does not have any COVID Patients,” the hospital net-work said. “We are very grateful for the extraordi-nary MSICU team.”

Along with the congratulato-ry note, the hospital posted a video of their staff clapping and cheering after hearing the news.

“Thank you for your hard work. I feel like I’m going to cry now,” a staff member is heard saying. “Today, we are COVID-free.”

Just a day earlier, Toronto Western Hospital—another hospital within UHN—announced that it was clos-ing its COVID-19 unit.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Abdu Sharkawy, who works at the hospital, said that To-ronto Western Hospital has cared for 1,698 patients with COVID-19 since January 2020.

The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Ontario has significantly declined since the height of the pan-demic’s third wave, in which about 900 people were being treated for the disease in in-tensive care.

As of Wednesday, 377 pa-tients are in intensive care. ctvnews.ca

that's still worth celebrat-ing," said Trudeau.

In the same video presenta-tion, Ambassador Rodolfo Robles of Philippine Embas-sy in Canada joined the cele-bration of Filipino Heritage Month as he urged his com-patriots to continue to show the good culture and morals of Filipinos.

Many other events are cele-brated in the whole month of June. Prior to the pan-demic, throngs of LGBT visi-tors cross the Canadian bor-ders to participate in the many events scheduled for Pride Month. Since the on-set of Covid-19 pandemic, among the many restrictions that our health experts im-posed was the cancellation of many large gathering events with large gather-ings.

June 12: Philippine Inde-pendence Day

It has been 123 years ago since the Philippines has been freed from the clout of Western power, and yet, Filipinos here and abroad never forget to look for dif-

ferent ways to celebrate the country’s independence.

Filipinos continue to re-member how their forefa-thers stood up to challenge more than a century ago to defend the country’s free-dom,

Filipinos all over the world usually hold grand celebra-tions of the Philippine Inde-pendence prior to the coro-navirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Etched in the minds of Fili-pinos is the significance of June 19 as they celebrate the birthday of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Philippines’ national hero.

June 20 is Father’s Day

Father's Day is observed on the third Sunday of June. It honors all fathers, grandfa-thers, great-grandfathers, and father figures for their contribution. Happy Fa-ther’s Day.

Canada Multiculturalism Day

On June 26 at 6pm, TFC in partnership with MYX and PLACA will present, “All For One” livestream event fea-turing celebrated artists from the Philippines and Canada.

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Celebrating our Filipino Heritage

June 2021 Page 5

Filipinos Making WAV ES FILIPINOS MAKING FILIPINOS PROUD

Utah Jazz player Jordan Clarkson helps restore Filipino food truck after anti-Asian vandalism A food truck that serves Fili-pino food in Utah received an assist from Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, after it was vandalized with anti-Asian messages on June 7.

The Yum Yum Food Truck was spray-painted with rac-ist graffiti, an incident that drew attention in Salt Lake City.

"We are not going to have hatred stop us from sharing our culture. Thank you for all the people reaching out. We are just so hurt right now," the owners of the food truck posted on their Face-book page.

They soon received an out-pouring of support from their community -- including Clarkson, who is Filipino-American and has played for the Philippine national team in the 2018 Asian Games. Clarkson is the only current player of Filipino descent in the NBA

"It has been an emotional few days. The love and sup-port that we got from all of you has been deeply heart-felt. My family can't thank you guys enough. Special thanks to Utah Jazz's Jordan Clarkson and Dan from Iden-tity Graphx for the new look," they said.

The newly-painted food truck now bears the design of the Philippine flag.

On Twitter, Clarkson said the incident was something that "deeply" hurt him, and ex-pressed solidarity with the Filipino community in Utah.

"Love is more powerful than hate," he tweeted.

Clarkson also said he intends to stop by soon to get a meal from the food truck.

The owners of the food truck expressed their gratitude for Clarkson's support. Accord-ing to a local report, Clark-son offered to pay for the repairs caused by the van-dalism as well as the new wrap for the truck. They have also been offered to come and sell their food at Jazz games next season.

Utah's "World Famous" Yum Yum Food Truck started cook-ing again June 12. People came out in droves Saturday to support the truck and get a taste of their food at the Salt Lake City Philippine Inde-pendence Day celebration.

"All the other food trucks might be jealous because the longest line here is for Yum Yum," said Layton City Coun-cilman Clint Morris.

The food truck owners thanked Utah Jazz guard Jor-dan Clarkson and the commu-nity for their outpouring sup-port . ∎

The newly restored truck at the Salt Lake City Philippine Independence event.

Jordan Clarkson

DJ Flux in a 2016 photo in one of Jordan Clarkson’s visits to Toronto.

The vandalized Yum Yum truck.

Saso's victory extends Asian dominance in women's golf

TAKAYOSHI KUSHIDA, Nikkei senior staff writer

TOKYO -- Yuka Saso's victo-ry at the U.S. Women's Open Championship kept the title in Asia's hands for the fifth straight year.

The Filipino-Japanese play-er came close to giving up the crown to Lexi Thomp-son, who was poised to be-come the first American in five years to win the U.S. Open.

But the worm turned on the back nine when Thompson carded a heartbreaking bo-gey on the 18th hole, giving Saso the opening to putt in a 10-foot birdie for the win.

Over the past decade, eight Asians have won the U.S. Women's Open, with South Korea producing six win-ners. The East Asian coun-try's dynasty traces back to 1998, when Pak Se-ri be-came the youngest winner at the time at age 20, trig-gering a golf boom in the region.

Shin Ji-yai and Ahn Sun-ju are considered "Pak Se-ri's kids" for their performanc-es in the Ladies Profession-al Golf Association of Japan Tour.

Shin in particular led the U.S. LPGA in terms of tour money won in 2009. The next year, she briefly be-came the world's top-ranked women's golfer. Shin later left the LPGA to play in Japan and be closer to her family.

Japanese players have been knocking on the door as well. Hinako Shibuno won the Women's British Open in 2019, becoming the first Japanese woman to win a major tournament since 1977, when Hisako Higuchi

became the first Asian-born player to win the LPGA Championship in the U.S. In 2010, Ai Miyazato became the first Japanese woman to rise to the top of the world's ranking, taking over the ti-tle from Shin.

Saso's win in the U.S. Open shows that the third time is the charm for players active in the LPGA of Japan Tour. Both Mamiko Higa and Shibuno led in the prelimi-nary rounds in the 2019 and 2020 editions, respec-tively, before losing in the final round.

For 19-year-old Saso and others born around the year 2000, either they or their parents idolized "Ai-chan" when she competed in the U.S.-based LPGA tour. It could be said that Miyaza-to, with her petite 154-cm frame, inspired a long line of golf prodigies.

At 21, Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand completely domi-nated the ANA Inspiration, a major tournament in the LPGA tour. During the four-day stretch in April, she av-eraged 323 yards per drive. Tavatanakit is the second Thai winner of a major women's tourney since Ari-ya Jutanugarn won the Brit-ish Open in 2016 and the U.S. Open in 2018.

Just like young Japanese players look up to Miyazato, Tavatanakit was inspired by the dominance displayed by the Jutanugarn sisters, Ariya and Moriya. Tav-atanakit honed her skills on golf courses recently built in Thailand.

"Unlike Japan, which has a lot of old courses, [Thailand] has built modern courses that match specifi-

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Yuka Saso lifts the U.S. Women's Open trophy with her father, Masakazu Saso, after her first major tournament victory.

Page 6 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES WAVES NEWS—PHILIPPINES

which many hoped for. As a result, immigration targets are not being met. This also prompted Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino to create a pathway to PR for some 90,000 interna-tional students and foreign workers. And yet, some 6,000 caregivers who have applied for PR will not like-ly know their fate until De-cember, 2021.

In the meantime, there’s is a vast number of caregivers who will certainly remain on the margins of society. A new pathway is needed to regularize these non-status caregivers and put them back on track. An amnesty program may be the quick-

fix, innovative solution to address the plight of un-documented caregivers and fill the shortage of essential workers especially during the pandemic.

These out-of-status care-givers are already in Cana-da. They have made contri-butions to its economy and paid taxes before losing their status. They are vul-nerable and have limited resources to regularize their status. An amnesty is a means to regularize non-status caregivers that has not been tried and tested before. This unprecedented time may be an opportune time to consider and imple-ment a policy that will be both compassionate for the vulnerable and at the same time a practical means for Canada to continue to grow its economy and build com-munities. ∎

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Undocumented Caregivers are un-seen among us

Manila inaugurates first Muslim cemetery

By Lea Devio

THE City of Manila inaugu-rated on Monday its first Muslim Cemetery and Cul-tural Hall as a tribute to Muslims who brought great honor to the city.

The 2,400 square-meter cemetery will also serve as a symbol to remind the youth and generations to come of the capital city's "history, culture and tradi-tion," Manila Mayor Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso said.

Domagoso said "the ceme-tery was built as a way to address the Muslim com-

munity's struggles to bury the deceased, noting the lack of proper burial grounds in the capital city."

"We offer this tangible edi-fice and site as a manifesta-tion of how the city honors and respects the culture and tradition of its forefa-thers with Islamic ances-try," Vice Mayor Ma. Shei-lah "Honey" Lacuna-Pangan said.

Muslim Affairs Bureau Di-rector Shey Sakaluran Mo-hammad and other local officials attended the inau-guration ceremony. (manilatimes.net)

PHOTO FROM MAYOR ISKO MORENO DOMAGOSO FACEBOOK

person at the age of 122 years and 164 days, Susano will be turning 124 years old this September 11.

The Guinness organization reportedly acknowledged receipt of lola Francisca’s documents needed to certi-fy that she is indeed the oldest living person in the world.

Having lived 123 years, lola Francisca has experienced many things that we can only read about in history books today. She has lived through the reigns of all the presidents of the Philip-pines – yes, since Emilio Aguinaldo’s presidency in 1899 up to this year’s Duterte administration. She was born before the Philip-pines gained independence and witnessed both World Wars.

Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic, lola Francisca has also survived the small-pox pandemic in the early 1900s, the cholera pan-demic in 1905, and the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

Lola Francisca’s Family

What’s very interesting is that, living such long life runs through her family as eight of her fourteen chil-dren are still alive. In fact,

the oldest will also be turn-ing a hundred this year!

Merlene Susano is one of lola Francisca’s first-generation grandchildren. She is the daughter of lola Francisca’s 11th child out of 14. Currently, the 123-year-old grandmother al-ready has over a hundred grandchildren from the first to the fourth genera-tion in her family.

Merlene is personally at-tending to her grandmoth-er, using her experience as a midwife from working in Singapore.

What’s the Secret to a Long Life according to Lola Francisca Susano?

According to reports, Lola Susana is still able to speak fluently and walk.

Aside from her grand-mother’s age, Merlene said they are amazed at how lola Francisca can still clearly hear things and even play musical instru-

ments.

She has a penchant for playing the harmonica eve-ry morning. At times, she wakes up between mid-night and 1 a.m. and plays the instrument, a good ex-ercise for her lungs.

Her grandmother’s diet is a big factor in reaching her age, she said. Merlene shared that lola Francisca avoids using additives and prefers eating vegetables and honey. Raised as a farmer, her grandmother practices eating on time which is a contributing fac-tor to her good health.

The secret to her long life includes a healthy lifestyle (diet mainly consisting of vegetables and a little meat with no pork) and a posi-tive outlook in life. She says that abstinence from alco-hol also played a big role in living such a healthy and long life.

Lola Francisca is the living proof of the adage that goes: health is wealth. And if we, Filipinos, would like to get through this pan-demic, the way she sur-vived through all the his-toric events and pandemic that threatened the world, we have to be more con-scious as well with our diet (ready to say goodbye to those chips and indulgence to junk food) and keep a healthy lifestyle by regular-ly doing some exercise and keeping a positive outlook in life. ∎

(Continued from page 1)

cations with U.S. tours," said Hiroyuki Fujita, a win-ning Japanese professional golfer.

Saso, born in 2001 to a Fili-pina mother and a Japanese father, practiced golf in her birthplace of the Philip-pines, another country blessed with a superior environment for training in the sport.

Although Saso moved brief-ly to Japan at four, five years later she told her

parents her aspiration of becoming the world's best golfer, prompting her move back to the Philippines with her father.

"We did it to make a child's dream come true," said her father, Masakazu Saso.

The younger Saso trained closely and furiously with her father until she at-tained the coveted U.S. Open championship in seemingly record time.

When golf returned to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after a 112-year hiatus, competitors from Asia and Oceania dominat-ed the women's competi-tion. South Korea's Park In-bee won the gold medal, with Lydia Ko of New Zea-

land and China's Feng Shanshan taking silver and bronze, respectively. Ha-rukyo Nomura of Japan ranked just behind the medalists in fourth place.

Fans will be watching to see whether Saso can break South Korea's near-monopoly on the winner's podium to take home the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal, or whether Nasa Hataoka of Japan -- who missed out on her first major tournament win Sunday after losing to Saso in a playoff -- will avenge that defeat in Tokyo.

Either way, Asia's grip on women's golf looks likely to remain unbroken .∎

(Continued from page 5)

Francisca Susano, 123-yr-old Filipina, ...world’s oldest

Lola Francisca loves to play the harmonica

Saso’s victory extends Asian dominance in golf

June 2021 Page 7

Filipinos Making WAV ES WAVES NEWS—PHILIPPINES

Duterte tells public: Get vaccinated or die

Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines — Pres-ident Duterte has advised people who refuse to get vac-cinated against COVID to buy their coffins or prepare their cremation plans as they would surely die of the virus.

Duterte said the government has done everything it could to convince people to avail themselves of the vaccines, but others still refuse to do so.

“Sabi nga ‘pag nabili ‘yong lahat ng bakuna, sobra, kasi maraming tumatanggi (Once all the needed vaccines are purchased, there would be excess supply because many refuse to be inoculated),” Duterte said during a pre-recorded public address on Monday.

“Now ulitin ko ulit. ‘Pag hindi ka nagpabakuna, mamama-tay ka talaga. So planuhin mo na ‘yong buhay mo kung paano pagdating ng panahon... Bili ka ng kabaong o magpasunog ka. Magkano

ang bayaran mo at ma-ghanap ka na ng pwesto sa sementeryo. Ganyan ‘yan eh. Ayaw ninyong magpabakuna? Patay kayo sigurado (I will repeat: if you do not get vac-cinated, you would really die. So plan your life, buy your coffin, have yourself cremat-ed. Determine how much you will pay and find a slot in the cemetery. That’s the way it is. You do not want to be vac-cinated? You will surely die),” he added.

Duterte said the government could not provide for those who do not want to get vac-cinated with medicines that are not part of the national budget.

“You can say that you can be brought to the hospital. But the rich can buy all the medi-cines that are very expen-sive,” he said.

“If that (medicine) is funded under a contingency fund, it’s possible. But for now, I will tell you, to those who do not want to be vaccinated or are afraid to be vaccinated, good-bye to you. That’s what you deserve. Goodbye,” he added.

A Social Weather Stations

survey conducted from April 28 to May 2 indicated that only 32 percent of Filipinos were willing to be inoculated against COVID.

A third of the respondents, 33 percent of them, were not willing to avail themselves of the pandemic shots while 35 percent were unsure about the matter.

Officials have given assur-ance that all vaccines ap-proved by food and drug reg-ulators are safe and effective against COVID.

They said all vaccine brands could protect the recipient against severe and critical COVID and prevent hospitali-zation and death.

AFP, PNP vaccine rollout

The Philippine National Po-lice (PNP) has started its im-munization against COVID for its frontline personnel or those belonging to the A4 category.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar received his first dose of China-made vaccine Sinovac during a ceremonial vaccination at Camp Crame

yesterday.

The initial batch of 500 vac-cines for PNP members un-der the A4 category were given to Camp Crame and the National Capital Regional Police Office, which received 200 doses each, and 50 each to the Special Action Force and Aviation Security Group.

More doses will be supplied to the police force as more vaccines are expected to ar-rive in the coming months.

More than 26,000 PNP mem-bers contracted COVID since last year, with 71 dying from the virus.

At present, the PNP has 1,942 active cases.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forc-es of the Philippines (AFP) has resumed the vaccination rollout for its personnel at Camp Aguinaldo.

As of June 11, a total of 34,978 AFP personnel re-ceived their first dose of Si-novac vaccine, while 34,390 got their second dose.

(Continued on page 8)

President Duterte said the government has done everything it could to convince people to avail themselves of the vaccines, but others still refuse to do so. Presidential Communications Facebook page

Page 8 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL OF TORONTO NEWS

Teresa Torralba, PUBLISHER Mon Torralba, Managing Editor

Office: 12 Briar Path, Brampton ON L6T 2A2

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Toronto, 26 May 2021 – A one-on-one virtual meeting was held today between Consul General Orontes Cas-tro and Member of Provin-cial Parliament Doly Begum. The purpose of the meeting is for Consul General Castro to express his and the Filipi-no community’s apprecia-tion officially and personally for MPP Begum’s sponsor-ship of Bill 217, otherwise known as the “Filipino Her-itage Month Act” of the Province of Ontario.

The Bill was first introduced by MPP Begum on 20 Octo-ber 2020. She fought for its passage from the First Read-ing, onto the Second Read-ing and Third Reading on 13 May 2021 when it was car-ried out, until it received Royal Assent and came into

effect on 20 May 2021.

The Filipino Heritage Month Act of the Province of Ontar-io, as in the earlier Filipino Heritage Month Motions passed by the City of Toron-to in November 2017 and by the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada in October 2018, “recognizes the positive impact that the Filipino Canadian communi-ty has made and continues to make in Ontario and throughout the rest of Cana-da and the world, as well as the countless economic con-tributions the Filipino com-munity has made to Ontario for generations.”

MPP Begum is among the young generation of Canadi-ans elected to the Legisla-tive Assembly of Ontario

during the 2018 provincial election and was recently appointed to a new critic role for Citizenship, Foreign Credentials, and Immigra-tion Services, which comes as the NDP warns of a dire shortage of healthcare pro-fessionals during the pan-demic. It is a new portfolio that looks into foreign cre-dentials held by many new Canadians seeking employ-ment for which they are qualified, instead of taking on underemployed work. As a Bangladeshi Canadian im-migrant, MPP Begum values that Ontario provides equal and equitable opportunities for those who are newcom-ers and immigrants. She ex-pressed continued support to the Filipino community. ∎

Consul General Orontes V. Castro Meets Virtually MPP Doly Begum who Sponsored Bill 217 “Filipino Heritage Month Act”

Philippine Consulate General in Toronto Promotes Province of Batangas, Hosts Cooking Demo by Celebrity Chef

TORONTO, 21 May 2021 - Close to 500 people tuned in to the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto’s online event “Conversations on the Province of Batangas and Filipino Cuisine”.

Viewers were treated to in-formative and delighful messages from Philippine Ambassador to Canada H.E. Rodolfo D. Robles, Batangas Governor Hermilando I. Mandanas, Batangas Tour-ism Officer Sylvia M. Marasi-gan, American Diver and Underwater Photographer Mike Bartick, and highlight-ed by a cooking demonstra-tion from renowned Philip-pine Celebrity Chef Myrna Segismundo.

Chef Segismundo taught viewers how to make Filipi-no Chicken and Pork Adobo, and Beef Caldereta.

Among the noted esteemed guests were Madame Maria Lourdes “Louie” Barcelon Locsin, Madame Nora San Buenaventura Robles, PH Permanent Representative

to ASEAN Ambassador and Mrs. Noel Servigon, mem-bers of the Diplomatic Corps and Consular Corps in To-ronto and the Philippines, Filipino Canadian govern-ment officials such as To-ronto Health Officer Dr. Ei-leen De Villa and Manitoba MLA Malaya Marcelino, and the members of the Filipino community and mainstream Canadians, and other guests from the academic, religious and culinary communities and the media.

The webinar was the Com-mon Cultural Project of the Philippine Embassy and Philippine Consulates Gen-eral in Calgary, Toronto (Sentro Rizal Toronto) and Vancouver, and in celebra-tion of the National Heritage Month and Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines.

Consul General Orontes V. Castro served as moderator of the webinar. ∎

Philippine Celebrity Chef Myrna Segismundo

Rodolfo D. Robles, Philip-pine Ambassador to Canada

Hermilando I. Mandanas, Batangas Governor

Records show that 3,339 doses of AstraZeneca vac-cines have been delivered to military treatment facilities in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao as of June 10.

Fully vaccinated

Jose Cardinal Advincula is now fully vaccinated against COVID, a few weeks before he officially assumes his post as archbishop of the Archdio-cese of Manila, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reported yesterday.

Advincula received his sec-ond dose of the unnamed vaccine last month. He urged

the faithful to get vaccinated against the virus.

Advincula will be installed as the 33rd archbishop of the Archdiocese of Manila on June 24.

Meanwhile, Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos also an-nounced on social media that he is fully vaccinated against COVID, saying he received his second dose of the vaccine last month.

In another development, the CBCP said the Commission on Catechesis and Education of the Archdiocese of Manila prepared a short catechetical video presentation on the topics for the installation of Advincula.

Manila apostolic administra-tor Bishop Broderick Pabillo encouraged Catholics to par-ticipate in the nine-day spir-

itual preparations for the installation of Advincula, which started yesterday morning.

Pabillo said the preparations started with a “prayer of gratitude for the gift of our new archbishop” which was held yesterday shortly after the post-communion prayer of the mass.

He urged parishes to organ-ize charitable activities such as feeding programs and dis-tribution of food bags or gift checks for families who were greatly affected by the pan-demic.

He said Caritas Manila would distribute P50 million worth of gift certificates for 50,000 families in different parishes. – Emmanuel Tupas, Mi-chael Punongbayan, Rob-ertzon Ramirez

(Continued from page 7)

Duterte: Get Vaccinated or Die

June 2021 Page 9

Filipinos Making WAV ES

Page 10 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES

SalmaZahid15 @SalmaZahid15

website: SalmaZahid.libparl.ca

Salma Zahid

Member of Parliament Scarborough Centre

Salma.Zahid@parl.gc.ca

Let’s all celebrate

Happy 123rd Philippine Independence Day!

June 2021 Page 11

Filipinos Making WAV ES

Page 12 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES

June 2021 Page 13

Filipinos Making WAV ES RELIGIOUS INSPIRATIONS

St. Joseph

Patron Saint of Canada

Patron Saint of workers

Patron Saint of the universal church Patron Saint of families

Patron Saint of husbands

Patron Saint of homes

Patron Saint of the dying

Pray for us

Pope’s June prayer intention: ‘The beauty of Marriage’

Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of June, and invites everyone to pray for those preparing for marriage, which is “a vocation born from the heart.”

By Devin Watkins

“Is it true, what some people say—that young people don’t want to get married, especially during these difficult times?”

Pope Francis opens a video accom-panying his prayer intention for the month of June with that question.

He goes on to admit that marriage is a “demanding journey” which can be complicated at times. But he adds that “getting married and sharing one’s life is something beautiful.”

“And on this life-long journey, the husband and wife aren’t alone,” says the Pope. “Jesus accompanies them.”

Vocation of love

Pope Francis then reflects on the importance of the Sacrament of Marriage, and its centrality in the life of the Church and of those who undertake this path.

“Marriage isn’t just a ‘social’ act,” he notes. “It’s a vocation that’s born from the heart, a conscious deci-sion for the rest of one’s life that requires specific preparation.”

And the Pope urges everyone to remember that God has a dream for us, which is love.

Community support

Finally, the Pope invites Catholics to pray for young people preparing for marriage with the support of a

Christian community.

“May they grow in love, with gen-erosity, faithfulness and patience,” he prays. “Because a great deal of patience is necessary in order to love.”

He closes his video with a brief re-minder: “But it’s worth it, eh?”

‘Year of the Family’

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Net-work, which prepares “The Pope Video” each month, released a press statement accompanying the prayer intention.

The communique recalls that the Church is currently marking the “Special Year of the Family”, which kicked off on 19 March 2021.

Marriage rates, says the statement, have plummeted around the world since 1972, while divorce rates have skyrocketed and the age at which people marry has grown steadily.

These trends have likely worsened since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Finding Christ in daily life

In this context, the Church is called to accompany young people as they discover their vocation to marriage.

“Preparing young people and en-gaged couples for a real vocation, not just for the celebration of a

wedding, is a priority,” says Dr. Ga-briella Gambino, the Undersecre-tary of the Dicastery for Laity, Fam-ily, and Life.

She adds that the Church can help young Catholics understand the presence of Christ in their daily lives by building on the meaning Baptism.

“In a secularized society that no longer believes in marriage,” says Dr. Gambino, “we must proclaim the strength and power of the sac-rament as a vocation and show that family relationships can have a salvific value for people and be a path to holiness. It is a matter of concretely bringing Christ into the lives of families.” vaticannews.va

Tony and Nancy Mendoza celebrated their 30 years of marriage on June 1st. Right photo shows the couple with their first grandchild, 5 year-old Damian.

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary

Page 14 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES COMMUNITY

REMEMBERING JESS CABRIAS—The Filipino-Canadian Community’s “Gentle Giant”

By: Tony A. San Juan Juan, OCT-Retired. The spring month of May sea-sonally brings showers and good vibes to most Canadians. For the members of the Fili-pino Canadian community in Ontario, specifically on May 3, 2021, what brings to mind and heart is the one-year anniversary of community leader, pioneer, and elder Jess Cabrias's passing into the world beyond. Remem-bering the "gentle giant" apt-ly, poignantly, and affection-ately is admittedly hard to elucidate and expound but here are some statements written for him endearingly and respectfully. Following are tributes I captured remi-niscing and evoking the many beautiful and wonder-ful memories, albeit curtly, that Ka Jess had embedded with the gentle of the heart, on his "2 angels" and two good friends. Karen Tan, the popular FilCan singer and pangala-wang punong abala of Jess at Talakayan Radyo Filipino show shared the following: " Whenever I make pancit, I think of popsie Jess. I cooked food for him years before, pancit, lugaw, at monggo, and he loved it. My heart is broken for a man who was like a father to me, his family who treated me like an ex-tension of theirs. I will miss you so much. Thank you for always believing in me and pushing me to do more than

what I thought I was capable of, and for all the laughs and love." Karen Pascual-Binaday, the former PIDC president and TRF lifestyle reporter on her FB page, wrote: "I couldn't think of the words to honour him appropriately. He was opinionated, stubborn, fierce, funny and so much more. I'm glad we connected many years ago and it was the start of my path in community service. I will forever be grateful for all he's taught me, all the times he defended and supported me. Thank you, Boss." Joe Damasco, KOR Regional Commander-Canada and long-time friend, had posted this: "Salamat sa kaalaman na bahagi sa pamana ni Sir Jess....an ardent brother Knight of Rizal, an ally in search of truth in journalism who brings the best of our people, a legacy of laughter and friendship, a compas-sionate community leader, and an inspiration of a family man always to be cherished." Earl Francis Dacara, a GTA paralegal, immigration con-sultant, and president of Bi-col Canada Community Asso-ciation sent this blog: "BCCA lost one of its pioneers, its staunch pillars. The benefits that BCCA is enjoying at pre-sent may be attributed to his foundational leadership. Ma-noy Jess had impressed upon us and his friends, his

strength of character, the boldness of will and determi-nation, the true traits of resil-iency among Bicolanos. I admired his charisma and his unique manner of dealing with people. With his re-markable achievements, he remained humble. Manoy Jess will be remembered for his encouraging words, moti-vating wisdom, and his hu-morous discourses. He is a true leader who has both integrity and identity."

Born in Tabaco, Albay, Bi-colandia on June 8, 1944( the same birthday as my wife Jocelyn), he passed away peacefully on May 3, 2020, amidst the onset of the global

pandemic. Jess was a high school graduate of Manila's San Sebastian College(1961) and a B.S.B.A. holder from the University of the East(1967). Before immigrating to Canada with his family in the early 70s, he served for 10 years as a Special Assis-tant to the General Manager of Government Service Insur-ance System (GSIS). In To-ronto, he was the Philippine Airline's sales manager, from 1978 to 1981 and worked at Canada Post, retiring after 17 years of service. His volunteer service in the Filipino Canadian communi-ty includes being a radio host & producer of Talaka-yan Radyo Filipino show; founder and first president of BCCA; charter member and vice-president of PPCO; columnist of Atin Ito newspa-per; consultant of One Philip-pine News magazine; chapter commander of KOR; and a member of PIDC and of To-ronto Sportsmen Associa-tion. Among his accomplish-ments were being an organ-izer or chairman of various community associations' events and activities such as BCCA 's Our Lady of Penafrancia-Patron Saint enshrinement, feast & fluvial parade; KOR Dr. Jose Rizal monument renovation, Rizal Day, and Commanders' ball celebrations; PIDC gala night & Philippine Centennial cele-

bration beauty pageants. For his numerous communi-ty service, Jess Cabrias re-ceived the Knights of Rizal "Golden Meritorious Cross" award in 2006. "Outstanding Canadian" recognition in 2000 and "Certificate of Con-gratulations and Apprecia-tion" from John Bitove ( CEO) for contributions to Toron-to's Bid for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games, amongst other meritorious citations. Married to May Capobres, they were blessed with 4 children – Mitch (Nicole Mouck), Jennifer (Gary Mckoy), Mirco (Tricia Dixon), and Jema (Mic Gruber) and proudly blessed more with 7 grandchildren – Keera, Da-vid, and Charlotte Cabrias, Chelsea and Ashlea Mckoy, Makayla Jess Cabrias and Leonora Gruber. Indeed Jess was very productive and progressive in respect of his 75 years of life as a great family man, generous friend, loyal work colleague, com-mitted community leader, solid advocate, straight for-ward journalist, and a true and well-respected Filipino Canadian through and through. I am proud to be his older kaibigan at ka-Bikolano. Dios mabalos!

In celebration this June of the 123rd Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and the annu-al Filipino Heritage Month, as well as the Quincentennial Commemorations of the Philippines, Sentro Rizal To-ronto of the Philippine Con-sulate General organized a Tribute to Filipino Canadian and Canadian Individuals, Community Organizations and Government Agencies who have supported the Philippine Consulate General for the past years, even with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theme for this year’s Philippines Independence Day celebration is: Kalayaan 2021: Diwa ng Kalayaan sa Pagkakaisa at Paghilom ng Bayan (Spirit of Freedom in Unity and National Healing).

In a virtual programme held June 12 and streamed via the Consulate General’s official website and Facebook page, Filipinos Making Waves was given the Quincentennial Award 2021.

The late Jess Cabrias (First BCCA President) and wife May Capobres-Cabrias

The late Jess Cabrias, Filipino Canadian leader, advocate, and journalist in Toronto, Ontario

Filipinos Making Waves gets Quincentennial Award 2021

Teresa and Mon Torralba, Filipinos Making Waves

Among the awardees are (L_-R) Balita publisher Tess

Cusipag and veteran entertainment writer Baby K Jimenez

Congratulations to all 2021 Quincentennial awardees

June 2021 Page 15

Filipinos Making WAV ES HEALTH

Barrier-Free Pop-up Vaccine Clinic at “Little Manila”

( May 29, 2021 at Bathurst-Wilson Parkette)

The Philippine Legacy and Cultural Alliance (PLACA), in partnership with North York General, extends its sincerest gratitude to our community Donors

and Volunteers for their amazing generosity and dedication to serve during its first Filipino community “BARRIER-FREE POP-UP VACCINE CLINIC”

held last Saturday, May 29th at the Bathurst-Wilson Parkette (Little Manila).

Huge Thank You and special mentions to RSAV Solutions, Republika RestoBar & Grill, Kabalen Restaurant, Tess Cusipag, Balita Publisher, LBC,

R.G.I. Alakdan Canada, CHHA Radio Voces Latinas, Mr. & Mrs. Ira Resuello, Vivian Caldina & Family, Louie Obille, Mr. & Mrs. Jessy Pareja,

Bimster Torreon, Elvie Fruelda, Jonah Kotzer, Danny Doma of SMDC, Salma Rehman-Kotschorek, Shelley Brown, Carey Miller, Nestor & Faye

Arellano, Sgt. & Mrs. Philip Mendoza, Padre H. Astudillo from the Latin Community, and many more!

This project couldn’t have been successful without the drive and commitment of the following organizers: Teresa Torralba (PLACA Exec. Director), An-

dre Roy (Consultant), Mark Kachuk (MP Ya’ara Saks), Aytakin Mohammadi (Councillor James Pasternak), NYG Team: Romina Oliverio, Richard Tang,

Ivy Wong, Melissa Londono, Izabela Smolik, Danielle Ferreira, Joyce Choy, Jocelyn Jackson, Rosemary Bell, James Schembri, Julie Callaghan and PLACA

Board Of Directors: Linofiel Eroma, Chairman, Andrew Roper, Vice Chair, Chanele Capua, Secretary, Melchor Galeon, Director, Nestor Lumayor, Direc-

tor and Jonald Quinto, Director.

Let’s put an end to this pandemic. Do your part.

GET VACCINATED

Page 16 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES ENTERTAINMENT

One year after: Celebrities who left, signed, and stayed with ABS-CBN

A year after ABS-CBN went off air, the network's stable of showbiz talents looks different following major transfers

On May 5, 2020, one of the coun-try’s biggest networks, ABS-CBN, went off-air after the House of Rep-resentatives failed to renew its Congressional franchise.

One year on, and the network has experienced massive changes, with thousands of people losing their jobs – in the middle of a pandemic no less – as the company dealt with the impact of a more limited reach.

Entire channels shutdown or downsized their talents – ABS-CBN’s Sports channel went off air, while its music channel MYX said goodbye to several of its VJs. Some of the biggest names in broadcast lost their jobs – from Korina Sanchez, to Ces Drilon, to Ted Failon.

On the entertainment side, this meant a major facelift for ABS-CBN, as some of its most famous stars and homegrown talents found pro-jects outside of the network. Sever-al stars left ABS-CBN’s talent man-agement arm Star Magic and signed with new agencies. Some took on work with other networks, while others transferred complete-ly.

Here’s a list tracking most of the movement of talents in and out of ABS-CBN – from those who stayed, to those who left, and everything in between:

Who left?

Johnny Manahan - The longtime exec known as “Mr M” stepped down from his role as head of Star Magic. He went on to direct the TV5 variety show Sunday Noon-time Live. The show was canceled in January.

Maja Salvador - The actress left Star Magic after 18 years to be part of TV5, where she started as a host of Sunday Noontime Live. She cur-rently stars in the TV5 show Nin a Nin o, and started her own talent management company, Crown Art-ist Management in March.

Bea Alonzo - The star left Star Mag-ic in November 2020, and is now being managed by Shirley Kuan. Bea built her career with ABS-CBN, starring in shows such as K2BU, Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay, and It Might Be You, as well as films like One More Chance and The Mis-tress. She was launched as part of Star Magic Batch 10 in 2001.

JULIA BARRETTO. The actress switches management to Viva Art-ists Agency.

Julia Barretto - The actress signed with Viva Artists Agency in Sep-tember 2020, leaving Star Magic, which had managed her career since she started in showbiz. Julia rose to fame on ABS-CBN, starring in shows such as Kokey, Mirabella, and And I Love You So. She was supposed to star in the upcoming ABS-CBN teleserye Cara Y Cruz (now called Bagong Umaga), but was replaced by Heaven Peralejo.

Billy Crawford - The It’s Showtime host bid goodbye to ABS-CBN in September 2020 and joined TV5, where he hosts the noontime show Lunch Out Loud.

Pokwang - The comedian lost her contract with the network follow-ing the ABS-CBN shutdown. She confirmed her transfer to TV5 in July 2020, where she hosted now-defunct talk show Chika, Besh and is now hosting the game show Fill in the Bank.

Khalil Ramos - The actor signed with GMA Artist Center in October 2020, joining his girlfriend Gabbi Garcia, who is one of the network’s biggest stars. He got his showbiz start in 2011, on ABS-CBN’s talent search Pilipinas Got Talent. Since then, he has appeared in ABS-CBN’s teleseryes including Annali-za and Pangako Sa’Yo.

Richard Yap - The actor joined GMA in December 2020. Richard was with ABS-CBN for 9 years, and became a household name playing Ser Chief in the hit series Be Care-ful with My Heart.

Who renewed?

KIM CHIU. The actress stays with ABS-CBN.

Kim Chiu - The actress renewed her contract with ABS-CBN in De-cember 2020, alongside 7 other

Kapamilya talents. She first rose to fame as the winner of the first teen edition of reality show Pinoy Big Brother, and has remained with ABS-CBN ever since. She hosts vari-ety shows It’s Showtime and ASAP Natin ‘To, and stars in the web se-ries Bawal Lumabas – named for the now-iconic response she gave in defense of ABS-CBN.

Enchong Dee - Enchong was among the many talents who vocally de-fended ABS-CBN throughout its franchise renewal, so it comes as no surprise that the actor renewed his contract with the network. He continues to be a regular with ASAP Natin ‘To, and hosts the cur-rent season of Pinoy Big Brother.

Arjo Atayde - The award-winning actor renewed his contract with ABS-CBN in February, saying “I will stay here no matter what.” Arjo is known for his performance as the antagonist in long-running teleser-ye Ang Probinsyano. He was named Best Actor at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in 2020 for his role in the series Bagman.

Gary Valenciano - A mainstay on It’s Showtime and ASAP Natin ’To, Gary signed a new contract with ABS-CBN in February. He celebrat-ed his 38th year in showbiz in April, performing his new single “Make Us Whole Again,” which he started writing in response to the ABS-CBN shut down.

Maymay Entrata - Maymay contin-ues to be an ABS-CBN talent, re-newing her contract in February

2021. She signed with Star Magic after winning Pinoy Big Brother in 2017, and has since appeared in the series La Luna Sangre, as well as several episodes of Maalala Mo Kaya. She also appeared in films such as Fantastica, Hello, Love, Goodbye, and Princess DayaReese.

Edward Barber - Maymay’s love team partner and fellow Pinoy Big Brother alum also renewed his contract with ABS-CBN.

Donny Pangilinan - Donny renewed his ABS-CBN contract in February 2021. He stars in the upcoming teen series He’s Into Her, alongside Belle Mariano.

Francine Diaz - The actress re-newed her contract with ABS-CBN in February, saying that she chose to stay with the network despite receiving offers from others. Fran-cine rose to fame after playing the lead role in the teleserye Kadenang Ginto. She currently stars in the show Huwag Kang Mangamba.

Andrea Brillantes - The star signed with ABS-CBN anew in December 2020. She rose to fame on Kade-nang Ginto, and is part of the “Gold Squad,” along with Francine, Seth Fedellin, and Kyle Echarri. She also stars in Huwag Kang Mangamba.

Who joined?

JANINE GUTIERREZ. The star signs a contract with ABS-CBN.

Janine Gutierrez - The award-winning actress signed a contract with ABS-CBN in January, and is set to debut on the long-running dra-ma anthology Maalala Mo Kaya on May 8. She is set to top bill the net-work’s upcoming series Marry Me, Marry You.

Sunshine Dizon - The veteran ac-tress signed with ABS-CBN after 25 years with GMA. She is set to star alongside Janine in Marry Me, Mar-ry You.

Jake Ejercito - The showbiz scion

(Continued on page 18)

June 2021 Page 17

Filipinos Making WAV ES HEALTH/LIFESTYLE

8 Surprising Health Benefits of Gardening Planting flowers and vege-tables can reap bountiful bouquets and delicious har-vests for your dining table. But did you know garden-ing also can do wonders for your well-being? Here are eight surprising health ben-efits of gardening.

1. Gardening can build self-esteem.

Maybe you don’t think you were born with a green thumb, but after tilling, planting, nurturing and har-vesting plants, you might see a slightly different per-son in the mirror: a person who can grow things and is a little more in tune with the earth.

It always feels good to ac-complish new tasks, and if you can grow a garden, what can’t you do?

2. Gardening is good for your heart.

All that digging, planting and weeding burns calories and strengthens your heart.

“There are physical benefits from doing the manual la-

bor of gardening,” says UNC Health internal medicine physician Robert Hutchins, MD, MPH. “It’s hard work to garden, and it provides some cardiovascular bene-fit.”

3. Gardening reduces stress.

Gardening can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

“Gardening gives you a chance to focus on some-thing and put your mind to work with a goal and a task in mind,” Dr. Hutchins says, “which is helpful especially

now with so much illness and death and talk of death, just to see things growing and things thriving.”

4. Gardening can make you happy.

Getting dirt under your nails while digging in the ground can make you pret-ty happy. In fact, inhaling M. vaccae, a healthy bacteria that lives in soil, can in-crease levels of serotonin and reduce anxiety.

5. Gardening can improve your hand strength.

All that digging, planting and pulling does more than produce plants. Gardening also will increase your hand strength. What a great way to keep your hands and fin-gers as strong as possible for as long as possible.

6. Gardening is good for the whole family.

Gardening can be a solo ac-tivity or an opportunity for bonding with your family and friends. The happiness and stress relief that gar-dening provides is a great

thing to share with loved ones. Also, gardening has special benefits for kids. Early exposure to dirt has been linked to numerous health benefits, from reduc-ing allergies to autoimmune diseases.

7. Gardening can give you a boost of vitamin D.

A healthy dose of vitamin D increases your calcium lev-els, which benefits your bones and immune system. Exposure to sunlight helped older adults achieve ade-quate amounts of vitamin D. Just don’t forget your sunscreen.

8. Growing your own food can help you eat healthi-er.

If you have a vegetable or herb or fruit garden, you’re getting fresh produce that you know hasn’t been treat-ed with pesticides.

“It’s essentially as farm-to-table as it gets,” Dr. Hutchins says, “if you’re eating what you’re grow-ing.” ∎

Joey Castro from Brampton Ontario keeps himself busy nur-turing plants which include tropical calamansi (calamondin)and a plant that bears fragrant sampaguita (Philippine Na-tional Flower). PHOTO by WAVES

Page 18 June 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES

was welcomed by ABS-CBN in April, and is also starring in Marry Me, Marry You – his first-ever teleserye.

Still Kapamilya

Several ABS-CBN stars remained with their home net-work, while taking on projects with TV5.

Ria Atayde, who is under the management of Star Magic, appeared on TV5 as a host for Chika, Besh. She said at the time that it was her management that recommended her to production company APT Entertainment when it was looking for hosts for the show.

PIOLO PASCUAL. The showbiz veteran says he is 'Kapamilya forever.'

Piolo Pascual, one of ABS-CBN’s most prominent stars, left the Sunday variety show ASAP Natin ‘To to host Sunday Noontime Live – but the actor has reiterated that he is “Kapamilya forever.” It is unclear whether he remains with Star Magic, which has managed his career for 24 years.

Sue Ramirez, who is a Star Magic talent, currently appears in Oh My Dad, a show by TV5 blocktimer Brightlight Pro-ductions. – Rappler.com

(Continued from page 16)

One Year After: Celebrities who left, signed and stayed with ABS CBN

BUSINESS

With years of service as IT Manager behind her, Onette has successfully embarked on another career. It did not take long for this entre-preneur to rise as Regional Vice President with Primeri-ca Financial Services Ltd. Through helping hundreds of families, Onette quickly gained the technical knowledge and system im-plementation for a thriving business.

“My goal has always been through education and meeting the needs of fami-lies”, says Onette.

Under her tutelage, many entrepreneurs have also found success in owning a business and earning great income to supplement their full-time work. Onette is a member of the Primerica Canadian Leadership Council and a member of Women in Primerica Advisory Council.

By MON TORRALBA Managing Editor, Waves

Finding Ways to Help Others from Home

Onette Mendoza

Bryce X. Mendoza Licensed Paralegal

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or email: mmendoza@primerica.com Twitter: @OnetteMendoza

CAN PAY BILLS opens its Bills Payment Service in Mississauga

Paying Philippines bills from Canada direct to Philippine companies

TORONTO ON, June 2021. CAN PAY BILLS INC., is proud to announce the opening of its bill payment office, in Missis-sauga, ON. CAN PAY BILLS, a Canadian company has en-tered the international bills payment processing service, where people from Canada can pay bills directly to Philip-pine companies. “This open-ing marks a new player in international bills payment to the Philippines and we are excited to play a part” says Ramon Solis, Founder of CAN PAY BILLS INC. “We offer a facility where clients can make payments to 500 major billing companies and mer-chants, and control payment of bills, with convenience and confidence”. This service is the solution to everyone who sends money to the Philip-pines for the purpose of pay-ing a bill. CAN PAY BILLS is operated by CANSERVe, a software appli-cation that facilitates payment processing, data transmission and payment posting to Phil-ippine billing companies. Powered by Philippine’s lead-ing payment platform, Bayad Center Incorporated, CAN-SERVe is able to process pay-ments for electric and power companies, water, cable and internet providers, govern-ment services, schools, banks and financial institutions, credit card companies, condo-minium-property developers and more. CANPAYBILLS also extends its service to the acceptance of payment on food delivery, grocery packages and bigas padala being the official pay-ment channel of BeamAndGo,

an e commerce company. Positive Customer Impact Clients will benefit from using CAN PAY BILLS services in several ways. The service will simplify sending money to pay bills by allowing the client to make payments direct to the billing company. It will eliminate misuse and abuse of funds on money received in the Philippines by posting directly to the biller company. It will reduce stress by taking away the traditional method of sending money and re-questing someone to make the payment. The creation of CAN PAY BILLS was driven by real sto-ries of compatriots here in Canada where sending money is often misused when it is received in the Philippines. CAN PAY BILLS is committed to enrich lives of our compat-riots working and living out-side the Philippines by bring-

ing convenience on bills pay-ment processing. CAN PAY BILLS assures a secured and trusted payment processing system that is proven success-ful in the operation and im-plementation of bills pay-ment. About CAN PAY BILLS CAN PAY BILLS INC., is a To-ronto base company incorpo-rated in September 2017, un-der the Canada Business Cor-porations Act operating a bills payment service and solu-tions provider. CANPAYBILLS is powered by Bayad Center Incorporated, Philippines big-gest payment platform and BeamAndGo, an ecommerce for e voucher system. For additional information,

email us at info@canpaybills.com

Ramon Solis of CANPAYBILLS (center) at their new office in Mississauga with Rosemarie Sabido (left) and Ayie Colles (right), CANPAYBILLS Pay-ment Processors

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