weekend balita may 3, 2014

By Stephen CollinsonMANILA, May 2, 2014 (AFP)

– The Philippines said Friday it plans to give the United States access to five military bases under a deal that could see US forces return to their giant former facility at Subic Bay.

An access deal signed last week would allow the US to rotate more aircraft, ships, equip-ment and troops over the next 10 years at unspecified bases in the territory of the Asian ally strategi-cally facing the South China Sea.

The two countries are now

in follow-up talks to select the Filipino bases, said defense un-dersecretary Pio Batino, the chief Filipino negotiator.

“Right now, the discussions would be ranging from three to five (Filipino military) bases,” he told reporters.

“That’s not the final, but that is the starting discussion point.”

The Philippines is offering Fort Magsaysay, a sprawling army base about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Manila that regularly hosts annual large-scale

See SUBIC BASE, page 17

President Benigno S. Aquino troops the line upon arrival for the Philippine Navy Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony at the Capt. Salvo Pier in Sangley Point, Cavite City on Wednesday (April 30). The Commander in Chief appoints Rear Admiral Jesus Millan as the 34th Flag Offi cer in Command after his predecessor Alano retires from the military service. Millan is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Sandigan” Class of 1982. (MNS photo)

PHL to off er Subic again to US forces

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay may be the early top choice for president in 2016, but his camp will not celebrate just yet.

In a statement Thursday, Bi-nay’s spokesman, Joey Salgado, welcomed the recent Pulse Asia survey results showing Binay’s huge lead among other possible contenders for the next presi-dential race, but with caution.

“Alam namin na may balak ang ilang grupo na patindihin

ang paninira kay Vice President at sa kanyang pamilya. Maaar-ing ang resulta ng survey na ito ang maging hudyat ng kanilang demolition job kay Vice Presi-dent Binay,” Salgado said.

A Pulse Asia survey con-ducted last month among 1,200 Filipino voters showed that 40 percent of Filipinos will choose Binay as president if elections were to be held now.

The vice president has a

“I will be the next president” is perhaps what Philippine’s Vice President Jejomar Binay is telling U.S. President Barrack Obama (right) when he welcomed the U.S. president upon his arrival in Manila April 28, 2014. (MNS photo)

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – Two more foreign shipbuilders have joined the Philippine Navy’s P18-billion frigate program, ac-cording to PN technical working group head Commodore Roland Mercado.

These firms are Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. of India and STX France SA, Mercado said.

They were allowed to join in the bidding after their motions for reconsideration were considered

by the Department of National Defense (DND) Special Bidding Awards Committee.

They were earlier excluded from the project due to deficiency documents.

These companies now join Navantia Sepi (RTR Ventures) of Spain and South Korean firms STX Offshore & Shipbuilding, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. and Hyun-dai Heavy Industries Inc. which

MANILA, April 30, 2014 (AFP) – The family of a senior Italian diplomat detained in the Philippines for alleged child abuse insisted Wednesday he was innocent, as they accused authorities of misinterpreting his efforts to help homeless children.

Daniele Bosio, 46, was arrested on April 5 following a complaint by members of a children’s advocacy group who claimed they saw him acting “inappropriately” with three homeless boys at a water fun park in Manila.

Prosecutors have not given details of the alleged inap-propriate behavior.

Bosio, Italy’s ambassador to Turkmenistan who had been holidaying in the Philippines, has since been detained in a tiny cell with dozens of other people at a police station about an hour’s drive from the Philippine capital.

“This is a big mistake. Daniele is innocent and they should free him,” the diplomat’s father, Mario Bosio, 78, told AFP outside the prosecutor’s office in Biñan town shortly after seeing his son for the first time since the arrest.

“I believe in the justice system, but it is very clear that he was a victim of profiling. He is an adult white man with three children and they quickly made him out to be a pedophile,” he said through an interpreter.

Bosio, who has yet to be charged, must now wait in-definitely for the wheels of the Philippines’ infamously slow justice system to start turning.

Italy’s foreign ministry has suspended the diplomat.Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told AFP shortly after

Bosio was arrested that, based on the police report, Bosio allegedly violated the country’s law on anti-trafficking and

Polls say VP Binay is early favorite for president in 2016

Italian envoy wrongfully detained in PHL: family

Two more foreign shipbuilders join PN’s P18-B frigate program

See SHIPBUILDERS, page 17

See ITALIAN, page 17 See BINAY, page 17

LOS ANGELES

VOL. XXII, NO. 13 THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FILIPINO-AMERICANSMAY 3-9, 2014

Angel: Maramingbeses akongnaloko

See ANGEL page 31

New pact also allows access to Clark airfi eld, Poro Point, Camp Aguinaldo, Fort Magsaysay

2 Visit www.Balita.com Weekend, Sat. - Fri., May 3 - 9, 2014 Balita

pacificbmw.com800 S. Brand Blvd.Glendale, CA 91204

Pacific BMW 818-246-5600

“Tutulungan po namin kayo!”

“Tawag na po kayo!”

PACIFIC BMWPacific bmw It’s a big deal Don’t miss out

PROVEN PERFORMANCE. EXCEPTIONAL VALUE.

MSRP $36,775On above average approved credit. BMW Loyalty Qualifier. $3,995 due at lease signing. No security deposit required. Lessee responsible for mileage over 10,000 per year @ .20c per mile thereafter.

VIN P679284 / STOCK 194864Alpine White | Black

$289plus tax for 36 months

2014 320i Sedan 2014 228i Coupe


VIN VV99286 / STOCK 195218Black Sapphire | Black Dakota Leather



VIN OE76170 / STOCK 191348Titanium Silver | Black Nevada Leather


2014 X3 xDrive35i

MSRP 43,025On above average approved credit. BMW Loyalty Qualifier. $4,995 due at lease signing. No security deposit required. Lessee responsible for mileage over 10,000 per year @ .20c per mile thereafter.

VIN 0D25052 / STOCK 193500Jet Black | Black


2014 X3 xDrive28i


VIN D501260 / STOCK 193242Jet Black | Black


2014 528i Sedan



VIN K153882 / STOCK 192984Glacier Silver | Black


2014 328d Sedan


VIN D183396 / STOCK 196159Callisto Grey | Venetian Beige Leather


2014 535i GT

Ronald Rodillas Eduardo Tiempo

On above average approved credit. BMW Loyalty Qualifier. $4,995 due at lease signing. No security deposit required. Lessee responsible for mileage over 10,000 per year @ .20c per mile thereafter.

VIN K108923/ STOCK 193942Jet Black | Black MSRP $42,225

2014 328i Sedan

Mom Deserves Luxury


VIN VY16367/ STOCK 195179Alpine White | Sand Beige


2014 X1 sDrive28i

*Qualified customers only. Available at Pacific BMW through BMWFS NA, LLC. Applies only to specific model years. Plus government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document processing charge, any electronic filing charge, and any emission testing charge. Ad expires at close of business date of publication.

3Visit www.Balita.comBalita Weekend, Sat. - Fri., May 3 - 9, 2014

Debt collectors are calling. but whose debts are they? Are you personally liable?

The extent of your personal liability depends on numerous factors, some of which relate A) the State you live in, B) your current marital status, C) your tax filing status, D) if you own a business, how your business is structured, and E) whether you personally guaranteed any of these obligations.

Regarding the State, Cali-fornia is a “Community Prop-erty” state. That means that generally (There are exceptions to everything) you and your spouse share all assets and li-abilities.

Therefore, if you are married and live in California, your assets and liabilities are equally shared. (Again, there are excep-tions to this rule).

Unless you and your spouse file sepa-rate tax returns, a joint tax return tends to support the argument, that you do indeed live in a “community property” estate.

If you own a business, your personal liability will depend on how the business is legally organized.

If the business is a proprietorship, mean-ing it is not incorporated, all business debts are considered to be personal debts. If the business is incorporated, but you have signed a personal guarantee for a business obligation, you will be held personally liable for that specific obligation. To the extent you live in a community property estate, your spouse, while not liable, cannot protect community property assets in the event of a lawsuit.

Clearly, discussing all of the above is-sues with an attorney experienced in these issues, is important, because it will help you determine your options going forward. How can you protect yourself, your spouse, your business? What are the priorities? What comes first? If you have a business, you must first determine where the primary exposure lies.

General Partnerships: Is your business a General Partnership? Each partner is per-sonally liable for the entirety of the busi-ness’s debts (and any partner can usually bind the entire partnership to a business deal – a scary combination). This means that if there isn’t enough money in the business to pay the debts, and your partners are broke, creditors can take your personal assets to pay all of the business’s debts, not just your share.

Corporations and Limited Liability Companies: If your business is organized as a corporation or a limited liability company (LLC), your personal assets are usually protected from business creditors as a matter of law. Shareholders and LLC members have a form of asset protection called limited personal liability. Creditors cannot take owners’ personal assets to pay business debts, unless a business owner specifically gives up that limited liability protection, for example, by co-signing as a personal guarantee for the corporation or LLC.

Unfortunately, many small business owners are forced to give up their right to limited personal liability, at least for some of their business debt. Many creditors re-quire personal guarantees and/or personal security from small business owners before they will loan money or extend credit to a business. Landlords generally demand a personal guarantee before they will lease commercial property to a small business.

A personal guarantee is a promise by a business owner to hand over the owner’s personal assets to a creditor if the business can’t pay its debt and its assets are not worth enough to cover the debt. A creditor can also ask a business owner to secure a business debt by pledging specific personal property, such as an owner’s house, boat, or car. When you sign a personal guarantee or pledge personal property, you give up

your protection against personal liability, and creditors can come after your personal assets.

The most common form of defense against aggressive creditors is exercising the bankruptcy option. If your business bank account is empty, filing bankruptcy will usually give you some breathing room while you try to work things out, and in almost all cases, a bankruptcy will protect your house, your car, and your furnishings.

Business vs. Personal Bankruptcy. If you are a sole proprietor, you can file for either Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Either type of bankruptcy can be used for personal debts or business debts.

If you are a corporate shareholder, LLC owner, or partner in a partnership and you have signed personal guarantees or pledged collateral for business loans, you are per-sonally responsible for the debt. Assuming the business cannot pay, creditors will be looking at you.

Using Bankruptcy as a strategic tool. When you file for bankruptcy, something called an automatic stay immediately stops your creditors from foreclosing on your house or any other personal property that is at risk. In some situations, this can be reason enough to file for bankruptcy, because it will buy you time, if nothing else. Many creditors will think twice before leaning on you too hard if they think you may file for bankruptcy. Some creditors would rather work out a payment plan, or settle for partial repayment, than become a creditor in your bankruptcy case. From a creditor’s perspective, bankruptcy is an expensive and long process that eats into profits. You and your attorney can use that to your advantage in negotiations and perhaps spread payments out far enough to be manageable.

Bankruptcy is not the only option. Debt negotiation, debt buy-downs, and debt work-outs may also work to solve your problems. Creditors are frequently motivated to accept a workout, when they are negotiating with a savvy bankruptcy lawyer. Creditors know that something is always better than nothing!

Don’t wait until you are in imminent danger of losing your family’s home or livelihood. Think strategically, and get the professional help you need early on. Know your options ahead of time.

Call the law offices of Paul M. Allen and take advantage of a free consultation on debt management and business survival. It could save you a lot of money and a lot of heartache.

Two convenient office locations to serve you. No obligation. Get the legal advice you need, from the bankruptcy lawyer that people trust. Call today. Law Offices of Paul M. Allen. 818-552-4500; 562-865-4480.

Whose debts are they?

BalitaGET RESULTS!ADVERTISE WITH

US TODAY!

TOO MANY DEBTS?NO WAY OUT?

• Foreclosure

• Repossessions

• Wage Garnishments

• Creditor Harassment

• Lawsuits

• IRS Levies

• Foreclosure

• Repossessions

• Wage Garnishments

• Creditor Harassment

• Lawsuits

• IRS Levies

STOP!STOP!

We are a federally designated debt relief agency. We help people file for Bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy code. All attorneys are members of the California State Bar and all services are supervised by an attorney.

This is a legal advertisement. Nothing contained in this advertisement implies any guarantee, warranty or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter or the result of any legal representation.

THE LAW OFFICES OFPAUL M. ALLEN

Personal Attention. Honest Answers. Real Solutions

Glendale:520 E. Wilson Ave. Ste. 110. Glendale, CA 91206

Cerritos:17215 Studebaker Rd. Ste 380. Cerritos CA 90703

CALL US FOR FREE CONSULTATION. Saturday and evening appointments available.

818-334-5445


LAWYERS HELPINGEMPLOYEES, CONSUMERS

AND POLICYHOLDERS

• Unpaid Overtime, Missed Breaks, and Other Wage Claims

• Serious Injuries, Accidents, and Wrongful Death

• Insurance Claims (Auto, Homeowners, Life, Annuities, Health)

• Unfair Business Practices and Consumer Class Actions

• Discrimination Due to Disability or Pregnancy

Trial Attorney for 25 years; Class Counsel for thousands of

employees seeking lawful wages

Consistent record of significant million-dollar recoveries

Recognized for excellence by the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Los Angeles Daily Journal and L.A. Magazine’s Super Lawyers

LAW OFFICES OF

C. JOE SAYAS, JR.

www.joesayaslaw.com Kasangga sa Husgado.

Mapagkakatiwalaan Mo!

500 N. Brand Blvd., Suite 980Glendale, CA 91203

Tel: (818) 291-0088

MANILA, Apr 30 (Mabuhay) – Former Commission on Audit (COA) chief Rey-naldo Villar entered a not guilty plea in the plunder charge against him in connection with the alleged irregular use of a P366 million Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office fund.

Villar is one of the accused in the case, whiQch has also includes former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He was arrested last week by operatives of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-

CIDG) at Washington Square in Merville Park, Paranaque.

Villar filed a petition for bail subse-quently.

In today’s hearing, the prosecution sought a delay in resolving the motion supposedly due to new evidence available.

The defense countered the motion, say-ing Villar would have stay in jail longer.

Sandiganbayan Justice Efren dela Cruz gave the prosecution a chance, but warned he will not allow further delays in the future. (MNS)

MANILA, Apr 30 (Mabuhay) -- Gone are the days when subpoenas used to be served by hand.

Government on Wednesday launched an e-subpoena (electronic subpoena) system to avoid delays in the judicial process.

The new system aims to improve trial procedures and secure higher conviction rates in criminal cases by expediting the transmittal of subpoenas from the court to police officers.

Under the new process, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies will syn-chronize their respective systems so subpoenas can be sent online.

It is a project of the Justice Sector Coordinating Council, which is com-posed of the Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima.

“This is a major breakthrough. Pero isipin niyo po, ang konsepto po nito ay simple lamang. Sa konseptong napaka-simple, kaya pa nating palaganapin upang paigtingin ang pagserbisyo ng hustisya sa ating bayan...at maramda-man ng taong bayan ang progreso sa larangan ng administration of justice,” Sereno said.

“This launch of the e-subpoena sys-tem, while a first in the history of the Republic, is but only a beginning of a series of systems and subsystems that will progressively and strategically be pursued to synchronize with the demands of accessing justice, cutting down delays and raising the bar of law enforcement prosecution and court trial,” de Lima said. (MNS)

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – The highly-anticipated third batch of criminal complaints on the pork barrel fund scam will not be filed within the week, despite a pronouncement from Justice Secretary Leila de Lima last week.

De Lima said investigators from the National Bureau of Investigation might not be able file the latest batch with the Office of the Ombudsman this week, especially due to Labor Day.

“Hindi this week (mafa-file) kasi... (may) holiday (tapos) baka gipit kapag Friday,” De Lima told reporters in Quezon City on Wednesday. De Lima was at Camp Crame for the launch of the “electronic subpoena system.”

On Wednesday last week, De Lima said the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation were working to have the third batch filed this week.

De Lima assured the public then that the third batch of complaints will not be “af-fected” by recent revelations made by al-

leged scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles when she decided to reportedly spill the beans to De Lima and investigators who visited her at Ospital ng Makati.

The Justice secretary said the third batch of charges are based on statements and evidence from Benhur Luy and other whistleblowers, and not on Napoles’ state-ments.

De Lima had repeatedly said the public will get to know Napoles’ revelation at the right time, after investigators have con-firmed the veracity of the businesswoman’s statements.

Two batches of pork-related cases were been filed late last year at the Office of the Ombudsman.

On April 1, the Ombudsman resolved the first batch of cases, and recommended the filing of plunder charges against Na-poles, three senators, and several govern-ment and non-government organization officials for their alleged participation in the scam. (MNS)

E-subpoena system launched Ex-COA chief enters ‘not guilty’ in PCSO plunder case

No new batch of ‘pork’ cases this week – De Lima

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – As the nation celebrates Labor Day on Thursday, Senate President Franklin Drilon vowed that the Senate would work double time in enacting pro-worker legislation that will provide relief to the Philippine work-force and help improve their economic condition.

“As a gift to the millions of dedicated workers both from the public and pri-vate sectors, we commit to work on the immediate passage of various pending measures that will have a direct and significant impact to their lives,” said Drilon, a former labor secretary.

Drilon said that among the pending measures which will receive “urgent legislative attention” is Senate Bill No. 256 which seeks to raise the tax exemp-tion limit on the 13th month pay and other work benefits of all workers in the public and private sectors.

”We will work double time in making sure that this piece of legislation will be enacted into law at the soonest in order to assist our workers in dealing with the effect of inflation, and to boost their morale and give them a renewed inspira-tion to excel in their work,” the Senate leader said.

He said the Senate is eyeing to pass the pro-labor bill within the year, urg-ing the appropriate Senate committee to fast-track the hearing on Senate Bill No. 256, authored by Senate Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, so that it can immediately be discussed on the floor.

The Senate intends to raise the exclu-sion limit on an individual’s 13th month pay and other work benefits from income taxation from the current imposed limit of P30,000 to P75,000, according to Drilon.

“It has been 20 years ago since the

enactment of Republic Act No. 7833 that imposed the P30,000 cap on bonuses such as the 13th month pay, and things have greatly changed since then, making the figures no longer reflective of current economic realities,” Drilon stressed.

Drilon also pointed to two measures currently pending in the Senate which seek to raise the allowances of members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

The Senate chief also said the Senate is open to proposals to increase the govern-ment workers’ salary to help them deal with the rising costs of living.

“Considering that the last tranche of salary increase under the Salary Stan-dardization Law III took place two years ago, we recognize the government em-ployees’ clamor to augment their wages, taking into account the increases in prices of basic commodities,” said Drilon.

In 2013, there were 1,205,375 govern-ment employees, he noted.

“We should study the proposal care-fully and we should strike a reasonable balance between addressing the needs of our government employees and ensuring that we recover from budgetary deficit. If this would not be possible in the near term, we must explore other means and mechanisms which could bring our workers’ pay to equitable rates,” stressed Drilon.

“Our policy makers must ceaselessly look at parts of the National Budget which could permit and put into action sustainable salary augmentation, in a manner that would help our workers, yet would not result in budgetary deficit or decreases in other important sectors such as social and health services,” he emphasized.(MNS)

Senate to work double time in enacting pro-labor laws


Your Dream is Our Goal.Your Dream is Our Goal.

Canada ngayon has open immigration policies at hindi mahirap mag-migrate. You dream for a better tomorrow.

Canada ngayon has open immigration policies at hindi mahirap mag-migrate. You dream for a better tomorrow.

You hear Canada calling.You hear Canada calling.Tutulungan namin kayo to make it happen.Tutulungan namin kayo to make it happen.

Attorney of the StarsAtty. Henry Moyal

TOLL FREE: 1. 888 .8472 .078 • Local Tel: 416. 733. 3193

HEAD OFFICES:North American Centre(at Finch Subway Station)8 Finch Ave. West, Toronto,Ontario, Canada M2N 6L1Fax: 416. 733. 3742

“We deal with ALL Immigration Matters”Do not wait. Call us Today.

Affordable & Guaranteed Fees with Offices World Wide.

Email: [email protected]

The only

Certified Lawyer serving the

ATTORNEY MOYAL WILLBE IN LOS ANGELES IN

MAY 2014 TO MEET CLIENTSCALL 1-888-847-2078

FOR AN APPOINTMENT

www.moyal.com

C A NA D I A N I M M I G R AT I O N

Pangarap Ninyo. Our Goal.

California International University

EARN YOUR

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management

• Master’s Degree in International Business

• ESL & TOEFL

WE OFFER

• Work study programs • Full-tuition scholarship

• Dorm housing for Students • Academic Immigration Counseling

CONTACT

US:

CONTACT

US:Telephone: (213) 381-3710 • (213) 381-3719 Fax: (213) 381-6990

Hanapin si

Jomar CaluzaAdmissions

INTERNATIONALSTUDENTS WELCOME

3130 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010

www.ciula.edu

MANILA, May 2 (Mabuhay) – The Philippines has the highest unemploy-ment rate – at 7.3 percent – in Southeast Asia, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said in the latest Global Employment Trends.

This compared with Indonesia’s 6 percent and Brunei’s 3.7 percent, the ILO report showed.

Myanmar has an unemployment rate of 3.5 percent, Malaysia has 3.2 percent and Singapore has 3.1 percent. At the bottom of the list are Vietnam at 1.9 percent, Laos at 1.4 percent Thailand, 0.8 percent; and Cambodia, 0.3 percent.

There were nearly 3 million Filipino who were out of job in January, govern-ment data showed.

The latest labor force survey (LFS) of the National Statistics Office showed the unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent – equivalent to 2.969 million jobless Fili-pinos – from 7.1 percent in January 2013 and 6.5 percent last October.

The higher number is the result of a surge in new entrants to the labor force and the phenomenon of job mismatch.

“Ang target jobs natin, na-meet natin. Malaki din naman ang percentage ng jobs na na-generate. The problem is dumami ang new entrant sa labor force,” Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz said.

“Nakikita natin na ang karamihan na kailangan ngayon mga technical [workers] pero ang pinu-produce natin sa kolehiyo... ay ‘yung Bachelor of Arts, ‘yung mga kurso na hindi nag-pu-provide ng required skill na ating mga kumpanya,” he said.

The Labor official, however, was opti-mistic that economic growth will address this problem.

“The growth rate now and in the com-ing year... will provide additional jobs,” Cruz said.

Last year, Philippine economy grew by 7.2 percent, surpassing government’s growth goal of 6 to 7 percent and the fast-est since the 7.7 percent recorded in 2009.

PHL has highgest jobless rate in ASEAN – ILO

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III did not announce any wage hike on Labor Day but said the government is addressing the country’s employment problem.

“Ang pinakamahalagang yaman ng Pilipinas ay ang Pilipino.. [Kaya] sa simula pa lang po ng ating panunungku-lan tinukoy na natin ang mga tunay na problema upang makapaglatag ng tamang solusyon,” Aquino said during his speech at the Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc. Compound in Laguna.

Before, he said, a lot of job openings could not be filled because of skills mis-match.

So in 2011, the Department of Labor

and Employment, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, and Technical Skills and Development Author-ity coordinated with businessmen to deter-mine which skills are in demand, he said.

“Wala po tayong sinayang na oras sa paglalatag ng mga hakbang upang ma-siguro (na) ang mga bakanteng trabaho sa merkado ay pupunuan ng mga graduate nating may sapat na pagsasanay,” he said.

He also said they tried to give additional skills to workers whose professions are not in demand anymore, citing the influx of nurses.

The President also listed as an accom-plishment the growing electronics and semiconductor industry.

“Patuloy nga po ang pagtaas ng em-ployment numbers ng electronics industry nitong mga nagdaang taon. At hindi lang po ang inyong mga empleyado ang na-kikinabang dito. Dahil sa multiplier effect, nabigyan ng indirect jobs ang napakarami pa nating mga kababayan,” he said,

“Matibay po ang paninindigan ng inyong pambansang pamahalaan na ipagpatuloy ang magandang takbo sa inyo pong sektor,” he added.

Aside from this, he also said the num-ber of Filipinos below the poverty line decreased by three percentage points or 2.5 million Filipinos from the first semester of 2012 to 2013.

“Ibig sabihin, halos dalawa’t kalahating

milyong Juan o Juana dela Cruz ang nasa lampas na ng poverty line. At ngayong higit pang nagbubunga ang mga repormang ipinatupad at ipinapatupad natin, tiyak na dadami pa ang mamamayang mabibigyan natin ng mas komportableng pamumuhay,” he said. Groups like the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, however, gave Aquino a failing grade because of the country’s unemployment rate, which at 7.5 percent is considered to be the highest in Southeast Asia.

Based on the latest labor force survey (LFS) released by the National Statistics Office last January, the jobless rate in the Philippines stood at 7.5 percent, up from 7.1 percent reported a year earlier.

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) -- Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III on Thursday inspected several electronics factories in Laguna as part of his Labor Day activities.

The President first went to the facilities of Testech Group, an outsourced solutions provider to electronics, semiconductor, and non-electronics industries, in Calamba.

He is then expected to visit Alliance Mansols Inc. in Biñan to check on the com-pany’s production and training processes.

His last stop will be at the Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (IMI) also in Biñan.

IMI is a provider of electronics manu-facturing services, power semiconductor assembly, and test services to manufactur-ing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America.

The President, along with Labor offi-cials, will check IMI’s Optical Disk Drive production area before delivering his Labor Day speech.

IMI is a joint venture between conglom-erate Ayala Corporation and Resins Inc. – the holding company of eight subsidiaries in the mainly chemical industry.

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Thursday it had trimmed the number of registered subcontractors from 17,000 to only 5,581 as of March 2014. Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said those removed from the list were fly-by-night subcontractors while those retained are legitimate subcontractors who comply with labor laws and are registered with the DOLE under the requirements, terms, and conditions of Department Order No.18-A.

“Through Department Order No. 18-A, which I issued to amend D.O. 18 on subcontracting, we have whittled down the number of subcontractors registered under D.O. 18-02 from 17,000 to only 5,581 as of March 2014,” Baldoz said.

“These measures are aimed at deterring the participation and activities of contrac-tors and subcontractors that do not have the financial and legal personality to undertake and complete specific jobs, work, or ser-

vices,” she added.Baldoz said she issued D.O. 18-A on the

basis of looking into the issue of subcon-tracting on two aspects –first, to harmonize and set in place stricter regulations on sub-contracting to eliminate the proliferation of fly-by-night subcontractors; second, to ensure that all employers or companies and their subcontractors in the supply chain are compliant with all labor laws.

“D.O. 18-A, we believe, is leading us to achieve its aim of professional and ethical subcontracting where subcontrac-tors are compliant with labor standards and occupational safety and health stan-dards,” Baldoz added. This is in line with DOLE’s and its tripartite partners’ efforts to address through policy the so-called is-sue of 5-5-5, or 6-6-6, or end-of-contract (ENDO) work arrangement, a form of the so-called ‘contractualization’, even while a legislative bill having the consensus of both employers and workers is yet to be filed in Congress.

No wage hike but gov’t addressing PHL’s job problem

Aquino inspects electronics factories on Labor Day

DOLE trims number of subcontractors from 17,000 to 5,581

President Benigno S. Aquino III inspects the production and training facilities of Alliance Mansols, Inc at the Laguna Technopark in Biñan City, Laguna during the visit to Alliance Mansols, Inc. on Thursday (May 1). With the President is TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva. (MNS photo)


ZAMBOANGA, May 1, 2014 (AFP) – The Philip-pines’ military said Thursday the death toll from an assault against Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic militants had risen to 26, with one marine among the dead as troops cleared the combat area.

The latest fatalities on the southern island of Jolo bring to 33 the total number of Abu Sayyaf fighters killed in a month of operations against the group feared for its kidnapping raids.

Most of the deaths came on Tuesday amid fierce fight-ing after marines overran a camp on the heavily forested island the previous day. Dozens of militants and troops were also wounded.

Military spokeswoman Captain Rowena Muyuela said residents had reported additional casualties following the clashes.

“This operation is part of the continuing military ac-tion against the Abu Sayyaf to rid the province of their

kidnapping activities,” she said.The Abu Sayyaf camp on the fringes of the small

Muslim-populated town of Patikul, 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of Manila, was seized by the military on Monday. Armed forces then used artillery and attack helicopters to target militants.

The camp had been used as a training ground for Abu Sayyaf recruits and as a launch pad for frequent kidnap-ping raids, said Muyuela, adding the military had found no sign of hostages at the site.

The Abu Sayyaf, formed in the 1990s with seed money from Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden, has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history, including kidnappings of foreigners and locals who are then held for ransom.

The group is suspected of abducting a female Chinese tourist and a Filipina resort worker from the neighboring Malaysian island of Sabah in April.

The Malaysian government said the kidnappers had demanded 36.4 million ringgit ($11.25 million) for the release of the Chinese woman.

But the whereabouts of the two women are not known.On April 11, the military launched an operation on the

southern island of Basilan, another Abu Sayyaf strong-hold, leaving at least seven extremists dead. A day later, another Abu Sayyaf member was killed in Jolo.

A rotating batch of about 500 US special forces have been stationed in the south for more than a decade to train the Philippines’ military in how to combat the Abu Sayyaf.

The group is believed to have only a few hundred militants, according to the military.

But it has been able to remain a threat and replenish its numbers with the support of local Muslim communities, some members of whom feel they have been mistreated by the country’s Catholic rulers in Manila.

CAVITE CITY, Apr 1 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday led the change of command of the Philippine Navy in Sangley Point here, asking Navy personnel to continue their dedication to service for the benefit of the people.

“Ngayong may bago nang magtitimon sa Philippine Navy, ito naman po ang panawagan ko sa inyong hanay: Manatili nawa kayong matatag sa inyong tungkulin,” the President told the uniformed personnel of the Navy.

“Ituring ninyong angkla ang tiwala at malasakit sa inyo ng sambayanang Pilipino, sa pagharap ninyo sa anumang misyon sa serbisyo. Sa huli, nasa iisang bangka pa rin ang ating lahi, iisang bansa pa rin tayong susulong sa pagka-mit ng mga tagumpay na matagal na nating minimithi.”

President Aquino said that under his leadership, the government has paid extra attention to the needs of the armed forces with the paramount thrust of modernizing it.

The previous administrations neglected the needs of the military, he said, noting that the present government however will continue to pursue the modernization of the armed forces.

For instance, he said, the Philippine Navy was able to acquire two Hamilton-class Cutters from the US – the

BRP Gregorio del Pilar, and BRP Ramon Alcaraz –which now patrol the country’s coastlines.

The Navy also commissioned the BRP Tagbanua, the first landing craft utility made in the Philippines.

These ships are in addition to new sea craft, three new naval helicopters, and the modernization of the country’s coast watch stations, he said. President Aquino said he is excited to see more upgrade in the Navy under the Revised AFP Modernization Program.

He praised the leadership of outgoing Navy Chief ViceAdmiral Jose Luis Alano, who spearheaded the acquisition of new vessels and equipment for the Navy.

He also commended Alano for accomplishing the Navy’s missions during several crises in the country, such as the Lahad Datu incident, the Zamboanga siege, typhoons Pablo and Santi, as well as the Bohol and Cebu earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda.

The President expressed confidence that new Navy Chief Rear Admiral Jesus Millan would be able to continue the programs initiated by his predecessor.

Prior to his new appointment, Millan was commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao, chief of Naval staff, commander of the Naval Reserve Command and com-

mander of the Naval Air Group.Millan was also commander of several Navy vessels,

among them the PS 36, PS 31, PG 374 and PG 388.A member of Philippine Military Academy Class of

1982, Millan is a recipient of the distinguished service stars, the distinguished Navy cross, bronze cross medals, military merit medals and military commendation medals.

Death toll in assault on militants rises to 26

Aquino leads Philippine Navy change of command in Cavite

President Benigno S. Aquino III passes the Philippine Navy Flag to newly installed 34th Philippine Navy Flag Offi cer in Command Rear Admiral Jesus Millan after it was ceded by former PN Chief Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano.

LOS ANGELES


All legal services are provided by and under the supervision of active members of the State Bar of California. *Some restrictions apply. Please call for details. **Employer sponsorship not guaranteed & based on qualified education, training & experience in specific professions

in fo@korenimmigrat ion.com • www.korenimmigrat ion.com

• REMOVAL/DEPORTATION DEFENSE • FAMILY-BASED IMMIGRATION • BUSINESS AND INVESTOR VISA• EMPLOYMENT-BASED• HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS• PERM (Approval Guaranteed or we'll Refile for FREE*)

• NATURALIZATION/CITIZENSHIP• DACA/Deferred Action

1-714-300-0606 • 1-888-838-38181475 S. State College Blvd., Suite 110,

Anaheim, CA 92806(corner of Cerritos, between Ball and Katella roads)

WE WILL WORK HARD FOR YOU TO FULFILL YOUR IMMIGRATION GOALS!

15260 Ventura Blvd., Suite 1200Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

(City National Bank building)

We Handle ALL Immigration Matters:

Law Offices of

Gali Koren, PLCImmigration rights for samesex married couples.Contact us for details.

NEWS!!!

Attorney Gal i Koren is the firm's founder and managing attorney. She received her Juris Doctor Degree, Magna Cum Laude , f rom Weste rn State University. She obtained her LLM in International Law from the Universi ty of San Diego Law School, majoring in Immigration Law. Ms. Koren is a member of the State Bar of California and is authorized to r e p r e s e n t c l i e n t s o n immigration matters in all 50 states.

Graduate of Ateneo de Manila University.Member of State Bar

of California andPhilippine Bar.

Licensed Attorney

Licensed AttorneyAtty. Gali KorenAtty. Gali Koren

Atty. Carlo BorjaAtty. Carlo Borja

Our experienced attorneys & staff will help you navigate the complex immigration system and offer you personalized attention on your specific case. All of us understand your goals because we all come from immigrant backgrounds. Our mission is to provide effective and aggressive representation of your interests in all immigration matters in an efficient manner.

CONTACT US FOR A FREE* INITIAL CONSULTATION WITH ATTY. KOREN

3. Meal breaks are not scheduled and employees are merely told to take a break when not busy, even though work is con-tinuous and always busy.

Companies who ignore break time rules eventually learn the hard way that they can-not sacrifice the employees’ welfare for the company’s bottom line. Recently, a group of service technicians from Canon Busi-ness Solutions, Inc. sued their employer for failure to provide meal breaks.

The employees alleged that Canon au-tomatically deducted 45 minutes for meal periods even though employees did not take lunch or took less than 45 minutes for lunch. The time-keeping system automati-cally deducted the times for those breaks from the employees’ total work hours. Canon scheduled the work assignments and did not give workers instructions to take meal breaks.

Rather then proceed to trial, the case settled. A California federal judge initially approved the $4.4 million settlement be-

tween Canon Business Solutions Inc. and the group of service technicians.

Employers whose business necessities prevent them from giving lunch breaks cannot simply ignore the lunch break law as if it does not exist. Lawsuits such as the Canon case continue to serve as an impor-tant lesson to employers that the needs of the business do not justify violations of lunch break laws.

[C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is trial attorney who has obtained several million dollar recoveries for his clients against insurance companies and employers. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, featured in the cover of Los Angeles Daily Journal’s Verdicts and Settlements, and is a member of the Million Dollar-Advocates Forum. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center Washington, D.C. and the Univer-sity of the Philippines. Visit his website at www.joesayaslaw.com or contact his office at (818) 291-0088 for a no-cost inquiry.]

Automatic time deductions for missed meal breaks are illegalQ: I am a full-time hourly field technician. While we were

told that we have a 30-minute unpaid lunch break every day, we usually cannot take breaks due to the heavy workload. But the employer still deducts 30 minutes for lunch from our work hours. Is this legal?

A: No. If you did not take your lunch break, you should not be deducted 30 minutes. In fact, not only should there be no deduction, your employer

The Filipino-American community here in Los Angeles was invited at the Cerrtos Library on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 to honor ABS-CBN Foundation Interna-tional’s community recognition awards given to their partners in support of their “Bantay Bata” non-profit programs. The event was coordinated by Lydia Soriano and Andy Edralin, community ambasadors for the Foundation. The evening started off with a great Filipino buffet dinner catered by FIesta Foods with the usual Pansit, Chicken Adobo, Chop Suey and a variety of fruit desserts.

The entertainment portion presented five Fil-Am singing talents such as the Pronda Duets (Maikee and Michael), Christine Panlasique (2nd runner-up at JAG’s talent show), Sara Mislang (JAG’s 2013 Champion), Bagyo Brothers and Sam Santiago.

City of Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido welcomed everyone to his city and handed in an official City of Cerritos’ scrolled Proclamation in recognition of the great humanitarian work of ABS-CBN Foun-dation International’s “Bantay Bata” Program. The official proclamation was received by Joan Kyle, ABS-CBN Interna-tional’s Managing Director in North Amer-ica and Tina Monson-Palma Co-Founder of Bantay-Bata Program and DIrector of ABS-CBN Foundation International.

A short video presentation followed, showing the various avenues of help ex-tended to children by Bantay-Bata such as: medical assistance, case management, edu-cational and family assistance. The video chronicled the lives of some of the children which Bantay-Bata has helped from their initial rescue contact for assistance which is stated in their mission as: “to create and provide a safe, nurturing and loving envi-ronment where children can develop and realize their full potential.”

Guest speaker for the night, well-known television news-anchor, Tina Monson-Palma who is also a co-founder of the “Bantay-Bata” program along with Gina Lopez, President of ABS-CBN Foun-dation International (AFI), spoke on the importance of Bantay-Bata (Child Watch) which is a child welfare program that was launched on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1997 (“for the love of the Filipino Child”), to address and “protect disadvantaged and at-risk children through a nationwide network of social services, which includes the rescue and rehabilitation for physically and sexually abused children, training and advocacy on child abuse, prevention, reha-bilitation of families in crisis, educational scholarships, livelihood, community out-

reach and medical and dental missions.” Ms. Palma related how the program ini-

tially began as a child help line, similar to our toll free 911 system here in the United States where people can call for help. In the Bantay-Bata concept, the help line is accessible 24/7 by dialing 163 on the phone, toll free.

Each call for assistance is “processed according to priority need assessed by licensed child care agencies empowered by the DSWD (Dept. of Social Welfare), to rescue children below 16 years old. This includes removal of the child from the place where the abuse occurred and refer them to partner agencies who can provide temporary housing authority over the child, medical and legal assistance, psychological counseling and aftercare services as well as educational services.”

As a token of appreciation to those of us who attended, ABS CBN Foundation International distributed a lightweight, machine-washable, 4” x 8” non-slip gel back action rug made by Paradise Philip-pines which is ideal for use as doormats, kitchens rugs, tiles & hardwood floors, hallways, garages, bathrooms and entry ways.

ABS-CBN Foundation International hosts community awards

should also pay you an additional one hour at your regular hourly rate for not providing you a 30-minute meal period.

California law requires employers to provide a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period to employees for every 5 hours of work. Merely offering or allowing a meal break is not enough. The employer must affirmatively perform the following obligations:

Relieve the employee of all duty for 30 minutes

Give employees the freedom to leave

the workplace during breaksRelinquish control over the employees’

activities during breaksEmployees should not be impeded or

discouraged from taking breaksIn light of these rules, the employer fails

in its legal duty to provide meal breaks if: 1. Employees were not relieved of ALL

duties but required attend to work-related issues while on breaks.

2. Employees are required to remain on the work premises where their breaks are interrupted.

Pasasalamat ng Bantay Bata with (from left) Noel Wychico, Henry Ong, Tina Monzon-Palma, Benny Uy of Weekend Balita and Arjr J Sarreal at Cerritos Library Skyroom. Photo: Andy Edralin / Aze Media

LOS ANGELES


COME IN TODAY...WIN A FORTUNEThere’s always an exciting table game

being played at San Manuel. Like

Fortune Pai Gow. Seven cards, two

hands, a joker, and a bonus that could

make you – a fortune.

TACO TUESDAY 4 –10PM

FRIDAYS ASIAN CUISINE 4–11PM

2 NEW WINNING FLAVORSTuesdays & Fridays

STARTS MONDAY

YOU ARE HERE | Visit sanmanuel.com | 777 San Manuel Blvd, Highland, CA 92346

Must be 21 to enter casino | Please gamble responsibly | 1-800-GAMBLER

Attorney Davidson, I’m trying to hire an immigration lawyer, but I feel overwhelmed. I’m scared of being cheated. Can you help? Gerry M. Pasadena, CA

An Immigration lawyer can help you with your case

Without guidance, hiring an immigration attorney can be a stressful task. Given so many advertisements, so many claims, so many referrals, and so many horror stories, how does one pick the best possible immigra-tion attorney? Certainly there are no guar-antees, but by thinking of the process as a job interview, you are much more likely to find the right attorney to fit your needs.

First, if an attorney will not offer you a free initial consultation, move on. There are too many good immigration lawyers who do offer it, so why spend your money on services you may not use.

Second, use the first and last few minutes of your free consultation to ask the attorney questions about himself and about your case. You would never hire an employee without an interview, so why hire a lawyer without one. Here are some suggested questions:

How long have you been practicing immigration law?

What types of immigration cases do you specialize in? Have you ever had a case like mine?

What would be your legal approach to my case?

What is the step by step process of my case?

What is your fee, and exactly what does your fee include?

When is payment due?Do you have a lawyer license.? May

I see it? Third, think about the answers. How do

you feel? The most overwhelming feelings should be comfort, a sense of trust and a sense of fairness. Let’s take them one at

a time.Fees: immigration lawyers are not

cheap, but if you feel the price is too high, then it doesn’t pass the fairness test. Some large groups of lawyers with fancy office space charge huge fees. Watch out. Your fees should be somewhere in the middle.

Process and Strategy: all immigration lawyers are different. However, your attor-ney should be able to talk about these two subjects easily. If you’ve talked to other lawyers, you should see some kinds of similar answers. If you’ve done your own research, you should see a general pattern of accuracy and agreement.

License and experience: always hire a licensed immigration attorney, not a consultant. Consultants will say almost anything to seem legitimate, but they are untrained and unregulated. A licensed immigration attorney costs more, but you get what you pay for. Length of time as an attorney can be a good indicator of experi-ence and will add to your comfort level.

John Davidson is a licensed attorney who practices immigration law only. He has 20 years of legal experience and offers free consultations in the office or over the phone. Attorney Davidson can be reached by email at [email protected] by phone at 626-399-4194. His office is located in San Gabriel, CA. If you have questions you would like answered in this weekly column, please email them to Mr. Davidson.

DEL RIO, Texas, April 28, 2014 – U.S. Border Patrol agents recently discovered 10 undocumented immigrants stranded on an island in the Rio Grande River, in-capable of swimming to the United States or the Mexican bank of the river due to the strong current and undertow.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Del Rio Sector Border Search Trauma and Rescue team was activated after receiving a call from the Carrizo Springs Border Patrol Station. Agents in the area had observed a group of individuals that appeared to be stranded on a small island in the Rio Grande. Car-rizo Springs agents maintained sight of the group until the rescue team arrived on scene, and continued to assist in the rescue operation after their arrival. A helicopter from the U.S. Customs and Border Pro-tection Office of Air and Marine was also activated and on-scene to assist.

The BORSTAR rescue team safely rigged a tension rope from the island, and situated agents upriver and downriver as safety lookouts equipped with rescue throw lines.

The rescue team worked seamlessly with the other agents and the helicopter pi-lot and began ferrying one person at a time across the river to the U.S. side. Within 15 minutes the team successfully ferried all 10 individuals, who had been stuck on the island for more than two hours.

BORSTAR agents are certified Emer-gency Medical Technicians and skilled at identifying injuries and assessing levels of injury to determine if advanced care is needed.

All 10 rescuees were uninjured, and did not require medical attention. The

10 undocumented immigrants rescued from Rio Grande

group was illegally present in the United States and became stranded while enter-ing the country. They were subsequently transported to the Carrizo Springs Border Patrol Station for processing in accordance with CBP policy.

“Words cannot express the immense gratitude that I have for the agents of Del Rio Sector and their continued bravery, and selflessness. This is the fourth successful water rescue for the month of April in our sector alone, and I couldn’t be more proud of the men and women who were respon-sible,” said Chief Patrol Agent Rodolfo Karisch.

In recent days on separate occasions, a five-year-old Honduran girl, a 28-year-old Salvadoran man, and a 15-year-old Hondu-ran boy were rescued from the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, Texas.

Border Patrol Agents and special teams across the nation frequently rescue numer-ous undocumented immigrants attempting to enter the United States by traversing the waters of the Rio Grande, every year. Unfortunately, some who attempt the dangerous swim are not so fortunate and succumb to the river’s undertow.

The rescue team worked seamlessly with the other agents and the helicopter pilot and began ferrying one person at a time across the river to the U.S. side.

9Visit www.Balita.comBalita Weekend, Sat. - Fri., May 3 - 9, 2014 LOS ANGELES


The Law Offices ofJOHN DAVIDSON

Immigration Attorney

626-399-4194110 West Las Tunas Drive, Suite C, San Gabriel, CA 91776

CALL YOUR IMMIGRATION LAWYER NOW

WWW.DAVIDSONIMMIGRATION.COM

We solve problems. We provide peace of mind.20 years of legal experience.

Fiancée - Marriage - Family VisasCitizenship - Deportation - CourtBusiness - Investment - Education

I've worked with several immigration lawyers, but Mr. Davidson was the best. I found him through a friend after my attorney did nothing for me. Mr. Davidson was always available, highly knowledgeable, and very warm. He did provide me with peace of mind to obtain my husband's green card. I suggest you call him. -Chrissy D.

Customer Testimonial:

FREE 30 Minute ConsultationMore reasonable fees than others.

Honesty is priority.

5 Star Ratings

John DavidsonAttorney at Law

CST#2058413-40 Email: [email protected]

TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL

www.travelinternational.netALL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. RATES ARE BASED ON SPACE AVAILABILITY. RATES ARE BASED ON WEEKDAY TRAVEL. AIRFARE INCLUDES US

TAXES & FUEL SURCHARGE. TOURS ARE BASED ON TWIN SHARING.

310-327-5143PAL

AUG 25 - NOV 15

$1010

500 Carson Plaza Drive, Suite 212, Carson, CA 90746PROMO CODE:WB050214

ASIAN PROMO PACKAGE

$1059

$225$199$317$255$209$199$189

LOS ANGELES TO MANILA

(Based on Twin Sharing)

WITH 7 DAYS/6 NIGHTS

FREE

JORDAN, ISRAEL,EGYPT

BORACAYPALAWANCEBUBOHOL

EVA KOREANAUG 25 - NOV 27

$908AUG 21 - NOV 30

$842(LAND TOUR)

BEIJINGKUALA LUMPURSEOUL, KOREASINGAPOREHONG KONGTAIPEISAIGON

PHILIPPINES PACKAGE DEALSPHILIPPINES PACKAGE DEALS

$3299 FEB 5-18 2015INCLUDES: AIRFARE FROM LOS ANGELES, HOTEL,

3 DAYS/2 NIGHTS

(LIMITED SPACE) (BASED ON TWIN SHARING)

3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS (LAND TOUR SPECIAL)CAGAYAN DE ORODAVAOSIQUIJORLAOAG

$145$129$119$129

$139$139$149$149

GUIDED VACATIONS PROMO PACKAGEGUIDED VACATIONS PROMO PACKAGELONDON AND PARIS 9 DAYS..................................................

ITALY (ROME, PISA, FLORENCE, VERONA & VENICE).................

GLIMPSE OF EUROPE 9 DAYS..................................................

COSTA RICA 7 DAYS................................................................

PERU & MACHU PICCHU...........................................................

$1525

$1450

$1635

$649

$11992 Bedroom Condo Stay

(WEEKDAY)(WEEKDAY)TOURS, TRANSFERS, MOST MEALS & VISA FEE.

to live and briefly speaking with him about it as we share common friends in Chicago’s Fil-Am community. He assumes the post left by Consul General Hellen Barber-Dela Vega who is now with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila.

In his animated welcoming remarks,

Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim describes this new post as a “more challenging” post because it encompasses a wider range of responsibility. As compared to his previous post, Chicago’s Fil-Am community only comprises an area much like San Diego’s 350,000 Filipino constituency.. Lims’ vision

for the LA Fil-Am community includes a collective “progress together” working rela-tionship. He will leave his door wide opened accessible to those who wish to speak with him and encourages everyone to just “knock” on his door.

During our brief conversation, this writer learned that we share the same Alma Mater, the University of the Philippines, though he belongs to the younger generation while Ambassador Willy Gaa and I were contemporaries. He has a degree in Econom-ics and Law and is married to Fidelis Cariño. They have a son, Leonardo Ignatius and a daughter, Frances Leanne.

Prior to his Chicago post, Leo Herrera-Lim has represented the Pjilippies in the United States as Second Secretary and Consul at the Philippine Embassy in Wash-ington, D.C. from 1991 to 1998, where he experienced financial interactions with the World Bank Group, Intelstat, , U.S. Department of State and U.S. Treasury.. He was formerly First Secretary and Consul in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Consul General of the Philippine Embassy in London from 2000 to 2007.

Herrera-Lim has previously served in various capacities at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila such as: Special Assistant in the Office of the Undersecretary for Policy (OUP) and in the Office of the Un-dersecretary for Administration (OUA). He also served as Director of the U.S. Division of the Office of Legal Affairs and Assistant Director of Treaties Division of the Office of Legal Affairs. He was with the Office of Senator Edgardo Angara and the Regional Trial Court of Bulacan.

Included in his career expertise, Herrera-Lim has extensive experience with foreign government, international organizations and financial institutions. He was also a member of: Philippine Delegation to the United Na-tions (UN), and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and treaty organizations. He was “intricately involved in the crafting and formulation of Govern-ment policies and positions on bilateral, multilateral and special issues.”

In his closing remarks, the very per-sonable Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim thanked the LA Fil-AM community for greeting him with a warm reception. Wel-come to Los Angeles, ConGen Lim we look forward to a great leadership. We’re here to support you! Mabuhay!

On a similar welcoming event, the LA Fil-Am Catholics attended special masses across the Southland on Sunday, April 27, 2014 to celebrate Pope Francis’ canoniza-tion of former Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII.

At the All Soul’s Catholic Church which is this writer’s parish, the Rev. Joseph Kim Dang Nguyen related his experience as a novitiate during Pope John XXIII’s papacy. Fr. Nguyen recalled that former Pope John XXIII noticed his “different look” but em-braced him as “one of his children.” His unforgettable presence just mesmerized the young novitiate and certainly, that chance meeting will forever be in his memory. Now that the former Pope has been canonized as a saint, Fr. Nguyen knows that he has been blessed.

On the same note, this writer’s high school classmate, Lornia Cruz-Juico was tearful in recalling her family’s personal experience when they had an audience with then Pope John XXIII during their visit to the Vatican. They were also part of the Catholic flock when former Pope John Paul II visited the Philippines twice in 1981 and 1995. Also, on one of in his last visit to Los Angeles, they were all mesmerized witness-ing the former Pope John XXIII noticed a disabled boy with no hands playing guitar

LA Fil-Ams welcome new ConGen Lim/Papal Saints Introduced by Deputy Consul General Imelda Panolong as

“cool, calm and composed” the FIlipino American community of Los Angeles welcomed Leo Herrera-Lim as the new Consul General of the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles, whose jurisdiction includes Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

A career diplomat, Consul General Lim arrived on Thursday, April 17, 2014 after serving as the Consul General of the Philip-pine Consulate General in Chica-go, Illinois where this writer used

New Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim (6th from right) with LA-based Fil-Ams during his welcome party at the Consulate.

New saints: Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II

and he invited the boy to go with him back to Rome to sing in the choir. Lorna’s family are forever grateful to have witnessed and experienced both popes in their lifetime.

For the benefit of those who wish to know more about the two canonized Popes, the parishioners of All Soul’s Church were priveleged to receive a brief background on the two Popes.

Pope Saint John Paiul II whose real name was “Karol Josef Wojtyla, was born on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. Much of his advanced education was obtained underground after the Nazis invasion of Poland , and in 1942, he entered the clandes-tine seminary in Krakow. He was ordained a priest in 1946, a bishop in 1958, was ap-pointed archbishop in Krakow in 1964, and elevated to the College of Cardinals in 1967. He was elected to the Chair of Peter as Pope John Paul II in 1978. His lifelong devotion to the “Most Holy Madonna” was expressed in his papal motto, “Totus tuus (“Totally Yours), dedicating himself, his papacy and the world to Mary. A groundbreaker in many ways, he was the first Polish Pope and first non-Italian pontiff in four hundred years. He was a worldwide traveler, visitnag places where no pope had gone before. and opened dialogues with Protestant and Orthodox denominations. He was tireless in his work for the poor and powerless, speaking out against war, economic injustice and political oppression. He left the Church more than a dozen encyclicals and scores of other docu-ments, and beatified and canonized more than a thousand men and women from all walks of life. He died on April 2, 2005, was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011 and recenly canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014. “

Pope Saint John XXIII’s real name was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, born on November 25, 1881, in Sotto Monte, Italy. “He was ordained a priest in 1904, a bishop in 1925 and elevated to the College of the Cardinals in 1953. He was elected to the Chair of Peter as Pope John XXIII in 1958.”Dubbed as “The Good Pope” he was “perhaps the most influential pope of the 20th century. When he was elected at the age of 76, many thought he would be a short-term caretaker until his successor was chosen after his death. He surprised the Church and the world with his reforming spirit, manifested most poignantly when he convened the Second Vatican Council in 1962, which laid out a broad new vision and a set of reforms for the Roman Catholic Church. While pope, Saint John XXIII internationalized the Col-lege of the Cardinals, revised the code of canon law and wrote eight papal encyclicals. He died on June 3, 1963. He was beatified by pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000 and canonized by Pope Francs on April 27, 2014.

Filipino Catholics not just in Los Angeles but all over the world certainly welcomes the blessed canonization of our most venerable leaders.


Korea and Malaysia, the new agreement reaffirmed the United States’ commitments to defend its Asian allies in their territorial disputes with China.

Although couched in terms as not to encroach on the host’s delicate issue of sovereignty with provisions that are “con-sistent with the Philippine Constitution, laws and jurisprudence” the safeguards still failed to appease protesters who see the new military pact in a different perspective.

The Philippine military has struggled to bolster its territorial defense amid China’s aggressive stance in the oil and gas rich South China Sea. Chinese paramilitary ships took effective control of the disputed Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground off the northwester Philippines in 2012. Last year, Chinese coast guard ships sur-rounded another contested offshore South China Sea territory, the Second Thomas Shoal.

President Obama at a news conference with President Benigno Aquino III at the Malacañang Palace reassured of the US’ intention of making sure that “international rules and norms are respected which in-clude in the area of international disputes” and believes China should resolve disputes with its neighbors through dialogue.

Obama emphasized at the onset of

his remarks that the U.S. “wasn’t trying to reclaim bases or open new ones and that the agreement will improve maritime security and hasten response to regional natural disasters”.

President Aquino, for his part, hailed the new agreement as one that takes RP-US security cooperation on a higher level of engagement and reaffirms both countries’ commitment to mutual defense and security and promotes regional peace and stability.

The agreement is designed, according to Philippine officials, to promote between the two countries the following in the ar-eas of Interoperability, Capacity building towards AFP modernization, Strengthen-ing AFP for external defense, Maritime Security, Maritime Domain Awareness, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR).

The agreement will not only be an im-portant part of the existing 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), but will serve to update the two countries’ security al-liance to meet the increasingly complex challenges of the 21st century on terrorism, transnational crime, or natural disasters”.

Still, the new U.S. military role has drawn the ire of some Filipino activists,

who see the agreement as a reversal of “the democratic gains achieved when huge American military bases were shut down

in the early 1990s that ended the nearly century-long military presence in the for-mer U.S. colony”.

RP-US 10-year EDCA addresses need for cooperationA 10-year agreement now known as Enhanced Defense

Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed to give the U.S. mili-tary greater access to Philippine bases is perceived to help promote peace and stability in the region amid high hopes that China’s dominant power “will allow its neighbors to prosper in its own terms”.

Signed in time for President Barack Obama’s whirlwind visit to the Philippines recently as part of a weeklong Asian tour that included Japan, South

ARELLANO BATCH 67: Arellano (North) High School alumni of Class ’67 residing in California will have their reunion on May 17 in North Whittier with Engr. Edith Garcia-Ramos hosting the event once again for a day of fun and remembering. This is the second time in two years that Ramos opens the doors of her residence to her former classmates who have called the U.S. their adopted country.


Glendale:520 E. Wilson Ave. Ste. 110. Glendale, CA 91206

Cerritos:17215 Studebaker Rd. Ste 380. Cerritos CA 90703

THE LAW OFFICES OFPAUL M. ALLENPersonal Attention. Honest Answers. Real Solutions

•FAMILY PETITION•SPOUSAL PETITION

•FIANCÉ VISA•GREEN CARD

•U.S. CITIZENSHIP•EMPLOYER PETITION

•H-1B WORK VISA•STUDENT VISA

•DEFERRED ACTION PROCESS

•FAMILY PETITION•SPOUSAL PETITION

•FIANCÉ VISA•GREEN CARD

•U.S. CITIZENSHIP•EMPLOYER PETITION

•H-1B WORK VISA•STUDENT VISA

•DEFERRED ACTION PROCESS

We’ll help you fulfill your

American Dream.

We’ll help you fulfill your

American Dream.

CALL US FOR FREE CONSULTATION. Saturday and evening appointments available.

818-334-5445

MANILA, Apr 30 (Mabuhay) – The Pangkalahatang Sanggunian Manila & Suburbs Drivers Association Nationwide, Inc. (PASANG MASDA) has welcomed the launch of City Optimized Managed Electric Transport (COMET) e-jeepneys set to ply the roads by June.

PASANG MASDA national president Roberto Martin said their group will be the first to operate the e-jeepneys. In a phone interview, Martin said that 10 units will be dispatched to operate at SM North to Monumento route by June with additional 20 units to be released on the succeeding months plying the same route.

The COMET’s Tuesday launch in Sofi-tel was attended by US President Barack Obama since the innovation was intro-duced by Americans through the US-based Pangea Motors, LLC which is responsible for the COMET’s design and technology.

Pangea Motors, LLC has an exclusive arrangement with Global Electric Trans-portation (GET), a partnership between Filipino and American investors which is the exclusive distributor of COMET.

Obama is said to support this project as an advocate of climate change. COMET does not need fuel, but only has to be re-charged. It also contributes to the reduction of air and noise pollution.

Compared to lead acid batteries which is being used by other electric vehicles, COMET’s lithium ion batteries require less charging time and last longer. It takes five hours for its battery to be fully charged.

COMET can run an estimated 80 to 100 kilometers when fully charged which only costs a minimum of P500 for the electricity consumed per day compared to P1,000 to P2,000 a day spent by drivers on diesel.

Meanwhile, the 20-seater COMET e-jeeps will retain the cost of fares which is guided by Land Transportation Franchis-ing and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) rules on fares. According to Martin, the income of COMET drivers is based on the flip management system which depends on the route. In addition to their route income, they will also have basic salaries, health insurance benefits, and bonuses.

Martin added that the operation of

COMET e-jeeps would not risk the jobs of traditional jeep drivers as they will only be transferred to a modernized form of jeepney.

COMET drivers are subjected to training supervised by Gawad Kalinga, PASANG MASDA, Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Metro Manila Develop-ment Authority (MMDA).

The difference between driving the traditional jeep and that of COMET e-jeep is that the latter is automatic or “atras-abante”, according to Martin.

GET president Freddie Tinga said that operators can acquire COMET e-jeeps for a cash out of P350,000 as first deal while GET will be the one to manage it (recharg-ing, etc.)

COMET also introduces a cashless card payment system wherein prepaid cards will be used by passengers instead of cash sim-ply by tapping it on the e-jeep’s entrance. Upon drop off, passengers need to tap the card again.

Martin said that prepaid cards like the ones in MRT and LRT stations will be priced at a minimum of P50.

Charging stations and prepaid card out-lets will be established in road terminals. One possible location would be in EDSA Munoz.

COMET e-jeeps which are said to re-place traditional jeepneys may retain the Filipino culture embodied in the design of traditional jeep if the owners choose to design their e-jeep’s outer appearance.

COMET, which can hit up to 60 kph, is designed to ply Manila routes with its air suspension technology that can raise the vehicle’s body more than 16 inches off the ground in flooded areas. Its batteries are also contained in a watertight casing.

A targeted 3,000 to 4,000 are expected to be delivered by the end of the year while 10,000 COMETs will be purchased by 2016, according to the agreement forged by PASANG MASDA with GET.

One percent of COMET’s gross revenue will go to Gawad Kalinga, GET’s social enterprise partner. GET’s social enterprise partner varies from country to country. (MNS)

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – Sen. Loren Legarda has underscored the use of modern technology in building the country’s resilience against natural disas-ters particularly typhoon which enters the Philippines area of responsibility at least 20 times a year.

Legarda said making critical informa-tion on disaster risks and vulnerabilities available in the Internet could significantly boost the campaign to educate and inform citizens about natural hazards and how best they can prepare and prevent disasters.

”Let us continue to develop informa-tion technology to serve humanity better, bringing about improved quality of life and building a safer, more resilient and sustainable world for all,” Legarda said in her keynote message at the Google Crisis Response Summit held at the SMX Con-vention Center last Wednesday.

The Senator highlighted the importance of Google’s Crisis Response tools that were presented at the forum and suggested that a “risk finder” tool would help strengthen efforts towards disaster resilience.

While we appreciate the importance of these tools, I hope that demand for their use is taken over instead by a growing demand for – if I may suggest an applica-

tion – a ‘Google Risk Finder’ that informs and encourages proactive interventions by all sectors and early action by everyone,” Legarda said.

She also stressed the need for conver-gence, vital not only among government agencies but also among stakeholders across all sectors, citing that the Depart-ment of Science and Technology’s Project NOAH, or Nationwide Operational Assess-ment of Hazards, of which Google Crisis Response is part, has been greatly helpful in disaster risk reduction and management efforts.

Legarda said that there should also be stronger partnership in information dis-semination to ensure that these tools are used effectively.

”The collaboration between the Philip-pine government and Google in strengthen-ing disaster risk management must remain and endure,” Legarda said.

“Building resilience requires a risk-informed population. We could help our government sustain our country’s socio-economic gains, make a difference in pov-erty reduction and eventually ensure the achievement of sustainable development goals when perennial disaster losses are substantially reduced,” she added.

COMET e-jeepney units to operate by June

Legarda underscores use of modern technology in building resilience


A close-knit Filipino community of photographers and models came together last Saturday (April 26) to help raise funds for the brother of one of the models, who needed fi nancial support for his medical bills. The event was organized by BluEyes production and Granada Hills Photography Club at Kusina Filipina Restaurant in Eagle Rock, CA.The event raised over $500 for the brother.

MANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – Senator Cynthia Villar on Thursday pushed for the passage of her Senate Bill 147 including entrepreneurship as separate subject in the high school curriculum

”Inclusion of entrepreneurship will al-low our economy to flourish and emerge as one of the leading economies in Asia and the world,” Villar said.

Villar, whose family owns one of the country’s leading real estate companies, said entrepreneurship is a key driver of our economy and that Filipinos truly has the potential to reach the heights.

”Wealth and a high majority of jobs are created by small businesses started by entrepreneurially-minded individuals, many of whom go on to create big busi-nesses,” Villar said.

”Entrepreneurship is the practice of new organizations or revitalizing mature organizations, particularly new businesses generally in response to identified opportu-nities. It is often a difficult undertaking as vast majority of businesses fail,” she added.

Villar said people exposed to entre-preneurship frequently express that they have more opportunity to exercise cre-ative freedoms, higher self-esteem and an overall greater sense of control over their own lives.

As a result, she said many experienced business people, political leaders, econo-mists and educators believe that fostering a robust entrepreneurial culture will maxi-mize individual and collective economic and social success on a local, national and global scale

She said including entrepreneurship in

the studies of our high school students will allow for all these benefits to be reaped by the future generations.

In other countries, she said entrepre-neurship education starts as early as el-ementary school and progresses through all levels of education, including adult education.

The bill provides for appointment by the Department of Education Secretary of a Head Subject Specialist from the Bureau of Secondary Education who shall be the lead person in coordinating all activities necessary for the development and imple-mentation of the subject in secondary level.

The Head Subject Specialist shall con-duct a multi-sectoral consultation with educators from public and private high schools, members of the national chambers of commerce and industry, leading entre-preneurs and the public at large to deter-mine the appropriate content and scope of the entrepreneurship subject.

Villar said the inclusion of this subject is in consonance with the policy of the state “to provide a complete, adequate and integrated system of education to public and private school students. (MNS)

Villar pushes passage of bill including entrepreneurship in HS curriculum

ANIMALTESTING

FIGHTING

Chapter 13 has been popular to strip down junior liens such as 2nd trust deeds and home equity loans. But it can also be used to handle student loans and taxes which are not yet dischargeable. Why should you use Chapter 13 to handle

Use Chapter 13 to handle student loans & taxes

student loans and taxes: To save on interest and to shorten the pay off period. In Chapter 13, the creditor cannot charge interest or penalties. It doesn’t matter if the creditor is the government.

Let’s take a typical example of regis-tered nurses. Once you become an RN, you have at least $60,000 of student loans. Nurses easily find jobs and normally work two or three jobs. I have seen many cases where the client nurse can gross upwards of $200,000 a year with several jobs. The income is there to be made but you have to literally work your butt off. So, let’s look at an actual client. She has two jobs, nets about $100,000 a year, has a mortgage, a home equity loan, two nice cars and 3 minor children going to private school. Husband makes half her income. Com-bined net income is $130,000 annually. It’s good income but there are a lot of expenses. Added to these, she has $60,000 of student loans on which she pays a monthly of $1,000 and for the next 30 years.

If client pays $1,000 a month for 360 months, she would have paid $360,000 for a loan of $60,000. The interest she would have paid in 30 years is $300,000. Of course, these are general estimates, but they are not too far off. If the loan is for 20 years, then she would have paid $240,000, of which $180,000 is interest. You get the picture. The longer she pays, the higher the cost of the loan. Even at 10 years, she would have paid $120,000 for a $60,000 loan.

But on a Chapter 13, she would pay the $60,000 at the rate of $1,000 a month over 60 months, or 5 years. If she completes the 60 payments of $1,000 a month, at the end of the Chapter 13, how much student loan will she owe, ZERO. She will not owe any student loans anymore! Why is this so? Because in Chapter 13, she is able to pay off the entire principal over 5 years, and during these 5 years, creditor cannot charge interest or penalties. Chapter 13 allows client to pay 100% of principal, and no interest or penalties during the repayment period. Therefore, client is able to pay off the entire principal in 5 years! If the entire principal is paid off in 5 years, there is no

principal left that will acquire interest after the completion of the plan.

So, let’s just say client is 30 years old now. At the age of 35, how much student loan will she owe if she completes her Chapter 13 plan payments, ZERO. If she does not do a Chapter 13 now to handle her student loan, how much student loan will she owe at the age of 35? Close to $304,000 of principal and future interest if the loan is 30 years. Close to $180,000 of principal and future interest if the loan is 20 years.

What happens to her credit score if she files for Chapter 13? While on the 13, if she is making her house and car payments on time, her score will be about 640. Can she refinance her house for lower interest while on a 13? She sure can because my other clients, spouses both nurses, started their 13 three months ago, and a creditor just offered to refinance their house at a lower interest fixed for 30 years. Of course, there could be some difference between my clients and your case, but I am telling you this is fact, and the court just granted our motion to refinance residence on April 28!

The same is true for taxes. If you owe say, $30,000 that is not yet dischargeable, you can pay the IRS at $500 a month, without any interest or penalties. If you make a payment plan with the IRS, you pay interest and penalties while there is a balance outstanding!

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.” Habak-kuk 3:19.

Lawrence Bautista Yang is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and has been in law practice for thirty years. He specializes in bankruptcy, business and civil litigation and has handled more than five thousand successful bankruptcy cases in California. He speaks Tagalog and looks forward to discussing your case with you personally. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appoint-ment at 1000 S Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Bldg A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

MANILA, May 2 (Mabuhay) – Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III said his net worth last year rose by P1.3 million, primarily income from interest, placing his total wealth at P66.43 million.

“My statement of assets, liabilities and net worth has already been submitted to the Ombudsman,” Aquino said in an interview in Bohol on Friday aired over state-run Radyo ng Bayan. “If I am not mistaken, it increased by P1.3 million.”

In 2012, Aquino’s assets totalled P65.13 million with no liabilities.

Aquino said he expects his last SALN as president to have a “marked reduction” when he steps down in 2016.

“I have divested from all (my) other in-terests. To a large degree, my expenses for clothes, among others, are being handled by my sisters and are being liquidated by them. I will pay them by the time that I recover full control of the assets that I have. They paid it for me to a large degree, so I expect my last SALN to have a marked reduction,” he said. (MNS)

Aquino net worth up P1.3-M in 2013


® CARSONNISSAN

www.carsonnissan.com1505 East 223rd St.Carson, CA 90745888-532-1835888-532-1835

SHORT TERM FINANCING MATULUNGIN!

MAUNAWAIN!PINOY NA PINOY

ANG DATING!PINOY NA PINOY

ANG DATING!WALA NA KAYONG

HAHANAPIN PA!2014 NISSAN ALTIMA

*Source: dealerrater.com, #1 top rated Nissan dealer YTD as of 9/9/11.

HENRY BAUTISTASales Manager

310-347-2886

JAN JOSEF “JJ” ANGLOSales Associate

310-525-9262

JOHN ANCHETASales Associate

714-376-8483

#1 RATED* NISSAN DEALER IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

2014 NISSAN ROGUE

FREE VACATION PACKAGE!

PO KAYO!TAWAG NA IRVIN VASQUEZInternet Sales Manager818-422-8865

ing, not because they want to but because they have to; 36 will be dead; and 54 will be dead broke- dependent on their meager Social Security checks, relatives, friends, or even charity for a minimum standard of living. In short, only 5 out of 100 will be successful but 95 out of the 100 will be unsuccessful!

I don’t know about you but to me, this is pretty disturbing. What the above is saying that unless you are dead by the time most people reach retirement age, chances are you will be dead broke! Choose one or the other: “dead” or “dead broke”!

Consider the situation of the following couple, both in their mid 40’s, 3 children- and working average jobs. They take home about $6,000 every month. Their monthly income barely covers their living expenses which include their mortgage, car payments, insurance and other basic necessity for daily living. They have about $30,000 in credit card debts which require

minimum payments of close to $1,000 per month. Income is always short and most of the time, they need to use credit cards just to buy groceries. Because they are always late in paying their bills, the credit card companies keep increasing the interest rates on their credit cards and are always adding late fees and over-the-limit fees. The balances on their credit cards never go down. As a matter of fact, the loan amounts keep going up. They have zero savings and obviously cannot put away even just $100 a month for retirement.

The above situation is very typical of the cases that I see every day as a bankruptcy attorney. Imagine this: If our couple above remained in the same situation for the next 20 years, what kind of retirement can they look forward to? What’s scary is that ex-perts are telling us that our current Social Security system is bankrupt and may not even be there by the time most of us retire. So let me ask you this: If the government

won’t take care of you when you retire, who will? Remember the statistics I men-tioned at the very beginning of this article? About 54% of people who reach retirement age will be 100% dependent on their Social Security checks, relatives, friends or even charity just to achieve a minimum standard of living! Is this is the kind of life you want to have when you retire?

My point is that your failure to plan for retirement could be a serious mistake that you will later regret and by then, it will be too late. If you still have time on your side, the time to start planning is now. In our couple’s situation above, it looks like the only way they can have some money left over at the end of the month is to either make more money, reduce their monthly expenses or have a plan to either reduce or eliminate their debts- or any combination of the above that will result in having some money saved.

Your goal should be to save at least 10%

of your monthly net income. Financial security is not achieved overnight. It can only be achieved by regular, consistent saving over a period of time.

If you are so buried in debt that you have no option but to file bankruptcy in order to be able to start over, we can help you understand this process and help you recover financially if that is your last resort. Of course, you should avoid bankruptcy if at all possible but sometimes, it may be your only choice. For a free consultation, you can call my office at Toll-Free 1-866-477-7772. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos , West Covina and Valencia.

(None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-7772.)

Don’t retire broke – get out of debt now WARNING: If you are concerned about not having enough

money to live on by the time you retire, you may find the fol-lowing totally shocking:

According to the Social Security Administration, if you took any 100 people at the start of their working careers and fol-low them for 40 years until they reach retirement age, here is what you will find: only 1 will be wealthy; 4 will be financially secure; 5 will continue work-

WASHINGTON, DC, May 2 (Mabu-hay) – Vice-President Jejomar Binay on Thursday (Friday in Manila) directly addressed his plan to run for President in 2016 after a Pulse Asia survey showed him possibly winning the race if elections were held today.

Speaking before the Banyan Tree Lead-ership Forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Binay claimed he announced his plan to run for president due to intimidation from the media.

“I have a dream of becoming president,” he said.

Asked what his priorities are if the rumor of his running for the presidency is true, Binay said in jest, “That’s not a rumor.”

He even joked by saying, “foreign funding allowed,” which garnered laughter from the audience.

According to Binay, his previous stint as mayor of Makati City gave him an op-portunity to be a good administrator and good manager, which he can cascade to the country at a greater magnitude.

“The coming elections will be an issue of competence, experience and wisdom,” he said.

A Pulse Asia survey earlier showed at least 40 percent of 1,200 respondents said they would vote for Binay if elections were held today. [40 PERCENT: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/04/30/14/binay-top-pick-president-pulse-asia-survey]

Neophyte senator Grace Poe placed second in the survey with 15 percent, followed by Miriam Defensor-Santiago (10%), Chiz Escudero (9%), Mar Roxas (6%), Bongbong Marcos (5%), Alan Peter Cayetano (4%), Kris Aquino (4%), Bong Revilla (3%) and Panfilo Lacson (2%).

Veteran political analyst Clarita Carlos, meanwhile, said Binay is not a shoo-in for the presidency, saying it is too early to predict who will win in the next election.

“Surveys are supposed to indicate at any one time, point what the public seems to be feeling. The opinion of the public. However, the public can change anytime for many reasons and factors,” she told radio dzMM.

However, she also pointed out that if the numbers continue to hold, Binay could win the next presidential election.

“Kung talagang walang mag e-emerge na merong mechanism, may salapi at orga-nization katulad ng kay VP Binay, panalo talaga siya,” she said. (MNS)

VP Binay jokes: ‘Foreign funding allowed’ for 2016 elections


President Benigno S. Aquino III listens to the message of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah in Brunei Darussalam, during the State Luncheon hosted by the President in his honor at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace last year when Sultan Bolkiah was in the country for a two-day State Visit. Brunei is host to some 21,000 Filipinos working mostly as skilled workers. (MNS photo)

‘It’s a return to medieval punishment,’ says Human Rights Watch

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, April 30, 2014 (AFP) – The sultan of oil-rich Brunei announced that tough Islamic criminal punishments would be introduced Thursday, pushing ahead with plans that have sparked rare domestic criticism of the fabulously wealthy ruler and international condemnation.

“With faith and gratitude to Allah the almighty, I declare that tomorrow, Thurs-day May 1, 2014, will see the enforcement of sharia law phase one, to be followed by the other phases,” the absolute monarch said in a royal decree Wednesday.

Plans for the sharia penalties – which will eventually include flogging, severing of limbs and death by stoning – triggered condemnation on social media sites in the tiny, sleepy sultanate earlier this year.

Confusion has swirled around imple-mentation following the unexplained postponement of an expected April 22 start date that raised questions over whether the Muslim monarch was hesitating.

But 67-year-old Sultan Hassanal Bolki-ah – one of the world’s wealthiest men – forged ahead, dismissing “theories” that the penal code was unjust.

“Theory states that Allah’s law is cruel and unfair but Allah himself has said that his law is indeed fair,” the sultan, dressed in traditional Malay garb, said in deliv-ering the decree at Brunei’s convention centre.

The monarch’s wealth – estimated three years ago at $20 billion by Forbes maga-zine – has become legendary with reports of a vast collection of luxury vehicles and huge, gold-bedecked palaces.

The monarchy was deeply embarrassed by a sensational family feud between Has-sanal and his younger brother Jefri Bolkiah

over the latter’s alleged embezzlement of $15 billion during his tenure as finance minister in the 1990s.

Court battles and exposes revealed salacious details of Jefri’s un-Islamic jet-set lifestyle, including allegations of a high-priced harem of Western paramours and a luxury yacht he owned called “Tits”.

Public support, private unease -Bruneians enjoy among the highest

standards of living in Asia due to the country’s energy wealth, with education, medicine and other social services heavily subsidized.

The sultan first proposed the sharia pe-nal code in 1990s, and in recent years has increasingly warned of rising crime and pernicious outside influences such as the Internet. He has called Islam a “firewall” against globalization.

He announced the implementation plans in October.

Brunei is the first country in East or Southeast Asia to introduce a sharia penal code on a national level, joining mostly middle eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq.

Situated on Borneo island, which it shares with Malaysia and Indonesia, the small state already practiced a relatively conservative form of Islam compared to its Muslim-majority neighbors, banning the sale of alcohol and restricting other religions.

Muslim ethnic Malays, who make up about 70 percent of the population, are broadly supportive of the move by their revered father-figure.

But some Malays and non-Muslim citizens privately express unease. About 15 percent of Brunei’s people are non-Muslim ethnic Chinese.

Earlier this year, many users of Brunei’s active social media – the only avenue for public criticism of authorities – denounced

the penal code as barbaric and out of step with the gentle Bruneian national character.

The move could indicate the sultan is becoming more conservative as he ages, said Joseph Chinyong Liow, a Singapore-based professor of Muslim politics.

“The sultan himself is at a point where there is a need to come to terms with reli-gious identity, both personally and for the country,” he said.

Liow said the sultan may have viewed sharia as a popular step, as support grows among some Muslims in Southeast Asia for a post-colonial return to Islamic roots, especially in the face of Western influenc-es. The initial phase beginning Thursday introduces fines or jail terms for offences ranging from indecent behavior, failure to attend Friday prayers, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies.

A second phase covering crimes such as theft and robbery is to start later this year,

involving more stringent penalties such as severing of limbs and flogging.

Late next year, punishments such as death by stoning for offences including sodomy and adultery will be introduced.

Brunei’s legal system currently features civil courts along with sharia-compliant chambers handling non-criminal issues such as marital and inheritance cases.

The UN’s human rights office said this month it was “deeply concerned”, adding that women typically bear the brunt of punishment for crimes involving sex.

“It’s a return to medieval punishment,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

“It’s a huge step back for human rights in Brunei and totally out of step with the 21st century.”

Officials have said judges will face extremely high burdens of proof, and would have wide discretion to avoid sharia punishments.

Brunei sultan pushes ahead with tough sharia code

LAW OFFICES OFKENNETH U. REYES, P.C.

Pilipino po tayo!Pilipino po tayo!

213-388-1611 or213-388-1611 or

CALL OR E-MAIL FORAN APPOINTMENT

3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700Los Angeles, CA 90010

LAW OFFICES OFKENNETH U. REYES www.kenreyeslaw.com

[email protected]

ESTATES AND TRUST• Living Trust• Wills• Probate• Conservatorship

CIVIL LITIGATION• Contract Disputes• Business Disputes• Corporate and Partnership Disputes

FAMILY LAW• Divorce• Community Property Division• Child Custody and Spousal Support• Domestic Violence Restraining Order• Legal Separation and Nullity• Parentage• Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

* Certified Family Law Specialist The State Bar of California Board of Legal

Specialization

- Certified Family Law Specialist- Certified Public Accountant (Inactive)- J.D. Southwestern University Law School, Los Angeles, CA- B.S. Accounting, California State University, San Bernardino, CA

- Certified Family Law Specialist- Certified Public Accountant (Inactive)- J.D. Southwestern University Law School, Los Angeles, CA- B.S. Accounting, California State University, San Bernardino, CA

*Kenneth U. Reyes, Esq. CFLS*Kenneth U. Reyes, Esq. CFLS

IMMIGRATION• Marriage Petitions• Relative Petitions• Removal of Conditional Green Card• Humanitarian Reinstatements• Child Status Protection Act Issues• Deportation Defense• Employment based Petitions and PERM• H-1B Visas

[email protected]@gmail.com


the documents, our real estate agent/lender told us not to worry and just sign because she says everything will be fine. Well, after signing I went back and reviewed the clos-ing cost of this loan and was shocked that I was to pay an amount close to $25,000.00 in fees and prepayment penalties. I then remembered reading your article about comparing rates and fees and I called your office. Ken Go was kind enough to spend time with me and review all the possibili-

ties of reducing my loan cost. Immediately I was given a guaranteed estimate by Ken Go and I called the escrow company and cancelled the old loan.

I would like to share this story with you to let you know how much we appreciate Ken Go for helping us. Mr. Go saved us a total of $8,900.00 in closing fees. His loan did not have any points or lender fees and I was given a full detailed explanation of every step of the loan process and was even

given a better rate for my loan which will in return save me money in the loan term.

Note: Try to compare prior to signing paper works, sometimes you might not have enough time to switch lenders.

Caller: After reading and talking to you about your article on builder incentives. I was able to negotiate for a better deal with the builders and now I am satisfied with my purchase transaction. I entered into a con-tract with a builder less than a month ago; my loan was not quite in place yet because I was sort of confused with what was being offered to me by the builder lender. They initially offered me with a large amount of concession that could be applied towards some upgrades and my loan closing cost. It all sounded so good and enticing that is why we went into this purchase.

But then, I started doing a bit more research and found out that I might not be getting a deal at all. The concession was built into the purchase price therefore I am actually paying for it, I feel that the new home prices that are being offered to new buyer for that particular tract have no basis and that prices might be different from one buyer to another even if the homes are identical. So, I sat down with the sales rep and re-negotiated my contract per Mr. Go. I was fortunate I am able to do that because I had a window period that have not expired yet, it allowed me to cancel this purchase transaction if I wanted to. I did tell my sales represented that I would practice this option if my terms where not

met. Guess what they agreed and now, I have my own choices in the lenders that I could work with and I used the conces-sion that they offered to reduce my sales price. By reducing my sales price, that will lower my payments and tax rates. I plan to live here for a long time that will translate to serious savings down the line. Thank you Mr. Go.

I am very thankful that I am able to help these callers save some money. Being in the business for over 19 years, I make it a point to make sure its always a the borrow-ers benefiting from every transaction not the lenders. This is an opportunity for me to give you an advise that hopefully helps you in your future in this country.

It is always good to save your own hard earned money, so we have to shop for the best deals, however sometimes if a deal sounds too good to be for reals, then you have to wonder why that is being offered that low? Is it possible that you might in for a roller coaster ride or a bag of tricks. This is where you have to let your sales person know that you want everything in writing and you will hold them responsible for the rates and fees quoted.

Its very important to go with an expe-rience professional who relies on referral business and who will value a long term relationship with you.

Thank you very much for your support, I will try my best to advise and assist you in your needs. Please call me at (562)508-7048 or write to [email protected].

Did I make the right choice comparing rates and fees prior to closing?Caller: Recently I was offered a refinance cash out trans-

action by my real estate agent/lender. I went thru the whole process and was kind of kept in the dark with my fees and complete terms of the loan. I was then told to go sign the final papers because we were to close escrow in a few days. My wife and I went ahead and signed the paperwork without really reviewing the terms and fees of the loan. We had a notary person that did not explain too much because she claimed that she was just there to notarize

BY VERONICA SMITHWASHINGTON, April 30, 2014 (AFP)

– The US economy ground almost to a halt in the first three months of the year amid severe winter weather, official data showed Wednesday.

Gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 0.1 percent after hitting a 2.6 percent pace in the 2013 fourth quarter, the Commerce Department said.

While analysts had expected some slowing after monthly data suffered under an unusually heavy barrage of winter storms, the slowdown was much worse than the 1.0 percent growth rate expected.

It was the slowest growth since the last quarter in 2012. The world’s largest econ-omy has been losing steam for some time, with full-year GDP growth slowing to 1.9 percent in 2013 from 2.8 percent in 2012.

A World Bank report Tuesday said that China’s rapidly expanding economy could leapfrog the United States this year to take the top ranking.

The Bank said that when comparing output on a purchasing-power basis, the Asian behemoth was breathing down the neck of the US, which has dominated the world economy for over a century.

Driving the first-quarter US growth slump were falling exports and business in-vestment and a larger decrease in inventory investment, the Commerce Department said. Exports dived 7.6 percent after a 9.5 percent rise in the fourth quarter.

Another key factor was a modest slowdown in consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of US economic activity. Consumer spending increased 3.0 percent after a 3.3 percent rise in the fourth quarter.

Spending fell mainly on nondurable goods, like clothing and food and bever-ages, as consumers hunkered down inside.

Spending picked up for utilities, with heating bills shooting up during the winter freeze, as well as for healthcare as people signed up for insurance coverage under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act health reform.

The White House said the first quarter was marked by unusually severe winter weather, including record cold tempera-tures and snowstorms.

“The president will do everything he can either by acting through executive ac-tion or by working with Congress to push for steps that would raise growth and ac-celerate job creation,” said Jason Furman, chairman of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Fed stimulus taper looms -The Commerce Department’s report

came as Federal Reserve policy makers met for a second day. The Federal Open Market Committee is widely expected to announce later in the day the central bank will keep its near-zero interest rate unchanged and further reduce stimulus bond purchases.

“Today’s report should not dissuade the Fed from trimming its asset purchases another $10 billion to $45 billion, though it largely rules out the risk of accelerating the pace of tapering,” said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.

Inflation was slightly more subdued in the first quarter, coming in well below the Fed’s 2.0 percent target. Prices of goods and services bought by consumers rose 1.4 percent in the first quarter, slowing from a 1.5 percent gain in the fourth quarter.

Excluding food and energy, so-called core prices rose 1.4 percent after a 1.8 percent gain in the prior quarter.

A bright spot was higher personal income that offered hope for stronger consumer spending in the second quarter. The increase in disposable personal in-come – income adjusted for inflation and taxes – more than doubled to 1.9 percent. The savings rate fell.

Federal spending rebounded following the partial government shutdown in the fourth quarter.

The report is the first of the depart-ment’s three estimates on first-quarter growth. More recent data has pointed to the economy bouncing back in the current second quarter.

“In short, weak growth and tame in-flation, with growth even weaker than expected based on the monthly data,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics.

But he said the monthly data have also signaled a pickup in growth later in the quarter and as the second quarter began.

US economy slows to a near-stall in fi rst quarter


17918 Pioneer Blvd., #211

(562) 484-6414

ASSISTED CLIENTS FROM OVER 50 COUNTRIESSINCE 1993

Edmund Anciano is an attorney admitted to practice before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Board of Immigration Appeals. He is authorized by Federal Law [US Code of Federal Regulations 8 C.F.R. 1.1(f)] to represent persons in all 50 states before the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. His law practice is limited to Immigration and Nationality Law. He is not an attorney licensed to practice state law in California but is an attorney licensed in New Jersey. Edmund Anciano received his bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania. He received his law degree from Rutgers University

FREE PARKING WE ACCEPT MAJOR CREDIT CARDS

208 E. Carson St., #203

(310) 977-0269560 N. Arrowhead Ave., Ste. 8A

(909) 888-6118

Artesia, CA 90701

Carson, CA 90745

San Bernardino, CA 92401

US-Filipino military exercises, Batino said.He added “limited portions of Subic”

would also be offered, but declined to identify the three other bases under con-sideration.

The Philippines intends to conclude the discussions not later than September 30, Batino added.

The deal for increased US access is part of Philippine efforts to boost its weak military capabilities at a time of deep ten-sions with China over competing claims to parts of the South China Sea.

China claims most of the sea, even waters close to the Philippines and other countries in the region.

Subic, facing the South China Sea, was the former repair yard of the Japan-based US Pacific fleet.

American forces vacated it in 1992, along with nearby Clark Air Base, after the Philippine Senate refused to extend a bases treaty, ending nearly a century of major US military presence.

It is now a civilian free port, but main-tains a US-era military runway and a deep harbor that is still used by American war-

SUBIC BASEFrom page 1

ITALIANFrom page 1

abuse of children.But prosecutors are still investigating

the case, and on Wednesday suspended their work after the complainant called for the case to be shifted to Manila.

Bosio’s brother Andreas said Bosio was being kept in a cell no larger than a garage with more than 80 inmates.

The family bought electric fans to help cool off the inmates, as well as sacks of rice because there was never enough food, according to Andreas.

Andreas said Daniele told him that he found the children lying on a Manila street covered in grime.

He cleaned their wounds and took them

SHIPBUILDERS

BINAY

From page 1

From page 1

passed the first stage of the bidding.Mercado said they are now conducting

technical discussions with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. of India and STX France SA.

“After which we will draft the final technical specifications (of the frigates),” he added.

Design assessments of the frigate pro-ponents started last February.

The bidders were given five working days to present their concept.

During this period, hull, power plant, communications, and weapon systems designs were scrutinized closely by the technical working group. (MNS)

significant lead among other potential presidential candidates, with the second placer, Senator Grace Poe, getting the nod of 15 percent of the survey respon-dents.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who has earlier been identified by administra-tion officials as the ruling Liberal Party (LP)’s bet for the 2016 presidential race, came in fifth place, with the support of 6 percent of the respondents.

Malacañang, for its part, clarified that President Benigno Aquino III has yet to announce his bet for 2016.

It likewise reiterated that 2016 is not the priority of the administration.

“The Pulse Asia survey is certainly of interest to those who are observing the 2016 presidential elections. But we are focused on addressing the needs of our countrymen,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press brief-ing on Wednesday.

“We have 792 days left in this ad-ministration to address those concerns. And so, we need to make sure that all the reforms that President Aquino wants to implement and institutionalize should happen before 2016, and that’s the focus of our concern right now,” he added.

ing of US and Filipino troops in Manila.“We believe that international law must

be upheld, that freedom of navigation must be preserved and commerce must not be impeded. We believe that disputes must be resolved peacefully and not by intimidation or force.”

Close American ally the Philippines has been embroiled in one of the highest-profile territorial disputes with China, over tiny islets, reefs and rocks in the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, which is believed to contain huge deposits of oil and gas, even waters and islands or reefs close to its neighbors.

The Philippines, which has one of the weakest militaries in the region, has repeat-edly called on longtime ally the United States for help as China has increased military and diplomatic pressure to take control of the contested areas.

The Philippines and the United States

signed an agreement on Monday that will allow a greater US military presence on Filipino bases.

And Obama sought on Tuesday to reas-sure the Philippines that the United States would support its ally in the event of being attacked, citing a 1951 mutual defense treaty between the two nations.

“This treaty means our two nations pledge, and I am quoting, ‘our common determination to defend themselves from external armed attacks’,” Obama said.

“And no potential aggressor can be un-der the illusion that either of them stands alone. In other words, our commitment to defend the Philippines is ironclad. The United States will keep that commitment because allies will never stand alone.”

Nevertheless, Obama did not spe-cifically mention coming to the aid of the Philippines if there were a conflict over the contested South China Sea areas, as his hosts had hoped.

ships stopping over for military exercises or for regular provisioning.

Bound by a mutual defense pact, the US and the Philippines engage in regular war games that see thousands of US troops and state-of-the-art American military hard-ware brought to the Philippines.

The Philippines signed the bases access deal last week, hours ahead of a state visit to Manila by American President Barack Obama.

The deal also allows the US to build structures inside the bases for use by its forces, as well as to store supplies and equipment.

Obama warns Chinese Obama ended an Asian tour Tuesday

with a warning to China against using force in territorial disputes, as Chinese authori-ties accused the US president of ganging up with “troublemaking” allies.

The barbs ensured a tense finish to a four-nation trip dominated by the worsen-ing maritime rows between China and US allies in the region, which have triggered fears of military conflict.

“We believe that nations and peoples have the right to live in security and peace, to have their sovereignty and territorial integrity respected,” Obama told a gather-

to the water park to have fun after they said they had never been to a pool.

“Why is it a crime to help children?” he asked. “His vacation turned into a nightmare.”

Bosio’s father described Daniele as a constant “backpack traveler” who spent holidays in poor communities doing chari-table work.

Students and teachers at a Christian-run school in one of Manila’s sprawling slums where Bosio was a benefactor also travelled to the prosecutor’s office on Wednesday to offer their support.

“Daniele has been a constant inspira-tion to the children,” said Carlos Ilustre, the school’s administrator who said he had known Bosio for three years.

Meanwhile, Binay’s camp thanked those who think the vice president is ready to become the country’s next top elected official.

“For Vice President Binay, per-formance and experience are the best measures for leadership. Kung merong ganitong resulta ng survey, nagpapas-alamat siya sa pagkilala ng taumbayan sa kanyang kahandaan na maging pan-gulo,” Salgado said.

As early as 2011, Binay has made public his intention to run as president in 2016. He is set to launch a new political party next month.

Early this year, Binay already claimed that there is a “villification campaign” against him, after the Office of the Ombudsman supposedly revived a case involving his wife, Elenita.

Last December, the vice president’s family also came under fire after the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that his son, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, ordered the arrest of three security guards of the posh village last November 30 af-ter they supposedly prevented his convoy from passing through a restricted gate.

Salgado belied this report on the security guards’ arrest, saying that they “volunteered to go to the police.” (MNS)


OPINIONMANILA, May 1 (Mabuhay) – The negotiating panel for the En-

hanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) denied Thursday that the deal with the US government is shrouded in secrecy.

Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, chairman of the panel, said they sent out reports to both houses of Congress after each round of negotiations.

He said Senator Antonio Trillanes even asked for an executive session with the panel before the negotiations started.

Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Ed Malaya, a member of the panel, said that just like in any kind of negotiation, there has to be some degree of confidentiality.

“If you’re very open to the entire world, you’re practically not ne-gotiating with the other side. Negotiation is a give-and-take process. If your position is all out there, it’s very difficult to give in...because people might be saying are you selling out. Of course we did not,” he said.

The Philippine panel also asserted they made sure the country will not be at the losing end of the deal.

Batino said anything the US military builds automatically becomes Philippine property.

The Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces will also have access to US facilities, dispelling any notion of exclusivity of US forces.

Batino said any infrastructure constructed by the US will belong to the Philippine government including expansion of runways, storage depots and deepening of naval ports.

“We’re looking at the possibility of the US constructing some fa-cilities like hangers, barracks...this would greatly benefit the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization program because part of it is bases development, though we have allocated P75 billion for modern-ization. This is for procurement of modern defense equipment, thus support of United States with regards to bases development would be very helpful,” he said.

The panel said the Philippine side insisted on a provision that states the US should give preference to acquiring Philippine goods and sup-plies to promote the country’s economic interest.

“We need to be fair with the US. After all, they will be the ones paying for this procurement. But in the choice of the contractor, preference will be given to the Philippine contractor. Before any construction begins, the project proposal will have to be approved by the Philippine side so if there’s any construction we do not like, the AFP can say no,” Malaya said.

The panel said the EDCA also contains a provision that the US is accountable for any environmental contamination in case of an ac-cidental spill.

“If you would check comparable access agreements of the US with other countries, the provisions there are more vague. But here it is very clear that if ever there is a spill, they have to take care of it because it’s a ‘clean up as you go’ concept and they assured us that they have very strict environmental guidelines for their military,” Malaya said.

“They made specific commitment that should there be a need for compensation, they will address that too.”(MNS)

PHL panel: We did not sell out during EDCA talks

By Arturo P. GarciaWe Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the United

States will always remember and must never forget that it took 16 years and more than two million Filipi-no deaths for US imperialism to subdue the Philippine resistance during the Filipino-American War from 1899 to 1916 and occupy the Philippines for 48 years. We will not forget that in July 4, 1946 before giving the Philippines nominal independence, the United States forced the puppet leaders to sign several treaties tying it to the aprons of the United States and made it subservient to its imperialist masters. We will never forget that the US liberation forces destroyed more lives – some two million Filipinos who died during World War II – and properties when they came back to re-occupy the Philippines in 1944-45 after leaving us in Bataan and Corregidor in 1942.

Leaving the Philippines under the Japanese yoke for three oppressive years of occupation, Manila was wholly destroyed but who did America help after the war? It was the Germany and Japan and not the Philippines. It was the Filipinos who built the Philippines with only a minimal help from the US. We will never forget that six months before the so-called independence, the 79th US Congress passed the infamous Rescission Act on February 18, 1946 disenfranchising the more than 250,000 recognized Filipino-American veterans by stating that “their military service is deemed inactive.” Up to now, 68 years after, the Filipino veterans and their survivors are unrecognized as American Veterans.

We will never forget that the US military forces left the Philippines in a hurry a week before the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo and vacated Clark Air Base without informing the Philippine government of the impend-ing eruption, clear sign of gross irresponsibility to a “friend nation,” We will never forget that in 1991, the US government forced the US-Estrada regime to sign a new Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) in 1999 and the Arroyo regime for a new agreement to bolster the VFA in the guise of making the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty as a tool fight ‘the so called threats of terror-ism” after 9/11 making the deployment of US troops in Mindanao legal.

Last, but not the least, we will never forget the treasonous and unpatriotic US-Aquino III regime for signing away Philippine sovereignty like his predecessor Arroyo by agreeing to the so–called Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA in the guise of “modernizing the AFP and inter-operationability” of US-AFP troops against the so-called threats from China and the perceived enemies of US interests. We firmly believe that the

EDCA was made in secret and signed in haste for US President Obama’s visit to the Philippines and was made as an executive agreement to avoid the discussions in the Philippine Senate. A real scheme, a handiwork of traitors.

Meanwhile, we will always remember that the promised “modernization of the armed forces” has been a perpetual promise in the last 60 years of the much vaunted US-Philippine alliance that Obama called “sealed and forged in blood” Yes, blood for it is the Filipinos who will bleed and the Filipino nation that will be bled for by the US economic exploitation and oppression. We will never forget that not until the US bases were thrown out in 1991, not a single US serviceman was punished for shooting Filipinos in the US bases who “mistook them as wild boars.” We must also remember that the Americans left their bases without cleaning up their toxic wastes, leav-ing hundreds of victims and hundreds of thousands AmerAsians or children from their Filipina partners. And even during the VFA that Marine Daniel Smith was whisked away from the Philippines after raping “Nicole” several years past.

The return of the US bases in the guise of “DACA” will mean more rape cases, more prostitution, abuses of Filipina women, more social ills and insults to national dignity and more hardships for the Fili-pino people. We, as patriotic Filipinos or Filipino-Americans, must stand firm to uphold the Philippine Independence and sovereignty and prove it with our unrelenting struggle against the puppetry of our lead-ers who always sign away our patrimony and rights starting from Emilio Aguinaldo who took his oath of allegiance to US authorities in 1902 to the present. We stand for self-reliance, a people-oriented national defense system and not the hand-me downs, corrupt and foreign dependent armed forces we have that is pro-US and pro-imperialist and brazenly anti-people. Until we have a pro-people and independent armed forces and a self-reliant defense system, there will be a perpetual modernization of these armed forces but can never be an effective force against any external threat.

Thus, we say “No” to the Enhanced Defense Coop-eration Agreement” (EDCA) that is designed to skirt around the VFA violations that will build “temporary foreign bases” but which are essentially permanent US bases in the Philippines under a Filipino name.

We say, “No to US-PH Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement” which is an addi-tional chain of puppetry and treason against Philippine sovereignty and national dignity.Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Kamatayan sa mga traydor sa Kalayaan!

From MDT 1951, VFA 1991 to EDCA 2014, lest we forget


Sending a balikbayan box is a tricky business. Figuring out how you can maximize the cubic-foot space of a 20”x20”x20” or a 24”x24”x24” box to fit in all the knickknacks, canned goods and what not takes patience, science and about $500. Even God can’t pack these boxes in seven days. It takes weeks or months depending on one’s budget and schedule or from last-minute requests from loved ones back home. Sometimes it creates a quandary on which items should go first.

You try to cram all the items even if you exceed the size limit to get your money’s worth to send it; for example, at least two dozens of corned beef, Vienna sausage and Spam with each can with a name on it, five cans of powdered Tang and Gatorade or-ange juice and Nestea, two 50-lb. bags of California Carlrose or Jasmine rice, a gal-lon jug of Alhambra water, a pound or two of unripe persimmon or Washington Red Apples, all the cleaning agents and cleans-ers you can get a hold on at the 99 Cents stores, and don’t forget the Lubriderm lo-tions, Pantene shampoos and bars of Irish Spring soap, then throw in some faucets and locks you’ve cannibalized from your foreclosed homes, whatever used clothes, shoes, towels and comforters plus some knickknacks you’ve scrounged from the swap meet, the flea and farmers’ markets

and garage sales.With your box bulging at the seams

or “buntis,” you close it by covering the wide gap between the flaps with a 99-cent expired duck tape.

Then you write in big bold letters the warning “Breakable Inside” on the box. Or, stick on four corners of the box those red all-caps letters stickers that say “FRAGILE.” Somehow, the meaning of these warnings is lost in translation when it comes to some senders of balikbayan boxes that weigh like an anchor.

The way these boxes are packed defies physics and somehow eroded the cred-ibility of the “Fragile” warning. In other businesses and industries, heavy is heavy. They put a sign that says “Heavy” when the load reaches the maximum for one person to carry it to avoid injury; therefore, costly litigation.

That’s why nobody in the Filipino courier industry believes in those boxes with “Fragile” stickers on them anymore because almost always, these boxes can’t be carried by one person. Not even by two.

The persimmon and apples are “Fragile” alright. But no miracle of newly-minted Saint John Paul II can stop them from rot-ting 25 days out on the sea in a box packed like a brick in a 45-foot containerized van loaded like how you packed your box, like

sardines. The juice will ooze first to stain the clothes and other garments in your box then it drips to damage the other boxes.

Because of the overpowering stench from the rot, even the crooks at Customs won’t dare get inside the container once it gets unloaded at the North Harbor to “inspect” for some items they can declare as contraband to mooch money from the importer.

Some senders line a box with a 55-gal. black garbage bag, and then arrange their goodies ala Tetris. Once all the items are tightly packed, you pour in 50 lbs. of rice or sugar into the garbage bag-lined box to fill in every nook and cranny. And voila!

You have a brick of a box. Apparently, the rice or sugar serves as cushion to protect the Corelle glassware and dinnerware and electronics. Why pay for bubble wrap that the folks back home won’t eat?

If your box is heavy, don’t lie to declare it’s fragile. There could be stuff in there that’s breakable, but if you mix it with canned goods and tiles, the law of physics would catch up to damage it. We know that everything in there is precious, but nothing beats honesty. Even if only to admit the box is heavy, and tells it so.

And when everything is all in, the only thing fragile is the lower back of whoever is picking up the boxes.

My ‘fragile’ balikbayan boxA day at a Costco is not complete without seeing Filipinos,

as in a lot of them, stocking up on merchandises to fill up their pantry and a balikbayan box. We could have supplied the metal needed to build our own destroyer to repel a Chinese invasion if we’ve melted those millions of used tin cans from all the Spam, Vienna sausages and Hormel corned beef we’ve sent home. For sure, we are one of the biggest exporters of US goods even if most of them are made in China, which, ironically, we want to boycott.

By Ian TimberlakeKHARTOUM, April 30, 2014 (AFP) –

Nine illegal immigrants have died among some 300 abandoned by smugglers in the scorching Sudanese-Libyan desert, with the others in poor condition, Khartoum’s army said Wednesday. “They were on their way to Libya as illegal immigrants,” spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad told AFP. “The smugglers left them in the desert... on the border between Sudan and Libya,” he said, adding that all of the dead were Sudanese. The others are from vari-ous nationalities and include Ethiopians, Eritreans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, Saad said.

Sudanese and Libyan troops rescued the migrants in a joint operation, the army spokesman said in a statement posted on the defence ministry’s website.

In all, 319 people had been abandoned in the desert, he said.

“Nine of them died and the others are in a bad condition. They are getting treatment

and being transferred to Dongola,” a town about 500 kilometres (300 miles) northwest of Khartoum, he added.

The loosely governed desert region stretching from eastern Sudan up through Egypt to the Sinai Peninsula is a major route for African migrants seeking a bet-ter life.Thousands of Eritreans make the journey each year. Many head for Israel while others try to get to Europe.

“Some of them try to go through Egypt. Some of them try to go through Libya,” said a source familiar with the situation.

“They would try to cross the Mediter-ranean Sea via Libya.” More than 350 migrants, mainly from Eritrea, died in an October shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa as they tried to reach Europe.

Economic migrants or refugees often rely on smugglers.

According to official data, some 600 refugees from authoritarian Eritrea alone make their way to neighboring Sudan each

9 illegal migrants die, hundreds rescued in Sudan-Libya desert

See 9 ILLEGALS, page 20

To find out more about U.S. Army career opportunities,please call a recruiter near you: Pasadena (626) 793-0621;Lakewood (562) 496-3815; Rowland Heights (626) 965-0239; or Culver City (310) 313-2675.


Balikbayan Box Metro Manila

$$

PP

Cargo & Travel L.L.C.“Sapagkat, Mahalaga ang Sigurado Ka“

hilippine IslandsP

TOLL FREE (888) 732-3962

Metro ManilaXXL BOX/

Limited time only2 boxes minimum

Limited time only2 boxes minimum

House toHouse

Service

Why drop off

if we can pick-up

for the same

low price.

GIVE US A CALL!

Now improvedfaster & reliable

service! Now improved

faster & reliable service!

*Price applicable within LA County only

De Asis FamilyDe Asis Family

SUBUKAN SA PRESYO...MANATILI SA SERBISYOSUBUKAN SA PRESYO...MANATILI SA SERBISYO“SERVING THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY SINCE 1992”“SERVING THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY SINCE 1992”

REAL ESTATE LOANS

Guaranteed Rates & Fees!Guaranteed Rates & Fees!• Purchase or Refinance - Best Rates Offer• FHA Loans 3.5% Down Only• Help Raise Credit Score - 3 days guaranteed!• Help Clean Credit After BK - FREE!• Help Explain Loan Modification Process

• Purchase or Refinance - Best Rates Offer• FHA Loans 3.5% Down Only• Help Raise Credit Score - 3 days guaranteed!• Help Clean Credit After BK - FREE!• Help Explain Loan Modification Process

FREE PRE-QUALIFICATIONFREE CREDIT REPORT

ADVISE ON LOAN MODIFICATIONWE NEGOTIATE WITH LENDER

SHORT SALE EXPERT

FREE PRE-QUALIFICATIONFREE CREDIT REPORT

ADVISE ON LOAN MODIFICATIONWE NEGOTIATE WITH LENDER

SHORT SALE EXPERT

Licensed by the Dept. of RealEstate. APR not calculated.Call for details. Rates subjectto change without prior notice.LIC. DRE-NMLS # 238636

1st INNOVATIVE FINANCE GROUP1st INNOVATIVE FINANCE GROUP1011 W. Whittier Blvd., Suite A, La Habra, CA 90631

Call Now For A Free No Obligation ConsultationToll Free: (888) 822-5363 • Cell: (562) 508-7048

KEN GO25 Years ServicingOur Community

SHORT SALE NEGOTIATOR

This is a common question among people contemplating divorce in California when the other spouse does not live in the state. The California Courts has the power to grant a divorce, annulment, or legal separation if either party is domiciled in the state. Domicile is where a person lives and intends to remain. However, there is an additional requirement if you are seeking a divorce rather than annulment or legal separation. To obtain a divorce in California, one of the parties must have been a resident of California for six months immediately before the filing of the divorce petition. Responding spouses can use this requirement as a defense if the Petitioning spouse does not meet such requirement when the petitioner filed for divorce. In addition, divorce petitions may be filed in the county where at least one

spouse resided for 3 months immediately prior to filing the petition.

Now apart from getting a divorce, legal separation, or annulled status, there may be issues relating to distributing commu-nity and separate properties between the spouses and awarding support payments. In order for the California Courts to have

the power to make orders, the California Courts must have personal jurisdiction over the respondent. Personal jurisdic-tion means the respondent has minimum contacts with California even if not physi-cally here.

Some of the factors looked at is re-spondents presence in the state, domicile, residence, citizenship, consent, appearance in the action, doing business in the state, doing an act that causes an effect in the state, ownership in the state, other relation-ship to the state. If the respondent does not have minimum contact with California, respondent may challenge any orders relat-ing to distribution of property and support based on the court’s lack of jurisdiction.

With regards to initial child custody issues, these issues are resolved under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. California Courts have the power to make initial custody orders if it is the child’s home state at the time the action was filed. California may also assume power to make custody orders if California has been the child’s home state within six months before the action was filed, the child is absent from California, and a parent continues to live in California.

California may also exercise jurisdic-tion when no other state is the child’s home state or when all court’s having jurisdiction over the child has declined to act and deferred to California as the more

appropriate place to make custody orders. California may also exercise jurisdiction if no other state would have jurisdiction over the child.

Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your mat-ter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relation-ship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.

Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State Univer-sity, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail [email protected] or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com

California Court’s power to make divorce orders when one spouse does not live in California

The County of Los Angeles Depart-ment of Public Works will host a free used motor oil

and used oil filter recycling event at San Angelo Park, 245 San Angelo Avenue, on Saturday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

LA County to host used oil recycling event in La Puente

In exchange for turning in their used oil, participants will be rewarded with free oil containers, oil filter containers, shop towels, and funnels while supplies last.

In addition, residents can drop-off used motor oil and used oil filters for free at weekend County-sponsored Household Hazardous Waste/Electronic Waste Collec-tion Events or at local Certified Collection Centers. A full calendar of collection events and center locations can be found at www.CleanLA.com.

Residents are asked to prepare items for drop-off by placing used oil filters in sealed plastic bags and storing used motor oil in leak-proof containers without mixing the oil with other liquids, including water.

For additional information on the Coun-ty’s oil and oil filter recycling program, call Edna Gandarilla, Program Manager, at (626) 458-6536.

month.“The majority of them want to continue

onwards,” the source said.Sudan itself ranks near the bottom of

the UN’s Human Development Index of health, education and income.

‘Raped, beaten, chained’ Wars and poverty have left more than

six million people needing humanitarian assistance in the country.

Human Rights Watch accused Egyptian and Sudanese security officers in February of colluding with traffickers, saying they were holding Eritrean migrants for ransom and torturing them.

And Amnesty International said last year that Eritrean refugees kidnapped in Sudan are raped, beaten, chained up and sometimes killed after being forcibly trans-ported to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where they are held for ransom.

9 ILLEGALSFrom page 19


I look forward to help you: discharge debts; stop foreclosures; wage garnishments; stop harassments from collectors; stop repossessions.

Have you mortgaged your grandchildren to Mastercard and Visa? Snowed under by a mountain of debt? Worried about losing your home and car? Call me immediately today! Yes, I speak Tagalog. No, I won’t charge you for consultation. I can help you keep your home, car

BANKRUPTCYWE ARE A DEBT RELIEF AGENCY. WE REPRESENT DEBTORS IN CHAPTER 7, 13, 11 AND 12 OF THE NEW BANKRUPTCY LAW. THIS INCLUDES RELIEF FROM MORTGAGE PAYMENT DEFAULTS AND PRE-FORECLOSURE RELIEF FOR RESIDENCESAND OTHER REAL ESTATE PROPERTIES.

LAW OFFICES OFLARRY BAUTISTA YANG

LAW OFFICES OFLARRY BAUTISTA YANG

Let Me Help You Wipe Out Debt & Obtain A Fresh StartTHOUSANDS OF SUCCESSFUL CASES IN LA, ORANGE, RIVERSIDE,

SAN BERNARDINO, VENTURA & SAN DIEGO COUNTIES•CHAPTER 7, 11, 12 & 13

•CANCEL 2ND TRUST DEEDS•DIVORCE & FAMILY LAW•CIVIL, BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE LITIGATION & TRIALS

1000 S. Fremont Ave., Building A-1Suite 1125 Unit 58, Alhambra, CA 91803

Filipino Po Tayo. Free Consultation.Weekend & Evening Appointments Available.

WEST DOWNTOWN LA.

Mission Rd.

FREM

ONT A

VE. Main St. Atlantic Blvd.

710

110

10

L A R R Y YA N G i s a g r a d u a t e o f Georgetown Universi ty Law Center with a master’s degree in law and practicesbefore California State Courts, United Sates District Courts, the California Appeals for the 9th Circuit and US Bankruptcy Courts.

Call our office for appointment

(626) 284-1142and ask for Angie or Jess.Atty. Yang will personally

interview you

Year inLaw Practice30th

and other personal properties.

The Hawaiians are in for a vibrant celebration of an iconic event, as GMA International is all set to take part in the Flores de Mayo festivities in Honolulu this coming May 10, 2014.

The Filipino Community Center (Fil-Com) is bringing the Flores de Mayo festival in Hawaii along with the authentic Filipino customs and traditions that make it one of the most-awaited fiestas in the Philippines. Adding to the hallmarks of the event are two of GMA’s heartthrobs, Ben-jamin Alves and Steven Silva, who will be lending their good looks and undeniable talents to make Flores de Mayo in Hawaii a memorable affair.

The Flores de Mayo festival is in line with FilCom’s mission to promote and

perpetuate Filipino culture in the state of Hawaii. Since its inception, Flores de Mayo has become a rallying point for Fili-pinos in the state to gather and be proud of their ancestry. Among the highlights of the event will be the Santacruzan, which is a pageant of sorts held in commemoration of the finding of the True Cross in Jerusalem by Helena and Constantine.

Indeed, the Flores de Mayo in Hawaii is a must-see, especially for those who have strong ties to the Philippines’ colorful culture. For more details about the event, interested parties may visit the FilCom (www.filcom.org) and GMA International (www.gmanetwork.com/international) websites and “like” the GMA Pinoy TV Facebook page for more updates.

GMA International to join Flores de Mayo Festival in Hawaii

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2014 (AFP) – Toyota unveiled Monday an overhaul of its far-flung US operations into a single, new headquarters in Texas, with California set to lose the most jobs.

The world’s top automaker said that by 2017 most of its North American operations will have been relocated to a single campus in Plano, a suburb north of Dallas.

Toyota currently has three separate North American headquarters – one for manufactur-ing, one for sales and marketing and one for corporate operations.

“This is the most significant change we’ve made to our North American operations in

the past 50 years, and we are excited for what the future holds,” said Jim Lentz, chief executive for Toyota’s North America region, in a statement.

Lentz said the consolidation of the region’s business affiliates and leaders in one location would bring a host of benefits, including speedier decision-making and improvement in best practices.

“Ultimately, enabling greater collabora-tion and efficiencies across Toyota will help us become a more dynamic, innovative and successful organization in North America,” he said.

The moves from the three current hubs

will affect about 4,000 employees and will begin with small groups in the coming months. Most employees will not move until the construction of the new headquarters is completed, estimated in late 2016 or early 2017. The move to Plano will affect 2,000 employees at Toyota Motor Sales, USA, in Torrance, California; 1,000 employees at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. in Erlanger, Kentucky; and certain employees at Toyota Motor North America in New York City.

A move for Toyota Financial Services, based in Torrance, was not planned until 2017, affecting 1,000 employees.

The automaker, which supports non-profits and community organizations in Cali-fornia and Kentucky, pledged to provide $10 million in continued funding over a five-year period beginning in 2017 “over and above existing commitments.”

After the moves, Toyota will continue to have 2,300 employees in California and 8,200 employees in Kentucky.

Toyota said its 10 manufacturing plants in the US would not be impacted by the changes. But it said a number of other units would not be affected “at this time” – includ-ing operating units in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and distribution centers.

Toyota leaves SoCal to move US operations to Texas

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2014 (AFP) – US Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a hotly-contested measure to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, smothering President Barack Obama’s priority effort to improve pay for working-class Americans.

A united Democratic front convinced just one Republican, Bob Corker, to back the measure, and with a vote count of 54-42, it failed to earn the 60 votes necessary to overcome blocking tactics and begin debate on the bill.

Democrats hope the emotional issue will propel supporters to the polls in

November’s mid-term elections, when Obama’s party will find itself in a tough battle to hold on to the Senate.

Even though the bill had little chance of passing a divided Congress, Democrats seek to capitalize on the effort, painting Republicans as out-of-touch elites unper-turbed that those who work 40 hours per week at the current minimum wage of $7.25 still live in poverty.

“They’re back in the 19th century saying we shouldn’t do this,” Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said.

“We will bring this bill to the floor again and again and again... and sooner or later

we will get it done.”Democrats say hiking the wage would

benefit 28 million Americans, bring mil-lions out of poverty, ease reliance on federal aid programs, and pump billions of dollars into the economy.

Republicans, citing the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, argue the move would slash between 500,000 and one million jobs. Some have said hiking the wage to $10.10 was too hefty an increase.

“We all want to see hardworking Ameri-can families work their way toward the American dream. But we’re not going to be able to do that with the federal government setting wages,” said Senate Republican John Cornyn.

The vote came on the same day the Re-publican-controlled House of Representa-tives held a Budget Committee hearing on progress in the war on poverty, prompting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to blast the “Republicans’ theater of the absurd.”

“Republicans have fashioned them-selves for years as the defenders of the economy,” Reid said before the vote.

“How shocking then that Senate Repub-licans are not supportive of legislation to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. What is preventing my Republican colleagues from giving working Americans a fair shot?”

Democrat Edward Markey noted on the Senate floor that the minimum wage has been raised 10 times since the 1930s, most recently during the presidency of Republican George W. Bush.

But with low-income families in 2012 earning less than they did in 1989, ac-counting for inflation, and the top percent of earners seeing incomes skyrocket by 86 percent, Markey said there was growing inequality in the US economy.

“The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That’s the system we have right now unless we take action,” he warned.

Senate Republicans shoot down minimum wage hike

The American Basketball Association (ABA Global) has started to revamp key franchises in preparation for the 2014 regular season games starting in November.

Florida’s Jacksonville Giants, Texas Fuel and the Los Angeles Slam are leading the way to improve television coverage, player exchanges and are working closely with ABA Global’s Singapore office to gain a foothold in Asia.

As a global league, the ABA already counts travel teams from China, Japan, Canada and Puerto Rico. The Philippines sent its national team, the Smart-Gilas in California in 2010 to gain exposure followed by a visit to Los Angeles by coach Vincent Reyes in 2012 to look into a travel team franchise for its cadet squad. San Miguel has also been offered to participate in the ABA in line with its business expansions in the United States. A travel team for San Francisco Bay has already been reserved for the Cebuana Lhuillier Co. and they have already sent star guard Kevin Alas for training.

“A travel team of ABA Global does not commit to the full season of games but participate as an extensive training ground for speed and agility against big men and they participate only in the west coast or east coast games in the US. Their schedule is also tailor made for them so they can send their best players or national teams to participate at certain times of the year” said Paul Monozca, Chairman of ABA Global.

The ABA is also looking at drafting a Filipino guard to a top ranked ABA team for the 2014 season and is observing current and undiscovered players in the country today. It is a dream for a Filipino cager to play side-by-side NBA free agents and/or veterans in the US.

The American Basketball Association is the 2nd largest professional basketball league in the United States. It was acquired in 1976 by the National Basketball As-sociation and absorbed its top teams including the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Golden State and LA Clippers. Restarted in 2000 it is now the largest pro-fessional league in the US present in all US states. In 2009, Filipino sportsman Paul Monozca acquired a stake to bring the league into a $200 million global expansion.

ABA eyes Philippine travel team


HEALTH & BEAUTY (Relaxnews) – Seven hours of sleep a

night and lots of reading. That seems to be the magic formula for keeping mentally alert into old age, according to the findings of a new study out of Spain.

After analyzing the lifestyles of 245 seniors aged 65 and older, researchers from the CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia, Spain found that those who slept either too much or too little and abstained from brain-stimulating activities like read-ing were at increased risk of developing

cognitive impairment.According to their study, published

in the journal Revista de Investigacion Clinica, seniors who slept more than eight hours or less than six, were 2.6 times more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment compared to those who got six to eight hours a night.

Likewise, the absence of brain-boosting activities like reading also contributed to cognitive decline: Those who admitted to not reading were 3.7 times at increased

risk, while those who said they read oc-casionally increased their risk by 2.5 times.

Overall, 12 percent of the participants suffered from cognitive impairment.

Researchers point out that age-related cognitive decline affects 35.6 million people worldwide. According to the World

Alzheimer Report, that figure is expected to spike to 100 million cases in 2050.

Other known lifestyle habits that can help seniors keep their brain sharp is to adopt a regular exercise regime and a healthy diet that includes brain-boosting foods rich in omega-3s and antioxidants.

Getting just the right amount of sleep and reading have been identifi ed as important lifestyle habits for keeping mentally fi t in old age in a Spanish study. ©auremar/shutterstock.com

Reading and sleeping are keys to keeping mentally fi t: study

(Relaxnews) – While it’s well known that pregnant women have to be vigilant about what they eat, a new study suggests that what women eat before conception can play a major role even after the baby is born.

Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study claims to provide strong evidence that a mother’s diet before pregnancy can permanently affect her child’s lifelong health by silencing certain genes.

For their research, scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine took blood samples in 167 pregnant women from rural Gambia, measuring nutrient concentrations in their blood. They then analyzed blood and hair follicle samples from their infants, ages two to eight months.

About half of the group (84 women) conceived at the peak of the rainy season, while 83 women conceived at the peak of the dry season.

Women who conceived during the rainy season consumed a more vitamin-rich diet of vegetables compared to their counterparts.

The combination of markedly different seasons, the population’s dependence on foods grown literally in their own back-yard, and subsequent swings in nutrient availability offered researchers the ideal conditions for their research.

And what they found was that what women ate affected the process of gene expression in their babies—specifically in a process called methylation, which

is known for locking genes in the ‘off’ position.

The process of methylation – which plays a crucial role in silencing gene ex-pression—is essential for cell differentia-tion and embryonic development.

A separate animal study, for instance, has shown that a female mouse’s diet can change her offspring’s coat color when DNA methylation is modified.

“Our ongoing research is yielding strong indications that the methylation machinery can be disrupted by nutrient deficiencies and that this can lead to disease,” explained co-author Andrew Prentice.

“Our ultimate goal is to define an op-timal diet for mothers-to-be that would prevent defects in the methylation process. Pre-conceptional folic acid is already used to prevent defects in embryos. Now our research is point-ing towards the need for a cocktail of nutrients, which could come from the diet or from supplements.”

What women eat before conception can alter baby’s genes: study

A new study suggests that having a healthy baby begins with a mom’s healthy diet before pregnancy. ©Martin Novak /shutterstock.com


(PARIS-AFP) – People who boosted their coffee intake by “moderate to large” doses in a US-based study had a lower risk for adult-onset diabetes than those with stable consumption, researchers said Friday.

An analysis of studies that tracked the diet and lifestyles of more than 120,000 health sector workers, showed that those who increased their daily caffeine dose by about 1.5 cups a day over a four-year period had an 11-percent lower chance in the subsequent four years of developing type 2 diabetes, the team found.

This was in comparison to those whose intake remained constant.

“Furthermore, those who had moderate to large decreases in intake (about two cups a day) had an 18 percent higher risk,” a research team in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

“Changes in coffee consumption habit appear to affect diabetes risk in a relatively short amount of time,” concluded the team led by Shilpa Bhupathiraju of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Those with the highest coffee consump-tion, three cups or more per day, had the lowest risk of type 2 diabetes -- 37 percent lower than those who consumed a cup or less per day, said the paper, backing other studies that linked coffee to lower diabetes risk.

The findings were based on monitoring more than 95,000 women enrolled in two nurses’ health studies in the United States, and nearly 28,000 male participants in a separate health professionals’ study.

It measured their consumption patterns for four years, and then looked at subse-quent diagnoses of type 2 diabetes.

The outcome may reflect a “true change in risk”, but may also be explained by

Diabetes research: Good news for caffeine addicts?

people cutting out coffee after being di-agnosed with conditions like high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol associated with risk for type 2 diabetes, said the study authors – one of whom had received fund-ing from coffee-vending company Nestec for a different study.

Experts who analysed the new research for the Science Media Centre, said the team had merely evaluated potential short-term

benefits and provided no evidence that long-term coffee intake lowered diabetes risk.

The research measured changes in consumption rather than absolute intake, said the analysts.

“No recommendations for coffee intake can be derived from this paper,” said a summary, adding the statistical analysis of the data was “potentially misleading”.

The researchers had found that neither changes in consumption of tea, nor of decaffeinated coffee, was associated with risk of type 2 diabetes – a high blood sugar disease often linked to obesity.

New research found that three cups or more per day may reduce type 2 diabetes.


’


W. Arrow Hwy

E. Gladstone St.

S. Azus

a Ave

S. Citru

s Ave

Malaki Po ang Parking Lot Natin! Pasyal na Kayo!

2 HALF TRAY PANCIT/NOODLESCHICKENBEEF

VEGETABLESEAFOOD

PANCIT/NOODLESCHICKENBEEF

VEGETABLESEAFOOD

1 SMALL TRAY

468 W. ARROW HWY. COVINA, CA. 91722468 W. ARROW HWY. COVINA, CA. 91722Located at Arrow Center Plaza where the new Harbor Freight Store is.(626)-332-4848(626)-332-4848

FILIPINO CUISINE DINE IN - TO GO - CATERING

468 W. ARROW HWY. COVINA, CA. 91722468 W. ARROW HWY. COVINA, CA. 91722

T-F 10AM - 7PM T-F 10AM - 7PMFAX 626-332-4880FAX 626-332-4880

100 $580100 PERSONS $580FREE DELIVERY W/IN 20 MI2 FULL TRAY PANCIT/NOODLES

CHICKENBEEF

VEGETABLESEAFOOD

BUKO PANDAN FREECASSAVA CAKE FREE

1 FULL TRAY

1 HALF TRAY



1 SMALL TRAY

SPECIAL CATERING PACKAGESSPECIAL CATERING PACKAGES

and

50 $28050 PERSONS $280FREE DELIVERY W/IN 10 MI

or

25 $15025 PERSONS $150FREE DELIVERY W/IN 5 MI

PORKPORKPORK

2 FULL TRAY1 FULL TRAY1 FULL TRAY1 FULL TRAY1 FULL TRAY

and1 HALF TRAY

1 HALF TRAY

1 SMALL TRAY

1 SMALL TRAY1 SMALL TRAY1 SMALL TRAY1 SMALL TRAY1 SMALL TRAY

2 HALF TRAY1 HALF TRAY1 HALF TRAY1 HALF TRAY1 HALF TRAY

BREAKFAST

SERVEDBREAKFAST

SERVED

Saturday & Sunday!Saturday & Sunday!

SUN 8:30AM-5PMSUN 8:30AM-5PMS 8:30AM - 6PM S 8:30AM - 6PMMON- CLOSEDMON- CLOSED

TRY IT!TRY IT!

YOU’LL LIKE IT!YOU’LL LIKE IT!

Female Assistant Cook /wantedwanted

Server (Full Time)

Holiday Specials:Holiday Specials:

Chicken Relleno Bangus Relleno

Embotido Chicken and Pork

Chicken Relleno Bangus Relleno

Embotido Chicken and Pork

FOOD & DINING

FAMILY FEATURES

Whether you’re preparing a quick break-fast for the family, feeding a crowd at dinner or looking for a light lunch

for yourself, the key to a delicious, nutritious homemade meal is just minutes away thanks to the canned foods in your pantry.

“Canned fruits and vegetables are a must in my pantry. Th ey are picked and canned at the peak of ripeness, hours aft er they’re harvested, locking in their fl avor, freshness and nutrition,” says Kelsey Nixon, host of “Kelsey’s Essentials” on Cooking Channel and Food Network. “Having canned fruits and vegetables on hand means a healthy snack, meal or side dish is achievable anytime.”

In addition to nutrient-rich staples like tomatoes, corn and beans, Nixon recommends stocking up on ingredients such as canned olives, tuna, artichokes, pumpkin and chiles. Th ese canned foods can elevate the fl avors of a dish and breathe new life into some of your favorite recipes.

Here are some more great tips and delicious recipes from Nixon: Keeping a well-stocked pantry, or “Cantry,”

will help you avoid unnecessary trips to the grocery store aft er a long day.

Tomato-based canned ingredients, like diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, are the most versatile when it comes to making a wide variety of recipes like chili, salsa, marinara sauce, soups or casseroles.

Canned fruits add an unexpected twist to savory dishes, and can transform recipes in exciting ways. Just add canned peaches to homemade barbecue sauce or canned pine-apple to curries and stir-fry recipes for a healthy and fl avorful upgrade.

For more information and to learn how you can get cooking with canned foods, visit: www.CansGetYouCooking.com.

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake Bars Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 30 minutesServes: 36 bars 1 cup almonds, fi nely chopped 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/3 cup unsalted butter, soft ened 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, soft ened 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk 2 large eggs 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose fl our

Chicken Pozole

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake Bars

croutons. Bake until center is set 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Artichoke & Bean Salad with TunaPrep Time: 10 minutesRefrigerate for 45 minutes Serves: 4 2 cups (one 15-ounce can) white northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 can (15 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered 1 rib celery, fi nely diced 2 tablespoons red onion, fi nely diced 1 can (6 ounces) tuna, drained and fl aked 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Juice and zest of 1 lemon 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Kosher salt and cracked black pepperCombine all ingredients in mixing bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently and refrigerate 45 minutes before serving. Serve salad on bed of mixed greens with crusty bread. Or alternatively, serve salad scooped onto hero roll with arugula.

Slow Cooker RaguPrep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 6 hours (depending on heat setting)Serves: 8 to 10 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 yellow onion, fi nely chopped 1 celery stalk, fi nely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced Kosher salt and cracked

1 can (8.75 ounces) peaches, drained Pinch of saltPreheat oven to 375°F. Spray 9-by-13-inch pan with non-stick spray. In mixing bowl combine almonds, graham cracker crumbs and butter with fork until combined. Press into bottom of pan. Using handheld or stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and no lumps remain. While mix ing, add sweetened condensed milk, eggs, lemon juice, almond extract and fl our. Mix until fully combined. Pour over crust. In food processor or blender, puree peaches. Stir in a pinch of salt. Using tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of peach puree over top of cream cheese mixture. Using knife, gently swirl peaches through fi lling to create marbled look. Bake for 30 min utes or until center is set. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature before transferring to refrigerator to chill throughout. Cut bars and serve chilled.

Crust-less Quiche Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 35 minutesServes: 8 4 large eggs 1 1/3 cups milk 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon dried mustard 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, thoroughly drained 1/2 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, thoroughly drained 1/2 cup diced honey-baked/deli ham Kosher salt and cracked black pepper 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 cups plain croutonsPreheat the oven to 375°F. In large mixing bowl, whisk eggs together with milk, cornstarch and mustard. Stir in scallions, drained mushrooms, tomatoes and ham. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish. Top with shredded cheese and


Celebrate at a Go Red For Women Luncheon Near You!

ORANGE COUNTY: Feb. 7, 2014 - The Island Hotel - ocgored.org

VENTURA COUNTY: Feb. 14, 2014 - Hyatt Westlake Plaza - venturagoredluncheon.org

INLAND EMPIRE: Feb. 27, 2014 - Crestmore Manor - iegoredluncheon.org

LOS ANGELES: May 9, 2014 - Beverly Wilshire Hotel - lagoredluncheon.org

SOUTH BAY: May 21, 2014 - Manhattan Beach Marriott - lagoredluncheon.org

Sponsored in LA by Sponsored in OC by Sponsored in IE by

Media sponsors

Go Red For WomenGo Red For WomenGo Red For Women Celebrating 10 Years of Saving and Changing LivesCelebrating 10 Years of Saving and Changing LivesCelebrating 10 Years of Saving and Changing Lives

Sponsored in Ventura by

Chicken PozolePrep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 15 minutesServes: 4 1 1/2 cups of chicken, shredded from a store bought (3- to 4-pound) rotisserie chicken 3 tablespoons vegetable oil1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)4 garlic cloves, minced1/4 teaspoon oregano3 teaspoons ground coriander1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin1 can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chiles

Artichoke & Bean Salad with Tuna

Crust-less Quiche Slow Cooker Ragu

black pepper 1/4 cup canned tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth (canned) 2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes 1 pound ground pork 1 pound ground beef sirloin 1 can (14.5 ounces) sliced carrots, drained 1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained Cooked pasta, such as spaghetti, for servingHeat oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and saute for 1 minute just to soft en. Add garlic and season with salt and pepper, cooking for about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and thyme and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Slowly add beef broth to deglaze bottom of pan, stirring with wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Care fully trans-fer mixture to slow cooker. Stir in canned tomatoes. Mix pork and sirloin together in separate bowl, using your hands, until com-bined. Stir meat into slow cooker, spreading out evenly and avoiding any large clumps. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours. During last two hours of cooking, add canned carrots and mush rooms to ragu. Skim accumulated grease from top before serving. Serve over pasta with crusty bread for soaking up sauce.

1/2 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes 1 can (7 ounces) salsa verde 2 cans (15 ounces each) hominy, drained 2 cans (14 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth Kosher salt and cracked black pepperGarnishes (optional) 1 red onion, fi nely chopped 1 lime, cut into wedges 1/2 cup crema or sour cream Crushed tortilla chips 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped Th inly sliced radishes 1 avocado, dicedRemove meat from chicken and shred into 1-inch pieces; discard skin and bones. Set aside about 1 1/2 cups of meat for soup; reserve remaining chicken for another use. In large Dutch oven or saucepot set over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Add oregano, coriander and cumin, and cook until slightly darkened and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add green chiles, chopped tomatoes, salsa verde and cook until it just comes to a boil, about 2 minutes. Add hominy and chicken broth and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for at least 10 minutes to allow fl avors to develop. Season with salt and pepper. Add shredded chicken and cook until heated through, 3 minutes. To serve, divide among 4 bowls and garnish as desired.


COMMUNITY

Washington, D.C. – Filipino American community leaders and veterans advocates are spearheading a nationwide campaign to press the U.S. Congress to issue a national proclamation and award the Congressio-nal Gold Medal to Filipino World War II veterans in recognition of their wartime service to the United States from July 1941 to December 1946.

A bill to award the medal, H.R. 111, has been introduced in Congress by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), with more than 56 sponsors. In proposing this measure, Hanabusa said the United States “remains forever indebted to the bravery, valor, and dedication to country” displayed by the veterans.

“There has never been a formal dec-laration to recognize Filipino American soldiers for their sacrifice and loyal service during World War II,” says U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret.), who is lead-ing the Filipino American World War II Soldiers Recognition Project. “They fought bravely alongside American soldiers to resist Japanese aggression, engaged in guerilla warfare and provided intelligence to U.S. forces that was critical in ultimately winning the war. It’s about time we say ‘thank you’ and honor them for their ex-emplary record of selfless sacrifice and

love of country.”Taguba notes that other groups have

been recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the United States. They include the Japanese American Nisei soldiers, Navajo Code Talkers, Montford Marines, Tuskegee Airmen, and Women Air Service Pilots (WASP). “Filipino American World War II soldiers are equally deserving of this award because they fought valiantly under the American flag,” Taguba adds. “But the Rescission Acts of 1946 deprived them of all nonservice-connected veterans’ benefits and changed the status of Filipino Veterans almost immediately upon conclusion of the War.”

Community activists have lobbied in the last 40 years for veterans equity benefits in an effort to restore their rights as American veterans. In 2009, Congress established the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) Fund. It provided eligible veter-ans who are U.S. citizens with a one-time payment of $15,000. Eligible veterans who are not U.S. citizens received a one-time payment of $9,000.

Ben de Guzman, a member of the proj-ect’s core group and national coordinator of the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE), explains that the Gold

The Philippine Commonwealth Army was called into active service for the United States on July 26, 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. File Photo: National Archives of the Philippines

Medal Award is totally separate from the FVEC. “This Project’s immediate work to secure the Congressional Gold Medal is distinct from the important work happening separately to address the claims for the Fili-pino WWII Veterans Equity Compensation Fund (FVEC),” de Guzman said. “There is ongoing work already happening in our communities to engage the FVEC process, with more than 18,000 veterans having already received payments and about 4,000 more appealing their denied claims. This Project carves out a separate and par-ticular focus to secure the Congressional Gold Medal for our veterans and preserve their lasting legacy to pass onto the next generation.”

P U B L I C E D U C AT I O N C A M -PAIGN. In addition to the proclamation and Gold Medal Award, the Project also plans to raise national awareness and pub-lic information on the veterans’ wartime service. This will be undertaken through a national exhibition of the Congressional Gold Medal, which will be toured across the nation, and an educational program for use in secondary and elementary schools. “We have sounded out the Smithsonian Institution with a request to co-sponsor this phase of the project,” Taguba said.

To this end, project organizers have been working closely with the Univer-sity of Maryland (UM) at College Park to conduct academic and historical research. “Our goal here is to provide proof the Filipino American World War II soldiers fought the Japanese Imperial Forces, and set the conditions for U.S. and Allied Forces to liberate the Philippines in Octo-ber 1944,” Taguba points out.

Adds University of Maryland History Professor Jon T. Sumida: “The Filipino re-sistance to Japanese occupation during the Second World War, although an important contributor to the American victory in the Pacific conflict, is a story unfamiliar to the general public. On-going and forthcoming scholarly investigation of this underex-plored and significant subject by faculty and students of the History Department of the University of Maryland, College Park is intended to expand public awareness of the Filipino experience of occupation and liberation especially with respect to the service of the veterans of the guerrilla campaign.”

Janelle S. Wong, Director of UM’s Asian American Studies Program and

associate professor of American studies states further that “Fostering a deeper understanding of the role of Filipino sol-diers and their WWII service to the United States is a worthy endeavor and highlights the efforts of a group that is too often overlooked, even by scholars in the field.” Also assisting in the research program is UM Professor Colleen Wood, a scholar in post war Philippine studies.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. “We are calling on all local and national com-munities and veterans service organiza-tions to be actively involved,” says Marie Blanco, former Chief of Staff to the late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, and a member of the Project. “Their strong and unified engagement, in seeking additional cosponsors and advocating for consider-ation and passage of H.R. 111, is crucial to getting this measure signed into law.”

Organizations that have endorsed the Project include the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaF-FAA), Council of United Filipino Organi-zations of Tidewater (CUFOT) Virginia, the Bay Area’s FilAm Veterans History Project,.Florida Veterans Foundation, National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE), Philippine Scouts Heritage Society, Veterans Equity Center of San Francisco, VFW and Filipino His-tory Society of Hawaii. Veterans advocates from Seattle, WA., Houston, TX; Chicago, ILL; Las Vegas, NV. have also indicated their support.

Organizers of the Filipino American World War II Soldiers Recognition Project are planning to hold a national summit in June to formally launch a national coali-tion and mobilize grassroots support for congressional action and other activities related to the project.

Congressional Gold Medal Award sought for Filipino World War II veterans

NOW AVAILABLE!Balita Digital Copy


Recognizing the value and importance of a college education, Letran Alumni Association North America and Letran USA have embarked on a supplemental scholarship program this year billed 2014 Letran USA Tuition Assistance. This Letranites’ project which is debuting this year and hopefully will expand its

coverage in the coming years will offer a one-time $500 Tuition Assistance to the children or stepchildren of Letran gradu-ates from Manila, Calamba, and Bataan who will be chosen this fall semester.

According to the prime movers of this project, eligibility is contingent on enrollment or acceptance of a college,

The Philippine National Bank (PNB) is giving away to new customers a FREE $10 Walmart Gift Card on their first successful remittance through PNB Web Remit.

From April 14 to June 30, 2014, aside from FREE $10 Walmart Gift Card, new customers will also enjoy FREE remittance fees when sending money to the Philip-pines via PNB Web Remit!

PNB Web Remit is the Bank’s newest remittance platform where customers can quickly and safely remit money to their loved ones using the internet. Not to men-tion that this facility offers one of the high-est exchange rates allowing a beneficiary

to get more value from the hard-earned money sent. Customers can simply open their laptops, use their phones or tablets, log on to www.pnbwebremit.com and enroll in the service. After enrollment, cus-tomers can immediately make a remittance transaction and have their beneficiaries receive the cash by crediting it to any bank in the Philippines or picking it up at any PNB branch.

The service also features the PNB Re-mittance Tracker where clients can conve-niently check the status of their remittance by just clicking the track remittance button and encoding the reference number.

Barangay Los Angeles would like to invite you to their annual #BattleOfTheV-oices where the final two contestants will sing their way to glory.

On May 9 at 8 p.m. the vocalists will be vying for the title of “the Voice of Barangay.”

This year they have narrowed it down to 10 contestants who will put on the perfor-mance of the year! You can purchase your

tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/631444

Pre-sale: $12 General Admission: $15 Venue: Cafe Fais Dodo 5257 W Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016

Doors open at 7:30 and show promptly starts at 8 p.m.

There will be giveaways and special guest appearances so you won’t want to miss out! Purchase your tickets now.

SACRAMENTO – California’s online voter registration website – launched in English and Spanish in 2012 – is now expanded to include eight additional lan-guages: Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. Individuals can now register to vote by visiting http://registertovote.ca.gov and filling out an online form that is available in these languages.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (Advancing Justice - LA) applauds the launch of multilingual online voter registration. Online voter registration offers a convenient alternative to filling out a registration form at the local DMV office, or downloading a form, filling it out, and putting it in the mail. Before the November 2012 election, over half a million people used the online voter registration website to register as new voters.

The expansion of online voter reg-istration into multiple languages was a requirement of Senate Bill 35, authored by Senator Alex Padilla and passed in 2012. Advocates expect the translation of online voter registration into multiple languages will help increase registration among Asian Americans and Latinos in California who tend to have relatively low voter registration rates. While 72 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 69 percent of African Americans in California reported being registered to vote in 2012, only 58 percent of Asians and 57 percent of Latinos were registered.

“There are over 6 million Californians

who are eligible to vote, but not registered. Online voter registration can help change that, but only if everyone in our commu-nity helps publicize the website,” states Eugene Lee, Democracy Project director at Advancing Justice - LA. Community orga-nizations and media outlets can learn what they can do increase awareness about the website by attending a webinar on May 2, 2014 at 10 a.m. PT; information about the webinar is available at https://cc.readytalk.com/r/t157g64pehoi&eom.

The online voter registration website also has a much-improved mobile inter-face, allowing smartphone and tablet users to register online easily.

Californians who are not registered to vote will need to register by May 19 if they wish to vote in the June 3rd primary. Individuals who are already registered vot-ers do not need to re-register, unless they wish to update their address or change their political party affiliation.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles is the nation’s largest Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) legal and civil rights organization and serves more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year. Founded in 1983 as the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Advancing Jus-tice - LA’s mission is to advocate for civil rights, provide legal services and educa-tion, and build coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and to create a more equitable and harmonious society.

Figure skating Olympian Michael Christian Martinez receives a certifi cate of appreciation and gift check from the Rotary Club of Chino Hills before he left for the Philippines. From left: Club Foundation Chair Teddy Alvarez, Public Relations Chair Tessie Lightholder, Community and Youth Service Chair Rick Jiao, Mrs. Lynn Fruto, Michael, Assistant Governor for District 5300 Rene Fruto, Secretary Ginny Mondonedo, Secretary-Elect Dolly Dalusong, Treasurer Tara Villavicencio, guest Patsy Wilson, and Theresa Saguinsin. Photo: Lydia V. Solis

Letran Knights embark on scholarship programcommunity college or university of a selected recipient in the United States. They added that the children of the of-ficers and Board of Directors are not eligible to participate.

To be considered, an applicant should write an essay of not less than 700 but not to exceed 1000 words regarding any of the following topics: 1. How has your education shaped you so far?

2. Discuss your plans for college and beyond.

3. Has your Filipino roots helped or hindered your life here in the USA?

The essay should be typewritten, double spaced with a covering letter that

would include the applicant’s name, high school attended, college to be enrolled in, cumulative HS GPA, parent’s name and batch year. Applications must be mailed and postmarked no later than July 31, 2014 to: Letran Alumni Association North America - Letran USA, P.O. Box 5282, Buena Park, CA 90622.

For more information, applicants may contact Letran Alumni President Bernie Gutierrez at 714-288-8048 or @ [email protected]; Gaspar Dela Rosa at 909-851-6252 or @ [email protected]; or Mike Afable at714-390-2466 or @ [email protected]. Interested parties may also visit www.letranusa.org. (Dan E. Nino)

Battle of the Voices in Los Angeles May 9

Online voter registration now available Tagalog, 9 other languagesChinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese also added to state voter registration website

Get free remittance fees plus a $10 Walmart gift card via PNB Web Remit


Historic Filipinotown community was introduced by FACLA director Dr. Marc Caratao.

Consul General Lim said, “Your con-sulate is your partner in the community Please do not look at us as a patron but your servants.

He also said, “Be rest assured your are welcome to talk to us, come to the consul-ate and consult us and make us as your partner in building our community’

The night of celebration as capped with the last canvassing of the Search for Ms. FACLA and Ms. Teen FACLA . After the last cnavasing, the winner were announced by the Search Committee.

The winners for Ms. FACLA was Ms. Monet A. Marual while the Ms. Teen FACLA was Ms. Jasmine Morada.

The other winners for Ms. FACLA were Ms Emette underwood as Ms. Luzon, Ms.Cora Miller as Ms. Visayas, Ms. Pris-cilla Montero as Ms. Mindanao and Ms. Donna Canarez as Ms. Manila.

Winners for Ms. Teen FACLA were

Ms.Mary Banawa as Ms. Justice and Ms. Caroline Jimenez as Ms. Charity.

Ms. Jovy Alejandrino, the Tagalog poetess of Historic Filipinotown recited a poem in honor of the winners while press photographers feasted on the newly crowned beauties of FACLA. Atty Roman Mosqueda danced with his equally viva-cious partner in an exciting dance number that brought the house down.

The former Ms. Teen FACLA 2013, Ms..Stephanie Uy and Charlie Pura and former Mrs. FACLA 2013 winners; Lilia Guapa Lao ,Marilyn Ranchez and Terry Abdon crowned the winners of Ms. FACLA and Ms. Teen FACLA 2014.

Maestro Buddy Reyes and his band played the music and the sumptuous dinner and the dancing went on through the night.

For more information about cultural events at FACLA, please contact Clarita Julian of FACLA or Bernie-Targa Ganon at (213)484-1527.

Or please email us at [email protected].

Los Angeles, April 28 – FACLA’s 69th Anniversary celebration was a smash-ing success!

Hundreds of Filipino-American com-munity leaders, residents, dignitaries and guests celebrated the sixty ninth anniver-sary of the Filipino American Community of Los Angeles (FACLA) last Saturday, April 26, 2014 in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles with a dinner and dance party.

FACLA President Austin Baul Jr. said, “ who will think that 69 years ago, the or-ganization that was formed by three farm worker men and a woman Petra Hernandez will grow like what is today, a resilient, growing and steadfast community organi-zation representing the Filipino-American interests.”

Media observers and guests that the crowd in the 69th year dinner and dance party was the biggest attendance so far for

FACLA’s anniversary celebrations.Guests Laud FACLA AchievementsPastor Benny Aranas of the Lord of

Harvest gave the invocation that opened the program.

Council District member for CD 13 Mitch O’Farrell who made a surprise visit at FACLA paid tribute to FACLA. He said, “ FACLA remained firm and grew despite all its problems and maintained its integrity and dignity as the oldest Filipino-American organization. I wish you all the success.”

He presented a certificate of recogni-tion signed by himself and Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti. He read the certificate and gave it to FACLA president Austin Baul Jr.

The newly arrived Philippine Consul General to LA, Leo Herrera Lim, the for-mer Consul General in Chicago, Illinois for six years, on his first foray into the

FACLA celebrates 69th year anniversary, crowns Ms and Ms Teen FACLA

From the left, Ms FACLA and Ms Teen FACLA winners: Ms.Donna Canarez, Ms.Mindanao, Cora Miller, Ms.Visayas, Precy Montero, Ms.Manila, Ms.FACLA. Monette MArual, Ms. Teen FACLA, Jasmine Morada and Ms.Luzon, Emette Underwood,.


ENTERTAINMENTAn exasperated Angel Locsin on Thurs-

day reiterated that she did not cheat on former boyfriend, Philippine Azkals star Phil Younghusband, when she decided to reconcile with Luis Manzano.

Bashers of the actress have been ac-cusing the actress of being a cheater when she admitted last January that she is still in love with Manzano, her former boyfriend.

This despite clarifications made by Locsin early on that Manzano was not the reason she broke up with Younghusband.

In fact, when asked about her critics’ persistent accusation during the press conference of of her hit series “The Legal Wife” on Thursday, Locsin revealed that it was she who has been cheated on before, although she did not identify who did what.

“Utang na loob, ‘di ako nag-cheat. Maraming beses akong naloko, maraming nang-agaw, nanglandi pero wala kayong naririnig sa akin,” she said.

“So kapag nagsalita ako, ingat ingat na

lang din kasi hindi naman ako nagsasalita, hindi ba? So huwag na lang nila akong ituturo,” she warned.

In the hit primetime series, Locsin plays the character of Monica, the betrayed wife of Adrian (Jericho Rosales).

“The Legal Wife” dominated trends on Twitter locally and worldwide on Wednes-

day, as its titular character broke down in tears over the realization that her husband is cheating on her with her best friend.

“Actually hindi ako nang-aaway ma-syado. Hindi ako nagba-blog kasi wala naman akong dapat itago,” Locsin said.

“Kahit ano sabihin niyo sa akin eh, kilala ko ang sarili ko. Hello, ako pa ba ang matatakot sa katotohanan? Kaya lang minsan kapag sobrang below the belt na,

like nadadamay na si Miko (Sotto, her former boyfriend), ang pamilya ko at saka ‘yung paulit-ulit na pinipilit na ibaligtad ang sitwasyon. Doon na ako magsasalita. Pero sasabihin ko lang kung ano ang side ko kasi naniniwala ako na hindi mo dapat sirain ang buhay ng isang tao para ikaw ang umangat. Okay lang ako ang maging negative pero hindi ako sisira ng buhay ng tao,” she said. (MNS)

Angel Locsin: Maraming beses akong naloko

Angel Locsin

MANILA, Apr 30 (Mabuhay) -- Is ac-tress-host Kris Aquino entertaining a new suitor now that she and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista have stopped dating?

During Tuesday episode of her morning show “KrisTV,” Aquino mentioned about expecting a call from what seems to be a new suitor as she pondered on why a man would still call up someone he has broke up with. Without mentioning Bautista’s name, Aquino hinted that the actor-turned politician still calls her up and sends text messages, which she just ignored.

“Ito ‘yung totoo: may feeling kami na may ibang tatawag. Sa kakatawag nito, hindi makakapasok ang isang tatawag kasi tawag ng tawag. Kung ayaw mo na ‘yung tao bakit ka pa tawag ng tawag?” Aquino said before turning to her cameraman to seek a “male perspective.”

“Naki-break ka sa tao tapos ‘yung person medyo okay na, may iba nang ini-entertain, bakit tatawag ka pa? From a male perspective, bakit ka tatawag ng

tatawag ng buong gabi eh ayaw ka na na-mang kausapin?” Aquino asked the camer-man, who replied: “May pagtingin pa po.”

Also on Tuesday’s episode, a more pensive Aquino asked co-host Pokwang if money can buy happiness.

“Depende kung paano mo gagami-tin ang pera,” the comedienne replied. “Napaka-blessed mo na eh para magka-roon ng bitterness sa buhay.”

Aquino also clarified that she’s not angry because of what happened between her and Bautista.

“I’m not mad. Honestly, sinabi ko sa sarili ko yon, wala kang karapatang mag-alit dahil mabait ang Diyos sa iyo. There’s no reason to be sad when there are so many who want to make you happy,” she added.

Bautista decided to stop pursuing Aquino before the Holy Week break, a source said, only a week after the actress confirmed on live television that they were indeed dating, as rumored in the previous month.(MNS)

Does Kris have a new suitor?

JOHN Prats said girlfriend Isabel Oli is wife and mother material.

In an interview with the comedian dur-ing the press launch of “Pinoy Big Brother Season 5,” Prats shared that he can already see that the 32-year-old actress would be a supportive spouse and great mother to her children. He added that what they have now is different from their past relationships.

“Mas lamang yung friendship. Parang 90 percent friends kami, and then the 10 percent is the relationship, yung lovers talaga,” Prats said.

The “Banana Split” host added: “I think that’s the most important, na kaya namin sabihin sa isa’t isa kung ano yung nara-ramdaman namin. We can talk about our exes na walang magagalit.”

John said that he is also certain that Oli is “the one”. “Malalaman mo lang talaga. Ginusto ko siya before sa past, pero ngayon ko lang siya naramdaman,” he added.

When asked if marriage is around the corner for the two of them, Prats said he wants Oli to be ready before popping the question. And if it happens, he said, he wants it to be personal and an intimate one.

“I just want her to be ready, but gusto ko talagang mapasaya siya. Ang masasabi ko lang, malapit na malapit na,” he said.

“Hindi ako makapagsalita but I’m re-ally excited. Gusto ko gawin yung journey din as a man, yung luluhod ako, then the preparation of the wedding, then the wed-ding day, then babies agad. ‘Yun ang plano ko talaga. And nakikita ko naman sa kanya yun,” he said.

Oli appeared on ABS-CBN series “An-naliza” and the network’s Lenten Special.

Prats said that his girlfriend’s contract with GMA-7 expired last year and he’s hopeful that Oli will soon become part of ABS-CBN. “Happy ako na marami siyang guestings and acting (projects) kasi yun ta-laga ang strength niya. Happy and excited din siya to be part of ABS-CBN, para isa na lang din diba,” he said.

“Magaling si Liv. Nakita ko sa mga guestings niya. Feeling ko pang ABS-CBN talaga si Liv. And kung ako tatanungin, I want her to be part of ABS-CBN,” he added. Prats revealed that his girlfriend will soon guest in an ABS-CBN drama series.(MNS)

John Prats sees Isabel Oli as ‘wife material’


JOB MARKETFor advertising, call (818) 552-4503 402 • Fax (818) 550-7635 • email: [email protected]

VISAYAN INTERPRETER CAREGIVER

Live-inFax your resume:

323-661-6875(Call first in the morning before 12 noon)

CAR PROS KIA$$$$$$ RARE OPPORTUNITY $$$$$$#1 KIA Retailer in the Nation, HAS OPENING FOR TALENTED

TOP PERFORMERS!!!We sell over 600 cars per month.

If you're serious about your career and want to earn a 6 figure income in a fun environment this is the place for you.

TOP PERFORMERS NEED ONLY TO APPLY!!! Straight Sales…

HUGE COMMISSIONS!!! And HUGE BONUSES!!! 401k and Health insurance.

The ideal candidate will have experience as Closers, F&I Managers, and Sales Managers who are talented and desire to make BIG $$$. There are opportunities for advancement for the proven professional. If you believe you're qualified

to be a part of our #1 TEAM apply in person.

21243 S. Avalon Blvd. Carson CA, 90745

WANTED FEMALE

CAREGIVERLIVE-IN ONLY 5 DAYS A WEEK

LAKEVIEW TERRACE AREAMUST HAVE GOOD REFERENCES

CAN DRIVE

(pls leave clear msg. name & tel #)

BOOKKEEPER- Property Mngmt -

W/ exp. in accntg. In Miracle mile area of L.A. Pro cient w/ MS Word, Exce l & basic computer, excellent written & verbal comm. Learns quickly w/ minimal supervision. Email resume: [email protected] FEMALE CAREGIVER

Female caregiver for elderly facility in Hacienda Heights. Call 626-388-5213.

T: 323-588-7666

LOOKING FOR FULL TIME

WAREHOUSEMAN/WAREHOUSE DRIVERADMIN, IT/GRAPHIC DESIGNER,SHIPPING MANY POSITION AVAILABLE

LOCATED IN VERNON L.A.NEEDED IMMEDIATELYLOOK FOR CHRISTINE

WANTED IMMEDIATELY!

Call Charmaine: (714) 956-1010 Fax: (714) 956-7198 Or send resume to: [email protected]

-Registered NURSE w/ CA Lic. [New Grads ok] LA, OC, Riverside & San Bernardino

-LVN

-Male and Female Caregivers Full/Partime /Driving/NONE

-HOTEL: Front Desk Day & Night Audit Shifts

WAITRESS, WAITRESS HELPER,

Break time 30min – 60 min per shiftCall 213-507-1145 [email protected]

8000 West Sunset Blvd. # A202 Los Angeles, CA 90046

NOW HIRING

Working Time: Sushiman 3pm – 12am / 6pm-2am 1 week = 40hr = $3600-3800/month.

Waitress 3:30-12am / 6pm-2am 1 week = 40hr = $3300-3500/month.

Waitress Helper (male) - 3pm-2am 1 week =50hr =$3000-3200/month.

SUSHI CHEF, KITCHEN STAFF

The Broadcast Engineer is responsible for daily maintenance and alignment of broadcast equipment, and support for

on-air television production.

ENGINEER, BROADCAST La18 KSCI-TV, home to Kababayan Today,

is seeking an experienced engineer.

For more info on job duties and qualificationsplease visit: www.la18.tv/broadcast-engineer

Submit resume and cover letter to: LA 18 KSCI-TV E-mail: [email protected]

LIVE-IN CAREGIVERHiring live-in caregiver for 6 bed for elderly facility in Orange County. Private room & good condition. 5 Days a week. Pls call 714-225-3725.

FEMALE CAREGIVERL i v e - i n c a r e g i v e r f o r elderly in Phoenix, AZ. No experience required. Will train. Good working conditions. 480-822-9257.

*CAREGIVER NEEDED*Female full time staff in San Fernando Valley for ARF. Must be able to write & speak English fluently. Would like to consider a nurturing, hardworking & self motivated individual. 818-674-8675Balita

GET RESULTS!ADVERTISE WITH

US TODAY!

GREAT PAYEXCELLENT GROWTH OPPORTUNITY

WANTEDAUTOMOTIVE SALESPEOPLE

IF INTERESTED, PLEASE EMAIL RESUME TO:[email protected]

2 POSITIONS NEEDED:

and email resume: [email protected] btw 4-6pm at 714-235-0889

ACCOUNTING CLERK

SALES PERSON•Previous sales experience minimum 2 years any industry•Good Attention

to Detail, writing skills and email•Office, Word, Excel, Outlook and research•Organized and able to have good follow up skills•Located in

Cerritos•Rate is $13 plus commission

•Experience with Answering phones, Microsoft office suite(excel, word, etc)•Experience for 1 years minimum in MAS 90 if possible or some entry Accountingbackground preferred•Working in a fast pace environment, Good for Attention

to Detail and Organizational Skills•Shipping via Fedex, UPS, DHL software and Receiving of inventory•Answer phones and able to fax • Rate $11 to Start

CAREGIVERS & RES. MGR.

Caring, sincere, serious team player for live-in, FT/PT for B&C w/ 7 facilities i n O r a n g e C o . G o o d pay, bene ts. Legal docs req'd. Must speak English. Zeny (714) 227-5766 bet. 9am-4pm M-F only. Lic 306002446

FEMALE CAREGIVERMust speak English. For board and care for San Fernando Valley area. Full-time, live-in. Call 818-610-1082.

MALE CAREGIVERImmediate hiring for 6 bed board & care facility. With or w/out experience. Call (818) 787-0789.

CAREGIVERS & ADMIN ASST.

Live-in/out. For assisted living homes in West Side. Will sponsor. Call Dimitri (310) 367-0104

CAREGIVERLive-in caregiver for board and care. Call Doug (562) 688-6820

MALE CAREGIVERFull-time live-in. Immediate opening in Buena Park. Some experience required, will train. Pls. call (714) 523-2635 for details.

IMMEDIATE HIRELive-in male caregivers needed for Board & Care facility in Woodland Hills. Please call (818) 288-5406.

CAREGIVERBoard and care Home needs female caregiver in Dana Point. Live-in, active, can cook, responsible, and experienced. Call (949) 248-9415.

STAFF NEEDEDAdult Care staff needed. Caregivers for DD. Live-in / full time. Whittier & Rowland H e i g h t s . I m m e d i a t e openings. Responsible and experienced. (909) 247-4987 or (626) 839-5212.

CAREGIVER

Full-time live-in caregiver needed immediately for a board & care faci l i ty for elderly in Northridge. With experience but not necessary. We will train. Pls call 818-742-8045.

Coord. activities of residents in a skilled nursing facility.

B.S. in any medical field.

RESIDENT

Send resume: Gladstone Care & Rehabilitation Center

ADVISOR

435 E. Gladstone St., Glendora, CA 91740Attn: M. De Paz.

reuse.recycle.

reduce.


CLASSIFIED ADSTEL.: (818) 552-4503 ext 402 • Fax: (818) 550-7635 • MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRITHoly Spirit Thou who make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal, You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank You for everything and con rm once more that I never want to be separated from You no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Amen. A person must pray this for three consecutive days without stating his wish. After the 3rd day the wish will be granted, no matter how dif cult it may be. Promise to publish this as soon as your favor has been granted. Grateful Thanks -GREY

PRAYERS

HOW TO SEND US

[email protected] E-MAIL

PRESS RELEASES

Press releases should include your signature, full name and complete address (as well as

telephone number). Letters that do not meet these requirements will not be used.

All contributions are subject to editorial standards. Articles are printed subject to space

availability and at no cost to the sender.

The Editor

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PLACE CLASSIFIED/JOB MARKET ADS

BY PHONE BY FAX BY SNAIL MAILOR E-MAIL

818-552-4503 818-550-7635Please have this information ready: Company Name, Contact Person, Address, Phone # and Fax #. Payment is made using a credit card.

Faxed ads should include this information: Company Name, Contact Person, Address, Phone # and Fax #. Payment is made using a credit card.

Check or Money Order should be made payable to Balita Media Inc.

520 East Wilson Ave. Ste. 210Glendale, CA 91206

[email protected]

APT. FOR RENTMove-in special. 1 BR, laundry, covered parking. Close to freeways and schools. 137 N. Rosemont Avenue (between Beverly & Temple), Los Angeles. Manager: Mercy (213) 483-5117.

MAG

TAYOwww.usasianpost.comVISIT OUR WEBSITE

JAY D” PLUMBER-HANDYMAN

Plumbing repair, drain cleaning, copper repipe, bath & kitchen, remodel hydro jetter, toilet, disposal, heating water heater, iron works, electrical & carpen-try. Free estimate. (818) 730-6571

PRAYER to the BLESSED VIRGIN(Never known to fail)

Oh most beautiful ower of Mt. Carmel, fruit wine splendor of Heaven.Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea. Help me and show me here you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must publish and it will be granted to you. Thank you Blessed Virgin. - C.M.C

PRAYERS

I will make your computer working again, fast and virus-free,install new parts or even upgrade your computer software (if applicable). Desktop or laptop, I'll find out why your computer is malfunctioning and fix it right away!

COMPUTER REPAIRGot virus? Is your computer so sloooowww; has a blue screen; the videos are not playing; or your Internet's not working?Is there something wrong with your computer?

I WILL Fix IT*For a flat fee of

Call us at (818) 823-5388 Email us: [email protected](* Dr y rdwar r r ra y r a y.)

LA Desktop & Laptop Services

d f

p*

APT. FOR RENTHollywood. 1 BR $1,100; Single $875 brand new hardwood r, intercom en-try, a/c, TFC cable ready, gated parking, pool, near Sunset & Wilcox, no pets. Manager speak Tagalog. (323) 462-3573

ROOM FOR RENTPanorama City & Canoga Park. $450 to $475. Near Seafood City, nice & quiet locations. All utilities in-cluded. Near bus stop. 818-800-9615.

• DIALYSIS TECHNICIAN (12 weeks or 7 weeks accelerated)• PHARMACY TECHNICIAN (11 weeks)

Low tuition/flexible schedule/job placement assistance

Call: 310-691-3358 or 310/889-5956

BECOME A BOARD CERTIFIED

WWW.CALMEDCAREERINSTITUTE.COM

IN JUST A FEW WEEKS

ANIMALTESTING

FIGHTING

SAVE OUR PLANET

NEW & OLD SCHOOL INSURANCE WORKABSOLUTE COLLISION CENTER

Fax: 562.206.0077

FREE: Estimates ,Pick Up ,Delivery & Detail

with Paint WorkTowing & Bumper to Bumper

Complete Repair

GT 310.401.4015 Andy 562.858.9361 [email protected] [email protected]

9226 Bermudez St. Pico Rivera, CA 90660Pilipino po kami!

MALE BEDSPACER$325. Panorama City. Close to WalMart, Island Paci c, Food4Less & bus line. Month to month. Call 818-205-8655.

ROOM FOR RENTFor one female only. W/ private entry & bathroom (furnished), utilities includ-ed. Located in a residential area, close to market & bus stop. Corner Sunset Blvd. $500/mo. Call (213) 483-3711, cell (323) 788-9615.

APT. FOR RENT1 BR, 1 BA, newly remod-eled large apartment. 322 N. Mariposa, LA. $985. Call: home 818-956-1658; Benny cel: 818-216-5700; 818-395-5882.

APT. FOR RENTTownhouse style, large 2 BR w/ balcony, 2 BA, stove, carpet, etc. Close to all. Must see! 213-385-3558.

ROOM FOR RENTSpacious room with bath. Single occupant, fur-nished, ref. basic utilities incld.,except A/C & heater L.A./Western/Melrose. Call 323-868-8333

ROOM -NORTH HILLS$575/mo. Furnished, free utilities, cable & internet. Near Seafood market Nor-dhoff branch. Welcome stu-dents, caregivers & single male/female. Call after 3pm (818) 693-1358.

ROOM FOR RENTIn Panorama. $500/mo. Own entrance & own bath-room. TFC included & other, close to Filipino es-tablishment. Call (818) 366-6148; (818) 625-3477 or (626) 318-2001.

ROOM & BEDSPACEFree utils. w/ Filipino chan-nel. Close to bus stop bet Beverly Bl. & Oakwood Ave. $575/mo. + deposit w/ pri-vate bath. Bedspace $325 + dep. No parking avail. Ideal for a caregiver. 323-691-0899

World Renowned Famous

PsychicReadings

(626) 392-5760

TELLS THE PAST,THE PRESENT,THE FUTURE...Specializing in Psychic,Crystal, Palm & Tarot Card“AURA” Healing & Cleansing

EXPERT ON “KULAM”Love, Relationships,Reuniting Marriages &Lovers, Health & BusinessProblems, Immigrationand Past Life Transgression.

DR. REVENO IS CERTIFIED...She can give names, datesand times. She will tell youexactly what to do and howshe will help remove badluck from your life.

Speak directly toDr. Maria RevenoCALL RIGHT NOW!

By Dr. Maria RevenoBy Dr. Maria Reveno

Specializingin POTIONS

Are you suffering?Are you sick?

Do you have anybad habits?

Get rid ofthem today?

ONE FREEQUESTION?

ANSWER FREEJUST FORCALLING!

Receive

$10$10Card

ReadingSpecial

CardReadingSpecial


&Fil-Am News Lifestyle

Your premier source for Fil-Am Lifestyle. Updated daily with local, national and international news.

Balita.comu Lif t le

Follow us on www.facebook.com/balita.filam.news and http://twitter.com/balitamedia


MOTORSSALES•LEASING • ALL MAKES & MODELS

213-413-55081930 W. 6TH ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90057

WALANG PROBLEMA!

Ang dealer ng Pinoy na tumutulong sa mga Tax ID pa lang ang hawak at International Drivers pa lang ang lisensya! BAGO SA AMERICA? FIRST TIME BUYER? NO CREDIT HISTORY? ANY CREDIT SITUATION?

REPOSSESSIONS? FORECLOSURES? COLLECTIONS? SLOW PAYS? LEASE RETURNS? TRADE INS?

SALES•LEASING • ALL MAKES & MODELS

WE MAKE CAR BUYING SIMPLE.

TAX ID NUMBER? INTERNATIONAL DRIVER’S LICENSE?TAX ID NUMBER? INTERNATIONAL DRIVER’S LICENSE?

323-547-1291 [email protected]

JUN GUINTU Dito na kayo sa madaling kausap! JEFF TIAMZON619-677-0917

FREDDIE LACAP760-333-5211

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Grammy Award-winning violinist, Joshua Bell and Glee and Broadway star sensation, Darren Criss join multi-award-winning Broadway artist Lea Salonga, Hollywood actor Lou Diamond Phillips, tenor Rodell Rosel, Christine Rocas of Joffrey Ballet, singer Apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas and a host of other celebrities will come together in the nation’s capital for a benefit concert for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philip-pines. The Philippine Embassy said the concert, dubbed “After the Storm,” will be staged at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, 15 June 2014.

The concert is being held in coopera-tion with the US-Philippines Society and the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition, directed by Broadway’s Baayork Lee and produced by Emmy-nominated producer, Robert Pullen.

“This benefit concert intends to bring attention to the invaluable and necessary efforts of recovery for the people of the Philippines who were affected by Haiyan,” said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., who conceived the project with his wife, Mrs. Maria Victoria Cuisia.

The concert, which will take place in the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall, will benefit storm victims through partner organizations committed to the rebuilding of the devastation that has occurred in the Philippines.

“As the world’s attention is gradually drawn away from the devastation in the central Philippines, we are reminded that formidable challenges remain for millions of families displaced by the most powerful tropical storm ever to make landfall,” said Ambassador John F. Maisto, President of the US-Philippines Society. “The Kennedy Center benefit evening will help those

people reconstruct homes and schools, restart businesses, re-store livelihoods, and regain access to health facilities,” Ambassa-dor Maisto added.

The evening will feature celebrity ap-pearances and per-formances together with the Fairfax Sym-phony Orchestra con-ducted by Luke Fra-zier and the Broadway Community Chorus founded by Broadway legend

Baayork Lee. It will also include a series of video mes-sages of hope from celebrities and other personalities from around the world.

Among the first to confirm their partici-pation in the concert was the Manila-based Lea Salonga, who won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards for her appearance in Miss Saigon.

Salonga is the first Asian actress to play the roles of Éponine and Fantine in Les Miserables on Broadway. She portrayed both roles on the musical’s 10th and 25th anniversary shows in London respectively. She also provided the singing voice of two official Disney princesses: Jasmine in Aladdin (1992) and Fa Mulan in Mu-lan (1998) and Mulan II (2004).

Also participating in the concert is Filipino-American actor Lou Diamond

Phillips who is best known for his break-out starring role in the movie La Bamba as Ritchie Valens. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I. Other notable films in which Phillips has starred include Courage Under Fire, Che, and Love Takes Wing.

Grammy Award-winning artist, Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas will also per-form in the concert. The Philippine-born artist, whose real names is Allan Pineda, is known for his philanthropic and humanitar-ian work through his Apl.de.ap Foundation.

Also performing is Chicago-based tenor, Rodell Rosel, who has been hailed as one of the best young opera singers of his generation. Rosel performs regularly with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and has appeared in several operatic performances around the US. He recently finished a stint at the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico and made his debut performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York early this year.

The cast also includes Christine Rocas, principal dancer courtesy of Joffrey Ballet. Prior to joining the Joffrey Ballet, Rocas participated and won several prestigious awards from different international bal-let competitions.

And just announced: Celebrated and Grammy-award-winning violinist, Joshua Bell joins to pay tribute to the people of the Philippines. Joshua Bell is one of the world’s most distinguished violinists and his restless curiosity, passion, universal appeal, and multi-faceted musical interests have earned him the rare title of “classical music superstar.”

Lastly, Glee and Broadway superstar, Darren Criss, joins this special tribute. Criss has been tireless in his efforts to sup-port the Philippines caused by the devasta-tion of Typhoon Haiyan.

Tickets, ranging from $25 to $250 are now on sale and may be purchased online at www.kennedy-center.org or visiting the Kennedy Center box office or charge by phone by calling (202) 467-4600. The offi-cial website for this event is www.after-the-storm.org. There are sponsorship packages available for corporations and individuals who would like to support and underwrite this performance. For information on spon-sorship opportunities and other queries, please email [email protected] call +1.202.595.2880.

World renowned violinist, Joshua Bell And Glee Star, Darren Criss added to the all-star line-up typhoon Haiyan tribute concert


SPORTS

Pinay will be driving the Mazda Philippine #16 car easily identifi ed by Michele’s signature butterfl y

Indianapolis, IN – Michele Bumgarner will compete in the Pro Mazda Champi-onship presented by Cooper Tires season with World Speed Motorsports for the 2014 season. This will be Bumgarner’s first full season on the second step of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder. She has six previous starts in Pro Mazda, five in 2008 and one in 2013 with a best finish of ninth in Reliant Park Houston Race last season, also run with World Speed. Her primary sponsor is Mazda Philippines.

Bumgarner stated, “I’m really very excited about the opportunity that Mazda Philippines has made possible for me. It has been five years since I have been back in full competition mode, although the Houston event last year was a great warm-up and I have had some testing in the off-season to prepare for a return to

competition, but no doubt, I have a chal-lenge in front of me. I believe this season for me is about getting back in the game, finding the new limits on this Pro Mazda car – as it’s different than the car I drove in ’08, and really preparing myself to move

up the ladder as my skills allow me to and for sure, make it to IndyCar. I mean, this is my dream and I’m really fortunate to have a shot at it.”

A native born Filipina, Bumgarner was raised in Manila. Her American father, Lee introduced her brother Mark to kart-ing during a time when girls just didn’t race. Michele, the older of the two simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. Her father finally gave in and put her on the track as well. She went on to change the history books, not only as the first female to win events but in many cases the first Filipino to race and win on the international stage. Know as the Queen of Karting in her country, Michele now has the opportunity to proudly carry the Philippine flag into the next level of her career.

“Michele has an impressive racing background,” noted World Speed Motor-sports President Telo Stewart. “She has been very focused, and did extremely well in preliminary testing in the updated

Pro Formula Mazda, and also at the PMC finale at Houston last season. Michele is a consummate professional on and off the track, and we are glad to add her to our team for the 2014 season. We are looking forward to helping her achieve her goals on the Mazda Road to Indy. Bumgarner will be driving the Mazda Philippine #16 car easily identified by Michele’s signature butterfly; her symbol of beauty, strength and laughter. Used in concert with Michele’s interest to empower young women, her MB but-terfly will become a powerful symbol of not only Michele, but her spirit and her mission. Also supporting Michele is the City of Olongapo, Oakley and Mark Bumgarner Fashions driven by her brother, who is now a successful and highly popular fashion designer in the Philippines.Fans can follow Michele’s season via her blog on Top Gear.ph, on Facebook at Mi-chele Bumgarner Racing, on Twitter and Instagrams @MicheleBum.

Fil-Am race driver Michele Bumgarner ready for a full season of pro Mazda racing with world speed

Michele Bumgarner

Boxing greats Mayweather, De La Hoya want piece of the action

LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2014 (AFP) – Hollywood moguls, sports stars and rap-pers have all voiced interest in taking over the Los Angeles Clippers after the NBA urged owners to expel disgraced Donald Sterling in the wake of a racism row.

The rumor mill was churning in over-

drive on Wednesday, with everyone from boxing greats Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather to millionaire musician Sean “Diddy” Combs on the list of potential suitors. On Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned the 80-year-old Sterling from the game for life over what he called “deeply offensive” comments made by the Clippers owner about blacks.

Silver also called on other owners of

National Basketball Association teams to force Sterling, a real estate tycoon, to sell.

A three-quarters majority of the re-maining 29 owners must agree, and Silver said he expects to have their backing.

Though that process has not yet been fleshed out, that did not keep possible investors from expressing their interest in the team, which Forbes has valued at $575 million.

‘It’s not just talk’ -“Do we want to buy the Clippers? Yes,

we do. We are very, very interested in buy-ing the Clippers,” Mayweather, an unde-feated welterweight champ, said Tuesday in Las Vegas, according to ESPN.

The 37-year-old Mayweather said he would want to take on a “solid percent-age” of the team, adding: “It’s not just talk.”

Who could own the Clippers? Speculation swirls


MOTORING

ERLANGER, Ky. (April 24, 2014) – What do the cities of Dallas, Texas and Oakland, Calif. have in common? A lot, according to Toyota’s engineers, despite the two cities being separated by nearly 1,700 miles with different demographics and industries.

Either city could be powered for an entire year based on the amount of energy not used by Toyota’s 14 North American manufacturing plants during the past de-cade. For engineers, that’s equal to nearly 11 billion kilowatt hours of energy. And for non-engineers, that’s enough to power nearly 400,000 average U.S. households for an entire year.

Toyota’s 41,000 team members’ con-tinuous efforts to reduce energy use have resulted in Toyota’s 10th consecutive En-ergy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. EPA for continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy ef-ficiency.

Ten consecutive Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Awards are the most by any automaker and Toyo-ta’s accomplishments will be recognized in Washington, D.C., on April 29.

During the 10-year period, total energy use has been reduced by 22 percent per vehicle produced and total CO2 emissions has been reduced by 19 percent per vehicle produced. Total cost savings during the decade is nearly $500 million dollars.

“Through continuous improvement, good collaboration and sharing best prac-tices, we continue to stay highly motivated to identify ways to minimize our impact to the environment,” says Robin Haugen, general manager of Toyota’s plant and environmental engineering group. “Our team members demonstrate that when good ideas are shared, great things can happen, and we are grateful to receive our tenth consecutive Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”

In addition to the award, Toyota has been recognized for its commitment to energy reduction activities by several agencies and organizations including:

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings, Better Plant Program, a national leadership initiative focused on industrial energy efficiency to reduce energy intensity by 25 percent over ten years. In 2012, Toyota further improved its energy intensity by nearly 10 percent, bringing its cumulative improvement to 27 percent (against a 2008 baseline).

Earning five U.S. EPA Energy Star Automotive Assembly Plant Awards. The five plants receiving the award are in the top 25 percent of all North American plants in energy efficiency.

Earning six U.S. EPA Energy Star Challenge For Industry Awards. This is awarded to non-vehicle assembly plants that achieve a ten percent improvement in energy performance.

If you need to “adorn” your garage with

a brand-new Toyota, all you have to do is come down ton Hamer Toyota located at 11041 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345 and get in touch with any of our kababayans Matt Morente (Floor Manager), Marylou Santiago (VIP/Internet Coordinator), Wency Magno, Reno Reyes, Tony Pijuan and Rico Ayala (Leasing & Sales). Call our kababayans now toll free at 1-855-592-7077 and make your dream of owning a new Toyota vehicle a reality today.

RENO REYESLeasing & Sales

WENCY MAGNOLeasing & Sales

TONY PIJUANLeasing & Sales

RICO AYALALeasing & Sales

MARYLOU SANTIAGOVIP/Internet Coordinator

MATT MORENTEFloor Manager

HAMER TOYOTA FILIPINO SALES TEAM

Toyota celebrates a decade of energy excellenceEarns its 10th consecutive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Partner of the Year Award; most among any automaker WASHINGTON, May 1, 2014 (AFP) – Automakers General Motors, Chrysler

and Toyota on Thursday scored US sales gains in April, extending the rebound from bad winter weather, while Ford sales unexpectedly slipped.

GM, the largest US automaker, said total sales rose 7.0 percent in April from a year ago, to 254,076 vehicles.

Chrysler Group, the US unit of Italy’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, clocked in a 14 percent jump year-over-year with 178,652 vehicles sold, its best April perfor-mance since 2007.

For General Motor Company and Chrysler, sales gains were higher than estimates of 4.7 percent and 12.30 percent, respectively, from analysts at Edmunds. com, a car-shopping website. Ford Motor Company, the number-two US automaker, reported sales fell 1.0 percent from a year ago, to 141,950 vehicles. Edmunds.com analysts had forecast a 4.6 percent increase.

GM, Chrysler, Toyota boost US sales in April, Ford falls


138 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale, CA 91205

www.diamondhondaofglendale.com866.237.7092

All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document preparation charge, and any emissions testing charge. Ad expires close of business date of publication. For well qualified buyers on approved credit. Not all who apply will qualify. Ad expires on 05/04/14.

GLE

NDAL

E

AVE.

5 2

134BROADWAY

COLORADO BLVD.

of Glendaleof Glendale

rate as low asHonda Certified Used Cars & Other Pre-owned Specials

on select Honda models.

2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

COUNCILEXCELLENCE

OF

Financial Services

American Honda Finance Corporation

Honda

0% APR0% APR

(241068A/95541884)

(91179A/AJ219562)

(91220/9B421978)

d Hn oo nm da aiD d Hn oo nm da aiD d Hn oo nm da aiD d Hn oo nm da aiDof Glendaleof Glendale

(91206/9C502700)

(91235/BL029101)

ALL NEW 2014 Honda CIVIC LX

Starting at $23,545. $3,795 due at lease signing plus destination, tax, title & tags. 36 month lease, 12k miles/yr. 36 miles with $0.15 per excess mile. No security deposit required. On approved above average credit through American Honda Financial Services.

2 AT THIS OFFER(241006/173598, 241015/173123)

lease for only

Redesigned, 4Dr Sedan, Automatic

5 AT THIS OFFERStarting at $19,980. $3,795 due at lease signing plus destination, tax, title & tags. 36 month lease, 12k miles/yr. 36 miles with $0.15 per excess mile. No security deposit required. On approved above average credit through American Honda Financial Services.


2 AT THIS OFFER(241001/523357, 241074/529856)

5 AT THIS OFFER

per monthplus tax

ALL NEW 2014 Honda ACCORD LXlease for only per monthplus tax

Redesigned, 4 Door Sedan, Automatic

ALL NEW 2014 Honda CR-V LXlease for only$125$125 per monthplus tax

Sport Utility, 2WD, Automatic

$105$105

$99$99

ALL NEW 2014 Honda ACCORD SPORTlease for only$129$129 per monthplus tax

Automatic


Huge Selection of Certified Pre-Owned HondasHuge Selection of Certified Pre-Owned Hondas

Included with the purchase of any new or selected used vehicle. We will extend your Powertrain Warranty for as long

as you own your vehicle. Peace of mind you can’t get anywhere else.

only at Diamond Honda

1.9% APR1.9% APR On approved credit for well qualified buyers.

Model #CR2F5EEW

(C24573A/DA008467)

(91238/CU077923)

(91234/BH518781)

(24269A/5C047231)

(24690A/76058661)

(241016A/5U171350)

(24122A/BM400470)

(91202/BL002730)

FREE LIFETIMEFREE LIFETIME**

**

Tito AdriosulaSales & Leasing

Orly RoqueSales & Leasing

Cruzella ClementeSales & Leasing

POWERTRAIN WARRANTYPOWERTRAIN WARRANTY

(91236/BE042903)

on limited long term financing on select new Honda models for well qualified buyers. On approved credit.

Great GiftMOM

(91231/BA115949) (24828A/DB038613)

One thing that really is a drag for people is buying a car. The process is so simple yet you wonder why it has to be very stressful – haggling over the prices, getting pre-approved, balancing credit scores vs downpayment, and worse, agents who just won’t let you go. And the end result, you get to buy a car half-hearted, and exhausted from a more than half a day ordeal at the dealership.

I had a very challenging case since I want to change my car that I only had for a little over a year. It was also a car that I shared ownership with my wife. Since we are getting a housing loan, we needed to remove her name from that car to improve her credit-to-income ratio. It would be very expensive for me plus it would ruin my credit score. I even thought that it was a hopeless case, and almost decided to just wait it out until I get equity on the car.

When I heard about Victory Autos, I was still a bit skeptical, like most buyers, but I was very hopeful. After talking to the amazing people who worked there, and their straightforward owner, I real-ized I was driving out in a new car.

The owner is very easy to talk to, and he will always find a way to give you the best deal. It was a good couple of hours, which, more than half of it was spent on signing papers. One thing came to a realization that day. Victory Autos is a no nonsense company! If you happen to receive one of their business cards with all the checks at the back of the card, and wonder if they were all true, I’m telling you now, stop wondering because they are all true.

So after signing some paperworks, I drove out in a loaner car as they promised me that they will deliver my brand new car in my address. I haven’t heard of any other dealership, in my experience of buying a car, that will deliver your brand new car to your doorstep. I became an instant envy to my friends that I’m being treated like a VIP by Victory Autos. But that’s the way they do it. They treat you like a VIP. Do I want to go back there and

purchase another car in the future? I think we all know the answer to that. I would recommend this company to everybody. If you are looking for a car and a good deal with a no nonsense work

ethic, look no further. Give Victory Autos a call. – Ryogin

Agcopra“If you need a new car, or a pre-owned

certified vehicle, come to us. We can help you buy that new car,” Victory Autos owner and proprietor Hedi Trinidad said. “You don’t even have to worry if you have bad credit or no credit at all. Even if you are just a working student. All you need to show is your paystub.”

According to Trinidad, they can also help people buy a new car even if they filed for bankruptcy or if their old car had been repossessed. “That is not a prob-lem,” Trinidad said, “thousands have been affected by the recent Great Reces-sion. No one was spared, even the banks that had the money. But, just give us a call and we guarantee 100% financing. Even if the bank says no, we say yes.”

Backed by their 25 years in car busi-ness, Victory Autos is dedicated to of-fering high-quality, pre-owned vehicles to our customers. From the moment you walk through our door, “we’re com-mitted to providing you with a great car-buying experience. With our skilled sales staff and financing options, we’ll help you get the vehicle you want, at the great price you deserve,” Trinidad said.

Victory Autos is dedicated in provid-ing the ultimate automobile buying ex-perience. Victory Autos is your #1 source for buying a quality pre-owned vehicle at wholesale price. We have extensive relationships in the dealer community allowing us to purchase a wide variety of lease returns and new car trades at exceptional values. This enables Vic-tory Autos to pass along huge savings on the highest quality vehicles of your choice. In addition, we offer a full array of financing options to meet your needs.”

For more details, please visit Victory Autos Showroom at 791 E. Arrow High-way, Azusa, CA 91702, (626) 859-9199 or (626) 969-6169; Victory Auto Broker at 1579 E. Amar Road, West Covina, CA 91792, (626) 253-7576; and Victory Auto Care at 352 S. Irwindale Avenue, Azusa, CA 91702, (626) 334-7573.

For more information, please call Victory Autos’ toll free number at 1-877-821-7145. Or, visit their website at www.victoryautoconnect.com.

Victory Autos, a no nonsense companyCustomers are treated like VIP and they even deliver your car at your doorstep

Ryogin Agcopra and his family fl ash the Victory sign as he receives his new car at his doorstep delivered no less by Victory Auto Inc.’s Merlina Dischoso (rightmost). For more details, please visit Victory Autos Showroom at 791 E. Arrow Highway, Azusa, CA 91702, (626) 859-9199 or (626) 969-6169; Victory Auto Broker at 1579 E. Amar Road, West Covina, CA 91792, (626) 253-7576; and Victory Auto Care at 352 S. Irwindale Avenue, Azusa, CA 91702, (626) 334-7573.


Redesigned Urban Compact Boasts First-Class Appointments in a Fun-loving New Package

Totally transformed 2014 Kia Soul’s premium features, iconic design, technol-ogy and comfort combine to impress in Wards’ compact value segment

Popular Kia Track’ster concept vehicle inspired new Soul design, inside and out

irvine, April 11, 2014 – The 2014 Soul, Kia Motors America’s (KMA) compact car sales leader, has gained further recogni-tion for its iconic design by being named to WardsAuto’s list of “10 Best Interiors of 2014.”

Kia’s fun-to-drive urban utility vehicle impressed WardsAuto editors by combin-ing a refined interior design, high-quality materials, premium features, cutting-edge technology and value in the compact-car segment.

“The totally transformed Soul is de-signed to retain all of the fun-loving appeal of the original Soul while incorporating more desirable premium amenities,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product plan-ning, KMA. “WardsAuto’s high praise and recognition for the 2014 Soul’s interior is evidence that our design team delivered on the promise to remain true to the Soul’s iconic personality while elevating this in-credibly popular value leader to new levels of sophistication.”

WardsAuto named the 2014 Soul to their list of “10 Best Interiors” based on a combination of fit-and-finish qual-ity, safety, technology, design aesthetics and comfort. The 2014 Soul is offered in three trims and comes standard with steering wheel-mounted audio controls and SiriusXM® Satellite Radio1 andBlue-tooth® wireless technology2. Conceived at Kia’s U.S. design studio in Irvine, Calif., the all-new Soul’s design was inspired by the wildly popular Track’ster concept, which was unveiled during the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Interior highlights

include the use of soft-touch materials around the instrument panel, center con-sole and door panels, and details such as available leather-trimmed seating and high-gloss piano-black trim pieces on the center console and instrument panel add a premium feel without compromising the Soul’s fun-and-funky style.

“Five years ago, we honored the Kia Soul as the industry’s ‘grooviest inte-rior.’ This redesigned cabin is even more functional, better equipped and, yes, still groovy,” says Tom Murphy, WardsAuto World executive editor. “The Soul proves once again that an entry-level interior doesn’t have to compromise anything. The funky sense of style appeals to people – and hamsters – of all ages.”

A b o u t t h e 2 0 1 4 S o u lInstantly recognizable yet thoroughly fresh – with more than a passing nod to the hot Track’ster concept that was unveiled last year – the 2014 Soul rides on a new chas-sis that is stiffer, longer and wider. The Soul’s new dimensions allow for more passenger and cargo room while NVH levels have been reduced dramatically. Increased torque and significant suspen-sion upgrades make the 2014 Soul a nimble and agile companion in congested urban environments and inside there is a long list of standard comfort and convenience features, including Bluetooth® wireless technology2 and steering wheel-mounted controls.

With so many brands in the market today, people have many choices. But Kia is not just about affordability. With its leading technological advances in design, performance, fuel efficiency, safety and reliability, it just makes sense. Drop by Car Pros Kia of Carson today and find out why people flock to that dealership. They are just located at 21243 S Avalon Blvd, Car-son, CA 90745, which is home to many of us Filipinos. They can be reached at (310) 221-9131. Call or visit today.

The all-new 2014 Kia Soul

Wardsauto names 2014 Kia Soul to list of ‘10 Best Interiors’

(Relaxnews) – Logic dictates that all cars with greener credentials would ap-peal equally to consumers with a social conscience.

However new data from Experian Au-tomotive, published this week, shows that there is a clear generational split when it comes to choosing a more environmentally friendly ride.

Hybrids – cars powered by a combina-tion of fossil fuel and electric batteries – may well be the most popular type of greener car, accounting for 98 percent of all alternatively powered vehicles on the road, but they are more likely to be bought by drivers in their mid-to-late 50s and beyond. Crunching through data from over 3 mil-lion vehicles, Experian found that in 2013, just over 45 percent of hybrid buyers were 56 or over, compared with only 26 percent of electric car buyers.

Full electric vehicles, which offer a very limited traveling range and need to be connected to a mains or other type of outlet to recharge, again are more popular with younger, more affluent drivers – 55 percent of new owners are aged between 36 and 55 (74 percent under 56), and 21 percent of buyers had a combined household income of $175,000 or more. Only 12 percent of hybrid owners had the same income levels.

Other interesting findings include the fact that 44 percent of electric car buyers have children and that on average they borrowed more money and accepted higher monthly repayments in order to finance the purchase than their hybrid-buying counterparts.

However, they also plumped for a shorter repayment term of 58 months (62 months being the average loan term for a hybrid buyer).

Electric cars appeal to younger, wealthier drivers


San Fernando Mission BlvdSepulveda Blvd.

S. Brand Blvd.

N888-588-7635888-588-7635 WE SERVE ALL AAA, COSTCO, AARP,

CREDIT UNION, SAM’S CLUB MEMBERS

11000 Sepulveda Blvd.Mission Hills, CA 91345

www.nissanofmissionhills.com

*TAKE A TEST DRIVE & Receive 2 FREE Movie Tickets or Gift Cards!!!Schedule a Test Drive on the vehicle of your choice at Nissan of Mission Hills. Call Manuel and Test Drive today!*Offer good while supplies last.

0%LONG TERMFINANCING

APRNISSAN OF MISSION HILLSNISSAN OF MISSION HILLS

#1 #1 Out To Be The Nissan dealer in the World*

Manuel LavaInternet/Fleet ManagerManuel LavaInternet/Fleet Manager

“Ang MISSION Ko ay tulungan Kayo!”“Ang MISSION Ko

ay tulungan Kayo!”

CELL:CELL: 661-644-0944661-644-0944818-408-5860818-408-5860

118Offers subject to availability. Net cost based on current rebates. *Nissan Customer Cash in lieu of Special Financing. **Must finance through NMAC. ***All U.S. Military personnel(active and reserve) All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document processing charge, any electronic filing charge, any emissiontesting charge, and dealer add-ons or accessories. Vehicles subject to prior sale. Interest accrues from date of contract. Ad prices good thru 5/03/14 close of business. NMACfinancing may be required on some vehicles see dealer for details. All financing subject to credit approval. Factory rebate in lieu of special APR. Rebates are based on 91345 zip code.

FACTORY

SALES EVENTSALES EVENT

ON SELECT MODELS 9900$

REBATESON APPROVED CREDIT


ORRY-FREE PRE-OWNED INVENTORY SALE WORRY-FREE PRE-OWNED INVENTORY SALE WWTERZOPALLENTERZOPALLEN

ROHMER MANALESEROHMER MANALESE

1435 East 223rd St.Carson, CA 90745Conveniently located within 10 minutes from anywhere

in the South BaySales Hrs: Mon-Sat: 8:30am-9pm, Sunday: 10am-8pm800•503•2321800•503•2321

CHRISTIAN REYESCHRISTIAN REYES

2014 Honda Civic LX Sedan Automatic

TRUEGet YourPrice

2014 Honda Accord LX Sedan Automatic

TRUEGet YourPrice

2014 Honda CR-V LX 2WD Automatic

TRUEGet YourPrice

$1,999

per month for 36 months

total due at signing

$2,288



On approval of credit. Plus tax and license. $0 security deposit. 15 cents per mile in excess of 12K mile per year.

for 36 months. $28.16 per mo. per $1,000 financed. Based on zero down. On approved credit.


1.9% APR

or

0.9% APR

Call for pricing! 5 at this lease



$1,899




$1,999$139Lease

for36 month lease. 12k per year. $1,999 drive off. $139 per month plus tax. On approved credit.

$179Lease for

$189Lease for



0.9% APR

Prices plus government fees and taxes, any finance charge, any dealer document processing charge, any electronic filing charge and any emissions testing charge. Ad expires on May 9, 2014.

2

RICKY AGAGASRICKY AGAGAS

TRUEGet YourPrice total due at signing




$148Lease for

36 month lease. 12k per year. $1,899 drive off. $148 per month plus tax. On approved credit.

2013 Honda FitSport Automatic

Honda

$1,899

$4,991

1998 FordMustang

VIN: 1FAFP4445WF247262Stock#: TWF247262

2006 ChevroletMonte Carlo

VIN: 2G1WM15K469236057

$7,492

Stock#: T69236057

2003 ToyotaCamry

VIN: 4T1BF32K03U041969

$6,993

Stock#: T3U041969

$16,993

2012 HondaAccord Cpe

VIN: 1HGCS1B36CA001979Stock#: MCA001979

www.carsonhonda.com

SPRINGSAVINGS

$23,494

2010 HondaOdyssey

VIN: 5FNRL3H66AB068671Stock#: PAB068671

The Perfect GiftThe Perfect GiftforMOM

Mother’s Day May 11, 2014

$6,981

2000 Toyota4Runner Limited

VIN: JT3HN87RXY9037852Stock#: TY9037852

$16,692

2009 Nissan Maxima

VIN: 1N4AA51E59C833061Stock#: T9C833061

$18,981

2012 HondaAccord SE

VIN: 1HGCP2F63CA105261Stock#: PCA105261

ATLANTA, May 2, 2014 – Hyundai’s all-new 2015 Genesis was named Top Family Choice by the Greater Atlanta Au-tomotive Media Association (GAAMA) during their second-annual signature event, the Family Choice Challenge. Evaluated at the beautiful Lake Lanier Island Resort in Georgia, the Genesis earned the event’s most prestigious award, scoring higher than any other competitor.

“A sport sedan like the 2015 Hyundai Genesis is attractive to drivers who want a family car but don’t want to sacrifice on style and performance,” said Nick Palermo, GAAMA president. “The Genesis earned its place as 2014 Top Family Choice by exceeding expectations. Although the previous-generation Genesis sedan is an impressive car, this new model again raises the bar for both Hyundai and its competi-tors. Families looking for accessible luxury should add the 2015 Genesis to their short lists.”

“It’s an honor to receive the award for Top Family Choice for the 2015 Genesis,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president, Corpo-rate and Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “GAAMA is full of exceptional automotive media and this accolade proves that the all-new Genesis has what it takes to succeed in a very competitive market.”

All-new for 2015, the Hyundai Genesis carries a host of innovative safety and driv-ing assist features coupled with interior volume and segment value. An ultra-rigid rear-drive platform utilizes high-strength steel to hold 16 percent stiffer torsional rigidity and 40 percent stiffer bending rigidity compared to the outgoing model. This provides safety and compelling driving dynamics, allowing families a no-compromise motoring experience. A suite of advanced assistance features such as Rear Cross-traffic Alert, Lane Change Assist, Blind-Spot Detection, and Smart

Cruise Control are available. Combined with pricing starting at $38,000, the 2015 Hyundai Genesis is a premium sedan the whole family can enjoy for years to come.

The all-new 2015 Hyundai Genesis has been named the 2014 “Car of Texas” by the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA), one of the largest and most respected media associations in the U.S. Issued at the annual Texas Auto Roundup at the iconic Texas Motor Speedway, the award is the event’s highest ranking accolade and a first for a Hyundai vehicle. In addition, the Genesis earned top awards for Mid-size Luxury Car and Best New Interior.

“We are honored that the 2015 Hyundai Genesis has been named ‘Car of Texas’ and proud to see the sedan getting out of the gate so fast,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president, Corporate and Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “This is another first for Hyundai and given our recent winning streak at TAWA events, we know our Genesis and the rest of the Hyundai line-up have what it takes to compete in Texas and beyond.”

As with years past, the 2014 Texas Auto Roundup had active TAWA media mem-bers evaluate almost 50 of the industry’s leading sedans, coupes, family vehicles and performance cars. Each entry was put through its paces on the outer roads and inner circuit of Dallas/Fort Worth’s Texas Motor Speedway. For 2014, 13 segment awards were named as well as supplemen-tal awards for Best New Feature, Best New Interior and Best Value. Two title awards were given out as well – Family Car of Texas and Car of Texas.

“TAWA members were easily impressed by the 2015 Hyundai Genesis, enough to name it the top honor Car of Texas,” said Michael Marrs, TAWA President. “Luxury is important to Texans but so is value. The Genesis hits all the right buttons as

it is more luxurious and dynamic than before all while still holding on to the namesake’s incredible value.”

Competing in the Mid-size luxury segment, the Hyundai Genesis not only bested its category com-petition in the form of the 2015 Volvo S60 T6 and 2014 Lincoln MKZ, but it also took Car of Texas by

2015 Hyundai Genesis wins top Family Choice Award

“The Genesis earned its place as 2014 Top Family Choice by exceeding expectations. Although the previous-generation Genesis sedan is an impressive car, this new model again raises the bar for both Hyundai and its competitors. Families looking for accessible luxury should add the 2015 Genesis to their short lists,” says Nick Palermo, GAAMA president.

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2014 (AFP) – Automakers on Thursday reported gener-ally higher US sales in April from a year ago, extending the spring thaw from the deep freeze in January and February amid brutal winter weather.

A total of 1.39 million cars and trucks were sold in the United States in April, a gain of 8.1 percent from a year ago and ac-celerating from March’s 5.7 percent annual pace, industry specialist AutoData said.

But sales slowed slightly month-over-month. The April annual sales rate was 16.0 million vehicles, down from 16.4 million in March, according to AutoData.

Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Ed-munds.com, a car-shopping website, said that despite a trend toward fuel-efficient vehicles in recent years, car shoppers still showed keen interest in trucks and sport utility vehicles.

US auto sales extend rebound from winter slump

Hanzel Fraguere and Ferry Maringka Gozon, Filipino sales of Hyundai Puente Hills.

were taken into account for voting.Representing a bold step forward for

Hyundai, the 2015 Genesis is all-new inside and out with a host of premium features and improved dynamics. Riding on a completely revamped platform, the sedan is stiffer and stronger than before. A suite of advanced assistance features such as Rear Cross-traffic Alert, Lane Change Assist, Blind-Spot Detection and Smart Cruise Control are offered. Two engine options are available: a 311 horsepower 3.8 liter V6 and a 420 horsepower 5.0 liter V8, while an advanced HTRAC AWD system is available for the first time on a Hyundai passenger car. With base pricing starting at $38,000, a true blend of premium value, safety, bold design and superb driving dy-namics can be had with the 2015 Hyundai Genesis.

For more information about the new Genesis and other Hyundai vehicles, visit Hyundai Puente Hills is located at 17621 Gale Ave, Industry, CA 91748. For great deals, call our kababayans Hanzel Fraguere at (626) 393-4070 and Ferry Maringka at (626) 202-9687.

10 points. No other vehicle in the 13 seg-ments received as many votes as Genesis did. Hailed by journalists for its blend of value, safety, technology, luxury and driving dynamics, the Genesis earned high marks for being a complete premium pack-age at a value-oriented price. Aspects from exterior styling to road manners as well as pricing, fuel mileage and performance all


TORRANCE, Calif., (April 21, 2014) – The Toyota Prius, the brand’s first production gas-electric hybrid model, was named one of the “10 Best Green Cars” for 2014 by Kelley Blue Book’sKBB.com.

KBB.com editors compiled a list of the most efficient vehicles available and then picked 10 standouts featuring a variety of price ranges and powertrains. The list also takes into account production methods and re-cyclability, and the editors try to seek vehicles appropriate for varying lifestyles.

The third-generation Prius model became the foundation of a family of hybrid models, offering a Prius for every lifestyle, the family includes the larger Prius v, the city-friendly Prius c and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid. In addition, Toyota also offers hybrid versions of its Camry and Avalon sedans and the High-lander crossover SUV. In terms of number of models offered and sales volume, Toyota is the world leader in hybrid vehicles.

The Prius took home the gold in 2013 as the most popular vehicle-line in California for the second year in a row. The Prius Family (Prius Liftback, Prius v, Prius c and Prius Plug-in) took the podium in both 2012 and 2013 as the best-selling California vehicle name plate.

69,728 drivers hit the road in 2013, according to the Cali-fornia Auto Outlook Report, while 61,893 Californians joined the family in 2012. In the Golden State, the Prius Family outsells all other hybrid competitors combined.California drivers lead the country in adoption of vehicles powered, either wholly or partially, by electricity. 9.3% of vehicles sold in the state run on some form of electricity, according to the report. But despite the growing number of hybrid competitors, Toyota’s hybrid leadership remains unmatched. In fact, one out of every two hybrids in Cali-fornia carries the Prius name plate.

From the flagship Avalon to the functional Toyota Camry, Prius Hybrid and to the ever dependable Corolla,

the workhorse RAV4 and everything in be-tween, the Miller Toyota of Anaheim lot takes the customer to a new pleasant carbuying experience not available anywhere.

It is no wonder Miller Toyota of Anaheim has been named as one of the most productive Toyota car dealerships in Southern California. And maybe, just maybe, our kababayans have to do something about it. Besides, Toyota won’t be the number 1 car brand for Filipinos if that didn’t matter.

The Filipino Fleet, a dynamic segment in its sales department, is composed of three professional and dependable kababayans,

add a different level of confidence on the part of Fil-Am carbuyers.

Guided by their no-gimmick-jus great deal mantra, “Dahil kababayan, maayos at malinaw ang usapan,” the Filipino Fleet are a delight to deal with. They are courte-ous, knowledgeable, and helpful.

Miller Toyota of Anaheim is located right in Anaheim at 1331 North Euclid St. just off Riverside Freeway conve-nient to the I-5. Getting there is easy from the I-5 Freeway. Call toll free at 1-888-753-1460 for more information and to inquire from any of our kababayans Jojo Santillana, Victor Malaiba and Vince Dumagat.

Jojo Santillana, Vince Dumagat and Victor Malaiba of Miller Toyota of Anaheim

Toyota Prius one of ‘10 Best Green Cars for 2014’ says Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com

“We specialize in all models” is the typical statement that many auto repair shops advertise. Some even say that they are experts in German and Japanese cars. With the advent of another Asian car manufacturer, Korean was added to the mix.

However, being an expert in so many car manufacturing models may also have a drawback. This means a spread of resources, which is lesser knowledge in one particular field as it is difficult to accommodate each and every car model on earth – if it’s even possible. Needless to say, the shop that claims that they can fix any car model may be able to repair your vehicle, but don’t expect it to be

in the best of shape than it could be since becoming an expert in one particular brand takes time, experience and a lot of knowledge.

This piece of wisdom is what Shick Automotive Inc. would like Weekend Balita readers to remember. Shick Au-tomotive would also like to remind us that our cars – any type of a vehicle – are not just a mode of transportation, it’s an extension of our daily lives. Individuals need cars everyday to get to their destination in the safest manner possible. Families use them to take their children to school in hope for an accident-free drive. No one wants to have their morning ruined due to a stalled vehicle, which can

result in a child being late to school. Oh, how we all dread seeing a tardy slip, not to mention the frown our children wear when we get to see them later.

Of course, no one can escape these facts of life, but we can reduce them by being responsible and getting our vehicles in tip-top shape. Shick Automotive Inc. profes-sionals are not only highly certified and experienced technicians, most of them are also parents – husbands and wives – who also want to go home to their families safely. But before they do that, they too are being responsible and use the best products and engineering known to man in terms of car manufacturer: German engineering.

European car owners rely on Shick Automotive Inc. mechanics

weekend balita may 3, 2014

Documents

president benigno

filipino bases

filipino military bases

president barrack obama

subic base

filipino voters

unspecified bases

military service