Embarrassing headlines

“When the public's right to know is threatened, and when the rights of free speech and free press are at risk, all of the other liberties we hold dear are endangered.”

—Christopher Dodd

By Alex P. Vidal

AS a Filipino journalist now living outside the Philippines, I am embarrassed that the “top stories” in some of the major news networks and publications around the world, as of press time, were about the order of the Philippine government to shut down Rappler, a news website based in Pasig City, Metro Manila.

The news that loudly reverberated around the world coincided on June 30, 2022 with the inauguration of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as the 17th president of the Philippines, the country that prides itself as supposed to be having the freest press in Asia.

CNN: “Philippines orders news site Rappler to shut down, founder Maria Ressa says”; The New York Times: “Philippines Orders Rappler to Shut Down”; BBC News: “Rappler: Philippines orders shutdown of Maria Ressa’s news site”; Yahoo News: “Philippines orders news site Rappler to shut down, says founder Maria Ressa”; Axios: “Maria Ressa: News organization Rappler ordered to shut down by Philippine government”; NBC News: “Philippine news site Rappler ordered to shut down, founder Maria Ressa says”; Al Jazeera: “Philippines: Maria Ressa’s Rappler news site ordered shut down”; The Guardian: “Nobel laureate Maria Ressa vows to fight Philippines order shutting Rappler site”; Bloomberg.com: “Philippine news site Rappler faces closure as SEC order affirmed.”

Founded by Maria Ressa, Cheche Lazaro, Nix Nolledo on January 1, 2012, Rappler is an independent, digital-only social news network that leverages community and digital engagement to drive social change, according to the company’s profile. 

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The act of shutting down a media entity—print, broadcast, TV, website—for whatever reason, is a negative image for a democratic country; and it’s not healthy sign for the incoming administration, especially if the conflict’s genesis emanated from the outgoing administration.

Rappler’s feud with the government started with the Duterte administration. 

It should not have “prolonged” or “extended” to the Marcos administration. 

The fact that Duterte and Marcos are political allies, it made the extreme act of suppressing and muzzling the press even more uglier and contemptuous. 

Any aggrieved public official can always haul an “erring” journalist to court since we have the law on libel and even cyber libel, but press freedom shouldn’t be curtailed and silenced permanently using the influence and power of government.

Each time the Philippines was in the news—or every time we were asked by foreigners about press freedom in the Philippines, we needed to defend the Philippine press, which should be the moral obligation of every Filipino journalist anywhere in the world.

The news of the order to shut down Rappler is clearly a black eye to Philippine democracy. 

It doesn’t augur well with the incoming administration’s call for “unity” since the harassment against Rappler appeared to have been dribbled from one hardcourt to another in a searing midnight assault against freedom of the press.   

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Let me share the statement from Omidyar Network, “a social change venture that works to bring about structural changes that will fundamentally shift the systems that govern our daily lives,” in relation to Rappler’s problem with the Philippine Government as represented in this case by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission:

“The ruling by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission to revoke the certificates of incorporation of Rappler Holdings Corporation and Rappler, Inc. is an unfortunate interpretation of Filipino law that reduces press freedom and independent news coverage in the Philippines.

“The SEC ruling holds that the issuance of Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) to Omidyar Network were in violation of the Constitution of the Philippines, which states that the ownership and management of mass media entities must be limited to Filipino citizens or entities wholly owned and managed by Filipino citizens.

PDRs are structured to allow Filipino companies to access international funding while retaining sole Filipino ownership and control. PDRs do not provide the holder any ownership of shares in the underlying entities.  These financial instruments are aligned with the Constitution and have been issued by various holding companies of leading media and telecommunications companies in the Philippines, including some whose PDRs are registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission and listed and traded on the Philippine Stock Exchange.  Furthermore, the SEC did not raise any challenges when the PDRs were first issued in 2015.

“In accordance with the Constitution and laws of the Philippines, Omidyar Network does not own any shares in either Rappler Holdings Corporation or Rappler Inc., nor does it have any voting rights, management responsibilities or any other form of control in either company, nor any editorial input in Rappler.

Rappler Inc., which operates an independent, social news network, is wholly owned and controlled by Filipino citizens and entities that are wholly owned and controlled by Filipino citizens.

“We understand that Rappler proposes to file motions to challenge the SEC order.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

Theory of the Four Humors

"I think there is a general misconception that anything written quickly lacks quality, and I don't believe that." 

-- Michael Connelly

By Alex P. Vidal

THE celebrated Greek doctor Hippocrates postulated that all human emotions flowed from four bodily fluids, or humors: blood (which makes us cheerful and passionate), yellow bile (which makes us hot-tempered), black bile (which makes us depressed), and phlegm (which makes us sluggish or stoic).

Though the good doctor's humors have given behavioral scientists a nice structure for examining personality types (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic), the idea that our bodily fluids makes us angry, depressed, or elated died out in the 1800s, according to The Fascinating Book of History.

The withering of the Hippocratic belief in humors proved to be good news for patients who were not thrilled with the practice of bloodletting, a process of opening a patient's veins to lower blood levels in an attempt to bring the humors into balance and cure all manner of mental and physical ills.

Bloodletting, with a knife or with leeches, was an accepted medical practice from the times of the Greeks, Mayans, and Mesopotamians.

It was going strong at the end of the 18th century, when George Washington had almost two liters of blood let out to cure a throat infection. He died shortly afterward.

$100 is now equivalent to P5,500

“A flexible exchange rate is important, and it shouldn't be artificially restrained because of the needs of the economy.”

—Elvira Nabiullina

By Alex P. Vidal

WHEN I made a transaction with the Western Union in Manhattan at around 9 o’clock in the morning yesterday (June 27), the exchange rate was US$1 to Philippine Peso 54.3132.

At past 12 noon the same day, I went to the Queens branch of San Franciso-based Lucky Money, Inc., a Filipino-run remittance center and the exchange rate was US$1 to Philippine Peso 54.85.

What does it mean?   

The Philippine peso has breached the P55-level against the US dollar.

The Filipino currency finished at P54.78 versus the greenback, stronger than its previous close of P54.985. 

We don’t know how will these changing of currency rates go on. 

For us who remit to the Philippines, the current rate is “favorable”, to say the least for obvious reasons.

For our families, well, they may not feel if it is “favorable” or not since they are the receivers, but it’s their economic life that will serve as the basis if the mighty dollar against a weak pesos will give them satisfaction, in one way or the other.   

In the previous years, when the US dollar threatened to “run away” from the Philippine peso in the exchange rate that went steady at $1=P48-P49 for a while, the most it could take was $1=P50-P51 then back to $1=P48-P49.

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“After the government started easing pandemic curbs, the peso has started to feel the pressure from rising imports, which were meant to meet improving domestic demand as the economy reopens,” reported the Philippine Star. 

“Expensive global oil prices have also bloated the Philippines' import bill, stoking more dollar outflows.”

The economy's performance is at the heart of the decision to buy or sell dollars.

According to Ivestopedia’s Nick Lioudis, a strong economy will attract investment from all over the world due to the perceived safety and the ability to achieve an acceptable rate of return on investment.

Since investors always seek out the highest yield that is predictable or "safe," an increase in investment, particularly from abroad, creates a strong capital account and a resulting high demand for dollars, explained Lioudis.

“On the other hand,” he explained, “American consumption that results in the importing of goods and services from other countries causes dollars to flow out of the country. If our imports are greater than our exports, we will have a deficit in our current account.”

With a strong economy, a country can attract foreign capital to offset the trade deficit. 

That allows the U.S. to continue its role as the consumption engine that fuels all of the world economies, even though it's a debtor nation that borrows this money to consume. 

This also allows other countries to export to the U.S. and keep their own economies growing.

“From a currency trading standpoint,” Lioudis further explained, “when it comes to taking a position in the dollar, the trader needs to assess these different factors that affect the value of the dollar to try to determine a direction or trend.”

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Lioudis explained the causes why the dollar rises, the factors that influence the exchange rate, and what makes a currency weak:

What Causes the U.S. Dollar to Rise? There are a variety of factors that cause the U.S. dollar to rise, but the primary factor that it boils down to is demand for the dollar. If the demand for the dollar increases then so does its value. Conversely, if the demand decreases, so does the value. The demand for the dollar increases when international parties, such as foreign citizens, foreign central banks, or foreign financial institutions demand more dollars. Demand for the dollar is usually high as it is the world's reserve currency. Other factors that influence whether or not the dollar rises in value in comparison to another currency include inflation rates, trade deficits, and political stability.

What Factors Influence the Exchange Rate? Factors that influence the exchange rate between currencies include currency reserve status, inflation, political stability, interest rates, speculation, trade deficits/surpluses, and public debt.

What Makes a Currency Weak? A weak currency is one whose value has declined in comparison to another currency. Weak currencies are those of nations that have poor economic fundamentals or an ineffective government. A weak currency can be derived from high levels of inequality, political instability, and high levels of corruption, public debt, and trade deficits.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

Filipinos would’ve ‘killed’ Roe before it turns 49

“If you're a pro-lifer, please remember: if life begins at conception, it sure as hell doesn't end at birth.” 

― Quentin R. Bufogle

 

By Alex P. Vidal

IT took America 49 years to put away Roe v. Wade (born 1973; died 2022).

If the same judicial phenomenon happened in the Philippines, Filipinos wouldn’t wait for 49 years; they wouldn’t even allow Roe v. Wade to prosper.

In fact, Roe v. Wade wouldn’t exist—or, it’s “dead on the spot” if the sensational Supreme Court landmark decision which generally protected a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion occurred in the Philippines in 1973.

Roe v. Wade would be a misnomer in the Philippine statute—because, in the first place, there would be no Filipino Jane Roe and Filipino Henry Wade; and, therefore, no abortion litigation.

If a Filipino Jane Roe wants to have abortion, she will never approach any lawyer to challenge the Revised Penal Code that criminalizes abortion in the Philippines.

She will do it secretly or incognito even at the risk of her life (the original American Jane Roe, actually, didn’t have abortion. Before Jane Roe, a fictitious name, died in 2017 at age 69, she was able to talk to her grown up daughter, the fetus she failed to abort, on the phone. Jane Roe wanted to abort the baby when she got pregnant in 1969, but the Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision came in 1973. The baby, who was given for adoption, was born in 1970.)

Henceforth, there’s no case for the Filipino Jane Roe and, ergo, there’s no Filipino Henry Wade who will act as “district attorney” for the government.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 800,000 abortions performed in the Philippines, even as it reported that 70 percent of unwanted pregnancy ends in abortion despite legal restrictions.

According to the Department of Health, 100,000 people ended up in the hospital every year due to unsafe abortions.

As punishment for the patients, some hospitals have reportedly refused to treat complications of unsafe abortion, or operate without anesthesia.

For Filipino women who want an abortion, to hell with Roe v. Wade.

Abortion can never be legalized in the Philippines where its system and customs, to some extent, almost always tilts to full theocracy due to the age-old influence of the Catholic Church.

Many American and Filipino women have mixed views and stand on abortion mainly because of differences in culture, beliefs, demography, orientation, and even values.  

It’s hard to assert the reasons of pro-choice advocates who have lamented the overturning by the Supreme Court of the United States of Roe v. Wade by a 6-3 vote on June 24 however “acceptable” and relevant they may be in today’s age vis-à-vis the Christian values.

In an opinion she wrote in the New York times dated June 20, 2022, Pamela Paul stressed that “there are good reasons American women overwhelmingly choose having an abortion over giving up a child for adoption. Childbirth is the far riskier medial procedure. America has one of the highest material mortality rates in the developed world.”

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Mark Brown, in the Journal of Medical Ethics, pointed to an influential essay titled Why abortion is wrong, written by Donald Marquis, who argues that killing actual persons is wrong because it unjustly deprives victims of their future; that the fetus has a future similar in morally relevant aspects to the future lost by competent adult homicide victims, and that, as consequence, abortion is justifiable only in the same circumstances in which killing competent adult human beings is justifiable. 

“The metaphysical claim implicit in the first premise, that actual persons have a future of value, is ambiguous,” Brown wrote. 

“The Future Like Ours argument (FLO) would be valid if ‘future of value’ were used consistently to mean either ‘potential future of value’ or ‘self-represented future of value’, and FLO would be sound if one or the other interpretation supported both the moral claim and the metaphysical claim, but if, as I argue, any interpretation which makes the argument valid renders it unsound, then FLO must be rejected. Its apparent strength derives from equivocation on the concept of ‘a future of value’”.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

  

 

Abortion, ano pa?

“Come, let us kill him.”

—Bible 

By Alex P. Vidal

I GREW up in a country that views abortion as a mortal sin. Nothing more, nothing less.

Belonging to the only Christian country in Asia for hundreds of years now, majority of the Filipinos would’ve clapped in unison the recent demise of Roe v. Wade if the Philippines were part of the United States.

Even while the Americans erupted in fury June 24 after the United States Supreme Court overturned the 49-year-old landmark decision which generally protected a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion, many Filipinos remained skeptical whether the SC’s 6-3 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade was a “tragic error” as described by President Joe Biden.

For the predominantly Catholic Philippines, Roe v. Wade was all about abortion. 

When it comes to issue of abortion, the Catholic Church is firm; it is uncompromising. 

No amount of semantics can change the true meaning of abortion according to the views of the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church’s official teachings oppose all forms of abortion procedures whose direct purpose is to destroy a zygote, blastocyst, embryo or fetus, since it holds that "human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.”

“From the first moment of his existence,” the Church argues, “a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life."

In other words, abortion is a mortal sin, according to the prelates and other high ecclesiastical dignitaries.

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But Roe v. Wade, for many Americans, was deeper and more elaborate than the perspectives of the minority Catholics in America. 

It’s more than faith and religion. 

It’s also about health and science. 

The main principle pro-Roe v. Wade advocates wanted to put forward was that women and men should have equal control over their own bodies, as many of them believed in 1973 and a majority believe until now.

They believed that without a right to abortion, women would be forced to make terrible choices, and the burdens might disproportionately fall upon poor and working-class women without the means to travel across state lines to receive the care they need.

Abortion will soon be illegal in around half the states now that Roe v. Wade is history.

There are fears that some women will be forced to give birth against their will; some will travel to states where abortion remains legal; some will have illegal abortions and some women will end up in prison.

“Some, facing pregnancy complications, will see necessary treatment postponed. Some will probably die,” wrote Michelle Goldberg in a New York Times opinion dated May 4, 2022.

“Post-Roe America will not look like pre-Roe America,” she added. “Before Roe, women were rarely prosecuted for abortion, though they were sometimes threatened with prosecution to get them to testify against abortion providers.”

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American had actually anticipated the shocking verdict after it was reported that a draft opinion two months before the end of the SC session had been leaked.

In another New York Times opinion on the same date, Jesse Wegman called the leaked opinion as “a work n progress; t is dated Feb. 10, and it’s possible that one or more of the justices have since changed their minds, as sometimes happens as draft rulings and dissents are circulated.” 

Before the leak came that caused a stampede of critical opinions among pro-Roe v. Wade advocates, the court has been reported to be chipping away at a woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body, for decades, but the core holding of Roe v. Wade managed to survive.

On Friday (June 24), it didn’t.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

  

 

To fear, or not to fear; I choose both

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”

—Buddha

By Alex P. Vidal

BEFORE I found New York to be my second home, I was already exposed to street violence as a kid in our gang-infested neighborhood in Iloilo City in the Philippines in the 70’s.

I saw the actual Injan Pana or slingshot arrows pierce on the necks and legs of gang members during free-for-all brawls in front of our house; I saw a body nearly sliced into half when a student caught the fleeing snatcher and swung a medical knife on his back, among other grisly street scenes.

Thus, I consider the bloody episodes in the subway and the gang-related violence being reported regularly in the criminal colonies of Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens to be “peanuts.”

But when the subject matter swerved into the use of a gun as a weapon to harm and kill, it’s completely a different story. 

The question on my mind would be to fear, or not to fear. 

If I fear, I can’t live a normal life in “the city that never sleeps.” If I don’t fear, I may become complacent and throw cushion to the wind.

If I don’t feel anything, or feign innocence of what’s going on in the Empire State, the better. What we don’t feel can’t harm or kill us.

But on Thursday (June 23), New Yorkers were stunned when news broke out that the Supreme Court has struck down a New York law that placed strict restrictions on carrying concealed firearms in public for self defense, finding its requirement that applicants seeking a concealed carry license demonstrate a special need for self-defense is unconstitutional.

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The question in New Yorker’s mind now is also to fear, or not to fear.

If Governor Cathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams were to be believed in their respective speeches hours after the 6-3 SC ruling was revealed, we have a good reason to shake in our boots.

“Today's Supreme Court decision may have opened an additional river that is going to feed the sea of gun violence in our city and in our nation,” Adams declared. 

“Now is the time for every elected official, who cares about the safety of all Americans, to come together and respond thoroughly and comprehensively to this appalling decision. Our work begins now to start saving New Yorkers and Americans.”

Hochul slammed the SC decision on concealed handguns as "absolutely shocking" and said she was "sorry this dark day has come."

We all know that gun control has been our major problem for weeks now in the heels of the Buffalo (New York) and Uvalde (Texas) horrors and the reported random shootings in the subway that prompted 51 percent of New Yorkers, in a recent survey, to avoid the subway that connects all the major boroughs in the Big Apple.  

Held dear by many Americans and promised by the country's 18th century founders, gun rights are a contentious issue in a nation with high levels of firearms violence including numerous mass shootings. Just in recent weeks, 19 children and two teachers were killed on May 24 at an elementary school in Uvalde and 10 people were slain on May 14 at a grocery store in Buffalo.

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“This ruling contradicts both common sense and the Constitution, and should deeply trouble us all," said President Biden, who condemned the SC decision and considered gun violence as national embarrassment. "In the wake of the horrific attacks in Buffalo and Uvalde, as well as the daily acts of gun violence that do not make national headlines, we must do more as a society - not less - to protect our fellow Americans."

The Supreme Court has reversed a lower court decision upholding New York's 108-year-old law limiting who can obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun in public. 

Proponents of the measure warned that a ruling from the high court invalidating it could threaten gun restrictions in several states and lead to more firearms on city streets.

Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the majority opinion for the ideologically divided court, writing that New York's "proper-cause requirement" prevented law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment right, and its licensing regime is unconstitutional.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

‘When Bato cries, the whole nation laughs’

“Nobody deserves your tears, but whoever deserves them will not make you cry.”

—Gabriel Garcia Marquez

By Alex P. Vidal

THERE must be something unique in Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s personality that even if he was a known tough guy as a law enforcer before becoming a senator, some people don’t take him—or his public persona—seriously.

“No, brave men do cry” was the famous line 60-year-old Dela Rosa uncorked when asked by TV entertainment and talk show host Boy Abunda in an interview in July 2016 if he was not worried people would see him emotional.

This was after he cried while in his uniform when Abunda read aloud the then police chief’s Father’s Day letter to his “Papa Doro” in an episode of “The Bottomline.”

He told Abunda: “Kasi kung ikaw taong walang puso, hindi ka tao. Hindi ka naging matapang kung wala kang puso. Dahil walang basis ‘yung katapangan mo kung wala kang puso (Because if you’re a person without a heart, you’re not human. You can’t be brave without a heart. Because your bravery can’t have any basis if you don’t have heart).”

Many think it is fine for a woman to cry, but not men?

But Jesus cried in compassion for His friends and in grief over the city of Jerusalem.

Paul was a bold man, a former leader among persecutors of Christians, someone who withstood beatings, imprisonments, and shipwrecks. However, in several passages he shed tears as he wrote to the churches and served the Lord.

Joseph, a man of great leadership in Egypt, wept when he faced his brothers. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet. Mordecai cried with a bitter cry for his nation.

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On November 23, 2016 while in the Senate hearing, then Police General Bato drew mixed reactions from public when he cried again while lamenting that “Ako ay hirap na hirap na (I’m really having a hard time)” seemingly in frustration that some cops continued to misbehave and break the law despite their “good” salary.

“Pinapasa-Diyos ko na lang itong sa PNP. Gustong-gusto kong mareform ang PNP. Ako’y hirap na hirap na (I’m just leaving the situation at the PNP to God. I really want to reform the PNP. I’m really having such a hard time),” said Dela Rosa, as he tried to fight back tears, while alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, who sat beside the PNP chief, gave him tissue napkins to wipe away his tears.

And again in September 2017, he literally shed tears anew in another Senate hearing where he denied the Philippine National Police (PNP) had a policy to kill those suspected of involvement in illegal drugs amid the rising complaints of human rights abuses from relatives of slain drug addicts.

When his U.S. visa was cancelled in January 2020, there was no report that Senator Bato cried, but he acknowledged it "might be related" to alleged extrajudicial killings under his watch as PNP chief from 2016 to 2018.

“Should I want daw to apply for another visa, I may apply, subject to US laws and regulations," Dela Rosa told reporters in a chance interview at the Senate as reported by CNN Philippines.

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And finally early this month when Senator Franklin Drilon bade goodbye in the Senate after serving for 24 years, Senator Bato cried while approaching and embracing the outgoing Iloilo senator, who is critic of Senator Bato’s political patron, outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Pusong Bato: Dela Rosa cries on Drilon’s last day in the Senate,” screamed Abogado, a news website.

“Senator Bato Dela Rosa can be seen crying while Big Man or Senator Frank Drilon shares his goodbyes,” added the caption in a photo uploaded in the website. “Drilon has served the Senate for 24 years and has been a key contributor to the legislative body. In his privileged speech, the former PNP Chief said he saw the opportunity of working with Drilon and how he pitied the other senators who will not be able to experience the same thing. Big Man, signing off!”

As tearjerker during the senate hearings when he was the PNP chief, some people, especially his critics, mocked him. But there were supporters who believed he was sincere and his tears meant “he wasn’t a fake person.”

But in the goodbye Drilon episode, many people—both supporters and critics have started to cast doubts whether he really was emotional by nature, or he really was a cry baby.

“When (Senator) Bato cries, the whole nation laughs,” said a Philippine Consulate official who refused to be named for fear that he will be misconstrued.

Is crying  good for us? Scientific evidence reportedly indicates that when we cry emotional tears, the body releases stress-relieving endorphins. 

“These chemicals help us feel better and stabilize our moods. Tears also release built-up toxins from emotional stress. Suppressed pain can contribute to stress-related diseases such as high blood pressure, heart problems, and peptic ulcers,” explained the Biblical Counseling Center.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

How I ‘witnessed’ Jimmy de la Torre’s murder 32 years ago

“Probably the toughest time in anyone’s life is when you have to murder a loved one because they’re the devil.”  

—Emo Philips

By Alex P. Vidal

JIMMY de la Torre’s murder in the balcony of Crown Cinerama, a downtown movie house on corner Ledesma-Quezon Streets, Iloilo City occurred at around past one o’clock in the afternoon, a rainy Tuesday, on June 27, 1990.

I “witnessed” it.

I was seated five seats away from Jimmy, 27, and his wife Celia, 26, when the macabre slaying happened. 

Some 20 minutes earlier, I bumped into Jimmy, then Southeast Asian (SEA) Games marathon record holder, and Celia in the ticket booth in the ground floor while on their way to the theater’s second floor.

We greeted each other casually. It was our first meeting since I covered the Bombo Radyo Marathon in Pavia, Iloilo several months earlier. 

During the Pavia race, I was standing at the finish line when Jimmy breasted the tape, beating arch rival and fellow Ilonggo champion, Herman Suizo, by the skin of the teeth.

Jimmy was from Pototan, Iloilo, while Suizo hailed from Sta. Barbara, Iloilo. 

The pair had been dominating the marathon in the country the way Attila the Hun ruled the Hunnic Empire and the Balkans.

“Jimmy, you broke the record (in the 20-K event),” I told him after the race. “Ha, na break ko? (oh yeah?),” he replied happily. “Ay salamat (thank you).”

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Jimmy was the first back-to-back Filipino champion (1981-1982) of the lung-busting 42.195-K National Milo Marathon. 

He also held the record of 2 hours, 25 minutes, and 16 seconds (Cresenciano Sabal held the record at 2:21:33 he registered in the 29th edition in 2005), the fastest in the country and in the SEAG at that time.

Future SEA Games gold medalist Suizo, by the way, avenged the defeat at the Yakult Marathon, where I was one of the participants and finished by the wayside–good for a certificate!

Inside the theater that fateful afternoon, I went up ahead of Jimmy and Celia in the balcony section.

Only a handful of patrons were present when I reached inside the main theater, which was showing a cartoon film. 

I occupied a middle row seat and noticed several vacant seats on my left and right. I was seated a spit away from where the main lights that transmitted the film to the big screen were coming from.

Minutes later, I saw the couple occupy the two seats on my left. They didn’t notice me. I reclined and closed my eyes to sleep. 

I checked the surroundings from time to time, thus some five to 10 minutes later, I saw Celia leave her seat and go outside—to the canteen. Jimmy stayed.

Celia returned after about five minutes. Some 10 minutes later, a lone gunshot exploded followed by a loud scream from a woman later identified as Celia.

When I checked, I saw a fat guy in a white shirt throw a hard object on the floor and hurriedly walk to my right, passing at the back where I was seated, before going downstairs, mixing with fleeing moviegoers and exiting through the main door.

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As pandemonium broke loose, the lights switched on suddenly. 

I quickly grabbed my manual pocket camera and approached a man on the chair twitching in pain and shaking, blood oozing from his temple.

I positioned myself in front of the victim and saw his eyes roll as if begging at anyone to save him. 

By the time I fired the first of my series of camera shots, I already realized the victim was Jimmy de la Torre.

I couldn’t do something to save the dying man as I was shocked myself and on the verge of tears. 

Jimmy was a pitiful sight. It’s so difficult to bear watching a sports hero, whose exploits I had covered as a sportswriter on several occasions, slumped dead after being gunned down in a treacherous manner—a victim of senseless murder.

My instinct as a cub reporter persuaded me not to leave the place until the smoke has been cleared, so to speak, thus I observed the wife’s demeanor.

Then Budyong TV Patrol broadcasters Ibrahim Calanao and Ranie Jangayo arrived and interviewed me “live”. 

They also interviewed next Celia, who was hysterical and crying but didn’t do something—or at least embrace her husband and plead to fellow moviegoers to bring Jimmy to the hospital.

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When then Metropolitan Police District Command (Metrodiscom) chief, Col. Achilles Plagata, a future city councilor, and his team of investigators arrived, Celia became increasingly hysterical. 

They recovered a .38 “paltik” revolver on the floor used in the killing.

I was connected with News Express but gave a copy of the exclusive photo of Jimmy, taken while he was gasping for his last breath, to then Visayan Tribune editor-in-chief, Herbert Vego. 

It landed in the front page accompanied by a headline story about the murder.

It was actually my second “eye-witness-account” exclusive crime photo. Five months earlier during the 1990 Dinagyang Festival in downtown, City Proper, I was “lucky” to be “in the right place at the right time” when an off-duty cop from Arevalo district was peppered with bullets while answering a call of nature in a sidewalk in the corner of Ledesma and Valeria Streets.

Murder charges had been filed against the suspect in Jimmy’s murder, but were dismissed by then city prosecutor Efrain Baldago for “lack of evidence”.

Some people closed to Jimmy, as well as probably some family members, believed the marathon king, who made waves in the Boston Marathon and made many Filipinos proud, was a victim of a love triangle.

This theory has not been independently proven and his unsolved murder remains a mystery after 32 years.

At the time of Jimmy’s murder, Ilonggos were still talking about the 4-1 win of Detroit Pistons against Portland Trailblazers in the 1990 NBA finals.

The Pistons versus Trailblazers best-of-seven series, by the way, was the first NBA finals since 1979 where the perennial finalists, Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, weren’t involved.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies.—Ed)

I didn’t arrange bogus marriages, says Ilonggo indicted in US

“I have no bad conscience.”

—Alois Brunner

By Alex P. Vidal 

THE Ilonggo indicted together with five other Filipino nationals by federal authorities for allegedly arranging at least 400 fake marriages in Los Angeles, California has denied he was part of the group that engaged in the illegal activity.

“I never worked with him (Marcialito “Mars” Biol Benitez, owner of the agency) or his company kay may regular job ako (because I have a regular job) ,” said Iloilo City resident Felipe Capindo “Peebles” David, who is now in California. “I never used it as my bread and butter.”

David, described as “a family-oriented person” by his former classmate New York based-Rommel Leal of Lambunao, Iloilo, said, “I live normally kag naga work ako as caregiver sa two companies.”

David said he doesn’t have a curfew and is free to move around with no ankle bracelet. He is being checked by authorities by phone.

Benitez, 48, and 10 others, including David, 49, are now out on bail. Eight of the defendants, including Benitez, were arrested April 7, 2022 in California.

The other Filipino defendants Engilbert “Angel” Ulan, 39; Nino Reyes Valmeo, 45; Harold Poquita, 30; Juanita Pacson, 45, are all staying in Los Angeles, California.

Their alleged accomplices were: Peterson Souza, 34, a Brazilian national residing in Anaheim, Calif.; Devon Hammer, 26, of Palmdale, California; Tamia Duckett, 25, of Lancaster, Inglewood and Palmdale, California; Karina Santos, 24, of Lancaster, California; and Casey Loya, 33, of Lancaster and Palmdale, California.

-o0o-

The defendants were indicted April 7, 2022 on conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud.

They were arraigned on April 25, 2022.

According to federal authorities, the group made millions of dollars from their business of securing green cards illegally for willing clients .

They will be back in court on June 25 for presentation of evidence.

Leal, 49, is David’s friend and former high school classmate at the Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Gen. Hughes Street, Iloilo City.

“I know Felipe to be a good son. He takes care of his mother who is in the Philippines,” said Leal, who believed David has been engaged in the business of recruiting caregivers.

“I thought he is connected in an agency that recruits or helps Filipino caregivers mostly in California,” he said. “Felipe also dabbles in lending business. He lends money to those who go home for vacation in the Philippines.”

Leal said David owns several properties in Molo district and lives a “good life” in L.A.

David was also known for distributing free vitamins and school supplies to Jolason Elementary School in  Tubungan, Iloilo in the Philippines during the pandemic.

David, a devout Catholic, also helped several homeless Filipinos in Los Angeles, according to a video taken by a witness of his “good” deed.

-o0o-

The defendants have been indicted in connection with running a large-scale marriage fraud “agency” that allegedly arranged hundreds of sham marriages entered into for the primary purpose of circumventing immigration laws, according to the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office in District of Massachusetts.

They were reportedly scheduled to appear in federal court in the Central District of California and in Boston at a later date.

According to the indictment, Benitez operated what he and others referred to as an “agency” that arranged hundreds of sham marriages between foreign national “clients” and United States citizens.

One of those foreign national clients resided in Massachusetts. The agency then allegedly prepared and submitted false petitions, applications and other documents to substantiate the sham marriages and secure adjustment of clients’ immigration statuses for a fee of between $20,000 and $30,000 in cash.

-o0o-

“Marriage fraud is a serious crime that threatens the integrity of our nation’s lawful immigration system,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.

“These defendants’ alleged exploitation of this system for profit is an affront to our nation’s tradition of welcoming immigrants and prospective citizens. Their alleged fraudulent behavior makes things harder for the vast majority of immigrants who follow the law and respect our immigration system. Beyond that, by allegedly submitting false applications that claimed domestic abuse, these charged defendants did further harm, this time to real victims and survivors of domestic violence. Today’s arrests are the result of impressively comprehensive, cross-country agency collaboration. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners across the country to identify and hold accountable those who seek to violate U.S. law by fraud of any sort.”

“It is the utmost honor and privilege to become an American citizen, and the individuals we arrested today have allegedly made a sham of that process by running a large-scale marriage fraud “agency” that arranged hundreds of fake marriages for foreign nationals, racking up millions of dollars in profits. We believe their alleged scheme broke immigration laws that are in place to protect public safety and created a disadvantage for those seeking to earn their citizenship lawfully,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Office “This case should serve as a warning to others that the FBI and our law enforcement partners are united in our efforts to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises that seek to circumvent our laws by fraudulent means.”

“Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners will continue to prosecute individuals and criminal organizations, who profit from manipulating the immigration system,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego.

-o0o-

“Today’s arrests are a result of an extensive multi-agency marriage and document fraud investigation. HSI will continue to conduct criminal investigations into immigration benefit fraud as this crime threatens the integrity of the lawful immigration system.”

2“This case is a prime example of multiple agencies working as a team to uphold and protect our countries lawful immigration system,” said Alanna Ow, Director of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, San Diego District. “Protecting America’s promise is at the core of what we do and I’m very proud of our Fraud Detection and National Security unit for the steadfast work they do to fulfill the agency’s mission on a daily basis.”

Benitez allegedly operated the agency out of brick-and-mortar offices in Los Angeles, where he employed his co-conspirators as staff. Specifically, it is alleged that Valmeo, Ulan, Poquita and Pacson assisted with arranging marriages as well as submitting fraudulent marriage and immigration documents for the agency’s clients, including false tax returns.

Hammer, Duckett, Santos and Loya allegedly served as “brokers,” who recruited U.S. citizens willing to marry the agency’s clients in exchange for an upfront fee and monthly payments from the client spouses following the marriage—to keep the U.S. citizen responsive and cooperative until the client spouse obtained lawful permanent resident status.

It is also alleged that Souza and Capindo David referred prospective foreign national clients to the agency for a commission, typically around $2,000 per referral.

After pairing foreign national clients with citizen spouses, Benitez and his staff allegedly staged fake wedding ceremonies at chapels, parks and other locations, performed by hired online officiants.

For many clients, the agency would take photos of undocumented clients and citizen spouses in front of prop wedding decorations for later submission with immigration petitions.

-o0o-

Benitez and his staff then allegedly submitted fraudulent, marriage-based immigration petitions to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency responsible for granting lawful permanent resident status.

It is alleged that Benitez and his staff coached clients and spouses through interviews with USCIS and advised clients about maintaining the appearance of legitimate marriage to their spouses.

According to the indictment Benitez and his co-conspirators arranged sham marriages and submitted fraudulent immigration documents for at least 400 clients between October 2016 and March 2022.

It is further alleged that Benitez and his co-conspirators would assist certain clients – typically those whose spouses became unresponsive or uncooperative – with obtaining green cards under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by claiming the undocumented clients had been abused by alleged American spouses.

Specifically, the agency would allegedly submit fraudulent applications on clients’ behalf for temporary restraining orders against spouses based on fabricated domestic violence allegations. Benitez and his co-conspirators would then allegedly submit the restraining order documentation along with immigration petitions to USCIS, in order to take advantage of VAWA provisions that permit non-citizen victims of spousal abuse to apply for lawful permanent resident status without their spouses’ involvement.

The charge of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rollins, Boston FBI SAC Bonavolonta, San Diego HSI SAC Plantz and San Diego USCIS Director who made the announcement April 7.

U.S. Attorney Rollins personally thanked U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Tracy Wilkison for their valuable assistance in this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

“The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” said the press release from the Department of Justice.

(The author, who is base in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo City.—Ed)

‘I’ll see you in September’

“People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.”

—Anton Chekhov

By Alex P. Vidal

GARY Lewis and The Playboys used to serenade us that when summer is gone, “I’ll see you in September.” 

“I'll see you in September

When summer is gone

Have a good time but remember

I'll be waiting back home

And when you go out dating

With some guy all alone

Just remember I'll be waiting

When summer is gone.”

This year, Fall season will officially unfurl in U.S. on September 22, but, for the time being, we have to deal with summer season’s scorching heat (as predicted by weather experts) as summer officially begins on June 21, Tuesday.

What to expect in summer? According to Forbes, expect the following: High prices. Bad service. Frequent delays. Another COVID outbreak. Anything could happen when you travel this summer.

The travel world has changed during the pandemic. It's less predictable, and service levels will be lower. Plus, Covid is still here, and cases are rising in some cities.

We will pay more and we will get less, experts say.

Travel pros say we have to guard against scams and depleted or nonexistent inventory problems this summer.

-o0o-

There is a more precise moment that astronomical summer will begin in the Northern Hemisphere. That's at 5:14 a.m. on Tuesday, which marks the 2022 summer solstice, it was reported.

According to USA Today, this is the precise moment when the North Pole tilts closest to the sun, making the sun appear at its highest point in the sky of the year.

At that moment on Tuesday, the sun will be directly above the Tropic of Cancer. That's the farthest north the sun moves in the sky, which is why the days close to the solstice have the most daylight of the year.

USA Today says some people call it "the longest day," but to be precise, it's the day with the most daylight, because every day has 24 hours.

The amount of daylight will be roughly consistent for a few more days before shrinking each day until the winter solstice in late December.

In reality, it's felt like summer across the nation for the past few weeks, and meteorologists consider summer the hottest three months of the year (June, July and August).

But the real heat is still to come: On average, there is a one-month lag between the solstice and peak summer temperatures, according to climatologist Brian Brettschneider. 

That's why July is often the hottest month of the year in many locations.

-o0o-

JUST ASKING: Is Sara Duterte maneuvering in anticipation of a challenge and an opportunity? 

This was the thought-provoking question made by Philippine Star columnist Federico Pascual on June 19, who went on: “By advancing to today (June 19) her oath-taking as vice president she could be firming up her position, expecting to enter the fray officially as the vice president in case Marcos is suddenly squeezed out.

“One situation, which most lawyers we have asked said they saw as remotely possible, is the Supreme Court’s barring Marcos from running for president or its ruling that his CoC was not validly issued by the Commission on Elections.

“If Marcos is disqualified on this ground, can Duterte (who is set to take her oath today) quickly take his place as president? Is this the reason why she is rushing her taking her oath as vice president – to give her leverage in going after the presidency?

“The Supreme Court is studying two sets of disqualification cases that were appealed by certiorari from the Comelec on the belief that the poll body gravely abused its discretion in its en banc rulings on the DQ cases.”

As we usually mention in every interesting subject matter, let’s wait and see.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

‘Dreamers’ still having nightmares after 10 years

“A broken immigration system means broken families and broken lives.”

—Jose Antonio Vargas

By Alex P. Vidal

CHESSKA was only nine years old when her Michigan-based mother, Maribeth, “borrowed” her from Chesska’s father, Enrico, in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo sometime in February 2007.

Now living with her new husband, a retired US Navy officer in Flamington Hills, Michigan, Maribeth, a former FM radio deejay, had been estranged from Enrico for 10 years years prior to Maribeth’s decision to bring Chesska to the United States.

Now 24 years old, Chesska was a shoo-in for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), “a temporary stopgap measure” introduced by former President Barrack Obama in 2012 for tens of thousands of individuals who grew up in the United States.

The program gives safety from deportation and allows undocumented immigrants who came to the US as minors before June 15, 2007 to work or attend school legally, if they meet certain requirements.

Under the program, Chesska and her fellow DACA recipients known as “Dreamers” were allowed to temporarily work without fear of deportation.

There are currently more than 640,000 DACA recipients or “Dreamers” living in the U.S.

But after 10 years, the “Dreamers” continued to have nightmares as  Congress has not passed any permanent protections for them.

-o0o-

Enrico, who fought with Maribeth in a failed bid to take her daughter back to the Philippines, was hoping Chesska would petition him if she was granted a citizenship now that Maribeth didn’t “return” her.  

Prospects are looking dimmer now that a federal judge halted new DACA applications in 2021, and even the stopgap envisioned by Mr. Obama could die. 

The case, from Republican-led litigation, could be headed to an unfriendly Supreme Court.

Democrats have long hoped for comprehensive immigration reform, but an all-or-nothing approach has repeatedly failed. 

According to Los Angeles Times’ Jean Guerrero, the party should now be open to relatively modest victories and must pursue those aggressively.

“As a start, that means forcing Senate votes on stand-alone bills,” wrote Guerrero. 

“The Dream and Promise Act, which would give Dreamers legal permanent residency, passed the House last year with bipartisan support. Some on both sides of the aisle have also backed the America’s Children Act to protect youths known as documented Dreamers, who have temporary legal status because of their parents’ visas and whose permission to stay in the U.S. expires when they turn 21.”

The GOP has reportedly thwarted protections for Dreamers for more than two decades. 

The first Dream Act was introduced in 2001, and Republicans worried that some Dreamers would win scholarships and grants over native-born children. 

That anxiety has morphed into full-blown “replacement” paranoia, combined with panic about more people at our southern border, added Guerrero.

-o0o-

“It’s all a matter of mindset, of course. Republicans could just as easily look at Dreamers as a ready workforce during a labor shortage that’s aggravating inflation, or perhaps even (God forbid!) as human beings,” she explained.

“Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif) told me it’s “frustrating to no end” when Republican colleagues express sympathy for Dreamers, while refusing to protect them until the border is ‘under control.’ They can’t seem to separate Dreamers, raised in the same country as them, from new border arrivals.”

About 800,000 Dreamers have received DACA work permits and deportation protections, but the total number of undocumented people brought here as children is closer to 3.6 million, including roughly 100,000 high school students who graduated this year and never qualified for DACA because it excludes anyone who came after 2007. Then there are the approximately 200,000 documented Dreamers who never qualified for DACA, either.

Guerrero feared that “time is running out to protect all of these Dreamers. Just as Donald Trump held numerous reality TV-style roundtables to demonize immigrants, President Biden could organize livestreamed events to amplify the Dreamers’ voices and rally support for them.”

“We need to hear from high school graduates like Hanna, an 18-year-old Los Angeles resident whose last name I can’t use without endangering her existence in the country she has called home since age 4. She has lived in fear since seventh grade, when Trump was elected president,” concluded Guerrero.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

News of Pinoy punching an ‘Asian hater’ a hoax?

“When fake news is repeated, it becomes difficult for the public to discern what's real.”

—Jimmy Gomez

By Alex P. Vidal

UNTIL now, or nearly two weeks after several news websites in the Philippines carried a story that a Filipino health worker in New York City supposedly “punched” a fellow female subway rider “as a retaliation” after wiping her saliva on the Filipino, no accurate account or confirmation from credible sources to support the story’s authenticity has surfaced.

No follow-up. No independent testimony. No police report. No news from New York TV networks. No nothing—except dispatches from Philippine-based news websites.

Thus, it buttressed suspicion the story was a hoax or mainly created for purposes of entertainment, but was grabbed by the media and reported as “news.”

We have a term in the Philippines for reporters who write stories taken from false or non-existing sources: “nakuryente” or simply “kuryente.”

For a news to be credible, the reporter must first verify the sources and see to it the basic elements are there: what, when, where, who, why, how.

It’s not news if the source is only from one person—even if he or she is someone “with authority”—but someone who can’t substantiate or provide the facts. 

His or her “authority”(in whatever capacity) does not make them the end-all and be-all of a credible or authentic news—unless he or she is the President who issues a statement to the public.

In this case, the reporter quoted a consul general as the source of her story. 

The consul general, however, reported the “incident” only in a Tweet and did not name the Filipino and the “Asian hater” but provided only a photo of a train in the elevated rail station.

-o0o-

The reporter, Joyce Ann L. Rocamora, writing for the Philippine News Agency (PNA), reported on June 4, 2022: “A Filipino health worker who was at the receiving end of yet another alleged Asian hate in a New York subway, returned the disrespect with a punch, the Philippine Consulate General in New York said Saturday.”

“In a tweet, Consul General Elmer Cato reported that a woman spat and applied the saliva on the Filipino while riding the N Broadway Express in the New York City Subway in Manhattan City on June 4. The offended Filipino health worker then punched her.”

Rocamora reported further: “Without providing further details, the envoy accompanied the text with the hashtag #StopAsianHate.‘A woman picked on the wrong Asian on the N train this morning. She spat on her hand and wiped her saliva on a young Filipino hospital worker seated next to her. She then saw a few stars. Our kababayan (compatriot) comes from a family of boxing legends in the Philippines. #StopAsianHate,’ Cato said.”

The rest of the story said: “Most netizens said while they do not condone violence, they praised the Filipino for standing up to the bully.

“In the past, several Filipino nationals experienced unprovoked assault and anti-Asian hate crimes in New York, which started more frequently at the onset of the pandemic.

“On March 2022, a 67-year-old Filipino woman was seriously injured after she was brutally assaulted inside her apartment building in Yonkers, the second time an elderly Filipino was followed and assaulted while almost home.

“According to the latest report of Stop Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate, Filipinos are third among the top anti-Asian hate victims in the United States.

“Out of the 10,905 hate incidents recorded by AAPI from March 2020 to December 2021, 8.9 percent or at least 917 are Filipinos.

“A majority of the incident took place on public streets and spaces and private residences, ranging from harassment, shunning, job discrimination, denial of service, being coughed at or spat upon, and physical assault.”

-o0o-

In order to “escape” from the heat wave, which affected more than 20 states seeing dangerously hot temperatures this week and impacting nearly 100 million Americans, I entertained the idea of watching Hamlet at the Park Avenue Armory in Upper East Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon.

But we were told yesterday (June 15) morning the production had been cancelled after one of the major cast “wasn’t feeling well.”

Was it because of the effects of heat wave?

The heat index would be over 100 degrees from the Plains to the Southeast with little relief at night until this week, according to the National Weather Service.

An excessive heat warning has been issued from southern inland California to Arizona. Temperatures in this region could reportedly reach 110 degrees over the next few days.

The American Heart Association has warned that temperatures over 100 degrees can be dangerous; high temperatures cause dehydration and increase stress on the heart.

The association recommends that individuals stay hydrated, avoid caffeinated or alcoholic beverages and avoid the outdoors during the peak sun hours of about 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)