2 Bicolanas vie for Miss Universe Philippines 2025

BY ROBERT REQUINTINA

Feb 12, 2025 02:35 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Apol Mora-Viñas, MUPh Vice President for Global and National Search Mags Cue and MUPH Director for Asia Pacific and Local Search Arnold Mercado.

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Miss Universe Philippines Camarines Sur 2025 Shaina Ong Rabacal (right); and Miss Universe Philippines Albay 2025 Rani Lachmi Dado. (Images courtesy of Joy Arguil Photo/Fab Philippines)

Meet the two beauties who will represent Bicol at the 2025 Miss Universe Philippines (MUPh) beauty pageant later this year.

They are Shaina Ong Rabacal, of Iriga City, Camarines Sur; and Rani Lachmi Dado, of Albay. These beauties were presented to the pageant media at Incanta in Morato, Quezon City, last Monday. 

Witnessing the event were franchise owners Mark Louie Viñas and Apol Mora-Viñas, MUPh Vice President for Global and National Search Mags Cue and MUPH Director for Asia Pacific and Local Search Arnold Mercado.

Shaina is a multifaceted individual from Iriga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines. At 25, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, earning academic distinction.

Miss Universe Philippines Albay 2025 Rani Lachmi Dado

She is recognized not only for her academic achievements but also for her athleticism, leadership, and active participation in local and provincial beauty pageants.

Currently, Shaina works as a barista in her hometown while also engaging in extracurricular activities that highlight her advocacy for mental health awareness. 

As an accomplished volleyball player, she demonstrated her athletic prowess by participating and competing in division and regional meets during her secondary education. Her commitment to the sport exemplifies her discipline and teamwork skills.

Shaina is a proud advocate for mental health awareness. She actively participates in symposiums that encourage individuals to speak up, acknowledge their experiences, and promote safe spaces for discussion.

Miss Universe Philippines Camarines Sur 2025 Shaina Ong Rabacal

Rani believes that beauty, art, and purpose are inseparable. As a junior architect, painter, and former journalist, she envisions the world not just as it is but as it could be if more people dared to care.

Last year, she led the Albay Renewable Energy and Investment Summit, bringing together leaders and changemakers, as she understands that sustainability is deeply personal. 

As an architect, Rani views a home as more than just walls and a roof; it represents safety, dignity, and the future. When the environment collapses, it is people—not statistics—who suffer.

This is why she advocates for architecture designed to protect, not just endure—designs that adapt to nature and cater not only to the privileged but also to the vulnerable.

In Albay, she is also recognized as an artist, creating bold, evocative portraits that challenge norms and invite viewers to experience emotions. 

From left: MUPh Vice President for Global and National Search Mags Cue; franchise owners Apol Mora-Viñas and Mark Louie; and MUPh Director for Asia Pacific and Local Search Arnold Mercado.

She approaches painting with the same conviction that permeates her entire life—unapologetic, stirring, and alive.

Rani's love for storytelling began with her work in journalism at The Bicol Universitarian, Bicol University’s official student publication. Here, she found her voice in championing truth, believing that no real change can occur in a society built on silence.

Now, as Miss Universe Philippines Albay 2024, she steps onto a larger stage—not to seek admiration but to reach more people. She aims to remind them that beauty lies not only in what we see but also in what we choose to stand for.

JK Labajo congratulates GF Dia Mate on Reina Hispanoamericana win

BY NEIL RAMOS

Feb 11, 2025 06:10 PM

  

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JK Labajo is among those happy with Dia Mate being crowned as the newest Reina Hispanoamericana title holder.

Well, why not? He is after all her boyfriend. 

The singer-actor actually wants to let the whole world know about it too, penning a sweet message on social media to congratulate Dia.

“My love, CONGRATULATIONS! You've worked so hard to get to where you are now, and it fills my heart with warmth and joy to witness your growth and see how far you've come,” He wrote.

He continued, “You deserve all the good things life has to offer because you never gave up! You've faced so many challenges, endured countless sleepless nights, and dedicated endless hours to your training--all with unwavering determination. You've carried our flag with such grace and elegance, and we are all so proud to have you represent our country on the international stage, inspiring the younger generation and being the voice for all the causes you stand up for. This is just the beginning! 

“To my sweet, kind, loving, and beautiful soul--inside and out--my baby girl, my baba, my queen: I love you more than words can express. Te amo mucho, mi amor.”

Dia is the second Filipina to bag the prestigious title.

The first was Teresita "Winwyn" Marquez, who won the title in 2017.

Does social media betray our mood?

According to a report from the American Psychological Association, heavy social media use has been linked to increased levels of anxiety, depression and feelings of loneliness. The constant scrolling feeds into a cycle of comparison where we're always seeing others, which can make us feel inadequate.

Clues to the state of your mental health may be hiding in plain sight – in the tweets you send and the Facebook updates you post. There it is in your Facebook timeline or Instagram gallery – a digital footprint of your mental health.

One thing is really clear: it’s not hidden in the obvious parts: the emojis, hashtags and inspirational quotes. Instead, it lurks in subtler signs that, unbeknownst to you, may provide a diagnosis as accurate as a doctor’s blood pressure cuff or heart rate monitor.

For those who see social media mainly as a place to share the latest cat video or travel snap, this may come as a surprise. It also means the platform has important – and potentially life-saving – potential. Following the BBC:  in the US alone, there is one death by suicide every 13 minutes. Despite this, our ability to predict suicidal thoughts and behavior has not materially improved across 50 years of research. Forecasting an episode of psychosis or emerging depression can be equally challenging.

But data mining and machine learning are transforming this landscape by extracting signals from dizzying amounts of granular data on social media. These methods already have tracked and predicted flu outbreaks. Now, it’s the turn of mental health.

Studies have found that if you have depression, your Instagram feed is more likely to feature bluer, greyer, and darker photos with fewer faces. They’ll probably receive fewer likes (but more comments). Chances are you’ll prefer the Inkwell filter which converts colour images to black and white, rather than the Valencia one which lightens them.

Even then, these patterns are hardly robust enough in isolation to diagnose or predict depression. Still, they could be crucial in constructing models that can. This is where machine learning comes in.

Meanwhile, psychiatrists have long linked language and mental health, listening for the disjointed and tangential speech of schizophrenia or the increased use of first-person singular pronouns of depression. For an updated take, type your Twitter handle into AnalyzeWords. It’s a free text analysis tool which focuses on junk words (pronouns, articles, prepositions) to assess emotional and thinking styles. From my 1017 most recent words on Twitter, I’m apparently average for being angry and worried but below average on being upbeat – I have been pretty pessimistic about the state of the world recently. Enter @realdonaldtrump into AnalyzeWords and you’ll see he scores highly on having an upbeat emotional style, and is less likely than average to be worried, angry, and depressed.

Telling signals of depression include an increase in negative words (“no”, “never”, “prison”, “murder”) and a decrease in positive ones (“happy”, “beach”, and “photo”), but these are hardly definitive. Taking it a step further, researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University and the University of Vermont extracted a wider range of features (mood, language and context) from almost 280,000 tweets. The resulting computational model scored highly on identifying users with depression; it also was correct in about nine of every 10 PTSD predictions.

The ratio of positive to negative words was a key predictor within the model, says Chris Danforth, one of the researchers and Flint professor of mathematical, natural and technical sciences at the University of Vermont. Other strong predictors included increased tweet word count.

What to do with all this information? Empowerment would be a good start.

Reservations persist more broadly in this field, though, especially around privacy. What if digital traces of your mental health become visible to all? You might be targeted by pharmaceutical companies or face discrimination from employers and insurers. In addition, some of these types of projects aren’t subject to the rigorous ethical oversight of clinical trials. Users are frequently unaware their data has been mined. Yes, include me in. And -maybe- you too!

As privacy and internet ethics scholar Michael Zimmer once explained, “Just because personal information is made available in some fashion on a social network, does not mean it is fair game for capture and release to all”.

The history of Valentine's Day

 

I LOVE YOU!

By Klaus Döring

It's time again for Valentine's Day. Expensive flowers, sweets, lunches, hotel overnight stays ... .

Do you know something about the legend of St. Valentine? The history of Valentine's Day – and the story of its patron saint – is indeed shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

From February 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. ... Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.

Being married for more then 43 years now, Valentine's Day lets me always recall lovely moments from the past.

In a very old issue of PHILADELPHIA NEWS, which is still on my desk, columnist Larry Fields confessed: "I lead a life of wine, women and song (by the way, a wonderful waltz by the Austrian king of waltz Johann Strauss!) - it's cheaper than petrol, food and rent!"

Well, some marriages are made in heaven. You know some? I do. The best of the rest are down-to-earth. Maybe also yours? I am blessed and happy to celebrate my  wedding anniversary next month.

Maybe you remember this: "Then the prince swept the lovely young maiden into his arms and carried her home to his castle. And they live happily ever after!" Indeed, they did.

What I would like to see is an autonomous in home affairs study of all these title of nobility bearers seven years after their happily-ever-after marriages. or even earlier, because the so-called darned and tricky seventh marriage year could be even the first one already.

The truth is that life isn't made up of the continual highs found in the initial stages of courtship. Of course, flirting is fun and a wide groove exists. But after a while our system needs a rest. Unanimously we're in the second stage sooner or later and our marriage life badly needs a new outside coating.

All of a sudden, the partner prefers day and night watching all the sports channels, falls asleep while you're revealing your innermost secrets and even forgets the anniversary for the first or even second time . Just bear in mind: You've won each other's acceptance  and sometimes even feel terribly gloomy. This acceptance shouldn't be undervalued.

Even we see a house that has to be cleaned, many other things have to be organized, and the partner, who looks as fatigued and bored as you feel. Logical question: "That's it? That WAS it?"

And suddenly, we experienced the third stage and learned why it's worth the ups and downs. Maybe we men don't mention any more, how incredible she looks, but we enjoy bleating and grousing at her spending innumerable hours putting her together. But then, suddenly, we men unload the garbage without being asked for it.

Although no marriage is continually blissful - it can be pretty good most of the time. When we last through arguments, money worries, and kid's problems or slowly but surely coming up mid-life crises, we should face reality that our relationship is not always a big day celebration.

It's because the fundamental  reason for a marriage has outlasted the craziness of day-to-day living: we love each other. That's MY idea of "Happily ever after, indeed!"

And one more thing: in my opinion, Valentine's Day shouldn't be only on February 14. It doesn't matter if one is married or not. 

Es ist wieder Zeit für den Valentinstag. Teure Blumen, Süßigkeiten, Mittagessen, Hotelübernachtungen ... .

Kennen Sie die Legende des Heiligen Valentin? Die Geschichte des Valentinstags – und die Geschichte seines Schutzheiligen – ist in der Tat in Geheimnisse gehüllt. Wir wissen, dass der Februar seit langem als Monat der Romantik gefeiert wird und dass der Valentinstag, wie wir ihn heute kennen, sowohl Spuren christlicher als auch antiker römischer Traditionen enthält.

Vom 13. bis 15. Februar feierten die Römer das Fest der Lupercalia. ... Kaiser Claudius II. ließ am 14. Februar unterschiedlichen Jahres im 3. Jahrhundert n. Chr. zwei Männer hinrichten – beide mit Namen Valentin. Ihr Martyrium wurde von der katholischen Kirche mit der Feier des Valentinstags geehrt.

Da ich nun seit über 43 Jahren verheiratet bin, erinnert mich der Valentinstag immer wieder an schöne Momente aus der Vergangenheit.

In einer sehr alten Ausgabe der PHILADELPHIA NEWS, die noch immer auf meinem Schreibtisch liegt, gestand Kolumnist Larry Fields: „Ich führe ein Leben mit Wein, Weib und Gesang (übrigens ein wunderbarer Walzer des österreichischen Walzerkönigs Johann Strauss!) – das ist billiger als Benzin, Essen und Miete!“

Tja, manche Ehen werden im Himmel geschlossen. Kennen Sie welche? Ich schon. Die besten Ehen sind bodenständig. Vielleicht auch Ihre? Ich bin gesegnet und glücklich, nächsten Monat meinen Hochzeitstag zu feiern.

Vielleicht erinnern Sie sich noch daran: „Dann nahm der Prinz das schöne junge Mädchen in seine Arme und trug sie heim in sein Schloss. Und sie lebten glücklich bis an ihr Lebensende!“ Und das taten sie tatsächlich.

Ich würde gerne eine unabhängige innenpolitische Studie all dieser Adelstitelträger sieben Jahre nach ihrer glücklichen Ehe sehen. Oder sogar noch früher, denn das sogenannte verflixte und heikle siebte Ehejahr könnte sogar schon das erste sein.

Die Wahrheit ist, dass das Leben nicht aus den ständigen Höhenflügen besteht, die man in den Anfangsphasen der Beziehung findet. Natürlich macht Flirten Spaß und es gibt eine breite Spur. Aber nach einer Weile braucht unser System eine Pause. Einstimmig sind wir früher oder später in der zweiten Phase und unser Eheleben braucht dringend einen neuen Außenanstrich.

Plötzlich zieht es der Partner vor, Tag und Nacht alle Sportkanäle zu sehen, schläft ein, während Sie Ihre innersten Geheimnisse preisgeben und vergisst sogar zum ersten oder sogar zweiten Mal den Jahrestag. Denken Sie nur daran: Sie haben die Akzeptanz des anderen gewonnen und fühlen sich manchmal sogar furchtbar trübsinnig. Diese Akzeptanz sollte nicht unterschätzt werden.

Sogar wir sehen ein Haus, das geputzt werden muss, viele andere Dinge, die organisiert werden müssen, und den Partner, der genauso müde und gelangweilt aussieht, wie Sie sich fühlen. Logische Frage: „Das war‘s? Das WAR‘s?“

Und plötzlich haben wir die dritte Phase erlebt und gelernt, warum es die Höhen und Tiefen wert ist. Vielleicht erwähnen wir Männer nicht mehr, wie unglaublich sie aussieht, aber wir jammern und meckern gerne darüber, dass sie unzählige Stunden damit verbracht hat, sie zusammenzuflicken. Aber dann, plötzlich, entladen wir Männer den Müll, ohne dass wir darum gebeten wurden.

Obwohl keine Ehe immer glückselig ist, kann sie die meiste Zeit ziemlich gut sein. Wenn wir Streit, Geldsorgen und Probleme mit den Kindern oder langsam aber sicher aufkommende Midlife-Crisis überstehen, sollten wir der Realität ins Auge sehen, dass unsere Beziehung nicht immer ein großer Tag zum Feiern ist.

Das liegt daran, dass der grundlegende Grund für eine Ehe den Wahnsinn des Alltags überdauert hat: Wir lieben einander. Das ist MEINE Vorstellung von „Und sie lebten tatsächlich glücklich bis an ihr Lebensende!“

Und noch etwas: Meiner Meinung nach sollte Valentinstag nicht nur am 14. Februar sein. Es spielt keine Rolle, ob man verheiratet ist oder nicht

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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook or LinkedIn  or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com .

A ‘konsiyerto’ showcase of the magnificent Filipino music artist

‘Gabi ng Piyano Konsiyertong Pilipino,’ with pianist Raul Sunico as soloist and the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) conducted by Jeffrey Solares and Herminigildo Ranera, features three piano concertos by Filipino composers.

SOUNDS FAMILIAR - Baby A. Gil - The Philippine Star 

February 11, 2025 | 12:00am

When the bravos and the applause died down, remarks of “amazing, ang galing, astounding, what a show, parang nuong nanalo si Carlos Yulo, so proud of Filipino music” and even a loud “magnificent” followed.

That was last Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila. They were talking about “Gabi ng Piyano Konsiyertong Pilipino,” where pianist Raul Sunico as soloist and the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), conducted by Jeffrey Solares and Herminigildo Ranera, performed three piano concertos by Filipino composers.

Sunico, looking deceptively relaxed, had strong but nimble fingers expressively traipsing through lyrical and pounding passages with ease. Solares and Ranera stood their ground, leading the 56-strong MSO in involving conversations with the pianist. It was an incredible interchange.

But Sunico, Ranera and Solares, plus the MSO, should not let all the bravos go to their heads. All those happened because they were given the privilege of performing those concertos that most of us did not even know existed. This is why the evening was also a time for discovery.

These were the Piano Concerto No. 2, “Maharlika” from 1973 by Lucino Sacramento, which Sunico himself premiered 52 years ago; the Piano Concerto No. 1, “Celebration” from 1976 by Alfredo Buenaventura; and the Piano Concerto in B-flat minor from 1924 by Francisco Santiago.

Sunico, looking deceptively relaxed, has strong but nimble fingers expressively traipsing through lyrical and pounding passages with ease.

Pinoys can write concertos like those? Yes, they did, and hopefully they still do. I have not heard of any new ones lately. Take note of the years when those masterworks were composed. They all come from a long time ago. In fact, the B-flat minor by Santiago is already a hundred years old. It is as old as Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” It is younger than any of the Rachmaninoff’s but older than Ravel’s G-major.

Lucino Sacramento’s Piano Concerto No. 2, ‘Maharlika’ from 1973, gets resurrected during the ‘Gabi ng Piyano Konsiyertong Pilipino.’ Other featured concertos at the Metropolitan Theater are Alfredo Buenaventura’s ‘Celebration’ from 1976; and Francisco Santiago’s Piano Concerto in B-flat minor from 1924.

This means that while those titles were being written, Pinoys were already at the forefront of the game, composing their own concertos and from what I heard at “Konsiyerto,” Santiago’s B-flat can stand side by side with all those famous ones. That also goes for the “Maharlika” and the “Celebration.”

Given the Filipino’s well-known flair for music, why are those concertos not famous? One was lost for a century but the other two were seldom or were never performed. Sunico mentioned that he must have done “Maharlika” five times in 50 years. “Celebration” was performed at Carnegie Hall with Regalado Jose conducting but not in recent years.

Music has to be heard to continue to stay alive. Otherwise, they become forgotten and die. “Konsiyerto” resurrected these masterpieces. It is now up to us to keep them alive. Maybe we should request visiting pianists to play these concertos in their shows. Better yet, maybe our pianists who have built a name abroad should also make it a point to include Filipino works in their repertoire.

Come to think of it, I heard US-based pianist Victor Asuncion play a very good Rachmaninoff but has he ever played a Filipino concerto? What about the famous Cecile Licad, does she have a Filipino concerto in her repertoire?

Anyway, Buenaventura, a sprightly and quick-witted 96-year-old revealed in an interview that he has three more piano concertos at home just waiting to be performed. He is hopeful this will happen soon. It should, although it costs a lot to mount an orchestral performance.

Hopefully, there are people out there who believe in the greatness of the Filipino artist. Maybe they can share their largesse with the music arts by helping put together another “Konsiyerto” event where Buenaventura’s concertos and those by other composers, plus still hidden symphonies, sonatas, operas, whatever, will finally be performed for the public.

Bianca Umali on sharing a scene with Nora Aunor: 'It was magical'

BY CARISSA ALCANTARA

Feb 10, 2025 04:26 PM

  

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Bianca Umali 

Bianca Umali couldn't help but smile as she recalled one of the many memorable moments she shared with the one and only Superstar Nora Aunor on the set of ''Mananambal."

During a media conference held at Viva Cafe last Feb. 6, Bianca related how "magical" it was filming their final scene together.

"I was very nervous to do that scene and it was one of those days na kaming dalawa [Nora] lang po yung magkasama nun on set. It was not a comfortable situation to be in pero being there with her and seeing her acting as if she was as young as she used to be, it was magical," Bianca said. 

She added, "Ayun yung sinasabi ko na masterclass because I dream of being like that."

Apparently, Bianca wants to be an inspiration to others very much like Nora.

"No matter how cruel this world is you hold on to what you love doing and you do it to inspire people and to be kinder to the people around you," Biance said.

Bianca also shared how she learned to trust her co-actors through Nora. 

"The level of kung paano po siya magtiwala sa mga katrabaho niya, regardless kung ano po ang posisyon. Isa po kasi yun sa mga learnings ko as one of the new generation of actors dito po sa industriya, kung gaano po kahalaga ang healthy and collaborative working environment and isa po yun sa nakita ko kay Ate Guy," Bianca mentioned.

"Mananambal" follows a group of ambitious content creators in search of Lucia (Aunor), the “mananambal” whose extraordinary healing powers have recently gone viral. 

Their pursuit leads them to Alma (Umali), Lucia’s strong-willed daughter, who refuses to follow her mother’s path and is eager to live life on her own terms. 

The group’s persistence to use Alma as their way to Lucia crosses dangerous lines, leaving Alma broken and betrayed.

Upon returning to Manila, the content creators find themselves engulfed in a nightmare of inexplicable and horrifying events, with death relentlessly chasing them.

Directed by Adolfo Alix Jr, the riveting new horror masterpiece also stars Kelvin Miranda, Edgar Allan Guzman, Jeric Gonzales, and Martin Escudero. 

It hits cinemas nationwide on February 19.

GOSSIP GIRL: Stars born in February and birthday wishes

BY GISELLE SANCHEZ

Feb 11, 2025 08:59 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• A study by some students at the University of Arkansas published in Science Publications found that more celebrities are born in February than any other month.

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Giselle Sanchez and Martin Nievera

We Filipinos joke that people born in February are “kulang-kulang” (born with a deficiency) because February lacks several days to complete the month. 

I disagree because some of the brightest stars in Hollywood and the Philippines celebrate their birthdays in February – Heart Evangelista, Anne Curtis, Lea Salonga, Kris Aquino, Shakira, and Michael Jordan. 

It seems like a lot of stars are born in February. A study by some students at the University of Arkansas published in Science Publications found that more celebrities are born in February than any other month.  

With Parokya ni Edgar lead vocalist Chito Miranda

For my column today, I asked three of our brightest stars their birthday wishes. Concert King Martin Nievera, born Feb. 5, recently celebrated his 62nd birthday last Feb. 2 on ABS-CBN's noontime variety show ASAP. I asked him for his birthday wish, and he gladly told Gossip Girl, “My birthday wish is that I could live long enough to give back to all those who have blessed me with a full beautiful life and career. I want to keep singing and performing for audiences worldwide until I can’t sing a note anymore—so good health would be at the top of that wish list. Also, I still feel I still have so many shows to do. So I pray that the people are still willing to listen to my songs and that I am entertaining and interesting enough for people to hear my music.” 

Actress Katya Santos whose birthday falls on Feb. 2 is praying for a baby with her non-showbiz fiancée Paolo Pilar. The celebrity got engaged last month when Paolo proposed to her at Lake Ashi in Hakone, Japan. The 43-year-old actress knows in her heart that God will give an answered prayer.

“Conceiving in your 40s is difficult, so Paolo and I have been going to fertility doctors, and we are even contemplating on IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). Of course, we will get married first, but work-ups need time to prepare. I also need to finish all my projects and shows by the end of year. So to answer your question, my birthday wish is to give Paolo a child that we will raise together as husband and wife.” 

Katya Santos (Ross Paris Photography)

Parokya ni Edgar’s lead vocalist Chito Miranda (Feb. 7) got his birthday wish last Dec. 5 when his wife Neri Naig Miranda was released after spending almost two weeks in prison.  

I randomly saw them walking together on a beach with their kids a few days ago, and I told Neri that I would continue to pray that justice would be served and that she would finally be exonerated from all charges filed against her. 

Neri is currently facing 14 counts of violation of the Securities Regulation Code and Estafa. The reinvestigation of all cases will allow Neri to respond to the allegations against her.