p1-22.chp:Corel VENTURA

Vol. XVIII, No. 14
2 Balls
Highlight
RP Fiesta
Two Gala Balls will be the
top features of this year’s celebration of the 111th anniversary of
Philippine independence in the
Washington DC metropolitan
area.
The Philippine American
Foundation for Charities (PAFC)
which for more than 20 years had
been sponsoring the Fair and Parade in the streets of Washington
DC recently announced that
these events have been cancelled
due to the economic recession.
Meanwhile,
Ambassador
Willy C. Gaa has extended an in-
Continued on page 20
Baldwin’s
Apology
Accepted
WASHINGTON D.C. - Philippine Ambassador Willy C. Gaa
has thanked American actor Alec
Baldwin for apologizing for his
joke about Filipina mail- orderbrides.
The ambassador said in a letter to Baldwin May 21 that he appreciated the public apology
expressed
by the actor
over
the
joke which
many
in
the Philippines and
in the US
considered
Alec Baldwin
as a slur on
Filipino women. The apology
was contained in Baldwin’s blog
May 20.
In Manila, officials also expressed their acceptance of Baldwin’s spology.
Gaa said “it was a positive
reflection on Mr. Baldwin’s character to acknowledge and under-
Continued on page 20
Another claims
rape by Yank
P5
Online: www.ManilaMailDC.net
May 31, 2009
Filipino Named Top DC Teacher of Year
By Bing C. Branigin
WASHINGTON, DC - Aris
Pangilinan, a Filipino math
teacher at H.D. Woodson Senior
High School, is one of the 21 recipients of the prestigious “2009
Agnes
Meyer
Outstanding
Aris Pangilinan (front) poses with top Washington Post officials during the
award ceremony May 12. They are, from left, Bo Jone Jr., chairman; Donald
Graham, chairman of the Board, and Katharine Weymouth, publisher, and
chief executive officer.
WASHINGTON D.C. - Philippine Ambassador to the United
States Willy C. Gaa will remain in
his post.
The Department of Foreign
Affairs and Malacanang in Manila have both issued statements
denying that there is a recall or-
der for Gaa. The Philippine Star
reported May 21 that Gaa would
be recalled because he angered
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when he failed to take a picture of her with US President
Obama during the National
Prayer Breakfast in Washington
Teacher of the Year Award” in
the greater Washington metropolitan area.
The official award recognition ceremony took place on May
12, at the Washington Post Building in the presence of Washington Post Chairman, Bo Jone Jr.;
Donald Graham, Chairman of the
Board; and Katharine Weymouth,
Publisher and Chief Executive
Officer.
The award is given each year
by the Washington Post in cooperation with district schools in
the greater metropolitan area “to
honor teachers who exemplify excellence in their profession.” He
is the first Filipino to receive such
honors.
At the same time, the DCPS
selected Pangilinan to be an intern in the new fellowship program of the DCPS central office.
D.C. last February.
The President made a last-minute side-trip to DC after her
visit to the Middle East in the
hope of meeting Obama. When
she failed, the Manila media pil-
Continued on page 19
Filam Gets Georgetown Honors
WASHINGTON DC - Filipino-American Raymond Patrick
Tolentino on May 16 graduated
Summa Cum Laude from the
prestigious Georgetown University here and was named salutatorian of the University’s Class of
2009.
Tolentino earned a degree in
English with a minor in Government and Japanese. He wrote a
thesis entitled, “Bulosan and Beyond: Theorizing the Filipina/o
Body Across Time and Space."
Tolentino obtained a Quality
Point Index of 3.989. Based on
Georgetown University’s academic regulations, a student
must have attained a cumulative
Quality Point Index of 3.9 or
Arroyo not
afraid of suit
P8
higher to graduate summa
cum laude.
Explaining his choice
to study the work of Filipino-American writer Carlos Bulosan for his thesis,
Tolentino wrote, “In keeping with Bulosan’s critical
move to reclaim and retell
a lost American history, I,
too, hope to uncover
voices that have been silenced - to render audible
the exiled narratives often
erased from the American
historical archive."
“Taking seriously the
demand to refuse the si- The graduate poses with his parents, Mr. Raymond and Eleanor Tolentino after the graduContinued on page 19 ation.
Gaa hails hiked
US aid
P10
Lapu Lapu wins
Dragon race
P12
This gives DCPS educators with
leadership opportunities to participate in the decision-making
process at the central office and
to gain first-hand experience in
urban education reform at a
macro- level.
Asked by the Manila Mail
about his reaction to the award,
Pangilinan said he is “humbled
and honored to represent District
of Columbia Public Schools”. He
also asked other Filipino teachers
now teaching in the US to “continue to make a difference in the
lives of young people and the
community where they belong.”
In nominating him for the
award, DCPS said “Pangilinan is
a five-year veteran at Woodson
where he has been credited for
building a strong learning community. He encourages students
Continued on page 19
Doctor’s
Sex Tapes
Rock RP
MANILA - An actress has
filed charges against a doctormodel for
allegedly
secretly
taping and
releasing
scenes of
their sexual
act in the
internet
without
her
con- Dr. Hayden Kho
sent. She is
also asking
the Professional
Regulatory
Commissi
on to revoke
his
medical license.
Upon
Katrina Halili
the suggestion
of
Malacanang, senators and other
officials, sexy starlet Katrina
Continued on page 20
2 Swine Flu
cases in RP
P16
2
May 31, 2009
Caoile’s brod-in-law sworn in as HUD deputy
WASHINGTON D.C. - Ron
Sims, brother-in-law of local Filipino American leader Gloria T.
employees.
“President Obama, Secretary
Donovan, and Congress have all
ployees, partners and our customers are empowered to implement a shared vision of the
future."
HUD Secretary Shaun
Donovan said,
“The drive and
vision
Ron
brings is critical to our efforts to not
only transform
the Agency but
to help the nation’s commu-
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan (right) administers the oath of office to Deputy Secretary Ron Sims
as Sims’ wife, Cayan Topacio, holds the Bible.
Caoile, was sworn in May 16,
2009 as the Deputy Secretary of
the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development. Sims
was unanimously confirmed by
the U.S. Senate on May 6, 2009.
As the second most senior official
at HUD, Sims will be charged
with managing the Department’s
day-to-day operations, a nearly
$39 billion annual operating
budget, and the agency’s 8,500
voiced a clear expectation that
HUD can and must now step up
to unprecedented levels of leadership in America’s national recovery," said Sims. “I am ready to
help Secretary Donovan to bring
transformational change to HUD.
This organization must work
- and it must serve not simply as
a pass-fail bureaucracy. It must
be a creative engine of ideas, actions and tools — in which em-
nities
recover
and to better
position them
for the future.
Our leadership team is
now coming together and we
can now focus
on systemic reform, policy innovation, and
harnessing private sector capital
and talent as well as new kinds of
partnership and collaboration to
respond to the nation’s housing
crisis."
Formerly the King County,
Washington Executive, Sims
earned numerous accolades and a
national reputation for his environmental stewardship, aggressive reforms of government, and
for his willingness to make the
tough choices necessary to ensure
that American tax dollars are
spent wisely.
Sims is a graduate of Central
Washington University.
HUD is the nation’s housing
agency committed to sustaining
homeownership; creating affordable housing opportunities for
low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly,
people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic
and community development
and enforces the nation’s fair
housing laws. More information
about HUD and its programs is
available on the Internet at
_www.hud.gov.
3
May 31, 2009
Please Speedup Vets’ Payment - Gaa
By Jennie L. Ilustre
WASHINGTON -Philippine
Ambassador to the U.S. Willy C.
Gaa has urged the US Department of Veterans Affairs to expedite payment of compensation to
Filipino veterans because many
of them are dying due to old age.
Gaa said that while the Philippines is grateful to the US for
granting $198 million for the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund, the process should be
expedited because of the “age of
the veterans.”
“We understand the great
care that must go into this process to ensure that the benefits go
only to those truly deserving,”
Gaa said recently.
But he expressed the hope
“that the time our veterans have
to wait to receive their benefits
could be reasonably reduced," he
added. He said the embassy has
been in constant dialogue with
the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs.
Most of the veterans are in
their late 80s. Veterans die at the
rate of ten a day.
It takes an average of a
month and a half for qualified
Filipino and Filipino American
World War II veterans to receive
their lump sum payment from
the USVA.
Ronald M. Sagudan, the department’s Asian American and
Pacific Islander liaison claims officer in Washington D.C., said
processing of the application
takes an average of 46.6 days.
Sagudan reported the department has received about
31,000 claims in the U.S. and in
the Philippines. Of this number,
2,011 have been completed as of
May 4. A total of 1,661 checks
have been released. He said another batch of 242 has been approved “and in process to
forward for payment.”
In the Philippines , the USVA
Regional Office based in Manila
has coordinated the processing
with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, headed by retired
Gen. Ernesto Carolina, defense
undersecretary and PVAO administrator.
So far, Sagudan said, there
have been 15,962 claims from the
Philippines and 7,407 from the
U.S. Less than 200 of the claims
were disapproved.
Among the first veterans
here to receive his one-time check
of $15,000 was Alberto Bacani,
who was 98. He told Malaya he
mailed his application on March
7.
Bacani received his check on
April 8 during the “Araw ng
Kagitingan” program at the Philippine embassy here from retired
U.S. Maj. Gen. Antonio M.
Taguba. Taguba represented the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
The law enacted on Feb. 17
granted qualified WWII veterans
who are Filipino citizens a onetime lump sum payment of
$9,000.
Qualified veterans who have
become naturalized U.S. citizens
receive $15,000-whether they live
in the U.S. or have retired to the
Philippines.
Ambassador Gaa also welcomed the inclusion of funding
for the Filipino Veterans Equity
Fund in the proposed 2010
budget. President Barack Obama
submitted the budget to the 111th
U.S. Congress on May 7.
Gaa said this not only insured continued availability of
appropriation for the benefits,
but it also recognized the veterans’ crucial role during the war.
In 1941, when the Philippines was a U.S. commonwealth,
then President Franklin D.
Roosevelt issued a military order
calling Filipino soldiers to service.
The U.S. Congress passed a law
allowing those who served to become U.S. citizens with full benefits.
But in February 1946, the
79th U.S. Congress passed the Rescission Act, stopping the benefits
for Filipino WWII non-service (no
combat-related injury or ailment)
veterans. Last Feb. 13, the 111th
U.S. Congress passed a bill with a
provision granting a one-time
lump sum payment to the nonservice veterans, as well as the
service-connected veterans.
4
May 31, 2009
Filam abducted
by AFP agents?
MANILA - The New York
Times said an American woman
was freed five days after armed
and hooded men believed to be
military agents abducted her and
two companions in Tarlac in
Luzon.
The woman, Melissa Roxas,
31, an activist from Los Angeles
who had been doing volunteer
health work in Tarlac Province,
was kidnapped on May 19 along
with two other health volunteers
for a nongovernmental nationalist group called Bayan.
Renato Reyes Jr., secretary
general of the group, said it was
not yet clear why only Ms. Roxas
was freed. The fate of the two
other workers, Juanito Carabeo
and John Edward Handoc, remained unknown.
It was the first time that an
American citizen had fallen victim to what Bayan and human
rights groups here call “enforced
disappearances,” or the abduction of activists by those suspected of being military agents.
Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., a
spokesman for the Philippine
military, said the military had received a report on Ms. Roxas’s
disappearance but declined to
comment. “We are verifying it,”
he said.
According to Mr. Reyes, Ms.
Roxas and her companions were
taken at gunpoint from the village where they were working
Melissa Roxas
and shoved into a van that had
no license plates. Mr. Reyes could
not yet say whether Ms. Roxas
had been harmed. He said she
was with her family in Manila.
According to the human
rights group Karapatan, more
than 200 Filipino activists have
been kidnapped and never heard
from since 2001, the year President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
came to power. Others have
turned up dead or showing signs
of torture.
Groups like Human Rights
Watch have said that activists?
disappearances are part of the
government’s counterinsurgency
campaign against leftist rebels.
The military has consistently denied that charge, calling it propaganda
by
leftist
groups
sympathetic to the three-decadeold Communist movement in the
Philippines But the United Nations Human Rights Council, in a
report last year prepared by its
special rapporteur, Philip Alston,
called on Ms. Arroyo to institute
reforms within the military and
to investigate thoroughly what
Mr. Alston called “credible allegations” that the military was behind most of these killings and
abductions.
Eduardo Ermita, Ms. Arroyo’s executive secretary and
spokesman, called the rapporteur’s report inaccurate and
said Mr. Alston was biased toward leftists.
USCIS extends JI visas for
foreign doctors
WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds customers
that Public Law 111-9, signed by
President Obama on March 20,
2009, extends the date until Sept.
30, 2009 by which international
medical graduates have to have
been granted J-1 nonimmigrant
status in order to later qualify for
the “Conrad 30" program. Before
this latest extension was granted,
the most recent sunset date for
qualifying J-1 admission was
March 6, 2009.
Under the “Conrad 30" program, each state health department may submit a request
directly to the Department of
State (DOS) to initiate the waiver
process for a J-1 medical doctor.
This request enables J-1 doctors
to obtain a waiver of the two-year
foreign residence requirement, if
DOS submits a favorable recommendation to USCIS and will
generally be granted as long as
there are no underlying concerns.
Once the waiver is granted, J-1
doctors must practice medicine
for at least three years in a medically underserved shortage area
or areas. The Department of
Health and Human Services des-
ignates the medical shortage areas.
The Conrad 30 (originally
Conrad 20) program was originally established in 1994 to address the shortage of qualified
doctors in medically underserved
areas, and has been extended several times since then. In 2004,
Congress amended the program
to exempt J-1 doctors who received a Conrad 30 waiver from
the annual H-1B numerical limitation (otherwise known as the
“H-1B cap”), as these doctors
must complete their required
three-year period of service as H1B nonimmigrants.
This current sunset date of
Sept. 30, 2009, applies to the date
the medical doctor originally entered the United States in J-1
status or received a change of
status to J-1, to complete a residency program in the United
States. Doctors who acquired J-1
status before Sept. 30, 2009, may
pursue a waiver of the two-year
foreign residence requirement
under the Conrad State 30 program, if they meet all the eligibility requirements.
For additional information,
call the National Customer Serv-
ice Center at (800) 375-5283.
Thais give Pacman
a hero’s welcome
BANGKOK - Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao received a hero’s welcome in the
Thai capital ne-day trip.
Veteran Bangkok Post columnist Edward Tangarajah told
House for some 30 minutes.
Pacquiao’s business manager Eric Pineda, in an overseas
telephone conversation with
Standard Today, said the visit
went very well and was ex-
Manny Pacquiao presents Thai Prime MInister Abhisit Vejjajiva a pair of
boxing gloves.
www.insidesports.ph, Standard
Today and Viva Sports the reception Pacquiao received was
amazing. He said the world’s
no. 1 pound-for-pound king met
with Thailand’s Minister of
Tourism and Sports Chumpol
Silapa-Archa at which they had
lengthy discussions on a range
of topics.
Thangarajah said Pacquiao
later met with Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government
tremely successful.
Pacquiao and the Thai premier basically discussed sports
and Manny’s career, said
Pineda, who added that the Thai
official even recalled that the
Pacman won his first world title
with an eighth-round knockout
of Thai hero and World Boxing
Council flyweight champion
Chatchai Sasakul in December
1998.
5
May 31, 2009
‘Vanessa’ Accuses Another US Marine of Rape
MANILA - More than three
years after a Filipina filed a rape
complaint against an American
serviceman in Olongapo and later
recanted it, another Filipina has
come out to accuse another US
Marine of rape.
But “Vanessa” (not the victim’s real name) is not bringing
her case to court, apparently discouraged by the fate that befell
“Nicole,” who flew to the United
States shortly before the Court of
Appeals (CA) last month acquitted her purported attacker, Lance
Cpl. Daniel Smith, reversing his
earlier conviction by a lower
court for rape.
In a press conference called
by women’s group Gabriela May
14, Vanessa - whose face was almost fully covered by a shawl Ârelated her ordeal but stressed
that it was only for the purpose
of letting the public know about
the alleged abuses of US servicemen against women in the Philippines.
The 22-year-old college student claimed that the alleged
rape took place in the early morning of April 19 inside a room of a
five-star hotel in Makati City
where the alleged suspect, whom
Gabriela identified as John Jones,
and his friends were billeted.
Gabriela said they were able
to confirm that the alleged perpetrator is a US military staff, as he
was listed in the hotel records as
someone “from the Joint US Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG)/Balikatan.”
Based on the fact sheet provided by Gabriela, Vanessa and
the alleged US Marine first met
last April 10 in a bar at The Fort,
Taguig City where the suspect is
said to have approached Vanessa
and her friends and introduced
himself as a US Marine.
The two subsequently exchanged personal information,
including mobile phone numbers,
and eventually became text
mates.
The two reportedly met
again last April 15 in another club
at The Fort, and again on the
night of April 18.
At around 3:30 a.m., Vanessa
claimed Jones asked her to go
with him to the hotel. Jones allegedly told her that they would be
in the company of his friends, as
well as his girlfriend.
But when they arrived at the
hotel, Vanessa claimed there was
nobody there except the two of
them.
When she started to feel uncomfortable, Vanessa said she
told Jones that she wanted to go
home. But Jones allegedly stood
up and suddenly slapped her
hard in the face.
Vanessa said she immediately walked towards the door
but Jones allegedly grabbed her
to come out before
the media to tell
about her ordeal is already “in a way a
form of justice.”
The Presidential
Commission on the
Visiting
Forces
Agreement
(VFACom), meanwhile, is
in the process of
gathering
information on the alleged
rape while acting US
Embassy spokesperson Karen Schinerrer
"Vanessa", whose face is covered, is assisted by an said the diplomatic
mission has not reactivist in her meeting with the press.
ceived
information
on the incident but
and threw her on the bed. Vanessa also alleged that Jones
again slapped her several times,
using his left hand, while his
right hand was choking her.
Vanessa sought the help of
Gabriela last April 20.
Gabriela said Vanessa had
reported the alleged rape incident
to the police. The group also
claimed that Vanessa’s medico-legal examination showed that
“there was contusion” indicating
a rape incident.
Vanessa declined to answer
questions from the media during
the press conference, and left immediately after reading her statement.
“While rape victims have a
strong desire to seek justice for
the offense made against them,
the decision to come out in public
and pursue a legal case does not
come easy. This decision is now
even more difficult to make since
another US personnel is involved,
and with the events in the Subic
rape case as background," said
Emmi de Jesus, secretary general
of Gabriela.
Laywer Evalyn Ursua, who
defended Nicole
in her search for
justice until she
was relieved by
her client days
before the CA
handed down the
acquittal of Smith
last April 23, said
that although filing a case before
the court would
be the “ideal situation,” they could
not force the victim to do so if she
does not want to.
“The
day
Smith was acquitted was the day
she decided not
to pursue a case,"
Ursua also told
The STAR.
Ursua
believes that Vanessa’s decision
“the US takes seriously specific
allegations regarding activities by
visiting US personnel."
Malacanang, for its part,
urged Vanessa to file a complaint
before the courts to resolve the
matter and assured her of support and protection.
6
May 31, 2009
‘You Are The Only White Person In Here!’
By T. A. Leonard
SEATTLE - One afternoon
while in Chinatown, my family
and I stopped to eat at a restaurant. Once seated, I looked
around and noticed the patrons
and staff were all Asian. I looked
down at my place setting and
saw only chopsticks, no silverware. Turning to my husband, I
remarked, “This must be a good
place, we’re the only White people in here." My husband replied
with a grin, “No, YOU are the
only White person in here.”
As is evident from the above
exchange, I sometimes forget that
I am a minority in my own family. I am a Caucasian married to a
first generation Filipino American, which makes my children biracial. By calling my family
“White”, I wasn’t referring to
their skin color. My husband and
children have darker skin than I
and, at least racially, they would
not fit the “White” category. Instead, I meant our culture.
My husband is so Americanized that he has been told by
other Filipinos that he is “not really Filipino.” In fact, he doesn’t
understand or feel comfortable
with many of his parents’ customs. Many years into an interracial marriage, and three children
later, I’ve discovered that the is-
sues arising in my Asian/Caucasian union are not about race or
color, but about conflicts of culture. Because my husband is culturally more American than
Asian, the differences only become evident when we are with
his parents and relatives.
For example, I once called
one of his aunts by her first name,
without first using the proper title of “Aunt”. Her look of dismay
was my only clue that I had done
something wrong, although I
didn’t know exactly what. I later
thought about the incident and
remembered a time when another
relative had acted in the same
manner when I had called my
own uncle by his first name. An
Asian friend later explained that
calling a relative by their first
name was considered the height
of disrespect.
When asked, my husband
said that he had not ever thought
to tell me because, for him, it was
second nature to use a title when
addressing a relative.
Can a biracial couple navigate the many conflicts of their
cultures? Another issue was how
to address my in-laws. I had always called them by their first
names, as is the American custom. I found out, after more than
a decade of being married, that
not only was I was expected to
call them “Mom” and “Dad”, but
that they had been seething over
this lack of courtesy for years.
Apparently, I had even humiliated them in front of their friends
by using their first names.
When I discovered my mistake, I was upset and dismayed.
From my perspective, it would
have been disrespectful to call
them “Mom” and “Dad” without
an invitation; from their viewpoint, I was being deliberately
disrespectful by not using the endearments. The sad thing is that
no one ever brought the issue to
my attention. Had they explained
this to me, I would have certainly
complied.
Because my experiences
seem to be mirrored by friends
who are also in Asian/Caucasian
marriages, I’m starting to think
that lack of communication is a
part of the culture. These things
just aren’t discussed. A Chinese
friend, who is married to a Caucasian, once explained, “If you
were to ask them what was
wrong, they would say everything was fine, they wouldn’t tell
you what was bothering them.
My husband just doesn’t address
anybody in my family by name,
so that he doesn’t make a mistake." I wish I had thought of
that!
Food is another source of
conflict. When my husband’s
family visits our home, I cook because I consider it rude for guests
to have to make their own food.
However, I wouldn’t dare try to
cook Filipino food, even though I
love it! As a result, they get my
American-style
food.
Even
though I always ask their opinion
on what I should make, and I try
my best to find dishes that will
appeal to them, it doesn’t always
go well.
The rice isn’t the right type
or isn’t cooked properly. They
balk at unfamiliar foods. I find it
frustrating that I’m expected to
try bitter melon and blood pudding, but lasagna is enough to
send them running for the nearest Chinese restaurant.
Finally, cultures can clash
over something as simple as an
adjective.
When my husband’s aunt
once called my five-year-old
daughter sexy, I was offended by
the application of that very adult
term to my little girl. It wasn’t
until I noticed other relatives calling her dress sexy, a book sexy, a
pair of shoes sexy - throwing
around the word with such abandon - that I finally realized it
must not have the same connotation in their culture. My best
guess is that they thought the
word meant cute or pretty.
Later, as I reflected upon my
strong, emotional response to the
situation, I wondered if maybe
this is how they feel when I do
something against the grain of
their culture. Maybe their response to my using their first
names is just as visceral - and
even, perhaps, subconscious.
I wish now I had brought it
up for discussion. Maybe we
could have shared a laugh over
the misunderstanding?
So many rifts and hurt feelings have occurred over the years
on both sides of the family, simply due to lack of communication
and understanding. I wish they
would tell me the rules. I would
be happy to follow them if I
knew what they were. I’ve grown
tired of feeling like I flunked a
test for which I was given no
study guide. Although I do believe that my Filipino relatives
love me and my children, will
this White girl ever truly be accepted? I really don’t know, but
I’m going to keep trying.
Recession causes decline in Asian immigration
WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Census says immigration
laws and the lackluster economy
has resulted in a decline of the
population growth of Hispanics
and Asians in the U.S., causing
the government to push back estimates on when minorities will
become the majority by as much
as a decade.
Data released early this
month also showed that fewer
Hispanics were migrating to suburbs and newly emerging immigrant areas in the Southeast,
including Arkansas, Tennessee
and Georgia, staying put instead
in traditional gateway locations
such as California.
The nation’s overall minority
population continues to rise
steadily, adding 2.3 percent in
2008 to 104.6 million, or 34 percent of the total population. But
the slowdown among Hispanics
and Asians continues to shift conventional notions on when the
tipping point in U.S. diversity
will come - estimated to occur
more than three decades from
now. Black growth rates remain
somewhat flat.
Thirty-six states had lower
Hispanic growth in 2008 compared with the year before. The
declines were in places where the
housing bubble burst, such as
Nevada and Arizona, which lost
construction jobs that tend to attract immigrants.
Other decreases were seen in
new immigrant destinations in
the Southeast, previously seen as
offering good manufacturing jobs
in lower-cost cities compared to
the pricier Northeast. In contrast,
cities in California, Illinois and
New Jersey showed gains.
“Not just whites are staying
put, but minorities are staying
put and immigrants are staying
put," said Mark Mather, associate
vice president of the nonprofit
Population Reference Bureau, citing in part a declining economy
that has locked the U.S. population largely in place.
The new projections, expected to be released later this
year, could delay the tipping
point for minorities by 10 years,
given the current low rates of immigration, David Waddington,
the Census Bureau’s chief of projections, told the Associated
Press.
According to the latest data,
the percentage growth of Hispanics slowed from 4.0 percent in
2001 to 3.2 percent last year; their
slowed population growth would
have been greater if it weren’t for
their high fertility - nearly 10
births for every death.
Asians also slowed their
population increases from 3.7
percent in 2001 to about 2.5 percent. Hispanics and Asians still
are the two fastest-growing minority groups, making up about
15 percent and 4.4 percent of the
U.S. population, respectively.
Blacks, who comprise about
12.2 percent of the population,
have increased at a rate of about
1 percent each year. Whites, with
a median age of 41, have increased very little in recent years
due to low birth rates and an aging boomer population.
The migration shift could
continue for a while, said William
Frey, a demographer at the
Brookings Institution, citing the
bursting of an unprecedented
housing bubble in 2005-2006 that
is helping reshape the economy.
“What this means is that the
idea of creating new Asian and
Hispanic enclaves in different
parts of the United States will undergo a bit of a wall," said Frey.
“Those staying in these enclaves
will be competing for jobs with
long-term residents, while others
will return to social support systems in major gateways."
Six U.S. counties saw their
minority populations become the
majority,
including
Orange
County, Fla., the nation’s 35th
most populous county that is
home to Orlando. Webster
County in Georgia was majorityminority in 2007 but reverted
back to white majority in 2008.
In all, about 309 of the nation’s 3,142 counties, or one in 10,
have
minority
populations
greater than 50 percent. Other
counties that become majorityminority in 2008 were Stanislaus
in California; Finney in Kansas;
Warren in Mississippi; and Edwards and Schleicher counties in
Texas.
There are 48 majority Hispanic counties nationally; the top
10 were all in Texas. The gateway
cities of Los Angeles, New York,
Miami, Houston and Chicago
had the greatest number of Hispanics.
Seventy-seven counties are
majority-black; all were in the
South.
Atlanta edged past Chicago
in the number of blacks, ranking
second after New York City.
They were followed by Washington and Philadelphia.
Honolulu County, Hawaii,
was the only majority Asian
county in the nation. New York
City had the highest population
of Asians, surpassing Los Angeles. Asians also numbered the
most in San Francisco; San Jose,
Calif.; and Chicago.
7
May 31, 2009
Pinoy wins ‘best director’ title at Cannes
MANILA - In a stunning
dark horse triumph, Filipino filmmaker Brillante “Dante” Mendoza won the Best Director prize
for “Kinatay” at the 62nd Cannes
Film Festival on Sunday, May 24.
“I feel like I’m floating,”
Mendoza told the Philippine
Daily Inquirer in an exclusive
phone interview from France,
minutes after his win in the
world’s most prestigious film festival. “I’m so happy.”
Mendoza bested past Oscar
and Cannes winners, like Taiwan’s Ang Lee, Spain’s Pedro Almodovar, New Zealand’s Jane
Campion, Denmark’s Lars von
Trier, and the United States’
Quentin Tarantino.
As the first Filipino to win
the Best Director prize in Cannes,
he joins the list of revered filmmakers who have won the coveted prize, including Martin
Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman, Francois Truffaut, Luis Buñuel, Robert
Bresson, Costa Gavras, Bernard
Tavernier,
Werner
Herzog,
Robert Altman, Joel Coen and
Gus Van Sant.
Calling from backstage at the
Palais’ Salle Lumiere, where the
awards ceremony was held, Mendoza told the Inquirer that winning the Best Director prize was
“vindication” after his film was
pummeled by critics, just like
“Serbis,” his Main Competition
entry in Cannes last year.
“Kinatay,” which means
massacre, is a gritty look at the
Brillante “Dante” Mendoza
slow butchering of a prostitute
with blunt kitchen knives.
“Serbis,”is about a family
who lives in and operates a rundown porn shop with long closeups of festering boils and
overflowing toilets.
Both films background the
Philippines’ poor, with “Kinatay”
chronicling a day in the life of a
young police officer that begins
with his wedding and closes with
his involvement in the rape, murder and hacking into pieces of a
prostitute.
“This is not just entertainment, these kinds of stories are
real,” Mendoza said."He said he
felt validated standing by his aesthetic choices. “It feels good. The
sting of all the negative reviews is
lessened because, in the end, the
director's message was heard."
Mendoza's Cannes triumph
is all the more significant because
it came only two days after National Artist Lino Brockas 18th
death anniversary on May 22.
Filipino
filmmaker
Mel
Chionglo told the Inquirer: It's a
first for Philippine movies. Dante
has triumphed where even the
great Lino Brocka had failed to
win a prize. Now, Dante has really flung open the doors for Filipino films internationally."
Chionglo added that his colleagues in the Directors’ Guild of
the Philippines Inc., of which
Mendoza is also a board member,
are “mighty proud of this historic
triumph.
Raymond Red’s film “Anino” won the Palme D’Or for
Short Film in 2000, but it's the
first time for the country to win
in the Cannes' Main Competition.
“It’s the first major award from
one of the top three festivals in
the world: Cannes, Berlin and
Venice," Chionglo said.day.
Brocka, the first Filipino to
be exhibited and to compete in
Cannes in the 1970s, never won
in the festival, but is largely cred-
ited for paving the way for today’s generation of Filipino filmmakers, he related.
8
May 31, 2009
Arroyo Not Afraid of Future Plunder Suits
MANILA - President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo is not afraid
of possible lawsuits after she
steps down in 2010, Malacañang
said recently.
Arroyo is “aware” of the
possibility that her opponents
could haul her to court but she is
“very confident” and “knows
where she stands,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.
“I don’t think there’s anything to be afraid of,” Ermita told
his weekly news conference at
the Palace.
With the next presidential
election only 12 months away,
five aspirants have emphatically
backed an inquiry into allegations of corruption involving the
family of President Arroyo.
The declarations of support
for an investigation were made
for the first time recently at the
leadership forum, “Countdown
2010,” held at Ateneo de Manila
University and hosted by ABSCBN.
The forum was the first in a
series to bring together the
crowded field of aspirants who
have expressed an intention to
run for president, in order to put
them under closer scrutiny.
It marked the first public vetting of some of the aspirants and
revealed their strengths and
weaknesses, an important point
in measuring presidential qualities in the search for the post-Arroyo leader.
The test proved to be gruelling for Senators Manuel “Mar”
Roxas II, Francis Escudero and
Richard Gordon, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio.
Indeed, none of them emerged
undiminished from the first scrutiny.
(Six others -Vice President
Noli de Castro, Senators Manuel
Villar, Panfilo Lacson and Loren
Legarda, Makati Mayor Jejomar
Binay and Metropolitan Manila
Development Authority Chair
Bayani Fernando- declined the invitation to attend, perhaps fearing that early exposure to the hot
medium that is TV might melt
their electoral chances.
The prospect of an investigation of the corruption scandals in
the Arroyo administration has
developed into a key issue defining the electoral chances and
stances of the presidential aspirants.
The defining question was
sprung in the second part of the
forum: If you become president,
will you support investigations of
the corruption allegations concerning the Arroyo family?
Without hesitation, Roxas
said, “Yes!” He said it would be
“hard for the country to prosper"
if it did not come to terms with
and get to the bottom of the cor-
ruption scandals that had rocked
the Arroyo administration.
“We need to investigate” in
to take an independent posture,
apparently to win public credibility.
leader in the House, he twice led
impeachment moves against Ms
Arroyo.
ABS-CBN hosted a debate among the 2010 presidential contenders at the Ateneo de Manila May 11. Only 5 of the
presidentiables attended the event hosted by Tina Monson Palma and Ricky Carandang. From left are Sen. Chiz Escudero, Gov. Ed “Apong” Panlilio, Department of National Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, Sen. Mar
“Padyak” Roxas, and Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon. No show were: VP Noli “Kabayan” De Castro, MMDA Fernando Bayani, Sen. Ping Lacson, Sen. Loren Legarda, Sen. Manny Villar, and former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada. (Photo by Bing C. Branigin)
order to learn from these squalid
experiences in governance, he
said.
Roxas’ reaction vested him
with a more decisive image, a departure from his usually bland
and phlegmatic behavior. Of the
five, it is Roxas who needs to reinvent himself and to acquire
charisma, which has eluded him
so far.
The forum sponsored by
ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC)
and Ateneo School of Management appeared to have benefited
him in renovating his image.
Teodoro, widely believed as
being groomed as the administration Coalition’s candidate, tried
“Nobody can stop a legal
process of investigation backed
by evidence,” he said. But without evidence, he said, such an inquiry would amount to “political
harassment.”
Teodoro said that when he
was still in the House of Representatives as the congressman
from Tarlac, he voted to throw
out an impeachment complaint
against Ms Arroyo because it
lacked sufficient evidence.
Escudero tried to stamp his
mark as an oppositionist on the
issue and said Ms Arroyo
“should be held responsible for
her actions.”
He said that as the minority
“My position then was that
the people must know the truth
and that the wheels of justice
should spare no one, not even the
President," he said.
Gordon, chair of the Senate
blue ribbon committee, also
sought to distance himself from
Ms Arroyo and to take an independent stance.
“I’m a lawyer, a man of
law,” he said. “We have to follow
[due process] of law. We have to
prove the allegations of corruption with evidence.
Otherwise, the process becomes hearsay. We need to believe in the law That’s equal to
all."
Gordon complained that the
Ombudsman was sleeping on
corruption cases.
He demanded to know: How
can the cases move when the
President appointed an Ombudsman who is the classmate of her
husband?
Panlilio, the first Roman
Catholic priest in the Philippines
to be elected governor, said: “We
should be a society of laws. Nobody should be above the law.
Let the process of law and justice
take its course."
At the same time, Panlilio
said, the investigation should not
be limited to the presidency but
should be extended to other cases
of corruption in the public sector.
Among the questions posed
to the presidential aspirants at
the forum, it was that of corruption that gave them a common
ground against the administration.
This should serve as a message to the President that she cannot be assured of immunity from
investigation after she serves out
her term, and that she cannot
count on apolitical allies of the
moment to shield her and her
family from such inquiries.
In a poll conducted by ANC
among the forum participants,
the issue of corruption was
among the top 10 concerns, along
with poverty and law and order.
There was another question
on which the five aspirants had a
consensus:
Would you form a coalition
with the party of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao?
The question shifted the discourse from the sublime to the ridiculous.
But it revealed the opportunistic mentality of the aspirants,
who all appeared ready to use
Pacquiao’s fame to enhance their
political fortunes.
RP’s Richest, Poorest Solons
MANILA - The wife of
Senator Manuel Villar remains
the Philippines’s richest among
the 238 representatives in Congress, according to the latest
SALN submissions.
Paranaque Rep. Cynthia
Villar registered a networth of
P1.047 billion as of end-2008,
making her the only billionaire
among her peers. She reported
no liabilities. Next richest is
Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin
Romualdez, Negros Occidental
Rep. Julio Ledesma IV, and San
Jose del Monte Rep. Arturo
Robes. They reported respective
net worths of P477 million, P447
million, and P441 million.
Villar’s networth is almost
19,000 times that of the poorest
congressman, Anakpawis Rep.
Rafael Mariano, who reported
P55,501.72.
Three other congressmen
registered a networth less than
P1 million:
Bayan Muna Rep. Satur
Ocampo (P895,145), Bohol Rep.
Adam Relson Jala (P782,000),
and Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro
Casiño (P119,900).
Presidential aspirant Gilbert
Teodoro’s wife, Monica, is 6th
richest with a networth of P232
million, while former Speaker
Jose De Venecia Jr. landed on the
40th slot with P62.7 million.
Current House Speaker
Prospero Nograles ranked 29th
with a networth of P88.26 million. He reported assets of P133
million and liabilities of P45 million.
Former President Ferdinand
Marcos’s son and namesake, Ferdinand Jr., placed 8th with networth of P180 million, while
President Arroyo’s son, Mickey
Arroyo ranked 23rd with P99
million.
The top 10 richest
congressmen are:
1. Rep. Cynthia Villar (P1.05-B)
2. Rep. Ferdinand Martin
Romualdez (P477-M)
3. Rep. Julio Ledesma IV (P447M)
4. Rep. Arturo Robes (P441-M)
5. Rep. Judy Syjuco (P265-M)
6. Rep. Monica Prieto Teodoro
(P232-M)
7. Rep. Ferjenel Biron (P191-M)
8. Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
(P180-M)
9. Rep. Edgar San Luis (P165-M)
10. Rep. Aurelio Gonzalez Jr.
(P153-M)
The top 10 poorest:
1. Rep. Rafael Mariano (P55-T)
2. Rep. Teodoro Casiño (P118T)
3. Rep. Adam Relson Jala (P782T)
4. Rep. Satur Ocampo (P895-T)
5. Rep. Mujiv Hataman (P1.5-M)
6. Rep. Liza Maza (P1.5-M)
7. Rep. Benjamin Asilo (P1.9-M)
8. Rep. Pedro Pancho (P2-M)
9. Rep. Sharee Ann Tan (P2.1-M)
10. Rep. Narciso Santiago III
(P2.9-M)
May 31, 2009
9
10 U.S. News Briefs
May 31, 2009
Gaa Hails Obama’s Aid Plan For RP
WASHINGTON D.C. - Ambassador Willy C. Gaa has welcomed the increase in aid to the
Philippines in the proposed 2010
budget request by President
Barack Obama to the US Congress May 7. He said “the total
budget proposed for the Philippines includes the US development and security assistance,
funds for the Filipino Veterans
Equity Fund, and a proposed
amount for the Philippine Compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation.” In terms of
Development Assistance, it is second only to Indonesia globally.
It also receives the highest
level of International Military
Education and Training (IMET)
funds in East Asia and the Pacific
and the 12th biggest share of U.S.
Foreign Military Financing (FMF)
in the world. Gaa pointed out
that the 2010 request by the
White House for foreign assistance to the Philippines shows a
substantial increase from its 2009
request. The total amount of assistance requested by the Obama
Administration for the Philippines for 2010 increased by
US$24.1 million — from $94.6
million requested for 2009 to
$118.7 million for FY2010, Gaa
said.
Charice returns
to Oprah show
WASHINGTON
D.C.
Charice Pepengco, the Philippines’ newest international singing sensation, has introduced her
first single, “A Note to God,” on
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” May
Charice Pepengco
19. It brought Oprah, the most
popular TV personality in the US,
to tears when a teary eyed
Charice herself sang the last part
of the song to the cheers and applause from the audience.
“A Note to God” was composed and written by Grammy
Award-winning Diane Warren
and produced by legendary
David Foster. Charice was accompanied by an orchestra and
chorus as she performed her
much-anticipated debut single.
Foster, meantime, played the piano. “I’m so nervous... this is really big for me. I sang my first
song, my own song. And the peo-
ple will say, ‘Oh, that is Charice’s
song,’” she said. Winfrey, Warren
and Foster were very impressed
by the singer. Winfrey could only
utter “wow” while Warren described it as “amazing” and
“beautiful.” The May 18 episode
was the finale of Winfrey’s
worldwide search for the “Most
Talented Kids.” It was also
Charice’s third time to appear in
the popular American talk show.
Carolina Filams
aid burn victim
BLUFFTON-HILTON
HEAD, South Carolina - Ellier
Gervero, president of the Fil-Am
group here, said Allison Lozanta,
a five-year-old burn victim from
the Philippines who was sent
here along with her mother by
First Gentleman Mike Arroyo for
a free reconstructive operation is
doing well after the surgery. Gervero said Allison and her mother
Mary Jean are being looked after
by their host family and are
grateful to Mr. Arroyo for helping them. “Allison is doing a series of preparations for her
surgery and so far they’re doing
alright with their host family.
Our local organization is doing
its part by letting them feel that
they have extended families here
and they can always call us if
they need anything, Gervero said
in an e-mail sent to Juris Soliman,
Arroyo’s chief of staff and president of the First Gentleman Foundation Inc. Gervero said he was
asked by Mary Jean ”to express
her deep gratitude to the First
Gentleman for all he had done for
her daughter and for making it
possible to have the treatment in
USA." Also helping Allison is the
Gift of Life program of the Rotary
District 7770 and the Rotary
Clubs in the locality. Allison was
two months old when a fire razed
their house in Puting Lupa in Calamba, Laguna, in 2004. FGFI extended financial assistance for the
medical treatment of Allison’s
third- and fourth-degree burns
that damaged her face and all fingers in her left hand, requiring at
least 15 operations.
Refile RP vets’
reunification bill
WASHINGTON -Rep. Mazie
Hirono, (D-HI) has reintroduced
the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act which seeks to
unite children of veterans who
had opted to become US citizens.
Under the bill, the children of
these Filipino American veterans
would be exempt from quotas
that have delayed their receipt of
immigrant visas to the US, keeping family members apart. Thousands reside in the US, with
many living in Hawaii. In 1990,
Congress provided the vets with
a waiver from certain naturaliza-
tion requirements. Many of them
became US citizens and residents.
But allowances weren’t made for
their children and many have
been waiting decades for petition
approval.
Rick Rocamora’s
tribute to vets
OAKLAND, Ca. - Rick Rocamora, a 62-year-old photojournalist doesn’t consider himself to
be your typical photojournalist.
He says he’s a “socially concerned documentary photographer.” Rocamora’s book, mostly
in black-and-white, focuses on
the two subjects foremost on his
conscience: the immigrant community and its contributions to
the United States, and civil liberties issues that affect that community. His book “Filipino World
War II Soldiers: America’s Second-Class Veterans” addresses
both. It was launched recently.
“It’s painful,” the self-taught
photographer says. “The pictures
are not beautiful, but that’s reality. Without these photographs,
we will not remember what happened 20 to 30 years from now.”
Rocamora says thousands of Filipinos who fought alongside
American soldiers during World
War II in the Philippines often
died waiting for the U.S. government to recognize their wartime
sacrifices and fulfill its promises
of American citizenship and veterans benefits.
His book follows the veterans’ daily struggles; many of
them lived in San Francisco’s
rough neighborhoods, separated
from their families, eking out an
existence by collecting cans and
living in single-room occupancy
hotels. Over the years, the issue
of Filipino World War II veterans’
equity has had intermittent victories, but it wasn’t until the passage of President Obama’s
stimulus package that funding
came through for the Filipino
Veterans Act of 2008. For many
Filipino veterans, it is already too
late. In fact, Rocamora says, only
three of the subjects in his book
are still alive. It’s with this sense
of urgency that Rocamora spoke
about at his book launch events
at the San Francisco Exposure
Gallery and at the Main Library.
Part of the book’s proceeds will
go to the Veterans Equity Center.
Rocamora’s next book, “America’s
Unrecognized
Assets,”
which focuses on immigrant entrepreneurs, is due out next year.
filvetsbookproject.blogspot.com
3 Pinays bare
abuse in Canada
OTTAWA - Three Filipino
immigrants have complained of
being mistreated while working
for the family of Ruby Dhalla, a
Canadian Liberal Party legislator,
and the matter has become a political issue here, according to the
Toronto Star. The Filipinos were
identified as Magdalene Gordo,
Richelyn Tongson and Lyle Alvarez, who were hired to care for
the mother Dhalla, the daughter
of Sikh immigrants from India.
The Filipinos, who were hired
under the Canadian government’s Live-in Caregiver Program, complained that they were
paid $250 a week for 16-hour
days of household chores without pay for overtime. Under the
live-in program, nannies may apply for legal status after two
years of work, but contract workers who come in through the
Temporary Foreign Workers program normally have to return
home once their contracts expire.
Alvarez, 32, says Dhalla, who
represents Brampton-Springdale,
promised she would try to help
her stay in Canada if she passed a
tryout as a housekeeper at the
family’s Mississauga home. But
the tryout turned out to be long
hours on her knees scrubbing and
cleaning floors, hand-washing
and ironing clothes, and shining
dozens of pairs of shoes belonging to the entire family. “I had to
polish their shoes... for Miss Ruby
and her brother. She has a lot of
shoes, downstairs and upstairs.”
Alvarez’s complaints were the
same as those of Gordo, 31, and
Tongson, 37.
Prayer for SF
community leader
SAN FRANCISCO - Rodel
Rodis, a Filipino lawyer-columnist is asking Filipino Americans
to pray for Lina Susbilla, an active community leader, including
NaFFAA, for the past 50 years
who has licked her breast cancer
but later suffered two attacks of
brain aneurysm for which she
had to undergo brain surgery.
Lina has been heavily sedated in
the ICU of the hospital as her
doctors monitor her condition.
She was still unconscious or
asleep when I visited her at the
hospital on May 12, Rodis said.
Rodis said: Lina will not go gently into the night as her will is indomitable. Let us all pray for
Lina. Rodis said Lina was a member of the Fil-Am Council of San
Francisco in the 70s when the
Council set up employment training programs for newly-arrived
immigrants. She was the force behind the Pearl of the Orient and
the Soroptomist clubs when they
were actively involved in Filipino
community events. Lina is also a
member of the San Mateo County
Commission on the Status of
Women and has been an active
member of the Filipino Task
Force in CORA (Community Opposed to Relationship Abuse). As
a member of the Filipino
Women’s Network (FWN), Lina
performed in the FWN 2007 production of “The Vagina Monologues” when it was performed
at the Herbst Theatre. In her private life, Lina has been happily
married to Len Susbilla for more
than 45 years.
Leverage director
is Fil-American
LOS ANGELES - FilipinoAmerican Dean Devlin is making
his “kababayans’ proud for years
now in terms of his creative genius in Hollywood. He is known
for such international hits like
”Independence Day," “Godzilla,”
“The Patriot,” “Cellular” and
“Flyboys” among others. He is
also a popular producer/writer
in the realm of television with
several much followed TV series
to his credit like “The Librarian”
and “The Godzilla Series” to
mention a few. Now Dean would
showcase another one of his creative sides as he directs the TV series “Leverage” which had its
premiere in Asia on May 18 at 9
p.m. on AXN. He is also one of
the executive producers of the
show.
Adobo’ served
in Ohio U
MARION - At the international night held early this month
at the Ohio State University here,
Somali, Japanese, Filipino, Mexican and Indian cuisines filled the
600 plates that were handed out
to those who explored A Taste of
Culture. That was a way to start
to gauge how many people shuffled through the busy gymnasium, said Diversity Coordinator
Shawn Jackson. Events such as
that bring a heightened awareness of diversity in the community, he said. Visitors browsed
the tables of 16 cultures that were
represented as dancers in traditional dress performed Celtic
numbers, Indian pieces and
American hip hop. Other group
performances were followed by
Anthony Henderson, a Filipino
student dressed in a T-shirt with
his home country’s flag, cargo
shorts, a black hat and white
mask.
His mother, Menchie Henderson-Borromeo, organized the
Filipino display at the festival for
the group’s first year.
Arizona Filams
hold Santacruzan
SIERRA VISTA - Members of
the Filipino-American Club of
Southern Arizona celebrated their
culture and faith May 10 with the
annual celebration of Santacruzan. Dorothy “Dot” Carampatan, president of the club, said
“It’s actually a religious and an
historical event.” About 80 peo-
Continued on page 11
11
May 31, 2009
Filam Lawyer Convicted For Fake Marriage
NORFOLK,
Virginia
Maximo A. Frias, 55, a former
lawyer and Filipino-American
community leader, was sentenced recently to three years of
probation with six months of
home detention after admitting
that he helped arrange a phony
marriage between clients, according to the Virginian Pilot.
Frias, who practiced law for
30 years with an unblemished record, apologized to his family
and the community, according to
the Pilot. “I’m truly sorry for the
transgressions I’ve committed,”
he said before U.S. District Judge
Jerome B. Friedman and a courtroom packed with more than 75
supporters.
Frias and his attorney of-
fered no explanation for why he
committed the crime. Federal
prosecutors believe it was out of
greed. “What was it for? It was
for money,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. DePadilla told the
judge. Frias, of Virginia Beach,
previously pleaded guilty to two
counts of making false statements
to federal officials.
He admitted helping a man
and woman arrange a phony
marriage in order for the husband, an illegal immigrant, to get
a green card and stay in the country, and then lying to an immigration judge.
Friedman also imposed a
$7,500 fine and 75 hours of community service.
Although he granted Frias
leniency, the judge said he remained “baffled” by the motivation for the crime: “It’s just very
perplexing to this court.”
Frias could have faced a year
to 18 months in prison. He has already lost his law license. His attorney, Franklin Swartz, argued
that Frias deserved probation
given his lifetime of community
service.
DePadilla asked for a sentence of around a year in prison,
to send a message.
“This is not an isolated incident,” DePadilla told the judge.
In the end, the judge appeared swayed after reading
more than 70 letters of support the most Friedman said he had
ever received for a defendant - as
Chuckie’s concert
for Carmelites
Talented Filipino American
pianist Chuckie will hold a benefit conert atthe Gaston Hall of
Georgetown University for the
benefit of Carmelites at 4 p.m. on
June 7. “Chuckie is a such a talented pianist in such a unique
disposition. People would want
to see and hear his work," said a
press release. For more informa-
tion, contact Marie Pitman at
8322 Roanoke Ave APT 2, Takoma Park, MD 20912-6209 .
*Make checks payable to: 2009
OCDS Congress.
well as testimony from six supporters and Frias’ unmarked
background.
Marilyn Rivera of Virginia
Beach, who has worked with
Frias on Filipino celebrations,
noted his “passion for community involvement.” Others testified about Frias’ volunteer work
with youths and his involvement
in Operation Smile.
The supporters in the courtroom erupted in applause after
the judge handed down the sentence.
The Frias case began as a
routine marriage fraud investigation.
The phony wife of an illegal
immigrant told authorities that
Frias, who handled the legal papers of the marriage, “was aware
of the fraudulent marriage and
was an active participant in the
conspiracy," according to a prosecutor’s court filing.
Immigration agents who suspected the marriage was a sham
warned Frias not to help the man
and woman, but he did anyway.
After his arrest, he admitted committing the crime.
U.S. News Briefs... from page 1
ple joined in marching once
around St. Andrew the Apostle
Catholic Church, led by a statue
of the Virgin Mary and the Reyna
Banderada, who holds a yellow
flag representing the arrival of
Christianity. Other reynas, or
queens, represented holy virtues.
One carried a cross, representing
the virtue of faith, while the girl
carrying an anchor represented
hope and one carrying a heart
represented charity. The club began in 1984 in Sierra Vista and
has grown to become involved in
a number of local activities “aside
from just sharing out culture and
heritage with the community,"
she said.
Ramos visits
Sacramento anew
SACRAMENTO
-Former
President Fidel V. Ramos of the
Philippines was in Sacramento,
California on May 26, 2009 as
part of his yearly visit to various
cities in the United States. A
lunch reception was held for his
visit in Sacramento by leaders of
the local Filipino-American community. The luncheon was held
at Max’s Restaurant at 6051 Mack
Road, Sacramento from 11:00 AM
to 1:00 PM.
12
May 31, 2009
Filams in Dragon Boat fest
Young Filipino American
professionals who were avid participants at the 8th Dragon Boat
Festival at the Thompson Boat
Center in Georgetown May 16-17
won the gold medal in the 250
meters and again in the 100 meters race. The Dragon Boat festival was part of the celebration of
Asian Pacific American Heritage
Month which concluded May
31.They bested over 60 other
teams who competed in the two-
day event.
The Filipino Young Professionals (FYP) named their team
the Lapu Lapu warriors in honor
of the Visayan-Tausug warrior
who made history in the 15th
century by leading a group of natives that beat the Spanish invaders led by Ferdinand Magellan in
the beaches of Cebu. The Filipinos then became the first Asian to
beat the colonial invaders.
***
Also at the gala are, from
left, Ben de Guzman, NAFVE;
Irene Bueno, AAA, and Cong.
***
Creating news in Manila is
singer Martin Nievera for singing
his own version of the Philippine
national anthem during the Pacquiao-Hatoon fight in Las Vegas
The Lapu Lapu warriors
team includes, Victor Ecarma,
team captain, and members are
the Fred Bacong, John Bascug,
Eliot Cashell, Lisa Dang, Art
Duran, George Faustino, Joe Fernandez, John-Paul Fontelo, Ter-
rence gabriel, Lester Liu, Randy
Lizardo, Alyssa Manzanero, Jorly
Metzger,
Nick
Manzanero,
Natassja
Manzanero,
Matt
Nichols,
Judy Phruk, Joni
Samilin, Dan Sushinsky, Henry
Tran, and Dicki Tejada.
Marc Cabrera waves the
Philippine flag as he leads the
Migrant Heritage Commission
contingent in the parade along
Pennsylvania Avenue marking
Asia Fiesta May 23. The fiesta is
also part of the Asian American
Heritage Month.
***
During the Philippine embassy consular outreach sortie in
Virginia Beach last month, a raffle was held for two roundtrip
tickets to the Philippines courtesy
of Delta Air Lines and Traveloutlet. Photo shows Miss Shirley of
Delta Airlines picking the win-
***
Also participating in the Fiesta is Sonnie Florendo, a Filipino
Cook Book author and culinary
expert, who held a cooking dem-
Mazie Hirono (D-HI), who recently reintroduced in Congress
the Filipino American Reunification Immigration Bill.
May 2. Photo, taken during the 4
***
Seen at the Asian Pacific
American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) annual
gala at a Washington Hotel May
19 was Commerce Secretary Gary
Locke who posed for a photo
with Marissa Castro, senior executive, Edison, California .
Divas performance in Virginia
last month, shows from left: Bing
Branigin, Nievera, Sara Sison,
Mitzi Pickard, and Froilan Tiglao.
ning ticket while Naomi Fitzwilliam, president, Just Go Philippines, and Richelle Domingo of
Traveloutlet look on. The Traveloutlet and Delta Air Lines had
been hosting the consular outreach in the Hampton Roads
area.
***
Posing with Filam Cong.
Bobby C. Scott (D-Va) is former
Miss District of Columbia Therese Lizardo-Escano.
onstration along the street. She is
shown cooking spicy shrimp in
coconut milk to the delight of onlookers.
***
Adrienne Usman, 17, (center)
was crowned this year’s Miss
Teenage Philippines during ceremonies at a hotel in Washington
D.C. recently. The pageant is
sponsored by a group led by
Trining Padama of Maryland. Selected first runner up was Samantha Domigpe (right) and second
runner up Krystal D. Camara,
second runner up. Judges include
Terese Lizardo Escano, Consul
Robert Borje, Dr. Bambi Lorica,
Dr. R. Lopez and others.
Around DC 13
May 31, 2009
Finally! A Nat’l Philippine Cultural Center
Finally, the first Philippine
multicultural center l in the
sprawling greater Washington
D.C. area will open its doors at
ceremonies from 9:30 to 11:30
a.m. on July 4, 2009. Prince
George County Executive Jack
Johnson and the National Philippine Cultural Center Foundation
and its affiliates will formally inaugurate the long-awaited National Philippine Multicultural
Center which is located at 7500
Livingston Road in Oxon Hill.
Maryland. For more information
about this event, contact Imelda
Abella, PG county multicultural
affairs liaison 301 952 2738; Allan
Bella, 301 567 2280 and M.
Ramirez 240 273 5314.
Obama names 22
Asians, no Pinoys
Since his inauguration, President Obama has appointed more
than 20 Asian Americans in all
levels of the US government. Although majority of Filipinos supported him, the President has not
named even a single Filipino
American to a post in the government. Among those appointed
thus far are Preeta Bansal - General Counsel and Senior Policy
Advisor for the U.S. Office of
Management and Budget (OMB;
Steven Chu - Secretary of Energy;
Nancy-Ann DeParle - Director,
White House Office of Health Reform; *Tammy Duckworth* - Assistant Secretary of Public and
Intergovernmental Affairs - DVA;
Ivan K. Fong - General Counsel,
DHS; Betsy Kim- White House
Liason, Department of Defense;
Harold Koh - Legal Advisor, Department of State; Howard Koh Assistant Secretary. Department
of Health and Human Services;
Vivek Kundra - Federal Chief Information Officer; Gary Locke Secretary of Commerce; Chris Lu
- Cabinet Secretary; Florence Y.
Pan - Associate Judge of the Su-
perior Court of the District of
Columbia; Nicholas Rathod - associate diretor of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; Pete
Rouse - Senior Advisor to the
President; Meena Seshamani, Director of Policy Analysis Department of Health: Rajiv Shah Under Secretary for Research,
Education,
and
Economics,
USDA; Rhea Suh - Assistant Secretary for Policy Management
and Budget, Department of Interior and others.
Saudi Reaffirms
Investments in RP
Saudi Arabian Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal al Saud May 14
called on Ambassador Willy C.
Gaa at the Philippine embassy to
reaffirm the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia’s investments in the information technology and agriculture sectors in the Philippines.
The Saudi Prince recently tied up
with Mandaluyong City-based
Transpacific Broadband Group
International, Inc. (TBGI) to form
Arab-Asia Holdings Corportaion,
a holding company that would
serve as the Prince’s investment
vehicle in Asia. During the meeting, the Prince said “we will do a
lot of projects in the Philippines
which are of common interest” to
both countries. The Saudi Prince
was joined by his Advisor and
Executive Assistant Dau Songpanya. Photo shows, from left:
Commercial Counselor Romulo
Manlapig, Assistant Agriculture
Attaché Josyline Javelosa, Ambassador Gaa, Prince Abdulaziz
Bin Talal al Saud, Advisor and
Executive Assistant Dau Songpanya and Economic Officer Angelito Nayan
Big despedida
for Rico Fos
A grateful Filipino American
community gave a despedida for
popular Rico Fos, special assistant to the Ambassador and First
Secretary and Consul of the Philippine embassy at the Alumni
House of George Washington
University Friday, May 29. After
serving for several years in Washington D.C., Fos, former head of
the cultural section, is being recalled home to the Philippines.
For several months, Consul Fos
supplied the Manila Mail with
the calendar of events in the Filipino American community. A
special program was held and
Filipino food and drinks were
served to the guests. Several Filipino leaders and organizations
participated in the celebration.
Among the individuals are Mitzi
Pickard, Dale Aguirre, Malou
Cadacio, Eileen Nadal, Larry Pacis, Millet Panga, Nina Tamayo,
and Romy Valle. Lead participating groups were ACFV, APODCAA, FAIA, LSPAA, Mabuhay,
Inc., MHC, PACC, PAXP, PAFC,
PALM,
Pinoy
Teachers,
TGPMAR, UPAA and World
Bank-IMF Filipino Association.
Filam kid gets
CTY award in MD
BALTIMORE - Pacqui Pascual, a Filipino American Grade 3
student from Aliso Viejo, was recently honored at a statewide
awards ceremony for gifted children held by The Johns Hopkins
University Center for Talented
Youth (CTY).
Pacqui Pascual was invited
to this awards ceremony sponsored by CTY (www.cty.jhu.edu)
based on an exceptional performance on a rigorous, above-gradelevel test given to second through
eighth grade Talent Search participants. Pascual, who attends
Moulton Elementary School,
joined other award recipients at
the recent state ceremony, and
was individually honored by
Johns Hopkins for his academic
performance and promise.
Embassy outreach
goes to Atlanta
The Philippine Embassy in
Washington, D.C. conducted a
Consular Outreach Program in
Atlanta, Georgia on 16 May 2009.
The event was made possible
through a
partnership with Honorary
Consul General Raoul Donato
and Sarah J. Hawk, partner of
Fisher and Phillips, LLP, where
the administration of consular
services was held. During the
one-day event, 23 naturalized
Americans reacquired their Phil-
Continued on page 18
14
May 31, 2009
May 31, 2009
15
16 Hometown News
May 31, 2009
Man Who Exposed ‘Garci’ Tapes Dies
Samuel Ong, 64, the former
National Bureau of Investigation
deputy director who exposed the
existence of the “Hello Garci”
Samuel Ong
only intermittently and superficially. Cost estimates of budget
proposals are rarely challenged,”
it said. “Weak accountability is
facilitated by weak congressional
oversight, not only in practice,
but in law. In fact, it is the executive and not Congress that wields
effective power of the purse,”
said Toby Monsod of the NGO
Human Development Network,
which conducted the study. The
173-page report scored the presidential practice of making political appointees, noting 81 excess
undersecretaries and assistant
secretaries as of December 2007
costing the government P58 million a year. Eighty nine percent of
them were ineligible, it added.
Swine flu reaches
the Philippines
tapes that nearly toppled President Gloria Arroyo is 2005, died
of lung cancer May 22. He was
the main whistle-blower in the
wiretapping and electoral fraud
allegedly committed by Arroyo
so she could win over opposition
candidate Fernando Poe, Jr. Former president Joseph Estrada and
actor Rez Cortez who visited him
before he died called Ong a hero
for truth and justice. Malacanang
expressed its condolence to his
family. Ong made headlines in
June 2005 when he went public
and, holding up a CD, told the
nation he was in possession of
the original audio tapes containing the recordings of phone conversations between Ms Arroyo
and former Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano about
how to fix the results of the 2004
presidential election. Ong said he
made the expose because his life
was in danger and he thought
Filipinos should know that Ms
Arroyo cheated her way to victory in the 2004 presidential election. Seventeen days after Ong’s
impassioned exposé, Ms Arroyo
went on television and apologized for her “lapse in judgment.” The scandal triggered
resignations of high officials from
Ms Arroyo’s Cabinet, nearly
causing her downfall.
Here’s why graft
prevails in RP
Congress has practically abdicated the power of the purse to
the executive branch, failing to
scrutinize the annual national
budget thoroughly and facilitating corruption in the process, a
UN-financed study said. The
Philippine Human Development
Report sponsored by the UN Development Programme (UNDP)
and the New Zealand Agency for
International Development said
more often than not debates in
the House on the budget deals
not with policy but parochial
concerns.
“Questions
about
agency performance are asked
Malacanang May 23 called
for greater vigilance against the
spread of the A (H1N1) influenza
as Filipinos come to grips with
the reality that the dreaded virus
has already reached the country.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde
said, however, that “we believe
that public health considerations
will still allow us to proceed with
the opening of the new
schoolyear on schedule” in June
1. Health Secretary Francisco
Duque has confirmed the first recorded case of the swine flu infection in the country - a 10-year-old
girl who arrived on May 18 from
the United States with her parents. “I am happy to report that
the patient, a ten-year-old girl,
has already recovered and is now
completely healthy,” Remonde
said.
80,000 nurses
take NLE test
Close to 80,000 nursing
graduates are set to take the
Nursing Licensure Examination
(NLE) next month, the Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC) reported. Marco Sto.
Tomas, PRC’s Board of Nursing
(BON) member, said a total of
78,574 nurses would take the licensure examination on June 6
and 7.
Manila has the biggest
number of examinees with
42,338, followed by Baguio,
11,336; Cebu, 6,948 and Davao,
4,069. In remote Jolo, there are
635 nursing graduates who will
take the exams.
Some 20-million
return to school
More than 20 million students in all levels will return to
school early next month for the
start of the school year. PNP chief
Director General Jesus Verzosa
said policemen will be deployed
near the vicinity of schools to ensure the safety of students and
faculty members. Meanwhile, the
US Agency for International Development (USAID) went beyond
just giving financial assistance
and providing counterpart funds
as its ranking officials joined the
parents and teachers in cleaning
and refurbishing rooms and
school grounds in preparation for
the opening of classes next
month. Thomas Crehan, chief for
the USAID office of Education,
said joining the parents in the DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela ensured
that the schools have benefited
from the USAID’s P3.7-million
worth of construction and repair
materials assistance for the DepEd.
SC aids AFP
whistleblower
The Supreme Court has used
the writ of Amparo to protect an
AFP whistleblower from being
arrested by the military. Under
dent Arroyo.
7 new envoys
named by GMA
With a little more than a year
left in office, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has named seven
new ambassadors -to Spain, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain,
the Vatican, the Netherlands, Finland, Brazil and Timor-Leste.
Nominated are Ana Ines de Sequera-Ugarte as the new ambassador to Spain and Andorra, vice
Antonio Manuel Lagdameo, who
has been designated chief emissary to the UK and Northern Ireland. De Sequera-Ugarte is
widow of Aboitiz scion and advertising executive Inaki Ugarte.
Others nominated were Mercedes
Arrastia-Tuason, to the Holy See
and Malta; Cardozo Luna, to the
Netherlands; Evan Garcia, to Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Suriname; Ma. Angelina Sta. Catalina,
to Finland; and Ma. Aniceta
Aileen Bugarin, to Timor-Leste.
The 7 join three other ambassadors pending CA confirmation former Armed Forces chief of
staff and retired Gen. Alexander
Yano, to Brunei; Alejandro Del
Rosario, to Poland; and Ma. Corazon Yap-Buhain, to Bahrain.
Resumption
of RP-NPA talks
Navy Lt. Nancy Gadian
protection is Navy Lt. Nancy
Gadian who exposed an alleged
misuse of P46 million in unused
RP-US Balikatan exercise funds
by her superiors. She said Lt.
Gen. Eugenio Cedo pocketed portions of the funds. A probe is
now being undertaken by the
AFP but many fear it would be a
whitewash. Gadian went into
hiding after she was ordered arrested for being AWOL.
Espiritu recalled
as envoy to UK
Ambassador
Edgardo
Espiritu has been recalled from
his post in the United Kingdom
reportedly because he is siding
with former Senate President
Manuel Villar who has declared
himself to be running for president. Espiritu will be replaced by
Antonio Lagdameo, the Philippine ambassador to Spain.
Espiritu, 73, was named ambassador to the Court of St.
James’s by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in June 2003.
Espiritu and Villar played key
roles in the impeachment of
President Joseph Estrada, who
was ousted in January 2001 by a
military-backed people’s revolt
and replaced by then Vice Presi-
Malacanang announced the
possible resumption of formal
peace negotiations between the
government and the Communist
Party of the Philippines-National
Democratic Front (CPP-NDF)
next month. Presidential adviser
on the peace process Avelino Razon Jr., said both sides have
agreed to restart the formal talks
after holding several informal
meetings.
“We have good news. Both
panels, the GRP [Government of
the Republic of the Philippines]
as well as the CPP-NPA-NDF are
now ready to return to negotiating tables to start the talks," Razon said. The government is
looking at end of June or July to
begin the formal peace negotiation, he added.
Maceda bucks
Yano’s appointment
Retired Armed Forces chief
Alexander Yano was not confirmed as ambassador to Brunei
after former envoy to Washington Ernesto Maceda opposed his
nomination before the Commission on Appointments since he
was literally persuaded into early
retirement from the military.
Maceda said Arroyo has named
70 retired military and police officials to civilian posts, including
the Cabinet and foreign service
thus making the military a partisan organization. Yano’s successor, Gen. Victor Ibrado breezed
through the CA, along with Air
Force commander Lt. Gen. Oscar
Rabena, eight ambassadors and
22 other diplomats.
Retired AFP vice chief Cardozo Luna was confirmed as ambassador to the Netherlands.
GMA names 2
more spokesmen
President Arroyo has appointed two spokesmen for the
economy: investment banker
Gary Olivar, with rank of secretary and Deputy Director General
for Investment Rolando Tungpalan of the National Economic
and Development Authority
(NEDA). The two were presented
to media by Executive Secretary
Eduardo Ermita said the President asked the new appointees to
assist “her and me in dishing out
accurate information on economic matters.”
Olivar said he has been engaged in international banking
here and abroad for much of his
life while Ermita described Tungpalan as “one of our brightest
young stars in the economic technocracy."
Falion’s wife
killed herself
Trinidad “Trina” Etong, the
wife of television anchor and former congressman Ted Failon,
killed herself, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said
after conducting a probe. Consequently, according to the bureau,
charges would no longer be filed
against Ted Failon, who had been
suspected of having been behind
the shooting of his wife. Based on
“investigative, technical, scientific, medical and psychiatric
analyses," bureau investigators
concluded that Trina “indeed
committed suicide," Director Nestor Mantaring told a press conference.
Mediaman in AFP
order of battle
Carlos Conde, a journalist, is
listed among hundreds of progressives and leftists in the
Army’s order of battle, a list of
known enemies of the state.
Conde said he found his name in
the Order of Battle for 2007 supposedly prepared by the Army’s
10th Infantry Division in Southern Mindanao. Conde, who has
been in media for at least 15
years, works as freelance correspondent for US-based publications, including the New York
Times and the International Herald Tribune and GlobalPost.com,
and contributes to local publications.
SEC man linked
to Legacy dies
Former SEC Commissioner
Continued on page 17
17
May 31, 2009
Hometown News... from page 16
Jesus Enrique Martinez, one of
the people being investigated in
the Legacy Group pyramiding
scandal, died of cancer at the
Makati Medical Center early this
month. He was 62. Martinez was
accused of protecting Legacy
Group owner Celso de los Angeles in exchange for lavish gifts.
De los Angeles himself faces
charges for allegedly swindling
depositors and plan holders of
the banks and pre-need companies under his Legacy Group.
RP inks Coral
Reefs agreement
President Gloria MacapagalArroyo May 15 signed with five
other Asia-Pacific leaders the
Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on
Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food
Security at the Grand Kawanua
Convention Center (GCKK). The
five other signatories were Malaysia Prime Minister Dato’ Seri
Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak,
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare, Indonesia
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Solomon Islands Prime
Minister Derek Sikua, and Democratic Republic of Timor Leste
President Jose Ramos Horta. The
signing of the Leaders Declaration officially launched the CTI
CoralReefs, Fisheries and Food
Security (CTI-CFF) “to address
threats to the marine, coastal, and
small island ecosystems within
the Coral Triangle region through
accelerated and collaborative action, taking into consideration
multi-stakeholder participation in
all of our six countries.”
Ayalaland sales
fall by 50 %
Listed Ayala Land, the Philippines’ largest property developer by sales, said first-quarter
profit fell 50 percent due to lower
home sales and the absence of a
one-time gain that boosted last
year’s earnings.
Net income fell to P907 million from 1.83 billion in the same
period in 2008, the company said
in a statement to the Stock Exchange. Home sales, which make
up 42 percent of Ayala Land’s
revenue, fell 11 percent to P3.13
billion largely due to a doubledigit drop in the sale of its highend units.
Palace disputes
unemployment rate
Unemployment rose to a record 34.2 percent or about 14 million in February compared to 27
percent or 11 million in December 2008, a survey of the Social
Weather Stations showed. But
Malacañang dismissed the results
of the February 20-23 survey as
“more perception than reality.”
SWS said adult unemployment in
its surveys has been at 20 percent
and above since May 2005, except
for December 2007 when it was
17.5 percent.
3 top Manila
universities listed
Three Philippine universities
were among the top 100 Asian
universities based on the Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. (QS.com)
rankings which were made public recently. They are University
of the Philippines, ranked No. 50,
De La SalleUniversity (No. 76)
and the Ateneo De Manila University (No. 84). QS managing director Nunzio Quacquarelli said
the top performing universities
were distinguished not only by
quality but also by high productivity of research. China, Hong
Kong, Japan, Singapore and
South Korea were the five countries that dominated the top 10
places in the QS.com Asian University Rankings. The University
of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and University of Tokyo bagged the top
three spots.
CBCP bans gays
from Santacruzan
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
has declared a ban on homosexuals participating in Santacruzan
events.
CBCP-Public
Affairs
Committee
(PAC)
chairman
Caloocan Bishop Deogracias
Iniguez said the Santacruzan is a
religious activity and gays have
no role in the event. Iniguez said
the Santacruzan is a Filipino religious tradition for women.
Iniguez lamented that gays have
taken an active role in the religious activities, virtually turning
the Santacruzan into an annual
beauty pageant.
GMA names new
security chief
President Arroyo appointed
a decorated intelligence officer
and a communist rebel hunter
from the Army as the new commander of the elite Presidential
Security Group (PSG). Col. Jonas
Sumagaysay, deputy commander
of the Army’s 502nd brigade in
the Cordillera region, formally
took over his post as the new PSG
chief replacing Brig. Gen. Celedonio Boquiren who retired upon
reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
WHO official in
sex abuse rap
Police have arrested and
charged an Australian man working for the World Health Organization (WHO) with allegedly
sexually abusing a 12-year-old
Boy. Marcus Hodge, 47, was arrested inside his parked car in
Manila’s Makati financial district
in the company of the boy and an
alleged pimp.
The WHO issued a statement
confirming Hodge is an employee, but said the case involved
his private life and that he should
be presumed innocent unless
proven guilty.
American Idols
perform in RP
“American Idol” Season 7
winner David Cook and finalist
David Archuleta performed before an overflow crowd at the SM
Mall of Asia in Pasay city on May
16.
Expert says
orgasm is a must
While the world is focused
on the “swine flu” outbreak, a
wellness expert says there is another “silent and secret epidemic” gripping the world: the
inability of many women to
achieve sexual bliss. Dr. Lulu
Marquez, an anaesthesiologist by
profession, said she has made it
her advocacy to spread awareness about sexual dysfunctions as
well as to help women assert
their right to sexual satisfaction
and its corresponding health and
emotional benefits.
“My advocacy is to make all
women happy in bed. They
should not allow it when it’s only
their partners who are happy [in
bed]. An orgasm should be a
Continued on page 18
18
May 31, 2009
Hometown News... from page 17
right, hindi lang yung parang ginagamit ka lang na pambuntis ka
lang," she said in an interview.
“When you have a sexually satisfying encounter, you look beautiful and satisfied,” she added.
LUZON
Balweg brother
held in Baguio
BAGUIO CITY - A communist guerrilla commander who
had his brother assassinated for
giving up their armed rebellion
has been arrested, police said.
With the said arrest, it took nine
years before renegade priest Conrado Balweg turned rebel receives justice, as his younger
brother has all this time been
tagged as the assassin. Jovencio
Balweg, a member of the executive committee and a political officer of the New People’s Army
(NPA) operating in Abra and
nearby provinces, was arrested
together with his wife Carmen
alias Dumay, who as medical officer of the NPA. Police forces
pounced on the two after they
were tipped off that the couple
were staying in a friend’s house
in Camp 7. Jovencio has P1-million peso bounty on his head, as
well as two standing warrants of
arrest for cases involving murder
and frustrated murder in Baguio.
Police said the young Balweg was
the assassin of his brother Conrado who decided to junk the
NPA and put up the Cordillera
People’s Liberation Army (CPLA)
lording in the mountain ranges of
Cordillera.
Bicol welcomes
US marines
PIO DURAN - While they
are accused by some of being “occupiers” in places like Iraq and
Afghanistan, US Marines have
been warmly welcomed in the
impoverished and sometimes
dangerous central region of Bicol.
“This is Bicol, so [the insurgency]
is an ever-present factor,” the local mayor, Roger Arandia, told
Agence France-Presse of the
5,200-member New People’s
Army. “But everyone needs a
road,” he added. They have rebuilt typhoon-damaged schools,
treated 22,000 residents with various ailments, and even given
anti-rabies shots to pets in what is
one of the poorest regions in the
whole of the Philippines. “What
I’m here to do is help people,”
said Brig. Gen. Ronald Bailey,
commander of a US Marine expeditionary brigade consisting of
around 40 troops.
No forgiveness
for Igorot joke
BAGUIO CITY - Despite her
numerous
apologies,
Candy
Pangilinan was declared an “unwelcome vistor” in Baguio City
after she cracked a joke that implied that Igorots are not people.
In a special session held by the
Baguio City council, Pangilinan
was declared “persona non
grata” by a majority vote.
Councilor Tomas Balisong,
currently the acting vice mayor,
said that the declaration was in
reaction to Pangilinan’s “ethnic
slur.” Pangilinan’s joke, which
was heard during her stand-up
comedy act held in SM Baguio
last Saturday, was: “Tao po ako,
hindi po ako Igorot.” This drew
strong criticisms from the Igorot
community. “It is a slur, an insult
to us Igorots,” said Atty. Jose
Molintas, a member of the United
Nations Human Rights Council.
This also banned Pangilinan’s
movies from being shown in
thecity’s theaters.
12 die as boat
sinks in Batangas
BATANGAS CITY - Twelve
people, including three children
and a Japanese national, died
while 52 passengers were rescued
when a motorized banca sank off
Batangas yesterday morning, a
Coast Guard official said. The
wooden rig of the “Commando 6"
which left the Batangas port at
around 11 a.m. bound for White
Beach in Puerto Galera, broke at
the vicinity of Balahibong Puti
Point off Batangas.
Cornelio said the outrigger
boat, with a seating capacity of
60, was pummeled by strong
waves and wind, ripping its rig
and causing it to sink before
lunch May 20.
VISAYAS
Man seeks refuge
in Cebu, is slain
CEBU CITY - Vicente Poster
Angliongto, Jr. came to Cebu to
hide from those who were reportedly after his life, but death still
followed the 50-year-old businessman here. He was short near
his apartment in Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City May 23 and
succumbed in the hospital. Inspector Mario Monilar, Cebu City
Police Office Homicide Section
chief, said Angliongto, who
rented a Pearl Homes unit along
Mirasol St., came from Magnolia
Wack-Wack, Mandaluyong City.
He came to Cebu April 12 because of death threats in Manila.
Police ruled out robbery because
the gunman did not touch his
cash and valuables.
Bohol’s scuba
diver paradise
BALICASAG, Bohol -Chosen
as one of the top 20 diving spots
in the world, this 25-hectare island off the tip of Bohol province
in Central Visayas is a fish sanctuary of over 2,000 species that
make marine biologists and scuba
divers agog each time they dive.
It features a never-ending undersea spectacle of such sea creatures
as giant stingrays, sea turtles, napoleon rash, whale sharks, white
tip-sharks, devil mantas, colorful
clown fish, tuna, to name a few,
that make the coastal waters
around the island their permanent abode.
Thousands of caves and caverns underneath also abound in
the island.
Fake priest hold
mass, get money
CEBU - Two men conned
residents of a mountain village in
Naga into believing they were a
priest and an al-
Around DC... from page 13
ippine citizenship, 113 registered for Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) and over 150
submissions were received for Machine-
Readable Passports (MRP), Notarization
and Registration of Birth and Marriage.
The consular team was composed of
Consul General
Domingo
Nolasco,
Consular
Assistants
Silverio Manguerra,
Janeth Falsis and
Joey
Macatula
and Finance Officer Lyrie Fulgencio. Photo shows
Nolasco administering oath to 23
dual citizens in
Atlanta.
Flag vendors sell Philippine flags
Philippine independence June 12.
tar boy in order to officiate
masses and run away with the
collections. However, parishioners of Barangay Cogon started to
suspect the two since they used
Vino Kulafu instead of Mompo
wine during the masses held during the barangay’s fiesta celebration. Arrested May 21 were Al
Mark Pelimer, 24, and Sopriano
Basalan, 23. They had been officiating masses for about a week
until one of the residents recognized them as his co-workers at
Cambridge shoe company.
Pacquiao ventures
in big projects
SARANGANI - A wash in
cash, boxing’s best pound-forpound fighter Manny Pacquiao
bared plans to venture into
power, water and infrastructure
projects in his hometown in General Santos City. In a letter to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary
preparatory to the celebration of
Ralph Recto, Yan Amante, managing director of Manny Pacquiao
Heights Development
Corp., asked for government support for possible projects pertaining to power, water and
infrastructure projects. He is now
a businessman, a singer, a politician, actor and a boxer. Pacquiao
reportedly earned $12-million in
the fight with Erik Hatton May 2.
Landslide kills
26 in Compostela
COMPOSTELA VALLEY Rescuers have recovered 20 more
bodies from the pile of boulders
and mud in a landslide-hit village
in Compostela Valley May 18, police said. This brings the number
of recovered bodies brought the
landslide’s death toll to 26. Police
said most of the victims were
small-scale miners or gold panners. They said the miners had
been warned that Panutukan is a
19
May 31, 2009
Filipino Named Top... from page 1
to study, appreciate and master
math concepts and skills through
innovative and best teaching
practices. The achievement gains
by his students attest to his hard
work and dedication.
“Known as Mr. P, he
strongly believes in the extraordinary power of teaching and the
Woodson community attributes
his philosophy to creating a sense
of optimism among his fellow
teachers. Inside the classroom, he
uses a careful balance of leadership, skillfully crafted pedagogy,
technology, and expert classroom
management. Outside of the
classroom, students flock to him
for personal guidance and counseling.
“DCPS is grateful for Mr.
Pangilinan’s tireless work on behalf of students; he truly understands the profound effect that
teachers can have everyday,” said
Chancellor Michelle Rhee. “We
wish him continued success in
the toughest job there is and congratulate him for this prestigious
honor and the achievement gains
of his students.
“He has consistently been
recognized for his devotion to the
profession by earning numerous
awards such as DCPS Distinguished Educator and Excellence
in Education Award, Best Buy
Teach DC Award and One of the
Best Teachers of H.D. Woodson
SHS among others.
“Mr. P is tough-minded and
tender-hearted with a high degree of ethical character,” said
H.D. Woodson Principal Phil
Robey. “These characteristics are
imperative for educators who
serve youth that are often overwhelmed by social challenges
and circumstances out of their
control.”
Twenty other school districts
in Maryland and Virginia also
nominated their respective candidates for the outstanding teacher
or principal of the year award.
For more information about the
Agnes
Meyer
Outstanding
Teacher Award please visit
www.washpost.com/communit
y/education/ota.shtml.
Pangilinan said in an interview with the Manila Mail: “We
Filipino teachers are one of the
best teachers in the world. We are
hardworking, passionate, and
dedicated. Wherever we are, let’s
continue to make a difference on
the lives of young people and the
Gaa to Stay... from page 1
loried her for going out of her
way chasing Obama.
Gaa himself branded the
Star" story as “untrue and baseless.”
But he did not dispute the
possibility that he would be recalled. “I serve at the pleasure of
the President and I am prepared
to be relieved at any time the
President feels she no longer has
any confidence in me and my
ability to effectively carry out my
duties and responsibility as Philippine Ambassador to the United
States,” he said in a press statement.
Gaa took issue with the allegation that he was axed for failing to take a photograph of
Obama greeting Arroyo during
the prayer meeting. He said there
was no possibility for any photo
op because Obama entered and
left the Prayer Meeting through
the back door.
The Star story, written by Pia
Lee-Brago was titled “Envoy
Axed over missed Obama photo
moment.” Ms Brago quoted Foreign Affairs sources as saying
that “for failing to take a crucial
photo, an ambassador (Gaa) has
lost his job.”
The Star story continued:
“Philippine Ambassador to
Washington Willy Gaa reportedly missed three opportunities
to take a photo of President Arroyo with US President Barack
Obama at the National Prayer
Breakfast (NPB) in Washington
last February, and received a
tongue-lashing from the Chief
Executive.
Foreign Affairs officials, who
asked not to be identified, said
the President had instructed Gaa
to grab any opportunity during
the NPB to shoot photos of her
with Obama.
“Arroyo had flown all the
way from the Middle East to attend the NPB in hopes of seeing
and meeting Obama.
“The officials said the President was very upset that Gaa
could not be found when Obama
passed by three times and
greeted her.
“ ‘The President designated
Ambassador Gaa as photogra-
Filam Gets Georgetown... from page 1
lence that grants injustices impunity, I explore Bulosan’s text as a
site of explosive liberatory potential, a text that uncovers the contradictions in the dominant
narratives of American history,"
wrote Tolentino.
Philippine Ambassador to
the United States Willy C. Gaa
congratulated Tolentino, saying
his achievement was an inspiration to all youths regardless of
their nationality and spoke very
highly of Tolentino’s upbringing
and background.
Tolentino’s parents - Raymundo and Eleanor - who are
based in Dallas, Texas, say their
community they belong, for ”to
teach is to touch a life for a lifetime."
Asked what he intends to do
in the future, Pangilinan said: “I
always believe that God has His
own plans for us. We just need to
do our part to get the most of it."
Pangilinan said he is also
happy for being selected by the
Washington DC school district to
be an intern at the DCPS Central
Office this summer. He will be
back to teaching this fall.
“I am so blessed to be one of
the five teachers in the system to
be a recipient of the most recent
educator internship opportunity,
the ”Teachers Central To Leadership" a new teacher fellowship
program that provides DCPS
educators with leadership opportunities to participate in the decision-making process at the
central office and gain first-hand
experience in urban education reform at a macro- level."
Aris was born in San Juan,
Batangas. He is the fifth of the 12
children of Alfredo Pangilinan
and Macrina Trivino. He finished
Bachelor of Secondary Education
major in Mathematics - Cum
Laude from Enverga University
in Candelaria, Quezon and was a
candidate for Masters of Arts in
Educational Management and
Measurement and Evaluation
from the Philippine Normal University, Manila.
He arrived in the United
States in 2003 where he met and
got married to Lora Lotilla of
Mambusao, Capiz in 2006. Lora is
the only daughter of the six children of Ramonito Lotilla and
Lolita Lana. She finished Bachelor of Elementary Education Cum Laude in WVSU, Iloilo City
and Master of Arts in School Ad-
ministration in Roxas City, Capiz.
She also arrived in the states in
2003. They met in Washington,
DC and got married in Arlington,
Virgina. They are both teaching
in District of Columbia Public
Schools.
They are blessed with a
healthy baby boy, Arlo John, who
is now 10 months old. Right now,
they are residing in Prince
George’s county in Maryland.
pher during the NPB in Washington. But when President Obama
passed Mrs. Arroyo three times
wala si Ambassador Gaa,’ an official related.
“The officials said Arroyo
was very angry because of the
missed photo opportunity for
what should have been the
‘photo of the moment’ when
Obama stopped to shake hands
with her.
“After the NPB, the officials
said members of the Arroyo delegation saw the President very angry when she called Gaa and
ordered him to ride with her in
the presidential car.
“ ‘Pagkatapos ng (After the)
big event they saw each other.
The people there saw and heard
the President call Amb. Gaa. She
told Gaa to join her in the car.
Sabay sara ng kotse (The doors
slammed). It was dramatic,’ another official said.
Officials said although Gaa
may be returning home, he can
still remain as ambassador to the
United States for a while because
no replacement has been designated.
“Sources said Consul General Marciano Paynor Jr. of the
Philippine Consulate in San Francisco is being considered to replace Gaa.
“Paynor, a former chief
presidential protocol officer, accompanied the President on her
various trips abroad and is very
close to Mrs. Arroyo.
Gaa admitted that he can be
“axed” anytime by the President
because he serves at her pleasure.
But he said the story about the
photo op was totally untrue and
baseless.
In his statement, Gaa said: “I
wish to clarify that allegations
made in a Philippine Star article
to be published on 21 May 2009
that I was fired by President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for failing to take a photograph of the
President with U.S. President
Barack Obama during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. on 05 February 2009
are totally untrue and baseless.
“I serve at the pleasure of the
President and I am prepared to
be relieved at any time the President feels she no longer has any
confidence in me and my ability
to effectively carry out my duties
and responsibility as Philippine
Ambassador to the United States.
However, I am bothered with the
article’s malicious and false characterization of the President as
someone who would fire her representative to a close ally of the
Philippines over a missed photo
opportunity. This is not fair to
the President and I strongly feel
that this must be made clear to
everyone.
“I also want to take this opportunity to clarify again that the
President did not come to Washington D.C. in February for the
purpose of securing a photo opportunity with the U.S. President.
In fact, the President came in response to my recommendation
for her to pass by Washington
D.C. to attend the National
Prayer Breakfast, and meet with
key Congressional leaders on the
Filipino veterans issue, business
leaders and officials of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
It was a visit that gave a major
boost in our quest for justice for
the Filipino veterans and heightened the profile of the Philippines with the new Congress and
Administration."
son was brought up to be proud
of his Filipino culture and heritage and was taught to value
education.
“We kept telling him early
on that the only legacy we can
give him is the best education,"
said Mrs. Tolentino, a registered
nurse, in a telephone interview.
“We told him to study well and
keep your heritage," added Mrs.
Tolentino
Tolentino also graduated
valedictorian of his high school
class at the Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, Texas.
A visibly proud Tolentino
held the Philippine Flag high
during the Seniors’ Convocation
at Georgetown University.
Throughout his studies at
Georgetown
University,
Tolentino was an active member
of the University’s Club Filipino
which aims to promote Filipino
culture, diversity and understanding within the Georgetown
community.
Tolentino interned with the
Migration Policy Institute in
Washington, D.C. and was described by Policy Analyst Atty.
Laureen Laglagaron as an “exceptional intern whom the Filipino-American community could
rightly be proud of."
20
May 31, 2009
2 Balls Highlight... from page 1
vitation to the community to a
Vin d’Honneur at the embassy
from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. to commemorate the 111th anniversary
of
Philippine
independence.
(rsvp:
[email protected]) Attire: National dress
or business suit.
The two gala balls scheduled
for June are the Annual People’s
Ball of Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) on June 7 and
PAFC’s annual independence
day gala ball on June 20.
The PAFC celebration will
open with the “Brown Strokes”
art show at the Philippine embassy on June 3. This will be followed on June 5 by “Simbuyo,”
celebrating Filipino Culture and
the Arts, which opens at 6:30 p.m.
at the Grand Hall of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints at 9900 Stoneybrook Dr. in
Kensington, Maryland. Co-sponsored by the Philippine embassy,
the show will be free. Among
participants are the Ateneo
Alumni Chorus, Northern Virginia Rondalla, the Filipino
American Cultural Arts Society
and the Effie Nanas Dan ce Company from the Philippines.
The Migrant Heritage Commission said it will hold its 4th
Annual People’s Ball on Sunday,
June 7 from 2:30 to 9:30 p.m. at
the Arlington Ballroom of the
Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel
in Arlington, Virginia.
Music will be provided by
Armonia Latina and DJ Jojo.
MHC said it will be the biggest
Filipino American community
gala that aims at “bringing people together to foster a culture of
unity and service. Theme of the
ball is ”Celebrating Filipino Spirit
in the Remaking of America." It
said the ball will also mark 103
Years of Filipino Migration to the
U.S. and to honor and serve the
Baldwin’s Apology... from page 1
stand the feelings and sentiments
of those who took offense over
his joke.”
He thanked Baldwin for his
recognition of the serious challenges the Philippines faces in actively addressing the problem of
the trafficking of women and
children in all its forms.
“It may be noted that several
Philippine Government officials
and civil society groups took offense over Mr. Baldwin’s joke
which categorized and stereotyped Filipino women as easy
commodities for sale and Consul
General Cecilia Rebong of the
Philippine Consulate General in
New York wrote a letter to Mr.
Baldwin on 19 May 2009 expressing these sentiments and concern."
MANILA - Is using the
phrase “mail-order bride” a slur?
This question has cropped
up as Philippine officials and Filipino women’s groups have protested the purported slur by actor
Alec Baldwin who joked in a TV
late show that he was planning to
get a Filipina or Russian mail-order bride.
Baldwin, star of the comedy
hit show “30 Rock” and a divorced father of a 13-year-old
daughter, joined the ranks of internationally recognized celebrities who have allegedly maligned
Filipinos.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ed Malaya
said Philippine Consul General in
New York Cecilia Rebong is
sending a letter to the producers
of the ‘Late Show with David Lettermen’ and to Mr. Alec Baldwin
to express deep concern over the
derogatory remarks made by
Baldwin in a television interview
last May 12.
“The consulate shares the
sentiments expressed by many
others that although said in jest,
the remarks displayed insensitivity and tactlessness," he added.
The Russians have thus far not
reacted to the reported slur.
But some Filipino groups
said they do not consider the use
of mail-order bride as deroga-
Doctor’s Sex Tapes... from page 1
Halili formally accused Dr. Hayden Kho of violating her privacy
and possible commission of
crimes against women. Kho had
also released tapes of sex acts
with other models and starlets.
The Bureau of Immigration
has placed Dr. Kho on the watch
list for 60 days to prevent him
from leaving the country.
Senators Bong Revilla, Alan
Peter Cayetano, Panfilo Lacson
and Miriam Defensor-Santiago
have encouraged Halili to press
the charges, saying taping a sex
scene with hidden cmeras is similar to wiretapping. Lacson and
Santiago favored the revocation
of Kho’s license if found guilty.
Cayetano added that a
shame campaign should be
launched against the doctor, saying everyone who meets Kho
should shout “shame on your!”
“I think [there is a need for
an investigation] because now it
raises the question of how often
this is done and how many have
been the victims. It is to me a direct affront to our community in
terms of our community values.
That is the essence of prurience:
defying community standards,"
Santiago said.
“At the very least [the case
against Kho could be] unjust
migrants. Master of ceremonies is
Ms. Gel Santos-Relos, ABS-CBN’s
TFC’s Balitang America’s & Citizen Pinoy TV Programs’ toprated Host/Newscaster. Ticket is
$62 per person. MHC says proceeds will go to MHC’s charitable-institutional programs and
projects and to help our
“kababayans” and immigrants.
For more info, call: 703-273-1196,
202-247-0117, 202-631-8856, 703675-6334, 1-888-MHC-1196 (Toll
Free) Facsimile: (703) 273-4838
The PAFC’s annual Independence Day Gala Ball" will be
held from 6:30pm to 1:00am at
the JW Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC .
The first Filipino
American Congressman, Steve
Austria of Ohio has been invited
to be the guest speaker. The
popular D’ Harmony Band will
provide the music. Regular tickets are on sale for $80. There are
three levels of individual sponsorships: Benefactor - $250 per
person; Friends’ Circle - $150 per
person; Corporate - $120 per person. For reservations, please contact
Nanette
Carreon
at
240.475.2411.
Proceeds will go to the
PAFC’s projects.
In announcing the cancellation of the parade and fair, Ador
Carreon, PAFC president and
chair of the festival said: “We are
all aware that our nation’s economic recession is adversely affecting charities and non-profit
organizations as consumers and
corporations pull back on charitable giving. In light of this, the
PAFC Board has made the difficult decision to cancel the Philippine Fair for this year."
June 3 - 12 “Brown Strokes
on a White Canvas,”* an exhibit
of Filipino-American artists and
photographers in the area will
kick-off the June Festival. Opening reception will be on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at the Philippine
Embassy.
Contact is Julian
Oteyza
703.969.5469
or
[email protected]
June 5, 2009 (Friday) 6:30pm
- 8:30pm
“Youth Cultural
Night” - featuring Effie Nanas
Dance School of the Philippines
and local talent. Contact: Becky
Pagsibigan 703.304.7247 or [email protected]
Sunday, June 28- 10am5:00pm* “Pistang Pilipino/Community Picnic/Sports **Fest" will
be held at the Tucker Road Recreational Center on 1770 Tucker
Road , Ft. Washington , Maryland . The Pistang Pilipino (Filipino Fiesta) will consist of a
cultural show drawn from the
community’s outstanding performers, a parade of colorful costumes and, delicious exotic food
and product vendors displaying
their wares.
Associations are encouraged
to bring their picnic fare. Volleyball groups can sign up for the
sports competition.
tory. “It is just like finding a wife
by joining the pen pal club,
Friendsters, Craig’s List or Facebook,” said one local leader.
Baldwin said in an interview
on the “Late Show with David
Letterman” last May 12 how he
thought of getting, or buying,
himself a Filipina bride.
“I think about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this
point or a Russian one, I don’t
care, I’m 51," Baldwin told host
Letterman.
Although it was delivered in
jest, Baldwin’s remark caused the
audience to break into laughter
and prompted Letterman, to respond: “Get one for me [also], for
later."
The Department of Foreign
Affairs said it did not find the
statement funny as it showed
Baldwin’ lack of sensitivity and
tact towards other nationalities.
Earlier, Teri Hatcher questioned in jest the medical certificates of Filipino doctors in one
segment of “Desperate Housewives.” Channel 7 apologized for
this slur.
Then, British show Harry &
Paul ridiculed a Filipina maid as
a sex symbol in their show.
And just recently, Hong
Kong magazine columnist Chip
Tsao called the Philippines a nation of servants but later personally apologized for it before the
consulate in Hong Kong.
Senator Ramon Revilla and
Rep. Riza Hontiveros earlier expressed outrage over Baldwin’s
joke.
They said Baldwin should
realize that facilitating or arranging a marriage between a Filipina
and a foreigner has been prohibited under Republic Act 6955 or
the Anti-Mail-Order Bride Law of
1990.
Violators face imprisonment
of six to eight years, and the payment of a fine between P8,000
and P20,000.
A foreign national caught engaged in such a scheme will also
be meted the same penalties, then
deported and barred from entering the Philippines for life.
Baldwin is a board member
of People For the American Way
and a vocal supporter of the People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA).
Consul Rebong said “the
consulate shares the sentiments
expressed by many others that although said in jest, the remarks
displayed insensitivity and tactlessness.”
Baldwin, ex-husband of Hollywood actress Kim Basinger and
father of a 13-year-old girl, told
Letterman “I think about getting
a Filipino mail-order bride at this
point or a Russian one, I don’t
care, I’m 51.” This caused the
late-night audience to break into
laughter. In response, Letterman
told Baldwin to “get one for me
for later.”
The interview has been
widely circulated on the video
sharing site YouTube, causing
outrage among the huge Filipino
diaspora, including Philippine
senators, congressmen and prowomen groups.
At least three members of
the Senate have also demanded
that Baldwin publicly apologize,
stressing that the mail-order
bride business was outlawed
here.
vexation. But you can make it a
higher or bigger crime because
the right to privacy is protected
by the Constitution," she said.
“Are Filipinos now indifferent to whether one Filipino
would upload certain sex videos?
I don’t think that we have
reached that stage or we shall
ever reach it because of our Asian
culture. So what he has done is
anti-culture," Santiago said.
Malacanang said that if they
have to side with anyone in the
issue, they would have to side
with the alleged victims. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita
said that they would support any
of the doctor’s alleged victims if
they decide to come forward and
file cases against Kho and his ac-
complices, if any.
The Department of Justice,
on the other hand, said that Kho
could be charged with violations
of RA 9262, or the Violence
Against Women and Children
Act.
Earlier, Secretary Raul Gonzalez ordered National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) Director Nestor Mantaring to investigate the
“scandal” and file the appropriate cases. Gonzalez said that Section 3 of RA 9262 clearly states
that women should not be used
in indecent acts or in making
films or shows depicting such,
and Kho could be charged even if
the woman has given her consent.
The Bureau of Immigration
has also placed Kho under its immigration watchlist, to prevent
him from leaving the country
while the case is ongoing.
“Nag-request si Sen. Revilla
cause this fellow might leave. He
can be stopped from leaving and
we can impose conditions before
he can leave. Its good for 60
days," Gonzalez said.
He also said that Kho’s accomplice or accomplices, if there
would prove to be any, could
also be held liable.
Halili told journalists that the
cosmetic surgeon-model should
not go unpunished for allegedly
videotaping their sexual intercourse. She admitted having had
a short romantic affair with Dr.
Kho.
21
May 31, 2009
Sino Ang Dapat Sisihin?
ang language at culture na pinanggalingan
Ngayong malaki na, saka mag-aaral.
Saan natututo, bukod sa eskuwela?
Di ba’t sa tahanan ang laging umpisa?
Anak natututo nitong ABAKADA
Na ang kadalasa’y nagtuturo’y ina.
Ang problema nito kapag lumaki na
Heritage students, me katigasan na
Learning style ng me idad siyempre ibang iba
Di gaya nang maliit, nung bata pa sila.
Magmula sa kuna at ugoy ng duyan
Awit pampatulog na napapakinggan
Kakantahin ito pagdating ng araw
At gagayahin rin, ibang natutuhan.
Kasi akala nyo, sila’y makuconfuse
Kabayan, you are wrong dapat n’yong matalos
Ang isip ng bata habang sila’y musmos
Kagaya ng sponge mabilis humigop!
Ang ideayang aming ibig iparating
Kahit born sa U.S. Filipino children
MakapagTagalog dapat ring sanayin
At kung di marunong, sisisihi’y parents!
Madalas mangyari, ito’y inyong mapapansin
Mga batang pinoy, sa U.S. pagdating
Matatas pa yung Tagalog ang galing ng accent
Hindi magtatagal. Mawawala ito. Nilipad ng hangin!!
Ang nakakatuwa’y sa totoo lang
marami rin namang Pinoy-American
Nagkakainterest na kanilang matutunan
Ang gagawin lamang, sila’y kausapin
Di naman mahirap, basta’t Tagalugin
Tiyak ang marinig, s’yang gagayahin
Ito ang simulang sa isip matanim.
Paalala lang ‘to, believe me my friends
Itong inyong lingkod, isang language teacher
Sa larangang ito na pinasok namin
Itong aming tinutukoy, batay sa experience.
Wag kayong magworry, English maaacguire
Malaki ring asset ang maging bilingual
Maski sa eskuwela, requirement kung minsan
Sa ibang trabaho’y may bonus na ibibgay.
Wag na n’yong hintayin pa, na kayo’y sumbatan
Na kayong magulang ang may kasalanan
Wag na ninyong ipatutore, gastos ay iwasan
At bago pa sila’y Kayo rin mag-aral!.
Pinoy librarian sets lecture on RP’s first books
Visiting Filipino librarian
Von Totanes, who has a special
interest in rare books, will discuss
the existence of two imprints of
the Philippines’ first book (Doctrina Christiana of 1593) and their
significance in Philippine publishing during a lecture at the
Asian Division reading room
foyer of the Library of Congress
at 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 9.
The Library of Congress
serves as the repository for the
only existing copy of the Doctrina
Christiana, en lengua espan~ola y
tagala . . . published on rice paper
in Manila in 1593. It is part of the
Library’s Rosenwald Collection
in the Rare Books Division. Although it is commonly considered to be the first book
published in the Philippines, it is
actually one of two published
MANILA - President Arroyo
has more than doubled her
wealth since she replaced deposed President Joseph Estrada
in 2001.
Her latest sworn statement
of assets and liabilities and net
worth (SALN) filed with the Office of the Ombudsman on April
30 showed she’s P44.9 million
(about $1 million) richer than in
the previous year.
Her total declared assets in
2008 stood at P177.179 million
but her liabilities in the form of
net payables amounted to P33
million,
leaving
her
with
P144.539 million. As required by
law, the President listed the
names of six relatives who are
also in government. They were
led by her two congressmen-sons
Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel M.
Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep.
Diosdado M. Arroyo who, based
on their own SALNs released by
each one supposedly the
“other” 1593 imprint.
Neither the existence of
the two books nor the articles that scholars have
written about them have
made much of a difference in clarifying the answer
to
the
frequently-asked trivia
question, “What was the
first book printed in the
Philippines”
But the more interesting question is, “Why
do these books matter?”
In his lecture, Mr. Totanes will argue that the
importance of the imprints lies in the fact that
Von Totanes
during that year in the archipelago and there is no way of telling
which one was published first.
To complicate matters fur-
ther, the two different books
were found in 1948 and 1953,
they are physical reminders of the plurality of the nature
and culture of the Filipino and
GMA doubles assets
the House of Representatives in
May 2008, are among the richest
congressmen with net worth of
P96.7 million and P83.7 million,
respectively.
Her brother-in-law Ignacio
T. Arroyo Jr., the richest among
Arroyo relatives in Congress with
a reported net worth of P145.8
million, was third on her list.
The President identified the
rest as Ma. Lourdes T. Arroyo,
her sister-in-law working at the
House of Representatives; Erlina
M.B. de Leon, a cousin working
at Malacañang; and Carlos L.
de Leon, a cousin-in-law connected with the Office of the
President.
Vice President Noli de Castro also grew richer, by more
than P3.8 million in 2008 based
on his sworn SALN filed with the
Ombudsman.
The broadcast journalistturned-politician declared his to-
tal assets at P60.902 million and
liabilities at P2.5 million.
De Castro, who receives a
monthly salary of P46,200, declared ownership of five houses
and lots and three lots worth
more than P29 million.
The properties include a
house and lot in Lagro, Novaliches, Quezon City worth
P40,000 with an improvement
cost of P200,000; a house and lot
in Tierra Pura Homes, Tandang
Sora, Quezon City worth P3.5
million; houses and lots in Pasong Tamo, Quezon City worth
P1.4 million and P7.7 million; and
a house and lot in San Antonio
Heights,
Batangas
worth
P695,000.
De Castro also declared
ownership of lots in San Jose del
Monte, Bulacan worth P2.7 million; a lot in Mindoro, P300,000;
and a lot in Forrest Hills, Antipolo, P3.8 million.
He also declared ownership
of several pieces of jewelry worth
more than P2 million; appliances
and furniture, P2.060 million;
paintings and other artworks,
P480,000; three vehicles - a Suburvan, a Ford Expedition and a
Chrysler - worth P8.4 million;
shares of stocks in ABS-CBN
worth P1 million; and P17.5 million bank deposit.
His SALN report in 2008 also
showed five more relatives joining the government namely
Marives de Castro, his niece-inlaw who is a municipal officer of
the Department of Agrarian Reform in Oriental Mindoro; Perla
Lauterio-Barcelon, his cousin
who is clerk at the Department of
Public Works and Highways also
in Oriental Mindoro; Rey Leuterio, a cousin and a Master
Teacher at the Oriental Mindoro
High School in Calapan; Danilo
Leuterio, a cousin and the princi-
the Philippines, and that Filipino
culture is what it is today because
of contact with the Chinese, the
Spanish and the Americans.
The Doctrina Christiana will
be on display during the lecture,
courtesy of Mr. Daniel De Simone, curator of the Rosenwald
Collection. This lecture is cosponsored by the Embassy of the
Philippines, Library of Congress
Asian Division Friends Society
and the Library of Congress
Asian American Association.
The Totanes lecture is free
and open to the public. Press Release
Contacts: Remé Grefalda,
[email protected] (202) 707-6096
Kathryn
Wellen,
[email protected] (202) 707-8910
pal of the same school’s Bucayao
Annex; and Lourdes LeuterioLedesma, a teacher the Adriatico
Memorial School also in Calapan.
In his 2007 SALN, De Castro
identified only five relatives
working in government, namely
Dr. Grimaldo Catapang, a
nephew and the provincial veterinarian of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro; Veronidia Catapang, a
niece working for the Department of the Interior and Local
Government’s National Capital
Region office in Quezon City; Dr.
Florecita Catapang, a niece who
is a revenue collection officer
based in Socorro, Oriental Mindoro; Janice Anne Pasco, also a
niece who works in the Office of
the Vice President; and Allan
Leuterio, a cousin and a director
of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in
Region IV-A.
22
May 31, 2009
Interview: Jose Llana
NEW YORK- When I was in
New York City three years ago, I
saw a performance of “The 25th
Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee,” the Tony Award-winning
hit Broadway musical about a
group of young lovable misfits
competing in in a major spelling
touring production of FIDDLER
ON THE ROOF was one of the
first I saw. Seeing the touring
company of LES MISERABLES in
middle school cemented my passion and was the first time I
thought to myself, “Maybe I can
do that.”
making that happen.
Q: Your comments on the
huge progress that Fil-Am actors
have made on Broadway?
A: I think anyone who works
on Broadway knows the level of
singing that comes out of it’s Filipino brothers and sisters. I believe it’s not a surprise that
Filipinos regard the entertainment industry with such respect
and passion that we would produce such grea t talent. I’m always
proud
to
be
an
Asian-American actor, I’m even
more proud to be a FilipinoAmerican actor.
Q: Any current and future
projects that you would like to
share?
A: I’m currently working on
a musical adaptation of TALES
OF THE CITY by Armisted
Maupin. Jeff Whitty of AVENUE
Q is writing the book and Jake
Shears from the rock band, SCISSOR SISTERS, is writing the mu-
sic. Jason Moore, from AVE Q
and SHREK is directing. We’re
workshopping it at the O’Neill
Music Conference this summer
and are looking to bring it in the
Broadway by late next year.
[email protected]
LOAN MODIFICATION PROCESS
Under President Obama’s
Home Affordability and Stability
Program, a lot of homeowners
were able to keep their homes
and modify their loan for more
affordable monthly payments.
Where do you start?
Qualification:
Jose Llana
bee competiton. Our very own,
Fil-Am actor Jose Llana, a native
of Springfield, Va., was one of the
cast members who essayed the
role of spelling bee champ Chip
Tolentino, the first Fil-Am character ever in a major Broadway musical.
The critics heaped much
praise not only on the show but
also on Jose. He gave an indelible
performance as Chip and he lent
his glorious vocals to the show’s
showtopping numbers. Jose,
along with the rest of the impressive cast, won the 2005 Drama
Desk Award for Best Ensemble
Jose is an inspiring example of a
Fil-Am actor who has made it big
on Broadway.
Besides “Spelling Bee,” he
has also earned critical praise for
“The King And I", in which he
made his Broadway debut, “Martin Guerre,” “On The Town," and
the revival of “Flower Drum
Song.” He is the founding member of Asian-Americans On
Broadway, an organization that
presents concert events across the
country starring some of Broadway’s most prominent AsianAmerican actors.
He took time out from his
busy schedule to do this e-mail
interview.
For more on Jose, you can
visit his website, www.josellana.com.
Q: At what age did you develop a passion for the theater?
A: I started my love of theater in the grade when I would go
see productions at The Kennedy
Center in Washington DC, I grew
up in nearby Virginia. I believe a
Q: When did you move to
New York from Springfield, Va.
and what was the first Broadway
production that you did?
A: I came to New York right
after I graduated high school to
attend the Manhattan School of
Music as a classical voice major.
During my freshman year I auditioned for the Broadway Revival
of THE KING & I starring fellow
Fil-Am, Lou Diamond Phillips. I
played the role of “Lun Tha" the
young lover. I made my Broadway debut at 19 years old.
Q: “The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee” is one of
the best Broadway musicals that I
have seen, what was the experience like of doing this Broadway
hit and your thoughts on essaying the role of Fil-Am spelling
bee champ Chip Tolentino?
A: SPELLING BEE is hands
down the funnest time I’ve ever
had on Broadway and with a
cast. Everyone in the cast is a
crazy comedian in person and
every single minute of rehearsal
was filled with laughter and silliness. SPELLING BEE was also
the first time I was able to help
create a character. When I auditioned for the part, only his song
had been written but Bill Finn,
the composer and the writers
were open to name suggestions. I
suggested “Chip Tolentino”, because “Tolentino” is one of my
family names. I also made him a
Boy Scout because that’s what I
was when I was fourteen. I’m
very
proud
that
CHIP
TOLENTINO is the first Fil-Am
character in a major Broadway
Musical and that I had a part in
Go online or pick up the
phone and contact your lender.
The Department is usually called
Loss Mitigation or Work Out Department. Be ready with your
personal information for verification purposes. You will be
asked series of questions and financial information such as
monthly income from all
sources, household and extra expenses, and explanation of hardship. From your conversation
and information provided, they
will tell you if you maybe qualified subject upon receipt and
verification of requested documents.
Documents Required:
Most lenders will ask for
your 30 days pay stubs or last
two, 2 months of bank statements, last two years of income
tax return, financial statement,
hardship affidavit. Upon receipt,
you will receive a confirmation
from them and will be advised
that it may take up to 30 days to
process your request.
Pre Approval Letter:
You will receive a packet
with instructions and detailed
information on how to go on
with the loan modification. They
might ask for updated information of the documents previously
submitted.
What to Do Next:
Counseling one of the requirements is you will have to
work with a HUD approved
counseling agency to assist you
in developing an action plan and
support to be able to work on
household budget and reduce
debts. Your lender will provide
you of contact information.
Trial Period based on the
documents submitted, you will
have a three months trial period
of the new monthly payment.
The monthly trial period payments are based on the estimates
of the income information you
provided. This may change or
you may not be qualified if your
documentation does not support
your claim. It is very important
that you will make the payment
on time and not less than the
specified amount. Otherwise,
your loan will not be modified.
The trial period is just the
first step. Once it is finalize, you
will receive a loan modification
agreement.
Past due amount- contrary
to what most people say, you do
not need to be in default before
you can qualify for a loan modification. If you are in default for
more than 30 days, you are hurting your credit scores. Once approved, any past due amount at
the end of the trial period will be
added to your balance including
unpaid late charges. However, if
you fulfill all the terms during
trial period, all late charges will
be waived.
Borrower Incentive- If your
monthly mortgage payments including principal, interest, property taxes, insurance, condo or
Homeowners Association fee is
reduced through the Home Affordable Modification Program
by six percent or more and you
make your monthly mortgage on
time, you will accrue a monthly
benefit to be added on your principal on or after the first through
the fifth anniversary your loan
modification goes into effect.
Loan Modification is freethere are no fees under the
Home Affordable Modification
Program. New affordable payment is the result of a lower interest rate. That means your
balance will not be more than
what you owe now and will reduce eventually as you are now
making payments including
principal. Your monthly payment will not change as long as
you own your home and have
not refinanced. Read and follow
all the instructions carefully and
pay attention to details. Modification process may vary depend
on the lenders’ processes but the
principle is the same.
If you do not qualify, your
lender usually suggests short
sales where you can sell your
home in the current market
value and the balance will be
forgiven. They maybe able to
explore other options available
to help you keep your homes or
ease your transition to your new
home.
(Note: Jocelyn Porteria is a
Realtor® licensed in VA. She
earned a designation of ABR, Accredited Buyer’s Specialist and a
CDPE Certified Distressed Property
and Short Sale Expert. For more
info, call her at 571-432-8335 or
email at [email protected])
23
May 31, 2009
HAPPY
100TH
BIRTHDAY!
I did not want to miss this
birthday party. I have never met
a 100 year-old person in my life.
The honoree was Bernardo Corpus from College Park, Maryland, the stepfather of Lulu
Alexander of the Mabuhay Association. The other centenarian in
our community that I heard celebrated her 100th birthday about a
year ago (?) was Mimay
Cabacungan, mother of Reme
Grefalda, but I did not have the
chance to see her. So, when Lulu
invited me to attend this celebration and learned that her Tatay
Bernardo will reach his 100th
year on May 23, I immediately
checked my calendar and adjusted the activity that was previously entered on that date.
From time to time in the TV, I
saw Willard Scott announcing
and showing the pictures of people from all over the country who
were celebrating their 100th
birthdays and I had always wondered what the secret of their longevity was. Did they eat mostly
vegetables and fruits? Did they
lead simple lives? What kind of
work did they do? Where are
they now, with their families or
nursing homes?
The party room of the condominium where the celebration
was held was packed with relatives and friends of the family. A
program was prepared for him
led by Lulu and Lita Dialino, current president of Mabuhay. There
was a parade of colors where participants wore outfits of different
colors, which turned out to be the
designated colors worn by each
of the family clans present. There
were dance numbers and good
wishes dedicated to the celebrant,
but the highlight was the citations from Jack Johnson, PG
County Executive; Steve Brown,
Mayor of College Park; and Eric
Olson, College Park Councilman.
Peggy Maggee, Clerk of Circuit
Court in PG County and Regina
Mitchell, Director of the Attick
Tower where Tatay Bernardo
lives. The citations were read by
Kris Valderama Lobo, Delegate in
the 26th District, MD and daughter of Dave Valderama, the former delegate, who herself
presented another citation. . The
early dinner buffet of Filipino
dishes and desserts were enjoyed
by the guests. Some Bingo colleagues of the celebrant were invited to the party.
There the honoree was,
seated where every one could see
him. He was wearing Barong Tagalog, calm and seemed to be enjoying all the fuss around him.
He was camera ready when anyone wanted pictures taken with
him. He was the star of the eve-
ning, anyway and he deserved it.
When I finally had the chance to
talk with him, I asked him of the
secret of his long life. He was
originally from La Union in the
Philippines and migrated to the
United States in 1975 with the
mother of Lulu Alexander. I
learned that he was a boxer
known as Kid Bernard in Baguio
during his younger years. As an
athlete, he probably ate more
than just vegetables, then. I asked
him if he watched the very recent
fight of Paquiao. He did and still
alert, he commented that he was
a great fighter, hard to defeat.
Kid Bernard knew what he was
saying because he fought as a
light weight boxer, then. He also
had spent some years in Manila
to work at a Chinese reataurant,
Wa Nam Panciteria. The place
was famous for its Pancit canton.
Lulu Alexander took care of her
mother and stepfather who lived
with her until her parents move
to the Attick Tower to enjoy their
daily activities with other seniors
of their age. Lulu’s mother died
four years ago at age 94. Tatay
Bernardo since then lived independently taking care of his personal needs. Lulu’s family helped
him by taking charge of the
cleaning his home and bringing
him meals most of the time.
Lulu informed me that a day
will not pass without him playing the Bingo. He tracks down
the Bingo schedules in different
places and they have to take
turns taking him to those places.
His other interest was ballroom
dancing. He could still dance the
waltz, tango and cha-cha. He actually danced with a younger
guest during his birthday party.
This was the reason why I was
talking with Lulu ,a month ago,
to invite him to be a part of my
dance presentation at the PAFC
Gala Ball with the theme, “Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas.” His
participation in this event would
be very appropriate, honoring
our elders (Kahapon) and welcoming the youth (Bukas) by the
Ngayon group. I learned that he
has a pace maker now and is under medication, otherwise, he
seemed to be normal doing his
everyday activities and nothing is
bothering him.
He attributed a great of part
of his living longer to the care
and loving attention that he getting from his family, Lulu’s family and the other members.
In retrospect, I asked my self
if I wanted to live to a hundred
years. Before I would say “no
way.” Now, I’d say, if I am not
seriously suffering from any ailments and not needing extra and
very detailed care from my children, then, maybe it‘s okay. My
husband had shared my views. I
sincerely thanked and appreciated Lulu for inviting me to this
wonderful birthday party which
was memorable not only to the
family and friends, but to me as
well. A celebration of life like this
one does not happen everyday to
many people and I don‘t see another chance to be invited to a
100th birthday celebration in the
near future. I truly enjoyed the
party watching the honoree and
the people around him who
made the occasion memorable to
him.
First Birthday
Celebration
There was another birthday
party that I attended in May . In
contrast to the centennial celebration, this honoree, Joseph Christian Soriano, was just one year
old. Bernardo and Joseph Christian were born 99 years apart, but
just the same, the family and
friends around him showed the
same enthusiasm to make the occasion a memorable one. The scenario
was
at
another
condominium party room. I was
also packed with family and
friends, mostly young couples
with either infants or toddlers
with them. The paternal Lola,
Florence Soriano, was especially
ecstatic because she shared the
same birth date with the honoree,
May, 12. For convenience the
party was held on a Saturday,
May 16. The parents of birthday
boy, Garrett and Reah, looked
very young, just starting and like
the others, full of hopes for their
young son. Guests of the parents,
like us, of course, gathered together on separate tables with
topics for chatting different from
the young couples. This group
was the young “young lolos and
lolas.” Of course, they showed
their small brag album, showing
their precious “apos.“ My husband and I were in this group,
but we did not have grandchildren, yet, but, I loved to hear
their recount of their experience
with these little tots. With our table were Chelo and Bong David,
Carmelita and Efren Sangalang,
and Vilma Mataac. Lolo Fred Soriano was also beaming with
CORN CRAB SOUP
This soup can be served as a
first course meal. In preparing
this soup, you need a good stock.
And a good stock comes from
cooking poultry or seafood with
vegetables and herbs seasoning
in water. This is then strained to
produce a stock that is finer,
more aromatic and flavorful than
store-bought canned broth.
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
1 cup crabmeat in can
6 cups seafood or chicken
stock
1 cup cream style corn (in
can)
1 egg, slightly beaten
Salt and white pepper to
taste
3 tablespoons cornstarch, diluted in ¼ cup water
Garnishing: Chopped green
onions or parsley
Methods:
Double check the crabmeat
for any slivers and set aside.
Bring the seafood or chicken
stock to a boil and stir in the corn
and crab. Reduce heat to medium
so the stock continues to simmer.
Combine eggs, salt and white
pepper to constitute the egg mixture; set aside.
While the stock is simmering, mix in the corn starch mixture until the soup has thickened
slightly. Then stir in the egg mixture with the stock and allow to
simmer for a minute or two.
Remove from heat, garnish
and serve hot.
Chef’s Tip:
To be on the safe side, take it
easy on the sodium when cooking this soup because the canned
pride with little Soriano that his
son, Garrett, added to their name.
He said- “Soriano, yata yan!”
70th Birthday Celebrations
Somewhere between one
and one hundred years old, another friend and her husband
celebrated their 70th birthday
party, also in May. Malcolm and
Aida Peck had a joint birthday
celebration at the Ft. Meyer
Community Center in Arlington,
VA. This is another scenario and
group of guests different from
the two birthday celebrations
that I attended. Also with sumptuous catered buffet dinner, there
crabmeat has already the inherent saltiness.
Household Hints:
With summer come a parade
of parties and a slew of food.
Whenever you plan to serve
cheese as one of the appetizers
always serve it in room temperature. Allow 2 hours per pound of
cheese to raise the temperature
from 40 degrees F to 70 degrees F.
Wipe the serving cheese knife
with non-stick spray for easy slicing of the cheese.
For every party, there should
always be a choice of non-alcoholic/sparkling drinks or fruit
punch or juice, especially for
your designated drivers.
Always serve a variety of
dishes to give special preference
for guests who have special diet
even if you do not know anything about their health. It is always a smart idea to serve food
that can help reduce blood pressure for everyone and/or promote good health, such as
carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, celery,
onions, leafy greens, and legumes.
Editor’s note: Mrs. Evelyn S.
Bunoan is Owner/Master Chef, Philippine Oriental Market & Deli (with
more than 30 years of service to the
Filipino-American community) 3610 Lee Highway, Arlington, Virginia; (703) 528-0300; Master Chef
(French cuisine), Le Cordon Bleu,
London, UK; recipe creator, improviser, food stylist, cake designer, and
culinary writer; kitchen-tested and
mastered more than 400 recipes, and
counting. Member of International
Cake Exploration Societé. Host of
the cooking show
“Evelyn’s
Kitchen Cooking with Friends”.
was a live band that played ballroom dance music all night. The
couple invited about a hundred
fifty to two hundred people, others coming from out-of-state.
ASEAN Women’s Circle
The Association of Southeast
Asian Nations Women’s Circle,
an association composed of the
Ambassador’s wives recently had
a Dancing and Karaoke Singing
Spring event held at the Ambassador’s residence of the Embassy
of Indonesia. This event was a
project of Mrs. Linda C. Gaa, the
association’s current President
and wife of Ambassador Willie
Gaa of the Embassy of the Philippines.
24 Editorial
May 31, 2009
‘Lupang Hinirang’
The Filipinos’ patriotic fervor rose to greater heights when
the World’s Pound-for-Pound champion Manny Pacquiao
emerged as the winner in the spectacular battle of East and
West in Las Vegas, Nevada early this month.
Amidst the euphoria of Pacquiao’s victory over Britan’s
Ricky Hatton, some “patriots” questioned the rendition of “Lupang Hinirang” by Martin Nievera before the opening bell.
While some called it “a marvel of dramatic intensity, a classic
example of artistic license,” others threatened to sue Nievera
for violating the heraldic code of the Philippines (RA 8491).
That law mandates that the anthem be sang with the traditional
music composed by Julian Felipe and that the lyrics be the
same as the one protected by the law. Nievera did not change
any of the lyrics.
The critics said Nievera changed the tune with his improviMalaya
sation. Others sided with Nievera and praised him for style.
This is how columnist Nestor Mata, a lover of music, described
Nievera’s rendition of the anthem:
Washington Tsismis
The silent ‘Post’
“Martin sang the very same music as composed by Julian
Felipe and the lyrics as officially authorized and protected by
that law. He did not change a word of the lyrics.
“He started slowly (like one expressing his love of country),
then he quickly segued into a martial tempo in the middle section (like a soldier marching into war in defense of the motherland from foreign invaders), and finally ended with a soaring
voice, a passionate pitch, a sustained high note (like a patriot
loudly proclaiming that he was ready to die for his beloved
country).
“So, what’s the senseless, mindless, ludicrous to-do all
about? Instead of being scorned or accused of violating that
law, Martin Nievera should be hailed for his soaring, brilliant,
passionate rendition of “Lupang Hinirang."
We agree.
A Tsismoso agrees with the
Manila Mail’s report (May 15,
2009) that the Washington Post,
Washington Times and some
mainstream Virginia newspapers
wittingly or unwittingly did not
publish a single line or photo of
Philippine champion Manny Pacquiao slamming Britain’s Ricky
Hatton to the canvas in two
rounds at the MGM Grand in Las
Vegas May 2.
“Yes,” this Tsismoso says, “I,
too, surfed the web more than 24
hours after the fight and it seems
only the Post, Times and some
Virginia papers did not publish
anything about Pacquiao’s spectacular victory. Many of the major newspapers in the east Coast
published the story and photo of
Pacquiao. Perhaps, for the Post,
Times and others who have ignored the news, it was just impossible for a Filipino to beat a
White Man.”
***
“Anak ng baboy,” why are
US health officials spending
thousands of dollars distributing
warnings about the swine
(baboy) flu in different languages, including Arabic, American Sign Language, Chinese
(Simplified and Traditional),
Hmong (pronounced Mong),
Japanese, Khmer, Somali, Spanish, French, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Ukranian and
Vietnamese.
The advisory circulated by
Jennifer M. Kons, Outreach and
Interpretation Project Assistant of
the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, among
the Asian American community
organizations, quoted Medicine
Plus on the basic hygiene information related to Germs and Hygiene to avoid and prevention of
the swine flu virus.
***
One of the advantages of the
internet is that a nosy mouse can
often eavesdrop on some funny
exchanges among community
leaders. The following are excerpts from a recent gathering to
discuss preparations for an oncoming event. It gives one an idea
of the extreme thirst, hunger and
sacrifices these leaders make on
behalf of the community. Names
have been deleted to protect Tsismoso. Excerpts:
***
Note from an early comer expecting food or snacks to be
served: “Kami... nagpunta sa —meeting kagabi, kahit na umuulan at bumabagyo, expecting to
see you and once again experience your bubbly personality, but
wala ka naman doon (unless you
were hiding under the table).
Wala rin si Mr. —- (pinag-overtime yata siya ni Amba, o kaya
may date.) ”Pagakyat namin sa
—- building ng exactly 6:55pm,
walang laman ang tables. Nagwonder tuloy ako kong —- building talaga ang tinuluyan namin.
Anyway, we trusted na nakalatad
na ang smorgasbord of homemade dishes. Never mind. We
didn’t come for the food, sabi ko
sa sarili ko with quiet dignity.
“Aba, hindi matapos ang aking thought at biglang dumating
si Madame—- at may daladalang bag. Pagkain na to, I
screamed with euphoria inside
my head, my stomach grumbling
with anticipation. Pero paghubad
ng bag, isang plastic bag of ice
lang pala ang dala. Susmaryosep!
Malapit na akong himatayin sa
gutom. So ice lang ang nakalantad sa table. Gininaw tuloy si —dahil the ice was melting at
nakaupo siya sa tabi ng ice table."
***
Grateful note to a contributor: “... hindi mo pinasalamatan si
—- na nagbigay ng pili nuts dahil
walang appetizer. Meron pa siyang inilabas na Lengua de Gato,
kulay ube at kasing nipis talaga
ng dila ng pusa, pero nuong pinas-around as dessert, durogdurog na. Sino kaya ang pumili
ng malalapad na dila? ROFL to
convulsion."
***
Note to an absent leader:
“More than ever, we need
you...but my dear, wala ka there
last night...”
***
Thank you: “Malubos na
malubos ang pasasalamat namin
kay —- for holding the Fort,
holding our hands, and ordering
da Pizza. Mga walang kaluluwa
yong mga ayaw magshare ng $$
sa pizza, kahit na ba kumain na.
Where is the bayanihan spirit
naman there, di ba? Lagot sila
kay San Pedro.”
***
“Kahit na yelo lang ang pagtitiyagan natin, OK na. Malaking
bagay yoon sa Global Warming,
di ba. One of these days, magmelt
lahat yan. Malay natin, baka
hindi na rin kailangan ang health
care reform."
***
Still talking about the ice: “ ...
sino pa nga ba ang watching the
fort, kung hind ang kasama sa hirap na Ms. ——, hanggang yelo
lang ang mabibigay ko - buti nga
at merong yelo, the past few
meetings, room temperature na
coks ang aming iniinom! and
hindi ito bagay sa pizza ni mang
domino. meron ngang iba, para
hindi magshare sa bigayan ng $$
sa pizza, kumain na raw sa bahay! walang magagawa kung
kailangan ng bailout ng ———Note from an absent official:
“...just for everyone’s info, we
had an embassy event last night
with the world affairs council. i
would have wanted to go but
Continued on page 27
Opinion 25
May 31, 2009
Truth or
consequence
Of Ladders and Heights
To this day, I still can’t get
it out of my mind. It seems so
long ago, but the memory is still
vivid. Like many other community volunteers who got up
early that Sunday morning to
set up Pennsylvania Avenue for
the Philippine Festival, I was
asked to help Doming Samson
and Nick Tongson hang strings
of banderitas (buntings) across
the 8-lane street, high enough
for the parade floats to get
through later in the day.
No sweat. Or so we
thought. Having converged before day break, we felt our way
around. Everyone looked bright
eyed and bushy tailed. The
Chairperson, already on the
scene as early as midnight,
would either be a wreck by now
for overseeing the workers set
up tents for hours. Or a bundle
of energy for having drank too
much coffee or whatever it is
that revs the engines and keeps
the adrenalin flowing. But on
this particular morning, the
Chairperson was nowhere to be
found.
No matter. Everyone knew
what to do. Delegation of responsibility was working as it
should. Someone was talking to
the D.C. cops to make sure
parked cars are towed. Another,
armed with maps and charts,
was directing food and product
vendors where to set up. And
yet another was teaming up volunteers to decorate booths, gear
up the command center and get
the main stage ready for action.
We would know it’s all systems
go when all the white tents
come to life, smoke from barbecue drills wafting in the air, and
the sound of festive music stirring everyone into a fiesta beat.
That was the mood we
were in that early Sunday
morning in June. We joked
around, not thinking much
about how we’d hang the buntings. The light poles on either
side towered above us at 25 feet,
maybe even 50. But high
enough for sure. We finished
our coffee and psyched ourselves for what soon looked like
mission impossible.
There were no ladders. We
looked at Nick, being the
youngest, but he was not about
to scale those poles, monkeystyle. We looked up. We kept
looking up. And each time, the
poles seemed to get higher and
higher.
No way. But no one dared
utter those words, or be the first
to quit. All we knew was those
buntings needed to get up. The
Chairperson gave no details
how.
We looked up again. We
looked down. “Take off your
shoes,” I told Nick. Startled,
Nick wasn’t sure at first what to
make of it. But, bless his heart,
he deferred to an elder whom
he respectfully calls “Tito.” He
figured, rightly, that he’d rather
lose a shoe than lose face letting
everyone down if we didn’t get
those buntings up.
I took Nick’s shoe, tied the
end of a string around it, and
told him to throw it over a bar
that was attached to the pole.
Doming, a whiz with numbers,
calculated weight of shoe and
height of pole to figure out muscle power needed to launch this
rocket of a shoe turned projectile.
After a few tries, each one
taking turns, Nick’s shoe made
it to the top. We repeated the
same exercise from pole to pole
until all the buntings were up.
No one applauded. But to see
the buntings flutter in the wind
up above our heads, was reward enough. It was an ordinary job done extraordinarily
well.
At the old Philippine Embassy parking lot where we
used to hold Filipiniana Fairs,
hanging buntings was never a
problem because the heights
were always within reach, even
if we had to stretch and strain a
little. Pennsylvania Avenue,
however, was a different challenge altogether. It continues to
be daunting as well.
We’ve proven that we don’t
need ladders to scale heights.
When we set our sights high
and we looked up to see how
high, the answer was down on
the ground in Nick’s shoe. We’ll
find answers again, I’m sure.
E-mail your comments to
[email protected]
The budget deficit in 2009
has been estimated at $1.8 Trillion. It was not too long ago that
the Democrats decried the 2008
deficit during the last year of
Pres. G. W. Bush at approximately 485 Billion as the height of
fiscal irresponsibility.
Even hard core Republicans
were dismayed that Bush caused
the deficit to balloon by expanding the budget for education with
his signature No Child Left Behind and prescription drugs initiatives that benefitted senior
citizens, not to mention the
added cost of the Iraq war. But if
the Bush deficit was bad enough,
it could have been worse if the
Democrats in Congress had their
way. They even wanted more
spending for education and prescription drugs.
Republicans have warned
that Pres. Obama's deficit spending which is unprecedented in
scale will burden the next generation with higher taxes and runaway inflation. He is just going
on a spending spree using an
open ended government credit
card to please the people of today
and expect the people of tomorrow to pay his debts and fend for
themselves.
Obama and his defenders argue that the deficit spending is an
investment for the future. Are the
people buying it?
A poll conducted by Opinion
Dynamics for Fox News finds
that 54 percent of voters surveyed
think that the Obama administration is proposing too much of an
increase in government spending,
35 percent say that the spending
is about right, while 6 percent say
that it is not enough. Broken according to party affiliation, 61
percent of Democrats think
Obama's proposed spending is
just about right, while 85 percent
of Republicans and 61 percent of
independents think there is too
much of an increase.
At least six in ten think Pres.
Obama is not cutting enough
waste in government, including
84 percent of Republicans, 66 percent of independents and 38 percent of Democrats.
On the recent statement of
former Secretary of State Colin
Powell that Americans want
more government in their life, the
poll finds that 71 percent say they
want less government in their
life. Seventeen percent agree with
Powell's statement.
Another hot issue that is on
the front burner again is the Bush
administration's use of harsh interrogation techniques including
water boarding.
With Democrats and liberal
groups characterizing the methods as torture and claiming that it
has made America less safe, former Vice President Dick Cheney
could not resist debating the
Obama administration on the
merits of the methods that he
claims to have prevented terrorist
attacks.
Where do Americans stand
on the issue? A poll conducted
for the Resurgent Republic and
reported in the Washington
Times finds that voters support
the use of harsh interrogation of
Al Qaeda prisoners by a 19-point
margin, 53 percent in favor and
34 percent against. The poll further finds that a strong majority
do not buy the Democratic line
that the Guantanamo Base prison
undermines our moral authority,
believing instead that the prison
helps protect America.
Democratic leaders have
been waxing moral indignation
against water boarding and other
harsh interrogation methods until
Speaker Nancy Pelosi butted
heads with the CIA in an attempt
to mask her hypocrisy. It appears
that Pelosi and a select few of Republican and Democratic leaders
in Congress were actually briefed
by the intelligence agency about
water boarding long before anybody in congress has protested
against the use of such methods.
The Speaker bungled and fumbled for the first time in a press
conference. She ended up accusing the CIA of lying to her. No
way, Nancy, said CIA Chief,
Leon Panetta, a Democrat.
While some Democratic leaders were eager before to open a
congressional inquiry on the
methods of the Bush administration's war on terror, they suddenly got cold feet when
Republicans demanded a congressional
investigation
on
whether or not the CIA actually
lied or deceived the Speaker and
other members of Congress. The
inquiry would have established
either of the two possible conclusions- that the CIA misled or lied
to Speaker Pelosi, or Pelosi lied to
the American people thus reducing her moral indignation to a
charade in the highest order.
Why would the Democrats suppress a proposed investigation of
a very serious allegation by the
third most powerful person in the
US government against the nation's spy agency? Truth hurts
and they could not risk the consequences.
ing for a rope to lynch Manny
Villa, never mind the rules of due
process and fair play."
Pimentel’s words fit very,
very well what’s called a “Kangaroo Trial,” a colorful piece of
American slang to describe sham
proceedings that deny due process rights in the name of political
expediency.
In other words, it’s a mock
trial with the verdict already
fixed. Oh yes, they are going
through the motions of manipulated procedure, a scripted event
intended to appear fair and just
but the outcome has been predetermined from the start.
I now remember as what the
Germans call “Schauprocess” or
“show trial” with the final verdict
The
‘kangaroo
trial’
MANILA
The long knives of Manny
Villar’s political tormentors are
out, of all places, inside the august hall of the Philippine Senate.
All of them belong to the majority bloc in the chamber, and
they are now getting ready to
“hang” Senator Villar like a
“lynch mob of the American Wild
West."
That’s how Senate minority
leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. described the Committee of the
Whole’s ethics probe against Villar. “The leadership is just look-
Continued on page 27
26
May 31, 2009
Immigration Notes
By J.G. Azarcon, Esq.
Waiver to
remove
conditional
residence
Humanitarian Coalition
SAN FRANCISCO
I don’t believe I have ever
seen a gathering of individuals
with such a commitment to serve
the needs of fellow Filipinos and
fellow human beings and who
have the track record to prove it.
This was on Saturday, May
10 at the Wyndham Hotel in Chicago, at a meeting described as
Operation Bayanihan, a Global
Coalition for Humanitarian Efforts for the Philippines. Organized by D r. Sofia Garcia Buder,
president of A Gift of Life Foundation for the Philippines, the
meeting was attended mostly by
medical doctors who were founders or heads of foundations and
charitable organizations providing food, medical care and humanitarian assistance to people in
the Philippines, as well as to
some of the poorest countries in
the world.
The list included Dr. Kim
Pascual, COO and Executive VP
of Operation Blessing, Dr. Juan
Montero, founder of Physicians
for Peace, Philippines; Dr. Eustaquio “Boy” Abay, director of
Gawad Kalusugan USA, an extension of Gawad Kalinga; Dr.
Dom Alvear, founder and president of World Surgical Foundation; Dr. Manny Cacdac and his
wife, Dr. Fe Cacdac, of the SPSA
Surgical Missions; Dr. Glen Pacio,
president of Fellow American
College of Surgeons; Dr. Gino
Ang, an associate professor at
Yale University, representing the
National Federation of Filipino
American Associations (NaFFAA), Region 1 (Eastern seaboard);
Dr.
Philip
Chua,
president of Filipino United Network, USA; Dr. Elizabeth GarciaGray, founder and president of
the Phoenix Global Humanitarian
Foundation; and Dr. Modesta Lugos, PhD, a lifelong community
worker, providing humanitarian
assistance to communities in Bulacan.
The non-doctors but not any
less involved in serving the Philippines and
humanity were
David Sutherland, chairman of
International Care Ministry and
managing director of Morgan
Stanley-Asia; Richard Proudfit,
founder and CEO of Kids Against
Hunger Foundation; Loida Nicolas-Lewis, former national chair
of NaFFAA and chair of TLC
Beatrice International; Dr. Evelyn
Natividad and her husband Ely
Natividad, both prominent community Chicago community leaders;
Vicky
Garchitorena,
president of Ayala Foundation
and Ayala Foundation USA;
David Liban, marketing director
of World Vision Philippines;
Princess Emraida Kiram, chair of
the MacArthur Memorial Foundation, Nanette Alcaro of the
Philippine Village Internet portal.
I was attended as national chair
of NaFFAA.
The mission statement of the
group, as enuciated by Dr. Buder,
was: “To forge strategic alliances,
partnerships and collaboration
among various organizations and
concerned individuals in the
United States, the Philippines and
worldwide to facilitate and to coordinate humanitarian efforts
that save and improve the quality
of life of indigent Filipinos in selfempowering, self-sustaining and
enduring ways."
A mouthful. But participants
had records of performance to
show that they were capable to
performing the lofty task.
For instance, Dr. Dom
Alvear’s World Surgical Foundation has been providing free surgical care to impoverished
populations worldwide. In the
last decade, the foundation has
organized 18 surgical missions
and performed over 2,500 free
surgeries in such countries as
Kosovo, Honduras, Haiti, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Kenya, India,
Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Richard Proudfit, founder
and moving spirit of Kids
Against Hunger, has literally distributed bags of nutritious food
to millions of starving children
around the world for the past 20
years.
Proudfit is a Minnesota businessman who decided to commit
his life and his financial resources
to alleviate what he described as
“the enormous problem of world
hunger." He sold his business in
order to finance his initial missions and eventually got donors
to support him, including the US
Navy, which has delivered containers of food to beneficiary
communities around the world.
Operation Blessing, according to Dr. Kim Pascual, has been
providing healthcare and emergency aid to calamity victims and
needy communities. It has also
Continued on page 27
An alien who is a beneficiary
of a permanent resident petition
filed by a U.S. citizen spouse
within two years after the marriage is granted conditional permanent resident status valid for
two years.
Before the second anniversary date of the issuance of the
conditional residence, the US citizen and the alien spouse need to
file a joint petition to remove the
conditional residence and convert
the status to full permanent residence. If the US citizen spouse refuses to sign the joint petition, the
alien spouse may not obtain full
permanent residence unless the
USCIS waives the requirement
under limited circumstances.
There are three grounds for
the waiver of the joint petition:
extreme hardship, good faith
marriage and battered spouse or
child.
The
extreme
hardship
ground requires the alien to show
that he/she or his dependent
child would suffer extreme hardship if they were not allowed to
remain in the U.S. Family separation and economic reasons alone
would not constitute sufficient
justifications. Termination of
marriage is not material.
The good faith ground requires a showing that the alien
entered into the marriage in good
faith at the inception of the marriage. The USCIS will look into
the duration of the marriage after
VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINES
JUNE 2009
• FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First: Unmarried sons/daughters
of US citizens
Second:
A: Spouses/minor children of
permanent residents:
B: Unmarried sons/daughters 21 years of age
or older of permanent residents
Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens
Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens
Sep. 01, 1993
Dec. 15, 2004
Apr. 01, 1998
July 01, 1991
Aug. 01, 1986
• EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority workers
Second: Professionals holding advanced degrees
or persons of exceptional ability
Third: Skilled workers, professionals
Other Workers
Fourth:
Certain Religious Workers
Fifth: Employment creation/
(Million or half-million dollar investor)
the alien has obtained the conditional status, intermingling of income, acquisition of joint assets
and birth of children. This ground
requires that the marriage has
ended either through divorce or
annulment, or at least initiated in
the appropriate court by either
spouse.
The third ground is based on
spousal or child battery. The
waiver petition can be filed by the
alien even if the alien is still living
with the petitioning spouse. Divorce or separation is not required. The alien spouse must
establish that he/she or the dependent child of the alien was
subjected to extreme physical or
mental cruelty by the US citizen
or permanent resident spouse or
parent. Acts of violence deemed
acceptable grounds for waiver include forceful detention, psycho-
Current
Current
Unavailable
Unavailable
Current
Current
Current
logical or sexual abuse or exploitation, rape, molestation, incest
and force prostitution. Even if the
abused dependent child has a
valid status, the alien conditional
resident can still apply for a
waiver.
If the abused alien however
has not been petitioned by
his/her US citizen or permanent
resident spouse, he/she can file
an independent immigrant visa
petition on the ground of battery
and extreme cruelty to the alien
or the alien’s dependent child.
Spousal abuse is a defense in removal proceedings, provided that
the alien can establish a good
faith marriage, at least three years
physical presence in the US prior
to the application for relief, demonstrate, extreme hardship if
forced to leave and good moral
character.
Cebu’s Death
Squad
CEBU CITY
Mimicking Davao’s 814 summary executions, Cebu City finds
itself necklaced with an unsought
legacy: 183 “murders with a
wink." The timeline is instructive.
Davao’s death squad killings
have spilled into Cebu, UN special rapporteur Philip Alston
wrote. His follow-up report to the
UN Human Rights Council also
pinpoints killing fields in General
Santos, Digos and Tagum.
Killings by “esquadrones de
la muerte”, in Davao, bolted from
116 in 2007 to 269 in 2008," he
said. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte
hasn’t solved a single case.
“As a result, death squad
members operate with complete
impunity," he added. “Killing for
hire is on the rise as death squad
members become bold enough to
sell their services...A killing costs
about P5,000 (roughly US$100).
This results in “impunity.”
Although killings take place in
broad daylight, “witnesses are
not prepared to testify” ..."(Impunity).encouraged death squad
killings to sprout in other cities
beyond Davao."
Cebu City mayor Osmena
enthusiastically embraced the
Davao example. In December
2004, he whipped up a so-called
“Hunters’ Team". He announced
cash-for-scalp bounties: P20,000
for cops who’d “permanently disable” any criminal.
Taking of life, whether by an
abortionist or vigilante, is evil,
Cardinal Ricardo Vidal bluntly
said. _ “Utos ni mayor” - dislodges the Constitution with it’s
guarantees of life and due process, the Integrated Bar cautioned.
“Will Mayor Osmena copycat the Davao’s death squads operating with impunity?, asked
Viewpoint “ The 1980 communist
insurgency may have embedded
Continued on page 27
27
May 31, 2009
Cebu’s Death Squad... from page 26
a vigilante mindset in Davao. But
Cebu never had a tradition of
‘esquadrones de la muerte.’ If Osmena goes down this path, blood
will stain his already-checkered
legacy."
Osmena swears by Osmena.
Yes-men clog his council.
Did they assent to murder by
cowed silence? In any case, Osmena parroted Duterte’s toughguy talk.
‘Here in Davao, you can’t go
out alive," Mayor Duterte said of
a notorious Manila drug lord’s
release. “You can go out, but inside a coffin. Is that what you call
extrajudicial killing? Then, I’ll
will bring a drug lord to a judge
and kill him there. That will no
longer be extrajudicial, Such
statements suggest “he is, in fact,
supportive" of the slayings, Alston noted.
The ‘kangaroo trial’... from page 25
of “guilty” fixed before.
And that’s exactly what Villar told the media when the socalled “ethics” inquiry started
last week: “Pustahan tayo guilty
ako dito!” This was before he declared that “I did not do anything
wrong. I did not violate the law. I
did not do anything unethical."
“My only desire is to have
the project (referring to C-5 extension road project appropriations in the national budget) to
have this project finished which
will hugely benefit the people,"
he said. And then he pointed out
that the probe was “all about the
presidential election in 2010."
Indeed, how in heaven’s
name can Manny Villar expect a
fair and just trial when the Committee of the Whole (which took
the ethics probe from the Ethics
Committee chaired by Villar’s po-
litical nemesis Senator Ping Lacson) has not excluded his accusers, who’ll now be among the
judges, during the proceedings?
Why didn’t they inhibit
themselves considering that they
are known as Villar’s political
foes and, like him, entertain
presidential ambitions?
Yes, why did they ignore
suggestions for them to do so by
Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, who belongs to the majority
bloc, too, and by the venerable
former Senate President Jovito
Salonga? And Santiago even
warned Villar’s “hardcore rivals”
to avoid public suspicion that the
case is “driven not by ethics, but
by politics”!
By their adamant refusal to
heed pleas to be recused on
grounds of partiality and conflict
of political interests, they have
“Experience should teach us
to be most on guard when government’s purposes are beneficent," Justice Louis Brandeis once
warned Osmena claims his purposes are Brandeis pure.
“We’ll
respect
human
rights”, he said.. “We’ll go to the
law’s limit and whack them. I’m
more interested in protecting citizens." Wink. Wink..
He couldn’t be bothered
with checking if rules of engagement were kept."Such sentiments
launched serial killings.
Washington Tsismis... from page 24
compromised the integrity of the
Senate as an institution.
Have they gone berserk?
Have they not, by their irrational
actions, given the word “ethics” a
whole new and distorted meaning? And doesn’t it look like they
can hardly tell the difference between ethics and injustice with
their hypocritical and sinister plot
to cause the political fall of
Manny Villar, who’s considered
the “best choice of the people"
among others who entertain
presidential ambitions?
When you’re riding high on
popularity like Villar it becomes
clear to see why his rivals are doing their utmost to destroy him
politically.
And it’s becoming clearer
that they, not Senator Manny Villar, are dismal examples of public
ethics!
Humanitarian Coalition... from page 26
duty did call. re: cultural night:
does anyone know who the sponsors are?”
***
“Anyway, bago kami nagadjourn, midway through the
meeting, napilitan si ____ na
magorder ng Pizza ... Pero pinagbayad kami — dahil daw sa economic recession. Biro mo,
cancelled na nga ang ..., cancelled
pa rin ang refreshments sa mga...
built wells and water systems,
mounted livelihood programs
and out-of-school training for the
youth, run children’s camps and
effected community transformation through their good work.
Among the programs that
the group decided to give priority to is an intensive and sustained
campaign
against
tuberculosis in the Philippines, an
ailment that continues to afflict
millions.
Priority will also be given to
the shipment of medicine and
medical and hospital equipment
and facilities, including those
badly needed for dialysis. The
group plans to partner with the
Department of Health and
USAID, both of which have already committed their support.
According to Dr. Buder,
meetings? Susmaryosep, paano
ka makakapag-attract ng high-octaine volunteers na mag-high
gear for the ...? Diyos ko po!”
***
“Hindi bale, ___, kahit wala
ka at si Mr. ___ of the Philippine
Embassy, nagkaroon pa rin kami
ng malusog na bayanihan spirit
at fellowship kahit na ginutom
kami.”
there is no lack of donors of
medical facilities so badly needed
by the hospitals and clinics in the
Philippines.
In this regard, one of the
most common complaints aired
at the conference was the difficulty in getting approval from
Philippine government authorities of donated medical and hospital equipment.
“It doesn’t happen that way
in other parts of the world where
we have gone on missions," said
Dr. Alvear. “We cannot understand why this kind of free assistance is not more readily
welcomed."
They all decided to frame a
letter to Philippine authorities to
streamline the process of allowing humanitarian aid into the
country.
28
May 31, 2009