AJ June 4-10, 2010

(Continued on page 22)

The Challenge of the First 100 Days - Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga

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The news of the forthcoming visit of Isabel’s U.S. Navy suitor spread like a wildfi re in the neighborhood. Marta could not contain her excitement and

even embellished the facts.“Guwapo siya at malaki ang suweldo

(He’s handsome and his salary is high),” she told a group of nosy neighbors

gathered in front of the corner sari-sari (variety) store. It didn’t matter that she had not yet seen a photo of the guy. The fact that he could take her daughter to live in the U.S. if they get married was

good enough for her.

By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Asian Journal San DiegoThe Original and First Asian Journal

in America

See page 3

Promise Land

The Visit

June 4 - 10, 2010

CommunityMsgr. Gutierrez Miles BeauchampBread broken;

blood shed

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PRAWNS AND CRABS. A sea food vendor at the Boracay Island wet market sells his humongous prawn and carbs at a special price as sea food make a great sale in Boracay Is-land's beach resorts last Lenten season. PINOY GONZALES/ PNS

Parshooters Golf Tour Association’s First Masters At Eastlake Country Club

Front row: Armando Bareno, Ed Madriaga, Joe Toquero, Nestor Mendiola, Nori Gamboa, Joe Ico, Nick Abrenica, Bob Navales, Andy Velbis (coordinator), Ed Bassig, Jimmy Quintana, Lito Parani (photographer) and Anti Rabanal. Back row, standing: L-R, Matt Mazon-President , Art Buangan, Tournament Director, Doming Abella, Nick Sunga, Johnny Luna, Ben Cueto, Billy Javate, Ted Delu-nas, Dan Riego, Lito Ferrer, Ruben Caballa, Raul Gonzales, Randi Diato (Fil-Am Champion), Jun Clalay, Flor Villegas, Gus Martinez, Rino Belisario, Amor Garingo and Mel Gamboa

CHULA VISTA, 6/4/2010 -- The Parshooters Golf Club of San Diego, an affi liate member of Southern California Golf Asso-ciation successfully completed its fi rst FIL-AM Masters tournament at Eastlake Country Club in Chu-la Vista in April 20, 2010. It was a fundraising tournament spon-sored by Parshooters club in its combined effort with ABS-CBN

Foundation USA/Bantay Bata to help save the lives of more than 186,000 poor, abused abandoned children in the Philippines. Thirty one players qualifi ed and completed the historic event. Fil-Am Masters was played similar to USGA where qualifi cation is mandatory. A qualifi cation round was held at Chula Vista in April 13, 2010. Newcomer Randi

Diato was crowned Champion outdueling Armando Bareno in a fi rst playoff with net scores of 66. Players were feted with sumptu-ous lunch at Gapo Resto restau-rant, followed by awards and trophy presentation. Parshooters Club President Matt Mazon as-sisted Gapo Resto owner Ross Gaporesto in presenting the win-

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Baguio and Dumaguete are the new entrants to the top 10 best outsourcing locations which are projected to gener-ate $ 1.2 billion in revenues for business process outsourcing (BPO), bringing the industry’s total earnings to $ 9 billion in 2010 from $ 7.2 billion last year.

Davao City topped the list as it scored 99 percent in the availability of graduates and workers out of the more than 30 locations assessed, results of Next Wave Cities scorecard revealed.

The talent criterion carries the largest weight of 40 per-cent in the overall ranking which makes the city the best outsourcing destination in the country so far.

Sta. Rosa, Bacolod, Iloilo, Metro Cavite, Lipa, Cagayan de Oro and Malolos also topped the scorecard ranking of the Business Processing Associa-tion of the Philippines (BPAP), Commission on Information and Communications Technolo-gy (CICT) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

In addition to talent, the other factors affecting city ranking are infrastructure, cost and business environment.

In particular, cities are scored for the quality of their roads, access to international and domestic fl ights, presence of providers of fi ber optic net-works, reliability of power supply, availability of property sites, cost of labor and offi ce space, vulnerability to natural disturbances, peace and order situation, among others.

BPAP chief executive offi cer Oscar Sañez said that in 2010, Metro Clark advanced from Next Wave City status to an established information tech-nology (IT)-BPO hub, joining the ranks of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.

Sañez attributed this to Metro Clark’s excellent infrastructure with 100-percent rating, proven ability to market itself globally and its ability to provide inves-tor assistance.

Bulacan East and Bulacan West this year were also con-solidated into Malolos area.

The two slots earlier occupied by Metro Clark and Bulacan thus were fi lled up by new en-trants Baguio and Dumaguete.

Apart from the top 10 best outsourcing locations, Sañez identifi ed other aspirants as Dagupan, Legazpi, Metro Subic, Metro Naga and General Santos.

Gigi Virata, BPAP’s informa-tion and research director, said sites included in the list of Next

Baguio, Dumaguete now in top 10 BPO Next Wave Cities

Page 2 June 4 - 10, 2010Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

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AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR

by William M. Esposofrom The Philippine

Star

In a more developed coun-try, they would not even be accorded a minute of televi-sion time or six square inches of print space. But because this is a third world country which suf-fers from the Information and Educa-tion Gaps — they are allowed to express their ridiculous utterances on expen-sive televi-sion airtime and limited print space.

Foreign-ers who are watching Philippine develop-ments have observed that we are a nation that’s fast running out of time. What they mean is that we seem too engrossed on petty matters instead of attending to the more serious problems of our country.

They insult our intelligence and derail our progress

Just take a look at what some idiots — people who are unable to see the truth — proposed recently for incom-ing president Noynoy Aquino to do. Despite the enormous mandate Aquino got to right the wrongs of the recent past, some people have taken him to task to quit smoking. If we pander to what these people are asking Aquino to do, that

would be the equiva-lent of Americans asking Barack Obama to quit smok-ing at the start of his term instead of solving the economic problems of the US.

Fili-pinos looked up

to Aquino to restore justice, as in jailing those responsible for the Maguindanao Mas-sacre, and some idiots would rather have him focus on ceasing to smoke cigarettes. Filipinos elected Aquino to restore decency in govern-ment and stop the climate of impunity which characterized the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) regime but the same idiots would rather have him concentrate on ceasing to smoke cigarettes. Filipinos rallied around Aquino in order to stop the plunder and cor-ruption and some idiots would prefer that he attends first to kicking the smoking habit.

A broadcast network’s commentator made it his pas-sion to be a severe Aquino

Certainly, I never dreamed that I would become a US citizen and participate in the American dream. I left the Philippines in December 1961 for postgraduate training. It was, however, my lu-cid and effulgent vision of Amer-ica that inspired me. Truslow James Adams first used the term “American Dream” in his book, ‘The Epic of America” that was written in 1931. He states: “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be bet-ter and richer and fuller for every-one, with opportunity for each ac-cording to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” In the United States Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers “held certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by a certain Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Lib-erty and Pursuit of Happiness.” Might this sentiment be consid-ered the foundation of the Ameri-can Dream? Without America many of us who were adopted as American citizens could not have had the chance to be what we are now, including me.

Some say that the American Dream has become the pursuit of material prosperity – that people work more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes, and fruits of prosperity for their families but have less time to enjoy their pros-perity. Others say that the Ameri-can Dream is beyond the grasp of the working poor who must work

From Antique to America:Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

AMERICAN DREAM“You can have anything you want- if you want it

badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish, if you

hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.” - Abraham Lincoln

by Dr. Cesar D. Candari, M.D.Sixth in a series of articles

two jobs to ensure their families’ survival. Yet others look toward a new American Dream with less focus on financial gain and more emphasis on education and living a simple, fulfilling life. Thomas Wolfe said: “ … to every man, re-gardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity … the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever his manhood and his vision can combine to make him.”

The Ripest Fruit

After passing my Philippine medical board in 1961, it was my desire to become a general prac-titioner. However, I did not have any general training except for my rotating internship. One op-tion was to become a physician of my province. I would need, how-ever, help from someone whom I knew in government administra-tion. You see, in the Philippines, it is whom you know to get into what you want - you must have ‘connections’. Oh yes, my father have close relatives in the higher positions in government at that point in time, but something else was already in store for me. The ripest peach was at the highest branch of the tree and I was on my way to pick it up.

It was during the time when the United States of America badly needed more doctors. Through the Exchange Visitors Program, there were many hospitals in the U.S. that were willing to provide post-graduate training to foreign medical graduates in the big land of opportunity. I took the Educa-tional Council For Foreign Medi-cal Graduates (ECFMG) exami-nation and in December 1961, three of us were ready to leave for Elyria Memorial Hospital in Elyria, Ohio. The secretary of the

office of the dean of our medical school facilitated it. The program was a fly-now-pay-later deal. The hospital deducted $30 from my monthly stipend of $150 to pay for the airfare.

An unbelievable circumstance that I never expected happened during our pre-travel orientation. I sat down beside a lady who was also going to the U.S.. Her name is Sylvia, and she asked me where I was going. She was very excited to tell me that she knew someone who was train-ing as a medical technologist at Elyria Medical Hospital. I did not pay much attention to her except to know that her friend took pre-medical courses but graduated instead as a pharmacist. She gave me a piece of paper the following day with the medical technolo-gist’s name written as “Asela M. Asprec”.

Internship and Wedding

On January 22, 1962, I start-ed my internship together with two other FEU graduates. I met Asela (Cely) Asprec and need-less to say, among the twelve other Filipina laboratory tech-nologists training in the hospital, she impressed me as a very at-tractive lady. Cely is from Agoo, La Union and like myself, she graduated valedictorian from St. Mary’s Academy. Before long, our two hearts became one. We got married on July 28, 1962, at Elyria , Ohio seven months af-ter I met her. No doubt this was a short engagement. However, I considered these pros: less time to be stressed out about planning a wedding, not spending a lot of time worrying about everything, getting over it quickly, no time to regret the decision, and the right time had come. My sister Loida arrived from the Philippines bringing with her the bridal gown and my Barong Tagalog (Filipino formal attire). She came to the U.S. under the Exchange Visitor Program at Cook County Hospi-tal in Chicago, Illinois.

Cely and I made our way to Ni-agara Falls known as the honey-mooners’ destination for nearly 200 years. Niagara Falls contin-ued to offer some unique charms. It’s the water, of course, that was the draw…crashing and plunging

without ceasing. It was indeed mesmerizing!

It was in these early years that a considerable number of Fili-pino professionals were coming to the U.S. My father visited us in 1963 when my son Roy was born. Eventually, my father be-came a U.S. citizen. After a short stay in the U.S., he went home to Pandan and built a new home for our vacation.

My brother Marcelo graduated as a dentist. He came to the U.S. as a visitor and finally became a U.S. citizen. He became a li-censed dentist in the state of Cali-fornia. My youngest sister Jose-phine also came to the U.S. and landed a job at Bio-Science Clini-cal Laboratory in Van Nuys, Cali-fornia. Like many other FMGs, their families moved to this land of milk and honey, unknowingly exposing themselves to the so-called “American Dream.”

In my first year in America, I found the people generous, cour-teous fun-loving and anything you want them to be. This is a beautiful country. In my view, America’s uniqueness rests on three pillars: The Bill of Rights, Voluntary Association and Free Market.

The first is the concept that the government is limited to a few specific, clearly defined functions. The Bill of Rights guarantees your freedom to speak, worship, write, assemble, protest, and pro-tect yourself. Thus, an individual could make his life better not by appealing to government forces but by offering other people in-centives to do business with him. It is not whom you know. Free Market empowers the most effec-tive regulator in the world – you, the individual.

For two consecutive years in the U.S., I could not forget two international crises.

One occurred in the 18 days of October 1962 and the other one was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States that took place on Friday, No-vember 22, 1963, in Dallas Tex-as, at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time. Mind you, these crises oc-curred during the infancy of my arrival in this country. I was driv-ing to Cleveland, Ohio, 25 miles

away from Elyria when on that Tuesday morning of October 22, the crisis was revealed to the pub-lic by JFK’s radio and televised address on how close the world was coming to a nuclear war - the Cuban Missile Crisis. The world waited, hoping for a peaceful resolution. The fate of millions of people literally hinged upon the ability of two men,President John F. Kennedy and Premier Ni-kita Khrushchev,to reach a com-promise. Recognizing the dev-

Page 3Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comJune 4 - 10, 2010

Philippine Stories

Read Sim Silverio’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

The future is bright thanks to the heroes of the past

This Philippine Independence Day we share the joy of your community

© 2010 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC.

129135

13x10.5

4c

129135 13x10.5 4c 1 5/20/10 2:53 PM

A Filipina Beauty. My name is Joana Christine Lacambra. My friends and family used to call me JC. I’m 23 years old and a pure Filipina. I am a Filipino nurse filled with passion, courage and determination. I am a girl with a versatile personality. Bubbly, energetic, adaptable and free- spirited. I have strong personal val-ues upon which, I base most of my decisions. I also love to smile back in front of the camera, that shows how I live my life to the fullest. I am fearless in the face of challenges. I am a good leader and works diligently to complete my life goals. I may seem to have a strong personality but I am really a soft-hearted person. Pro-viding kindness to all is my principle. And most especially, I am a born-again Christian who truly lives for God and His great plans. (Copyright c2010.) - Photo by Ada Lajara

Chapter 9

“Isabel, Isabel, may sulat kang galing ng Ameri-

ka (You have a letter from the America),” Isabel’s mother, Marta, called her daughter as she neared their home. A postman handed it to Marta out-side.

It seemed that Marta was more excited to get a letter from the United States. For them, it could only mean that somebody had responded to Isabel’s request from her cousin Ditas that she intro-duce Isabel to an eligible navy guy she could marry. That way, Isabel could settle and avail of the opportunities in the U.S.

“Huwag ho kayong main-gay, Nay (Don’t be too loud, mom),” Isabel cautioned her mother. “Nakakahiya sa mga kapitbahay (It is embarrassing to the neighbors).”

“Hayaan mo sila (Let them),” Marta dismissed the caution. “Inggit lang sila kung makarating ka sa wakas sa Amerika (They will just be jealous if you are finally able to go to America).”

Isabel sat down on a wood-en bench inside their house

Promise Land

The Visitas she opened the letter. Her mother was right behind her. She read the letter from Albert introducing himself and tell-ing her how her cousin Ditas showed them her picture. Albert wrote that he would be on vacation in the Philippines in the coming week and he would like to meet her.

“Sagutin mo agad, sabihin mo ‘oo’ (Answer him right away, tell him ‘yes’),” Marta prodded her daughter.

“I can’t, it’s already too late. He might already be here before my reply reaches San Diego, California,” Isabel answered.

“Kung ganoon mag-ayos tayo, baka dumating siya kaa-gad (Let us get ready then. He might arrive anytime), Marta said.

THE NEWS OF THE FORTHCOMING VISIT of Isabel’s U.S. Navy suitor spread like a wildfire in the neighborhood. Marta could not contain her excitement and even embellished the facts.

“Guwapo siya at malaki ang suweldo (He’s handsome and his salary is high),” she told a group of nosy neighbors gathered in front of the corner sari-sari (variety) store. It didn’t matter that she had not

yet seen a photo of the guy. The fact that he could take her daughter to live in the U.S. if they get married was good enough for her.

“Totoo bang may aakyat ng ligaw sa iyo na galing ng Amerika (Is it true that somebody from America will court you)?” a worried Lando, Isabel’s boyfriend asked her the next time he brought her her supply of bath water.

“Oo, totoo. Dahil wala akong maaasahan sa iyo (Yes it is true because I cannot expect anything good from you),” she replied.

“Akala ko ba, nagmama-halan tayo (I thought we are in love)?”

“Noon iyon, Pero mati-gas ang ulo mo. Ayaw mong sumunod sa gusto ka na mag-join ka ng U.S. Navy (That was before. But you are so stubborn that you did not fol-low my request that you join the U.S. Navy),” Isabel told Lando.

“Akala ko nagbibiro ka lang. Okay, mag-jojoin na ako (I thought you were just kid-ding. Okey, I will join now).”

“It’s too late. I already have a suitor who is already settled and making a lot of money.”

It seemed that the problems of the entire world fell on Lando. He could not believe what he heard.

“But Isabel…” he begged her.

She turned her back on him and walked away. Lando got so mad that he lifted the container full of water and threw it down. He was about to wreak havoc in the bata-lan (open air wash room) of Isabel’s house when his girlfriend’s mother, Marta, appeared by the door and gave him an angry look.

“Ipapupulis kita pag wina-sak mo ang mga gamit diyan (I will call the police of you destroy the things there),” she warned him.

Lando could not do any-thing but turn around and run away. He was crying.

“SAAN HO ANG BAHAY NI ISABEL CRUZ (Where is the house of Isabel Cruz)?” Albert asked a bystander as he arrived in the neighborhood a week later as he promised. The guy pointed at an alley way that led to the wooden bridge towards Isabel’s house which was sitting on top of a body of water.

Lando was nearby, drink-ing siyoktong, a cheap Chi-nese wine with his friends as he wallowed in his sorrow. Lando could barely look at Albert as the latter neared Isabel’s house.

“Upakan natin, gusto mo (Let us beat him up, do you want)?” a friend told Lando. But everyone knew that it was easier said than done. The barangay people in the area were so strict that they could easily land in jail if they com-mit mischief. All Lando could do was drink some more.

“Tao po (Hello),” Albert called from outside the house. Isabel appeared at the window and smiled at him.

She was much prettier than what he had seen in the pic-ture. He was mesmerized and could not utter a word. Isabel disappeared from the window and reappeared at the door.

“Halika tuloy ka (Come in),” she said. It was as if they did not need to introduce each other. They knew what Albert was there for, and it was an awkward and embarrassing moment.

“Pasensiya ka na at maliit lamang ang bahay namin (Sorry our house is just small),” she apologized.

He just smiled. She pointed at a wooden bench and said: “Upo ka (Have a seat).”

For a few moments, they could hardly look at and talk to each other. The silence was broken by the voice of Isa-

bel’s mother as she appeared at the door of an adjoining room.

“Ikaw ba si Albert (Are you Albert)?” Marta asked.

“Opo,” he shyly replied.“Buti naman natututuhan

mo itong bahay namin (It’s good you found our house),” she asked again.

“Idirowing po ni Ditas ang direksyon dito kaya madali kong nakita (Ditas drew the direction here, that’s why I easily found it),” he answered.

“Dito ka na maghapunan,

ipagluluto kita ng sinigang sa bayabas, sabi ni Ditas pa-borito mo raw iyon (You have supper here. I will cook sini-gang with guava. Ditas told us it is your favorite).”

Albert shyly smiled again. When they were alone, he found the courage to talk to her.

ALBERT STAYED IN THE HOUSE until ten o’clock in the evening. He had dinner with the family, although Isabel’s father, who


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(Continued from page 2)Law Offi ces of Chua Tinsay & Vegawww.ctvattys.com

by Atty. Dennis ChuaLegal Buzz

Read Atty. Dennis Chua’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

I recently watched the movie “The Proposal”, which is a romantic comedy star-ring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Sandra Bullock plays a mean and tough Canadian, working as an Editor-in-Chief for a US publishing company. After learning that she will be deported for violating the terms of her working visa, she forces her assistant (played by Ryan Reynolds) to marry her. In exchange, Bullock agrees to promote him to editor and publish his book. Reynolds reluctantly agrees to the “Proposal” of Bullock and the two spend a weekend together in Alaska. During their weekend in Alaska, the couple is hounded by a US Immigration Offi cer deter-mined to prove that their relationship is a sham. At the end of the movie, Bullock and Reynolds are shown being interviewed by the Immigra-tion Offi cer separately. The questions that were asked by the Immigration Offi cer at the movie were at times silly and irrelevant.

Although the movie exag-gerates on how immigration interviews are being conduct-ed, it is entertaining and gives the public a general idea that applicants based on marriage petitions will be interviewed by US immigration offi ce regarding their petitions.

In real life, the immigra-tion process for people adjust-ing their status based on their marriage to a US citizen is not

The Proposal – The Real Story Behind Immigration Interviews

as simple as it appears to be in the movies. We have outlined below what an applicant for adjustment of status based on marriage to a US citizen will encounter once he or she fi les his or her application.

The applicant can fi le an application for adjustment of status concurrent with the im-migrant petition to be fi led by the US citizen spouse with the US Citizenship and Immigra-tion Services (USCIS).

It will take the USCIS between two to three weeks to mail the receipt notices to the applicant evidencing receipt of the applications fi led with the USCIS.

At least a month after the applications are fi led, the ap-plicant will be receiving the biometrics notice from the USCIS. The applicant would have to go to the USCIS Application Support Center stated in the notice for bio-metrics. The purpose of the biometrics is to check on the criminal history of the appli-cant.

Three months after the applications are received, the applicant will be issued his or her employment authoriza-tion document (work permit), unless the USCIS requests for additional documentation.

Here in the San Francisco bay area, it is now taking the USCIS between three to four months from receipt of the ap-plication, before an applicant is scheduled for his interview regarding his visa application.

During the interview, the applicant will be questioned regarding the application submitted to the USCIS. The applicant and the US citizen spouse will also be interviewed regarding their relationship. If the immigra-tion offi cer has doubts about the relationship of the parties, they will be scheduled for another interview. During the second interview, the USCIS may question the spouses separately to see if their answers match. Lately, we have encountered cases where the USCIS has scheduled the second interview on the same day the initial interview was scheduled.

The questions propounded by the offi cers when they separate the spouses are more detailed and personal. In-terviews of this nature are always videotaped so the government can keep a record of the proceedings. However, unlike in the movie “The Proposal”, the questions asked during these interviews are always relevant to the case of the parties and are neces-sary to determine whether the relationship of the spouses is indeed a real one.

Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) - a full service law fi rm with offi ces in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The infor-mation presented in this ar-ticle is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. The CTV attorneys will be holding reg-ular free legal consultations at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, California every last Monday of the month. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to dis-cuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]


AMERICAN DREAM

astating possibility of a nuclear war, Khrushchev turned his ships back. The Soviets agreed to dis-mantle their weapon sites and, in exchange, the United States agreed not to invade Cuba. These historical events were imprinted in my memory and certainly could not be forgotten.

Specialty Interest

Before I completed my rotat-ing internship, I needed to de-cide what path I should take in my career. Choosing a specialty was one of the important deci-sions I had to make. Medicine is made up of many specialties. In fact, a total of 24 offi cial special-ty boards are recognized by the American Board of Medical Spe-cialties. Finding a specialty that suits me is a process of assessing my strengths and weaknesses and identifying my lifestyle, intellec-tual challenge, and research po-tential, among other factors, one that agree with me.

I had extensively analyzed Pa-thology as my chosen specialty. It is not what people think it is…autopsies that solve crimes with glamour as we usually see on television. Pathologists are known to be the “doctor’s doc-tor”. They work with a medical team along with general physi-cians and other specialists. They are physicians who diagnose and treat patients through laboratory medicine.

When a cardiologist orders a blood test, the pathologist re-views the results for abnormali-ties; when a surgeon removes a breast lesion for biopsy, the pa-thologist decides if it is cancer-ous; and when a gynecologist does a Pap smear, the pathologist determines the result of the slide.

Currently, many physicians are

focusing on specialties that have more fl exible lifestyles instead of focusing only on income level and prestige. Pathology is included in this “friendly lifestyle” which of-fers the physician more control over his hours and income that are commensurate with his work-load and level of responsibility.

When my internship was com-pleted, my wife and I moved to Chicago, Illinois. I took up resi-dency training in Anatomic Pa-thology at Edgewater Hospital. My mentor was Dr. Lusito Gam-boa, a Filipino-American who was

the director of the Department of Pathology. I was impressed with his expertise, intelligence, and leadership. He was an outstand-ing pathologist, well-liked and respected by the medical staff. I learned a lot of anatomic pathol-ogy from Lu Gamboa. We be-came good friends up to this writ-ing. He was the founder and fi rst President of the Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA) in 1972.

In 1964, I transferred to Illinois Masonic Hospital and Medical


later arrived from work, hard-ly talked to him. As the night grew deeper, he got to know Isabel better and he liked what he found out. He realized that he had fallen in love with her despite his vow to himself. He would never marry a girl who is only after a green card

Promise Land

The Visit(Continued from page 3)

and a pass to the U.S. It was obvious to him that it was Isabel’s intention but he did not care. As he left the neigh-borhood that evening, a group of boys threw a rock at him. They scampered away when he turned around and looked at them. One was left behind for he was too drunk to run away. It was Lando, Isabel’s ex-boyfriend. – AJ

(To be continued)

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Maraming salamat sa inyong suporta!

Greg Cox, San Diego County Supervisor Mary Salas, California State Assemblymember John McCann, Chula Vista City Councilmember Jerry Rindone, former Chula Vista City Councilmember Patty Davis, former Chula Vista City Councilmember John Kaheny, former Chula Vista City Attorney Rick Emerson, former Chula Vista Chief of Police Lowell Billings, Superintendent, CVESDJim Cartmill, Boardmember, SUHSD Lourdes Valdez, past President, CV Chamber of Commerce

Paci�c Southwest Association of RealtorsDan Hom, Past President, Asian Business Association and Past Chairman, San Diego Asian Film FoundationEdna Concepcion, Co-Founder & Chairperson, Phil Am BID and Founding O�cer, Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Gemma Bulos, Founding Director, A Single Drop for Safe WaterJ.R. Chantengco, former Member, CA Housing PartnershipGil Cabrera, former Chair, San Diego Ethics CommissionAnd many more of your friends and neighbors!

Community News

San Diego, CA – June 1, 2010 – One of the world’s greatest marathon runners, South African Hendrick Ramaala, will lead a fi eld of 30,000 entrants on Sunday, June 6 at this year’s re-vamped Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon & ½ Mara-thon to Benefi t The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For the fi rst time in San Diego’s 13-year Rock ‘n’ Roll history, the event will include a half marathon, along with a new fi nish line at SeaWorld.

A former ING New York City Marathon champion, Ramaala owns a personal best of 2:06:55 from the London Marathon in 2006. He fi n-ished 5th at the Virgin London Marathon last year, running a time of 2:07:44.

“I’m excited to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, every morning I have been pushing my training,” said Ramaala. “I’ve heard a lot of nice things about the race and the city, I would love to do well in front of the people there and put on a good show. I’ve never been to San Diego and I’m excited to see the city.”

Ramaala will line up against defending cham-pion Khalid El Boumlili of Morocco, as well as former 5,000-meter world champion Richard Limo of Kenya. Prior to winning last year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll event, El Boumlili fi n-ished third at the 2008 Boston Marathon in a personal record of 2:10:35. Limo comes to San Diego with his sights set

Hendrick Ramaala Headlines 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Field

Race to Feature New Course in 2010, Men’s Elite Field Includes 2008 and 2009 Champions

on countryman Philip Tarus’ longstanding event record of 2:08:33. Better known for his accomplishments on the track, Limo has a marathon best of 2:06:45 set in Amsterdam in 2007. He fi nished 5th at the 2009 Chicago Marathon and was runner up at the Los Angeles Marathon earlier this year.

Since Josh Cox’s 9th-place fi nish at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in 1999, no Ameri-can has fi nished in the top 10 at San Diego’s 26.2-mile road race. The United States’ best hope to end the streak is Nick Arciniaga, who trains with the McMillan-Elite team in Flag-staff, AZ. Arciniaga recently fi nished third at the USA 25K Championships in Grand Rap-ids, MI on May 8. Last year he fi nished 8th overall at the New York Marathon, running a personal best of 2:13:46.

“With a new course this year we have possibly the most talented fi eld ever assembled for the men’s marathon in San Diego,” said Matt Turnbull, Elite Athlete Recruiter. “The event record of 2:08:33 is certainly under threat with four guys in the fi eld who have run PR’s under 2:08.”

The four athletes with personal bests quicker than the course record include Tariku Jafur of Ethiopia and Kenei Kiprotich of Kenya. Tariku was runner up at last year’s LA Marathon and set his personal best in 2008 with a 2:08:10 clocking in Ham-

burg. Hamburg was also the venue where Kiprotich posted a 2:07:42 personal record in 2007, fi nishing third.

The men’s fi eld is rounded out by three former champi-ons from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, includ-ing 2008 San Diego winner Simon Wangi of Kenya. He’ll be joined at the start line by countrymen Meshack Kirwa, who won Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio in 2008, and Wil-liam Chebor, the 2009 Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon champion.

The elite fi eld is vying for a prize purse that will award $25,000 to the winner. Race day begins Sunday morning at 6:15 am on 6th Avenue at Palm adjacent to Balboa Park. The new course features a stretch inside the San Diego Padres’ PETCO Park and more than 10 miles along the San Diego waterfront, includ-ing a fi ve-mile loop on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. A full course description, including turn-by-turn directions and course maps, are located at online at san-diego.competi-tor.com.

About Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego

A Competitor event, the 13th annual Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon & ½ Mara-thon to benefi t the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will run through San Diego on Sunday, June 6th. The race has drawn a sold-out fi eld of 30,000 entrants, and will fea-ture live bands and cheerlead-

SAN DIEGO, June 1, 2010- San Diego Coastkeeper, San Diego’s largest profes-sional environmental orga-nization working to protect coastal waters, will host a two-part celebration in honor of World Oceans Day. The fi rst community event at La Jolla Shores on Sunday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to noon, con-sists of a paddle out, beach cleanup, kayak cleanup and various hands-on educational activities with participation from several other local, ocean-based organizations. On June 8, Coastkeeper will host its World Oceans Day Tuesday Throw Down at D Street Bar & Grill in Encini-tas.

The community event at La Jolla shores is free and open to the public. Below the Sur-

San Diego Coastkeeper Celebrates World Oceans Day

Events include June 6 community festival in La Jolla, June 8 party in Encinitas

face, a nonprofi t organization focused on promoting water conservation and improving water quality in rivers and oceans, will host a paddle out to raise awareness about ma-rine protected areas along the west coast. Hike Bike Kayak Sports, San Diego’s largest multi sport tour operator, will host a kayak cleanup in the La Jolla waters, San Diego Oceans Foundation will host an underwater dive cleanup and Coastkeeper will run a land-based beach cleanup to remove debris before it enters the ocean. The day’s festivi-ties also include interactive educational stations to teach participants about the under-water world of the Pacifi c Ocean.

On June 8, D Street Bar & Grill opens its doors for a nighttime party to honor World Oceans Day by raising funds to help Coastkeeper to continue to protect San Di-

ego’s ocean. With a suggested donation of $15, partygoers will receive entry, food and drink specials, a raffl e ticket, a Coastkeeper membership, live music and World Oceans Day fun. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 11p.m. and is open to anyone 21 or older.

“World Oceans Day is the new Earth Day,” said Coast-keeper Executive Director Bruce Reznik. “So much of life in San Diego revolves around our proximity to the Pacifi c Ocean, and we are tak-ing one day out of the year to celebrate that.”

For more information, visit Coastkeeper’s website at www.sdcoastkeeper.org.

ers interspersed along each mile of the scenic course. A free two-day Health and Fit-ness Expo at the San Diego Convention Center will kick off race weekend, featuring more than one hundred fi tness retailers, exhibits and interac-tive clinics. The event con-cludes Sunday afternoon with a fi nish line celebration and headliner concert at SeaWorld featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. For more informa-tion about Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego, please visit san-diego.competitor.com or call (800) 311-1255.


by Dr. Ofelia Dirige Founder, President & CEO Kalusugan Community Services

Contemporary Asian American Issues

Read Dr. Dirige’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

Perspectives

ASIAN JOURNALThe fi rst Asian-Filipino weekly in Southern CaliforniaAn award-winning newspaper, it is San Diego’s most

widely circulated Asian-Filipino newspaper!

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

In Pursuit of ExcellenceEugenio “Ego” Osin, (1946 - 1994)

Joe Cabrera, (1924 - 1996)Soledad Bautista, (1917-2009)

Dr. Rizalino “Riz” Oades, (1935-2009)

The Asian Journal is published weekly and distributed in all Asian communties in San Diego County. Publication date is ev-ery Friday of the month. Advertising deadline is Thursday prior to publication date at 5 p.m. For advertising rates, rate cards, or information, call (619) 474-0588. Subscription by mail is available for $50 per year (56 issues). The Asian Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs but welcomes sub-missions. Entire content is © 2009 copyrighted material by Asian Journal. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced without specifi c permission from the publisher.

Genevieve SilverioManaging Editor

Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Miles BeauchampAssociate Editor

Santi SilverioAssociate Publisher

At Large...

Read Miles Beauchamp’s previous articles by visiting our web-site at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Miles Beauchamp

Growing up in New Jersey there are not many estab-lished Filipino communities as there are in San Diego. The only true Filipino commu-nity is located in Jersey City, but I did not grow up there. Instead I grew up in West Orange, where there are a good amount of Filipinos but they are scattered throughout

The couple: Catherine and Paul.

Inter-Racial Relationships: Filipino &

Russian/GermanGuest Writer: Paul Vincent Acevedo

The 2000 census data still shows that more than 80% of the exogamous (interethnic and interracial)

marriages among Asian Americans are, in fact, interracial marriages primarily to Whites. Relatively few Asian Americans marry Latino Americans and even fewer marry African Americans…..TP Fong.

A favorite Filipino dish to some: lechon or roasted pig.

of respect to Jenna she did not say anything. When Jenna left that is when I received a lecture. That she did not like Jenna and she preferred me to date a Filipina. She said that it is fi ne to date white girls in high school but for marriage I should try to fi nd a nice Filipina girl because they are more loyal to their husbands. I took the advice of my mother kindly, but it did not mean I would follow her advice. My parents did not grow up in America; they immigrated to the US as professionals at an older age. Their upbringing in the Philippines is not as di-verse as my brother’s upbring-ing and me.

I still have not dated a Filipina, but I had relation-ships with other Asian girls with Chinese and Vietnamese descent. I had a few one-night stands with Filipinas but it never matured into a relation-ship. Not that I am biased towards Filipinas, the time frame just never worked out for me. I tend to not remain single for long between re-lationships, so I tend to rush into a relationship before actually realizing the conse-quences. In the future I hope to date a Filipina girl, my current girlfriend is of Rus-sian and German descent, and

there are sometimes clashes of cultures.

I met Catherine on the way to my Math class at San Diego State in the fall of 2009 semes-ter. She was a petite and skinny Russian blonde, the epitome of a cute SDSU girl. Most inter-racial relationships involve a white male and an Asian female, so it

always amuses me when I walk into a restaurant or in a public setting where older Caucasians are there and they see us holding hands or dis-playing other types of public display of affection. Since my family stayed in New Jersey, I am the only one who resides in San Diego. I do not get the advantage of having a home cooked meal prepared to me by my mother, so I drive to National City to eat at Tita’s Kitchenette. A culture shock hit Catherine during our trip to Tita’s.

When we walked into Ti-ta’s there was a whole cooked lechon in display. The worker started chopping the lechon and Catherine was grossed out because she has not seen anything like that before. She said she didn’t like the smell and the chopping of the whole pig was a new experience for her. I offered her the Filipino cuisine dinuguan, but I made a mistake of telling her it was pig’s blood. She would have eaten it; if I would have told her it was “pork stew.” When we are at Tita’s she usually sticks with pancit, vegetable dishes, and a few select meat dishes such as kare-kare.

When her mom came down to pick her up during winter break we had lunch at Bal-

boa Park’s Prado restaurant. As we were talking, I had the impression that it did not matter to her mom that I was Filipino, it was more impor-tant that I was treating her daughter properly and with respect. I called my mom for a short interview for this paper, and she conveyed the same message. My mom stated that, “I have no problem with inter-racial relationships, even for my son to marry someone

that is not Filipina as long as they know what to expect.” Inter-racial relationships and marriages can be diffi cult for some couples, but as long as there is understanding be-tween the couple and they adapt to different situations, it can work out.

To have healthy inter-racial relationships the couple must go back to their roots and let their partner experience each other’s culture. Catherine and I usually go to National City to eat and I invite her to some Filipino cultural events such as Andres Bonifacio Samahan’s Filipino Culture night. She is enthusiastic to attend because she knows it is important for me, and as a

Tita’s Kitchenette in National City

Filipino American, I’m also trying to fi nd my identity in America’s melting pot. The communication between couple is also crucial. As a lesson from past relationships, good communication is a key aspect in healthy relation-ships.

In America’s melting pot dating someone outside of one’s race is acceptable. I believe that one should expe-rience relationships outside

the town. My high school was one of the most diverse schools in New Jersey. There are many different races so I experienced different cultures and ethnicities, thus I became comfortable with people from different backgrounds. Eth-nicities of friends especially girlfriends did not concern me until I brought home a Cau-

casian girl to a Filipina mother.

My fi rst girlfriend was Jenna. She was half Israeli and Irish. When I fi rst brought her home my mom had a surprised look in her face but out

of their own race to open each other’s eyes to differ-ent cultures and customs apart from one’s own. It also makes one adapt-able because of different experiences through a foreign culture.

One will experience different customs and cuisines such as when I took Catherine to the Filipino restaurant, Tita’s Kitchenette. Parents are also taking notice. I believe that parents understand and accept inter-racial relationships more as they adapt to American cul-ture. In the American melting pot inter-racial relationships are being more accepted in the Filipino community as time progresses.

Paul is a student of Dr. Dirige in AS 460, “Contempo-rary Issues in Filipino Ameri-can Communities”. He was formerly in the U.S. Navy and is now a junior at San Diego State University with an IS-COR major.

One of the most widely an-ticipated theme park entertain-ment experiences – The Wiz-arding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort – is set for a public grand open-ing on June 18. Univer-sal Orlando Resort also revealed details about what is expected to be one the most exciting theme park experiences ever created: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. It will be one of three themed at-trac-

An Adventure with Harry Potter

Grand Opening Of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter At Universal Orlando Resort

tions within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, includ-ing Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the heart of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This all new adventure combines a powerful storyline with spectacular new technology so ef-fectively that guests will be com-pletely immersed in the experience. And as they

live their adventure, guests will feel things no one has ever felt inside a theme park attrac-tion, move in ways no one has ever moved, experi-ence fi lm like no one else ever has, explore vast sets punctu-ated by amazing special ef-fects – and have an adventure

only possible in Harry Pot-ter’s world. The new attraction lies deep within Hog-warts castle, a majestic structure that towers over The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - the only place in the world where the won-der, excitement and adventure of the Harry Potter books and fi lms comes to life.

The Adventure

Imagine……meeting Harry, Ron and

Hermi-one as if they were in person

…soaring over Hogwarts castle with Harry

…being swept into a Quid-ditch match

…feeling the chilling ef-fect of a Dementor

…exploring your favorite places inside Hogwarts castle

…living adventures you’ve only been able to imagine – until now.

The Story

Harry Potter and the For-bidden Journey draws you into the excitement and chaos of Harry’s life. As you venture through Hog-warts castle, you meet Harry, Ron and Hermione who convince you to skip a planned lecture

and follow them. Upon taking their advice, you travel by Floo powder, and begin the adventure as you soar over Hogwarts, narrowly escape

a dragon attack, have a close encoun-ter with the Whomp-ing Willow, get pulled into a Quidditch match and more.

“Guests will experience fi rsthand a completely new adven-ture featuring the icon-ic characters, amazing crea-tures and recognizable loca-tions they’ve only read in the books or seen in the fi lms,”

said Thierry Coup, creative director for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The Location

The Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey experi-ence starts as soon as you walk through the gates of Hogwarts. Within the tow-ering Hogwarts castle, you ex-plore a truly magical place. You journey through iconic locations taken from the fi lms and take in the extraordinary detail of each scene. They include: Dumbledore’s of-fi ce: here, you meet the Headmaster as he welcomes you to Hogwarts; Defense Against the Dark Arts class-room: where you fi rst meet Harry, Ron and Hermione; Gryffi n-dor common room: you meet three additional characters who prepare you for your journey; Room of Re-quirement: here, with hundreds of fl oating candles above, you take your seat on an enchanted bench and begin the Forbidden Journey and other locations.

In addition, guests will pass through the Dungeon pas-sageway and hallways of Hogwarts where they will have the chance to see hundreds of wizard portraits from the fi lms, including several magical talking portraits cre-ated exclusively for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including the four founders of Hogwarts. Guests will even get a

glimpse of the Sorting Hat.

The Innovation

This is more than just an attraction and it is unlike any theme park experience ever created. It’s a revolution-ary, 360-degree theme park experience and fi rst-ever combination of live-action, ad-vanced robotic technology

and in-novative fi lmmak-ing – specially designed and developed for this brand-new adventure. “We have created an entirely new way to place our guests into the heart of one of the most compelling stories of our time,” said Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative. “What we have done will forever change the theme park attrac-tion experience.” The attraction’s newly created ride system envelops guests in fi lmed action scenes and moves those scenes with them as they travel through the ride, allowing more time in the center of the ad-venture and with their favorite char-acters. This fusion of robotic technology and fi lmed scenes has never been achieved until now. In some cases, technol-ogy had to be invented to achieve the highest level of guest experience. The com-bination of pioneering, state-of-the-art technology, innova-tive fi lmmaking and surprises around every corner make this attraction the embodiment of the Harry Potter book and fi lm series—and the fu-ture of theme park entertainment.

For the latest news on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, see www.UniversalOr-lando.com. Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Enter-tainment Com-pany, is one of the leading licensing and retail mer-chan-dising organizations in the world. Harry Potter continues to be a global phenomenon. The series of books by author J.K. Rowling has been trans-lated into 68 lan-guages with more than 400 million copies sold in over 200 territories around the world. The fi lms, pro-duced by Warner Bros. Pictures, have grossed more than $5.4 billion at the box offi ce worldwide, mak-ing Harry Potter the largest-gross-ing fi lm franchise in history.


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IMMIGRATION (619) 819-8648Speak directly with an Attorney

The Law Offi ces of SUSAN V. PEREZ offer the following services:

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*Susan Perez is a licensed attorney both in the State of California and the Philippines. She has eighteen (18) years of combined experience in both jurisdictions in the areas of Immigration, Family, Appellate, Juvenile Dependency, Civil, Criminal, Labor, Contracts, Tax, and Business Law. She is also admitted to practice before the Ninth Circuit of the Court of Appeals, and the District Courts of Southern California and Central District of California.

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San Diego Office: Manila Office:625 Broadway, Suite 1015 Suite 2502-A East TowerSan Diego CA 92101 Philippine Stock Exchange CentreTel. No. (619) 819-8648 Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig CityFax No. (619) 923-9555 Tel. Nos.: (632) 687-2565 / 687-9851 Email: [email protected] Fax No.: (632) 687-2565

Atty. Susan V. Perez

Visit our website: www.law-usimmigration.com

by Atty. Susan V. Perez

Legal BriefRead Atty. Susan Perez’s previous articles by

visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com


Maria, a Filipino citizen, has fi led for adjustment of status based on her approved I-140 petition or Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. If her adjustment of status is ap-proved, Maria will get a legal permanent resident status or Green Card. While her ad-justment of status is pending, Maria received a call from her sister that their mother had died. Maria wants to see her mother for the last time. Can she travel outside the United States while her adjustment of status is pending? An appli-cant for adjustment of status who leaves the United States without Advance Parole will be considered to have aban-doned his or her application for adjustment of status. If Maria does not have an Ad-vance Parole document before she leaves, she has to do con-sular processing to reenter the United States. Consular pro-cessing means he or she has to reapply for an immigrant visa at the U.S. embassy.

There are exceptions to the requirements for Advance Parole document. The follow-ing nonimmigrant visa holders can reenter the United States without Advance Parole: H-1 temporary worker or H-4 spouse or child of H-1; L-1 intercompany transferee or L-2 spouse or child of L-1; K-3 Spouse of U.S. citizen or K-4 child of K-3; or V-2 spouse of legal permanent resident or V-3 child of legal

Advance parole documents and re-entry permits

permanent resident. Provided, however, they have pending application for adjustment of status. Refugees and Asylees who have pending applica-tion for adjustment of status can travel outside the United States on valid refugee travel document and don’t have to apply for Advance Parole.

If the alien is outside the United States and needs to visit United States temporar-ily for emergent humanitarian reasons, he or she may apply for Advance Parole document. This is granted on a case to case basis and is entirely dis-cretionary on the part of the consular offi cer. This is called humanitarian parole and is also an extraordinary measure to bring an otherwise inad-missible foreign national into the United States for a very compelling emergency reason. Humanitarian reasons could include caring for an immedi-ate relative who is very ill and there are no other relatives in the United States who are willing and able to care for him or her. The individual who is paroled into the United States is called a “parolee”.

The humanitarian parole can only be requested for persons who are outside the United States. However, anyone can fi le the applica-tion for humanitarian pa-role. He doesn’t have to be a relative. The validity of the period for the humanitarian


by Tony MelotoSanta Clara, CA

Is it possible for Filipinos within my lifetime - I just turned sixty- to unite and

raise a great President who can make us believe that ours can be a strong nation?

I believe we can. That leader can be President-

elect Benigno C. Aquino III. The historic moment can be now.

Hopefully, we don’t squander this chance. Time is running out on my generation and I don’t want my children to inherit a country that they cannot be proud of, that will not guarantee them safety and opportunity for a dignified life.

The first 100 days after June 30 is not just for the new President to prove to us that he can lead but, more importantly, for all of us to prove to ourselves that we love this country enough to set aside our differences and interests to help him succeed and finally show the world that we are not too selfish and self-serving...and downright stupid... in the practice of our faith and freedom.

The first 100 days is our test if we can do things differently given this new window of opportunity. We not only need a good leader but we have to prove to ourselves that we are deserving of a good one.

The new President has feet of clay who has yet to end his nico-tine addiction and he will most likely fail us if we do not give him the strength he needs to overcome his weaknesses. He needs us as we need him to be strong as a people. Let’s try our best not to fail one another.

Now that elections are over it is time to come out and express solidarity with our chosen leader

for the good of all by being what we demand him to be.

I deliberately hid from sight in the last election to remain non-partisan and respect the choices of friends with their multi-coloured political loyalties. While I prayed for good leaders I personally knew to win, I kept my silence... and peace, and waited for winners to be proclaimed, eager to get back to work with those who want to work with us.

I saw no candidate as adversary or enemy. l engage those who respect our terms of engagement. Anyone who is a friend of the poor is a friend. Anyone who loves my country is family. I regret the defeat of good leaders I know, but look forward to working with the victors that I have yet to know.

Leadership after all is not about winning elections or staying in power but about going beyond self-interest and rising above rival-ries for a higher cause, even work-ing with political opponents - call it balimbing or whatever name you like - for the common good.

To build a strong nation, we must learn to engage everyone, bridge gaps that divide and leverage limited resources by encouraging those who have to give more to those who have less.

While we must engage every politician without judgment and without compromise, our cause of nation-building must transcend politics. Politics is for politicians, nation-building is for everyone - from the highest leader of the land to the weakest squatter in the poor-est slum. It is for ordinary citizens like me to help provide connectiv-ity to the un-reached, build trust among the wary and give hope to those in despair.

In the first 100 days, let us be a people of faith.

First, it is good to start by having faith in our leader. We must accept him wholeheartedly as the Presi-dent for all Filipinos, including those who did not vote for him.

Given the circumstances of his miraculous ascendancy to power, reluctant in the beginning yet resolute with an overwhelming mandate in the end, we must ac-cept that it is his divine destiny to lead us. If he is God-sent then we must treasure the gift and provide him all the support and encourage-ment to build a just and prosperous nation.

Let us not trivialise the oppor-tunity to start right with our petty politics nor be influenced by ugly cynics who do not see anything good in this country or in this life. Let us be radical optimists and hope-weavers for a change, to give our new leader and our country a chance.

It is imperative for those who worked hard for his victory to remain noble and true by not expecting any favours in return for their efforts. Great leaders are often pulled down by follow-ers who demand their share of power. Great chances to do great good are spoiled when nobility is exchanged for the spoils of vic-tory. On the other hand if asked by their leader to do a crucial task, they must also be humble enough to accept.

From our new President, let us demand nothing but faith in him-self that he can be faithful to his covenant to govern with integrity, courage and justice.

From every Filipino, let us also demand nothing less than faith in ourselves that we can transform an entire nation - slum after slum, barrio after barrio - by transform-ing ourselves first. Let us not simply depend on the awesome

power of the President and blame everything on him if he fails to deliver. Rather, let us harness the awesome power of the people, united and committed to do good, to help the President deliver.

Concretely, what can we do? Start by believing that every

Filipino can help, even the poorest among them.

Like the poor in Payatas who did not sell their votes but even con-tributed their meagre resources to his campaign or carried his yellow ribbon in their tricycle without get-ting paid. We must see the poor as a blessing, not a burden...as assets, not liabilities.

The poor are starting to see him as hope. This was their statement in the last election when they chose Noynoy. We must therefore help him champion the rising Fili-pino poor for their hope not to be dashed again. Help him help them out of extreme poverty and give them middle-class aspirations. That will motivate them to work and send their children to school. The rejected stones can be the foundation of a strong nation. A true leader is one who will make this happen.

To usher in a season of hope, we can do many things in the next 100 days.

* Give unproductive land to the squatters.

* Build a home for the home-less.

* Start a business. * Join a medical mission. * Plant a tree. * Send a poor child to school. The list of good things to do

is endless. The list of things to complain about is also endless. Better to walk the talk than preach and bitch.

To start a period of grace for corruption to end, we can also

do many hon-est things in the 100 days.

* Do not cheat the wife. * Do not give or accept a bribe. * Do not rob the poor of just

wages. * Do not pad the expense ac-

count.* Do not cheat in exams. Again, it is a long list but it al-

ways begins with me. I cannot demand honesty from

our government leaders if I cannot be honest myself.

As for me and my household,we will offer the 100 days in simple and sincere service to our poor countrymen. We will pursue our drive to build sustainable and em-powered communities in every ba-rangay in the country. The Gawad Kalinga People Power Over Pov-erty campaign we launched in 2004 with Tita Cory will be a great legacy for the son to continue 6 years later. Continuity is key to development which does not hap-pen overnight.

Many social initiatives that bloomed during the term of the mother may finally bear fruit and be ripe for harvest during the term of the son. But they must be will-ing to work with one another to make things work for the good of an entire nation.

This is key to the first 100 days. It must send the signal to every-one, starting at the top all the way to the ground, that the interest of the country is first.

To have impact, it must be sup-ported by those who placed him in the highest office of the land. Imagine the power of the 14 million Filipinos who voted for Noynoy to lead in being good citi-zens - obeying traffic rules, avoid polluting our waterways, staying away from drugs or simply not

pissing in public. We must be first in showing dis-

cipline and character in defining our own 100 days.

An important statement needs to be made. The Yellow Power is not just about waging a political campaign to win an election. It is about winning the campaign to build a nation.

This is also true for Filipinos abroad who gave Noynoy a big vote of confidence. They must have enough confidence in him to match this with action. They can visit, volunteer, remit, donate or invest or whatever they can do for the country’s benefit. Most impor-tantly, they must herald the advent of hope for a beloved Motherland and the emergence of the Global Filipino who will no longer allow himself to be defined by poverty and corruption.

I’m writing this piece at 4 am in Washington DC on the third leg of an eight city tour to rally Filipinos in America through GKUSA to build our Filipino Dream in this new springtime of hope with our People Power President.

Pardon the musings of a senior citizen who is tired of waiting for the right leader to come. This time I cannot afford to fail. I owe it to my six grandchildren and those who are still to come to give my all to make my new President the right one, for them and every Filipino to have a future full of grace in this cherished Pearl of the East.

Before I sleep let me end this with a prayer.

Dear God, bless us with a leader who will be bold, able and true and grant all of us the wisdom to honour the gift of being Filipino. Amen.

The Challenge of a Hundred Days: Believing that Filipinos Can End Poverty

and Corruption in the Philippines

674,975 READERS and counting ...

www.scribd.com/asianjournal

Note: A new dawn is upon us and the mind of a visionary is never at rest. Tony Meloto (TM) shares with us his reflections and vision of a new Philippines after the recently concluded national elections. TM started writing this article days ago, in the East Coast, at the beginning of an 8-city trip across the US. To witness this driven man put his thoughts into words on a blackberry, while sitting, eating, standing, in between conversations and while walking was simply a sight in itself. He finally finished it while walking at the parking lot after attending the opening ceremonies of a new Seafood City branch in Milpitas, CA. By the time I dropped him off for the night, TM had a 2nd revision done, parting with “Fredy I think I’m finished.” – Fredy Guevara, GK USA


When I was elected mayor nearly four years ago, Chula Vista was on the wrong track, with unsustainable budgets and low reserve funds.

To get back on track, I led the City Council in making tough cost-cutting choices by implementing hiring freezes, consolidating departments, and restructuring employee contracts. Just as families must balance their checkbooks, the city must also balance its budget.

Budget discipline is now paying off. City government is smaller. The stage is set to rebuild reserves. Our city is now positioned to attract and retain businesses, put people to work, and continue moving forward.

I’ve led efforts to revitalize and redevelop older neighborhoods, and promoted green building standards, commercial/ residential mixed use development, and walkable neighborhoods. University Park and Research Center planning will help bring good jobs to Chula Vista. The bayfront’s overhead transmission lines have been removed and development will be kept away from environmentally sensitive areas. The Bayfront Master Plan amendment and its Environmental Impact Report were successfully approved on May 18.

With your support, we will continue making progress in Chula Vista. I respectfully ask for your vote on June 8. Sincerely, Mayor Cheryl Cox www.CoxForMayor.comMayor Cox is endorsed by the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce and the following individuals in her re-election campaign:Wadie P. Deddeh, Former California State SenatorShirley Horton, Former Assemblywoman; Former Mayor, City

of Chula VistaGreg Cox, Supervisor, San Diego CountyRon Roberts, Supervisor, San Diego CountyDavid Butler, Assessor, Recorder, Clerk, San Diego CountyJan Goldsmith, City Attorney, City of San Diego

Paid for by Cheryl Cox for Mayor 2010 - Gabe Martinez, Treasurer - Campaign ID # 1320414

Mayor Cheryl Cox will:

Maintain financial •discipline

Protect public •safety, roads, parks and libraries

Champion bayfront •improvement

Support local •businesses and jobs

Serve us responsibly, •honestly, and fairly

Jerry Sanders, Mayor, City of San DiegoBill Kolender, San Diego County Sheriff, retiredRick Emerson, Chula Vista Police Chief, retiredPatty Davis & John Moot, Former Councilmembers, City of Chula VistaJerry R. Rindone, Former Deputy Mayor, City of Chula Vista;

Member, San Diego County Board of Education

Dante and Edna Concepcion Debra Discar-Espe

Emil & Purita GamosDiana & Mark Liuag

Tony Olaes Myrna T. F. Reyes

Ruffino “Pie” RoqueScott Vinson & Carmelita Larrabaster-Vinson

Casey Vu James Youel

(partial list)

Read previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjo-urnalusa.com

by Atty. Rogelio Karagdag, Jr.Member, State Bar of California & Integrated Bar of the Philippines

Phil - Am Law 101

We Filipinos are very fam-ily-oriented. We migrate to the United States hoping for a brighter future not only for our spouses and children, but also for our extended families. Even from this distant place, we try to help out our rela-tives in the Philippines. We send them balikbayan boxes and money every so often, es-pecially during Christmas and then before classes open in June. Still, some of us go the extra mile to bring our rela-tives to the U.S. so they too can live in the land of milk and honey.

Unfortunately, it takes a very long time to bring our relatives to the U.S. For ex-ample, at present, your broth-ers and sisters have to wait for more than 22 years. By that time, their children (your nephews and nieces) will have already aged out (i.e. over 21 years old) and can no longer accompany their parents into the U.S. Worse, your brothers and sisters might feel already too old to start a new life in another country. So, what do you do now?

A favorite option among Filipinos is to adopt a nephew or a niece, or even a grand-child. This is particularly true among childless Filipino couples who had to forego the pleasures of parenthood so they could focus on their work and earn enough money for themselves and their extended families. Adopting a niece or nephew would be like hitting two birds with one stone. You will adopt someone who is as close as possible to your own child and he or she, in return, will hopefully have a brighter future in the U.S. However, the process of adoption is not that simple.

There are two types of adoption in the Philippines. First is the inter-country adop-tion which is done through the Inter-Country Adoption Board. Second is domes-tic adoption which is done through the court. Former Fil-ipino citizens have the choice of adopting through the ICAB or through the court. These

Immigration Through Adoption

two types of adoption are gov-erned by different rules and procedure.

In case of domestic adop-tions, U.S. immigration laws impose certain strict require-ments if the adoptive parents wish to bring the child with them to the United States. In our experience, the most prob-lematic among these require-ments is the so-called “two year rule” Firstly, adoptive parents are required to have “legal custody” of the child for at least two years. What this means is that the decision granting the adoption must have been issued at least two years ago. This period may be shorter because the rules of court say that the decision is retroactive to the date when the petition was fi led.

But it is even harder to comply with the second part of the two-year rule, which re-quires the adoptive parents to also have two years of “physi-cal custody” of the child. In addition, the adopting parents must have exercised pri-mary parental control over the child. This is really diffi cult because usually the adopting parents are in the U.S. and the child is in the Philippines, so they must come to the Philip-pines to physically reside with the child and wrest primary control from the biological parents. Proof of primary con-trol may consist of the child’s school, medical and health insurance records which indi-cate the names of the adopting parents.

Even if the adoptive parents are able to spend two years with the child, the situ-ation is still very diffi cult if the natural parents live in the same house as the child and the adoptive parents. This usually happens when it is the grandparents who adopt the child. In their desire to bring the child to the U.S., the natu-ral parents allow their own parents (the child’s grand-parents) to adopt the child. But owing to the Filipino tradition of letting the chil-dren stay with their parents even when they are already

grown-ups, especially if they cannot stand on their own, the resulting scenario is that the grandparents, the natural parents and the child all live together in the same house. Now, how would you show that it is the grandparents who are exercising primary paren-tal authority over the child, to the exclusion of the par-ents? It is imperative that the grandparents present convinc-ing evidence to the USCIS that they, and not the natural parents, are the ones exercis-ing primary parental authority. Affi davits may not be enough. The USCIS usually looks for primary evidence such as the vaccination, medical and school records of the child, and expect the grandparents’ name to appear there as the guardian of the child.

Inter-country adoption will do away with the two-year requirement. Instead, several agencies will work together to review and hopefully grant the adoption. They include the ICAB, the USCIS, the NVC and the US Consulate in Manila. One good thing about inter-country adoption is that once granted, an immigrant visa will be forthwith issued to enable the child to migrate to the United States. The biggest disincentive of inter-country adoption is the much higher expense involved.

Adoption laws in the Philippines, coupled with the U.S. immigration law require-ments, are complicated. We suggest that you consult an attorney who is knowledge-able in both areas before you seriously consider adopting a child in the Philippines and bringing him to the United States.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego and has continuously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His offi ce address is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an of-fi ce in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Ma-nila, Philippines 1007, with telephone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475 or email him at [email protected] for your free consultation. He speaks Tagalog fl uently. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheti-cals intended as general, non-specifi c legal information.


Well done, COPAO! This year’s Philippine Faire, held at Kimball Park in National City, was a resounding suc-cess!

“If a picture paints a thou-sand words …” as a popular song goes, the pictures on this page (contributed by Michael Hammack, Maggie de la Cruz and Marty Hazen) show how wonderful and successful this event was.

Embracing the theme “May Lakas sa Pagkakaisa”, truly there is “Strength in Unity”! The Council of Philippine American Organi-zations of San Diego County (COPAO) spearheaded by President Merly Ferrer and Executive Chair Aurora S. Cudal of the Philippine Faire Steering Committee unified the efforts of an entire com-

Philippine Faire 2010: A Resounding Success

munity to present this grand event.

True to tradition, the an-nual Philippine Faire celebrat-ed Filipino-American History and Culture, and honored the 112th Philippine Independence Day. Love of country, culture and tradition are among the unique qualities of Filipino immigrants as well as the Americans of Filipino ances-try.

Thousands of people congregated at Kimball Park, witnessed, and participated in the whole-day array of activi-ties which included the Festi-val of Festivals parade, booths and exhibits, food vendors, and shows and performance highlighted by the Philip-pines’ GMA Pinoy TV/Life TV Variety Show.

The colorful parade, which

started at 14th Street and High-land, went westbound along Kimball Way, southbound along “D” Avenue, and ended in front of the Grandstand at Kimball Park in National City where the public officials led by Mayor Ron Morrison and other dignitaries were seated.

The parade was led by USN Capt. Kenneth Nor-ton, Commanding Officer of the USS Ronald Reagan, as Grand Marshall. Dignitar-ies present included Assem-bly Members Marty Block and Mary Salas, City of San Diego Council Members Tony Young, Ben Hueso and Todd Gloria, National City Chief of Police Adolfo Gonzales,

and Sweetwater Union High School District President and Trustee Arlie Ricasa.

Scores of people lined up along the route of the parade, and hundreds more near the grandstand. Cheers re-sounded along the way as the parade participants, especially the students who were danc-ing, chanting, and singing to popular Philippine Festivals like the Ati-Atihan, Sinulog, Pangabenga, Kadayawan, Maskara, and the Santa Cruzan entourage, wowed the audience with their diverse colorful attire. They were a feast for the eyes - a Philip-pine version of Mardi Gras!

It being the Memo-rial Day weekend, people really appreciated the patriotic participation of the different High School bands. I love the

Eastlake High School March-ing Band because of their sleek uniform and precision of movement.

There were floats from var-ious organizations, like the Al Bahr Shrine, which consisted of tiny pocket-sized cars and a standard-sized jeepney im-ported from the Philippines. Even political candidates had their own floats. Most of the candidates were seated atop the rear seat of their convert-ible.

Retired USMC Gun-nery Sergeant Nick Popa-ditch, a candidate for the 51st Congressional District, who was dressed in a finely-

embroidered barong taga-log, preferred to walk with his wife April together with his supporters. Nick had a patch over his missing right eye, which was hit by frag-ments from a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) during a battle in Iraq. They had two floats: the leading float was a small green car which also sported a black patch over its right head light, and the second one had the Star Spangled banner and the United States Marine Corps flag. Standing on this float was a real live “Uncle Sam”, who was waving the Philippine flag.

Ever lovers of beauty, the Filipinos also loved the

beautiful Philippine Faire la-dies dubbed “Ambassadors of Goodwill” composed of: Lita Martin, Mrs. Philippine Faire 2010; Kathy Miranda, Miss Philippine Faire 2010; Marie Juntilla, Miss Teen Philip-pine Faire 2010; and Roselle Lopez, Little Miss Philippine Faire 2010, and their Court of Honor composed of Demy Din, Victoria Ann Pangilinan and Mikaela Erin McLeish.

Among the performers who entertained the audience after the parade were: the PASACAT Dance Company, Hollywood Music, Heaile’s Polynesian Dancers, the Illmaculate, the Babao Arnis Martial Arts Demo Team, the different Senior Groups, and the Line Dancers.

Kudos to the following

people who did their ut-most to make the Philippine Faire 2010 the success that it was: Merly Ferrer, Aurora Cudal,Robert Ricasa, Mary Rose Peralta, Ditas Yamane, Rudy Liporada, Christine Mc-Manus, Mark Gonzales, Julius Alejandro, Patricia Javier, Mark Gonzales, Katriz Trini-dad, Jordan Aguilera, Jay-R, Mark Herras, Rhian Ramos, Wendell Ramos, Vince Bu-manglag, Joyce Temporal, Sally Idos, George Alfonso, Bob Astudillo, Joe Nicolas, Dina Ellorin, Jun Mataban, Femie Cupit, Norma Baladad, Mike Pablo, Chris Olaes, Bert Andrade, Rikky Reclosado, Luisito Melchor Jr., and Virgil Yalong. And to the many, many more whose names I was not able to get!

Light &Shadows

Read Zena Babao’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Zena Sultana Babao


Housing and Real Estate

Can give 3-4 consecutive days training

Lighting does so much more than provide illumination. De-signers know that it can be used to change the whole look and feel of a room.

Think about how you want each room to feel when you walk in. Active or intimate? Inspiring or dramatic? The types of light-ing, their placement in the room – even the type of bulb used - all affect the room’s atmosphere.

These tips from Mary Beth Gotti, a lighting expert with GE Consumer & Industrial, can help you create just the right mood.

CozyIf kicking back in fuzzy slip-

pers and relaxing with a good book is appealing, create a cozy atmosphere.

Highlight the seating area • with ambient lighting,

Set the Mood with Lightand focus track lights on centerpieces. This draws the eye to the central glow. Use lighting that emits • a soft, warm glow, such as GE Energy Smart and Soft White bulbs.Incorporate lamps for • reading. A reading lamp should be tall enough to shine onto the pages of the book, but not into the reader’s eyes. A floor lamp positioned behind the reader is ideal. Torchieres and wall • sconces create a warm glow in living rooms and other spaces. A working fireplace adds to the feel-ing of comfort. Light pictures from •

above using a ceiling spotlight.

ActiveTo create a motivating envi-

ronment that maximizes produc-tivity:

Use bright general over-• head, or ambient, lighting along with focused task lighting for work areas.Recessed downlights can • effectively light coun-tertops and other work surfaces in kitchens.Under-the-counter light-• ing also provides great task illumination in kitchens.

WelcomingMake guests feel right at

home with a warm and welcom-ing environment.

Outside, keep a well-lit • walkway. This directs visitors to the entrance and makes them feel at ease. Using bulbs such as GE Energy Smart Out-door Floodlights can put welcoming light wher-ever it’s needed. Inside, gentle ambient • light makes people feel comfortable. For added relaxation, illuminate the walls and the ceiling to avoid menacing shadows. Utilize accent lighting • to showcase an interest-ing object. This arouses guests’ anticipation of the rest of the house, urging them forward.

IntimateTo create a romantic room

that will leave you starry-eyed:Avoid overhead light-• ing – it can cause a harsh glare. Add dimmer switches to • give versatility to light-ing fixtures.Use a variety of lamps • to create a comfortable glow; use shades with warm or dark colors.

Get more tips on designing with light at gelighting.com.

Courtesy of Family Features

Home Fire Sprinklers Fight the Fire Faster

not smoke.If a fire starts, the sprinkler

closest to it quickly puts it out, or keeps the fire small until the fire department arrives. That quick response controls heat and deadly smoke. With a fire under control and confined to just the area of the room where the fire started, you have more time to get your family outside to safety – and survival.

Even with fire sprinklers, every home needs smoke alarms and fire drills for full protection. But nothing else can do what fire sprinklers do when fire strikes. “Smoke alarms are important to alert people of a fire, especially when they’re asleep and most vulnerable,” says Appy. “But only sprinklers work automati-cally to control – even put

out – a fire when it’s small. They’re the very best protection a family can have against the tragedy of a home fire.”

If you are buying a home or moving to a new building, choose one with a fire sprinkler system. If you are building a new home or doing a major remodel of your existing home, consider having a home fire sprinkler sys-tem installed. Talk to your local fire department for help finding a qualified home fire sprinkler installer.

To learn more, visit MySafe-Home.org.

Having a fire is every hom-eowner’s worst nightmare. If a fire started in your home would you be able to escape unharmed? Would your children?

In a fire, heat and smoke quickly build and spread, room to room. The smoke doesn’t make any sound. It is filled with poison gases that can kill. Re-search shows you may have as few as three minutes to escape a home fire.

The best way to protect your home and your family from a fire is to have three things: work-ing smoke alarms on each level to warn you of a fire, even late at night; a fire escape plan that you’ve practiced; and an installed home fire sprinkler system.

Most families know about the importance of smoke alarms and fire drills. But not everyone is familiar with home fire sprin-klers. “That’s a concern,” says Meri-K Appy, the president of the nonprofit Home Safety Coun-cil. “Fire sprinklers provide the ultimate fire protection. They are available for homes, but too of-ten people don’t know to ask for them when they build or move.”

Recent Home Safety Council research revealed that only eight percent of adults in major cities across America live in homes protected by fire sprinklers and 41 percent of those surveyed don’t know that fire sprinklers are a safety option for their home.

The Home Safety Council and the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) have teamed up to help raise awareness of fire sprinkler technology for homes to help save lives. Together, the organizations have developed on-line animations that simplify the life-saving technology so more families will understand how it works and know it is available.

To see home fire sprinklers in action, visit MySafeHome.org, the Home Safety Council’s vir-tual home safety tour – it’s free. Go to the “Living Room” to see videos comparing a fire burning in a home protected by sprin-klers with one that is not. You’ll see the fire quickly grows out of control in the room without fire sprinklers and fills the room with deadly smoke. In the home with fire sprinklers, the fire remains small and contained.

About Home Fire Sprin-klers

Home fire sprinkler systems are installed behind the walls like plumbing. Sprinklers are con-nected to a constant water sup-ply, so they are always ready to help you. Only the heat of a fire will cause the sprinkler to flow –


Baguio, Dumaguete now in top 10 BPO Next Wave Cities

Advance parole documents

and re-entry permits

parole should coincide with the duration of the emergency or humanitarian situation. There is a maximum time limit of one year, but this can be extended indefinitely while in the United States. Ap-plications for humanitarian parole are generally adjudi-cated within 60 to 90 days. A denial of the application is not appealable. If there are new facts that have arisen since the filing of the application that was denied, the remedy is to file a new application. An affidavit of support is required to ensure that the parolee will not become a public charge. Further, the application should be very specific and supported

by affidavits and documents. A Green Card holder or

lawful permanent resident needs a Reentry permit if he or she wishes to travel or remain outside the United States for more than one year, but less than two. Effective March 5, 2008, applicants for Reentry permits ages 14 through 79 are required to provide photographs and biometrics also known as fingerprints at a USCIS Ap-plication Support Center (ASC) for background and security checks. Applicants for Reentry permits must be physically present in the United States when they filed the application. USCIS can deliver Reentry permits to the applicant at an overseas office is the applicant so request at the time of filing of the ap-plication. It should be noted that an application for Reentry permit is not complete until an alien has provided his or her fingerprints and photograph. If the applicant leaves the United States before biomet-rics are taken, the application may be denied. Therefore, it is advisable that Reentry permit applicants file their ap-plications well in advance of their schedule departure dates. USCIS suggests applicants apply for a Reentry permit at least 60 days prior to the date of travel. If the alien can-not wait for at least 60 days, USCIS provides procedures for requesting expedited ASC appointment for biometrics collection and for requesting expedited delivery of a travel document. The request for expedited processing should contain the applicant’s rea-sons for such processing so that USCIS may determine whether the applicant qualifies for expedited processing.

Is it possible for the alien to leave the United States right after the Reentry permit is filed and come to the United States to attend the biomet-rics appointment before the first year of foreign travel has ended? The answer is “YES”. In this case, the alien can use his or her Green Card to reenter the United States if he or she has been absent for less than one year.

We welcome your feed-back. If you have any im-migration questions, please feel welcome to email me at [email protected] or call 619 819 -8648 to arrange for a telephone con-sultation.

Wave Cities are the focus of their promotion efforts.

Virata said these cities would have some advantages when they also market themselves to the media and the investors.

For his part, Sañez said the Next Wave Cities program provides a great avenue for local empowerment.

He said these cities will increase talent pool and stem salary and rental inflation in “first-wave” locations.

“Having 10 Next Wave Cities and more will ease the pressures to raise salaries and rental rates in these major hubs, and spread the benefits of employment, higher in-comes and increased business activity across the country,” he noted.

As of end-2009, there were about 442,000 employees in the Philippine IT-BPO sector.

Virata estimated that the identified top locations for outsourcing could generate an additional 265,200 employ-ment in the next two years.

Commission on Information Communications Technology (CICT) Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III said the Com-mission is fully committed to the Next Wave Cities initia-tive of championing regional growth through ICT.

“These Next Wave Cities will continue to be our rally-ing points where, given the impetus and the correct re-sources, will spur economic growth the way this govern-ment has envisioned to be. We see prosperous cities in regions across the nation as a result of their maturity and readiness to compete in the IT-BPO arena,” he said.

(Story courtesy of the PNA)

(Continued from page 1)


To:

From: Eugene De Leon

Herewith is proof of your classified ad for publication in the Asian Journal. Please proofread i t and fax back the correction if any or call us for your approval. The ad is tentatively scheduled to be published in the

issue of the Asian Journal if we receive your approval on time. At $4 per line

lines, it costs

$______.00 to be paid upon your receipt of the invoice and tear sheet. Thank you.

Fax #

If approved please sign and fax back to

(619) 474-0373

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Asian JournalFirst Asian Weekly Newspaper in Southern California & San Diego’s Most Widely Circulated Asian-Filipino Newspaper

550 East 8th Street, Suite 6, National City CA 91950 • Tel. (619) 474-0588 • Fax (619) 474-0373

05/07/10

Mike Sigman

HELP BUILD THE AIRPORT!

Kiewit/Sundt is currently looking for small and local contractors to start work for the landside improvements of the Green Build Project. There will be 5 bids coming out between June and September covering the following scope:

Utilities: Storm Drain, Sewer, Water, Hydronic Lines, Electrical & Communication, GasRoadway Improvements: Demolition, Earthwork, AC Paving, Curb, Gutter, SidewalkBridge Foundations: Driven Piles and CISS Piles, CIDH Piles, Structural Excavation and Backfill, Concrete, Rebar

Interested contractors can find more information by:Visiting www.san.org/greenbuild or by

Calling Mike Sigman or DeAnna Andrews at 858-408-4285

Around TownRead Conrad Reloj’s previous articles by visiting our website at

www.asianjournalusa.com. Email: [email protected]

by Conrad I. Reloj, Jr.

Aklan Ati-Atihan approaching the grand stand at Kimball 1. Park.Bert Andrade with Grand Marshal Captain Kenneth Norton, 2. USN, Commanding Offi cer of the USS Ronald Reagan and guestsAsian Journal staff at the Asian Journal Legal Clinic provided 3. by the Law Offi ces of Chua Tinsay & Vega.Grand Marshal Captain Kenneth Norton, USN, Commanding 4. Offi cer of the USS Ronald Reagan.L to R. Darwin & Tess Garcia, Clem Demmit,Greg Impreso, 5. Joem Rondario, Freidan Fernandez, Celrose Demmit, Chippy and Joseph Impreso, Fil Impresso and Grand children Jana & Joshua. 2nd row: Dennis Tocol, Marvin Ibunes, Reine and Frauline Reloj

Highlights of the Philippine Faire 2010 to celebrate the Filipino-American History and Culture, and the 112th Anniversary of the Philippine Independence held at Kimball Park, didn’t disappoint the gi-normous crowd as they watch the participants march along 12th Avenue East, through D Avenue and then on to Kim-ball Park, in National City, CA.

The incessant drum beat of

VIVA!the Aklan Ati-Atihan march-ing band heightens the rhyth-mic movement of the dancers in the spirit reminiscent of their annual Ati-Atihan festi-val in Kalibo, Aklan, dubbed as “The Filipino Mardi Gras.” The Aklanons along with the others brought this year’s celebration to a new level of excitement, drama and urban sophistication. This cultural celebration could be a march-ing start, the Mecca site and the cutting edge of Filipino

culture here in San Diego county that Walt Disney once started with his puppets performing the” Small World” scenes; dancing and singing recorded music in their own native language.

The Aklan Marching Band

is spearheaded by Joe Rond-ario, Reine Reloj and Henry Gonzales, with guest (lyre specialist) Ariel Bautista from Los Angeles; The rest of the drummers: Joseph and Paul Impreso, Darwin Garcia, Mar-

vin Ibunes, Freidan Fernan-dez, Dennis Tocol; dancers led by Clemet and Celrose Se-neres Demmit, Frauline Reloj, Marites Inuman Garcia, Fil Impreso, Jaime Ituriaga, and son Kevin; Chippy Impreso and babies Jana & Joshua.--The fun-loving group is led by Heidi Ipanto Pfander, President of the Aklan Asso-ciation of San Diego, County, Inc.

Our newest member Clem

Demmit, from UCSD San Di-ego said, “The only way to really experience the warmth and friendliness of the Aklan-ons is to participate in their annual festival known as the Ati-Atihan.”…”The euphoric beat of the drums and the dis-tinctive notes coming from the lyre, demands your full attention and you fi nd your-self swaying to the rhythm of the beat.” And of course, he added, “… after the dancing there is always plenty to eat and drink.

I am very proud to have been a part of this entourage that represents the Aklan Associa-tion of San Diego County in the celebration, and to honor the Santo Nino.” So live it up this summer everyone.

Raise your glasses, don your shades and rejoice hav-ing been a part of a successful Philippine Independence Day celebration 2010. Until next year then, Hala Bira Aklanons! Viva Kay Senior Santo Nino!

Advertise in the Asian Journal, the fi rst and original Asian Journal in California and the U.S.A. Visit us at www.asianjournalusa.com or email [email protected]


REDWOOD CITY, CA, May 28, 2010 – Events season is here again and the Filipino American communities all over the U.S. are in for huge, star-studded and fun-fi lled festivals which The Filipino Channel (TFC) will be part of via the TFC Kapamilya Sum-mer Saya sa North America.

Kicking off TFC’s festival series is the 112th Commemo-ration of Philippine Indepen-dence on Sunday, June 6, on Madison Avenue, 38th St to 23rd St, New York, NY. TFC partnered with local organiza-tion Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) to co-present the much awaited annual event in the heart of Manhattan.

Highlights of the event are the Flag Ceremony and Inde-pendence Mass, the Parade with various colorful fl oats, a Street Fair, and the Cul-tural Show, the main feature of which will be the “TFC Celebrity Hour” showcasing Asia’s Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista, award-winning singer-thespian Carlo

TFC Kapamilya Summer Saya sa North America TFC stars at the Philippine Independence Anniversary Commemoration on June 6

Orosa, and Pop Princess and 2009 Box-Offi ce Queen Sarah Geronimo. The three stars with Gelo of Barangay USA, Atty. Michael Gurfi nkel of Citizen Pinoy, and Cris-talle Bello, lovely daughter of celebrity dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Vicki Belo (whose company brought in Sarah), will also ride on the TFC fl oat for the parade and be at the TFC and the Belo Medical Group/Belo Essentials booths for a Meet and Greet with fans. More-over, Gelo will host a Baran-gay USA segment at the booth while Attorney Gurfi nkel will do a Q&A with event attend-ees.

For the fi rst time, there will also be a “TFC Got Show-time” wherein the partner organization will select three top local contestants to com-pete in the local fi nals during the “TFC Celebrity Hour”.

“The collaboration be-tween PIDCI and TFC to-wards a successful celebra-tion of this year’s Philippine Independence in New York

Christian Bautista, Sarah Germonimo, Carlo Orosa

is not new to us,” said PIDCI President Dr. Bernardo dela Merced. “It is always a pleasure on the part of PIDCI that TFC provides the Filipino community in New York and neighboring states with well-known entertainers, showcas-ing the best of Filipino talent. We hope to move forward

with this relationship, HA-WAK KAMAY (with joined hands).”

“Part of TFC’s commu-nity building efforts is to

work together with local organizations in endeav-ors that unite, empower and enhance the Filipino presence wherever they live,” said TFC Direc-tor for Cable & Satellite Jun Del Rosario. “TFC Kapamilya Summer Saya sa North America, where TFC partners with vari-ous Filipino organizations in key cities in the U.S. during events season, was designed to do just that. We are pleased to work together with PIDCI to animate the heart of Manhattan with Filipino culture and talent.”

Aside from the fes-tival in New York, TFC Kapamilya Summer Saya sa North America will

bring stars to the following events: Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson at Fiesta Mo Sa Florida on July 24; Rayver Cruz and Bangs Garcia at the 17th Pistahan Festival and Parade sa Yerba Buena, San Francisco on August 14 and 15; and Angelica Panganiban, Jake Cuenca, Bugoy Drilon and Laarni Lozada at the Philippine Fiesta Sa America in New Jersey on August 14 and 15.

Then all roads lead to the biggest and grandest TFC cel-ebration with One Kapamilya Go 2010 in September. Last year, One Kapamilya Go Sa California’s Great America, which celebrated TFC’s 15th year, drew a capacity crowd of 10,000.

For more information on the New York event, call PIDCI VP Rudy Mariano at 203.988.4937.

“CASINO JACK AND THE UNITED STATES”… - This portrait of Washington super lobbyist Jack Abramoff, from his early years as a gung-ho member of the GOP political machine to his fi nal reckoning as a disgraced, imprisoned pariah, confi rms the adage that truth is indeed stranger than fi ction. A tale of international intrigue with Indian casinos, Russian spies, Chinese sweatshops, and a mob-style killing in Miami, this is the story of the way money corrupts our political process. Following the ongoing indict-ments of federal offi cials and exposing favor trading in our nation’s capital, Oscar-winning fi lmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) illuminates the way our politicians’ desperate need to get elected, and the millions of dollars it costs, may be undermining the basic principles of American democracy. Infuriating, yet undeniably fun to watch, Casino Jack is a saga of greed and corruption with a cynical villain audiences will love to hate. www.takepart.com/casinojack

This fi lm is Rated R by the MPAA. Running time 122 minutes. Engagement Opens Friday, May 21st

Landmark’s Hillcrest Cinemas3965 Fifth Avenue, Suite 200 – (619) 819-0236

“OSS 117: LOST IN RIO”… - He's France's top agent, Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath (the fabulous Jean Dujardin), better known as OSS 117, agent double-one-seven (or "one seventeen" as he would have it). Suave yet clue-less, a cross between James Bond and Austin Powers, OSS 117 is back for another mission, following his smash debut in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. Dispatched to Rio to purchase an incriminating microfi lm containing the names of French WWII collaborators from a Nazi in hiding (Rüdiger Vogler), he teams up with a beautiful Mossad colonel (Louise Monot)—after fi rst mistaking her for the secretary—whose mini skirt and kinky boots dis-guise dangerously forward-thinking views on women's lib and world poli-tics. Along the way they encounter the Nazi's hippie son Heinrich, a C.I.A. agent named Trumendous, and a man-eating alligator. Masked Mexican wrestler bodyguards, not to mention pesky Chinese hitmen after agent 117 for a past grievance, make matters irksome. Lost in Rio culminates in a North By Northwest-meets-Vertigo sequence on Rio's famous Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city that you won't want to miss! (Partially subtitled) www.musicboxfi lms.com/oss-117-lost-in-rio

This fi lm is Not Rated by the MPAA. Running time 101 minutes.Engagement Opens Friday, May 21st

Landmark’s Ken Cinema

EntertainmentMovies to Watch

(Following are movies now showing or soon to be shown in San Diego.)

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

JOB NO CLIENT DESCRIPTION PROOFER SCREEN PROOF # DATE TIME OPERATOR

CYANBLACK MAGENTA YELLOW

005034 IW Group Inc Shrek Ad 1122 Print Ad (Filipino H) CREO 100 1 05-04-10 1:20 AM JMH

FILE NAME:

Max Den. 240 Indesign: CS4 Photoshop: CS4Illustrator: CS4Quark:

New Master SCG Legend 4/5/10 4:18 PM Page 1

L01_ShrekAd1122_Filipino_Mech_H.indd

Stock: Newsprint

L01_ShrekAd1122_Filipino_Mech_H.indd 1 5/4/10 1:42 AM


An Unauthorized History of the Philippines

23rd of a seriesBy Rudy D. Liporada

In the first series, the author stated that history is written by those who have the time to interpret events based on their perspectives and believed by those who do not know better. In the subsequent se-ries, the author traced why Spain, the United States, and Japan came to the Philippines and why the Filipinos failed to see their economic intentions; and how the subjugated the Filipinos who eventually rose in arms against the colo-nialists in spite of the complicity of the landed elites with the colonial-ists.

Marcos and the Resurgence of the Communist Party of the Philippines

In December, 1948, a

magazine published four articles on Ferdinand Marcos’ war exploits with his suppos-edly Maharlika guerilla fight-ing force. This would later on be questioned as fraudulent. Nonetheless, his reputation grew and got the Americans interested in him. In 1949, campaigning on promises to get stunted benefits for two million more veterans dur-ing the war, he won a seat in the Philippine House of representatives on the Liberal Party ticket. Belonging to the landed elite in the Ilocos region, specializing on Ameri-can tobacco subsidies, in less than a year he was worth millions and owned a Cadillac convertible. This would fore-shadow his amassing billions of dollars during his tenure as president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986.

Serving as a re-elected rep-resentative, he was elected to the Philippine Senate in 1959. As vice-president of the Lib-eral Party from 1954 to 1961, the winning of Macapagal as

president was largely attrib-uted to Marcos’ machinations. This came with a promise that Macapagal would step aside after his term to give way for Marcos to become president. When Macapagal reneged and ran for re-election, Marcos crossed over to the Nation-alista party, ran for president and won in 1965. His crossing over would prove that there was no difference between the parties except as competing forces among the landed elite to control the government.

The first president to be re-elected as president of the Republic, together with his wife, Imelda Marcos, whom he met and married in 1954, they would establish a dictato-rial dynasty that would extend two decades.

Amado Geurrero writes: While sounding “nationalist”

interested in the economic emancipation of the Filipino nation and pledging to let the Laurel-Langley Agreement, particularly parity rights, lapse in 1974, the Marcos puppet regime enacted as early as 1967 the Investment Incen-tives Law which declares it the state policy to encour-age foreign investments and defines a corporation with a maximum foreign equity of 40 per cent as a “Philippine national.” By this definition, the U.S. imperialists can create a system of interlock-ing corporations by which a “Philippine national” already bearing and camouflaging 40 per cent equity invests in an-other corporation and actually increases foreign equity in the latter corporation beyond 40 per cent. The law, however, clearly allows foreign equity to exceed 40 per cent in an old or new corporation registered with the Board of Investments and to remain so indefinitely as long as “Philippine nation-als” do not buy the shares of stock offered in the stock exchange on the eleventh year

after registration. In guaran-teeing the property rights of foreign investors, the Invest-ment Incentives Law goes to the extent of guaranteeing the right of nonexpropriation and exposes the primacy of foreign investments over any pretension of the present pup-pet state to sovereign rights. The “incentives” offered by the law are unprecedentedly abusive of the sovereign Fili-pino people and are geared to aggravating the colonial status of the Philippines.”

Beset with the further devaluation of the peso and soaring prices, the Marcos regime started to become unpopular; and a month after his re-election in 1969, Marcos was confronted with the most violent and bloody worker, peasants, and student demonstrations experienced

in the country’s history. This would have been instigated by the revitalized Commu-nist Party of the Philippines chaired by Jose Maria Sison under the non-de-guerre Amado Guerrero.

Jose Maria Sison was re-cruited into the almost non-existent Communist Party of the Philippines in 1962 to operate on the youth front. In so doing, he founded the Kabataang Makabayan (Pa-triotic Youth). Successful in his front’s endeavor, he was able to develop a number of cadres under his wings. To reconstitute the Party, he suggested for a summing of experiences to redirect the

Party’s course of action. He presented a paper outlining errors of the past that must be corrected which the leadership ignored. Sison then repudiated the old leadership of Lava and Taruc and re-established the Communist Party of the Philippines in December 26, 1968. In the following year, on March 29, the CPP estab-lished the New People’s Army with members from the old party and new recruits. Ac-cording to Amado Guerrero, “The New People’s Army started with sixty fighters, armed with nine automatic rifles and twenty-six single-shot rifles and handguns in the second district of Tarlac province.”

Martial Law and The New Society

Faced with a growing

public unrest, the expansion of the New People’s Army, and a threat of secession from the Muslim in Mindanao, President Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972. He ordered the arrest of oppositionists including Be-nigno Aquino, Jr., journalists, student and labor activists, and criminal elements. Only the government sponsored newspapers were allowed to be printed and broadcast media were tightly controlled. Marcos closed the Philippine Congress and assumed its legislative responsibilities.

Then Minister of National Defense Juan Enrile would

later on admit that the incident that precipitated Proclama-tion 1081 was an attempt, allegedly by communists, to assassinate him. However, it was his own men who riddled his unoccupied car with ma-chinegun bullets on the night Martial Law was declared.

At the heels of Martial Law, Marcos envisioned a “New Society”. He criticized the old systems as colonial and deterrent to moderniza-tion. Towards this end, he issued voluminous Letters of Instructions, policies, and laws that vent on chang-ing individual attitudes and grass root organizations like his reconstituted barangays. Despite his criticisms of the old society, however, Marcos, his wife, and closed cronies practiced graft and corruption on colossal scales.

The Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Assassination

Amidst down spiraling

economy and reinvigorated communist threat, the catalyst that accelerated the collapse of the Marcos dictatorship was the August 1983 assassi-nation of Benigno S. Aquino, Jr.

Aquino was the foremost oppositionist of Marcos and was to be the presidential candidate and sure winner had

Marcos not declared Martial Law at the heel of Marcos’ term. Aquino belongs to a line of hacienderos. His grand-father served under Emilio Aguinaldo and his father col-laborated with the Japanese.

Suffering a cardiac condi-tion while in detention when Martial Law was declared, he was airlifted to the United States for treatment. Recover-ing after three years of exile, reported to be goaded by the CIA to return to the Philip-pines to replace the growing unpopular Marcos, he en-planed back to meet his death.

Enraged with Aquino’s death, viewed as a savior from Marcos dictatorship, and with suspects of his assassination acquitted, the Filipinos grew more restive against Marcos. In a judged surprising blunder on Marcos’ part, he called for a snap election thinking to regain his popularity and control. Marred by violence and charges of fraud he was supposed to have won over the opposing candidate – the wife of his martyred nemesis – Corazon Aquino.

When Marcos was declared president again, his former Philippine Constabulary Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos and Na-tional Defense Secretary Juan Enrile abandoned him and led a rebellion supported by a

now famous People’s Power. Before the people ransacked the Malacanang Palace, Marcos sought the help of the United States. Help came only in the form of a helicopter connecting to an Air Force jet which flew his family to Ha-waii. There he remained until he died in 1989.

Carted by the Marcoses to Hawaii were some 300 crates of possessions and more that 28 million pesos in cash. It is reported that this was just an iota of the couple’s five to ten billion dollars of illegally ac-quired wealth. Marcos’ frozen accounts in Switzerland were reported to aggregate to $475 million. The extravagance of Imelda is taunted to be ex-pressed in her possession of 3000 pairs of shoes found in her closet when she hurriedly left Malacanang.

Marcos died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. His body was initially refused en-try into the Philippines, so Imelda arranged to keep it in refrigeration at a mausoleum in Oahu. In 2001, Marcos’ corpse was allowed to return to the Philippines during the administration of President Ridel Ramos. However, plans to bury the former president anywhere in the Philippines, especially in Islands’ Heroes Hill, brought instant protests. Imelda Marcos refuses to bury her husband’s body until he is given full military honors, so he remains in a glass topped refrigerated coffin on display at the Marcos’ family mau-soleum in his hometown of Batac, Ilocos Norte in Luzon.

Upon their return to the

Philippines, the Marcoses still have their followings. Imee Marcos, the eldest daugh-ter of Marcos served three terms as representative of the 2nd District of Ilocos Norte in the Philippine House of Representatives from 1998 to 2007. She belongs to the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan or KBL political party, the same party established by his father. Bongbong Marcos, Ferdi-nand’s junior, also served as Ilocos Norte Congressman.

On March 10, 2010 Imelda Marcos launched a political comeback for a congressional seat at the age of 80. Address-ing the media, she said that her running was also for the redemption of her husband. She ran for a seat in the lower house of the House of Rep-resentatives. Bongbong was also on a senatorial bid, while Imee vyed for the governor-ship in Ilocos Norte which was incumbently occupied by her cousin, Michael Keon.

Imelda added that she ran for the Parliament because she wants to “ensure and uphold political integrity and the truth.”

Continuing in this series

From Heaven to Holly-wood and Wannabes

The Unfinished Revolution of 1896

Statistics shows that almost 90 percent of the Filipinos are literate giving us the edge in the international employment. It is as if the educational system was patterned to make Filipinos serve the needs of the world.


Spiritual Life

Read Monsignor’s previous articles by visit-ing our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Msgr. Fernando G. Gutierrez

Lower Your Nets Balintataw

Read Virginia Ferrer’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Virginia H. Ferrer

Rooms for RentNo Smoking, No Drugs In a quiet residential

neighborhood of National CityCall 619.656.0409

Hindi Mo Ba Narinig?Hindi mo ba narinig ng pumatak ang ulanna nagmula pa sa malawak na kalangitanagad niyang binasa natutuyong sakahanat pati mandin ang mainit na buhanginan.

Hindi mo ba narinig ng mapigtal ang dahonmula sa nakahilig na malaking punong ‘yonna kung malakas ang hangin masda’t umuugoytila baga hinehele kanyang munting sanggol.

Hindi mo ba narinig ang matinding sagisitng kumaripas na kotse sa daang makitidna tila nagmamadali na kanyang masapitang lugar na tagpuan ng kanyang iniibig.

Hindi mo ba narinig ng tumulo ang luhasa matinding lungkot sa irog niyang dakilasa usapang magkikita nawala ng biglamandin ay mayroon ng s’yang ibang minumutya

©2010 Virginia H. Ferrer. All rights reserved.

About the Author: Virginia H. Ferrer is a Filipino Language Teacher at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista.

Joke of the Week: The American soldier did not like the food set before him in a restaurant near Piccadilly Circus. The meat was over cooked, the greens water-logged and reheated potatoes lukewarm. He called for his bill, leaving a barely-touched plate on the table. The aged waiter was shocked. “Wasting food like that!” he said. “Don’t you know that food will win the war?” “Maybe,” retorted the American. “But who’s gonna get the enemy to eat here?”

Scripture: First Reading: Genesis: 14: 18-20. Today’s passage narrates the encounter between Abraham and the Canaanite priest-king Melchizedek who brings bread and wine and pronounces a bless-ing. In return, Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything he owns. Some exegetes ar-gue that Melchizedek’s role as interpreted in the Letter to the Hebrew is that of a priest not sacrificing, but blessing that communi-cates the fruits of an effica-cious sacrifice that was once made for all. This commen-tary alludes to the Eucharistic presence. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26. The tradition that Paul hands on to the Corinthians is understood in the light of the paschal mystery. That is why this passage when read on Holy Thursday connects the insti-tution of the Holy Eucharist

Bread broken; blood shed

with the Holy Week triduum. This time, however, this pas-sage is linked with a liturgi-cal rite in the early Church. Gospel: Luke 9: 11b-17. This account is parallel with the incident when the man from Baal-shalishah brought Elisha a few loaves and fish. When the servant protested, “How can I set this before a hundred

men?” the prophet said, “They shall eat and have some left.” (2 Kings 4: 42-43) For Luke, the multiplication of loaves and fish, like the Holy Eu-charist, looks forward to the end-time that according to the tradition of Israel and of Jesus is symbolized by a banquet.

Reflections: Toward the end of Leonard Bernstein’s musical play, Mass, there was a priest dressed in litur-gical vestments who held in

his hands a glass chalice. A human pyramid lifted him up high into the air. All of a sud-den the pyramid collapsed, the priest fell to the ground. The glass chalice was broken into several pieces. As the priest, now dressed casually in jeans and T-shirt, walked away he heard a group of children singing, “Laude, laude, laude” (Praise, praise, praise). The priest paused for a moment, looked intently at the broken glass chalice and uttered, “I never realized that broken glass could shine so brightly.”

Does a broken glass really shine brightly? Is there any positive element in broken-ness? Is brokenness beautiful? Can we draw something posi-tive out of brokenness? The Holy Eucharist is offered to us not only as a meal, but also as a sacrifice. What does it mean to have the Body of the Lord broken and his Blood shed for us?

From one of my pil-grimages to Central and Eastern Europe, together with thirty-seven pilgrims (six men and thirty-one women), we visited five countries and celebrated Masses at different ba-roque and gothic churches and cathedrals. We broke the Sacred Eucharistc bread so many times at Mass at St. Francis Church in Vienna, Our Lady of Victory in Prague, St. John the Baptist Church of Warsaw, Jasna Gora, Poland’s Shrine for the Black Madonna, Wielicz-ka Sal Mine chapel (depth of 1,840 km.) of Krakow, the Shrine of the Divine Mercy and St. Faustina,

also of Krakow, and St. Peter Alcantara Church in Buda-pest.

To nourish our hunger, bread goes through different stages of brokenness. The grains of wheat thrown to the ground died, but later brought forth another life when the blades of new wheat start to emerge. The grains are bro-ken again when harvested, grounded into flour and kneaded into bread. Finally the finished product is bro-

ken, shared and eaten. The same process happens with wine. The vine is pruned and grapes are harvested. Grapes are crushed and broken under wine press. The juice goes through fermentation and ag-ing. Wine is “broken” when it is poured for drinking.

Every aspect of broken-ness has the elements of life and death. As part of our pilgrimage, the group visited Checkpoint Charlie and the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Stories and legends abound about the success-ful, unsuccessful, tragic and daring escapes of people from East Berlin who wanted to be united with their families, friends and communities in West Berlin. Their broken lives and stories are immortal-ized by JFK’s speech on June 26, 1963, “Ich bin ein Berlin-er” (I am a citizen of Berlin) The million innocent lives lost at at Auschwitz Concen-tration Camp manifest the tragedy of man’s inhumanity to man. The broken lives of both West and East Berlin-ers who were separated for years by the Berlin Wall and the shed blood of the victims of the Holocaust are not in vain. These people’s sacrifice or death brings out a bet-ter world. People of the free world have learned a lesson: never again would they allow a madman to terrorize and kill innocent people. The lives too of countless saints to whom so many churches and shrines are dedicated attest to the life-giving grace of God that transforms one’s brokenness to shine brightly. The saintly examples of John Paul II, St. Faustina, and St. Maximilian Kolbe (who took the place of a Jew who was chosen to be executed) verify that one’s life that is broken in humble service of the Lord and of others leads to eternal life.

For the spiritually uplifting and physically refreshing pil-grimage, I want to thank the generous Flor Rodriguez of Travel Best, Nellie Dimagiba and Marie Osias (who orga-nized the lectors and prayer leaders as well as the seating rotation in the bus), Fe Guarin (who provided and led the liturgical singing), and the ever-helpful RN Florence Pa-crem (who always went out of her way to help some mem-bers of the group with the needed medical advice and their heavy, amber/souvenir-filled luggage).

Quotation of the Week: It would be scarcely necessary to expand doctrine of our lives were radiant enough. If we behave like true Chris-tians, there would be no pagans.”

Pope John xxııı.


Read Romeo Nicolas’s previous poems by vis-iting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

Laughing MatterRead previous articles by visiting our website at www.asian-

journalusa.com

Sobrang Buwisit!!!!Labis akong naiinis mula noong isang buwan,Sa ikatlong araw pa lang, marami ng dumadalaw.Sadya namang alam ko na ang totoo at dahilan,Limos awang pasalubong, sadyang lapit ng duhapang.

Kung minsan pa, dumarating, tumatawag sa missis ko,‘Di naman sya kakilala’t ‘di alam ang pakay nito.Kaya naman saking inis, limang pinto, kinandado,Sa gusto kong manahimik, humimlay sa aking kuwarto.

Ganyang lagi itong siste sa twing ako ay dadalaw,Kunsumisyon sa bisitang hindi namin kailangan.Payag ako kung kapatid, kamaganak, kaibigan,At hindi yong mga taong, limos lang ang hinihintay.

Tumutulong naman kami sa Baranggay at Orphanage,Ito’y aming panata na sa twing kami’y nagbabalik.Pagkain at sakong bigas kapag Pasko’y sumasapit,Papel, libong mga “ball pen” pati na rin mga lapis.

Pero tila sumosobra kapag kami’y dumaratal,Walang buting nakikita, kung lagi lang magbibigay.Dalwang taon kaming wala, sya ring mukha ang dadatnan,Na syang laging lumalapit, laging awa yaong usal.

Paano nga uunlad pa ang maraming kababayan?Kung sa HINGI lang aasa, ‘di magsikap na mabuhay.At kung ang MAYKAYA naman, patuloy na magbibigay,‘Di na sila matututong umahon sa KAHIRAPAN.

Kaya tuloy “statistic” ang mayaman, yumayaman,Ang mahirap dumarami ng dahil sa KATAMARAN.Kaya yaong KAPUSPALAD, mamasdan man sa lansangan,‘Di na ako naaawa sa piniling KAPALARAN.

‘Di dapat na sisisihin ang kawalan ng gawain,O, ng tulong sa GOBYERNO na ‘di naman dumarating.Sisihin ang SARILI MO, sarili mo ay tanungin,Ano ba ang PANGARAP mo? Sige, sige at sabihin.

Huwag ka sanang magdaramdam, kabayan kong mga FIL-AM

Ang lahat ng sinabi ko, ito ay katotohanan.Dalwang ulit na bakasyon, “2 years” ang syang tinatagal,Kay rami kong mga bagay, sating bansa’y natutuhan.

Isang bagay, paalala, sa tulad kong mga FIL-AM,Huwag na huwag susubukin na kayo ay magpautang.Ang minsanang pangyayari, ito’y laging masusundan,Hanggang ikaw ay ma-BUWISIT, iwanan ang ating bayan.

Kung mayron kang mga gamit, sinalanta nitong UNDOY,Maging ito ay SASAKYAN, maging ito’y AIR CONDI-

TION.Ang lahat ng manggagawa, tiyakan kang lilitsunin,Sa CHARGES na walang awa, dahil AMERICAN PINOY.

Hindi muna sasabihin kung gaano ang gastos mo,Ang gastos ay sasabihin kung tapos na ang trabaho.Dagdag ko pa, hindi uso, na bigyan ka ng RESIBO,Ikaw mismo ang gagawa, papirmahin itong LOKO.

Tignan na lang itong AC na gamit ko saking kuwarto,Ito’y aking ginagamit ng halos ay dalwang linggo.Sa “freon” nga ito’y kulang, kulang din ang lamig nito,Bah! Diskarte nitong Hudas, ginalaw daw ng kung sino.

Dito ako ay nagduda, uminit ang aking ulo,Ang “compressor” daw ay sira, ang gastos ay pitong libo.Sa galit ko’y nagparinig, “Ibalik mo na ang AC ko”.Sa narinig niyang boses, “freon” at linis tinarbaho.

Kapag ika’y walang alam, galing “tate”, Balikbayan,Huhuthutin tayong lahat bilang “TANGANG” mamamayan.Kung lagi kang pasusundot, kawawa ka kaibigan,At ‘di mo na nanaising mahalin ang KABABAYAN.

Kaya ingat, ingat FIL-AM, tayo naman ay marunong,Makabagong kaalaman, duon tayo nakatuon.Likas tayong mahabagin pagkat tayo’y DUGONG PINOY‘Wag PUSO ang pairalin, kungdi UTAK, ating DATOY.

Tunay na pangyayaring tula at balita sa lahat ng FIL-AM nginyong lingkod na ngayon ay nasa Bocaue, Bulacan.Romeo S. Nicolas3/13/2010

A man went to a pet shop and bought a talking parrot. He took the parrot home, and tried to teach the parrot how to say a few things, but instead the parrot just swore at him. After a few hours of trying to teach the bird finally the man said “If you don’t stop swearing I’m going to put you in the freezer as punishment.” The parrot continued, so finally the man put the bird in the freezer. About an hour later the parrot asked the man to please open the door. As the man took the shiver-ing bird out of

the

freezer it said “I promise to never swear again. Just tell me what that turkey did!”

***

A

man is walking down the street and he sees a boy riding a wagon. The boy has his dog pull-ing it with a rope attached to the dogs balls. The man says “You know if you tied it around his neck, it would go faster.” The boy replies, “I know but then I wouldn’t get the cool siren.”

***

On Christmas morning a cop on horseback is sitting at a traffic light, and next to him is a kid on his brand new bike. The cop says to the kid, “Nice bike you got there. Did Santa bring that to you?” The kid says, “Yeah.” The cop says, “Well, next year tell Santa to put a tail-light on that bike.” The cop then proceeds to issue the kid a $20.00 bicycle safety violation ticket. The kid takes the ticket and before the cop rides off says, “By the way, that’s a nice horse you got there. Did Santa bring that to you?” Humouring the kid, the cop says, “Yeah, he sure did.” The kid says, “Well, next year tell Santa to put the dick underneath the horse, instead of on top.”

***

A popular airline recently introduced a special half rate fare for wives who accompa-nied their husbands on busi-ness trips. Expecting great feedback, the company sent out letters to all the wives of businessmen who had used the special rates, asking how they enjoyed their trip. Let-ters are still pouring in ask-ing, “What trip?”

***

A man and his wife are driving down the road when a cop pulls them over. The cop says to the man, “Do you know that you were speed-

Talking Parroting?” The man replies,

“No sir, I didn’t know I was

speeding.” The mans wife then yells, “Yes

you did, you knew you were speeding I’ve been telling you to slow down for miles.” “SHUT UP!” the man says to his wife, “Shut the hell up, just sit back and be quite.” Then the cop says, “well, since I’ve got you pulled over did you know that the tag on your license

plate is ex-pired?”

“No Sir” the man replies, “I did not know that”

“WHATEVER!” His wife yells, “I’ve been tell-ing you to go get it up to date for 2 whole months now!” “Shut up” the man yells to his wife again! “Sit back and shut up, mind your own business!” Curios, the cop walks over to the

woman’s side of

the car and asks her,

“Does he always talk to you this way?” “No”

she replies, “ Only when he’s drinking!”

Poem No. 6

Deception at its best!You played well!Because you are...

Always...Always integrated!In so many ways

Even the bluntness of your act...Depicts deception...

Deception of the highest...Highest order of half truths...

Integrated!A show of reality...In terms of form...

In terms of substance...Fully integrated to be real...

And it is...It is real!

A reality of half truths...Always incomplete...

Partly light...Partly dark....Always gray!

The universe speaks of youYou are who you areAnd always will...

Forever etched in eternityThis you will always be!

Street Poetry

Read about Michael’s upcoming book of poems “Crushed Violets” by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Michael R. Tagudin

©2010 Michael R. Tagudin. All rights reserved.

About the Author: Michael R. Tagudin Educated as an engineer in the Philippines, the City of Los Angeles em-ployee hopes his legacy of poems will provoke a dialogue about the human condition. He is donating the proceeds from the book “Crushed Violets” to anti-human trafficking efforts in the City of Angels. Contact [email protected] for more information.


Viewpointby Juan Mercado

from Philippine Daily In-quirer

Credit baseball star Yogi Berra for that fractured but colorful sentence. Déjà vu is a French phrase. It means a feeling that surges from re-runs of experiences. “Been there. Done that” is the Eng-lish version.

Did Sen. Edgardo Angara ladle a dose of déjà vu? For diplomats to congratulate Sen. Benigno Aquino III is “premature,” Angara told the Inquirer. Congress still has to officially proclaim the win-ning presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The felicitations were not “ill-intentioned,” he added. They probably stemmed from “lack of knowledge of our electoral processes.”

Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zap-atero and Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wished Aquino success. Ambassador Liu Jianchao offered China’s collaboration in advancing “strategic relationships.” European Union Ambassador Alistair MacDonald lauded the huge turnout of voters. “The patience of electors, in the sweltering heat, were an impressive proof of the resolve people (had) to make their voices heard,” MacDon-ald said.

Indeed, “the will of the Filipino people was respect-ed” in the polls, US Ambassa-dor Harry K. Thomas stressed. He made a high profile call on

Déjà vu all over again

Sen. Edgardo Angara

Aquino at the family’s mod-est Times Street residence in Quezon City.

Media lapped up the hu-man interest angle in Thomas’ remark: “Sinabi ko sa kanya maligayang bati.” A covey of senior embassy officials flanked Thomas. That sig-naled readiness to tackle fes-tering concerns with the new president.

“The Thomas’ visit was a tacit message from the US government,” the Inquirer noted. “The scheduled con-gressional canvass of votes for president and vice presi-dent (which started Tuesday) shouldn’t be derailed.”

Malacañang gives daily assurances the turnover to a new president will be smooth, writes Tufts University’s W. Scott Thompson. “Why does no one believe it? And why does the Palace feel it neces-sary to give such reassur-ances?”

“The answer is simple,” says the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy profes-sor. “Outgoing President and

Congresswoman-elect Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo put in place everything needed to ensure she retains clout.

“She tamed the Supreme Court … Astonishingly, it voted to sustain her power to make ‘midnight’ judicial ap-pointments, including a new chief justice.

“In the military, she put her favorites in the highest position … She influences the Congress.

“She thought she had the Americans under her thumb.”

But since the arrival of the new US ambassador, “that part of Arroyo’s control appa-ratus has become less predict-able.”

“Everyone in the Philip-pines prays (President Ar-royo) will have the decency to hand the reins of power over to (Aquino) gracefully and thoroughly,” Thompson said. “That is the only uncertainty remaining about the election. Filipinos don’t want to go back into the streets to sustain constitutionality. But at this point, and once again, they are ready.”

Angara is no babe in the woods. Neither are the heads of state and diplomats who congratulated Noynoy. They know the distinction that the senator gently pointed out. Thus, they make sure the mes-sage that their public gestures convey advance their national and strategic interests.

If politicians derail a suc-cessful election, the Philip-pines would erupt. That’s the last thing this region needs. Thailand already reels from months of street battles and prospects of a troubled suc-cession of the Chakri mon-archy. North Korea is in the dock for a torpedo attack on a Seoul warship. Burma bar-rels into a rigged election that further suppresses freedoms symbolized by the detained Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. And Malaysia is snarled

over debates whether non-Muslims may call God Allah.

Is Angara’s gripe déjà vu all over again?

Flash back to Feb. 23, 1986. Ambassadors from 15 nations called on Corazon Aquino at her Times Street residence. Ms Aquino told the diplomats she was “de-termined to assume the presi-dency at the earliest possible time.”

The diplomats represented Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Brit-ain, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Denmark and West Germany. The Catholic Bishops’ Con-ference earlier issued a pas-toral letter signed by Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. The rigged snap election, the statement said, lacked moral authority.

US Catholic bishops backed the Philippine bish-ops’ pastoral letter. Paced by Sen. Edward Kennedy, the US Senate adopted, by an 85 to 9 vote, a resolution that as-serted that the snap elections were marked by “widespread fraud.”

Surrounded by Batasan flunkies of the Marcos dic-tatorship, Speaker Nicanor Yniguez, nonetheless, pro-claimed Ferdinand Marcos the winner of the snap election.

That gross image peers over Speaker Prospero Nograles’ shoulders. Today, Nograles and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile preside over a canvass haunted by concerns of foot-dragging by the regime.

“Relations between the foreign office and European ambassadors deteriorated ever since they attended the fu-neral of Sen. Ninoy Aquino,” recalls Juan Ona of the De-partment of Foreign Affairs. Acting Foreign Secretary Pacifico Castro sternly rapped the diplomats, saying, “You are accredited to the head of state, not to Cardinal Sin or Mrs Aquino.”

By then, Castro’s own col-leagues in the DFA’s career service had revolted against poll rigging. They signed a paper backing People Power.

Angara has delivered a gentler version of Castro’s gripe 24 years later. Will today’s Senate-House can-vass bog down in partisan squabbles? Or will it speedily confirm the people’s choices? That would prove interna-tional prodding isn’t needed. “Been there. Done that.”

By: Father Shay Cullen

The hope and dream of every Filipino is to see a transforma-tion in the land and its people. They never cease to hope for the Filipino Messiah, a true, hon-est, charismatic President that will have nation-wide support of the indigenous people, the small farmers and the millions of marginalized Filipinos. The ideal President would rise to national leadership from this mass-base through a non-violent democratic process. With a solid base, such a president would have the cour-age and public support to take a stand on behalf of the 90 mil-lion dispossessed impoverished Filipinos that hunger and thirst for justice, freedom, peace and prosperity. With a base like that, he or she would not be beholden to the monied class, the corpora-tions, the landowners, and the foreign interests. He would be free to rule according to the law and an enlightened moral vision.

That is the freedom the people want most, freedom from servile slavery to patrons and monied masters, free from the forced docility of the sex slavers, free to know the truth about themselves, their rights and dignity. They want to be free to speak and write the truth, to read and see and hear it. They want to know and understand why they wallow in flooded slums sur-rounded by the towering condo-miniums and mansions of their masters.

They thirst for the knowledge of how and why they are ruled as they are; cheated, harassed, denied decency and dignity, the basics of life and survival. They want to know why they are so poor and powerless. They want a president to be on their side to help them understand how and by whom they were robbed of their rights and national wealth, How they lost the resources that are rightly theirs but seized and controlled by a “regime of the rich”. There is no leader, candi-date or political messiah capable to answer and speak of these realities. There is none yet with the political power or the moral force to change them. Yet one might just emerge, this is the hope of the powerless and the poor. It helps them survive one day more from one handful of rice to the next.

Filipinos of integrity and vi-sion have come and gone, lived and died, have risen and fallen, cried out and were silenced, stood up and were shot down. They almost found the road to freedom through the grassroots social justice organizations that gave Bolivians their Evo Mo-rales. He rose through the social organizations of the indigenous

The President That Can Bring Change

Bolivian President Evo Mo-rales has followed the lead of Venezuela and cut diplomatic relations with the Zionist State

peoples of which he was one. He united them around labor rights, farmers’ rights and human rights. Without such a non-violent, democratic grass-roots organiza-tion, a natural born leader cannot unite the majority behind him or her. The closest that the self-sac-rificing Filipinos came to a com-parable situation was through the Federation of Free Farmers that grew rapidly in the 1950s and its truly inspiring leader Jeremias U. Montemayor who died June 2002, could have been an Evo Morales but the imposition of martial law changed everything.

Evo Morales of Bolivia and the social organizations of in-digenous people that he leads to this day as their democratically-elected president can be a model for others to learn from. They give hope, inspire idealism, and open-up great possibilities as it did in Bolivia. This model of na-tional democratic transformation succeeded where violent revolu-tion failed. It is not the only way but just one way. The indigenous Bolivian people made up of 55 percent of the population with another 30 percent of mixed race, yet all were ruled by the 15 percent that were descended from Spanish conquistadors or European migrants. When the majority was enlightened with a knowledge of the truth about their rights, they organized a movement to make them a real-ity.

They elected one of their own, Evo Morales, of indig-enous decent, born into extreme poverty. He became the elected leader and after years of political and economic struggle, succeed-ed in winning the presidency in 2005. He was reelected in 2009 with 63% of the vote. The rule of the dynastic families ended, the elite retreated, the wealthy were forced to surrender their ill-got-ten gains, the natural resources were taken back for the people. The ruling elite, perhaps sixty powerful families, were brought down from their thrones and sent away empty on the election day and now the majority rules. Why couldn’t it happen in the Philip-pines?

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His Destiny, Our Destiny

GLIMPSESJose Ma. Montelibano

When Cory was dying, a whole nation prayed for her. The great outpouring of sorrow and sympathy, includ-ing expressions of gratitude from a people, will always be remembered, but the spiritual connection of the Filipino with Cory was first revealed when prayers for a miracle healing or for an end to her suffering were offered by a whole nation. It is no secret that Noynoy’s explosion to the presidential race was a direct result of the Cory fac-tor, and that Noynoy’s appar-ent win can be credited to the same Cory factor.

There was a moment when Noynoy’s 51% survey ratings dropped to 37%. His rivals thought that his bubble had burst, and maybe it had. But his rivals underestimated the Cory factor, the Yellow fever, and did not understand that they were not fighting Noynoy anymore but a hard core Cory and Yellow base. When they bombarded Noynoy with black propaganda but got nowhere, it was because they were already confronting the Cory and Yellow army, not just Noynoy.

The Cory and Yellow forces are very much around. In fact, threats of a “no-proc” scenario have triggered a break in the euphoria of these forces and a new alert for mass action should it become necessary. Leaders of these forces had never seriously

subscribed to the possibility of a failure of elections simply because that development would clearly show the rest of the free world that Gloria had crossed an international no-no boundary and provoke global condemnation. A “no-proc” scenario seemed like a real, though sinister, pos-sibility if it could be pulled off from within constitutional parameters and Gloria being a congresswoman and a Prime Minister in waiting.

I am glad to note that a presidential spokesman of Gloria had spoken out against rumors of a “no-proc” scenar-io. That reduces the possibil-ity of the same as only Gloria has enough authority, power and resources to attempt such a desperate move. Yet, Glo-ria’s concern for what the US and China will say can make her more attuned to a reality greater than her or her desires. The subtle message of ambas-sadors of the United States and China calling on Noynoy Aquino is short of saying “Congratulations” in words what actions already signify.

It appears that both the US and China have serious interests in the Philippines, politically, militarily and as a source of strategic raw materi-als. Gloria will listen to both countries. If she has any mon-ey stashed at all, then she will be very sensitive especially to the one who may have have been monitoring movements of big amounts. Cheating may be one country’s affair but it has international reper-

cussions. It is more true in a country that has been subser-vient to those more powerful or richer.

Nevertheless, strange things have happened before and the interests of Filipinos will always be second or third fiddle to the interests of an interventionist nation. I was smiling at that old and trite line that the militant Left again publicized about Noynoy being the new Ameri-can puppet after the US Am-bassador visited Times Street. When will the same militant Left say that Noynoy is also the puppet of China for the same reason? Anyway, with news that the Prime Minister of Japan has agreed that US bases can stay in Japan will ease pressure on the Ameri-cans to insist on the Philip-pines as its most preferred location for new US bases.

The real barometer of real realpolitik, though, is the jockeying for position under both a Noynoy presidency and a Binay vice-presidency. Al-ready, the lines are long as far as applicants are concerned as the new president will have the authority, and the burden, of appointing thousands as replacement to Arroyo ap-pointees. And I assume that a threatened Liberal Party, or to be more specific, a threatened faction of the Liberal Party controlled by Mar Roxas, will try to make the new vice-pres-ident as inutile as possible.

It is only now when Noynoy Aquino can begin to build his own personality and leadership beyond just what he inherited. Everyday from now on, life will present opportunity after opportunity for Noynoy to be president of all Filipinos and not just son of Cory or the Liberal Party presidential candidate. It will be a new day for him as a

political player and for Fili-pinos hoping for change. Yet, Cory and what she represents to many Filipinos will remain very important to the presi-dency of Noynoy. He cannot betray her even as he charts a precarious path to change.

What can one man do when his shoulders carry the dreams and hopes of hiss people, even those who did not vote for him? Very much and very little. Very much because his position, actua-tion and authority will set a pace and tone which binds a whole bureaucracy to try to follow with dire consequences

against those who will defy. Very little if not enough citi-zens are motivated to follow their president’s leadership and contribute their citizens’ share.

It may be difficult for Fili-pinos to learn about discipline in the next six years of a sec-ond Aquino presidency, but Noynoy can start something which cannot be reversed by the end of his term. He is not expected to do it all but he is expected to start it all. He cannot begin his office trying to be a good president; be-cause of what our country and people have become, Noynoy

Aquino must strive from day one to be the best president the Philippines has ever had. To whom much has been given, truly much is expected.

Destiny is a giver of missions. It dispenses both blessings and trials, the for-mer to equip the beneficiary with what is needed for a great mission, and the latter to bring out the hero through fortitude and wisdom. What may be more important, though, is what destiny has given to the Filipino, and what each of us can do to be-come the hero that the moth-erland has long waited for.


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There’s The Rubby Conrado de Quiros

from Philippine Daily Inquirer

Am I worried that Noynoy Aquino will not be proclaimed at the end of next month and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will continue to be a holdover president?

Not at all. The time when Arroyo could have mounted a “no-proc” is gone and past. Noynoy will be president by the end of next month.

At the very least that is so

because he is the near-univer-sally perceived winner of the presidential elections. I say near-universally because only Joseph “Erap” Estrada is now challenging it, while most of the people who voted for him have given it up. What makes the electoral protests a little silly is the basic contention of the losers that the elections were “generally clean” except in their cases.

That’s what the Erap camp is saying. Only Noynoy cheated. Or worse, as Erap’s supporters have openly charged, only Noynoy has benefited from Arroyo’s cheating. The elections were perfectly OK when it came to Erap’s wife and two sons who won, and won big, but not so in his case.

And that’s what the Roxas camp is suggesting. Only Jojo

After the fallBinay cheated, his numbers being unbelievable. Or worse, as his supporters have darkly hinted, only Binay has ben-efited from whoever cheated. The elections were perfectly OK when it came to Roxas’ running mate who won, and won big, but not so in his case.

This is where I say again I am thankful for the surveys, a thing I never thought I’d find myself saying. Without the surveys, the results of the elections would now be in very serious dispute. Easy to say the results are unbeliev-

able and let loose more koalas into the Philippine Outback. The Comelec is not exactly held in the highest esteem by the public. Until it held an election that hewed pretty nearly to the findings of the more reputable survey-takers. That is not to say I have become a convert of surveys; that is merely to give credit where credit is due.

I myself suspect the reason it happened was that it wasn’t the public who wasn’t pre-pared for automation, it was the commissioners. Most of them are past masters in the tricks that happen in canvass-ing, the kind where 100 gets to be 100,000, but few, if any, of them are even neophytes in the tricks that happen in com-puting. Some of them prob-ably still use manual typewrit-ers, the kind found in police

stations, LTO branches, and canvassing offices. As a rule, automation can’t be hacked: You cannot tamper with it from the outside, you can tamper with it only from the inside. How could the Garcis educate the public in the use of the machines when they couldn’t educate themselves with it enough to mis-educate the public about the results?

The clincher in the elec-tions being credible was that all the Queen’s men lost. Or the ones that had lent their faces to Arroyo’s re-gime, chief of them Prospero Nograles, Raul Gonzalez and Mike Defensor. They lost, and lost big.

Noynoy doesn’t get to be proclaimed on June 30 and

you will have an Edsa situa-tion. It’s not just that a reason-ably beloved leader would be prevented from becoming leader, it’s that an unreason-ably unloved leader would continue to be so.

Which brings me to: At the very most there’s the psychol-ogy of it.

You don’t need Tolkien’s imagination to see the sea-change that has been wrought on the face of this country by the elections. All you need is to open your eyes. I did warn about it repeatedly in past months: After Arroyo falls, she will look like the bust of Marcos in Agoo, home to rain, crows and forgetfulness. Once a face that shocked and awed the people of this country, it has become one that draws only spite and spit. It looks like a face in the throes of pain and anguish, a reminder that the exalted shall be humbled, so like Ozymandias proclaiming, “Look upon me, ye mighty, and despair.” Such is the fate of tyrants.

You don’t need to go far to see it. Facebook has a “Dear Gloria” site that has become

a big hit, performing the not inconsiderable service of giv-ing people therapy by allow-ing them to release pent-up emotions. Brave new world, we never had that in 1986. It’s a mechanism for instant national catharsis. Needless to say, most of the letters that ap-pear there are not fit to print—in newspapers at least, the Web is a little freer (for good and bad). It’s enough to have bestirred the usual suspects in Malacañang, Gary Olivar and company, to call for sobriety, if not call the writers names (“It’s their right to be as foul and stupid as they want”), to which the writers have re-sponded gleefully with more of the same.

No, I’m not worried at all that Noynoy will not be proclaimed and Arroyo will continue to be hold-over president. In fact I’m not worried at all that Arroyo will cause any trouble in Congress, such as by rallying her troops as speaker of the House and posing a threat to the new government. The moment she steps out of Malacañang by the end of next month, she will be more alone than Mar-cos. At least Marcos had

a loyal following, however small, based on those persons’ belief in his ability and/or generosity. Arroyo has none. Not even Hermogenes Espe-ron and Eduardo Ermita will be there, and in any case they too have already been judged harshly by the voters, pend-ing the judgment of history. She will be orphaned in ways that redefine orphanhood just as she was once parented in ways that redefined parenting. The fall comes hard on the heels of pride.

More than the legal, more than the political, it is the psychological that will make Noynoy Aquino president of this country by the end of next month, a full month to the day his mother died. Whether he has a vice president or not, whether Jojo Binay will stand by his side or not. That is so because the people will want it so, that is so because the people will make it so. Heav-en has no beauty than a nation reborn.

Hell has no fury than hope scorned.

SAN DIEGO — U.S. Customs and Border Protec-tion officers at the Otay Mesa

cargo facility seized more than half a ton of marijuana Monday, after breaking apart cement fixtures to ac-cess the packages hid-den inside.

Just before 5 p.m. on May 24, a driver with a truck carrying a shipment of cement tabletops, benches, and other furniture and ce-ment decorative blocks, pillars, and tiles applied for entry into the U.S. at the Otay Mesa cargo facility.

After officers x-rayed the

truck and cargo, they sent the conveyance to the dock for a

CBP Officers Find Half Ton of Marijuana Inside Cement

Fixtures and Furnituremore intensive examination.

A CBP officer roving the dock with her narcotic de-

tection dog received an alert from the canine, react-ing to the cement items in the truck.

Officers unloaded the shipment and drilled into one of the ce-ment articles, discovering

marijuana hidden inside.After breaking apart

various cement items from

the shipment, officers found 140 packages of marijuana, weighing 1,335 pounds, with

an estimated value of $667,500.

CBP officers turned over cus-tody of the driver, a 36-year-old male Mexican citizen, to U.S. Immigration and Customs En-forcement agents. The driver is cur-rently being held at

the Metropolitan Correctional Center.


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AMERICAN DREAM


Center and completed my resi-dency in 1967 where I became an assistant pathologist and head of the blood bank, complete with a blood donor facility. I had a rigor-ous training and my next step was to move to a state with a better cli-mate. I obtained a state license to practice in Indiana and also passed California’s written examination. It was booming in all corners ca-reer-wise. My perseverance had been rewarded. I felt grateful to this country that offered me such opportunity. It was also about this time that my brother, Dr. Marcelo Candari, DMD, came to Chicago as a visitor and tried to look for a job. Unluckily, the immigration authorities did not allow him to do so and he left for Los Angeles, California, and finally got mar-ried and obtained his licensure to practice dentistry in the State of California.

Meanwhile, my family was flourishing well. Roy, Marjorie and Candace were born in Chi-cago. My youngest daughter Ar-leen was born in San Diego. But one day, there was a problem. I received a letter from the Depart-ment of Immigration giving me an order to leave the country in sixty days and go home to the Philip-pines as required by the ECFMG. My lawyer saved us.

Another problem was that the licensure requirement in the State of California required that foreign medical graduates should under-go rotating internship before es-tablishing a medical practice. I had wondered whether this was discriminatory. For the first time, I promised to myself that I would face these challenges and partake in the activities of Filipino medi-cal associations to fight discrimi-nation.

Relocated to San Diego , Cal-

fornia

In May 1969, my family de-cided to move to the so-called “cleanest city” in the U.S., which was San Diego, California. This move cleared the path to a re-markable advancement of my ca-reer and the evolution of an inner journey in my life. I was accepted as an intern at the 520-bed Mer-cy Hospital and Medical Center

(now known as Scripps Mercy), a very active teaching institution. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1890, it is San Diego’s oldest hospital. As a major teaching hospital, Mercy provided a pri-mary site for the clinical educa-tion of more than 50 residents and was a secondary training site for residents from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Naval Medical Center. In June 1997, Scripps Mercy Hos-pital was acknowledged by the physicians’ magazine, “Califor-nia Medicine,” as one of the top 20 hospitals in Southern Califor-nia.

I considered myself a pleasur-able man, and in addition to my past position and being board-eli-gible in pathology, I was accepted to function not as a rotating intern but as a chief resident (there were four residents) in the Department of Pathology. I was the only Fili-pino physician in the entire train-ing program of the hospital.

The San Diego Pathologist Medical Group, Inc., a fee-for-service practice ran

the pathology department. There were four pathologists whose chairman and

director was Dr. Dominick De Santo. He was an extremely hon-orable, respectful

and honest person. He was formerly a Director of Medi-cal Education. As an intern the Group added $500 to my stipend of $1,000. I had a solemn expec-tation that someday, somehow, I would be offered a position in the department.

One year went by very fast. I received a certificate of Intern-ship in May 1970. I was ready to take the oral clinical examina-tion of the State Medical Board before practicing my specialty in the State of California. For what-ever reason, the Chairman of Pa-thology advised me not to look for a job elsewhere and offered me a position as a locum tenens associate pathologist pending my certification for the Oral State Board Licensure. Dr. De Santo wrote a letter to the membership committee of Mercy Hospital and Medical Center that stated, “…. Dr. Candari is a well-trained pa-thologist; a fine young gentleman and we would like to recommend him for appointment in the pa-thology department. … He is not only the type of gentleman who is well-oriented and skillful in his specialty but is also a most pleas-

ant, affable, and warm-hearted individual who would do credit to any department of pathology…. All of my colleagues in the de-partment join me in recommend-ing him for this appointment.”

Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Sub-specialty in Blood Banking

A couple of milestones were oc-curring in my life. On Novem-ber 7,1970, I passed the specialty board examinations and became a Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology. I finally be-came partner of the San Diego Pathologist Medical Group, Inc. My contract was finalized and my pension benefits would be fully vested in three years. The invest-ments of the pension accounts were under the control of each individual partner.

Thereafter, I was elected as Fel-low of the College of American Pathologists and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists in 1971. Twenty-five years later, I was promoted to a title of Emeri-tus Fellow.

In January 1973, I decided to take the very first subspecialty examination in the practice of Blood Banking established by the American Board of Pathology. I was so proud to be the first Fili-pino pathologist who took the ex-amination and passed it without difficulty. There were more than 130 candidates from all over the U.S. and I was the only participant from San Diego, California. The Pathology News at Mercy Hospi-tal and Medical Center published the following: “… Dr. Cesar Can-dari, one of the Mercy Hospital pathology staff, has recently be-come certified in a new subspe-cialty of the American Board of Pathology. This new subspecialty is immunohematology -- Blood Banking, and the first examina-tion was given in January. The pathology staff is very pleased to have Dr. Candari’s special knowledge and expertise avail-able to the Mercy hospital blood transfusion service.” Impressed by this showing, my practice of pathology in the hospital was re-spected by the medical staff … I became the head of Blood Bank (Medical Director) and chairman of the Transfusion Committee and Transfusion Service, which provided vital expertise to inter-face with the medical staff. These were indeed important events in my chosen career.

I seriously entertained in my mind my objective to use my ex-

tensive training, knowledge and experience in the practice of ser-vice-oriented anatomic and

clinical pathology that empha-sized high-quality patient care and which operated in a cost-effective and efficient manner. My education provided a simi-lar quality service to the medical staff by establishing education programs and conferences that contributed to the facility’s over-all compliance with accredita-tion and licensing requirements. My administrative and supervi-sory skills included the ability to implement quality improvement programs and procedures in the Department of Pathology that created an efficient turn-around time of delivery and high quality work for the medical staff.

In Transfusion Service, which was considered my forte as a specialist, I was responsible for determining and establishing policies and procedures govern-ing all phases of blood banking in a Transfusion Service of a large teaching community Hospital with the ultimate goal of pro-viding the safest possible blood transfusion. Transfusion services for cardiac surgeries and other specialties were under my atten-tion and supervision. Patient con-sultations and treatment in thera-peutic pheresis were referred to me for services. Treatment and review of post-transfusion reac-tion, ABO/Rh immunohematol-ogy problems (hemolytic disease of newborn- HDN) were referred to me for consultation. I had mas-tered the knowledge and applica-tion of the American Association of Blood Bank Standards and was prepared at all times for the Joint Commission on Accreditation In-spections.

Blood Transfusion Policies and Standard Practices at Mercy Hos-pital and Medical Center were es-tablished in a form of a booklet, which I had created. In my intro-duction, I wrote the following:

This booklet is a compilation of rules and procedures relative to blood transfusion practices…it was prepared for use by nurs-es, physicians, and laboratory technologists, and other health personnel in the care of patients needing blood transfusion at this hospital.

Recent major advances in medi-

cal knowledge have greatly in-creased the volume and complex-ity of work in the Hospital Blood Bank. There has been recent em-phasis on autologous transfusions, newer practices to blood ordering (Type and Screen), AM admits (AMAD) for elective surgery and donor blood specific transfusion. However, the bulk of this booklet is devoted to the less glamorous, but particularly important topics such as requesting for blood and blood products, emergency trans-fusions, and most importantly, patient identification for transfu-sions….

Our policies are in a constant state of review and change for improvement. We welcome your suggestions for changes and con-structive criticisms. We, there-fore, urge all of you in this Hospi-tal who are in any way associated with the transfusion of blood and blood products to familiarize yourselves thoroughly with the material covered. Any questions, which may arise regarding poli-cies, must be communicated to the Blood Bank.

We believe that this booklet will serve as a readily available ref-erence source for everyone, the purpose of which is to establish guidelines for good

transfusion practices. The Joint Commission on Ac-

creditation regularly inspected the Department of Pathology and the inspectors were impressed with the policy booklet. A few re-quested for a copy of the booklet for their own reference.

My practice of pathology with four associates was a busy one in a large private community hospital with an active teaching program. In the early 1970’s, the pathology residency program was active. There were four residents in training for combined anatom-ic pathology (AP) and clinical pathology (CP). Daily surgical pathology conferences were held for residents focused on acquir-ing the technical skills that would form the basis for their careers in pathology. They must also ac-quire a fund of knowledge to be able to apply these skills intel-ligently as physicians (not tech-nicians) towards the goal of be-coming diagnosticians. Multiple rotations on the autopsy service for residents were followed in or-

der to acquire familiarity with a variety of dissection techniques, learn anatomy, and learn how human disease is manifested in anatomic changes throughout the body. Rotation in cytopathol-ogy was part of the AP program. Throughout the training program, the daily morning conferences provided residents with both for-mal instructions and longitudinal exposure to all of the areas of anatomic pathology, regardless of the rotation they were cur-rently on. Residents in Clinical Pathology rotated into different departments (Blood Bank/ trans-fusion service, microbiology/vi-rology, hematology, and clinical chemistry/immunology.) I have dedicated my time and efforts to this training program.

It was in the mid 1970’s when the pathology residency-training program was discontinued by the hospital for economic reason. My active participation in this program was truly enjoyable.

Each of us in the department had his own subspecialty and we divided our responsibilities and duties to every department. We rotated on the coverage of surgical pathology, i.e., frozen sections, surgical pathology re-porting, fine needle aspirations and diagnosis, and autopsies. I initiated to improve the surgical pathology diagnosis by follow-ing the article that I had written, “Patient Audit Process Applied to the Pathology Department,” co-authored by Dr. Jerome Heard, Director of the Department, and Dr. Michael Kasun , an associate pathologist. It was published in Pathologist Vol XXX, No. 5 pp 187-189, May 1976.

In the early years, I was as-signed to cover the Clinical Pathologic Conference (CPC) for the house staff and the medi-cal staff. Dr. Jack Geller, Di-rector of the Internal Medicine Teaching Program, was the or-ganizer of the weekly confer-ence. He was a bright, full-time teacher in Internal Medicine and we became good friends. In one of his research studies he invited me to be a co-author of a publi-cation entitled, “Comparison of Dihydrotestosterone Levels in Prostatic Metastasis and Primary Prostate Cancer,” which was ac-


Health and Family

Los Angeles (May 27, 2010) — Although California residents are aware of the recent major earthquakes around the world, many people have not taken the necessary steps to safeguard their homes and protect their personal finances. To address this issue, six organizations are encouraging consumers to become advocates for earthquake preparedness and safety.

In a press conference held today at the American Red Cross Koreatown-Wilshire District Office, the chair of the Ameri-can Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles joined corporate leaders from Southern California Edi-son, Farmers Insurance, South-ern California Gas Company, Walmart and Wells Fargo to highlight ways in which consum-ers can take a more active role in protecting themselves and their loved ones.

“We want everyone to have a plan of action before an actual earthquake takes place,” said Jeff Sakaguchi, chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles. “With the help of our corporate partners, we hope to make people understand the effects of earthquakes and natural and man-made disasters, and help them find credible and appropriate solutions to staying safe.”

Among the topics that were covered during the Earthquake Preparedness Briefing were guidelines to help protect people from potential earthquake catas-trophes by knowing what to do when the shaking begins. Several suggestions offered to consumers were:

Corporate leaders and Ameri-can Red Cross to advocate for

earthquake preparedness

DROP, COVER, AND •HOLD ON! Drop to the ground, take cover under a desk or table, or cover your head with your arms and hold on until the shaking stops. Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you’re sure it’s safe to exit. Stay away from windows. In a high-rise building, expect the fire alarms and sprinklers to go off during a quake. If you are in bed, stay • there, cover your head with a pillow and hold on until the shaking stops. If you are outdoors, drop • to the ground in a clear spot away from buildings, trees, and power lines. If you are in a car, pull • over to a clear place, stop the car and cover your head until the shaking stops.

“Knowing what to do before, during and after an earthquake can increase residents’ chances of survival if the “Big One” hits here. Get a Kit, Make a plan, and Be informed,” said Sakaguchi.

Southern California Edison points out that electric safety is critical in the first few days after an earthquake or other natural disaster. The electrical infrastruc-ture could be severely damaged and unsafe situations may exist. The company has posted specific emergency safety information on its Web site, www.sce.com.

“It is especially important to stay calm in the event of a power outage due to an earthquake,” said Charles Basham, manager of public safety at Southern Cali-fornia Edison. “As earthquakes

are unpredictable, SCE is reminding customers

about how to stay safe and be prepared for extended electrical outages.”

Among the safety tips offered by SCE are:

When a major earth-• quake affects the greater Southern California area, families must be prepared to live without utility services – electricity, gas, water, communications – for up to 7 days.Never go near fallen • wires and keep others far away. You must presume that all fallen wires are electrical, even if they lay quietly on the ground or are covered with insula-tion.To report a downed wire, • call 911 and let them know it’s an electrical emergency.Only a utility employee is • qualified to determine if fallen wires and damaged electrical equipment are de-energized and safe to go near.

Farmers Insurance also provided helpful tips for hom-eowners on what to do to prepare for an earthquake. These tips include:

Secure your water heater• Secure bookcases and • any shelving to the wallsBe sure not to hang • breakable or very heavy items near beds and couchesMake sure your home is • securely anchored to its foundationPrepare an escape plan • for you and your family

“As the largest insurer of homes and automobiles whose headquarters is in California, you can be assured that Farm-ers knows about earthquakes” said Daniel Chang, director of multicultural marketing at Farm-ers Insurance. “One of the most important things we understand

is the need to be prepared now, before an earthquake occurs.

Safety concerns were also discussed by Southern California Gas Company. At the briefing, SCGC discussed the proper use of gas before, during and after an earthquake.

“Southern California Gas Company is committed to pro-viding consumers with safety tips to combat any possible scenario where a gas leak might occur,” said David McCarthy, field ser-vices staff manager at Southern California Gas Company. “It is important if you smell a natural gas order, to not panic, do not light a match, candle, or ciga-rette, and to not turn electrical appliances on or off.”

SoCal Gas offered the follow-ing tips at the briefing on how to shut off natural gas meters after an earthquake:

Turn off the gas meter • ONLY if you smell gas or hear the hissing sound of gas escaping. As you face the meter, • you will see a pipe run-ning from the ground to the meter. There is a shut off valve running parallel with the pipe usually lo-cated about 6 to 8 inches above the groundUse a 10 “or 12” adjust-• able wrench to turn the valve 1/4 turn in either direction, until the valve is crosswise to the pipe

As one of the leading re-tailers, Walmart is continually helping disaster victims all over the world with their charitable contributions to the American Red Cross. Recently, in response to the tragic earthquake in Chile, Walmart announced an initial commitment of $1 million to go toward emergency relief efforts throughout the country.

“While our charitable com-mitments are important in the aid of so many disaster victims in the world, we hope that those who have not been affected can prepare ahead of time,” said

Southern California Edison, Farmers Insurance, Southern California Gas Company, Walmart and Wells

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AMERICAN DREAM


cepted for publication in Prostate Vo. 15:171-175, 1989. I have written an article entitled “Breast Carcinoma Following Simple Mastectomy for Benign Breast Disease” a report of three cases. Not submitted for publication.

I chaired the monthly Surgical Tumor/Oncology conference in rotation with my associate, Dr. Tyler Youngkin, who completed his training in our Department of Pathology. The hospital news-letter, “Pacemaker,” published monthly by the Medical staff of Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, wrote about updates and established guidelines for good transfusion practices from the Transfusion Committee under my chairmanship.

Our environment in the Con-tinuing Medical Education could be easily compared to a

semi-academic facility. I gave lectures to second year medical students at University

of California San Diego (UCSD), to laboratory technol-ogy students, and to nurses at Mercy Hospital. After my train-ing with Dr. Azorides Morales on immunohistology at Univer-sity of Miami Hospital, Depart-ment of Pathology, School of Medicine, I became interested in a new, advanced procedure of specific tumor marker for diag-nosis. Thanks to my training and the support of my associates, I led the immunohistology-testing procedure up to the time when automation and multiplication of marker antibodies were adopted. At this time the immuno-staining was done in a separate laboratory of our group. The specialty I had chosen led to a career that I had found to be extremely gratify-ing.

Alternate Delegate from Cal-ifornia ,College of American Pathologists

At the height of my practice, I

received a letter from Dr. Emmett B. Reilly, Speaker of the House of Delegates, College of Ameri-can Pathologists that read:

“ The 1989 House of delegates Summer elections have come to a close and I am pleased to notify you that you have been elected to serve as an Alternate Delegate from California.” Being a For-eign Medical graduate elected to such a position was rather un-expected. I did not seek for the position. A month before this, I also received a letter from Bella L. Meese, Deputy Appointment Secretary from the Office of the Governor, George Deukmejian, who was interested in appoint-ing me to the Board Trustees of the Minority Health Professions Education Foundation. Since I was very busy, I had to decline the offer.

My practice as an associate pathologist at Mercy Hospital became increasingly exciting. We opened a separate pathology practice in Encinitas, California, 30 miles away from Mercy. Each member of the corporation was a co-director of the laboratory.

Although I had functioned and spent time as a civic-oriented person, my volunteer work to the community of Filipino-Ameri-cans was conducted after work-ing hours and did not disrupt my routine practice nor did I neglect my objectives in the practice of pathology. I became well-liked by my American colleagues in the Medical staff, and I never felt discriminated upon. With the financial support of the group practice, continuing medical ed-ucation (CME) was encouraged. Occasional CME programs in Hawaii and College of American

Pathologists Convention and Scientific meetings were avail-able to every member of the group. I participated in April 1981 in the Second International Lymphoma Conference in Ath-ens, Greece, at the University of Athens, School of Medicine, co-sponsored by the University of Southern California School of Medicine. My wife and I joined a guided tour of Athens city, sight-seeing and explore and visit the principal and classical sites. We

embarked on a cruise of Aegina, Poros and Hydra, the fascinating Greek Islands.

Medical Board Exminer, Field Commissioner

It was an unexpected honor

and considered as another mile-stone in my career when I re-ceived a letter on September 26, 1978 from the Board of Medi-cal Quality Assurance in Sacra-mento, California (now known as Board of Medical Examiners). It was during Edmund G. Brown’s time as governor. Richard C. De Walt, program manager, Division of Licensing, offered me a posi-tion to serve as a commissioner. This position involved conduct-ing the oral and comprehensive clinical examination process to candidates applying for licensure in the State of California to both American and Foreign Medical Graduates from other states. As far as I could remember, I was the first Filipino-American physician that was appointed to this posi-tion in the State of California. Dr. Ralph Ocampo, an American col-league and President-elect of the San Diego Medical Society, rec-ommended me to this dignified and challenging position as far as FMGs were concerned. The Ex-amination Committee, Division of Licensing, had decided to in-crease the number of women and other minority physicians includ-ed as field commissioners. There was a shortage of physicians whose specialty was anesthesiol-ogy, pathology or radiology.

The examinations were given five times a year, conducted on a Saturday in San Diego, Los An-geles and San Francisco. In the morning, the candidates were mostly FMGs. In the afternoon, the American graduates who have licenses in other states in excess of five years were given the ex-amination.

When acting as commissioners (examiners), we were paired with another physician to conduct the examination as a team. The Oral and Clinical Examination con-sisted of two parts but the results were given in a single grade of “pass” or “fail.”

Part 1 of the examination em-phasized the areas the board be-lieved every California-licensed physician should be familiar with. These include cardiopul-monary resuscitation, knowledge of and major use and complica-tions of common prescription medications, the diagnosis and management of venereal disease, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Part 2 focused on the ability of the candidate to approach a clinical problem in the area of general medicine.

Although the compensation for being an examiner was only $150 per exam, expenses for airfare, airport parking, hotels, and meals were reimbursed by the Medical Board. The services I participated in were satisfying. The prestige I received as a Foreign Medical Graduate becoming a commis-sioner/examiner certainly negat-ed the existence of discriminatory practices. Corollary to this, the earlier policy of requiring FMG to complete rotating internship for licensure in the State of Cali-fornia was discontinued. How-

ever, seventeen years as an ex-aminer was enough for me and I resigned my position in 1995. Back to continue my story in the height of my professional career, personally speaking, I felt pro-foundly gratified as a partner of the San Diego Pathologist Medi-cal Group, Inc. We were indeed uniquely united, cohesive, har-monious, friendly and with lots of camaraderie. I served as sec-retary and later as vice-president of the corporation. How remark-able this was for me…a simple individual. A dreamer that I had been in my early life, my unde-niably unimaginable achieve-ments is products of an “Ameri-can Dream”.

Political involvement

My extracurricular activities included my involvement in pol-itics. I believe that politics play a key role in the development of strong communities. National and state legislations directly affect our lives. Legislation can have a profound effect on our


Food for thoughtRead previous articles by visiting our website at www.asian-

journalusa.com

(NewsUSA) - Whether min-gling socially with others in a crowded room or talking inti-mately one-on-one, being some-one who communicates effec-tively is a major factor in creating and enhancing both personal and professional relationships.

“Miscommunication is at the heart of many of our problems as individuals and as a society, and at the heart of much of that miscommunication is the fact that most people don’t have very good listening skills,” said David Cunningham, senior program leader with Landmark Educa-tion, a global enterprise that offers communication training and development programs, like its fl agship course the Landmark Forum, in more than 120 cities. Landmark Education helps peo-ple discover their own barriers to effective communication and develop mastery in both listening and expressing themselves.

Cunningham advised that, with practice, anyone can mas-ter the three key principles of good communication: listening, distinguishing and creating. Used together, these principles can dramatically impact the quality of your life.

People typically are not as good at listening as they think they are, Cunningham asserted: “We’re often so busy thinking about what we’re about to say or remembering the last time we interacted with the person that we are likely paying more attention to our own thoughts than to what the other person is really saying.”

Harnessing the Power of Language

The second principle of good communication, distinguishing, involves learning how to tell the difference between what was said and what you think was said.

“Once you’re really com-mitted to hearing what the other person is saying and are actively listening,” Cunningham said, “then you practice looking for where you are adding your own interpretation of what that person said. We do this every day, but the trick is, we’re not usually aware we’re doing it.”

An example, Cunningham said, is when the boss requests a meeting at the end of the day. “You might hear, ‘You’re in trouble,’ or ‘We’ve got a prob-lem,’ or even, ‘I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to let you go.’ And all she really said was, ‘Could you step into my offi ce around 4 o’clock?’ You start reacting to what you think she said, not what she actually did say.”

Using language to create is the third communication prin-ciple. Typical conversations use language to report, Cunningham explained. “We talk about what happened, the weather, what we’re going to do, how we feel and so on. Which is all fi ne, but it doesn’t actively create any-thing.”

Masterful communicators use language to actively create. “Do you say, ‘I’m the person to do this project,’ only when you have iron-clad evidence.

policies and our operations. In 1982, I co-chaired with a

friend, Glenn Barroga, in a fund-raising for Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles who was a can-didate for governor of Califor-nia. I was also a co-chairman of the March Fong Eu Committee when she was running for state secretary. My friend Jim Bates, a city councilman, was active in the Filipino- American organiza-tions. He became a congressman and assigned me as a liaison to the Filipino-American commu-nity. State Senator Wadie Dehdeh was very helpful when I wrote to him requesting for help on be-half of my colleague who had a problem with his private practice. Congressman Bob Filner was friendly ever since he was elected as city councilman of San Diego and he primarily supported me to be elected as a commissioner of the San Diego Stadium Author-ity. Last but not least, I was well-known to my countryman Senator Raul Manglapuz who visited San Diego months before the EDSA Revolution (People Power revo-lution). He appointed me as a member of the National Execu-tive Board of Movement For Free Philippines (MFP).

All these close and personal as-sociations were products of the fundraisings that were held in my home in Del Cerro. My active in-volvement in medical and chari-table organizations, in both local and national levels, undoubtedly contributed to my being recog-nized and known to the Filipi-no-American community and becoming a friend to these politi-cians. I say without fear of con-tradiction that by simply wanting to help others, in all modesty, I discovered a grander meaning in my life. My mission to reach oth-ers in their dire need made my life extraordinary.

During these years, I had been in several positions and projects. Particularly, I was extremely ac-tive in the Association of Phil-ippines Physicians in America (APPA), a premier national or-ganization of Filipino doctors in

America. I was the president of the Pilipino Medical Association of San Diego for two separate terms. All of these activities will be covered in the foregoing chap-ters of this memoir.

The story of Operation Samahan (Working Together), a Communi-ty Health Clinic in the County of San Diego, also contributed to a successful American Dream.

Below is a list of the positions and activities in the thirty years of my career. It is not practical to discuss each one, but I will later narrate those that signifi cantly gave meaningful achievements and accomplishments in my life.

• Associate Pathologist, San Di-

ego Pathologist Medical Group, Inc., Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, San Diego, California

• Head of Transfusion Service (Blood Banking) Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, San Diego, California

• Fellow, Emeritus College of American Pathologists and Ameri-can Society of Clinical Pathologist

• Vice-President and Secretary of San Diego Pathologists Medical Group, Inc., San Diego, California

• Chairman, Blood Transfusion Committee, Mercy Hospital And Medical Center, San Diego, Cali-fornia

• Chairman, Surgical Tumor Board/Oncology Conference, Mer-cy Hospital and Medical Center, San Diego, California

• Co-Director, North Coast Labo-ratory, Encinitas, California

• Assistant Pathologist in charge of Blood Bank, Illinois Masonic Hospital and Medical Center, Chi-cago, Illinois

• Alternate Delegate, House of Delegates, College of American Pathologists representing State of California

• Member Board of Governor, Association of Philippines Physi-cians In America (APPA)

• Special Counsel to the Presi-dent, Association of Philippine Physicians In America (APPA)

• Delegate, House of Delegates Association of Philippine Physi-cians in America

• Member, Board of Directors, Education Research Foundation (ERF) Association of Philippine Physicians in America

• Secretary, House of Delegate, Association of Philippine Physi-cians in America (APPA)

• Speaker, House of Delegates, Association of Philippine Physi-cians in America (APPA)

• Former Candidate for Presi-

dent-Elect of the Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA)

• Member, Friends LTD. • Commissioner, (Governing

Board), San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium (Now known as QUAL-COMM Stadium) San Diego, CA

• Commissioner (Field Commis-sioner) for Medical Board Oral Examination, Licensing Division, The Board of Medical Examiners, State of California

• Life member, Far Eastern Uni-versity Medical Alumni Founda-tion

• Member Trustees-At-Large, Far Eastern University Medical Alumni Foundation

• Vice President, Far Eastern University Medical Alumni Foun-dation

• Executive Vice-President, Far Eastern University Medical Alum-ni Foundation

• National Executive Board- Movement for Free Philippines (MFP)

• President, P100 Club, National City, California

• Co-founder and Board Mem-ber, Puso Philippines, San Diego, California

• Editorial Contributor, Filipino Press, San Diego, California

Member, Board of Director, Council of Pilipino-American Or-ganizations

(COPAO) of San Diego, San Di-ego, California

• Co-Founder, Operation Samah-an Health Clinic, San Diego, Cali-fornia

• Founding President, Philippine Medical Foundation Inc. for Sa-mahan Health Clinic

• Chairman of the Board, Opera-tion Samahan Health Clinic, San Diego, California

• President, Philippine Medical Association of San Diego, Califor-nia

• Life member, PEACE ( Philip-pine Economic and Cultural En-dowment)

• Member Board of Directors, Philippine Medical Society of Southern California

• Member American Medical As-sociation (AMA)

• Member California Medical Association (CMA)

• Member San Diego County Medical Society

• Member San Diego Society of Pathologists

• Member California Society of Pathologists

• Vice President, Antique Asso-ciation of Southern California

• Co-Chairman APPA Annual Convention, Anaheim, California

• Co-Chairman APPA Annual

Convention, Long Beach, Califor-nia

• Co-Chairman, Far Eastern Uni-versity Alumni Foundation Con-vention, Las Vegas, Nevada

• Member Group Founder and Board of Director, PUSO Philip-pines • Congressman Jim Bates Liaison for the Asian Community in San Diego and

Serve as Asian-American Advi-sory Committee.

• Board of Directors, Council of Pilipino-American Organizations of San Diego (COPAO)

• Editorial Board, APPA Quarter-ly, APPA Today, Philippine Physi-cian

• President Paradise Valley Lions Club, National City California

• Editorial Contributor, Pilipino

Press, San Diego, California• Chairman of the Board, Pandan

Antique Foundation, Inc., (PAF)• Chairman Emeritus, Pandan

Antique Foundation, Inc., (PAF)• Member, Board of Directors

and Advisory Board Pagtatap USA

• Director, Pathology Depart-ment, El Centro Regional Medical Center, El Centro, California

The dream of helping those in need in an aura of the American Dream became the highlight of my career as a physician orga-nizing a community health clinic from “ethnic to the mainstream, a shining example worth emu-lating by all other minorities in America.” - AJ

ner’s trophy. The result of the tournament is as follows: Randi Diato-66, Armando Bareno-66, Art Buan-gan-67, Ben Cueto-67, Lioto Fer-rer-67, Raul Gonzales-67, Nori Gamboa-67, Dan Riego-68, Rudy Mazon-68, Rino Belisario-69, Andy Velbis-69, Bob Navales-71,


Trophy presentation; Left to right; Parshooters President Matt Mazon, Gapo Resto owner Ross Gaporesto, 2010 Fil-Am Masters Champion Randi Diato and Art Buangan, Tournament Director.

Nick Sunga-72, Nestor Gam-boa-72, Gus Martinez-73, Joe To-quero-73, Ruben Caballa-73, Ed Bassig-73, Ed Madriaga-73, Nick Abrenica-73, Mel Gamboa-74, Billy Javante-74, Joe Ico-74, Ted Delunas-76, Flor Villegas-78, Doming Abella-78, Jun Cala-lay-78, Matt Mazon-79, Amor Garingo-80, Johnny Luna-81 and Vic Oropilla-81.

Parshooters Golf Tour Association’s First Masters At Eastlake Country Club


AMERICAN DREAM


AFFORDABLE SENIOR APARTMENTSLovely 100-unit senior apartment building will soon have apartments available. Must be 62 or older or mobility impaired. Income must be $27,500 or less for one person or $31,400 or less for two persons. Rent includes utilities, laundry facilities and recreation areas. Section 8 available. Equal Housing Opportunity. For information, call (619) 293-3893

Rooms for RentNo Smoking, No DrugsIn a quiet residential

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Call 619.656.0409


Wanted: Kiddie Train Driver

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Juliette Nam, Markets 463 & 466 Market Human Resources Manager at Walmart. “Careful preparation is your best defense against an earthquake. By famil-iarizing yourself with important and essential supplies now, you will be less likely to be unpleas-antly surprised later when an earthquake happens.”

Walmart is selling an assort-ment of supplies for earthquake preparedness, and would like consumers to be aware of impor-tant essentials to have during an emergency:

With no electricity during • a disaster, you will need batteries. Keep at least enough batteries for a flashlight and a portable radio at hand because it may be your only contact with the outside world for news and information.Canned food• and bottled water are basic supplies you will need as well. It is important to have bottled water because damaged water lines may result in contaminated water or no water at all. Canned food is important to have during an emer-gency because it gener-ally has a long shelf life, and food in the refrigera-tor may spoil.If you are ever in a dan-• gerous emergency like an earthquake, having a first aid kit should also be on the top of your list of supplies. Family member may not be able to get in to a safe area before something unexpectedly falls or hurts them. A kit will be valuable to have for cuts and bruises.

Small business owners need to be vigilant about protecting information. Wells Fargo of-fered their credible solutions on how to better prepare small busi-nesses and banking customers before and during a disaster.

“As we all have seen, both natural and man-made disasters can wreak havoc on our lives, especially if you are a business owner or home owner,” said Mitesh Patel, Wells Fargo Los Angeles Metro Community Bank vice president. “Preparing for a disaster is a good investment in both time and resources.”

At the briefing, Wells Fargo discussed ways to prepare es-sential documents and secure your identity, if documents were

Corporate leaders and Ameri-can Red Cross to advocate for

earthquake preparedness(Continued from page 21) damaged, or even destroyed:

Safeguard and organize • copies of important documents. With Wells Fargo vSafe, customers can protect and easily ac-cess electronic copies of financial, legal and per-sonal files, such as deeds, wills, passports, medical records, loan, insurance and tax documents, pho-tographs and more, in a safe online location. For many customers, this is a free service.Small businesses should • be vigilant to take steps to separate accounting responsibilities, making payables and receivables processing different work positions; protect all accounting docu-ments by locking away check stock, signature equipment, invoices and critical account informa-tion; and monitor the movement of employees, vendors and contractors in and out of your offices. Be careful what you • share: Unless you initi-ated the interaction, do not provide sensitive fi-nancial information over

the Internet or phone, including Social Secu-rity numbers, passwords, personal identification numbers (PINs) or ac-count numbers. If the call back number seems suspi-cious, confirm the phone number from a legitimate source from the organiza-tion, such as the back of a credit card or from the company’s web site.

Wells Fargo maintains mul-tiple layers of security to protect customers, their accounts and their information. Wells Fargo’s

layered approach to online se-curity extends beyond a unique username and password, 128-bit encryption for online banking, bill pay, a powerful firewall, technology updates, and continu-ous surveillance. Wells Fargo uses a combination of front-end and back-end controls (https://www.wellsfargo.com/priva-cy_security/online/protect), and continuously evolves its secu-rity activities in response to the changing environment as well as customer needs.

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06/04/10

Bobbi Jones

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CITY OF SAN DIEGONOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

CDBG PROGRAM REPAYMENT HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the public hearing has been scheduled for June 15, 2010 in the City of San Diego Council Chambers located at 202 C Street, 12th Floor, San Diego, CA 92101. The purpose of this public hearing is to approve the proposed Repayment Agreement from the City’s Redevelopment Agency and authorize the Executive Director or designee to enter into the proposed Repayment Agreement with the City of San Diego which includes among other terms, Agency’s repayment of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) debt to the City in the amount of $78,787,000. If you require assistance or auxiliary aid in order to participate at the public hearing, contact the City Clerk’s office at (619) 533-4000.

Public comments will be accepted during this hearing. In addition, written comments will be accepted prior to the public hearing at the CDBG Program office (1200 Third Avenue, Suite 1400, San Diego, CA 92101) or by email ([email protected]) through June 15, 2010. All updates will be posted on the CDBG website (http://www.sandiego.gov/cdbg/general/).

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06/04/10

L Escamilla

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CITY OF SAN DIEGOEnvironmental Services Department

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALFOR

As-Needed Landfill Engineering Services for 2011-2015 (H105141)

The City of San Diego (City) is requesting proposals from highly qualified civil engineering and geological firms for consultant services for As-Needed Landfill Engineering Services for 2011-2015 (H105141).

It is the policy of the City to provide equal opportunity in its civil engineering and geological professional ser-vices contracts. Toward this end, proposals from small businesses, disabled owned businesses, women owned businesses, firms owned by African-Americans, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Filipinos, and Latinos, and local firms are strongly encouraged. Prime consultants are encouraged to subconsult or joint venture with these firms. The City endeavors to do business with firms sharing the City’s commitment to equal opportunity and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition or place of birth. This project has a voluntary Subcontracting Participa-tion Level (SPL) goal of 15%. SPL goals are achieved by contracting with any combination of Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Women Business Enterprises (WBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE) or Other Business Enterprises (OBE) at the prime or subcontractor level. Definitions of MBE, WBE, DBE, DVBE and OBE are contained in the Request for Proposals (RFP). Attainment of the SPL goal is strongly encouraged, but strictly voluntary.

The City of San Diego will ensure that full access to programs, services, meetings and activities comply with Section 504, Title V, of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990, Public Law 101-336.

In-depth knowledge and a strong understanding of the local environment, and a local presence for interfacing with the City’s project management staff are essential to the successful completion of this project. The proposal must address the consultant’s knowledge and understanding of: the City and other local agencies regulations and policies; local environment; and local building codes and other criteria. The proposal must also address how the consultant plans to interface with the City’s project management staff and the consultant’s workforce in San Diego County.

All proposals submitted must be in full accord with the Request for Proposal (RFP) which can be obtained by requesting the RFP via email from John Mendivil, Consultant Services Coordinator, at:

[email protected] of San Diego, Purchasing & Contracting Department

1200 Third Avenue, Suite 200San Diego, CA 92101.

When requesting the RFP, please refer to the specific project title and number, As-Needed Landfill Engineer-ing Services for 2011-2015 (H105141). For questions about RFP procedures please call John Mendivil at (619) 235-5855.

A pre-proposal meeting will be held on Thursday, June 17, 2010, 10:00:00 AM, at City of San Diego, Environmental Services Department, Suite 310, 9601 Ridgehaven Court, San Diego, CA 92123. It is strongly recommended that all interested parties attend. For more information, assistance, to request an agenda in alternative format, or to request a sign language or oral interpreter for the meeting, please contact Hamid Fathi, at 858-573-1292 at least five working days prior to the meeting to ensure availability.

Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 9, 2010, at the location stated in the RFP. This RFP does not commit the City to award a contract or to defray any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal pursuant to this RFP. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this RFP. The City also reserves the right to revise this RFP, including but not limited to the pre-proposal conference date and the proposal due date. If the City revises the RFP, all RFP holders of record will be notified in writing by the City.

Summary Scope of ServicesThe City requires engineering assistance on an as-needed basis to evaluate, design, and monitor construction improvements at its active and inactive landfill sites. The engineering services required include, but shall not be limited to, the following: evaluate the City of San Diego’s landfill sites, assess landfill cover, design final grad-ing and drainage improvements that will include the integration of existing or upgraded landfill gas collection systems, conduct engineering feasibility studies, conduct soil sampling and laboratory analyses, prepare testing and evaluation reports, prepare Corrective Action Plans and associated cost estimates, and meet with regulatory and permitting agencies. The remainder of the Scope of Services is contained in the Request for Proposal for As-Needed Landfill Engineering Services for 2011-2015 (H105141), as Exhibit A to the Draft Agreement.

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06/04/10

T Pinones

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Document Processing Supervisor

The Document Processing Supervisor will oversee a team of talented administrative professionals who provide high-quality document formatting services and ensure quality control of documents produced by the agency. Qualifications: a high school diploma, or equivalent, supplemented by two years of relevant college coursework and eight years work experience. A Bachelor’s degree in business management, public administration, or a related field is desirable. SANDAG offers competitive salaries and benefits. Visit www.sandag.org/jobs or call (619) 699-1900 for information. Closes: June 18, 2010. EOE.

critic during the campaign while espousing the views as well as promoting the issues of the biggest spender among the presidential candidates. He should first address the im-pression of many who heard and saw him on radio and television that he is a corrupt broadcast journalist rather than call to task the winning presidential candidate over an irrelevant issue.

Also insulting our intel-ligence are the election losers who have found it convenient to claim that they were vic-tims of an “Electronic Garci” cheating operation. Comelec (Commission on Elections) Chairman Jose Melo was right when he asked that how come these losers are only coming out now to denounce these cheating operators. Being public officials, it was their duty to denounce anybody with a plan to cheat in the elections.

Regardless if these sore losers doubted if the cheating operation was feasible or not — it was their duty as public officials and citizens to inform the Comelec and the police that certain individuals were peddling a cheating opera-tion. If they did not subscribe to the cheating operation, it would have been logical for them to have these persons arrested lest they operate for their rivals. The fact that they did not finger these cheaters to the proper authorities lends credence to the conclusion of some that they likely paid for these services to ensure their poll victories but were double crossed because there was re-ally no cheating and they lost.

Many of these poll los-ers who are now denouncing fictitious cheaters are admin-istration candidates and have likely suffered from their close association with GMA. This election was all about GMA and the anti-thesis of GMA. What else could these candidates who have been closely associated with GMA, the reputed kiss of death to

They insult our intelligence and derail our progress

any candidate, expect from the electorate? The big surprise would have been if they still managed to win despite their association with GMA.

We all saw how an associa-tion with GMA handicapped the presidential campaigns of Gilbert Teodoro and Manny Villar. Are we surprised that Eddie Ermita, Lito Atienza, Prospero Nograles, Robert Ace Barbers, Jocjoc Bolante, Mat and Mike Defensor, et al should suffer the same fate?

But these traditional politi-cians are nothing compared to “Wowowee” host Willie Revillame when it comes to insulting our intelligence. Or perhaps it is the network Re-villame works for that must be made to account for insulting our intelligence.

Having been a network CEO, your Chair Wrecker was surprised when Revillame had the gall and the temer-ity to question the ABS-CBN coverage of the Manny Villar campaign — claiming that the network did not faithfully cover the Villar rallies. Revil-lame was one of the celebrity endorsers of Manny Villar.

News Head Maria Ressa would have sent letters of fire and sword for a lesser slur on the network’s coverage. She had defended the network airing of a fake psychiatric report against Noynoy Aquino but she did nothing about the Revillame slur on her depart-ment’s coverage of the Villar rallies.

Revillame challenged ABS-CBN to fire a showbiz radio commentator or he will leave the network. That fueled whis-pers in the network that Revil-lame had a “special influence” on ABS-CBN bosses Charo Santos and Gabby Lopez.

ABS-CBN news stories narrated recently how Revil-lame became the center of so many embarrassing past con-troversies like his sexist jokes, the deadly Ultra Stampede and his stupid and insensitive re-marks during the Cory Aquino funeral. Still, Revillame kept his job.


Documents

AJ June 4-10, 2010