Asian Journal Sept 10 - 16, 2010

(Continued on page 18)

Right or Wrong... p. 4

Transforming Broken-ness into Wholeness

... p. 14

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“We laugh at other people for their bad English. Take a look at the signs in the Philippines. These are only a few ex-amples.”


there was not much I could do. My thoughts were on the piles of uncollected garbage along the streets and the possible source of epi-demic it might bring.

I came across a crowd of people of all ages covering their noses with handker-chiefs, presumably to protect themselves from the gaso-line fumes and the garbage smell. The narrow street

Ni Percival Campoamor CruzIka-apat na kabanata

Isang araw na pagdating sa bahay ni Kiko mula sa paar-alan ay nakaramdam siya ng panghihina at pagkahilo. Agad siyang inakay ni Neneng patungo sa higaan at pinagsabihan siyang magpahi-nga muna. Hinaplos ni Neneng ang noo at pisngi ng kapatid at napag-alaman na nag-aapoy sa lagnat ang nakababatang kapatid.

Wala sa bahay si Dencio nang araw na iyon kung kaya’t kay Nana Koring agad humingi ng tulong si Neneng. Dumating si Nana Koring sa tabi ng higaan ni Kiko na may

May Pakpak ang Pag-Ibig Mga matang mapangtugis

dala-dalang inuming tubig at kung anong gamot na pam-paalis ng lagnat. Ininom ni Kiko ang gamot at sinubukang makatulog, samantalang si Nana Koring ay naglapat ng isang bimpong basa sa noo ng may karamdaman.

Mabilis na kumalat ang balita na may pagkakasakit na nangyari kay Kiko. Na- bahala ang buong nayon at

naghinala na baka ang nang-yayari kay Kiko ay isa na

namang kaso ng panglalason sa isang taga-Paraiso.

Gabi na ay di pa umuuwi si Dencio. Mataas pa rin ang lagnat ni

Kiko. Nakabantay sa tabi niya si Nana Koring at napapailing ang ulo ng matanda


The Sta. Teresita Parish Chorale were triumphant in a global chorale competi-tion in Indonesia recently besting 43 international choral groups.

The Que-zon City based choral group won three Gold medals and the Cham-pion’s Trophy in the Folklore category in the 1st ITB International Competi-tion, “Festival Paduan Suara XXII ITB 2010” in Band-ung, Indonesia last July 29 to August 1, 2010.

Representing the Baran-gay Sta. Teresita, District I of Quezon City and the Sta. Teresita del Niño Jesus Parish. The group serves in the mass every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.

Having six exceptional years of chorale experience, the group has brought nu-merous awards in different

Sta. Teresita Parish wins 3 Chorale Golds in Indonesia

competitions it participated in. Some of which were Grand Champion include the 2007 A Voyage of Songs: an international choral festival held at Pattaya, Thailand.

The 1st Metro Chorale, PhilAm Life Auditorium, 2006. The 2nd PAGCOR Christmas Choral Competi-tion, Airport Casino Filipino, 2005. The 4th Quezon City Christmas Choral Compe-tition, UP Diliman, 2005. The Maligayang Barangay Christmas Choral Competi-tion, Luneta, 2004 and the SB Sama-samang Boses Christmas Choral Competi-

September 10 - 16, 2010

Bill LabestreMsgr. Gutierrez Zena BabaoRemembering 911

... p. 9

Signs in the PhilippinesAndie Unson three-shot

victory beat three rivals for the 2010 San Diego Junior Masters golf crown in Cali-fornia.

Unson, 15, came through with back-to-back birdies from No. 13 to cushion the impact of her three straight bogeys in the closing holes and a 148 aggregate over the 36-hole tournament in the girls’ 15-18 division.

She won by three over

Filipina teener rules San Diego Junior Golf Title

Andie Unson [GMA News]

Cathleen Santoso of Austra-lia, who ran out of holes and finished with a two-over 74 on a birdie-birdie windup for a 151.

“I just stayed focused and kept in mind what coach Bong had told me: ‘that I would win,’” said Unson.

The victory thus assured Unson of a berth in next week’s Junior World Champi-onship where she will join the other Filipino bets vying for top honors in various divi-sions, including former cham-pion and top ICTSI bet Dottie Ardina and Marcel Puyat, who recently won the Ameri-can Junior Golf Association Under Armour/Hunter Mahan Championship in Texas.

Unson also got an exemp-tion at all AJGA tournaments in the season and qualifed to play in the 2011 FCG (Fu-ture Champions Golf) World Championship.

Meanwhile, the RP team, riding on Miguel Tabuena’s one-under 71 in the final day of the 36-hole tournament, won the team championship.

The 15-year-old Tabuena, who recently qualified for the Junior PGA championship by topping the California section-als, mixed four birdies with five bogeys with Miggy Yee turning in the second best score for the Filipinos, a 77, for the day.

Isabel drove her car with no clear destination in mind. So was Albert. He drove straight as fast as he could. He wanted to get away as far as possible,

as though a lethal radiation was coming out of the motel room and would catch him if he was

not able to escape.

By Simeon G. SilverioPublisher & Editor

Asian Journal San DiegoThe Original and First Asian

Journal In America

See page 10.

Promised LandRoad to Nowhere

By Dr. Cesar D. Candari21st in a series of articles

It is not my intention to

denigrate the Philippines but to show the serious problem of poverty in the country in hopes that some-thing can be done about it.

I took a 1976 Toyota taxi from the Manila Hotel to Ermita. The taxi was so rundown that noxious fumes seeped through the holes in the corroded chassis to the back seats and floor. It shuddered to a grinding halt for traffic at the corner near the once opulent Philippine Cultural Center.

While the taxi stopped, a grimy-faced woman hold-ing a worn-out handkerchief over her nose in one hand and a baby in the other came over and tapped at the car window. I took such pity on her that I gave her 20 pesos.

The scene was similar along Roxas Boulevard near the US Embassy, the places

From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

Specter of Poverty

heavily visited by tourists. As I got out of the foul-smelling taxi, I was immediately sur-rounded by a swarm of small children with outstretched hands begging for money.

At the American Express Office on United Nations Street, I noticed the badly-cracked and filthy sidewalks with garbage strewn every-where. As I walked, I had no respite from the pleading faces and grasping hands but

Page 2 September 10 - 16, 2010Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

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Foreign professionals wishing to immigrate to the US (as permanent residents) may do so under 3 general classifi cations:

11. st Preference (EB1) – extraordinary ability foreign professionals; outstanding researchers and professors; and multinational executives and managers known as “priority workers” 22. nd Preference (EB2) – foreign professionals with advanced degrees and professionals of exceptional ability in the sciences, business or arts 33. rd Preference (EB3) – foreign professionals (those with BS or BA degrees) and skilled workers (including nurses)

Except for EB1, all workers need to go through a labor certifi cation process

Immigrating as a foreign worker (Part II)

Working while Waiting for your Priority Date

which is now being done under what we call PERM (Program Electronic Review Management). Our previous articles have discussed labor certifi cation/PERM, the procedures and processing time. In a nutshell, the labor certifi cation/PERM is a process where the Department of Labor certifi es there is a shortage in the foreign professional’s intended area of employment or there is no US worker who is able, qualifi ed or willing to perform the proposed employment; and the foreign worker’s proposed employment will not displace a US worker and/or will not negatively impact the labor market.

The date of fi ling the labor certifi cation/PERM application is the priority date for the sponsored foreign professional. The “priority date” determines when the foreign professional will get an immigrant visa at the U.S. Consulate of the country of his citizenship. If the foreign

professional is already in the US, the priority date determines when he can fi le for his green card through an “adjustment of status” application. Eligibility for adjustment is normally based on maintaining lawful status. Thus, a foreign professional whose stay has expired (whether as tourist, student, H-1B worker, J-1) is NOT ELIGIBLE to adjust unless a prior petition (whether by a family member or a US employer) was fi led for the foreign professional either before January 14, 1988

or April 30, 2001. As of September 2010, the priority dates for employment-based categories (including other workers like caregivers, cooks, housekeepers, etc.) are:

Most foreign professionals immigrate under the EB-3 category, and if they are already in the US, they need to maintain lawful status while waiting for their priority date. Normal wait time for an EB-3 visa is 6 years. There are non-immigrant visas available that allow a foreign professional not only to remain in the US, but also to work; while waiting for his priority date that allows him to fi le for adjustment/green card application.

H & L Visas

Before or at the same time that a labor certifi cation application is being processed, the foreign professional can be sponsored by a US employer through a petition for a non-immigrant worker – under the following visa categories: H-1B visas are given to foreign professional workers of exceptional skill and merit and there is a US company that requires the services of such a highly skilled worker. 65,000 H-1B

visas are given out every October 1st of each year worldwide, but fi ling starts as early as April 1st every year. Once the H is approved, the foreign professional can apply for an initial 3-year H visa in his home country, or change his status if he’s already in the US, renewable for another 3 years – for a total of 6 years.

L-1A visas are available to executives and managers of a “multinational company” - an international company with offi ces in both a home country and the U.S., or which intends to open a new offi ce in the U.S. while maintaining its home country interests. The visa allows such executive or managerial workers to relocate to the corporation’s US offi ce after having worked with the related foreign company abroad, for a continuous period of at least

1 year within the 3 years before the fi ling of the L-1A application. L-1A visas are valid for an initial period of 3 years with 2 year extensions but with a total maximum period of 7 years.

L-1B visas are available to specialized knowledge employees of a “multinational company. The visa allows such specialized knowledge workers to relocate to the corporation’s US offi ce after having worked abroad for the company for at least 1 year prior to being granted L-1B status. L-1B visas are valid

for an initial period of 3 years with 2 year extension, with a total 5 years maximum stay.

E Visa

A foreign professional can also apply for an E-2 visa available for investors who substantially invests in a new or ongoing business in the US. “Substantial investment” is at least $100,000 or more. To qualify as an E-2 investor, the foreign professional (or any investor) must “develop and direct” an investment

enterprise, under and pursuant to a treaty of commerce and navigation between the U.S. and the foreign state of which he is a national. The sole purpose is to “develop and direct” the operations of an enterprise in which the foreign professional/investor must have or in the process of investing a “substantial amount of capital”. which should be over 50% ownership of the enterprise. For small or newly created enterprises, ownership should be 75-100%. There is no limit of stay for an E-2 investor as long as the business is ongoing.

Spouses and Minor Children of H, L or E

The spouse and/or minor children of an H, L or E visa holder can accompany the foreign professional as dependents and enter the U.S. either on H4, L2 or E2 visas for the duration of the visas of the principal H, L or E holder.

H4 spouses or children cannot work in the US. L2 spouses can work with USCIS authorization, but not L2 children. E-2 spouses can also work in the US with USCIS authorization but E-2 children are not allowed to work with their E-2 classifi cation. Any violation of status by a dependent spouse or child of an H, L or E may render such dependents ineligible to fi le for adjustment/green card application.

Page 3Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comSeptember 10 - 16, 2010

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House built with cargo containers

Chuck Colgan, Center for Sustainable Energy, CA | SAN DIEGO, 8/13/2010 -- The image of living in a steel cargo container usually conjures up scenes of poor, third-world communities, but Los Angeles architect Peter DeMaria sees their conversion into modern urban homes as an environmentally sustain-able idea that will fit into most any neighborhood. While designer Frank Lloyd Wright was famous for his “destroy the box” philosophy, DeMaria simply says “live in the box.”

DeMaria is among a small, but growing, number of architects, designers and homeowners who are generat-ing interest in steel shipping containers as building blocks for homes, apartments and commercial buildings. He likes them because they are extremely durable, easily transported, stackable, rela-tively cheap, readily available, rust and pest resistant and, best of all, a fully repurposed construction material.

DeMaria explained how cargo containers are used in home and building construc-tion and outlined his strategy to distribute a variety of pre-fabricated container homes during a CCSE workshop in July.

Cargo containers repurposed as homes and buildings

Why cargo containers?

Estimates place 35-40 million cargo containers in the United States, most of them stacked up to eight high (about 75 feet) in storage areas near commercial ports nationwide. That’s because it is cheaper to let them sit rather than ship them back overseas empty to be refilled. The practice is to just make new ones, adding about four million units a year to the U.S. surplus.

Uniformly manufactured to international standards, the “high cube” shipping contain-ers that DeMaria uses are 40 feet long, 8 feet wide and 9.5 feet high. In 2006, he built the nation’s first official two-story cargo container home out of nine modified boxes in Redondo Beach, Calif. Since

then he has built nearly a dozen more custom container homes and several commer-cial buildings in Southern California and has plans for a

small hotel. The biggest dif-ficulty he has faced is dealing with meeting all guidelines of California’s building code and satisfying the demands of municipal building inspectors who are usually looking at such plans for the first time.

Cargo containers have been used worldwide as of-fices, shopping malls, public buildings, vacation getaways and more. The biggest mar-ketplace in Europe is made up of alleys formed by stacked containers on 170 acres in Odessa, Ukraine; and in Stuttgart, Germany, they are constructing a skyscraper comprised of 55 containers. Still, the integration of cargo container homes into urban and suburban neighborhoods is rare.

How does it work?

Shipping containers are made of heavy-gauge Corten steel, one of the “weathering” alloys that form a stable rust-like appearance when exposed over time, but don’t actually rust unless they are continual-ly moist. Weighing in at about 9,000 pounds, their frames are formed by heavy steel beams that bear the load of stacking in the four corners. Purchases of cargo containers are made through brokers, who inspect and usually guarantee their quality before shipping. Used containers cost about $2,500 to $3,000.

Prior to construction, the boxes are sand-blasted and coated with several layers of primer and rust-resistant and heat-reflective paint. Win-dows, doors, vents and other openings are cut out of the corrugated metal walls.

Construction begins by setting the containers in place, on a raised floor, slab or basement, and welding them together to create the desired form of the structure. Wood, or preferably, steel studs, beams and trusses can be used to create any imagin-able exterior or interior spaces (between containers) and roof coverings. Then insulation and electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems are added as well as windows, doors and other finishing. Exterior and interior walls, floors and ceilings can be left as is or covered with any building

material. Options are limitless for outfitting, decorating and adding sustainable attributes to the structure.

The cost of a custom-designed container home, according to DeMaria, aver-ages around $135 per square foot, depending on finishings, which is about 35 percent less than conventional construc-tion.

DeMaria’s Vision

In addition to building custom container homes, DeMaria unveiled a line of prefabricated designs in 2009 that range from one to five bedrooms with interiors from

160 to 3,580 square feet. His company, Logical Homes, assembles the homes in Los Angeles and then serves as the general contractors on site. Almost everything is included, from foundation to countertops, (except appli-ances and permits) for prices ranging from $100 to $135 per square foot.

“Our homes are not high-tech – we like to think of them as appropriate-tech,” DeMaria said. “We believe that the op-tions available to progressive homebuyers are limited; and we have chosen to do some-thing about it with a respect for the scarcity of resources our planet faces.”

Sustainable Energy is proud to present Sustainable Energy Week with the support of our sponsors: San Diego Gas & Electric, Qual-comm, Sullivan Solar Power, Cox Conserves, Pure Water Technolo-gy, GroSolar, ATP, Innergy Pow-er, Kyocera, REC Solar, Aerotek, Sharp Healthcare and Go Solar, California!

Sept. 12 – Family Energy Day and Street Smart San Di-ego

CCSE, 8690 Balboa Ave., San Diego, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.



Bill’s Corner

Read Bill Labestre’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Bill Labestre, MBA

Some people believe in fate and others believe in luck. Too many older Filipi-nos dream of winning some-thing big in lotteries and casinos. How many people have already died waiting for their dream to happen? Why can’t they focus on some-thing that is realistic? All the money in the world can not make you hap-pier or make you live forever. What is your chance of becoming an instant millionaire just by luck alone?

Happiness is something that we can only find inside us. You may never find satisfaction or fulfillment in your life unless you change the way you think. If you’re old and still believe that one day Lady Luck will come to you with lots of money, then keep dreaming. It is always free to dream big.

It is sad to know that some people receiv-ing welfare money like the SSI benefit still find ways to gamble part of it. They should have used that money for what it’s intended for. The recipients should be thankful to the government for giving them something they have no contribution in the past. What other countries would give such a handout? People should also think of what

Right or Wrong?they can do for America and not how much more they can squeeze from it.

Now you understand why California is broke or the U.S. government has a big bud-get defi- cit.

There are so many well intentioned pro-

grams that are being abused. Some people took advantage of loopholes in the system. Others wanted more than what they deserve.

Hardworking taxpayers are now outraged by the exposed abuses in the welfare system.

If you believe in the Golden Rule, you may have to think twice before doing

something that doesn’t feel right. Just because others are doing it, is not an excuse to get involved in any wrong-doing. Even if you migrated from a country with lots of corruption, it is time to change that bad mentality. This is your country now.

How about those people involved in car accidents? Why can’t they file claims for what is right and justifiable? Yes, it is true that we paid lots of money for car insurance but, is it right to report suffer-ing and pain that do not exist? Many Filipinos are good at this hoping to squeeze more money from insurance compa-nies. Is it really worth it? Why

would you listen to other people and not to your conscience?

For some retired military people, it’s their disability benefits

that they kept tinkering. More and more service related illnesses are being reported. It is

a tax free benefit so if you really de-serve the percent-age you claimed, then keep fighting for it. On the other hand, if you’re just faking it, think

about Karma. You may end up with

what you claimed you have. Won’t you rather have no disability but instead have a healthy life? It’s amazing how some people felt proud

after taking advantage of a lenient system.

The local, state and federal governments are now seriously looking at areas of wasteful spending. They’re aggressively trying to collect unpaid taxes and looking for new ways to increase rev-enues. Maybe, there are less welfare benefits in the future and more taxes to be paid by the working people.

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Weeks have now passed since the shocking August 23 hostage taking and siege by a police of a tourist bus in Ma-nila but the shame, disgust and recriminations remain and grow more intense in-stead of waning. Eight of the 22 tourists from Hong Kong were killed by the hostage taker, a former highly deco-rated Manila police officer 55-year-old Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza.

Writers, journalists and political leaders have ex-pressed profound apologies to the families of the dead and wounded on behalf of the nation. Church leaders called for prayers for the victims and survivors. They prayed for reconciliation and forgiveness from the people of Hong Kong where many thousands of Filipinos work as domestic helpers. Some fear for their jobs. Thousands marched last week in solidar-ity with the victims.

However, apologies, shame and prayers are not sufficient to deal with the poison diet of moral deca-dence and corruption that has fed the arrogance and culture of impunity that surrounds many police and military in the Philippines today. There are many good, upright and brave police and military per-sonnel but they do not seem to the ones who gather the awards, medals and promo-tions. Nor are they numerous enough or in higher positions of authority to be able to counter balance and over-whelm the apparently more numerous nefarious members of the Philippine National

Police as Defenders of Human Rights Not Violators

Hundreds of Hong Kong residents gathered at a city plaza on Thursday to mourn the deaths of eight fellow citi-zens killed in the bus hostage drama in Manila.

Police.This decades old environ-

ment of non-accountability, casual routine crime by people in power who are paid to prevent it, brought Roland Mendoza and his victims to their tragic end. He was a multi-awarded officer who was cited in 1986 by Jaycees International as one of the 10 outstanding policemen of the Philippines. The Jaycees will need to revise their criteria for background checks and replace their selection com-mittee. They pinned medals on a multiple murderer.

Last January, Mendoza and his police unit was charged with framing up an innocent person, extorting 20,000 pesos and inflicting physical injury on the vic-tim. He was fired only after the incident was exposed on the internet. He denied any wrongdoing, despite strong evidence to the contrary. He was incensed that he was accused, was not brought to trial and he demanded he be reinstated. He had no re-morse for what he had done. He believed himself inno-cent thinking perhaps that a high ranking officer with his awards and medals could do

no wrong. Mendoza arrogant-ly believed that his authority placed him above the law, all accusations and ordinary mortals. This is the culture of impunity that grows in those that rise to power, claim elite status and entitlement to po-sition and privilege.

When his demand for reinstatement was ignored, he took the people hostage and sought vengeance. The 11-hour siege was broadcast live on radio. When he saw or heard his brother, who was bought in to help with the ne-gotiations, being arrested, he started his killing spree. This was followed by an incom-petent assault by a Manila Police Swat team which may have caused him to kill more hostages.

A week previous to the hostage taking, another multi-award police inspector was seen on television tortur-ing a hapless victim lying na-ked on the floor of the Tondo police station with a wire tied around his penis and genitals that the highly decorated inspector was pulling as the naked victim screamed and writhed in agony. The police inspector was beating him repeatedly with a belt or rope to get him to confess. He later disappeared.

These are just the symp-toms of the deeper underly-ing malady of police aggres-sion and brutality within the force that the Aquino government needs to address urgently. There is hope for a more intelligent and educated police force is developing.

More women police with higher rank is essential. Training will have to focus on making the police the defenders of human rights and not the violators. Preda @ info. com .ph, www.preda.org


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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

There are so many Asian and Filipino American cultur-al festival every year. The first one that started this year was the Asian Cultural Festival held in May and was spon-

sored by Mabuhay Alliance. The next big one is the Philip-pine Faire showcased by the Council of Philippine Ameri-can Organizations (COPAO), held in conjunction with the annual Philippine Indepen-dence Day in June. Similar to this was the one sponsored by the Aguinaldo Foundation in Mira Mesa at the same time as COPAO to celebrate Philip-pine Independence Day. The last one is the cultural festival held by the Samahan Per-forming Arts for two days in

The uique Filipino American Arts and Cultural Festival

(FILAMFEST)What makes FilAmFest so unique? It is due to its increas-ing attendance and exciting programs every year, excel-lent youth leadership, intergenerational outreach, varied

funding sources, unique history, and a bright future.

Balboa Park last August. Most of the festivals fea-

ture traditional and modern Filipino dances, songs, drama, and other Filipino traditions such as martial arts. Popu-

lar Filipino singers or dancers are often invited to perform and show their talent. All of them have exhibit booths that showcase Filipino art and handi-crafts, fashions, busi-nesses and education-al materials. Filipino food is always served

together with other ethnic and American dishes. Government officials are often invited to be at the welcoming ceremonies. COPAO is the only organiza-tion that organizes a parade and a display of Philippine beauties such as Ms & Mrs Philippine Faire and others.

FilAm Fest is the very last festival for 2010 and this year it

will be held October 2, 2010, Saturday, from 11 AM to 6 P.M. at the Paradise Valley Road between Woodman St. and Gilmartin Ave. This year’s theme is “Celebrat-ing the Bayanihan Spirit.” Bayanihan means working together. The organizing com-mittee has placed a call to the public inviting them to par-ticipate by applying online for scholarships, vending spots, volunteering and entertain-ment. It is expected that more than 15,000 people will show up this year for this fun-filled, family-friendly cultural cel-ebration.

But what is so unique about FilAmFest that some of the other cultural festivals may not have? As the fiscal manager for this festival since 2007, I can observe several factors that make the FilAm-Fest a very successful cultural fair.

Increasing Attendance- The number of people who attend and participate in this festival increases every year from 5,000 in 2005 to 8,000 in 2007; 10,000 in 2008; and 15,000 in 2009. It is expected that this year’s crowd will draw at least 16,000. There is no other FilAm festival that draws this many people in one day. I attribute this to the excellent marketing program of the organizing committee.

The committee starts their outreach to publish the fes-tival early in the year. As it gets closer they attend many community events and similar functions to inform members about FilAmFest. They also heavily utilize social media and other media (TV, radio, newspaper, personal contact) to expand their outreach.

Exciting Programs- Pro-grams are reviewed and revised or refined every year. Old programs that are not effective are discontinued or revised and new ones added. For example, last year several program areas were added such as education, art, and youth. The health program had the environmental factor attached to their area. Schol-arships were also started last year with seven students get-ting an award. This year, there will be the addition of a nutri-tion or culinary section ( food demonstration & contest) and physical activity in conjunc-tion with Kalusugan Commu-nity Services, “Healthy Eating and Active Living Campaign.”

Excellent Youth Leader-ship- Since the beginning of FilAmFest especially in 2007, the young people have taken the lead in planning and implementing the festival. Participation in the event has become a training ground for leadership and volunteer-

ism among the young people. They learn how to work with their super-visors, train their peers, work with the commu-nity, write articles for the media, assist in financial management, contact sponsors and write grants, and conduct evaluation. Usually, two or three individuals coordinate the festival together with 70-100 student or adult volunteers. Volunteers

participate in promoting the event and assist on the day of the festival. Staff recognizes their work and they are given certificates of appreciation.

Intergenerational Out-reach- This festival draws primarily children and young people but parents and grand-parents are in-cluded too. We see the first, sec-ond and third gen-erations enjoying the fair and also volunteering. In this day and age, generations are separated—adults with adults and teens with teens. It is for the benefit of individuals to enjoy get-togethers as families so they can be closer together and understand each other better.

Funding comes from varied sources- The constant source of government funding is from the San Diego Com-mission for Arts and Culture, Tony Young of District 4, and San Diego County Enhance-ment Program. Some of our corporate donors are Sempra, Mabuhay Alliance, Harrah’s, AT& T, H & R Block, Jol-libee, Honey Bee Corpora-tion, Fortune Food Services, & Seafood City; banks such as Union Bank, Citibank; and others such as Cornerstone Church of SD and Operation Samahan. Individual donors are Tony Olaes and Robert Sanchez. The organizing committee also conducts fund raising activities such as solic-iting vendor booths (commer-cial and food), raffles, souve-nir ads, and sales. This year is particularly difficult due to the economic recession but we are hoping to pull through with some generous donations and fund raising activities.

Unique history- The very first and second festival in 2005 and 2006 was organized by the Office of Councilmem-ber Tony Young of District 4, City of San Diego, as the Fil-Am Arts and Cultural Festival Alliance (FACFA). A com-mittee was formed composed of residents from District 4 and the Filipino community who supported the efforts of the district to plan and oper-ate the festival. The mission is to revitalize and promote SD communities by identify-ing, preserving and present-ing artistic ethnic traditions and contemporary popular cultures. Both festivals were successful in attendance and outreach.

In 2007, the District re-quested Kalusugan Commu-nity Services (KCS) to be the fiscal agent, provide leader-ship to the collaborative, and serve as grant-writer for the project, with the District only playing a minor role. KCS accepted the offer and the fes-tival was renamed “Filipino American Arts and Cultural Festival” or FilAmFest. Dr. Aurora Cudal was the cur-rent chair and continued to be chair for the next three years. She is honorary chair for this year. Dr. Ofelia Dirige, the primary grant writer for KCS was successful in obtaining a grant for the first time from the SD Commission of Arts and Culture. The Commission

has been funding the festival since 2007 to the present.

The mission of FilAmFest has not changed through the years: to revitalize and pro-mote District 4 by identifying, preserving and presenting artistic ethnic traditions and contemporary popular cul-

tures. Our goals are to: foster a sense of community and pride of one’s heritage; culti-vate intergenerational collabo-ration; and promote effective networking between individu-als and various groups repre-senting business, civic orga-nizations, local government, educational institutions, and public agencies.

Bright Future. What is the future of FilAmFest? It is really bright with full of pros-pects and possibilities. But it is really up to the youth to exercise wise leadership, in-tegrity, good relationship with the community, and a worthy vision for the future. KCS staff and board will continue to support and offer guidance to walk in the right path. But overall, it is up to the FilAm community to support the ef-forts of the young generation by participating in this annual event and contributing one’s resources as a volunteer or donor. Let’s join them!!!!!

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Perspectives

ASIAN JOURNALThe first 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 specific 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

People with disa-bilities in this nation – and indeed in the world – have many more problems than just simply the disability they are coping with, however difficult life is with a disability.

There is job discrimination, access barriers, economic dif-ficulties and so much more.

About 54 million Ameri-cans live with a wide array of physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities. Crime victims with disabilities and

Women With DisabilitiesThe Facts: Disability And Crime

their families are even less likely to reap the benefits of the criminal justice system.

Sixty-eight percent to 83 percent of women with de-velopmental disabilities will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, which represents a 50 percent higher rate than the rest of the population. And in many instances, crime victims with disabilities do not have physical access to services. And more than the physi-cal access, they also may not

have access to representation – either legal or emotional.

Attitudes

Attitudes toward the person with a disability are as impor-tant or more so than physical accessibility. A crime may go unreported for many reasons: mobility or communication barriers, the social or physi-cal isolation of the victim, a victim’s normal feelings of shame and self-blame, igno-rance of the justice system, or the perpetrator is a family member or primary caregiver.

Reporting agencies often fail to note that the victim had a disability, especially if someone other than the victim reports the crime. Sometimes that may be the error of the reporter, and at other times it may be that the disability – especially if it is mental – may not be recognized.

Assumptions and preju-dice about the reliability of the testimony of victims with disabilities can deny them access to justice in the courts. How often will a jury believe someone’s testimony when that person has a mental dis-ability?

Here is some simple ques-tions: Have you ever brushed off a disabled individual? Have you ever walked by a disabled individual without making eye contact? Do you tend to give less credence to words spoken by someone who is hard to understand be-cause of a disability? Do you speak to someone who is ac-companying a disabled person rather than to the person with a disability? So many people do.

The vulnerable

Many people with dis-abling conditions are espe-cially vulnerable to victimiza-tion because of their real or perceived inability to fight or to flee, notify others and/or testify about the victimization.

The person committing the crime simply sees that person as helpless. And there are prisons filled with men and women who commit crimes against the helpless.

Additionally, the victimiza-tion may make even worse ex-isting health or mental health problems. This may make it even more difficult to seek help, or make it more difficult to be helped if it is sought.

Many offenders are mo-tivated by a desire to obtain control over the victim and measure their potential prey for vulnerabilities.

People with disa-bilities are also vulnerable to abuse by the very professionals and other caregivers who provide them with services. Ap-proximately 48 percent of the perpetrators of sexual abuse against people with disabili-ties had gained access to their victims through disability services.

Victimization

It is not just individuals with developmental disabili-ties who suffer very high rates of victimization. A study of psychiatric inpatients found that 81 percent had been phys-ically or sexually assaulted.

The Colorado Depart-ment of Health estimates that upward of 85 percent of women with disabilities are victims of domestic abuse, in comparison with, on average, 25 to 50 percent of the general population. Why the greater amount? Because of their in-ability to fight back? Because of the inability of the abusing spouse to take the disability into consideration in the rela-tionship itself?

A crime victim with a dis-ability or a person who be-comes disabled due to crime may not have the resources or the physical stamina to cope with the many delays and hurdles that typically occur in the criminal justice system. First they suffer the crime,

and then they have to suffer the problems with the system.

Generally, individuals with disabilities are far more likely to suffer greater prob-lems than even their disability conveys upon them. In other words, the disabilities are far greater than are ever apparent. And the problems keep grow-ing, money becomes ever more scarce to help the indi-viduals, and society too often looks the other direction.

How long will we look away? How long will we pretend not to hear? How long will we ignore? Some of

the most needful individuals among us get the least amount of help. Why is that tolerated in a developed nation? Why is that tolerated in a nation of compassionate people? Why is that tolerated by people who have the ability and right to elect officials that can make sure those among us who need our help get it? How long?

All statistics, unless oth-erwise noted, are from: U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime Bulletin. (2001).


U.S. Citizenship and Im-migration Services (USCIS) offers immigration services and resources specifi cally for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their fam-ily stationed in the United States and abroad. USCIS established a military assis-tance team to ensure that the military community receives quick and secure access to ac-curate information. Below is a list of answers provided by USCIS to frequent-ly asked questions received by the team.

Q. I am in the mili-tary and have offi -cial Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders reas-signing me to an overseas duty station. Will the move impact my application for citizenship or naturaliza-tion? Do I qualify for ex-pedited processing of my application?

A. Your reassignment overseas should not impact your naturalization applica-tion. USCIS will continue to process your Application for Naturalization (Form N-400).

Frequently asked questions for members of the U.S. Armed

Forces and their familiesYou may ask to expedite handling of your application by contacting USCIS Military Team. You may also contact your military installation’s designated USCIS liaison, who should request USCIS to expedite your application.

Q. I am a military mem-ber stationed abroad with my dependents. Can my de-pendents have their natural-ization interviews conducted

overseas?

A. Yes. Certain spouses or chil-dren of service members residing abroad with that service member

(as authorized by offi cial orders) may be eligible to become naturalized citizens without having to travel to the United States for any part of the naturalization process.

Q. I am stationed abroad serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, how can I notify USCIS of my new military address?

A. Members of the military stationed abroad should notify


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tion, District level, 2003The group also meted

recognition in the 2009 Ani ng Dangal Award, Ani ng Sin-ing for Music/Chorale Award from the National Commis-sion for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the 2006 Hong Kong International Youth and Children’s Choir Festival: Gold and Silver Awards for the Contemporary and Folk-lore Categories, respectively.

December of 2009, the STPC performed in “The PPO Signature Series: Tour de Force Performances” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) with St. John Bosco Chorale and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) under the baton of celebrated Italian conductor, Maestro Ruggero Barbieri. Major works includ-ing selections from Handel,’s “Messiah”, Triumphal March and Ballet Music from Verdi’s “Aida”, and classic Christmas carols were the highlights of the said event.

Sta. Teresita Parish wins 3 Chorale Golds in Indonesia

(Continued from page 1)

Unholy Allied Mountains

The book “Unholy Allied Mountains” by R.D. Liporada is available from Amazon.com.

By RDLiporada

Publisher’s note: The com-plete novel serialized here is on Unholy Allied Mountains by RDLiporada. For those

who would want to procure a copy of the book online, go to unholyalliedmountains.com. Early, in Chapter 2, an NPA

Commander in the Cordilleras who is a former classmate of Ding Romualdez reads his ar-ticle on the NPA Amazon who died in the Cordilleras. The

commander, Ronald, contacts Ding via email.

Chapter II continued(Fifth of a series)

At his lunch break, Ding

drove directly to the office of the Ventura County Star. Though without an appoint-ment, the secretary of the editor just smiled and waved him towards the editor’s of-fice. It was his practice to just barge into the office even if he had no appointments so long as there was nobody ahead of him to see the editor. He did not even have to call first for an appointment. The editor had favored him such an ar-rangement because he was the only conduit of the paper with the considerably large popu-lation of Filipino Americans in the county. His articles on anything about the Philippines help sell the paper to the focus ethnic group.

“Yes, Ding, what can I do for you this time?”

“Ask me what I can do for you.”

“Okay?”“I can get you a latest

article and photos on the New Peoples Army in the Philip-pines.”

“Now, why would we want that?”

“It would be a controver-sial item and would generate more discussion in the com-munity not only among the Filipino Americans with the

paper…”“Of course. I know that

already. What I am concerned about is how you are going to get the story.”

“I have this former class-mate who had joined the NPA’s almost 40 years ago during the time of Marcos. He is still there and has invited me to go check them out.”

“In the mountains?”“In the mountains.”“Are you sure that it’s

safe?”“Well, there are no guaran-

tees but, yes. I would not be asking if I did not feel so.”

“And you are not afraid?”“He is my brother in the

fraternity. I don’t think he will place me in any grave dan-ger.”

“But that is over forty years ago, you said…”

“You may not fully under-stand this but there are ties that bind.”

Ding did not have to tell the editor that he had been in the mountains before. Now a U.S. citizen, he believes that he has a freer freedom of speech. He also tries to con-vince himself that he is further guaranteed by the United Nations’ charter that states that anyone has the freedom to be anywhere in the world – even in the deepest jungles of Timbuktu.

Besides, he would be go-ing as a free-lance journalist which he did not even have to declare to Philippine immi-gration officials. He was well aware of how Philippine jour-nalists have been harassed, disappearing, and being shot in broad daylight under the Arroyo regime with more impunity compared to the Marcos era. He is no longer a Philippine journalist. He is an American who happens to be a Filipino. Plus, for all appear-ances, he would just be going to visit his relatives who he had not seen for awhile. No one had to know of his real reason for being there.

“Ed asked me to go to the Philippines to cover the elec-tions and the preparations for the coming Philippine Inde-pendence Day,” Ding sailed through the white lie almost smoothly.

“Really?” Maria said. She had primed herself on the sofa to watch Dancing with the Stars after dinner and a har-rowing day at the operating room

“Yes. I am leaving the day

after tomorrow. Philippines Airlines have offered low rates.”

“Why would Ed want you to do that. Could we not just read what is happening in the Philippines online? Plus we have the Tagalog channel.”

“You know how it is with Ed. First hand is the best.” Ding was losing his line of lie but he could not tell the truth. There was no sense in making Maria worry about him going inside the mountains with the NPAs. As far as she was con-cerned, about the NPAs, that part of their lives had been a closed book with no sense of being reopened.

Maria went silent, drawn into the gyrations of Marie Osmond. For all the work she puts in at the operating room 12 hours a day, five days a week plus her call times dur-ing the weekend, Dancing with the Stars had become a way of relieving herself from the morass of her everyday grind.

“I am going up now,” Ding said, starting for the stairs that led to their bedroom. He was glad that Maria had not pursued her questioning. In this rare moment, he was glad that Maria is immersed on the tube. Otherwise, she could have been relentless in asking more of why he really had to go to the Philippines. She had the uncanny sense of knowing when he was not telling the truth or the whole truth.

He changed into his paja-mas and slumped on the bed with his side of the bed lamp on. He reached for the book Under the Crescent Moon and opened into the page where his bookmark was clipped and continued to read where he left off. His eyes had barely swum through two paragraphs when he drifted into the verge of dozing.

He felt being nudged as Maria slid beside him. “So, have you thought of what ‘pasalubongs’ you will bring home?” Her voice was calm with no restraint.

“Ummm! I will scramble for what might be lacking tomorrow.” Ding said in an almost half-awake state.

“Don’t forget the shoes your brother had been ask-ing for and the ball for your nephew,” she said sound-ing that those were her final words before she sinks into the throes of sleep. She turned her back against him.

“Okay!” Jarred from his doze, how-

ever, he became fully awake. He turned towards Maria and reached for her breast.

“Tsk! Not now. I am on call tomorrow at four.”

Again? She always had to work hard. As a registered nurse, she always had to work hard. For their five-bedroom house, she always had to work hard. For their Mercedez and BMW, she always had to work hard. For the three boys who are now off to college, she always had to work hard. For their only daughter who is about to enter college, she al-ways had to work hard. Even if she receives $50.00 an hour plus overtime, she always had to work hard.

The night became long and frustrating.

But at least, she had be-lieved his white lie.

Beyond the white lie, how-ever, there was another thing that Ed had told him that he did not tell her.

“Okay,” the editor had said. “As long as if some-thing happens to you there, this conversation did not take place.”

Chapter 3

Ronald sat on a pine tree stump facing a pine pole-vine-lashed table. The four col-umns and four rows of stumps and tables in front of him had been readied for his scheduled class. The shade provided by the canvass covered structure was enough to protect them from the enervating piercings of the noonday sun. He mused at the fact that, although they still do it, classes for their mo-bile Political-Military-Acad-emy used to be held around camp fires and anywhere in the forests. Now with their mass bases more spread and with deeper support from the

masses who embrace the rev-olution, they could hold classes in more com-fortable class-room like atmo-sphere in deep secured nooks of the moun-tains.

Ron-ald had hiked two days from the other side of

the mountains to coordinate the class that took a month to organize. He was excited about this particular class be-cause those participating are coming from overseas. It used be to that he would just have classes for those coming from as far as the south in Mind-anao but with their over thirty years of armed struggle expe-rience, comrades from around the world had also come to the Philippines to train, to be exposed, to be immersed in a struggle which, invariably not different from the character of their own countries’ struggles. Particular circumstances could be different, terrains could be different, but the sentiments are so similar in terms of who should be on the peoples’ side and who should be the common enemies.

Ronald also mused about the past where he was just assistant to Ding who then headed the Political Instructor Bureau of the Regional Com-mand of the Northern Luzon Party Committee. It was just like only yesterday when both of them were student activ-ists who were even university fraternity brothers. It must have also been partly just their teen adventurism that led them to commit deeper into the movement, even go-ing to the mountains when the NPAs had no arms then like they have now but were armed only with the faith that someday they will have arms, arms that they would grab from the enemy. Their adventurism developed into a deep commitment where they were in the mountains then, issued arms that they were not sure would even fire. Ding’s was a World War I Springfield which he does not remember if Ding even fired. His was a 12-gauge buckshot which they told him was recently

have been used to shoot a wild boar they had feasted on. Eventually he shared with Ding, as bureau head then, the most important arming of the NPAs, that of imparting with them the ideology of the struggle, that of imbuing their hearts with the most powerful arm of all, the understanding why they have to be armed, why they have to pursue the armed struggle, why their ris-ing in arms is paramount for the liberation of their souls.

And now, excited for the next class he is to hold, Ronald is also buoyed with the thought that his long time comrade, Ding, was flying from the United States to visit them in the mountains, to in-terview them, to take photos.

But should he really still address him as comrade?

At one time, he had turned to hate Ding. At that time, the regional command had turned to hate Ding. But that time was long time ago.

Ronald’s thoughts were interrupted when an NPA approached. “The Pakistanis have arrived,” the NPA said.

(To be continued)


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Light &Shadows

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by Zena Sultana Babao

9-11-2001 … the silence of a quiet New York morning was shattered by the sense-less attack at the very heart of America’s power and indus-try. The unspeakable tragedy … the death … the pain … the devastation … the grief that overcame us all, will for-ever remain in our memory. Shocked beyond belief, we

mobilized a nation.We will never forget

the bravery and heroism of the first responders and the rescuers who worked long and hard despite the danger. Many even gave the ultimate sacrifice! We will always remember the gallantry of the passengers of the doomed plane, United Flight 93, who sacrificed their lives to save more lives.

We were united as one, in sorrow and in anger, and in a love so strong, a love born of tragedy. For tragedy has a way of uniting and bringing the best in people! America was dealt a terrible blow. But Americans are resilient. America is strong. And America will endure.

And in the aftermath of the tragedy, we witnessed and we stood as one in support of our Armed Services. The brave

Remembering 911men and women in uniform faced death, risked life and limbs, to bring freedom to those who were not free.

The flood of emotion will again come back, flashing back from shock and hor-ror to anger and patriotism, followed once more by tears. But what will be foremost in our minds is how our country

came together dur-ing that tragic time. Paraphrasing Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities, the worst of times can also be the best of times.

As the flood of memories comes rolling in, let us keep in mind the time-less words of our great 40th President,

Ronald Reagan, who said: “Freedom is never more than

one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the blood-stream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and

our children’s children what it was once was like in the United States where men are free.”

Most of us, immigrants from other countries, are Americans by choice. We deeply value what America stands for: freedom. We do not take these freedoms for granted because some of us experienced when freedom disappeared or did not exist in the countries were we came from.

When I took my oath as an American citizen on a bright Fourth of July morning, it was one of the greatest days and joys of my life. As I pledged allegiance to the American flag and to my new country,

my heart was filled with emo-tion. When the guest speaker recited the last lines of the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, my tears flowed freely, but they were tears of joy.

Lady Liberty speaks in the poem and she said: “Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door!”

This poem touched me because it expresses faith in America as a refuge for the oppressed. As a journalist on the side of freedom, I highly value and respect people who stand for truth and justice and liberty! They are my heroes! The brave men and women who risked, and are still risk-ing their lives so people like me can be free, they are my heroes! They have my abid-ing thanks.

As we observe the 9th an-niversary of that Black Tues-day of September 11, 2001,

we are united once again in a common memory, a com-mon story. The memories are still painful, the wounds still fresh. We still feel the loss and the pain, and we are still affected deeply.

As in previous years, the centerpiece of the memorial services will be a continuous

reading of the names of those innocent lives lost. Roses will again be strewn at Ground Zero, moments of silence will be observed, services will be held for the finest and the bravest, moving invocations and benedictions will be said, and tears will again flow.

But the emphasis will be on remembrance, reflection and renewal as we pray to the Great Giver of Life, our

Almighty God, for peace and love to reign. God bless America! Let freedom ring!

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Philippine Stories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

Chapter 24

“Albert!” shouted Isabel. She was surprised to see

her husband at the door of the motel room. He was staring at her with a pained look.

She was lying in bed, barely lifting her head while Lando, her ex-boyfriend, was lying naked, face down, on top of her. It was the worse scene a husband could ever imagine. Albert could not stand the sight. His instinct was to move forward and beat up the two, but he had the good sense to turn around and walk away. For Isabel, it was the worse reaction her hus-band could give. She wanted him to beat her to a pulp for her transgression and treach-ery. She wanted him to savor the satisfaction of getting even. She wanted herself to be killed as she could not bear the shame she felt. Albert was the best husband a woman could have asked for: loving, generous and kind. He pam-pered her with his love and money, providing her with a generous allowance despite the fact that she was choosy in getting a job. Any hus-band would have complained when she insisted on an office job while other works like those at the McDonalds were available. But not Albert. He

Promised LandRoad to Nowhere

allowed his wife to enjoy a care-free life that led her to a gambling addiction and even-tually to infidelity to cover up her losses.

For Isabel, the pained look on Albert’s face would forever be etched in her memory. It was worse than death, one that would haunt her the rest of her life. When she came to her senses, she pushed away the naked man on top of her. She stood up, grabbed her clothing and put them on. Lando laid on his back. He was trying to hide the mischievous grin on his face. Everything went ac-cording to his plan.

With her clothes on, Isabel ran out of the room and called for Albert. She barely saw his car going out of the parking lot into the street. Dismayed, she went back to the room crestfallen.

“I am sorry,” Lando lied. “I don’t know how he found out.”

“This is all your fault,” she railed at him. “Because of you, I betrayed the man I love. I risked losing a good life because you refused to let me pay my debt on terms I could afford.”

“But I didn’t know this would happen,” he claimed. “I wanted closure, remember?”

“Closure mo ang putang ina mo (Closure your son of

a bitch),” she angrily snapped at him.

Isabel rushed out of the door and boarded her car.

Lando was left smiling with satisfaction.

Isabel drove her car with no clear destination in mind. So was Albert. He drove straight as fast as he could. He wanted to get away as far as possible, as though a lethal radiation was coming out of the motel room and would catch him if he was not able to escape. He could not imagine his wife Isabel cheating on him.

“What have I done wrong?” he asked himself.

He gave her everything she wanted, more money than she could spend. They did not have any relation-ship problem. Unlike other couples, they barely had a fight because he was always patient with her. What kind of a person could do this to a good and generous man like him? What else could she ask for her pampered Ameri-can Dream life? The logical answer was the lethal gam-bling addiction that entrapped Isabel into the devious hands of her cunning ex-boyfriend Lando. Ironically, it was to

preserve her marriage and keep the love of her husband that forced her to cheat on him. It was supposed to be the first and last time, a one-time deal, so she could enjoy a good life with Albert and to-gether, they would live happi-ly ever after. It was her fear of losing his love that led her to opt for a risky solution to her problem. Like a gambler that she was, she bet on it and lost. Big time. And Albert was not aware of his wife’s dilemma, preventing him from finding a logical explanation for her er-rant behavior, except perhaps pure carnal desires and/or love for her lover. Or she was simply an evil person.

The treachery brought back the bitter memories of his divorce from his first wife, Teresa. She was a Mexican who, like Isabel, married him for the green card he could provide and the permanent stay in the Land of Milk and Honey, the United States of America. Like Isabel, Teresa also cheated on him after she obtained her green card. She was able to petition her Mexi-can boyfriend so she herself could give him the privilege to stay in the U.S. for good as a resident alien.

“When will I learn my lesson?” Albert asked himself.

He remembered vowing not to marry a girl again without a green card or a U.S. citizenship. He did not want his next wife to use him as a doormat in entering the United States, just like what Teresa did to him. Yet, he fell for the same trap. He gave up this vow and threw caution to the wind when he succumbed to the charms of Isabel, a slum girl who des-

perately needed to be lifted from the quagmire of poverty she was doomed to live the rest of her life.

WITH TEARS IN HIS EYES, Albert drove farther and farther like he was escap-ing a plague. Then he saw the road sign towards Las Vegas. And he again felt the pain in his heart. Tomorrow, he was supposed to leave San Diego with Isabel heading toward his new job assignment in Norfolk, Virginia. He was looking forward to showing her the glitter of the Sin City, the magnificence of the Grand Canyon, the beauty of the dif-ferent States they would drive through for a month on their way to their new home in the East: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia.

Now, he was driving alone, with the bitter memory of his wife’s treachery piercing his heart repeatedly. He decided to prematurely embark on his journey to the East Coast as he thought going back to his apartment in San Diego would be too painful for him. He did not want to see Isabel, or any-thing associated with her, lest he might do something drastic

he would forever regret.He thought he would just

ask his friend Romy to pick up all his belongings from his apartment and ship them out to his new place in Virginia. For now, he didn’t want to see Isabel, if possible, for the rest of his life. It was already dark when he passed through the glittery lights of Las Vegas. He pushed on until he got tired and sleepy. At midnight, he stopped by a small motel along an isolated road and checked in. He laid on the bed but could not sleep. He went to the motel’s office and rang the bell to wake up the night clerk.

“Do you have any beer?” he asked.

“No,” the sleepy clerk responded. “But I have a half finished bottle of whiskey.”

“Do you have more?”“I have an unopened one I

intend to drink afterwards.”“Can I have both of them?”He did not wait for his

answer as he handed the clerk a $50 bill.

“Keep the change,”The clerk happily gave him

both bottles.“Enjoy,” he said with a

smile.INSIDE THE ROOM,

Albert drank the whiskey until they were gone. He wanted to dull the pain in his heart, erase the bitter memory of what he saw a few hours ago. He collapsed in bed dead drunk, the only time he could enjoy a moment of peace. He would forget about his troubles while he was asleep, only for them to haunt him again when he woke up later that day.

(To be continued)

To read the previous and weekly installments of this series, visit www.asianjour-nalusa.com


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

On August 3, 1988, the Family Code of the Philip-pines took effect under the presidency of Cory Aquino. The most salient and revo-lutionary feature of this law is Article 36 which allows marriages to be declared void based on psychological inca-pacity.

Art. 36. A marriage con-tracted by any party who, at the time of the celebration, was psychologically inca-pacitated to comply with the essential marital obligations of marriage, shall likewise be void even if such incapac-ity becomes manifest only after its solemnization. (As amended by Executive Order 227)

At fi rst glance, one would consider it ironic that it took a convent-edu-cated and devout Catholic president to fi nally pass a divorce law in the Philip-pines. Many sectors had clamored for Congress to pass a divorce law but those efforts were always blocked by the Catholic Church. In truth, however, Article 36 was a victory for the Church because it is based on Canon law which states:

Can. 1095. The following are incapable of contracting marriage:

those who 1. lack suffi -cient use of reason; those who 2. suffer from a grave lack of dis-cretionary judgment concerning the essen-tial matrimonial rights and obligations to be mutually given and ac-cepted; those who, because of 3. causes of a psychologi-cal nature, are unable to assume the essential obligations of mar-riage.

We should however clarify that even if you get an annul-ment from the Court, if you were previously married in church, you can remarry but only in a civil wedding. If you want to bring your next spouse to the altar, you should still go to the Ecclesiastical

Divorce, Philippine styleCourt of the Roman Catholic Church.

We should also explain that although Art. 36 has been referred to as “de facto divorce”, it is very different from divorce as we know it here in America. Because it is based on Canon law, strict requirements have been imposed on Art. 36. For instance, “serious irreconcil-able differences” alone is not enough. Neither is infi delity, alcoholism, gambling, aban-donment, physical abuse, nor irresponsibility. Instead, ac-

cording to the Supreme Court, “psychological incapacity” should refer to no less than a mental (not physical) incapac-ity that causes a party to be truly incognitive of the basic marital covenants that con-comitantly must be assumed and discharged by the parties to the marriage which, as so expressed in Article 68 of the Family Code, include their mutual obligations to live together, observe love, respect and fi delity and render help and support.” (Santos v. Court of Appeals, 310 SCRA 1)

In our experience, some trial court judges appear to be more lenient in granting annulments. But, be wary. Sometimes, the Offi ce of the Solicitor General steps in and appeals your case all the way to the Supreme Court. Statistics would show that a majority of the decisions are reversed by the Supreme Court. Beyond anything else, this is due to poor presenta-tion of the case in the trial court. Your case may qualify for psychological incapacity,

but since the trial court was inclined to grant it, and the public prosecutor was very cooperative, your attorney may have made a token effort in presenting your case. To your shock, the OSG inter-vened and appealed your case all the way to the Supreme Court.

According to the Supreme Court in Republic vs. CA and Molina, 268 SCRA 198, the root cause of the psycho-logical incapacity must be psychologically or medically identifi ed, must be alleged in your petition, and must be proven by experts, and must be explained in the decision of the court. This strongly suggests that you should get an expert clinical psycholo-gist. The incapacity must be psychological, not physical, must have existed even before the marriage, must be perma-nent or incurable, and must relate to the failure to perform marital obligations.

It is therefore important that you present your case properly. Get a lawyer who is

not only experienced but is also thorough in both the preparation of your petition and in presenting your case before the court. Get a reputable clinical psychologist who is an expert in this fi eld. In-quire about their tract record and be clear about the fees they charge. Find out what are included. Most lawyers charge a pack-age fee, but it may not include other fees and expenses, such as the

fee for the psychologist, fi ling fee, appearance fees in court, the stenographic notes, and other costs.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag, Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices im-migration 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 16486 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite 228, San Diego, CA 92128. He also holds offi ce in National City inside the S&S Travel Agency at 2409 E. Plaza Blvd. Please call (858)348-7475 & (619) 475-3262 for your free con-sultation. We also encourage readers to write us questions about both U.S. immigration and Philippine laws to be future topics in this column. Our email is [email protected]. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheti-cals intended as general, non-specifi c legal information.

Everyone has rights.We are committed to protecting everyone from humantrafficking regardless of a person’s immigration status.

They can be any age, gender or nationality.They could be human trafficking victims.

Please help them by calling 1-866-347-2423

www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking

Do you know people who have been forced or coerced to work in prostitution, domestic servitude or other types of labor?

►Were they recruited for one purpose but forced to engage in some other job?

►Have their passports or IDs been confiscated?►Are they held against their will?

►Can they socialize and have friends?►►Have they been threatened with

arrest or deportation?

Joseph A. Roley-Arzaga On Saturday August 29th

Filipino around San Diego converged on Petco Park where the San Diego Padres played host to the Philadel-phia Phillies. While some came to cheer on the fi rst place Padres, their main focus was to show solidari-ty and support as the Padres celebrated the 3rd Annual Filipino Cul-ture Night.

Prior to the game, the Park-in-the-Park was transformed into a stage for a pre-game show hosted by

San Diego Padres host 3rd Annual Filipino Culture Night.

Robert Santos from KGTV news and Sherry Knight from Magic 92.5. Perform-ers included Minny Pacquiao, Krystlel Cruz, Marlon Dane, Samahan Philippine Dance Company, INTR1KT, Abalos Pros and Joseph Vincent.

With the pre-game show getting the crowd hyped up, the Friars brought in Lea Salonga, the multi award winning singer and voices of Mulan and Princess Jas-mine, to sing the U.S. Na-tional Anthem.

Since no game can start until the fi rst pitch is thrown, the Padres

went with the world-class Filipino pitcher Consul Gen-eral Mary Jo Bernardo Ara-gon to throw the fi rst pitch. With ace pitcher Mat Latos as catcher, and a sold out crowd of kabyans cheering her on, the Consul General threw a curve ball over home plate to the delight of the crowd.

For those who attended and purchased special dis-counted tickets, dark blue commemorative shirts were given out that had the Filipino Sun in the background and a bird of prey in the foreground.

Special thanks goes out to Dennis-Michael Broussard and Silk Road Productions for the fantastic pre-game show. To Mark Matsunaga of the Padres Organization for the coordination of ticket sales, to FilAmFest and Gawad Kalinga for promotion of this annual event.

Oh the game? Yeah the Padres lost. Probably due to all the free lumpia they ate before the game.


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Movies to Watch(Following are movies now showing or

soon to be shown in San Diego.)

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

In Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (Part 2 of a two-part feature), Mes-rine (Vincent Cassel) is now back in France, fi nally in police cus-tody and facing justice for his crimes. After escaping a courtroom and kidnapping the judge at gunpoint, Mesrine is declared Public Enemy Number 1 and is eventually condemned to a maximum-security pris-on where he writes his memoirs, establishing himself as a household name and the anti-hero across France. Mesrine stages another daring escape and disappears into the lawless underworld, taunting the po-lice and reinventing himself as a celebrity criminal through his savvy manipulation of the media. After such a monumental rise, comes the inevitable fall as the police close in, bringing the life of Jacques Mes-rine to full bloody circle. Directed by Jean-François Richet.(Partially subtitled) www.musicboxfi lms.com/mesrine-public-ene-my-no.-1

This fi lm is Rated R by the MPAA. Running time 130 minutes.Engagement Opens Friday, September 10th

Landmark’s La Jolla Village Cinemas8879 Villa La Jolla Drive – (619) 819-0236

The Sicilian Girl is a fi ctionalized account based on the life and journals of Rita Atria, the determined 17-year-old daughter of a slain mob boss. Too young and powerless to take immediate revenge, she began keeping detailed notes of the crimes she saw. But when her brother was murdered as well, she broke the code of silence and went to a tireless anti-Mafi a prosecutor to testify against the “fam-ily business.” Sicilian native Veronica D’Agostino (Respiro) gives a compelling performance as the impetuous heroine, consumed by rage and grief. Gérard Jugnot (The Chorus) plays the thoughtful, hard-nosed chief prosecutor of Palermo, who has his hands full with the mercurial Rita. Both of them are constantly at deadly risk from the seemingly all-powerful mob. Like the recent hit Gomorrah, this fi lm shows organized crime’s pervasive grip on the country, but is told from a more personal perspective. A native of Sicily, writer/director Marco Amenta has directed several documentaries about the Sicilian Mafi a. (Fully subtitled) www.musicboxfi lms.com/the-sicilian-girl

This fi lm is Not Rated by the MPAA. Running time 110 minutes. Exclusive Engagement Opens Friday, September 17th

Landmark’s Ken Cinema4061 Adams Avenue –

(619) 819-0236

At the end of World War II, sixty minutes of raw fi lm, having sat undisturbed in an East German archive, was discovered. Shot by the Nazis in Warsaw in May 1942, and labeled simply “Ghetto,” the footage quickly gained traction as an important historical docu-ment, and has been used by archi-vists and documentary fi lmmak-ers over the past several decades to show what life was like in the ghetto. The images—accepted as reality—have now been proven to be a cinematic deception, as the Nazis had staged nearly all the scenes. The discovery of a long-missing fi fth reel revealed the elaborate ruse: outtakes depict staged and choreographed scenes taken from various angles, even unintentionally capturing glimps-es of SS cameramen behind the scenes. Much of what was once regarded as fact has been given a new truth. A Film Unfi nished presents the entire fi lm for the fi rst time—carefully noting fi c-tionalized sequences that falsely show “the good life” enjoyed by Jewish urbanites—and probes deep into the making of a now-infamous Nazi propaganda fi lm. Directed by Yael Hersonski. (Par-tially subtitled) www.afi lmunfi n-ished.com

This fi lm is Not Rated by the MPAA. Running time 89 min-

utes.Exclusive Engagement Opens

Friday, September 24thLandmark’s Ken Cinema

4061 Adams Avenue – (619) 819-0236


The Asian Journal San Di-ego wel-comes Ogie Cruz, veteran enter-tainment writer, who is writ-ing his column “Show-biz Watcher” from Loui-siana, USA. Ogie, who writes in

As my barber cut my hair, I heard him humming Harry Belafonte’s song, “Try To Remember”. I am reminded of its lyrics which I partly quote,

“Try to remember the kind of September

when life was slow and oh, so mellow.

Try to remember the kind of September

when grass was green and grain was yellow.

Try to remember when life was so tender

that no one wept except the willow.

Try to remember when life was so tender that

dreams were kept beside your pillow.”

I asked him, “What is in the month of September that you could deeply remember?”

He quickly answered, “On September 21, 1972, Martial Law was declared in the Phil-ippines. It was also the day I decided to leave the Philip-pines and go to a place where the “grass is greener and where freedom and justice reign. When the opportunity to come to the U.S. instead of joining the rebels in the mountains came, I grabbed it. What about you?”

*****

Try To Remember The Kind of September

September is a meaningful, significant and a very emo-tional month for Filipinos, Americans and at least 75 other nationalities worldwide. The 911 Commission Report has this to say:

“At 8:46 on the morning of September 11, 2001, the United States became a nation transformed.

An airliner traveling at hundreds of miles per hour and carrying some 10,000 gallons of jet fuel plowed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. At 9:03, a second airliner hit the South Tower. Fire and smoke billowed upward. Steel, glass, ash, and bodies fell below. The Twin Towers, where up to 50,000 people worked each day, both collapsed less than 90 minutes later.

At 9:37 that same morning, a third airliner slammed into the western face of the Penta-gon. At 10:03, a fourth airliner crashed in a field in southern Pennsylvania. It had been aimed at the United States Capitol or the White House,

and was forced down by heroic passengers armed with the knowledge that America was under attack.

More than 2,600 people died at the World Trade Cen-ter; 125 died at the Pentagon; 256 died on the four planes. The death toll surpassed that at Pearl Harbor in December 1941.”

A careful reading of the list of the 77 countries whose citizens died as a result of the attacks on September 11, 2001 shows that several religions were affected and represented. While majority of the Ameri-can and Filipino victims were Christians (Protestants and Catholics), about 300 were Muslims, some were Jewish, Hindi, Buddhists, and prob-ably other unknown sects. The Al Qaeda attackers showed more interest in the economic and political impact which the attacks symbolized. Any re-ligious impact was not a goal they sought to achieve.

*****

September is also a month of other historical events. On September 3, 1783, the American Revolution officially came to an end when the United States, Great

Britain, Spain and France signed the Treaty of Paris. On September 4, 1886, Geronimo surrendered while on Septem-ber 5, 1972 Israeli athletes were killed at the Munich Olympics. On September 7, 1813, United States was nicknamed Uncle Sam and on September 8, 1974, President Ford pardoned former Presi-dent Richard Nixon.

If you are a feminist, this event on September 20, 1973, should be of interest to you. “In a highly publicized “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, top women’s player Billie Jean King, 29, whipped Bobby Riggs, 55, a former No. 1 ranked men’s player. Riggs, a self-proclaimed male chauvinist, had boasted that women were inferior, that they couldn’t handle the pres-sure of the game and that even at his age he could beat any female player.”

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proc-lamation which ended slavery in the United States while on September 24, 1789, the Judiciary Act establishing the Supreme Court of the United States was passed by Con-gress and signed by President George Washington,

If you were a fan of actor James Dean or have seen any of his movies, you probably know that he died on Septem-ber 30, 1955.

*****

September also marked the celebration of the birthdays of many of our friends and relatives:

Josephine Maynigo – September 4th sharing the day with automaker Henry Ford II and actress Mitzi Gaynor;

Francis Xavier Mangla-pus – September 5th shar-ing it with former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Vocker and comedian Bob Newhart;

Anita Celdran and Viv-ian Maynigo whose birth-day is September 6th and both sharing their birthday with former Prime Minister of Portugal Jose Socrates, and actress Rosie Perez;

Jane Tan Manglapus and Stanley Maynigo who

were born on September 9th and their birthday coincides with that of former Philippine President Sergio Osmena, Sr., Princess Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and actor Cliff Robertson;

Raffy Maynigo – Septem-ber 10th, the same as that of Bill O’Reilly, American TV commentator;

Emily Razzano – Sep-tember 11th, same as Dutch actress Nelly Knoop

Homer Rabara and Nomer Maynigo – September 14th coinciding with the birthday of American actor Jesse James and Byzantine Emperor Alex-ios II Komnenos;

Bea Maynigo and Ken Ettinger – September 16th – same as that of former Singa-pore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and King Louis XIV of France;

VayNne Decena and Car-mela Maynigo – September 18th – same as that of Queen Anne of Romania, NCAA Basketball Coach Rick Pitino and actor/director Rossano Brazzi;

Paula Veron Manzon Maynigo and Michael Raba-ra– September 21st – same as that of the Emperors of China Hongwu and Jingtai and Ger-

(619) 474-0588

man Emperor Frederick III, Innsbruck Austria;

Bing Branigin – September 26th – sharing it with Saint Francis of Assisi, Pope Paul VI, and Winnie Mandela;

Eric Lachica, Christian Maynigo and Charito Nana-gas – September 27th, same as that King Louis XIII of France, actor Patrick O’Neal, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Phoenix Suns President Steve Kerr;

Pres Ordinario and Mila Maynigo Denton Goldberg – September 29th, same as Pompey the Great, Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, US Sena-tor Bill Nelson, and NBA Star Kevin Durant.

Amidst all the historical significance, the tragedy, the joy, deliverance and hopes that our kind of September brings, for several decades now, I personally, not just try but make sure that I always remember this month. This is because the most important birthday to me is celebrated at this time. It is that of my wife, Tina who brought me blessings and made me the luckiest human being on earth. Since she deleted the info in her Facebook profile, it means she does not want our friends to be reminded about her upcoming new age. This is despite the fact that she does not look her age. So I shall oblige!

*****

As I ended my conver-sation with my barber, he reminded me that for us who live not too far from the Chesapeake Bay, the season of good crabbing which is the beginning of the “ber” months has just begun. “Try to remember that the best kinds of crabs are in Septem-ber,” he concluded.


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

Now Available:

Tawa’t Tula ng mga Piling Katatawanan

By Joe Cabrera

A Collecton of Jokes Written in Pilipino Verse

$10.00 a copy

Call Asian Journal San Diego619-474-0588

©2010 Virginia H. Ferrer. All rights reserved.

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

USCIS of their new address by contacting the Military Help Line by e-mail: [email protected], or tele-phone: 1-877-247-4645.

Q. I am scheduled for an appointment at a USCIS office in the United States, but I am now at an overseas duty station. What do I do?

A. If you have an appoint-ment, an interview or are scheduled for an oath ceremo-ny, and you have transferred overseas, contact USCIS and request USCIS to trans-fer your case to the nearest USCIS overseas office. Either you or your military installa-tion’s liaison to USCIS can do this by e-mail:[email protected], or telephone: 1-877-247-4645.

Q. I am in the military

Frequently asked questions for members of the U.S. Armed

Forces and their familiesand have PCS orders to an overseas duty station; does my spouse

qualify for expedited processing of the Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence (Form I-751)?

A. If you or your spouse has official military orders to PCS overseas, you may ask USCIS to expedite the I-751 petition. You can call USCIS at 1-877-4645 before you leave the United States.

Q. My spouse left the United States, traveling on official PCS orders to join me overseas at our

new duty station, but did not receive her/his perma-nent resident (green) card, after we filed the I-

751 petition. What do we do?

A. If you filed the Form

I-751 in United States, e-mail or telephone the USCIS military assistance team and let USCIS know your spouse did not receive a permanent resident (green) card. USCIS will review your case and de-termine if your spouse’s card was produced and if USCIS can forward the card to your new APO/FPO address.

Q. How can I expedite my Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130) to bring my spouse to the United States? Is there any way she/he can enter the United States while the petition is being pro-cessed?

A. Citizens of the United States, who are serving in the military and have a pending petition for their spouse, may e-mail or telephone the US-CIS military assistance team and ask for expedited process-ing of that petition. During that time, your spouse may enter the United States on a K-3 nonimmigrant visa. To get a K-3 visa, you must file a Petition for Alien Fiancé(é)

on behalf of your spouse. The approved petition will allow your spouse to enter the Unit-ed States. If USCIS approves the I-130 petition while your spouse is in the United States on a K-3 visa, she/he can file an application for adjustment of status to become a legal permanent resident.

Q. I am a U.S. citizen and serving in the military, who in my family is considered as my

immediate relative so that I may file a Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130) on their behalf?

A. In general, spouses, unmarried children younger than age 21 and parents of U.S. citizens are considered ‘immediate relatives’ to file a Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130). This means they will not have to wait long to receive an immigrant visa or adjust status in the United States, because a visa number is immediately available. If you recently became a U.S.


Tulad Ka Rin NilaIsa, tama ka, minsan lamang kung tayo ay mabuhayna ipinagkaloob sa ‘tin ng Dakilang Maykapalmahalin mo, ingatan mo, at dapat pahalagahanpanatiliing malinis, laging tunay at dalisay.

Dalawa, ang mga matang ipinagkaloob sa ‘yonang ang tatahaking landas ay agd na matanaw monangakong kang iiwasan ang masasamang bisyoat iukol ang panahon sa kapakanan ng mundo.

Tatlo, ang dami ng anak na saiyo’y ibinigaysa pangakong bubusugin sa ligaya’t pagmamahalat may hangganan din nang hindi sila magkasungaynang walang pagsisihan sa darating na mga araw.

Apat na taon kang nangibang bayan ng maayosmawalay sa pamilya at makapag-ipon ng maayossabi mo’y nais mo silang lahat ay maitaguyodmabait ang kapalaran at dininig ka ng Diyos.

Limang taon ka niyang pinagsilbing alkalde ng bayanmadama ng sangkatauhan tunay na pagmamahalsa abot ng makakaya ang sila ay matulunganpangako ay napako, nawaldas ang kaban ng bayan.

Joke of the week: The minister had apparently touched the heart of at least one listener who stood up and declared, “Tonight I realize I am a miserable sinner. I curse and swear. I drink too much. I run around with other women. I cheat my employer.” In the midst of his sharing his faults with everyone, the man next to him muttered loud enough for several to hear, “Sit down, we knew it all the time.”

Scripture: First Read-ing: Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14. The Covenant between God and the Israelites had barely been sealed when it was almost nullified due to the abominable sin of idolatry, the worship of the molten calf. God wanted to punish Israel. But God relented when Moses interceded for the people and reminded God of the pact he made with their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Second Reading: I Timothy 1: 12-17. Paul, who used to be “a blasphemer, a persecutor and arrogant,” thanks God for his merciful love and for-giveness. With his newfound life in grace, Paul is ready to assume the task of minister-ing to others, especially to the Gentiles. Gospel: Luke 15: 1-32. In the time of Jesus

Transforming Brokenness into Wholeness

many pious Jews tried to lead a way of life according to the Torah (Law or the first five Books of the Bible). The scribes and the Pharisees were well known for this practice. But there were also many Jews at that time through lack of proper education or reli-gious indifference who did not follow the Torah. For this reason, the scribes and Phari-sees considered these Jews as great sinners, outcasts of society, and should be avoid-ed. The scribes and Pharisees considered having meals with these sinners as a highest form of scandal.

Reflections: Each of today’s reading narrates at least a story of brokenness. The Exodus passage tells of the Israelites’ weakness and brokenness. They melted their jewelries into the statue of the molten calf. Exodus 20: 4-5 dictates, “You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth, you shall not bow down before them or wor-ship them.” In their broken-ness, the ancient Israelites represented the Lord and his strength with the image of a young bull. Like the prodigal

son in today’s Gospel, Paul, in the second reading, nar-rated his share of brokenness. He too had wandered far from God the Father’s loving embrace. Thanks to the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ, Paul’s brokenness had been a means to his spiritual wholeness and holiness. The passage in today’s Gospel is a classic example of broken-ness. Through no fault of their own, both coin and sheep were lost. The prodigal son, the elder brother, and their father experienced brokenness in their own particular way. The younger son’s brokenness was a sin against heaven and against his father, the elder son’s brokenness was his self-righteousness and refusal to forgive, and the father’s brokenness was his unending love and abounding mercy.

Likewise, we too have our share of brokenness. There are broken lives due to ad-diction to drugs, gambling, and alcohol. There are broken families because of separa-tion, divorce, domestic vio-lence, and abuse of children. We hear about broken vows and promises among priests and ministers due to infidelity, pleasure, and materialism. We read about broken treaties be-cause of dishonesty and trick-eries of those involved. There are broken trusts because some politicians don’t live up according to the mandate their constituents have vested upon them.

Because of our sinful state of existence, our psychologi-cal and physiological func-tioning has been impaired and this situation brings about our brokenness. Yet wholeness is possible to achieve in this present state. Wholeness im-plies a sense of completeness, a sense of “shalom,” peace. Wholeness does not intend

to normalize our brokenness but to transform or sublimate it through surrender to God’s merciful grace. This surren-der is evident in the prodigal son’s words, “I shall get up and go to my Father.” When this surrender to God’s mercy and compassionate love oc-curs, brokenness becomes a gift in disguise and a means to wholeness. Surrender-ing his waywardness to the father’s unconditional love, the prodigal son experienced wholeness: physiological = sandals, royal robe, ring; psychological and spiritual = he “was dead, and has come to life again, was lost, and has been found.”

Being human and weak, we always desire a quick fix on almost everything, even with suffering and broken-ness. We want a glory without guts, healing without pain, life without death, heaven without earth (or hell), resur-rection without the cross. This path is possible, but it won’t last. Our brokenness would result into further broken-ness and eventually would make us more bitter, angrier, and more disappointed. The elder son in today’s Gospel was bitter because he thought his father did not take into consideration his hard work and sacrifices. He was angrier with his younger brother be-cause their father welcomed him back into his household. Had the elder son surrendered his brokenness to his father’s love, his feeling of being “un-justly” treated by his father and attitude of condemnation of his brother could have been a way to his wholeness.

Quotation of the week: “How could a man live at all if he did not grant absolution every night to himself and his fellows?” Goethe.



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By Perry DiazPerryScope

During President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III’s inau-gural last June 30, his most memorable statement that stuck in people’s minds was: “Walang wang-wang, walang counterflow, walang tong” (No more sirens, no more counterflow, no more bribes). The spontaneous response from the crowd was ecstatic… euphoric. The effect was alchemy and chemistry all rolled into one. It was magic!

But like anything else in this world, the excitement of the moment ebbed down and reality seeped in. The first thirty days went fast. Then sixty days passed. Seventy… going eighty… Pretty soon we’ll reach the 100th day end-ing the honeymoon period that every president has enjoyed with the media particularly the opinion makers. And by then, we’re beyond “wang-wang” politics and into the realm of realpolitik where the strongest rules and the weak are laid by the wayside. Ironi-cally, it was realpolitik -- the theory of politics that focuses on power, not ideals, morals, or principles -- that former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo thrived on for the nine and a half years that she was in power. In the end, power corrupted her.

P-Noy’s dilemma

Since P-Noy came to power on a vow to fight and end corruption, he is faced with a daunting and challeng-ing mission: How can he fight corruption in an environment that has for decades been ruled by entrenched pluto-crats and oligarchs? Can he balance playing realpolitik and fighting corruption at the same time? If he could do it, it would not be a leisurely walk in the park; it would be like hacking his way through the rain forests of the Amazon. Indeed, corruption is so deep-rooted in the Philippines that to eradicate it, P-Noy has to employ extraordinary means.

P-Noy’s attempt to fight corruption gained approval from the people when he

Beyond ‘Wang-wang’ Politics

formed the Truth Commission to investigate the anomalies and corruption scandals dur-ing the Arroyo presidency. But his appointment of retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. as the com-mission chairman has drawn intense flak from the media as well as political and civic leaders. At issue was Davide’s close political association with Gloria and of his alleged corruption practices while he was at the helm of the high court. And P-Noy’s strong defense of Davide calling him the “per-fect” person for the job doesn’t bode well with a grow-ing number of people opposed to Davide’s appointment.

Arroyo investigation stymied

Meanwhile, Gloria’s allies in the House of Representa-tives have filed a petition with the high court to invalidate P-Noy’s Executive Order No. 1 creating the Truth Commis-sion. In addition, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima -- who served under Gloria as head of the Commission on Human Rights -- has put on hold DOJ’s investigation into the graft complaint filed against Gloria in connection to the $329-million NBN-ZTE brib-ery scandal. De Lima said that DOJ would wait for the Truth Commission to come up with its parameters before initiat-ing its own investigation. There is widespread concern that the “freezing” of investi-gations on anomalies involv-ing Gloria and her underlings could result in failure to bring them to justice. Mandated to submit its final report to P-Noy by December 31, 2012, the Truth Commission is under horrendous pressure to get started; however, until the Supreme Court ruled on its constitutionality, the Arroyo investigation is stymied.

Compounding the situa-tion, any attempt to prosecute Gloria while Merceditas Guti-errez remains as Ombudsman could fail. While there are two concurrent impeachment resolutions against Gutierrez in the House of Representa-tives, P-Noy has recently taken a neutral position on her impeachment, a 180-degree turnaround from his earlier position that Gutierrez should be removed from her constitu-tional position which can only be done through impeach-ment. If Congress fails to impeach and remove Gutier-rez, she will in office until her seven-year term ends on December 1, 2012.

It could then be surmised that until P-Noy is halfway through his six-year term,

Gloria could not be pros-ecuted. Assum-ing, however, that Gloria would be pros-ecuted and con-victed before P-Noy’s term ends, the con-viction would be appealed all the way to the Supreme

Court. And this is where the final battle will be fought. But the bad news is: The Supreme Court in 2016 would still have at least nine justices who are presumably loyal to Gloria in-cluding Chief Justice Renato Corona whose term ends on October 15, 2018.

And who knows who would be P-Noy’s succes-sor. The case against Gloria could drag on for another six years… and eventually fall into limbo. But a scarier scenario would be Gloria suc-ceeding P-Noy as president or prime minister.

Quo vadis, P-Noy?

If P-Noy is really serious about fulfilling his campaign promise, “Kung walang cor-rupt, walang mahirap” (No corruption, no poverty), he has to implement drastic changes to how he’s going to bring Gloria to justice and eradicate corruption.

With investigations of cor-ruption during Gloria’s presi-dency on hold, there are subtle signs that corruption is slowly making its way into P-Noy’s fledgling administration.

A case in point was a re-cent article written by colum-nist Ramon Tulfo under his “On Target” column, to wit:

“One official in the Aquino administration allegedly col-lects P20 million tong every month from gambling lords through some police regional directors. This official just took over from his counterpart in the previous administra-tion. Most of the P20-million collection allegedly went to a Palace heavyweight in the Arroyo government. But since P-Noy hates ‘dirty money,’ the official gets all the take.”

(end)

Whoever that administra-tion official is, I’m pretty sure that P-Noy is aware of what’s going on. If the allega-tion was proven to be true, it would provide P-Noy with an opportunity to kick off his anti-corruption campaign by firing that official in his ad-ministration who’s pocketing “dirty money.” If there is one thing that corrupt officials fear most, it’s punishment. And as to that “Palace heavyweight” in the Arroyo government who had been receiving “dirty money” from the gambling lords, the Truth Commis-sion should easily find out who that “heavyweight” was. There weren’t that many… perhaps only one.

Corruption is like weed: if you don’t kill it, it will grow and spread rapidly until the entire landscape is full of weed. That’s what happened to Gloria’s presidency when four days after she assumed the office from ousted presi-dent Joseph “Erap” Estrada, her justice secretary planted the first seed of corruption in her administration which then grew into a dense “jungle” over a span of nine years.

Indeed, beyond “wang-wang” politics awaits a grand opportunity for P-Noy to show his 90 million “bosses” that there is no place for cor-rupt officials in his adminis-tration.

citizen and have Form I-130 pending with USCIS you can call the USCIS Military Help Line to request USCIS upgrade your relative’s visa category to ‘immediate rela-tive’ status.

Q. I am a legal perma-nent resident and serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, who in my family is

considered as my imme-diate relative so that I may file a Form I-130 petition on their behalf?

A. Spouses and unmarried children younger than age 21, of permanent residents are not considered ‘immedi-ate relatives’ to file a Form I-130. Therefore, relatives of permanent residents may have to wait several years before immigrating because of the combination of high demand and the limits set by law on the number of persons who can immigrate each year. If you are a legal permanent resident, and have a pending Form I-130 petition on your spouse’s behalf, your spouse may be eligible to file for a V-1 nonimmigrant visa at a U.S. consulate overseas by concurrently filing the U.S Department of State Forms DS-3052 and DS-156 nonim-migrant visa applications. An application for the visa does not guarantee your spouse will qualify for the V-1 visa. If approved, the V-1 visa, like the K-3 visa, will permit your spouse to lawfully enter the United States and then adjust

his or her status to lawful permanent resident when his or her immigrant visa number becomes available.

Q. I am in the military and am engaged to marry a non-citizen. I filed a Petition for AlienFiance(é) to bring my fiancé(e) into the United States. Do we qualify for expedited processing of the petition?

A. If you are a U.S. citi-zen and have filed a fiancé(e) petition on your spouse’s behalf, you may ask USCIS to expedite the processing of the petition by calling the Military Help Line. If you are a U.S. citizen and do not plan to marry your fiancé(e) before he or she enters the United States, you may file the K-1 petition on his or her behalf. If you are outside the United States, you can mail the forms to the appropriate USCIS Service Center. (Un-like a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident cannot file a K-1 petition.) After USCIS approves the fiancé(e) petition, your fiancé(e) may file an application for a K-1 fiance(e) nonimmigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate overseas. A K-1 visa allows your fiancé(e) to enter the United States to marry you, and for no other purpose. If you and your fiancé(e) do not marry within 90 days of his or her admis-sion to the United States, the K-1 visa will expire. If you marry your fiancé(e) within those 90 days, your spouse may file to become a lawful permanent resident by filing an application for adjustment of status.

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.

Frequently asked questions for

members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families



3507 S. Maryland Parkway Suite A.Las Vegas, Nv 89169 (702) 608 2527

Las Vegas Branch Novena to Saint

JudeOh Holy St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue, rich in miracles, near Kingsman of Jesus Christ and faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need. To you I have recoursed from the depth of my heart and humbly beg, to whom God has given special great power, to come to my assistance in my present, in return I promised to make your name known and cause to be invoke. ( Say 3 Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glorys for nine consecutive days, publication must be promised.) St. Jude, pray for us all who invoke your aid. (This novena has never been known to fail.

PersonalPrayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit thou make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my love ones in your perpetual glory, Amen. A Person must pray this 3 consecutive days without stating one’s wish will be granted no matter how dif-ficult may be. Promise to publish this soon as your favor has been granted.

Maria, Nigel & BC Maria, Nigel & BC

by Artemio A. Dumlao

BAGUIO CITY (August 26, 2010) — A drug-free bu-reaucracy is soon realized with the Civil Service Commis-sion mandating all agencies of government including state-run colleges and universities to cleanse their workplaces from drugs.

Drug test, avocacy, educa-tion and training; and well-ness programs as essential undertakings with respect to the realization of the National Drug-free Workplace Program will be mandatory on

all constitutional bod-ies, departments, bureaus and agencies of the national government, ocal government units; government-owned or controlled corporations; and state universities, said PDEA-Cordillera officer-in-charge Chief Inspector Edgar Apalla.

CSC Memorandum Circu-lar Number 13, series of 2010 issued last July 28 prescribes these mandate where all of-ficials and employees entering the government service shall be required to undergo drug test.

To realize a drug-free work-place in government, agen-cies shall organize orientation or education programs to all

‘Drug-free Phil. Bureaucracy Soon’

their officials and employees to increase awareness on the harmful effects and dangers of drug use and drug abuse in the workplace, the program said. They are also enjoined to display or post positive mes-sages at their work premises about the importance of being drug-free.

All government agencies shall also initiate various activities that encourage their respective employees to lead healthy lifestyles at work and at home.

“Dismissal From First Of-fense”

Apalla said the program emphasis that any official or employee found positive for use of dangerous drugs shall be subjected to disciplinary or administrative proceedings with a penalty of dismissal from the service at first of-fense, pursuant to Section 46(19) of Book V of Execu-tive Order 292 and Section 22(c) of its Omnibus Rules.

At the PDEA, drug test is a mandatory pre-appointment and pre-promotion require-ment.

Emily Fama, spokesperson of the PDEA-Cordillera said what is more unto it, they hold unannounced, compulsory drug test for all its person-

nel, at least every six months. Hence, gone are the days when instead of fighting drugs, deep penetration agents (DPA) of government become drug dependents.

Drug dependency affects government performance and output. A worker’s drug problem has direct, damag-ing impact to the company’s performance, morale and suc-cess, explained Fama. “Sick-ness increases medical costs. Absenteeism reduces output due to loss of manpower. Dete-riorating working relationship results in industrial relations problem.” Deadlines are missed and business transac-tions are lost due to unsound decisions and impaired judg-ments, she continued. Other effects of drug dependency among government workers are: excessive times are wasted during coffee and lunch breaks; quality of products or services declines; low qual-ity or substandard products or outputs result in wastage of resources; properties are dam-aged due to sloppiness; pilfer-age, theft or embezzlement occurs.”

Worse, “agency secrets” are sold. Decline in worker’s discipline creates supervi-sion problems and trust & confidence of the public is lost because of poor quality of products or services delivered to them, added Fama.

“National Drug Abuse Program”

Apalla added that section 47, Article V of the anti-drugs law (RA 9165) provides that the Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE), with the assistance of the Dangerous Drugs Board, shall develop, promote and implement a national drug abuse prevention program in the workplace to be adopted by private compa-nies with ten or more employ-ees.

Such program, he ex-plained, shall include the man-datory drafting and adoption of company policies against drug use in the workplace in close consultation and coordi-nation with the DOLE, labor and employer organizations, human resource development managers and other private sector organizations.

This though in 2008, the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional paragraphs (f) and (g) of Section 36, Article III of RA 9165, requiring man-datory drug testing of persons accused of crimes and candi-dates for public office, respec-tively. In that same en banc decision, the SC also declared as unconstitutional Commis-sion on Elections Resolution No. 6489, which implemented the drug testing among candi-dates.

But Apalla said, section 38 of the drugs law, clearly autho-rizes the drug test on any per-son arrested for violating the provisions of RA 9165.***Ar-temio A. Dumlao***

by Ellen Tordesillasfrom MALAYA

‘Pangilinan was able to sell his story to Aquino and Gazmin and he has been duly compensated.’

THERE were two signifi-cant things that Rear Admiral Feliciano Angue mentioned in his marathon griping with media the past few days.

One is the continued thriving career of Maj. Gen. Gaudencio “Boy Gee” Pang-ilinan, one of Gloria Arroyo’s dependable generals, under Aquino’s supposedly reform-ist administration.

Angue identified Pang-ilinan as one of the Class ’79 officers close to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. He said Pangilinan served as intelligence officer and comp-troller of Gazmin when the latter was still in the active military service.

Pangilinan’s clout with Gazmin is substantiated by his being in the first batch of officers who moved up under this new administration. Last month, he was named com-mander of Northern Luzon Command vice Lt. Gen. Ri-cardo David who was named AFP chief of staff.

The Nolcom chief position requires a three-star general. Pangilinan’s third star is still awaiting the signature of President Aquino.

The problem is, Pangilinan turned 55 last July 25. The mandatory age for retirement in the AFP is 56. Under the law except for the one slated to be AFP chief, an officer with less than a year cannot be promoted.

As of yesterday, Aug. 20, there was no word that Aqui-no has signed the promotion papers of Pangilinan. We are watching this closely because this impacts on the profes-sionalism in the military that members of the armed forces are yearning for.

Is Malacañang coming out with an ante-dated promo-tion for Pangilinan? Pwede ba yun? If he fails to get his third star, will he continue holding on to the position of Nolcom commander?

The answers to these ques-tions are related to the other issue raised by Angue which was political partisanship in the military.

Malacañang and the mili-tary are downplaying the call of Angue for an investigation of generals who engaged in partisanship in the last May elections.

Do you remember the statement of then presiden-tial candidate Aquino that he would call for People Power

The incredible career of Boy Gee

if the first automated election was rigged and Arroyo at-tempted to hold on to power?

He made that after a meet-ing with some generals who reportedly told him that Ar-royo was not giving up power and was preparing for three scenarios” No-election, No-Proclamation and coup-me.

They fed Aquino stories of then AFP Chief Delfin Bangit planning to sabotage the first automated elections so no winner would be proclaimed.

These generals assured Aquino that they would resist Arroyo’s plans and that they would help install him to the presidency if no winner was proclaimed within a week after election. One of these generals, a source said, was Pangilinan.

These officers also tried to talk with some officers. A number told them that they didn’t want to be involved in political partisanship and that what they should do was to make sure that elections would be peaceful and or-derly.

Well, there was an election, Aquino won in an election that was seen a peaceful and credible. He was proclaimed.

Our own sources in the military said, even if Arroyo had entertained those plans, there was no military group that thought of supporting Arroyo’s continued stay in power. Not even Bangit.

But Pangilinan was able to sell his story to Aquino and Gazmin and he has been duly compensated.

We know many officers are watching closely if Pangilinan will get his third star despite the one-year ban. They would know from there if President Aquino is sincere in his ex-hortation to the people to take the “matuwid na daan.”

A friend who knows Pan-gilinan said she is amazed by Boy Gee’s ability to be at the right place at the right time.

She said, “In 1998 or fol-lowing his Mindanao stint, immediately after Erap’s election or sometime in May 1998, he told me he wanted an introduction to Gloria because he was sure Gloria would be next president.”

Indeed, he was able to find a way to Gloria Arroyo’s favor.

When concerned citizens were protesting the declara-tion of martial law in Magu-indanao last year, Pangilinan, who was then vice chief of staff for operations, batted for the extension of martial law up to elections.

Had that idea taken off, who would have benefited?


Autumn brings lots of changes. The trees begin to change colors, bringing a beautiful array of different colored foliage, which eventu-ally drops off into our yards. A change of pace in our life is good, what better way to celebrate this than by going out with friends and family. The autumn breeze is out everyone is looking for a good time to relax and forget their worries. What better way to spend it than by watching a “DIVA-istic” showcase that will leave you remarkably breathless as the Musical Diva and the Comedy Diva unveil their greatest escape to fun and laughter in song, dance and wacky entertainment!

Starmedia Entertain-ment and TEN- The Enter-tainment Network present “ANG GANDA DIVA?”, featuring two of the most versatile performers in the entertainment industry today - Asia’s Nightingale, Ms. Lani Misalucha and Vice Ganda, top rated stand up comedian and performer in Manila. “ANG GANDA DIVA?”, will give you a showcase of vocal and comedic explosion as both artists give you a night of star power!

“Ang Ganda Diva?”Asia’s Nightingale, Lani Misalucha and Stand-up Comedian Extraordinaire, Vice Ganda’s USA Tour

Asia’s Nightingale and Las Vegas’ Singing Sensa-tion, Lani Misalucha, world renowed and award-winning recording artist will astound you with her three-octave vo-cal range, singing everything from rock n’ roll to operatic arias and is currently hold-ing her “Voices” concert at the Hilton Las Vegas. She possesses comedic flair and can do incredible, dead-on impressions of well-known divas!

Not to be left behind in doing comedic performances and impressions, Jose Marie Viceral popularly known as Vice Ganda, who recently headlined his own show at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila “May Nag-Text…yung Totoo” continues to successfully wow everyone on his outstanding stand-up performances, just like he always does either in comedy bars or on his noontime show, It’s SHOWTIME.

“ANG GANDA DIVA?”, a musical comedy concert that will leave you at heart’s content as you listen to beautiful music by Lani Misalucha combined

REDWOOD CITY, CA, September 7, 2010 – Imagine Lorna Tolentino, Christopher De Leon, Bea Alonzo, Diether Ocampo, Coco Martin, Zanjoe Marudo, Shaina Magdayao, Enchong Dee, Empress, Miles Ocampo and Lauren Young gathered in one film under the direction of award-winning Laurice Guillen and what

do you get? Star Cinema’s highly praised 17th anniver-sary film offering, Sa ‘Yo Lamang (Only Yours), a solid family drama that was rated A, the highest rating given by the Philippine Cinema Evaluation Board, and which premiered before huge crowds that cried and cheered in its simul-premieres in Manila, Cebu and Davao, Philippines on August 31.

Fans of the much awaited film in the U.S. are in for a treat as ABS-CBN’s Starry Starry Store brings Sa ‘Yo Lamang starting September 17 to the following cities: Los

Angeles-Cerritos, San Diego, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Seattle, New Jersey-Hoboken, New Jersey-Bergenfield and San Francisco.

“How much do you value your family?”

A decade ago, Guillen won several awards for Tanging Yaman, an inspirational fam-ily film drama that also starred a sterling ensemble cast. In Sa ‘Yo Lamang, Guillen and acclaimed screenwriter Ricky Lee worked master-fully in weaving the multiple characters into an intelligent and potent, emotional story. Successful interior designer Dianne Alvero (Bea Alonzo) appears blessed with a happy family. She and her mother, Amanda (Lorna Tolentino), just bought a house for them; her younger siblings, Coby

Star-studded family drama, “Sa ‘Yo Lamang”, to screen in 8 U.S.

cities starting September 17 Star Cinema’s 17th anniversary offering wins

crowds, critics at Manila, Cebu, Davao premieres

(Coco Martin), James (En-chong Dee) and Lisa (Miles Ocampo) are doing well in school; and she and her boyfriend of two years, John (Zanjoe Marudo), are prepar-ing for their future together. Everything changes when their estranged father, Franco (Christopher de Leon) returns after 10 years of being with

his mistress. Dianne seethes in anger towards the man who she thinks abandoned them, but is more revolted by the fact that Amanda and her siblings are willing to take him back as if he never left them.

Confused and hurt, Dianne tries everything to throw her father out of their lives. But then, the family secrets start to unravel:

the family breadwinner has become a cold-hearted control freak with infidelity issues, the nursing student is rebel-lious and promiscuous, the family scholar is actually a cheater in school, the young-est child is crying all the time, dad gets his mistress preg-nant… and mom – prayerful and religious – actually hides the most disturbing secrets in the family. Is the Alvero family doomed or is there a glimmer of hope for forgive-ness and healing?

“ABS-CBN, the Ka-pamilya network that we are, always tries to focus on the

family – be it for entertain-ment or for values education or both,” said Kerwin Du, ABS-CBN International’s head of theatricals. “Sa ‘Yo Lamang is unique in the sense that while most of us are familiar with the Biblical story of the prodigal son, here, the central conflict is about the return of a prodigal father and how this has affected the journey of the entire family he had left behind. The story is a beautifully contoured, power-ful drama with life-changing and eye-opening lessons. This is a perfect family offering to mark the last four months of the year, as we head for the holiday season.”

For more informa-tion, please visit www.abs-cbnglobalmovies.com. Check out also the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6EiMIpyK3Y

with the comedic flair of Vice Ganda! Who will be the reign-ing DIVA of the night? You take your pick!

Catch “ANG GANDA DIVA?” on October 16, 2010 (Saturday) at 7:30PM at the Pala Casino Spa & Re- sort 11154

Highway 76, Pala, CA

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Entertainment and TEN - The Entertainment Network. The show is presented to you by The Law Offices of Michael Gurfinkel, Seafood City,Red Tax Services , Rongi Enter-prises Incorporated , AGMC Productions Incorporated, Philippines Asian Report, and

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inquiries and sponsorships please call TEN at 909-545-3645 / 909-718-9948 , Starmedia Entertain-

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was jammed with jeepneys and cars honking their horns and filling whatever space there was in or outside their lanes. There was no traffic order and no sense of cour-tesy on the part of the drivers. “Undisciplined” was the word to describe such madness.

The scenes I just described were widespread all over Manila and suburbs and they were not very pretty to think or write about. I was at a loss on what to say with all these things I observed.

Progress was made in revitalizing democratic insti-tutions and respect for civil liberties, but Aquino’s admin-istration was also viewed by pundits as feeble and frac-tious. A return to full political stability and economic devel-opment was hampered by sev-eral attempted coups staged by disaffected members of the Philippine military.

During the Aquino presi-dency, Manila witnessed six unsuccessful coup attempts, the most serious occurring in December 1989. Coup at-tempts by Honasan harassed the amateur Cory presidency. The unbelievable and amusing political salvo was that Ho-nasan became a Senator. The economy was still bad. The poor suffered more and more. Sure they got democracy back on its feet but the economic growth was additionally ham-pered by a series of natural disasters, including the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo that left 700 dead and 200,000 homeless.

Because of the hard life and endemic poverty, the people learned to make sar-castic jokes about people in the government. A common joke I heard was that while there was “only one Marcos” who stole the people’s money, there were hundreds of Mar-coses in the Cory administra-tion.

We know that Mrs. Aquino was honest herself, admired for her probity, but the people around her were not. There was no dramatic change from the Marcos regime. If ‘under the table,’ was the order of the day during Marcos’ time, it was ‘under the table, ‘over the table’ and not only that, it included the ‘table’...all done by Marcoses people in Cory Aquino’s administration.

All these, of course, reflect the desperation with which the Philippines was fighting its seemingly perpetual war against poverty and inef-ficiency in general and the problems of civility and social order in particular. I really hope and pray that the present government is not losing the battle.

1987: DEMOCRACY,

ECONOMIC FREEDOM Mankind discovered de-

mocracy not once, but many times. Filipinos fought the guardia civil of the Spanish regime; we had skirmishes with the Americanos in the 1900s; and we were guerillas during the Japanese occupa-tion. We finally rediscovered democracy at the indomitable EDSA revolution. However, although we have regained our freedom, we jubilant Fili-pinos are faced with an array of problems. We are burdened with economic, social and po-litical conflicts and so we are not completely free. As one Philippine government official stated, the cry is as much for justice as it is for economic freedom, law and order, and for rice and fish. Virtu-ally 70% of the Philippine population is trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation. Where so few

From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

Specter of Povertyare very rich and so many are very poor is what our beloved country is. There is so much to be desired about the Philip-pines that we know today. It is not free from the ravage of economic bondage. Filipinos continue to wallow in sordid living conditions and unimag-inable poverty complicated by insurgency, unresolved civil strife and army coups. There is a sense of hopeless-ness in the business commu-nity. There is so much greed, dishonesty, opportunism and frustration in the government.

While Filipinos now enjoy democracy, life is still diffi-cult. Unemployment is en-demic; the price of food and other commodities is continu-ally rising. Hunger, disease, pollution and congestion in the cities are appalling. The devastation brought by the re-cent earthquake and typhoons has compounded the miseries of the people. The expressions of despair are in their eyes. What can we do? We ask if there will be deliverance from these crippling maladies.

We cannot live by love of democracy and freedom alone. What we also need are economic justice and power. The dispensation of the latter rests with the rich and the government. What are needed are the sacrifice on the part of the affluent by sharing their wealth and the intel-ligent planning and vision on the part of the government to spur economic development.

Doing so will go a long way in alleviating the economic plight of our people.

The Philippines needs to rebuild itself by infusing capi-tal and mobilizing its natural resources. It is a potentially rich country with a lot of natural resources. Its deposits of nickel, iron, copper, man-ganese, high-grade chromium, gold, and other base met-als remain unexplored. Oil deposits have been discovered in Palawan. The country must develop a means to harness these vast assets of money-making resources and export them to the industrialized countries of the world.

The fertile lands in the provinces must be cultivated and utilized for the benefit of the people. It is the responsi-bility of the leaders in govern-ment to lead the country and propel it to an industrialized nation in the years to come. There must be an effective and visionary leadership with priority in economic initia-tives.

The enormity of problems facing the Filipinos particu-larly in its deliverance from economic injustice demands heroic sacrifices from every-one. Democracy restored is not all that they need; they must also be free from hun-ger and want. Only then can Filipinos declare themselves free at last.

(Continued next issue)

Showbiz Watcher

Read Ogie Cruz’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Ogie Cruz

Napuno si Cristy Fermin kaya dinemanda niya si Chokoleit ng Libel, dahil ito sa mga tweeter ng naturang komedyante,na tunay daw na nakakasira na ng reputasyon ng nasabing host ng ‘Paparazzi’.

Wala raw na inuurungan na laban c Ms. Cristy kaya lang sobra na ang mga pahayag ni Chokoleit sa kanyang mga tweeter patungkol sa kanya.Minumura daw siya nang nasabing comedyante na ‘P. I.’, kaya halos kahit aso ay hindi kayang lunukin mga ito.

First time lang ni Ms.Fermin na magdimanda siya ng Libel sa isang tao,never pa niya ginawa ito.Ang alam niya kaya nagalit sa kanya si Chololeit dahil sa pagtatanggol niya sa kanyang kaibigan na si Willie Revillame.Alam ‘nyo naman na isa si Ate Cristy na isa sa hayagan na sumusuporta sa nasabing host ng ‘Wowowee’, na

Ikinagalit niya kay

Cristy Fermin napuno kay Chokoleit, dinemanda

Pokwang, dahil wala raw itong utang na loob. Pinalalabas kasi ni Pokwang, diumano na siya ang dahilan ng pagtaas ng rating ng ‘Wowowee’ at hindi si Willie.

Eh kaso, si Pokwang at Chokoleit ay best of friends, magkasama nga sila sa ‘Win na Win’ na nababalitang maaalis na sa Sept. 20 dahil sa kahinaan ng rating at papapalitan ito ng ‘Deal or No Deal’ ni Kris Aquino.

Marahil raw ayon kay Ate Cristy, kung anu-anu ang sinusumbong ni Pokwang kay Chokoleit kaya ang resulta, galit din Chokoleit kay Cristy Fermin.

Sabi naman ni Ate Cristy, handa naman siyang magpatawad kung kailangan, dahil puso naman niya ay hindi naman kailangan pakuluan para lumambot.Handa siya magpatawad kung talagang hihingi ng sorry si Chokoleit sa kanya.

Kaso pinagpipilitan naman ni Chokoleit ,hindi daw siya hihingi ng sorry sa nasabing tv host.Pinagtatanggol lang naman daw niya ang sarili niya, nagalit kasi si Chokoleit dahil sa mga Blind Item ni Ms. Cristy Fermin, na siya daw ay hindi naliligo at mabaho.kaya hinamon niya si Ms. Cristy Fermin, na amuyan silang dalawa kung sino sa kanila ang mabaho.Ang Tweeter daw ang dipensa lang

Cristy Fermin

Chokoleit

ni Chokoleit sa mga panlalait ni Cristy sa kanya sa panulat.

Alam namin maayos din yan dahil alam namin kung gaano kababaw ng puso ni Ate Cristy, dati kasi isa kami sa writers ng Gossip Tabloid ng Mariposa Publication na pag-aari naman ni Ms. Fermin.Halos kilala na namin ang ugali ng nasabing Tv host ng channel 5 sa Pilipinas.kung gaano niya kami pinagtatanggol noon sa aming mga sinusulat na ikinagalit naman ng ibang artista.Prinsipyo daw ang pinaiiral sa pagsusulat, kung anu ang totoo yun ang isulat na walang katumbas na anumang halaga.Natatandaan pa namin noon, nung nagalit sa amin si Ms. Vilma Santos dahil sa ‘Siopao Queen’ issue, nandun si Ate Cristy sa amin para umalalay.Pero ngayon ok na kami kay Gov. Vi.

Isang madadaming pag-uusap ang kailangan nilang dalawa sa ngayon,lalo pa talk-

Of the town ang nasabing issue at nakarating pa rito hanggang amerika.Maliit lang ang showbiz,magkakabati rin ang dalawang yan, walang permanenteng kaaway o kaibigan pero marami rin namang tunay na tao sa mundong ito.

Do you want to incorpo-rate physical activity (PA) in your daily life? Do you want to learn how many steps you should take everyday? And, do you want to learn the

proper walking stride, use a pedometer and create walking routes in your community?

Walking is one of the best forms of physical activity (PA) you can possibly do, yet people do not walk as much as they should. We should be taking 10,000 steps a day, which is the equivalent of five miles. Come learn how to incorporate PA into your life.

To learn more about walk-ing and the issues noted above including the benefits of PA to our overall health and fitness, please join us on September 11, 2010, Saturday, 8:30AM to 12 noon at the Kalusugan Community Services, FilAM Wellness Center, 1419 E. 8th St., National City, CA 91950. There will be free continental breakfast, raffle prizes, hand-outs and others. Bring your favorite healthy snack, salad or fruit.

This workshop is con-ducted in collaboration with Champions for Change, Net-work for Healthy California. The main speaker is Larissa Johnson, Physical Activity Coordinator for the Nutrition Network. She has many years of experience conducting PA workshops and nutrition.

This workshop is part of Healthy Eating, Active Life-style (HEAL) Campaign, a comprehensive program that includes workshops on healthy eating, food demon-stration, physical activity and restaurant/grocery tours. The

Free Workshop on Physical Activity: Strides To A Healthy Life

goal is to prevent overweight and obesity among FilAms in San Diego County by provid-ing nutrition/fitness activities, improving access to healthy food in neighborhood settings, i.e., FilAm restaurants and grocery tours in National City and Mira Mesa and publish-ing culturally relevant health/nutrition activities in the local ethnic media.

Obesity is defined as excess body fat. Since body fat is difficult to measure, it is often referred to as excess body weight as measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) or weight in kilograms divided by meters squared. Obesity has increased dramatically in recent years both in adults and children. Two thirds of adults and nearly 1 in 3 are overweight or obese. FilAms are not exempt from this deadly trend: 48 percent are overweight and 13 percent are obese.

Obese adults are at in-creased risk of chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 Diabetes and its com-plications, gall bladder dis-ease and much more. Children who have high BMI are more likely to have insulin resis-tance that leads to diabetes, high blood pressure and un-healthy levels of fat and other lipids.

For more information and reserve your space, please call (619) 477-3392 or e-mail [email protected]



sa patuloy na paglubha ni Kiko. Tila hindi tumatalab ang gamot na ibinigay ni Nana Koring at siya’y nag-aalala na.

Lumabas ng bahay si Neneng na tila namamalik-mata, na tila may humihimok sa kanya na maglakad pa-tungo sa punong akasya; ang mga paa niya’y lumalakad na di siya ang nagpapagalaw. Bukas na ang tarangkahan nang makarating siya sa pin-tuan ng kaharian sa ilalim ng puno kung kaya’t tuloy-tuloy siyang pumasok na.

Bumalik sa alaala niya ang pook na iyon. Napalingon siya at napatigil sa paglalakad nang biglang may tumawag sa kanyang pangalan.

-- Neneng! – bati ng babae sa lungga.

-- Nana! Kayo po pala! – gulat na balik-bati ni Neneng.

-- Makinig ka Neneng . . . tulungan mong gumaling kaagad ang iyong kapatid. Heto ang isang mahiwagang suklay. Bumalik ka kaagad sa inyong bahay at gamitin mo ang suklay . . . Ihaplos mo ito sa kanyang buhok at ulo. Iyan lamang ang paraan upang siya’y gumaling. – matatag na payo ng babae.

Pagpasok sa bahay at pagkakita sa kanya ni Nana Koring na may hawak na suklay . . .

-- Neneng, pahiramin mo ako ng suklay at nang mahap-los ko ang ulo ni Kiko – hiling ni Nana Koring.

Makalipas ang ilan lamang na sandali ay kagyat nagbago ang ayos ng mukha ni Kiko na tila naging payapa siya at may sinag. Nawala ang kanyang lagnat at siya’y nakatulog nang mahimbing.

Kinaumagahan ay gumis-ing si Kiko na masigla at wa-lang bahid ng pagkakasakit. Naroon na ang tatay niya na

May Pakpak ang Pag-Ibig Mga matang mapangtugis

naghahanda ng almusal. Si Neneng naman ay nakaupo na sa sahig sa harapan ng dulang at naghihintay na mabigyan ng almusal ng ama. Ang suklay ay nakapatong sa ibabaw ng dulang.

-- Sa iyo ba ang suklay na ‘yan, Neneng? – tanong ni Dencio.

-- Hindi po, tatay. Iyan yata ay kay Nana Koring – pakli ng bata.

Matapos na makapag-almusal ang mga anak ay sinamahan sila ni Den-cio sa pagpasok sa eskuwela. At sa kanyang pag-babalik sa bahay ay pinulot ang suklay na nasa dulang at ito’y tiniti-gan nang matagal. Kinuskos niya ang ibabaw ng suklay at gaya ng tasa na naging dilaw ang kulay nang makuskos, ang suklay ay naging dilaw din ang kulay. Ito’y yari din sa ginto katulad ng tasang ibinaon ni Dencio sa lupa sa likod ng bahay.

-- May hiwagang naga-ganap sa bahay na ito! – Bu-long ni Dencio sa sarili.

Samantala, si Berto na anak ni Indang Maring, ay nagpasiya na ang kaibigan ni Rosing na singkit ang mga mata, ang lalaking dayo mula sa lungsod na nakikita sa pulo na aali-aligid, ay dapat nang kausapin o tanungin. Maaar-ing siya ay may nalalaman o may kinalaman sa pagkalason ng nasawing mag-anak kama-kailan lamang, paniniwala ni Berto.

Ibig din niyang malaman kung ang mahiwagang pag-kakasakit ni Kiko ay natutu-lad sa nangyari sa mag-anak, isang tangka na lasunin ang bata, na hindi naganap dahil sa maagap na pagsaklolo ng kapitbahay at kapatid. Hindi maaaring magpatuloy ang pananakot sa mga taga-nayon.

Lingid sa kaalaman ni Ber-to at ng mga taga-Paraiso, ang naturang lalaki na may singkit na mga mata, ay si Jonathan na ipinadala ng pamahalaan sa pulo upang pag-aaralan ang mga isda na namumuhay sa dagat sa paligid ng Paraiso. Isa siyang ichthyologisto dalubhasa sa pag-aaral ng mga isda. Pakay ng pamaha-laan na alamin kung paano mapadadami ang mga isda at paano mapangangalagaan ang kanilang tahanan sa ilalim ng dagat. Ang kaalamang mapu-pulot sa Paraiso ay magagamit upang mapabuti ang uri ng tubig sa dagat sa mga pook na malapit sa mga lungsod na palubha na nang palubha ang uri dahil sa pagdudumi nito

ng mga tao.

Si Rosing at si Jona-than ay dating magka-eskuwela sa unibersi-dad. Magkakilala sila nguni’t walang katoto-hanan ang nabalitang nag-kakaligawan silang dalawa. Kung sila’y nakikita man na nag-uusap o magkasama sa paglalakad, ang gayong mga pangyayari ay dala ng kara-niwang pakikipagtalastasan sa isa’t isa. Sa dahilang higit na matagal na sa pagtira sa Paraiso si Rosing ay kinailan-gan ni Jonathan na makapag-tanong sa kanya tungkol sa mga bagay-bagay na magpa-pabuti sa kanyang pagliling-kod sa mga taga-Paraiso.

Kimi at hindi palabati sa tao si Jonathan. Bukod kay Rosing at iilang tao sa pulo, wala siyang ibang maituturing na kaibigan. Nakatutok ang kanyang pansin sa pagganap sa kanyang gawain; at di niya alintana na mahalaga ang

makipagkilala at makitungo sa mga taga-nayon. Datapuwa’t hindi tama na isipin na si Jonathan ay mahina. Bukod sa matalino, siya ay hasa sa larangan ng palakasan. Itinan-ghal siya na kampeon sa judo-karate sa universidad.

Nagtagpo si Berto at si Jonathan sa isang panig ng dalampasigan na batuhan. Kasalukuyang inihahanda ng dalubhasa sa isda ang kan-yang bangka bago simulan ang nakagawiang pagtungo sa dagat.

-- Ginoong kung sino ka man, bago mo ituloy ang iyong pagtakas ay kailangan munang tayo ay magkausap. – agad na paratang ni Berto gamit ang mabibigat na salita.

-- Ako si

Jona-than. At ako’y nagha-

handa na simulan ang ak-

ing gawain. Hindi ko alam

kung ano ang ibig mong sabi-hin na ako ay tatakas. – malu-manay na sagot ni Jonathan.

-- Jonathan, pala. Ikaw ang pinaghihinalaan na nagkakalat ng lagim sa aming dati-rati ay tahimik na nayon. – patuloy ni Berto na pausig ang tono. – Kailangang sumama ka sa akin at nang masimulan ang imbestigasyon.

-- Maliit ang pulo na ito at madali mo akong mahahanap. Mabagal ang oras dito at wa-lang kailangang magmadali. Makikipagkita ako sa iyo sa tanggapan ni Kapitan Kulas sa pagbabalik ko mula sa aking gawain, bago lumubog ang araw. – paliwanag ni Jona-than. – Bukod pa sa nasabi ko ay hindi kita kilala. Aywan ko kung anong mayroon ka na kapangyarihan upang ako ay pigilin.

Tumalikod sa kausap si

Jonathan at pasakay na sa bangka nang siya ay habulin at sunggaban ni Berto. Buma-likwas si Jonathan at pinalipad ang kaliwang kamao at ito ay bumagsak sa pagmumukha ni Berto. Umurong nang kaunti si Berto at bumunot mula sa baywang ng dalawang tung-kod ng yantok. Pinaikot-ikot at hinampas-hampas sa hangin ang yantok at nagbabala, -- Nagkakamali ka, Jonathan! –

Sinugod ni Berto ang inuusig. Nagpandali ang dalawa. Nagpalitan sila ng palo, suntok, at sipa. Naagaw ni Jonathan ang yantok at itinapon ang mga ito sa dagat. Nagmukhang tila balisa si Berto sapagka’t alam

niyang nananaig sa labanan si Jona-than. Bilang huling

hakbang ay bumunot si Berto ng isang punyal

mula sa kanyang bulsa at tila asong-ulol na sumugod

uli kay Jonathan. Hindi tama na si Berto ay

gumamit ng yantok o patalim sapagka’t ang batas ng mga maginoo sa gayong pagtu-tunggali ay ang paggamit ng mga kamay lamang. Umiwas na mapatay o makapatay si Jonathan. Hinakbangan niya ang mga batong nagkalat sa dalampasigan. Ibig niyang maitaas ang sarili sa pinaka-malaking bato na kung saan ay hindi siya maaabot ni Berto.

Nauna sa pagsampa sa malaking bato si Jonathan. Sinubukan ni Berto na makasampa rin nguni’t dumu-las ang kanyang mga daliri at nakabitiw sa pagkakahawak sa gilid ng malaking bato. Nahulog si Berto na pahiga at sa pagbagsak sa lupa ay

napabagok ang likod ng kanyang ulo sa isa pang bato. Kagyat ay nawalan ng malay si Berto.

Ilang sandali lamang ang nakalilipas matapos ang paglalaban nina Jonathan at Berto ay dumating sa pook na pinaglabanan ang isang pangkat ng mga lalaki na gal-ing sa pamunuan ng nayon. Kasama si Dencio sa nasabing pangkat. Napaghinuha ng mga dumating na ang pangyayari ay isang aksidente.

Sa kasawiang-palad, hindi na nagkamalay muli si Berto. Ang dating tahimik na nayon ay naging tagpo na naman ng isang malagim na pangyayari.

Ang pagkamatay ni Berto ay tila apoy na mabilis na kumalat sa buong nayon. Kasunod nito ay nagkaroon ng isang malaking sigalot sa eskuwela. Dumating doon si Indang Maring na nagtititili at may hawak na gulok.

-- Mamamatay tao! Ma-mamatay tao kang babae ka! – hiyaw ni Indang Maring na ang tinutukoy ay si Rosing.

Nawalan na ng bait si Indang Maring sanhi ng pag-kamatay ng anak na si Berto. Malalaking patak ng luha at tulo ng pawis ang nagpadun-gis sa mukha ng kaawa-awang ina. Pasuray-suray siyang naghahanap sa bakuran ng es-kuwela – Nasaan ka, Rosing?! Isa kang traydor! Isa kang babaeng palamara! –

Dumating si Padre Mario at ilang kasamahan sa bakuran ng eskuwela at pinakiusapan si Indang Maring na maghu-nos-dili. Niyakap ng pari ang tumatangis na babae at inakay siya papalayo sa eskuwela.

(Itutuloy)

Room for RentCall

(619) 746-3416



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

Reach the lucrative Asian Pacific Islander

Market by advertising in the

Asian Journal!Call (619) 474-0588

SweetheartKung ang bulong ng ‘yong puso, ako’y hindi mo na mahal,At dapat na lisanin mo’t baguhin ang iyong buhay.Sabihin mo sa ‘kin ngayon yaong tunay na dahilan,Handa akong magparaya, kita’y aking pakikinggan.

Kung ito ang s’yang paraan upang ika’y lumigaya,Limutin ang sinabi mong, “sweetheart” sadyang mahal kita.Kahit na ang iyong mga halik sa labi ko’y sariwa pa,Kakayanin kong tiisin ang pait na mawala ka.

Nuong tayo’y magkapiling kay tamis ng bawat saglit,Lalo’t ika’y kayakap ko sa init ng iyong halik.Buong-buo ang tiwalang ako’y iyong iniibig,Ngunit ngayo’y babaguhin itong kulay ng daigdig.

Tantang-tanda ko pa noon, ang tawag mo’y laging “sweetheart”,Labis akong nasisiyahan pagkat yaon ang s’yang dapat.Sa patuloy nitong pusong tumitibok sa pagliyag,Ang paligid, gumaganda sa pag-ibig nating wagas.

Ngayong ika’y lilisan na, ang akin lang pakiusap,Limutin mong tayong dal’wa, may ugnayan sa lumipas.Hindi tayo nagkilala, walang noon, ngayon, bukas,Nagkataon na ang lahat, ang simula’y magwawakas.

Humayo ka at hangad ko na ikaw ay lumigaya,Sa hakbang mong papalayo luhaan ang aking mata.Hindi ko na hahangaring sa pangarap hanapin ka,Sa sugat ng ‘yong iiwan, maghilom man, may kirot pa.

Oo, tunay, lumaya kang iniwan ang nagmamahal,Sa tiising susuungin, ligaya mo’y aking dasal.Dumating man ang panahong balikan ang nakaraan,Naririto lamang ako, ika’y laging hinihintay.

From: Romeo S. Nicolas3/20/2010

(pasyente nagbubungkal ng lupa)

nurse: oi! anu ginagawa mo?

pasyente: di mo ba nakiki-ta? nagtatanim ako.. bobo!

nurse: wla ka namang seeds eh! pauso!

pasyente: seedless to, tanga!

***

boy: ate, pag wala ka bang tenga, maghihikaw ka?

ate: xmpre hinde

boy: eh pag wala kang da-lire, magsisingsing ka ba?

ate: xmpre hindi rinboy: eh bakit ka pa nagba-

bra?

***

GF: Walanghiya kang la-laki ka, niloloko mo ako!

BF: Huh, bakit? Wala na-man akong ginagawa ah!

GF: Wag ka ng magsinun-galing. Huling huli kita, may kasama kang ibang babae kanina. Holding hands pa kayo!

BF: Makinig ka muna - Hindi kita niloloko, maniwala ka...Yung kasama ko kanina ang niloloko ko!

***

Teacher: Paul, 1apple+1apple equals?

Paul: Ma’am, 2 apples!Teacher: Very Good! Ikaw

Peter, 1apple+1orange?Peter: Ha? Ay! Ma’am wag

ganun! Pag apple, apple lang! Magulo kaya kayo

***

Pulubi: Palimos po ng cake

Tawa naman diyan!Ale: Aba, sosyal ka ah!

Namalimos ka lang, gusto mo pang cake..

eto pandesal!Pulubi: Duh! Ate?! Bday

ko kaya today!

***

BRIDE: Kinakabahan ako. Baka di ko makaya. Parang natatakot ako.

GROOM: Kaya mo ito. Di ba dati may alaga kang ahas?

BRIDE: Oo nga, pero takot talaga ako sa UOD!

***

BOY: Wala akong kwentang anak para sa inyo! Lahat ng ginagawa ko puro mali!

Lagi nalang ako mali!!! Di ‘nyo na ako mahal!

AMA: Nagkaka-mali ka anak?

BOY: Shet! Mali na naman ako!

***

SHAMPOO FOR DRY HAIR

Juan: ano bang shampoo ito? ayaw bumula

Maid: paano po bubula yan hindi naman basa buhok nyo

Juan: haler, for dry hair toh, nag-iisip ka ba Inday? dry hair!

***

Pare 1: Tol parang malalim ang iniisip mo!

Pare 2: Nanaginip ako kagabi kasama ko 50 contes-tants ng Ms. Universe Pare 1: Swerte mo! ano problema mo?

Pare 2: Pare ako nanalo!

***

Lito: Pare, ano ba ang kai-bahan ng H2O sa CO2?

Joseph: Diyos ko naman! Di mo ba alam ‘yun?! Ang H2O ay Hot water! At ang CO2... Cold water

***

Holdaper: Holdap ito! Akin na gamit mo!

Babae: (sumigaw) RAPE! RAPE! RAPE!

Holdaper: Anong rape? Holdap nga to eh!

Babae: Nagsa-suggest lang naman eh

***

Massage ParlorBoy: is this your first time?Girl: (angrily) Oo naman

noh! You guys talaga always asking me the same question!

***

HEADLINEDalawang matandang ba-

bae... nagjojogging sa plaza.. na-rape!

Kinabukasan. ..nagkagulo sa plaza... nagkatraffic Dahil libo libong matanda na ang ngayon ay nagjojogging!

***

Jinggoy: dad bakit ganun?Erap: bakit?Jinggoy: tineks ko yung

asawa ko na “padating na ko babe”

Erap: o ano ngayon?Jinggoy: pag uwi ko may

kasama syang lalaki sa kamaErap: baka hindi natanggap

yung teks mo

***

Teacher: Miguel spell horse!

Miguel: H....O....Teacher: ang bagal mo na-

manMiguel: H....O....R. .........Teacher: bilisan mo kayaMiguel: Ya!

Tigidig!!!Tigidig! !! Tigidig

***

Pasyente: Okey ba ang services sa ospital na ito?

Doktor: Oo naman noh. Sigurado ‘yon

Pasyente: Paano kung hindi ako satisfied?

Doktor: Ibabalik namin ang sakit mo

***

Pulis: Eto bayad ko sa kapeChinese: Aba, bakit ka

bayad?Pulis: Utos ni chief, wala

nang kotong simula sa araw na ito

Chinese: Aba sige, simula ngayon hindi na ako dura sa kape mo

***

Bakit pag komersyal ng palmolive buhok ang pina-pakita?

Pag eskinol mukha ang pinapakita

Pag colgate ngipin ang pinakpakita

Bakit pag “modess” ayaw ipakita ang ginagamitan?

Unfair dba? its anfer! its anfer!

Two incredibly popular CCSE events combined into one day of interactive family fun! Find out the simple steps you can take to lower your energy costs and check out the latest in alterna-tive transportation and electric vehicles.

The day features high-dollar prize drawings, test drives of the pre-market plug-in cars of the future, games and solar powered mini-car rides for kids, organic food, live entertainment, work-shops offering home energy solu-tions and clean generation vendor displays. Plus, you’ll have the op-portunity to meet celebrity race-car driver and environmental ad-vocate, Carbon Free Girl, Leilani Münter. Also, there will be lots of games and fun – like the sOccket ball, a soccer ball that generates electrical power. Join us and ask the experts, firsthand, how you can save energy and money.

Sept. 14 and 15 – Clean En-ergy Commercial Tours

Board busses at CCSE, 8690 Balboa Ave., San Diego, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Tour some of the most sophis-ticated and advanced high-per-formance buildings in San Diego during this day-long adventure, including San Diego’s first LEED certified hotel. The tour will showcase the latest energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies in real-world appli-cations. Lunch is included.

Sept. 16 – Clean Energy Conference

San Diego Convention Cen-ter, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Learn how to turn energy sav-ings into profit, improve your brand and lead market transfor-mation by embracing clean ener-gy. Hear the latest in the rapidly evolving clean energy world and harness this unique opportunity to network with industry experts.

This is where the action is for those in business – contractors, facility managers, building own-ers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and others – who need or want to be in the know about the lat-est developments, policies and technologies related to energy and building/home performance. Experts and decision makers from industry, government, aca-demia and the nonprofit sector will offer their insights and pre-dictions during 16 sessions with topics ranging from zero-energy homes and getting the best return on your business energy planning to home energy financing and the future of energy use. Technolo-gies covered include solar power, algae fuel, energy storage, fuel cells, wind power, smart meters, utility-scale renewable energy and much more. Lunch and a net-working reception are included.

Did you know CCSE offers free, ongoing workshops on ener-gy efficiency, solar energy, green building, transportation and cli-mate change? Register now! Calll (866)SDENERGY.

Sign up Now for Sustainable

Energy Week 2010(Continued from page 3)


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

journalusa.com

Author Unknown

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is le-gally blind, moved to a nurs-ing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move nec-essary.

After many hours of wait-ing patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the eleva-tor, I provided a visual descrip-tion of her tiny room, includ-ing the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old hav-ing just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room .... just wait.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arr¡anged ... it’s how I arrange my mind.

I already decided to love it ... “It’s a decision I make ev-ery morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away ... just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank ac-count ... you withdraw from what you’ve put in .. So, my advice to you would be to de-posit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from

Attitudehatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.4. Give more.5. Expect less.

No one can go back and make a brand new start. Any-one can start from now and make a brand new ending.

God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Disappointments are like road bumps, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the

smooth road after-wards.

Don’t stay on the

bumps too long. Move on!

When you feel

down be-cause you

didn’t get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God has thought of something better to give you.

When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means.

There’s a purpose to life’s events, to teach you how to laugh more or not to cry too hard.

You can’t make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth.

It’s better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride.

We spend too much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already love, when instead we should be perfect-ing the love we give.

Never abandon an old friend. You will never find one who can take his place. Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older.

May today there be peace within you. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. “I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.”

OAKLAND - Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced today a major takedown of key members of the Nuestra Familia gang who commit murders and other violent crimes “orchestrated in prison” by gang leaders using cell phones.

As part of an operation code-named “Street Sweeper,” a joint task force of 250 state and local law en-forcement agents led by Brown’s Bureau of Nar-cotic Enforce-ment concluded a year-long series of arrests attack-ing the hierarchy of prison gangs. Today in Visalia and surrounding areas, agents arrested 34 gang members, including four local gang leaders. Five other Nuestra Familia leaders were incarcer-ated in earlier operations.

“Operation Street Sweeper represents a big step forward in reducing vicious street crimes orchestrated in prison by the Nuestra Familia hier-archy,” Brown said. “Today’s operation has stripped the dangerous Nuestra Familia gang of key managers who carry out orders from its im-prisoned leaders.”

Launched in Folsom Prison in 1968, Nuestra Familia is one of seven prison gangs in the state. Through top-down leadership, Nuestra Familia controls illegal activities inside several prisons, as well as most of the Nortenos gangs who operate in central California from Yuba City to Bakersfield and from Salinas to the Sierra foothills.

With a sombrero resting on a dagger as its symbol, Nuestra Familia is believed to have hundreds of members inside state prisons, tens of thousands in communities and many more associates, ac-cording to gang investigators.

Three gang leaders serving life sentences direct Nuestra Familia activities from inside Pelican Bay’s Secure Hous-ing Unit, also known as the “Shu,” which isolates pris-oners 24 hours a day. While such confinement places some limits on the gang’s ability to communicate, gang lead-ers are still able to direct gang members on the streets through cell phones smuggled into the prison.

“In addition to arresting street gang leaders through efforts like Operation Street Sweeper,” Brown said, “we must cut imprisoned gang

Brown Announces Arrests of Violent Gang Members Who Took Orders from Imprisoned Gang Leaders, and Calls for Action to

End Cell Phone Communication from Prisonleaders’ ability to commu-nicate with cell phones by blocking that communication through an electronic net over Pelican Bay.”

Sophisticated technology exists to jam cell phones,

even selectively, within pris-ons, but federal law must be changed to allow that to hap-pen. The “Safe Prisons Com-munications Act” has passed the Senate, and a companion bill by Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas is in committee in the House. Brown called on members of the House to ap-prove this legislation, which

is essential to cracking down on one of California’s most feared prison gangs.

Gang violence has recently spiked in Central Valley com-munities. So far this year, Visalia’s serious gang-related

murders, assaults and drive-by shootings have doubled compared to the same period last year.

“History was made today in Visalia,” said Colleen Mes-tas, chief of the Visalia Police Department. She thanked the 300 officers from 20 law en-forcement agencies that took part in the operation. “With

their help, our police depart-ment has been able to make an impact on our local gang crime.”

Other law enforcement agencies that assisted with today’s operation are the

Central Valley Re-gional SWAT team, Delano Police Department, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fresno Metham-phetamine Task Force, High Inten-sity Drug Traffick-ing Areas - Central Valley and South-ern Tri County, Kings County Sheriff’s Depart-

ment, Madera County Gang Enforcement Task Force, Madera County Narcotic En-forcement Team, Porterville Police Department, Salinas Police Department, Tulare Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff’s Department and Visalia Police Depart-ment.


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By Alex Lacson

After the August 23 hos-tage drama, there is just too much negativity about and against the Filipino.

“It is difficult to be a Fili-pino these days”, says a friend who works in Hongkong. “Nakakahiya tayo”, “Only in the Philippines” were some of the comments lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles received in her Facebook. There is this email supposedly written by a Dutch married to a Filipina, with 2 kids, making a litany of the supposed stupidity or idiocy of Filipinos in general. There was also this statement by Fermi Wong, founder of Unison HongKong, where she said – “Filipino maids have a very low status in our city”. Then there is this article from a certain Daniel Wagner of Huffington Post, wherein he said he sees nothing good in our country’s future.

Clearly, the hostage crisis has spawned another crisis – a crisis of faith in the Filipino, one that exists in the minds of a significant number of Filipi-nos and some quarters in the world.

It is important for us Filipi-nos to take stock of ourselves as a people – of who we truly are as a people. It is important that we remind ourselves who the Filipino really is, before our young children believe all this negativity that they hear and read about the Filipino.

We have to protect and defend the Filipino in each one of us.

The August 23 hostage fiasco is now part of us as Filipinos, it being part now of our country’s and world’s history. But that is not all that there is to the Filipino. Yes, we accept it as a failure on our part, a disappointment to Hong Kong, China and to the

The Filipino Todaywhole world.

But there is so much more about the Filipino.

In 1945, at the end of World War II, Hitler and his Nazi had killed more than 6 million Jews in Europe. But in 1939, when the Jews and their families were fleeing Europe at a time when several countries refused to open their doors to them, our Philip-pines did the highly risky and the unlikely –thru Presi-dent Manuel L Quezon, we opened our country’s doors and our nation’s heart to the fleeing and persecuted Jews. Eventually, some 1,200 Jews and their families made it to Manila. Last 21 June 2010, or 70 years later, the first ever monument honoring Quezon and the Filipino nation for this “open door policy” was inaugurated on Israeli soil, at the 65-hectare Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, Israel.

The Filipino heart is one of history’s biggest, one of the world’s rare jewels, and one of humanity’s greatest treasures.

In 2007, Baldomero M. Olivera, a Filipino, was chosen and awarded as the Scientist for the Year 2007 by Harvard University Founda-tion, for his work in neuro-toxins which is produced by venomous cone snails com-monly found in the tropical waters of Philippines. Olivera is a distinguished professor of biology at University of Utah, USA. The Scientist for the Year 2007 award was given to him in recognition to his outstanding contribution to science, particularly to mo-lecular biology and ground-breaking work with conotox-

ins. The research conducted by Olivera’s group became the basis for the production of commercial drug called Prialt (generic name – Ziconotide), which is considered more effective than morphine and does not result in addiction.

The Filipino mind is one of the world’s best, one of humanity’s great assets.

The Filipino is capable of greatness, of making great sacrifices for the greater good of the least of our people. Josette Biyo is an example of this. Biyo has masteral and doctoral degress from one of the top universities in the Philippines – the De La Salle University (Taft, Manila) – where she used to teach rich college students and was paid well for it. But Dr Biyo left all that and all the glamour of Manila, and chose to teach in a far-away public school in a rural area in the province, receiving the salary of less than US$ 300 a month. When asked why she did that, she replied “but who will teach our children?” In recognition of the rarity of her kind, the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States honoured Dr Biyo a very rare honor – by naming a small and new-discovered planet in our galaxy as “Biyo”.

The Filipino is one of humanity’s best examples on the greatness of human spirit!

Efren Penaflorida was born to a father who worked as a tricycle driver and a mother who worked as laundry-woman. Through sheer deter-mination and the help of other people, Penaflorida finished college. In 1997, Penaflorida and his friends formed a group that made pushcarts (kariton) and loaded them with books, pens, crayons, blackboard, clothes, jugs of water, and a Philippine flag. Then he and his group would go to the public cemetery,

market and garbage dump sites in Cavite City – to teach street children with reading, math, basic literacy skills and values, to save them from il-legal drugs and prevent them from joining gangs. Penaflor-ida and his group have been doing this for more than a decade. Last year, Penaflorida was chosen and awarded as CNN Hero for 2009.

Efren Penaflorida is one of the great human beings alive today. And he is a Fili-pino!

Nestor Suplico is yet another example of the Filipino’s nobility of spirit. Suplico was a taxi driver In New York. On 17 July 2004, Suplico drove 43 miles from New York City to Con-necticut, USA to return the US$80,000 worth of jewelry (rare black pearls) to his pas-senger who forgot it at the back seat of his taxi. When his passenger offered to give him a reward, Suplico even refused the reward. He just asked to be reimbursed for his taxi fuel for his travel to Connecticut. At the time, Suplico was just earning $80 a day as a taxi driver. What do you call that? That’s honesty in its purest sense. That is decency most sublime. And it occurred in New York, the Big Apple City, where all kinds of snakes and sinners abound, and a place where – according to American novelist Sydney Sheldon – angels no longer descend. No wonder all New York newspapers called him “New York’s Most Hon-est Taxi Driver”. The New York City Government also held a ceremony to officially acknowledge his noble deed. The Philippine Senate passed a Resolution for giving honors to the Filipino people and our country.

In Singapore, Filipina Marites Perez-Galam, 33, a mother of four, found a wal-let in a public toilet near the restaurant where she works as the head waitress containing 16,000 Singaporean dollars (US $11,000). Maritess imme-diately handed the wallet to the restaurant manager of Im-perial Herbal restaurant where she worked located in Vivo City Mall. The manager in turn reported the lost money to the mall’s management. It took the Indonesian woman less than two hours to claim her lost wallet intended for her son’s ear surgery that she and her husband saved for the medical treatment. Maritess refused the reward offered by the grateful owner and said it was the right thing to do.

The Filipina, in features

and physical beauty, is one of the world’s most beauti-ful creatures! Look at this list – Gemma Cruz became the first Filipina to win Miss International in 1964; Gloria Diaz won as Miss Universe in 1969; Aurora Pijuan won Miss International in 1970; Margie Moran won Miss Universe in 1973; Evangeline Pascual was 1st runner up in Miss World 1974; Melanie Mar-quez was Miss International in 1979; Ruffa Gutierrez was 2nd runner up in Miss World 1993; Charlene Gonzalez was Miss Universe finalist in 1994; Mirriam Quiambao was Miss Universe 1st runner up in 1999; and last week, Venus Raj was 4th runner up in Miss Universe pageant.

I can cite more great Fili-pinos like Ramon Magsaysay, Ninoy Aquino, Leah Salonga, Manny Pacquaio, Paeng Nepomuceno, Tony Meloto, Joey Velasco, Juan Luna and Jose Rizal. For truly, there are many more great Filipinos who define who we are as a people and as a nation – each one of them is part of each one of us, for they are Filipi-nos like us, for they are part of our history as a people.

What we see and hear of the Filipino today is not all that there is about the Filipi-no. I believe that the Filipino is higher and greater than all these that we see and hear about the Filipino. God has a beautiful story for us as a people. And the story that we see today is but a fleeting por-tion of that beautiful story that is yet to fully unfold before the eyes of our world.

So let’s rise as one people. Let’s pick up the pieces. Let’s ask for understanding and for-giveness for our failure. Let us also ask for space and time to correct our mistakes, so we can improve our system.

To all of you my fellow Filipinos, let’s keep on build-ing the Filipino great and respectable in the eyes of our world – one story, two stories, three stories at a time – by your story, by my story, by your child’s story, by your story of excellence at work, by another Filipino’s hon-esty in dealing with others, by another Pinoy’s example of extreme sacrifice, by the faith in God we Filipinos are known for.

Every Filipino, wherever he or she maybe in the world today, is part of the solution.

Each one of us is part of the answer. Every one of us is part of the hope we seek for our country. The Filipino will not become a world-class citizen unless we are able to build a world-class homeland in our Philippines.

We are a beautiful people. Let no one in the world take that beauty away from you. Let no one in the world take away that beauty away from any of your children! We just have to learn – very soon – to build a beautiful country for ourselves, with an honest and competent government in our midst.

Mga kababayan, after reading this, I ask you to do two things.

First, defend and protect the Filipino whenever you can, especially among your children. Fight all this nega-tivity about the Filipino that is circulating in many parts of the world. Let us not allow this single incident define who the Filipino is, and who we are as a people. And second, demand for good leadership and good government from our leaders. Question both their actions and inaction; expose the follies of their policies and decisions. The only way we can perfect our system is by engaging it. The only way we can solve our problem, is by facing it, head on.

We are all builders of the beauty and greatness of the Filipino. We are the archi-tects of our nation’s success.

To all the people of HK and China, especially the relatives of the victims, my family and I deeply mourn with the loss of your loved ones. Every life is precious. My family and I humbly ask for your understanding and forgiveness.


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GLIMPSESby Jose Ma. Montelibano

To make my deadline, I had to submit this article a bit early. My flight arrives Manila before midnight of Thursday, almost a full `month since I left late July. It will be good to be back. No matter how im-portant my trip to the United States may be, being away from the Philippines for more than two weeks makes me homesick for my country, for my people. All the more this is true in this special moment of change in our history.

If Noynoy Aquino sym-bolizes hope and change so intently in the hearts of Filipi-nos, it is because he stands as the exact opposite of the president he changed via people power “masquerading as an election” – to quote Conrad de Quiros. From the most unpopu-lar president in Philippine history in Gloria Maca-pagal-Arroyo to a P-Noy breaking all records in trust and popularity ratings, it is no wonder that hope and change find their way to a people so numbed by the corruption that had governed them. Even in America, Filipinos who have been so pessimistic about the chances of hope and change in the motherland are half be-lieving that is can be possible.

Last Friday, I wrote about the $8 billion remittance of Filipino-Americans to the Philippines. I also mentioned that they were spending $50

Her Early Dawnbillion a year from figures that were reported almost ten years ago. I assume that their cost-of-living expenses would be closer to $60 billion by now. Earning capacity is estimated to be double to triple what they spend, using an average $42,000 per capita income.

In an effort to build a patri-otic spirit which would deeply sympathize with the plight of the poor in the Philippines, I have been visiting the United States regularly in the last three years. During this pe-riod, I have gained many new insights, some of which affirm long-held assumptions, and others breaking them apart.

The claim that Filipinos in America are afflicted with the pattern of divisiveness is con-

firmed by the eternally grow-ing number of Fil-Am organi-zations as a result of constant splits of the original ones. But contrary to being a universal truth, it is estimated that only 5% or less of Filipinos are engaged with community af-fairs and that the vast majority prefer silence or invisibility.

While this is so because of a number of reasons, espe-cially the fact that life for ordinary folks require daily hard work and leave little time for anything else, a good

SAN DIEGO — U.S. Cus-toms and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro port of entry stopped a suspected drug smuggler’s attempt on Wednesday to smuggle across the border more than 268 pounds of marijuana con-cealed inside a passenger van.

While roving in the vehicle lanes waiting to cross into the U.S. a narcotic detector dog alerted to a van, which in turn led officers to investigate further. Officers conducted a preliminary inspection and discovered packages of mari-juana. The vehicle entered the

268 Pounds of Marijuana Seized by CBP

port from Mexico at around 7:30 p.m.

Officers conducted a thor-ough inspection of the ve-hicle and its contents with an x-ray machine in the vehicle secondary inspection area; Officers removed 81 packages of marijuana valued at almost $170,800 concealed in the dash and walls of the van.

CBP seized the vehicle and drugs and turned over the suspected smuggler, a 45-year-old Mexican female, to agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

number have privately admit-ted that they are turned off by the constant bickering of self-proclaimed community leaders. My own sense is that the vast majority are not prone to divisiveness by choice but can be drawn to this negative pattern if their leaders are so inclined.

Wikipedia describes Fili-pinos in American as “invis-ible” or “silent,” a trait which counters the assumption that they are prone to divisive-ness (caused by conflicts, of course). The 95% can be more safely assumed to be more adapting and peaceful, the op-posite of popular beliefs about a community in constant disagreement.

Current statistics show that the new generation of Fil-Ams has 60% below the age of 44 and 40% are 45 years old or more. I will assume that the $8 billion remittance

from Fil-Ams to the Philippines is sourced from those in the older category. That older sector is slowly decreasing by natu-ral attrition and the younger generations are becoming more dominant. What will happen to the remit-tances as the first generation fades away and the new genera-tions are very much disconnected to their

relatives and the Filipinos back home? Unless a patriotic surge or epiphany is experi-enced by younger Fil-Ams, remittances to the Philippines will dramatically reduce.

If I have not seen with my own eyes and have begun engaging more and more of the younger generation of Fil-Ams, I would be in a state of panic today. It is scary to imagine that a constant and generous lifeline for Filipinos in the Philippines from their relatives in the United States can shrink to next to noth-ing in the next two decades. It is even more worrisome to anticipate the thinning of ties among a race whose culture has been deeply anchored on family connectedness.

Almost like a miracle, the new generation of Filipinos in America are slowly showing signs of an awakening to their roots, probably triggered by an identity crisis and a physi-cal separation to a motherland their parents keep constantly in deep affection. I am seeing the tip of an iceberg, many small groups of Fil-Ams who are more conscious and ac-cepting of their being Filipino – or, indeed, proud of being so. It is not strange anymore that young Fil-Ams sport T-Shirts which loudly pro-claim their being Filipino by design or by color. Others are drawn to Filipino entertainers, sports icons and fashion. In California, I receive reports about special language classes in Pilipino attracting more students.

What is clear to me is that a new dawn sends a signal of its coming with young Fili-pinos the first to receive the promptings. What is happen-ing to the new generations in America may have started in the homeland – with Noynoy Aquino as its most visible symbol. What swept Noynoy to the presidency was not a political exercise; it was an eruption of a spirit seeking light after a long dark night. Filipino-Americans, on the other hand, have been un-able to sever natural ties with a past, a common race and a motherland despite the dis-tance between them. From deep inside, they long for a re-union.

Convergence, then, is the invitation, the convergence of Filipinos in America and around the world with Filipi-nos in the motherland. Nation building is not limited to those who earn more, but especially

to those who are willing to give or do more. Nation build-ing is not about profits from investments, it is the fruit of the empowerment of the people. Now is the moment of the miracle, when those with great economic, intellectual technical power choose to share that power with those who have only their weak-nesses and their despair.

The youth are not the future of the motherland, they have become her early dawn.

–“In bayanihan, we will be

our brother’s keeper and for-ever shut the door to hunger among ourselves.”


Ric Mendoza with daughter Cynthia and other guests Santi Silverio (foreground) enjoying Ric’s Birthday celebration

Ric with daughter Cyn-thia and her husband Rey

Ric with his cousin Aida Velarde.

Ric clearly knew the secrets to remaining young at heart,By turning everyday into a real work of joy and art, His love of life and people - his outlook beyond compare...He is someone who always finds the best in everything to share. With songs and tales to reminisce among friends and relatives who careIt’s his sincere way of celebrating the joy of another wonderful year.” Note: A picture speaks a thousand words, but a poem’s rhyming lines could stretch a thousand more in prose.

September to Remember of Ric Mendoza’s 76th Birthday

705,418 Readson www.scribd.com /asianjournal

Friend Conrad Reloj serenades birthday celebrantSim Silverio and Ric Mendoza listen intently to the fascinat-

ing story being narrated by another guest.

Ric Mendoza poses with guest

Ric enjoying banter of guests

Guests enjoys jokes at the party

Documents

Asian Journal Sept 10 - 16, 2010