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HEALTHY LIVINGHealth insurance can help your child succeed in school

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SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENTSan Diego Artist Group debuts new works

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September 11 - 17, 2010

HOME IMPROVEMENTPaying off the house in 15 years

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Compiled from news reports

WASHINGTON — The National Federation of Fili-pino American Associations (NaFFAA) has strongly con-demned boxing star Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s racist and homophobic attack against Filipino boxing champ Man-

ny Pacquiao in a YouTube video released last week. In the video, Mayweather called Pacquiao a “whore,” a “little yellow chump” and a “midg-et” several times. He also said that he will force Pacquiao to “make some sushi rolls and cook some rice” and “we’re going to cook him with some

cats and dogs.”

P a c -q u i a o had chal-l e n g e d M a y -w e a t h -er to a fight in the ring,

but so far Mayweather has refused. Instead, he has defamed and slandered Pacquiao with baseless accusations that he uses per-

formance-enhancing drugs.“We are outraged by May-

weather’s racially offensive remarks,” said NaFFAA Na-tional Chair and Filipino Press columnist Greg Maca-benta. “This disgusting di-atribe against Pacqiuao is a racial slur against all Fil-ipinos and Filipino-Ameri-cans and an embarrassment not only to the boxing com-munity but to all Americans. Talking trash may be com-mon between boxing rivals, but Mayweather’s racial-

ly-laced profanities brazen-ly crossed the line of decency and respectability. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has taken

Boxer’s rant angers Fil-Am group

By Bill RamseyFilipino Press Staff Writer

When Malacañang in August decided to launch a full-force, triple-threat online presence to create a forum for Filipinos

to interact with the government and President Aquino, the initiative — which includes a pres-idential website, Facebook and Twitter accounts — was greeted enthusiastically and quickly be-came a favorite destination for Filipinos in the Philippines and expatriated Filipinos around the world. And while many lauded the administra-tion’s leap into the world of social networking, the government — as governments everywhere tend to be — was seriously behind the power curve in joining the social-media revolution.

Filipinos in the homeland and around the world are reported to be among the heaviest us-ers of social-media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Earlier this year, comScore, a firm that tracks and measures digital media trends, issued a report ranking the Philippines as having the highest social-networking usage in the Asia-

Facebook, Filipino-Style

FILIPINO PRESS ON FACEBOOKThe Filipino Press' own Facebook page has been online for some time, but was accidentally launched as a personal page. We recently created an official business page to better interact with our readers. On the new page, we update news,

events and other information of value every day. In addition, we've created photo galleries, special events and polls. To find us on Facebook, search "Filipino Press" and click on the page with the logo shown above.

See mayweather on 15

COMMENTARYGREG MACABENTA: If Pacquiao’s ring prowess has had a positive effect on our people, Mayweather’s insults have also had a negative effect.SEE PAGE 7

Mayweather apologizes, but NaFFAA calls for censure

See facebook on 20

Aquino to meet with Obama in U.S. during week-long visitWASHINGTON – Philippines President Aquino will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama during a week-long visit to the United States from Sept. 20-26. The visit will be Aquino's first overseas trip as president since recently cancelling traditional first visits to Southeast Asian countries.

The president has a full agenda for the visit, the highlight of which will be his address to the 65th United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 24. In addition, Aquino will meet with Obama and other world leaders during a gathering of the Associa-

tion of Southeast Asian Nations hosted by Obama on the same day. Aquino is coordina-tor of the meeting.

While a one-on-one meeting with Obama has not been scheduled publicly, Ernie Z. Bower, former president of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council based here, thinks a meeting will take place.

“The leaders will meet with the president over a luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. I’m sure Obama will also hold bilaterals (one-on-one meetings) with them,” he told a Philippines newspaper.

Aquino will arrive in New York on Sept. 22 from Vancouver, Canada. He will stay in New York for three days and then fly to San Fran-cisco, Calif., where he will meet with business leaders and attend the Ayala Foundation’s Philippine Development fundraiser in San Jose, Calif.

A complete review of Aquino’s visit and schedule will appear in the Filipino Press next week.

Salonga among seven in magazine's ‘Wonder Women’ MANILA, Philippines — Town and Coun-try magazine has named seven distin-

guished and accomplished Filipino women as “Wonder Women of Style and Substance," according an ABS-CBN News report.

Recognized for achievements in their respec-

tive fields are Cheche Lazaro for media; Gina Lopez for philanthropy and public service; Lea Salonga for music and theater; Margarita Fores for entrepreneurship; Isabel Caro Wilson for diplomacy and arts; Bea Valdes, for fashion; and, Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil for literature.

The honorees are featured in Town and Coun-try's September issue and will be honored on Sept. 14 at White Space in Makati City.

— Compiled from news reports

Story of ‘forgotten’ Fil-Am War told in new Sayles movie ‘Amigo’

NEWS IN BRIEF

Mayweather

By Lito B. Zulueta

MANILA, Philippines – A new feature film by renowned American indepen-dent filmmaker John Sayles brings

back the “forgotten” Philippine-American War at the turn of the 20th century, depicting it as the seed of the disastrous U.S. ventures in Vietnam and Iraq.

Filmed entirely in the Philippines with a cast and crew of Americans and Filipinos, the first composite print of “Amigo” was shown by Sayles on Aug. 25 at the Rockwell Power Plant cinema

to a select audience that included National Art-ist for Literature and film critic-historian Bien-venido Lumbera and Mayor Leoncio Evasco Jr. of Maribojoc, Bohol, where the movie was shot.

Fresh from overnight post-production work but lacking subtitles to guide an international audience through the movie’s polyglot dialogue in English, Tagalog, Spanish, Chinese and Lat-in, the version shown was more or less complete, according to Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi.

The movie will have its world premiere this

See movie on 18

Writer-director John Sayles on the set of "Amigo," his new film about the Filipino-American War.

Photo: John Sayles

Filipinos, Fil-Ams embrace social networking, stamp own brand on Facebook

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the advent of social-networking sites like Facebook, text messaging remains a favorite activity of Filipinos. No won-der the Philippines is considered the undisputed texting capital of the world.

A recent study by U.K.-based Portio Research showed that each Filipino mo-bile phone user sends as many as 788 text messages per month, more than 40 percent more than their counterparts in the United States.

But a revolutionary idea may just drive Filipinos to establish new re-

cords in texting. This new idea gives the usual person-to-person SMS the

functionality of a social network such as Twitter and Facebook.

Called SMS Reply-All Chat, this new idea enables

mobile phone users to simultaneously com-

Facebook hot in RP, but texting is king

See texting on 15

Aquino

Definitely Filipino creator and administrator Ben Totanes workson his Facebook page from his home in Tracy, Calif.

Photo: Courtesy Ben Totanes/Photo illustration by Bill Ramsey

2 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

MANILA, Philippines — The driver of a Philippine tourist bus hijacked by a sacked police-man told a public inquiry Tues-day how he witnessed the gun-man shoot more than a dozen Hong Kong visitors one by one as talks broke down.

Bus driver Alberto Lubang said his left hand was handcuffed to the steering wheel and he saw the horrific scenes unfold at the back of the bus through the rear-view mirror as the day-long standoff ended in a bloodbath.

"I heard the first shot and then I saw a hostage cuffed to the stairwell fall down," Lu-bang, a shaven-headed middle-aged man, said.

"Seconds later he (the gun-man) had reached the back and

(was) shooting again at the pas-sengers sat there," he said.

"He was on the aisle, by the middle. I saw him by the rear-view mirror. He was shooting left and right. Afterwards he went into a crouch," he added.

Lubang said he managed to unpick the handcuffs using a nail file and jumped out of the window beside the steer-ing wheel shortly before po-lice launched an assault on the bus.

Sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza took the busload of tourists hostage on August 23 in a desperate bid to clear him-self of extortion charges and get his old job back.

Eight of the tourists were killed.

The standoff, which played out live on global television, came to a bloody end when police stormed the bus in a botched attempt to rescue the hostages. A police sniper even-tually shot dead the gunman.

Lubang said he did not re-call any crying or shouting by the victims, but conceded it was possible his hearing had been deadened by the gunshot blasts inside the vehicle.

President Benigno Aquino has taken responsibility for the tragedy, which has damaged ties with Hong Kong and hurt the country's tourism industry.

The public inquiry is expected to wind up the hearings Wednes-day before writing a report to be submitted to Aquino. (MNS)

BIR may miss revised yearend goal of P860 billionMANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) may miss its revised yearend goal of P860 billion but is nonetheless struggling to meet the target, its top official said.

BIR Comissioner Kim Henares said it is difficult to meet the higher target of P860 billion, noting that the shortfall has already widened to P21 billion as of end-July. However, she nonetheless noted that the BIR is likely to meet the original 2010 goal of P830 billion.

“The P830 billion is manageable. We can reasonably achieve that but P860 billion is difficult,” Henares said.

When asked why, the BIR chief said the collection shortfall that the Aquino administration has inherited from the previous administration is already huge.

Henares said that the agency is also likely to miss its August collec-tion goal as the reforms that the Aquino administration is trying to implement will not bear fruits instantly. He said that she expects the agency not to miss its monthly targets until September. The BIR has a target to collect P87 billion in August.

In July, the agency collected P63.813 billion, or a shortfall of P3.57 bil-lion against the monthly goal of P67.388 billion. Compared to the same period last year in July 2009, when the BIR collected a total of P57.606 billion, this year’s performance showed an improvement of more than P6.2 billion or a collection growth of about 10.8 percent.

In contrast, the performance in July 2009 showed a negative 10-per-cent drop compared to the collections in July 2008. Collections in July brought the BIR’s end-July revenues to P467.28 billion, an improve-ment of P34.06 billion or 7.9 percent from the P433.22 billion collected in the comparative period a year ago.

However, compared to the agency’s cumulative goal for the period of P488.38 billion, the BIR’s performance fell short by P21.1 billion or by about -4.3 percent.

Henares nonetheless vowed to make up for the shortfall by continu-ing and further strengthening the BIR’s Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program. The RATE has so far filed four cases against tax evaders since July 2010. (philstar.com)

RP foreign reserves reach U.S.$49.6B in August MANILA, Philippines — Philippines dollar reserves further went up in August to U.S. $49.58 billion, data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed recently.

The latest level of gross international reserves (GIR) is higher than the pre-vious month’s U.S. $49.04 billion and year-ago’s U.S. $41.5 billion.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. traced the expansion from foreign exchange operations and income from investments abroad.

“Revaluation gains on the BSP’s gold holdings on account of the increase in gold prices in the international market (also helped boost the GIR),” he said.

The dollar reserves as of last month is already at the upper end of central bank’s U.S. $48-49 billion forecast for this year. Last year, the reserves totaled to U.S. $44.24 billion.

Tetangco, on the other hand, said these inflows were offset by the central bank and the national government’s (NG) payment of their maturing foreign obligations as well as foreign currency withdrawals by authorized agent banks (AABs). He said that dollar reserves last Au-gust were enough to cover 9.2 months of imports of goods and payments of services and income.

“It is also equivalent to 9.5 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 5.1 times based on residual maturity,” he said.

BSP defines short-term obligations based on residual maturity as the “outstanding external debt with original maturity of one year or less, plus principal payments on medium and long-term loans of the public and private sectors falling due within the next 12 months.”

The rise was accompanied by the same development in net interna-tional reserves (NIR) that included revaluation of reserve assets and reserve-related liabilities, the central bank said. BSP data showed that end-August 2010 NIR, which is the difference between central bank’s GIR and short-term liabilities, amounted to US$ 49.6 billion and was US$ 6 million higher than the previous month.

“The NIR level has been approximating that of the GIR ever since the BSP set-tled its outstanding short-term liabilities in September 2009,” it added. (MNS)

Bank lending accelerates on strong manufacturingMANILA, Philippines — Bank lending grew at a faster pace in July amid the global economic recovery, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said. In a statement, the BSP said outstanding loans of commercial banks, net of banks’ reverse repurchase placements (RRP) with the central bank, grew 11.7 percent in the first seven months of the year from 9.6 percent at end-June.

Inclusive of RRPs, bank loans also picked up by 8.9 percent from 5.5 percent the previous month.

On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, commercial banks’ lend-ing in July rose by 0.2 percentage points for loans net of RRPs, but went down by 0.2 percentage points for loans inclusive of RRPs.

According to the BSP, the growth of loans for production—compris-ing 85.5 percent of the total loan portfolio—stepped up by 12 per-cent in July from 9.3 percent the prior month. Loans for household consumption also continued to rise albeit at a slower pace of 12.5 percent from 13 percent in June. Household consumption includes credit card, auto loans and others.

The growth of production loans was driven by increased lending to manu-facturing, which grew by 23.4 percent; real estate and business services, 15.7 percent; agriculture, 13.5 percent; electricity, water and gas, 17.6 percent; financial intermediation, 12.6 percent; wholesale and retail trade, 5.2 percent; and public administration and defense, 18.3 percent.

Similarly, lending to construction grew at a faster pace of 22 per-cent in July from 18.7 percent in June. The central bank, however, said lending to fishing contracted by 32.2 percent; transportation, storage and communications, 2.3 percent; and other community, social and personal services, 24.1 percent.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the robust growth in bank lending, especially to productive activities, is in line with the ongoing overall expansion in domestic economic activity.

“The BSP believes that given the strong demand and ample liquidity in the economy, bank lending will continue to rise. Going forward, the BSP will continue to monitor unfolding economic and financial devel-opments to ensure that the monetary conditions remain conducive to growth while at the same time consistent with its price stability objec-tive,” Tetangco said. (manilatimes.net)

MANILA, Philippines — Aboard the United States’ 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS George Washington, which was recent-ly docked in Manila for a four-day port, is a “Filipino mafia.”

This, in light banter, is how Filipino sailors described their bond as part of the 5,000 crew of what is known as one of the world’s largest warships, dubbed “City at Sea.”

Commanding Officer Capt. David “Too Tall” Lausman told a group of reporters given a tour of the ship as it docked at Ma-nila Bay their visit also serves as a homecoming for its Filipino sailors, who comprise about 30 percent of the crew.

The USS George Washington and embarked Carrier Air Wing 5, along with guided-missile de-stroyers, the USS John S Mc-Cain and the USS McCampbell, arrived before dawn recently near Corregidor Island where she was met by the Philippine navy ship BRP Leopoldo Regis and escorted her to the vicinity of the SM Mall of Asia.

This is the warship’s second port call to Manila, the last be-ing in August 2009, when its sailors also took the time to en-joy Philippine culture.

“As you know from last year, about 30 percent of the crew have direct ties to the Philip-pines either through aunts, un-cles, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, great uncles, great grandmothers, etc., and this is really a homecoming of families and cultures because they are waiting to come back to their homes as well,” Lausman said.

He noted that during their last port call in Manila, “there

was a lot of unique family re-unions” and there are some again this year.

“I know there’s a lot of fami-lies that’s going to be welcomed aboard for a personal tour while we’re on port and some of them (sailors) are going on leave,” said Lausman, even recounting that some of the returning Fili-pino sailors talked about a spe-cial family gathering or reunion in their neighborhoods.

Asked how he would rate the Filipino sailors’ performance on the ship, Lausman quickly re-sponded, “I don’t need to say anything, this is a great war-ship, they did it.” He added, “This is great. I’m very proud to be their shipmate.”

Meanwhile, the Filipino sail-ors expressed their excitement in coming home to the country

as they also shared their life on the ship and how they anxiously await their chance to see or vis-it their families, relatives, and friends even for t a brief time.

“I am glad that I get this op-portunity to visit my family and friends,” said Olongapo-born Avi-ation Ordnance Airman Steven Hoffman of Strike Fighter Squad-ron 28. “It has been six years since I was in the Philippines, so it would be nice to see how things have changed and to talk with my family about the things I have done in the U.S. Navy."

For Chief Aviation Support Equipment Technician Carlo Roberto Toledo, a port visit to Manila is the chance of a life-time for sailors who are from the Philippines.

With the big number of Fil-ipino and Filipino-American

sailors on board the giant war-ship, some of those interviewed laughingly said there is, in fact, what some of the crew from oth-er nations tagged as “Filipino mafia” not for anything else, but because of the strong broth-erhood that exists among them.

Aviation Ordnance expert Gza Ione Larican, a petite sail-or from Isabela province, said Filipino sailors on board USS George Washington “stick to-gether, that is why they call us ‘Filipino mafia.’ ”

“It doesn’t matter if someone says something bad or good, we just stick together,” Larican said, adding while they support one another, they also blend with fel-low sailors of other nationalities.

She also described how Filipi-no sailors show their friendliness as they say hi to everyone they see or meet along the hallway and resiliency as they just go on even in some instances they ex-perience a bit of discrimination.

“We always try to be happy,” she said.

But aside from the Filipino sailors, the rest of the crew of the warship, according to Laus-man, are also excited to come to Manila, having fully enjoyed their first visit last year.

He said the first area of inter-est of the sailors is a trip to the SM Mall of Asia, the fourth larg-est shopping mall in the world.

“They are ready to go shop, shop, shop and eat. Eat. eat. And they enjoyed that last year, and I think some of the shop owners are waiting for them to return as well,” said Lausman.

The sailors will also get the chance to tour Corregi-dor, go scuba diving, among others. (mb.com)

MANILA, Philippines — The trial of the suspects in the gruesome murder of 57 people in Maguindanao prov-ince in Southern Philippines began on September 8.

After being postponed sev-eral times, the lower court set to hear the case formally opened the trial Wednes-day morning and called on the plaintiff's first witness Lak-mudin Suliya.

The trial was supposed to start on September 1 but the lower court judge granted the motion to postpone the hearing to give time for one of the defense lawyers to file his comment.

It involved a powerful po-litical clan from Maguindan-ao. Former Maguindanao gov-ernor Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his sons former Datu Un-say Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan, the former governor of the Au-tonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, are among those charged with multiple murder.

A total of 197 people were implicated for the massacre of at least 30 journalists, and the wife, sisters and supporters of Maguindanao Governor Ismael Mangudadatu, the rival politi-cal clan of the Ampatuans.

On Nov. 23, 2009, the group was on their way to the local Commission on Election office to file Mangudadatu's certifi-cate of candidacy for governor when they were ambushed by the suspects. (philstar.com)

Maguindanao massacre trial

begins

Philippines bus driver recounts horror in rear view mirror

Homecoming for Filipinos aboard U.S. carrier as it docks in Manila

An F-14B Tomcat launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. The warship recently docked in Manila for a four-day port.

Photo: Petty Officer 2nd class Summer Anderson, U.S. Navy

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Airlines' cabin staff formally advised the govern-ment they would go on strike at the end of October, saying the move would ground all flights by the loss-making flag carrier.

T h e 1 , 6 0 0 - m e m b e r c a b -in crew union said it had filed a strike notice with the labor min-istry, which by law has 30 days to try to find a compromise be-

tween the airline and employ-ees to prevent a shut-down.

"Once we go on strike, no flight will take off," said Bob Anduiza, president of the Flight Attendants Association of the Philippines. "This will ground PAL's entire operations."

PAL spokeswoman Cielo Vil-laluna appealed to the union to reconsider and return to the negotiating table.

"This will affect Philippine tourism and our financial po-sition," Villaluna said.

The cabin staff are seeking a raise that would put their pay on par with that offered by for-eign carriers. They are also de-manding paid maternity leave and an end to a company policy that forces female attendants to retire at the age of 40.

There was no immediate comment from the labour de-partment.

The planned strike is the lat-est in a string of labour prob-lems to hit the national flag-carrier. Last month, 25 pilots and first officers of PAL's short-haul aircraft suddenly quit for higher paying jobs abroad, forcing the abrupt cancellation of several flights. (MNS)

Philippine Airlines cabin crews file

strike notice

September 11 - 17, 2010 3THE FILIPINO PRESS

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4 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

By Amy Hoak

A growing number of hom-eowners are choosing to pay down their mort-

gages at a faster rate--even if it means a substantial jump in their monthly payments.

Between January and June, 26% of homeowners who refi-nanced chose a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage, according to data from CoreLogic, a provid-er of financial, property and consumer information. Dur-ing all of 2009, 18.5% of bor-rowers who refinanced opted for a 15-year term.

What's prompting the shift to shorter loans? Historical-ly low interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages.

Homeowners are doing the math and realizing that rates have fallen enough so the in-crease in payment between a new 15-year mortgage and their current loan is no longer unbearable for their budgets, said Bob Walters, chief econ-omist at online lender Quick-en Loans.

The average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage was 3.86% for the week ending Aug. 26, according to Freddie

Mac's weekly survey of con-forming mortgage rates.

A change in thinkingThe financial situation of

those capable of refinancing to-day is a factor in the shift, Wal-ters said. These people typi-cally are homeowners with the best credit and the most equi-ty -- and, therefore, most suited for a shorter-term loan.

But there might be some oth-er psychology at work. "We're seeing a different view on debt than maybe we've seen in the past," he said. Today, homeown-ers are saying, "I really want to pay this off. I'm going to bite

the bullet and take the pay-ment and work toward pay-ing this down."

A 1 5 - y e a r m o r t g a g e also acts as somewhat of a forced savings account for homeowners, said Leif

Thomsen, chief executive of Mortgage Master, a privately owned lender, given that the higher payments help a bor-rower pay down the principal at a quicker clip.

This is a huge shift in bor-rower thinking. "There was a drive a couple of years ago to take out the biggest mortgage that you could and use all of the money you would have oth-erwise had in the house and put it into stocks and bonds--to think of your house and mort-gage as part of your entire in-vestment portfolio," said Amy Crews Cutts, deputy chief econ-omist for Freddie Mac.

"That worked for people who do investment finance for a liv-ing and are good at managing accounts," she said. "But for

By Nick Timiraos

The financial-regulato-ry overhaul promises some big changes concerning how Americans go about getting a mortgage.

The bi l l wil l of fer more p r o t e c t i o n s f o r c o n s u m -ers against risky or com-plex mortgages, but bankers say that with fewer choices and more safeguards, loans could be slightly more ex-pensive. The upshot, said Howard Glaser, an indus-try consultant and Clinton administration housing offi-cial, is that consumers will have “safer” loans, but few-er of borrowers will qualify.

Some of the provisions of the bill will take effect imme-diately, but many of the ef-fects won’t be noticed right away. That’s partly because many of the exotic mortgag-es that fueled the subprime bubble were swept away when the market melted down three years ago.

Mortgage bankers say that lending standards are tighter today than at any time in the past two decades, and most loans being made today are conventional fixed-rate loans that are backed in some way by the federal government.

Here’s a look at some of the main changes for mortgages:

* The bill requires lenders to have “skin in the game” on certain loans that are bun-

Jerry Soto is the newest real estate agent at McMillin Realty, South County’s lead-ing real estate sales organi-zation. Soto brings with him ten years of real estate experi-ence and is focused on provid-ing clients with the informa-tion and analysis they need to make decisions, whether it’s for an investment, short sale, foreclosure or traditional real estate transaction.

“Building relationships is what life is all about and I love being able to put that skill to work for me every day in my career,” said Soto.

A San Diego resident since the age of 12, he has spent al-most a lifetime building local relationships, which has re-sulted in his selling more than 100 homes in the area, most of those sales based on referrals. Soto has represented an array of buyers and sellers, includ-ing income property investors, and second-home buyers. His track record for success has led him to be ranked number three worldwide among all residential agents according to Prudential California.

“Jerry is widely respected among his peers for his ne-gotiating proficiency and tal-ent for problem solving,” said Scott McMillin, president of McMillin Realty.

Soto’s professional experi-ence includes more than ten years with Prudential Real-ty where he specialized in resale transactions, and in-vestment properties. He attended San Diego City Col-lege where he studied busi-ness administration.

Soto can be reached at the McMillin Realty Bonita office at 4210 Bonita Road, suite B, or by calling (619) 572-7724.

Jerry Soto joins McMillin

Realty

How financial overhaul

changes the market

See paying off on 5

Paying off the house in 15 years

See overhaul on 5

September 11 - 17, 2010 5THE FILIPINO PRESS

the average person, debt is a drag on their psyche as well as their overall budget." Many Americans have reverted to the goal of paying off their house and getting rid of their mortgage, Cutts added.

Doing the mathRefinancing into a shorter-

term mortgage isn't a strategy for everyone, however.

Choosing a shorter term usually means you'll get a better rate--and you'll pay much less interest over the life of the loan--but a shorter time frame ramps up month-ly mortgage payments.

For example, with a 4.5% in-terest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage of $200,000, you would have a monthly payment of $1,015, including principal and interest, Cutts said. The monthly payment jumps to about $1,480 with a 4% interest rate on a 15-year fixed-rate loan.

Of course, if the refinanc-ing borrower's current 30-year loan has a higher rate, the difference between the monthly payments could be lower. Still, you should count on some increase in monthly payments.

In general, Walters said, those who choose 15-year f ixed-rate mortgages are older and have more equi-ty and less debt than other folks. They also earn high-er incomes and don't have some of the added expenses that younger homeowners typically do.

"People who are taking these loans are financially stable and can afford the pay-ments, but at the same time are planning on staying in

their home for an extended pe-riod of time," Thomsen said.

Walters said you shouldn't take on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage unless you have sub-stantial savings, including at least a year's worth of living expenses in liquid accounts.

Also, he recommends hav-ing a debt-to-income ratio be-low 35%. So if you have a gross salary of $5,700 per month, for instance, your monthly debt--including any mortgage pay-ments, taxes, insurance, ho-meowners-association dues as well as auto and student loans and credit-card debt--would have to be a max of $1,995 to get a 35% ratio.

Borrowers who don't meet those standards, or are wor-

ried about future loss of in-come, might be better served taking a longer-term mortgage but making extra payments on the principal to pay off the loan faster, said Walters.

For instance, if you refinance a $200,000 mortgage into a 30-year loan with a 4.5% rate, and then apply $100 of the savings to the principal payment each month, you'd save $31,700 in interest over the life of the loan, Cutts said. And you would pay off the mortgage in 25 years, instead of 30, she added.

What's more, you would have the flexibility of not pay-ing that $100 in months when money gets tight. "Maybe to-day you're feeling flush with money. Maybe you're worried in the future that income might change," Cutts said. With a 30-year mortgage, you have more flexibility. "Shortening to 15 years is a pretty big bump in payment." (wsj.com)

paying offContinued from p age 4

dled and sold to investors as secur i t i es . The prov is ion requires lenders to retain at least 5% of the loans that are securitized. The bill exempts certain “safe” classes of mort-gages, such as fixed-rate loans that require borrowers to fully document their incomes.

* The bill sets stricter lim-its on prepayment penalties, or fees charged when borrow-ers pay a loan off early.

* Lenders will have to take greater steps to ensure that borrowers have the abili-ty to repay the loan they’re re-ceiving. That means consum-ers will be required to show lots of paperwork—pay stubs, bank account statements, tax forms—to prove that they can afford the loan. (That could cause problems for some self-employed borrowers).

One key provision tries to improve transparency of com-pensation for loan officers and mortgage brokers. Brokers and loan officers can’t be paid

based on steering the custom-er to a particular type of loan or rate.

Other changes will modify new appraisal regulations that have been put in place in the aftermath of the mortgage cri-sis. Lenders will have to com-pensate appraisers at a “cus-tomary and reasonable” rate, and new appraisal manage-ment companies that facili-tate the ordering of appraisals will have to be registered with state agencies.

The upshot of these rules, said Glaser, is a smaller mort-gage market that exercises far greater caution:

The new law places signif-icant hurdles to offering any mortgage products outside the “plain vanilla” category. Regu-lators must define what is in-side or outside the plain-vanil-la box. Clearly, firm regulation of mortgage products is neces-sary in light of the subprime meltdown. But exactly where regulators draw the line will have a substantial impact on what kind of mortgages are available and which borrowers will qualify for a mortgage.

The bill, he argues, also will favor the big banks over small-er lenders:

Thus r isk retent ion re-quirements, compensation rules and licensing standards are all tilted toward large banks. The result is that the big will get bigger—and the level of mortgage risk will concentrate further—though the administration argues that more competent regula-tors and safer mortgage prod-ucts al leviate the concern about “too big to fail.”

But the biggest “winner” could be the government , which during the first quarter backed or bought more than nine in 10 new loans:

Private securi t izat ions will be helped by new rules that create transparency and requirements that rat ing agencies do their homework before rating a mortgage se-curity. But other parts of the bill impose new liability on securitizers for the under-lying mortgages originated by third parties, and re-quirements to retain capital when transferring risk. The

full contours of these rules won’t be issued by regula-tors for 2-3 years—extending a period of uncertainty that has dissuaded private inves-tors from restarting the flow of mortgage capital. Mean-while, the federal footprint in mortgages will become deep-er and deeper in order to keep the housing market from the dreaded double d ip—and making the unwinding of fed-eral intervention that much more difficult.

An Obama adminis t ra -tion official recently called the mortgage provisions of the bill an important “first step” but said that addition-al measures were needed to ensure better oversight of ar-eas that had been at the root of the foreclosure crisis, such as nonbank lenders.

And of course, the bill is largely silent on how to re-make the broader mortgage market, including what to do with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Stay tuned—the bill re-quires the administration to outline its plan by early next year. (wsj.com)

CALL 477-0940 TO ADVERTISEoverhaulContinued from p age 4

6 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

After a long layoff, the dis-puted Spratlys Islands in the South China Sea are

back in the news again. Last month, U.S. Secretary

of State Hillary Clinton set

the tone for the renewed inter-est in the group of mostly unin-habited islands and coral reefs, which are being disputed by six countries, including China and the Philippines, when she told a conference of Southeast and East Asian ministers that the United States had a “national interest” in seeing the territo-rial disputes resolved through a “collaborative diplomatic pro-cess by all claimants.”

While stressing that U.S. re-mained neutral on which coun-try has a stronger claim to the islands, Clinton said that the U.S. has an interest in free shipping on the South China Sea and would help facilitate multilateral talks on the issue.

As expected, China was out-raged by Clinton’s remarks. A

Chinese defense official said that Clinton’s remarks were an unwelcome attempt at the “internationalization” of a ter-ritorial issue involving the Spratly and Paracel chains. Even as the Chinese spokes-man made the statement, Chi-nese news media reported a large-scale military exercise near the disputed islands.

The official said that Chi-na will push for resolution of the issue with “relevant coun-tries,” but reiterated that Chi-na has “indisputable sovereign-ty” over the islands. Parts or all of the two chains — which are believed to have oil and gas de-posits — are also claimed by Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Admiral Robert Willard, com-mander of the U.S. Pacific Com-mand, followed up Clinton’s re-marks during a visit in Manila last week by saying that while Washington does not take sides in the disputes, it will oppose any use “of force or any forms of coercion to stake these claims on the part of any single nation at the expense of the others.”

This exchange of words co-incided with a show of force be-tween the superpower Unit-

ed States and emerging world power China in Southeast Asia. During the period, the U.S. con-ducted joint military and na-val exercises with South Korea and Vietnam, the latter a most unlikely but now willing ally, while China staged their own with North Korea.

The conflict between the Americans and the Chinese in the region is expected to es-calate in the coming years as China builds up its military presence in Asia to gain con-trol of the important South China Sea shipping lanes, the rich fishing grounds in the area and the vast oil deposits (estimated at 18 billion tons underneath the disputed ter-ritory) as the world’s second-largest economy prepares to become a military power, too.

The Americans, on the oth-er hand, need to reestablish their domination over South-east Asia, which is fast be-coming a very important focal point in both world economy and politics.

In this brewing conflict, the Philippines is certain to be caught in the middle. Among the six claimants, the Philip-pines is nearest to the islands;

in fact, the southernmost tip of Palawan is just 136 miles off Mischief Reef, where the Chi-nese have built a military in-stallation. And although of-ficially the U.S. has no bases in the Philippines, it can use either the Mutual Defense Treaty or the Visiting Forces Agreement to launch any coun-ter-attack against the Chinese from the country.

AFP Chief Lt. Gen. Ricardo David Jr. admitted last week that the country has no military might to stop foreign aggres-sion in the disputed islands. But the general made the ad-mission in the presence of Ad-miral Willard, as if hinting that the American troops would be on hand to help the country de-fend its claim to the islands in case of any foreign attack.

It must be stressed that the brewing U.S.-China conflict in the region comes at a time when the country is looking to both the U.S. and China for assis-tance in putting the Philippine economy back on track. The Philippines needs the billions of dollars that China is willing to dole out to the country. On the

The

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Contributing Writers: JENNiFER ANARETA-BURmAN • FE SEliGmAN • AliCiA TORRES DE lEONFRANCiNE mAiGUE • VAlERiE FARNAl

Community Outreach: RUBy ChiONG • lORNA DElOS SANTOSARmi GUZmAN • TESS ADAmS

A long time ago, I happened to be involved in a proj-ect for the first time. I was

tasked with being in charge with a particular aspect of the project – and had people working for me — but chose to accomplish the whole thing myself. I felt then that when something needs to be done, instead of delegating, it would be best to do it myself.

This, of course, led to oth-er problems. When I finally did ask an associate for help with the project, things were done on

their time and not on deadline. It was a period of frustration. But while I brought a lot of work upon myself, the upside of the experience was a sense of self-discovery about what I expect from myself and from others.

In other words, I realize there is much to be learned about ones’ own ability, skill (or lack there-of), the need for effective com-munication and rallying on the team from the outset to achieve a common goal by setting stan-dard of performance and identi-

fying what tasks take priority.Of course, with time and expe-

rience, you learn, and since there is always a learning curve in-volved in every project, it helps to be surrounded by people who have the passion, skill and de-sire to do a great job — resource-ful people who see solutions, not problems that overwhelm them to the point of paralysis.

Over the years, I’ve been for-tunate to have worked on proj-ects where fun is one of the key elements, working with people who believe in the value their expertise offers the participants, stakeholders and the communi-ty. After all, with all the details and pressures involved in work-ing with different deadlines, dif-fering views and approaches to any given situation, it certain-ly helps to have people who are committed to a common goal. It is that kind of teamwork that ensures a positive result.

For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at susands4@yahoo.com. Visit us online at www.filipinopress.com and Facebook. Also, check out our most recent event at www.filipinofamilyday.com and our next project at www.seafoodcitysing-galingcontest.com.

Discovery of delegatingenhances teamwork

By Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Jr. and Orson Aguilar

They’re at it again: Once more, special interests are trying to hijack

California’s state ballot to en-rich themselves at the expense of our communities.

Two big Texas oil companies are spending piles of money to kill California's fast-growing clean energy economy and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that economy has already creat-ed. Get ready for the lies to fly

thick and fast, and remember who is behind them.

The very words “Texas oil” should send chills up Californians’ spines. We’ve all seen the sick-ening pictures coming out of the Gulf Coast — the dead birds, the oil-stained beaches, thousands in the seafood industry and other businesses thrown out of work.

And now Big Oil — with San Antonio-based Valero Energy and Tesoro Corporation in the lead — is claiming to want to pro-tect us and save jobs in our com-munities. Yeah. Right.

You can bet they’ll aim their bogus “protect jobs” pitch at com-munities of color, whose unem-ployment rates have been run-ning three to four percentage points higher then whites.

But the Texas oil initiative, Proposition 23 on the November ballot, won’t protect jobs in our communities; it will take them away. It will strangle the fastest-growing segment of California’s economy, green energy and clean-tech, just as it’s beginning to soar.

The clean energy economy is growing faster in California than any other state, thanks in part to A.B. 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act that commits our state to moving towards a health-ier and cleaner economy.

For businesses that want to ret-rofit homes for energy efficiency, make solar panels or build electric cars, the law has provided assur-ance that there will be a growing market for their products and ser-

vices. And they’ve responded, cre-ating over 500,000 new jobs, ac-cording to the state Employment Development Department, includ-ing over 93,000 in manufacturing and 68,000 in construction.

And A.B. 32 is written to ensure that our communities get our fair share of these jobs. It specifically instructs the state agencies to “di-rect public and private investment toward the most disadvantaged communities in California and pro-vide an opportunity for small busi-nesses, schools, affordable housing associations, and other communi-ty institutions to participate in and benefit from statewide efforts to re-duce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Since the law was enacted, clean-tech investment in Cal-ifornia has skyrocketed, and now greatly exceeds all of the other leading states combined. A new economy that can boost all of our communities is being born, here and now. This is the only sector

of our economy that has steadily gained jobs during the recession.

And the Texas oil giants and the rest of the dirty-energy in-dustry don’t like it. They wrote Prop. 23 to kill the law before it gets any farther.

Prop. 23 claims to only “sus-pend” our clean energy law, but in fact makes it nearly impossi-ble for the law to ever take effect. Many of these new clean energy jobs will simply disappear.

But it’s not just about jobs. It’s also about our neighborhoods — the air our kids breathe and the environment we all live in.

It’s well known that minority neighborhoods often have the dirt-iest air, in part because highly pol-luting facilities like oil refineries and fossil fuel-burning power plants have clustered in these areas. Such clusters appear in several parts of the state, including the Wilmington-Carson area of Los Angeles County — singled out last year by Commu-

nities for a Better Environment as “a clear example of environmental injustice, where a community of col-or in a lower socio-economic bracket is disproportionately impacted by a multiple polluting facilities.”

By strangling efforts to move away from oil and other dirty en-ergy, Proposition 23 guarantees that our children will continue to breathe polluted air for decades.

Between now and November, Big Oil will try to convince us to vote against our own communities with phony claims of “protecting jobs,” and will spend millions of dol-lars to do it. The real way to protect our jobs — and our air, and our kids — is to say a loud NO to the Texas oil companies and NO to Prop. 23.

Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Jr. is senior pastor at the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland. Orson Agu-ilar is executive director of The Greenlining Institute, www.green-lining.org. The Filipino Press wel-comes opposing viewpoints.

C o m m E N ta R y

The RP and the U.S.-China conflict

Prop. 23 wrong for California

See abelgas on 7

September 11 - 17, 2010 7THE FILIPINO PRESS

As if the hostage tragedy hasn’t tainted the im-age of the Philippines

enough in the eyes of the world, along comes boxer Floyd May-weather Jr. unleashing a flood of trash talk on Manny Pac-quiao. If you think that’s strict-ly Pacquiao's business and does not effect the rest of us as Fil-ipinos, think again. The world has a bad habit of going by ste-reotypes, and if Pacquiao’s ring prowess has had a positive ef-fect on our people, Mayweath-er’s insults have also had a neg-ative effect.

I’m reacting as any self-re-specting Filipino should. While Pacquiao’s calibrated response was proper — he being the champion with the record and the title that Mayweather cov-ets — the rest of us cannot sim-ply let the slur pass. When vile-tongued individuals are allowed to get away with slandering Fil-ipinos, onlookers and kibitz-ers tend to get into the act and join in the insulting spree. We can’t allow them to make virtu-al punching bags of us. Slander-ers must realize that there’s a price to pay for their insults.

Back in the mid-1980s, a disc jockey at KMEL-FM radio in San Francisco simulated a Pinoy ordering “dog sandwich” in the course of his show. This was reported by an irate Fil-Am radio listener to the office of Ad-vertising & Marketing Associ-ates, USA, which, at the time, was producing a weekly maga-zine show, “Manila, Manila,” on KTSF-TV Channel 26. I hap-pened to be the recipient of the complaint and I promised to do something about it.

I reported the slur to the Federal Communications Com-mission and was informed that the radio station could be held accountable for it. I then called up the KMEL station manager, told him of the FCC’s opinion and demanded an on-air apol-ogy. The offending disc jock-ey, who was doing his show at the time, was forced to publicly apologize for the insult.

In late 2007, Filipino doc-tors were insulted in an episode of the ABC series, “Desperate Housewives.” In one scene, Teri Hatcher, one of the stars of the show, while discussing her on-coming menopause with her gy-

necologist, questioned the doc-tor’s credentials and quipped, “Can I check those diplomas? Because I want to make sure they're not from some med school in the Philippines.”

The Filipino-American com-munity immediately protested the insult and more than 50,000 signed an online petition, initiat-ed by Kevin Nadal, condemning the show and ABC Network. The National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA) organized protest demonstra-tions at the offices of ABC and re-tail outlets of its parent company, Disney, and demanded an apolo-gy. ABC apologized and vowed to be more ethnically and culturally sensitive in its programs.

Mayweather’s verbal attacks require a similarly vigorous and angry response from our com-munity. While his obvious in-

tention was to demean and di-minish the stature of Pacquiao as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, Mayweath-er also demeaned the rest of us.

Of course, the tirade mere-ly served to expose Mayweath-er as a mean, envious, frus-trated and completely insecure juvenile delinquent whose par-ents failed to imbue with man-ners. Small wonder. Floyd May-weather Sr. set a record for profanity and Barnum and Bai-ley quips in the weeks leading to the Pacquiao bout with Ricky Hatton. Of course, Mayweath-er Sr. ended up like a dog with

his tail between his legs after his ward got knocked out in two rounds. At least, the Briton fought like a man. Mayweather Sr. spewed trash like a sewer.

And now comes his son, Floyd Mayweather Jr., trying to outdo his old man in bad manners. For a pugilist who claims to be “the best,” Mayweather is an embar-rassment not only to boxing but to sports in general. In case that ju-venile brain of his hasn’t figured it out yet, the essence of sports is sportsmanship. And in case his potty mouth hasn’t learned to ver-balize it yet, the essence of sports-manship is fair play.

Mayweather subsequently “apologized” for his t irade and claimed he was “just hav-ing fun.” The idiot can’t even tell the difference between be-ing insulting and being funny. He can’t tell the difference be-

tween fair and foul. Indeed, this character should, from now on, be known as Foulweather.

Floyd Foulweatheraka Potty Mouth

In case Foulweather’s father hasn’t told him yet, Pacquiao’s patronizingly civilized descrip-tion of his insults as “uneducat-ed” was as devastating as a left hook to the chin of Hatton. The contrast between Foulweather’s below-the-belt attack and Pac-quiao’s matter-of-fact dismissal of it told a glaring tale of who the better man is. It certain-ly isn’t the one whose punch-drunk brain can’t tell the differ-

ence between right and wrong.NaFFAA has, once again, tak-

en up the cudgels for our commu-nity. It has released a statement strongly condemning Foulweath-er’s racist and homophobic re-marks and has also asked civil rights organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the leading African-American civil rights group, to censure the boxer.

Below is the official NaFFAA statement:

NaFFAA condemns racist and homophobic rant against Filipino boxing champ.

WASHINGTON – The Na-tional Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaF-FAA) has strongly condemned boxing star Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s blatantly racist and homo-phobic attacks against Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao in a YouTube interview released two days ago. In the vitriolic video, Mayweather called Pac-quiao a “whore,” a “little yellow chump” and a “midget” several times. He also said that he will force Pacquiao to “make some sushi rolls and cook some rice” and “we’re going to cook him with some cats and dogs.”

Pacquiao had challenged May-weather to a fight in the ring, but so far Mayweather has refused. Instead, he has defamed and slandered Pacquiao with base-less accusations that he uses per-formance-enhancing drugs.

“We are outraged by May-weather’s racially offensive re-marks,” says NaFFAA Nation-al Chair Greg Macabenta. “This disgusting diatribe against Pac-qiuao is a racial slur against all Filipinos and Filipino Amer-icans and an embarrassment not only to the boxing communi-ty but to all Americans. Talking trash may be common between

boxing rivals, but Mayweath-er’s racially-laced profanities brazenly crossed the line of de-cency and respectability. Pac-quiao, on the other hand, has taken the high road and acted like the gentleman that he is.

“We call on the National Box-ing Association and state athlet-ic commissions to censure May-weather for behavior that is both abhorrent and demeaning to boxing fans and to the whole world of sports. We also call on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peo-ple (NAACP) to reprimand the boxing star for insulting people of color. We are further asking all civil rights organizations to stand in solidarity with us in denouncing this racist and ho-mophobic rant. Mayweather’s apology is unacceptable and he must be made accountable for his damaging statements.

“At a time when immigrant communities are being viewed with increasing suspicion and mistrust, Mayweather’s cru-el, abusive and hurtful remarks can only stoke more hostility, de-rision and resentment against individuals who look foreign by virtue of their looks, their size or the sound of their names. Coming from a boxing celebrity with millions of fans around the world, Mayweather ’s shame-less and reckless conduct un-fairly paints an entire racial and ethnic group with a broad brush and seriously undermines America’s core values of inclu-sivity and racial tolerance.”

We urge every Pinoy who does not relish being called the names Floyd Foulweather inflicted on Pacquiao to pass on this protest statement. Re-member, Potty Mouth didn’t just insult Pacquiao. He in-sulted the rest of us. (gregma-cabenta@hotmail.com)

Some time ago someone placed this ad in a news-paper: “I will listen to you

talk for 30 minutes without comment for $5.00.” Sounds like a hoax, doesn’t it? But the person was serious. Did anybody call? You bet! It wasn’t long before this individual was receiving 10 to 20 calls a day. The pang of loneliness was so sharp that some were willing to try anything for a half hour of companionship.

Classified personal ads are the most public way of express-ing our need for love, friendship and even sex. As one contribu-tor asks, “Ever get the feeling that half of the world is lonely and the other half doesn’t care?” Millions of people feel the same way, and they read, write and

answer these columns.Connoisseurs of person-

als have in recent times been struck by their candor and ingenuity. Personal classi-fied ads are the telltale sign of a brazen if not golden age of self-revelation that burst upon us after a dreary epoch in which the personal columns rarely offered more than legal notices to the curious reader.

Indeed, we have come a long way from those person-als whose agonies were rare-ly masked behind such formu-las as, “Bill, come home, all is forgiven, Hillary,” or “My wife, Jennifer, having left my bed and board, I am no longer re-sponsible for her debts. Brad.” Like an exposed ankle on a Vic-torian damsel, the phrase “has

left my bed” was all we needed to inflame our imaginations.

Contemporary personals are often euphemisms for what is everyday behavior, some-times brutal expressions of need and, more often, they are outrageously funny. Leaving all or nothing to the imagina-tion, they are a most tantaliz-ing form of most private wishes. They are the creatures of that cultural upheaval of the late 20th century which has swept all inhibition into the dustbin. Advertisers in the personal col-umns now enjoy complete free-dom to express their desires (or groins, as someone with an odd sense of humor might write), but they must work within the limitations of a given form. From this point of view, the per-sonal ad can be appreciated as a unique literary genre with a distinctive typographical look and contextual tone.

As art forms go, the person-al ad is very young. It may take some time for it to achieve the literary standing of the English sonnet, the Irish limerick, or the Japanese haiku. It is, how-ever, a unique and unusually el-oquent voice from the heart of contemporary America — from California to the New York, grass widows to machos.

The origins of the person-als are murky, but their pre-cursors are the lost-and-found columns that were used for the recovery of stray pets,

children and spouses. Out of this came such matter-of-fact blurbs as “Seek used brass bedpost to match my mattress spring.” When someone insert-ed an ad, not for something lost, but for an object sought, it was a relatively easy — though long-delayed — pas-sage to the contemporary form of the personal: “Have bed-post and spring mattress, seek compatible partner to share.”

Although now mainly used for romantic and erotic purpos-es, the personal advertisement has proven to be a versatile ve-hicle for making other connec-tions as well. It is, for example, not uncommon for espionage agents to insert cunningly cod-ed messages in the personal col-umns as a way to transmit vital state secrets. Kidnappers have used the personal columns to convey ransom demands and other instructions to the kin of their victims. Among oth-er malefactors have been those writers who have used the per-sonal columns as a central plot device in their fiction.

The personal ad has also been shaped into a hand tool for panhandling, as in the fol-lowing: “Up to my ears in debt. Need a helping hand for any amount and I’ll repay you with my gratitude and prayers.” Here is a fellow who has appar-ently risked his last fistful of dollars on the gamble that his message is touching enough to

earn him a modest profit.These practical applications

have their value, but the main fascination of the personal ads is the fresh view they give us of the human condition: “Ordinary man, nearly 40, seeks unas-suming woman for serious com-panionships,” makes us wonder what kind of fellow is this who is willing to lay his life on the typeset line. We have overheard his plea for help and, whether desired or not, we have been drawn into a drama of loneli-ness and desperation, a song-and-dance act that is played out over and over again in the per-sonal columns with a surpris-ing variety of moods and styles.

The female advertisers in the personal columns are no shrinking violets, either. One lady seeking a mate sees herself this way: “Gorgeous, witty, wil-lowy, willing, and acrobatic, if called upon.” Thus the demigod meets his demigoddess, often in the very same personal column. But while Adonis and Aphrodite may or may not go off together, we continue to wonder why she had failed to score long before her ad appeared. We readers shall never know just how amo-rous this gymnast is unless we risk a response to her designat-ed address, that Pandora’s box-number from which may pop up not the vision of loveliness, as clearly advertised, but a harpy with delusions of grandeur.

Of all Americans institu-

tions, the personal column is surely one of the most egalitari-an, embracing all races, creeds, colors, ranks, occupations and sexual preferences. I know that some of us, dear readers, have been instilled by the un-usually large number of college professors from the most pres-tigious institutions, who use personal columns as a ticket to spicy sabbaticals away from a family setting. Doctors and lawyers, no Indian chiefs, but several nuns, are to be found in the columns alongside desper-ate housewives seeking not-so-occasional love in the after-noon. Corporate executives lay out their business trips to correspond with their male/female/bisexual/transvestite paramours they have procured through the personal columns. Airline pilots seek carnal re-lief from jet lag, and bus driv-ers from boredom. Catholics, Protestants and Jews, whites and blacks are all here — some anxious to cross all lines, oth-ers insistent on carrying on only with there own kind.

For all of these individuals, the personal column is an are-na of fantasy where they can reach out for love and freedom. But, as illustrated by Craig-slist’s recent self-imposed ban on its “Adult Services” section, it’s also a theater of the abyss, a bizarre rendezvous for all extremely dangerous) charac-ters beyond the fringe.

Floyd Foulweather

A brief history of the personal ad

other hand, it also needs the usual economic and military as-sistance that the U.S. normally doles out to allies.

Obviously, the U.S.-Chi-na conflict would create a di-lemma for Philippine national leaders, particularly President Aquino, who is scheduled to visit the U.S. this month to at-tend both the United Nations General Assembly and a sum-mit meeting of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with President Obama in New York on Sept. 24.

The country can not openly s h o w i t s a f f e c t i o n f o r t h e

U.S., its long time ally, with-out losing China’s own affec-tion, which could mean the loss of billions of dollars in grants, loans and assistance to put the country back on its feet. On the other hand, the Philip-pines can not just turn its back on more than a century of close ties with the United States.

President Aquino will be tiptoeing as he traverses the difficult path of maintaining relations with the world’s two biggest economies in the com-ing months.

During her time, Gloria Ma-capagal Arroyo deftly played the emerging power struggle between the U.S. and China to obtain funding for her numer-

ous dubious deals. While get-ting billions from China, Ar-royo allowed U.S. troops to virtually maintain a military base in Mindanao in the guise of anti-terrorist training or military exercise.

In February 2008, Malaya publisher Amado “Jake” Ma-casaet accused Arroyo and former Speaker Jose V. de Venecia of having commit-ted treason in entering into a so-called "Spratly Deal" with Beijing in exchange for loans attended by bribery and cor-ruption. Macasaet said he was told by a source that under the "Spratly Deal," China would be allowed to explore territo-rial waters of the Philippines.

"This is treason because the pact has the effect of giv-ing away Philippine sovereign-ty to a foreign country. In re-turn, Chinese-owned firms provide the Philippines with overpriced loans for numerous projects," he said.

In the same month, Far Eastern Economic Review’s Barry Wain accused Arroyo of selling out to China the Philip-pine and regional interests in the South China Sea.

Wain argued that Arroyo vi-olated a 2002 regional agree-ment that called on ASEAN member-states to deal with China as a bloc on the six-coun-try Spratly Islands dispute.

Wain said that during Ar-

royo’s state visit to China in 2004, the two countries signed the "Agreement for Seismic Undertaking for Certain Ar-eas in the South China Sea By and Between China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Philippine National Oil Com-pany," which, Wain said, an-gered Vietnam.

The articles of Macasaet and Wain should explain why Arroyo was able to obtain bil-lions of dollars in loans to fi-nance various projects, in-cluding the highly anomalous $329-million NBN deal, the questionable $460-million cy-ber-education project , the $500-million North Rail proj-ect, the disadvantageous 19

fisheries and agriculture proj-ects totaling $4.9 billion and many more dubious deals.

These highly inconsistent deals were exposed one by one, and China remained qui-et amid the furor.

Aquino can play his cards as deftly as Arroyo did. But even without the accompanying cor-ruption, he can get burned as did Arroyo. In any three-way love affair, the one in the mid-dle — the one who plays with fire — always gets burned.

The conflict between the U.S. and China will someday come to a head. Where the Philippines would be when that time comes will depend on how Aquino plays his card. (valabelgas@aol.com)

abelgasContinued from p age 6

“This disgusting diatribe against Pacqiuao is a racial slur against all Filipinos and Filipino

Americans and an embarrassment not only to the boxing community but to all Americans.”

8 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

DALLAS, Texas — There are marked differences in heart disease risk and occur-rence among Asian-American subgroups, but data on these subgroups is limited, prompt-ing the American Heart As-sociation to call for more research on this fastest-grow-ing racial/ethnic group in the U.S., according to a scientific statement published in Circu-lation: Journal of the Ameri-can Heart Association.

“Available research shows that subgroups of Asian-Americans are at increased risk of complications and death from cardiovascu-lar disease; however, Asian-Americans are often studied as a group, which masks the differences within this het-erogeneous population,” ac-cording to Latha Palaniap-pan, M.D., M.S., chair of the American Heart Associa-tion’s Scientific Advisory on Cardiovascular Disease in Asian-Americans.

As ian-Amer icans rep -resent 25 percent of all for-eign-born people in the U.S. They are projected to reach nearly 34 million by 2050. Major federal surveys have only recently started to clas-sify Asian-Americans into seven subgroups: Asian In-dian, Chinese, Filipino, Ko-

By David Sayen

One of the best ways to help your children have a good year

in school is to make sure they have health coverage. Young-sters with insurance generally enjoy better health. They can focus on their studies and par-ticipate in sports.

Your children may not cur-rently have coverage for a

number of reasons. You lost your job, your employer doesn’t offer insurance, or you simply can’t af-ford it. Whatever the cause, the Children’s Health Insurance Pro-gram, or CHIP, may be able to help. More than seven million youngsters now receive low-cost medical care through CHIP.

The federal and state program has been a lifeline for children 18 and younger whose parents don’t qualify for Medicaid but, through

no fault of their own, don’t have or can’t afford private health insurance. The youngsters get regular check-ups, dental care, shots and prescription drugs. They’re less likely to miss class and fall behind.

Children with health insurance are also better able to participate in organized school sports. With-out coverage, youngsters some-times must pass up the chance to join a team because their families

can’t afford the necessary phys-ical or their parents worry they couldn’t pay the doctors’ bills if their children were injured.

Obviously, allowing as many students as possible to get cov-erage and get in the game is im-portant to the children, who are eager to play sports. But it’s also valuable to a country facing an epidemic of childhood obesity.

The County of San Diego is launching a campaign during Na-tional Preparedness Month in September to urge residents to register their cell phones for Alert-SanDiego and encourage fami-ly and friends to do so. Currently, about 200,000 cell phones are reg-istered, which exceeds other com-munities that use the system but is still far short of the number of residents in our county.

Registering gives the County Office of Emergency Services an-other way to alert residents with emergency messages and evacu-ation notices in their area during a wildfire, earthquake or other disaster. The County will work through its community, emer-gency response and media part-ners as well as use social media and the web to spread the mes-sage during the campaign. Reg-istration is quick and simple; visit www.ReadySanDiego.org.

AlertSanDiego expands be-yond the reach of Reverse 9-1-1 by including cell phone numbers, VoIP phones and e-mail addresses to the regional registry. Reverse 9-1-1 only contacts listed and unlisted land-line telephones. By registering with AlertSanD-iego, you would receive notifica-tion when the home or business address associated with your cell phone number is impacted by a disaster or an emergency.

Research needed on

heart disease

Register cell phones for emergency

alerts

Health insurance can help your child succeed in school

See insurance on 9 See disease on 9

September 11 - 17, 2010 9THE FILIPINO PRESS

One in three American chil-dren is now overweight or obese. That should be as startling as if one in three youngsters were found to have cancer. Unless we reverse this trend toward early obesity and the health problems it creates, we will have the first gen-eration of Americans with a short-er lifespan than their parents.

Getting all youngsters in-sured is an important first step to keeping them fit and conquer-ing childhood obesity. With their children covered, families can develop standing relationships with doctors who can teach their young patients healthy lifestyles and tackle medical problems ear-ly, before they become serious.

Still, as many as five million children are eligible for CHIP or Medicaid but not yet enrolled. Many families may think they make too much money to qualify

for either program. Others may not even realize the help exists.

Income guidelines vary by state. In California, for example, a family of four with an income up to $55,128 a year can get their children covered. In Arizona, a family of four may qualify with an income of up to $44,100. Even if you’ve been turned down before, you may be able to have your chil-dren insured now, since a number of states have recently broadened their eligibility for CHIP.

CHIP has softened the blow when breadwinners have lost their jobs during the recession. But the program has also helped working parents when an em-ployer has scaled back or end-ed group health coverage.

A phone call is all it takes to determine if your children are eligible for low-cost health in-surance. Call 1-877-KIDS-NOW (1-877-543-7669) to talk with a representative or visit www.insurekidsnow.gov. Fam-

ilies can usually complete their applications over the phone, on-line or through the mail, without taking time from work.

Once your child is enrolled, you’ll be able to pick a physician for your child and see that doctor when your youngster falls sick. You won’t have to worry about how you’ll pay for the visit, and you won’t have to sit for hours in an emergency room when your child could be easily treated in the doctor’s office. Your children will also have access to prescription drugs and dental care.-

A year ago, President Obama and Congress added money to the CHIP program to expand

children’s health coverage. The goal now is to find and sign up each of the five million eligible youngsters who aren’t enrolled.

Children deserve good health care to reach their full poten-tial. Parents shouldn’t have to choose between paying for gro-ceries and affording a doctor’s visit. CHIP gives families con-trol over their health care and the peace of mind that comes from knowing they’ll get high-quality care when they need it.

Sayen in the San Francis-co Regional Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

rean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Other Asian. The first six subgroups together consti-tute more than 90 percent of Asian-Americans in the U.S., according to the statement.

Palaniappan and her col-leagues reviewed published re-search on Asian-Americans and cardiovascular disease, then identified gaps in knowledge and made recommendations.

“We found many dispari-ties among subgroups,” Pa-laniappan said. “If you group all Asian-Americans togeth-er, you do not detect these differences.”

The statement cites some of the following risk differ-ences between Asian-Ameri-can subgroups:

• Asian Indians and Filipi-nos are at greater risk of cor-onary heart disease compared to the other subgroups.

• Japanese- and Chinese-Americans have lower rates of coronary heart disease but higher rates of stroke.

• Chinese-Americans have lower rates of peripheral ar-terial disease, or clotting dis-eases of the leg arteries, than other groups.

The statement identifies re-search showing that risk fac-tors for Asian-Americans dif-fer compared to Caucasians. For example, body mass in-dex, a common tool for de-termining risk for cardiovas-cular disease, is considered normal when it’s less than 25 kg/m2 for Caucasians. How-ever, a BMI under 23 kg/m2 may be more appropriate for Asians, she said.

Some studies also show that Asian-Americans metabolize drugs, including those used to treat heart disease, differently than Caucasians and other ra-cial/ethnic groups.

“Looking at this more close-ly gives us opportunities

to improve health dispari-ties among Asian-Americans,” Palaniappan said. “We need changes in data collection.”

A m o n g t h e s u g g e s t e d changes: Instead of group-ing Asian Pacific Islanders together, separate them into the appropriate groups for more accurate disease char-acterization. This is already done in the U.S. Census, ac-cording to Palaniappan, but it is not done commonly in hospitals and clinics.

Other recommendations for improving the quality and quantity of data include devel-oping standard Asian-specific measurement tools for things such as acculturation, which indicates how well a certain population has adapted to the U.S. culture, as well as diet.

“In Mexican-Americans and Spanish populat ions we often use language as a marker as acculturation. We say: Do you speak English at home? This is not such a great marker in Asian popula-tions because English is often taught in the home countries. In India, for example, English is a national language,” Pa-laniappan said. “Giving many Asian-Americans the typical American diet questionnaire does not lead to accurate data collection because these ques-tions do not reflect culturally specific foods.”

The committee also recom-mends that researchers should “over-sample” Asian-Amer-icans in population-based and clinical trials to ensure that they are well-represented.

“We’ve done an excellent job in researching dispari-ties in other minority groups, but great gaps remain in our knowledge about Asian-Americans,” Palaniappan said. “We are making a call to action for national funding organizations that the study of Asian-Americans should be a priority.”

insuranceContinued from p age 8

diseaseContinued from p age 8

10 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

What is the key to a long life? This question remained

in my thoughts as I joined the Idos Clan and their relatives and friends in celebrating the 100th birthday of their grand matriarch, Dona Re-gina Camacho Salcedo vda. de Idos. It was a remarkable event held at the Norman Se-nior Center in Chula Vista last Saturday, Sept. 4.

I was awed by our amaz-ing celebrant. There she was wearing a long-sleeve fus-chia gown with enlaced gold thread and matching hat, amiably greeting her well-wishers . She exuded the priceless beauty of a life well-lived. Her children and grand-children were around to make her birthday a day of thanks-giving and celebration. Their warm hospitality reflected the love and devotion they have for this grand lady who has maintained her charm and friendliness, her wit and humor and her resonant voice through all these years.

How I wish I ’ l l grow old as graceful ly as the ce le -brant and how I wish I could speak as coherently as she did when she delivered her speech. Of course, there were times when she repeated her-self, when she paused to re-call a word, but for me it was all right. I could listen to her forever, if only the time was not of the essence. That was a sacred moment — lis-tening to someone who had reached the age of 100. She acknowledged her caregiv-ers, her children, mentioning all their names and their as-signed days, her medical doc-tor of almost 46 years, Dr. Renato Masilungan, and all those who have made a dif-ference in her life.

T h e r e w a s a p o r t i o n o f her speech when everybody laughed. She said, “When a woman comes and give me a kiss, I would kiss her back and say, how are you Miss B e a u t i f u l ? W h e n a m a n kisses me, I kiss him back and say, how are you, Mr.

Handsome? I call them Miss Beautiful or Mr. Handsome because I don’t remember their names.” What a keen sense of humor!

When she said thank you to Congressman Bob F i l -ner for proclaiming Sept. 4 as “Regina Idos Day” in the 51th Congressional District, she added, without missing a beat, “There are 135 voters in my family.”

Dona Regina said, “People ask me what is my secret for a long life. I tell them, it is God’s will.” Claiming God’s Will for our longevity means that we have devoted our life to doing what God wants us to do as we raise our chil-dren, as we take care of our-selves and as we share our talents for the good of others. Dona Regina was a teacher, albeit a very good teacher. In fact, she grew up in a family of top educators in the Phil-ippines — the late Daniel Salcedo, the first director of private schools and the late Benigno Aldana, the director of public schools, her brother and cousin, respectively.

But most of all she is a very good mother and ma-triarch. Her nine children, 62 grandchildren, 58 great-g r a n d c h i l d r e n a n d e i g h t great-great-grandchildren ( a n d s t i l l c o u n t i n g ) , a t -tests to her love and devo-tion, her firm hand in rais-ing them and her generosity and kindness to all the peo-ple around her. Her life is a lesson for all of us who as-pire for longevity.

“O Lord, teach us to num-ber our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

The ancient city of Laodi-cea had a water prob-lem. The problem was

there was no water. At least not in the city itself. There were hot springs 6 miles away near the town of Hier-apolis. That water wasn't drinkable and would lose its soothing warmth by the time it was taken to Laodicea. At about the same distance in the opposite direction, there were deliciously cool sourc-es of water around Denizli. These waters would also lose their cool temperature when transported to Laodicea, re-sulting in an unpleasantly warm drink. The only water available to the Laodiceans was lukewarm at best.

When Jesus addressed the Christians of this city in the book of Revelation, he used an illustration they would un-derstand: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revela-tion 3:15-16). The Greek word

translated "spit" is more accu-rately translated "vomit." It's an unpleasant image for an unpleasant condition: Chris-tians who have lost their pas-sion, who have compromised their loyalty to Christ.

Unfortunately, the world has seen too many Christians just like this. Mahatma Gan-dhi said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so un-like your Christ." The agnos-tic Sheldon Vanuaken wrote, “The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christ ianity is also Chris-

tians - when they are som-ber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.” No-body likes lukewarm. Nobody wants to be lukewarm.

If you're not a Christian and that's the only Christian-ity you've seen, then I'd urge you to look again. There are Christians who have overcome this perpetual state of apa-

thy. They know that Christi-anity isn't just about showing up at church at certain times. It's a way of life. As Vanuaken said, such Christians are the best argument for Christian-ity that exists.

If you are a Christian, but find that lukewarm describes your faith, let me encour-age you to go back to the ba-sics. Focus on Bible study and prayer. Find a church and make yourself an active part of it. Reconnect with God each week by participating in the Lord's Supper.

Nobody likes lukewarm. Nobody wants to be lukewarm. And nobody wants Jesus to "spit them out."

The blessings of a long life

AURORA SORIANO-CUDAL

My PersonalTestimony

DANNY HERNAEZ

From Whom All Blessings Flow

A water problem

Glen Abbey MemorialPark & Mortuary

619-498-4600Nature Garden

Chapel of Roses

If you are a Christian, but find that lukewarm describes your faith, let me encourage you to

go back to the basics. Focus on Bible study and prayer. Find a church and make yourself an active

part of it.

September 11 - 17, 2010 11THE FILIPINO PRESS

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has made enrolling in the state-sponsored California Alter-nate Rates for Energy (CARE) bill-assistance program even more convenient for custom-ers thanks to a toll-free phone enrollment system. Customers who enroll in the CARE pro-gram may be eligible for a bill savings of up to 35 percent on their SDG&E bill every month.

“We recognize that during these tough economic times not all of our customers have easy access to a computer or want to wait for their paper application to be processed,” said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of cus-tomer solutions for SDG&E. “By providing more enrollment options and making the pro-cess as easy as possible, we hope to reach all of our custom-ers who may be eligible for the program.”

Using a touch-tone key pad, customers can enroll in the CARE program in a few min-utes by calling 1-877-646-5525; all they need is their account number. This is in great con-trast to the several weeks it can take to mail and process paper applications.

“The economy’s slow recov-ery is putting many of our cus-tomers in unchartered territo-ry,” said Snyder. “We believe there are a number of custom-ers who may be unemployed for the first time and don’t real-ize they are eligible for the dis-count. If customers are strug-gling to pay their bill, we urge them to call us to discuss all of their options.”

More than 280,000 custom-ers throughout SDG&E’s ser-vice area are currently en-rolled in the CARE program and benefit from the discount.

SDG&E estimates there are some 70,000 customers who are eligible but have yet to en-roll.

The new phone enrollment system is not only good for the customer, it is good for the en-vironment as SDG&E contin-ues to look for more ways to incorporate environmentally responsible business practices into day-to-day operations. Re-ducing paper is one such way.

Customers may qualify for the CARE program one of two ways: through their partici-pation in certain public assis-tance programs, or based on their household’s size and in-come. For customers who are recently unemployed, house-hold income is calculated from the date of unemployment. All other provisions on determin-ing income still apply.

Qualification criteria:• Regardless of income, cus-

tomers may be eligible if they are currently enrolled in any of the following public assistance programs: Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, Medi-Cal, Healthy Families A & B, CalWorks/TANF or Tribal TANF, Head Start Income El-igible (Tribal Only), Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assis-tance, Food Stamps/SNAP, Na-tional School Lunch Program (NSLP), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Supplemental Se-curity Income (SSI).

• Customers may qualify if their current annual house-hold income meets the latest threshold. The income guide-lines below will be in effect from June 1, 2010 - May 31, 2011.

• Number of people per household, 1 or 2= $31,300; 3= $36,800; 4= $44,400; 5=

$52,000.• Add $7,600 for each addi-

tional household memberApplying for the program is

easy and customers may use any of the following ways to apply:

• A toll-free automated en-rollment line (877) 646-5525

• Online at www.sdge.com/care

• Requesting an application from SDG&E’s customer ser-vice at (800) 411-7343

In addition to the CARE pro-gram, SDG&E offers a variety of other assistance programs that save energy and money, such as no-cost home improve-ments and energy-efficient ap-pliances for income-qualified renters and homeowners, re-duced energy costs for custom-ers with certain medical condi-tions/equipment, and payment extensions for those who need extra help:

• Energy Team: Will make your family more comfortable and secure by sealing your place from the heat and cold and upgrading old inefficient appliances;

• Neighbor-to-Neighbor: This fund provides a grant to help customers pay their gas and electric bills;

• Family Electric Rate As-sistance (FERA): Provides low-er rates for households of three or more persons;

• Medical Baseline: Reduced energy costs for customers who have medical conditions/equip-ment that impact their bill;

• Level Payment Plan: Al-lows for monthly payments to be spread evenly throughout the year.

Additional information on these assistance programs is available from SDG&E’s Web site, www.sdge.com/assistance.

TheCheck us out:www. .com

Mark Your Calendars!I-805 South Project Public Hearings

September 21 & 22

Caltrans has scheduled two

public hearings for the I-805

South Project on September

21st and 22nd. The purpose

is to gather public input on

the 11-mile project from

East Palomar Street in

Chula Vista to the I-805/

SR-15 interchange.

Tuesday, September 21 5 – 8 p.m. Loma Verde Recreation Center 1420 Loma Lane Chula Vista, CA 91911

Wednesday, September 22 5 – 8 p.m. Jackie Robinson Family YMCA 151 YMCA Way San Diego, CA 92102

Please call (619) 688-6670 or visit the I-805 Corridor section of www.KeepSanDiegoMoving.com or www.dot.ca.gov/dist11 for more information.

SDG&E makes enrolling in bill-assistance program easier

12 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The San Diego County Hispan-ic Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Iluminada Gala, a black-tie event that will take place at The Shera-ton Mission Valley on Sept. 18 at 6:00 p.m.

Formally known as the In-stallation Dinner, the Ilumi-nada Gala was created to rec-ognize outstanding business leaders within the San Di-ego Hispanic Chamber and supporters of Latino busi-ness in greater region. Award-winning television news an-chor Vic Salazar wil l host this year’s event and United

States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Roy Perez will be the keynote to join our 2010 Busi-ness Awardees.

Each year the I lumina-da Gala brings together more than 300 attendees. Support-ers include Hispanic leaders, community leaders, elected and appointed officials, and leaders from nonprofit organi-zations, executives from For-tune 500 companies, academi-cians, small business owners and others with a connection to Hispanic America.

“The Iluminada is a show-case and celebration of our

members and the Latino busi-ness community’s accomplish-ments,” said Jesseca Saenz-Gonzalez, chair of the San Diego Hispanic Chamber.

This year’s supporters in-clude Sycuan Resort and Ca-sino, San Diego Regional Port Authority, Aetna, Anheuser-Busch, Vic Salazar Communi-cations, Wells Fargo, to name a few. For more information or to reserve tickets or spon-sor the event contact Paula Martinez at (858) 268-0790.

The SDCHCC represents t h e b u s i n e s s c o m m u n i -t y both in San Diego and Ti-juana. With nearly 1,000 ac-

tive members and affiliates, it is the largest and fastest-growing business organiza-tion in the region. The cham-ber works with its members to provide valuable servic-es for economic development and growth.

The SDCHCC was found-ed in 1989 to promote the interests of local Hispanic businesses . The chamber has developed an expansive n e t w o r k a n d p r o v i d e s i t s m e m b e r s r e s o u r c e s , t o o l s , a n d i n f o r m a t i o n t o s u p port the San Diego economy. For more informa-tion, visit www.sdchcc.com.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Farmers Insurance Group of Companies lent is support to the Girl Scouts San Diego’s Ur-ban Campout Feelin’ Groovy fundraiser on Friday, Sept. 10, at Girl Scout’ Balboa Park campus with a ride in the sky.

Farmers donated a Farm-ers Airship ride during the live auction that evening, which also included gourmet food, games, live music and dancing.

“Farmers is proud to be a part of Girl Scouts 13th annual ‘fun fundraiser for grown-ups,’” said Kevin Kelso, Farmers chief marketing officer. “Communi-ty support is top of Farmers’ list when it comes to the Farm-ers Airship, and we are very pleased that a ride on the air-ship will be auctioned to help the 30,000 girl and 11,700 adult local members of Girl Scouts.”

Stretching 15-feet longer than a 747 and 50-feet longer than the largest blimp, the Farmers Airship, the Zeppe-lin Eureka, is the world’s larg-est airship. One of only three Zeppelins currently operating in the world, the Farmers Air-ship offers passengers spectac-ular 360-degree views of the sights on flight-seeing tours

“Proceeds from auctioning the Farmers Airship ride will support programs that help Girl Scouts develop valuable,

lifelong leadership skills,” said Jo Dee C. Jacob, CEO of Girl Scouts San Diego. “We expect bidding for this exciting oppor-tunity to be fast and furious!”

Girl Scouting provides the world’s best leadership experi-ence for girls. Through Girl Scouts, girls discover them-

selves, connect with others, and take action to make the world a better place. Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council pro-vides activities for 40,000 girl and adult members, offers training for volunteers, and maintains three camps and four program and service facilities.

For information or to pur-chase tickets for Urban Cam-pout, visit www.sdgirlscouts.org or call Annie Revel at (619) 610-0807,

For more information about Farmers, visit www.farmers.com or www.Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.

SEPTEMBER 18

ILUMINADA 2010: CELEBRATING OUR HERITAGEThe San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce invites community members to attend the Annual Gala Event honoring member acheivements.

The event will take place Saturday, September 18 at the Sheraton Mission Valley.

The silent auction begins at 6:00 p.m. with a Mariachi concert following at 7:00 p.m. The dinner and awards pressentation will take place at 8:00 p.m. with dancing following at 10:00 p.m. The gala is a black tie event.

To reserve tables, call the SDCHCC chamber office at (858) 268-0790 or call (619) 808-8250.

SEPTEMBER 18

REUNION OF FILIPINOS WHO jOINED THE U.S. NAvYThe celebration will be held at the Filipino American Veteran’s Associa-tion located at 2926 Market Street, San Diego on Saturday, September 18, at 10:00 a.m.

Veterans widows are very much welcomed. Seats are limitied so please RSVP as soon as possible. Videos of past reunions will be shown. Nita Bar-rion’s band will perform.

For more information, contact Bert Andrade at (619) 470-8039.

SEPTEMBER 19

AUP AMBASSADORS TO PERFORM AT NATIONAL CITY CHURCHThe Adventist University of the Philippines’ Ambassadors choir will perform at the First United Methodist Church of National City on Sunday, Sept. 19.

The Ambassadors, returning to San Diego on their fifth U.S. Goodwill Concert Tour, will perform twice that day. The choral group, conducted by Ramon Molina Luauco Jr., will first perform during the church’s morning worship service at 10:00 a.m. The Ambassadors’ Gala Concert begins at 2 p.m. There will be no reserved seating for the concert.

Tickets for the concert will be sold in advance and at the door. Cost of tickets are $20 (adults), $10 (children 5-12). Admission is free for children 4 and under and senior 62 and older.

Advance tickets can be purchased at FUMC’s administrative office Mon-day to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The church is located at 242 E. 8t St. in National City.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call (619) 477-2741 or e-mail office@myfumcnc.org.

SEPTEMBER 22

CANDIDATES FORUM 2010Candidates Forum 2010 will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Mission Valley Public Library, 2123 Fenton Way in San Diego.

Come listen and ask questions of several local candidates, so that you will be informed this coming election. Candidates attending so far are:

Board of Supervisors: Supervisor Ron Roberts and Stephen WhitburnSan DiegoCity Council

District 6: Howard Wayne and Lorie Zapf

District 8: David Alvarez and Felipe Hueso

County Assessor, Recorder, Clerk: David Butler and Ernie Dronenburg

Chula VistaCity Council: Pat Aguilar and Larry Breitfelder

National City Mayor: Mayor Ron Morrison and Vice Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis

National City Council: Luis Natividad, Mona Rios and Ditas Yamane

Please RSVP by Sept. 16. For more information, contact Vince Bumanglag, vbumanglag@aol.com or (760) 224-4635; Mitz Lee, mitz@mitzlee.com or (858) 689-9462; or Willie Racelis, willieracelis@cox.net.

SEPTEMBER 26

21ST ANNUAL AIDS WALK SAN DIEGOSan Diego County’s largest one-day HIV/AIDS fundraiser will take place on Sunday, Sept. 26 at Balboa Park. The 21st annual event will raise funds for more than 20 San Diego County HIV/AIDS service organizations.

AIDS Walk San Diego is a program of The San Diego LGBT Community Cen-ter. More information is available by calling (619) 291-WALK.

Airship ride donated to fundraiser

Photo: Courtesy of Farmers Insurance

The Farmers Airship, Zeppelin Eureka, is the world’s largest airship, stretching 15-feet longer than a 747 and 50-feet longer than the largest blimp and is one of only three Zeppelins currently operation in the world. Farmers Insurance donated a ride in the airship that was auctioned during the Girl Scouts San Di-ego’s Urban Campout Feelin’ Groovy fundraiser on Friday, Sept. 10, in San Diego.

Hispanic Chamber hosts Iluminada Gala

GET LISTED: To have your event listed in Save the Date, e-mail your information (include date, time, location, cost, and phone) to filpress@aol.com. Keep in mind we publish on Saturdays, so ensure your event happens on the day of publication or during the following week.

The Asian Business Associ-ation of San Diego (ABA), the largest Asian business organi-zation in San Diego, announced that it is accepting scholar-ship applications. One is the

Tom Fat Scholarship, in mem-ory of the prominent business-man and co-founder of ABA. Three scholarship awards will be made by the ABA Founda-tion. High School seniors and

students attending colleges/universities are encouraged to apply.

ABA is celebrating its 20th Anniversary at an Awards Gala on November 18, 2010, at

the Westin Gaslamp Quarter. The scholarship awards will be presented at the Gala.

For additional information contact Erica Oyama at erica@abasd.org or (858) 277-2822.

Asian Business Association seeks scholarship applicants

T h e F i e s t a o f F l a v o r s event is coming to Old Town this September as a part of the largest agave festival in the United States, the Spir-its of Mexico Festival.

Hosted by the Old Town Chamber of Commerce, Pol-ished Palate and Fiesta de Reyes, Fiesta of Flavors fea-tures non-stop entertainment, live demonstrations, a tequila garden and samplings from 14 restaurants in Old Town. The event takes place Saturday, Sept. 18, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

The Fiesta of Flavors event will include performances by Chunky Sanchez y Los Ala-cranes, the Calpulli Mexihca Dance Ensemble, the Gutier-rez Family Andalusian Horses and a live ‘harvesting’ of aga-ves by third-generation jima-

dor, Jose Cortes, ambassador and spokesman for El Jimador Tequi-la, Mexico’s No.1 selling tequila.

The event also features a free Everything Agave exposi-tion, featuring agave products for sale from a variety of mer-chants. Participating vendors include Tienda de Reyes, Fies-ta Cocina, Hot Licks, El Agave Tequileria, Urban Seed, Bazaar del Mundo, Amore Cheese-cakes, Acapulco Restaurant and Royal Palm Nursery.

Participating restaurants in the Fiesta of Flavors event in-clude Barra Barra Saloon, Old Town Mexican Café, Café Coyote, El Agave Tequileria, Rockin’ Baja, Casa Guadalajara, Acapulco Res-taurant, Cold Stone in Old Town, Crazee Burger, Viva El Café, Zo-calo, El Fandango, Pizza Bella and 25 Forty Bistro & Bakehouse.

The Spirits of Mexico Main Event, including dinner, sem-inars, guest talks, tastes and demonstrations from more than 100 agave distillers from throughout Mexico, will be held at The Cosmopolitan Hotel & Restaurant on Saturday eve-ning, Sept. 18, starting at 6:00 p.m. The main event will wrap up the official Spirits of Mexico Festival Day in San Diego.

Tickets to the Fiesta of Fla-vors event are $25 per person. Tickets to Fiesta of Flavors plus general admission to the Spirits of Mexico Main Event are $65. VIP early entrance to the main event plus Fies-ta of Flavors is $85 per per-son. To purchase tickets, visit www.OldTownSanDiegoguide.com or call (619) 291-4903 for more information.

Fiesta of Flavors coming to Old Town Sept. 18

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COV 28897 Filipino Press_SD_MECH:Layout 2 6/10/10 12:02 PM Page 1

September 11 - 17, 2010 13THE FILIPINO PRESS

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Three years ago, Frederick Aguinaldo, was serving as the only active duty

serviceman aboard a civilian contractor ship in Southeast Asia. He spent 372 days, most-ly in isolation, forward deployed in an imminent danger zone.

Armed with nothing but an M-4, Sig 227 and steady vigi-lance, he stood watch halfway around the world while San Diego, his future home, was threatened by record-break-ing wild fires that covered the city in ash.

He returned stateside in August 2008 and had trou-ble re-adjusting to regular military routine. Fortunate-ly, a co-worker recognized his symptoms — Aguinaldo was referred to health care pro-fessionals and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) late Febru-ary 2009. He underwent many months of treatment.

In July 2009, Aguinaldo discovered his ability to paint after an inspirational visit to the Getty museum in Los An-geles, Calif. He visited a lo-cal art store in downtown San Diego and decided to try his hand at painting, under the guidance of established San Diego artist Ric Gomez. The duo went on to publish “Two San Diego Art ists Making Something Out of Nothing,” a 21-page hardcover book.

One year later, Aguinaldo founded the San Diego Artist Organization, an artist-mar-keting business dedicated to

promoting the fine art of local artists through Internet mar-keting, book publishing and art show venues.

“I’m often asked why an art-

ist or an art collector should be interested in San Diego Artist Organization,” Aguinaldo said. “There are two main reasons, both of which are financial in nature. The first reason is that artists can sell paintings with-out paying the unofficial indus-try-standard 50 percent com-mission. This savings is directly related to the second reason: An art collector can now pur-chase the same fine art they see in traditional galleries without paying high retail prices.”

For their second art book, “Brushstrokes,” Gomez and Aguinaldo are joined by estab-lished local San Diego artists

Frank Agostino, Bryan Palacios and Carl Raymond Schmidt.

The book is on sale now on the group’s website, just in time for the San Diego Artist Organi-zation’s public art show debut.

Aguinaldo has recently been notified he will be on perma-nent retirement from active duty as of Oct. 28.

“It’s amazing how my fi-nal military deployment has transformed my mind”, Aguinaldo said. “It’s almost as if my entire military career never even happened.”

The transformation is amaz-ing. From forefront to home-front. Frederick’s past and pres-ent are like night and day.

Interested readers can check out the San Diego Artist Orga-nization online at www.SanDi-egoArtist.org

IN CONCERTNATIONAL CITY BAYFRONT CONCERT 2010The Fabulous Pelicans, Street HeartWhen: Saturday, Sept. 18,2-6 p.m.Where: Pepper Park, National CityTickets: Free. Online: www.nationalcityca.gov. Phone: (619) 336-4290.

THE GREATEST HITMAKERSRico J. Puno • Marco Sison • Rey Valera • Nonoy ZunigaWhen: Sunday, Sept. 26,3 p.m.Where: Pala CasinoTickets: $38-$98. Online: www.usasiamediacenter.com. Phone: 1-888-874-1719. Tickets also avail-able at Pala Casino.

THEATER

MOONLIGHT AMPHITHEATREjennifer Paz stars as Kim in “Miss Saigon”When: Nightly through Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.Where: 1200 Vale Terrace Drive, VistaTickets: $22-$45. Online: www.moonlightstage.com. Phone: (760) 724-2110. Also available at box office.

COPLEY SYMPHONY HALLBayanihan Philippine National Dance CompanyWhen: Sunday, Sept. 26, 2 p.m.Where: 750 B St., San DiegoTickets: $15-$65. Online: www.sandiegosymphony.com. Phone: (619) 235.0804. Also available at box office.

CLUBSCAFE LA MAZE STEAKHOUSEjulius Obregon and Friends ShowWhen: Every Sunday at 7 p.m.Where: 1441 Highland Ave., National City, (619) 474-3222

LUCKY STARWednesdays Filipino Night with Eric de LeonThursdays: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra Big BandFridays: Ballroom dancing/KarokeWhere: 3893 54th St., San Diego, (619) 229-8228

MCDINI'S DINER & EvENTSFilipino food every Saturday with live Filipino BandsWhere: 105 E. 8th St., National City, (619) 474-6771

TROPHY LOUNGERising StarWhen: Every Thursday at 8 p.m.Where: 999 National City Blvd., National City, (619) 477-9862

KARAOKE18TH ANNUAL FIEST FILIPIANA MEXICANA KARAOKE COMPETITIONWhen: Saturday, Oct. 23Where: Seafood City, 1420 E. Plaza Blvd., National City, (619) 477-6080

EL jUAN RESTAURANTEric de Leon one-man bandWhen: Every Thursday beginning Sept. 16 from 6-9 p.m.Where: 2316 Highland Ave., National City, (619) 477-6262

GAPORESTION & KAROKEWhen: Tuesdays to Sundays, 7-MidnightWhere: 933 S. Harbison Ave., National City, (619) 267-3746

jASMINEWhen: Wednesdays, 9 p.m -1 a.m.

Where: 4609 Convoy St., San Diego, (858) 268-0888

SIZZLER jULIUS OBREGON SHOW ROOMWhen: Every Friday at 7 p.m.Where: 1325 E. Plaza Blvd., National City, (619) 477-2590

SPORTSTOP GUN FLAG FOOTBALLRegister now for five-man, all-passing flag football leagues in Chula Vista, Mira Mesa, North County/San Marcos and Santee. Evening and weekend leagues begin in late September. Inter-league playoffs with neighboring counties. Call toll-free (877) 846-3178 or visit TopGunFlagFootball.com. Must be 18+ to play. Refer-ees needed.

UPDATESFILIPINO PRESS FACEBOOKCheck our our Facebook page for new listings and updates.

GET LISTED: To have your concert, club or event listed in What's Happening, e-mail your information (include date, time, location, cost, and phone) to filpress@aol.com. Keep in mind we publish on Saturdays, so ensure your event happens on the day of publication or during the following week.

Something out of nothingSan Diego Artist Organization formed under unusual circumstances

The Greatest Hitmakers perform Sept. 26 at Pala Casino.

Jennifer Paz

Bayanihan Dance Company

Julius Obregon

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Local engineer Steve Austin is or-ganizing the “Baseball Blast for Kids” community event to provide inner-city children and children of deployed mil-itary personnel the opportu-nity to attend a professional baseball game.

“Baseball Blast for Kids” is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 26 at Petco Park when the Padres take on the Cincinnati Reds game at 1:05 pm.

The Padres Foundation is helping to make it possi-ble to purchase game tick-ets and a meal (hot dog and small drink) for each child at 50 percent off gate pricing, $10.50 per child.

For more information, con-tact Austin at (858) 775-8290 or e-mail rstevea@att.net.

By Bum Tenorio Jr. MANILA, Philippines –

Here’s a piece of good news from Hong Kong: A 16-year-old Filipina bested over 2,400 singing contestants to win the grand prize in this year’s “Star Factor,” the Hong Kong equiv-alent of “American Idol.”

Margaret Marie Necio Orte-ga, in an elimination that ran from May to July, won first place for the English section in the age category 15 to 21 in Star Factor.

Singing “Terrified” by Kara DioGuardi (an American Idol judge), Margaret bested the remaining 23 finalists as she played her acoustic guitar and “sang from the heart.”

“I was terrified, literally, but I thought about the music

and how beautiful the lyrics meant to me and everything just flowed from there,” Orte-ga said.

In the light of the recent tragic hostage-taking inci-dent, Ortega said she hopes to be a voice to aid in healing the wounds between the Phil-ippines and Hong Kong as she is set to perform for Hong Kong-based charity events for the Chinese and Filipi-no audiences as part of her commitment for winning the “Star Factor” title.

“With my singing at the charity events, it is my fervent wish that I could somehow help in mending the wounds between Hong Kong and the Philippines as a result of the hostage-taking incident,” said the eloquent Ortega, a Year

13 student at the South Is-land School, part of the Eng-lish School Foundation in Hong Kong. She wants to study law in college.

“The hostage-taking in-cident in Manila last Aug. 23 was a sad day for mankind. This should not happen to any race, creed, color, religion or to anyone in particular. It is not about being Filipino or about being Chinese. This incident was against mankind. I want to take part in healing the wounds,” added Ortega who is also fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

Ortega said the Star Fac-tor finals saw two age groups — 8-14 and 15-21. The contes-tants were of various nation-alities — French, Indian, Chi-nese, American, British, Irish,

Sri Lankan, Portuguese, Tai-wanese, mainland Chinese and Filipino.

Songs were as varied and performances ranged from solo to duets, trios, quartets and full bands.

To get to the finals, the con-testants had to pass the fol-lowing guidelines: prepara-tion and the execution of a performance level presen-tation, enthusiasm, singing ability, age, discipline, confi-dence and entertainment lev-el to captivate the audience.

The final set of criteria in-cluded: technical ability, stage presence, audience rapport and overall presentation.

Ortega won HKD 3,000 cash, a recording session at Mad Max and a trophy. (phil-star.com)

Filipina bests competition to win ‘Star Factor’

Local man helps youth have ‘blast’

at Petco Park

ART SHOWThe San Diego Artist Organization presents its art show on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 6-9 p.m. at Market Street Village Clubhouse, 699 14th St. in San Diego.

Photo: SanDiegoArtist.org

Above: Works by San Diego artist Frederick Aguinaldo. Right: "Brushstrokes," a new art book by Aguinaldo and other San Diego artists.

“It's amazing how my final military deployment has

transformed my mind. It's almost as if my

entire military career never even happened."

September 11 - 17, 2010 15THE FILIPINO PRESS

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the high road and acted like the gentleman that he is.”

In a new video, Mayweather apologized for his remarks.

“I do want to apologize for what happened the other night. I want to apologize to everybody because everybody thought that it was a racist comment that I said. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I have nothing but love for everybody,” Mayweath-er said.

The apology hasn’t appeased Macabenta, who said the boxer should be censured for his com-ments.

“We call on the National Box-ing Association and state athlet-ic commissions to censure May-

weather for behavior that is both abhorrent and demeaning to boxing fans and to the whole world of sports. We also call on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to reprimand the boxing star for insulting people of color. We are further asking all civil rights or-ganizations to stand in solidar-ity with us in denouncing this racist and homophobic rant. Mayweather’s apology is unac-ceptable and he must be made accountable for his damaging statements.”

“It’s an uneducated mes-sage,” Pacquiao, 31, told the sports website bleacherreport.com. The Boxing Writers Asso-ciation of America named Pac-quiao the “Fighter of the De-cade” for the years 2000-2009.

mayweatherContinued from p age 1

municate with multiple peo-ple using SMS. It is ini-tially available through Globe Telecom but expected to be of-fered also by other carriers

The developer of the service is a company called SMS GupSh-up, based in Mumbai, India. Its founder and CEO, Beerud Sheth, was in Manila recently and Tech-news had the chance to inter-view him. Born in Mumbai but raised and educated in the Unit-ed States, Beerud (pronounced Bei-rud) was initially focused on the Internet for his business in Silicon Valley — until he realized that 80 percent of the world’s pop-ulation has never accessed the Web, but they do use mobiles. It

was then that he chose to devel-op products for the mobile mar-ket, with special attention to text messaging which is used by more people in most parts of the world.

Here’s an excerpt from the TECHNEWS interview:

TECHNEWS: So what is SMS Reply-All?

BEERUD : The SMS Reply-All Chat service extends the capabilities of SMS from ba-sic person-to-person or P2P messaging to many-to-many messaging. It is similar to the commonly used “CC” and “Re-ply-All” features on e-mail.

TECHNEWS: What makes it unique?

B E E R U D : SMS Reply-All Chat works on every handset and is very easy to use. It re-quires no training, no software

downloads, no data connectivity nor a change in handset.

TECHNEWS: How useful will this service be and who are the people who will most likely avail of this service?

BEERUD: I expect virtually ev-ery user of basic P2P SMS to also use Reply-All. We're all social an-imals. Texting one person at a time just isn't social enough. The early adopters of this service are likely to be the youth and college students, who are always hang-ing out with friends. They can use it whether they are just chit-chat-ting or organizing social events — be it parties, meetings or any other activity that requires co-ordination among multiple indi-viduals. Instead of relaying and forwarding messages from one person in the group to the oth-

er, everyone in a group can up-date everyone else at the same time. In fact, reply-all conversa-tions become so engaging that it becomes hard for any participant to stay out of the discussion.

TECHNEWS: Will the Internet render text messaging obsolete?

BEERUD: The Internet will not render text messaging ob-solete. Just as radio did not kill print, TV did not kill radio, the Internet will not kill text messag-ing. Text messaging will remain the most popular way of commu-nication since it is the most sim-ple and most affordable and it doesn’t discriminate. It is used by the young as well as the old, and with the most affordable as well as the most expensive handset. Text messaging will be here forever. (mb.com)

textingContinued from p age 1

16 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

The Unilab-USA of South-ern California will celebrate i t s 2 7 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o n Sept. 18 at the Los Coyotes Country Club at 8888 Los Coyotes Drive, Buena Park, California.

Unilab-USA is an organiza-tion of former employees and retirees of United Laborato-ries in the Philippines who have settled in Southern Cal-ifornia. These former United employees were instilled the Filipino concept of working to-gether that has evolved into a credo called Bayanihan -- the glue that has bonded them together in the orga-nization borne of that con-cept -- the Unilab of South-ern California USA, fondly called "Unilove."

We have heard of many Filipino organizations in the United States that have d i s i n t e g r a t e d n o s o o n -e r t h a n t h e y h a v e o r -

ganized due to that draw-back of the Filipino persona -- crab mentality, pride ego, self-centeredness. But mem-bers of Unilab-USA may be of a different genre. They are bred by the storied Bayani -han va lue o f magtulungan. This must be the reason that Unilab-USA has gone this far.

To ensure Unilab-USA con-tinued growth the organiza-tion is open for membership to close friends and benefac-

tors and children of former Unilab employees.

The highlight of the cele-bration will be a dinner-show entitled "A Dose of Laughter, the Best Medicine" featuring entertainers from Los Ange-les and and Orange County's communities. To cap the eve-ning will be raffles and ball room dancing.

Unilab-USA president Aris Reyes and the officers spread the mat o f welcome to a l l United Warriors and their families in California and Ne-vada to attend this celebration and reunion.

For more information call F e l i x ( 6 2 6 ) 8 3 9 - 0 7 3 6 , Va l (818) 439-3695, or Aris (951) 201-7075.

The temperature is heading south. Stu-dents are head ing

back to school. Layered ensem-bles are heading out of the clos-et. Sure as leaves fall, I fall in love with autumn every year, my pampered friends. There’s something irresistibly inspir-ing about a season named for the shedding of what was once new and blossoming. It is as if nature means to remind us that some things come to an end to allow for more beautiful, satis-fying beginnings.

Fall fashionBlazers and baubles and

boots, oh my! Don’t be afraid to layer on pieces from your wardrobe with color, courage and charisma. There couldn’t a more forgiving season in which experimenting with eclectic style is not only allowed but strongly encouraged.

Tips: Pair up vintage with trendy. Boldly incorporate pops of color, even with standard pieces like coats. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone, particularly with accessories. Have fun playing with the size and shape of your jewelry and purses, for example.

Don ’t forget that make-up and fragrance are like the whipped cream and cherry on

top to a perfectly layered out-fit. Express your emotions with thicker eyeliner or more deeply colored lips. Sultry scents get the green light when there is a chill in the air. Without go-ing overboard, test out more rich aromas like rose, vanilla or amber for autumn.

Fall financesIn a blink of an eye, we’ll be

caught in the middle of the holi-day season. It’s important to en-sure that we won’t be caught in the middle of a personal finan-cial crisis as a result. It’s time

to begin listing the things for which we should save up for, like holiday trips and gifts. Though it should be filled with joyous celebrations, the holi-day season is notorious for be-ing one of the most stressful times of the year, mainly be-cause of money. Frugality is a fine art, but it is one which we can all learn to master.

Tips: Keep your list of holi-day items to save up for near-by and view it often. A daily re-minder will keep you mindful of holiday spending. Do your research, and make reserva-tions as early as possible. Last-minute options are almost al-ways the most expensive.

Planning carefully and staying motivated to save funds will empower you later on this year. You will be able to travel, attend holiday parties and wrap up presents without guilt, without conflict, without stress. Imagine entering 2011 with a bank account and finan-cial habits you can be proud of!

Enjoy the emerging beau-ty of autumn, my pampered friends. Let the cool breeze breathe new life into new projects, new goals. See you next week, when we dive into Fall fitness!

— Francine, The Pam-pered Pinay

Wanna keep in touch and join in on fun weekly chats with other Pampered Pinay fans? Simply check out www.Facebook.com or www.Twit-ter.com, and search “Francine Maigue.” See you online!

Check back every week for ways to pamper yourself and those you love. Why? The an-swer is simple: You deserve it!

Got a business or event I should know about? Wish to agree or agree to disagree with me? Want to send me a love note? (I love those.) E-mail me at thepamperedpi-nay@yahoo.com.

Francine Maigue

The PamperedPinay

Falling for Fall

The Hope Adult day Health Care Center announces the sponsorship of the adult day care component of the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Meals will be available at no separate charge to persons en-rolled at the Hope Adult Day Health Care Center located at 11239 Camino Ruiz, Suite A,

San Diego.In accordance with Feder-

al law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this in-stitution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimi-nation, write USDA, Director,

Office of Civil rights, 1400 Inde-pendence Avenue, SW, Washing-ton, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382. (TTY). USDA is an equal opportu-nity provider and employer.

For more information, re-garding enrollment at the cen-ter contact Teresa H. Lucas at (858) 653-5916.

Child, adult food program opens

Unilab-USA to celebrate 27th anniversary

A glamorous, designer handbag like the "Fabiana" from Corazon de Melon is a fabulous investment and addition to fabulous Fall fashion.

September 11 - 17, 2010 17THE FILIPINO PRESS

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18 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

SACRAMENTO, Calif . — The New America Media Fel-lowship Program on Health and Environmental Health for Ethnic Media Journalists is seeking applicants for its 2010 scholarship. Deadline for en-tries is Friday, Sept. 17.

The fellowship will support ethnic media journalists to re-search and write at least one in-depth story, documenting the human impact of a health care is-sue, or policy issue, or the impact of environmental toxins on hu-man health. The story, or series, will be published or broadcasted in the fellows’ respective ethnic

media outlets, including The Fil-ipino Press, and selected stories will be published on NAM’s web-site. Fellows will receive a $2000 stipend at the completion of the fellowship program.

In addition, fellows will par-ticipate in a mandatory two-day workshop hosted by the Univer-sity of California Sacramento Center from Oct. 19-20, where they will meet state-level policy makers, leading health report-ers, advocates and researchers. As a part of the two-day work-shop, fellows will also partic-ipate in a special NAM news briefing on Oct. 19, where ex-

perts will break down the new healthcare reform law and its impact on ethnic communities.

The organization is particular-ly interested in stories that ex-plore how the new health care re-form law — which pumps more money into community health clinics and requires insurers to offer such preventive services as cancer and asthma screenings — will impact efforts to address en-vironmental health and justice issues in your communities.

For more information, please contact: Ngoc Nguyen, nnguy-en@newamericamdia.org, or call (415) 503-4170.

Ethnic health journalists sought for media fellowship program

Beauty is only skin deep, maybe even less if you are the evil villains Cadwell von Fowl and Lickpenny trying to ruin the region’s premier pageant.

South Bay’s favorite bad guys return to wreck havoc and provide laughter in the 33rd Annual Bonitafest Melo-drama “Ms. Sweetwater Val-ley,” Sept. 17, 18, 24 and 25 at the Bonita Vista High School Bolles Theatre. All perfor-mances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Written and directed by Sunnyside playwright/song-writer Max Branscomb, “Ms. Sweetwater Valley” was in-spired by a controversial local pageant. Branscomb’s musi-cal-comedy is a tuneful and up-lifting story of a young woman who draws from a strong up-bringing to overcome tragedy and disappointment to encour-age others by her example.

Melodrama institution Tim-othy Paul Evans returns for his 30th production as Lickpenny. Gabriel Orendain-Necochea is back again to play the bum-bling villain Cadwell von Fowl.

Talented 15-year-old singer/actress Natalee Nordfelt plays the leading lady Lindsey Mag-nuson. Chantal Marie Brans-comb plays her little sister, Pau-lette. Chloe Yantis plays the spacey but good-hearted Melody Sue McGuire and Ginny Mabrey plays the shy singing sensation Shannon May. Also featured are Lianne Brannon, Lauren Grey, Dayna Hill, Ciarlene Cole-man, Daniela Margolis and Tay-lor Webster. Kerie Muller is the stage manager and Tom Lord is the music director.

San Diego County’s longest-running theatre production, the Bonitafest Melodrama was founded in 1978 by Branscomb,

Glennalie Coleman, Corky Mi-ser, Loren Tarantino, Marga-ret Frank and Jane Fitch. It features original musical-com-edies based on South Bay his-tory. Its multicultural, fami-ly-oriented shows are known for their tuneful songs, comi-cal villains and uplifting story-lines. The Melodrama has been honored by the San Diego The-atre League, National Endow-ment for the Arts, Chula Vista Commission for Arts and Cul-tural, San Diego County Board of Supervisors and California State Senate for its work to el-evate the community.

T h i s y e a r ’s p r o d u c t i o n opens with its traditional Pic-nic-on-the-Green on Sept. 17 at 6:00 p.m. For $15 theatre-goers receive a catered dinner by Chick-fil-A and tickets to the show. For ticket informa-tion call (619) 850-7126.

33rd Annual Bonitafest Melodrama opens Sept. 17

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Anakbayan San Diego to screen

‘Dukot’SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A spe-

cial screening of “Dukot” will be shown on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010 from 6-9 p.m. at the Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2004 Park Blvd.

Tickets are $10 if purchased before Sept. 17, or $12 if pur-chased at the door.

From the director of “Mano Po” and “Pacquiao the Movie” comes a landmark film for in-dependent Philippine cinema. Dukot dares to tell the story of families who have lost their

loved ones to alleged military abductions under the Glo-ria Macapaga Arroyo regime. Directed by Joel Lamangan. Written by Bonifacio Illagan. Starring Allen Dizon, Iza Cal-zado, Snooky Serna and Gina Alajar.

Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of militant activists, crusading journalists and government critics constitute one of the more disturbing phenomena in recent years in the Philip-pines.

Since 2001 when Gloria Ma-capagal Arroyo became pres-ident, over a thousand cas-es have been recorded by the human rights organization Karapatan. Philip Alston, the United Nations Special Rap-porteur, indicted the govern-ment for the culture of impuni-ty now reigning in the country after completing his own re-search.

The Philippine government

has flatly rejected responsibil-ity and denied complicity in these heinous crimes, profess-ing adherence to the Bill of Rights and to all international protocols on human rights.

Dukot could very well be the first full-length film that gives the lie to the claim.

In this horrid sojourn in search of the missing, the story of Junix and Maricel and the seething unrest and its conse-quent social movement in the Philippines unravels, giving light to true stories and actu-al events to victims who have been silenced.

A panel discussion will fol-low the film screening with special guest speakers includ-ing Dukot filmmakers and hu-man rights activist and torture survivor Melissa Roxas.

Part of the proceeds from this event will be donated to a human rights group in the Philippines and to the Melissa Roxas medical fund.

month at the Toronto Interna-tional Film Festival in Cana-da and at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain, where it will be in the competition. It will be commer-cially released in the Philip-pines next year.

Set in Luzon in 1900, “Ami-go” opens with an inscription of how the Americans, in prosecut-ing their war against Spain in Cuba, chose to extend it to an-other Spanish colony, the Philip-pines, “half a world away.”

“They chose to stay (there in the Philippines),” the inscrip-tion laconically adds.

Balancing actThe movie (formerly titled

“Baryo”) tells the story of a vil-lage in the middle of the Phil-ippine-American War as its people try to pick up the piec-es from the Philippines’ war of independence against Spain, while confronting the threat of further disintegration as Amer-ican troops invade the country.

When the Americans take over, they force the village head, Rafael Dacanay (played im-pressively by Filipino actor Joel Torre), to cooperate.

“Soy muy amigo (I am a dear friend),” Dacanay tells the Custer-looking American com-manding officer (played equal-ly impressively by Oscar-winner Chris Cooper). From then on, the Americans refer to him as “Ami-go,” as if it were his real name.

But Dacanay’s brother is a leader of the “insurrectos,” what the Americans call the Filipi-no revolutionaries who fought Spain successfully and are now trying to stem the U.S. invasion.

Dacanay’s teenage son has also disobeyed him and run off to join the Filipino freedom fighters in the jungle. He is thus forced to walk the tightrope, do-ing a dangerous balancing act between the American conquer-ors and the Filipino resistance in order to protect the interest and safety of his people.

Low-intensity warfareSince the Americans know

that the village is the lifeblood of the rebels, providing the un-derground with food and mate-rial supplies, they “hamlet” the village and define its boundar-ies, impose a curfew, restrict the movement of the villag-ers and, to ensure that no food reach the rebels, kill off the ca-rabaos and put a stop to the tilling of the fields.

The movie implies that to-day’s low-intensity warfare and hamletting originated from the American policy to constrict the Philippine resis-tance in the early 1900s.

But the American detail is also directed to “win the hearts and minds” of Filipinos. Try-ing to settle down with the na-tives, the Americans find the locals hospitable and the sur-roundings bucolic.

An American soldier barely out of his teens falls in love with a barrio lass; another soldier dis-covers the joys of the local wine, tuba; and the lieutenant (Gar-ret Dillahunt) allows certain lib-erties, such as elections and the holding of the traditional fiesta in honor of the patron saint, San Isidro de Labrador.

When the commanding of-ficer returns already incensed by guerrilla raids in other towns, he explodes at the pol-icy of rapprochement village and orders Dacanay water-tor-tured to force him to reveal the rebel lair of his brother.

“It’s their country”When the village chief leads

the Americans on a wild goose chase to protect his brother and son, the commanding officer or-ders his execution.

The lieutenant, who is oth-erwise consc ient ious and would like to see Dacanay get off the hook, wonders aloud why the resistance fighters just wouldn’t give up despite their irreversible losses and the im-pending American victory.

“Why should they?” h is subordinate tells him. “It’s their country.”

Brave, provocative, and in-sightfully funny, “Amigo” weaves a complex tale that does not simplify the issues involved in the war and tries to give voice to the Filipinos’ yearning for freedom.

It shows that even while sub-jugated, the Filipinos continue to resist through little acts of defi-ance, such as exploiting the lan-guage barrier in order to curse the Americans and call them tsonggo (monkey) and multo (ghost), a reference to their pale and ghostly complexion.

Complex, authenticSayles said he tried to cap-

ture the complexity of the war in the movie while tracing Amer-ica’s conflicted policy in Iraq to its original imperialist venture in the Philippines.

“It’s the same in Iraq as it was in the Philippines 100 years ago,” Sayles said about the U.S. occupation policy. “Now it’s win-ning the hearts and minds of the people, the next moment — finish them off!”

His films have become not-ed for their ensemble cast and the actors who have been iden-tified with him include such fine thespians as Cooper and David Straitharn.

Only in the PhilippinesIn “Amigo,” Filipino actors

who got an opportunity to be part of Sayles’ ensemble in-clude, aside from Torre, Bem-bol Roco, Rio Locsin, Ronnie Lazaro and Pen Medina.

“I felt I could only make this film here,” Sayles said in an Inquirer report published last summer while shooting “Amigo” for six weeks in Bo-hol. “Plus the Philippines has a real movie industry. Our cast and crew are film professionals who’ve experienced working in every type of movie.”

Filipino film professionals in-volved in “Amigo” include cine-matographer Lee Briones-Meily and production designer Rodell Cruz, who capture the mood, col-ors and setting of a turn-of-the-20th-century Philippine village in the movie. (Inquirer.net)

movieContinued from p age 1

September 11 - 17, 2010 19THE FILIPINO PRESS

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — St. Joseph’s School-College, Olongapo City batchmate (Batch 80) Abdon Pugal recently lost his son to a tragic killing in San Diego.

Pugal's son, Aris “AJ” Elijah Pugal, 20, was shot dead at a party in the 10900 block of Mar-tinque Way in Mira Mesa on Sept. 4.

The family is facing a devastating challenge. In addition to losing their son to a senseless killing, the family’s home is now in foreclosure.

AJ was born on Sept. 7, 1989, and died on Sept. 4, just days before his 21st birthday.

The funeral service will be held Saturday, Sept. 11 from 2-3:00 p.m. at El Camino Memo-rial-Sorrento Valley Chapel, 5600 Carroll Can-yon Road.

The interment will take place Saturday, Sept. 11 at 3:15 p.m. at El Camino Memorial Park, 5600 Caroll Canyon Road.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests dona-tions to be sent to Pugal’s godmother, Iit Pena-flor, at 14378 Augusta Drive in Valley Center.

For more information, pictures or memories of AJ Pugal, visit a website dedicated to him at www.tributes.com/show/89296798.

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — World-class riffs on a bay-front stage are what you’ll find at this year’s annual National City Bayfront Concert at Pep-per Park, Sept. 18 from 2-6 p.m. Free to the public, classic rock and oldies bands, Street Heart and The Fabulous Pelicans will provide one of the most rockin’ family- friendly events of the season.

The Fabulous Pelicans are comprised of some of San Diego’s best local artists, such as Caro-line Martin on vocals and Greg Douglass on lead guitar. Caro-line sang for MTV, “Entertain-ment Tonight” and “PM Maga-zine” as well as countless clubs in Las Vegas, Miami Beach and New York City. Her smoky voice will light up the stage as Greg Douglass pumps up the tunes.

Greg was the lead guitarist for The Steve Miller Band at the peak of their popularity and has five platinum records to his name. He has played with stars such as Van Morrison, the Doo-bie Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The Fabu-lous Pelicans are guaranteed to put on an unforgettable show.

Street Heart has been in San Diego for the past 14 years play-ing classic rock on some of Cal-ifornia’s finest stages. Since 1987, Street Heart's vocally driven classic rock variety show has been featured regularly at major venues and events. They will rock the stage and dance floor.

After dancing a jig to classic oldies, attendees can enjoy deli-cious Mexican fare from El Juan Mexican Restaurant of National

City. Miss National City and her court will be selling bever-ages and tasty treats. For the little ones, the National City Community Services Depart-ment will host kids’ activities during the concert.

The event is made possi-ble with the financial support of the Unified Port District of San Diego, City of National City Community Services De-partment, El Juan Mexican Restaurant in National City and the Walrus 105.7-FM. For more information, vis-it www.nationalcityca.gov or call (619) 336-4290. Pepper Park is located in National City at the South Terminus of Tidelands Ave. To get to the Park, exit the I-5 west on Bay Marina Drive to Tidelands Ave. and turn left.

Music, food, fun on tap for N.C.’s free Bayfront Concert

Young Fil-Am killed in Mira Mesa

Community gathers for State of City Address in National City

Photos: Bill Ramsey

Top: National City Mayor Ron Morrison speaks to an audience attending the State of the City Address on Thursday, Sept. 9, at Cornerstone Church. Above: Morrison speaks to guests at a mini-Taste of National City prior to the address. Left: Congressman Bob Filner greets Filipino Press publisher Susan delos Santos. Lop left: A server from Tita's Kitchenette serves a long line of hungry guests prior to the address.

20 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

Pacific region, with more than 90 percent of its population with on-line access visiting a social-net-working site during the month of February, followed closely by Australia (89.6 percent) and In-donesia (88.6 percent).

Clearly, the Philippines, as does most of the world where so-cial-media sites are not blocked by governments, has embraced such social-networking sites as Facebook — which recently not-ed its dominance with more than 500 million active users world-wide — as its primary means of interacting online, though not replacing text messaging in the Philippines (see sidebar on Page 1).

The level of engagement by Filipinos is no surprise given the country’s and the region’s histo-ry of quickly adopting websites as a means of communciation and interaction, and is perhaps only eclipsed by the use of Face-book in the United States. A quick search of Facebook for “Fil-ipino” or “Philippines” reveals more than 500 dedicated person-al, business, organization and so-called “fan” pages devoted to all things Filipino. And as Filipinos in the U.S. have become the fast-est-growing Asian-American mi-nority, it’s no coincidence that the Filipino-American presence on social-networking sites has become a crucial, if not manda-tory, method of communication between both fellow immigrants and families and friends back home.

Top of the heapAmong this moveable feast of

serious and satirical pages exists perhaps the most-followed Fil-ipino-American page, Definite-ly Filipino, heaquartered in the northern California city of Tracy.

Anchored by its parent web-site, definitelyfilipino.com, and blog, Definitely Filipino’s Face-book page has skyrocketed since its debut in July 2009. Since then, Definitely Filipino has gathered almost 900,000 follow-

ers, placing it among, if not the first page anyone searching “Fili-pino” on Facebook will encounter. Definitely Filipino is a bonafide business, featuring its own store and numerous tabs enabling it to meet the qualifications of a “busi-ness” page as defined by Face-book. But its popularity and suc-cess is largely the result of the direction and enthusiasm of the team of bloggers, administrators and moderators who form the Definitely Filipino team.

The “wizard” behind Definite-ly Filipino is founder Ben To-tanes, 47, a native of Kamuning, a suburb of Quezon City, who came to the U.S. in 1983.

“I was first exposed to com-puters around 1978 when I took summer courses in data process-ing,” said Totanes. “At 18, I be-came a working student during college as a mainframe program-mer at the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Phil-ippines around 1981. I came to the United States in 1983 and al-most immeditately started tran-sitioning my computer knowl-edge to PCs, which had just been introduced by IBM.”

Anyone old enough to be fa-miliar with the evolution of per-sonal computers and the birth of the public Interent — created by the U.S. Defense Department as an internal network, or Intranet, as a means of communicating and transferring information be-tween various military agencies — will be familiar with Totanes’ initial encounter with the what would become many cite as the defining technological phenome-non of the 20th century.

“My introduction to the Inter-net came around 1994, when the company I was working for start-ed using e-mail addresses” said Totanes. But it would be anoth-er year before Totanes would be exposed to the true power of the Internet when a co-worker ex-plained to him the wider advan-tages of the system — namely browsing text pages through ear-ly dial-up modems.

“The graphical browswer Mo-saic came after that, and then

Netscape,” he recalled.The pre-Web Internet exist-

ed only as bulletin boards and fo-rums known as the Usenet, pre-cursors to social-media platforms such as Facebook, but without the bells and whistles. But there was already a plethora of forums devoted to specific interests and cultures, including at least one started by Totanes.

“My earliest experience with social networking was with the Usenet forums such as soc.cul-ture.filipino and rec.music.filipi-no,” said Totanes, adding that he created the latter in 1996. “These forums were where the now-clas-sic ‘You know you’re Filipino if …’ thread was born.”

Like his fellow Filipino immi-grants, Totanes had a deep in-terest in connecting to his home, family and friends, and the In-ternet provided that quick, inex-pensive link.

“The desire to connect with people through networking has stayed with me since the Usenet days,” said Totanes. “It brings me

joy in knowing that even though I am physically far from the Phil-ippines, Filipinos are still only within a keyboard’s reach.”

“For example,” Totanes said, “in 2001, I thought eGroups.com (which later became Yahoo!’s Ya-hoogroups) was the best thing since sliced bread, since it could do whatever Usenet did, but in a graphical environment — and more. Little did I know that that was just the beginning. Later came Friendster, MySpace and now Facebook.”

Generation FacebookBeyond the ability to instant-

ly and cheaply connect with friends and relatives a world and several time zones away, Facebook has enabled Filipinos with a thirst for news and in-formation from home and here in the U.S. an unfiltered plat-form that combines the ability to comment in and connect in real time. Facebook, Totanes said, has changed the way he and his fellow administrators and mod-erators approach their task.

Key to the success of Defi-nitely Filipino, said Totanes, is its forumla for taking advan-tage of the evolving technology, a passion for what they do and avoiding the burnout that has plauged so many blogs and now Facebook pages that are created then abandoned.

“This is bascially one of the reasons why I came up with the concept of an ‘interactive wall,’ ” said Totanes, who is a technical writer for a Silicon Valley firm.

In early 2009, Totanes joined a Facebook group called “I am proud to be a Filipino,” which, at the time, had the largest amount of followers of all Fili-pino-related pages. “After join-ing,” he said, “I remember say-ing to myself, ‘OK, I am proud to be a Filipino … now what?’”

So many visitors of these Facebook pages, said Totanes, joined and then dropped off, ei-ther due to lack of direction or interest by their creators. But it was the lack of interactivity that bothered Totanes most. If he were to create his own Filipino Facebook page, it would not suf-fer from the same apathy. That, he said, was the birth of the con-cept of an “interactive wall.”

“Around May 2009, I was browsing Facebook’s other Fili-pino groups and pages,” Totanes writes on the Definitely Filipino website. “I realized that there wasn’t really a place on Face-book where Filipinos can mingle and meet others. These groups/pages, though promoting Fili-pino culture and pride, did not have interaction between its members. Their members would simply visit the group in the be-ginning, then forget about it af-terwards and seldom return.”

Becoming the antithesis of these pages was the guiding force and philosophy behind the creation of Definitely Filipino and its growing stable of pages (there are now 11 pages, includ-ing the latest, Definitely Amer-ican). A combination website, blog and Facebook page to vis-it, learn, interact and belong, as Totanes describes it, Definitely

Filipino is now the largest Fili-pino cultural group on the Inter-net.

Being Definitely FilipinoGiven the varying interests

and geographical separation of its followers, maintaining Defi-nitely Filipino — and its grow-ing “empire” 11 pages (see side-bar this page) has been, Totanes said, a remarkably simple task. After creating the page and posting content to the blog him-self at first, Totanes monitored the site for potential recruits. Of the 20 who were initially offered a position as an (unpaid) admin-istrator or moderator so far, only one has declined. And their geo-graphical separation means the site is updated almost around the clock with a wide variety of news and updates.

“Our administrators and moderators scour the Internet and read the wall for trending topics and items that would up-lift Filipinos as a whole. We’ve also cooperated with writers such as Balitang America’s Gel Santos-Relos to help us spread U.S.-based issues to our mem-bers,” he said.

The nonprofit operation is still growing, but Totanes said the (main) Facebook page is, hands down, the most popular. Citing August statistics, Totanes said Definitely Filipino had 458,166 active users with 129,102 dai-ly post views. In contrast, he said, the the blog logged a re-cord 22,000 views in one day and around 200,000 views in August.

Clearly, Facebook is the cata-lyst for Totanes’ success in build-ing the network’s most popular Filipino page.

“It has improved tremendous-ly,” he said. “For example, my other Facebook page (devoted to President Benigno “NoyNoy” S. Aquino III), currently with around 1.96 million members, has been credited with bringing together Filipinos online, help-ing in disseminating informa-tion and sending out our sup-porters to the streets during the campaign.”

Now that’s definitely Filipino.

facebookContinued from p age 1

DEFINITELY FILIPINO: FACEBOOK EMPIRE?These are the Facebook pages Ben Totanes has created under the Definitely Filipino umbrella, their URLs, his role in each and number of followers:

• Definitely Filipinowww.facebook.com/i.am.filipino (Creator/Admin) Followers: 890,576• Benigno "Noynoy" S. Aquino III www.facebook.com/noynoy.aquino (Creator/Admin) Followers: 1,987,808• Filipino NURSES www.facebook.com/filipino.nurses (Admin) Followers: 143,168• Santo Nino www.facebook.com/santo.ninyo (Creator/Admin) Followers: 3,443

• Efren Penaflorida, Jr. www.facebook.com/Kuya.Efren (Creator/Consultant) Followers: 14,635

• Filipino Youngsters www.facebook.com/Filipino.Youngsters (Creator/Admin) Followers: 7,387

• Gel Santos Relos www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos (Creator/Consultant) Followers: 3,745

• The 21 Missions of California www.facebook.com/21.missions (Creator/Admin) Followers: 417

• Filipino www.facebook.com/pages/Filipino/84541107889 (Creator/Admin) Followers: 189,879

• Juana Change www.facebook.com/Juana.Change (Consultant) Followers: 2,335

• Definitely American www.facebook.com/definitely.american (Creator/Admin) Followers: 815

September 11 - 17, 2010 21THE FILIPINO PRESS

22 September 11 - 17, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS