asian journal aug 13, 2010

(Continued on page 9)

With the Stroke of a Pen ... p. 11

She Was Assumed Into Heaven: Body and Soul ... p. 16

Afraid that the property you may buy in the

Philippines may not be built?

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Risk-free condo units that are already built, no need to wait to occupy the place. A 10% down payable in easy monthly install-ment moves you in and enables you to use and enjoy your place. Ownership automati-cally makes you a member of its golf course club, no initial fee to pay!

See pages 23 and 24 for more information.

One of the world’s most prestigious publications The New York Times recently featured in an article entitled “Next Stop: In the Philippines, the next Phuket?” one of the Philippines’ premiere beach resort destinations. The story written by Lionel Beehner explores why Boracay is now one of the region’s must visit destinations.

Here is the article.Next Stop: In the Philip-

pines, the next Phuket?by Lionel BeehnerBoracay, a speck of an

island, is adding resorts and becoming Southeast Asia’s newest hot spot.

Don’t try to hoof it to the newly relocated Jungle Bar, at least not from Boracay’s main strip, White Beach, where it used to be a mainstay – you’ll never find it. Instead, hail a motorized rickshaw to Bula-bog Beach, hang a right past a barren strip of bamboo shacks, and look for the colorful, ghoulish lanterns dangling from the coconut trees, which give this tiki bar the quirky feel of a Tim Burton-inspired guerrilla camp.

Here is the New York Times link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/travel/11Next.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

The décor will probably be familiar to most Bob Marley-listening beach bums, right down to the rooster named Pedro dozing on the bar, the shirtless Filipinos eat-ing grilled fish, and the $10 cocktails with profanity-laced names. All that’s missing is a drum circle.

Yet this kind of anything-goes vibe is getting harder to find in Boracay, a speck of an island smack in the middle of the Philippines that in recent years has been making the leap from low-key tropical backwa-ter to Southeast Asia’s newest hot spot. Even the Jungle Bar, which used to be squeezed in along the main walkway of White Beach, had to move this year after being priced out. It’s now in a desolate cove on the other side of the island – as close to Siberia as you can get on a slip of land about five miles long and a mile wide.

The Philippines’ tourism ministry has pushed to pro-mote and develop many of its prized islands and to draw more visitors than the usual weekenders from Manila or honeymooners from Korea. Boracay, with its long stretches of powdery white sand and kite-surfing- and-dive-friendly coral reefs, remains the crown

New York Times says Boracay is SEA’s newest hot spot


August 13 - 19, 2010

Zena Sultana BabaoMsgr. Gutierrez R.D. Liporada


Unholy Allied Mountains:

Prologue ... p. 8

Signs in the Philippines

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


But boredom consumed Isabel while she was at home. She tried to keep

herself busy by resuming her shopping sprees, but each

time, the itch of gambling in the casino bugged her. She

wanted to recover the $2,500 she lost and she knew that she could only do so if she played again, not if she just

stayed home.One day, she could not resist the temptation and showed

up at the pickup place for the bus bound for the casino.“Welcome back,” Mang

Teban greeted her with open

Promised Land

Lure of the Game

arms. At the back of his mind, the old man was gleefully thinking, “I knew you’ll be back. You’re also hooked like the rest of us.”

By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Asian Journal San DiegoThe Original and First Asian Journal in America

See page 15

Malalim na ang gabi ay di pa nakakauwi si Tatay Dencio. Inip na inip na sa paghihin-tay si Kiko at si Neneng. Gutom na sila at walang mainit na pagkain. Ibig na nilang matulog upang malimutan ang gutom at ang pangambang baka may nangyar- ing masama sa kanilang ama. Nguni’t di sila makatulog.

Tumila na ang ulan. Masama ang panahon simula nang magtatan-ghali. Nang maaga pa ay maganda ang sikat ng araw. Pumalaot si Tatay Dencio kasama ang isang pangkat ng mangingisda, gaya ng nakagawian, upang humakot ng isda sa pamamagitan ng lambat at wala siyang hinuha na may nagbabadya palang sama ng panahon.

Di nga nakapaglaro sa labas ng bahay ang magkapatid dahil sa bumuhos ang malakas na ulan na may kasama pang malakas na hangin pagdating ng hapon. Malamig ang gabi at basa ang paligid. Karaniwang dumarating ang kanilang ama mula sa pangingisda bago lumubog ang araw. Agad siyang umiigib ng tubig na pang-inom nila at gamit sa pagluluto. Pinaliliyab niya ang kalan at iniluluto ang ano mang

May pakpak ang pag-ibigMaikling kuwentong pambata ni Percival Campoamor Cruz

A Youth and Envi-ronmental Non Gov-ernment Organization based in the island of Palawan is empowering the youth and the com-munity through Com-munity Based Environ-mental Restoration.

Palawan Conserva-tion Corps was founded in 1999 by Marnee Comer and Jason Sel-witz who were a former Peace Corps Volunteer assigned in the province.

For the past 11 years, the PCC has been the only organization in Palawan (and the first in the Philippines) dedicated to empowering marginalized youth in rural Puerto Princesa, Palawan to restore and conserve their unique natural resources through a holistic approach.

Palawan NGO empowers the youth and community

In 2004 Technical Educa-tion Skills Development Au-thority (TESDA) recognized the efforts of the Palawan Conservation Corps with the prestigious Kabalikat Award for its contributions in the promotion and enhancement of technical vocational edu-cation and training (TVET) in the country.

PNS -- Maikli lang ang sagot ni Kris Aquino nang i-text namin kahapon para kunan ng reaksyon hinggil sa naging statement ng asawa niyang si James Yap, kung saan ay sinabi ng basket-bolista na ipaglalaban niya ang kanyang pamilya.

I prefer to keep my dignified silence — Kris

Kris Aquino

“No reaction. Ate Vinia, I prefer to keep my dignified silence,” pahayag ni Kris sa text message na ipinadala sa amin.

Matatandaang nagsalita si Kris sa The Buzz last Sunday

at sinabing suko na siya. Kasalukuyan na raw inaayos ang legal na aspeto ng kanil-ang pagsasama ni James.

Sa nasabing panayam, hindi na idinetalye pa ng

James Yap

August 13 - 19, 2010Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

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Law Offi ces of Chua Tinsay & Vegawww.ctvattys.com

by Atty. Dennis ChuaLegal Buzz

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

Long before the passage of the tough Immigration Law in Arizona, Congress has already passed a law in 1995 which would allow designated offi -cers (including local and state police offi cers) to arrest and detain illegal immigrants in the country. This is found in Section 287(g) of the Immi-gration and Nationality Act.

The law authorizes the sec-retary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agen-cies, permitting designated of-fi cers to perform immigration law enforcement functions, pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), provided that the local law enforcement offi cers receive appropriate training and function under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) Offi cers.

The purpose of the pas-sage of this law was to rid the country of undesirable illegal immigrants who are involved in terrorism and criminal ac-tivity. According to ICE, state and local law enforcement play a critical role in protect-ing the country because they

are often the fi rst responders on the scene when there is an incident or attack in the Unit-ed States. During the course of their daily duties, they will often encounter foreign-born criminals and immigration violators who pose a threat to national secu-rity or public safety.

With the recent ruling of the Federal Court stopping the enforce-ment of most of the objec-tionable provi-sions of the Arizona im-migration law, proponents and supporters of the Arizona im-migration law are now turn-ing to Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. They are now invok-ing this law to allow its state and local police offi cers to perform immigration enforce-ment functions such as ques-tioning the immigration status of individuals.

The Governor of Virginia

announced in his interview with CNN that his offi ce has been coordinating with ICE so that its state offi cers would be able to perform immigration enforcement functions such as arresting and detain per-sons who have no legal status under the 287(g) program.

However a report by the Department of Homeland Se-curity’s Offi ce of the Inspec-tor General issued recently criticizes the implementation of the Section 287(g) pro-gram. The report found terms of some of the 66 such pro-grams across the nation were not being followed; that ICE had not provided adequate guidance and oversight of lo-cal police for the program and that data collection to address civil rights concerns had yet to be established. The report also criticized what it called

inadequate and inconsistent training of 287(g) offi cers, and found that ICE has not prioritized resources toward the stated focus of the pro-gram: to deport criminals who are in the U.S. illegally and pose a threat to public safety or are a danger to the com-munity.

Despite these failures cited in the report, the program is

still being expanded by the federal government. This stance by the federal govern-ment sends out confl icting signals in light of the federal government’s opposition to the Arizona immigration law. Like the Arizona law, the concern that the implementa-tion of Section 287(g) will lead to racial profi ling is well founded.

This concern is shared by the American Civil Liber-ties Union (ACLU) which has called for an end to the program. We quote the state-ment made by ACLU through its legislative counsel: “ICE has completely shirked its legal duty to train and super-vise 287(g) offi cers and has instead unleashed a slew of unmonitored state and local law offi cers across America – many of whom are using

federal immigra-tion authority as a cloak to engage in racial profi l-ing…”

Atty. Den-nis E. Chua is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) - a full service law fi rm with offi ces in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The information

presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. The CTV attorneys will be holding its regular free legal clinic at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, California on August 30, 2010. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consul-tation to discuss your particu-lar situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]

Local police offi cers may question person’s

immigration status

By Alex P. Vidal/ PNS

VANCOUVER – The Filipino community in British Columbia now “has strength in numbers and it is growing fast,” Mayor Greg Robertson said in a speech during the 1st Maharlika Awards Philippine Independence Gala Night last June 19 at the Italian Cultural Center.

“And by many estimates, the Philippines has overtaken China and India as the num-ber one source country for new immigrants.”

He stressed that recently, the Vancouver Sun ran an in-depth four-part series looking at Filipinos in British Colum-bia where it featured Filipinos as “the third largest ethnic group in the province.”

Clad in Filipino costume Barong Tagalog, the mayor said, “Filipinos are part of ev-ery facet of our city. Vancou-ver could not function without the contributions of Filipino-Canadians, from our schools and hospitals to our banks and businesses and at City Hall.”

Robertson hailed the Filipino Canadian pioneers honored in the inaugural awards night arranged by the Filipino-Canadian Cultural Heritage of British Colum-bia for “paving the way for newcomers and the younger generation to succeed.”

“Their struggles and triumphs as immigrants to Canada are worthy of our respect and gratitude,” he pointed out.

“I know that even with all the progress that has been achieved, there are still some challenges faced by the Filipi-no-Canadian community.”

Robertson assured that “ Canada is a welcoming and open place but we can still do

‘RP has overtaken China, India as No. 1 source of immigrants’

a better job of helping new-comers maximize their skills and experience in the work-force. So that’s something we need to keep working on together.”

‘SOMETHING’S HAPPENING’

Robertson observed that “something’s happening in the Filipino community, some-thing exciting. The Filipino community was for many years fairly quiet…sometimes seen, but rarely heard.”

“All that has changed,” he quipped. “As tonight’s event shows, Filipinos have a strong voice and so much to be proud of across a wide spectrum of endeavors.”

The mayor said, there are now elected offi cials of Filipino heritage – one at the municipal level and one at the provincial level – in British Columbia.

He said “he was lucky enough” to attend the picnic that took place in Slocan Park in relation to recent celebra-tions across the region of the 112th Philippine Indepen-dence Day.

Robertson described the events as “fi lled with people representing a wide variety of community organizations, church groups, local busi-nesses, trade associations and the media.”

He added: “I’m proud to be Mayor of a place that so many distinguished Filipinos now call home. Vancouver would not be the world-class, live-able city it is today without all of your contributions.”

“I look forward to all your ideas and enthusiasm as we continue working together to make this great city of ours even better.”

Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comAugust 13 - 19, 2010

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SAN DIEGO, June 16, 2010 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today filed for approval from the Califor-nia Public Utilities Commis-sion (CPUC) to relocate the company’s existing South Bay substation in Chula Vista to a site south of the South Bay Power Plant to open up public access to the waterfront. Re-location of the substation is a key milestone that will be co-ordinated with the retirement and demolition of the power plant once the California Independent System Opera-tor (Cal-ISO) determines the plant no longer is needed for reliability in the region.

“We are committed to helping Chula Vista realize its vision of a redeveloped bay front, while also ensuring the reliability of our system in the future,” said David L. Geier, vice president of electric transmission and distribution for SDG&E. “The relocation of the substation will allow us to replace 50-year-old, obsolete infrastructure with state-of-the-art equipment and to build-in system upgrades necessary to meet the ongoing growth in energy demand in the South Bay.”

The Cal-ISO board

of governors has endorsed the project as a necessary and cost-effective, long-term addition to the transmission system to address potential system shortfalls once the old power plant is shut down.

Executive director Laura Hunter of the Environ-mental Health Coalition also supports the project for its benefits to land-use and habi-tat protection.

“We have been deeply engaged in the re-planning of the bay front,” said Hunter. “Relocation of the substa-tion to the south will allow increased access to the wa-terfront for local residents and will increase protections for marine life and the water quality of the bay.”

“Removal of the existing substation is a criti-cal component that will help maximize the opportunity for our bay front master plan to reach its full potential and create the wildlife habitat and public amenities our com-munity has been planning for more than a decade,” said Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox, who, along with the City Council Energy Subcommit-tee, has urged the CPUC to support SDG&E’s filing.

The San Diego Uni-

fied Port District also plays a key role in this positive step toward bay front rede-velopment. In exchange for SDG&E’s easements on the existing substation site, the Port District will provide the land required for the new substation through an ex-change agreement with the State Lands Commission and SDG&E.

“The relocation of the substation will help advance the Chula Vista Bay Front Master Plan as well as provide more public access, amenities and economic growth oppor-tunities in the south bay,” said Port Commissioner Chairman Robert “Dukie” Valderrama.

The project involves upgrading the 138/69-kilovolt system to 230/69 kilovolts to tie in to the Otay Metro Powerloop, and the property includes room to accommo-date the future addition of a 69/12-kV distribution facility to serve demand growth in the South Bay region – what the Cal-ISO calls a unique oppor-tunity to bolster the reliability of SDG&E’s system.

The CPUC proceed-ing will include a review of SDG&E’s environmental as-sessment of the project; a final decision is expected sometime

next year. SDG&E is a regu-

lated public utility that pro-vides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million con-sumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 840,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The util-ity’s area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help our customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra En-ergy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.

SDG&E announces next step toward improving South Bay waterfront

Utility files for CPUC approval to relocate South Bay substation SAN DIEGO, Aug. 10, 2010 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has made enrolling in the state-spon-sored California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) bill-assistance program even more convenient for custom-ers thanks to a toll-free phone enrollment system. Custom-ers who enroll in the CARE program 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

our customers in unchartered territory,” said Snyder. “We believe there are a number of customers who may be unem-ployed for the first time and don’t realize they are eligible for the discount. If custom-ers are struggling to pay their bill, we urge them to call us to discuss all of their options.”

More than 280,000 cus-tomers throughout SDG&E’s service 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 enroll.

Customers now have more ways to en-roll in SDG&E’s bill-assistance program

want to wait for their paper application to be processed,” said Hal D. Snyder, vice pres-ident of customer solutions for SDG&E. “By providing more enrollment options and making the process as easy as possible, we hope to reach all of our customers who may be eligible for the program.”

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

“The economy’s slow recovery is putting many of


The new phone enrollment system is not only good for the customer, it is good for the environment as SDG&E continues to look for more ways to incorporate environ-mentally responsible busi-ness practices into day-to-day operations. Reducing paper is one such way.

Customers may qualify for the CARE program one of two ways: through their participation in certain public assistance programs, or based on their household’s size and income. For customers who are recently unemployed, household income is calculat-ed from the date of unemploy-ment. All other provisions on determining income still apply.

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Customers now have more ways to enroll in SDG&E’s bill-assistance program

In addition to the CARE program, SDG&E offers a variety of other assistance programs that save energy and money, such as no-cost home improvements and energy-efficient appliances for income-qualified renters and homeowners, reduced energy costs for customers with cer-tain medical conditions/equip-ment, 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 Assistance (FERA): Provides lower rates for households of three or more persons;

• Medical Baseline: Reduced energy costs for customers who have medi-cal conditions/equipment 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, sdge.com/assistance.

SDG&E is a regulated pub-lic utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 840,000 natu-ral gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange coun-ties. The utility’s area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help our customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.

(Continued from page 3)

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Bill’s Corner

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

by Bill Labestre, MBA

(Continued from page 1)It does not really matter

where you’ve been or how long you’ve been gone, you’re always glad to be home. It is something you really miss after a long trip or after a very stressful day at work. Your home is your sanctuary and in some way your formidable castle. A safe haven if you will.

I remembered growing up in a small house made of bamboo with Nipa palm leaves as roofing material. The posts came from selected sturdy trees and the bamboo slat floor allowed air to circulate. Even with just one bedroom, a living room and a simple kitchen, I loved that house. I could hardly wait to be home in the afternoons after a 2 mile walk from grade school. It wasn’t much of a house but, it was a warm family home.

I was in third grade when we moved to a new resi-dence. It was slightly bigger and close to a railroad track. The night trains woke me up during the first few nights. Somehow, it was closer to the elementary school and high school. There’s a river nearby which I had lots of fun during summer break but, a bit scary

Home Sweet Homewhen it flooded during the rainy seasons.

We rented the land where our house was built but, we kept it surrounded by fruit trees and vegetable gardens. We also raised various farm animals which provided meat and supplemental income.

Yes, we were poor but there was always food to eat. That’s why I could not understand how some people in the Philippines go hungry. The country is a tropical paradise. The majority will always be poor but, there is no excuse to be hungry.

For most of us, San Diego is our home now. We lived here for many years and it’s here where we raised our children. We love to visit the

Philippines and even consid-ered retiring there. It could work for some and could be a suicide for others. Maybe it’s your dream for years. Remember that you are not young anymore so, think it over clearly before making a drastic move. Do a test drive like renting a place and live there for a year so you will learn how it’s like. Live in the area surrounded by your rela-tives and old friends. If you really love it, then go.

Of course it’s wonderful to reside in a newer or bigger house. If you can comfortably afford the payments, go for it. If you still struggle to stay afloat even after your loan got modified, maybe it’s time to let go. What’s wrong with liv-

ing in an apartment? You’re not alone, so swallow that pride. Think of where you started in life. How many of us were born in a mansion? It’s just a house.

We are now living in a global economy where we can get affected by what happened somewhere else in the world. Be glad if you still have a job and never forget the basics of money. Never spend more than what you make and you’ll be fine. Save for rainy days.

Your house is your big-gest investment. So, tailor your payments where the loan will be paid for in the year that you retire. It might be small or old but, it is a home full of happy memories. It’s a place your kids remember growing up and your grand-children could hardly wait to visit. There were bad and good times but, always your home sweet home.

The PCC has developed over 236 Out-Of-School Youth from over 12 differ-ent rural barangays of Puerto Princesa City in environ-mental education, market-able skills, life skills, and community organizing skills. This was done through its 3-6 month Residential Program for the Youth. During this time, youth participated in experiential learning projects in trail building, bioengineer-ing, plant cultivation, organic farming, among others, while developing an Educational Nature Park at the site.

The youth lived, studied, and practiced their skills at the camp-site (City Rural Agri-cultural Center), which was donated to the PCC. Many of these youth have since re-turned to their respective ba-rangays with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to help restore their environments but without the additional resources to implement any projects.

PCC’s main mission is to empower rural out-of-school youths towards self-sufficien-cy by developing marketable skills in conservation. At the Rural Agriculture Center, Corps members will engage in hands-on training in organic agriculture, forestry manage-ment, and appropriate tech-nology. By working as a team, youth volunteers will develop strong work ethics and leader-ship qualities while participat-ing in community develop-ment efforts; and

To empower the youth and communities to act as effec-tive managers and stewards of their ecosystems so they can improve their own environ-ment and living conditions. This is done through practical skills and knowledge train-ings, environmental restora-tion and enterprise develop-ment.

Palawan NGO

empowers the youth

and community


The Benefits of Building a RelationshipWith Your Banker By Paul Johnson, Union Bank N.A.

While many entrepreneurs are

immersed in the day-to-day

operations of running their busi-

ness, it is important to take the

time to develop a relationship with

a trusted banker who may serve

as an important advocate when

you need financial assistance.

By introducing yourself and your businessto a trusted banker, you can provide pertinent information about your industryand business and build a professional rapport. It is important to seek a bankerwho will take the time to learn about youand your business needs.

Building a solid relationship with a bankercan provide a number of benefits, including:

Optimal Financial Tools

Once your banker becomes familiar withyour business, he or she can notify youabout new loan programs or financial toolsthat may benefit your business.

Personalized Solutions

Having a banker who knows you and yourbusiness well can provide an added elementof knowledge about your individual goalsand allow your banker to offer customizedsolutions to meet your needs.

Financial Insight

Your banker can provide valuable infor-mation about current interest rates, loan options available to your business andwhere your business stands in terms of obtaining an optimal loan. In addition,your banker can serve as a valued advocateduring tight credit times.

Networking

Once your banker becomes familiar with your line of business, he or she canhelp facilitate introductions to vendors,suppliers or other contacts that may complement your business. These intro-ductions can be especially helpful as manybusinesses seek to pool resources or shareexpenses like inventory or rent.

Consider setting aside some time to distinguish yourself and your business bymeeting with your banker. During themeeting, provide some background information about your business and industry. By establishing a rapport in advance of seeking a loan, your banker willhave a more solid foundation upon whichto draw when reviewing your application.

For more information contact:

San Diego Business Banking

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The foregoing article is intended to provide general information about bank-ing relationships and is not considered financial or tax advice from UnionBank. Please consult your financial or tax advisor.

Paul Johnson is a Business Development Officer for the San Diego Busi-ness Banking division of Union Bank. Headquartered in San Francisco, UnionBanCal Corporation is a financial holding company with assets of$85 billion at March 31, 2010. Its primary subsidiary, Union Bank, N.A.,is a full-service commercial bank providing an array of financial servicesto individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. As of May 10, 2010, the bank had 397 banking offices in California, Oregon, Washington and Texas and two international offices.UnionBanCal Corporation is a wholly- owned subsidiary of The Bank ofTokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Fi-nancial Group, Inc. Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Fi-nancial Group (MUFG, NYSE:MTU), one of the world's largest financialorganizations.

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Paul Johnson Business Development Officer

San Diego Business Banking

©2010 Union Bank, N.A.

“Consider

setting aside

some time to

distinguish

yourself and

your business

by meeting with

your banker.”

UB36874 ASIAN JOURNAL SD Paul Johnson 081310_Layout 1 8/10/10 8:30 AM Page 1

By Dr. Cesar D. Candari17th in a series of articles

1989: VALEDICTORY ADDRESS

Tonight, after two years that I had served as president of the PMA of San Diego and with the expenditure of per-sonal time and sacrifices, I am relinquishing the command of leadership with a profound sense of fulfillment from an honest belief that I have given the PMA, for the second time around, the best that I can.

The history of the associa-tion began a decade ago. It brought us the bold leader-ship of Dr. Adelito Gale, Dr. RenatoMasilungan, and once again, Dr. Edwin Yorobe. I have served mine and very much proud to say that I have accomplished what I had envi-sioned, to be able to galvanize the participation of members and promote the immaculate camaraderie of the group. We have accomplished to bring forth the identity of the association as we merge into the mainstream of American medicine. I feel very comfort-able and proud to say that we have represented the PMA of San Diego most prominently in the national organization of the Philippine Physicians in America. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, in this ad-ministration we have demon-strated par excellence in our Continuing Medical Educa-tion activities. I have always believed that as a scientific organization, we must contin-

From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

Valedictory Address as President of the Philippine Medical

Association of San Diego Countyue to advance our knowledge in the art of medicine for the ultimate benefit of the patient we serve. I commend all of you for your participatory leadership during my admin-istration in your active lobby-ing efforts for the cause of the FMG flight in this country.

My last message to you: In this time of abrupt changes in the practice of medicine and the outside influences and control of health care delivery in this country, let us con-tinue to help one another in our endeavors in our practice, improve and strengthen our recognition and status in the profession. I thank all the officers, special mention my CME committee and all mem-bers who, in one way or an-other, had given their time in the success of this association; and my family, especially my confidant and adviser, my dear wife Cely, who makes things easier for me.

To represent the associa-tion and to give more par-ticipation and involvement to APPA, I became a delegate to the House of Delegates (HOD) of the association. This also enabled me to be-came not only as a member of the Electoral College to vote for the officers of the Execu-tive Council but it also gave me an opportunity to crystal-lize my dream for the future and the directions of the APPA in the bicameral system of governance. I was appointed as chairman of the Consti-tution and By Laws of the HOD. I was appointed special

counsel to the president of APPA when Dr. Zosa of Los Angeles won the election for president in 1982. He was a bright leader who appointed me as his adviser and after his term, he became the executive director of APPA for a number of years.

Foreign Medical Gradu-ates (FMGs) or Interna-tional Medical Graduates (IMGs)

The Filipino-American medical newsletters and magazines were inundated with editorials and commen-taries about the discriminatory atmosphere in the medical profession directed toward the foreign medical graduates. It was not happening in full swing yet. However, this was disconcerting, if not a fright-ening portent of the fear that was having a strong impact to the FMGs. The reason thatsome degree of discrimi-nation was experienced by FMGs was obviously due to competition and economics. The FMGs, particularly the Asians, were well-trained, well-mannered and regard-less of being in a hospital or in a private clinic, the man-agement was geared towards good quality of service and patient care. The innate intel-ligence and ability of many of us practicing in communities had surpassed other practi-tioners…our American-born colleagues…and we therefore became a threat to their eco-nomic survival.

It was in 1976 that the U.S. Congress passed the Health Professions Educational As-sistance Act (P.L.94-484). This barred or excluded the FMGs from entering the U.S. as immigrants or adjusting to become permanent resi-dents unless they have passed Parts1 and 2 of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examinations. It had a severe negative impact to hundreds of Filipinos. It was finally amended, with the help of Senators Edward Ken-nedy, Jacob Javits and Rich-ard Schweiker They helped enact H.R.4975 which was signed by President Jimmy Carter into law, P.L. 95-83. It repealed the requirements of P.L. 94-484. There was a requirement that a physician could be considered to have passed Parts 1 and 2 of the NBME examinations, if on January 9,1977, he was fully and permanently licensed to practice medicine in a state; and that he had a valid spe-cialty certificate issued by a constituent board of the American Board of Medical Specialties. The latter was patently unjust and blatantly discriminatory. Diplomate in any specialty was not a requirement to practice medicine in any state. Many American graduates were not board-certified.

In the later part of 1979, there were five bills in Con-gress that were of serious importance to the FMGs, and their approval or non- approv-al largely depended on the support of the affected par-ties, namely, all FMGs in the U.S., particularly the Filipino FMGs.

The American Medical Association(AMA) created a committee of FMGs partly because of the FMG’s lob-bying efforts displayed by those concerned. AMA resolu-tion 108 was passed in 1983. Although it had some degree of protecting the FMGs, the

issue of ‘discrimination’ still stood.

The following was an edi-torial I wrote, published in the APPA Quarterly Spring issue 1987 when I was a member of the editorial board .You may call this my sincere tenacity to fight against discrimination.

FMG’s IN THE AMA: THE FIGHT IS NOT YET OVER

When the House of Del-egates of the American Medi-cal Association met in Las Vegas, Nevada last Decem-ber, members of the medical profession again witnessed the unmistakable display of a pos-ture that had characterized the AMA’s leadership for more than a decade, one that may well be considered as profes-sional jealousy and arrogance, if not discriminatory against their colleagues whose only drawback was that they were graduates of foreign medical institutions (FMGs). It had been this way for the last 12 years. At least three reports on FMGs were filed before the AMA and were conveniently committed to oblivion.

In the instant case, del-egates from the Michigan Medical Association, obvi-ously with the interest of the FMGs at heart, saw it fit to bring the matter again to the fore by filing Resolution 5, which sought the creation of a section of Foreign Medi-cal Graduates. The rationale behind this intra-professional concession was merely to gain the imprimatur of equal mem-bership and representation in the AMA, and for the FMGs to have a voice in the affairs of the AMA.

It is a generally accepted fact that foreign medical graduates in the United States have attained a level of pro-fessional integrity and exper-tise in the medical field that is not only at par with but, in many cases, even superior to

that of their American-born colleagues. The creation of a section on FMGs in the AMA would therefore be commen-surate with their stature in the profession.

However, the House of Delegates, despite its preten-sions to prestige and integrity, did not view the issue in that light. Opposition to the Mich-igan Resolution was stiff and vehement, and fraught with allegations that the creation of the section would “segregate” the FMGs from the rest of the membership. The action of the House of Delegates, with its tyranny of numbers, was only to be expected: it tabled the resolution “for further study” by the board of trust-ees.

Now the crux of the matter was, shall we, FMGs, whether members of the AMA or not, take this brazen disregard of our right to the same oppor-tunities and aspirations as any other practitioner of our profession, lying down? Not anymore! Enough is enough! It may be relevant to recall at this time the words of the foremost Filipino hero, Jose Rizal, also a doctor like us; “There are no tyrants where there are no slaves!” It is time to stop ourselves from be-ing tyrannized by an arrogant majority; it is time to stand up and be counted.

There are many op-tions open for us FMGs, but complacency and meekness should be not among them. We are taxpayers, profession-als, and citizens as much as our other colleagues in the AMA are. What we need is a strong lobby if it takes that much of political maneuver-ing to achieve our goals. We need to write or call delegates to the AMA HOD to sympa-thize with our cause. We need to call on influential public officials to help us prevail on the AMA leadership to give



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

Contemporary Asian American Issues

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

This is a departure from my usual column. I want to use the space this week to tell you about a research / book project I’ve started. It involves writing and assem-bling something called When Your Father Dies. It’s going to be a collection of feelings, thoughts, and actions from a large cross-section of individ-uals after learning that their

Book ResearchI need your help

father has died - plus my own take on it of course.

There is no one universal thing that people go through when hearing of something that is both uniquely personal and universally common. But there is something - I think - that resonates within us. I realize that for many individu-als it is a difficult topic (for many different reasons) so

anonymous replies are valued as well. Please send me your email address when you send in the story so I can contact you, etc.

I’m specifically seeking stories from everyone - men, women, young, old, from anywhere and everywhere. I’m asking people from my university, my contacts, my professional acquaintances, friends, and especially read-ers if they are interested in submitting something. It’s amazing to see how many people are connecting with it and send me remarkable words from their heart. The usual response runs from one paragraph to a page or two. Generally the responses are 2-3 paragraphs but there is no minimum or maximum. When this is published every-one who submits will receive a copy of the book. So if you feel like adding to this important study here is all you have to do: Think about what you felt, what you thought and what you did when you heard that your father had died. Then write that up and mail it to me at the newspaper or, even better, email it to me at: [email protected]

There is no right or wrong, just what anyone feels like sending is great. I would love to read them and include as many as I can.

Thanks!

Miles

Remember: There is no right or wrong, just whatever you feel like sending. And be sure to include your contact information. If you want more information or want to send something in, the address is: [email protected]

Perspectives

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

widely circulated Asian-Filipino newspaper!

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

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

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

Dr. Rizalino “Riz” Oades, (1935-2009)

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

Genevieve SilverioManaging Editor

Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Miles BeauchampAssociate Editor

Santi SilverioAssociate Publisher

At Large...

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

by Miles Beauchamp

Last Saturday, August 7, 2010, Kalusugan Community Services sponsored a work-shop on “Building Family Relationships: Domestic Vio-lence in the FilAm Commu-nity”. It was held at the FilAm Wellness Center in National City. This workshop was co-sponsored by the South Bay Community Services (SBCS) and Filipino American Wom-en’s Club of San Diego.

More than 35 individuals were present including Ron Morrison, Mayor of National City. There were plenty of handouts, raffle prizes and delicious food of Adobo and Pancit from Point Point Res-taurant, courtesy of SBCS.

The speaker on “Building Healthy Family Relation-ships” was Carolyn Gerard, MA, MFT and Jeannie Mar-tinelli, Promotora, SBCS on “Domestic Violence in the FilAm Community.” This arti-cle highlights the presentation on Domestic Violence and

From left to right; Jeannie Martinelli, Dr. Ofelia Dirige, Car-olyn Gerard, Mayor Ron Morrison, and Emma Abutin.

Building healthy family relationship: Domestic violence in the Filipino

American CommunityWait no more! This is the time for us to reunite as a

community to learn how to better treat each other. Not only do we deserve it but also our future generations deserve a life free of violence. Break the Silence! Say

No to Violence!

Christell J. Quinche-Cotta, on right, with another person giving her testimonial.

next week will be on Building Healthy Family Relationships by Carolyn Gerard.

TYPICAL SCENARIO

“Just imagine a woman being swept off her feet by a

man who had asked her hand in marriage in exchange for an opportunity to live in the U.S. with him. With little or no hesitation, she accepts to marry him hoping that her life will be better by his side.

In the beginning of some marriages, as mentioned above, couples may expe-rience marital bliss until they begin the challenges of change (i.e., birth of children, deployments, finances, family dynamics etc). In this case, conflict may arise as a result of these adjustments which may lead victims of such cir-cumstance to experience much distress and confusion.

On the other hand, the male counterpart in this

example, may be challenged by their sense of pride and fear of loss. He may choose to handle this immediate tension by utilizing tactics of power and control to regain what internally may be lost (a sense of security in the relationship

and self). Overtime, this rela-tionship dynamics can become an emotional battlefield for the victim where the one in power will manipulate and control the finances, children and daily activities, as well as begin to threaten divorce, deportation or even murder.” Jeannie Martinelli, SBCS.

What is Domestic Vio-lence?

Domestic Violence (DV) is defined as a pattern of assault-ive and coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological at-tacks and economic coercion that adults or adolescents use against their intimate partners to gain or maintain power and control over a relationship. It is not limited to any racial, ethnic or religious group, eco-nomic or social class, sexual orientation or age group. Both women and men are affected although more cases occur in women than men. It is a major health hazard that has claimed numerous precious lives.

Physical abuse is the use of physical force against another person in a way that ends up injuring the person or puts the person at risk of being in-jured. Emotional abuse can be verbal or nonverbal. Examples is when your partner continu-ally criticizes you or call you names and make all decisions for you. Financial abuse may include withholding resourc-es, stealing from the victim, or using the victim’s name to in-cur debt. Sexual abuse is often linked to physical abuse; they may occur together, or the sexual abuse may occur after a bout of physical abuse. An example is when your partner force particular unwanted sex acts.

How Many Are Affected?

Reports by the UCLA Cen-ter for Health Policy Research have shown that 4 million adults in California are vic-tims of physical and sexual violence at the hands of a spouse, companion or other intimate partner. Of these vic-tims, more than 1 M reported being forced to have sex by an intimate partner. Among U.S. born Asians, 13.4% reported intimate partner violence. Among foreign-born Asians, the rate was lower at 7.1%.

In the Filipino American community of Santa Clara County , the incidence of do-mestic violence in the county remains to be one of the highest incidences among the Asian Pacific communities. In 1997, reports showed that FilAms died due to domestic violence. In SD County, the issue of domestic violence is a hidden but a real challenge for women and their families. This is an issue that should alarm and attract us and serve as an impetus for intensified community education.

Half of the world’s women have been battered by an inti-mate partner. In Asia, 60% of all women have been assault-ed. 1.8 to 3.2 M children in the Philippines are exposed to domestic violence and suffer the traumatic effects for the rest of their lives. This num-ber escalates year after year.

Why do women stay in an abusive relationship?

I have always wondered

why women who suffer from the pain, trauma, and heart-ache tend to stay in that kind of relationship. There are many, many reasons for this and we cannot blame women who suffer in silence. This includes financial dependence

on the husband, religious or family pressures, fear of being alone, fear of increased vio-lence, loyalty to the marriage, shame, pride, and denial of what is happening to them. It can also be due to love for the husband, the belief that it will get better, and fear of depor-tation for women who don’t have their green cards or are not U.S. citizens.

Filipino societal norms condone violence against women. Traditional Filipino men are brought up to believe that women are owned by their men and that they are lesser beings. Thus, the men become dominant and believe they have the power to even abuse their women, Some Asian women tend to think that they are always at fault in an abusive relationship, that there is something wrong with them so they deserve to be abused. It is really the husband’s fault as he may be drinking excessively or maybe involved in illicit relation-ships.

Where can I go for help?

It is often difficult to rec-ognize the signs of an un-healthy relationship and even harder to break the violence in the home. With support and knowledge of community resources we can bring heal-ing to our families that would otherwise be suffering in iso-lation. In domestic violence, there is a pattern—a cycle of violence that reoccurs and escalates unless intervention occurs.

Wait no more! This is the time for us to reunite as a community to learn how to treat each other better. Not only do we deserve it but also our future generations deserve a life free of violence. Break the Silence! Say No to Vio-lence!

The South Bay Community Services is here to help. Call (619) 336-8360 ext 8371.

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***

INCIDENTALLY

A TRIBUTE TO SAL FLOR- LOYAL AND

FAITHFUL Sal’s friends, students,

co-workers and the commu-nity is giving a party for him to celebrate his retirement from San Diego State Univer-sity (SDSU) after 38 years of service. It will be held August 14, Saturday from 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM at the Montezuma Hall, Aztec Center, SDSU. He is retiring as an Educational Opportunity Program Coun-selor (EOP). He will not be completely off duty as he will still be working at SD City and Cuyamaca Community Colleges.

I knew Sal because he was a close friend and colleague of the late Dr. Riz Oades, Founder and President of Ka-lusugan Community Services of which I was a co-founder. Dr. Oades was the advisor of AB Samahan in 1975 and Sal took over this position when he left. Since then, Sal and Dr. Oades became the best of friends. Sal continued to this day to be the advisor of AB Samahan, the FilAm student organization at SDSU.

I remember Sal as someone who is a loyal and a faithful colleague. He became a board member of KCS since the establishment of the FilAm Wellness Center and has been faithfully attending our meet-ings through the years. He has consistently supported the mission, goals, and activities of KCS. We all love him!

As a professor at SDSU of Asian Studies 460, “Con-temporary Issues in FilAm Communities” I have de-pended upon him for more than 15 years to bring FilAm students and Asians in my class. Before classes start, I would usually send him fliers and ask him to disseminate it to FilAms students so they can enroll in my class. He would faithfully do it for me. Without him, my class will not be full or may have even been cancelled due to lack of students. He would also come once in a while to speak on educational issues together with Dr. Rey Monzon which the students appreciated a lot.

What will happen to all the FilAm classes at SDSU with-out his support and assistance in disseminating information about these classes? I just hope that what has been sown through the years will con-tinue at SDSU.

I wish him the best of luck in his retirement. I hope he will get to do the things he re-ally want to do and enjoy life.

“Your RETIREMENT, such a special time…

A time to reflect on a job well done,

A time to look forward to new activities,

A time to pursue those things in life…

…that mean the most to you.”

CONGRATULATIONS and Best Wishes!



Most foreign nationals who immigrate to the United States through marriage to a U.S. citizen (USC) must fi rst obtain a “conditional” permanent resident status before they become Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) with “unconditional” rights. The conditional status of two (2) years is imposed on the foreign national spouse when the marriage occurred within two years of their (1) entering the United States as a permanent resident, or (2) adjusting to permanent resi-dent status within the United States. Conditional status is also imposed on the children of the foreign national if they obtained their immigrant visas based on the parent’s marriage to a USC. During the two-year conditional residence period, the foreign nationals have the same rights, privi-leges, and responsibilities as other permanent residents. They can obtain social se-curity number and driver’s license, and the travel outside the United States. Within 90 days before the second anni-versary of the date on which the foreign national spouse obtained permanent residence, the foreign national spouse must fi le an application to have the condition removed or Form I-751. Failure to do this will result in the automatic

When USCIS denies your I-751 petition

termination of permanent resident status and the foreign national spouse will be placed in removal or deportation proceedings.

Carmen, a Filipina, mar-ried a USC after two weeks of courtship. It turned out the USC was emotionally abusive. He did not want her to work and have her own friends. Six months into the marriage, they started having problems. On the 8th month, Carmen left the USC and the USC fi led for divorce. Car-men was able to get a green card and work permit. As the green card was about to expire, Carmen was getting worried. So she consulted an attorney to help her maintain her legal status and continue working in the U.S. Carmen has with her the I-751 form with the signature of her USC husband. She did not have a copy of the joint lease con-tract, the joint bank account has been closed, and there were no love letters. Carmen could not get the cooperation of her USC husband’s siblings to execute affi davits regard-ing the marriage. Carmen has only one friend who executed an affi davit regarding the relationship. When it was time for the I-751 interview, the divorce has not become fi nal. Also, the USC husband

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Unholy Allied Mountains

By RDLiporada

Publisher’s note: Begin-ning this issue, we are pub-lishing, in series, the novel Unholy Allied Mountains by RDLiporada. The novel is available online. For those who would want to procure a copy of the book, go to www.unholyalliedmountains.com.

Prologue I (First of a series)

At the ambush line, his wife flashed into his mind.

How will she know if I die?

He tightened his grip on the M16 issued to him.

The rifle was aimed to-wards the river whose ripples flowed in a rhythm of sounds dominating the stillness of the afternoon. The chirps of birds, darting from twig to twig, harmonized with the brass of ripples of the river and the rustle of the branches above as commanded by swishing mellow winds.

The ripples, chirping, and the rustles hid any of the care-

ful sounds guarded by those on the mound patiently wait-ing with their line of fire for those who are about to die.

He controlled his breath-ing. He did not want to add to the gentle breeze brushing on the bushes. His eyes waded through the blades of grass which would also help shield him, no matter how flimsy, from those who are about to die.

But what if I die, too?

It was not so long ago when he was not reluctant about death. To him then,

death had a deeper sense of offering oneself for a col-

lective endeavor to paint what heaven should be like on earth – no oppressors, no oppressed. Blood would be the paint on the brushstrokes of war that would bring forth the beauty of freedom in the canvass of life – even if his blood, too, be spilled. For then, one’s death is heavier than a mountain when offered in martyrdom for the service of the people and lighter than a feather when spilt in the service of the

enemy.

But that was long ago.

Now, close to the death of those who are about to die and with him possibly dying, too, he thought, why did I really even come back here?

A rustle made him glance at the woman on his right. She was adjusting herself on the mound. Like him, she was flat on her belly. Twenty more were on the mound in vary-ing positions behind boulders, bushes and flimsy grass; all taut in anticipation of spring-

ing death to those who are about to die.

It was she who positioned herself next to him at the am-bush line as she appeared to have always tried to be close to him since she learned that he was back in the mountains.

She was part, no matter how fleeting, of his distant past. She was never really part of his life although she was almost part of his life. None-theless, in the overall schemes of the revolution, she was really part of his life no matter how distant in the past.

He tried hard to banish the thought that she could be teasing him by how she flicked her long thick lashes at him and how the mole on her left upper lip rolled when she smiled at him. She is just good natured and her joviality applied to everyone, he told himself. Yet, whenever their eyes locked, beneath the flick-ers of her eyes, there seems to be a wanting, a longing, an invitation beyond friendship, beyond comradeship – a wish of consummating what had not been consummated in the distant past.

No, it could not be, he tried to convince himself. She knows the iron discipline. One cannot take advantage of the weakness of a woman. It could mean death. Yet, could she be teasing him, taking advantage of a loneliness that he could have, of a loneliness that she assumes he should have?

Lonely or not, he said to himself, I should not even be here.

He had been around here three decades or so ago. He had walked the trails where undulating mountains of varied blue and dark hues swim into the horizons, where clouds pregnant with rain hover below the zeniths of outcropping greens, where the stars blanket the skies giving warmth to feelings even in the coldest nights, where sunrays slice through the peaks and dales in their mighty fashion to rule over the days, and where the sun gently nestles among the undulations at the close of day.

But that was a long time ago. Now, he kept wondering to himself why he really even came back and now, close to the woman, ready to spring death to those who are about to die.

But if I die, too?

The woman glanced at him, her eyes piercing through blades of grass and bushes so she could glimpse at the side of his face. His presence back to this side of the moun-tains made her feel buoyant than ever before. She had waited for him, hoping he would come back although she knew he was up there in the echelons. In the hierarchy of their dedication, he had to be going far to do whatever must be done. She had asked about him but no one told her where he could be or where he had been. She took it that in the scheme of things, she was only told what she had to know.

She had waited since he had left from the other side of the mountains. She always felt though that he would come back. Many times, she had given up seeing him again for in the struggle, one could die. Maybe he had been dead for a long time back and no one had told her for in the fluidity of the struggle, not everyone re-ally knows what ever happens for the struggle has so many fronts and he would have been in those fronts where she did not have to know where or what could have happened.

Besides, while she har-bored her feelings for him, she was never really sure if he

had the same feelings for her. Maybe he had for he appeared to have but before she could know, he had to leave that part of the mountains and he had been gone to somewhere she only knew to be in one of those fronts.

So, where could he have been? Has he met someone else? Would he have still feelings for her? Did he ever have?

Nonetheless, right now, he is here beside her, patiently waiting for those who are about to die.

Over the years she had sprang death to those who must die and have gotten used to it and the last ones seem to be easier than the previ-ous ones. The enemy, blind in the terrain, hunt them but, turn, often, as preys to the hunted. Now, on the mound, this would be another easy kill for those who are about to die. Her part of the mound is a safe sanctuary no matter how flimsy the grassy knoll could be. She would be invisible from the river and would be a ghost those who are about to die would not even see as they ebb from life.

In time, this would be eas-ily over soon and she would have more time to know if he would be back in this side of the mountains. Perhaps, maybe, she will soon know enough if he is back to con-summate what she had long forever longed for.

For now, she gripped her M16 and focused on the river and waited for those who are about to die.

The lieutenant’s Polaroid sunglasses shielded his eyes from the mid-afternoon sun. With his holstered 45 pis-tol flapping on his side, his finger was on the trigger of his M-16. He walked stealth-ily trying not to disturb the pebbles along the river bank. He coaxed his ears, even the bandaged one, to hear beyond the rhythmic ripples of the river on his left and the breeze that brushed the bushes on the mound to his right. He knew that each man in his squad, following him, was also grop-ing for sounds, any sound, that could signal probable death.

Earlier, right after the rays of the sun had sliced through the skies, he had ordered his men to burn a village.

It is that woman’s fault, he kept telling himself.

He had barged into the Igorot native hut and found her alone. She had refused to answer any of his ques-tions. Scantily clad in a lufed cloth, she just kept on sob-bing, smothering her ‘I don’t knows’ muttered in her native tongue. While cowering at the corner of the hut, the nipples of her maturing breasts kept peeping out from the curtains of her long hair.

His impatience with her grew with each of her smoth-ering sobs. With his impa-tience, a desire swelled from within his loins which led him to grab and rip her lufed, rendering her a naked bundle of flesh. She screamed and screamed but her screams only made him swell some more and with a whip of strokes, unbuckling himself, not even bothering to remove his sunglasses, he plunged unto her. He slurped at her breast like a sucking beast. He rammed into her beyond her flesh into the very sanctuary of her soul. The woman screamed and struggled but with each of his plunge, the woman’s struggle seemed to subside. He thought she stopped resisting his on-slaught. She moaned as she wrapped her arms across his back and heaved her loins meeting his every thrust. She kissed his neck, pressed his head down for his cheek to

meet her cheek. She turned her head and kissed him by the ear.

Then, he felt a pricking flash that enveloped him and drove him into a daze.

In a fuzzy whirlwind, he seemed to have lost himself and he found himself still pressing the trigger of his 45. It was still smoking with its clip already empty of bul-lets. The floor and walls of the hut were splattered with blood from the bundle of flesh that no longer sobbed nor screamed nor moaned.

He clutched his ear, which seemed now to dangle, and felt a sticky trickling. On his hand was his own blood similar to the blood that was on the woman’s lips which seemed to have quivered into a mocking smile.

He rushed out of the hut, barking, “Kill them. Kill them all. And burn these huts. Burn everything.”

He could still hear the howling of the villagers as they were mowed down by his men. He could still hear the crackling of the straw huts as the fires bellowed upon them.

Now, he tried to sup-press those inner howling and crackling sounds as he coaxed his ears to hear be-yond the ripples of the river and the breeze brushing on the bushes.

Then, he heard it. Above the sounds of the ripples from the river rose the crackles of fire. The birds ceased to chirp and the rustle of the trees subsumed to the staccato of death.

“Fire! Fire!” the com-mander had yelled on top of his lungs as his M-16 rattled its song of death. The staccato of his rifle was joined by the baritone and tenor of firing guns across the mound as if a blazing choir rendered music to his ears. The ripples of the river and the whizzing wind exuded insignificant hum-ming as background to the dominant rhythm of fire. To the commander, it was an-other celebration of his hatred for the kabusor, elements of which are now being ripped by zinging fuselage from flaming barrels of death.

Kabusor – the hatred is how they brand the enemy. Those kabusor, now falling, dying, in front of their line fire should not really be kabosur for most of them are also from the oppressed, but, since, by ignorance or by choice, they allowed themselves to be used by the oppressors, they are kabosur. They deserve to die and are helplessly dying. Even the one with sunglasses and bandaged ear slumped and is no longer moving.

“Cease fire!” shouted the commander after a while. Soon, the ripples of the river and the breeze brushing on the bushes again exerted their dominant sounds.

As swiftly as they ex-ecuted the ambush, the NPAs rushed to gather the weapons of the fallen Philippine gov-ernment soldiers.

At a distance, far from the river, the NPAs rested.

“So how many did we get?” asked one of the com-rades who took part in the ambush.

“Eight Armalites, a 45, two shotguns, 16 grenades. Bandoliers of ammo. Enough to arm another squad of new recruits,” said the commander.

“Allah-O-Akbar,” said the comrade. He was a Pakistani.

(To be continued)

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


Some of our friends have observed that the real estate market in the Philippines seems to be better than what we have here in the United States. Except on very limited occasions, such as when a massive earthquake devas-tated northern Luzon and sent prices of Baguio City proper-ties crumbling down some two decades ago (we now regret not having grabbed that opportunity), real estate prices in the Philippines have remarkably remained stable. In contrast, the U.S. real estate market seems to take a hit every fi ve or ten years. Nowadays, houses are priced at half their value fi ve years ago and while it is now highly profi table to buy them, the banks are very meticulous in giving out loans. On the other hand, government regula-tions are very strict on cash purchases. These observations have convinced many of us that it is better to invest in the Philippines, particularly after the passage of the Dual Citi-zenship Act which now allows naturalized Filipinos to own lands without restrictions.

The traditional way of fi -nalizing a property transaction in the Philippines is for both the seller and the buyer to ap-pear before a notary public to sign the deed of absolute sale. Philippine law requires that the sale must be embodied in a public document (notarized deed) to have legal effect. The notary public will certify that he personally knows both the seller and the buyer, and that they are voluntarily undertak-ing the transaction. The regis-ter of deeds will not transfer title to the buyer without a notarized deed of sale.

For a buyer who frequents the Philippines, going there

You don’t need to go to the Philippines to buy

properties thereto appear before the notary public to conclude the sale will simply coincide with his trip there. It will not require extra time, effort and expense for him. On the other hand, a buyer who has purchased a valuable property at a bargain price will also not mind mak-ing a special trip to conclude the transaction. For him, the special trip would be worth it. But how about a buyer who is investing in a property of small value, and who thinks that personally going to the Philippines will unduly in-crease his fi nancial exposure?

Again, let’s have a hy-pothetical case. Winslo has already invested in several valuable properties in his na-tive town of Bauan, Batangas. His purchases always coin-cided with his annual trips there. Truth is, the properties are quite pricey and no one else could afford to buy them, so the sellers had to wait for Winslo’s arrival. He just came back from the Philippines last month for his annual vacation and, again, he was able to pur-chase another property. A few days ago, his cousin phoned and asked Winslo if he wants to buy another lot in Bauan. Compared to his properties, this lot is much smaller and the price is relatively low; in fact he will spend more for his trip if he goes back to the Philippines. But Winslo wants the lot because it is between two of his properties. He is concerned that because of its low price, another buyer might beat him to it.

There are three things that Winslo can do to conclude the purchase without the need of going back to the Philippines. First, he can sign a separate copy of the deed of sale. Sec-ond, he can execute a Special Power of Attorney appoint-ing another person (called an attorney-in-fact) to sign for him in the deed of sale. In both cases, the document must be notarized and authenticated by the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles.

The third option is the least tedious. The seller can ex-ecute what is called a unilat-eral deed of sale. It is a deed of sale that the seller signs alone. The deed of sale will

just mention that the seller is selling the property to the buyer, and then describe the property. It will have the same legal effect as the ordinary (bilateral) deed of sale. The only restriction is that the unilateral deed of sale must not impose any condition on the buyer. For example, it should not require the buyer to pay the capital gains tax. The reason for this is common sense. The buyer cannot be bound to pay the capital gains tax because he did not sign the deed of sale. On a side note, under Philippine law, the seller is responsible for the capital gains tax.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego and has continuously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His offi ce address is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an of-fi ce in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Ma-nila, Philippines 1007, with telephone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475/(858)536-4292 or email him at [email protected]. He speaks Tagalog fl uently. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheticals intended as general, non-specifi c legal information. Readers must seek legal consultation before taking any legal steps.

jewel, if not yet the cash cow, of the Philippine Islands.

“They’re going crazy on Boracay because they want it to become the next Thai-land,” said Margaux Palau, 34, a local diving and yoga instructor originally from Spain, referring to Thailand’s touristy shores. “Boracay is much nicer, if you ask me, but it’s also much farther for most people, which is why it’s still unknown.”

But that is changing. In the fi rst quarter of this year, the country’s prime tourism season, the number of foreign visitors to the Philippines was up by 8 percent from the same period a year ago; Boracay, which is less than an hour’s fl ight from Manila, had a 20 percent spike in tourism. Last year, this island’s 650,000 tourists – a third of them foreign – marked an all-time high, according to the depart-

New York Times says Boracay is

SEA’s newest hot spot


ment of tourism.Most of the island’s attrac-

tions can be found along White Beach, its three miles of soft sand lined with thick groves of swaying palms. For better or worse, this part of Boracay has embraced its inner Phuket, with barking masseuses, all-you-can-eat buffets and resorts with more waterfalls than the Amazon.

The rising population and frenzied pace of development have put stress on this fragile island. To ease roadway con-gestion, a new byway is under construction, and plans are in place to clean up the sewage-tainted waters farther offshore. Meanwhile, a number of new Gatsby-esque villas and vaca-tion homes are laying claim to the island’s limestone cliffs and virgin coastline.

Expansion of the closest airport, in Caticlan, a short ferry hop from the island, is also planned.

Bare-bones cabanas cater-ing to backpackers are giving way to fancy resorts with all the perks. The tree-house-like cottages of Nami, an exclu-sive resort, were eclipsed last year by a new development, Shangri-La, which has its own private lagoon. The tiki-style bungalows of another resort, Fridays, were recently one-upped by Discovery Shores, whose “beach butlers,” down pillows and sunken pool bar have added a contemporary touch to Boracay.

While the dress code still skews beach style – de rigueur fl ip-fl ops, loose Hawaiian shirts – at least one woman in stiletto heels was trying

her best to navigate the sandy boardwalk. The infl ux of visitors has even prompted a “Bor-a-CAY please, not Bora” campaign among natives, a gentle jab at those who trun-cate the island’s name.

But the island’s emerald-blue waters have a way of keeping almost everyone happy. After all, you can kite-surf in the morning, dive through underwater caves and shipwrecks in the afternoon, and still have time for island hopping by sundown – just fl ag down any of the pawans, or outrigger sailboats, along White Beach. If a water sport exists, chances are you can fi nd it on Boracay, and some-one will likely shove a fl ier in your face to try it out for a “low price” (“Sir! Dragon-boat racing?”).








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by Zena Sultana Babao

It actually happened ... Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Cali-fornia just wiped off the votes of seven million Californians when he overturned Proposi-tion 8 on August 4, 2010. Not to mention the votes of 30 other states who have also voted directly to protect mar-riage in their particular states!

What Judge Walker did was “wrong … outrageous … unthinkable … but totally predictable”, this according to supporters of Proposition 8 who believe that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

On Wednesday last week, Walker issued a 136-page rul-ing that lists dozens of “find-ings of fact.” Individually, most are obvious: marriage laws have changed over time; marriage serves many purpos-es beyond procreation; same-sex marriage doesn’t much affect opposite-sex couples; a belief that gay relationships are unworthy had something to do with the passage of Proposition 8. Taken to-gether, these findings buttress Walker’s conclusion that the marriage ban imposes private moral views on an unpopular minority for no legitimate public purpose.

That’s his ruling. But let’s hear it from two well-known leaders and highly respected supporters of traditional mar-riage: Dr. James Garlow,

With the Stroke of a Pensenior pastor of the Skyline Church in La Mesa, Califor-nia; and Brian Brown, presi-dent of the National Organi-zation for Marriage, based in Washington, D.C.

Dr. James Garlow, Senior Pastor of Skyline Church, wrote in part:

It is well known that on August 4, 2010, a San Fran-cisco based judge ripped from the people what they had voted for when they affirmed the14 words in Proposition 8, which simply states, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recog-nized in California.”

In making that decision, the judge robbed the people of much more than marriage, and the definition of marriage. He took away from us some-thing that has been highly val-ued in American culture, “the consent of the governed.”

This issue of marriage was thoroughly vetted in 2008 in California. In fact, each side – both the pro traditional, natural marriage advocates and the anti traditional, natu-ral marriage advocates – spent about forty million dollars. After an eighty million dollar campaign – likely the most expensive proposition cam-paign in American history – California voters affirmed not once, but twice, the exact same fourteen words.

But one judge, Vaughn Walker, knows more than

Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage.

Dr. James Garlow, Senior Pastor of the Skyline Church

millions of Californians and all the cumulative history of all federal courts. He, by the way, was ousted for his own sexual orientation, by a public newspaper in the midst of a trial, yet did not recluse himself from the trial over that issue.

Walker has now ruled that Californians are irrational. He says there was no reason for affirming one man/one woman marriage. And, ap-parently knowing the internal motivations of seven million Californians, he further claims that we were all motivated by animus and bigotry.

According to Walker, only bigotry caused people to come to the conclusion that mar-riage is between one man and one woman, despite the fact that that definition has been affirmed by every culture – pre-Christian, anti-Christian, and Christian cultures, for the last 5,000 years. To Walker, all of human history’s affirma-tion of the nuclear family has, it would seem, been deter-mined by bigotry.

Why have all these cultures come to the same conclusion, that one man / one woman marriage is the model? Stated simply – because it works!

But not according to Judge Vaughn Walker. He rode roughshod over the will of

seven million voters in the state of California who said “yes” to Proposition 8. By this one single ruling, he threw it out.

His ruling, however, has implications for more that just California. His poorly rea-soned conclusion was based upon the U.S. Constitution (not the California Constitu-tion). He is, in effect, trash-ing (over the process of time) traditional, natural marriage for all other states with simi-lar laws. Thirty one states have voted on marriage. All 31 have affirmed traditional, natural marriage. Forty four states have one man/one woman marriage laws, with a total population of 294 mil-lion.

Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, wrote in part:

We expected this outcome, because Judge Walker has telegraphed his bias loud and clear. But he’s wrong, very wrong, we will fight back, and we will win!

Hundreds of thousands of Californians braved insults, threats, petty harassment and even threats to their persons and livelihoods to stand up for their marriage views. With the stroke of one pen, all our work, all our loving efforts, all our brave exercise of our Constitutional rights, was taken away from us.

Anyone who watched this trial closely knew that Judge Walker would strike down Prop 8. He displayed his bias from day one, his desire to preside over a “historic” trial (preferably on TV!). What I could not have predicted was the extreme nature of Judge Walker’s ruling itself.

A friend who is a top litiga-tor (he shall remain nameless, as he may have to litigate cases in front of Judge Walk-er) shot us this email after reading Walker’s opinion: “His grandiosity will be his undoing.”

Ed Wheelan, a former Justice Department official who writes for Bench Mem-os, sarcastically explained Walker’s reasoning this way: “Short version: Everything that plaintiffs’ ‘experts’ say is beyond dispute.”

Bill Duncan of the Mar-

riage Law Foundation called it “an opinion unanchored in reality.”

Here’s the bottom line: Judge Walker’s opinion is one large slur against the major-ity of the American people. Some things apparently are undreamt of in his philosophy. Americans’ desire to keep

marriage as we have received it is rooted in a profound recognition that unions of husband and wife really are special. These are the unions we depend on, whether we are married or not, and these are the unions through which we transmit our civilization into the future.

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nahuli sa dagat. Si Tatay Den-cio ay ama at ina sapagka’t sumakabilang- buhay na ang ina ng mga bata.

Naiiba ang gabing ito sapagka’t malamig at tahimik ang kusina. Wala ni anino man ng ama. Nagpasiya si Kiko – Neneng, halinang lum-abas at hanapin natin si ama – wika niya.

-- Saan natin siya hah-anapin e pagkadilim-dilim sa labas? – sagot ni Neneng. Samantala ay umaalingawn-gaw ang hagupit ng dagat sa mga batuhan.

Magka-akay ang magkap-atid na tinahak ang landas patungo sa daungan ng mga bangka. Napadaan sila sa isang matanda at matayog na puno ng akasya at doon ay sumi-long nang panandalian sapagka’t naakit sila sa mga alitaptap na ang liwanag ay kumu-kutitap.

-- Ha, ha, ha, ha, sa wakas ay nasukol ko rin kayo! – nakagu-gulat na bati ng kapre. Nakaupo sa malak-ing sanga ng puno ang kapre at nanabako nang ito ay dali-daling nagpahulog at agad ikinulong ang magkapatid sa loob ng kanyang malalaking bisig.

-- Ha, ha, ha, ha, ipagsasa-ma ko kayo sa kaharian sa ila-lim ng puno. – at ang magka-patid na kapuwa dala-dala ng kapre sa kanyang mga bisig ay nagpapapalag at naghihihiyaw nguni’t ang pagtutol nila ay di alintana ng halimaw.

Maliwanag at malawak ang pook na iyon sa ilalim ng puno. Kanais-nais ang si-moy at maririnig ang tawanan at pagsasaya. May sumalu-bong sa magkapatid na tila ina ang anyo na napakaamo ng

May pakpak ang pag-ibigMaikling kuwentong pambata ni Percival Campoamor Cruz

mukha.-- Huwag kayong mata-

kot. Batid ko na kayo’y lipos ng pag-aalaala sa inyong ama. Tutulungan ko kayong hanap-in siya. Samantala ay kumain kayo ng hapunan at uminom ng katas ng pinya. – mahi-nahong samo ng magandang babae.

Napansin ng magkapatid na hindi sumasayad sa lupa ang mga paa ng babae. Siya’y lumulutang sa hangin. Sa dakong tila hardin sa di kal-ayuan ay namamasid nila ang mga batang nagsisipaglaro. At sila rin ay lumulutang, lu-

milipad sa hangin, katulad ng babae.

Naghahabu-lan ang mga bata, nagpapaikot- ikot sa hangin at nakalatag ang mga bisig na tila mga ibong may pakpak.

-- Ang mga bata, sino-sino po sila? – tanong ni Neneng sa babae.

-- Sila’y mga anak ko na. Sila’y naulila na sa ina at ama. Sino pa ang mag-aaruga sa ka-nila? – paliwanag ng babae.

-- Bakit po may kapre sa puno? – usisa ni Kiko.

-- Ayaw kong makapasok dito ang di naman nararapat. Kinatatakutan ang kapre, kung kaya’t walang naliligaw dito na makikialam o magnanakaw lamang. – dagdag ng babae.

-- Ako naman ang magta-tanong. Neneng, mahal mo

ba ang iyong ama? – pakli ng babae.

-- Opo. Mahal na mahal po. Ibig ko pong laging nakikita at nakakasama siya. Masaya po kami at laging nasa mab-uting kalagayan kapag nasa piling kami ni ama. – patiyak ni Neneng.

-- Ako rin po, Nana, mahal na mahal ko po si ama. Sana po ay magkasama kami nang habang buhay at sa kanyang pagtanda ay mapaglilingkuran ko siya katulad ng pagliling-kod niya sa amin ngayon. – pahayag naman ni Kiko.

Pinalapit ng babae ang mag-

kapatid sa isang tila palanggana na puno ng tubig. -- Tunghan

ninyo ang larawan na lili-taw sa tubig. – wika niya. At nakita ng magkapatid ang larawan ng kanilang

ama na nakakapit sa isang putol ng kahoy at lulu-tang-lutang siya

sa kalagitnaan ng dagat.Lumakas ang uga

ng alon at tumaob ang bangka ni Tatay Dencio nang dumaan

ang masamang panahon nang hapong iyon. Bibitiw na sana sa putol ng kahoy ang mangingisda sanhi ng pagod at lamig. Kung sa bagay ay nawalan na siya ng siglang mabuhay mula pa nang pu-manaw ang kabiyak ng dibdib; nguni’t ang pag-ibig sa mga anak ang nag-atas sa kanya na siya’y kailangang magtiis, mabuhay at makabalik sa mga musmos na naghihintay.

-- Kumapit kayo sa akin at tayo’y lilipad – tagubilin ng babae. At sila’y mabilis na pumailanlang sa kaitasan at sumakay sa hihip ng hangin patungo sa laot na katatag-puan kay Tatay Dencio. Wala nang malay si Tatay Dencio nang kanilang makita. Nakip-agtalastasan ang babae sa pa-mamagitan ng isip lamang sa dalawang dugong at ang mga dambuhalang ito ng karagatan, ang isa kanila, ay isinakay sa kanyang likuran ang walang

malay na mangingisda, habang ang isa ay sumusunod; at ini-hatid siya sa dalampasigan.

Nang magbalik na ang ma-lay ni Tatay Dencio ay agad niyang tinahak ang landas na patungo sa kanyang munting kubo. Nang makapasok na sa bahay ay nakita niya sina Kiko at Neneng na mahimbing na natutulog sa kanilang higaan. Napansin niya na may naiwang tasa sa dulang na may nalalabi pang katas ng pinya.

Kinabukasan ay masayang binati ng mga anak si Tatay Dencio. Nalimutan na nila ang lahat ng naganap nang gabing nagdaan. – Ama, bakit kayo ginabi? – tanong ni Neneng. Ipinaliwanag ng ama na sil-ang mangingisda ay tumabi sa isang maliit na pulo upang hindi masalubong ang unos sa dagat at doon ay naghin-tay hanggang maging payapa na ang panahon. At sa gayong pangyayari ay nabalam ang kanyang pag-uwi.

Nang umagang iyon ay si-nadya ni Tatay Dencio ang libingan ng nayon at doon ay naghatid ng bulaklak sa puntod ng kanyang yumaong maybahay. Buo ang panini-wala ni Tatay Dencio na ang maybahay ay tumupad sa kan-yang huling habilin sa kanya – Dencio, huwag mong paba-bayaan ang mga bata; ipaki-kiusap ko sa Maykapal na ako ay pahintulutang makapiling ninyong mag-aama sa tuwing masusuong kayo sa panganib. Kahi’t ako ay malayo sa inyo, ipadadama ko na may pakpak ang pag-ibig.

Grade School Chums from St. Dominic’s Manila

Class of 68 friends Greta “Geeh” Lagman, Marilou Eleazar-Lobrido (seated L-R), Ana Eleazar-Dmayga and Genevieve Tagudin-Silverio (standing, L-R) met for a reunion at Josephine’s Bistro in Cerritos, CA. ATTN Class of 68 Alumnae, contact us on FACEBOOK.

The ANCOP North America Walk for the Poor is set to take place on August 28, 2010 across the United States and on August 29, 2010 in Toronto, Canada.

The 3-mile walk is being held to raise funds for ANCOP’s Child Sponsorship Program (CSP), project that sends poor Filipino children to elementary, high school or college level for free.

ANCOP stands for Answering the Cry of the Poor. It is a Chris-tian based organiza-tion founded by the global movement Couples for Christ (CFC) in 1994 whose main mission is to help the poor in the Philippines.

The Walk in California will be held in the following cities: Chino Hills-14877 Eucalyptus Avenue, Chino Hills, Corner of Chino Hills Parkway at 8:00 A.M.; Milpitas- Murphy Park, Milpitas, CA 95035 at 7:00 A.M.; Sta. Clarita-Bridgeport Park, 23520 Brindgeport Ln., Santa Clarita CA 91355,Corner

ANCOP North America “Walk For The Poor” Set

for August 28 & 29, 2010of Mcbean Parkway and Ne-whall Ranch Rd.at 7:00 A.M.; and Vallejo- Blue Rock Spring Park, Columbus Parkway, Vallejo, CA 94591 at 7:00 A.M.

The following are the other Walk sites across the U.S.: Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Streamwood, Il-linois; Baltimore and Oxon

Hill, Maryland; Alpine, New Jersey (also New

York); Raleigh, North Carolina; Houston, Texas and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

In Canada, the Walk will be held in different

dates: Calgary (9/21/2010) , Edmonton (8/21/2010), Ft. McMurray (9/11/2010), Montreal (8/28/2010), Ot-tawa (8/21/2010), Toronto (8/29/2010), Vancouver (8/14/2010), Victoria (8/21/2010) and Winnipeg (8/21/2010).

For particulars, please visit www.ancopusa.org or www.ancopwalk.ca.


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Let me start with a couple of memorable quotes:

“I AM A FILIPINO—inheritor of a glorious past, hostage to an uncertain future. As such I must prove equal to a two-fold task: the task of fulfilling my obligations of the past; and the task of meet-ing my responsibilities of the future.”—Carlos P. Romulo, Former Philippine Foreign Af-fairs Secretary

“I AM AN AMERICAN. That’s the way most of us put it, just matter-of-factly,

They are plain words, those four. You could write them on your thumbnail,

Or you sweep them clear across this bright autumn sky.

But remember too that they are more than words. They are a way of life. So whenever you speak them, speak them firmly;

Speak them proudly, speak them gratefully. I AM AN AMERICAN.”—Purdue Marching Band, “I Am an American”

Analyzing the above quotations and replacing the word American with Filipino and vice versa, for many of us, these words would be as appropriate, as significant, and as meaningful.

As I opened the envelope that contained the absentee ballot allowing me to vote for

Being a Filipino and American

the next national leaders in the Philippines, I remembered an argument I had with someone who insisted that by becoming a naturalized American, I had lost my Filipino citizenship. It was my contention that as a natural-born Filipino, I could never lose my citizen-ship. No foreign government by its own acts or law could strip me of my citizenship of birth. Neither can the Philip-pine government deprive me of what was granted to me by Divine Providence. I was born in the Philippines and of Filipino parents. My children who were born in the U.S. are natural-born Americans under the Principle of Jus Soli (“by Place”), which is the doctrine followed in the United States. But they are also natural-born Filipinos under the Principle of Jus Sanguini.

The Philippine Dual Citizenship Act validated my contention by allowing the exercise of the rights of citi-zenship by Filipinos who got naturalized by other countries to exercise the rights of both their Filipino citizenship and those of their naturalized citi-zenship.

As a naturalized American, I have been actively exercis-ing my rights for several years now. While I grew up, spent most of my academic life, and initially practiced my

profession in the Philippines, I have already lived in the United States longer. Cor-respondingly, my wife and I have embraced the American culture and way of life as we both raised our three children: two of them natural-born dual citizens, or Filipino-Amer-icans, by virtue of having Filipino parents and being born in the United States; and one a natural-born Filipino and naturalized American, also dual. But never have we all lost our Filipino identity and culture.

In my Facebook note entitled “The Campaign Begins,” I shared the e-mail of President Barack Obama, which re-stated his favorite slogan, “Yes, We Can.” Face-book friend Professor Villegas commented, first, by thank-ing me for sharing, and then by cleverly and creatively re-writing Americans into Amer-I-CANS, explaining that the U.S.A. is a country of I-CANS, hence—We Can. This inspired me to do a little research and I found out that aside from the fact that Amer-ica is named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer, the meaning of Amer is “ever-lasting and incurable.” Amer-I-CAN, therefore, means “ev-erlasting and incurable desire to achieve” or “limitless/infin-itesimal achievement motiva-tion.” I thought of informing the professor about it.

Professor Villegas, in his response, said it was won-derful. Then I thought, it is wonderful indeed to be known as one who has an “everlast-ing and incurable desire to achieve.” It is no wonder that Americans always have the strongest will to win, be it in sports, such as winning the most medals in the Olympics, NBA World Championships, and the like; or going to the Moon, Mars, and other plan-ets; or dominating any field of endeavor, including winning

wars.It would be even more

wonderful if this everlasting and incurable desire to win is channeled into making good health everlasting, making all diseases curable, beating pov-erty, and ending wars while promoting peace.

The Philippines, in turn, is named after King Philip, or Felipe, of Spain, which financed the exploration of Magellan. The latter was the explorer who was discovered by our forefathers when he got lost looking for the Spice Islands. The name Philip got its roots from Philippoussis, meaning “lover of horses.” Filipinos, therefore, are rooted to love their horses and root for them to win a race, to ride, catch, and overtake some-body ahead; and even to horse around. In politics, Filipinos love to pick their horses and campaign as hard. They love to tell and listen to jokes as well as relating “Kuwentong Kutsero” (Coachman stories). For them, “a winner never quits, and a quitter never wins.”

Filipino and American: quite a combination. Proven during World War II, they fought side by side, and bet their lives in defense of freedom, with the common everlasting and incurable love to win the race for peace, independence, and prosperity. And WIN they did!

Paraphrasing that song written by Lee Green Wood,

“I’d thank my lucky stars, to be living here today.

Cause the flag still stands for freedom, And they can’t take that away.

I am proud to be a Filipino-American, where at least I know I’m free.

I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.”

By Cyndy Robinson | July 21, 2010 –Macy’s has become the first Diamond sponsor for the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). The strategic partner-ship underscores Macy’s long-standing commitment to diversity in its workforce, customer base, vendors, community partner-ships, and marketing and com-munications.

NAAAP’s annual leadership convention will be known as the 24th Annual NAAAP Con-vention and Diversity Career Fair presented by Macy’s. The 2010 convention is taking place August 12-15 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. San Francisco is home to one of NAAAP’s 25 chapters and Macy’s flagship store at Union Square.

Macy’s Diamond sponsorship grew from its 2010 partnership with NAAAP, in recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, when the company spon-sored in store fashion events dur-ing the month of May, in Macy’s top 5 Asian markets. A portion of Macy’s sponsorship will go towards Women in NAAAP!, a program that celebrates “Leader-ship Inspired by Women.” At the Convention, Macy’s and Women in NAAAP! will sponsor a Com-munity Reception on Saturday, August 14. Macy’s will also join more than 45 other exhibitors and recruiters at the Diversity Career Fair, co-located with the Convention. Admission to the Fair alone is free. Registrations for the Convention may be taken at naaapconvention.org through August 6, and also on-site for a limited number of people at the Palace Hotel.

“Macy’s is proud to be the Diamond sponsor of the 24th An-nual NAAAP Convention in San Francisco,“ said Corliss Fong, Vice President of Macy’s Diver-sity Strategies. “Our partnership with NAAAP underscores our longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, and cel-ebrates the accomplishments and leadership of our Asian Ameri-

NAAAP “WINs” Macy’s Diamond Sponsorship!

can employees and customers. Through our sponsorship of NAAAP, we are pleased to rec-ognize the contributions and in-fluence of Asian Americans, and in this way, support NAAAP’s mission of growing leaders.”

“As a committed partner to diversity leadership and minority women-owned vendors, we are extremely pleased that Macy’s proudly supports our Asian women’s leadership develop-ment program,” states Judi Rhee Alloway, National Director of Women in NAAAP!.

About Macy’s: Macy’s, the largest retail brand of Macy’s, Inc., delivers fashion and afford-able luxury to customers at more than 800 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Macy’s stores and macys.com offer distinctive assortments including the most desired family of exclusive and fashion brands for him, her and home. Macy’s is known for such epic events as Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks(R) and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade(R), as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows and celebrity appearances. Building on a 150-year tradi-tion, Macy’s helps strengthen communities by supporting local and national charities that make a difference in the lives of our customers.

About NAAAP and WIN!: Women in NAAAP (WIN!) is a program of the National Associa-tion of Asian American Profes-sionals comprising of men and women who are passionate about “Leadership Inspired by Women” and educating about the unique challenges of Asian women in leadership roles. NAAAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership-based organization and is the largest and fastest growing Asian professional association with representation in over 25 cities across the United States and Can-ada. For more information about NAAAP and WIN!, go to www.naaap.org, www.womeninnaaap.org and www.winaaap.ning.com


Spiritual Life

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

by Msgr. Fernando G. Gutierrez

Lower Your Nets Balintataw

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

by Virginia H. Ferrer

Ayaw Kong MadinigHindi maipagkakaila sa iyong mga mataang tunay na laman ng iyong puso at kaluluwana ninanais mo ng kumalas sa ating pagsintaat dito sa ating sumpaan maging malaya ka na.

Ngunit hindi mo nga mawika ang tunay na dahilankung bakit ang lahat ay nais mo nang talikuransubalit huwag mag-alala sa 'yong kapasiyahanhindi kita tatanungin, tatanggapin ko na lamang.

Ang hindi mo lang alam ay winasak mo na ang puso kobigat nitong nararamdaman ay hindi mo lang tantomay dahilan pa kaya ang mabuhay ako sa mundosa labis na kabiguan lahat mandin ay nagbago.

Ngunit hindi ako dapat na panghinaan ng loobkailangang magpakatatag alisin ang pootat anuman ang dahilan ibaon na lang sa limotayaw ko nang madinig pa, nais ko ng pumalaot.

At sa dako pa roon, doon ay aking hahanapinkaligayahang naudlot baka naghihintay sa akindiyan ka na muna at akin siyang sasalubunginang panibagong kasaysayan nitong buhay kong angkin.

Parts 2 of 2

Written by Miriam Grace A. Go

Pointing out that “ev-erybody’s hassling every-body” in City Hall anyway, a third contractor contacted by Newsbreak said, without elaborating, that his company has opted to just comply with Binay’s extra-legal require-ments so it could continue building in Makati. By doing so, he said, “we have not en-countered problems so far.”

Business Ventures

Just beside the barangay hall of Comembo, residents of Makati’s poorer communities have their own Glorietta to troop to.

Called Apex, the five-story commercial complex on the corner of J.P. Rizal Exten-sion and Sampaguita Street sits where a city government-owned sports complex used to stand. It houses on its first floor a Chowking restaurant, a Mercury drugstore, and a few RTW stalls. A bookstore occupies part of the second floor, while two cinemas share the third floor with a computer school, which also occupies the rest of the building.

The Lord of MakatiWhat makes the mini-mall

popular among residents is that they know it belongs to former Mayor Binay. The name of the company, JO-BIM, is a dead giveaway. City Hall insiders said it stands for Jojo Binay, Irasga (the last name of Nelson, his former chief city engineer and trusted aide with whom he had a fall-ing out in 1998), and Mercado (the last name of former councilor Ernesto, who is widely recognized in Makati as Binay’s alleged bag-man).

The Chowking branch on the first floor of Apex which opened in 1996 is registered under the name BI-MECH Food Chains Corporation, which, reliable sources said, again stands for Binay, Irasga, Mercado, and , possibly, one Lilia Chavez, whom SEC papers showed is a resident of Barangay Guadalupe in Makati. Chavez owns the most number of shares in the corporation, which, in 1998, reported a total net income of only P181,644, which dropped to P59,390 in 1999.

However, as in the case of his alleged houses, documents on the ownership of these and

other business establishments do not bear the name of Binay or any of his close political allies. In some cases, there are no papers of incorpora-tion at the SEC at all. And as in the case of the houses, only employees and people privy to Binay’s business deals will attest to his ownership of the companies.

For instance, two Mc-Donald’s outlets along J.P. Rizal—one at the corner of

Reposo Street, very near the City Hall, and another at the corner of Pasong Tamo, near the Sta. Ana Race Track—are widely known in Makati as Binay’s. A check on the papers, however, revealed that the franchise of the said out-lets remains with McGeorge Foods Corporation, the moth-er company of McDonalds in the Philippines.

A source knowledgeable

about the deal said Binay earns from McDonald’s because he owns the lots on which the said outlets stand and also leases them to Mc-George. The Makati asses-sor’s office refused to reveal the identities of the owner of the said properties.

The Dreyers ice cream booth in Glorietta at the Ayala Center, the franchise for which is pegged at P1 million, is also widely known to be Bi-

nay’s The company’s name, BIMET Manu-facturing Corpora-tion, is quite similar to the JOBIM acro-nym of a mall that Binay reportedly co-owns with Mercado. The SEC, however, has no records on the company.

No registration papers could be dug up either at the SEC for two more widely known businesses of

Binay: the two-story Areflor Funeral Homes on J.P. Rizal Extension, and the Chris-tine’s water purifying plant in Barangay Pembo, to provide space and an access road for which a Montessori school and a number of shanties were torn down.

The Binay couple reported in their SALs from 1996 up to 1999 that they had invest-


©2010 Virginia H. Ferrer. All rights reserved.

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

Joke of the week: A busi-nessman about to travel out of state was calling ahead for hotel reservations and dialed all the right numbers with one exception – the third digit of the out-of-town exchange. Still, thinking he had reached the right number, he demand-ed that the startled secretary on the other end of the line take his reservation. She finally agreed to do so, but not until the man would give his assurance that he was serious. He was, she added, talking to a funeral home.

Readings: First Reading: Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10. According t o Reginald H. Fuller, the woman in this passage is first understood as the old Israel, the nation from whom the Messiah came. Much in this passage suggests the old Israel waiting for the birth of the Messiah. The Old Testament background sug-gests this (Isaiah 66:7). The seer is taking up and partly Christianizing earlier pictures of Israel waiting for the com-ing of the Messiah.

Another interpretation sug-gests that the woman is the Church, the new Israel, the mother of the faithful. Take 12:17, which speaks of other children belonging to the woman who “keep the com-mandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.”

An interpretation popular among medieval expositors and revived in a somewhat more sophisticated form in recent Catholic exegesis (and clearly accepted by the choice of this passage for this feast) equates the woman with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Probably there is no need to choose between these three interpretations. For Mary is the daughter of Zion, the quintessential expression of the old Israel as the commu-nity of faith and obedience awaiting the coming of the Messiah, the community in which the Messiah is born.

But she is also the quint-essential expression of the new Israel, of those who “believe” and are justified on

She Was Assumed Into Heaven: Body and Soul

the grounds of their faith, of those who obey his word and who suffer for the testimony of Jesus. Second Reading: 1 Cor. 15: 20-26. Bonhoef-fer said that Mary is not the tender, dreamy person you

see in paintings. She speaks out in revolutionary tones of “scattering the proud, sending the rich away empty, casting the mighty from their thrones and showing strength in his arm.” Together with women of the Old Testament, she reveals the greatness of God and the smallness of man. Second Reading: 1 Corinthi-ans 15:20-27. An Anglican writer, Reginald H. Fuller, be-lieves that the Blessed Virgin Mary, like all the saints, has some kind of continuing ex-istence in Christ (Revelation 6:9), and that we express the high honor due her by pictur-ing her as exalted to the very throne of God. Gospel: Luke 1: 39-56. The purpose of the Lucan passage is to bring out the connection between John, the precursor, and Jesus, his cousin, the Messiah. The pre-Lucan source came from the “Baptist” community and was transferred to Mary. Though the “Magnificat” is not an individual statement, yet at the same time it gives honor to Mary as the foremost in salvation economy.

Reflections: Gerald Darring commented that the song Luke puts in Mary’s mouth when she visits Elizabeth speaks of a God who has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. Mary

herself is a prime example of the lowly raised to high places: a poor and simple girl, a vir-gin from an insignificant part of the world, elevated to the status of Mother of God, and today raised body and soul to the glory of heaven. There is a fondness about God raising the lowly that makes it pleasing for us to accept, at least theo-retically. We react positively to the raising of a Mother There-sa from the status of lowly ser-vant of the hopeless to that of Nobel Peace Prize winner. We are less attracted to the idea of God deposing the mighty from their thrones, especially if we live in the “First World” and in the country that boasts of being first in the world. Mary said: The hungry he has given every good thing, while the rich he has sent empty away. This should come as good news to the poor, and should be of some concern to afflu-ent Americans, who belong to the richest five percent of the world’s population.

Vatican II, Constitution on the Church (1964) 69 declares that the entire body of the faith-ful must “pour forth persever-ing prayer to the Mother of God and Mother of men. Let them implore that she who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers may now, exalted as she is in heaven above all the saints and angels, intercede with her Son in the fellowship of all the saints.”

Postscript: This Friday, Au-gust 20, 2010, I will talk about

Nefful products and negative ions that, primarily and most importantly with God’s grace, enable me recover from my ill-ness in less than a year. Ions are everywhere and all around us. They’re electrically charged atoms, carrying either a posi-tive or negative charge. Nega-tive ions, found abundantly in pine forest and near oceans, are importantly needed to sus-tain life, fight pollutions and detoxify. When we lack access to and are deficient in nega-tive ions, our body chemistry changes—changes that lead to bouts of depression, physical fatigue and anxiety. The con-ference, however, is not open to the public. It is open only to a selected few invitees and friends.

Quotations of the week: St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Em-peror Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.

Today, the belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is universal in the East and in the West; according to Bene-dict XIV (De Festis B.V.M., I, viii, 18) it is a probable opinion, which to deny were impious and blasphemous.


858

PhilippineStories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

Chapter 19

“I won! I won!” Isabel was jumping with

joy. She had just won the bingo game the second time in a row that entitled her to the $5,000 bonus.

“I can’t believe it! I can’t believe it!” Mang Teban was beyond himself. “I’ve been playing this game for a long time but I don’t remember anyone ever winning the bonus!”

The players around them were also surprised. Here was a girl who played the game the first time ever, and right away, she got the top prize. Indeed, a very lucra-tive beginner’s luck, When everything settled down, Isabel collected her prize at the cashier’s window. It was a large stack of $100 bills which she could hardly count. She was still euphoric when she put them inside her bag. After a while, she told her companions: “Let’s go home.”

“Teka muna (Wait),” Mang Teban said. “Mayroon kang nakakalimutan (You forgot something).”

Isabel checked her bag, looked around and said, “No, I didn’t forget anything.”

“Yes, you forgot some-thing,” the old man insisted.

“What?” Isabel asked.“Iyong balato ko (My

balato [money given by a win-ner]).”

“Sorry, I forgot. I was so excited,” apologized Isabel.

She took a $50 bill from her bag and handed it to Mang Teban.

“What’s this?” he asked.“Your balato.”Mang Teban scratched his

head.“Hija, you won $5,000.

This is too small.”Isabel picked up another

$50 and gave it to the old man.

“Give me another $100,” the old man insisted.

“But I still have to give others like Albert and Ditas,” Isabel explained.

“Forget about them. Don’t even tell them that we went to the casino and you won so you won’t have a problem later on.”

Isabel gave Mang Teban the additional $100 he asked for.

“How about your Nana Munda?” Mang Teban pointed at his wife with his pursed lips.

Isabel was forced to get another $200 inside her bag and gave them to the old woman. She was like floating in the air as she walked out of the casino. She could not believe her good fortune. Not only was she able to marry a generous and good navy man who brought her to the United States, assuring her a bright future. She also won the much-sought after bingo prize.

Inside the bus, Mang Teban told her: “Mapapadalas ang punta mo dito sa casino, may-roon ka ng puhunan (You can now go to the casino often, you already have a capital).”

“I don’t know about that,”

Promised Land

The Lure of the GameIsabel replied. “Albert might not let me to go.”

“Why tell him?” Mang Teban said. “He doesn’t have to know.”

“What if he look for me during the day?”

“Aren’t you looking for a job? Then tell your husband you got a part-time job at the casino as a cashier. That way, he won’t be suspicious when you’re not home.”

Isabel was impressed with the creativity of the old man.

“Ang galing ninyo Tatang (You’re very good, Uncle),” she told him.

His wife, Aling Munda

was beam-ing with pride.

“Tala-gang maabil-idad iyong Tatang mo (You Uncle is really cre-ative in mak-

ing things work),” she

said. “He was a fixer in our

municipal hall.”Mang Teban was also

smiling proudly. He too was impressed with himself.

IT TOOK ISABEL THREE DAYS before she found the courage to join Mang Teban and Aling Munda in going back to the casino. She told Albert that she got a part-time job and was on call. He was pleased because finally his wife would be busy and productive. He knew the pay for such a job would be meager, so he didn’t bother to ask about it. Anyway, he had told her before that even though she was already earn-ing money, he would continue to give her $1,500 monthly allowance. Isabel finally was able to have her cake and eat it too, or so she thought. For after only playing at the casi-no for two weeks, she already lost half of her $5,000 win-nings. This was because she was not contented with play-ing bingo alone. She learned to bet in high stakes games like pai gow poker, black jack and the slot machines.

“I DON’T THINK I’LL BE BACK TOMORROW,” she told Mang Teban on their way home one time. “I’ve already lost so much.”

“Mababawi mo rin iyon, bubuenasin ka rin sa susunod (You will recover them soon, you will be lucky next time),” Mang Teban told her. He didn’t tell her that he and his wife were already $2,000 in debt at that time. The money they got from the wheel chair scam were all gone and they were already borrowing mon-ey just to be able to gamble.

But Isabel knew better. Coming from a poor family who had practically noth-ing, the loss of the $2,500, even though she did not earn them through hard work but through sheer luck in a bingo game, was too much for her to forget. She stayed home the next few days and told Albert that she was not feeling well. Albert told her to see a doc-tor, secretly hoping that she was pregnant with their baby. Isabel did not obey him as she was just faking her ailment. But boredom consumed her while she was at home. She tried to keep herself busy by

resuming her shopping sprees, but each time, the itch of gam-bling in the casino bugged her. She wanted to recover the $2,500 she lost and she knew that she could only do so if she played again, not if she just stayed home.

One day, she could not resist the temptation and showed up at the pickup place for the bus bound for the casino.

“Welcome back,” Mang Teban greeted her with open arms. At the back of his mind, the old man was gleefully thinking, “I knew you’ll be back. You’re also hooked like the rest of us.”

Isabel won $200 that day. “Not bad for a day’s

work,” she told herself. Her cousin Ditas would not earn that much even though she’s engaged in back-breaking work at McDonalds for twice the time.

But her losses later sur-passed her winnings. After another month, she already lost the rest of her $5,000 winnings. She was already gambling away the $1,500 allowance Albert was giv-ing her. On the third month, she could not even afford the $200 she would send to her mother back home.

“What happened to my

money?” her mother called her a week after the money failed to arrive.

“What money?” Isabel asked her.

“The $200 you promised to send to me every month.”

“But nanay (mother), I didn’t promise to do so every month. They are times when we are hard up also. What have you been doing to the dollars I sent you?”

Her mother could not answer. She could not tell her daughter that she lost the money in mahjong games.

“Basta magpadala ka lang (Just send money),” she hanged up the phone right away as she heard her husband about to enter the house from work. She didn’t want him to know that their daughter continued to send her money even though he advised her not to do so. For Isabel didn’t know about her father’s advise as her mother would intercept his letters to Isabel and throw them away.

ISABEL WOKE UP WITH A WEIRD FEELING ONE DAY. She decided not to go to the casino because she thought it might be an un-lucky day for her. Besides, she didn’t have much money to gamble with. Her allowance

for the month had already been lost, even though it was only the fifth day. Then the phone rang.

“How was your husband’s birthday yesterday?” It was Isabel’s cousin Ditas at the end of the line.

“How did you know it was his birthday?”

“Remember? His birthday is exactly a week after my own birthday. I called him up and greeted him yesterday.”

Isabel felt guilty. She totally forgot about it. She was busy gambling that she didn’t even see her husband that day. He left home while she was still asleep in the morning and he was already asleep when she arrived at midnight. She was consumed by a game she almost won.

“Oh my God, what did I do?” she asked herself.

Right away, she called Albert at work but she was told that he was out of the of-fice. She tried his cell phone but there was no answer. She kept calling the whole afternoon, but she could not get hold of

him. At seven in the evening, she started to get worried. Albert would normally arrive home at six and have din-ner with or without her. But today, a day after his birthday, he was nowhere to be found.

And then the door bell rang. What she saw when she opened the door shocked her. It would change her life in America forever. - AJ

(To be continued)

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


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

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

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

journalusa.com

Now Available:

Tawa’t Tula ng mga Piling Katatawanan

By Joe Cabrera

A Collecton of Jokes Written in Pilipino Verse

$10.00 a copy

Call Asian Journal San Diego619-474-0588

refused to appear at the inter-view. It is most like that the I-751 petition will be denied.

What happens if USCIS denies the I-751? Before USCIS can deny an I-751 petition, it must schedule an interview to give the condi-tional resident an opportunity to present evidence that the marriage was bona fide and not for the sole purpose of ob-taining immigration benefits. I’ve discussed in my previous articles what documents to present at the I-751 interview and I won’t be discussing them here. If USCIS denies the I-751 petition, it must provide written notice of the decision stating the reason for the denial. The foreign national loses his/her resident

When USCIS denies your I-751 petition

status, will be asked to sur-render his/her green card, and will be placed in removal proceedings. There is no ap-peal available from the district director’s denial of an I-751 petition. However, once the foreign national is in removal proceedings, he or she can ask the immigration judge to review the denial. The im-migration judge will make an independent determination of whether the I-751 should be approved.

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

Street Poetry

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

by Michael R. Tagudin

©2010 Michael R. Tagudin. All rights reserved.

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

The widow takes a look at her dear departed one right before the funeral and, to her horror, finds that he’s in his brown suit. She’d specifi-cally said to the undertaker that she wanted him buried in his blue suit; she’d brought it especially for that occasion, and she was distressed that the mortician had left him in

the same brown suit he’d been wearing when the lightning bolt hit him.

***

She demanded that the corpse be changed into the blue suit she’d brought espe-cially for that purpose. The undertaker said, “But madam! It’s only a minute or two until the funeral is scheduled to begin! We can’t possibly take him out and get him changed in that amount of time.

***

The Blue Suit The lady said, “Who’s pay-

ing for this?” Seeing the logic to this argument, a very re-luctant mortician wheeled the coffin out, but then wheeled it right back in a moment later. Miraculously, the corpse was in a blue suit.

***

After the ceremony, a well-satis-fied widow compliment-ed the un-dertaker on the smooth and speedy service. She especially wanted to know how he’d been able to get her husband into a blue suit so fast. The funeral director said, “Oh, it was easy. It happens that there was another body in the back room and he was already dressed in

a blue suit. All we had to do was switch heads!

***

A cowboy rode into town and stopped at a saloon for a drink. Unfortunately, the locals always had a habit of picking on strangers, which he was. When he finished his drink, he found his horse had been stolen. He went back into the bar, handily flipped his gun into the air, caught it above his head without even looking and fired a shot into the ceiling.

Talangkang BukidAking napapansing patuloy ang ulan sa mga bukirin,Na nagbibigay tingkad sa kulay ng palay at mga pananim.Sa tanim na sitaw at iba pang gulay sa tabing pilapil,Sumigla ang bulas sa biyayang dulot ng langit sa akin.

Pagtigil ng ulan ay aking pinasyal ang munting lupain,Kabighabighani ang luntiang kulay sa ihip ng hangin.Pakiwari ko ba, ang buong palayan, sumiglang pananim,Papagapagaspas, mandi’y nagsasayaw sa isang awitin.

Tumawag pansin sa pagkakamangha ang talangkang bukid,Sa biglang saya ay nagsilabasan sa lungga na putik.Naglipana silang mandi’y nagagalak sa lamig ng tubig,At sinag ng araw na nagsisimulang magbigay ng init.

Kay gandang pagmasdan ang talangkang bukid sa tabing damuhan,Sa kaunting lumot, nagpaikot-ikot at nasisiyahan.Kapag ang pagkain, biglang namataan ay naguunahan,Nagpapambuno, kung sinong mapalad ang makaka-agaw.

‘Gandang ngang pagmasdan ang pagliliwaliw ng talangkang bukid,Kung kaya naganyak sila’y paglaruan, hanggang sa manipit.Ang bahagyang kirot at bahagyang hapdi ay aking tiniis,Mabatid ko lamang ang kanilang buhay, ligaya’y kapalit.

Habang nagtatagal, tumitindi naman ang init ng araw,Umiinit na rin ang klema ng tubig sa buong palayan.Ang mga talangka, inot-inot na ring nangagpupulasan,Na ang tanging hanap, malamig na lugar na bilang kanlungan.

Iba ay nagtuloy sa sariling lungga na siyang tahanan,Nangagpapahinga, muling maghihintay, lumamig ang araw.Pagsapit ng hapon, ‘ligamgam na tubig ang tirang naiwan,Masiglang lalabas, muling magsasaya at maghahabulan.

Ganyan, laging ganyan, buhay ng talangka sa mga bukirin,‘Di tulad ng iba, sa palaisdaang, tubig ay malalim.Panapanahon lang ang kanilang buhay, habang may tubig din,‘Tapos ng sakahan, hihintaying muling umulan, magtanim.

Katha ni:Romeo S. NicolasBocaue, Bulacan4/22/2010


GiftGift...

gift from heaven...given to me...from above

granted to melike a childI am spoiled

Spoiled with pleasureTo the bones...

I am...I am...I am...Spoiled

Because...Because...You are...You are...

The Gift from heavenAlways...Always...

Accepted...Appreciated...Treasured...

I am humbled...Humbled...

Humbled by your presence!


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

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

by Conrad I. Reloj, Jr.

July signals the time for the Aklanons in San Diego to celebrate, mindful of their accomplishments, strong camaraderie and contributions to the quality of life in San Diego.

Every summer they turn their attention to the important aspects of their culture, al-ways mindful of their heritage

Aklan Association of San Diego County Summer Picnic 2010

and devotion to the Santo Nino, starting January with their annual Ati-Atihan cel-ebration (the original Mardi Gras); birthday parties, wed-dings, Mother’s and Father’s Day celebrations, summer picnics, Christmas holiday, and (this year) the election of officers of the Aklan Associa-

The Aklan Association of San Diego County, Inc. annual picnic and elections of officers for the year 2010 – 2012.

tion of San Diego County.They also embraced the

opportunity to participate in local civic functions: Phil-ippine Independence Day Parade and Celebration in Na-tional City; and this year, by being a part of the 4th Annual Filipino Culture Immersion Camp sponsored by the Fili-pino American Community, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church (OLMC) and Familia,

Congratulation is in order for the newly re-elected of-ficers of the Aklan Associa-tion of San Diego County led by Hedelyn Ipanto Pfander. The installation ceremony is scheduled to start at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, August 14, 2010 at the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Hernani Depositar, 2158 Hanford Drive, San Diego, California. Please confirm your reservations by calling (858) 279-8590.








YourInsurance





Gen Silverio


Agent



“Tatay” here with “Nanay” celebrating his birthday at their newly renovated house at East 8th St. National City, Ca. Tatay is Mr. Domingo Broas and Nanay is Mrs. Auro-ra Broas from Gen. Trias Cavite. They are well known as Tatay & Nanay because they treat their employees of their carehomes as sons & daughters. They are active in civic, religious & charitable organizations both here and in the Philippines.

May their trives thrives. Many Happy Returns of the Day. Everyones prayer during the birthday celebration.

(Fr. Shay’s columns are pub-lished in The Manila Times,

in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)

Good things are happening at the Manila Youth Rehabili-tation Center (MYRC) and the Reception and Action Center (RAC) for street children and other youth detainees in conflict with the law after a daring expose by the ANC television broadcast seen in the Philippines and around the world last 9 August. The report, “No place for a child”, made by an American student and researcher, Fulbright scholar Jessica Knowles, revealed horrific conditions that need urgent and immedi-ate action to end the abuse of children in Manila’s notorious

The Media Helps Save Children Behind Bars

youth jails. The Manila authorities

are now alert to the need to change the conditions of the children and work for the transfer of the minors to other facilities. The desperate condition of the young street children in the child detention

center was revealed in pic-tures and video taken by ANC television on a hidden camera. Former youths released after months and years detained inside without legal assistance recounted in interviews with Jessica Knowles being beaten and abused and sexually molested. The City of Manila, reportedly the wealthiest in Philippines, led by former Senator Mayor Alfred Lim, is challenged by the revela-tions. Mayor Lim claims all is adequate at the MYRC, the children are lucky to be fed three times a day he told the ANC reporter.

Mayor Alfred Lim, is famously remembered for his crackdown on the notorious sex bars and clubs in Manila’s tourist area and forced it to relocate to Angeles city. It has since returned. He also led the first anti-child pornogra-phy action in 2009 when the new anti-child porn law was

passed. He ordered the police to confiscate thousands of child porn compact disks and he destroyed them in public.

The courageous media ex-pose also revealed the horrible conditions inside the Taguig police jail where hundreds of prisoners are crowded to-gether and minors share cells with rapists and murderers. In interviews they said they were terrified and abused and cried on camera unable to contain their fear and anguish. One said he was forced by guards to do a sex act on another prisoner for the entertainment of the guards.

Another 16 year old re-vealed he was arrested and tortured by police. His toe-nails were beaten out and he was given electric shocks. He said when he was brought to the MYRC his food was not fit for pigs and he was always hungry and when he was stabbed by another inmate in the cell he was refused medi-cal treatment. The cell boss punished the younger chil-dren, some were raped.

The problem of child abuse in jail is compounded by the lack of compassion, failure to respect human rights, imple-mentation of the child protec-tion law and political failure to provide funds for decent children’s homes with best practice care. Child protection laws are not taken seriously by law enforcers.

Even the anti-child por-nography law that mandates Internet Server Providers (ISPs) to install filtering soft-ware and block internet access to degrading and shocking pictures of children being sexual abused is not yet being implemented by the tele-phone companies and internet service operators. Kids are abused there on-line just as they are in the horrific child cells of Manila despite the law forbidding it.

The Preda Foundation in Olongapo city has offered to take as many of the child prisoners as will be released and it can afford to support. It already has a beautiful home in the countryside with 65 children rescued from prison conditions and living a life of dignity and recovering as they prepare for a better future. The Foundation offers train-ing seminars to social workers on the successful program that can be replicated elsewhere.

Children in conflict with the law are being referred to the Preda home by compas-sionate judges and prosecutors in the Metro Manila family courts. They report to the court as needed. The majority have the charges against them dismissed eventually with the help of Preda paralegal of-ficers.

The children and youth are free to roam on an organic

farm, plants flowers and veg-etables, go to school, swim in the river, receive therapy and counseling and recover from the abuse they suffered. Dedi-cated Filipino professional social workers and psycholo-gists care and educate them. There is a 93 percent success rate as very few abscond. They remain voluntarily, recover and experience a new life of dignity, mutual respect, free of fear and violence but filled instead with affirmation, encouragement and spiritual inspiration.

The report, "No place for a child", by Jessica Knowles, revealed horrific conditions of children in Manila's notorious youth jails.


$50

Community

Congressman Bob Filner recently welcomed new intern Christopher Arcitio at his District Office in Chula Vista. Christopher grew up in National City, graduating from Sweet-water High School with a 4.03 GPA. He is currently working towards his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and So-ciology at the University of San Diego. After college, Chris-topher plans to attend law school. Individuals interested in interning for Congressman Filner may contact his office for more information by calling (619) 422-5963.

By Marissa Acierto

SAN DIEGO-On the mid-afternoon in the beginning of summer of 2010, a Luau theme celebration for the in-duction of the current officers that will be serving the Fleets Reserve Association (FRA), Branch 84 for 2010 - 2011. The event was held at the Filipino American Veterans Association (FAVA) building which has been a longstand-ing building that could be recognized as a historical landmark and building for the first Filipino Veterans who has established a one and only center in San Diego county located at 2927 Market Street.

The programme was ac-companied by many com-rades of military retiree affili-ates who also are in different branches honoring the current leadership who were going to be inducted and the former

Luau induction for FRA Branch, 84

Standing From Left to Right: Narrie Babao; a Officer of FRA, Branch 84; Nick Popaditch, 51st Congressional candi-date and member of the FRA; Manny Cabildo, President FRA; April Popaditch; Zena Babao and Dr. Maxine Sherard.

ones who have already served as a current officer. The event was a full house of over 100 members, families and guests. The Hawaiian theme was displayed through the apparel they were wearing in the tropical colorful motif of apparels.

The following officers of FRA, Branch 84 that were inducted were President Em-manuel “Manny” Cabildo; Ban Agonoy (1st Vice Presi-dent); Ernie Edraisa (2nd Vice President); Lee Leano (Secre-tary/Treasurer); Henry Em-peno (Chair, Public Relations Naval Affairs); Ray Cordivin (Chair, Health and Welfare); Rudy Saludares (Chair, Membership); Al Villanueva (Co-Chair, Membership); Jake Fune (Youth Programs); Flor Labiano (Americanism/Patrio-tism). Along with the officers of FRA, Ladies Auxiliary Unit 84: Bonnie Fejarang (Presi-dent); Joyce Vavias (Vice President); Liwayway Salu-dares (Secretary); Remedios

Aquino (Treasurer); Con-cepction Amaguin (Jr. Past President); Teresita Villarin (Chaplain); Evelyn Aquino (Sgt-At-Arms).

Fleets Reserve Association is the voice of enlisted sea service personnel on Capi-tol Hill and has been around since 1924. The primary mission is to support interests of current and former enlisted Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard especially for increased pay and benefits. They have many services such as a service for good-will for helping families for bereavement services offered to military veterans. In FRA Branch, 84, they have a des-ignated officer who goes to the members home at the time of need to make sure that they are o.k. such as the Chap-lain services. They promote annual scholarships through written essays and writing

skills among the youth and many other notable activities.

President Emmanuel “Manny” Cabildo spoke to one of the guests, “I am truly proud of our members and will continue to help and serve the core values of FRA Branch, 84. I appreciate all the guests that attended and their showed of support.” Meanwhile Nick Popaditch said, “I am so proud to be a FRA Member and will con-tinue to help and serve. I appreciate Manny for inviting many that are here.”

Guests representing Na-tional and Southwest region and their respective FRA Branch: Dan Spalding (Na-tional President, FRA, Branch 313, Oceanside, fmr); Gus Hermes (President South-west Region, FRA, Branch 61, Chula Vista, fmr); Glen Holz (Vice President South-west Region, FRA, Branch 289, Imperial Beach); Terry Mooney (President FRA, Branch 47, El Cajon); Tom

Thomason (National Chap-lain, FRA, Branch 289, imperial Beach, fmr); Gloria Tompkins (President South-west Region, Ladies Auxil-iary, Unit 61 and Unit 28). Other FRA members were Rick Lambert, Bert Andrade, Mr. Poblete, etc.

Meanwhile, special guest arrived were Dr. Maxine Sherard, a volunteer and boardmember of the Samahan Senior Center which is a proj-ect of the Philippine American Senior Community Asso-ciation of SD County. Zena Babao who is a columnist for the Asian Journal, and Narrie Babao currently a Police Of-ficer in San Diego County and a volunteer of Nick Popaditch, 51st Congressional District

candidate. Nick Popaditch a former U.S. Military Marine, war hero and a proud FRA Branch member. His wife Alice Popaditch who is a longstanding member of the Indian tribes being of Native Indian descent. Also, in at-tendance was Eddie Enriquez, co-founder of the Filipino American Community Em-powerment (FACE) and co-founder of PTE-HOPE, Inc.

The inductees current and former officers ended up with a luau delicacy of Fil-Am bis-tro food at its best which was complimentary from all the Officers of the Fleets Reserve Association Inductees and Members. Congratulation’s to the Fleets Reserve Associa-tion of San Diego County!

By Marissa Acierto

SAN DIEGO-A energized and gusto of support for can-didate Rick Powell for 78th State Assembly on the day of the annual Samahan Philip-pine Cultural Arts Festival at Balboa Park on August 7, 2010, Saturday and Sunday from the 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Team Powell flexes their support at the Samahan Philippine Cultural Arts

TEAM POWELL 2010 Standing Left to Right: Mr. Paloma; Joe Long; Michael Coronado; Jim Williams; Ryan Trabuco; Tom Brynwood; Gwen Coronado; June Olson; Christa Lee Ruth Brynwood; Clando Brownlee; Blanca Paloma, R.N.; Julio de Guzman; Katrina Gaffud-Benfer; Tom Mitchell; Kevin Bar-nick.

Rick Powell is a candidate for the 78th State Assembly. Powell was the top vote getter and Primary winner for the Republican Nominee. Pow-ell was a former Colonel and retired veteran for the U.S. Army. He served to fight for freedom for America during the Vietnam and Iraq era. He also specializes as a retired Federal Special Agent through U.S. Customs, ATF.

Powell through commu-nity support led the catwalk modeling on stage in a Fili-pino Barong Tagalog costume along with others which was organized by Barbara Yorobe

who is the Curator for the Philippine Cultural Museum in Downtown Gaslamp Dis-trict. He then took off to the Tea Party with the Doctor’s which was held at Spanish Landing nearby Harbor Island to lend his support.

Meanwhile, the Powell Team had a special surprise of their own in the Powell booth.

Katrina Gaffud-Benfer and Paul Benfer a philanthropist in the Fil-Am and mainstream community had a special surprise from one of the vol-unteers who gave a birthday specialty cake of Tres Leche (in Spanish it means three milk) and a box of sweet buns with meat. This traditional Mexican cake is known to be sweet, moist and delicious. A start of a new era to get Powell elected for Nov. 2, 2010 General Election, and a wonderful wish for Katrina

the birthday celebrant. Many people came to lend

support to the Team Powell’s booth such as Christa Lee Ruth Brynwood (Campaign Manager); Joe Long; Julio de Guzman; Gwen Coronado; Michael Coronado; Dean Jess; Gracie Jess; Blanca Pal-oma, R.N.; Clando Brownlee; Kevin Barnick; June Olson; Zena Babao; Narrie Babao; Nick Popaditch (Candidate for 51st Congressional District); Ryan Trabuco; De Le; Tom

Brynwood; Tom Mitchell; Jim Williams; Mr. Paloma; Meg Whitman’s Rep.; Ron Robert’s Rep.; Carly Fiorina’s Volunteers; CRP Rep.; and many others.

For further info (www.voterickpowell.com) on how to volunteer or donate to Rick Powell for the 78th State As-sembly, contact Operations Manager, Jacqui Nguyen-Bootz at [email protected] or [email protected]

The U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition, the largest sand-sculpting competition in the United States, wrapped up the 30th anniversary of the competition on Sunday in the sleepy beach town Imperial Beach. Standing in the center of Pier Plaza along Seacoast Drive, the local ten-man team, fondly known as IB Posse, re-claimed the title of the Masters Division A and a

Winners Announced at U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition

-Top Title Claimed by Local Boys “IB Posse”-

IB Posse’s “Got Oil?” won over the judges with its depiction of a fisherman in a boat surrounded by sickly sealife while a broken pipe spewed oil.

cash prize of $5,000 with its rendition of the recent British Petroleum oil spill debacle, “Got Oil?”.

“We learned our lesson after last year,” said long-time team member Mark Durazo. “Archisand brought some-thing relevant with Michael Jackson last year, and we wanted people to connect. It was a team effort to come up



Ni Pete CortezSan Diego, CA

Marami na ang pnhon sa ti’y nagsilipasHumantong an ating buhay na kaiba sa lahatTayo’y nagkalayo at ngkahi-hiwalayKami’y napunta sa bansang paglayo-layo.

Ang simula ng ating buhay alala pa kaya ninyoMadalas masasaya tayo nuong mg bata pa kayoKita at dama namin ang pagmamahalan ninyoKaya laking pasasalamat namin sa Dakilng Lumikha

Kapag araw ng Linggo at ako’y kapiling ninyoSa simbahan sa umaga’y tayo’y sama-sama Madalas panalangin ng magandang Ina ninyo‘wag sanang magbago ang pagtitinginng ganito.

Sa inyong pag-aaral tandang-tanda ko paLahat kayo’y nais mataos sa kursong kinuha ninyoKami ng inyong Ina’y panalagin para da lahatTulungan ni Lord at bigyan ng lakas.

Patuloy na tumatamis larawan ng buhayKung bakit nuon dumating ang pagkakataon na kayo’y

iwanMay dumating na balita na maaaring mag-ibang bansaMabilis na pinuntahan totoo nga ang balita

Sa munisipyo’y walang makapaniwalaNa ako’y magbibitiw bilang Sekretaryo MuniiapalPinilit na ipinasok sa aking isipanNa ito’y handog ng Puong Maykapal.

Masakit ang pangyayari lalo’t very close ang familyPaano ko titisin ang patuloty na mawawalaySadya kaya ng buhay lagi na lang may hadlangUpang tayo’y masubukan hanggang saan ang pagmama-

halan.

Upsng mlimutan pagkawalay sa pmilyaSa trabaho’y sinubsub lahat ng oras at isipanSa kabila nito’y damdamin ay kaiba di tulad nuong kapiling

ang pamilyaKaya’t ang buhay naging ibang iba.

Bawat ora n lumipas paghihirap na suson-susonLaging hanap pa rin ang pamilyang sadyang mahalKaya ako’y nagpasya na uuwi na sanaIiwan ng kontrato tapos ay hindi pa.Nang ako’y magpaalam ang Boss ay nagitlaKaya’t pinabalk ilang lingo pa ngaDoble ang panala0ngin at humingi ng tulongTama ba o hjndi sng ginawang desisyon

Dumating isang lingo bigla n lang ginulantangPagating ng Boss sa aking tirahanMay dalang pagkain prutas at iba paAt ang wika’y may promoltion da akin naghihintay

Biglang natulala at hindi makapaniwala Ako naman ang nakiusapilang araw ako’y bigyanParang narinig mula sa kung saanTanggapin mo ito ito’y handog ko a iyo.

Project manager na ako ng pumasokDinatnan sa opisina liham pasasalamatLahat ng paghihirap kusang tinupadKahit walang utos na gawin ang lahat.

Bahagyang nawaglit isipan sa pamilyaBinuhos ang oras sa trabo sa opisina Nakilala ang sipag at angking talinoLumago ang kupanya ang Boss s’yang –siya.

Dahil dito’y natupad ang ambition sa buhay ninyoLahat kayo’y natapos sa kursong kinuha ninyoLuha ng kagalakan ay di mapigilanLalo’t may medalyang isasbit sa inyo’y iyaalay

Maala pa kaya ninyo lahat ng sinaydayTunay na kasaysayan ng abang magulang ninyoAko’t kayo ang gumanap, may lungkot o ligayaTakda marahil ng panahon sa buhay ko’t sa buhay ninyo

Laging pangaral namin ng nagulang ninyoDi lamang sa amin pasasalamt dapat ibigyUna sa lahat a Dakilang NaglalangPangalawa sa magulang as sa inyo’y dapat din

KAPAG DUMATING TAKDANG ORAS NAMINBAWIIN ANG BUHAY HIRAM SA MAYKAPALITOY ITANIM SA ISIPAN AT ‘WAG KALILIMUTANDADALHIN SA KABILANG BUHAY LIGAYANGDULOT NINYO DITO S MUNDONG IBABW.

Maalala Pa Kaya Ninyo Images of America: Fili-

pinos in San Diego, a book focusing on the lives of Filipinos in San Diego from the turn of the 20th century to the present through historical narratives and archival pho-tographs, will be launched on August 21, 2010 at 2:00 pm at the House of the Philippines in Balboa Park in downtown San Diego.

The release of this book is timely as there is a growing interest on the increasingly visible Filipinos, the largest Asian American group in San Diego, numbering nearly 1 million according to the 2000 US Census.

The book is authored by Dr. Judy Patacsil, Dr. Rudy Guevarra Jr., and Professor Felix Tuyay of the San Diego chapter of the Filipino Ameri-can Historical Society and published by Arcadia Publish-ing.

Filipinos have been a part of the history of the United States and San Diego for over 400 years. The Manila-Acapulco galleon trade ships included Filipinos on sailing expeditions to California, in-cluding the port of San Diego. After the Philippines became a territory of the United States in 1898, many Filipinos began

Book Launch of Filipinos in San Diegoimmigrating to San Diego. The community grew rapidly, particularly in the 1920s and 1930s. After World War II, Filipino veterans returned with their war brides and the community began to build further. The Immigration Act of 1965 increased Filipino immigration into San Diego to include military personnel, especially those enlisted in the U.S. Navy, as well as profes-sionals.

All three authors are native born San Diegans. Dr. Patacsil is a second-generation Fil-ipina American born in San Diego to pioneering immi-grant parents. Dr. Guevarra is a fourth-generation Filipino American, born and raised in San Diego, and is a descen-dant of pioneering Filipino great-grandparents. Prof. Tuyay is a second-generation Filipino American who has taught Asian American Stud-ies and Filipino American History in San Diego for over 30 years.

Dr. Patacsil, who is also the president of FANHS San Diego chapter, notes that, “It is our hope that the book contributes to the literature on Filipino Americans so that we are more accurately situated in history. We hope

that it contributes to a better understanding of the lives of Filipino Americans, especially in San Diego.”

The San Diego chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) is an active commu-nity organization composed of community members and leaders, scholars, researchers, professionals, and students. The mission of FANHS is to promote the understanding, appreciation, and enrichment of Filipino history and culture through the identification, gathering, preservation, and dissemination of information on Filipino Americans in the United States.

The August 21 book launch event is free and open to the public and is hosted and co-sponsored by the House of the Philippines. To RSVP and for more information, please contact [email protected].








YourInsurance





Gen Silverio


Agent



actress-TV host kung ano ang problema nilang mag-asawa, alang-alang sa anak nilang si Baby James.

Up to now, pinaninindigan ni Kris ang desisyong ito and we presume na as of press time, wala pang bagong devel-opment as far as her feelings are concerned since wala pa siyang bagong statement.

Samantala, narito naman ang kabuuan ng statement ni James na ipinadala sa media last Thursday:

“Kilala niyo po naman ako. Tahimik at simple lang akong tao. Tingin ko rin, itong lahat na issues na naglalabasan, siguro dapat kami na lang mag-asawa ang mag-aayos in private.

“Ever since naman, never niyo akong naringgan ng kung anu-ano tungkol sa relasyon namin ni Kris. Kaya konti lang ang gusto kong sabihin.

“Naniniwala ako sa ka-halagahan ng pagkakaroon ng buong pamilya. Kaya ipagla-laban ko na mapanatiling buo ang pamilya namin ni Kris anuman ang mangyari. Alam ko, walang pamilyang hindi dumaan sa ganitong pagsubok.

“Marami na kaming di-naanang pagsubok ni Kris before and I don’t think na ngayon pa kami susuko. Gusto ko talagang i-save ang pag-sasama namin dahil siyempre, may anak kami at hindi biro ang halos anim na taon naming pagsasama.

“Umaasa pa rin ako na darating ang tamang panahon na maaayos ang lahat.

“Marami nang lumabas na mga balita at mas pinili ko na manahimik muna bilang pag-galang sa ating bagong Presi-dente Noynoy Aquino.

“May nagtatanong din tungkol sa hindi ko pagsipot sa inauguration ni President Noynoy Aquino. Nagkausap kami at nag-text ako kay Presi-dent Noynoy at naiintindihan niya ako.

“Ayokong makadagdag pa sa napakalaking problema na kakaharapin niya bilang bagong presidente ng ating bansa.

“At isa pa, nangako ako kay Mom Cory na hindi ko paba-bayaan ang pamilya namin. Na aalagaan ko si Kris, si Josh at si Baby James. Nangako rin kami ni Kris sa harap ni Mom Cory na hindi kami maghihi-walay.

“Alam kong mahirap para sa anak ko ang nangyayaring ito sa amin ng Mama niya pero alam kong darating ang pana-hon na maiintindihan niya ang sitwasyon. May tamang oras at panahon ang lahat.

“Baby James, ginagawa ko ito dahil sa pagmamahal ko sa pamilya natin. Gusto kong mapanatiling buo ang pamilya natin.

“Kris, marami na tayong pinagdaanan na mas mabigat na problema pa rito pero hindi talaga ako bumitaw.

“Nanahimik ako palagi bilang respeto sa pamilya natin na hanggang sa ngayon ay gusto ko pa ring manatiling buo.

“Mahal na mahal ko kayo ng anak ko, pati na si Josh na tunay na anak na ang turing ko.

“Inuulit ko, it’s final, ip-aglalaban ko ang pagsasama ng pamilya natin. At sa tulong ng Diyos, alam kong malalam-pasan natin ang pagsubok na ito!”

I prefer to keep my dignified

silence — Kris



(619) 474-0588

Internationally acclaimed pianist Raul M. Sunico will perform in a benefit concert sponsored by Gawad Kalinga USA and the Philippine Medi-cal Association of Nevada at a 7 PM Thursday, Aug 26 at Desert Spring United Method-ist Church., 120 N. Pavilion Center Dr., Las Vegas. Gen-eral admission is $20.00.

Filipino pianist Sunico is praised for his “unusual gifts of lyricism and poetry in his playing, as well as great brilliance” by his eminent mentor, Sacha Gorodnitzki. He has earned international recognition as a concert pia-nist, orchestral soloist and a composer-arranger of Philip-pine music.

Excelling in a number of international competitions,

he has won many awards including a silver medal in the Viotti International Piano Competition in Vercelli, Italy; the Henry Cowell Prize in the University of Maryland Piano Competition; a TOYM (The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines) Award for Music in 1986; and a KATHA Award for Best Solo Instrumental Recording in 1999 given by the Philippine recording industry.

Sunico has done solo recitals in many countries including the Philippines and the USA, Canada, Austra-lia, Austria, France, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain

Pianist Raul Sunico To Perform for GK Benefit

and India. He has performed at the Lincoln Center and the Town Hall in New York, the Knoxville World’s Fair in Tennessee, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania and in other performance halls in about 20 other states.

Sunico has recorded more than 40 compact discs and cassettes, including 15 vol-umes of Filipino folk songs and kundimans that he ar-ranged for classical piano.

He graduated from the University of the Philippines with degrees of Bachelor of Music (cum laude) and B. S. in Mathematics and Master of Statistics. A scholarship from the Young Artists Foundation of the Philippines enabled him to attend the Juilliard School of Music in New York where

he received a Master of Music degree.

Sunico is concur-rently the Artistic Director of the Philip-pines and Dean of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of

Music. He also has official roles with various organiza-tions including the Foundation for the Musical Filipino and the Sunico Foundation for the Arts and technology.

Proceeds from this concert will go to Gawad Kalinga USA which aims to help the poorest among the poor by “building homes and rebuild-ing lives.”

For tickets and sponsor-ships, contact: Cielo Martinez, (702) 494 – 9155; Louis Go-sioca (702) 372 – 9727; Tito Arellano (702) 439 – 7740 and Luz Sapin Micabalo (702) 360-4148.

PNP revamp looms

PNS -- ANOTHER reshuf-

fle of key Philippine National Police posts will take effect this week with the retirement of Deputy Director General Jefferson P. Soriano on Friday.

Today, Chief Supt. Artemio Hicban, Jr. of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1978 will take over as the new regional director of the Police Regional Office 4-B which has jurisdiction over the prov-inces of Mindoro Oriental, Mindoro Occidental, Marin-duque, Romblon and Palawan.

Hicban will replace his re-tiring mistah, Chief Supt. Paul Mascarinas.

On Friday, there will be an upward movement at the PNP with the early retirement of Soriano.

Sources said Deputy Direc-tor General Perfecto P. Palad will replace Soriano as deputy chief for administration, a post he held for two weeks just like Director Raul M. Bacalzo who will be the new deputy chief for operations vice Palad.

Bacalzo, the Chief of Directorial Staff, will be re-placed by Director Benjamin A. Belarmino, Jr.

Sources said Belarmino will be replaced as Director for Research and Develop-ment by Chief Supt. Lani-O R. Nerez, who is currently the Police Regional Office 7 director in Central Visayas . Chief Supt. Ager Ontog is re-portedly set to replace Nerez at the PRO7.

Chief Supt. Nicanor A. Bartolome, of the Police-Comnunity Relations Group, is also set to be designated as the new PRO4-A director in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna,

Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) region vice Chief Supt. Rolan-do R. Anonuevo. Sources said Anonuevo will be the new head of the Directorate for In-tegrated Police Operations in Southern Luzon vice retiring Director Eric Q. Javier.

Soriano and his batchmates last week said they will retire

early from the service to allow their underclassmen to occupy their posts. He said he opted to retire on August 13 instead of Nov. 1 this year.

Sources also said Soriano, a former commander of the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Spe-cial Operations Task Force, is one of the top contenders for

the Philippine Drug Enforce-ment Agency’s top post.

Another classmate, Direc-tor Romeo C. Hilomen, retired two weeks ago to give way to Chief Supt. Rey L. Lanada who is the new Director for Comptrollership.


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

journalusa.com


(619) 702-3051

A philosophy professor stood before her class and had some items in front of her. When the class began, silently she picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks. She then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. She shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between

the rocks. She then asked the students again if the jar was full. They again agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. Now, said the professor, I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The

Always room for morepebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are criti-cal to your

happiness. Play with

your chil-

dren.

Take time to get medical

check-ups. Take your part-ner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a din-ner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

But then... A student then took the jar which the other students and the professor agreed was full, and proceed-ed to pour in a glass of beer. Of course the beer filled the remaining spaces within the

jar mak-ing the jar truly full. The moral of this tale is that no matter how full your life is, there is always room for BEER.

with the idea, and we couldn’t be more excited.”

The life-size sand sculp-ture, made up entirely of sand and water, included a broken oil pipe, a scuba diver at-tempting to fix the leak, and a fisherman in a BP boat at-tempting to save sick marine-life from the ocean waters.

IB Posse’s friendly rivals, award-winning team Ar-chisand, took second place with their sculpture “Merlin’s Magic Water Castle,” and rounding out the Masters A division was team Sand Squir-rels with “Chicks in Bikinis.”

The teams in the Masters A division were not the only ones Sunday who brought their A-game. With a total of 42 teams competing, includ-ing teams from Italy, Australia and Quebec, there were plenty of sand creations to see, and plenty of cash prizes awarded.

The first-place title of the Masters Division B was claimed by team Sandy Tales with “The Sands of Time,” and second place went to Sand Formers with another take on the British Petroleum oil spill, “BP – A Real Sea Monster.”

First place for the ama-teur categories were award-ed to:

• Best Sculpture went to Rando’s Commandos with “It’s California’s Fault,”

• Best Classic California Replica went to The Silicate Based Life Forms with “Strip Tease,” and

• The Castles of Your Mind category went to the Sand Joaquin Sand Fleas with “Heaven’s Ranch.”

Presented by Cox Commu-nications, the two-day event drew in around 400,000 spec-tators from all over the world, and even garnered internation-al media attention. The event may be homegrown, but it is

Winners Announced at U.S. Open Sandcastle

Competition

no longer a backyard event. One cameraman and reporter team came from China.

“The buzz around the competition this year has been growing for some time now,” said Debbie Longley, U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition chairperson. “I know we have something great but I think it surpassed even my own expectations this year. It was truly incredible.”

About the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition:

The event that started out with 30,000 attendees has grown to attract more than 400,000 over a three-day weekend. The competition began in 1980, when a group of Imperial Beach residents decided to form a committee and host the first event after being inspired by a similar competition in their sister city of White Rock, British Co-lumbia. For more information, visit the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition’s website at www.usopensandcastle.com.

2010 N.M.A.T. SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

Los Angeles, 11 August 2010 – The National Medical Ad-

mission Test (NMAT) for 2010 will take place in El Segundo, California on 6 November 2010.

Students planning to pursue medical studies in the Philip-pines can take the qualifying examinations required by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) without going to the Philippines. The Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. (CEM), which is based in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines was commissioned by the CHED to administer the annual NMAT in the US and the Philippines.

Interested parties may contact Mr. Godfrey Vergara, the NMAT coordinator for Los Angeles, his contact details are as follows:

U.S. Address: GODFREY VERGARA P.O. Box 3553 Granada Hills, CA 91394-0553 Tel: (818) 612-4490 (cell) | (818) 997-7117 E-mail: [email protected]


Rooms for RentNo Smoking, No Drugs . In a quiet National City residential neigh-

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To:

From: Eugene De Leon

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

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

lines, it costs

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

Fax #

If approved please sign and fax back to

(619) 474-0373

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

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

08/13/10

Debbi Snaith

4x2.5x10100

SANDAG Announces Funding Grants for Senior, Disabled, Low Income, and Reverse Commuter Transportation Services

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) invites programs providing transportation services for seniors, low income, reverse commuters, and persons with disabilities to apply for funding under the TransNet Senior Transportation Mini-Grant, New Freedom, and Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) programs. There are two years of Senior Transportation Mini-Grant funds available, totaling approximately $2 million, for projects throughout San Diego County. There is one year of grant funding available for the JARC and New Freedom pro-grams, totaling approximately $1.6 million and $940,000 respectively, to fund projects in the San Diego urbanized area. Matching funds are required for all grants, however, the percentage of matching funds required varies with the type of grant requested. SANDAG may award grants to local government agencies, tribal governments, social service agencies, private and public operators of public transportation, and nonprofit organizations. The grant applications and related materials are available at www.sandag.org/CoordinatedPlan, or by writing to SANDAG, Attn: JARC/NF/SMG, 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101. The deadline to submit applications is 5 p.m., Friday, November 12, 2010. To request this document or related reports in an alternative format, please call (619) 699-1900, (619) 699-1904 (TTY), or fax (619) 699-1905.

To:




lines, it costs


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08/13/10

Suzanne O’Kane

1.5x4x1040

DATA LIBRARIAN

The Data Librarian will support a broad range of agency projects, programs, and initiatives by improving data collection and maintenance procedures and participating in the design and development of comprehensive, user-friendly databases. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree with major course work in library science, information science, or a related field, and one to three years of progressive career development collecting and compiling data, preferably in a research or regional planning environment. This is a limited term position. SANDAG of-fers competitive salaries and benefits. Visit www.sandag.org/jobs or call (619) 699-1900 for information. Closes: August 20, 2010. EOE.

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07/30/10

B Jones

4x3.5x10140

City of San DiegoDraft San Diego Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, The City of San Diego invites citizens to participate in the preparation of the San Diego Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Hous-ing Choice (AI). The AI is an analysis that represents conclusions about impediments to fair housing choice, as well as actions necessary to address any identified impediments.

Notice is hereby given that the 30-day public review from July 1, 2010 through July 30, 2010 has been extended to August 17, 2010. The purpose of the review is to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the analysis, conclusions on impediments to fair housing choice and solutions to mitigate or remove such impedi-ments.

The draft document will be available in the reference section of all City of San Diego libraries and at the CDBG Program office located at 1200 Third Avenue, Suite 1400, San Diego, CA 92101. The plan will also be available for review on the City’s CDBG Program website (www.sandiego.gov/cdbg/general/) and the Housing Commis-sion’s website (www.sdhc.org.).

A schedule of any community meetings in which the draft AI will be presented will be listed on the City’s CDBG Program website. Public comments may be provided at these meetings or can be submitted in writing to the CDBG Program office in person, via mail, or via e-mail ([email protected]). All information and updates regarding this process will be posted on the City’s CDBG website.

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SAN DIEGO --- U.S. Cus-toms and Border Protection officers at three major ports of entry along the California / Mexico border seized more than $2.3 million worth of crys-tal methamphetamine hidden in inside secret areas of vehicles.

The most significant seizure occurred at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Friday at about 4 p.m., after 39-year-old female Mexican national driving a Chevy Tahoe attempted to enter the country. CBP offi-cers noticed anomalies while inspecting the vehicle. A CBP K-9 team was summoned and a narcotic detector dog alerted to the vehicle. After an intensive inspection CBP officers discov-ered a specially modified gas tank that contained 25 packages of crystal meth with an esti-mated street value of more than $1,059,000.

The following day at about 6:30 a.m., CBP officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry inspected an older Mercedes Benz driven by a 30-year-old male U.S. citizen.

A CBP K-9 team was sum-moned to the vehicle and the narcotic detector dog alerted leading officers to perform an intensive inspection.

Subsequently, officers dis-covered six cylindrical pack-ages hidden in the vehicle’s

CBP in San Diego and Imperial Valley Seize $2.3 Million in Crystal Methamphetamine

rocker panels that contained crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $552,000.

On Sunday, CBP officers at the Calexico Port of Entry inspected a late model Mitsubi-shi SUV driven by a 24-year-old U.S. citizen female. A CBP K-9 alerted to the vehicle while waiting in line to cross into the U.S. CBP officers directed the driver to secondary inspection.

During inspection, officer discovered a gas tank with a specially built compartment that contained 35 packages of crystal meth with a value of $695,376.

The total weight of the three seizures was 128 pounds with an estimated street value of more than $2.3 million.

Pete Flores, San Diego CBP assistant director for trade said “I am proud of the outstanding work the officers at our south-ern ports of entry consistently do to keep our communities safe from these drugs and the crime it generates. These significant seizures have dealt a blow to the smuggling organi-zations.”

CBP officers seized the drugs and the vehicles and turned over the custody of the three individuals to U.S. Immi-gration and Customs Enforce-ment Agents. All are awaiting arraignment at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego.

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It is already built and therefore no risk involved. With only 10% down 1. payment, you can already move in, use and enjoy your place.It has a beautiful view of Taal Volcano and the Lake.2. It is an ideal retirement as well as vacation place3. Its elevation is almost 3,000 feet, providing a cool climate and an environ-4. mentally-friendly surrounding.There are only a few units left, only 38 residential condos well-equipped 5. with appliances and are ready for occupancy. The units come in 1, 2, & 3 bedrooms, all with condominium amenities like being cable ready, modu-lar cabinets, standby generators, elevators, indoor swimming pool, func-tion rooms, fitness center, gym and a club house. As owner, you automatically become a member of the Country Club and 6. the Golf Course We’re able to arrange a Down Payment Scheme of 10% Payable in Six 7. (6) Months and upon completion of the Down Payment, you can already move in.

To reserve a space in the presentation, call (619) 746-3416.

The Schedule of Presentations in San Diego and Temecula:

September 2 – 6: San Diego:September 7: Temecula

September 8 – 9: San DiegoSeptember 10: Temecula

September 11 to 12: San Diego

Call (619) 746-3416 for more information and reservation for presentation.(See ad on page 24)


ments in business which grew at an average of P2 million annually. No details on the nature of these investments were given.

Election issue

Corruption is an issue that has been raised against Binay in every election since 1988, including the one held three years ago, when he fielded his wife while he was waiting for his term to pass.

Each time the charges—bloated payrolls, overpriced equipment and supplies, grease money demanded from businessmen, and hefty commissions from projects and purchases—would prove

immaterial to voters, as Binay would always win hands down.

To the poor, who com-pose almost half of Makati’s 505,203 population, Binay is the champion who has delivered to them the goods and ser-vices by pounding on the rich to pay their taxes.

The local opposi-tion recognizes that it would be a “dif-ficult climb” trying to downplay what Binay has given the poor, patronage politics being a concept that voters do not seem to regard as negative.

Free education in a uni-

versity that would shame private institutions in terms of structures and equipment, access to free medical care in the expensive Makati Medical Center, burial assistance for

families who have lost loved ones, basketball courts and paved roads—as long as they benefit from these, residents

of depressed barangays are unlikely to question whether these are their rights and not acts of goodwill from Binay.

“We cannot deny the fact that Binay has been deliver-

ing to Makati’s poor more than what they ever had before,” said Councilor Mark Joseph, one of the only two opposi-tionists in the local legislative body. “What our constitu-ents should be made aware of is what he is not delivering.

Where people need medicine, they are given roads. Where people training for livelihood, they are given cement.”

The Lord of Makati


the FMGs what is rightfully due them.

We need to let the local state, and even the national organization of our profession itself know where we stand on this issue. Let them know how we feel, what we think.

But whatever the means of our involvement in the furtherance of this cause, we need to have a strong, coordinated, and continuing commitment. We will need time, effort, and even money to achieve our goals and we should be willing to give that much as the price for the rec-ognitions of our rights. Yes, the Michigan initiative is a big move. They ought to be congratulated. We need cou-rageous men like them. But, in any politics, it’s not the big moves that count. Seldom is a fight won with one series of jabs and good footwork. This metaphor applies also to any political activity. We, as phy-sicians, seem to have limited appreciation of the importance of grass roots work. This fight is not over yet. We must use the phone and write short letters to the AMA House of Delegates. We have very ca-pable and effective leaders in our association, but the whole of our brief phone calls and short letters is greater than the sum of all its parts.

Our profession is not only our livelihood; it is also the symbol of our commitment to the physical well-being of mankind, of whatever color or creed, of whatever nationality or ethnic identity or political persuasion.

So, write that letter now to your congressmen and sena-tors. Pick up that phone and

From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

Valeditory Address as President of the Philippine Medical Association of

San Diego Countycall!

Having served for Con-gressman Jim Bates as liaison for the Asian Community in San Diego and as a member of the Asian-American Advi-sory Committee, I was able to inform him of the situation. Together with the members of the Filipino Medical As-sociation of San Diego, we had the congressman apprised of the discriminatory prob-lem and our goal to stop the current surge of legislation discriminatory to minority groups. Congressman Bates was a guest speaker of the APPA Annual Convention and Scientific meeting at St. Louis Missouri. A few other members of the U.S. Con-gress and Senators came to our aid. Eventually, all of our concerted efforts against discrimination of FMGs led to the passage of an anti-dis-crimination legislation signed into law by President George Bush in 1992. In union there is strength.It was my strong belief that FMGs or IMGs physicians should be consid-ered to the same professional and licensing requirements that applied to U.S. medical school graduates. It was the collective efforts of the IMGs to organize and influence policy that led to the passage of anti-discrimination legisla-tion—1992 Health Profes-sions Reauthorization Act. It was a struggle that became a success and lionizes IMGs’ persistence and the U.S. system.

(Continued next issue)

(About the author: Dr. Cesar D. Candari, a native of

Pandan, Antique in the Philip-pines was a long time resident and medical practitioner of San Diego County where he was an active community leader, having been one of the three Filipino American doctors who founded Opera-tion Samahan and its medi-cal clinic. He had served in various capacities as officer of different professional, civic and community organiza-tions. He is now retired and living in Henderson, Nevada. This book, “From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipi-no American Doctor” is being published by Green Mango Books, a division of Asian Journal San Diego and will be released in September 2010. To order copies of the book with a 20% pre-publication discount off the $12.95 selling price, call (619) 474-0588.)

(Read previous install-ments of this memoir in www.asianjournalusa.com)


(619) 746-3416See page 23 for schedule of presentations

in San Diego and Temecula

asian journal aug 13, 2010

Documents