Asian Journal April 29 to May 5, 2011 edition

The Essence of Worship .. p 14

Divine Mercy Sunday: Faith in good and bad times .. p 11

(Continued on page 6)

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April 29 - May 5, 2011

Zena BabaoMsgr. Gutierrez Balik TanawCondo Living Meant

for a Star .. p 18


A GOOD MISSION ACCOMPLISHED DESERVES A GOOD BOODLE FIGHT. In appreciation for the help of the civilian community and the military in Palawan, Lingkod Timog sponsored a “boodle fi ght”. Boo-dle fi ght, what is it? A military style of eating. Boodle fi ght is a symbol of brotherhood. where food is served and spread on top of the banana leaves. The prepared Filipino food usually is steamed rice, chicken and pork adobo, squid adobo, hard-boiled egg and the ever present, pancit, should be eaten with bare hands by a group of people. No plates. No spoon. No fork. Maybe some people will fi nd it unhygienic or uncultured, but some-times you cannot be too choosy, especially when you want to survive in the middle of nowhere. You just have to satiate your starving stomach, or else. See story on page 10, “US-Based Humanitarian Group Returns from February 2011 Medical Mission in the Philippines”

By David Dizon abs-cbnNEWS.com -- MANILA, Philippines – Senate whistle-blower Jose “Boy” Barredo on Monday said fi rst Ombuds-man Merceditas Gutierrez and then former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should be held accountable for their roles in the P728 million fer-tilizer fund scandal.

In an interview on ANC’s “Headstart,” Barredo said the fertilizer fund scandal, which saw millions of pesos in agri-culture funds go to Arroyo’s allies in 2004, would not have happened without Arroyo’s orders.

“Malaki po ang panini-wala ko na aabot po iyon kay GMA. Unang-una, meron akong mga letter-requests ng mga mayor pero na submit ko na iyon. What I still have are the envelopes. These are direct letter-requests to the President,” he told Headstart host Karen Davila.

He said that after the scan-dal came out, the Offi ce of the Ombudsman did not press charges against any of the personalities involved until 6 years later. Inaction on the fertilizer scandal is one of 6 impeachment charges leveled against Gutierrez before the Senate.

Barredo, a self-confessed, low-level runner in the scan-dal, told the Senate that he helped facilitate the release of millions of pesos in fertil-izer funds to Arroyo’s allies in Central Luzon and Western Visayas.

The funds, amounting to P728 million, were released in the run-up and even after the 2004 presidential election allegedly to ensure Arroyo’s victory in the polls.

Barredo said he haggled with various politicians in the 2 regions about their proposed commissions in the fertilizer funds. Commissions ranged from 25%-40% of the al-locations, with the lowest commission amounting to P3 million, he said.

Once a politician agrees to his commission, Barredo said the Department of Agriculture prepares a memorandum of

agreement between the propo-nent and the DA regional fi eld offi ce director.

‘First Merci, then GMA should pay for fertilizer scam’Complicated Affairs

“I Love You Po”By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor in Chief

Asian Journal, the original and fi rst Asian Journal in California and the USA

Chapter 14

After drinking his fi fth beer of the night, Monte went to the restroom to take a leak. On his way back to the VIP room, he heard familiar laughter from one

of the tables near the stage, specifi cally from a member of their tour group who had gone to the bar the other night. He was with the other tour group members. Monte was surprised. He thought the group went to Tagaytay that evening and did not expect to see them there.

Surreptiously, he walked on the other side of the huge room, hoping the group would not notice him. About to open the VIP room he had booked, he felt a touch on his shoul-der.

“Aha, here you are! You thought you could hide from us?”

Monte was taken aback. It was Joey, his boisterous friend from New York who had invited him to the bar the other night. Monte had declined the invitation, afraid his misadventures might reach

Candidates for the Philippine Faire 2011 were presented last April 26, 2011 at the Council of Philippine American Organizations – San Diego. Coronation of the candidates will be held on May 14, 2011 at the Town and Country Inn at 6:00 p.m. Photo shows the candidates with offi cers of the COPAO. From l-r: Merly Ferrer, COPAO president; Myra Lopez, Executive VP; Ms. Phil-Faire candidates Katrina Gaffud Benfer, Nellie F. Sison, and Lalaine Velasco Uvero; Miss PhilFaire candidate Jamie Dianne Hann; Miss Teen candidate Marifel Sebastian Lopez; Nedy Lao, chair coronation committee; and Rudy D. Liporada, VP for Operations. Photo by Zeny Ply. See story on page 17.

Megaworld Intl Open House and San Diego North Launch is Sat, April 30

SAN DIEGO, 4/29/2011 -- Katrina Gaffud Benfer, a real estate profes-sional and a long-time resident of Poway in San Diego, CA, an-nounced the launching of the new San Diego North satellite offi ce of Megaworld International this month. Benfer, who heads the North County satellite offi ce, also added that on April 30, Saturday, Megaworld In-ternational is hosting an open house in National City. Manila-based ex-ecutive Marivic Acosta, Megaworld International Marketing Director, will be showcasing the brand-new, upscale yet affordable Megaworld

International destination communi-ties in prime Metro Manila enclaves along with its portfolio of residential developments across the country.

The April 30 Open House will be held at Sizzler Restaurant, 1325 E. Plaza Blvd., National City, CA 91950 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

According to Benfer, the Open House provides balikbayans and in-vestors alike an up close look into Megaworld’s success and, more im-portantly, an opportunity to invest as a property owner in a world-class

Megaworld International presents “The Venice.” Italy’s most ro-mantic City springs to life at McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig Metro Manila. For more information, call 858.449.7037


COPAO Presents the Ms. Philippine Faire 2011 Candidates

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Read Atty. Jean Tinsay’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

The consequences of an alien’s conviction for a drug offense related to controlled substances can be extremely harsh. Un-der immigration laws such a conviction can render the alien inadmissible or deportable. However, certain aliens who are convicted for the first time for simple drug possession may be able to escape the dire effects of their drug offenses.

In 1970, Congress enacted the Federal First Offender Act (“FFOA), a limited federal rehabilitation statute that ap-plies exclusively to first time drug offenders who are guilty only of simple drug possession offenses. Under this law, an individual who for the first time is found guilty of drug posses-sion in federal court will have his drug offense expunged. Such offense shall not be considered a conviction for the purpose of a disqualification or a disability imposed by law upon convic-tion of a crime, or for any other purpose thereby permitting first time drug offenders to avoid the harsh consequences which typi-cally follows a finding of guilt in drug cases. If the individual is an alien, the application of the FFOA provisions will afford him protection against inadmissibility or deportability.

The protection against inadmis-sibility or deportability applies

not only with respect to offenses expunged directly under the FFOA, but also in the cases of offenses expunged under state rehabilitative laws. In Lujan v. Armendariz, a case decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2000, the Ninth Circuit court ruled that an expungement under a state rehabilitative law for a first time conviction for drug possession that is similar to the Federal First Offender Act will not be deemed a conviction for immi-gration purposes and thus cannot be used as a basis for an alien’s inadmissibility or deportability. It should be emphasized that this ruling only covers cases falling in the Ninth Circuit Court.

To qualify for FFOA treat-ment, the alien’s drug possession conviction will not be deemed a conviction for immigration pur-poses if he meets the following requirements:

(1) the conviction is his first drug offense; (2) he has not previously been accorded first offender treatment; (3) his conviction is for posses-sion of drugs or an equivalent or lesser charge (such as possession of paraphernalia); and (4) he received relief under a state rehabilitative statute.

For example, an alien pleads guilty to a violation of Section 11377(a) of the California Health

and Safety Code for posses-sion of methamphetamine. The court places him on probation and orders him to complete a drug program without entering a judgment of conviction. After his successful completion of the court mandated drug program and probation, the court dismiss-es his case. If thereafter, the CIS seeks to deport this alien based on his drug offense, he can claim that his first time drug offense was deemed “expunged” and cannot be made a basis of his deportability.

If you are an alien who has a pending criminal case for a drug offense, it is best not only to have a good criminal attorney, but also to consult an immigra-tion attorney who can explain the consequences of a guilty plea and your conviction for a drug related offence. If you are an alien who has been convicted of a drug related offense, it is best to consult an attorney before you file for naturalization or leave the country. This is because if your conviction is for a drug related offense and you are not eligible for protection under the FFOA or a similar state rehabilitative statute, you may find yourself deportable or inadmissible.

Atty. Jean S. Tinsay is a part-ner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) - a full service law firm with offices 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 hold-ing regular free legal clinics at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, California. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]

Immigration Consequences of Drug Convictions

Two scores and five years ago, to be sixty years old or a senior citizen is really old, and for us teenagers, then, we consider being old means that you are reaching the gates of heaven (or hell if you were bad). Even the Filipino dialects have words that connote some degree of respect or bias for the old people like “Apo Lakay” or “ Apo Baak” or “Tandang Kiko” or any other name. The oldest people were the undisputed local historians as well as the living “antiques” of the town or barangay.

Now, we the baby boomers generation started to metamor-phose into that “old” class of people! And yes, there is even some pounds of denial that we are not there yet, as some of us dye our hair and sometimes force ourselves to indulge in some “youthful” stuffs, like biking or motorcycling or playing basketball. But when almost anyone start to call you, “Manong” or “Kuya”, you know you are “old”! It’s either a blessing or a sad realization that you are soon a Medicare patient and nearing your own demise.

I am writing this column on Easter Sunday when the entire Lenten Services in my church reaffirmed my own humanness that all of us one day will die. I have accepted the fact that I have crossed way past the half or

The fear of becoming a “Senior Citizen” and the joy of being a

grandfathereven ¾ of my earthly journey. The subject of death or the end-times, however, are morbid topics and often are consciously avoided. For the last 25 years of so, I recall writing about it only once when my father died almost twenty years ago.

It seems that the last couple of years, news of passing away of dear friends, clients and relatives comes more frequently now. Decades ago, we seldom received news of death from relatives and friends. Probably, we were so preoccupied with more “important” things in our own lives, like our education, careers and then starting a fam-ily. There was no time to think of other phases of life, like getting old, retirement, Medicare and even death.

Going to the doctor these days does not seem to be psychologi-cally helpful either. With your health insurance or Medicare card, you are ordered to have the “necessary” tests to know that you are really healthy and/or to rule out more serious or fatal ailments like the big C. Is it better to know or not to know? To be or not to be is the question. The insurance and health care industries thrive very well on peoples’ fears of being afflicted with serious illnesses as people seem to want to live forever. . Sometimes, I feel that you are damned if you visit your doc-tors frequently and you are also

damned if you don’t! Even my physician friends, however, are divided on this issue: whether a person has to undergo all those “required” tests and procedures simply because you are now 55 years old or now a Medicare patient. What , then, should a normal person, like me, ought to do? To do or not to do is now a lingering and painful question , unlike whether to stop drinking coffee or not. Life’s choice to be healthy --- to pro-long life may be --- is becoming a difficult decision to make.

Senior citizens out there, how do you cope up with these health care challenges? Do you continue doing the same things over or succumb to the many precautionary, subliminal recommendations that we read in the papers or hear on TV’s about those important tests and prescription drugs like Azor, Lipitor, Spiriva or Viagra? Do you enjoy being a senior citizen, or do you fear the inevitable, the Great Ripper visiting you sooner or later? Are you becoming hypochondriac, always thinking of some pains and aches that can grow worse? Do you go to the doctor right away because you felt some kind of fainting or shortness of breath due to physi-cal exhaustion working in the garden or doing some physical exercise, like biking or jogging? I hope I hear some parallel or even contrasting views from fel-low senior citizens out there!

****

Being a senior citizen should not be a very serious phase of life as many health care industry professional want us to believe . Now that our professional work and fulfilling careers are no lon-ger the primordial reasons to be waking up early to prove that the world needs us, our life’s priorities and life’s purpose have also changed. Every se-nior citizen defines what activity gives meaning and purpose to the remaining years of his or her


Metamorphosis

Read Ernie Delfin’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Ernie Delfin

Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comApril 29 - May 5, 2011

(From Good News Philippines) -- The Philippine Azkals histori-cal feat in the AFF Suzuki Cup and its 2-nil victory over the Mongolia Blue Wolves has set off a Philippine football renais-sance.

The recent victories of the Azkals and the 20,000 roaring fans who filled up the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City to watch the Azkals Mongolia match have stirred up the love for football among Filipinos, and has brought pride and honor to the country.

Football fever was not only in the stadium, as football fans also trooped to sports bars to watch the game.

Some couldn’t help but feel patriotic, waving Phil-ippine flags while cheer-ing on the Azkals.

“This is a boost for Phil-ippine football. You are an inspiration to us football players. Go Philippines!” said one Filipino fan.

President Benigno Aquino III could not also hide his happiness over the Azkals’ feat, consider-ing the odds that the Philippine team has had with football, which is not among the country’s favorite sports.

“They demonstrated hard work. Football does not have that big a pool of players but they still managed to really – how shall I put it? – they inspired so many of our countrymen,” he said. “And I think the inspiration was reciprocated by everybody who watched both live and on TV.”

He also urged the Azkals to go for more in pursuit of football glory.

“I, along with the rest of the Filipino people, congratulate the Philippine Azkals for winning the first leg of their pre-qualifier match versus Mongolia, 2-0,” he said. “I am grateful to you for bringing pride and honor to Filipinos the world over.”

He added: “Your two goals showcased both Filipino cre-ativity and the hard work you

Azkals stir up love for football in the countryput in to master your sport. You brought our people together and reminded us once again that, united, we can reclaim our na-tion’s glory.”

“We look forward to cheering you on toward more triumphs,” Aquino said.

Meanwhile, the country’s top sports officials and patrons extolled the Azkals feat, saying the rebirth of the sport is within sight even as they stressed the need of the private sector to help in the development of the sport. Sports patron Manny Pangilinan

said it’s about time the country enjoys a football renaissance.

“We should encourage the development of football, it is truly a global sport and it fits the Filipino physique and tempera-ment,” said Pangilinan, whose company Smart, through the MVP sports foundation, recently pledged Phl football P80 million for a 10-year partnership.

“We could excel in it, with proper planning, training and support from all sectors, includ-ing the media,” he added.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia said they would support not just the national team but the grassroots development as well.

“The PSC will surely support the program of football develop-ment in the country, we will try to have more venues that can host events like Bacolod,” said Garcia.

Garcia said the revival of youth leagues like the BOFA with the help of the private sector and the re-modelling of strategic football fields like the Panaad pitch and

Rizal Memorial oval are among the programs and projects the government’s sports funding agency are helping to put up.

“The Philippines-Mongolia game was an eye-opener for us that we need a bigger, better stadium that can accommodate some 20,000 to 30,000 fans and meet international standards be-cause there were so many people outside who were not allowed to watch because the venue was already jampacked,” he said.

“We should also revive BOFA or the go-for-gold foot-

ball leagues for the youth,” he said. “I will try to visit the president of Coca-Cola, who is very interested in support-ing the youth through football. With what is happening in football, it will not be hard to get the support of the private sector.”

Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Co-juangco Jr., for his part, stressed they will push for the par-ticipation of football in the 26th Southeast Asian Games slated Nov. 11-25 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Philippines opted not to field a team in the last two stagings of the biennial meet in Thailand in 2007 and Laos in 2009, but Cojuangco believes if the Philippines participates in the Jakarta SEA Games, we could finally win a medal.

Men’s football team has never won a medal since the birth of the SEAG – then called the SEA Peninsular Games – in 1959 in Bangkok, Thailand. Its only medal came in women’s football when it snatched a bronze in the early 80s.

The highest finish by any RP men’s football team in the SEAG was fourth when the country hosted the event exactly two decades ago

Follow @asianjournal on Twitter

A British documentary has highlighted the dangers of aquat-ic lifestyles in the Philippines featuring compressor divers from Palawan and the Badjao commu-nity of Sulu Sea.

“Into the Blue,” an episode of the BBC documentary series “Human Planet,” explores the lives of people from around the world who face and overcome challenges of the sea.

It features a group of compres-sor divers in the Philippines, fishermen from the island of Palawan who risk their lives deep in the ocean using the most basic of diving equipments. They are considered to be among the lowest wage earners in the country, with an average of $25 per week.

“The documentary is well done in many aspects,” said Dr. Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III, a mari-time health expert from Cardiff University. “From its content to the way they wove the story and the way they shot the scenes, it is technically excellent. It shows the beauty and natural resources of the country.”

BBC documentary features Palawan divers, Badjaos

He added: “It is a good glimpse on how some sectors of the Phil-ippine society are not well pro-tected by the laws of the land. It is an eye-opener to the reality of what is happening in the country,

especially with the marginalized and the poor. Compressor diving is a profession that is hazard-ous and should not be practiced anymore. As novel at it may seem – and interesting not only to foreigners but to Filipinos as well – these individuals should be protected by the occupational health laws of the country and be provided better opportunities for earning money.”

The documentary also features the Badjao, an indigenous ethnic group from the southern seas of the Philippines as well as parts

of Malaysia and Indonesia. The Badjao community dwells on boats and spends most of their lives at sea, venturing on land only for supplies and emergen-cies. They have no nationality and no fixed abode.

“The documentary was suc-cessful in selectively bringing in oceanic ways of life and people’s adaptability to the environment,” said Analyn Salvador-Amores, an anthropologist from the Uni-versity of Oxford.

She added: “The Badjao sec-tion does not tell much, though it shows how man can live in water over land with their own notions of time and space. The Badjao’s way of life is a stark contrast to the rest of the human population who dwell on land.”

“Into the Blue” also features mullet fishermen from Brazil, shark callers from Papua New Guinea, big wave surfers from Hawaii, whale hunters from Indonesia, and goose barnacle collectors from Spain.

Human Planet airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer until March 2011.

Megaworld Intl. San Diego North

Ford Supermodel of the World 2011 titlist Danica Flores Magpantay adds another feather to her cap as she graces the (virtual) pages of American Vogue and New York Daily News this week.

Appearing on Vogue.com’s “First Look: Organic by John Patrick Fall 2011” feature, Danica poses with two other models garbed in “tea-set florals scattered over sheer dresses, and volu-minous hand-knit cardigans woven by young designer Amanda Henderson with ‘needles the size of broomsticks’.”

The Filipina model is also featured on a Feb. 10 story by the New York Daily News. Titled “Fashion Week Fall 2011: Asian faces grace the runways this season, represent shift toward East,” it mentioned Danica as one of the currently prominent Asian models in the interna-tional fashion scene.

Meanwhile, Danica was also featured last Jan. 31 on another US fashion website, Refinery29, as one of its “10 Models to Watch This [New York] Fash-ion Week.” Their write-up on Danica reads, “Taking the crown in Ford Models Supermodel of the World Comp 2011, this Filipino girl’s in good standing to make a splash at the shows.”

Pinay supermodel on pages of Vogue,

NY Daily News

Danica Flores Magpantay

MSgt Reynaldo Venecia Now Chief, Expeditionary Airfield MARCENT

Marine Promoted to Chief - MGYSGT. MSgt Reynaldo Venecia graduated high school in Granger High.in 1986. After graduation he joined the US Marine Corps. He’has been in the Gulf War, Des-sert Storm, Iraq Operation Freedom, Iraq- Enduring Freedom and recently just came back from a tour in Afghanistan. He was a Drill Instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, CA.

Now, he is the Chief for Expeditionary Airfield at the 3rd MAW MWHS-3 ; Recently, he was promoted to a MGYSGT on April 1st, 2011, the highest rank for the Enlisted Marines. He took the oath with Colonel Milne and was pinned by his wife M. Elizabeth Venecia and Chief Warrant Officer Renato Tolfo. He will be joining MAR-CENT, Marine Forces Central Command soon.

development. “You are cordially invited to the

launching of Megaworld Interna-tional’s new satellite office. Marivic Acosta, Managing Director (Mega-world International) will make a presentation about Megaworld (de-velopers of world-class properties in the Philippines). Please join us at this informative event and find out just how easy and affordable it is to own quality homes.”

The multi-award winning firm is a megabrand in BPO and real estate in Asia. Its flagship development, McKinley Hill, a 50-hectare commu-nity in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City combines the European charm of Venice, cafes, high-rise luxury resi-dences, and world-class BPO facili-ties.

McKinley West Village, a French-inspired 12.4-hectare luxury subdivi-sion community beside Forbes Park, is nearly sold out according to a Sept. 2010 report.

The San Diego North team market-ing managers include Marissa Aci-erto, Pricilla Garovillas, Rosethony Gonzales, Laurence Lazaga, Yoland Zamora and Gen Silverio.

(Continued from page 1)

GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc (The Philippine Star) -- Posing as the most decorated Filipino soldier of World War II, Ferdi-nand Marcos foisted 33 medals and awards. Bonifacio Gillego, in opposing Marcos’s dictator-ship, exposed in 1982:

• Eleven of the 33 were given in 1963, nearly 20 years after the War, when Marcos was Sen-ate President girding to run for President. Ten of the 11 were given on the same day, Decem-ber 20. Three of the ten unusu-ally were given under only one General Order.

• One award was given on Marcos’s 55th birthday, Sep-tember 17, 1972, when he was President, four days before he imposed martial law.

• Eight of the 33 “American and Philippine medals,” as listed by Marcos’s Office of Media Affairs, were actually campaign ribbons given to all participants in the defense of Bataan and in the resistance.

• Awards are duplicated for the same action on the same day and place.

• One is a special award from the Veterans Federation of the Philippines.

Other observations:• Marcos earned the Medal of

Valor “for extraordinary gallant-ry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in a suicidal action against overwhelming enemy forces at the junction of Salian River and Abo-Abo River, Bataan, on or about 22 January 1942.” This highest Philippine military

Marcos medals: Only 2 of 33 given in battle

award came only in October 1958, when he was senior con-gressman, 16 years after.

• Only two of the medals were given during the War. The Gold Cross came on July 22, 1945, “for gallantry in action at Kiangan, Mt. Province, in April 1945.” Supposedly “Colonel Marcos, of the 14th Infantry, United States Armed Forces in the Philippines-North Luzon (USAFIP-NL), with one enlisted man volunteered to reconnoiter area adjacent to the regimental command post at Panupdupan.” Marcos spotted well-camou-flaged enemy trucks about a mile away and sent the enlisted man back to RCP to report. By him-self Marcos ambushed the Japa-nese, forcing them to flee after 30 minutes of intense fighting.

• The Distinguished Service Star came on April 24, 1945. The citation read: “For outstanding achievement as a guerrilla leader. After escaping from the Fort Santiago Kempei Tai, Marcos supported ex-Mayor Vicente Umali, organizer and com-manding general of the PQOG... Despite his illness, he stayed at the headquarters in Banahaw to guide both the staff and combat echelons. He refused the rank of ‘general’ offered him by General Umali and organized his own guerrilla group known as the Maharlika.”

Interviewed by Gillego in 1982, Marcos’s two superiors in the 14th Infantry debunked both



by Dr. Ofelia Dirige Founder, President & CEO Kalusugan

Community Services. www.filamwellness.org

Contemporary Asian American Issues

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...

Miles is Assistant to the Dean and Assistant Professor in the Shirley Hufstedler School of Education at Alliant International University where he teaches new media and diverse writing courses. He has been with the Asian Journal since the 1990’s.

by Miles Beauchamp

Perspectives

The world loves caffeine. People drink caffeine-laden beverages everywhere you go, on a pretty much constant basis. Whether in coffee, tea, soft drinks, medicines and more, we consume vast amounts of the stimulant.

We argue about the best kind of coffee beans and the best ways to brew it, we argue about

which tea is the most flavorful or strongest, we argue about the flavors of various cola drinks. What we are actually discussing, of course, is the most flavor-ful way to get caffeine into our systems. These drinks – while some may taste good – are pretty much simple caffeine-delivery systems.

Now there is help to throw away the caffeine crutch. That’s

the purpose of today’s column - to help you give up caffeine. You read correctly, I am here today to help you live a healthier, happier, less addicted life by showing you ways to give up that evil drug, that scourge of the human race, that evil-doer of our bodies, caffeine.

Ways to just say no to caf-feine

1. Drink fruit juice;2. Take ulcer medicine to help

combat all the acid in your stom-ach from the fruit juice;

3. Drink milk (not that I actually like the taste of plain old milk, but if it can help one poor soul in the fight, go for it;

4. Take cholesterol-lowering medicine to combat the rise in your choles-terol from all the milk (unless you’re drinking soy milk – my son loves chocolate soy milk – because there are no animal fats in soy. About saturated fats in the soy milk I can’t say. You’re on your own there – read the carton);

5. Take up running. Go for a nice long jog every time you feel like drinking something with caf-feine in it. Sure, you won’t have time to do much of anything else, but at least there will not be as much caffeine in your system. And no whining about needing the caffeine to help you run – just get over it and do it;

6. Scream at people a lot

because you have become jit-tery from caffeine withdrawal. They probably deserved a good yelling-at anyway;

7. Run away after doing all that screaming to keep people from screaming back (see #5, above);

8. Exercise more - much more. This will not only help you keep your mind off the coffee or soft drinks, but you’ll get in better shape;

Water can help

9. Take more showers. This will not actually help the caffeine withdrawal, but with all the running and exercis-ing you are doing now you will definitely need it (and those around you will certainly appreciate

it – believe me, I know);10. Spend time in a hot tub.

This will help you relax and relaxing is always a good thing. Okay, sure, you drank the caf-feine because you were probably relaxed too much, but hey, relax about it;

11. Go on a vacation. It doesn’t matter where you go or how much it costs, the important thing is getting away and relax-ing in new surroundings;

12. Forget about how to pay for the vacation until you return. The vacation will help you relax (see #10, above) and not worry-ing about paying for it will also help you relax (see #10, above again – why do I have to keep

telling you this? Pay attention);13. Yes, at some time you will

have to worry about paying the credit card companies about that vacation bill, but by then you should be so relaxed that it won’t matter as much;

Sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar

14. Drink lots of shakes. You can make these any flavor you want and (as long as you forget about chocolate or coffee flavor) they have no caffeine;

15. Keep on jogging and exer-cising more than ever (now you are adding #14 above!);

16. Tell your friends what you are doing and what you are going through. They may help. Actu-ally, they probably won’t help at all and will drink coffee right in front of you. If so, get some new friends. As a matter of fact, get some new friends anyway – you can’t have too many friends;

17. Get new-new friends to replace the new friends you just got because those new friends couldn’t stand you nagging about caffeine all the time;

18. Ditch all the friends and become a hermit – sure, caves are hard to come by these days but keep looking, you’ll find one eventually;

19. Come to the realization that being awake is far overrated – who needs it? Just go with the snooze…

20. Don’t even think about hunting for No-Doz or any other caffeine tablets – just let it go.

And finally, simply read more (especially from really good col-umnists). Reading helps get the mind focused, can be a calming influence, and is a way to forget about all the other stuff that takes up our time. See? Reading this wasn’t a waste of time after all –it’s a way to energize your life and make it better.

Well, there you have it, twenty great ways to help you give up the horror of caffeine. I hope they help. But don’t expect me to try that nonsense; personally, I’m headed for a caffeine-laden Diet Pepsi.

Just let the caffeine go!We may need (or at least like) caffeine to help keep us going, but the time has come to go caffeine-free

We continue our series on the Dietary Guidelines for Ameri-cans that was recently revised in 2010. The guidelines give advice on how to promote health and reduce the risk of major chronic diseases through diet and physi-cal activity. This article focuses on certain foods and its compo-nents that are eaten in excessive amounts that lead to obesity and higher risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes that are major cause of death among FilAms.

These foods are difficult to avoid in our society because they are everywhere and you can’t ignore them. They are highly advertised on TV, grocery stores, restaurants and the media. Ad-vertisers did a pretty good job of selling their products. After read-ing this article you will come up with the question, “If I should eat less of these foods, what then can I eat?” You will realize then that nutritious foods are hard to find and you have to work hard to eat healthy. I thought this is really an irony. Watch out for the next issues on, “What then can I Eat?”

Here they are, the foods and drink you should stay away from or eat less of: (SSSRA) SO-DIUM or SALT, SOLID FATS (source of saturated fat and trans fatty acid), SUGARS added in foods, REFINED GRAINS, and

Third of a Series on Dietary Guidelines

5 Foods and Drinks You Have to Consume Less

ALCOHOL. Eating or drinking too much of these items replace the foods that contain more nutrients making it hard to get the nutrients we need and control our intake of calories. Therefore, this leads to overweight and obesity.

1.SODIUM or SALT

Sodium is an essential nutri-ent but is needed by the body in small amounts. The higher your intake is, the higher your blood pressure. As your intake becomes less, so does your blood pressure. Keeping blood pressure normal reduces one’s risk for cardiovascular disease, conges-tive heart failure and kidney disease.

Sodium is primarily consumed as “salt” or “asin”. Americans consume too much sodium with the average intake of 3,400 mg/day. Salt added at the table and in cooking provides only a small amount of sodium in the diet. Mostly are from processed foods that includes yeast breads, chicken & chicken mixed dishes, pizza, pasta & pasta dishes, cold cuts, condiments, tortillas, bur-ritos & tacos, sausage, franks, bacon & ribs, regular cheese, grain-based desserts, soups, beef & beef mixed dishes, rice & rice mixed dishes, eggs & egg mixed dishes, burgers, salad dressings, ready-to-eat cereals, and others.

For Filipinos, besides the foods mentioned above, it also includes patis (fish sauce), bagoong in any form, soy sauce, and snacks (shrimp chips & crack-ers), canned foods (corned beef, spam, Vienna sausage, sardines), pickled (atchara) and cured foods (tocino & longanisa).

The recommended intake of sodium for teens and adults of all ages is less that 2,300 mg/day (1 tsp of table salt or sodium chloride= 2,300 mg sodium). Only less than 15% of the popu-lation meets the recommended amount of 2,300 mg/day. The 1,500 mg intake is recommended for adults 51 yrs and over or has high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease and children.

To lower one’s sodium intake, consider the following recom-mendations:

Read the nutrient labels • for the information on the sodium content of foods. Purchase those that are lower in sodium.Consume more fresh • foods and fewer processed (canned, pickled) foods that are high in sodium. Many food manufacturers are now reducing the salt content of many foods.Eat more home-prepared • foods where you have more control over sodium. Use no-salt or salt contain-ing seasonings, and spices and herbs for seasonings, i.e., basil, bay leaf, anise

seed, coriander, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme, & turmeric. When eating at restau-• rants, ask that salt not be added to your food or order lower sodium options.

2. SOLID FATS: SATURAT-ED FAT & TRANS FATTY ACIDS

Dietary fats are found in plant and animal foods. They supply calories and essential fatty acids and help in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K). Fat-ty acids can be saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) or polyunsaturated (PUFA). Trans fatty acids (TFA) are unsaturated but are different structurally from the unsaturated fatty acids found in plants and have differ-ent health effects.

Fats contain a mixture of the different fatty acids. Most fats with a high percent of saturated and/or Tran’s fatty acids are solid at room temperature and are called “solid fats”. Examples are butter (milk fat), beef and chicken fat, pork fat (lard), stick margarine and shortening. Saturated/Trans fatty acids are components of foods but they are also food themselves or ingre-dients in foods (e.g., shortening in a cake or hydrogenated oils in fired foods).

They have been shown to have an effect on cardiovascular risk and found in abundance in the American diet.

Solid fats constitute an average 19% of the total calories in the American diet so they contribute significantly to excess calorie in-take. Major sources of solid fats are: grain-based desserts (cakes, cookies, pies, sweet rolls, pas-tries, & donuts) pizza, regular or full fat cheese, sausage, bacon & ribs and fried white potatoes. Large intakes of processed meats have been found to increase risk of colorectal cancer and car-diovascular disease. To reduce intake of solid fats, most Ameri-

cans should limit consumption of foods high in them and replace them with alternatives that are low in fat. This will result in reduced intake of SFA, TFA and calories.

SATURATED FATS (SFA): The recommended total fat intake for adults 19 years and older is 34% of calories. Less than 10% should come from SFA. High in-take of saturated fats is associat-ed with high levels of cholesterol and bad cholesterol (LDL- low density lipoprotein). Consuming less than 10% of calories from SFA and replacing them with MUFA/PUFA are associated with low blood cholesterol levels and therefore will lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Major sources of saturated fat in the diet are: regular cheese, pizza, grain-based desserts, dairy-based desserts (ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, milk shakes and pudding), chicken & chicken mixed dishes, and sausage, franks, bacon, and ribs.

In the Filipino diet, grain based desserts include rice cakes or “kakanin” such as bibingka, suman, puto, cuchinta, puto bumbong, tupig, carioca, and guinatan; dairy based desserts include halo-halo; and sausages include langonisa and hotdog.

To reduce SFA, here are some recommendations:

Limit the foods high in SFA (foods mentioned above) and substitute foods rich in MUFA (canola, olive and safflower oils)

and PUFA (soybean, corn and cottonseed oils. Examples are:

Using vegetable oils in cook-ing such as olive or canola oil instead of butter.

Buying and preparing foods that help reduce SFA such as non-fat or 1% low fat milk;

Or trimming fats in meats or chicken when cooking.

Using fish high in omega-3 fat-ty acids such as salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, codfish, milkfish (bangus), and catfish (hito).

Eating nuts for snacks ( pea-nuts, cashew, almonds) but eat in moderation.

TRANS FATTY ACIDS (TFA)

TFAs are non-essential fatty acids found naturally in some foods and are formed during food processing. For example, unsaturated liquid oils are hydrogenated so they become solid and more resistant to spoil-age. Studies show an increased association between TFAs and increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to its LDL (bad cho-lesterol) raising effect. There-fore, intake of TFA’s should be as low as possible. Check the nutrition labels for the Trans fatty acid content.

CHOLESTEROL

Cholesterol has physiological and structural functions in the body but since it makes more than enough, we do not need to eat sources of dietary choles-terol. It is only found in animal foods. The sources of cholesterol in our diet are: eggs and egg mixed dishes, chicken & chicken mixed dishes, beef and beef mixed dishes, and all types of beef burgers. Cholesterol can be reduced by eating less of these foods.

Dietary cholesterol has been shown to raise the LDL (bad) cholesterol in some individuals. This effect is further reduced when SFA intake is low. The negative effect of cholesterol is relatively small compared to that of SFA and TFAs. Evidence shows that one egg per day (egg yolk) does not result in increased blood cholesterol levels nor does it increase the risk of cardiovas-cular disease. The recommenda-tion is to limit intake to less than 300 mg/day.

SUMMARY

Americans that include Fili-pino men, women and children consume too much sodium and solid fats (major sources of satu-rated and trans fatty acids). Men consume too much cholesterol, which is also found in solid fats. We should follow the recom-mendations above to have a dietary pattern that will meet our nutrient needs, control caloric intake and reduce risk for certain diseases. This can be achieved by eating foods lower in sodium and solid fats.

To be continued……. The next issues will feature Sugars, Refined Grains and Alcohol.

****

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Varieties of bagoong for sale at a roadside market in the Philip-pines.

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by Atty. Susan V. Perez

Immigration 911

Read Atty. Susan Perez’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

Work Visas/Green Cards thru Employment• Family Visas• Student, Trainee, Tourist, Investors, Visas • Reinstatement of Petition • Deportation Defense• International Adoption• Appeals, Motions to Reopen/Reconsider• Battered/Abused Spouse• I-601 Waivers (Hardship)• Consular Support in Manila•

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

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

We also handle ALL PHILIPPINE cases and have an offi ce in Manila to service your needs there.

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

Nagsasalita ng Tagalog asin Bicol.

By Appointment only from 9:00 to 5:30, Monday thru Friday.

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

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Francisco is a native and citizen of the Philippines. He met his future U.S. citizen wife, Denise, in 1997 when they were both vacationing in Bora-cay. She filed a fiancé petition on behalf of Francisco, which was approved in October 1999. Francisco received his K-1 visa in February 2000 and entered the United States with this visa in April 2000. Within 90 days from Francisco’s entry to the U.S., they married in a civil ceremony. In June 2001Francisco filed for adjustment of status. In Novem-ber 2002 the Immigration office mistakenly denied Francisco’s application for adjustment of status because it was adjudicated more than two years from the marriage. The couple divorced in June 2003. Four months later, Francisco was placed in removal proceedings for staying in the country without a lawful status. In November 2004, Francisco married Tiffany, a U.S. citizen. She filed an I-130 petition on behalf of Francisco which was approved in July 2005. In the removal proceedings, Fran-cisco conceded removability but renewed his adjustment of status based on his marriage with Denise. Francisco also filed an adjustment of status based on the approved I-130 petition filed by Tiffany. The Immigration Judge denied both adjustment applica-tions. The Immigration Judge denied the adjustment applica-tion based on the first marriage for lack of jurisdiction since Francisco was no longer married to the fiancée petitioner. The Immigration Judge denied the adjustment application based on the second marriage because he can only adjust based on his mar-riage with his fiancée petitioner having entered the country on a K-1 visa. Francisco appealed to the Board of Immigration Ap-

peals (BIA).On appeal the Department of

Homeland Security (DHS) ac-knowledged that the Immigration Office improperly denied the ap-plication for adjustment of status because there was no require-ment that the alien adjust status within two years from marriage. The BIA said the Immigration Judge had the jurisdiction to adjudicate the renewal of adjust-ment of status based on the first marriage. The main issue before the BIA was whether Francisco who timely married the fiancé petition remained eligible to ad-just status outside the conditional residence period after dissolu-tion of their bona fide marriage. The BIA noted that Francisco completed the required steps in the fiancé adjustment process. He was no longer subject to the two-year condition because his marriage was more than two years old when is adjustment application was adjudicated. He established his eligibility for adjustment of status based on his marriage to Denise, the fiancée petitioner. Francisco was placed on removal proceedings because the Immigration Office improp-erly denied his application for adjustment of status. Based on the facts and the statutory inter-pretation of relevant laws, the BIA concluded that Francisco’s divorce from his fiancé petitioner did not render him ineligible to adjust status. The BIA sustained the appeal of Francisco and remanded the record to give him an opportunity to renew his ap-plication for adjustment of status before the Immigration Judge.

We welcome your feedback. If you have any immigration questions, please feel welcome to email me at [email protected] or call 619 819 -8648 to arrange for a telephone consultation.

Can an alien who entered the U.S. on a K-1 Fiance(e) Visa file for adjustment of status after

the marriage has ended?

BY REY O. ARCILLAMALAYA

‘A “better” way to control popu-lation growth.’

WITH all the brouhaha about the Reproductive Health Bill (or is it the Responsible Parenthood Bill?), it occurred to me that perhaps one of the “better” ways to control population growth in this country is for those who are planning to get married to ponder the follow-ing, courtesy of an internet friend, before they take the deep plunge: (In case President Noynoy Aquino is entertaining thoughts about settling down, he may wish to go over this as well.)

What is marriage, a 30 point answer:

1. Marriage is not a word. It’s a sentence (a life sentence).

2. Marriage is love. Love is blind. Therefore, marriage is an institution for the blind.

3. Marriage is an institution in which a man loses his bachelor’s degree and the woman gets her masters.

4. Marriage is a three-ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring and suffeRING.

5. Married life is full of excite-ment and frustration: In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the sec-ond year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbor listens.

6. Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with friends. You order what you want, and when you see what the other

Miscellanyperson has, you wish you had ordered that instead.

7. There was this man who mut-tered a few words in the church and found himself married. A year later he muttered something in his sleep and found himself divorced.

8. A happy marriage is a matter of giving and taking: the husband gives and the wife takes.

9. Son: How much does it cost to get married, Dad? Father: I don’t know son, I don’t know… I’m still paying for it.

10. Son: Is it true Dad? I heard that in ancient China, a man doesn’t know his wife until he marries her. Father: That happens everywhere, son, everywhere!

11. Love is one long sweet dream, and marriage is the alarm clock.

12. They say that when a man holds a woman’s hand before mar-riage, it is love; after marriage it is self-defense.

13. When a newly married man looks happy, we know why. But when a 10-year married man looks happy, we wonder why.

14. There was this lover who said that he would go through hell for her. They got married, and now he is going through hell.

16. When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.

17. Eighty percent of married men cheat in America, the rest cheat in Europe.

18. After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin. They just can’t face each other, but they still stay together.

19. Marriage is a man and a woman become one. The trouble

starts when they try to decide which one.

20. Before marriage, a man yearns for the woman he loves. Af-ter the marriage the “Y” becomes silent.

21. I married Miss Right; I just didn’t know her first name was Always.

22. It’s not true that married men live longer than single men, it only seems longer.

23. Losing a wife can be hard. In my case, it was almost impossible.

24. A man was complaining to a friend: I had it all – money, a beau-tiful house, the love of a beautiful woman, then pow! It was all gone. What happened?, asked his friend. He says: My wife found out.

25. Wife: Let’s go out and have some fun tonight. Husband: Ok, but if you get home before I do, leave the hallway lights on.

26. At a cocktail party, one woman said to another: Aren’t you wearing your ring on the wrong finger? The other replied: Yes, I am. I married the wrong man.

27. Man is incomplete until he gets married, then he is finished.

28. It doesn’t matter how often a married man changes his job, he still ends up with the same boss.

29. A man inserted an ad in the paper – Wife Wanted. The next day he received a hundred letters and they all said the same thing – You can have mine.

30. When a man opens the door of his car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing – either the car is new or the wife is.

There, I hope that helps.

***

Due to a mental block caused by alternately cleaning up all the rubbish accumulated in my laptop and being a couch potato during the long holiday, I thought it best to simply share with my readers a couple more of emails received from internet friends:

If you ever feel a little bit stupid, just read this and you’ll begin to think you’re a genius:

Question: If you could live for-ever, would you and why?

Answer: “I would not live



Our Life and Times

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.Read the series Complicated Affairs by Sim Silverio by book-

marking the link www.asianjournalusa.com/complicatedaffairs

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

Mga Tulang Tagalog

by Romeo Nicolas

Now Available:

TAWA’T TULA NG MGA PILING KATATAWANAN

By Joe Cabrera

A Collection of Jokes Written in Pilipino Verse

$10.00 a copy

Call Asian Journal San Diego619-474-0588

Papaano Nga Ba?Sa dami ng pangyayari at pagsama ng paligid,Sigalot sa mga bansa, nabubuo ay panganib.Tayo nga ba’y nahahanda o tayo ay makikinig,Sa usapan sa Gobyernong kay kukupad, walang bilis.

Usad pagong tayo lagi, kahit saan pagusapan,CORRUPTION lang ang mabilis kahit wala ng paglagyan.At lahat ng tumatahak kay P NOY na TUWID NA DAAN,Bah! Eh! Tila lahat naliligaw, tila GUTOM, pupuntahan.

Kababayang nanganganib sa bansa na may sigalot,Hintay yatang MANGAUBOS bago sila magsikilos.Samantalang ibang bansa, kay bibilis na HINAHAKOT,Nilikas ang kababayang sa sigalot, natatakot.

Tayo nama’y HINAYHINAY, DAHAN-DAHAN lamang tayo,Hinihintay maka-LIBRE kung situwasyon ay magbago. Hinayang sa gagastusin, milyon-milyong nating piso,MANIANA HABIT, heto na, kitang-kita, naku! Diyos ko!

Situwasyon ng bansang JAPAN, pagmasdan mo kababayan,Mismong mga HAPON na nga, bansa nila’y INIWANAN.Ang tanong ko ngayo’y ito, UTAK natin ay nasaan?Lagi tayong parang PAGONG, sa pagusad, DAHAN-DAHAN.Papaano nga ba ito, ano ba ang nararapat?Ang paligid sumasama, nagmamasid lang ang lahat.Kung sakaling kalamidad ay sa atin MAGAGANAP,Tahasan kong sasabihin, ‘di handa ang PILIPINAS.

OY! GISING NA! Bumangon na! Sobra na ang inyong tulog,Ayusin nyo ang DESISYON, ‘wag kilos na TUMATALBOG.Kabayan nyo’y umiiyak, tulungan at NATATAKOT,Alala na, ‘di silayan ang lahat ng ini-irog.

REMITTANCES ay BAGSAK na, tagal ko ng inasahan,Marami ang maghihirap ‘pagkat walang HANAP BUHAY.Bilihin ay tumataas, mga gamit, bigas, gulay,Sa pagtaas na ng LAHAT, PANDAK lang ang‘di nadamay.

Hala, hala, kabayan ko, magingat sa TUWID NA DAAN,Baka ito’y magpatuloy ang hantungan ay LIBINGAN.Bilang PALATANDAAN lang, kamusta na ang inyong TIYAN?Nabubusog na ba kayo sa PANGAKONG, kailan lamang?Hirit ni:Romeo S. Nicolas3/19/2011

his wife in America, then decid-ed to go by himself after learning Joey and his group would spend the evening in Tagaytay. His worst fear happened.

“I thought you were in Tagay-tay?” was all he could say.

“Don’t change the topic. Why are you here?” Joey asked. “I thought you did not want to come here? Nag-solo flight ka pala (You went on a solo flight).”

Before he could explain, Joey opened the door of the VIP room Monte was about to enter. Joey saw the three girls waiting for Monte.

“And you were not satisfied with just one! You even got three girls!” Joey seemed happily sur-prised. “Daig mo pa kami (You even beat us). Tahimik ka lang, pero nasa loob pala ang kulo mo (You are quiet, but your fire is inside).”

Monte could not say anything: he was caught. He could not tell his friend he pitied the girls and instead of sexually touching them, he would rather help them due to their pitiful situation. Joey would never believe him.

“I was just curious,” was all Monte could say.

“That’s alright, huwag ka nang mahiya (Don’t be embarrassed). I understand. We are both men.”

But Monte knew by the twinkle on Joey’s eyes he was up to something. Monte was convinced Joey would hold his discovery against him, possibly use it as blackmail at a later date. He rued his decision to go to the place but it was too late.

“Can we join you?” Joey asked Monte. Joey knew that with his discovery, he could have his way with Monte from then on.

“Of course,“ was all Monte could say.

Right away, Joey went to his pals, telling them to go to the VIP room.

“This is Monte’s night!” Joey told his friends as they entered the room he dubbed as “Monte’s harem”. “Our friend Monte is our host!”

Monte could just sit tight and remain quiet. Their other com-panions were looking at him with mischievous grins. They knew Monte had tried to pull off his secretive tryst but got caught.

“Aba kulang ang babae natin (Our girls are not enough),” Joey observed as he and his two companions helped themselves with the three girls already in the room. “Monte, get one for yourself.”

“No, I am okay,” Monte replied. He could see from the three girls - Flor, Lisa and Chiqui - they were reluctant to partner with the newcomers. They liked talking to Monte by himself. He seemed to be a good person who genuinely pitied and wanted to help them in whatever way he could. But his friends who just

Complicated Affairs

“I Love You Po”(Continued from page 1) came in were his opposite. They

were like vultures; with their dollars, they would prey on girls young enough to be their own daughters. But the girls were hapless, for it was their job to please the customers so they could make money. Nor could Monte do anything but just sit tight and squirm, as the older men would mash and kiss the girls’ bodies in the privacy of the VIP room. The girls were looking at Monte like they were asking for help, but they knew it was useless. The girls asked for it since it was their job. It was what they wanted their custom-ers to do in the first place for money. And if they refused and give up the tips coming to them, the customers might report them to the manager, who would fire and replace them with many other girls willing to do the in-decent job; after all, money and jobs were scarce. Finally, Monte could no longer stand hearing the devilish laughter of the men and the sight of them taking liberty on the girls’ bodies; he stood up and got out of the room. He tried to go out of the bar when a burly bouncer stopped him.

“Boss, bayad na ba ang chit mo (Is your chit paid for)?”

“How much do I owe you?”“Five thousand pesos.”Monte gave the cashier the

money and handed her an extra six thousand pesos.

“Make sure to give two thou-sand each to Lisa, Chiqui and Flor,” he told her. “I will call them tomorrow to check if they got the money.”

He then handed an extra 500 pesos to the cashier.

“This is for you.”Monte left the bar in a hurry.

He was disgusted with the be-havior of his friends and pitied the girls who worked at the bar. He boarded a bus bound for Ma-nila. As he sat and looked out of the window of the bus, he could see the poverty of people along the way. And he thought of the three girls who had to sell their bodies to support their families. He realized the injustice of it all. At that moment, however, this was the least of his problems. He was worried Joey might tell people about his trip to the seedy bars of Plaridel; the embarrass-ing information might reach his wife and damage, if not destroy, their relationship.

He wondered how other men could get away with their rela-tionships with women other than their wives. Having a mistress was not only a common occur-rence among many Filipino men, but was in fact a status symbol. He knew of men in the Filipino community in New York who had on-going relationships with their young girlfriends in Manila. Some regularly sent money to them, so when they visited the country for their yearly vaca-tions, the girls could be like their

wives.It was a common joke among

them that their young girlfriends would express their affection to their older sugar daddies with the words, “I love you po”, with “po” being a Tagalog word of respect addressed to an older person.

“It was cheap,” one doctor friend told him. “I just send my girlfriend $300 a month, and she is all mine when I go home.”

He would refuse to admit the fact that his girlfriend whom he supported would go out with other men when he was away.

Monte knew of another Fili-pino retiree who had abandoned his family to join his girlfriend in the Philippines. Once he married the young girl and brought her to America, it only took two years for her to secure her immigration status before abandoning him.

Little did Monte know his friend Joey would suffer the same fate. For all his braggado-cio, Joey fell in love with Flor, the girl from Samar who was recruited as a domestic help, yet was sold to a brothel instead. She managed to escape but for a lack of livelihood opportunities, she found herself doing the same work of a prostitute in the bar in Plaridel, Bulacan.

“She played hard to get,” Joey later confessed to Monte. “I asked her for a date outside the bar, and she agreed. But twice, she stood me up.”

The rebuff posed a challenge to Joey who learned he could not get the young girl with money alone. He showered her with gifts and even when he was already in New York, he sent her money just to hear her sweet voice say “thank you” and “I love you” whenever he called. When his wife found about his infidelities, they had a big fight. All his pent-up frustrations against his wife, who neglected his wifely duties in favor of playing mahjong with friends and going to the casinos, came up--until both of them uttered the inevitable words that were hard to take back: “Let’s divorce!”

Their children were grown up with families of their own. The couple divided their assets, and Joey went to the Philip-pines to join Flor. But after only a few months, his interest with her waned. Once he got her for himself, he lost the challenge to win her affection. He realized she was too young for him. Her interests were much too different from his. They could not engage in worthwhile conversations like those he used to have with his ex-wife. With his age, his sexual interest waned as well; as such, each could not satisfy each other. Finally, Joey realized he missed his family so much he could not live without them. He left Flor to go back to his ex-wife and family, but it was too late. His former wife had found a new love interest, a younger man who could satisfy her sexually and on whom she could shower her money.

One cold afternoon of Novem-ber, Joey felt sad, lonely and miserable. He had nowhere to go as his family were having their Thanksgiving Dinner. His children, embarrassed and mad at him for shacking up with a young girl, still had not forgiven him. He stood by a railroad track in a subway station in Queens. As a train approached, he leaned forward; in an instant, he was crushed to death. – AJ

(To be continued)

(Editor’s Note: To read the pre-vious and weekly installments of this series, visit www.asianjour-nalusa.com. Once there, click the “Editorials” heading, then click “Complicated Affairs by Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.” title to see the list of all previous chapters of the series. Click the title of the chapter you want to read and the article will appear.)

“Pagpumirma na sila, I would be the witness. All those who got funds, they cannot deny I wasn’t there because in the MOAs, I am one of the witnesses,” he said.

Jocjoc’s roleAfter the MOA signing, he

would then submit the papers and call her boss, Maritess Aytona. Aytona would then call Agriculture Undersecretary Joc-elyn “Jocjoc” Bolante to release the funds.

Barredo said he would often deliver both the overpriced liquid fertilizer and the commissions to the politicians. A Commission on Audit report earlier showed the government paid P1,500 per bottle for the liquid fertilizer, which only cost P350 per liter at the market.

“These funds were intended to be used for liquid organic fertil-izer but were released before the 2004 elections. I was deployed January 2004 until election time and even after because we didn’t finish the distribution at once,” he said.

Among those he named as having received fertilizer funds from him are: then Bulacan Rep. Reylina Nicolas, Bulacan Mayor Elpidio Castillo, Bulacan Mayor Ramon Pagdanganan, Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores, Kalibo Mayor Reymar Rebaldo, Capiz Gov. Vicente Bermejo; then Capiz Rep. Fredinel Castro, Iloilo Rep. Oscar Garin, Calinog Mayor Alex Centena, Lambunao Mayor Ignacio Ramirez, Maa-sin Mayor Mariano Malones, Guimaras Rep. Edgar Espinosa and Bacolod Rep. Monico Puent-evella.

Three politicians, however, did not get the allocated funds because they began to support the opposition candidate. He identified the 3 as Negros Occi-dental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Marañon III and Negros Occi-dental Rep. Jose Lacson.

‘Meron tayo panlaban’Barredo said he once asked

Aytona how they could release government funds to politicians despite an election ban.

“Ang sabi niya ‘Meron tayo panlaban diyan. Meron tayo armas. Meron tayo exemption ng Commission on Elections at Bureau of Internal Revenue.’ It exempts the release of the funds. And these are for projects that did not undergo bidding,” he said.

Barredo said Bolante played a big role in the fertilizer scandal but admitted that the undersecre-tary would not have perpetrated the scandal without the approval of a higher authority.

“For me, siya ang pumalit sa papel ni (Agriculture) Secretary Cito Lorenzo. He would not do that kung walang basbas sa taas. He is just a subordinate. I believe he’s a bagman and coordinator,” he said.

He also noted that Lorenzo knew about the controversy but purposely distanced himself from it. “He knew that he would be affected so he didn’t want it to pass through him. He gave the authority to Bolante,” Barredo said.

‘Why plunder?’Recently, the Office of the

Ombudsman included Barredo in the list of personalities charged with plunder for the fertilizer fund scandal.

Barredo said the charges came as a shock since he never got a portion of the money and was only paid P10,000 a month as a runner.

He also said that he only came forward to testify in the Senate because he was already promised immunity from charges by the Senate.

“Disappointed ako sa nang-yari…Tinatanong ko ngayon sa abogado ko — bakit di nila ako kasuhan ng mas mababa, like an accessory? Why plunder? No probable cause. Walang basehan ang ginawa nila sa akin,” he said.

‘First Merci, then GMA

should pay for fertilizer scam’(Continued from page 1)

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$50

By Dr. Cesar D. Candari

“The object of education is to prepare the young to

educate themselves throughout their lives.” - ROBERT

MAYNARD HUTCHINS In July 2002, I was elected as

Executive Vice President of the Far Eastern University-Dr. Ni-canor Reyes School of Medicine Alumni Foundation (DNRSM Alumni Foundation) that was established in America in 1971. I considered this position as a stepping-stone for the Presidency and Chairmanship of the Board, which was the usual succes-sion of leadership in the Alumni Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profi t corporation that assists our beloved alma mater—Far Eastern University- Nica-nor Reyes Medical Foundation (NRMF), located at Fairview, Quezon City, Republic of the Philippines---to maintain and conduct a medical school and to administer donations to the Foundation. There are over 2600 FEU alumni physicians practic-ing in the United States of Amer-ica. The Foundation became a pre-eminent U.S.-based alumni foundation supporting a Philip-pine Medical School. In the last 3 decades of its existence, the asset of the Foundation has come close to $2 million.

From the time I started as a member of the Medical Alumni Foundation, Dr. Renato Ra-mos, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for about seven years, has given me the inspiration, high energy and enthusiasm to be of service to our organiza-tion. I consider him a friend, highly deserving of my profound respect and inspiration. His leadership, compassion, integrity and intelligence are incredibly commendable. I will never forget when Dr. Ramos, as Chairman Emeritus, spoke to the Board of Trustees on my behalf to elect me as Executive Vice President. He stated, “Dr. Cesar Candari is the next person to be in the Ex-ecutive Vice President position based upon the standard practice of succession. No other person is over Cesar’s qualifi cations.” I did not seek this position, but somehow there was this person who recognized impartiality with a non-political intuition and a pure, genuine decision of select-ing persons for senior positions in the Alumni Medical Founda-tion. To me, it was a challenge, a prestige, and a bigger chance to be at the highest leadership level of our Alma Mater’s organiza-tion.

First of all, it is my ardent opinion that my Alma Mater can be compared to my dear parents who made me to be what I am now. This statement could be true to anyone. It is not an exag-

From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

FEU Medical Alumnus Class ‘61 geration when I say that ninety percent are nostalgic about the time they spent in the school and/or university they graduated from in their chosen profession. To me, it was a dream coming true. I call it the best days of my life. Those days had given me an evergreen impact in my mind, a dreamer who was ready to em-brace life with passion.

I believe that we gain a lot more than just an education from our medical school and it is imperative that we try to give back as much as we can. We must realize that we are giving back for the future and continued development of our institution. Our donations go a long way to sustain our alma mater in its regular programs and initiatives to support deserving students. It will help improve the education and curriculum being offered by our alma mater. I have volun-teered my time as service to give back, realizing that I am helping someone gain the valuable asset of a quality education in my medical school.

The following are excerpts from the historical perspective of the Alumni foundation.

I missed the fi rst organizational meeting to establish the FEUD-NR Medical Alumni Foundation in Chicago Illinois, in 1965 . It was led lead by Dr. Philip S. Chua and Pete Obregon, among others I was then a resident in Pathology at the Illinois Masonic Hospital where the meeting was held at the Jonas Pavilion .

On October 17, 1971, at a second meeting of the alumni in the East Coast, with Mr. Green, Dr. Ylagan and Dr. Nolasco, the following offi cers were elected: Mr. Green, President; Dr. Ylagan, Vice President; Dr. Nolasco, Treasurer; Dr. Van-noy, Secretary; Dr. Celia Roque, Recording Secretary; and Drs. Conrado Tojino, Ehner Genibla-zo and Benjamin Wiesenfeld (father of an American student) as Trustees. Incorporation papers were drawn by Mr. Green and on October 20, 1971, a certifi cate of incorporation of the FEU-Dr. Ni-canor Reyes School of Medicine Alumni Foundation was issued by the Secretary of State of the State of New Jersey.

Meanwhile, alumni in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chica-go, Cleveland and St. Louis had taken the initiative of organizing their own groups. Drs. Ylagan and Nolasco traveled throughout the United States urging alumni to form their own chapters and affi liate with the national organi-zation.

The following is an extract from the history of the Founda-tion written by the late Dr. J. B. Nolasco:

The Alumni Foundation has helped the Institute of Medi-cine and the FEU Hospital with

hundreds of thousands of dol-lars worth of equipment and supplies. Among its substantial donations were: a student bus, an ambulance, a Siemens X-ray machine, an ultrasound machine, an automatic blood analyzer, a Magnascanner, a Gammacord

radiation counter, a Gilson physi-ologic recorder, a hemodialyzer, electrocardiographs, a treadmill, audiovisual materials and slide projectors, a new telecommuni-cation system at the FEU Hospi-tal, renovation of the library to provide student carrels, carbon dioxide incubator for microbiol-ogy, teaching slides in histology, embryology, pathology, radiol-ogy, medicine, and cardiology, anatomical models, microscopes, gastroscope, surgical, EENT and urology instruments, obstetrical and resuscitation models, infant incubators, electronic calculators for biostatistics, textbooks and reference books, etc. It subsi-dized faculty retreats in the Phil-ippines and scholarship training programs in the United States to improve and update teaching by the faculty. It sent salary supple-ments to the faculty. Student achievement awards were started in 1978 and outstanding faculty awards in 1983. These awards are continuing to the present. In 1979, in order to provide perma-nent funding to help the Institute and the Hospital, an endowment fund was created. But in 1982 to 1984, the Alumni Foundation’s contribution to the acquisition of the physical plant of the Institute and the Hospital from the parent University made a severe dent in the endowment fund.

A subsequent restriction in the admission of foreign students into the Institute of Medicine further reduced the Alumni Foundation’s revenues and the offi cers were forced in 1986 to eliminate the equipment fund, suspend the faculty scholarship program, and reduce the faculty salary supplement. Every year since 1982, starting with the graduates of Class 1957, classes celebrating their silver jubilees made generous donations. The

various chapters and individual alumni have also been relentless in soliciting, shipping or person-ally delivering their donations to their Alma Mater. Dr. Emelie H. Ongcapin, erstwhile Dean, initiated the project of creat-ing Professorial Chairs. Several alumni are actively organizing their classmates for their an-nual meetings and reunions. In a year or two, the endowment fund is expected to reach one million dollars. Dr. Renato Ra-mos, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Edmundo Relucio, President, and other offi cers and members are leaving no stones unturned to resume and increase the aid that the Alumni Foun-dation has been extending to the Far Eastern University-Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Founda-tion’s Institute of Medicine and the FEU Hospital.

The board meets two times a year for a regular meeting in February or March and an annual meeting during the convention and scientifi c seminar that was usually held in July. The annual convention used to be held in tandem with the APPA’s meeting until the FEU Alumni Founda-tion separated at the behest of the jubilarian class. Many of our alumni did not really stay for the APPA meeting.

With the convention meet-ings separated from that of the APPA’s, the attendance in the an-nual reunion and scientifi c semi-nar of the Foundation had been excellent and the general meet-ings were well attended. Our board meetings, although usually long, were exciting and well at-tended as well. Dr. Josephine C. Reyes, the venerable chairman of the board of FEUDNR Medical Foundation, was usually present as well as the Dean of the medi-cal school.

The annual convention of the Alumni Foundation is usually held in different cities of North America. To summarize, the Sil-ver Jubilarians and other jubilee celebrants are highlighted as honorees. The CME committee always prepared superb scientifi c seminars on updates in medi-cine and surgery for continuing medical education. To top it all, the alumni were also informed of what transpired at the Board of Trustees meeting. The Chair-man of the Board, Dr. Josephine Reyes, and the Dean of the Medical School would speak to the general members.

Each anniversary of the FEU Alumni Foundation is an oppor-tunity for counting and sharing our blessings. This celebration underscores not only our chance to refl ect on our accomplish-ments in the Alumni Foundation but also to reaffi rm our vision, shared values, commitment, loy-alty and sense of duty to intensi-fy our efforts towards achieving our aims and objectives for our Alma Mater.

We always have more fun and enjoyment as we dance for three nights, meet friends and class-mates and renew old acquain-tances---simply a time for the memories of our college days. Let it be said that we each came to the convention not to further our personal interests but for one common agendum---to express our loyalty and support for our Alma Mater.

I cannot forget when I hosted the regular board of trustees meeting in San Diego California on March 14-15, 1997 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Di-ego Bay. A Continuing Medical Education(CME) speaker was a world-renowned physician, Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, pro-fessor and chairman of the De-partment of Family Preventive Medicine at the University of California in San Diego. It was at the time when Dr. Daniel Fa-bito was the board chairman. He was one of the most outstanding alumni whose leadership ability was beyond reproach.

The meeting was well attended by the Board of Trustees. Part of the major agenda was the ground breaking of the new site for the FEU medical school campus and hospital from Morayta/Espana to Fairview, Quezon City. The blueprints showed a hospital and medical school that would have the distinction of being the only medical school in the Philippines to have modern and brand-new facilities. We continued our dis-cussion to maintain and support of the vital needs of the medical school in the form of funded pro-fessional chairs, funded entrance students scholarships, and over 200,000 dollars in undesignated class funds.

We also discussed other sup-port projects for the medical school as well as our preparation for the upcoming 18th annual reunion and scientifi c convention to be held in Dallas, Texas.

After that meeting at the Embassy Suites, a dinner recep-

tion was held in our home in Del Cerro, replete with exquisite na-tive foods, wining, dancing and singing. The late Romeo Abella of Los Angeles was in the piano all night. The late Dr. Beth Jime-nez, the beautiful, friendly, and talented wife of Cesar Jimenez, was the leader in the impromptu ‘line-dancing.’

My wife and I were very glad and honored that nine members of the Board accepted our offer of a two-night accommodation in our home.

Since July 1998, I was ap-pointed as the chairman of the constitution and bylaws commit-tee. Records show that I stayed in this committee for about ten years. I worked closely with Dr. Romeo Tabillos, Dr. Noli Guini-gundo and Dr. Amante Legaspi. Between Noli, Amante and my-self, we rotated the chairmanship over the years. With input from members of the Alumni Founda-tion and members of the Board, the proposed amendments were deliberated upon and ratifi ed. A total of approximately 14 amend-ments were proposed and ratifi ed in that decade that I had been with the committee. It’s interest-ing that in every organization I served, I was always appointed as the chairman of the constitu-tion and bylaws committee.

Our reunions had been enjoy-able and memorable festive events. Since 1992, I had been chosen as the master of ceremo-nies (emcee) of the Grand Ball that highlighted the celebration of Class ’67 Silver Jubilarian. I will never forget the Silver Jubilarian celebration held at the downtown Marriott Hotel in San Francisco that coincided with the July 4th Independence Day celebration. Dr. Arsenio Martin, the class president, performed a grandiose jubelee celebration under his leadership. In our succeeding four reunions, I did the same task of being the emcee in the Filipiniana Night and/or in the Grand Ball. Sorry, no braggadocio. It was perhaps of how I spoke to the audience that captivated their attention which kept the event moving and made me suitable for this part of the festive occasion.

(To be Continued)

To order this book, “From An-tique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor”, call (619) 474-0588.


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(Family Features) The start of the new year might have already come and gone, but that doesn’t mean the resolutions you made need to fall by the wayside. Research shows that one third of people who have made New Year’s resolutions will have broken them by the end of Janu-ary. When it comes to sticking to your resolutions, especially those that will help to shrink your waistline, it’s the simple every-day tweaks to your routine that can make a big difference in how you look and feel, all year long.

According to a recent survey conducted by SPLENDA Sweetener Products, with the sup-port of SHAPE Maga-zine, more than a third of American women think about their weight three or more times per day, and 54 percent of them think that they will reach their ideal weight this year, but are unsure of the best way to do so.

“It’s important women know that it’s the simple changes that are not only crucial to the weight loss process, but are also the healthi-est and most effective in the long run,” said Sharon Liao, SHAPE Magazine senior health and nutrition editor. “By incorporat-ing healthy habits into their daily lives, women can start to see real results that will last well beyond the first few months of the year and quite possibly last for the rest of their lives.”

Make this year your best yet by getting back on the “resolution bandwagon” and following these healthy tips.

Know the Numbers

More than two thirds of American women surveyed

Get Healthy and Make This Your Best Year Yetdidn’t know that it takes 3,500 calories lose a pound. Simply being knowledgeable about the calories you’re consuming daily is the first step to smart and healthy weight manage-ment. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy an occasional slice of birthday cake, but realize you might have to spend more time at the gym or compensate by choosing a lower calorie lunch.

Savvy Substitutions

By becoming savvy with

healthy substitutions, you can swap out ingredients and still enjoy your favorite foods for fewer calories. Instead of butter, use light margarine. You can also swap whole milk for skim and use applesauce instead of cream. According to the survey, more than 70 percent of women add sugar to foods and beverages. To cut back on the added calories, try using SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener Granulated instead of sugar in your favorite foods and beverages. It measures cup for cup like sugar. A cup of SPLEN-DA Granulated has 678 fewer calories than a cup of sugar, so you can have your cake and eat it too!

Eat Up

Women often tend to count calories and skimp on meals by nibbling too-small portions or skipping meals entirely through-out the day, leaving them hungry and more likely to reach for an unhealthy snack. Instead of skip-ping lunch, grab some greens and pair them with lean protein like chicken, or fiber like apples and nuts to ensure that you are not hungry throughout the day.

Mix It Up

Feeling uninspired by your workout schedule? Just because you’re breaking a sweat doesn’t mean that it has to be at the gym. Breathe some life into your physical activity by taking a class at the park, walking your dog with a friend, biking or walking to work or taking the stairs.

Reward Yourself

Stay on track with little re-wards. Buy yourself a cute work-out shirt to get excited about going to the gym. Go out to the movies or book that vacation you’ve been dreaming about tak-ing. In fact, more than one third of women said that an upcoming vacation would inspire them to lose weight. By putting a vaca-tion on the schedule, you may feel extra motivated to achieve your weight-loss goals.

For more information visit www.SPLENDA.com.

(Family Features) Many people think that maintaining a healthy weight always means making drastic changes to their diets. But here are five easy changes you can make that will help keep you on track toward reaching your goal.

Divide your plate. When 1. putting food on your plate, fill half of it with veggies or salad (but watch out for fatty dressings). One-quar-ter of the plate should have lean protein, such as fish, chicken or beef that’s been grilled, baked or poached. And the last quarter of the plate should be a healthy starch—but don’t load it up with butter or oil. Go for fruit. Fruit has 2. good-for-you vitamins and antioxidants, and it contains fiber, which can

Five Easy Ways to Help Manage Weighthelp you feel more satis-fied. And studies show that consumption of fiber is associated with lower body weight measures in U.S. adults. Try some berries - blueberries, raspberries or strawberries are great on top of cereal or salads, or served with a little part-skim ricotta cheese.Plan ahead. If you know 3. that every afternoon you get hungry and end up heading to the vending machine, be prepared with better alternatives. A nutritious snack such as a piece of fruit, or a Special K cereal bar, will take care of that temptation and give you a way to stave off cravings. With 90 calories, and now with three grams of fiber, Special K cereal

bars are a tasty option for weight-managers. For more information, visit www.specialk.com/cereal-bars. Keep hydrated. Feeling 4. tired or hungry? You may just be thirsty. Make sure you get at least six glasses of water a day. Water helps your body transport nutri-ents and eliminate toxins. Add a cucumber or lemon slice to jazz up the taste.Close the kitchen. Heading 5. into the kitchen can mean heading straight for temp-tation. As soon as you fin-ish with each meal, clean up the dishes and turn off the lights. Tell yourself that the kitchen is closed, and then find an activity in another room of your house – preferably one that gets you moving.

(Family Features) As expectant and new moms know, having a baby is one of the most wonder-ful experiences, but it can also be overwhelming. First-time moth-ers and veteran moms alike have questions about keeping their babies safe and healthy. They’re eager to learn about important areas such as nutrition, immu-nization, and safe sleep.

To address

their ques-tions and concerns, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coali-tion (HMHB) developed text4baby. This free mo-bile educa-tional service promotes a healthy preg-nancy and a healthy start in life for all babies.

With more than 1.3 trillion text messages sent and re-ceived in the U.S. in 2009, it makes sense to deliver vital health information through mobile technology. Currently in the United States, more than 500,000 babies - 1 in every 8 - are born prematurely. An esti-mated 28,000 children die before their first birthday, a rate among the highest in the industrialized world. Premature infants come into the world with unique health needs that can mean lifelong challenges. Text4baby helps to address these issues by allowing timely and useful information to be distributed to help give babies the best possible start in life.

While not everyone has access to the internet, 90 percent of Americans have a mobile phone. Text messaging is soaring in popularity and can be especially helpful in reaching first-time mothers in typically underserved populations.

How It Works

By texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411, a woman will be signed up to receive three free text messages each week that are timed to her due date or baby’s date of birth. These mes-sages focus on a variety of topics critical to maternal and child health, including birth defects prevention, immunization, nutri-tion, seasonal flu, mental health, oral health, and safe sleep. Text4baby text messages also

Free Health Texts for New and Expectant Moms

connect women to prenatal and infant care services and other resources.

Wireless carriers are waiving text messaging fees for the initia-tive, so enrollees opting in to receive text messages will incur no charges. Even users without a text messaging plan or limited

texting per month will receive these messages for free.

To date, text4baby has sent more than five million English and Spanish text messages to more than 83,000 pregnant and new mothers. According to text4baby enrollment num-

bers, 96 percent of participants would recommend the service to a friend. 67 percent of the enrollees are receiving informa-tion about pregnancy, while the remaining 33 percent are getting information about newborns.

“For those of us dedicated to health education, knowing that

text4baby mes-sages are reach-ing the women who are most in need of them is incredibly power-ful and exciting,” said Judy Mee-han, CEO of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. “Thanks to our partnership with CTIA-The Wire-less Foundation and the mobile carriers, more than 5 million valuable health messages have been put in the hands of thou-sands of pregnant women since our February 4 launch.”

Text4baby is made possible through a public-private partner-ship that includes more than 350 organizations.

The program’s founding partners include CTIA–The Wireless Foundation.

For more information, or to sign-up to receive the free text messages, visit www.text4baby.org.


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

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

Phil - Am Law 101

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By Marissa Acierto

HOLLYWOOD, CA - On the early afternoon of April 20, 2011 on Wednesday, a special media day training in Wild Card Box-ing Club in Hollywood which began at 2 p.m. for the Eight Division World Champion, busi-nessman, entrepreneur, singer and Congressman Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran-Pacquiao aka “Pacman”. Also notable sports authority and celebrities present was five time trainer of the year,Trainer Freddie Roach; Team Pacquiao; Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum; Former WBF Feather Weight Champion of the World Orlando Villaflor; members of the press and many others.

The press day started with a one-on-one conversation with getting to know the Trainer Fred-die Roach. SCCPress.com re-porter Regina Ong-Garcia had a live interview and asked Trainer Freddie Roach what his thoughts were of Manny Pacquiao’s future in boxing. Freddie Roach said, “Manny will continue to box for over five more years and may run for president of the Philip-pines.” Regina also inquired and said, “What is your favorite Filipino food?” Freddie said, “I don’t really eat much of it but I like chicken adobo.”

Then the Pound for Pound Me-gastar Manny Pacquiao stepped inside the gym and was huddled towards a huge group of press mania. Then he walked around the inside of the boxing ring and randomly selected media’s in the outside ring to let them asked a question or two. Others were fortunate to get a complimentary photo-op with him too.

Pacquiao proceeded forward to his workout activities from boxing on the ringside alone, jump rope exercise and different punching techniques on punch-ing bags. After the training was over, Manny who is a devout Catholic proceeded with his routine prayer of kneeling, and a moment of silence was asked for the press and other attendees.

One freelance media photog-rapher gave his commentary and said, “I noticed he has not even done his sit-ups and is more relax than normal. So, is Freddie Roach...”

The freelance media photogra-pher who covers sports boxing only would like to remain ano-nymity indicated that he is con-cerned for the fight. He remem-bers the training they had prior before and noted that Manny and Freddie were diligent and more active in the training process. In his opinion, the two are not as affected and seem not as serious as they were before the other previous fight he has been in. Therefore, he concluded that the positive energy of Manny and Freddie are showing less physi-cal stamina and output.

Former NBA Star from the Indiana Pacers Jalen Rose visited Manny and was asked who he

Manny Pacquiao media training day, fight on 05.07.11 with Shane Mosley

thought was going to win the fight? Jalen Rose indicated in so many words that they are both great fighters, and he believed Manny will be the one to take it against the Three Division World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley. However, he made no comments in regards to a possible fight with Floyd Mayweather.

The World Welterweight Championship will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Ne-vada on May 7, 2011, Saturday. The MGM Grand Garden Arena

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SCCPress.com Reporter Live Interview with Regina Ong-Garcia.

Courtesy Photos By Marissa Acierto | SCCPress.com

Photo of Manny Pacquiao during a round of questions on the outer ringside.

Notwithstanding her very good intentions, something that she did in the past continues to haunt Melissa. In her desire to help alleviate her sister’s economic situation (her sister has 8 chil-dren), Melissa convinced her husband to “adopt” her youngest niece. That was in 1994 and Me-lissa’s niece is now 17 years old.

Actually, it was not a legal adoption. What they did was put their names as their niece’s biological parents in her birth certificate. Since then and until Melissa and her husband im-migrated to the United States in 2001, they were the ones who had been personally attending to their niece’s needs. She grew up with them as their own. Their names appear in her baptismal

certificate as well as in all her school and other records. Need-less to say, they treat and love her as their own.

Melissa is now planning to apply for citizenship. Somebody advised her that once she is already a citizen, she can petition her niece. After all, her adviser told her, nobody will find out the truth, what with all the records showing that their niece is her own biological child.

The first thing that we told Melissa when she came to us for consultation is never to commit immigration fraud. Not only is it illegal and has serious conse-quences, but it will most likely be detected or later on discov-ered. When we interviewed Me-lissa, we learned certain details

which will confirmed our fears. First, Melissa’s youngest child was already 17 years old when her niece was born. Melissa has three children who were born two years apart. While it is pos-sible for a woman to again give birth 17 years later, that situation will catch the attention of immi-gration officials who will likely dig deeper into the case. This is when another red flag will come up. When Melissa and her hus-band migrated in 2001, they did not put in the name of their niece in their list of children. The same thing happened in 1997 when their eldest daughter migrated to the U.S.; she did not mention her “adopted” sister as a sibling. Because of these red flags, it is very likely that a DNA test will be required and we all know that it will conclusively show that Melissa and her husband are not the child’s biological parents.

Melissa then asks our opinion on what she should do. We told her that they should restore or correct their niece’s identity. That is the least they owe her, we said. We then lined up their options.

The first option is to correct the birth certificate and indicate the true biological parents. At the same time, they can ask the court to let her niece retain her name since she has been using it since birth. That way, the child’s

birth certificate will indicate her true parentage and at the same time allow her to use the name that she has always been known by.

The second option is to legally adopt the niece. Melissa was quick to tell us that her niece is already 17 years old. True, we said, but she can still be adopted although Melissa cannot peti-tion her anymore. Under Republic Act No. 8552, or the Domestic Adoption Act of 1998, she can still adopt her niece although she is already 17 years

old. RA 8552 says that a child below 18 can be adopted, as long as there is an age difference of 16 years between the adopter and the adopted. In fact, under RA 8552, even if the child was over 18 years old (and even if already married), she can still be adopted “if, prior to the adoption, she has been consistently considered and treated by the adopters as their own child since minority.”

However, as we already said, even if Melissa is able to legally adopt her niece, she will not be able to file an immigrant petition for her. This is because her niece is already 16 years old or over. Under U.S. Immigration law, the adopted child must have been below 16 years old at the time of the adoption. But at least, with the domestic adoption, the child will be legally elevated to the status of a legitimate child and hence confirm her identity as a person.

Melissa’s case shows that even the noblest of intentions is not an excuse to violate the law. How-ever, there is always a proper way to right a wrong, though the result may not exactly be what we actually desire.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego and has continu-ously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His office ad-dress is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an office in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Manila, 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 fluently. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheticals intended as general, non-specific legal infor-mation. Readers must seek legal consultation before taking any legal steps.

Setting Things Right(Simulated Birth Certificate)


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The Rhode Island-based humanitarian group “Lingkod Timog” that trans-

lates to “Serving the poor in the Southern Philippines” recently returned from its 7th annual medical mission in the Philippines. On Feb-ruary 26 and 27, the group provided medical, surgical, vision and dental care to almost 2,000 tribal Tagba-nua patients in the island of Palawan. There are about 10,000 Tagbanuas in that island. They are marginal farmers and are seldom given medical attention. Rhode Islanders Cecilia and Armando Heredia led the medical mission.

Retired US Army Reserve Ma-jor Zosima Arceo Phojanakong, an OR nurse is a second-time volunteer to the medical mis-sion. She and her nephew, Ari Arceo, also a nurse, were busy in registering patients, helping in surgery and in the pharmacy. For her, it was a fulfilling experi-ence and she intends to raise funds for the mission in New York City, and to again join next year’s mission.

Volunteers Joe Nicolas of San Diego, who served in the US Navy as a hospital corpsman, and Tony Cercena, a national director of the Navy League, found their previous Lingkod Ti-mog experience rewarding, and enthusiastically joined this year’s

US-Based Humanitarian Group Returns from February 2011 Medical Mission in the Philippines

Courtesy visit to Palawan Governor Abraham Kahlil B. Mitra prior to start of medical camps.

LT Phamacy team preparing the medications and supplies: left to right: Villa Halo, Chay Santiago, and Celia Heredia.

Nurses Zosima Arceo Phojana-kong and Ari Arceo at the triage section.

Natives of Palawan, Tagbanu-as, line up for registration.

A Tagbanua mother, and her two children.

Showing the Colors: left to right: Ari Arceo, Joe Nicolas, Dr. An-drew Wilner and Tony Cercena.

Members of the mission relaxing at the Philippine Air Force Bach-elors Officers Quarters (BOQ), Puerto Princesa.

mission. Joe Nicolas came with his niece, Bernadette Santiago.

Executive Director Irene Covarrubias Sabban coordinated the volunteer doctors, dentists and nurses as well as security and support personnel. The mission team included US and Philippine-based volunteers, local private and public doctors and Philippine military doctors, surgeons and dentists.

The group president Cecilia Heredia, CiM describes the med-ical mission: “The Tagbanuas arrived from the designated pick up points on Philippine Marines trucks. After registration, they were treated in school rooms. Civic groups were around to screen for malaria and to dis-tribute mosquito nets. There were family planning and public safety lectures, patients were fed, and civil registries of birth were available.” Cecilia is the music teacher of St Philomena School in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She also raises funds for Faithful Companions of Jesus projects that help trash dump residents in Manila, Philippines through Broadway musicals with the help of many parents of the school.

Dr Andrew Wilner of Newport, Rhode Island, the group’s medi-cal director, finds the medical mission as the “opportunity to escape from the narrow confines of subspecialization and face the challenges of a broad spectrum of familiar (diabetes, hyperten-sion) and unfamiliar (malaria, tuberculosis) illnesses. … The Tagbanua were invariably ap-

preciative … I can’t wait for the next one!”

Medicine and supplies came from Lingkod Timog funds, corporate donations, and private volunteers, such as Dr. Maria Petrillo-Bolanos of Portsmouth who responded to a last-minute list and donated surgical sup-plies.

Lingkod Timog spokesperson Armando Heredia pointed out that this joint Lingkod Timog

and the Philippine military medi-cal mission was formed when Lt General Juancho Sabban, the Commander of the Philippines Western Command was study-ing in Newport’s US Naval War College and the Heredia’s were his local sponsor. Cecilia Here-dia, CiM formed the group and

Executive Director Irene Cova-rrubias Sabban coordinates the activities from the Philippines. Past missions involved the entire community –private and gov-ernment agencies, Philippines and US military and police, and Christian and tribal health care providers. The indigenous people, such as the Badjaos and Tagbanuas see not just the US and Manila-based volunteers, but

A local Palawan volunteer, courtesy of Shell Philippines, checking blood samples for ma-laria. Shell also distributed mos-quito nets.

More natives partaking the me-rienda.

A beneficiary of the feeding pro-gram of Lingkod Timog and the Philippine Marines. The Marines cooked the arrozcaldo.

Dr. Andrew Wilner seeing a Tagbanua child.

their own community leaders and neighbors helping them. Ling-kod Timog’s previous missions helped the Badjaos in Zamboan-ga; Basilan and Sulu. In addition to the Tagbanuas in Palawan, other tribal people it has helped include Aetas in Zambales and Lumads in Davao.

Photos attached. For more information, to join or to donate, visit www.medicalmission.tv



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Joke of the week: As the banquet was about to begin, the chairman realized no minister was present to give the invoca-tion. He whispered to the main speaker, “Sir, since there is no minister here, will you please say the grace before meal?” The speaker arose, bowed his head, and with a deep feeling said, “There being no minister pres-ent, let us thank God.”

Scripture: First Reading: Acts 2: 42-47. The passage from Acts enumerates what the com-munity members have in com-mon: the Apostles’ teaching and preaching (didache and keryg-ma), fellowship (koinonia), the breaking of bread (agape), and prayer. Second Reading: 1 Peter 1: 3-9. In what is considered to be his Easter baptismal homily, Peter, speaking with apostolic authority because he had seen the risen Lord, addresses those who don’t have the same experi-ence, yet believe on the testi-mony of others. Gospel: John 20: 19-31. The evangelist tries to answer a main problem within the post-apostolic Church: how could one have faith in the risen Lord without seeing him? See-ing, as in the case of the doubt-ing Thomas, does not automati-cally guarantee faith. Hearing the word of the risen Lord himself and hearing him speak through those who are sent to witness for him leads to belief.

Reflections: Often times we think that having faith is a guarantee that we are certain of freedom from pain and suffering and an assurance of glory and joy. Though it is true that faith involves happiness, yet it does not exempt anyone from sad-ness and toils. Faith is alive both in good times and in bad times, in the wounds as in glory. Faith does not remove the pain and suffering of life, rather it trans-forms and makes them bearable.

Thomas renewed his faith in the risen Lord through the

Divine Mercy Sunday: Faith in good and bad times

wounds of the Master (“unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my finger into his side, I will not believe”). True faith is alive both in times of unbearable wounds and inex-pressible joy.

Disappointment occurs when our expectations are unrealistic. Doubts about God’s love and care for us, skepticism about whether he listens to our prayers, and even loss of faith occur when we believe that because we have faith we are not vulner-able to pain and suffering. The disciples were caught flat-footed. They expected that Jesus was a political Messiah who would set Israel free from the foreign domination of the Romans. Thomas was not so sure what to believe because he had seen his Master crucified. The apostles and disciples mistakenly ex-pected Jesus to be what he is not. It is no surprise why all of them were seemingly disappointed with the outcome of his crucifix-ion. Yet it is in their disappoint-ment that they found the Lord because they did not completely close their heart to the possibility that his words would be ful-filled: he would rise on the third day. When we are wounded and disappointed but don’t refuse healing, miracles happen!

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. It is a time for us to reflect on God’s immense mercy in spite of our sinfulness. God is always ready to forgive us even though we do offend him. As proof of his mercy, he sent us his only begotten Son to redeem us from our sins. The following story shows how God similarly treats us in spite of our evil ways. In New Zealand, a Maori was known as “Warrior Brown” because of her violent temper. Eventually she joined the Salva-tion Army. One day while ad-dressing a group of Maoris, she was struck by a potato thrown by one of them. Retrieving it, she returned home, cut it up, planted

it and harvested it. On visiting the village again, she sought out the man who had thrown the potato and gave him the potatoes she had harvested.

Trivia: The first eight days of Easter season make up the octave of Easter: from Easter Sunday (April 24) until the fol-lowing Sunday (May1). These days of octave form “the early hours” of this “great Sunday” with accounts of the Lord who rose early in the morning, and the early preaching of the dis-

ciples who were witnesses to the resurrection. At Mass, through-out the octave a double Alleluia is added to the dismissal and its response. The paschal candle, a symbol of the presence of the risen Christ among the people of God, remains in the sanctuary near the altar.

Quotation of the week: “Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.” St. Augustine of Hippo.

Michael H. Brown, Spirit Daily | 4/29/2011 -- Heaven is the final value of the Eucharist. Attain-ment of Heaven. We think of it in this season as we reflect on His Resurrection. And at this time when they are ready to beatify John Paul II!

In his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, that great Pope said the Eucharist and other sacraments create in man “the seed of eternal life.” When we receive Christ in Communion we are exerting the ultimate faith in His ability to manifest among us, and opening the door to realiza-tion that it is Heaven and only Heaven we must aspire to!

Nothing else in life matters. The afterlife is all-important. It’s the reason for life on earth, which is a test and preparation.

St. Margaret Mary said that a soul in purgatory once ap-peared to her enveloped in fire and explained that the greatest cause for his suffering (he was a Benedictine) was that in life he had preferred his own interests to those of God. He had been overly attached to his good repu-tation. His second defect was lack of charity to his brethren, and a third was his all- too-natu-ral attachment to creatures.

But after St. Margaret Mary prayed and suffered for that soul, he was freed of his bondage. She saw him radiant with joy and glory. He had finished his purga-tion.

Each time we receive Holy Communion, according to St. Gertrude, something good hap-pens to every being in Heaven, on earth, and in purgatory. The Curs de Ars once added that a Communion well received is worth more than a small fortune given to the poor. Each time we receive Communion our place in Heaven is permanently raised and our stay in purgatory is shortened.

While on earth, with limited

vision, we will never be able to appreciate the greatness of the Eucharist. We will never be able to comprehend the real fact of reliving Christ’s crucifixion.

But we know the importance from places like Medjugorje, which John Paul II endorsed.

“Unceasingly adore the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar,” said Our Blessed Mother. “Spe-cial graces are then being re-ceived. Be kind to come to Mass without looking for an excuse. Pray, pray, pray only. Prayer should be for you not only a habit, but also a source of happi-ness. Abandon yourselves to God without any restrictions. Love your enemies. Banish from your heart hatred, bitterness, precon-ceived judgments. If you knew what grace and what gifts you receive, you would prepare your-selves for (the Eucharist) each day for an hour at least. Pray, dear children, so that God’s plan may be accomplished, and all the works of Satan be changed in favor of the glory of God.

“When I say `pray, pray, pray,’ I do not only want to say to increase the number of hours of prayer, but also to reinforce the desire for prayer, and to be in contact with God. Place yourself permanently in a state of spirit bathed in prayer. Dear children,

With Eucharist comes tremendous promise that we can begin living heaven from earth

I want you to comprehend that God has chosen each one of you in order to use you in a great plan for the salvation of man-kind. You are not able to com-prehend how great your role is in God’s design.

“The Mass is the greatest prayer of God. You will never be able to understand its great-ness. That is why you must be perfect and humble at Mass. I beseech you, pray to Jesus! I am His mother, and I intercede for you with Him, but everything

does not depend solely on me, but also on your strength and the strength of those who pray. The Mass is the most important and the most holy moment in your lives. If you abandon yourselves to me, you will not even feel the passage from this life to the next life. You will begin to live the life of Heaven from this earth.”

You will not even feel the pas-sage from this life

An incredible promise that is![resources: adapted from Se-

crets of the Eucharist]

Dalawang Kahon (2)Nasaan na nga ba itong aking mga kalungkutannawala na nga silang lahat sa kahong pinagsidlankung kaya’t aking tinanong ang mahal na Panginoon“nariritong lahat sa akin” ito ang kanyang tugon.

Kaya’t tinanong ko kung bakit ibinigay sa akinyaong dalawang kahon na iyo’t aking pagyamaninwika Niya’y ang ginto’y para sa ‘yong mga biyayaat ang itim naman ay para sa mga pagdurusa.

Biyaya ng Diyos sa ‘yo ang ‘yong mga kaibigankung kaya’t mamahalin mo sila ng tunay na tunayipabatid mo sa kanila ang iyong nadaramakaligayahang lubos-lubos ito ang dulot nila.

Tulad nitong isang bolang bilog na walang simulawala rin s’yang katapusan o dulong kayang makakapasubalit may kayamanang sa loob ay nakatagohanapin at pagyamanin at tiyak makikita mo.

At katulad rin iyan ng pagmamahal mo sa Akinna palagi mong dinidilig ng mga panalanginang mga kaibigan mo ay huwag kaliligtaangdiligin mo din ng pagmamahal sa lahat ng araw.


Filmmaker Ferdinand Balanag trekked for 30 days in the Hima-layas with 11 Tibetan children rescued from poverty in 2003 by a young monk.

“Walking the Waking Journey,” Balanag’s film on the children’s journey back to their homes in 2008, was among the documen-taries that received the Golden Ace Award in the recently con-cluded Las Vegas Film Festival.

The film was produced by the American production outfit Teslar from a script by Baguio-based anthropologist Padmapani Perez. It was edited by Kidlat de Guia.

The Inquirer ran a story last year about the Tibetan monk and his 11 wards from the Himalayan border region of Upper Dolpo,

Baguio filmmaker cited in US Film Festival

Ferdinand Balanag (orange jacket) with some Tibetan chil-dren [Philstar]

Nepal. The monk fed and educat-ed the children in the monastery, then brought them home after five years, which became the subject of Balanag’s film.

“I am happy that this film touched many people,” Balanag, 31, said. “If it gets a bigger

viewership, a lot more will be inspired to put compassion into action.”

He added: “It was a difficult trek. We had to fast at times because food was limited and, when exhaustion came, I asked myself, ‘Why am I here? What am I doing?’ The answer came when we reached our destina-tion. We were so happy seeing the children reunited with their families.”

The film premiered at the Cul-tural Center of the Philippines in 2009 and was shown at the 2010 Miami Fashion Week, Film Do-kumenter in Indonesia and a film festival in Barcelona, Spain.

(Story courtesy of Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Lu-zon)

PAGUDPUD SHIPWRECK. After nearly a year and aground in Pagudpud Bay, Ilocos Norte, Philippines this North Korean regis-tered ship with 3 large holes in its hull looks like a tourist attraction to commuters plying the famous beaches of Pagudpud. It look like it has been cannibalized to the max also. PINOY GONZALES/ PNS

On the ground, Brooke Castillo is a classical pianist, a rock band manager, an elite sportswoman, and a teacher, but it is high in the sky where she truly excels.

Castillo is the country’s first female commercial jet captain, and from the cockpit of Cebu Pa-cific airline’s Airbus A319s and A320s, she says she has the best job in the world.

”I think I was destined to be here,” the tall and eloquent 41-year-old told Agence France Presse (AFP) in an interview, explaining that she realized her many other talents would take a back seat immediately after she got into aviation school.

”I just took up the challenge and I realized it was something that I would love to do, and that was it.”

Castillo grew up in a wealthy Manila household — her father was a banker and her mother managed a casino — alongside three brothers who helped instill in her a love for sports and com-petition.

Many hours of her childhood were spent with her family in ten-pin bowling alleys, and she ended

Brooke Castillo

Filipina pilot soars above the gender barrier

up representing the country’s junior team in the sport.

She was also a member of the Philippines’ youth basketball team, and won a silver medal for her country as an adult at the Southeast Asian taekwondo championships.

Among her other hobbies and talents, Castillo plays classical piano, manages a local alternative rock band and has a business ad-ministration degree from the elite University of the Philippines.

Castillo said she never aspired to be a pilot, but fell into the avia-tion industry soon after her col-

lege days when she accompanied a friend to a testing session for a pilot’s scholarship with national carrier Philippines Airlines.

Castillo took the tests as well and, while her friend failed, she aced them.

”When I went to aviation school, I realized everything that I learned from music, from my other endeavors in school and from sports — all of it — I was able to apply more than in my college subjects,” she said.

Her love of flying and her skills saw her become the first woman in the country to fly a commer-cial jet in 1996, with Philippine Airlines.

After crossing to rival Cebu Pacific, Castillo in 2003 became the first woman in the Philippines to captain a jet.

Throughout her career she has blazed a trail for other women in the industry, with Cebu Pacific now boasting 14 other female pilots.

”Hopefully there will be more,” she said.

Castillo, who is now also an instructor for Cebu Pacific’s younger pilots, said she had

earned her success on her merits, pointing out airline chiefs could not compromise when choosing captains for their jets.

”In our profession there are no double standards because you cannot afford to put anyone’s life in danger,” she said.

Castillo suggested women had an advantage because they tended to pay closer attention to the smallest details. A pilot needs to check more than 200 items before an actual flight.

”They say that women are more meticulous and more into multi-tasking. Probably that’s true. In some instances I see it,” she said.

Be they Piper Tomahawk train-ers or Airbus jets, Castillo said the hardest aspect of flying was deciding when to take off and land or abort, because the tiniest hesitation could swiftly lead to life or death situations.

Her most dangerous moment was as a DC-9 co-pilot nine years ago when the cabin lost compres-sion in mid-flight. She said her professional training took over and the plane landed safely.

”The thing that I learned from that was that you don’t feel the fear until it’s over,” she said.

”After you land and everything, that’s when you catch the fear.”

Castillo’s remaining profession-al ambition is to captain larger, wide-bodied Airbus aircraft, a dream she will likely fulfill as her employers, now the country’s biggest airline, push aggressively into international markets.

She said also she wanted to marry and have a child someday. But she has had trouble finding the time for such personal matters and sees herself flying and in-structing until she turns 65, Cebu Pacific’s retirement age for pilots.

”I hope, I wish, but I really can’t see how,” she said when asked about marriage and a fam-ily.

”Honestly I’m enjoying my flying career and I am enjoying teaching. Being an instructor, in a way, is fulfilling to me, and in a way it’s making me think, ‘Should I give it up for anything else?”

(Story courtesy of Cecilia Mo-rella of AFP)

Eduardo Ilano of San Diego, California, passed away last April 26, 2011. He was born on Mach 27, 1950 in Imus, Cavite, Philippines and survived by his wife, Mary Lou Vazquez Ilano and sons Ronald and Norman. He was the son of Cayetano and Ce-cilia Ilano and the brother of Andy, Emilio, Cora. Elenita, Rita and Renato (deceased). Viewing will be held on May 18, and May 19, 2011 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m at the Miramar Chapel inside the Miramar Corps Air Station MCAS (no need for pass at the gate) and the internment will be on May 20 at 12 p.m. For more infor-mation, please call Ronald Ilano at (858) 610-1736, Cora Ilano at (619) 301-2767 or Ed Gawaran at (858) 837-2081.

Eduardo Ilano (March 27, 1950 – April 26, 2011)


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

journalusa.com

Growing up in Baguio City which was 4,000 feet above sea level, my parents were busy 24/7 that they never found time to bring me places. I was lucky enough to have joined the boy scouts and had my first camping when it I was already in Grade V. The camping was held along a beach resort in Bauang, La Union.

Arriving there at around nine in the morning, for one who have not been on a shore before, the expanse of the sea and its horizons overwhelmed me. The sand which tickled and singed my toes and which glittered with tiny sparkles amazed me. The whizzing wind that made the coconut leaves swish added to remind me in whispers about the wonder of creation I have learned in my catechism classes.

The day progressed with me leaping with the waves as they broke into roaring thunders. I romped, splashing with the waves, evading the chasing waters as they arched unto the shore before drawing back to the sea. I erected towers of sand that toppled over time with the lap-ping waters.

After some time, I just sat by

The First Time I Truly Believed

the shore with the water just caressing my feet.

The sight of the boundless horizons began to rattle my soul beyond its core. The lapping of the roaring waves on the sands also seemed to begin whisper-ing a message I did not initially understand and cared about.

As the day closed, however, as the placidness of darkness slew

what remained of the sunlight in spite of its slicing still through the clouds, a booming voice whispered silently unto my heart. As we had dinner along the beach, the stars that blanketed the skies twinkled like sending throbbing messages into my heart along with the now gentle splashing of the breaking waters along the sands.

Nature tells us all and I heard and I decided that it was God who was whispering loudly to me, not only to my soul but to my whole being.

For the first time in my life, I proved to myself that what I learned from catechism in school is true. Who else would have created the vastness of the ocean, making its tongues splash on the shore? Who else would have painted the glorious sunset in the sky with brushstrokes placing the clouds precisely where they were to break the remaining rays of the sun into dimensions of hues of orange, red, and gold? Who else would have peppered the skies of the night with all those twinkling stars?

Fast Forward

Today, we are amazed at the progress of the technology of communication. We have all the gizmos to send and receive messages. As soon as the latest I Phone or I Pad are in the market, they are already antiquated as

techno whiz fellows romp them up in production tinker labora-tories. Ev-eryone, even those apart in the remotest corners of Timbuktu, is just a few keystrokes away.

We praise the com-panies that produce these gizmos and thankful that with the

most modern technology they churn out, we can stay connected with love ones and even those we do not really know.

One thing, most, however, forget or take for granted is the creation of the basic communi-cation medium. We forget who might have created the vocal chords where the larynx vibrates and the pliable tongue arch to

produce sounds. These sounds push the air around and carry the sounds that would rattle tympan-ic membranes to set the auditory complex membranes in motion and, consequently, send impulses to the brain to interpret what is being said.

What could be more wonder-ful than this creation as medium of communication? Who could have created the complex vocal chords, the auditory system, the air through which the sounds travel, and basically the brain that formulates what is being said and heard?

Who should we be more thank-ful to?

Getting Connected

And while the latest gizmos connect us to families and friends, how many forget to connect with the Being that have created the basic elements that allow those gadgets to function? Where would that basic energy called electricity come from to charge those phones? Where would the basic chemicals and elements come from to produce the plastic covers, diodes, or any component of those gadgets come from?

For many, they even con-nect with things that draw them farther from the Supernatural be-ing. They get immersed in sites that draw them away from their responsibilities towards their fel-lowmen and farther away from the Creator of all things.

Nonetheless, there are those who actually connect with the Supreme Being with their I Phones or I Pads. Without the bulk of it, one could access the Scriptures, Koran, Buddha pas-sages, and other holy books with the flick of fingers. How easy it could be if we really want to connect with the Most High.

And that’s how it should be. I would like to believe that the Creator created those things so we could connect with Him.

Much like when He truly com-muned with me through those splashing waters on the shores and that wonderful sunset paint-ing in the sky.

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn’t slow a train very much, a billion of them would.

With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American.

Good idea...one light bulb at a time...

Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day - I was looking at the hose at-tachments. They were all made in China . The next

day I was in Ace Hardware, and just for the heck of it, I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA .

Start looking --- In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects some-one else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let’s get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey’s candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more..

My favorite toothpaste, Colgate is now made in Mexico . I have switched to Crest.

You have to read the labels on everything ..

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 Watt light bulbs and dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand that I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, “Everyday Value”. I picked up

Saving American Jobs - One Light Bulb at a Time

both brands of bulbs and com-pared the stats - they were the same, except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand - - - but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA ,

in a company in Cleveland , Ohio .

So on to another aisle

- Bounce Dryer Sheets..... yep, you

guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value

brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and

the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use ev-ery day that are made right here. My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! (We should have awakened a decade ago!!!!!!)

Let’s get with the program...help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

I Passed this on...will you ???????

As the Bamboos Sway

Read Rudy Liporada’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Rudy D. Liporada


AMERASIAN CUISINE

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Light &Shadows

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

by Zena Sultana Babao

Letters to the EditorRead previous articles by visiting our website at www.asian-

journalusa.com

Our relationship with our Creator is the essence of wor-ship. Having a personal relation-ship with God is vital because it touches at the very core of our lives. What we are, how we act, what we believe – are the fruits of this relationship.

Perhaps this is why a whole book of the Bible is dedicated to the worship and relationship with God. This book is Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament, otherwise known as the “Book of Laws”.

Some people bypass reading Leviticus every time they read the Bible because they find the practice of animal sacrifices too bloody and primitive. But they don’t know why it was done and what the practice symbolized.

Anyone who knows the Bible understands that blood was re-quired to be shed for the forgive-ness of sin and for people to be able to approach God. Hebrews 9:22 says that “without the shed-ding of blood there is no forgive-ness.” In the New Testament, the blood of Christ was shed for the full and complete forgiveness of sin.

We learned about Israel’s dramatic exit from Egypt in the book before Leviticus, the book of Exodus. After this dramatic exit, the Israelites camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai for two years to listen to God. It was a time of resting, teaching, build-ing, and meeting with the Lord face to face. What transpired in those two years was a prelude to Leviticus, which has a set of in-structions on how God’s people would worship and do for the redemption of sin.

The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel, “You must be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy …” (Leviticus 19:1-2). For a sinful people to approach a holy God, people must be made holy (without sin.) As you have read in the book of Genesis, sin entered into this world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

The penalty for sin is death! God’s system says that a life must be given for a life! In the Old Testament, an animal’s life was given to save the life of a person. The opening chapters of the book of Leviticus gave detailed instructions for offering animal sacrifices, the active sym-bols of repentance and obedience during those times.

Whether offering bulls, goats,

The Essence of Worshipsheep or even grain, these sacri-ficial offerings has to be without blemish, just like the ultimate sacrifice to come – JESUS, the Lamb of God, who was without sin. The animal sacrifices during those times were a precursor to the sacrifice of Christ, the Redeemer, who died on the cross for the forgiveness and redemp-tion of sins.

Many events and prophecies in the Old Testament are histori-cal backdrops of the coming of Christ and of His final sacrifice to bring us back to God. And for us to gain eternal life! “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” –John 3:16.

True worship and oneness with God begins as we confess our sins and accept Christ as our Savior and Lord. He is the only one who can redeem us and help us approach God. Jesus said in John 14:16, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In Leviticus we learned about the Levites, the ministers and priests of their day who instruct-ed the people in their worship. They regulated the moral, civil, and ceremonial laws and su-pervised the health, justice and welfare of the nation.

The final emphasis in Leviticus is celebration. The book gives instructions to Moses on how celebratory feasts or festivals were observed and conducted. These are:

The Sabbath, a day of rest and sacred assembly on the seventh day of the week.

The Passover and Unleavened Bread, a reminder of God’s deliverance when He spared the lives of Israel’s first-born children in Egypt and freed the Hebrews from slavery. Its also a reminder of the exodus from Egypt, leaving the old life behind and entering a new way of living.

(3) Firstfruits, celebrating the first crops of the barley harvest and reminding the people of how God provided for them;

(4) The Feast of Weeks, cel-ebrating the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest, and the people’s joy and thanksgiving for these bountiful harvests;

(5) The Feast of Trumpets, the beginning of the seventh month of the year when God’s people

again expressed joy and thanks-giving to the Lord;

(6) The Day of Atonement, cel-ebrating the removal of sin from the people and the nation, and their restored fellowship with God; and,

(7) The Feast of Tabernacles, celebrating God’s protection and guidance in the wilderness, and the renewal of Israel’s commit-ment to God.

The Israelites were given instructions and rules for daily living that still apply today – rules concerning family relation-ships and responsibilities, diets, childbirth, sexual conduct, and diseases. These rules and in-structions about daily living are still relevant to us 21st century Christians.

Name: Richard R. MirandaHeading: Memorial Day: Captain Eulalio Arzaga, Jr.

and His Runaway BrideOpinion:

I had the honor to not only fly with Captain Arzaga Jr. in the U.S. Air Force, but he was also my good friend. The world lost much the day he died. How-ever, he left you and now you have the knowledge of what a great man Captain Arzaga Jr. (Ely) was. As he is with God, he looks over you and your family every day.

BY MICHAEL P. A. RODRIGUEZ, JR.

SPRING VALLEY, CA - The lines were piling up at the early evening of April 23, 2011 on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Alb-ertson’s store, 543 Sweetwater Road, Spring Valley. The special guest appearance of Evander Holyfield was an anticipated mo-ment among over 100 shoppers who were standing in the line to meet and greet him. It was also a moment to purchased the sauce of the century which is the “Real Deal” BBQ Sauce.

Evander Holyfield a five time Heavyweight Champion of the World arrived at the supermarket

Evander Holyfield introduces his “Real

Deal” BBQ Sauce in SD

Photo from Left to Right: Ann Duenas from Paradise Hills, and Evander Holyfield, 5 Time Heavyweight Champion of the World at Albertson’s in Spring Valley.

at 5:17 p.m. This was the first store to sell the barbeque sauce in San Diego County. It was also Holyfield’s first time special appearance for the consumers to taste and buy the “Real Deal” BBQ Sauce.

The anticipated fans and on-lookers of Holyfield had a choice from mild or spicy sauce to pur-chase. On top of that, it included a sports celebrity photo-op with Evander Holyfield.

Marissa Acierto from SC-

CPress.com reporter had a live video interview and asked Holy-field how he felt about his retire-ment and him starting a new business. Evander Holyfield was sharp and quicky replied, “I am not retired and plan to box in the future.” Holyfield shared his colleagues vision and unique flavor of the sauce that people would love to taste and continue purchasing.

Ann Duenas originally from Guam who resides from Paradise Hills waited in the line and said, “It was a great honor to meet Holy. I look forward to tasting the sauce.”

The barbeque sauce is exclu-sively made from the Jones’ families homemade recipe. It

was orginally made by their father William U. Jones, Sr. of Little Rock, Arkansas. Excerpts taken from the “Real Deal” BBQ Sauce information jar label.

On a different tangent, no inquiries was asked about Holy-field’s opinion on the upcoming May 7, 2011 fight for the World Welterweight Championship. The championship fight would be with Manny Pacquiao versus Shane Mosley in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, in a you tube footage video interviewed by The Sun about Pacquiao and Mayweather’s possible cham-pionship fight, Holyfield said, “Floyd Mayweather has it all to lose against Manny Pacquiao.”

As a continuing entrepreneur, Evander Holyfield stands proud as a professional boxer in the league of Heavyweights box-ing category, and now the future sauce known as the “Real Deal” BBQ Sauce of this century will be a highlight for the year 2011 as another Holyfield achieve-ment.

For further info, please checked www.RealDealBBQSauce.com or stop by On Hit Barbeque on 3403 East Plaza Blvd., National City, California.

Courtesy Photo and Personal Live Interview by Marissa Aci-erto / SCCPress.com.

citations. Col. Romulo A. Man-riquez, regimental commander, swore that Marcos was never assigned to patrol or combat, only as S-5 or civil affairs. Not a colonel but a captain, Marcos joined the 14th Infantry from December 4, 1944 to April 28, 1945. No Maharlika guerrilla group was formed in Kiangan on April 24, 1945.

Capt. Vicente L. Rivera, 14th Infantry adjutant, added that he had never recommended Marcos for any decoration. The sighting of Japanese trucks a mile from RCP was geographically impos-sible because the nearest road was too far, half a day’s hike away.

Manriquez and Rivera said that Marcos requested for transfer to Camp Spencer, USAFIP-NL headquarters, in Luna, La Union, on April 28, 1945. Gilego said this tallied with Marcos’s commissioned biography, For Every Tear a Victory, by Hart-zell Spence (1964). In Spence’s version, Marcos and one Captain Jamieson had to break through a cordon of 200,000 Japanese sol-diers to get to an airstrip in Isa-bela. The Piper Cub that arrived took only Jamieson. “An hour later,” wrote Spence, “as Marcos was about to evacuate the area because he heard a Japanese patrol, another supply plane tar-geted in with an airdrop. Risking discovery, Ferdinand rushed into the open but the plane merely wagged its wings. The pilot was signaling the location of the en-emy. Ferdinand tuned his walkie-talkie to the plane’s wavelength and told the pilot, ‘I have a duf-fel down here with six captured swords in it and three gold bars. They are all yours if you pick me up.’ Instantly the pilot circled, returned, and Ferdinand climbed aboard. An hour later, he was at Camp Spencer.”

Gillego remarked of this pas-sage that Marcos was bounty hunting: “If Spence’s account is true, he makes Marcos guilty of keeping for himself captured or acquired enemy property, in violation of the Articles of War.”

As for the escape from Fort Santiago, Gillego scoured the Kempei Tai files, including the

trial papers of its chief, Col. Sei-ichi Ohta. No record of Marcos as prisoner. Allegedly a Jesuit priest who survived the dun-geons had decried the request of Commodore Santiago Nuval to insert Marcos in the roster.

Gillego debunked Marcos’s claim to be the star of the Battle of Bessang Pass to whom Gen-eral Yamashita nearly surren-dered. From the many first-hand accounts, never was Marcos mentioned as a participant in the five-phase operation from Febru-ary 10 to June 15, 1945.

Among the recollections was “Battle Among the Clouds” (Manila Standard, June 11, 1987) by Justice Desiderio P. Jurado (deceased), who had led the cru-cial capture of Buccual Ridge. Modestly this true hero of the weeks of seesaw battles, marked by frequent hand-to-hand com-bat, gave credit to his superiors, peers and subordinates. Towards the end he made mention of Marcos, not as combatant but as the new President who unveiled the marker on the 21st anniver-sary in 1966.

Research by historian Alfred McCoy confirmed Gillego’s articles belittling Marcos’s exploits. In 1986 the New York Times and Washington Post ran McCoy’s findings based on US Army records. Opposition papers in Manila reprinted McCoy and Gillego’s research. One of Mar-cos’s “Maharlika co-founders” sued for libel, saying, “I am filing these charges because I felt belittled, ridiculed and disgraced, not only to myself and my comrades, but including those who sacrificed their lives for the country.”

Three other veterans and Marcos comrades-in-arms, Col. Frisco San Juan, Teodulo C. Na-tividad and Col. Agustin Mark-ing, attacked the reports: “If this ... story weren’t so vicious, it would be ludicrous. Mr. Marcos has on his body scars more elo-quent than any country’s medals in attesting to his courage, gal-lantry and self-sacrifice.”


Marcos Medals ...

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Street Poetry

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

by Michael R. Tagudin

©2010 Michael R. Tagudin. All rights reserved. About the Author: Michael R. Tagudin Educated as an engineer in the Philippines, the City of Los Angeles 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 the “Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST)”, a non-profit that provides public awareness and advocacy efforts against human trafficking in the City of Angels. To learn more, visit www.castla.org. To help, call the CAST 24 hour hotline 888.KEY.2.FRE(EDOM) or 888.539.2373. Contact [email protected] for more information about ordering the book “Crushed Violets.”

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GAMESit is...what it is !let the games begin!me acting so coolplaying the part...part of a foolbeing so calm...so calm before the clashfacing enemiesright hereright nowon this morningthis morning of peaceful blissi feel so...so at ease!with you in mindmy attention for youme playing the part of a foolfor you...i am willing to take hits...from blanks and wooden

swordsplay things that would scratch

and bruisebecause really...it is no big dealuntil metal clashes with fleshflashing cardsexposing faces!real intent in the open!i am...i am ...my father's son!given the coordinatesi will...i would call...call for a decisive...decisive

AIR STRIKE!

Marcos fake medals redux (Part 1)

Most recently, 216 Congress-men signed a resolution “Urging the Administration of President Benigno C. Aquino to Allow the Burial of the Remains of Former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani”.

It is premised primarily on the following:

That the 1. Libingan ng mga Bayani was established for military personnel;That Marcos was a well-2. decorated soldier, a veteran of World War II and a sur-vivor of the Bataan Death March; andThat he gave invaluable 3. service as a soldier, writer, statesman, President and Commander-in-Chief.

First let me reiterate what I had written earlier (Marcos: To Be or Not To Be @LNMB, Asian Journal, 3/17-24, 2011). The pantheon of heroes which was later named Libingan ng mga Bayani was established not just for military personnel who were not “dishonorably separated/reverted/dis-charged,.or not convicted by fi-nal judgment of a crime involv-ing moral turpi-tude” but also for acclaimed national art-ists and other non-military personnel approved as heroes, and most especially for Presidents worthy of “emulation and inspi-ration by the present generation and generations still unborn.” (Republic Act No. 289)

Marcos, who built his politi-cal career as allegedly the most decorated soldier in history – dwarfing by comparison even the combined medals of Sergeant York of World War I and Audie Murphy of World War II, indeed on its face deserves to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

But more than 30 years after his death, and 5 Presidents suc-

ceeding him, not one of the latter dared to bury him at the national pantheon.

President Cory Aquino did not even allow the remains of Mar-cos to be brought anywhere in the Philippines. She was famil-iar with Marcos’ atrocities, his deceptions and his dishonorable and brutal dictatorial regime. She saw her husband killed by sol-diers under Marcos’ command. Understandably, she sympathized with tens of thousands of Martial Law victims and their relatives who vehemently objected.

President Fidel Ramos allowed the remains to be brought back to the Philippines but only to Ilocos Norte and DEFINITELY not to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Being a West Point graduate and a decorated soldier himself, he could have understandably decided to bury Marcos at the LNMB.

President Joseph Estrada pledged and, in fact, announced he would allow Marcos to be buried at the pantheon. But after listening to all sides and having to focus on the responsibilities of governing, he never got around to approving and implementing

what he pledged.President

Gloria Macapa-gal Arroyo who had the opportu-nity to do it for almost a decade did not even consider it nor did she encour-age a discussion on it. In fact, her way of govern-ing mirrored that of Marcos so

much so that you would think the latter was her idol.

President Noynoy Aquino is now being urged to do what his predecessors did not dare do. In deference to the signatories of the resolution coming from a co-equal branch of the government, he referred the matter to Vice President Binay. It is not clear whether the Vice President is to study it and make recommenda-tions or is actually empowered to decide. It is also unclear as to when the decision be made

– during Aquino’s term or when (or if) Binay gets elected as President?

If his decision is in the nega-tive, is it binding on the Marcos family? Will the family respect it and finally put the issue to rest and correspondingly the soul of Marcos to peaceably rest as well?

If Congressmen Salvador Escu-dero, Imelda Marcos, Gloria M. Arroyo, J.V. Ejercito and the oth-er signatories of the resolution are really serious, why don’t they author and sponsor a bill that would mandate the burial at the LNMB? They can incorporate different conditions and qualifi-cations completely disregarding heroism as well as despotism. They can even change the title and remove “Bayani” in it. They are lawmakers. Instead of act-ing like one, they have become petitioners “urging” Noynoy’s Administration to accept Marcos as a hero and to top it all, forcing

it to rewrite history.

Was Marcos a well-decorated soldier?

John Sharkey of the Washing-ton Post who did an extensive research on the matter did not think so. Jeff Gerth and Joel Brinkley of the New York Times after perusing the War files in the National Archives found out that Marcos’ claims were “fraudu-lent” and “absurd”. Historian and scholar Dr. Alfred McCoy, while researching a book World War II in the Philippines, discov-ered the fraudulent Marcos files among hundreds of thousands of documents involving real heroes and fraudulent claimants during World War II.

Army Captain Ray C. Hunt who directed guerilla activities in Pangasinan said, “No way.” The “List of Recipients of Awards and Decorations issued from December 7, 1941 through June 30, 1945” was compiled by the General Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters in Tokyo after the end of the war. Another list of some 120 Americans and Fili-pinos who were awarded during the Bataan campaign was trans-mitted to the War Department by General Jonathan Wainwright on April 12 shortly before his sur-render. MARCOS WAS NOT on any of the lists.

Many of Marcos’ medals were obtained for heroic actions in Ki-angan, Mt. Province while serv-ing in the 14th Infantry under the Command of Colonel Manriquez and Adjutant Captain Rivera. Both attested to fact that Mar-cos was a non-combatant and just a Civil Affairs officer. They knew of no award that Marcos could have received or had been entitled to.

For 40 years Philippine War records were not available to the public. It was only in the 1980s that many of the docu-ments were eventually accessible to legitimate researchers and scholars. Led by Colonel Boni-facio Gillego assisted by a team from the Movement for a Free Philippines, a study was made on “Marcos: FAKE HERO”. The study was written by Col. Gillego and was published by the Philippine News and the We Forum which Marcos shut down and its Editor and staff writers indicted for “sedition” punish-able by death.

After an exhaustive analysis of the medals which Marcos sup-posedly received, Gillego came up with the following conclu-sions:

Eleven awards were given 1. in 1963;Ten were given on the 2. same day (12/20/1963);Three awards were given 3. in one AFP General Order (12/20/1963);One award was given in 4. 1972 when he was already President;Eight are really campaign 5.

ribbons which everybody involved in Bataan and the resistance movement (in-cluding my barber’s uncle), is entitled to receive;Awards are duplicated for 6. the same action at the same place on the same day; One is a Special Award 7. given by the Veterans Fed-eration of the Philippines; andThree for being wounded 8. in actions which his own Commandant swore could not have happened.Most importantly, like the 9. other researchers, he found no records in the War Archives that would sup-port the awards supposedly received by Marcos. On the contrary, fraudulent and false claims as well as anti-guerilla propaganda files involving his father and his group were uncovered.

I intend to write in more detail the writings and research made by the above-mentioned au-thorities plus my own findings and analysis regard-ing Marcos’ war exploits to belie the Congressmen signatories’ prem-ises. They will be in my next and

future columns. We just cannot allow Philippine History to be rewritten at the expense of the real heroes of World War II.

Philippine News which pub-lished Gillego’s article, “Marcos – the Hero of Kiangan Who Nev-er Was”, wrote, “In an effort to authenticate his report, Gillego contacted Manriquez and Rivera, residents in the East Coast to at-test to the veracity of his article. In the presence of TWO WIT-NESSES, Manriquez and Rivera signed every page of Gillego’s story.”

The TWO WITNESSES to the signing, I am very proud to say, were acknowledged and genuine national hero BENIGNO “Ni-noy” AQUINO and lucky ME.


SCARED By Jean Maneja-Pioso, guest writer, Asian Journal San Diego | SAN FRANCISCO, 4/15/2011 -- I’m scared. I’m afraid that the end of the world will come, and I’m scared of all the possible ways it might hap-pen. I’m not alone. Millions of people believe in prophecies of boiling seas and falling skies. Others think we’ve dug our own graves with pollution and climate change. Some even have dreams about great world-destroying cataclysms. Some of these beliefs are new, some have been around a long time, but these different be-liefs about the end of the world af-fect all of us in different ways, and

I worked in television back in the Philippines, years ago. I was a researcher, segment producer, writer and reporter at the public affairs department in the station where I worked. It’s been nine years since I left Manila, and that job, behind. Not long ago, I felt the need to sit down at my PC and write something. So I got seated, turned the computer on, and started typing.

Almost immediately, I realized how badly I needed to refresh and enhance my skills. I enrolled myself in a five-week writing class. The Wednesday night before the end of our class, our teacher asked us to write some-thing about any of these words: “sad”, “scared”, or “serious”. I chose the word “scared”. It surprised me when I chose that word; I figured I would write about how I’m always the one who can’t watch the scary mov-ies, like Halloween, you know? But what came out was much more profound.

Here’s what I wrote that night. I want to share this with you.

By Jean Maneja-Pioso

ScaredScaredScared

Showbiz Watcher

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

by Ogie Cruz

“Bibigyan ko siya ng lesson ,” ito ang huling namutawi sa dat-ing boyfriend ni Aiko Melendez na si Mayor Patrick Meneses ng Bulacan,Bulacan.

Masyadong mainit ngayon ang tungkol sa pagkakalat diumano ni Aiko sa kanyang direct message through twitter sa isang kaibigan na bakla, na ang kanyang dating boyfriend ay isang miembro ng federasyon ng ikatlong kasarian.

Nang minsan kasi mag-guest sa show ng Paparazzi ng channel 5 si Mayor Meneses, isang dokumento ang inilabas ni Cristy Fermin na kung saan nakasaad doon ang mga tweet ni Aiko sa isang kaibigan, kung baga si Aiko pa mismo ang nagpapakalat diumano sa mga showbiz reporters na gawing blind item ito, tungkol sa kasarian ng kanyang dating boyfriend na isang Mayor na isa raw bakla.

Nabigla si Mayor Meneses sa nabasa niyang dokumento,at nai-confirm din niya na twitter ac-count nga ni Aiko ang nagsasaad ng malisyosong paninira sa kanya.Hindi raw niya ito mapapalampas, kakausapin daw niya ang kanyang lawyer para idimanda ang nasabing aktres.

Habang sinusulat namin ang tungkol sa issue na ito, itong araw na ito (Miyekoles Nov 27 ) magsasampa ng dimanda si Mayor Patrick Meneses.Samantalang si Aiko ay nagsalita na rin, hindi raw niya gawain ang manira ng isang personality.Sa simula pa raw na nagkahiwalay sila naging tahimik siya sa issue,never daw siyang nag-bitaw ng anumang salita.Hindi raw totoo na siniraan niya ang kanyang dating boyfriend na si Mayor Meneses.

Masyadong kakaunti ang mga depensa ni Aiko about the issue,ang tanong kasi ng marami kung sa kanya ang twitter account na ipinakita ni Cristy Fermin kay Mayor.

Kung hindi sa kanya, wala ba si-yang balak idimanda ang naturang programa ng channel 5 at mismo si Cristy Fermin na siya nag-expose ang tungkol sa paninirang puri kay Mayor.

Sa kabilang banda naman,ang mga tagasuporta ni Aiko e galit na galit ngayon kay Cristy Fermin na nagsiwalat ng lahat. Kesyo puro raw paninira ang ginagawa ng nas-abing TV host para lalong panoorin ang kanilang programa.Eto raw mismo ang nagsisimula ng away at kontrabersyal kaya itong nangya-yari ngayon kina Aiko at Mayor Meneses na aabot pa sa husgado ay isang malinaw na ebidensiya.

Kahit nga sa website na kung saan mapapanood mo ang buong interbyu ni Cristy kay Mayor Me-neses via Paparazzi show,makikita mo roon ang mga comments ng mga tao at si Ms. Fermin ang tinutuligsa.Mga masasakit na salita na halos kulang na lang murahin nila ang nasabing TV host, ewan lang namin kung alam ito ng kampo nila o ng channel 5.

Pero infairness kay Ms. Cristy Fermin, ipinakita na naman niya

Dahil sa bakla issue: Aiko idinemanda ng libel

ng ex-boyfriend!!!rito kung gaano siya kagaling mag-expose ng mga controversy at with matching evidence pa. Ngayon ang naglalaro sa isip namin, hindi ba dapat magdimanda si Aiko Me-lendez sa nasabing TV host para malaman kung sino talaga ang nagsasabi ng totoo?

JAMES YAP 41 MILLION ANG NAKUHA SA YAMAN NI KRIS AQUINO! Yumaman daw ng 41 Million si James Yap sa kanilang conjugal earning ni Kris Aquino.

Ganon daw talaga ang batas, kung marital na pagsasama ang pag-uusapan.Sa totoo nga unang napabalita na 42 Million ang nakuha ng Basketbolista pero pinabulaanan ng kampo nila ito, kesyo one million daw ang dapat kay Baby James kaya nabawasan.

2 MONTHS PREGNANT SI REGINE VELAZQUEZ.Aminado na ngayon si Regine na buntis na siya for 2 months, at takenote alam ba ninyo kung anu na ngayon ang napaglilihian ng nasabing singer.

Talangka at humburger ang gustong gusto niyang kainin na kailangan sa Mandarin Hotel pa ito dapat nabili at kailangan si Ogie Alcasid pa ang bibili nito.

MANNY PACQUIAO HIGH-EST PAID NA MANLALARO SA BUONG MUNDO AYON SA ESPN! Kumita raw ng 32 Million dollars si Manny nung nakaraang taon 2010, katumbas ito ng 1.4 Bil-lion pesos.

Pero sabi nga sa report halos kalahati lang daw ang nakuha ni Pacman dahil sa Tax sa Amerika at sa kanyang manager kaya 32 Million na lang ang naiuwi nito sa Pilipinas.

Kaya pala halos hindi magka-datapos ng shopping sina Jinky at Mommy Dionisia, dahil sa perang napanalunan ni Pacman.Sabi nga rin sa pag-aaral kailangan 3mil-lion pesos ang dapat gastusin ng pamilya sa isang araw para maubos ang naturang 32 million pesos.Yes, ganon kayaman ang pamilya ngayon ni Pacquiao kaya naman marami properties ang binibili nila sa ngayon.

CONCERT NI AI-AI AT POPS SA UNSTOPPABLE!!!

Magkakaroon pala ng concert sina Ai-Ai Delas Alas at Pops Fernandez sa July 2,2011.7:30pm Saturday.Gagawin ito sa Pala Ca-sino Resort Spa 11154 Highway 76 ,Caifornia.

Ang ticket prices are $38, $58 at limited VIP Seats at $ 68.Eto na ang pagkakataon ng mga Pinoy dito sa San Diego na makapanood ng ganito klaseng concert ng Box Office Queen at Concert Queen, tiyak riot ito.

Kung nais nyo bumili ng tickets, hanapin nyo lang po ako avail-able sa aming office ang tickets sa Asian Journal o kaya tawagan nyo ako sa aking cell no. 225-2888711.See you in the concert.

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Carrasquillo, Lorna M. MarquezFree ConsultationTel. (877) 639-4529 Chua, Tinsay, Vega Law Atty. Aurora Vega 1901 First Avenue, Suite 142 San Diego, CA Tel. (619) 955-6277 Cooke, Kenneth c/o Maria Cielito Bejarin 240 Woodlawn Avenue #15 Chula Vista, CA 91910 Tel (619) 696-7196 Karagdag, Atty. Rogelio 10717 Camino Ruiz # 131 San Diego, CA 92126 Tel. (858) 348-7475 Perez, Atty. Susan 625 Broadway, Suite 1015 San Diego, CA 92101 Tel (619) 819-8648

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Manila Forwarder 3104 East Plaza Blvd. National City, CA 91950 Tel. (619) 434-7191 Pentagon Cargo 3200 Highland Avenue #2-B National City, CA 91950 Tel (619) 474-0767

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Badillo, Dr. Florabel F. Oliver10717 Camino Ruiz, # 122 San Diego, CA 92126 Tel. (858) 566-6099

Chan, Andrew 925 East Pennsylvania Ave. # D Escondido, CA 92025 Tel. (858) 527-0365 Lazaga, Dr, Myrna 914 East 8th Street, #208 National City, CA 91950 Tel (619) 477-0570

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New Image DentistryDr. Rossana T. Alfonso2340 E. 8th StreetNational City, CA 91950Tel. (619) 470-2558 Palaganas, Aleli 1311 E. 8th Street, Suite D National City, CA 91950Tel. (619.474.8441

Salazar, Evelyn1339 Third AvenueChula Vista, CA 91911Tel. (619) 426-2040 Saldana, Ronaldo 665 H Street, Suite E Chula Vista, CA 91910 Tel. (619) 422-7252

DRIVING SCHOOLS Aguilar Driving School

2371 Forest Meadow Court Chula Vista, CA 91915 Tel. (619) 482-1488 Perez, Gerry 6985 Westleigh Place San Diego, CA 92126 Tel. (619) 571-9159

COMMUNITIES, NEW HOMES

Amber Woods by Watt Communities1104 Woodcrest Lane, Vista CA 92083Tel. (760) 727-2945www.amberwoods-homes.com3-4 BR homes, 2004-2694 sf

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Jerry Salcedo Agency - Nationwide 162 S. Rancho Sante Fe,Ste E100 Encinitas, CA 92024Te. (877) 260-7104

through us, they affect our family, our friends, our co-workers, our babysitters.

One morning, while I was driv-ing to my job in the San Francisco Bay area, I turned on the radio. I didn’t know what to listen to, so I just kept scanning until I found a station where a man was talking about selling some kind of tickets.

I don’t know why I stopped there, but I did.

I realized that he wasn’t selling tickets at all; he was talking about “tickets for the Truth.” He said he knows when the world will end, that he has proof. I didn’t get the impression that he was a priest at first, but then one of his listeners got on the phone and said, “Fa-ther, I want to know the truth.” And the priest said, “Get your Bible and turn to page...” and then I understood. The ticket for the truth that he was talking about is the Bible.

Remember the story of Noah? He seemed to focus on that. As he unfolded his calculations, it was clear he had spent years studying the story of Noah, and had formu-lated a theory for the end of the world, which really amazed me. When he started to explain and compare the numbers, dates and incidents of Noah’s story to lay out his ideas about the end of the world, I was enthralled. I listened intently to everything he said.

I think part of why this priest got my attention is that at bed-time the night before, my son had asked me to read him his first Bible book. The story of Noah was in the second chapter. Noah built an ark, a vessel to save two of every kind of animal on earth from a flood caused by forty days and forty nights of rain. I really wanted to continue listening to him, but I had reached the entry to the gated lot for the building where I worked. I pulled into my parking space, turned off the engine, and that was the end of the

sermon for me.When last week’s earthquake,

flood and nuclear catastrophe hit Japan, I felt SCARED. I remem-bered the priest on the radio. According to his research and studies, the end of the world will happen on May 21. I’m SCARED! Are you SCARED?

Predictions and prophecies are tools we use to help us understand the meaning of life and to ap-ply it in our day to day of living. Prophecies have turned millions of people into dreamers, the stron-gest and bravest they could be in the face of troubles spectacular or mundane.

On 6 March, 2011, CNN ran a story about ten people who walked away from their work, families, and communities, to travel the country in a caravan of RVs. These people gave away their cars, their pets, all their im-portant things. CNN writer Jessica Ravitz wrote, “They’re wearing sweatshirts and other clothing announcing the ‘Awesome News,’

that Judgment Day is coming on May 21.” On that day, these people believe, those who would be saved will be taken to heaven in Rapture. The rest, say these nomads, will endure exactly 153 days of horror before the world ends on October 21.

A lot of people around the world believe in predictions and prophe-cies. They sacrifice their time, and possibly their sanity, to study the end of the world, and to live with a belief that it will all be over soon. I’m sure the end of the Ma-yan Calendar 2012 is not a new topic to many people. November 11, 2011 is another date that keeps floating around. A Google search for “11.11.11” yields an amazing amount of mythology about that particular date.

Many people say there’s noth-ing to be scared about, that people have predicted the End Times before and they haven’t come, or that if the world ends, all of us will be gone. I’m realistic and honest. I’m scared. There are a lot of ways for the world to “end” and many of them sound painful. I have a son who has a lot of great dreams of the future: I want to see him become a teenager, finish college, become an adult, have his own family. I want be the grand-mother to his children.

I don’t know what will happen in the future. Like anybody else, I don’t know what I need to be ready for. Should I get my lug-gage and pack my clothes? Where would I go? Some people store a lot of food and bottled water, which is a good idea in case there’s an earthquake, but it won’t save anybody from the end of the world, will it?

At this moment, all I know is that I have a strong faith in God and I show my unconditional love to my family in every minute of the day, and I want to be held by them with love and caring. Be-cause when and if the world ends, I want to make sure I’m ready, that I have what really counts.

At this moment, all I know is that I have a strong faith in God and I show my uncon-ditional love to my family in every minute of the day, and I want to be held by them with love and caring. Because when and if the world ends, I want to make sure I’m

ready, that I have what really counts.


Lifestyle

Read J’Son’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Joe Son

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Both phrases of course has two different meanings. No doubt, people either young or adult will choose a Living Well. You need not be a genius nor a high-priced lawyer to live well, and with just simple tools like a healthy life-style, healthy eating habits, right care, right time, and the right place, you will live healthy and strong. While a Living Will, is a complicated legal document, that could be your last resort to allow you to appoint someone you trust, to make critical health care decisions for you or to enable you to outline important heath-care decisions in advance.

Most people, especially after retirement period are talking about a Living Will, a Living Trust, and a Last Will. Why not talk and give emphasis about having a good healthy lifestyle in order to live well and live more longer? “A Living Well!” Is it really too late? At any rate, research showed that promoting healthy habits should be taught and practiced early during your childhood.

Studies suggests that learn-ing to be healthy from a young age will make children the most out of their school years and set them up for success in the future.

As an adult, it is important to be a role model in setting good example to the children by eat-ing right and getting plenty of exercise in order for your kids to adopt a healhty lifestyle. A regular physical activity helps children build healthy bones and muscles, and maintain’s a healthy weight. Exercise also promotes self-esteem, lessen de-pression and anxiety, and helps children stay alert until adoles-cent stage.

Statistics show that both for young and adults. breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a good reason. Eating a good breakfast can sharpen your memory and improve your alert-ness. It is also important to make healthy food choices beyond breakfast by avoiding junk food in the house, skip soda and limit juice intake. Healthy snacking are best advised which include low-fat yogurt, veggies and low-fat dip, and dried or fresh fruit.

Did you know that aerobic exercise is said to be a good workout for your brain?

They say, to keep your brain in tip-top shape do aerobic exer-

Which is which... “A Living Well” or “A Living Will!”

cise which is believed to have a brain-boosting effect especially for older adults. This theory sug-gests that physical activity might increase the number of “con-nections,” or synapses, between brain cells. More connections would allow the brain to recruit these cells when more brain-power is needed. Another theory is that aerobic exercise boosts blood supply to the brain, which in turn improves its function.

Same study, says eating grains, especially “Whole Grains,” pro-vides numerous health benefits. Whole grains as a part of a heat-thy diet can reduce the risk of the digestive system cancers by 21 to 43 percent and other diges-tive problems like constipation and diverticulosis; heart disease by 25 to 35 percent ; hormone related cancer by 10 to 40 per-cent and stroke by 37 percent. When grocery shopping, pay close attention to the ingredient label and look for whole grain. If you seethe phrases”unbleached flour,” “degenerated flour,”or “enriched flour” on the food packaging, stay clear. This may be a product made from white flour.

Briefly, for purposes of our discussion, just like a Living Will, (discussed above), a Living Trust and a Last Will are legal documents which are com-monly confusing because of their similar-sounding names. While all three are vital estate planning tools, each one serves a distinct purpose. A Living Trust is used to transfer properly to benefi-ciares. But unlike a Last Will, a Living Trust is not usually sub-ject to probate court, which can take years and cost thousands in court fees. While a Last Will is used to distribute property to beneficiares, specify last wishes, and name guardians for minor children. It is an important part of any estate plan. Without one, the courts will make these criti-cal decisions for you.

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1. The sign in a flower shop in Diliman called “Petal Attrac-tion”.

3. A 24-hour restaurant called “ Doris Day & Night”

4. Barber shop called “Felix The Cut”;

5. A bakery named “Bread Pitt”

6. Fast-food place selling ‘maruya’ (banana fritters) called “Maruya Carey”.

7. Then, there is “Christopher Plumbing”

8. A boutique called “The Way We Wear”

9. A video rental shop called “Leon King Video Rental”

10. A restaurant in Cainta dis-trict of Rizal called “Caintacky Fried Chicken”

11. A local burger restaurant called “Mang Donald’s” (San Fdo, La Union )

12. A doughnut shop called “MacDonuts”

13. A shop selling ‘lumpia’ (egg roll) in Makati called “Wrap and Roll”

14. And two butcher shops called “ Meating Place and Me-atropolis” .

15. A shop selling fish “isda” in Davao called “IsdaBest”

Smart travelers can decipher what may look like baffling signs to unaccustomed foreign-ers by simply sounding out the ‘Taglish’ (The Philippine version of English words spelled and pronounced with a heavy Fili-pino) such as:

15. At a restaurant menu in Cebu :

We hab sopdrink in can an in batol? [Translation: We have soft drinks in can and in bottle].

16. Then, there is a sewing ac-cessories shop called Bids And Pises -

[translation: Beads and Pieces --or-- Bits and Pieces]

There are also many signs with either badly chosen or mis-spelled words but they are usu-ally so entertaining that it would be a mistake to ‘correct’ them like........

17. In a restaurant in Baguio City , the ‘summer capital’ of the Philippines :

Wanted: Boy Waitress 18. on a highway in Pampanga:We Make Modern Antique

Furniture 19. On the window of a pho-

tography shop in Cabanatuan :

Filipino signs of wit: I love the Philippines ..... It

is a place on earth where...

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

journalusa.com

We Shoot You While You Wait 20.. And on the glass front of a

cafe in Panay Avenue in Manila : Wanted: Waiter, Cashier,

Washier Some of the notices can even

give a wrong impression such as: 21. A shoe store in Pangasinan

which has a sign saying: We Sell Imported Robber

Shoes? (These could be the ‘sneakiest’ sneakers);

22. A rental property sign in Jaro reads:

House for Rent, Fully Fur-naced (It must really be hot inside)!

23. A laundry place in Manila called: Cinnabon. (a word for soap)

24. A funeral establishment in Quezon City : Mabuhay Funeral Services. (Mahuhay is like la chiam, “To Life!”

25, City in southern Philippines which said: Adults: 1 peso; Child: 50 centavos; Cadavers: fare subject to negotiation.

26. European tourists may also be intrigued to discover two competing shops selling Hopia (a Chinese pastry) called Holland Hopia and Poland Hopia - owned and operated by two local Chi-nese entrepreneurs, Mr. Ho and Mr. Po respectively - (believe it or not)!

27. Some folks also ‘creatively’ redesign English to be more effi-cient. The creative confusion be-tween language and culture leads to more than just simple unin-tentional errors in syntax, but in the adoption of new words, says reader Robert Goodfellow who came across a sign.....

‘House Fersallarend’ (house for sale or rent). Why use five words when two will do?

28. According to Manila busi-nessman, Tonyboy Ongsiako, there is so much wit in the Phil-ippines . Why? Because we are in a country where a good sense of humor is needed to survive. We have a 24-hour comedy show here called the government and a huge reserve of comedians made up mostly of politicians and bad actors

29. Another fast food restaurant in Manila called King Burger using the same logo ( crown ) as Burger King.

Now I ask you where else in the world would one want to live?

With the presentation of can-didates for the Philippine Faire 2011 last April 26, 2011, the Council of Philippine American Organizations of San Diego (COPAO) announced the Phil-ippine Independence celebra-tions this year to be held May 14, 2011 and May 28, 2011. Themed Bridging Generations, the celebrations are designed to foster unity not only along ethnic lines but also along generations among younger and older Fili-pino Americans who may differ in their cultural and generational outlooks here in the United States.

The Philippine Faire Filipini-ana Coronation Ball, which will be held at the Town and Country Inn on May 14, 2011 at 6:00 p.m., will feature the entourage of 2011’s Mrs. Philippine Faire, Miss Philippine Faire, Miss Teen, Little Miss, and Little Mis-ter. Vying for Mrs. PF 2011 are Katrina Gaffud Benfer, Lalaine Velasco Uvero, and Nellie F. Sison. Jamie Dianne Hann and Rizza Macaoay are candidates for the Miss PF 2011. For Miss Teen PF 2011, Marifel Sebastian Lopez is the sole candidate. The candidacy for Little Miss is still open while Nathan Ocampo is going for Little Mister. Canvass-ing to know who would reign at this year’s Faire will be held on May 7, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at the COPAO office.

On May 28, 2011, the Philip-pine Faire Cultural Parade and Festival will be held at the Kim-ball Park, National City. The pa-rade, which will kick off at 9:00 a.m. from Walmart at Highland assembly, will feature Festival of Festivals in the Philippines such as the Pinagbenga of Ba-guio City, Ati-Atihan, and many more. This will be participated in

COPAO PhilFaire 2011PhilFaire All Set

by students from different high schools of San Diego.

The program at Kimball Park, aside from local talents, will also feature imported actors and actresses from GMA Productions from the Philippines. Service booths will also dot the park.

The working committees of COPAO are all geared up for these celebrations and are in close collaboration with the FilAm Fest Organizing Commit-tee (FAPOC) headed by Dennis Michael. Committee members for awards and prizes are Julio de Guzman, Jun Mutaban, and Ludy Luevanos. Budget and Finance is headed by Arnel Encabo. Hospitality and Usher/Usherettes personnel include Rosemarie Dinogan, Ludy Luevanos, Nita Barrion, Nedy Lao, Jun Mutaban, and Renato and Belen Mateo. The parade committee is headed by Joyce Temporal with Sally Idos. The coronation committee is run by Myra Lopez with Nedy Lao, Julio de Guzman, Nita Barrion, Lita Martin, Precy Garrovil-las, and Au Liporada. Media committee is chaired by Aurora Cudal with Zeny Ply as official photographer. The scholarship committee is headed by Dina Il-lorin with Severino Reyes. Secu-rity is headed by Dino Dinogan with Ricky Reclusado. Souvenir program committee includes Julio de Guzman, Fred Gallardo, and Zeny Ply. Glenn Abille, representing the Beta Sigma Fraternity also helps out with the booth and security committees. Overall steering committee and marketing chaired by Rudy D. Liporada includes Merly Ferrer, Myra Lopez, Rita Andrews, Julio de Guzman, Aurora Cudal, and Fred Gallardo.

OTAY MESA, Calif. — Beginning Monday, May 2, 2011, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will open a new Ready Lane at the Otay Mesa port of entry for travelers who have a travel document enabled with Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, technology.

The Ready Lane is a lane for vehicle traffic that only accepts RFID-enabled cards. The new Ready Lane at the Otay Mesa border crossing will be open Monday through Friday from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. In order to use this dedicated lane, all adult passengers in the vehicle over the age of 16 must present an ap-proved travel card. The U.S. Passport Card, SENTRI card, the new Legal Permanent Resident “green card” and the new Border Crossing Card are all RFID-enabled documents.

For example, the Ready Lane can be used by a group of travelers in one vehicle who may have different kinds of RFID-enabled travel documents, such as if the driver is a member of the SENTRI trusted traveler program, and the passengers all have other kinds of RFID-enabled documents, such as a U.S. Passport Card or a new Border Crossing Card. While only vehicles with all SENTRI members can use the dedicated SENTRI lane, a group with any mixture of RFID-enabled travel cards can use the Ready Lane

“RFID-enabled cards allow our of-ficers to screen travelers faster,” said Chris Maston, director of field opera-tions for CBP in San Diego. “By hav-ing a lane designated just for travelers with these cards, we can reduce the time everyone spends waiting to enter the country, and encourages legitimate business and tourism for our commu-nities on both sides of the border.”

Preparations for the lane opening will be completed this week, prior to the lane opening on May 2, in the afternoon. CBP has coordinated extensively with officials in Mexico to ensure that the approaches to the lane on the south side of the border will be clearly marked and easy to understand for travelers crossing between the two countries. The approach to the Ready Lane will be in Mexico, to the far

CBP to Open ‘Ready Lane’ at Otay Mesa Border Crossing

Travel Documents with RFID Technology Allow Users Access to Dedicated Lane

west side of the lanes of traffic, about one-third of a mile before the border crossing.

Since the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), June 1, 2009, U.S. and Cana-dian citizens entering the United States by land or sea from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean, are required to present a valid, WHTI-compliant document. Using a WHTI-compliant document that is an RFID-enabled travel card allows for more efficient processing of travelers at the border, since RFID technology allows CBP officers to receive information about travelers faster.

CBP recently opened Ready Lanes in Blaine, Wash., Nogales, Ariz. and Pro-greso, Texas and has plans to imple-ment additional Ready Lanes at the Lukeville, Douglas, and San Luis ports of entry over the next few months.

Travelers using the Ready Lane should follow these three simple steps as they approach a U.S. land port of entry with their RFID-enabled travel card:

Stop at the beginning of the lane and make sure each passenger has their card out.

When it is your turn, drive slowly through the lane and hold all cards up on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

Stop at the officer’s booth.CBP continues to strongly encour-

age travelers to obtain RFID-enabled card to expedite their entry and to help make crossing the border more efficient. On the morning of May 2, U.S. State Department officials from the San Diego Passport Agency will be at the Otay Mesa port of entry to provide information to cross-border travelers about obtaining the U.S. Passport Card, an RFID-enabled travel documents. WHTI is the joint Depart-ment of State-Department of Home-land Security plan that implemented a key 9/11 Commission recommendation to establish document requirements for travelers entering the United States who were previously exempt, includ-ing citizens of the U.S., Canada and Bermuda.

For more information, please visit www.GetYouHome.govor www.CBP.gov.


(619) 474-0588

BalikTanaw

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

by Dr. Romy R. Protacio

Ang column ko ngayon ay isang pagbabalik-tanaw sa pagdalaw ng ShoeMart Devel-opment Corporation (SMDC) International team sa Seattle nuong nakaraang lingo. I re-ceived an invitation from “the good guys” of SMDC for a roadshow presentation of their latest condominium projects, which also included a free movie showing of “Who’s that Girl?” starring Anne Curtis and Luis Manzano. Anne Curtis is the offi cial Star Endorser of SMDC, and her endorsement of the prop-erties demonstrates that SMDC properties are really meant for a Star, or anyone who feels like a Diva who deserves only the best in life.

I admit I only went to the event

Condo Living Meant For A Star

Anne Curtis & Luis Mansano with SM staff & guests at premier night of Who’s that Girl.

Jazz residence - Bel-Air Makati City

to watch the movie for free, but fate intervened and I ended up buying a unit in one of SMDC’s prime locations in Makati! Who could say no to the charm of the good looking SM International Property Specialist for North America, Edgar S. Pajaro, Jr. (or JR for short)? But consider-ing also the amenities that all of SMDC’s properties offer at a very affordable price, I would say, I made a very wise decision, indeed! I was truly convinced that these properties refl ect the best lifestyle that I, as well as

other Filipinos deserve for our hard-earned savings.

Why Invest in a Property in the Philippines?

I have often written about why I think Filipinos in the United States or those living abroad should invest in a condo in the Philippines. Many of my readers have shared stories about their visits to Manila and having no property they can call their own, they are either forced to stay in expensive hotels, or accept the hospitality of their relatives. Most of the Filipino families in the US have sold all their belongings before they migrated, including their homes so that they could use the money to start

a new life. After many years of working in the US, it is but natural that they would decide to have a vacation in the Philip-pines. Because they have no place to stay, they would often accept the invitation of relatives to stay in their homes. That’s when balikbayans often realize that they need a home of their own to stay.

Though many of the balik-bayans have changed their citi-zenships, many of them are still truly Filipinos at heart. They often feel obliged to reciprocate

Light Mall Topping-Off Ceremony

the hospitality of their relatives who warmly welcome them to their homes. Thus, it becomes routinary to start saving for pasalubong, as part of their vacation planning. Often, our balikbayan friends would arrive in Manila with several boxes of items they found on sale as gift exchanges for the hospitality of their relatives.

Too often, the balikbayan

Seated (L-R) Rigin, Doc Romy, Yvette Standing (L-R) Joel, Louson, J.R.

The SMDC International Sales Team with the Deputy Head, Mico A.. Racelis (2nd from L)

Pinoys would also discover that they are always the “taya” to pay the bills when they go out sight-seeing and shopping. Finally, when it’s time to go back to the US, halos nahubaran na ang pobreng balikbayan. Nahingi na ang pantalon at T-shirt na gamit nya, ang sapatos na suot niya, ang relos at sunglass na pang-display niya, at ang natira na lamang ay ang kanyang under-wear! They can’t complain na-man, kasi typical lang naman na gusto din nilang pasalamatan in many ways ang mga nagmagan-dang loob na patirahin sila sa

kanilang tahanan. What can I say? That’s the

reality of our culture - the never ending “utang na loob.”

So, here is the answer to your woes – invest in a vaca-tion home or a condo in the Philippines. But remember, be smart in choosing your invest-ment. Nowadays, there are so many property developers in the Philippines. Mga kabayan,

be sure to check the location, the existing conditions, future developments, the terms of your contract, etc. before you buy a property. Check if the devel-oper could be trusted with your money. Alam nyo naman sa atin, maraming con artists. Baka mabentahan kayo ng libre ilaw at tubig, yun pala ang binenta sa inyo ay yung kalye na may poste ng ilaw at fi re hydrant. Very funny but it happens!

SM Development Corpora-tion

With the Filipino migrant fam-ily in mind, SMDC has concep-tualized affordable schemes that can make investing on any of the prime SMDC properties in Ma-nila a smart move. Where else could you fi nd affordable hous-ing, managed by a real estate developer whom you can trust? SMDC ranks among the top de-velopers in the Philippines today, true to their mission of providing quality living at affordable rates. Although SM Residences caters mainly to the middle-income market, these products are no less than fi ve star, high-value investments. located at prime, strategic locations easily acces-sible within the metropolis. As an added amenity, all the SM Residences are situated right next to your favorite SM mall, making them all truly amazing deals! SM Residences give op-tions for the discriminating taste of the Filipinos, offering them the luxurious and stylish lifestyle Filipinos aspire for.

Ask any SMDC property spe-cialist about SM Residences and hear about their towering condos amidst the cityscape. They will be proud to show you the various SMDC condominium projects, many of which are now rising tall and grand above other structures.

Value-Added Services SM Residences also offers

Property Management Services, unit leasing, general mainte-nance, and chambermaid ser-vices. Your unit may be leased in your absence, according to your own terms and conditions. The staff offers general mainte-nance and chambermaid services upon request for a nominal fee. These value-added services are consistent with a 5-star living

experience.In my interview with Regine

D. Palileo, International Sales Manager for North America, she said, “Innovation has always been at the heart of SMDC’s many projects. In fact, SMDC has not yet created the country’s biggest showroom to date; we are constantly revolutionizing the condo living experience.” Regine, together with the rest of the SMDC International Team for North America, Mico A. Racelis, Joel Santos, Louison P. de Guzman, and Edgar S. Pajaro will be traveling around the US for more roadshow presenta-tions of SMDC prime properties which are located at Makati, Mandaluyong, Sucat, Tagaytay and many more.

Contact Information

So Kabayan, feel right at home amid comfortable surroundings and enjoy fi ve-star amenities like grand lobbies, refreshing swim-ming pools, recreational areas and lush gardens. SM residences offers luxury, accessibility, and community living fi t for a star like Anne Curtis for a price any-one can afford.

To fi nd out more about how you can make a smart investment in today’s most affordable, luxu-rious real estate properties in the Philippines, SMDC Residences, please call me at (206) 755-8717 or John Hilotin at (206) 322- 7050, 877- 677-8527.

SMDC will have a property showing in West Covina on Wednesday, May 21, 2011. For California residents, please call Sim Silverio at (619) 746-3416 or Ernan Ebreo at (626) 374-4906.for additional information or read the Asian Journal for further announcements.

SACRAMENTO - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced a series of appoint-ments to senior staff positions in the Department of Justice.

Matt Rodriquez, a 24-year-veteran of the Department of Justice, will continue to serve as acting chief deputy attorney general for legal affairs, with oversight of the department’s more than 1,100 attorneys in the nation’s second largest public law

fi rm. Until a new chief assistant is appointed, he will also main-tain his dual post as the chief assistant attorney general for the department’s public rights divi-sion, which handles consumer, environmental, anti-trust, civil rights and charitable trust cases.

Terri M. Carbaugh was ap-pointed in March by Attorney General Harris to serve as Cali-fornia’s chief deputy attorney general for administration and policy. In this capacity, Carbaugh has day-to-day oversight of the department’s $735 million bud-get and

3,700 non-attorney employees. She is also the attorney general’s key liaison to the governor, Legislature, and other state and federal leaders. She has exten-sive public policy and executive management experience with state constitutional offi ces,

including the chancellor’s of-fi ce of the California Community Colleges, the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, the of-fi ce of First Lady Maria Shriver and the California Secretary of State. She also has spent more than a decade working in the

private sector, specializing in state and local government is-sues.

Michael Troncoso, who led the San Francisco district attorney’s mortgage and investment fraud unit, will serve as Attorney General Harris senior counsel, reporting directly to her. In this position, he will oversee the special assistant attorneys general and lead some of the offi ce’s most diffi cult, sensitive and high-profi le matters, includ-ing the new multi-divisional mortgage fraud task force and California’s participation in the

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Top

Staff Appointments50-state group of attorneys gen-eral working on foreclosure

practices and the mortgage servicing industry.

Suzy Loftus, a veteran prosecu-tor who in the San Francisco dis-trict attorney’s offi ce specialized in domestic violence and elder abuse cases and served on the DA’s executive staff, will serve as a special assistant attorney general, working on criminal law issues, as well as serving as the offi ce’s primary liaison to local, state and federal law enforce-ment offi ces.

Travis LeBlanc will serve as a special assistant attorney general with a portfolio overseeing the offi ce’s work on technology, high tech crime, privacy, and health care issues. Before com-ing to the attorney general’s of-fi ce, LeBlanc worked for Keker

& Van Nest LLP in San Fran-cisco and, since 2009, for the U.S. Department of Justice’s offi ce of legal counsel, which advises the president and U.S. attorney general on the legality of the programs and activities of the federal government.

Shum Preston will serve as the department’s director of commu-nications. He brings 14 years of experience in communications at the local, state and national level. Since 2004 he has been a com-munications specialist with the California Nurses

Association. He has worked on presidential campaigns, in the high-tech sector, as a promoter of labor and human rights, and as an advocate for families and children.



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LIBRO NG MAIIKLING KUWEN-TO. MAAALIW KAYO SA PAGLA-

LARAWAN SA ATING LAHI AT SINILANGANG BAYAN.

“MAY BAGWIS ANG PAG-IBIG” ($12.00 including shipping), a 206-page collection of short stories written in Tagalog by Percival Campoamor Cruz and Alberto Segismundo Cruz.

The stories depict Philippine characters, lores, adventures and misadventures. Love is the predominating theme of the stories portrayed in many different ways.

Ten of the stories were written by the son, Percival Campoamor Cruz, a more modern expression of the themes explored by the father, Alberto Segismundo Cruz, in the ‘50s up to the ‘70s. Percival’s main story, “May Bagwis ang Pag-ibig”, touch on environmental and political disaster in a Spratly Island-like locale. The environmental/political issues were woven with a love story and the lives of common people living in a remote island. In the real world, a concern exists that there could be a nuclear confrontation in the South China Sea between China and the U.S. China maintains that the Sea is within its territory, while the U.S. insists that the Sea is international waters.

The rest of the stories portray the failures and successes of Filipinos who chose to live in foreign lands, the poor people’s helplessness in the Philippines, and timely issues like the UFO and gay marriage.Story titles: “Ang Kaibigang Alien” – a Filipino scriptwriter in Laguna Beach had a friendly encounter with an alien. “Ang Siyam na Buhay ni Felizardo Cabangbang” – a Fil-Am veteran was born lucky he could not die.“Ang Babaeng Robin Hood” – a beautiful, contemporary Filipino woman does her civic work in her own inimitable way. “Ang Singsing” – the battle of good and bad in the mind of a jeweler “Ang Balikbayan Box ni Doray” – Remember Pandora’s Box? It was the source of all evil.“Tatay Ko ang Nanay ko” – Gender changes are now acceptable; “My Way” – a karaoke singer makes it big in the U.S.A.

The eleven stories of Alberto that fi rst came out in weekly literary magazines, such as, Liwayway, Bulaklak, Kislap, Tagumpay, Aliwan, Silahis - media icons in the Philippines - dwell on the timelessness of honesty, honor, respect for tradition, purity of love, surmounting life’s challenges, and the like.

The stories relive the times when magazines and comics regaled the public before tv became popular; and more importantly, preserve for posterity the Tagalog Language’s beautiful prose and vocabulary now threatened to extinction due to lack of use. Alberto’s stories dwell on the timelessness of honesty, honor, respect for tradition, purity of love, surmounting life’s challenges, and the like. Story titles: “Rosa Malaya” – she saved a stranger due for execution in an old Tagalog kingdom “Makinis at Bughaw ang Kabibi” – long before “Little Mermaid” and “Finding Nemo”, Alberto made a deep sea anemone tell a story “Si Myrna at si Miss Gautier” – teenage love with a twist “Ang Dilag ng Ballet” – a lame girl became a ballerina

“THE MAIDEN OF ILOG-PASIG” ($12.00 including shipping), a 215-page collection of short stories written by Percival Campoamor Cruz in Tagalog and with English translations.

Lead story is a take on the beloved Ilog-Pasig and interprets the famous song, “Mutya ng Pasig”, in a light very different from previous interpretations. Other stories: “In Memory of Maria Lorena Barros” – memorializes a contemporary, real-life, Filipino heroine Enteng Kuryente – a man impervious to electricity “Sa Kaharian ni Raha Buwaya at Prinsesa Waling-Waling” – a folkloric explanation of what a “Manananggal” is “Ang Kakaibigang Katangian ng Tiyanak” – a folkloric explanation of what a “Tiyanak” isThis book features guest writers and their works:Amado V. Hernandez, Philippines’ National Artist for LiteraureAlberto Segismundo Cruz, one of the Philippines’ best 50 writersEfren Abueg, consist winner in the Palanca literary contestAntonio B. L. Rosales, a wellknown Tagalog writer

TO ORDER THE BOOKS: Go online at www.amazon.com. Put Percival Campoamor Cruz in the search box Or Send a check to JAREL CRUZ1731 N. Glenoaks Bld., Burbank, CA 91504 Tel. 818 568 2426 - [email protected]

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NOTICE TO BIDDERS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of San Diego will receive bids for work at the Purchasing and Con-tracting Department, Contracts Division, 1200 Third Avenue, Suite 200, San Diego, California, where bids are to be submitted prior to time specified. Plans and specifications can be obtained from The City of San Diego’s website: http://www.sandiego.gov/bids-contracts. A pre-bid meeting and/or pre-bid visit to the work site will be held, if indicated, at the time and place specified in the contract documents. Prospective bidders are encouraged to attend these sessions.It is the policy of the City of San Diego to encourage equal opportunity in its construction, consultant, material and supply contracts. Bids/proposals from small businesses, minority-owned, disabled, veteran-owned businesses, women-owned businesses and local firms are strongly encouraged. Contractors are encouraged to subcontract and/or participate in joint ventures with these firms. The City is committed to equal opportunity and will not discriminate with regard to race, religion, color, ancestry, age, gender, disability, medical condition or place of birth and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on any basis.Contractors interested in bidding projects over $50,000 must be pre-qualified. Please contact DAVE STUCKY of the City’s Pre-Qualification Program at (619) 533-3474 or [email protected] to obtain an application.Sign language or oral interpreting services are available at pre-bid meetings and bid openings with a 5 business day notice to the Contracting Division at 236-6000.

LANGUAGE ACADEMY/MONTEZUMA E.S. JOINT USE IMPROVEMENTSBid No. K-11-5406-DBB. WBS No. S-00972. MANDATORY Pre-Bid Date: May 17, 2011 @ 10:00 a.m. Pre-Bid Location: Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 1200 Third Avenue, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92101. Bid Opening Date: June 3, 2011 @ 2:00 p.m. Construction Estimate: $900,000. License Requirement: A.FEDERAL EQUAL OPPORTUNITY CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS.FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE RATES.THIS IS A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDED CONTRACT THROUGH THE US DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.

Hildred Pepper, Jr.April 28, 2011

life. My wife and I are gradually

transitioning into that so-called retirement mode (or mood?) , and surprisingly we are do-ing a good job and are very happy, thanks primarily to our very first grandchild, Olivia An Karen, who will only be one year old this May 4th. Being new grandparents is giving us some untold joy as we watch and witness the daily or weekly developments of our first grand-daughter. Her childish “silly” behaviors with pure innocence are sheer joy and delight. The baby knows and feels uncondi-tional love and gives it back a hundredfold in her unpolluted child-ways, highlighted by her strange but melodious sounds. Indeed, love begets love.

The child knows no fears, hence she is innocently bold. The child knows no boundaries, hence all around her is her play-ground. The child is colorblind, hence she does not discriminate. The child does not know how to keep any grudges, hence, she is happy most of the time. The child does not even know that there is evil in this world, hence, she trusts anybody one hundred percent. The child talks with unintelligible words yet they can communicate what makes her happy and comfort-able quite well. As a new grand-father, I am also re-learning

The fear of becoming a “Senior

Citizen” and the joy of being a grandfather


how to be happy from the eyes of young children with their pure innocence. Mysteriously, even with their powerlessness, children are quite powerful to teach me to be a happier human being: to be a child again. Some lessons I’ve learned from them:

“Children are innocent and pure, adults are not;

Children have no inhibitions, adults have a lot;

Children are unselfish, adults have learned to be selfish and greedy to get ahead and survive;

Children do not bury hatred in their hearts; adults never forget and love to think about vengeance;

Children know their playmates by name, adults know and identify their fellowmen through their

IDs or social security num-bers;

Children normally play harmoni-ously and share with one another, adults are self-centered,

constantly competing and even stepping upon others just to win.

Children enjoy the moment, adults often worry about tomor-row.”

This Easter week, I pray to my own God that I will have the health necessary to live longer to make me play the role of a loving grandpa (like how my own father and father-in-law did to my own two children). With God’s blessings and mercy, I hope to enjoy my being a senior citizen because of many things, especially my grandchild Ol-ivia, to pick her up from school, read and play together. Fully aware that not all men have been fathers nor grandfathers, dear God, thank you for giving me that blessing, this priceless gift of having a grandchild.

Dear Lord, my Savior, please

grant me and all seniors and grandparents of the world good health and more meaning-ful years to enjoy our roles as doting grandparents to our children’s children to help their parents in guiding them the right path as we know it, and above all, for them to be closer to you always along their own life’s journey on this Earth!

forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever.” – A former Miss America.

“Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry. I mean I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.” – An American singing star.

“Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.” – An American actress.

“I’ve never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body.” – A University of Kentucky basketball player.

“Outside of the killings, Wash-ington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.” – A former mayor of Washington, DC.

“That lowdown scoundrel de-serves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I’m just the one to do

it.” – A congressional candidate from Texas, USA.

“Half this game is ninety percent mental.” – A manager of an Ameri-can professional baseball team.

“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impuri-ties in our air and water that are doing it.” – A former American politician.

“The word “genius” isn’t appli-cable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.” – A former American football quarterback.

“We don’t necessarily discrimi-nate. We simply exclude certain types of people.” – An American ROTC instructor.

“Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.” – Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina, USA.

“If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there’ll be a record.” – An American FCC official.

***A fleeing Taliban, desperate

for water, was plodding through the Afghan desert when he saw something far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he hurried toward the oasis, only to find a little old Jewish man at a small stand selling ties.

The Taliban asked, “Do you have water?”

The Jewish man replied, “I have no water. Would you like to buy a tie? They are only $5.”

The Taliban shouted, “Idiot! I do not need an over-priced tie. I need water! I should kill you, but I must

find water first!”“OK,” said the old Jewish man,

“It does not matter that you do not want to buy a tie and that you hate me. I will show you that I am bigger than that. If you continue over that hill to the east for about two miles, you will find a lovely restaurant. It has all the ice cold water you need. Shalom.”

Cursing, the Taliban staggered away over the hill.

Several hours later he staggered back, almost dead and said, “Your brother won’t let me in without a tie!”

***Reminders (for Noynoy’s ac-

tion):1) Filing of charges against the

previous administration’s National Food Administration officials for the anomalous importation of rice (Noynoy himself said there is documentary evidence to prove the anomaly).

2) Facilitating the investigation of the rampant corruption in the military, including the recently un-covered anomaly in gas allowance.

3) Expeditious action by the AFP on the case of Jonas Burgos.

4) Preliminary investigation by the Department of Justice of the graft complaint filed late last year by Bayan Muna against Gloria Arroyo in connection with the aborted $329 million ZTE-NBN deal.

***Today is two days short of the

fifth year of Jonas Burgos’ disap-pearance.

I hope the decision of the Jus-tice Department to file criminal charges against some military officials implicated in the abduc-tion of Jonas marks the beginning of the end of the Burgos family’s long and agonizing ordeal.

Miscellany

----- 3 0 ---------

E-mail : [email protected] or [email protected]


619.746.3416

Sa araw ay office girl si An-ing sa opisina ng Navy sa Cubi Point. Pangkaraniwan siya kung manamit, manipis ang make-up, at tahimik. Lapitin siya sa mga sailors na amerikano sapagka’t talaga namang kaakit-akit ang ganda niya lalo na sa mga lalak-ing dayuhan na bago pa lamang nakakikita ng gandang kayu-mangging kaligatan. Mahusay makitungo si Aning sa mga sailors na nagsasadya sa kanyang opisina. Kinagigiliwan siya ng lahat at lahat ay ibig na mang-umbida sa kanya sa sayawan.

Kung kaya’t sa gabi ay nagig-ing disco girl si Aning. Nagig-ing maikli ang kanyang palda, masikip ang blusa, makulay ang make-up, at ang bida sa sayawan: Ang kabaligtaran ng babae sa opisina na pangkarani-wan kung mag-ayos at mayumi.

Kapareha niya isang gabi ang Joe na isa sa mga sailors na nagsasadya sa opisina. Kapareha niya sa susunod na gabi ang Bill na sailor din na nagkaroon din ng business sa opisina. Kapareha naman niya sa iba pang gabi ang Mike at Dave at John – mga puti lahat na kawani ng U.S. Navy at kasalukuyan noon na may assignments sa Cubi Point. Ang Cubi Point noon, na bahagi ng Subic Bay, ay naval station ng U.S. Navy.

Panahon noon ng pagsasaya para kay Aning. Nasa edad siya at panahon ng paglaya at kawalan ng pananagutan sa buhay. Dahilan sa dami ng mga lalaking umaali-aligid sa kanya, humahanga at naghahangad na siya ay maging kasintahan, pangkaraniwang babae sa araw at nakasisilaw na disco dancer sa gabi, masasabing si Aning noon ay makabagong Cinderella.

Sa nakaalam sa nakalipas ni Aning, ang kanyang pagsasaya at pagiging mahilig sa pakikip-agkaibigan sa mga sailors at ang pagsasayaw hanggang umagahin sa disco bar ay pagbabalatkayo lamang, pagpapanggap na siya ay masaya, pagkukubli ng kan-yang mga kabiguan at hinanakit sa buhay, paraan upang siya ay makalimot sa mga dinadanas na pasanin.

Sa katotohanan ay dalawang

ulit nang nabiyuda si Aning. Ang unang naging asawa ay

si Robin. Guwapo, mataas, maganda ang boses at hinahabol ng mga babae. Mahirap pala ang umibig sa guwapo. Palibhasa’y bata pa at walang karanasan sa pag-ibig, si Aning ay madaling nagpadala sa tibukin ng kanyang puso. Siya’y naakit sa magan-dang boses at makisig na pagka-lalaki ni Robin. Nagkilala sila sa isang sayawan sa eskwela at ang mga pangyayari ay lumipad na tila ipu-ipo – ang pagkakaibigan ay mabilis na nauwi sa paglili-gawan at tanan.

Isinilang sa kasaganaan si An-ing bilang nag-iisang anak na babae ng isang mapagpunyag-ing sastre at mapag-arugang ina. Mga magulang sila na naka-raranas ng ginhawa bunga ng masigasig na paghahanapbuhay. Hindi sila doktor o abogado o masasabing may mataas na pinag-aralan, nguni’t sa pa-mamagitan ng galing ng kanil-ang mga kamay at katapatan sa pagbibigay ng mahusay na serbisyo sa mga tumatangkilik sa kanilang hanapbuhay ay nabig-yan nila ng dangal ang karani-wang hanapbuhay na pagtatahi ng mga kasuotang panglalaki kagaya ng pantalon, kamisaden-tro, at amerikana.

Lumaki si Aning sa loob at paligid ng patahian na kung alin mang sulok nito ang di nagag-amit sa pananahi ay kanyang na-giging pook na laruan. Bagama’t abala sa paghahanapbuhay, ang mga magulang ni Aning ay lag-ing nakamasid sa kanya. Ang mga manggagawang mananahi ay tumutulong rin sa pakikip-aglaro at pagbabantay kay Aning at kinagigiliwan nilang tunay ang masayahin at makuwentong bata.

Nang maging dalagita si Aning ay natuto siyang magla-gay ng butones sa mga tina-tahing damit-panglalaki. Siya

Cinderella ng NavyMaikling Kuwento ni Percival Campoamor Cruz

ang naging pinakamahusay at natatanging maghuhuales ng patahian. Masasabing sa magan-dang pagpapalaki kay Aning, sa pagpapaaral sa kanya, at sa pagmumulat sa isang hanap-buhay na marangal ay nagawa ng mga magulang ang isang katangi-tanging pag-aalaga na maihahambing sa maingat na pagbuhay sa isang halaman o di kaya’y pag-iingat sa isang mutya – si Aning ay dinilig ng pag-ibig at hinipo ng mapagpalang kamay hanggang sa mamukad-kad sa isang bulaklak na sariwa, mabango, matibay at dalisay ang kagandahan. Si Aning ay niyakap, itinago, hinintay na lu-maki gaya ng gawa ng isang tak-lobo hanggang sa maging isang kagila-gilalas na perlas na sa huli ay ipinakita at ipinagparangalan sa mundo.

Sa paaralan ay maraming nag-ing kaibigan si Aning. At katulad ng karaniwang kabataan, siya ay nabigyan ng laya ng magu-lang upang makipagkaibigan at makatikim ng mga karanasang naaangkop sa edad ng mga kabataan. Napapabilang siya sa mga dumadalo sa mga sayawan at pamamasyal, panonood ng sine, o di kaya’y sa mga gawaing pampalakasan.

Minsan ay napasyal ang mag-kakaibigan sa isang istasyon ng radyo. Doon ay nakilala ni Aning at ng mga kapuwa niya dalagita si Robin Monteclaro. Tanyag si Robin sa mga kabataan sapagka’t siya ang DJ na nagpapatugtog ng mga musikang-pangkabataan. Magandang lalaki si Robin at mataginting ang boses. Gaya ng inaasahan sa isang announcer, maganda ang timbre ng kan-yang boses; idagdag pa dito na mahusay kumanta ang bagong-kilala ni Aning.

Kung di napapaligiran ng mga kaibigan ay di magkakaroon ng lakas ng loob si Aning na maki-pagkilala sa isang di kilalang la-laki. Namula ang kanyang pisngi ng iabot ng lalaki ang kanyang palad upang makipagkamay.

“Ako si, Robin. Salamat at nakabisita kayo sa studio,” masayang bati ng binata. “Sumu-nod kayo sa akin at ipakikita ko sa inyo ang aming gawain dito sa himpilan ng radyo.”

Bawa’t isa sa pangkat ng mag-kakaibigan ay may kaaya-ayang ganda. Nguni’t si Robin ay higit na naakit sa ganda ni Aning.

Nang maikot na ang studio ay nag-alok ng maiinom at makakain ang maginoong binata. Napakasaya ng magkakaibigan. Bago sila umalis ay pinaupo sila ni Robin sa harapan ng kanyang booth at napanood nila si Robin habang sumasahimpapawid ang kanyang programa.

“Salamat sa muling pakikinig, mga kaibigan sa himpapawid, sa susunod na dalawang oras ay magkakasama tayo sa pala-tuntuntunang, “Young Hearts”; ito si Robin Monteclaro na may nakahandang magagan-dang awitin na maaari ninyong pakinggan o isayaw. Siya nga pala, bisita namin dito sa studio at nasasa piling namin ang mga estudyante ng Sta. Clarita High School. Ang ating mga awitin na patutugtugin ay alay sa inyo at sa kanila, lalong lalo na kina Tessie, Mary Ann, Sylvia, Alicia, Cora, at kay Aning. Kalakip ang aking pagmamahal . . .”

Hindi nagpapahalata ang mga dalagitang magkakaibigan kung kaya’t tahimik lamang silang nanonood at nakikinig kay Rob-in, nguni’t sa loob ng kanilang dibdib sila’y kinikilig sa mga papuri at magandang pagturing sa kanila ng makisig na binata.

Ang naganap na pagkikilala sa himpilan ng radyo ay nag-ing simula ng isang kasaysayan ng pag-ibig ng dalawang ka-bataan na sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay nakatuklas sa kapangyarihan ng pag-ibig. Ga-noon pala ang pag-ibig, kapuwa nila iniisip, laking ligaya ang dulot ng makasama lagi, kahi’t na magkausap man lamang sa telepono o makipagpanayam sa sulat, ang napupusuan. Hindi makatulog, hindi makakain, hindi makaalaala sa ibang bagay. Kumakabog ang puso at hindi natatahimik hanggang sa napa-

palapit sa hinihirang.Hindi maipagtapat ni An-

ing sa magulang ang kanyang nararanasang kakaibang dam-damin. Iniisip niya – Paano kung sabihin nilang bata pa ako upang makipagkaibigan, lalo na upang makipagligawan? Nagpa-hayag na ng pag-ibig si Robin sa pamamagitan ng isang liham na pinakalilihim ni Aning kahi’t na sa mga kaibigan. Paano kung sabihin nila na tapusin ko muna ang pag-aaral at makipagkilala kapag tapos na at may hanapbu-hay na?

Minsan ay nabanggit ng ama, “Aning, ibig namin ng nanay mo na makita kang maging isang doktor o guro - isang propesyo-nal na titingalain ng lipunan. Mamanahin mo ang aming patahian, pero ang gawaing-ka-may ay hindi para sa iyo, anak. Pagtiyagaan mo na makatapos at magkaroon ng karera bago ka mag-asawa. Ang mga babaeng maagang nag-aasawa ay isinusu-ko ang kanilang mga panagarap sa buhay at itinutuon ang buhay sa pagiging asawa at ina – ang katungkulan sa bahay ay malak-ing pananagutan na hindi maaar-ing gampanan kasabay ng iba pang pananagutan.”

Isang araw ay nagpasiya si Aning na magtanan kasama ni Robin. Napatunayan sa kanyang ginawa na higit na malakas ang tawag ng pag-ibig kaysa sa pan-garal ng magulang. Sabi nga ng makatang Balagtas, “O Pag-ibig, hahamaking lahat, masunod ka lamang . . .”

Hindi na nakabalik sa tahanan ng ama si Aning. Tumira ang bagong tanan sa isang maliit na paupahan na ang upa ay naka-kayanan ng maliit na sahod ni Robin. Makalipas ang isang taon ay nagka-anak sila. Naranasan ni Aning ang mga pagsubok sa bu-hay katulad ng paghihinanakit ng mga magulang at ang pagiging ulirang asawa at ina. Kay bigat ng pananagutan niya. Ang pagig-ing may-asawa pala, natuklasan niya, ay katayuang magkasama ang hirap at ginhawa, lungkot at saya, pangamba at pag-asa.

Sa una ay napakamaalalahanin ni Robin at maagang umuwi ng bahay. Nang malaon na ay nag-ing masungit siya kay Aning at gabi na kung umuwi. Mayroon pa ngang mga gabi na hindi siya sa bahay natutulog. Overtime sa trabaho ang dahilan.

Iyon pala ay nakikipagkita si Robin sa kung ilang babae, lingid sa kaalaman ni Aning. Isa sa mga inilalabas niya na babae ay ibinahay pa niya. Nang malaman ni Aning na si Robin ay nagtataksil, nilisan niya ang kanilang tahanan tangay-tangay ang anak at nagbalik sa bahay ng kanyang mga magulang.

Napilitan si Aning na tanggapin ang masasakit na salita ng magu-lang. Napilitan siyang maghanap ng ikabubuhay at nang hindi siya laitin ng mga magulang. Sa awa ng Diyos ay nakahanap naman siya ng trabaho bilang sekretarya sa isang malaking korporasyon.

Minsan ay nakatanggap siya ng tawag sa telepono na mula kay Robin. Pumunta raw si Aning kaagad sa ospital at magdala ng pera dahil sa kailangang-kail-angan ang pambayad sa ospital. Habang patungo sa ospital, ang iniisip ni Aning ay baka nadis-grasya si Robin o di kaya ay may mabigat na karamdaman.

Iyon pala ay kailangan ni Robin ang pera upang mailabas sa ospital ang kanyang babae at ang sanggol na kasisilang pa lamang. Walang kahiya-hiyang lalaki! Matapos na siya ay lo-kohin ay sa kanya pa hihingi ng perang pangtubos sa kanyang ba-bae at bagong silang na sanggol! Nagpaubaya si Aning, binigyan niya ng pera si Robin, kahi’t na habag na habag siya sa kanyang sarili. Ginawa siyang parang basahan ni Robin na pamunas sa kanyang dumi. Ginawa siyang parang sariwang sugat na sa halip na gamutin ay binudburan pa ng asin.

Isang taon pa ang lumipas at nabalik si Aning sa nasabing ospital. Sa pagkakataong ito ay si Robin mismo ang may prob-lema. Napag-alaman ng doctor na siya ay may sakit sa atay at

kakaunting panahon na lamang ang nalalabi sa kanyang buhay. Namatay si Robin sa ospital at nasaksihan ni Aning ang kan-yang mga huling sandali.

Sa dahilang kinailangan ni An-ing ang magkaroon ng katuwang sa buhay at ng isang lalaking maaaring gumanap sa papel na ama ng kanyang lumalaking anak, nag-asawa muli si Aning. Sa kasamaang-palad, naging ma-problema rin ang pagsasama ni Aning at ng pangalwang asawa; sa madaling sabi ay naging masalimuot din ang kanyang bu-hay sa piling ng nasabing lalaki. At tila ang nakalipas ay nang-yaring muli, ang pangalawang asawa ay maaga ring namatay.

Gaano kalaki, gaano kabigat na kabiguan at kalungkutan ang maaaring makayanan ng isang puso? Pambihira ang kakayahan ng puso na magbigay ng pagma-mahal, kawangis nito ang isang bukal na daloy nang daloy ng malinamnam na tubig. Nguni’t sa panig ng pagtanggap at pag-dadala ng dusa at hilahil, ang puso ba’y kasing tibay ng bakal o marupok na sisidlan na kapag napuno na ay sumasabog?

Si Aning, isang marilag na anak ni Eba, na nag-uumapaw ang kariktan at kakayahang umibig, na kahi’t na di pa man nakatitikim ng tatlumpung Tag-araw sa kanyang buhay, ay makalawang ulit nang umibig at nabigo. Siya’y naakit sa liwanag ng pag-ibig at mistulang gamu-gamo na sumulong sa apoy – napaso at nalaglag sa unang pagkakataon, umangat na muli at lumapit sa apoy sa pangala-wang pagkakataon at sa bawa’t pagsulong ay nadadarang ito at nalalapnos ang pakpak. Siya ba’y susubok pang muli, aayaw na sa pangako ng pag-ibig, uurong na sa larangan ng buhay, magdaramdam, magluluksa, hanggang wakasan ang sariling buhay?

Isang gabi sa disco bar sa Subic ay nagkaroon ng sunog. Nag-takbuhan ang mga tao, kabilang na si Aning na naiwan pa ang sapatilya sa pagmamadali.

Ang amerikanong si Eddie ay isa sa mga nagpaparaos ng oras sa disco bar nang gabing na-

ganap ang sunog. Habang siya’y umiinom ng San Miguel Beer ay pinanonood niya ang mga nagsasayaw. American sailor siya na taga-San Diego, California. Naakit ang kanyang paningin ng magandang babae na nakatutuwa ang sigla sa pagsayaw. Iyon nga ay si Aning na halos gabi-gabi ay laman ng disco bar. Nang mag-simula ang sunog at nagtakbuhan na nga ang mga parokyano ng disco bar ay tumakbo na rin si Eddie; nguni’t nagkaroon siya ng pagkakataon na pulutin ang sapatilya na naiwan ni Aning na nakakalat sa lupa.

Kinabukasan ay tumungo si Eddie sa opisina ni Aning at nag-pakilala. Bitbit ang sapatilya ay

sinabi niya sa wikang Ingles kay Aning, “Malamang na sa iyo ang sapatilyang ito.”

Namula ang mukha ni Aning sa hiya at nasabing, “Naku! Kahi-ya-hiya, ikaw pa ang nagbitbit ng sapatilya ko! Ang bait-bait mo! Maraming salamat.”

“Maari bang ako ang magla-pat ng sapatilya sa iyong mga paa?” sabay luhod ng lalaki at buong pagmamahal na isinuot ang sapatilya sa mga mapuputi at makikinis na paa ni Aning.

Dahil sa sapatilya ay sumibol ang panibagong kasaysayan ng pag-ibig sa pagitan ng Cinderella ng Navy, si Aning, at ng magig-ing bagong “edmiral” sa kanyang buhay, si Eddie.

SACRAMENTO, CA (April 26, 2011) - State Senator Juan Vargas’ Senate Bill (SB) 718, which would authorize the County of San Diego and coun-ties across the State of California to offer a confidential internet system for reporting instances of elder abuse, unanimously passed out of the Senate Committee on Human Services today (7-0).

Currently, mandated reporters, such as licensed health practi-tioners, must report instances of abuse in a timely manner. Due to the high volume of callers and a recent decrease in personnel due to budget cuts, there can be a lengthy wait before a call is answered on the county’s main elder abuse reporting phone line which handles calls from man-dated reporters and the general public. In November 2010, it was determined that 27 percent of callers hung up rather than waiting on the line to report abuses, leaving seniors and de-pendent adults at risk of further abuse.

Vargas’ Elder Abuse Reporting Legislation Receives Unani-mous Approval from Senate Human Services Committee

“We can’t keep our seniors’ safety on hold. Our seniors, and those who fight to protect them, must be empowered to report instances of abuse,” said Sena-tor Juan Vargas (D-40). “It’s our job to figure out a way to make reporting easier for everyone so our seniors’ voices are heard!”

The secure internet system would require that mandated reporters provide the same in-formation as required in writing or over the phone. This service would be made available at no additional cost to the State of California.

Vargas represents the 40th California State Senate District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, portions of Riverside

County, all of Imperial County and California’s entire US/Mexi-co border.

Vargas represented the 79th California State Assembly District from 2000 - 2006 and served on the San Diego City Council from 1993 - 2000.

Asian Journal April 29 to May 5, 2011 edition

Documents

Transcript of Asian Journal April 29 to May 5, 2011 edition