ManilaMail - Sept. 15, 2013

September 15, 2013 1

Vol. XXII, No. 21 Online: www. manilamail.us September 15, 2013

Pinay ‘Juicy Girls’ P10

Gunrunning bro’s P3

OFWs protest pork P4

Gay couple in USAF P12

Katy’s Taal video P4

What’s China up to in

Panatag Shoal?MANILA. The country’s

ambassador to China was ordered home to dramatize Philippine displeasure over the laying of 75 concrete blocks on Panatag (Scarborough Shoal) but Beijing accused Manila of “creating trouble out of nothing”.

The Philippines is accusing China of laying the foundation for a permanent facility in violation of international maritime law and ignoring Manila’s call for international arbitration for a peaceful resolution.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei threw the blame right back at the Philippines, saying it was causing the problems, days before a key regional meeting being hosted by China.

“The Scarborough Shoal

is China’s intrinsic territory. The Philippines should respect China’s sovereignty,” he said during a news briefi ng.

Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Raul Hernandez said Ambassador Erlinda Basilio was called back to Manila for

“consultations” but said she would be sent back to her post after an unspecifi ed period.

A Philippine aircraft photographed Panatag Shoal last Sept. 2 and found the concrete blocks – two cubic feet in size

Jobs gain fuel Fed talks, PH Peso falls to P44:$1

WASHINGTON D.C. Employers added 169,000 jobs in August, making a slight dent on the unemployment rate and further fueling speculation about rumors the Federal Reserve is about to scale back its bond-buy-ing program which is making a lot of countries nervous.

Investors here and abroad could cheer this as a sign the US economic recovery is taking hold, but looking deeper into the Labor Department report also raised concerns that all is still not well and the rebound remains precarious.

China is already bracing

Va. Dems, GOPs spend heavily to lure core voters

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia. This coming November guber-natorial elections is shaping up as one of the most expensive ever for candidates to the top Commonwealth political post.

With still two months to go before the Nov. 5 ballot, the Republican Governors Associa-tion and the Democratic Gover-nors Association have shelled out just under $10.3 million on behalf of their favored candi-dates.

The GOP group has spent more than twice as much as its Democratic counterpart, accord-ing to politico.com – RGA’s total spending is a hair under $7 mil-lion, including $3 million in direct donations to state Attor-ney General Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign.

DGA’s spending has come overwhelmingly in the form of lump-sum contributions: of the approximately $3.4 million that

Continued on page 22 Continued on page 22

Ventriloquist bird discovered in Luzon’s Sierra Madre range

LAWRENCE, Kansas. A new bird species that can throw its voice around, possibly to confuse nearby predators, has been discovered by research-ers in the rain forests of the Sierra Madre range in Northern Luzon.

Twenty-three new bird species have been recently identifi ed by researchers from the University of Kansas’ Bio-diversity Institute, according to Pete Hosner, a KU graduate

student in ecology and evolu-tionary biology.

They include the Sierra Madre Ground Warbler, a largely fl ightless, ground-walk-ing songbird with no known

Continued on page 22

Mysterious concrete blocks raise questions of what China’s doing in Philip-pine’s Panatag Shoal.


MNLF ‘invasion’ raises fear of another Mindanao warZAMBOANGA CITY.

Troops clashed with armed fol-lowers of former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chief Nur Misuari in a Zamboanga City neighborhood, raising the specter of another secessionist war in Mindanao just as the gov-ernment appeared near ending another with a rival Islamic group.

At least six people have been killed and 24 wounded in the fi ghting that started Sept. 8, according to Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco.

The fi ghting started shortly after about 400 heavily armed followers of Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and leader of the Muslim Mindanao autonomous

region created as part of the peace settlement with the seces-sionist group.

He was removed from his post by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2001 and Misuari is currently out on bail on terrorism charges.

Some the group’s leaders said they were fi ghting for an independent Muslim state in

Mindanao. But a faction of the MNLF distanced itself from the Continued on page 22

Troops surround band of MNLF rebels in Zamboanga City.

by Jonathan Melegrito

Special to the Manila MailWASHINGTON D.C. Fili-

pino American leaders from around the nation get a chance to make their pitches for issues close to their community, includ-ing immigration reform and recognition for Filipino World War II veterans in a “meet up” with leaders of the Republican Party in Las Vegas, Nevada next month.

The invitation to Filipino

American community leaders


U.S. Rep Ed Royce

September 15, 201322

N. Dakota oil boom may tap Pinoy workers

WASHINGTON D.C. The North Dakota energy boom is opening new opportunities for the Philippines, including the hiring of skilled Filipino oil workers that Philippine Ambas-sador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said should be exploited.

“North Dakota is not only the fastest growing state econ-omy in the US. It is now also the second-highest oil producing state next only to Texas,” he said.

“We are being given the opportunity to be part of this boom and we should take advan-tage of it by looking into invest-ments in infrastructure and pos-sibly even jobs for Filipino oil workers,” Cuisia added.

The Philippine’s top envoy made the call upon returning from North Dakota, consid-ered the heart of America’s oil and gas boom, where he led a three-day economic diplomacy outreach mission to the Bismark and Fargo upon the invitation of Gov. Jack Dalrymple.

In his meetings with North Dakota offi cials led by Gov-ernor Dalrymple, Cuisia said

there used to be as many as 2,000 Filipinos working in the energy sector in the US, includ-ing a number in Louisiana who helped rehabilitate offshore oil platforms that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

“Governor Dalrymple is very interested and wants to fi nd out how North Dakota could tap Filipino workers,” Cuisia said, adding that he will bring this opportunity with the Philippine Overseas Employment Adminis-tration.

He explained Philippine

companies will have the chance

to explore this and other possible

business opportunities in North

Dakota when a trade and invest-

ment mission from the state

visits Manila in February.

North Dakota presently

accounts for 10 percent of the

overall daily oil production of

the US, producing 800,000 bar-

rels of oil per day in June alone

and even overtaking the produc-

tion of California and Alaska.

North Dakota offi cials said they’re looking into possibly hiring Filipino oil rig workers.


PNP help sought to nab PH arms merchantNEW YORK. Authorities

have sought the help of Philip-pine police to track down the brother of a New York City police offi cer and a Los Angeles airport agent earlier arrested for smuggling high-powered fi re-arms to the Philippines.

Offi cer Rex Maralit, 44, was taken into custody last week by the New York Police Department (NYPD) internal affairs bureau following a complaint lodged by the Department of Homeland Security.

His brother Wilfredo, a US Customs and Border Patrol agent at the Los Angeles Interna-tional Airport, was also arrested.

Authorities in the Philip-pines are hunting for a third brother, Ariel Maralit, who reportedly sold the guns there. There are concerns because the smuggled weapons, including sniper rifl es and scopes, pose a security threat if they fell to the wrong hands.

The US will seek his extradi-tion after he’s taken into custody.

All three are charged with conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and unli-censed fi rearm dealing, and each face 5 years in jail if found guilty.

The Justice Department said that “Between January 2009 and March 2013, the defendants engaged in a scheme to smug-gle high-powered assault rifl es,

sniper rifl es, pistols and fi rearm accessories from the United

States to the Philippines, where they were sold to overseas cus-tomers.”

According to the complaint, Ariel Maralit identifi ed custom-ers and sought the assistance of his brothers to purchase and ship the weapons. In response to customer orders from the Philip-pines, Rex and Wilfredo bought the weapons on fi rearms-broker-ing websites, disassembled then smuggled them out of the US in disguised shipments.

None of the defendants obtained export licenses or fed-eral fi rearms licenses in connec-tion with the weapons they sold, the complaint continued.

On several occasions, the defendants used their law enforcement credentials to get

discounts for the purchased weapons.

The powerful and danger-ous fi rearms that the defen-dants illegally exported and sold include the Barrett M82A1 .50 caliber semi-automatic rifl e, the SCAR, and the FN Herstal 5.7mm semi-automatic pistol.

The Barrett M82A1 .50 caliber semi-automatic rifl e is a long-range, weapon capable of penetrating body armor, exterior walls of buildings and even air-craft. The Barrett rifl e is favored by specialized military forces due to its extraordinary power and range. The SCAR is a mili-tary rifl e designed in 2004 at the request of the United States Spe-cial Operations Command for a new family of assault rifl es to be used by US Special Forces. The FN Herstal 5.7mm semi-auto-

matic pistol is a high-capacity, battlefi eld weapon capable of fi ring a projectile that can pen-etrate body armor.

Rex appeared before a New York judge on Sept. 6. Wilfredo appeared at a federal courthouse

in Santa Ana, California the same

day and was granted a $300,000

bond.

Wilfredo and Rex are sched-

uled to appear together in a New

York federal court on Sept. 23.

Brothers Rex and Wilfredo Maralit were arrested for conspiracy to smuggle weapons outside US.


PH tourism boss elated by Katy Perry music videoMANILA. The Philippine

Tourism Department is overjoyed by American pop singer Katy Perry’s latest music video after it incorporated images of the country’s Taal Volcano.

Released last Thursday, the “Roar” music video features a shot of the famous Philippine landmark and its surrounding lake at the 2:28- and 2:39-minute marks.

In the video, which had over 14.7 million views as of posting, Perry is seen as a survivor of a plane crash who successfully adjusts to living in the wild.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said he was “very happy” because the music video appeared to suggest the Philippines “is obviously paradise”.

“It’s no secret that, when Katy Perry went to the country, she fell in love with Philippines. I would not be surprised if she made the choice herself,” Jimenez speculated.

Perry visited the Philippines in October 2009 January 2012, as part of her concert tours.

Jimenez’ elation was in sharp contrast to the indignation

of many in the Philippines from novelist Dan Brown’s description of Manila as the “gates of hell” in his book “Inferno”.

In 2012, Hollywood action fl ick “The Bourne Legacy” extensively featured “gritty” Manila, prominently showing the Philippine capital’s traffi c jams and crisscrossing streets packed with pedestrians.

The fi lm nonetheless showed El Nido, Palawan in its closing scenes, which was then lauded by the Department of Tourism.

PH wants fi sher jailed, Taiwan offers fi ne insteadMANILA. The Philippine’s

Justice Department will

push through with charges

against a Taiwanese fi sherman

caught allegedly poaching in

the country’s waters despite

attempts by Taipei authorities

to settle the case out of court.

Police say there is “strong

evidence” against Taiwanese

Tsai Po who was nabbed

Sept. 3 near the Philippines’

Batan Islands, close to the

maritime border with Taiwan.

“Our evidence is quite

strong. He was collecting lobster,

ornamental fi sh and sharks,”

one offi cial said, adding that

this wasn’t the fi rst time Tsai

encroached in Philippine waters.

The local police was

reportedly alerted by Filipino

civilians who’ve complained

that Taiwanese fi shermen have

become more brazen after a

fatal shooting of a 65-year-

old Taiwanese fi sherman by

Philippine Coast Guard men

sparked a diplomatic row.

The shooting occurred

in waters also claimed by

Taiwan near the Batan Islands.

Taiwan responded with

sanctions, including a ban on the

hiring of new Filipino workers.

Relations were only

beginning to normalize

after the Justice Department

recommended murder

charges against the Filipino

coastguard men when this

latest incident happened.

Tsai denied the charge,

insisting he was in Taiwanese

waters when he was stopped.

His catch, vessel and fi shing

equipment were confi scated. If he

is convicted of poaching he faces

a US$100,000 fi ne and his seized

items will not be returned to him.

The head of Taiwan’s

Fisheries Agency was quoted in news reports as saying they are negotiating for Tsai to receive

the lightest penalty, which could be the payment of a fi ne worth between $50,000 and $200,000.

Katy Perry video with backdrop of the Taal lake and volcano.

Pork protest spreads to OFW remittancesMANILA. The protest

against lawmakers’ abuse of pork barrel funds moved to his-toric EDSA, the birthplace of two People Power revolts that top-pled two Philippine presidents, but the Palace appeared more anxious of a backlash from a cru-cial sector – overseas Filipinos.

Migrante International, an alliance of 122 Filipino migrant organizations, has called for a “Zero Remittance Day” on Sept. 19 as a “symbolic protest and political exercise for all OFWs to show outrage on issues that affect them.’

Deputy presidential spokes-person Abigail Valte dismissed the call and reminded over-seas Filipinos it won’t hurt the Aquino administration as much as their own families. “They know what their families need,” Valte said.

Remittances from overseas Filipinos reached a record $21.39 billion last year, a 6.3 percent increase from $20.12 billion in 2011. The dollars came mostly from Filipinos in the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Japan, United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

“Our remittances keep the

economy afl oat is being plun-dered by greedy offi cials,” said Migrante International chair-person Gary Martinez in a state-ment.

The one-day remittance boycott is largely symbolic, according to most experts, but it touches a raw nerve for a nation that relies heavily on the money sent by nearly 10 million Filipi-nos working or living abroad.

OFW remittances comprise more than 12 percent of the Phil-ippine’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and more importantly, is driving consumption that is fueling the country’s 7.6 percent growth rate in the fi rst semester of 2013, the envy of Asia and much of the world.

Public outrage continues to grow over the pork barrel scam that highlighted the scourge of corruption and patronage poli-tics in the Philippines.

“The President recognizes this concern,” Valte assured OFWs in a radio interview last week.

Church joins pork protestsAnother source of concern,

protests moved for the fi rst time to EDSA on Sept. 11, the sym-bolic seat of extra-legal politi-

cal change, a move endorsed by infl uential Catholic bishops.

“This is not just an offense of malicious unscrupulous citi-zens or the betrayal of elected public offi cials. This is an offense against God who commanded us ‘Thou shall not steal’ and ‘Thou shall not covet your neighbor’s goods,’” the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) wrote in a pastoral letter read in churches all over the country.

“Our protests should not just emanate from the bad feel-ing that we have been personally or communally transgressed, violated or duped. It should come rather from the realization that God has been offended and we have become less holy as a people because of this,” it added.

“Our fi rst response to the pork barrel issue must be not protest but contrition. We are not just victims of a corrupt system. We have all, in one way or another, contributed to this worsening social cancer— through our indifferent silence or through our cooperation when we were benefi ting from the sweet cake of graft and cor-ruption,” the bishops said.

A Rizal Park protest rally organized last Aug. 26 drew thousands. They were joined by many more outside the capi-tal and outside the Philippines, powered by social media and the net.

Two days later, Janet Napoles, the woman at the center of the pork barrel storm, surrendered to President Aquino after apparently being tipped off that government agents were on the verge of capturing her. The “Edsa Tayo” protest last week aimed to build on the momen-tum and further pressure the Aquino administration.

Malacanang is not per-turbed by the protests, Valte stressed, but they are keeping a close eye for the mass actions remain peaceful and orderly.

The EDSA protest came in the heels of the approval by the House appropriations commit-tee of the proposed 2014 budget amounting to P2.268 trillion (about $55 billion), which still includes lawmakers’ pork barrel.

Napoles trial not for show - Palace

Napoles is now detained in former President Joseph Estra-

da’s old prison accommodations at Fort Santo Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, guarded by a con-tingent of specially-trained coun-ter-terrorism cops and under non-stop surveillance from 6 cameras installed just for her.

“This administration has a strong resolve to make sure jus-tice is served,” Valte said in an interview over state-run radio.

The President, she said, wants a conviction for the P10 billion pork barrel scam. Apart from Napoles, the case could drag key lawmakers.

Whistle-blowers, state auditors and former executives of government corporations have consistently tagged Sena-tors Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. as among those who channeled their pork barrel over the years to bogus non-government orga-nizations set up by Napoles.

The Justice Department is wrapping up investigation into a Commission on Audit report against at least 82 non-govern-ment organizations (NGOs) that allegedly received over P6 billion from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of sev-eral solons from 2007 to 2009.


San Diego acting mayor won’t seek city postSAN DIEGO. The city’s

acting Mayor, San Diego City Council President Todd Garcia, won’t be seeking the post during emergency elections on Nov. 19.

Garcia fi lled the vacancy left by the resignation of former Mayor Bob Filner, forced top step down last August 30 after he could not shake off allegations of sexual harassment by several women.

Born in La Jolla, Todd grew up in Clairemont. He is part Filipino, Native American,

Puerto Rican and Dutch. Garcia is also openly gay.

Gloria said in a statement that he wanted to focus on his work as interim mayor and city councilman.

“I would have enjoyed running for mayor,” he said. “I like the job. A week on, I can tell you it’s a pretty sweet gig, but you need me to govern. You don’t need me to campaign right now.”

He was quoted in a story on City News Services saying Filner, a longtime champion of

Filipino World War II veterans, left his post with “substantial and serious” problems that had to be attended to.

“The Offi ce of the Mayor will be staffed by experienced, responsible, and responsive individuals who share my goal of moving the city forward in a transparent, collaborative way,” said Gloria in a statement.

“What we’ve learned is that one person can do a lot of damage, and we have to make the right choice this time,”

Gloria said. “I’m just grateful

you’re going to have a lot of

good choices on that ballot.”

There are about 30 people

vying for San Diego’s mayoral

post although Democratic

Councilman Kevin Faulconer

and Republican Carl DeMaio,

a former councilman, appear

to have the inside tracks.

If no one wins a majority in

the Nov. 19 election, the top two

contenders advance to a runoff.

San Diego City Council president Todd Garcia.


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Drug rings eye PH as gateway to US marketMANILA. The drug menace

in the Philippines – already a national crisis – could get even worse as major drug syndi-cates look for new markets in the United States, warned a top narcotics offi ce from the State Department.

“As traffi cking organiza-tions for heroin in Afghanistan and Myanmar search for new markets in the United States, the Philippines will be at the point of

exit across the Pacifi c,” US Assis-tant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William Brownfi eld said in Manila last week.

He said Latin American cartels were traffi cking growing amounts of cocaine and meth-amphetamines to increasingly wealthy East Asian countries.

“I am sorry to say this but I fear the problem is going to get worse before it gets better,” he

told reporters during a visit at Camp Crame, the national police headquarters.

Philippine anti-narcotics chief Arturo Cacdac said they were looking into the “Mexican” links of a Chinese gang arrested while allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine hydrochlo-ride – commonly known in the Philippines as “shabu” in a high-end subdivision last January.

“It’s possible that Latin

American drug personalities are looking to the Far East as a market for drugs, not necessarily cocaine but also shabu,” he said, using the local name for meth-amphetamines.

In 2012, Brownfi eld’s agency warned about “an increase in foreign organized criminal activ-ity from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.”

“Insurgency groups operat-ing in the Philippines partially

fund their activities through local crime, kidnapping for ransom and the traffi cking of narcotics and arms, and engage in money laundering through ties to orga-nized crime,” the BINLEA report said.

The State Department has previously named the Philip-pines as one of the 66 major drug money-laundering countries in the world.

US cracks down on Korean bars with Pinay ‘juicy girls’ WASHINGTON D.C. Offi -

cials of the US Air Force in South Korea are cracking down against “juicy girls” – scantily-clad hostesses who entice off-duty servicemen to buy them exor-bitantly priced juice drinks in exchange for their company.

Offi cials have warned bar owners in the Songtan red light district to get rid of the “juicy girls” or they will forbid Ameri-can servicemen from patronizing their establishments, according to Job Rabiroff’s Sept. 3 article in the Stars & Stripes.

Songtan is located just out-side the Osan Air Base.

Authorities say they’ve decided to stamp out the “juicy girls” – who it turns out are mostly Filipinas, according to Rabiroff – because they suspect

it’s fueling the illegal traffi cking problem in the country.

“US Air Force Korea has for years employed ‘zero toler-ance policy’ toward prostitution and human traffi cking and that ‘buying overpriced drinks in a juicy bar supports the human traffi cking industry, a form of modern-day slavery,” Rabiroff wrote.

He quoted Seventh Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas: “The presence of juicy girls that are contracted, whose passports are held by the bar owners, who are moved from city to city and bar to bar – it’s indentured servitude and it’s inconsistent with who we are as a service, and the standards we’re trying to establish on base and within the sphere of infl u-

ence we have outside the gate.”The report also quoted Felic-

itas Bay, the Philippine labor attaché in Seoul, who lauded the US Air Force’s efforts. She expressed the hope the policy would be applied to other enter-tainment spots near US military facilities who may engaged in the same questionable practices.

Bay admitted they were

hard-pressed stopping the infl ux of Filipinas who are often lured by unscrupulous recruiters in the Philippines, sweet-talking the girls with promises of legitimate jobs in South Korea.

“I salute the fi rm resolve and conviction of the Osan Air Base leadership in their efforts in the campaign against human traffi cking,” she said.

Jouas said offi cials at Kunsan Air Base are in the pro-cess of starting a similar effort in nearby America Town – another entertainment district hosting “juicy bars” - and he has talked to other US Forces Korea offi -cials, including Gen. James Thur-man, in an attempt to replicate their Songtan initiative.

Rabiroff said the number of “juicy bars” outside Osan Air

Base has dropped from 44 to just 10 over the past year.

“While it is impossible to determine exactly what percent-age of juicy bars promote prosti-tution,” he wrote, “it is common knowledge that some juicy girls who fall short of sale quotas are often forced by club owners to prostitute themselves to make up the revenue difference – a practice known as ‘bar fi ning’”

“In addition, some juicy girls arrange to meet custom-ers outside of work, where they strike sex-for-cash deals or pose as girlfriends and ask for money to send home or pay off debts,” he added in the Stars & Stripes article.

Scene outside Songtan bar.


Top Pinoy designers featured in Portland fashion showWASHINGTON D.C. The

October 9 gala opening night program of Portland’s 2013 FashioNXT will feature top Fili-pino fashion designers to mark observance of Filipino-American Heritage month.

The show to be held at 8 pm at the Vigor Shipyard is being staged together with the US-Philippine Society. It will show-case the Philippines’ continuing contribution to America’s rich

cultural heritage, blending tra-ditional and modern styles and fabrics including rare textiles made from pineapple fi ber.

“The US-Philippines Soci-ety welcomes this opportunity to showcase the latest in inno-vative Philippine fashion and design. FashioNXT has earned international recognition, and the Philippine-inspired fashion themes will only enhance the show’s growing reputation as a

trend-setter in the world of fash-ion,” said Hank Hendrickson, the Society’s Executive Director.

The Philippine designers presenting at FashioNXT include Alan Del Rosario, Anthony Cruz Legarda, Francis Libiran and David Tupaz.

“We are honored that the US-Philippines Society chose FashioNXT for the Philippine designer runway show,” said FashioNXT Executive Producer

Tito Chowdhury. “That the show celebrates

Philippine-American Heritage Month makes it even more spe-cial.” The Philippine Embassy supports the Society’s efforts, and FashioNXT looks forward to welcoming Ambassador and Mrs. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. to Port-land for this important event.

Tickets to FashioNXT may be purchased at www.fash-ionxt.net. Enter the discount

code “Philippines” for a savings of10% off on all tickets.

Delta Airlines is offering 10% off on airline tickets for FashioNXT. Just click on the Delta Airlines logo at www.fash-ionxt.net. The Courtyard Mar-riott Portland City Center is also offering discounted room rates.

FashioNXT is the place to be for fashion Oct 9 at the Philip-pine Designer Runway Show.

FashioNXT Portland (www.fashionxt.net, www.facebook.com/FASHIONXtONLINE) is produced by Tito Chowdhury, who produced Portland’s inter-nationally recognized fashion week featured recently in Time magazine and the Wall Street Journal. FashioNXT presents fashion forward lifestyle on the runway and the lifestyle plaza.

The US-Philippine Society (http://www.usphilippinesso-ciety.org/) aims to raise aware-ness about today’s Philippines in the United States. The Soci-ety, an independent non-profi t organization, promotes interest in building on the rich and long-standing ties between America and the Philippines and work-ing to strengthen that unique historical relationship in the 21st century.


Fil-Am couple among first to get same-sex benefits

LAS VEGAS, Nevada. A Fil-ipino American same-sex couple was among the fi rst to enroll for spousal benefi ts after the Penta-gon announced it was putting new rules in place as a result of the recent Supreme Court deci-sion against the Defense of Mar-riage Act (DOMA).

1st Lt. Michelle Bagalawis wanted to be fi rst in time wrote Keith Rogers in an article for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

She and her spouse Suzanne

Angeles-Bagalawis, who grew up in Long Beach, Ca. both have roots to the Philippines.

Bagalawis is an education and training chief for an Air Combat Command training sup-port squadron at Nellis Air Force Base located here.

They entered their names in the Defense Enrollment Eligibil-ity Reporting System on Sept. 3 – the fi rst working day of the month and the fi rst day legally married same sex couples in the

military could do it since the Supreme Court ruling last June.

Benefi ts including base housing, commissary privi-leges, medical care and service members life insurance were made available to legally mar-ried same-sex spouses and their dependents retroactive to the date of the ruling, June 26.

To qualify, they must have a bona fi de marriage license from any of the 13 states or the District of Columbia that recognize gay

marriages — California, Wash-ington, Iowa, Vermont, Con-necticut, Maryland, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Delaware and Rhode Island.

Although Nevada is not on the list, Bagalawis works in a military installation which makes her eligible to enjoy fed-eral benefi ts.

Angeles-Bagalawis, now a civilian who sells time shares locally, had been an enlisted airman but was medically dis-

charged. They met in 2002 at Shep-

pard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, and were married 10 years later in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 19, 2012.

It’s Lt. Bagalawis’ 2nd mar-riage and Angeles-Bagalawis’ 1st. They have a 6-year-old son from Bagalawis’ earlier marriage to an enlisted man that lasted two years.

Rogers wrote, “Bagalawis said the stigma of being gay or

lesbian in the Air Force is gradu-ally fading. ‘I think it’s gotten better. I don’t really hear any remarks,’ she said. ‘I’ve been open to my commander and some people at work and they’ve said if anything comes up just bring it to our attention.’”

“I’m sure people are still talking in their own inner cliques about what they think about same-sex marriage in the Air Force. I’m excited. I feel great about it,” Bagalawis was quoted in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Apologetic Iowa chief steps down after rocky tenureIOWA CITY. Public Safety

Commissioner K. Brian London, who earlier apologized for slight-ing Filipinos, resigned from his post on September 4 after spend-ing just 11 months on the post.

London apologized last month for telling department employees that, in his experience with lie detection tests, Filipinos were diffi cult to polygraph.

London headed a depart-ment that investigates major crimes, among others.

Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. called him to demand an explanation right after hearing of complaints lodged by Filipinos in the area

with Philippine consular offi cials in Chicago, Il.

“London explained to me that his statements were taken out of context and were part of efforts by disgruntled individu-als to discredit him,” he said.

According to the envoy, London apologized profusely, stressing he didn’t intend to offend them.

“Commissioner London was profuse in expressing his apology to me over his state-ments and repeatedly said it was never his intention to disparage or malign any particular nation-ality, most especially Filipinos,” Cuisia added.

But it appears stirring the

Fil-Am community was the least

of his problems. London and two other department offi cials were sued last month for fi ring a Divi-sion of Criminal Investigation agent allegedly as retaliation for reporting a speeding violation of a state vehicle used by Gov. Terry Branstad.

London appeared to be hounded by controversy almost as soon as he was named to head Iowa’s public safety department. He had no ties to the state and had worked until 2010 as the top law enforcement offi cial in Florida’s Department of Finan-cial Services after stints with the Central Intelligence Agency, Secret Service and Interpol.

The governor’s offi ce

declined to say whether Brans-

tad, who plans to run for re-elec-

tion next year, sought London’s

resignation.

He was replaced by Larry

Noble, a former state trooper,

who held the post in 2011-12

until his retirement.

The Iowa Public Safety

Department includes the Divi-

sion of Criminal Investigation,

the Iowa State Patrol, the state

Fire Marshal, the Division of

Narcotics Enforcement and the

Fusion Center.

Exhibit promotes PH retirement destinationMCLEAN, Va. Filipino

artist Gabriel de Dios is hold-ing a benefi t exhibit of his most recent works at the 2K McLean Studio along Great Falls Street.

De Dios said the exhibit was sponsored by ex-Navy Capt. Domingo Tucay and his wife Daisy who is founder and president of the Global Philip-

pine Association of Retirement Counselors (GPARC).

The organization promotes the Philippines as a retirement destination by establishing retirement villages in key loca-tions around the country and developing care programs for participants.

A percentage of the sales from this exhibit will go to this organization which the artist fully supports. De Dios is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (Class ’81) and was a major in the Philip-pine Army Special Forces, but has since swapped his rifl e for

brush and palette after immi-grating in Virginia.

He has a distinctive style that often features scenes from the Philippines.

He requests that interested parties call for appointments to visit the studio through phone number (703) 847-2099.

Public Safety Commissioner K. Brian London

USAF 1st Lt. Michelle Bagalawis and her spouse Suzanne Angeles-Bagalawis.

Pinoy artist Gabriel de Dios’ works celebrate the Filipino culture.


Getting to know JulianaBy Jocelyn Porteria

Have you ever passed by 66 and noticed a sign by the highway with a Philippine fl ag as part of the logo? Yes, that’s struck me when I saw it. The store is called “JULIANA’S and that was a brilliant idea. That motivated me to go to the store and meet the owner; but let me tell you fi rst, her name is not Juli-ana ironically.

She’s the typical Filipina beauty with great personality and stands taller than normal Filipina height like mine.

Her name is Nessa, one of the owners; and the store is named after her late mother Juli-ana who passed away in 1979. The store was opened in June 2005 on her mother’s birth date. Another husband and wife team, Nessa ran the store full time and her very supportive husband Steve Hall on a part time basis.

I can’t help but comment on creative shelves throughout the store where the merchan-dise were neatly arranged with cute price tags. She proudly said those were customized by her husband through the years.

Ness came to the US in 2000 from Abu Dhabi, lugging her natural entrepreneurial talent. Even in her old days, she can come up with anything that sells to her friends and families

and earned “suki” everywhere including AVON, Video, phone cards etc.

She even started “Paluwa-gans” so she can raise capital for whatever items she would like to sell and what’s hot in the

market during those times. In Abu Dhabi, she owned a Tailor Shop and a Restaurant featuring Filipino cuisine of course.

The store is huge and set up like warehouse style which is very trendy nowadays. Tons of Filipino products and items seems like “if you cannot fi nd it in any other Filipino stores, we have it” feeling. Just to give you an idea: you can fi nd authentic San Miguel Beer and Red horse from the Philippines here!! That’s a treat right there.

They have a huge inven-tory I should say. Nessa said her prices are very competi-tive and think of Divisoria

as she proudly enthused.

Aside from the typical Fili-pino products and services like remittance, video rentals, phone cards etc; she has a small corner

offi ce in the store which she use on her travel agency business. She is an accredited Travel Agent and it’s called Juliana’s World Travel and Tours, LLC. That’s what you call “One Stop Shop”.

This year, she started online ordering and her future plans include full blast with her Travel business and start a “carry-out” something like a budget meal for busy people and enjoy the taste of Manila right here in the DC area. You can go online at www.shop.thejulianas.com or call 703-335-8277/9377 for more info.

Jocelyn tours around the Northern VA area to feature Filipino establishments that

offer products and services to

our “Kababayans” so you know

where to go and enjoy a part of

our country whether it’s food,

products or just hang around.

You may contact her at ojporte-

[email protected] or her cell at 571-

432-8335.

Juliana’s store proprietor Nessa Hall shows off wares.

‘ObamaCare’ boon for Pinoy nurses?

MANILA. Thanks to “Obamacare” nursing gradu-ates in the Philippines could get jobs just as good as work-ing abroad without leaving the country, one business outsourc-ing executive predicted.

Healthcare Information Management Outsourcing Association of the Philippines chairman Jeff Williams said the high demand for medical grad-uates in the healthcare informa-tion management (HIM) indus-try can be attributed to Presi-dent Obama’s Patient Protec-tion and Affordable Care Act, which requires a wider cover-age and quality health services.

With about 200,000 unem-ployed nursing graduates, Williams said, the Philippines should take advantage of the thriving industry.

He said positions available in the healthcare outsourcing industry include medical tran-scriptionist and medical coders.

Without citing any fi gures,

Williams said these jobs are “well paid”.

At present, there are about 45,000 full-time employees in the country’s HIM sector, which generated about $460 million in revenues in 2012.

With the imminent imple-mentation of “Obamacare” the demand is only expected to grow. Williams said US com-panies prefer to work with Fili-pinos because they are “highly educated, medical-oriented yet under-utilized.”

He also said the Philip-pines’ young population is also a plus factor compared to US with an aging workforce in the medical fi eld. The average age of registered nurses in the US is 47 years old and about a quarter of them are 54 years or older.

Williams added that in the 10 years he’s been working in the Philippine’s HIM industry he has not received any nega-tive feedback from clients.


The offi cers of the Philippine Nurses Associations of Metropolitan DC., Inc, held their meeting at the Mrs. Philip-pines Homes, in Ft. Washington, last September 7. President Leonora Mendoza, discussed with the other offi cers their many projects left in 2013, the Medical Mission to the Philippines, and their hosting of the National PNA Con-vention in 2016. The PNA also, provides the fi rst aide service at the annual Asian Festival, this year to be held in Ft. Washington, Maryland September 18 to 29. Other offi cers includes Lorna Imperial Seidel, Vivian Sola, Emelie Dear-ing, Prima Colburn, Achilles Amados, Carol Robles, Mila Cariaga, Febes Galvez, Teresita Delima, Elsa Aquino, Alicia Calayag De Leon, Trinidad Padama, Rozalinda de la Pena, Lourdes Careaga, Zany Amado, Myrna Joy Arel-lano, Alice Andam, Diana Comiso, Emma De La Rosa, Marissa Usman, Resureccion Jao, and Teresita Simoy. (Photo by Bing Branigin)

The US-Philippine Society, and the Philippine Embassy held a dialogue with the Filipino Young Professionals at the Romulo Hall, Philippine Embassy, last September 5. L to R: Patrick Realaga, Bryan Lozanao, Emil Trinidad, and Ben De Guzman. (Photo by Bing Branigin)

Friends of Elsie and Totoy Castrence of Fort Washington, Maryland gathered for a despedida at the couple’s resi-dence recently to bid farewell. The Castrences, long-time community leaders, are moving to Manila later this month. Among those who came to wish them well were Prof. Serge Floro of American University and her husband, Peter Gribbin and Ning Sola, Art and Daisy Victoria, Munam Villorante Goodwin, Yvonne Reyes, Julio and Dading Maca-ranas, Dolly Pascual, Pepot Simbulan and Rommel Simon, Telly and Paul Encarnacion, Josie and Lisa Simbulan and Jon and Elvie Melegrito. (Photo by Marcia Castrence)

Another school room is completed by Feed the Hungry Fil-Am Inc. from donations made by the World Bank Group Filipino Association and donors in the Metro DC area. This school room was built at the Alauli Elementary School in Pilar, Bataan. Feed the Hungry has built more than 100 school rooms across in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of Pablito Alarcon)


If you would like to include your organization’s forthcoming event, please send the information to Maurese Owens at [email protected].

Sept 21 (Saturday) 9:30-1:30 NaFFAA, AACEES, Mabu-hay, PAFC, PNA, “Depression Beyond the Blues: Mental Health Challenges in the FilAm Com-munity.” Residence on Green-

belt, 9885 Greenbelt Rd, Lanham, MD 20706. 301-486-1590. With speakers Mila Tecala, Director for Center for Loss and Grief; Dr. Marilou Tablang-Jimenez, MD; Medical Director, Mont-gomery County Crisis Center; Msg Mariano Balbago, Spiritual Advisor; and Karen W. Burks, Prince George’s County Dept. of Family Services and Mental

Health Disabilities Division . Free. Contact: Jon Melegrito at [email protected] or 202.361.0296

Sept 21 (Saturday) 6:00pm-1:00am Medical Mission of Mercy USA Superheroes Night Masquerade Ball to benefit 2014 Medical Mission to Sorsogon, Bicol. Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church, VA. $80. Contact: Yoly Arzadon 703.750.3768.

Sept 28 (Saturday) 8:00am-5:00pm PNAMDC 4th Educa-tional Conference – “Light the Fire Within - Empowerment and Leadership” Registration Fee: PNAMDC Member-$79, Non-Member-$89, Students-$59 Springhill Suites - 6065 Rich-mond Highway, Alexandria, VA 223032Contact: Lorna Seidel PhD, RN [email protected] or tel. No. (202)710-

0759Sept 28-29 (Saturday &

Sunday) 10:00am-8:00pm Asian Festival. Rosecroft Raceway, 6336 Rosecroft Dr, Ft. Washing-ton, MD 20744. Sponsored by Singha Beer and Thai Tennis Organization of America. Fea-tured village is the Philippines and is sponsored by PAFC. For participation as a vendor or per-former, contact: Eileen Nadal, [email protected]

Oct 5 (Saturday) 6:30 pm-1 am. Ateneo Alumni Association of Metro Washington DC “Blue and White - Gala Night” Crystal Gateway Marriott Ballroom, 1700 Jefferson Davis HighwayAr-lington, VA 22202. Contact: Jojo Mendoza at [email protected] or Butch Arroyo at [email protected].

October 17-20 College of

the Holy Spirit North American Foundation (CHSNAF) Cen-tennial Conference and Grand Reunion, Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas. Contact: Dulce Guevara at [email protected].

Oct 18 (Friday) 6:00pm-11:30pm Philippine American Chamber of Commerce 20th Anniversary Dinner Dance.Tysons Corner Marriott, 8028 Leesburg Pike, Tysons Corner, VA 22182. $60. Contact: John Cabrera 240-401-9138 [email protected]

Oct 18-20 (Friday-Sunday) UP Sigma Delta Phi Sorority Alumnae Association (Metro WDC Chapter) “Unity sa DC Reunion.” Chevy Chase Marri-ott Courtyard Contact: Loulou Rosales at [email protected]

Oct 19 (Saturday) 6pm-12mn Bicol Association of Met-ropolitan Washington DC“30th Sarung Banggi Gala Fundrais-ing.” Bethesda Ballroom, 5521 Landy Lane, Bethesda, Mary-land 20816. Attire Formal. For all the charitable causes including scholarships and the Surgical Mission.$65 pre-paid; $70 at the door.

Nov 9 (Saturday) 6:00-12:00pm Feed the Hungry, Inc. Handog 2013 at Hilton Alexan-dria Mark Center, Alexandria, VA. Contact: (703) 978-2709; email: [email protected]

Nov 9 (Saturday) 6pm-12:00m APODCAA 7th Annual Dinner Dance, Fort Myer Com-munity Center, Arlington, VA. $40. Contact: Romy Valle 240-751-3356 or [email protected]

Nov 11 (Monday) 6:30 pm Philippine Arts Letters and Media Council (PALM ) with Philippine American Founda-tion for Charities (PAFC) Book Launch of Emelina Galang’s Angel de Luna and the Fifth Glo-rious Mystery. Young adult fic-tion. Philippine Embassy. Con-tact: Mitzi Pickard at [email protected]

Nov 16 (Saturday) 2pm – 5pm PAFC “Dr. Jose Rizal Youth Awards,” Romulo Hall, Philip-pine Embassy,Washington, DC. Contact: Aylene Mafnas 703 868 5660.

Nov 17 (Sunday) PAFC DAKILA Awards Brunch. Mar-riott Keybridge on Novem-ber 17, Sunday. Details to be announced.

Nov 23 (Saturday) 6:00pm-11:00pm PNAMWDC Medical Mission Dinner Dance Fund-raising. St. Columba Parish Hall - 7804 Livingston Rd. Oxon Hill, MD 20745. $30. Contact: Alice Andam - (703)216-0671 or [email protected]

Nov. 23 (Saturday) 5:30 USTAAA 4th Anniversary Gala & Thanksgiving Masquerade Ball. Fairfview Marriott, VA. Prepaid $65, at door $70. Free parking. Contact: Amy Quinto at [email protected]


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Filipino pride and camaraderie among Americans and Canadians of Filipino descent manifested at the 9th Annual Intercity Basketball Tournament of the Filipino Basketball Association of North America (FBA-NA).

Text and photos by Angelyn Tugado-MarzanHosted by the Filipino-American Basketball Association of Metropolitan DC (FABA of Metro DC), said tournament held August 31-September 1, 2013 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in

-ington, D.C. (including Virginia and Maryland), Austin, Houston, and San Antonio in Texas; Chicago and Glendale Heights in Illinois; New Jersey and New York City as well as from Toronto, Durham, Mississauga, Vaughan, Windsor and Winnipeg in Canada.

Grand Marriott ballrooms that had witnessed formal events of the Filipino American community were converted into 5 basketball courts where young basketball players belonging to the Tykes (11 years old & younger), Peewee (ages 12-13), Bantam Boys and Girls (ages 14-15), and Midget Boys and Girls (ages 16-17) divisions played. Those belonging to the Juvenile (20 years & younger), Men’s 5’11 & under, Men’s Open and Women’s Open (no age limit), Senior (32 years and older) and Masters (42 years and older) divisions played at the New 24 facilities.

The Washington, DC team won the championship trophy in the Masters Division. “It was hard work!” exclaimed visibly tired but jubilant Ferdinand Lim to Manila Mail. “We had to beat 7 other teams before we won!” On the other hand, statuesque 14-year-old competitive swimmer Chanel Cogan of Centreville, Virginia won the “Best Muse” award during the opening ceremony of the two-day tournament. Her win not only delighted the Washington, DC team she represented but also her beaming parents Scott and Johnna Cogan and equally beautiful younger sister Isabelle Cogan.

FABA of Metro DC, Inc. President and FBA- NA Secretary General Ken Gonzales Mendoza (front, 2nd from right) joins the jubilant Washington, DC team after being declared 2013 FBA-NA Masters Division champion. In photo (front, l-r) Dennis Tabliga, B. Asinero, and Maritet Villacorte; (standing, l-r) FABA Special Adviser Rudy Sinon, Mike Pagdanganan, Joey Bretana, Coach Rolly Santos, Team Manager Dr. Mel Madarang, Eduardo Padilla, Rafael Consing, Jr., Gerry Llames, Kaju Bhullar, Duane Vazquez, Jeff dela Concepcion, Ferdinand Lim, Vince Policarpio, Edwin Villacorte, Bert Maraan.

Washington, DC’s Tykes Division player Jomar Roque (in glasses) dives to grab the runaway ball as a Toronto Tykes Division player tries to stop him.

FABA officers Ely Sy (standing, 2nd to right) and Agnes Espeleta (seated, center) join others in cheering with much gusto the Washington, DC team.

Legendary Philippine actress and MOWELFUND President Boots Anson Roa (seated, left) and her family, including daughter tournament emcee Lea Roa Cuevas (seated right), and tv personality Chiqui Roa Puno (3rd from right) lend moral support to the players via a video message while Chiqui’s husband, Philippine Deputy House Speaker Congressman Roberto “Robbie” V. Puno (standing, 2nd from right) joins Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III, FBA-NA Commissioner Ben R. Libao, FABA President Ken Gonzales Mendoza, and Maryland Delegate Kriselda Valderrama in sending their congratulatory notes via the tournament’s souvenir program. With Boots are (seated, 2nd from left) Cecille Javier (sister of Filipino composer/tv actor Danny Javier of the Apo Hiking Society), Sabrina, Becky Pagsibigan; (standing, l-r) Russell & Ryan Cuevas, Niko Puno, Rachel Cuevas, Randy Puno, and Pat Pagsibigan.

Maryland Delegate Kris Valderrama (left) and Bing C. Branigin, pose with 2013 FBA-NA Best Muse awardee Chanel Cogan of the Washington,DC team and spectator Verush Benitez (right). Valderrama and Branigin, along with PAFC President Aylene Mafnas, Atty Nedo VAlera, and Grace Valera, were judges in the tournament’s Best Muse and Best Uniform contest during the tournament.

Cheerful FABA volunteers (front, l-r) Eileen Moreno, Ruth King, Art Cal-iguiran, Tonette Aldaza; (2nd row, l-r) Kaye Asinero, Paul King, and Bruce Malcolm.

Comforting an injured player are the tournament’s medical director and nurse Ruth King (center) as well as FABA’s (l-r) Ely Sy, Agnes Espeleta and and Michelle Sunga.

Providing moral support to Washington, DC team Peewee Division players (l-r) Grean Ramos, Andrew Singson, & Kenny Catubig prior to their game are (front, l-r) FABA’s PRO Agnes Espeleta and tournament volunteer director Art Caliguiran, Sr. as well as volunteers (back, l-r) Jessica & Angeli Genoves, Avic De Mesa, Celest Asinero & Rita Dadivas.

FABA’s Maddie Pagdanganan (2nd from right) & Celest Asinero, prior to the closing ceremonies, help serve dinner catered by North Star Cafe and Grill to more than a thousand tournament players, volunteers, & specta-tors, including Anjelica Misyel T. Marzan (left) and Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) singers and dancers.

Little Miss Migrant Heritage Josette Francia (in red) with her sister Jasmine, Miss Teenage Philippines America Chastity Centina (behind Francia), and Miss Teen Philippines Maria Clara Alyssa Avelino enlivened tournament participants & their friends and families with song and dance numbers choreographed by former Philippine Embassy Cultural Officer Grace Valera (3rd from right) beside Winnepeg players who won in the Bantam Girls Division.

Vienna, Virginia-based Filipino brothers Aaron and Beau Canlas (right) of “SNRG” rendered a hip-hop number during the tournament’s opening and closing ceremonies. The Canlas brothers, who recently performed for DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray and other dignitaries at the historic Lincoln Theatre in down-town DC, will be performing Oct. 25, 2013 at Jammin Java in Vienna, Virginia. They gave out free t-shirts printed with their own original designs and proudly made in the Philippines.

Kirby Asunto who sang during the tournament’s opening ceremonies is flanked by (l-r) Isabelle Cogan, Ruth King, Gigi Magno, and Maria Guanio.

FABA officer George Sy (between daughter Chloe Sy (left) and Briana Asinero of the Washington, DC team’s Girls 14U Division) invites all interested basketball players to join FABA and future FBA-NA tournaments while experiencing Filipino pride and camaraderie amongst other Filipinos who simply love the game of baskteball.


Forum marks Labor Rights Week in PH EmbassyWASHINGTON, D.C. The

Philippine Embassy commemo-rated Labor Rights Week with a day-long forum at Romulo Hall attended by students, labor offi -cials and observers from the embassies of Indonesia, Singa-pore and Thailand.

The forum hewed along this year’s Labor Rights Week theme “New Century Workers, Your Education and Work Matter” was held Aug. 16.

It was organized by the Philippine Overseas Labor Offi ce and the Consular Section of the Embassy and was held in cooperation with the Wage and Hours Division (WHD) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the US Department of Labor; the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB); the Equal Employ-ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); and the Migrant Heri-

tage Commission (MHC). In his remarks, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. commended the four agencies for being instru-mental in providing an enabling climate for a safe, fair, balanced and discrimination-free work-place and vowed to further strengthening the Embassy’s partnership with them.

“At this crucial time when various economic challenges are facing the United States, we can expect the youth sector to bear the brunt of these challenges, as they undeniably impact on their employment prospects, work circumstances, income and even education,” Cuisia said.

“It is our advocacy to ensure that you, our young workers, are able to work in an environment that gives you both satisfaction and security, while cultivating a positive work ethic in you,” he stressed.

Jennifer Kole, Acting Inter-national Coordinator, OSHA; Mindy Weinstein, Acting Direc-tor, Washington Field Offi ce, EEOC; David Kelly, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, NLRB; and Mark Lara, District Director, Baltimore District Offi ce, WHD served as resource

persons.Labor Attaché Luzviminda

Padilla said their efforts to join hands with the US government in celebrating Labor Rights Week was an offshoot of the joint dec-laration and agreements with the Department of Labor for mobi-lizing the WHD and OSHA to provide collaborative activities on information sharing, outreach and training for Filipinos about their rights to proper compensa-tion and a safe working environ-ment.

Consul Arlene Magno said the agreements also paved the way for the Embassy to sign local alliances with the regional offi ces of the WHD and OSHA in the various states for jurisdictional coverage.

The Embassy has so far entered into local alliances with the Florida offi ces of OSHA and WHD.

Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. addresses a well-attended forum on labor rights at the Philippines that featured speakers from various US agencies.

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Dinner at FeLynn Filipino Restaurant

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Talking about depression in Lanham, MDWASHINGTON, D.C. Karen

W. Burks, a mental health offi -cial of Prince George’s County, Maryland, Department of Family Services and Mental Health Dis-abilities Division, is one of the important speakers at a forum on depression and mental health problems to be held in Lanham, Maryland on Sept. 21, 2013.

Her topic, “Mental Health Services: Navigating the Health Care System,” will touch on mental health services under the Medicaid and Medicare pro-grams -- as an effort to reach out to a varied audience in the Fili-pino American community.

“As a representative of the Core Service Agency in Prince George’s County, I can certainly speak to the services avail-able through the Public Mental Health System, and how to access those services,” she wrote in her acceptance letter to the forum organizers.

Information on how to access these services in the mental health care system would be a practical help especially to those in need of it in the Fil-Am community, according to the organizers.

Accessing mental services has become even more chal-lenging, and possibly more

complicated, at a time when the mental health services have been expanded through Medicaid in the Affordable Care Act health law to cover an aging population and a surging youth population.

Burks’ work is closely linked with the expanded mental health services in Prince George’s County, which includes the “On Our Own” resource and support center for the mentally ill as well as mental health promotional activities to involve community residents.

Which is exactly the pur-pose of the forum titled “Depres-sion: Beyond the Blues: Mental Health Issues and Challenges in the FilAm Community.”

Concerned about tragic inci-dents in the FilAm community, representatives of community organizations got together this summer to plan a forum in an effort to help break the climate of silence over the stigma that prevents appropriate help for mental health problems.

Tragic incidences of suicide by two teenagers and a contract teacher from the Philippines, an aberrant behavior of a grand-mother who threw her little grand-daughter to her death in a mall, and the latest one of a knife-brandishing Costco employee

who was shot to death by a policeman in an effort to subdue her; and who, according to rela-tives was depressed for having recently lost custody of her two children in divorce – are the only ones openly known in the com-munity about cases of possible depression or mental-health related problems that probably could have been prevented if given appropriate help..

Mila Tecala, Director, Center of Loss and Grief, explained, “Filipinos have dif-fi culty adjusting when they are depressed, or pushed over the edge. We have a great capac-ity to suppress, ignore or deny the problem, thinking it will go away. We don’t want to hear the truth.”

The complete list of topics and their speakers is as follows: “Depression: What is it and what can we do about it?” Mila Tecala, MSW, ACSW, LICSW, DCSW Director, Center for Loss and Grief; “Mental Illness: Diag-nosis & Treatment”: Dr. Marilou Tablang- Jimenez, MD Medical Director, Montgomery County Crisis Center “Filipinos & Mental Health: Spiritual Perspectives and Cultural Challenges”: Msgr. Mariano Balbago, Jr. Spiritual Advisor, Shrine Rector & Parish

Priest “Mental Health Services: Navigating the Health Care System”: Karen W. Burks, Prince George’s County Dept. of Family Services and Mental Health Dis-abilities Division.

The forum will be held Sat-urday, Sept. 21, from 9:30 to 1:30 p.m. at The Residence on Greenbelt, 9885 Greenbelt Road, Lanham, Maryland, 20706, Tel: (301) 486-1580.

It is free and open to the public. It will start with the panel presentations, followed by break-out sessions in small groups to elicit reactions and suggestions from the audience. Lunch will be served.

The closing session will focus on suggestions gleaned from the discussions on what the community can do next for an awareness-raising, self-help activity. Interested parties are encouraged to register.

The event is a joint project of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Capital Region 2, Mabuhay, Inc.; Philippine Amer-ican Foundation for Charities (PAFC), Inc.; Philippine Nurses Association of Metropolitan Washington DC (PNAMWDC), and Association of American Counselors for Ethnic Elderly Services (AACEES).

For more informa-tion/RSVP contact: Jon Melegrito: [email protected], 202-361-0296; Mencie Hairston:mencie [email protected], 240-355-4930; Ellen Carag: [email protected], 703-339-7744; Leonora Mendoza:[email protected], 703-765-8474; Maurese Owens: [email protected], 703-606-7686; Rita Gerona-Adkins:[email protected], 703-522-2195.


PH, US forces stage ‘war games’ in LuzonLEGASPI CITY. As over

2,000 Filipino and American troops stage mock amphibi-ous assaults in various parts of Luzon, some will be repairing or

building schools here later this month as part of a civic action engagement by the US and Phil-ippine military.

The treaty allies are hold-ing the three-week Philippines-United States Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) in at least fi ve military camps in Luzon – the Naval Education and Training Command in San Antonio, Zambales; Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac; Marine Base Gregorio Lim in Ternate, Cavite; Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown in Metro Manila; and at Basa Airbase and Clark Field in Pampanga.

The “war games” com-mences on Sept. 18.

US forces are comprised of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 3rd Marine Expedition-ary Brigade.

PHIBLEX is designed to improve interoperability, increase readiness, and enhance the ability to respond to natural disasters or other regional con-tingencies.

The parallel civic activities will be jointly undertaken by the US Marines Corps and the Phil-ippine’s Naval Forces Southern Luzon.

■ Airstrike probedSAGADA, Mt. Province.

Human rights groups are inves-tigating an Aug. 29 airstrike here that reportedly hit innocent civilians and destroyed farmers’ crops.

Government gunships struck a suspected New People’s Army (NPA) camp to support advancing members of the Phil-ippine National Police (PNP) who eventually captured the alleged insurgent camp after suf-fering at least two dead.

Kalipunan ng mga Katutu-bong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP) chair Piya Macliing Malayao said the aerial bomb-ings scared local residents and destroyed crops.

The fi ghting affected the

towns of Sagada, Besao and Bontoc. Those affected were from the Fidelisan, Dallic and Bontoc tribes whose main liveli-hood are farming and hunting.

But military spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala stressed that no civilians were hurt in the air-strike that reportedly lasted 7 hours. He added the helicopters were only responding to a call for air support from the PNP.

Zagala said the NPAs shouldn’t be in Sagada because it was a “peace zone”.

■ New skills for inmatesCEBU CITY. Sen. Alan Peter

Cayetano, who addressed the International Contact Center Conference and Expo here ear-lier this month, revealed the some Cebu City Jail inmates recently graduated from a call center training course.

Now he doesn’t think there will be a contact center operat-ing inside a jail facility anytime soon but hopes inmates who have received training could gain employment once they are released from jail.

He met the 44 inmates who became the fi rst batch to com-plete the program in Cebu.

Aside from Cebu, the same program is also being offered at the Metro Manila Integrated Jail and Taguig City Jail.

There are 200 inmates cur-rently training in a fi nishing course for call center agents, cre-ative web design, web develop-ment and computer hardware servicing.

Cayetano said some jails in the US and Canada have pro-grams for inmates working as contact center agents.

He said talent supply is one of the main concerns the indus-try.

Contact Center Associa-tion of the Philippines president Benedict Hernandez urged mem-bers to take an active role in the organization and help bring the industry to even better heights.

He asked them to pledge their time, effort and resources to give back to an industry that has enabled them to have high-earning careers in the country.

■ Taguig twits MakatiTAGUIG. Road side baners

here are drawing a lot of atten-tion, especially from offi cials in neighboring Makati.

The broadside is widely believed to be a spillover of the two towns’ ongoing fi ght for ownership of parts of Fort Boni-facio, the former army head-quarters that is now one of the priciest pieces of real estate in the Philippines.

Without mentioning Makati directly, “I Love Taguig” ban-ners reportedly put up by the local government state that the city has “lower taxes, no number coding (for vehicles), better public service, and bans corrup-tion.”

“Bawal ang corrupt,” the banners say.

A July 30 ruling penned by Court of Appeals Associate Jus-tice Marlene Gonzales-Sison, upheld several presidential fi ats declaring Fort Bonifacio as part of Makati.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said he feared the friction could lead to violence. In a statement, his offi ce alleged that armed men wearing “I Love Taguig” shirts on board a marked Taguig government vehicle were seen removing Makati banners along Kalayaan St.

“I cannot help but express my dismay and frustration over the actions of these Taguig per-sonnel. You do not win an argu-ment with intimidation and Gestapo tactics,” Binay rued.

“They are sowing panic in our barangays. They have no right to be in Makati. This will not be tolerated,” he complained.

■ St. Augustine feastCAYAGAN DE ORO. Arch-

bishop Antonio Ledesma led the river procession of the image of St. Augustine that was one of the highlights of celebrations mark-ing the 80th anniversary of the Catholic diocese here.

Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno welcomed the prelate’s barge at Duaw Park where the river procession ended.

Duaw Park is the newly ren-ovated area adjacent to the tennis court and the Cathedral church which is located below the Ysa-lina Bridge.

The procession started at the river’s mouth in Barangay Maca-balan where 41 boats decorated with fl owers and indigenous materials assembled. Everyone aboard the boats also recited the novena.

Each boat, represented by different sectors, carried various religious images.

Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales and 19 other bishops led the High Mass at the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral Church.

Monsignor Elmer Abacahin of the St. Augustine Cathedral said Kagay-anons have a lot of things to be thankful for this year.

The festivities were capped by a fi reworks display by the banks of the Cagayan de Oro River.

■ Outstanding sons & daughters

BAGUIO CITY. Nine Baguio citizens, including three in the military service were feted here to mark the city’s 104th charter day celebration at the Baguio Convention Center.

The awardees were announced by Mayor Mauricio Domogan; they were:

Oscar Cadelina, founding president of the Baguio-Benguet Public Information and Civic Action Group (BB-PICAG), Inc. which for 38 years has worked with and for residents of Baguio during times of calamities and accidents.

Pines City National High School principal Dr. Rachel Bug-tong will also receive the out-standing citizen award for com-munity service and education.

Henedino Luzano, better known as Jimmy Luzano, or Lolo Doro on the airwaves is an awardee for the fi eld of jour-nalism. Working as a broad-caster, reporter, scriptwriter, announcer, commentator, pro-gram director and drama talent; he became the station manager of DzWX and later the area manager for Northern Luzon of Bombo Radyo Philippines. He is now retired.

Baguio Country Club gen-eral manager Anthony de Leon was cited for his contributions to promoting sports tourism in the city.

Eye doctor Marcelino Dizon, Jr. reaches out through mission work and vision programs; in schools, at the city jail and the community as a whole. He also does research on Amblyopia, Istrabimus, Dilopia, Low Vision and vision-related problems.

Fred Fangonon who pio-neered eco-composting and demonstrated this in Loakan

Proper received the award for community service. Starting young, Fangonon planted trees in his place of birth and now pro-duces organic fertilizers to grow fruits and luscious vegetables in his rooftop garden, and teaches others to follow suit.

The awardees were chosen by the Society of Outstanding Citizens of Baguio (Socob).

Three soldiers join the list of awardees; Colonel Romeo Brawner, Jr, Major Daneck Dang-awan, and Police Superintendent Edgar Alan Okubo. Baguio-born Col. Brawner, Jr., is a 1989 grad-uate of the Philippine Military Academy, and has served the country for 24 years.

Major Daneck Dang-awan is also a Baguio-born soldier work-ing in the chaplain service where he pioneered the prayer walk, vesper divine services through music and neighborhood host bible studies.

A graduate of the Philip-pine National Police Academy (PNPA), P/Supt. Edgar Alan Okubo has served the govern-ment for 22 years. His experience includes the pursuit of danger-ous lawless elements and even-tual capture and prosecution.

■ ‘Habal-habal’ copsDAVAO CITY. Police offi -

cials here announced they will soon deploy undercover traf-fi c enforcers aboard the popu-lar “habal-habal”, a modifi ed

motorcycle that can accommo-date more back-riders.

They will be used to gather intelligence but their cop-drivers will also be allowed to charge fare from passengers. When they have no passengers, they can act as fi rst responders to emergen-cies according to Police Senior Inspector Bryan Deiparine, com-mander of the Talomo Police Sta-tion.

Despite being outlawed “habal-habal” is a preferred mode of transportation.

Deiparine said there is an arrangement with other agen-cies so that they can operate their disguises as these motor-riding cops also take in paying passen-gers.

It will be part of the Police Integrated Patrol System (PIPS) intrdocued last year and which is credited with reducing crime by 85% in Talomo district.

Deiparine said they have

Hometown News

US troops in Philippines for “war games”.

Controversial Taguig poster.

Habal-habal



for what it foresees as “sharp volatility” in the global fi nancial market if the starts tapering what is essentially the biggest remain-ing vestige of President Obama’s stimulus program.

For Filipino-Americans that “volatility” is most evident in the exchange rate which has hov-ered in the PHP44 to USD1 range – the lowest it’s been since 2012.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are setting up a $100 billion fund to steady cur-rency markets.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percent to 7.3 percent but this was more the result of 312,000 Americans leaving the work force – by stopping to work or stopping to look for jobs – than a real rise in employment.

The Labor Department report has been highly antici-pated by investors because decent growth could persuade

the Federal Reserve to begin dial-ing back its bond-buying stimu-lus at its Sept.17-18 meeting.

The Fed currently buys about $85 billion bonds a month.

The Labor Department also revised its estimate for job gains in June to 172,000 from 188,000 and in July, from 162,000 to 104,000.

Businesses added 152,000 jobs in August, while federal, state and local governments added 17,000. The retail and health care industries led the job gains.

The Philippine Central Bank said the economy was strong enough to absorb the fi nancial buffeting. “This is something driven more by market senti-ment rather than the fundamen-tals of the macro-economy of the emerging markets,” explained BSP deputy governor Diwa Gunigundo.

Jobs gain fuel Fed talks... from page 1– 10 nautical miles northwest of the shoal’s entrance. Two vertical posts were also found just north of the entrance, near where three Chinese Coast Guard vessels were anchored.

China has forbidden Philippine ships from sailing near Panatag Shoal. The Philippines has steered clear as the military adopted a “no-confrontation” policy while it is trying to build a “minimum credible defense”.

There are fears China might replicate what it’s done at Mischief Reef where structures built as shelter for Chinese fi shermen while the Philippines wasn’t watching in 1994 has “morphed to fortifi ed structures that serve a military purpose,” according to Carl Thayer, a regional maritime specialist at the Australian Defense Force Academy.

This latest development at

Panatag Shoal comes one the even of the 6th China-ASEAN Senior Offi cials Meeting and the 9th Joint Working Group Meeting on Implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in China on Sept. 14-15.

Thayer says the timing is deliberate. Should Manila protest too loudly, China could call off talks and blame Manila for violating the spirit of the DOC, he said.

“Or the Philippines may be intimidated from raising its protest too loudly for fear of offending fellow ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] members who have invested in the forthcoming round of meetings,” Thayer explained.

While Philippine offi cials are convinced the concrete blocks are precursors for permanent structures, some experts say that

is not a foregone conclusion yet.“This is not the typical

pattern of Chinese construction,” explained Ian Storey, a maritime specialist at Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. He said they usually start with “wooden structures on stilts; then octagonal wooden structures, and then a concrete fortifi cation.”

He said it’s possible the blocks were dropped by Chinese fi shermen to tether their boats, especially now that the monsoon season has started in the South China Sea.

“We have been here before,” Storey said. In 2011, the Philippines claimed that Chinese ships had unloaded construction materials at Amy Douglas Reef, but “never provided photographic or material evidence to support that allegation.”

close cousins. The discovery is described in last month’s issue of “The Condor”, a scientifi c jour-nal of the Cooper Ornithological Society.

“They’re unique and they have no close relatives,” Hosner stressed.

“They tend to inhabit dense forest understory, where they feed on insects. Their song is extremely high in pitch and ven-triloquial. It’s almost impossible to locate the source of the sound

in the forest,” he explained.“They always sound like

they are far away even when they are almost at your feet,” Hosner added.

He said the ground-warbler looks similar to two other species of ground-warblers in the Philip-pines so they were overlooked at fi rst.

“The three species of ground-warblers now recog-nized are essentially identical in size, shape and juvenile plumage

coloration but they differ from one another in adult plumage coloration,” Hosner explained.

DNA tests by KU’s Molecu-lar Phylogenetics Laboratory proved decisive to differentiat-ing the new ground-warbler. “When we noted the different plumage coloration between adult birds in the Cordillera and the Sierra Made, we sequenced DNA to determine if the plum-age differences were individual variation within a species or if the two plumage forms were also genetically diagnosable. We found that Cordillera and Sierra

Madre birds were highly diver-gent in their DNA and almost as different as the distinctive Bicol Ground-Warbler in Southern Luzon,” he concluded.

“Working in the Philippines is awesome,” Hosner said. “Usu-ally it’s hot and dirty work but we always camp near a stream for a water source which helps. Sometimes our visits coin-cide with typhoons which add some excitement. One of the sites where we found the Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler, Mount Cagua, is an active volxano with thermal vents and mud pots.”

Hosner’s co-authors are

Nikki Boggess, Carl Oliveros and

Robert Moyle from KU’s Biodi-

versity Institute and Department

of Ecology and Evolutionary

Biology; Luis Sanchez-Gonzalez

from the Biodiversity Institute

and the Universidad Nacional

Autonoma de Mexico; Philip

Alviola from the University of

the Philippines Los Banos; and

Rolly Urriza from the Philippine

National Museum.

What’s China up to in... from page 1

Ventriloquist bird discovered... from page 1

armed men.The MNLF’s Sema faction

announced they were not sup-porting Misuari. MNLF-Sema Faction secretary-general Abdul “Kong” Sahrin said the move was more about gaining power rather than independence.

Climaco said over a thou-sand people have fl ed their homes since violence erupted last night.

The MNLF men clashed with

government troops in Barangays Mariki and Rio Hondo.

Evacuees from Arena Blanco and Rio Hondo sought shelter at the Tetuan Central School, Tetuan Parish Church and Talon-Talon National High School.

Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor, Philippine National Police Spokesperson, said 200 civilians in Kasanyan-gan were trapped in the gun-

fi ght.The police tried to avoid

engaging the gunmen when pos-sible to spare civilians from get-ting in the crossfi re.

Climaco suspended classes in all levels in the city. Isabela City, Basilan Mayor Cherilyn Santos Akbar also closed down schools for fear the fi ghting might spread there.

MNLF spokesperson Emmanuel Fontanilla denied they provoked the fi ghting, claiming their armed followers

went to Zamboanga City to serve as “advance forces” to escort Misuari who wanted to visit the city.

“Ang plano sana is for the chairman to peacefully go around Mindanao to consult the people tungkol sa declaration of independence without resulting to any violence,” Fontanilla said.

Misuari recently declared independence for Palawan, Zam-boanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and even Sabah and Sarawak, which are controlled

by Malaysia. He called it a “peaceful revolution.”

The declaration of inde-pendence came after the MNLF rejected the peace pact between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The MNLF argues that the government must not abandon the tripartite review of its 1996 fi nal peace agreement just to accommodate the Framework Agreement for Bangsamoro (FAB) of the MILF.

MNLF ‘invasion’ raises... from page 1


the committee has spent in Vir-ginia, $3.2 million of that sum has come in direct donations to party bet Terry McAuliffe.

Between the two candidates themselves, McAuliffe has regu-larly outraised Cuccinelli: at the end of June, he had $6 million in the bank compared with $2.7 million for Cuccinelli, according to politico.com.

The last few public polls of

the race have shown the Demo-crat with the upper hand, but both sides agree that the race remains close and competitive.

Both candidates are report-edly concentrating on getting core Republicans and Democrats to turn out and vote. Voter turn-out is usually much lower in gubernatorial races compared to national elections.

Pundits believe whoever is

able to motivate their voter base more will win the election.

On the one hand, the task is harder for McAuliffe because fewer of the young and minority voters who helped propel Barack Obama to historic victories in Virginia typically come to the polls.

On the other hand, Cucci-nelli’s bid is hampered because it does not have the sophisticated fi les of voter information that propelled Obama’s data-driven win last year.

Va. Dems, GOPs spend... from page 1

was sent by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5), chair of the House Conference Com-mittee, and coursed through the offi ce of Philippine Amb. Jose L. Cuisa, Jr. The letter was co-signed by U.S. Rep Ed Royce (CA-39), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Rep. Joe Heck (NV-5).

“The meet up will provide a unique opportunity for leaders of the Filipino American commu-nity across the country to con-nect with members of Congress to discuss legislative and policy priories, both on the domestic and foreign policy fronts,” the letter from GOP leaders said.

“We want to hear about the issues that are important to you, so that we can work together to secure a more prosperous Amer-ica.”

Ed Navarra, Chairman of the National Federation of Fili-pino American Associations (NaFFAA), disclosed details of the meeting recently.

The “meet up” between leaders of the Republican Party and the Filipino American com-munity is set for Oct. 12 in The M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas, NV to “discuss legislative and policy priorities, both on the domestic and foreign policy

fronts.”The program, which will

last from 1:00-5:00 PM will fea-ture remarks from congressional leadership and members of key committees, as well as breakout sessions where participants can discuss topics of interest with their US representatives.

“We are delighted that lead-ers of the Republican Party are reaching out to our community,” Navarra said.

“We are, after all, the second largest among Asian Ameri-cans in this country. And our issues, especially comprehen-sive immigration reform, need to be addressed seriously and urgently by our elected offi cials in Congress.”

Similar meetings by the GOP leadership had been held recently with the Vietnamese American and Korean American communities.

“As the meeting is between the Republican leadership and the members of the Filipino American immigrant commu-nity, the meeting will be apoliti-cal and non-partisan in nature,” explains NaFFAA National Vice Chair JT Mallonga and Director of the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund (FALDEF).

“Be that as it may, we shall consider any inputs coming from Fil-Am Democratic or GOP cau-cuses.”

Mallonga adds that efforts are currently underway to draw the participation of national groups like the Federation of Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, social service orga-nizations and other regional and local affi liates.

“We want to encourage as many in our community to take advantage of this rare oppor-tunity to engage in a dialogue with members of Congress and express our concerns,” he said.

NaFFAA’s advocacy has focused mainly on passage of the immigration reform bill, passed by the Senate earlier this year.

NaFFAA is also working with congressional leaders in both chambers to pass legisla-tion that will help Filipino World War II veterans claim their ben-efi ts under the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) Fund. More than 4,000 veterans have fi led appeals with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs after their claims were rejected because of eligibility requirements.

Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada is among those who have intro-duced bills in the House address-ing veterans’ concerns. His bill, fi led in July, would “direct the

Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accept certain documents as proof of service in determining the eligibility of an individual to receive amounts from the Fili-pino Veterans Equity Compensa-tion Fund.”

The legislation was drafted in response to veterans having their claims for compensation denied on the grounds that they did not possess the proper docu-ments, when many have docu-mentation of their service.

“Far too many Filipino-American veterans have passed without being properly recog-nized for their service to the United States during World War II,” Rep. Heck said.

“This bill clearly defi nes the types of documents the Secretary must accept as proof of service so that our denied veterans will be recognized. These brave men deserve to live out their fi nal years knowing that the sacri-fi ces they made all those years ago have been recognized and H.R. 6464 will fi nally make their dreams of recognition a reality,” he explained.

Presently, there are about 12 bills in the House related to Fili-pino veterans, including one that would fast track the immigration visas of veterans’ families and facilitate their reunifi cation.

“Once all these bills are rec-

onciled into one, we will launch

a national campaign to get this

measure passed,” Navarra

added.

Filipino American leaders

are also expected to push hard

in persuading Republican House

leaders to pass the immigra-

tion bill this year. “We are very

concerned that the House lead-

ership has not acted with the

same resolve as the Senate in

solving our broken immigration

system,” points out Navarra.

“That’s why our meeting in

Las Vegas is critical in conveying

our concern.”

Mallonga also stressed the

importance of the dialogue as a

two-way conversation. “I know

that part of this Republican effort

is to win our votes, which is per-

fectly understandable. But to get

our support, they must also be

attuned to our needs as a grow-

ing and infl uential ethnic group

in this country.”

GOP hears out Fil-Ams... from page 1

been asking for more police cars but have not gotten them yet.

The area of coverage is equivalent to a size of a city or town, considering that Davao at 244,000 hectares is one of the country’s largest cities in terms of land area.

Talomo has one policeman for every 3,000 people; Deiparine said the ideal ratio is one cop for 1,000 people.

■ Proudly IlonggoILOILO CITY. The city has

a new brand, a slogan that pro-claims “I am Iloilo Proud to be Ilonggo” that was launched on the occasion of the 76th Charter Day celebration last month.

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabi-log said Ilonggos should put in their hearts and minds the new brand with a sense of owner-ship and pride. “This is the pride of every Ilonggo to claim ‘I am Iloilo proud to be Ilonggo,’ as we put our city forward to develop-ment,” he averred.

The city’s lone Congress-man Jerry Treñas urged Ilong-gos to set aside politics and work with pride for Iloilo’s continuing progress.

The day commemorates the signing of then Pres. Manuel L. Quezon of Commonwealth Act 158 establishing Iloilo as a char-ter city. The day was marked with a Dragon Boat race and a job air at Robinson’s Place-Iloilo.

■ Killer road

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan. The provincial gov-ernment has fi nally approved the rehabilitation of this city’s South National Highway after it claimed more lives, including the daughter of a former the provin-cial administrator.

Seven people died in a col-lision between a passenger bus and a sports utility vehicle (SUV)

last Aug. 27. Among the fatali-ties was the daughter of former APEC party-list Representative Ponciano Payuyo and current provincial administrator Atty. Augustine Rocamora.

The Sangguniang Panlala-wigan presided by Vice Gover-nor Dennis Socrates approved Resolution No. 89-2013 penned by board member Marivic Roxas to instantly check and reha-bilitate that portion of the south national highway.

Roxas said the road section is now considered “accident-prone area” due to the number of accidents that have been reported there.

Palawan “killer road” toll.

Hometown News... from page 20

Feed the Hungry aids 1,245 ‘Maring’ victimsSPRINGFIELD, Va. Con-

cerned donors and volunteers here swung into action to help hundreds of fl ood victims in the Philippines.

The Feed the Hungry Fil-Am Inc. provided help to typhoon “Maring” victims in Cavite, according to a report shared with the Manila Mail by Camille Buhain. Large parts of the coun-try was devastated its winds and heavy rains last Aug. 19-21.

“With the fi nancial aid given by Feed the Hungry Fil-Am, Inc. and other generous donors, my friends and I, as well as co-mem-bers of the Rotary Club of Cavite Sentro, were able to organize, purchase goods and repack the same all in a matter of two days,” Buhain wrote.

“A total of 1,245 packs of relief goods were ready for dis-tribution on August 24, 2013, Saturday. Each pack contained

1.5–2 kilos of rice, canned goods, and biscuits for the children.

“Relief goods were distrib-uted in three sites: in “Wawa,” Barangay Zapote V. It covered an area right beside Coastal Road. We had to stop on the shoulder lane of Coastal Road, unload the sacks of relief goods and traverse steep stone pathway going down to the area where many informal settlers live.

“Truly, it is where the poor-est of the poor in Bacoor are located.

“Surprisingly, the distribu-tion was very well organized. Thanks to Barangay Captain Norman Lacson and his staff who were very effi cient -- making sure that only those who were not benefi ciaries in other relief operations were given tick-ets.

“Second site was in Sali-nas 3. We asked the help of a

dedicated Rotarian, Mrs. Belle Figuerra, in the distribution of tickets since she lived in the area. She gave tickets to the urban poor in 3 barangays, namely: Salinas 3, Niog 2, and Mambog.

“Since the areas she visited were “bukirin” and diffi cult to reach, she was kind enough to allow us to distribute the goods at her home.

“Finally, the last distribu-tion site was in Barangay Kain-gin. The tickets were given out under the strict instruction that only one ticket per household. This was to enable us to reach out to more households in the barangay.

“Thank you to Feed the Hungry Fil-Am, Inc. for the opportunity to serve. We are sure the 1,245 benefi ciary fami-lies would also like to extend their gratitude for your generos-ity.


Five year rule

I was showing homes this weekend with a fi rst time homebuyer; a new client who

saw my ad and article on this column. We were having fun looking in and out of potential homes that match his search cri-teria and I can proudly say that I answered his questions on home ownership with fl ying colors. Then he asked me casually, “how long do you think I should stay in my house before I sell it and upgrade to a new one? That blocked my brain for a little bit. Not that I don’t know the answer but the question requires a lot of answers.

We usually buy a house as a starter; like one room condo if you are single or a couple then moves up from there if we are one of those who fi rmly believe it is better to buy than to rent and we worked hard to keep up with the good pay and credit score. Then start a family, extended family and the cycle goes on. The usual idea is as long as you pay fi xed interest rate and portion of the principal, you are good. Well, maybe. Here is where the fi ve year rule kicks in so you will not be losing money in the end.

If you stay in your home for less than fi ve years, the fi rst hit is closing costs. I always calculate at least 3% of the sales price clos-ing cost unless there are some unusual costs. Let’s say the new house is now $300,000. This is about $9,000 closing cost out of your pocket.

The second hit is when you look at your mortgage state-ment: One of the Real Estate experts pointed out: “Usually, it isn’t until you’re about fi ve years into paying down your mortgage that you’ve made enough prog-ress on the principal to make it a better deal than paying rent each month. As he stated, when you take out a mortgage, you are paying an interest rate on what you owe. So, in the fi rst year, when the principal is highest, the interest you need to pay is also the highest. However, since the monthly payment is the same throughout the term of the loan (at least with a fi xed rate mort-gage), more of the payment

will be used to cover the inter-est payments, meaning less is going towards the principal. As your principal goes down, your interest payments will go down, leaving more of your check to go towards the principal.

The fi ve year rule is just in general. Most of us including myself when I was not a Real Estate Agent; that as long as I can afford the monthly pay-ment with my paycheck without thinking other costs, I’m good. Bad idea and this is mainly the reason why most homeowners were and still in distressed situ-ation in today’s market.

We already counted our eggs in the basket (equity) when nothing is there yet. Market crashed and BOOM! The rest is history.. The smartest and the better idea: to buy a house that is below what you can afford then make extra payments to the prin-cipal. In this case, the balance will reduce faster and so with the interest payment. Think of it this way. The higher you pay on the principal from what is in your statement, the lower the interest payment will be. I am not talk-ing about the interest rate but I’m talking on the calculated interest based on your regular monthly payment.

Of course there are other factors like renting it out or if you would turn it into an invest-ment property. Any decision has to be made and supported with research and professional help especially if you are not that savvy in Real Estate. This is your money and your investment for the future. To simply say it; there is no room for Oppps..

Note: Jocelyn Porteria is a Realtor® licensed in VA. She earned a designation of ASP, Accredited Staging Professional; ABR, Accred-ited Buyer’s Specialist; CDPE Cer-tified Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert, (SFR) Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource. For more info, visit her website at www.jprealdeal.com or call her at 571-432-8335 or email at [email protected] for a free confidential evalu-ation of your property, individual situation, property value, and pos-sible options.

‘Schizo’ Destiny

“Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of

a good example”. Mark Twain’s remark is apt for September 9. That’d be 135h birthday of Sergio Osmeña. As the 4th Phil-ippine president, he led a war-shattered country into a new republic.

President Osmena once pro-hibited Sergio Jr from accepting honoraria for lecturing at UP. You see that same delicadeza in Commission on Audit Grace Pulido Tan. Without raising her voice, she documents massive funneling of pork barrel into spurious NGOs.

Senators Bong Revilla, Loren Legarda, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ladled P10 million each to two Bataan towns, a 2012 Commis-sion on Audit report states. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada sliced P5 mil-lion. Five other senators and 24 plus congressmen were similarly tagged earlier.

Marcos Jr. declined to com-ment “until investigation is completed”. Legarda denied knowing bogus.NGOs. Jinggoy

fi ddles “the innocent injured” dirge. El que da escusa, acusa asi mismo, Chavanco-speaking folk in Zamboanga snort. “He who excuses himself accuses him-self”.

Is Don Sergio just a line-etched image on the P50 peso bill? Or is the man who was jour-nalist, bar topnotcher, legisla-tor to wartime exile and Presi-dent relevant --- even to NBI stool pigeons?

Our grandchildren hardly know Don Sergio. Educator Antonio Calipjo Go blew the whistle on error studded text-books in public schools. He’s been pummeled by publishers who cashed in on the mis-educa-tion of our youngsters.

Come September 9, offi cials will pay lip service to President Osmena. Day after, it will be business as usual. Is this schizo-

phrenia destiny? “People will not look forward to posterity who never looks back to their ancestors,” Edmund Burke wrote. Don Sergio graduated in 1892 from Colegio de San Carlos. In law school, he met a student that’d shape his whole life: Manuel L. Quezon.

After topping the bar he was elected governor of Cebu. He founded the newspaper El Nuevo Día. From 1907 to 1922, he served in the Philippine National Assembly where he rose to become Speaker. For 13 years, he represented the 10th Senatorial District. -- and played key roles in major issues like the Tydings-McDuffi e Act on inde-pendence.

As Japanese troops ram-paged in World War II, Quezon,

Immigration NotesBy J.G. Azarcon, Esq.

Love visa

True love may pave the way for a ticket to the United States.

An alien who is the fi ance(e) of a U.S. citizen petitioner may be issued a K-1 visa which will allow entry to the U.S. for the purpose of marrying the U.S. citizen petitioner.

To qualify for a K-1 visa, the petitioner and the alien must sat-isfy the following requirements: (i) the parties have personally met within two years preceding the date of fi ling of the petition; (ii) they must have a bona fi de intention to marry; and (iii) they are legally qualifi ed and actually willing to conclude a valid mar-riage in the U.S. within ninety days after the fi ance(e)’s arrival.

The requirement for a per-sonal meeting within two years preceding the fi ling of the peti-tion may be waived by the Immi-gration Service if the parties can establish that the meeting would result in extreme hardship to the petitioner or would violate the traditional customs of the benefi ciary’s foreign culture or social practice, as in marriages arranged by parents. Health rea-sons, travel restrictions or fi nan-cial burdens are circumstances that may merit a waiver based on extreme hardship.

The documentation neces-sary to prove contact and intent to marry includes, among others,

photographs of the parties being together, letters, e-mail, tele-phone bills and affi davits of rela-tives who have personal knowl-edge of the relationship.

If the alien benefi ciary has minor children, the children can come with the principal ben-efi ciary under a K-2 visa, either accompanying or following to join within one year of the issu-ance of the K-1 visa.

If the alien or the petitioner fail to marry within 90 days of the alien’s arrival, the alien then becomes subject to removal. A

K-1 visa holder will not qual-ify for an extension of stay or change to another immigration status, i.e. B-2, H-B1 or employ-ment based immigrant petition. If the alien marries another U.S. citizen instead of the petitioner, the alien cannot apply for adjust-ment of status while remaining in the U.S.

The only way for a K-1 visa holder to adjust status to perma-nent resident in the U.S. is by marriage to the petitioner within 90 days of arrival.

VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINESSEPTEMBER 2013

• FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES First: Unmarried sons/daughters of US citizens May 08, 2001Second:A: Spouses/minor children of permanent residents: CurrentB: Unmarried sons/daughters 21 years of age or older of permanent residents Jan. 22, 2003Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens Dec. 22, 1992Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens Feb. 02, 1990

• EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCESFirst: Priority workers CurrentSecond: Professionals holding advanced degrees or persons of exceptional ability CurrentThird: Skilled workers, professionals Dec. 01, 2006Other Workers Dec. 01, 2006Fourth: Certain Religious Workers CurrentFifth: Employment creation/ (Million or half-million dollar investor) Current




On Lives Lived in

CLA’s Craft

CLA is Cesar Leyco Aguila, a former classmate at the then Faculty of Philoso-

phy and Letters at the Univer-sity of Santo Tomas in Manila, a roommate at an apartment I shared with three other friends for almost two years, a colleague at the then Philippines Herald where we pursued a career in journalism, and a friend.

Throughout this friendship, I was never aware of his Span-ish background, much less, of his being a descendant of a family from Castile, until he started giving spaces to his middle name in authoring a fi rst novel, “Between Two Worlds,” and his second, “The Big River and Other Stories,” his middle name had always been an initial “L.”.

“Leyco” has been a revela-tion, a discovered nugget, and sometimes at nights, an intruder in my bank of memories, but a welcoming sound of music I have been hearing from his far off retreat in Sydney, Australia.

Because of all of these, times and experiences shared, I am giving his second work a chance to speak for itself but only on matters that pertain to what this column is all about.

And because of past trips and journeys we both went through, I might sound a little biased; this is as much a warn-ing as it is an endorsement of his talent.

“The Big River” is a novella, a literary term, a fl ight of fancy that hovers, never settling down between a short story and a novel. A very long short story in form, but to me an unfi nished novel, for it leaves a reader ques-tions that remain unanswered at the end.

“The Big River” separates itself from the fi ve short stories in this paperback edition, not because of its length but because of its setting, Aguila’s unde-clared and unpronounced grow-ing up years in San Jose, Batan-gas, and glimpses in real life of his Spanish lineage.

The novella is all about Fed-erico, a child of fi ve years, his fears in the beginning of leav-ing his father’s hacienda with his father and mother and all their valuables to go to another hacienda where his grandfather lives, but without his favorite toy, a coche, and his yaya, Jovita.

The departure is hasty because of an impending arrival of the “enemies,” drones heard of fl ight of Japanese warplanes overhead. In his grandfather’s place, he meets Tomasino, later his playmate, and is introduced to a new babysitter, Clara. Fed-erico’s and Tomasino’s times

of play are spent near or at the bank of a river, the big river of the novella, a prohibited place for Federico, and later, a tragic place for Tomasino where in an act of play, is swept away by a strong current, never to be seen nor heard of again.

The confl icts and compli-cations in the novella revolve around physical relationships, undeclared, unheard, and unseen by many but only by the persons responsible for their happenings, Federico’s father who has sired Jovita from a tryst with an unnamed woman and Federico’s grandfather who has fathered Tomasino from a relationship with a woman, her name also unrevealed.

But the novella also tells of cultural traits, aspects of Fili-pino ways revealing patterns of behavior handed down from parents to offspring, unham-pered by passage of times.

Spanking Federico by his parents, as a threat and as an effective act of stopping his tan-trums, had always been prac-ticed in many households until the act became a subject of scorn and litigations under the legal sanction of “physical abuse.” The circus, troupe of mimes, jug-glers, clowns, lion and elephant tamers, and fi re-eating actors, is still the highlight of a town’s fi esta, a part of the nation’s folk-lore.

A child’s visual experiences of play are still, in many rural areas, the joy of catching a drag-onfl y in fl ight with one’s hands and Tomasino’s cajoling with the wind so he can show Fed-erico how to fl y a kite. Or setting a trap to catch a rice bird. Sink-ing marbles down a hole, fi nd-ing rubber bands with a stick in a mound of sands, impromptu races, and play-acting at soldier-ing, all are still to be seen among children who are not yet blessed with ownership of PCs, laptops, iPods, iPads, or Tablets.

The sound of distant church bells, signaling the Angelus, is still the time to stop all plays and other activities, to pay reverence, and to head home for dinners.

“Winter Bliss,” a short story set in New Jersey City, tells of family’s Christmas Eve dinner where the invited guests are a couple of Japanese descendants, the Yamamotos, and social talks among those in celebratory mood are expressed in the pecu-liar Asian accents.

The host, highlighting an evening of friendship, tells of an incident that happened in a small town in Batangas, you guess it, in San Jose.

During the waning months of Japanese occupation of the Philippines, the townspeople overpowered a small contingent of Japanese soldiers headed by a captain, named Yamamoto, not the same general who had wrought havocs among Ameri-can and Filipino soldiers.

The people of the town, declaring themselves as victims of atrocities, wanted revenge. But the host’s father, a beloved and a respected town’s doctor, intervened and told them of the good deeds this captain had done for him and his family. In the end the anger dissipated and the captain was released.

But then out of nowhere a member of a guerilla band stood in front of the captain and shot him. The host’s father carried and buried the captain’s dead body at the town’s cemetery with the help of those who had been members of the angry crowd. The story brings relief to the Yamamotos, who until then didn’t know the whereabouts of their grandfather’s body.

“Manhattan Ghost,” a short story, tells of what alcoholism and obsessive drinking can do to a marriage, and to a husband who is hungering for recognition in his profession and to a wife who is longing for affection.

“The Diamond Man” is a story of an African immigrant living in Sydney, Australia who had managed to smuggle a piece of diamond from a mine while still in Ghana by swallowing it but has suffered frustration since then because he cannot fi nd a way of bringing it out. The irony of thinking and feeling that he is rich and the reality of being poor and helpless at the same time is well told.

”The Letter,” told in Italics, a literary device used to recap-ture emotions felt in the past, is a poetry of fl eeting moments of love and desire and the frustra-tion of separation.

“The Journeyman” is a story of a revisit, but actually a coming home of a journalist to a culture that defi ned his stay in the Phil-ippines, working with colleagues and friends in a daily newspa-per, in international news ser-

World’s Happiest Demonstrators

DALY CITY

We must be the happiest, jolliest demonstrators in the world. If our

Egyptian friends could only take a cue from us, there wouldn’t be that many fatalities in Cairo as a result of the recent upheavals in that country.

We raise our voices in pro-test over the Mother of All Plun-ders of the National Treasury, call for a massive demonstration at the Rizal Park and all over the country. And what do we end up having? A picnic.

The gathering last August 26 was described by one enthusi-astic participant in these words: “Hahaha! what an event! it was so joyous.”

Indeed, the pictures I saw of the demonstrators, posted on FaceBook showed everyone having a great time.

We have seen how mass movements like that have resulted in anarchy in Pakistan, Korea, Egypt and even in Europe and the United States. But not in the Philippines. Even when we are being robbed blind, we manage to have a party.

Even our insults are good for a laugh. And that manages to soften the bite. We echo the infamous lines, “Moderate your greed!” But when a biting mani-festo is issued, the proponents are told to “moderate the lan-guage.”

In connection with the August 26 demonstration, I wrote a manifesto, upon the request of Wally Reyes of the Overseas Filipinos for Good Governance, based in Los Ange-les, California. Here’s what the manifesto declared:

“We are Global Filipinos, dispersed across the world in a virtual Diaspora. Seeking a better life for ourselves in foreign lands. Sharing the fruits of our toil with our loved ones in the Philippines. And helping keep the Philippine economy afl oat.

“We have a stake in our Motherland. We have a duty to protect its interests and uphold the welfare of our people. And when they are ignored, exploited and abused by the country’s leaders, we must raise our voices in protest.

“We thus declare solidarity

with the August 26 Movement. The March of Millions at Rizal Park and across the nation to condemn offi cial corruption and the epic plunder of the national treasury. We echo the Cry of Balintawak on the same historic day in 1896 that set ablaze the Philippine Revolution against the abuses of the Spanish colo-nizers.

“The Pork Barrel Plunder is institutionalized thievery of astonishing magnitude. Offi cial pillaging in the guise of the Pri-ority Development Assistance Fund. Engineered by profes-sional swindlers. Masterminded by members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Abet-ted by the Department of Budget Management and the Commis-sion on Audit. And, worst of all, through the machinations of the past President and the tacit bless-ings of the current one. Exposed, not by dutiful public servants but by disgruntled accessories and by the militancy of media.

“We are relieved that Presi-dent Benigno S. Aquino III, after much resistance, has fi nally lis-tened to the outcry of the citi-zenry and has announced his intention to abolish the PDAF.

“But we fi nd no reason yet to celebrate. Firstly, because his decision is an obvious attempt to preempt the August 26 Move-ment, and not out of a fi rm con-viction that the pork barrel is an invitation to plunder. Secondly, because the PDAF may be rein-carnated in another form but for the same dubious reason: to buy the loyalty of members of Congress and reward them for their cooperation. And thirdly, because the thieves remain at large and unpunished.

“President Aquino now promises strict fi scal controls. But too many times in the past have we, the citizenry, been lulled into believing that reforms were in place, only to fi nd that other ways of raiding the national trea-sury had been devised.” When the manifesto was shown to one of the stalwarts of the Black & White Movement and a member of the Hyatt Ten, she commented that the language was “unnec-essarily belligerent towards the President and doubts his sin-cerity towards the reform he is

Continued on page 30 Continued on page 30


STUFFED CHICKEN WINGS(Peek Kai Yaa Sai)

This Thai recipe is kind of diffi cult, especially debon-ing the chicken wings. But

after deboning 1 or 2 wings, sub-sequent ones will be relatively easy and once you do this recipe the next time, it will be a piece of cake. Challenge yourself. The end-result will be self-rewarding on top of a super-delicious dish.

Ingredients:

Paste:1 root coriander2 cloves garlic, peeled1/4 teaspoon powdered

white pepper Stuffi ng:6 chicken wings (deboned)1 cup minced chicken breast1 oz. cellophane noodles,

soaked in cold waterhalf cup thinly sliced cab-

bage2 stems spring onion,

chopped1 stem celery, chopped

Seasoning:1 tablespoon oyster sauce1 tablespoon soya sauce1 teaspoon sugar

Methods:Using mortar and pestle,

pound the garlic, coriander root and powdered white pepper into a paste. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix the

paste from the mortar with oyster sauce, soya sauce and sugar. Add the chicken, cab-bage, noodles, celery and spring onion. Mix well and set aside.

Stuff chicken wings with the stuffi ng and steam for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix 1 cup fl our and 1 cup water and dip the steamed chicken wings and deep-fry in hot vegetable oil on medium heat until they become golden and crispy.

Serve with sweet chili sauce.Making the sweet chili

sauce:1 big piece red chili3 cloves garlic3 tablespoon sugar3 tablespoon vinegarhalf teaspoon saltIn a mortar, pound red chili

and garlic into a paste. Dissolve sugar with vinegar and salt. Add the paste from the mortar and mix well. Serve the sauce with stuffed chicken wings.

Chef’s Tips: To debone chicken wings: Separate the wings from the drumsticks and set the drumsticks aside for another recipe. Pull the skin off the wings holding from the tip end of the wings. Hold the knuckle end of the wings and use a sharp knife to cut around the bone, then scrape away the

fl esh.Editor’s Note: Master Chef

Evelyn: 100 Most Influential Fili-pina Women in the U.S., 2009, Fili-pina Women’s Network; MHC Most Outstanding Migrant Award in Culinary Arts, 2011; PAFC Dakila Special Achievement Award, 2011; Owner/Chef, Philippine Oriental Market & Deli, Arlington, Virginia; Founder and President of CHEW (Cancer Help – Eat Well) Founda-tion, a 501 (c) (3) public charity formed to help and cook pro-bono for

Filipino-Americans who are afflicted with cancer and other serious ill-nesses; Culinary writer; Member, Les Dames d’Escoffier International, Washington DC Chapter; Member,

International Cake Exploration Society, Member, Culinary Histo-rians of Washington, D.C.; Master Chef, French Cuisine and Patisserie, Le Cordon Bleu, London.

DEPRESSED

A man sat at a bar, drinking slowly. On his face was the saddest hang-dog

expression. The bartender asked, “What’s the matter? Are you having troubles with your wife?”

The man said, “We had a fi ght, and she told me that she wasn’t going to speak to me for a month.” The bartender said, “That should make you happy.”

The man said, “Not if the month is up today!”

HOW OLD?Angus McClod walks into a

bar and asks for a bottle of forty-year old Scotch. The bartender, not wanting to go down to the basement and deplete his supply of the rare and expensive liquor, pours a shot of ten-year Scotch and fi gures that his customer won’t be able to tell the differ-ence.

Angus downs the Scotch and says: “My good man, that Scotch is only ten years old. I specifi cally asked for forty-year old Scotch.”

Amazed, the bartender reaches into a locked cabinet underneath the bar and pulls out a bottle of twenty-year old Scotch and pours the man a shot. The customer drinks it down and says, “That was twenty-year old Scotch. I asked for forty-year old

Scotch.” So the bartender goes into

the back room and brings out a bottle of thirty-year old Scotch and pours the customer a drink. By now a small crowd has gath-ered around the man and is watching anxiously as he downs the latest drink. Once again Angus states the true age of the Scotch and repeats his original request for forty-year old Scotch. The bartender can hold off no longer and disappears into the cellar to get a bottle of prime forty-year old Scotch. Soon, the bartender returns with the bottle and pours a shot.

Angus downs the Scotch and says, “Now this is forty-year old Scotch!”

The crowd applauds his dis-criminating palate. An old drunk who had been watching the pro-ceedings with interest, raises a full shot glass of his own: “I bet you think you’re real smart,” slurs the drunk. “Here, take a swig of this.”

Rising to the challenge, Angus takes the glass and downs the drink in one swallow. Imme-diately, he chokes and spits out the liquid on the barroom fl oor. “My God!” Angus exclaims. “That tastes like piss!”

“Great guess,” says the

drunk. “Now, how old am I?”

HISTORYBambi, a blonde in her

fourth year as a USC Freshman, sat in her US Government class. The professor asked Bambi if she knew what Roe vs. Wade was about.

Bambi pondered the ques-tion; then, fi nally, said, “That was the decision George Wash-ington had to make before he crossed the Delaware River.”

50th ANNIVERSARYAn elderly couple decide

to celebrate their fi ftieth anni-versary by re-living their hon-eymoon. They get a reservation for the honeymoon suite in the same hotel at the same resort. After waking the next morning to a room service breakfast they begin eating in the nude.

The wife says “Oh Harold! This is just like fi fty years ago! My breasts feel all warm and tingly!”

To which he replies “Well, they ought to, Gladys... One is hanging in your oatmeal, and the other is in your coffee!”

BAGONG KASALMatapos ikasal ang tatlong

magkakapatid... sina Ana, Marie at Plata, natulog muna sila sa bahay ng nanay nila bago mag-

honeymoon abroad. Sa kalau-nan ng gabi kumatok ang ina sa bawat kuwarto ng mga anak.

Nay: Ana, ok ka lang ba diyan?

Ana: Ok lang po, ‘nay.Nay: Marie, ok ka lang

diyan?Marie: Ok lang po, ‘nayNay: Plata, ok ka lang ba

diyan?Hindi sumagot si Plata kaya

umalis na lang ang ina. Kinabu-kasan, tinanong ang ina si Plata kung bakit hindi ito sumasagot kagabi.

Plata: Di ba sabi ninyo ‘nay, pag puno ang bibig huwag mag-sasalita? (Ayos!)

NUMBERS69 = Good Position96 = Magkaaway.66 = Bading6.9 = Kadiri (Kasi may

period.)

INDAYSir: Inday, si sir mo ‘to,

nabangga kotse ko and I need cash!

Inday: Aru, dugo-dugo gang ka ‘no?

Sir: Gaga! Si sir mo talaga ‘to!

Inday: Gago ka rin! Si sir, ang tawag sa kin… sweet pie.

ANG TOTOOMarko: Pare, ano ang una

mong tinitingnan pag may nakasalubong kang maganda at seksing girl?

Jinggo: Una kong tiniting-nan ang mga mata ng misis ko.

Marko: Bakit nga?Jinggo: Mahirap nang

magulpi.

BARILBoy: ‘Tay, yung boypren ni

ate, may dalang baril kanina.Itay: Bakit mo naman nasabi

‘yan... nakita mo ba?Boy: Hindi po, pero narinig

ko po si ate, ang sabi sa boy-pren... “sa labas mo iputok, huwag sa loob.”


Beyond Family Visit

Every year or so, she comes over from Manila to visit her children and grand-

children and, of course, some friends. However, she could not make it more often because of her busy work schedule and commitments that cannot be just left hanging. She has TV shows, movie appearances and teach-ing loads at the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila.

But what she considers as her most compelling undertak-ing is her being both the Presi-dent and a Trustee at the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, Inc. or what is commonly known in the movie circle in Manila as the MOWEL Fund.

Boots Anson Roa: As in the past visits, on the 2nd day of arrival, her social calendar becomes full in which case she misses her secretary who man-aged her schedules in Manila, but daughter Leah willingly takes over said task here. With-out exaggeration, there was something every day. Prior-ity of course was the family reunion with the children and grandchildren. The scenario was like Christmas dinner minus the Christmas tree. One of the numerous gatherings was the mini-reunion of close friends held at the home of the Chua’s.

It was nostalgic to see our children, who were teen-agers then, now adults, some came with children of their own, talk-ing and chatting. They all still look almost the same but with some kind of maturity, confi -dence and “aura” above their heads. We, the mothers (Boots Anson Roa, Cristina Romuladez, and myself, minus Pinky Puno who was in Manila), sat around the cozy kitchen table looking at them, recalled their activities and teen-age antics, all proud because they all graduated with degrees, now having careers of their own and all living indepen-dently.

Bistro 7107: Last year, I took Boots to the newly opened Sweet City Deserts in Vienna, Virginia to meet with the Filipino owner, Manny Tagle (brother of Cardi-nal Antonio Tagle). This time, I took her to Bistro 7107 in Crys-tal City in Arlington, VA for dinner. This new restaurant is also owned by Manny Tagle. She was excited to take pictures of the place with Manny to show them to the cardinal who is a friend. We all complimented Chef Liza Estebro who came out to chat a little bit with us. Boots liked the chicken embutido. My husband, Pat and our children Ricky, Winnie and husband Austin Brodin were happy with the dinner.

One of the activities that we

enjoyed was going to Tyson’s Mall for shopping. Macy’s was our favorite department store. Boots favored two pairs of shoes and thee tops. I got one shirt. It was a nice time to have a little chat and talk about some per-sonal stuff while we were in the fi tting room.

MOWEL’s Fundraising Event: On the two days of her visit, Boots had arranged with the Filipino Ministry group to have the showing of a musical Filipino movie, “I Do, Bidoo, Bidoo” held at the Our Lady of Good Counsel Church social hall. An active member of the group, her daughter Leah and her col-leagues worked hard to make the fundraising event a success. The two-nights had good showings. After Virginia, Boots went to Tampa, Florida to show the same movie, then to New York and the last leg at Las Vegas.

It was gratifying to Boots that she went home with the bacon for MOWEL. She’s been holding her position for sev-eral terms now and I believe that she will be the perennial president of the foundation. The behind the scene movie workers are the recipients of the funds being raised with gigantic initia-tive of Boots. These are the little people working but without any resources for medical and funeral expenses. At times Boots uses own resources when the coffer is very low.

With a calculated short visit, she had shared some of her valu-able time to fl y to other states for fundraising events. This has become a mission for her, a pas-sion to do something for the poor in the movie circle.

Popular in the Filipino American community: Many of us may recall that Boots was a

popular and most sought after media personality and leader in the Filipino- American com-munity in Metro Washington, DC. She was invited to almost every event, programs and balls of various organizations. After her term of offi ce at the Embassy of the Philippines, she and hus-band Pete Roa decided to return back to Manila with their two children, Joey and Chiqui about a couple of years ago. Being a former TV personality and direc-tor at one of the TV channels in Manila, Pete missed home and felt that Manila was calling him back. Daughter Leah and son Ben stayed behind. In no time, Boots was in the movies and TV shows again, able to re-establish her-self smoothly. The Challenges: A person of strength, courage and character, she met some challenges in life in Manila. Her father, the former Oscar Moreno, the dashing movie actor in Manila, fell ill under the charge of Boots until he was bedridden and eventually passed away. Then son Joey had a kidney transplant which required exten-sive search for a compatible kidney donor. It was quite a feat to absorb and undergo with the rudiments of the search and hos-pital requirements. The saying “when it rains, it pours “comes to life in the Anson-Roa family. Pete had high blood pressure attack which left half of his body paralyzed. Boots became “the on the lead person” in the family. He died about six year ago.

Art Imitates Life: Boots is an excellent and one of the few respected actresses in Manila. I only saw the challenges that she encountered in her adult life, but there must be some early on in

Nightmare on 3rd Street

The fi rst Saturday eve-ning this September was spent watching the movie

“Planes” with the grandsons. While walking towards the movie theater, I saw several white tents that were lined up on the main street of the Reston Town Center. A huge banner proclaimed the weekend a “Food and Wine Festival”. I shuddered. I hate to admit it. White tents make me break into sweat.

In 2006 Mitch and I were co-chairs for the PAFC (Philippine American Foundation for Chari-ties, Inc.) Festival and Parade. The event took place on 3rd street just across the Capitol in Wash-ington DC. We were blissfully unaware of the magnitude of the task that lay before us.

My introduction to Wash-ington, DC bureaucracy was not pleasant. I was incensed to learn how they made licensing and permits diffi cult and expensive. My litany of sorrows was made even longer by how arbitrarily they changed their protocol from year to year.

A major part of the festival was the group of vendors who rented the tents for the day. There were food vendors, craft artists, and new businesses who applied for spaces. It was chal-lenging to assign spots accept-able to all. And after offers and counter-offers were ironed out, there were some who didn’t bother to show up.

Before the event, we were asked to appear at the venue and mark the spots where the tents were to be placed. We dodged between cars and buses. DC drivers are not patient drivers. Horns blared. They pointedly looked at the red spray paint I held in my hands, rolled their eyes, and mouthed expletives. I was the crazy woman from hell who needed a straightjacket because I obviously had a screw loose.

Dealing with the tent com-pany required several follow-ups a day because items disap-peared and reappeared on the spreadsheet seemingly done by an invisible and anonymous hand. I was besieged by com-puter goblins. I was warned that if the number of chairs and tables didn’t tally at the end of the affair, the wrath of Zeus will descend upon me.

The night before the festi-val, we were asked to be there

at midnight to accept delivery. It was physically impossible to account for hundreds of items so we signed the papers on faith and mentally crossed ourselves for good luck. Sleep eluded us. By 5am we were back to survey the area for readiness. The dis-order made me heartsick. Tents were in disarray and with barely two hours before vendors were to arrive, I lost it. I turned to the man in charge who was a rough character with an equally rough vocabulary and let loose some choice words of my own.

Somehow from out of that proverbial hat, the rabbit was fi shed out and the festival hap-pened. That year marked the hundredth year anniversary of the Filipino migration to Amer-ica. It was a special celebration. Two stages were positioned at opposite ends to accommodate the number of performers. I saw the exuberance of the unexpect-edly large crowd of smiling faces milling around me. I smiled back distractedly, my mind awhirl with a thousand and one things that needed my attention.

A special parade was planned that included the use of cars which were to carry dig-nitaries invited for the occasion. It was not to be. I was called by the head of security and lec-tured like a truant child. No vehicles allowed. A copy of the permit didn’t help. Case closed. I argued that we had elderly people who required transpor-tation. The blame for any crisis would fall squarely on their lap. They grudgingly permitted the use of “a car.”

T hat summer day was cloudless with a blazing sun but the heat, the reconfi gured parade, and the long lines did not dampen the crowd’s enthu-siasm. They would have partied on if the police had not showed up in force and ordered the festi-val closed at the appointed time.

Mitch and I boomeranged from one end of the festival area to the other since before day-break. Our eyes were glazed over from fatigue and near col-lapse so we passed each other with only token nods of recogni-tion. But lest you think rest was at hand, perish the thought. The nightmare wasn’t over just yet.

Committees were assigned for specifi c areas of responsibil-


Left to right: Ricky Pagsibigan, Atty. Austin Brodin, Boots Anson Roa, Becky M. Pagsibigan, Pat Pagsibigan, Winnie Pagsibigan Brodin



Hail to Bong!

Hurrah! Bong beat Big Bert! The year of the Bongs has come and so the changing of the guard at

the helm of the Manila Mail, the 22-year-old Filipino American biweekly in the nation’s capital.

Bong will assure the Mail’s continuity for another quarter of a century. Congrats Bong. Kudos to Big Bert.

***Tra-la-la, the year of the snake is

about to end. For the double-crossers, two-tim-

ers, Don Juans, kulasisis, balimbings, talangkas, etcetera, it will be back to normal.

The 2013 year of the water snake made people develop the ability to read complicated situations, like being caught in fl agrante delicto, if you know what I mean. It will make some astute in observa-tions and deft in actions. It was a symbol of an active, snaky and very seductive animal.”

At the start of the year, here’s what the Feng Shui said, with annotations by Tsismoso, of course!

For those who are looking forward to the coming Valentine’s Day, be care-ful: The snake is romantic and charming. (Inggat) He possesses a sense of humor while the female is usually beautiful and successful. (Patay) In case person born in the year of the snake chooses a part-ner, he/she will be jealous and posses-sive. Even when the relationships are left behind this possessiveness will be cloud-ing the snake’s life.

Rejection is the worst thing that can ever happen to them. (Don’t give him any fi rearm) Such people must be received, welcomed, accepted and approved by those with whom they come in contact. Generally they need a lot of security.

It often happens that snake people have one set of rules for themselves and one for their partner and this side of their nature can become a basis for misun-derstandings in the future. (Mayabang, like...) But, when they are really romanti-cally involved these people are also loving and attentive, stimulating and playful, though it takes time for them to get over their fears or discuss their weaknesses.

The best partner for a snake-type person is someone who would give him freedom, but it is also important for him to feel secure and adored. (Remember the man whose P was cut in PH or was burned with boiling water in CA)

The person born in the year of snake is the wisest and most enigmatic of all. (Ano, sira?) He/she can become a philos-opher, a theologian, a political lizard or a wily fi nancier. (Huh, like the pro and anti-Obama people) Such person is a thinker who also likes to live well.

The snake-person loves books, music, clothes, and fi ne food; but with all his fondness for the good things of life, his innate elegance gives him a dislike for fri-volities and foolish talk. (Boleros, maya-bangs out) They like communicating and like interesting conversations. If the con-versation becomes repetitive their atten-tion may soon wander. (Walang palabog-labog).

These people have a special feeling that enables them to judge situations cor-rectly and so they are alert to new pos-sibilities and when they have an idea of what to and how to do it, they you pursue it persistently and energetically. (He is all-knowing like...oh never mind). These people are self-confi dent and usu-ally don’t bother themselves listening to someone else’s opinion. But this side of their character has also a negative load. Refusing to listen to constructive advice, they may get into needless trouble.

Although it is diffi cult for such people to take advice, they are patient with others when it comes to give a hand of help, and their ability to look at a prob-lem from a variety of angles is extremely appreciated. (Just like E...eeek) When faced with a dilemma snake people as a rule act with speed and conviction, since they believe intensely in what they are doing and rarely waste time or energy on projects lacking in good potential.(Min-sang palpak)

Snake person perfectly knows how to wind down and relax when such opportu-nity arises. This type of people often makes protective and caring friends. However, their anger can be quickly aroused, and they will soon get back if there is a suspi-cion that someone has taken advantage of their trust or has hurt those close to them.

In money matters, people born in the year of snake have good luck; they don’t have to worry about money too much, such people will always be able to fi nd couple of banknotes if they need it. (Like robbing a bank?).

The snake-person has an ability to read complex situations quickly and

Editorial

Republicans Reach Out to FilAms

With prospects of comprehensive immigration reform look-ing dimmer each day, thanks to a House leadership that doesn’t share the same resolve as the Senate, Filipino American leaders must do everything they can to keep this measure from slipping to the back burner.

For those who’ve maybe forgotten, the Senate passed a bill in April that would provide a path to citizenship, increase employment visas for foreign workers and reduce family-based visas that would adversely affect family reunifi cation policies.

But the House, sad to say, has dragged its feet. It is also dis-maying to learn that House leaders may even prefer a piece meal approach, which would doom prospects for fi xing a broken immigration system.

Filipino American community leaders have an opportunity to voice out their concerns, not only about immigration but on other issues as well, when they meet up with House Republican leaders next month in Las Vegas.

House Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers invited, through Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisa, Jr., Filipino American leaders “to connect with members of Congress to dis-cuss legislative and policy priories, both on the domestic and foreign policy fronts. We want to hear about the issues that are important to you, so that we can work together to secure a more prosperous America.”

“There’s a real danger that comprehensive immigration reform might get lost,” said NaFFAA National Chair Ed Navarra, “Meeting with the Republican leadership is therefore critical to lobbying efforts to secure passage of this very important and critical legislation.”

Indeed, this is a rare opportunity for leaders in our commu-nity to put the pressure on elected representatives who have been reluctant to take up the issue of immigration reform.

Members of the community at large will also do well to call their US representatives and impress on them that comprehen-sive immigration reform is in the best interest of this nation.



New cowboy

Pres. Barack Obama warned Syria that using chemi-cal weapons in its internal

turmoil would be tantamount to crossing the “red line”. Read between the lines, if you do this, there will be hell to pay.

That’s very scary coming from the executioner of Usama Bin Ladin. Bashir Assad must have been wet in his pants from fear, except that he knew it was just a slip of the tongue. And so Bashir Assad tested Barack. The British confi rmed that the Syrian government used it against the rebels many many months back. Assad found Barack looking the other way. And so Assad decided there was no hell to pay and he went on his merry way last month blasting a rebel held territory with chemical weapons, this time in heavier concentra-tion. The human suffering cap-tured on video is too gory to watch even for a mortician.

Shocked by the hideous massacre of innocent civilians, Pres. Obama is reminded of his red line. Obama, the slayer of Osama suddenly got affl icted by amnesia. I didn’t draw the red line, he said. The world did when it passed treaties and agreements and this and that, he insisted. But there is no wiggle room this time. And Barack,

pressed against the corner was compelled to swallow a lot of tes-tosterone to make him look like a fearsome cowboy. There will be hell to pay this time.

Now he is on the spot. He is out to demonstrate that he knows more about pulling trig-gers than skeet shooting. Obama would like to halt Assad’s use of weapons of mass destruction by going to war without really going to war. His war strategy is to shoot from afar and avoid get-ting hit by your own shrap

Obama was one of the fi erc-est critics of former Pres. G. W. Bush for his handling of the Iraq war. Bush did not succeed in getting the approval of the U.N. Security Council and relied upon the support of the “coali-tion of the willing” composed of approximately 30 countries to battle Saddam Hussein. And Bush was able to obtain congres-sional approval to go to war.

The President brags that

America under Obama is now more respected in the world. As he assembles an alliance of nations to teach Assad a lesson, his call to action is being met by deafening silence. Great Britain said yes, then no. France is eager but will probably fold its tail on the day of reckoning. As for congressional approval, Obama may fi nd himself with just loyal-ists Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid answering his call to arms.

In a more risky undertaking, Commander-In-Chief G.W. Bush was able to organize a battal-ion while Commander-In-Chief Barack Obama could hardly form a squad of allies. What hap-pened to America’s world lead-ership?

Before Obama can persuade the world to follow his lead, he must sell his war to America. Bush had a clear purpose, rightly or wrongly, to remove Saddam’s

Failure of leadership

A true leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, does not search for con-

sensus, rather he molds it. President Obama cut a sad,

lonely fi gure during the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia as he courted support for a puni-tive strike against Syrian Presi-dent Bashir al-Assad’s forces over their use of chemical weap-ons.

The President argued his case before the American people in a Sept. 10 broadcast.

Americans are exhausted, weary after over a decade of continuous warfare. There are more pressing concerns at home – even the news of thousands of jobs added in August failed to lift the people’s mood.

The President faces a loom-ing battle over America’s debts, budget cuts and the sequestra-tion, as well as selling his sig-nature health initiative which enters a crucial junction in October when the insurance exchanges provision kicks in.

His advisers were surprised when President Obama, fi nally deciding to strike at Assad forces, declared he would fi rst seek congressional approval.

The President said he wanted a limited, surgical strike to deliver the message that the

United States would not tolerate the use the chemical weapons.

The last time an Ameri-can President went to Congress to seek war legislation the US invaded a sovereign nation or drove a usurping army out of one. But President Obama said he did not intend to invade Syria or even “put boots on the ground”.

That made his decision to go to Congress even more puz-zling. Two years ago President Obama argued he didn’t need congressional approval before bombing Muamar Khaddafy’s Libya because it did not involve US ground troops or “sustained fi ghting or active exchanges of fi re with hostile forces.” What’s different in Syria?

We’ve become witness to a President spending the precious little political capital he has left for military action thousands of miles away to sway a brutal and very convoluted confl ict for an extremely murky outcome.

If he had proof that Mr. Assad was behind the gassing of his own people, killing more than 1,400 including hundreds of children, the President should have exercised his prerogative as Commander-in-Chief, strik-ing with stand-off Tomahawk cruise missiles and he would have accomplished his avowed objectives – to demonstrate to the Syrian dictator and his generals that breaking a nearly century-old convention against chemical weapons carry a stiff price.

It’s immediate, low risk and it gets the job done. With the US motive clear, there wouldn’t be speculations about regime change or fears of a reprise of Iraq.

His hesitation allowed opposition to galvanize and perhaps hastened his slide as a lameduck president. It’s also complicated the US mission – it will now have to hit harder – and heightened risks to Americans.

Opinion


‘Meet Up’ in Sin City

So what is it they say about what happens in Vegas? The world outside is not

supposed to know what you do in this desert oasis. You can romp to your heart’s content or blow all your savings playing the tables or slots. Or any other kind of mischief. And your private philandering and pampering will never go public.

But what’s about to take place in this entertainment capital is not meant to remain a secret. The Republicans, in fact, want the proceedings to be open and the participants to be, yes, open as well to the party’s court-ship of, in this case, the Filipino American vote.

Recall that the GOP is still reeling from its electoral defeat in the last national elec-tions because the Latinos and Asian Americans voted over-whelmingly, by more than 70 percent, for Barack Obama and the Democrats. The Republican Party’s anti-immigrant rhetoric was blamed largely for candi-date Mitt Romney’s drubbing in the polls. Recall that during the primaries, GOP candidates took turns demonizing undocu-mented immigrants, going as far as to suggest that they “self-deport” themselves. Not a seri-ous and honest public policy, but one that panders to a radically conservative base.

After some soul searching, GOP leaders resolved to tone down the party’s anti-immigrant stance and reach out and touch not just someone but everyone in the Latino and Asian American communities.

And that’s what GOP strat-egists hope to achieve. Next month, House Republican lead-ers have reserved a large hall at The M Resort Spa in Las Vegas for a “meet up” with Filipino American leaders. In her letter of invitation, Cathy McMorris Rod-gers, chair of the House Repub-lican Conference Committee and a US Rep. from Washington, said the meeting “will provide a unique opportunity for leaders of the Filipino American com-munity across the country to con-nect with Members of Congress to discuss legislative and policy

priories, both on the domestic and foreign policy fronts. We want to hear about the issues that are important to you, so that we can work together to secure a more prosperous America.”

Fair enough. Filipino Amer-ican leaders, led by NaFFAA, have accepted the invitation and will be converging in Las Vegas October 12. Indeed, this is an opportunity for NaFFAA to fl ex its muscle and let the voices of 4 million Filipinos heard. This is what political empowerment is all about.

NaFFAA’s national summit in Las Vegas earlier this month should prepare the leadership to engage members of Congress face to face. For two days, the board of directors and regional chairs formulated strategies, from effective advocacy to busi-ness partnerships. Priority number one is to build the orga-nizations capacity to be “armed and dangerous.” That is, to be well funded and adequately staffed so it can operate more effectively.

The meet up with congres-sional leaders is a test of NaF-FAA’s leadership in articulating a political presence and a consis-tent message that should com-mand attention not only in Octo-ber but for years to come. It must be clear to these lawmakers that NaFFAA is a Filipino American organization mainly concerned with issues affecting Filipinos in the U.S.

The Las Vegas meet up, aside from its obvious benefi ts, also provides NaFFAA a rare opportunity to build relation-ships with other national orga-nizations. The last time this happened was eight years ago, also in Las Vegas, when “The Desperate Housewives” contro-versy spurred a tactical alliance between NaFFAA and Filipino American doctors and health professionals.

So, when it comes to politics, expect this meet up in Vegas to be talked about a lot. It may not signifi cantly affect the current debates in Congress, but it’s a good start.

Send your comments to [email protected] Continued on page 30


weapons of mass destruction which posed a serious threat in a post 9/11 era. Obama just wants to shoot across the bow to send a message to Assad so he may not repeat the use of chemical weap-ons.

What good does launch-ing a few hundred missiles if it does not even eliminate the threat? It’s an expensive way of saving presidential credibility after Assad crossed Obama’s red line. It’s even more compli-cated in the light of Syria’s civil

war. There are reports that rebel forces opposing Bassir Assad do not have the same political color and Al Queada extremists are dominating a very aggressive faction. If true, America could end up fi ring shots at Assad with Al Queada cheering on the side-lines.

Dear Barack, I’m so con-fused. I look to the Commander-In-Chief for leadership, but I’m afraid you look even more con-fused.

Striking now – without forc-ing Assad’s surrender, real or symbolic, -- will be utterly use-less. The window of changing

attitudes in Syria has closed. The damage to American credibility and prestige can no longer be undone regardless of how much

“shock and awe” American mis-siles and bombs can muster.

Syria has highlighted a failure of leadership. President Obama, the American leader, has failed.

Failure of leadership... from page 29 New cowboy... from page 29

then set about resolving them in a quiet, controlled manner. It is much more convenient and useful for this people to work independently, because in this case they have freedom to travel and negotiate on their own terms.

The snake-people cannot stand being limited by others and this is another reason for them to work solo. People born in this year are logical and orga-nized workers and have all the qualities needed to acquire new skills. They also have a very good memory and that enables them to fulfi ll the projects thor-

oughly. They are purposeful and getting towards their aim spot-ting potential troubles and react-ing immediately.

On the other hand, should they have achieved their goal the snake-people usually with-draw to gather their thoughts, and rest. But they need not much time to renew their energies and be ready for new challenges.

Ideal Job for the Snake Include Professor, Linguist, Teacher, Psychiatrist, Psycholo-gist, Astrologer, Clairvoyant, Personnel offi cer, Public rela-tions executive, Interior designer.

Some Famous Snakes: Kim

Basinger, Randy Crawford, Bob Dylan, Greta Garbo, Art Garfunkel, Audrey Hepburn, Paul Hogan, Liz Hurley, Carole King, Dean Martin, Robert Mit-chum, Mike Oldfi eld, Ryan O’Neal, Dorothy Parker, Brad Pitt, Brooke Shields, Paul Simon, Dionne Warwick, Oprah Win-frey, Virginia Woolf, Susannah York. (For local snakes, let’s start with…oh never mind.

Snake CompatibilityCompatible with: Ox,

Rooster, DragonLess Compatible with: Rat,

Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Dog, RamLeast Compatible with: Pig,

Monkey, Tiger

her life. It is said that only those

who have undergone so much in

life who can really emote and put

life into a character. She is one

person who is so well balanced, calm, contained and cool. With confi dence, she demonstrates wisdom and humor. I value her friendship.

Beyond Family Visit... from page 27

Osmena, Gen Douglas MacAr-thur and offi cials slipped into Cagayan de Oro. They were to be evacuated to Australia, on the US President’s instructions.

MacArthur took one look at the shabby B-17 that landed mid-night at Del Monte airport and blew a fuse, recalls William Man-chester in his book: “American Ceasar. The “decrepit aircraft”...would endanger the party” he

cabled the US Secretary of State. “I could not undertake such responsibility.” He demanded the three best planes”. The cable worked and two of three new B-17s managed to make it.

“We were roused in the dead of night and drove to the airfi eld where two Fortresses waiting” say, unpublished mem-oirs of Manuel Quezon Jr.

***The Life Act which

amended the Immigration Act has expanded the eligibility for a “K” visa to provide for a new temporary status (K-3) for spouses of U.S. citizens and their minor children who are outside the U.S. waiting for the approval

of their permanent resident visa. To obtain a K-3 visa, the U.S.

citizen must fi rst fi le an immi-grant petition for the alien spouse who is outside the U.S. After the immigrant petition is fi led, the K-3 visa petition must be fi led in the U.S. by the U.S. citizen spouse. If the marriage occurred

outside the U.S., the K visa must be issued by the consulate where the marriage occurred.

K visa holders are entitled to be issued work authorization pending adjustment of status to permanent resident.

(Any questions pertaining to this article may be addressed to 703 893 0760)

‘Schizo’ Destiny... from page 24

Love Visa... from page 24

Washington Tsismis... from page 28

ity. One such area was the clean-up at the end of the festival. The crew didn’t show up. I didn’t even have the energy to get angry. Friends who realized our predicament stayed until all the bloated garbage bags were dis-posed of, and the last chair was accounted for. We are forever

grateful.Mitch and I fi nally arrived

home to rest and recover after 36 hours of toil and labor. The nightmare was over. Maybe this article will exorcise my distaste of white tents. So I hope. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Pahabol: Relax, this is not

a nightmare. It’s a PARTY! The

Ateneo Alumni Association of

Metro WDC will have its biennial

fundraiser, The Blue and White

Gala, on Saturday October 5th

at the Crystal Gateway Marriott

in Arlington. Please visit www.

ateneodc.org for more informa-

tion. Come and party with us.

Nightmare on 3rd... from page 27

vice, and in broadcasting net-work. He meets the same traffi c jams but shows delight in seeing the all-too familiar jeepneys, the deliberate disregards for street lanes by drivers, the potholes, and the disillusions in the eyes of the man, the object and purpose of his trip, the mentor in his pro-fession.

Sitting on a lounge chair at his home in Sydney, Austra-lia afterwards, recollecting his thoughts and measuring the benefi ts of his trip, the assassina-tion of his mentor for exposing corruptions in the national and local government, this incident that happened shortly after his departure from Manila, and the assailant still unknown, are all

for Cesar Leyco Aguila, the jour-neyman, to ponder. Has he left this culture behind? He being born and nurtured in the Philip-pines ways, although of Spanish heritage, will all these stay in his memories and forever affect his thinking and acting ways? Tell me, my friend.

NOTE: ”The Big River and Other Stories,” in paperback, 126 p., published by the Uni-versity of Santo Tomas Publish-ing House, in Manila, Philip-pines. Copyright by Cesar Leyco Aguila, 2011. Sold at the National Book Store and other outlets in the Philippines and distribu-tors in the US and elsewhere in the globe where Filipinos and descendants concentrate.

On Lives Lived in... from page 25

undertaking especially in rela-tion to PDAF.”

In other words, she wanted the language of the manifesto “moderated.” But which part?

Isn’t the pork barrel an invitation to plunder? Haven’t we seen that from the recent revelations? Why is Aquino still defending the “necessity” of the pork, if he, indeed, is fi rm in his conviction that it deserves to be abolished? Why does he still want to retain his own multi-billion peso discretionary fund? Doesn’t that give us reason to doubt his sincerity?

And why did he have a half-change of heart, just shortly before the August 26 protest? Wasn’t that an attempt to soften the impact of the planned dem-onstrations? That was not the most sterling display of leader-

ship. I used the term “preempt.” Other media had a less gentle description of it: “Hijack!”

Isn’t it a fact that, ‘too many times in the past have we, the cit-izenry, been lulled into believing that reforms were in place, only to fi nd that other ways of raiding the national treasury had been devised” ?

What happened after EDSA One? After EDSA Dos?

Sure, Aquino has vowed to institute strict controls. Well, then, for starters, why doesn’t he look into the accusations that Batanes, the congressional district of the wife of Budget Secretary Butch Abad, has been getting more than its justifi able share of pork? Of course the accusation has been hurled by a former Arroyo lieutenant, but if it isn’t true, why has there been

no denial or denunciation of it? In the fi rst place, why did

it take disgruntled accessories and a militant media to blow this case wide open, rather than dutiful public servants? Are we to understand that, if Janet Lim-Napoles had been more gener-ous with his co-conspirators, we would never have found out about the P10-billion scam?

Has the misuse of the pork barrel really been such a deep-held secret? Isn’t this something that coffee shop habitués have known all these years?

Thus, we stand by our man-ifesto and make the following demands:

“We thus demand enact-ment of the Freedom of Infor-mation Act, without the strings that the President and members of Congress would attach to it. Only by this means can we have full access to the fi scal activities

of government, the better to spot and expose instances of offi cial abuses.

”We demand full retribu-tion from those who have pil-laged and plundered our hapless nation, whatever positions they hold.

“Finally, we demand that President Benigno S. Aquino III, as the proponent of the Straight Path of Governance, set the example by allowing full trans-parency and fi scal controls over his own discretionary funds. Pork by any other name still reeks of grease.

“Let the August 26 Move-ment proceed. We the Global Filipinos join the Million March-ers in spirit. Let this be the start of the long road to honest and competent governance. For the Motherland!”

As I write this, I’m betting that the objects of our derision

are simply waiting for our anger

to subside before they go back to

their old ways (there’s a Taga-

log term for it: “Lilipas din ang

galit”). All the insults that have

been hurled at them will be for

naught because, as the Tagalogs

put it, “Lilipas din ang hiya.”

Our biggest weakness, and

the reason we have been repeat-

edly abused, is that, as a people,

we can’t seem to remain angry

long enough. Worse yet, we have

such a poor collective memory.

I suggest that the next dem-

onstration we hold should no

longer be joyful or fun.

([email protected])

World’s Happiest ... from page 25

ManilaMail - Sept. 15, 2013

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