asian journal mar 26 2010

Fil Am teen in need of life-saving transplant

(Continued on page 13)



By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.

Mention the name “Hermes Bautista” and the image of a handsome young man, with long hair, brown skin and be dimpled chin comes to mind.

Hermes was one of the two Californians selected to be “housemates” in the very popular ABS-CBN “Pinoy Big Brother” TV show that aired a few months ago. Viewers out-side the Philippines got to watch its episodes through TFC or The Filipino Channel. He was one of the most popular of the batch, capturing the affection and sup-port of many female viewers. Perhaps their male counterparts felt jealous and supported the

Hermes Bautista

San Diego Fil-Am Making Waves in the Philippines

other house-mates. Near the end, Hermes was evicted with just a few remaining shows in the series.

But that exposure was enough for Hermes to earn a few guest stints in the Filipino

Bahay ni Kuya”, Hermes had been a guest of “Wowowee”, “Showtime”, and other ABS-

television industry. Recently, he just came from a taping in Batangas City of “Isla”, a series of “Your Song” in TFC. Since the housemates departed “Ang

Hermes Bautista

March 26 - April 1, 2010

San Diego NewsMsgr. GutierrezPalm Sunday: Filipinos’ impoverished Psyche and

Holy Week

Dr. Riz Oades Memorial Forum at KCS Mar 27th

Community

$34,000 condo units in Tagaytay. While you are away, you can rent out your unit as a condotel and make money on your investment. Presentations available on May 1- 10, 2010, from 10 a m. to 5 p m. at the Asian Journal office at 550 East 8th Street Suite 6, National City, CA 91950 (in Old Schoolhouse Square). Call (619) 474-0588 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

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the high point of Tagaytay



MANILA, -- Despite the El Nino phenomenon, the World Bank and Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) said the Philippine economy may have expanded at a modest pace this year due to govern-ment and private spending.

In its Philippine Quarterly Update, the Washington-based lender said the economy as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to grow 3.5 percent this year, an upward adjustment from the previous forecast of 3.1 percent.

GDP is the amount of final goods and services produced in a country in a year.

In 2009, it grew by only 0.9 percent, or at the lower end of the official target range of 0.8 percent to 1.8 percent. The Phil-ippines’ growth last year was the weakest since 1998.

For 2011, the Wold Bank

World Bank, PIDS expect RP economy to grow 4% this yearElectric vehicle

manufacturers from various countries have praised the Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Asso-ciation of the Philip-pines for producing the Philippine’s first electric eJeepneys, during the recently

Foreign electric vehicle makers praise Pinoy eJeepney

concluded Electric Vehicles Asia conference in Hong Kong.

Ferdi Raquel Santos, Vic Co, and Rommel Juan, all of MVPMAP who attended the conference, believed that the recognition was primarily due to the successful imple-mentation of the eJeepney project in the Philippines.

“While new inventions

and discoveries are impor-tant, finding ways to actu-ally use these innovations and integrate them into their lifestyles is where Filipinos excel and this is where Fili-pinos apply their ingenuity and creativity,” Juan said.

“SMS (text messaging) is a system that was developed in another country but Fili-

Philippine International Master Enrique Paciencia stamped his class over the opposition to rule the “Ang Mo Kio Community Cen-tre Hong Bao Rapid Chess Challenge 2010” Open tour-nament in Singapore.

Paciencia of Tacloban City was the 2009 Singapore International Chess Festival champion.

He out-duelled Aussie Steve O’Reily in the seventh and final round to finish with six points (five wins and two draws), the same output of compatriot IM Yves Ra-nola and Singaporean Mark Chan.

Paciencia, a former main-stay of Adamson University, clinched the title after the tie break point was applied.

Ranola settled for second while Chan wound up third place.

Pinoy rules Singapore Rapid Chess Challenge Tourney

Enrique Paciencia

Ranola split the point with fellow RP Junior champion NM Roberto Suelo Jr. in the final canto while Chan beat countryman Linson Lim.

Suelo finished fourth overall with 5.5 points, half point ahead of another Fili-pino entry NM Arlan Cabe, who settled fifth overall with superior quotient in the group of five pointers.

PNS -- EVEN if she lost her TV show, ‘Sis’, Car-mina Villaroel thinks 2010 is still a lucky year as she just signed an exclusive contract with GMA-7. She’s now seen as Reyna Lamara in “The Last Prince”, Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays, she’ll be in the new reality sitcom “Pepito Manaloto”. She’s also much in demand as an endorser that writers kid her she must be earn-ing more than partner Zoren Legaspi who seems to be on package deal in the TV com-mercials she does. “Hindi naman,” she says. “Kasi ako, I work in front of the camera while he works behind. May

Carmina willing to lend Zoren to BB

Carmina Villaroel

“LOLA directed by Brillante “Dante” Men-doza, won the Grand Knight Award, the Grand Jury Prize in the World Competition of the 27th Miami International Film Festival in the US.

The film festival also commended Lola’s star “cinema icon Anita Linda” and its story for offering “an earnest, compassionate study of forgiveness and redemp-tion.”

The Philippine film bested 13 other entries from countries as diverse as Rus-sia, Brazil, China, Bolivia and The Netherlands in the category that celebrates the works of up-and-coming filmmakers from around the

Anita Linda in a scene from “Lola”

Lola wins Grand Jury Prize in Miami Film Festival

world.The film also came with a

$25,000 cash prize from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Starring Anita Linda and Rustica Carpio, Lola also won Second Best Picture at the Venice Filmfest last year and Best Film (with a cash prize of $50,000) in Dubai.

The Philippines’ is now rivalling many Asian countries such as Thailand and Hong Kong as “The” Shopping hub in the region, as prices here of goods and products from food, to garments and electronics are far more reasonably priced

RP: A Shopping Mecca for tourists

& balikbayans

compared to their neighbors in the region.

Here are just some of the reasons why tourists consider the country as a “must-see” destination in Southeast Asia.

Apart from a quality shop-ping experience, the Philip-pines is also well-known a health and medical services, eco-tourism mecca, with thousands of cultural and his-torical landmarks, world-class beaches in Boracay, Palawan, Mindoro, La Union, Batangas,

Green Card Lotharios

The $20,000 PayoffAfter a year, he was no longer talking about

the temporary arrangement. The thought of her mother paying him $20,000 just to marry Clarissa

so that she could earn her permanent residence status to stay and work in America had faded in

his mind. His initial reluctance to make love with her had dissipated. He considered it his duty at

first to fulfill his marital obligation as a husband,

and before he knew it, he was doing it for

himself, not for her. It was no longer an obligation, but a privilege.

By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Asian Journal San DiegoThe original and first Asian Journal in America

See page 3

March 26 - April 1, 2010Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

(Continued from page 1)

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said the GDP is forecast to grow 3.8 percent.

“Growth in private con-sumption is projected to hold up well in 2010,” Eric Le Borgne, World Bank senior economist who leads the team that pre-pared the report said.

“The rising precautionary savings that dampened spend-ing in 2009 will likely dimin-ish as consumer expectations gradually improve over the next twelve months,” he added.

Other important growth drivers for 2010 include a re-plenishment of depleted stocks by private companies, and the strong short-term outlook for the Business Process Outsourc-ing (BPO) sector.

The PIDS, on the other hand, said economy growth may hit 4 percent this year.

“We can anticipate positive outcomes from election-related spending; however, the El Niño phenomenon is posing a signifi-cant negative impact on agricul-ture” PIDS said.

On the other hand, the government think tank expects positive gains from the other sectors as their momentum are likely to be maintained.

“2010 is going to be a very interesting year,” PIDS added.

The World Bank report added that generating inclusive growth that will uplift the living standards of the poor remains a fundamental challenge as pov-erty incidence is estimated to remain high following a series of shocks that hit the country.

The nation’s poor house-holds, Le Borgne said, could further be adversely affected by the El Niño dry weather phe-nomenon and its impact on food production.

“A worse-than-expected El Nino could pose serious risks to the country’s growth prospects and trigger larger increases in hunger incidence,” he said.

The bank added that the food crisis in 2008, the eco-

World Bank, PIDS expect RP economy to grow 4% this year

nomic downturn and the recent typhoons have thrown an esti-mated 1.4 million households into poverty, compared to a no-crisis scenario.

“While the resumption in growth is a necessary condi-tion for poverty incidence to decrease, as the experience between 2003 and 2006 testi-fies, this is not a sufficient condition. The El Niño phe-nomenon could, in particular, be a significant source of new duress for poor and near poor households,” World Bank said.

It added that the El Nino could generate large increases in hunger incidence as 74.8 percent of the poor reside in ru-ral area where self-subsistence farming is widespread.

President Arroyo can ap-point the next Chief Justice - SC

MANILA, - Voting 9-1-2-3, the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday ruled that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo can appoint the next Chief Justice to replace Chief Justice Reynato Puno who will retire on May 17, 2010.

SC Spokesman and Court Administrator Atty. Jose Midas Marquez said that the Court in an en banc session said that under Article 8 of the Constitu-tion which covers the Judiciary, President Arroyo can make the appointment within 90 days upon the existence of the va-cancy in the Judiciary.

Article VIII Section 9 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that the President can make the appointments to the Judiciary within 90 days upon the existence of a vacancy in the Judiciary.

The SC also ordered the Ju-dicial and Bar Council (JBC) to submit its shortlist of nominees of at least three to four names to the Office of the President (OP) on or before May 17.

The JBC is an independent constitutional body that screens nominees to the positions in the Judiciary and submits its short-list of nominees of at least three to four names to the Office of the President (OP) whenever a vacancy occurs in the Judiciary.

In turn, the President has a

period of 90 days within which to fill up the vacancy in the Judiciary.

Puno presided over the en banc session but did not partici-pate in the deliberations and in the voting.

He will take his leave begin-ning Thursday until his retire-ment on May 17.

Associate Justice Lucas Ber-samin wrote the decision say-ing that President Arroyo can appoint the successor to Chief Justice Puno when he retires.

The JBC was also directed to submit its shortlist to the incumbent President for the position of SC Chief Justice on or before May 17.

Bersamin, in his decision, said that the appointments to the Judiciary are not covered by the election ban.

Thus, he said, the President can appoint the members of the Judiciary from the position of Municipal Trial Court (MTC) judge up to the position of Chief Justice, because appoint-ments to the Judiciary are not covered by the election ban.

Article VII Section 15 of the 1987 Philippine Constitu-tion provides that the President cannot make an appointment, except on temporary appoint-ment in the Executive Depart-

ment, two months or 60 days prior to the next succeeding elections until the President’s term expires.

Nine of the justices voted yes that the incumbent Presi-dent can appoint the successor of Chief Justice Puno.

They are Associate Justices Lucas Bersamin, Arturo Brion, Teresita Leonardo de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Mariano de Castillo, Martin Villarama, Jr., Roberto Abad, Jose Perez and Jose Mendoza.

Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales voted no to the power of the incumbent Presi-dent to appoint the next Chief Justice.

Associate Justices Antonio Eduardo Nachura and Presbit-ero Velasco, Jr., said that the petitions should be dismissed as they are “premature” as there is still no “actual case of contro-versy” to warrant the judicial determination of the Court.

Chief Justice Puno, and As-sociate Justices Antonio Carpio and Renato Corona inhibited from the deliberations and did not participate in the voting.

Marquez added that the peti-tioners can still file their motion for reconsideration within a “non-extendible” period of 15 days from today.

Days are really going fast as we get older. The children have grown up and the long awaited retirement day is getting closer. Maybe it’s time to take care of ourselves and time to have some fun for the rest of our lives. We just can’t work hard forever and expect to live longer. We need to enjoy life while still healthy.

I believe that all Filipino par-ents should get serious in saving money for their old age. We have done more than enough for our Filipino-American children. These kids are born here, grew up here and we tried our best to get them the best education we could afford. Did you really expect them to take good care of you on your older days? Once they live on their own, most of these kids can’t even call or visit their parents on a regular basis. Surely, they can remember their parents when they are in trouble, have major financial problems or when they needed a free babysit-ter. Lucky are the parents of some children who still remem-ber their Filipino heritage, cus-tom and their close family ties.

At least for most Filipinos, there is an option to retire here in the U.S. or in the Philippines. Whatever you plan to do, don’t wait for the last minute. It is scary to imagine being dumped and abandoned in a Nursing Home once you’re old and help-less. Most of our children are not like us who feel responsible for our parents. They became too Westernized in a materialistic society that worshipped money. Some can hardly wait to get their inheritance from their parents. Figure that out.

If you ask Filipino parents

Married with Childrenwhy they work so hard, most of them will tell you that it’s for their children. Is it really, and why? Maybe it’s because of our upbringing and past history. Did you ever ask your children what they expected from you? Maybe they just want you to spend qual-ity time with them instead of the high quality goods you bought for them. Some of these children don’t even feel grateful to their parents. They think that it is their parent’s obligation to provide for everything they wanted. Are they spoiled rotten or it wasn’t your fault that they grow up that way?

Most of our children will be smarter than us but, they could never be like us. It’s a fact we just have to accept. We can give them unconditional love but never to expect too much from them. We don’t want to become most of our older parents who considered us their investments. That’s why we have Social Security, 401k or IRA for our old age. We don’t want to burden our children financially later on.

Married couple should enjoy each other as they grow older. You have done enough for your parents and did your best for your children. You can not be respon-sible for everybody or solve everybody’s problems. You have your own life to live.

It is sad to see older couples getting divorced after years of marriage but, it happens. Can we just fall out of love so suddenly? Nobody is perfect so couples need to adjust as years go by. If plants needs watering to grow, our love for each other has to be rekindled all the time to keep the fire lit forever Until Death Do Us Part.

Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comMarch 26 - April 1, 2010

THE KALUSUGAN COMMUNITY SERVICES, THE ASIAN JOURNAL

AND THE FRIENDS OF THE LATE DR. RIZ A . OADES

CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO THE

DR. RIZ A. OADES MEMORIAL FORUM

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Philippine Stories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

Last in a series of stories

The short stay that Efren had planned at Clarissa’s apartment became lon-

ger. Before he knew it, he was getting used to waking up with Clarissa hug-ging him from behind as they lay in bed. After he was done show-ering and dressing up, he could smell the cof-fee from the kitchen as Clarissa prepared breakfast for him. Sometimes, she would cook fried rice, eggs and lon-ganisa. Other times, she would surprise him with pancakes, omelets and his favorite, pan de sal with corned beef.

Indeed, the promise of Clar-issa’s mother was fulfilled. Her daughter was taking good care of him. Although he married for money, he was getting much more in return. He was assuming the role of a husband rather than a paid gigolo.

“Can you come home early tonight?” Clarissa asked him one morning.

“Why?”“There’s a movie in downtown

I want to see.”“Why don’t you go with your

mom?” he told her.Clarissa remained quiet. It

was one of those moments he often regretted when he uttered insensitive remarks that hurt her feelings. But she did not com-plain. The silent treatment was more effective for making him feel guilty.

“What time is the movie?” he asked.

“Six,” she answered. “I’ll treat you to dinner afterwards,” she smiled.

Although he hasn’t given her money, she was financially inde-pendent. Being an only child, her parents gave her allowance, in addition to the salary she made as an assistant in a small realty company.

“Why don’t you work for a big company and make more mon-ey?” he asked her one time.

“I want the training,” she said. “I want to become a realtor someday.”

HER DREAM WAS REAL-IZED when she eventually got her realtor’s license and started selling houses. But it was hard work from the beginning. To generate customers, she would “farm” in one neighborhood, going door to door distributing flyers and talking to homeown-ers whenever she had a chance to. Efren watched her from afar, occasionally helping by folding and packaging the flyers, but not going door to door.

He kept whatever commis-sion he made as a car salesman to himself, occasionally buying groceries and sending money to his grown up children. After a year, he was no longer talking about the temporary arrange-ment. The thought of her mother paying him $20,000 just to marry Clarissa so that she could earn her permanent residence status to stay and work in America had faded in his mind. His initial reluctance to make love with her had dissipated. He considered it his duty at first to fulfill his marital obligation as a husband, and before he knew it, he was doing it for himself, not for her. It was no longer an obligation, but a privilege.

BUT EFREN WAS TOO PROUD to admit that he had fallen for her. But he could not help it. Despite her ordinary looks, she was very sweet and kind. Before he knew it, he

Green Card Lotharios

The $20,000 Payofflooked forward to going home to her. But it did not stop his roving eyes. He still would not miss any opportunity to squire the beautiful women he met in

his daily life. It was easy considering his good looks and natural flair that

attracted women to him.One

time, he saw Clar-issa wiping her tears in the kitchen.“What

happened?” he asked her.“Nothing,”

she replied. “Do you want to eat

now?” she asked as she set the table for dinner.

While they were quietly eating, he could not help but feel bothered. He thought of the things he might have done earlier that might have unsettled her. But he could not think of any.

As Clarissa removed the plates from the table afterwards, he volunteered to clean up and take out the trash can. In it, he saw the crumpled letter that his girl-friend Gina had given to him. He had read it and threw away earlier that day. Clarissa might have seen it, read it and became upset. He was devas-tated. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her feel-ings, con-sidering all the good things she had done for him.

As they lay to-gether in bed in their dark room, he slowly turned around and put his hand around her. She remained still and quiet, until he heard her sob quietly. He put his lips near her ear and whispered: “I am sorry.”

It was the cue. She sobbed uncontrollably as he hugged and kissed her all over her face, with the salty taste of her tears filling his mouth. She looked up. He felt the warm breath com-ing from her mouth. Then she kissed him on the lips. It was the longest and sweetest kiss Efren had experienced in his life as he felt himself fading away with his wife in the dark of the night. The sounds that they made would wake up the sleepiest soul. But they would also make him smile.

THE NEXT MORNING, Efren found himself distribut-ing flyers in a neighborhood with his wife. He was surprised that he liked doing it, as it gave him the opportunity to use his natural charm and talent to meet people. At least three residents expressed interest in selling their properties and moving up to a newer, more expensive neighborhood. That was the start of their prosperity in the realty business. It was a husband and wife partnership, with each one complementing the skill and tal-ent of another.

Efren became so engrossed with the business and family life that he eventually lost interest in gambling and spending the night with his friends. He enjoyed the home-cooked dinner with Clar-issa, watching TV and retiring to their love nest at night.

“I NEED TO GO HOME TO

THE PHILIPPINES and pick up Buboy,” Clarissa told him one day after she just got a huge envelope from the mail. It was the approved petition for her son to be able to join them in the United States. The ten-year-old boy was staying with one of Clarissa’s aunts in Cavite.

“How long will you stay there?” he asked.

“Two weeks, three or maybe a month,” she replied. “I need to dispose of all of mama’s proper-ties since we are all here now.”

He did not tell her to come back right away as there was still a tinge of pride remaining in him. But he wished he did so, for after only a week, he dreaded coming home to an empty house. The thought of Clarissa in her house dress serving him a cold bottle of beer as he watched television had been his entertain-ment during the night, not the TV shows he was watching. But it also made him sad and lonely as he realized that he missed his wife.

As his loneliness increased each day, he found himself stay-ing longer in the office, using the time making cold calls. Before he knew it, he had five deals lined up with huge potential commissions.

“Kailan ka ba talaga uuwi (When will you really come home)?” he asked Clarissa over the phone. “It’s been three weeks already!”

“I might need at least three more weeks,” she replied. “Wala pang buyer iyong tumana sa hulo (There is no buyer yet for the farm at the end of the vil-lage).”

“Huwag mo nang hintaying may bumili (Don’t wait for a buyer),” he said. “Give your cousin a power of attorney and come home.”

She took his advice and flew back to the U.S. with her son. On their way home from the airport, Clarissa, with misty eyes, was pointing the sights of the city to her child.

“Ang ganda ng Amerika, anak, ano (Isn’t America beautiful, son)?” she cheerful told him.

Slowly, her long time dream of providing a bright future for her father-less son in America was becoming a reality.

The boy was wide-eyed and ex-cited. Reunit-ing with his mother after two years made the mo-ment much happier. Efren looked with

satisfaction at the mother and son as he drove the car. Once inside the house, he went up to their room, picked up a yellow bag in the closet and brought it down.

“Ano iyan (What is that)?” Clarissa asked him.

“Open it,” he said. “It’s for you.”

Clarissa opened the bag and saw stacks of hundred dollar bills.

“Did you rob a bank?” she asked him.

He laughed. “They were part of the com-

missions in the five deals I made while you were away. I am giv-ing them to you.”

“Why?”“They’re all the $20,000 your

mother paid me for marrying you. I regret marrying you for money.”

Clarissa’s happy face turned sad.

“Because I want it to be said that I married you for love.”

She smiled and again, tears flowed down her face. She walked towards him, grabbed his head and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips.

“What shall we do with the money” she asked him after-wards.

“Put it in a trust fund for Buboy, that his grandma’s money.”

Efren knew that nobody, not even an immigration and natural-ization service agent who could check if theirs was a sham mar-riage, would be able to separate him from his wife. – AJ

The End


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San Diego Fil-Am Making Waves in the Philippines

CBN shows. His show, “Isla”, starring Gerald Anderson, is showing every Sunday under the time slot of “Your Song.”

Not too many people know, however, that Hermes was born in San Diego, at the Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, to be exact. His parents brought him and his brother to the Philip-pines where he grew up in San Fernando City in Pampanga. He fi nished nursing at the Far Eastern in Manila and was hired at the Scripps Medical Center upon his return to San Diego. But show business came calling and he was tapped to appear in “Big Brother”. As of now, he is availing of all the show business opportunities that would come his way, confi dent in the fact that he always has his nursing career to return to in case things doesn’t work his way. - AJ

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

by Atty. Dennis ChuaLegal Buzz

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

Individuals who wish to enter and stay in the United States for the purpose of doing business in the country may apply for an investor’s visa.

To illustrate, we present this factual scenario.

Jose is a businessman in the Philippines and he wants to di-versify his business interests by opening a business in the United States. Jose is planning to open up a restaurant business in the United States. Jose intends to direct the operations of the busi-ness during its infantile stage. While setting up and developing the busi-ness, Jose would like to bring his wife and two minor children with him.

Jose may apply for an investor’s visa so that he could enter and stay in the United States to di-rect and develop his business. Jose may apply directly for an investor’s visa with the US Embassy in Manila or apply for a change of status if he is currently in the United States. Jose needs to show the following before his application may be approved:

He is a national of a 1. country which has a bi-lateral investment treaty with the United States;He will be entering the 2. United States to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise;He has invested or is 3. actively in the process of investing money into a bona fi de commercial enterprise which he seeks

Investing in Americato establish or has been set up;The amount that he 4. has invested or will be investing is a substantial amount as distinct from a relatively small amount of capital in a marginal enterprise solely for the purpose of earning a liv-ing;He is qualifi ed to develop 5. and direct the operations of the business; andHe is willing to depart the 6. United States after he has accomplished his busi-

ness purposes.We are frequently asked by

prospective investor visa appli-cants as to how much amount of money is needed to be invested in a bona fi de enterprise for an investor’s visa application to be approved. The substantiality of the amount to be invested would depend on the nature of the busi-ness. A commercial enterprise which will be engaged in the business of buying and selling real estate will need not be vi-able with an initial investment of

$25,000.As for the type of business to

be established, the USCIS will approve investor’s visa applica-tions for any type of business, so long as we can show that the commercial enterprise is a bona fi de business entity. The USCIS has approved investor’s visa ap-plications for commercial enter-prises engaged in the following types of businesses: restaurants, care homes, freight forwarding, food marts; commodities trading consultancy.

Once the principal investor visa applicant has been issued an

investor’s visa, the spouse and minor children of the prin-cipal investor visa holder can be issued their corresponding visas as dependents of the principal visa holder.

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

sented in this article is for gen-eral information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. The CTV attorneys will be holding regular free legal consultations at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, California. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]

pinos were among the ones who found an innovative, and now essential, use for this tool. Simi-larly, we did not invent electric vehicles but we are among the countries who have developed a way to integrate these electric (the latest ones use batteries

similar to those used on laptops), it is still better than fossil fuels. The idea is that electric vehicles get “cleaner” as time passes and the electric grid begins using more eco-friendly power sources.

The use of electric vehicles is gaining ground with the launch of various electric vehicle proj-ects like the one in Puerto Princ-esa and the Makati Green Route Program featuring the eJeepney.

(Story courtesy of PNA)

Foreign electric vehicle makers praise Pinoy eJeepney

(Continued from page 1) vehicles in our public transporta-tion system,” he said.

The Philippines has long been engaged in various activi-ties promoting the use of alterna-tive fuel resources. A number of taxi operators, for instance, have converted their units to run on LPG (Liquifi ed Petroleum Gas) and are being serviced by gasoline stations that also pro-vide other alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel.

Believing that introducing the electric vehicle directly to both commuters and transportation providers directly might prove diffi cult, the MVPMAP decided to reach out to government agencies to enable the imple-mentation of a pilot program as a “proof of concept.”

“If we can’t offer it to the private sector yet, why not implement an alternative sys-tem which the government can use not just for transport but also to promote alternative fuel resources? The free rides that we offer will help the public become familiar with electric vehicles and know how safe it is,” said Raquelsantos.

“The eJeepney project in the Philippines takes a smarter ap-proach; it makes more sense be-cause it starts with commercial applications like public transpor-tation. Consumers can, at zero risk, gain positive experience with electric vehicles,” he said.

Juan also said that the vehicle was considered environment-friendly because it did not create noise or produce harmful exhaust emissions like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide that could contribute to climate change at excessive levels.

Unlike hybrids or electric concept cars, the eJeepneys use ordinary car batteries for power. And while this is far from the gold standard of electric vehicles



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San Diego, California - Council President Ben Hueso, Councilman Anthony Young, Acting SEDC President/CEO, Brian Trotier and Antonio Pizano President/CEO of MAAC Project will tour the newly renovated/rehabilitated Mayberry Townhomes on March 29, 2010, 10:00 a.m. The tour will take place at the Mayberry Townhomes located at 4328-4490 Mayberry Street in the Southcrest community of San Diego.

After 18 months, the MAAC Project with funding assistance from the Southeast-ern Economic Development Corporation has completed the renovations/rehabilitation of the Mayberry Townhomes which began in July 2008 and was completed February 2010.

Renovation of Mayberry Townhomes Complete

Redevelopment at Work

SEDC on behalf of the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego provided $1.6 million to assist with fi nancing of the renovation of 70 two/three-bedroom units. “SEDC has had a long history of partnering with communi-ty-based organizations such as the MAAC Project and this was an opportunity for us to help with the rehabilitation of affordable housing, a require-ment under California Rede-velopment Law.”

“MAAC was happy to work collaboratively with SEDC leadership and staff. We also would like to thank Council President Hueso and Council member Young for their leadership and support for this project. Mayberry Townhomes exemplifi es col-laboration and hard work at all

levels to get things done for the betterment of our com-munities,” added Mr. Eduardo Barrera, Director of Housing and Real Estate Development for MAAC.

SAN DIEGO, CA – UPAC, the Union of Pan Asian Com-munities, a non-profi t orga-nization, will host a special community forum open to community leaders and com-munity members on Friday, March 26 at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center to address lingering concerns about Census 2010 followed by an outreaching campaign. Serving as the speaker at the com-

A March to the Mailbox: The Union of Pan Asian

Communities Hosts Census 2010 Community Forum and Outreach Efforts for Hard-to-

Count Asian Americansmunity forum is San Diego State University Professor Bey-Ling Sha, PhD, who will cover issues of race and ethnic categories on the census form, how ethnic groups have been historically counted and mis-counted, and how census data are used. Interpretation will be available in Tagalog, Vietnam-ese, Khmer, Lao, and Spanish. Census Bureau representatives will also be in attendance. Immediately after the com-munity forum, UPAC com-munity partners and volunteers will participate in outreaching activities such as door-knock-ing within hard-to-count San Diego communities, tabling at Asian American businesses, and conducting street walks at busy street intersections.

“UPAC’s participation in the 2010 Census effort is criti-cal. UPAC staff already has many established, trusting relationships with San Diego’s API organizations,” informed Margaret Iwanaga-Penrose, UPAC President & CEO. “The community forum will serve to convey the importance of the census to all our Asian and Pacifi c Islander communi-ties in an effort to ensure that our communities are counted! Ensuring that San Diego API communities are counted will in turn enable our communities to receive a fair share of fund-ing allocations for the next 10 years. UPAC serves to give voice to and make a difference in San Diego’s diverse com-munities.”

The community forum is from 10 AM to 12 PM on

Friday, March 26, 2010 at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114.

The Union of Pan Asian Communities is one of eight partner organizations involved in the California Asian and Pacifi c Islander 2010 Cen-

sus Network, also known as API Count. API Count partners, led by Asian Pacifi c American Legal Center (APALC), have come together to promote Asian and Pacifi c Is-lander involvement

in Census 2010 through coordinated advocacy, outreach,

training, and media work across the state.

Seating is limited. Please RSVP to [email protected]. For more information, visit www.apicount.org or call (619) 232-6454 ext 856.


by Dr. Ofelia Dirige Co-Founder and Director, Kalusugan Wellness Center

Contemporary Asian American Issues

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

In my previous newspaper writings, I explained why the Filipinos had, for so

long, been invisible in public affairs. I then raise the questions of whether a political linkage with the mainstream society did really exist, and what must be done to encourage active Filipino participation in government and the electoral political process. This move becomes even more compelling and timely as no local Filipino candidates emerged vic-torious in the recent Election Day.

As a practical strategy, I recommended that a non-partisan Filipino Voters Coalition be established in March 1992. Such organization will enable both Republicans and Democrats (and other Filipinos of different politi-cal persuasions) to work together for the common interests and concerns of our community.

On March 8, 2003 at a spon-sored KCS FilAm Forum, John

It’s time to move forward!

Al Villamora articulating urgent need of PAC (Political Action Committee) in a recent commu-nity workshop. Left to right: Wai-ling Oades-Rubic, Al Villamora, Larry Brietfelder, Jay Ruiz and Ben Macayan.

Bob Filner is reelected as Con-gressman for District 51 during the Nov. 4 elections of 2008. A friend of Filipino causes mainly the WWII Filipino Veterans.

Dauz and Al Villamora suggested that an action plan had to be de-vised by the group if we wanted to get something out of the dia-logue. John has a point when he voiced out the need to organize. In this column, I shall argue again why the group may consider my suggested voters coalition and what it entails.

Action Groups

As Filipinos grow into a more

diverse group, lead-ers should redirect their conservative responsibility into a more activist stance in community affairs. They ought to put aside their differences and fi nd an organiza-tion through which they can devote time and energy to help their people in need, and not simply use them to gain higher places for themselves.

A community-based coalition of voters is the best answer now. It will defi nitely be much more effective than those previously based upon individual efforts. Such organization will be in a more advantageous posi-tion to bridge the gap between the Filipino community and the broader political establishments.

A small but cohesive and dedi-cated group of leaders can have

a major impact on elected offi cials; strongly make the Filipino voice heard not only at the polling booths on Election Day, but in all levels of govern-ment meetings, in school board meet-ings, and commu-nity organizations of all types; and better follow up on campaign election promises to ensure

that Filipinos are represented in appointments at different levels of policy making.

.The Truth -- Surprisingly

Few Filipinos actually talk about “politics” with their family, friends, and acquaintances. The large majority does not discuss political issues with other people or follow newspaper and televi-sion accounts and editorials. They are neither active campaigners

nor a listening audi ence. “In fact,” observes UC Prof. Edwin Almirol, ‘political campaigns on television are treated like com-mercials the time to rush to the bathroom.” -

When it comes to fundrais-ing, many Filipinos would rather watch visiting Filipino en-tertainers or go to shopping malls than attend political rally.

The “Get Out the Vote” rally in front of Seafood City on No-vember 2m 2008 was a dismal example of Filipino apathy or lack of concern.

Also they are poor contribu-tors. Only small groups give fi nancial donations to political candidates. Philippine style of ‘politicking” is still much in-grained in the Filipino psyche.

It is the political candidates that dole out money to potential

supporters — not the other way around. Thus, it is not uncommon to hear Filipinos ask the public seekers:

“Ano ba ang lagay? (“What is in it for with me?”), with a sense of humor. And more often than not, they really mean it.

Empeno for SD City Council Many of us know that it takes

money to run for public offi ce. In late l980s, a young UCLA gradu-ate Henry Empeno run for San Diego City Council. The Filipino community was excited with his candidacy. Unfortunately, the Em-peno sad experience with them would linger on among potential public offi ce aspirants.

Henry, whose father retired from the Navy, was a member of the City Planning Commission. He was probably the fi rst second-generation Filipino to run for a high elective offi ce in San Diego, but decided to abandon his quest for city council seat.

While local leaders were ex-cited about his candidacy, Empe-no was unable to collect enough cash from pledges his enthused Filipino supporters made, a ba-havioral pattern that would haunt future local Filipino candidates. Jay Ruiz, for example, shied away from running for State Assembly, despite Congressman Duncan Hunter’s persistent urging for him to take the Republican nomina-

A friend of local Filipinos, Rosalie Zarate, reelected on Nov. 4, 2008 as National City Councilwoman. Included in the photo are Riz Oades, Ofelia Dirige, Leyte Bustria, Rita Andrew, and Pressy Garovillas.

tion. (Oades, Beyond the Mask, pp. 97-98)

Heavily disappointed, Empeno quit the race saying: “Continu-ing my candidacy would have entailed a great personal sacrifi ce for me, including loss of income and taking time away from my family.” The experience must have disillusioned the young man and, before long, the family left San Diego for good. Is there les-son to be learned here?

A Carry-over from the Phil-ippines

Another manifestation of Filipino indifference is their non-membership in political parties. Majority of Filipinos are not registered with any of the politi-cal parities. They are not card-carrying Republicans or Demo-crats. For a few who are party members~ it is a status sym bol” to be one.

One explanation why many Filipinos are not registered with political parties in the U.S. is because they still carry with them the “Filipino” political orienta-tion. “In the Philip pines,” further explains Almirol, “when a voter registers to vote, his party af-fi liation is not asked: in fact, to inquire into one’s political party loyalty could be interpreted as a breach of the ballots’ secrecy.” Thus, immigrant Filipinos are more inclined not to become party

members than the American-born Filipinos and American-Filipino mestizos.

One other reason for not join-ing political parties or political organizations is the perva sive feeling, of powerlessness among Filipinos - though this is now slowly changing.

Other factors that explain the feeling of powerlessness among Filipinos include the lack of facil-ity with the English language, a general lack of political informa-tion and historical knowl edge, and ignorance of workings of

Filipino American Voters Coalition:The Action Group That Best

Promises Political Infl uenceBy Dr. Riz A Oades

In commemoration of the late Dr. Riz Oades 75th birthday, there will be a memorial forum at KCS on March 27, Satur-

day, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the FilAm Wellness Center. Political empowerment was one of the burning issues that he was very much concerned with when still alive. It is but fi tting

to remember him this way ---- Dr. Dirige

Perspectives

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

widely circulated Asian-Filipino newspaper!

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

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

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

Dr. Rizalino “Riz” Oades, (1935-2009)

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

Genevieve SilverioManaging Editor

Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Miles BeauchampAssociate Editor

Santi SilverioAssociate Publisher

At Large...

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

by Miles Beauchamp

What do writers talk about on-line? The same

thing everyone else does. However, once in awhile, especially late at night, the sillies can overtake them. That's when the creativity can come out unguarded.

That's what happened

Writers with a bizarre sense of humor

One night last week when the sillies grabbed a few writers

last week. Someone wrote something innocently, I saw silliness in it and responded and it took off from there. As the craziness continued, I began to realize that I needed to share this. Luckily they all gave permission (names, however, have been changed to preserve professional integ-rity. At least they, unlike me, still have some).

And so it began

"Hey, is anyone there to-day? I don't know if the group simply hasn't been online to-day, or if I'm having reception problems. I can't remember a day without at least a few writers group emails fl ying back and forth."Mick"

Most of us were at a good, old-fashioned Roman party. You didn't get the in-vite? Yeah, we had one heck of a time! We had:

Togas made from stain-re-

sistant, one-size-fi ts-all stretch material

Lite beerWine in a box (both red

and white!)CoffeeTeaDiet CokeLactose-free milkChoice of fried fi sh or

baked chicken RiceSpinach slathered with

margarineColeslawFruit compote Pudding (vanilla and

chocolate marble) That stunning feast was

followed up with TumsRolaidsPreparation H (for those

who had problems after sitting on the fl oor for so long).

It’s a real shame you

missed that - don’t know when we’ll be able to have another one. Netty got into a fi ght with the party-master who wouldn’t let her smoke. She told him she’d never heard of a smoke-free party and hit him with a coffee cup. Phil kept trying to get Willie to come down but he said not a chance. An party with us wasn’t exciting enough for him. We were a

bit insulted at fi rst but then agreed with him and had more wine. Those boxes are great! Firefl y kept trying to spread chocolate from the chocolate fountain on one of the wait-ers. For some reason Debbie got into a brief altercation with the salad server - some-thing about tongs placement or something. I didn’t catch all of it. Colin of course kept wheeling around telling one of the waitresses some jokes and trying to get a date. Jay tried to keep an eye on everything. At fi rst I thought she was just showing concern for her fel-low writers but then I realized that she was gathering mate-rial for a group blackmail. She’ll deny it of course, but I saw her taking notes. Oh, and the pictures. She was secretly talking shots of everyone but you know how some of us can be (honestly Mick!) and soon everyone was just posing for her. She got dis-gusted and said to heck with it. Wasn’t enough money from all of us combined to be worth blackmailing anyway so why bother. We agreed and yep, had more wine. There was more, lots more, but I’ve got a headache and seem to remember that there’s some-thing on TV about now that I never miss. That and it’ll be time for the 9pm pills. Can’t miss the 9pm pills. Choles-terol you know.

Anyway, hope you can make the next one if there is a next one. Don’t think Holiday Inn will let us use the San Diego Ocean Surf and Turf Starlighter Room again though. Not with the graffi ti Val wrote all over the move-able walls. Lemme tell ya, the assistant night manager of that particular Holiday Inn ap-parently doesn’t have a great sense of humor. Or isn’t very well read. Val wrote insults in three languages and quoted nine authors all the way back

to Shakespeare. She was on a roll that night. The manager was extremely uncouth. And like I said, not well read.

Miles

Sorry, Mick. After no more than three hours of sleep at a shot this week, I shut down. Been mostly sleeping since last night. Even about a gallon of breakfast coffee didn’t rev me up - came home and went back to sleep. Will do better tomorrow.

“Jae”

After that party Miles wrote you deserved more than a gallon of coffee. I’m won-dering about the wine though. Was that red and white mixed? That’ll get ya most every time.

I am fascinated by the ex-pose. Somehow it looks like someone started to write just a minor league then got carried away and ended up with a bit of prose which plumb wore himself out.

Bet you he’s still sleeping, but with a smile on his face.

“Dennis”

That’s a pretty darn good summation, Miles. Looks like I left too soon. But when the darn leprechaun started peel-ing off his little green suit, that was a bit much for me. Now where was it we stored the extra aspirin???

“Jae”

It’s next to the Nytol. Miles

Ahhh... Much better. Now I’ll just set about getting all this glitter out of the carpet.

"Jae"

Oh like you’ve ever mind-ed a little glitter.

Miles

Well, at least I got another phone number.“Colin”

Next time I’m going. I like a little meatloaf with my boxed wine.

"Mick"

I do wish I could remem-ber...knew we were some-where...all kinds of decora-tions and some waiters who seemed to be very jerky in their dancing around...but man, you gotta quit throwing up on people! Especially the manager of the hotel. That poor busboy just couldn’t keep up.

“Netty”

It was the managers own fault. If you don’t have the brains to move back when someone starts to gag...well then, you deserve to get a bit of food on your glasses. And I did hand him a hanky to wipe up a bit. Sure, it was from a bit used from Nipsey’s back pocket, but the point is I gave him one. And I’m not worrying about the busboy at all. His part of the tip had to be enough to get a new shirt.

Miles

And - I think I’m on air plane. A jet. A Navy jet. You gave that guy some money, didn’t you Miles? “Steve”

Didn’t have to give him any money, he had fun. I think.



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

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

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

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

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

Atty. Susan V. Perez

Visit our website: www.law-usimmigration.com

by Atty. Susan V. Perez

Legal BriefRead Atty. Susan Perez’s previous articles by

visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com


This is a true story of a young woman who was sub-jected to years of abuse by her husband. Let’s call her Maria. She is a native of Mexico and was smuggled into the United States by her father when she was 13 years old. Maria did not go to school and could not speak and understand English. Three years later, she met a man, also a native of Mexico but a legal permanent resident of the United States. Two months into the marriage,

Maria became pregnant. This was when the abuse started. At fi rst, the abuse was emo-tional. He called her stupid, fat, and ugly. He won’t let Maria see her family and socialize with friends. Maria asked him to start the process of getting her immigrant visa, but her husband won’t coop-erating saying he did not have time and money to pay for the lawyer and fi ling fee. As Maria was approaching the last term of her pregnancy, the abuse became physical. She

Victims of Domestic Violence and other crimes

can apply for a “U” Visawas afraid to call the police because of her immigrant status. Her husband told her that once the police fi nds out about her status, she will be deported. The last straw came when Maria’s younger was visiting her and her husband tried to rape her. Maria and her sister fl ed and went to a women’s shelter home. Today Maria’s husband is in prison. Maria is caring for her baby, has a driver’s license, and a job. She obtained her legal

status through what is known as a U visa. The husband never petitioned for Maria to be a legal permanent resident. She obtained the U visa without any divorce proceedings being initiated.

The U visa was cre-ated by law on October

28, 2000. From the time of its enactment until its amend-ment on January 5, 2006, no actual U visas had ever been issued and no one had ever been granted U nonimmi-grant status. Things changed dramatically when imple-menting interim regulations were issued on September 17, 2007. In 2008 a few dozen U visas were approved and the numbers keep increasing. In the fi scal year ending Septem-ber 2009, 5,825 U visas were


Poem No. 43

The world is just a toyFor the gods to play with!

Playing with our lives!Playing with our minds!

Its a prime time reality showFor the immortals to amuse themselves!But there is freedom to break through!

The real freedom our spirit is longing for!My sword in hand!The sword of truth

Would slash away at heaven’s canopy!Unmasking your face!

Revealing the real here and now!So you can be aware of what reality

Truly is the Truth!Always here!Always now!

Forever and ever!Like a long lost child

Our Father welcomes us!

Census 2010: Have You Been

Counted? By the time you read this, about 80%

to 90% of households in San Diego County may already have received an envelope in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau, with a large reminder printed on its face: “Your Response is required by Law.” This envelope was not junk mail! It contained a Census 2010 questionnaire, a short letter, and a prepaid return envelope.

The easy, 10-basic questions make the questionnaire the most simple yet, and it should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Yet, the impact of our responses will be felt for the next 10 years. That’s because the data from Census 2010 will be used by planners and decision makers in the apportionment of congressional seats, the redistricting of California, and in determining how California’s share of the $400 BILLION annually in federal funds will be spent. That’s $4 TRILLION dollars over a period of ten years!

The research firm of Pricewater-housecoopers estimated that in the 2000 census, there was an undercount of over 500,000 people in California alone. They figured that for every per-son undercounted, or NOT counted, California lost $2,814.00. That was a loss of over $1.4 BILLION dollars in federal funds that could have been used for schools, senior services, social services, roads, and other com-munity projects. Instead, California is reeling from a budget deficit of epic proportions!

Have you received your Census 2010 questionnaire? If you have, your job is simple. Fill out the form and mail it back in the prepaid reply envelope. Promptly! There’s no rea-son not to mail it back, because your responses are confidential. All Census 2010 employees have taken an oath to ensure confidentiality of the responses of every resident. The Immigration Service (USCIS), Homeland Security, FBI, police, courts, Congress and the President may NOT have access to your data. Only the statistical data resulting from the collection of all the responses are given to the President and others who are authorized by law to receive that data. It’s basically the same data that is made available to the public through the Census Bureau website.

If you have not received your Cen-sus 2010 questionnaire in the mail, lost or misplaced your form, or if you believe that you were not included in any other census forms that have been submitted, you may still be counted! Filipino Tayo! Magpabilang!

There are several hundred Question-naire Assistance Centers (QAC’s) that the Census Bureau is setting up throughout San Diego County. These are kindly donated by churches, com-munity centers, schools, organizations and even private business, where there will be Census staff to help you fill out the questionnaires. These centers will also assist people who, for some reason or another haven’t received a questionnaire or haven’t been counted. They are also called “Be Counted Form Centers” where you’ll be able to pick up a questionnaire. For example, if you are a “room and boarder” in another person’s home, you may not


©2010 Michael R. Tagudin. All rights reserved.

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

Street Poetry

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

by Michael R. Tagudin Filipino American teen Alec Buenaflor has exhibited a formi-dable spirit for his young age. Now on the eve of his sixteenth birthday, this native San Diegan and Coronado High School student is awaiting his second double lung transplant.

“Our personal hope is for the call [that a donor has been found],” says Alec’s mother Teresa. “Alec needs this life-saving transplant.”

Rallying around his cause are family, friends and supporters throughout Southern California and the Bay Area. On April 1st in San Mateo, California, there will be an event to celebrate this young man’s birthday and raise funds for the vital transplant.

“Our hopes for the fundraiser

Fil Am Teen in need of life-saving transplant

Alec Buenaflor

is to spread the word about organ donation,” says Teresa, who, together with her husband, has been by Alec’s side throughout this challenging time. “It’s very

inspiring to see everyone come together. I’m humbled and im-pressed by the experience.”

Donations can be made by visiting www.cota.org (Alec Buenaflor), http://cota.donorpag-es.com/PatientOnlineDonation/COTAforAlecB, or by calling (415) 425-6505. The following is Alec’s story:

Alec Buenaflor is a remarkable young man who was given a sec-ond chance at life on December 12, 2005, when he received a double-lung transplant from Lu-cile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. The double-lung transplant that he received at the age of 12 was an extraordinary gift to extend his life. It was not a cure. Unfortunately, his lungs are failing him again.

At eight months old, Alec con-tracted the ADNO virus, a lung virus that left him with a diagno-sis of Bronchiolitis Obliterans. This virus destroyed the tissues in the branches of his lungs,

which left him with only 23% lung capacity when he received his double-lung transplant.

In May 2009, Alec’s body start-ed to reject his lungs, which his doctors had hoped would sustain him until adulthood. He has been in a state of chronic rejection and his lung function is rapidly diminishing.

But there is HOPE. Alec is eligible for a re-transplant. Yes, Alec desires a second life-saving transplant! He is aware of all the risks involved and has resolved to move forward. Therefore, we would like to honor his wishes.

Since Alec loves food and a great time, we have assembled some of the best Bay Area talents featuring delicious food bites and wines to have fun and dance the night away! Please join us and meet Alec’s family as they celebrate with joy their HOPE for Alecat his Birthday Bash at Level 236! Look for the silent auction filled with donations from Sonoma and Napa winer-ies, spa packages and more. “100% of the funds collected from this event is tax deductible and will assist with transplant-related expenses.”

For additional information contact Campaign Manager:

LennieDiCarlo at (415)425-6505, [email protected]


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

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

Phil - Am Law 101

Every nonimmigrant who enters the United States, except Canadian citizens who are visiting or in transit, must fill out a Form 1-94 Card, otherwise called the Arrival/Departure Record. The Form 1-94 is very important for two reasons. First, it proves that the visitor was inspected at a port of entry. Secondly, the Form 1-94 indicates the dead-line for the visitor to lawfully stay in the United States.

The Form 1-94 Card is par-ticularly critical for a visitor who, during her visit, decides to change or adjust her status. For instance, a visitor who wishes to change her status to that of a student must be able to show that she has main-tained lawful status, which means that she has not over-stayed the period indicated in her Form I-94. Of course, the best way to show this is to present the Form I-94 itself.

Another common example is a visitor who is now mar-ried to a U.S. citizen. Al-though being an overstay is not a hindrance to adjusting status based on marriage to

Did you lose your I-94?a U.S. citizen, the applicant must show that she was in-spected upon entry, unless she is INA Sec. 245(i) eligible, but that is a topic worthy of another article.

What if the visitor loses her Form I-94 while enjoying the amazing landscapes of the Grand Canyon or the lively shows of Las Vegas?

As always, it is best to be prepared for any such even-tuality. First, the visitor must

make copies of her Form I-94 as well as of her green card and passport pages. We know that this is such an obvious thing to even men-tion, but you will be sur-prised to know how many of us do not make a copy of our driver license. Secondly, we also advise that the visitor report the loss or theft of her

Form I-94 to the local police station. The police report will become very handy when she applies for a replacement.

To replace the Form I-94, the visitor must submit a Form I-102 to the USCIS. The filing fee is $320.00. The problem is, it takes about 3 months to process the appli-cant, which may mean that the visitor is already back in her home country by the time the replacement is issued. Any-way, it might help expedite the process if she attaches copies of her Form 1-94 and police report to the applica-tion.

The reverse thing may hap-

pen to the visitor’s Form I-94. Instead of losing it, the visi-tor brings home with her the Form I-94 because she forgets to surrender it at the airline checking counter. The prob-lem with this situation is that her immigration records will not show that she has left the United States. As we all know, an overstay is subject to revo-cation of her tourist visa and possible ban from reentering the U.S. for 3 or 10 years even if, say, the immigrant petition filed long ago by her parents now has a visa number.

If this happens, the visitor should send the Form I-94 to-gether with supporting docu-ments of your departure date from the U.S. to the following address : DHS - CBP SBU, 1084 South Laurel Road, Lon-don, KY 40744, which is the only office which can make the necessary adjustment in her immigration records. She should not it to any U.S. Consulate or Embassy, or any other DHS office.

The visitor must not play smart and try to fool the CBP. It will make sure that she re-ally departed on the date she claimed in her letter. Thus, to validate her departure, the visitor is required to submit supporting documents such as her boarding passes, pho-tocopies of entry or departure stamps in her passport, dated pay slips or vouchers from her employer to indicate that she has worked in another country after her departure from the U.S., school records, and dated bank records. The visitor must keep copies of all the documents submitted and carry it with her the next time she comes to the United States in case the CBP Officer has any questions about her eligibility to enter.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego

and has continuously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His office address is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an of-fice in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Ma-nila, Philippines 1007, with telephone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475 or email him at [email protected] for your free consultation. He speaks Tagalog fluently. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheti-cals intended as general, non-specific legal information.

Cebu and Bohol.On top of all these is

shopping! As a result of this wonderful and hospitable shopping experience, the Department of Tourism (DoT) launched the Mabuhay Shop-ping Spree to project the Philippines as a shopping and entertainment destination.

The DoT partnered with major shopping centers in Metro Manila as part of the campaign in providing tourists shopping privileges such as special discounts and freebies.

“Shopping was never for-

mally promoted in the past but now, the DoT is promoting it because many foreigners find shopping in the Philippines an interesting experience,” said Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

Durano pointed to the number of shopping malls, tiangges, flea and night mar-kets that abounds in the metro offering affordable and quality products.

Among the DoT’s partners is the Greenhills Shopping Complex that prides itself in being ready and prepared for the influx of tourists and foreign guests. Ongoing is the 17th National Furniture, Furnishing & Fashion Festi-val back-to-back with the 5th Philippine Folk Arts & Crafts until April 8, 2010.

RP: A Shopping Mecca for tourists

& balikbayans(Continued from page 1)


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Facebook Event, 3/26/10 -- The Friends of Dr. Riz A. Oades in collaboration with the Asian Journal cordially invites you to the Dr. Riz A. Oades Memorial Forum to commemorate his 75th birth-day anniversary, on Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon at the KCS FilAm Wellness Center, 1419 E. 8th Street, National City, CA 91950. RSVP requested by Friday, March 26.

Call (619) 477-3392 | [email protected] | www.WebKalusugan.org

Type: Party - Birth-day Party

Date: Saturday, March 27, 2010

Time: 9:30am - 12:30pm

Location: Kalusugan Community Services/FilAm Wellness Center, 1419 E. 8th Street, National City, CA 91950 -- Submitted by Dr. Aurora Cudal

75th Birthday Anniversary of

Dr. Riz Oades

Leadership is a role cov-eted by some, chased by a few, and shunned by most. Some leaders think it is easy to be a leader, others think it is a burden to carry.

Leadership styles vary. Different techniques are used to inspire, motivate, and infl uence. The techniques used foster integrity and self-discipline, and bring about prog-ress, success, and positive change.

Are leaders born? There is a story about a group of tourists who were visiting a picturesque village. As they walked along, they met an old man walking along their way.

One tourist asked, “Were any great men born in this village?” The old man an-swered, “No, only babies.”

This story illustrates that leadership can be learned. There are plenty of books and seminars about leadership. A world-famous leadership author and seminar speaker is Dr. John Maxwell of Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Maxwell was our senior pastor for fourteen years at Skyline Church in La Mesa before he went into International Ministry and moved to Atlanta and then to Florida.

Maxwell said, “In every age, there comes a time when leadership must come forth to meet the needs of the hour.”

If you are a leader coming forth “to meet the needs of the hour”, or even of years and decades, these are the quali-ties of a good leader:

A LEADER HAS VISION. He has the ability to see today what is beyond tomorrow. He sees the big picture and enables others to see it with him. He is persuasive, and can convince others to share his vision and turn that vision into reality.

What it takes to be a leader

Vision alone without a reality is just a mere dream. Working without vision is working for nothing. It takes both vision and its realization to equal success!

A LEADER BELIEVES IN TEAMWORK. It is

said that the word “team” in teamwork is an acronym for “together everyone achieves more.” Success in any en-deavor is not a product of a single mind, but a combina-tion of the minds of all.

Pangalan - Mica MartinezGrade 11 - Otay Ranch High School

Pangalan - Mica Martinez

Sa ating pagsali sa Census 2010 tayo rin ang makikinabang dito.

The leader of the team is going somewhere, but not alone. He takes others with him. He trusts his team, be-cause he knows that without trust, his team will not go all out for him.

A leader attracts the best minds. Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a be-ginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” A group becomes a great team when the leader and every member work in harmony to get things done without their egos getting in the way.

A LEADER TAKES RISKS. Nothing worthwhile can be achieved by doing it the easy way. Greater risk brings bigger result. You cannot sail in the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

A leader keeps his cool under pressure, and does not crumble like a cookie. He functions best under fi re, and makes the right decisions when the going gets tough. A per-son can never be what he can be if pressure, risk and tension are taken out of his life.

A LEADER DELEGATES

AUTHORITY AND RE-SPONSIBILITY. He doesn’t micromanage. He has enough self-restraint to keep out of the way while his people do their thing. He takes the blame if anything goes wrong,

and shares the credit when everything goes right.

B.C. Forbes said this about delegation: “The most successful executives care-fully select members of their team. They don’t strive to do everything themselves. They train and trust others, because this leaves them free to think. No matter how able, the leader who insists on running a one-man enterprise courts unhappy cir-cumstances when his powers dwindle.”

The great World War II General George Patton also said, “Don’t tell a man how to do a thing. Tell him what you want done, and he’ll surprise you by his ingenuity.”

A LEADER RESPECTS PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES. Since ev-eryone is different, the leader recognizes this and respects it. He doesn’t put his per-sonal imprint on everything because doing so would be disastrous to the team. He in-vites dissenting opinions, be-cause the best ideas come out when like and unlike minds coalesce or come together.

A LEADER HAS CRED-

IBILITY. He shows the same face to everyone, and is not “wishy-washy.” He walks his walk and talks his talk; says what he means, and means what he says. People believe

in him because of his high morals and strength of character

A LEADER IS PER-SISTENT. A poem about

persistence written by Calvin Coolidge says it all: “Noth-

ing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more com-mon that unsuccessful men with talent. Education will not. The world is full of edu-cated derelicts. Persistence alone is omnipotent.”

A leader must walk and lead with faith. If he sum-mons the courage to press on, having faith that his vision

will come to pass, it will! A LEADER HAS FO-

CUS. Focus is concentrating on your vision, your target, and what you need to accom-plish. The leader stays on track and keeps on track – his eye on the goal at all times.

Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you may end up some place else.” The absence of a goal to focus on leads to con-fusion and emptiness. Not to

mention disaster!A LEADER IS

ALL THAT AND MORE. He is a good

listener, responsive, sensitive, aware and encouraging. He is thoughtful, enthusias-tic, responsible, disci-

plined, and highly moti-vated. When a leader is present

in any group, you can recog-nize him even if you don’t know his name. He is the one whose ideas are listened to and almost always fol-lowed. He is the one whose opinions are sought after by the group. He is respected for his expertise, and admired for his humility.

If you are a leader, are you this kind of leader?

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

by Zena Sultana Babao


An Unauthorized History of the Philippines

Fourteenth of a seriesBy Rudy D. Liporada

In the fi rst series, the author stated that history is written by those who have the time to interpret events based on their perspectives and believed by those who do not know bet-ter. In the subsequent series, the author traced why Spain and the United States came to the Philippines and why the Filipinos failed to see their economic intentions.

American Atrocities in sub-jugating the Filipinos

After decades and the barbarity incurred during the Japanese war where Filipinos and Americans fought side by side, the atrocious massacres of

Filipinos during the Ameri-can occupation and pacifi ca-tion in the early 1900s seemed to have dulled in Filipinos’ historical consciousness. It appears that the Filipinos have a collective amnesia on the fact that an estimated 600,000 Filipinos were butchered in the name of America’s Manifest Destiny and Benevolent As-similation.

The gravity of the atrocious massacres was expressed by a US congressman when he said that “they never rebel in Luzon anymore because there isn’t anybody left to rebel.”

The monstrosity of it all was also expressed by a con-science bothered US sergeant, Arthur H. Vickers of the First Nebraska Regiment, saying: “I am not afraid, and am always ready to do my duty, but I

An Unauthorized History of the Philippines

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would like someone to tell me what we are fi ghting for.”

To particularize the ser-geant’s concern, Captain Elliot of the Kansas Regiment had this to say: “Talk about war being ‘hell,’ this war beats the

hottest estimate ever made of that locality. Caloocan was supposed to contain seven-teen thousand inhabitants. The Twentieth Kansas swept through it, and now Caloocan contains not one living native. Of the buildings, the battered walls of the great church and dismal prison alone remain. TYou can only faintly imagine this terrible scene of desola-tion. War is worse than hell.”

Although there was censor-ship on what really was hap-pening during the war, letters of soldiers such as these were sent to their families and found

themselves being pub-lished. Those who had eco-nomic interests in the Philip-pines propagated the stories that it was the Filipinos who started the war. They are sav-ages that must be contained. Americans who were against the war called on the govern-ment to stop its imperialistic designs.

Start of the Confl ict

Tension built between the Filipino rebels and the Ameri-can troops when the rebel forces were relegated to the background when the Ameri-can troops entered and held Manila after the Spaniards surrendered to the Americans in 1898. Still wondering what would happen next, Aguinal-do’s army occupied a trench-line surrounding Intramuros. They were still unaware at the time what the true intentions of the Americans were although ill suspicions already arose.

Although there were con-fl icting reports at who shot the fi rst volley, a story goes that on the evening of February 4, 1899, a Private William Gray-son of the Nebraska Volunteers shot a Filipino revolutionary. The private claimed that a group of Filipinos approached his position that provoked him to shoot. Whoever made the fi rst shot becomes academic

as shooting soon started down the ten-mile confrontation lines between the troops infl ict-ing hundreds of casualties at the ignition of the Philippine American war. The mismatch was right away proven where US troops supported by bombardment from Admiral Dewey’s fl eet continued to decimate Filipino positions. Within days, with the fi ghting spreading outward of

Manila, the superior American power infl icted more casualties climbing to the thousands.

Many of the American offi cers before coming to the Philippines were veterans of the Indian Wars back in main-land America. It was instilled in them that “the only good In-dian was a dead Indian.” They applied this sentiment to the Filipinos who they called ‘nig-gers.’ Thus, when Aguinaldo ordered his men to switch from conventional warfare to gue-rilla tactics, the war became a savage, no-holds-bar confl ict. The American troops, suffer-ing from ambushes, resorted to retributions where whole villages were torched, civilians were murdered and prisoners were tortured.

Masters of their terrains, although they had limited weapons, the Filipinos became revolutionaries by night and peasants by day. They also had the

unrelenting support of the barrios and towns. To combat the guerillas, the US troops launched a pacifi cation cam-paign where every Filipino was considered an enemy and entire towns were held responsible as supporters of the revolutionaries. Towns, by mere suspicion of supporting the insurgency, were burned with its population indiscrimi-nately murdered. Tortures were undertaken to force out infor-mation from suspects.

The pacifi cation also en-tailed “reconcentration” where the entire population of a vil-lage or town was hauled into a concentration camp. This was to dry up support for the gue-rillas. In the process, a whole town’s population suffered from starvation, disease, and death in these concentration

camps due to non-existence of livelihood, overcrowding, and improper sanitation.

The Balangiga Massacre

One of the most notable example of massacres during the war occurred in Balangiga in Samar, Visayas which was a small seaside village of 200 nipa

houses. In August 1901, the Company C of the 9th Infan-try Regiment of the US army was ordered to set up a gar-rison in Balangiga as a spring-board for the pacifi cation of the Visayan Islands. One of the hunted rebels then in the area was Vicente Lukban.

Immediately after their ar-rival, the US troops took over the government of the town, occupying local huts. The male residents from eighteen years old were forced to clear the nearby forests where guerillas were suspected to be hiding.

The men were forced into

wooden pens at night where lodging was cramped.

Becoming boisterous, an American also raped one of the town’s lass.

With pent up anger, the residents decided to get back at the intruders. On September 28, after making the women and children hide for safety, the males dressed up as women and marched as in a funeral carrying coffi ns of what ap-peared to be children’s corpses. The coffi ns contained rifl es and bolos.

At a signal at 6:30 a.m. by the pealing of bells of Balan-giga, 400 men attacked the 74 American soldiers who were having their breakfast. Fifty-four American troops died and 18 were wounded in the attack. Survivors reported the grisly attack which was played up in news reports in the US. Report-ers equated the incident to the massacre of George Armstrong Custer men at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Americans

were shocked and took this as an example of the Filipinos being savages who must be tamed.

A retaliation expedition led by General Jake Smith resulted in a reign of terror in Balan-giga. He ordered to “kill and burn” the town, to shoot at

everyone capable of carry-ing arms – even boys over ten years old. “I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn; the more you kill and burn, the better it will please me...” He had turned Samar into a “howl-ing wilderness.”

Ransacking the whole village, the American forces carted the two Balangiga church bells and shipped them to Wyoming where they still are today as war booty memo-rabilia.

A British writer in the 1990s estimated that 2,500 Samarians were killed by US troops in Balangiga. Filipino historians posted fi gures as



SAN DIEGO, CALIF. –The Continuing Education section of the San Diego Community College District has announced that its 2nd Annual Spring Flower Show will be held on April 9 and 10, 2010, Friday and Saturday at the West City/Point Loma Campus. The event will take place in Room 124, 3249 Fortham Street, San Di-ego, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, both days.

Admission to the Flower Show and parking are free. Japanese style floral arrange-ments made by the Continu-ing Education students, both beginning and advanced, will be on display along with ar-

Ikebana Exhibit at 2nd Annual Spring Flower Showrangements by Akiko Bourland. Japanese food, small floral arrangements, and ikebana supplies will be available for purchase. Demonstrations of Japanese flower arranging will take place on both days at 11:30, 1:30, and 2:30.

Ikebana, one of the traditional arts of Japan, began over five centuries ago and evolved into many traditional schools, each with a distinctive style. Akiko Bourland, Grand Master of the Ohara School of Ikebana, has been teaching Japanese flower arranging in the adult Continu-ing Education for over 35 years; this Spring semester she has nearly 200 students.

Entertainment

Movies to Watch(Following are movies now showing or

soon to be shown in San Diego.)

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

negosyo rin siyang build and sell. At wala rin kaming pack-age deal. When the advertis-ers like to get a family, I’m really glad na kami talaga ang naiisip nila.”

Carmina willing to lend

Zoren to BB(Continued from page 1)

She’s now more open talk-ing about ex-husband Rustom Padilla aka BB Gandanghari. “Last time we talked was before he came out pero mula ng maging BB siya, hindi pa

kami magkita ulit. Maybe when I see her as BB, I’ll introduce myself as respect for his new identity kasi ang kilala ko, si Rustom, e dead na raw ‘yun, di ba? Buti na lang di kami nagkaanak. Kundi, paano ko e-explain? Anak, dalawa na kaming nanay mo. I want BB to be happy kasi happy ako ngayon sa buhay ko. He deserves to be happy also.”

BB says she wants to be paired with Zoren. What does she think? “No problem with me. Okay sa’kin. Ewan ko lang with Zoren. Siya ang magde-decide.” After being together for 10 years, when will she

and Zoren tie the knot? “It will come, but not now. We’ve talked about it but we want to be really ready for it and not just because people pressured us to do it.”

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gath-ering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her beloved uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial jour-nalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and the tattooed and troubled but resourceful computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi

Rapace) to investigate. When the pair link Harriet’s disappear-ance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vanger’s are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Sa-lander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves. www.musicboxfilms.com

This film is Not Rated by the MPAA. Running time 152 minutes.

Engagement Opens Friday, March 19thLandmark’s La Jolla Village & Hillcrest Cinemas

8879 Villa La Jolla Drive & 3965 Fifth Avenue, Suite 200 – (619) 819-0236

The Art of the Steal In 1922 Dr. Albert C. Barnes created The Barnes Foundation in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, five miles outside of Philadel-phia. His astounding collection of Post-Impressionist and early Modern art, intended to serve as an educational institution, includes 181 Renoirs, 69 Cezannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picas-sos, 16 Modiglianis, and 7 Van Goghs. Dr. Barnes deliberately

built his Foundation away from the city and cultural elite who scorned his collection as “horrible, debased art.” But tastes changed, and soon the very people who belittled Barnes want-ed access to his collection. When Barnes died in 1951, he left control of his collection to Lincoln University, a small African-American college, with strict instructions that the paintings may never be removed. More than fifty years later, a powerful group of moneyed interests have gone to court in a rancorous, Machiavellian attempt to take the art—recently valued at more than $25 billion—and move it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-art-of-the-steal

This film is Not Rated by the MPAA. Running time 101 minutes.

Engagement Opens Friday, March 26thLandmark’s La Jolla Village Cinemas

8879 Villa La Jolla Drive – (619) 819-0236

Mother

The latest film from award-winning Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host) is a unique murder mystery about a moth-er’s primal love for her son. Mother is a devoted single parent

to her simple-minded twenty-seven-year-old son, Do-joon. Often a source of anxiety to his mother, Do-joon

behaves in foolish or simply dangerous ways. One night, while walking home drunk, he encounters a school girl who he fol-lows for a while before she disappears into a dark alley. The next morning, she is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. An inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force result in a speedy conviction. His mother refuses to believe her beloved son is guilty and immediately undertakes her own investigation to find the girl’s killer. In her obsessive quest to clear her son’s name, Mother steps into a world of unimaginable chaos and shocking revelations. (Fully subtitled) http://www.mother-film.com/

This film is Rated R by the MPAA. Running time 128

minutes.

Engagement Opens Friday, March 19th

Landmark’s Hillcrest Cinemas3965 Fifth Avenue, Suite 200

– (619) 819-0236


Oakland, Calif. 3/11/10 --Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that California Department of Justice agents arrested a former nursing home admin-istrator, Concepcion “Connie” Pinco Giron, 51, of Rich-mond, who “callously stole” more than $50,000 from six of her elderly patients, one of whom she kidnapped and held for nearly a year in order to take her pension and social security checks.

Giron faces one count each of kidnapping to commit another crime, false imprison-ment and elder abuse, and six counts of theft from elder or dependent adults by a caretak-er. If convicted, Giron faces up to 12 years in prison. Giron is being held at Alameda County Jail, and bail has been set at $365,000.

“Giron callously stole thousands of dollars from elderly and sick people, even going so far as to kidnap an elderly woman with Alzheim-er’s and steal the woman’s so-cial security checks,” Brown said. “This is a shocking case of nursing home abuse and a gross violation of trust.”

In August 2009, agents from Brown’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (BMFEA) received a complaint against Giron, who at the time was the assistant administrator of Elmwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Berkeley.

Brown’s office began an investigation and discovered that Giron had kidnapped an 85 year-old woman with Alzheimer’s and moved her from the nursing home to

Brown Arrests Former Nursing Home Official Who Kidnapped Alzheimer’s Patient and

Stole Social Security ChecksGiron’s own home. To kidnap the woman, Giron falsified the discharge paperwork and told her employer that the patient was transferring to a licensed facility. Giron held the vic-tim in her home for almost a year and cashed her monthly pension and social security checks to pay Giron’s own bills and rent. The victim, who was not harmed, was later taken to a licensed facility.

As the investigation con-tinued, agents from Brown’s office also found that Giron had opened bank accounts for several of her patients and had transferred funds from those accounts into her own bank account. Giron wrote checks to herself from the patients’ accounts, used their ATM cards and stole cash from patients’ trust accounts that were maintained by the nurs-ing home.

In addition, Giron con-vinced the son of a full-time patient that he needed to pay an extra $600 a month in cash to keep his mother in the facil-ity. Giron pocketed these pay-ments, which the son made for 18 months.

In total, Giron stole more than $50,000 from six of her elderly patients and their families.

Brown’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse protects patients in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities from abuse and neglect. The Bureau also investigates and prosecutes those who cheat taxpayers out of millions of dollars each year and divert scarce health-care resources from the needy.

Last year, Brown’s Bureau

of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse returned more than $12 million to victims of elder abuse and secured 47 crimi-nal convictions in elder abuse cases. Although elder abuse can take many forms, the ma-jority of cases involve abuses at California’s skilled nursing facilities. Brown’s office uses its civil, administrative and criminal enforcement powers to bring poorly performing care facilities into compliance with federal and state laws.

To report cases of elder abuse, please contact the Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse hotline toll-free at 1-800-722-0432 or visit: http://ag.ca.gov/bmfea/report-ing.php.

Copies of the arrest warrant and complaint, filed in Alame-da County Superior Court, are attached. The Alameda Coun-ty District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case against Giron.

issued and another 2,244 were issued in the next two months.

Congress approved an annual limit of 10,000 U visas but the cap does not apply to eligible family members. The U nonimmigrant classifica-tion was created to facilitate the reporting of crimes to law enforcement officials by trafficked, exploited, victim-ized, and abused aliens who

Victims of Domestic Violence and other

crimes can apply for a “U” Visa


are not in lawful immigrant status. It is intended to en-courage aliens who are vic-tims to report violent crimes to law enforcement without fear of deportation. The U is classified as a nonimmigrant status. However, after three years in U status, an alien who has been continuously pres-ent in the United States may apply for lawful permanent residence, which status may be granted on humanitarian grounds, to ensure family unity, or when it is otherwise in the public interest. The alien who obtained a U visa will receive employment authorization and can bring their spouses, children, un-married siblings under 18, and parents to join them. The visa provides an alternative to victims of domestic violence who are not eligible under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) because they are not legally married to the abuser.

The following are the

qualifying crimes for the U visa: domestic violence, sexual assault, abusive sexual contact, prostitution, sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation, being held hos-tage, peonage, involuntary servitude, slave trade, kidnap-ping, abduction, unlawful criminal restraint, false im-prisonment, blackmail, extor-tion, manslaughter, murder, felonious assault, witness tampering, obstruction of jus-tice, and perjury. It must be kept in mind that it is not only the commission of a crime or criminal activity that gives rise to a U application, but also an “attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit any of the qualify crimes. Also violation of a restraining order is a qualifying crime.

To be eligible for a U visa, the foreign national must have suffered substantial abuse as a result of having been a victim of qualifying criminal activity, information

about the qualifying criminal activity, been helpful to the investigation or prosecution of the crime or criminal activity, and received a certification from the relevant U.S. govern-ment authority of such past, present or future helpfulness. According to the regulations, physical or mental abuse means injury or harm to the victim’s physical person, or harm to or impairment of the emotional or psychological soundness of the victim. Fur-ther, the harm suffered may be a result of a single criminal event or a series of acts when taken together may be consid-ered to constitute substantial physical or mental abuse even when no single act alone rises to that level.

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

858

Now Hiring Drivers


San Diego, CA – Wednes-day, March 10, 2010 - Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) unveiled today a new Pediatric Developmental Services facility at their Lo-gan Heights location at 1809 National Ave., to meet the critical need for the identifi ca-tion and treatment of devel-opmental delays in children. Facility tours were offered after brief remarks from Fran Butler-Co-hen, CEO Fam-ily Health centers of San Diego and Nick Mac-chione, Commis-sioner, First 5 Commission of San Diego.

Between 35 and 40% of children screened at FHCSD’s Health and Developmental Services programs exhibit developmental delays, mostly related to speech and fi ne and gross motor skills. If not ad-dressed early, the delays can lead to low academic perfor-mance and behavior prob-lems, impeding their school readiness.

The new facility, funded by the First 5 Commission of San Diego and supported by the Rest Haven Children’s Health Fund, nearly doubles the space previously available for treatment, allowing for the addition of several more treatment providers, including physical therapists, speech pa-thologists, and developmen-tal “early interventionists.” Family Health Centers of San Diego is the medical home to thousands of the families re-quiring these services, making the transition to specialized care easier and less anxious.

Who we are• Family Health Centers

of San Diego is a family of community health centers that provides affordable medical, dental and mental healthcare

First 5 San Diego And Family Health Centers Showcased

New Facility For Children With Developmental Delays

services to anyone in need.• Second largest com-

munity health center system in the nation, with 28 loca-tions throughout the county and serving over 100 addi-tional locations through our 3 mobile medical units.

• Last year, we cared for 120,000 patients through almost half a million patient visits. 60% were uninsured

and 97% earned less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, in other words, less than $21,000 a year for

a family of four. • Primary Care Ser-

vices: Men’s and Women’s Health; Pediatrics; Counsel-ing; Dentistry; Optometry/Ophthalmology (Eye Care), Pharmacy.

• Specialty Care: Speech Therapy, Audiology (Hearing), Physical Therapy, Orthopedics (Bone and Muscle Problems), Podiatry (Feet), Ear Nose and Throat, Adolescent Services, Neurol-ogy (Nervous System).

• The largest provider of school-based health ser-vices in San Diego County, serving over 60 schools.

• The largest provider of HIV/AIDS outreach, test-ing, prevention and treatment in San Diego.

• We are accredited by Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (Joint Commis-sion), which sets healthcare standards nationally and is recognized as a symbol of quality care.

A police station gets 2 new horses and 2 cops are assigned to be mounted policemen. They go on a ride and come back pleased.

“This horse is great! From now on I’ll always take this one” said the fi rst cop.

“My horse’s great too. So I’ll always take it” replied the second cop.

“But how do we know which is which?”

They though for a minute or two and one of them came up with an idea.

“Lets cut off this ones tail”The other cop agreed and

the horse lost it’s tail. The next morning The police chief is standing infront of the horses and looks really mad. The two cops see this and ask whats wrong.

“You two morons cut off the horses tail that’s what’s wrong!”

“But otherwise we couldn’t tell them apart.”

“Can’t you see the black one is a bit taller then the brown one.?!”

Q: What do you call a mon-

key on a mine fi eld ? A: a baboom

***

Imagine that ur in the forest where there is a tiger in front of you right about to eat you. What do you do?

U stop imagining...

***

A man fi nds a genie lamp.He rubs the lamp and a genie

comes out and says “I may grant you 3 wishes, but your wife gets double.”

The man wishes for a new car. The genie gives him a new car and the man’s wife 2 new cars.

The man then wishes for a new house. The genie gives him a new house and the man’s wife 2 new houses.

The man then says, “For my fi nal wish, I wish to be beaten to half-death.”

***A grasshopper walks into a

bar, bartender says, “Hey we have a drink named after you.”

Grasshopper says, “Really? You have a drink named Larry?”

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

***

One day the kids in Ms. Ev-ans science class was disagree-ing with her.

Ms. Evans was talking about evolution. Ms. Evans was and atheist so she didn’t believe in God.

Then Johnny raised his hand and said, “But I thought God cre-ated mankind?”

Ms. Evans then replied, “Well can you see God?”

“No.”“Hear God?”“No.”“Feel God?”“No.” This went on for quite

a while.“Well then God doesn’t ex-

ist.”Then Johnny whispered back

to his friend Jimmy, “Can you see Ms. Evan’s brain. No, so that must not exist.”

***

Mr. Brown was telling his son a bed-time story.

“Once upon a time there was a white bunny.....”

“Jeez..dad it’s boring,what about science fi ction?” “Ok,Ok” Mr Brown said.

Once upon a time there was a Bunny who got onto a spacecraft and....”

“Dad, a little more grown up!” “Do you promise me not to tell your mom?” asked Mr Brown. “ I swear!”

“Ok”, “Once upon a time there was a naked bunny......”

***

A man just got out of jail and ran down the road saying, “I’m free I,m free” and this little boy said, “Whow I’m four.”

***

When is a door sweet and tasty??

When its jammed!!!

***

What do you call a old snow-man?

Water.

Two HorsesSACRAMENTO – Assem-

blymember Marty Block an-nounced today that Arlie Rica-sa, President of the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) Board of Trustees, was honored this week in the California State Legislature as the “Woman of the Year” from

Arlie Ricasa Honored as “Woman of the Year”

Assemblymember Marty Block Presents Award to School Board President

the Assembly chamber at the State Capitol.

Ricasa, Director of Student Development at Southwestern College and an educator for over 25 years, was recognized for her outstanding community service, unyielding advocacy and exceptional work with

youth.“Arlie is a remarkable college

administrator, public servant, community volunteer,

mother and wife who is a role model for youth and residents of our district,” praised Block.

“I am truly honored and humbled to receive this rec-ognition from the Legislature and Assemblymember Block,” Ricasa said. “Working for our children, local residents, and underserved communities gives me fulfi llment, joy and the sense of giving back to others.”

Ricasa, a mother of fi ve school-age children, is current-ly serving her 12th year on the SUHSD Board of Trustees that oversees the nation’s largest secondary school district. She earned her Master’s Degree from San Diego State Univer-sity and volunteers countless hours to community organiza-tions such as the South Bay Family YMCA, Chula Vista Police Activities

League and MAAC Project of San Diego County. Ricasa previously received honors including “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” and as one of the “Twenty Outstand-ing Filipino

Americans in the United States and Canada”.

For additional information on the Woman of the Year award, please contact Block’s

offi ce at (916) 319-2078.

the 78thAssembly District. Block

presented the award to Ricasa in a ceremony that was held in

high as 50,000. While the fi g-ures will never be ascertained, the incident exhibited the mon-strosity of US troops during the pacifi cation campaign.

Other Rebels continued the Resistance

Even after Emilio Agui-naldo had been captured and had pledged allegiance to the United States, a number of Katipuneros continued the fi ght against the imperialists. Dubbed as bandidos, tulisans, and landrones, they asserted that their resistance was a con-tinuation of Bonifacio’s Ka-tipunan struggle. They, howev-er, failed to conjure up a more nationally scoped movement and, isolated, they surrendered, with most of them hanged.

Notable among these Katipuneros was Batangueno General Miguel Malvar who took over the resistance when Aguinaldo was captured. Declaring himself president of the Republic in the absence of Aguinaldo, he executed the guerilla warfare as instructed by Aguinaldo. However, with US Major General Franklin Bell implementing the re-concentration camps, Malvar became isolated. Hungry in the mountains with his wife nurs-ing, he surrendered on April 1902. It is reported that around 100,000 Batanguenos perished in the campaign against Mal-var.

Luciano San Miguel re-vived his Katipunan com-mand in Zambales and was also elected national head. He died in a battle with Philippine Constabulary and Philippine Scouts in Morong.

An Unauthorized History

of the Philippines(Continued from page 11)

Faustina Guillermo as-sumed command when San Miguel died and joined up with Macario Sakay who also declared himself president when he proclaimed a Repub-lic of the Tagalogs. Sakay was hanged September 1907.

General Simeon Ola launched guerilla raids against US troops in Albay until his surrender on September 25, 1903. He has the plume for being the last revolutionary general to have surrendered to the Americans.

Creation of the Philippine Constabulary and Philippine Scouts

It should be noted at this juncture that, like the Span-iards creating the guardia civil, mercenaries from among the indios, the United States es-tablished the Philippine Con-stabulary on August 8, 1901, by authority of the Act No. 175 of the Philippine Commission. The constabulary was created to assist the American troops in combating the remaining Filipino revolutionaries.

Captain Henry T. Allen was entrusted to the PC’s creation and he was later dubbed as the Father of the Philippine Constabulary. The fi rst two Filipinos who qualifi ed for the force as 3rd Lieutenants were Jose Velasquez of Nueva Ecija and Felix Llorente of Manila. Constabulary soldiers then were trained at the Philippine Constabulary School which was established in February 17, 1905 at the Santa Lucia barracks within the walls of Intramuros. In 1908, the school was transferred to Baguio City and was seminal to the evolu-tion of the current Philippine Military Academy.

In short, the Philippine Constabulary and the future Armed Forces of the Philip-pines was originally designed,

like the guardia civil, to sup-press

Filipino rebellion.

In the continuing series:Jose Rizal – Made in

America HeroThe US prepares the Philip-

pines for a Sham IndependenceShould General Douglas

McArthur be venerated as a hero?

Statistics shows that almost 90 percent of the Filipinos are literate giving us the edge in the international employ-ment. It is as if the educational system was patterned to make Filipinos serve the needs of the world.


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

God save the PhilippinesPart 2

There were other certificates of deposit from Philippine banks worth about US$1 million, five handguns, 154 videotapes, sev-enteen cassette tapes, and 2,068 pages of documents - all of which were impounded by Customs. The Marcos party was allowed to keep only US$300,000.00 in gold and $150,000.00 in bearer bonds that they brought in with their personal luggage because they declared them and broke no US customs laws.

There were 24 one-kilo gold bars fitted into a=2 0$17,000 hand-tooled Gucci briefcase with a solid gold buckle and a plaque on it that read, “To Ferdinand Marcos, from Imelda, on the Oc-casion of our 24th Wedding An-niversary. “

February 1986

When Marcos departed the Philippines, the losses in the three Central Bank accounts surpassed Php 122 billion (more than $6 billion). The big bulk of losses was attributed to the RIR account mainly due to two items: forward cover and swap contracts. For-ward cover referred to foreign exchange provided by the CB at a fixed exchange rate to importers of essential commodities. Swap contracts referred to CB’s receiv-ing foreign exchange from banks in exchange for pesos at the pre-vailing rate with a promise to de-liver the foreign exchange back to them at an agreed future date.

There was no mention of loss-es due to CB transactions in gold or foreign exchange.

February 28, 1986

On this day, Jim Burke, secu-rity expert from the US Embassy, was tapping on the wooden panel-ing in Imelda’s abandoned Mala-

canang bedroom when he heard a hollow sound. It was the walk-in vault. Inside were thirty-five suit-cases secured with locks and tape. They contained a treasure trove of documents about Swiss bank accounts, New York real estate, foundations in Vaduz, and some notepaper on which Marcos had practiced his William Saunders signature. They also contained jewelry valued at some US$10..5 million.

March 16, 1986

Did Marcos steal any gold from the CB? The CB always re-fused to comment. Why?

Today the LA Times reported that 6.325 metric tons of gold was unaccounted for in the Central Bank. Between 1978, the year Marcos ordered all gold produc-ers to sell only to the CB, and end 1984, the Bureau of Mines reported that 124,234 pounds of gold were refined.

But the CB reported receiv-ing only 110,319 pounds during this same period. That left a dif-ference of 13,915 pounds (6.325 metric tons).

March 1986

Jokingly referring to them-selves as the Office of National Revenge, a vigilante team led by Charlie Avila and Linggoy Alcuaz received a tip in the morning that Marcos’ daughter Imee had kept a private office in the suburb of Mandaluyong at 82 Edsa. They obtained a search warrant, then rushed to Camp Crame to pick up some soldiers. After devising a plan, they boarded four cars and drove to the premises, arriving around midnight. The soldiers scaled a fence and sealed off the area. Avila, Alcuaz, and their men moved in and found documents in cardboard boxes, desks, and

filing cabinets. Gunfire could be heard outside but it didn’t de-ter the search. The documents revealed the names of offshore companies and overseas invest-ments of Marcos and his cronies - a late link in the paper trail that had been started abroad by the teams of Avila, Steve Psinakis, Sonny Alvarez, Raul Daza, Boni Gillego, and Raul Manglapus.

March 09, 1986

A Greek-American, Demetri-os Roumeliotes, was stopped at the Manila International Airport before he could leave with eight large envelopes stuffed with jew-elry that he admitted belonged to Imelda - valued at US$4.7 mil-lion.

March 15, 1986

Ernie Maceda, Minister of Natural Resources, revealed to-day that some 7 to 14 tons of Philippine gold are sold to the Bi-nondo Central Bank annually and then smuggled to Sabah, Malay-sia - this gold being part of some 20 tons produced by 200,000 panners all over the country. Maceda’s query was whether part of the gold they produced was siphoned to the “invisible gold hoard of Ms. Imelda R. Marcos.”

“We deliver to the Central Bank,” the miners said. “If it happened (the siphoning), it hap-pened in the Central Bank.”

Is it true that Marcos propa-gated the Yamashita myth to hide the fact that he looted the Central Bank, that its gold bars were melted down and recast in odd-size bars to make them look old (how does gold look old, any-way?).

Marcos claimed that he “re-ceived the surrender of Gen. Yamashita” after a battle with his guerrilla outfit. History has recorded that Yamashita surren-dered to Lt. Co. Aubrey Smith Kenworthy and that there was no battle. Yamashita’s peaceful sur-render had been arranged at least two weeks before the event.

In one entry in Marcos’ diary he noted, “I often wonder what I will be remembered for in histo-ry. Scholar? Military hero…?” In a supreme irony, he did achieve

“interest group” within the politi-cal system.

Filipino-American Voters Coalition

Objectives:1. To identify Americans of

Filipino descent who can energize c and motivate the commu nity to political action;

2. To register more voters and familiarize them with election process;

3. To encourage active partici-pation of young Filipino students;

4. To encourage more qualified Filipinos to run for public office and support them gen erously;

5. To support non-Filipino candidates sympathetic with Fili-pino needs and concerns;

6. To continually work hard with local, state and federal agen-cies to get more qualified Filipi-nos appointed to policy-making positions;

7. To promote pride of Filipino ethnicity and heritage;

8. To organize programs with a view to accomplishing the above objectives;

9. To build a financially secure organization.

Officers

Chairman, Chairman-elect,

Co-Chairman, Secretary, Treasur-er, and Advisory Board Members.

Membership Dues

$300 annual fees for organiza-tions; $50 individual membership; $10 College students and Senior citizens

Issues & Research

Set up a data bank (e.g. Cen-sus Statistics and talents pool) to meet the needs of members.

Resource DevelopmentA. Develop youth leadership

training program.B. Organize chapters in differ-

ent districts in SD County.C. Network with other minor-

ity action groups.D. Seek funding for its proj-

ects.

Suggested Demands1. Establishment of a posi-

tion of public liaison officer of Filipino-American affairs in SD Mayor’s Office;

2. Protection from discrimina-tion (e.g. employment and educa-tion);

3. Extension of business and administration opportunities to Filipinos;

4. Equal financial assistance in grants and other government entitlements;

5. Appointment of qualified Filipinos in policy-making bodies.

Voters from 18 to 24 years are low participators and low party identifiers. If the or ganization could do something to increase the voting participation of these youngsters, this will be a big ac-complishment. The major objec-tive, of course, is to promote increased par ticipation among Filipino voters across the entire age spectrum. As Filipino-Ameri-can voters are mobilized, Filipino turnout in Election Day will be great.

The strength of this planned

Filipino American Voters Coalition:The Action Group That Best Promises

Political Influence

what he so vainly sought - last-ing fame - but not in the way he envisioned:

The largest human rights case in history - 10,000 victims.

Guinness Book of Records - the world’s greatest thief.

The largest monetary award in history - $22 billion..

September 30, 1986

Questioned by Philippine and US lawyers about his hidden wealth, Marcos took the Fifth Amendment 197 times. Imelda followed suit - 200 times.

coalition can be found in its uni-fied voice around five areas of work: encouraging voter registra-tion, educating voters, getting out the vote, monitoring the polls, and advocating for voter rights.

This effort is an unprecedented move to blur the party lines between Democrats and Republi-cans and set the groundwork for immediate formation and mobi-lization of a coalition group that would educate Filipino voters and solidify the community county-wide as a major voting bloc.

As one 2008 defeated candi-date said: ‘Let’s not point fingers or play the blame game, but pick up the pieces instead and move on.’ For if we Filipinos can suc-ceed in this country economically, why can’t we politically?

Our San Diego Filipino com-munity is still a fractured commu-nity. Many leaders have their own agendas, whose implementation would have been better fulfilled if they collaborate with other similar goals.

Individual leadership is getting out of fashion; It is communities’ leadership that produces optimal results. It’s time to move for-ward.-- Riz

UPCOMING FREE WORK-SHOP ESPECIALLY FOR YOUTH

Money Smart: Building your Financial Future Today. April 3, Saturday, 9:30 to 11:30 AM, FilAm Wellness Center (1419 East 8th Street, National City, CA 91950). Speakers will be Wil-lie Racelis from Forester Equity Services, Inc and Jay Montene-gro, Comerica Bank. Topics will include learning about:

• Key wealth building con-cepts and strategies,

• Right tools to achieve your financial goals,

• How current economic issues impact your future and

• How to detect and avoid financial pitfalls as you grow your financial assets.

There will be handouts, raffle prizes and food. Please call the Chris Feraro or Dr. Dirige at the Center for more information (619) 477-3392.



Wheat Ridge, CO – Cpl. Wil-liam (Will) Thorpe, a decorated combat Marine and a San Diego native from the Solana Beach area, will participate in a land-mark presentation this Saturday, March 27, 2010 at the Town and Country Hotel and Resort. The presentation, “What’s New in PTSD Treatment” will fea-ture firsthand experience with treatment regimes that offer excellent outcomes in treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Thorpe who served two tours in Iraq, the first was in Fallu-jah (2006-2007) where he was wounded when the Humvee he

Local Wounded Warrior to Present on PTSD

was serving as machine gunner on was blown up by an impro-vised explosive device. His sec-ond tour was in city of Ramadi in 2007-2008. After returning to the United States, Thorpe started to experience symptoms associated with traumatic Brain Injury(TBI) and PTSD. He was subsequently assigned to the Wounded War-rior Battalion East and is cur-rently engaged in biofeedback treatment for TBI and PTSD at East Carolina University’s Psy-chophysiology and Biofeedback Lab. Thorpe will present his sto-ry as part of a panel looking into new interventions for treatment of PTSD. The education panel is

being offered as part of the An-nual Meeting of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) being held from March 24 – 27, 2010 at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center.

The session will focus on the central autonomic network and its role in PTSD diagnosis and treatment. PTSD has a damaging impact on both the central and autonomic nervous systems. The session will define the Central Autonomic Network (CAN) as the intercommunication system between the central nervous system (CNS) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) and provide basic information on its biochemical (i.e. cytokines), psychological, (mood, anxiety) and physiological (heart rate variability) ramifications in the development and treatment of

PTSD. The session will review research that highlights the importance of this network in health and healing and illustrate an existing biofeedback program designed to “internally exercise” the CNS and ANS systems of Marines/Corpsmen Wounded

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After eight years of research, Dr. Liechtung created the pat-ented Snap-On Smile appliance that simply snaps in and out over patients’ natural teeth. Made of very thin, but extremely strong, specialized resin that resists stain-ing, Snap-On Smile can be used for years or worn as a preview and covering over ongoing dental restorations. It should never come lose or fall out. The customized appliance is available for upper and lower teeth and is easy to care for with a special Snap-On Smile Care Kit that comes with your Snap-On Smile appliance.

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Snap-On Smile offers a simple, life-changing solution for many patients of all ages: those with crooked, stained or missing teeth or with gaps, patients who are not candidates for implants or bridges,

people undergoing full-mouth reconstruction or implant pro-cedures, patients who want to avoid shots and drilling, as well as those who simply want better functioning teeth quickly, or a preview of what dentistry has to offer. Thousands of patients worldwide have already experi-ence the benefits of Snap-On Smile.

Ask your dentist for a Snap-On Smile appointment.

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Call C&C Smile Solutions Dr. Andrew Chan, DDS(858) 527-0365(760) 747-1701

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC), an equal opportunity contractor, is requesting proposals for public works project management services. Respondents must have on their team a licensed civil and structural engineer either as the prime consultant or subconsultant. The respondent is welcome to submit other subconsultants they feel are appropriate for the scope of work. It is CCDC’s intent to select three firms.

Proposals from small businesses, disabled veteran-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, firms owned by underrepresented ethnic groups and local firms are encouraged.

There will be a presubmittal meeting on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 9:00 am at the CCDC office at 401 B Street, Suite 400 in downtown San Diego. Subconsultants are encouraged to attend and network with prospective prime consultants. Any person(s) who desires to participate in the pre-submittal meeting but is unable to do so due to other circumstances, may upon advance notification request to have another reasonable means of participation. CCDC is under no obligation to furnish additional resources needed for any person to participate. CCDC will, however, make its best effort to provide for extended outreach, but in no event shall its failure to do so or any failure of the equipment entitle any person to protest the award of the contract.

Deadline to submit a response is Friday, April 30, 2010 by 4:30 pm. Solicitation text and attachments can be downloaded from CCDC’s Web site at www.ccdc.com (click on Business Opportunities, RFPs and RFQs, current RFPs and RFQs) or can be picked up at CCDC (401 B Street, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92101). For questions, please contact John L. Anderson, Senior Project Manager, Public Works at 619-533-7140 or [email protected].

Incomplete submittals, incorrect information, or late submittals shall be cause for disqualification. Copies received by e-mail and/or fax shall not be deemed as received.

Warriors suffering from PTSD.The Association for Applied

Psychophysiology and Biofeed-back (AAPB) is a membership organization founded in 1969. The goals of the association are to promote a new understanding of biofeedback and advance the

methods used in this practice. AAPB’s mission is to advance the development, dissemination and utilization of knowledge about applied psychophysiology and biofeedback. Contact: www.aapb.org, 303/422-8436.

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Spiritual Life

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

by Msgr. Fernando G. Gutierrez

Lower Your Nets

Joke of the Week: A youthful associate pastor was driving home his point to the youth group during his talk. “People waste many thou-sands of dollars on ornate coffins, fancy mausoleums and monuments to their dead bodies. Jesus was uncon-cerned by death that he had to use a tomb that was borrowed from Joseph of Arimathea. From the back of the room a voice said, “Father, Jesus only needed it for three days.”

Scripture: First Reading: Isaiah 50: 4-7. By the time this third servant song of

Palm Sunday: Filipinos’ Impoverished Psyche

and Holy WeekSecond Isaiah was written, the exiles had been in Babylon for two generations. The exiles had become accustomed to the Babylonian pagan values and cultures. They concluded that God had forgotten them in spite of the prophet’s continu-ous assurance that their exile would come to an end. Un-deterred by the exiles’ loss of hope and trust, in contrast, the prophet knows from his heart that God in the end would prove him right. Second Reading: Philippians 2: 6-11. The author stresses three movements that characterize

Jesus’ life: control, loss of control, new control. Christ’s pre-incarnate existence as Son of God shows his control over all things. He voluntarily gave up this control and became a suffering servant who was subjected to the power of evil. Precisely, because Christ’s was obedient until death, he gained a new control and was exalted by his Father. Gospel: Luke 22: 14-23: 56. Each of the four evangelists has different views of Jesus’ death. Matthew’s Pas-sion narrative, the longest of the four, por-trays the people as responsible for Jesus’ death. Mark presents a rejected and humiliated Jesus who in the end was vindicated by God, the Father. Luke uses the Passion as an occasion to showcase divine forgive-ness and compassion. John’s version of the Passion shows Jesus as a royal figure whose throne is the Cross.

Reflections: It is that time

of the liturgical year when the Gospel proclaims the Passion of Jesus. To hear the Passion proclaimed in churches and parishes makes us think right away about the suffering that Jesus endured for our salva-tion. But Luke in his narration of the Passion intends not just to present a suffering Jesus, but one who remains em-phatic and altruistic in spite of his own impending severe trials, suffering, and death. Luke resonates what the sec-

ond reading in today’s liturgy professes, i.e. that Christ, though Son of God, humbled himself and became one of us even to the point of death. He became emphatic with our human con-

dition and completely and directly assumed our condi-tions, motives, and situations. His altruistic ministry reaches its pinnacle by his death on the Cross.

What does Good Friday have that makes many Fili-pinos manifest their impov-erished psyche and morbid fascination with suffering and death? Some theories say that the early Filipinos’ venera-tion of the dead reflects the Spanish popular faith that is marked by a profound preoc-cupation with death and a religious fervor that focuses on the wounds and sufferings of Christ. The Christ image that is popular among ordi-nary Filipinos portrays Jesus as suffering, humiliated, and sacrificed. For example, a sur-vey shows that in Cebu City 43% of its residents prefer the Crucified Christ to the 28% in favor of the Santo Niño.

A spirituality that overem-phasizes suffering and death over struggle and victory can easily fall into superstitions and magical rites. Dying and death, similar to other

milestones in Philippine life, such as marriage and birth, are shrouded in supersti-tion and magic. Faith came to the Philippines through the union of cross and sword. We have kept the faith, but often times it caries the residues of pre-Spanish religion: sacramentals are like anting-anting (amulets) and saints are synonymous with anitos (tribal gods). The Filipinos’ morbid fascination with death conjoined with superstitious beliefs is seen clearly on Good Friday. Herbs are left at the foot of the Crucified Christ and after the “Siete Palabras” (Seven Last Words) are picked up by the faith-

ful who believe that they are sure remedies for all kinds of sickness. A few uneducated Filipinos still believe that amulets could be possessed on Good Friday. “Pakikiramay” (solidarity, especially in time of grief over death) motivates Filipinos to endure strenuous religious services, in the same way that Philippine mourners spend nights in wake with the grieving family. Overcome by “hiya” (shame) and feel-ing guilty and remorseful for having offended the deceased (Christ), Filipinos atone for their sins through sacrifices and reconciliation. This is akin to the practice of feuding members of Filipino fami-lies burying the hatchet out of respect for the deceased. For some, peace is kept only during the funeral. Thus, for some Filipinos, reconciliation


BalintatawRead Virginia Ferrer’s previous articles by visiting our website

at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Virginia H. Ferrer

DahonMalayo ang tanaw, malalim ang iniisip,ng ikaw ay namalas paningin ko’y iyong nahagipminasdan kang mabuti kakaiba ang iyong hgugisbatid kaya nila ang ganda mong hatid?

Dinampot at inilagay kita sa aking mga paladat hinaplos-haplos ang angkin mong kintabang taglay mong kulayluntiang matingkadpag-asa sa buhay batid kaya ng lahat?

Mag-iiba rin ang kulay pagdating ng panahontulad ng ibang bagay sa pagdagdag ng taonngunit ang mahalaga maibahagi ang misyonmamalas ang ganda ikaw na munting dahon.


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

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

Balita Sa Bayan KoMatagal rin namang ako’y nanirahan sa bayan kong mahal,Panaho’y ginugol na aking alamin ang hindi ko alam.Dal’wang taon akong tumira’t nagtagal, doon nanirahan,Marami ngang bagay ang sadyang nagbago, magugulat ka lang.

Ibang-iba na nga itong ating bansa, sa kasalukuyan,Ang mga sasakyan, pabonggahan na at nag-gagandahan. Kahit na “secondhand” ito nama’y ‘loaded” ang pinta’y makinang,‘Di tulad “stateside” kapagka luma na ay kinakalawang.

Marami rin namang sasakyan na “high class” umaarangkada,May sariling “driver” na BMW, Mercedez, Hummer pa.Problema nga lamang sa mga sasakyan ang ating kalsada,Na parang “SUNGKAHAN”, daang butas-butas at maiinis ka.

May problema pa rin sa mga sasakyan at nagmamaneho,Kahit na may batas, hindi sinusunod, puro KASKASERO.Mula sa “TRICYCLE”, mga motorsiklo at “jeep” pasahero,Nakasama na rin, lahat ng may gulong, pati SORBETERO.

Sa dalawang taong paninirahan ko sa bayang Bocaue,Pulis ay mailap, dati-rati sana, doon lang sa kalye.Ang nakikita ko ay “TRAFFIC ENFORCER” na may tasang kape,Hindi tumitinag kahit magkagulo, lalo’t araw TIANGE.

May ganda rin naman akong nakikita sa sariling bayan,At mayroon ding pangit na ‘di magbabago kahit ka magdasal.Ang mga masikap, ngayo’y matagumpay sa ‘ginhawang buhay,Yaong mga TAMAD ay hikahos pa rin at pagapang-gapang.

Kung ang BALIKBAYAN ay muling bibisita sa sariling bansa,Mamamasdan ninyong nariritong lahat ang nuon ay wala.Ang modernong kalan, na anim ang “burner”, bahay na magara,Sa tatlong milyon lang, “60 thousand dollars” bayad pa ang lupa.

Paala-ala lang kung kayo’y uuwi, huwag magpautang,Talamak na “SCAM” mula kamag-anak, mga kaibigan.Minsan kang pasundot, pakaasahan mo, ito’y masusundan,Hanggang mahuthut ka, mainis, magalit, bumalik ka na lang.

Ngayon ko natalos ang samang tinuro ng mga KASTILA,Sapat nang magsimba, maging Katoliko, lubos maniwala.Ang ating talino’y hindi na nalinang sa maling akala,Kaya ang marami, magpahanggang ngayon ay nakatunganga.

Lumipas ang taon, ang ating isipan nagbago ring bigla,At tayo’y nagising ng walang bangungot mula sa Kastila.At ‘di rin umasa sa mga pangakong ‘tagal ng BILASA,Mula sa gobyernong mga sinungaling at wala ng awa.

Sikat na rin tayo sa panahong ito, sa maraming bansa,‘Dami ng tagumpay ang natatamo ng Pinoy kong kapwa.Larangang pagkanta, mga arkitekto, lahat pinagpala,At OFW na binibilang kong BAYANI NG BANSA.

Balitang mabuti, balitang masama ay isang sukatan,Sa uri ng landas na syang tatahakin nitong ating buhay.Huwag lang bibitiw sa mga pangarap at magsikap ka lang,At liliwanag rin ang landas na dati’y pulos kadiliman.

Tula ni: Romeo Nicolas Bocaue, Bulacan

with God or church atten-dance is seasonal: only during Holy Week.

We keep the faith, but also maintain our fear of the sword: some Filipinos feel fearful and tremble in the presence of those in author-ity and power. Unscrupulous Philippine police, politicians, and celebrities know that they can easily manipulate the poor and the powerless for their own selfish motives. The transference of this fear and trembling to worship and mixed with cultural value of “pakikisama” (smooth per-sonal relationship) can be wrongfully used to appease God’s anger, avoid punish-ment, and prevent bad luck by performing sacrifices, such as reading the “Pasyon,”

at the onset of Holy Week, flagellation or crucifixion on Good Friday. The alternat-ing, ambivalent, and wrong interactions between faith and cultural values, among other things, account why the spiritual, economic, and political life of many Filipi-nos is still impoverished! The poverty in body and spirit is so deep in the Filipinos that very few strive to go beyond this impoverishment, and reach for a more mature faith and altruistic relationship. It seems that Filipinos have nothing to offer to God and be with him except in their poverty-strick-en psyche, and they cannot go beyond the suffering and death of Good Friday to celebrate a transformed life of Easter! But the Filipinos cultural values can also be a way to authentic growth and progress for us, both as God’s creatures and as a nation. Cultural values, enlightened by a mature faith that is devoid of superstitious beliefs, can be our strengths and catalysts for change. Cul-tural values, such as “bahala na ang Diyos” (deep faith in God), pagdadamayan (solidar-ity with others) can overcome

barriers of “kanya-kanya” (re-fusal to share one’s resources) and “tayu-tayo” (great divi-sion between the “we” from the “they”) so that we can be more emphatic and altruistic. The Filipinos cultural values can surely be our hope to be “maka-tao” (pro-person), maka-bayan (pro-nation) and maka-Diyos (pro-God). A

Blessed Easter! Postscript: The Novena

to the Divine Mercy begins on Good Friday, April 2, and ends on April 11, 20010.

Quotation of the Week: “Nothing great was ever done without much enduring.”

St. Catherine of Sienna.

Palm Sunday: Filipinos’

Impoverished Psyche and Holy Week

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Notice of Intent to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) as Lead Agency pursuant to the California Environ-mental Quality Act intends to adopt a mitigated negative declaration (MND) for the San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan. The Regional Bicycle Plan provides guidance to local decision makers on the design of bicycle facilities, development of programs, and for prioritizing improvement projects.

The draft MND , Initial Study, and supporting documents may be reviewed or obtained at SANDAG, 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101. The documents can also be viewed on SANDAG’s web site at www.sandag.org/bicycle.

The public review period starts on March 25, 2010 and ends on April 26, 2010. Written comments on the adequacy of this MND must be received by SANDAG at the above address by April 26, 2010.

Please send your comments to Chris Kluth, SANDAG, 401 B Street Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101 or via email to [email protected]. Please include the name of a contact person.

Date: March 13, 2010

ian J rn

55

Request for Qualifications (RFQ)On-Call Legal Services

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is seeking Statements of Qualifications (“SOQ”) from qualified law firms or attorneys from which outside counsel will be selected to provide legal services on an as-needed basis.

A pre-proposal meeting will be held on April 2, 2010 at 10 a.m. in SANDAG Conference Room 7. Attendance at the pre-proposal meeting is not mandatory.

A copy of the RFQ (No. 5001395) can be accessed from the SANDAG Web site at www.sandag.org/contracts or by contacting:

Janet YehSANDAG

401 B Street, Suite 800San Diego, CA 92101

(619) [email protected]

SOQs are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, April 23, 2010.

CITY OF SAN DIEGOCity Planning & Community Investment Department

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALFOR

Economic and Fiscal Analysis for the San Ysidro Community Plan Update Process (H105080)

The City of San Diego (City) is requesting proposals from highly qualified economics firms for consultant services for Economic and Fiscal Analysis for the San Ysidro Community Plan Update Process (H105080).

It is the policy of the City to provide equal opportunity in its economics professional services contracts. Toward this end, proposals from small businesses, disabled owned businesses, women owned businesses, firms owned by African-Americans, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Filipinos, and Latinos, and local firms are strongly encouraged. Prime consultants are encouraged to subconsult or joint venture with these firms. The City endeavors to do business with firms sharing the City’s commitment to equal opportunity and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition or place of birth. This project has a voluntary Subcontracting Participation Level (SPL) goal of 15%. SPL goals are achieved by contracting with any combination of Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Women Business Enterprises (WBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE) or Other Business Enterprises (OBE) at the prime or subcontractor level. Definitions of MBE, WBE, DBE, DVBE and OBE are contained in the Request for Proposals (RFP). Attainment of the SPL goal is strongly encouraged, but strictly voluntary.

The City of San Diego will ensure that full access to programs, services, meetings and activities comply with Section 504, Title V, of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990, Public Law 101-336.

In-depth knowledge and a strong understanding of the local environment, and a local presence for interfacing with the City’s project management staff are essential to the successful completion of this project. The proposal must address the consultant’s knowledge and understanding of: the City and other local agencies regulations and policies; local environment; and local building codes and other criteria. The proposal must also address how the consultant plans to interface with the City’s project management staff and the consultant’s workforce in San Diego County.

All proposals submitted must be in full accord with the Request for Proposal (RFP) which can be obtained by requesting the RFP via email from John Mendivil, Consultant Services Coordinator, at:

[email protected] of San Diego, Purchasing & Contracting Department

1200 Third Avenue, Suite 200San Diego, CA 92101.

When requesting the RFP, please refer to the specific project title and number, Economic and Fiscal Analysis for the San Ysidro Community Plan Update Process (H105080). For questions about RFP procedures please call John Mendivil at (619) 235-5855.

A preproposal conference will be held on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 1:30:00 PM, at Civic Center Plaza Build-ing, 4th Floor Large Conference Room, 1200 Third Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101. It is strongly recommended that all interested parties attend. For more information, assistance, to request an agenda in alternative format, or to request a sign language or oral interpreter for the meeting, please contact Kevin Sullivan, at 619-236-7173 at least five working days prior to the meeting to ensure availability.

Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 30, 2010, at the location stated in the RFP. This RFP does not commit the City to award a contract or to defray any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal pursuant to this RFP. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this RFP. The City also reserves the right to revise this RFP, including but not limited to the pre-proposal conference date and the proposal due date. If the City revises the RFP, all RFP holders of record will be notified in writing by the City.

Summary Scope of ServicesIn order to evaluate the potential fiscal and economic impacts associated with new land uses strategies and poli-cies that will be developed for the San Ysidro plan update process, the City Planning and Community Investment Department invites interested parties who have successfully demonstrated an ability to perform similar assignments for a public agency, and have a proven record of success in providing economic and fiscal consulting services to formally submit a Response to the Request for Proposal (RFP). As part of the economic and fiscal analysis, the selected consultant shall provide the following: Market analysis of major land uses, Assessment of financial and physical feasibility of implementing alternative development prototypes and scenarios, Economic impact analysis of alternative land use scenarios, Fiscal impact analysis of alternative land use scenarios, Preparation of Economic Prosperity Element, and Input to the public facilities financing plan. The remainder of the Scope of Services is contained in the Request for Proposal for Economic and Fiscal Analysis for the San Ysidro Com-munity Plan Update Process (H105080), as Exhibit A to the Draft Agreement.

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ublicati n in the Asian urn l Please proof e d rrec ion if n o c l for you ppr val T e ti l ed l d be publi hed in he

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City of San DiegoNotice of Public Hearing for

FY 2011 CDBG and ESG Entitlements Proposed Allocations

The City of San Diego is expecting to receive an award of $15,027,728 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement funds and an Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) entitlement award of $595,120 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for FY 2011.

Notice is hereby given that the public hearing to adopt and approve recommended funding allocations of the FY 2011 CDBG and ESG funds is scheduled for Tuesday, April 6, 2010 in the City Council Chambers, 202 C Street, 12th Floor, San Diego, CA 92101. To order information in an alternative format, or to arrange for a sign language or oral interpreter for the meeting, please call the City Clerk’s office at least five (5) working days prior to the meeting at (619) 533-4000 (voice) or (619) 236-7012 (TT).

Public comments will be accepted during this hearing. In addition, written comments will be accepted prior to the public hearing at the CDBG Program office (1200 Third Avenue, Suite 1400, San Diego, CA 92101) or by email ([email protected]) through April 6, 2010. All updates will be posted on the CDBG website (http://www.sandiego.gov/cdbg/general/).

SOQs are due by 4 p m. on Friday, April 23, 2010.

Asian Journal r in Southe Califo nia an Diego’s Most W y lated Asi n

e , Sui e 6 N i

INVITATION TO BID EAST VILLAGE STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

BID NO. K105019RDABID OPENING: THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 AT 2:00 P.M.

On behalf of the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego (“Agency”), Centre City Development Corpo-ration (CCDC), an equal opportunity contracting entity, is requesting bids from “A” general engineering contrac-tors for East Village Streetscape Improvements project. The probable engineering estimated construction cost is $2,200,000. The scope of work includes removal and replacement of sidewalks, driveways, curb and gutters, pedestrian ramps, preservation of historic sidewalk stamps and installation of street trees located in East Village in downtown San Diego. This is a State of California Prevailing Wage project with subcontracting and vendor opportunities in the fields of landscaping services and trucking.

Bids are strongly encouraged from small businesses, disabled veteran-owned businesses, women-owned busi-nesses, firms owned by under-represented ethnic groups and local firms. This project will utilize the City of San Diego’s Subcontracting Outreach Program (SCOPe).

Primes and subcontractors are encouraged to attend the pre-bid meeting on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 9:00 am at CCDC’s offices - 401 B Street, Fourth Floor, San Diego, CA 92101 (619-235-2200).

Bid packages can be downloaded from the City of San Diego’s Engineering & Capital Projects Department website at:http://www.sandiego.gov/engineering-cip/services/consultcontract/advertising.shtml or, can also be viewed at the San Diego Contracting Opportunities Center (SDCOC), 4007 Camino del Rio South, Suite 210, San Diego, CA, 92108 (619-285-7020), or at CCDC plan review room at 401 B Street, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92101 (619-235-2200).

Bids are due by 2:00 p m. on Thursday, April 22, 2010 to the City of San Diego’s Purchasing & Contracts Depart-ment, 1200 Third Avenue, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92101. All questions must be submitted in writing directly to the project manager, Susan Diekman at [email protected] or fax at 619-236-9148.

NOTE:There may be Addendum issued related to this Invitation to Bid. Interested bidders are required to monitor the City of San Diego’s website at http://www.sandiego.gov/engineering-cip/services/consultcon-tract/advertising.shtml

WANTED LIVE-IN CAREGIVERS

BOARD & CARE FOR THE

ELDERLY NO EXPERIENCE

REQUIRED. WILL TRAIN

NORTH COUNTY AREACALL (858) 837-0213

(760) 749-9122

IMMEDIATE HIRING!!!

Census 2010: Have You Been Counted?(Continued from page 8)

have received a questionnaire, and the owner of that home may not have included you when he answered his family’s questionnaire. If this is your situation, visit one of the QAC’s or “Be Counted Form Centers” listed below so that you, too, may be counted.

1. Seafood City – 1420 E. Plaza Blvd, National City – 10 a.m. to 4 p m., Tuesdays to Saturdays

2. Manila Seafood – 616 E. 8th Street, National City – 10 a m. to 4 p m., Tuesdays to Saturdays

3. Seafood City – 1340 3rd Avenue,

Chula Vista – 10 a m. to 4 p m., Tues-days to Saturdays

4. San Diego Public Library, 820 E Street, San Diego – 12 noon to 3 p.m. , Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays

5. Southwestern College Higher Education Center, 900 Otay Lakes Rd, Chula Vista – 8 a m. – 8 p m., Mondays to Saturdays

For answers to Census 2010 ques-tions, call the Census helpline at 1-866-872-6865.

Filipino Complete Count Com-mittee, COPAO, Tel. No. 619-850-0825

EL CAJON, 3/26/10 -- The 14th Annual Rolando Street Fair is Sun-day, March 28th from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Over 100 vendor booths and non-profit community organi-zations participate with hand-made items for sale, delicious food, and services to offer. There will also be a Kids’ Corner with rides and activi-ties. Last year’s event attracted over 15,000 people !

The music has been booked with awesome local talent ! The band schedule is:

The San Diego School of Rock 10:30 – 11:30

The New Primordials 12:00 – 1:00

Steph Johnson Band 1:30 – 2:30Len Rainey and the Midnight Play-

ers 3:00 – 4:00Lee Coulter 4:30 – 6:00 This family-friendly event will

take place from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on Rolando Blvd. just south of El Cajon Blvd. For additional informa-tion, please contact: Betty Murasky (619) 286-4014 or Rhonda Johnson [email protected].

14th Annual Rolando

Street Fair is Sunday,

March 28th

asian journal mar 26 2010

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