asian journal oct 8, 2010

Toward An Industrial Policy

... p. 13

Give Thanks with a Greatful Heart

...p. 15

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(Continued on page 2)




Members of the diplo-matic corps and the Filipino community attended the event which was organized by the embassy to close the month-long Philippine Independence Day celebra-


PNS --Citing the high level of public trust and inves-tor confidence, the Aquino administra-tion is confident it could exceed the economic achieve-ment of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Secretary Her-minio Coloma, head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, said the President’s

PNoy to exceed GMA’s feat?

President Benigno Aquino III and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

campaign against corruption is also expected to give the economy a much-needed boost.

“Ang pangulo enjoys the clear mandate of the

PNS -- Now it can be told na tinangka naman palang manligaw ni Piolo Pascual kay KC Concepcion ngunit naudlot nga lang ito.

Mismong si Piolo ang umaming sisimulan na sana niya ang panliligaw kay KC, when she was 18 (she’s now 25), but she left for Paris for her studies.

Puwede sana nang bu-malik si KC pagkatapos ng pag-aaral nito sa Europe at mag-decide na mag-artista, ay binalikan ni Piolo ang hangaring ligawan ang anak ng Megastar.

Kaso, ’di nga ba at bago man maka-first base si Piolo,

Piolo at Pops naging mag-on!

napabalitang naging sina KC at ang band soloist na si Rico Blanco.

Now, another revelation, naging sina Piolo daw (daw, ha) at Pops Fernandez.

Piolo Pascual

October 8 - 14, 2010

Ben MaynigoMsgr. Gutierrez Ogie CruzWillie Revillame inaasahan and hiling na TRO ng ABS-CBN sa Q.C. Court... p. 19

A Filipina artist’s glass sculpture became a hit at the exhibition organized by the Philippine Embassy in The Hague.

The “Flag!” as the artist calls it, is the main feature of the exhibition of glass sculp-tures of Annie Virata-Hewes.

The UK-based Pinay said she toiled hard in Amster-dam for a week just to work on the glass flag.

The spectacular effect of light on the very pronounced colors of red, white and blue seem to show an illusion of a waving flag, but what is amazing is that it is entirely made of glass.

Pinay artist’s flag sculpture a big hit in Holland

Annie Virata-Hewes with her “Flag!” glass sculpture.

Isabel’s blood pressure shot up. She was outraged.

“That son of a bitch. He de-stroyed my life.”

“Just relax Ate. God will take care of him.

But Isabel could not be ap-peased. She was livid. She wanted to hit Lando’s face

with a metal bat and beat him to a pulp. Lando had done so much damage to her nothing would repay what she lost.

PROMISED LAND

Woman’s FuryVarious travel agents from

China have committed to pro-mote the Philippines’ tourism products and destinations to their countrymen upon return-ing home from a trip to one of the country’s prized destina-tions — Palawan.

Kelly Jiao from Shanghai, who led the Chinese delega-tion to the 10th Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex) held recently at the Manila Hotel, said they were so impressed by the warmth and hospitality of the Filipinos that they im-mediately enjoyed their brief stay in the country.

“At first, our group was a bit worried and wary. But af-ter two days, we were enjoy-ing our stay and didn’t worry

at all as we met with our local counterparts for the Phitex 2010 business meetings,” Jiao said.

Similarly, Shanghai Syn-walk International Travel Service general manager Bob Jia said in a TV interview that his company would continue pushing the Philippines to the Chinese market.

Jia described the Philip-pines as a country of beautiful scenery and wonderful people that the world should see and appreciate.

The tourism industry is hopeful of brighter things to come as the recently-conclud-ed promotion events yielded positive results. Phitex brought in 96 foreign buyers, including nine from China, to meet up and do business with local tourism promoters, numbering almost 200.

Based on initial reports, 14 buyers and 26 sellers made on-site bookings and an aver-age of 22 travel trade estab-lished.

Tourism Secretary Alberto A. Lim formally opened the business meetings with a short message that exuded confi-

China’s travel agents vow support for RP tourism

By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Asian Journal San DiegoThe Original and First Asian Journal In America

See page 10“ A world is like

a stage. All men and women are merely players.

They have their exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts”.

- ANONYMOUS

This memoir was

written to inspire its readers. I have no doubt that this

Appointment and awards, community discourse

Dr. Cesar D. Candari with his medallion from FEU Institute of Medicine, Manila Hotel, 1996

mission is achieved every time a page of this book is turned and the windows of our heart, mind, and soul are opened.

What impressed me most while I was writing my life story is the inspiration it has given me. It has moved me up to another stage in my

life. From a poor and lowly beginning and rising to the finer aspects of my life, my strong belief that dreams really do come true has been confirmed.

The following memoir started with a telephone call from my friend Tawfique

by Conrad I. Reloj, Jr.

If you have not been to Dona’s Hawaiian & Filipino Grill, GO! You’ll be in for some delicious and satisfy-ing experience. It’s a family owned restaurant; Noel & Dona Ileto open its door to the community last Decem-ber 1, 2009.

A selection of native dishes has been assembled with a variety selection of native dishes that features fresh and original home-cooking creations. Try their classic adobo, barbeque pork or chicken, beef steak, pancit and of course lumpia (shanghai, vegetable) and fresh lumpia, adobong posit, grilled jumbo shrimp, gi-nataang tahong at hipon, seaweed salad, and seafood delight...

Their Special Orders in-

Dona’s Hawaiian & Filipino Grill

Dona Ileto of Dona’s Hawaiian and Filipino Grill.

October 8 - 14, 2010Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

(Continued from page 1)

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by Atty. Jean TinsayLegal Buzz

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

by: Jean S. Tinsay, Esq.

Understanding how immi-grant visa numbers work can be confusing. Some are under the impression that by wait-ing to become a U.S. citizens, their unmarried children (21 years or older) will be able to come to the U.S. faster. Be-cause of this, they wait to file for an immigrant petition until they become naturalized U.S. citizen. There are also those

who file petitions for their unmarried children while they are permanent residents, then immediately naturalize think-ing that by becoming U.S. citizens, their immigrant peti-tions will be upgraded.

The Visa Bulletin which is published monthly by the Department of State provides information as to what im-migrant numbers are available for each month. Only appli-cants who have a priority date

CSPA’s “Opt Out” Provisionearlier than the cut-off date will be able to apply for im-migrant visas. The immigrant visa numbers for the Philip-pines in the family preference category for the month of Oc-tober 2010 is provided below.

For example, an unmarried child (21 years or older) from the Philippines who is the beneficiary of a petition filed in August 2002 by his per-manent resident parent falls under the second preference

category (F2B). For October 2010, his priority date is al-ready current since immigrant numbers are already available under the F2B preference category for those benefi-ciaries with priority dates of September 1, 2002 or earlier. However, if the parent had in the meantime become a U.S. citizen, the immigrant petition is automatically converted to the F1 category. As the table below shows, the immigrant

numbers for this category are only available to those with priority dates of March 1, 1997 or earlier. This auto-matic conversion to the F1 category instead of speeding up the immigration process for the unmarried child actual-ly causes a delay of 4-5 years.

The passing of the Child Status Protection Act of 2002 (“CSPA”) which took effect on August 6, 2002 provided relief for unmarried children (21 years or older) whose par-ents naturalized after filing of immigrant petitions. CSPA provides an “opt out” provi-sion which allows the unmar-ried child to elect not to have his immigrant petition con-verted to the first preference (F1) category and allow him retain his place in the second preference (F2B) category. The unmarried child can

exercise the “opt out” anytime after his parent naturalizes by submitting a written request to the District Office having ju-risdiction of his residence. In the example provided above, once the request is approved, the unmarried child retains his F2B preference category clas-sification and will be able to proceed with immigrant visa processing since his priority date is already current. Tried a Loan

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Come and fi nd out what your options are! Join real estate attorney Michael Spilger for a free informative seminar on the legal aspects of short sales, loan modifi cations and foreclosures, in order to help you make an informed decision about your property.

Khoury, a multi-millionaire businessman and the husband of Dr. Richele Khoury, my province-mate. It was in the later month of January 1990. He instructed me to call city Councilman Bob Filner. To make the story short, I met all the city council members and presented my curriculum vitae.

Appointed as Board of

Governor (Commissioner) San Diego Stadium Authority

In February 1990, the headlines in Filipino-Amer-ican newspapers have this to say:

“ The large Filipino-American community of more than 130,000, the largest Asian group in the County of San Diego, rejoices in the naming of Dr. Cesar D. Candari by the City Council of San Diego to the Board of Governors of the Jack Mur-phy Stadium Authority. He will serve for four years.” I was on the floor during the session of the city council and with the active endorsements of council members Bob Filner, Abbie Wolfsheimer, Linda Bernhardt, John Hartley and Wes Pratt were notable. Wolfsheimer made the nomi-nation in the session that was presided by Mayor Maureen


O’Connor.The late Ernie Flores, Jr.

editor and publisher of Fili-pino Press, a Filipino commu-nity newspaper in San Diego, in his coverage stated: “Dr. Candari has the distinction of being the first Pan-Asian to be named to the prestigious board.” The board makes policies for the San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium where events like football’s Super Ball and the San Diego Padres games were held. In a press interview, I stated that it was the right time for Filipinos to participate and be represented in the policy-making body of the city. Several Filipino leaders in the community praised my appointment stat-ing that it “highly deserves, indeed brings honor to the Filipino-American commu-nity.” Councilman Bob Filner who announced the appoint-ment had this to say: “ … I am very pleased that a person of Dr. Candari’s caliber will be serving on the board of the Stadium and will contribute to the City of San Diego in this very significant way.”

One Filipino businessman commented: “ It is an honor for the Filipinos here in San Diego to have one of their own people deciding major decisions that affect the profit-ability of San Diego’s famous stadium – a major source

of revenue for the city.” He further added: “Dr Candari’s evident visibility in the city as well as the state’s politi-cal arena has been producing positive image results for the Filipinos.”

Among the many friends and colleagues who were surprised but impressed by the appointment were my associ-ates in my group practice, especially Dr. Tyler Youngkin. They were very happy and gave me a pat on the back. As the saying goes, “The deepest principle of Human Nature is the craving to be appreciated. The reason flattery makes people feel good is because they know they deserve it.”

The nine members of the Board of Governors were mostly prominent business-men like for instance Mr. Khoury who wooed me to be a member. The Board had regular monthly meetings at 8:00 in the morning that usually lasted for an hour. As a pathologist I had to report to work at 7:30 a.m. so I was concerned about my coming late when we had these meet-ings. Thankfully, my medical partners were understanding and very supportive.

Our routine board meetings discussed problems, improve-ments, building additions, alcohol regulations, prices of foods, and financial issues related to the operation of the Stadium. These discus-sions and recommendations were subject for review and approval by the City Council


Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comOctober 8 - 14, 2010


FilAm Fest 2010

FilAm Fest staffers, Dennis Michael Broussard, J.R. Melchor, and Dr. Ofelia Dirige of KCS get kudos from elected officials.

Kalusugan Wellness Center’s Dr. Ofelia Dirige and friends.

South Bay Terrace Fil-Am Association members get ready for a performance.

Local performers rock the Bayanihan stage. Below: FilAm Actor Michael Copon dazzles a fan who waited in line to meet him.

A Bell Middle School volunteeer help with GK games.

Tony Young of District 4 stands and delivers.

Anthem: Star-Spangled Banner



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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.

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I am working on a case where U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (US-CIS) revoked the I-130 peti-tion fi led by a step-parent on behalf of her step-daughter. The decision stated that: “The marriage between the petitioner and the ben-efi ciary’s father is not valid. The benefi ciary’s father was previously married to the ben-efi ciary’s biological mother. However, there is no docu-mentary evidence to establish that the benefi ciary’s father’s prior marriage was legally terminated. The benefi ciary’s biological mother had been declared “presumptively dead” pursuant to a judicial decision dated December 18, 2005. However, it appears that the benefi ciary’s biologi-cal mother is actually alive. Because the benefi ciary’s father’s prior marriage was not legally terminated at the time of his marriage to the pe-titioner, the marriage between the petitioner and benefi cia-ry’s father is not valid for im-migration purposes.” USCIS conducted an investigation in the Philippines to determine if in fact the benefi ciary’s biological mother is alive. They found her voter registra-tion and her relatives gave statements confi rming she’s alive. This is caveat to those who are thinking of declar-ing their spouses dead instead of getting an annulment to

Legal presumption of death: When a dead spouse resurrects

terminate their marriages. With the declaration of death, there is always the chance that the absent spouse will resurface. When this hap-pens, the subsequent marriage can be declared void, and all rights and privileges emanat-ing from this marriage can be taken away.

Legal presumption of death is well recognized in the United States. I found this from Corpus Juris Se-cundum: “the presumption of death is effective for practically all legal pur-poses, including proceedings involving real property, and is available as a method of proof of death in cases where death is a jurisdictional fact that must be made to appear. The reason for the presump-tion is that it is necessary, on grounds of public policy, that rights depending on life or death of persons long absent and unaccounted for, should not remain in abeyance indefi -nitely but should be settled according to some fi xed rule. Under some statutes, a period shorter than seven years is prescribed, at least, accord-ing to some judicial declara-tions, for certain purposes. The American Jurisdiction provides that marriage is terminable only by death or presumption of death, or by judicial decree of divorce, dissolution, or annulment.


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

Contemporary Asian American Issues

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

Perspectives

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

widely circulated Asian-Filipino newspaper!

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

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

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

Dr. Rizalino “Riz” Oades, (1935-2009)

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

Genevieve SilverioManaging Editor

Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Miles BeauchampAssociate Editor

Santi SilverioAssociate Publisher

At Large...

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

by Miles Beauchamp

Environmental preserva-tion “continues to be a key management issue for the JAL Group who was recently acknowledged by the Japa-nese Ministry of Environment as an Eco-First company. JAL will persevere in its various conservation activities and also seek to raise awareness about the environment among

Japan AirlinesEnvironmental preservation in many ways from many sources

its customers by engaging them in green efforts such as the “JAL Miles for Eco” campaign.

Additionally, they will be working with OISCA (Orga-nization for Industrial, Spiri-tual and Cultural Advance-ment) which was founded in 1961 and based in Tokyo, OISCA-International focuses

on environmentally sustain-able development in countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

OISCA’s Inner Mongolia Greening Project Against Desertification aspires to curb increasing desertification and to mitigate damage caused by the clouds of yellow sands created by the desertification. The gradual encroachment of the desert is leading to soil degradation of the grassland and farmland which local ha-bitants rely on for their liveli-hoods.

Clouds of yellow sand cause sand storms across China and reach other coun-tries, including Japan and Ko-rea. The sand storms pollute the environment and can, for example, lead to respiratory health problems in humans, and damage the health and habitat of wildlife.

Launched 7 years ago, the project focuses on the Alxa (Arashan) region in In-ner Mongolia where, during the past decade, up to 1,000 square kilometers of land has become desert due to adverse climate changes, rivers drying up and overgrazing.

Awareness and reforesta-

tion

Working closely together with local communities and government, the project aims to create a green belt that will curb desertification in this dry region through refores-tation, the development of greenery planting techniques, environment-awareness build-ing activities with the local population, and the creation of a locally supervised self-reliant and sustainable anti-desertification program.

With the financial support of JAL and other participating organizations, OISCA opened in the region the Arashan Desert Ecological Research and Training Center to act as a

base for its greening projects and environmental education programs.

Now that the center has been established, OISCA plans to accelerate its refor-estation projects, and initi-ate projects for composting, developing water-saving technologies and the utiliza-tion of renewable energies. It also plans to develop and introduce cultivation methods for some medicinal plants as a means of enhancing the liveli-hood of local people.

JAL Eco Jet

Recently Japan Airlines introduced its first JAL Eco Jet - a Boeing 777-200 air-craft painted with a green tail instead of the airline’s red ‘Arc of the Sun’ insignia and also a 2-meter high by 7-me-ter wide green origami paper plane motif accompanied by the words ‘Sky Eco’ in both Japanese and English on the length of its fuselage. In sup-porting the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in Aichi, Nagoya in October this year - the Inter-national Year of Biodiversity, JAL added the COP10 logo on the JAL Eco Jet, and intro-duced the new COP10 Eco Jet on domestic routes, in efforts to raise awareness for the event and its motto of “Life in Harmony, into the future”.

JAL received recognition from the Japanese Ministry of Environment as an Eco-First company this year and pledged in an Eco-First Prom-ise to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per revenue-ton-kilometer (RTK) by 23% in the 15 years be-tween 2005 and 2020. Along with this determination, JAL also committed to actively promote the importance of biodiversity and environmen-tal preservation to its employ-

ees and customers. JAL noted that “the natural

gifts bestowed upon mankind and the global environment by the biodiversity on Earth should be given due recogni-tion. Through a variety of activities such as the ‘JAL Happy Eco Project*’ and the ‘COP10 Eco Jet’, JAL will strive to promote the aware-ness of biodiversity issues and the sustainable utilization of these endowments so as to leave a bountiful and beautiful Earth for future generations.”

JAL Happy Eco Project As an Eco-First company,

JAL is committed to encour-age concerted environmental preservation efforts by busi-nesses and organizations. JAL established the ‘JAL Happy Eco Project’ whose objectives

are to promote the impor-tance of protecting the natural environment and the diverse life forms on Earth through various publicity measures such as domestic and interna-tional in-flight videos about nature, an Eco-forum in the in-flight magazine Skyward and more.”

JAL is just one of many companies world-wide who are now doing something about environment concerns in diverse ways. Businesses for many years have been aware of the growing prob-lems and have taken steps to help. Now, with ever-in-creasing knowledge of global warming, sand storms caused by desertification, global wa-ter problems and more, some businesses are stepping up and doing more.

Guest Writer: Hazel Rivera

In 1992, when I was only five years old, my father suc-cumbed to stomach cancer. Pressure started to build up quickly for me, especially being the eldest daughter. His death at age 38, being a very difficult episode of my life, altered many things. Over the years I had to contribute to the expenses in the house and car, help my mom with the countless chores, be a good older sister to my brother, pay for additional expenses with school, and others. Now there is so much weight upon my shoulders and more pres-sure on me to accomplish the goals that my dad wanted me to complete, i.e., obtaining a bachelor’s degree.

Introduction:

Filipino Americans (Fil-Ams) are the largest group of

Lola, Ian and dad

Being the eldest Filipina American daughter

Lola (grandmother)

Rodolfo Aguirre Rivera9/7/1950 – 9/29/1992

Rivera Family; Hazel, mom and brother.immigrants at the end of the

20th century. In 2006, they are the second largest group of Asians numbering 2,915,745. However, in San Diego, they are the largest group of Asians constituting 49% of the Asian population. Although FilAms still experience preju-dice and racism, they have managed to become an impor-tant part of American society. In the past, most were farmers but today they are a big part of the health care system.

The size of the group has increased rapidly since 1965 with the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 and it will keep on grow-ing. The high degree of inter-marriage, the variety of occu-pations and neighborhoods in which they live, will blur the boundaries between FilAms and others. This means the continuing acculturation of FilAms. It also means that the American society itself will become more Filipino.

FAMILY BACK-GROUND: This is my personal story and a brief description of my parents’ im-migration background. I was born to parents who are both of Filipino descent. My mom, Alejandra Sarsoza Rivera, was born in Lubao, Pampanga,

Philippines in the year 1950. My dad, Rodolfo Aguirre Rivera, was born in Buan, Ba-tangas, Philippines in the year 1954. I have heard countless stories from my mom, as well as from my Lolo (grandfather) and Lola (grandmother) about the demanding circumstances that they faced while living in the Philippines. Growing up in the Philippines was ex-tremely tough due to the harsh economic conditions that still continue today. In spite of the conditions that they endured, both of my parents were able to get some form of education and managed to graduate with college degrees.

My parents grew up poor in the Philippines and strug-gled to live day by day. When they finally moved to the U.S., it was abundantly clear that they would do anything in their power to support their

children. The most important goal that was embedded in their minds was education. It was very important to gradu-ate from college because that would mean obtaining a good career. In all honesty, it has not been an easy road. In 1992, when I was only five years old, my father suc-

cumbed to stomach cancer. Pressure started to build up quickly for me, especially be-ing the eldest daughter. His death at age 38, being a very difficult episode of my life, altered many things.

My mom experienced an adverse situation dealing with the company, Pilking-ton Barnes Hind, that she was working for. In 1999, the company laid off many employees, including my

mom because the company was moving to Chicago as she was a distribution clerk. Currently, my mom is without a job because she takes care of my grandma. Being 60 years old, she also feels that she needs to spend quality time with my brother and me. I have a younger brother who is currently enlisted in the United States Navy. Because of my dad’s death as well as my mom being unemployed, I took on another responsibility. Over the years I had to con-tribute to the expenses in the house and car, help my mom with the countless chores, be a good older sister to my broth-

er, pay for additional expenses with school, and others. My mom and I always worry about how to pay for bills, living expenses, and where to get money for necessities such as food.

Now there is so much weight upon my shoulders and more pressure to accom-plish the goals that my dad wanted me to complete, i.e., obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Getting accepted to San Diego State University was a major turn in my life. The accep-tance letter was the initial step towards reaching the goals that my parents desired. Even though my dad is only here in spirit, as a family, we enjoy numerous activities especially fishing and singing. Both of which are hobbies that my dad enjoyed very much while he was still alive.

Both of my parents came to the United States by peti-tion. Their stories of im-migration are pretty similar. First of all, my mom’s eldest brother Leonardo Dabu Sar-soza had joined the U.S. Navy around the year 1968. At that point, my uncle petitioned my Lolo and therefore, he was able to come here. Lolo Pedro then petitioned the rest of his children as well as my mom. My mom was the last of her siblings to arrive here. She eventually arrived in the U.S. on June 7th, 1977. My dad came to the U.S. also by being petitioned. My dad’s dad, my Lolo, joined the U.S. Navy also. He did the same thing by petitioning all of his chil-dren to come here. My dad’s family had all finally arrived here during the early 1980’s. My parents have lived here in San Diego, California ever since. We continue to visit the Philippines every chance we get; however, airfare is too expensive.

My mom said that they didn’t really face any prob-lems with regards to immi-gration. However, during those early days, people who emigrate do not have relatives or even friends to help them when they first arrive in the U.S. That especially became a problem for those who came here from the Philippines. Luckily, for my mom and her family, we already had rela-tives who were living in Linda Vista who provided the apart-ment along with all the fur-niture and that made it easier for my family. They quickly realized that the U.S. was fast-paced and required one to work in order to make a living. The rest of my uncles had joined the military right away in order to have a taste of the American dollar.

RACISM: My parents have never really experi-enced any form of racism or discrimination. Maybe they have and just didn’t realize it. From my own personal expe-rience, I felt that I was being

discriminated against because of the fact that I was of color. I ate at one of the high-end restaurants here in San Diego and the majority of people eating there were Caucasians. When my boyfriend and I walked in the door, it seemed as if they have never seen people of color. I felt pretty awkward. It took almost 20 minutes after being seated, to even be offered a drink. The waiters/waitresses only stopped to check on us when we would call them. Luckily, the food was great. However, we’ve never gone back to that restaurant again.

I have another particular story that relates to interra-cial dating and marriage. My friend who is Filipino was dating an African American guy. Her parents were very disappointed when they heard about their relationship. Her parents were really shocked and mad when she brought him home to meet them. Their actions towards the guy were extremely inappropri-ate; the boy left. My friend was furious because she had never seen her parents act like that. Racism she thought! When she brought Filipino guys home to their house, her parents were always respect-ful. But because of the fact that her recent boyfriend was black, their attitudes changed tremendously. She began to rebel against her parents and they figured that it was because they didn’t accept her new boyfriend. As time passed, 3 whole years, they fi-nally grew to love him. Now they are happily married with a beautiful little girl.

Our world has changed dramatically and attitudes have altered considerably. I am extremely happy that people are coming to accept differences. I believe that if you are truly in love with a person, no matter what color skin or ethnicity, then nothing should matter. All that should matter is the person you love. Till this day, there are prob-ably people that still don’t accept the idea of interracial dating. But the good thing is that the polls are showing a national acceptance because marriage numbers between interracial couples is con-stantly increasing. Problems



Bill’s Corner

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

by Bill Labestre, MBA

tionsAt the unveiling of the

Flag!, the loudest gasps and claps were heard, as guests could not stop admiring the unique art.

The Pinoys were overcome with emotion and nationalism.

“Ito nagsi-symbolize na tayo bilang mga Pilipino ay malaya at me karangalan na isang malaya at makapang-yarihang bansa,” said Ambas-sador Cardozo Luna.

“Ang pino-project ng flag na ito kung paano tayo mag-ing Pilipino. Tayo, bilang Pili-pino, kahit saan tayo nando-doon, dapat tayo ay matatag at ikararangal ang ating pagiging Pilipino,” Luna added.

“Actually looking at the flag I had goose pimples. It’s such a beautiful work of art na yung flag ma-present ng ganyan in a sculpture,” said Becky Garcia, the dance diva of the Philippines.

Of all the glass sculptures of Virata-Hewes, she said that the Flag! is the most personal and meaningful which she created.

Pinay artist’s flag sculpture

a big hit in Holland

KAPARUSAHAN MAN AY PAGTITIWALAG!

“Excommunication”, pagtitiwalag ang kahuluganParusang iginagawad sa batas n’yaring simbahanSa mga nangaliligaw at “mortal ang kasalananPagkakamaling di katanggap-tanggap sa kautusan.

Ang “abortion”ay isang karumaldumal na gawainDahil ito ay paraang ang buhay ay kinikitilSa kapabayaan ng taong hadlangan ang damdaminNangyayari ang di dapat, kapusukan ay supilin.

Yaring buhay na nasa sinapupunang ingat-ingatNinanamnam noong una dinarama yaong sarapNguni’t bakit sa ngayon na ang tiyan ay tila bundatHahadlanga’y karapatang maluwal sa maliwanag?

Makatindig-balahibo ang gawaing magpalaglagSa kahit na anong relihiyon ito’y sadyang labagKung sa krimeng nabanggit kasapi ay matitiwalagMarami nang katoliko ang dapat na mapalapas.

Bakit ba pipigilang pamahalaan ay maglunsadNg mga kaparaanang masugpo ang paglaganapMga sakit na dulot ng kamunduhang hinahangadAt bilang ng populasyong di mapigil ang pagtaas.

Ang kontraseptibo na tulad ng “condom” at pildorasSa pananaw ng marami’y mabisa at tinatanggapNang dahil sa bagay na ito Pangulo’y napapayagNapipintong kaparusahan ay pagkakatiwalag.

Maano ba kung hatulan ng mabigat na parusaNa sa kanyang palagay wala namang pagkakasalaAng mamahala ng bansa ay hindi birong talagaLalo na kung may mga huwad lobong nakasutana.

Ano ba ang minamalaki ng mga kunwa’y banalNa wala nang inatupag kundi yaong makialamSa pamamahala ng baya’y lagi nang nakidawdawKaya naman ang kasapi’y umuunti na ang bilang.

Bakit ba matatakot na maging ekskomunikado?Gayong ang nagisnang angkan ay saradong katolikoKahit na anong relihiyon Muslim man o PaganoAy may kalalagyan ka dito sa ibabaw ng mundo.

Kung ang parusa’y pagtiwalag buong pusong tanggapinSa mata ng Panginoon ay dakila ang hangarinAng mga nagtakwil sa iyo pagsisi ay daratingAng gantipalang para sa iyo’y sa langit kakamtin.

audele10-01-10



of San Diego. The meetings were attended by a number of the City Staff that included the City Manager, Council Members, Deputy City Attor-ney and others.

How I functioned and contributed to the city’s profit-ability was an exciting experi-ence for a Filipino-American physician. I met a number of politicians and businessmen in the city and befriended Alex Spanos, the CEO and owner of the San Diego Chargers. My wife Cely and I were invited as special guests at the Chargers Box during one of the Chargers games.

I certainly enjoyed the city box/VIP lounge for the city staff and Board of Governors. This was one of the perks the members of the Board were given. Tickets for every game or any activities in the sta-dium were available free. You may give it to your friends or anyone who wishes to be in a city box to see the games. At one time Arthur Dionela, the Mayor of my hometown Pan-dan, in the Philippines who visited me in San Diego was amazingly impressed with the experience to be in city VIP box to watch the Chargers’ football game. The very first Filipino Mayor to savor the experience.

At the end of my four-year stint in the Stadium Authority, the City Council awarded me a plaque of appreciation for my service for my four years of loyal and dedicated service.

I was assigned on my first Navy ship when my wife joined me in Hawaii in 1981. We lived in a military hous-ing unit close to Pearl Harbor. My ship was always out to sea that my wife had no choice but to become independent and learned how to drive quickly. We have no relatives on the islands so the only support we had was from our kind Filipino neighbors.

We planned to have our first child when I get trans-ferred to shore duty station but, she got pregnant before it happened. I can still re-member her crying at the pier side when my ship was back after many days at sea. She had to go to her Doctor’s ap-pointments alone. When the baby was due, I took a two week leave of absence since my ship was leaving for San Diego. My leave expired and my wife was still pregnant so I have to beg for extension. The birth of our first son was a great joy for us. When I held that tiny baby in my arms, I promised him that I will try my best to be a good father.

Two years later, another son was born but this time I was on shore duty. I was able to go home everyday to help care for the children. My wife has to postpone her Nursing career until the kids grew older. It was tough financially but we managed. We enjoyed our simple living in Hawaii for a few years. We had a small circle of friends and most have young children like us.

Children In 1986, I had my orders

for a transfer to San Diego and we left the islands and our good friends. I have to go back to sea duty again and was deployed a few more times.

When our children were young and full of innocence, they were our bundles of joy. As parents, most of us would like to be with them and watch them grow. Being immigrants, we liked them to have better childhood experi-ence and brighter future. We wanted them to have those things that our parents could not afford to provide us when we were kids.

My question for Filipino parents is this, where did we go wrong? What have we done to create some children with no drive and goals in life? How did we raise chil-dren with no ambition to be independent and self-suffi-cient? We wanted them to be smarter or better than us and not these lazy kids without conscience.

It’s too late for some of us to learn good parenting skills. In some way we had created some thing that is hard to fix. Most of the Filipino children are good and very responsible. They earned col-lege degrees and most live on their own.

The last time my older son asked my help for school work, was in his fifth grade. I have to check his wallet and bank account when he went to college because he never asked us for money. He could

be very stubborn sometimes but, I do respect his being independent.

His younger brother (the late bloomer?) is entirely op-posite.

Why do you think your own adult children are still very dependent on you? Why can’t they make up their minds on what college degree to pursue?

Why can’t they clean their own rooms or help clean the house? How come they still ask you for gas money when you gave them a free car? These darn children took ad-vantage of us!!




LAW OFFICES OF

E.B. ALEJO“20+ Years Experience”Been living in San Diego since 1977

Attorney is available daily on regular business days at the San Diego Office

*Member, California State BarLicensed to practice before the US Federal District CourtSouthern California and California Supreme Court

*Author,”How to Apply for the US Tourist Visa” as listed by worldwide bookseller Amazon.com Bookstores

*Former San Diego Regional Coordinator for U.S. Immigra-tion Amnesty for Catholic Community Services, Catholic Diocese of San Diego

*Legal Advisor, Los Chabacanos of Cavite CityAssociation, Inc., San Diego, California

*Juris Doctor law degree, University of San Diego (1985),Diploma; Oxford Institute on International and Comparative Law (USD), Oxford, England (1984);Bachelor Degree, University of Southern California (1983);Montgomery High School, San Diego (1979)

*Born in the Philippines (Cavite)

For your convenience, walk-ins acceptedespecially between 2:00pm – 8:00pm

Business days Monday to Friday

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Near Chula Vista trolley station. Nagsasalita kami ng Tagalog

For free consultation call (619) 203-5782

We can help you stop worrying about your legal problems.

Also Featuring:Debt Negotiation

Bankruptcy AssistanceLoan Consolidation

Street Poetry

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

by Michael R. Tagudin

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

Center of My MovementI am running straightSo I thought…Straight linesare for linear structuresI am not!I am running...Running in linear curvatures!Running straight but…With a radius!Around a center!And so I thought I was running…Running straight!Straight in a curvature!Linear curves...Are nothing…Nothing but a U-turn!Don’t count me out!I will be back!Away I am running!Not really…I’m runningRunning in circles!Cause you are…You are the center…Center of my movement!Movment in runningRunning…Running in CURVATURES!

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

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

by Conrad I. Reloj, Jr.

clude: Lechon, Goat Kilawin (kaldereta/adobo/papaitan), lumpia shanghai, vegetable lumpia, crispy pata, ukoy and embutido. They also carry beef mechado, kaldereta, Mongolian and beef steak,

Dona’s Hawaiian & Filipino Grill

papaitan and kare-kare; sisig, menudo, igadu, dinuguan, bopis, dinakdakan & tokwa’t baboy, pinakbet, chicken chopsuey and laing. For de-tail please check their catering menu. This store also prided itself on its various Filipino desserts: cassava cake, sweet rice cake, nilupak, biko, majablanca, & halea ube, and assorted others.

Their choiced location is at 1828 Coronado Avenue in Im-perial Beach just off of High-way 5. Parking is adequate. It’s dining in or take out and service is excellent either way. Call (619) 429-5778. Their catering menu is extensive. But don’t forget to ask for their free delivery package.

Washington, DC - Con-gressman Bob Filner is pleased to announce that Neighborhood National bank has been selected to receive $600,000 award under the Bank Enterprise Award (BEA) Program from the Department of Treasury. This program en-ables Neighborhood National Bank to provide commercial real estate loans and afford-able housing development and investments in distressed communities in San Diego.

“At a time of worrying unemployment numbers and rising poverty levels, I felt it imperative to advocate for local community banks,” said Congressman Filner. “It is these institutions that will

Congressman Filner announces $600,000 grant award to local

Neighborhood National Bank

make a tangible difference in the communities they serve.”

The BEA program was enacted to provide an incen-tive to FDIC-insured banks

and thrifts to increase either their level of support to certi-fied Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) or increase their provision of loans, investments, and financial services in distressed communities, such as opening new savings accounts, provid-ing mortgages or investing in local small business, or both. CDFIs are specialized com-munity-based financial institu-tions that are able to respond to gaps that exist in their local markets.

Congressman Bob Filner


By Alex P. Vidal/PNS

BOSTON, Massachusetts – Antonio Margarito needs a resounding win over Manny Pacquiao Novermber 13 to infuse blood in his sagging career, zapped by embarrass-ing allegations he tampered his handwraps to beat his op-ponents.

Margarito became fight business’ symbol of shame and scandal after the Califor-nia State Athletic Commission (CSAC) suspended him and his trainer Javier Capetillo and eventually revoked their licenses months after yield-ing his WBA welterweight crown on a 9th round disposal to Sugar Shane Mosley at the Staples Center in Los Ange-les, California on January 24, 2009.

His nightmare began when Mosley’s trainer, Naazim Richardson, observed that Margarito (38-2, 27 KO) had a pasty white substance in his handwraps prior to the fight.

When California State Inspector Dean Lohuis asked Margarito’s hands to be rewrapped, they found out that the wet pads in the wrap-ping contained plaster used to make casts.

Mosley’s doctor, Robert Olvera, joined the fray and af-ter subsequent investigations, the California Department of Justice laboratory confirmed the substance to be similar in nature to plaster of Paris.

SULFUR AND CALCIUM

The wet substance con-tained sulfur and calcium which, when combined with oxygen, forms “Plaster of Paris”, it was reported.

Margarito claimed inno-cence over the controversy and denied he had knowledge about the attempted to cheat-ing.

It appeared 32-year-old Margarito’s fistic career had come to a catastrophic end when it was reported he had been banned from boxing in the United States on principle that state boxing commissions generally honor suspensions imposed in other states.

However, he was sched-uled to fight Carson Jones in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao versus Joshua Clot-tey WBO rumble last March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas but Top Rank scrapped him from the promotion pending applica-tion for his license in the State of Texas.

He was finally back in ac-tion on May 8, 2010, scoring a 10-round unanimous deci-sion over Roberto Garcia to capture the vacant but nonde-

Win over Pacquiao will restore Margarito’s ‘Plaster of Paris’ -

Tainted reputation

Margarito and Pacquiao

script WBC international light middleweight title in Aguas-calientes, Mexico.

Five feet and 11 inches-tall Margarito finally got his license in Texas early this year and on July 23, Top Rank chief executive officer Bob Arum announced he would face Pacquiao for the vacant 12-round WBC super welter-weight or light middleweight title in the Cowboys Stadium.

MOST IMPORTANT

Heavier than Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KO) and with 73 inches (185 cm) in reach, Margarito considers his fight with the very popular Filipino as the most important in his career that started 17 years ago when he made a suc-cessful debut at the age of 15, whipping Jose Trujillo in Tijuana, Mexico by decision.

Born in Torrance, Cali-fornia and now residing in Baja California, Mexico, Margarito has collected three world crowns and will shoot for his fourth title against the 31-year-old Pacquiao.

African Clottey and Puerto Rican Miguel Angel Cotto are the common denominators

between Pacquiao and Mar-garito.

Four years ago on De-cember 2, 2006, Margarito defeated Clottey on points. Clottey also lost on points to

Pacquiao.On July 26, 2008, Marga-

rito humiliated the previously unscathed Cotto via 11th round TKO in Las Vegas, Ne-vada for WBA welterweight title. Pacquiao also tortured and toppled Cotto in the 12th and final stanza on Nov. 11, 2009 also in Las Vegas, Ne-vada.

AIR PACQUIAO. In a practice session in his private boxing gym in Baguio City, Philippines this weekend in preparation for his November fight with Mexico’s Antonio Margarito in Dallas, Texas, Representative Manny Pacquiao of Sarangani, Philip-pines show off his jumping prowess reaching the ceiling of the gym to highlight the strength in his legs to the serious obser-vation of trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning trainer Alex Ariza. PINOY GONZALES/ PNS

PNS -- has appointed two Filipino-Americans to be his advisers on Asian-American issues.

The two proudly Pinoy members of Obama’s Cabinet are Rozita Villanueva Lee, known for championing the cause of Pinoy World War II veterans; and Hector Vargas Jr., a popular gay rights activist.

Lee and Vargas were ap-pointed as members of the White House Advisory Com-misson on Asian- Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Rozita Lee is currently

U.S. President Barack Obama

Obama appoint two

Pinoys in government

the national vice chair of the National Federation of Filipino-American Associa-tions. From 1991 to 2010, she was the owner of RVL, Inc., a Polynesian/Hawaiian Enter-tainment company. Previously, she served as vice-president of the Nevada Economic Devel-opment Company, as special assistant to former Nevada Governor Bob Miller, and as an administrator of the Diver-sity Training Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

From 1981 to 1983, she produced and hosted a televi-sion program called SPEC-TRUM for PBS Television Channel 10 KLVX TV fea-turing various ethnic groups in Las Vegas. She was the founding chairwoman of the Board for the Asian Chamber of Commerce and president of the Las Vegas Chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance.

Vargas Jr. is executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), a non-profit association of les-bian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender (LGBT) healthcare pro-fessionals working for equality in healthcare for LGBT people and healthcare providers. From 2001 until earlier this year, Mr. Vargas worked at Lambda Legal, first as southern regional director and later as deputy director of the Education and Public Affairs Department,

where he played key leader-ship roles in the organization’s education and communication strategies.

Prior to joining Lambda Legal, he also worked at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the American Bar Asso-ciation’s Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, the U.S. Department of Com-merce’s Ethics Division and Equal Justice Works (formerly the National Association for Public Interest Law).

He holds a J.D. and B.A. from the University of Geor-gia.

“Our nation will be well-served by the skill and dedica-tion these men and women bring to their new roles. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead,” said of the new ap-pointments which included other individuals to key admin-istration posts.


Philippine Stories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

Chapter 28

(Editor’s Note: To read the previous and weekly install-

ments of this series, visit www.asianjournalusa.com. Once there, click the “News and

Features” heading, then click “Promised Land by Simeon

G. Silverio, Jr.” title to see the list of all chapters of ‘Prom-ised Land’. Click the title of the chapter you want to read and the article will appear.)

The next day, Ditas waited until break time before telling her cousin Isabel the infor-mation she overheard about Lando while her husband Romy and her father-in-law, Mang Teban were having din-ner the previous night.

“Kumusta ka na, Ate (How are you, Ate)?” Ditas asked Isabel while they were having coffee.

“Okay lang (I’m okay),” Isabel answered. “Kahit papano, nakakaraos (I am surviving).”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure God will hear your prayers, You’ll eventually reconcile with your husband.”

“I agree,” Isabel replied. “I now have a strong faith God will grant my wish. If it will take a while, that’s okay. Maybe I need to suffer more for my sins. As long as Albert

PROMISED LAND

Woman’s Furyand I will eventually end up together again, I’ll be happy.”

“You will,” Ditas agreed.“In fact,” Isabel continued.

“I had a dream about it last night. I dreamed Albert for-gave me, we reconciled, and I became very happy the rest of my life.”

Ditas smiled. Now that Isabel was in a better mood, she thought it would be the right time to tell her what she found out.

“You know what, Ate?” she asked. “My parents-in-law had a shady business deal.”

“Did they cheat at the ca-sino?” Isabel asked.

“No, they got involved in an insurance scam.”

“What happened?”“A syndicate arranged a

fake accident for them so they could collect money from an insurance company.”

“That’s not good,” Isabel commented. “That’s why our insurance premiums are increasing because of people like them. How much did they get?”

“About $3,000 each,” Ditas answered. “And do you know who the leader of the syndicate is?”

“Who?”“Your ex-boyfriend Lan-

do.”“I knew it. Now I know

why he has a lot of money. He’s involved in illegal

activities. Maybe that’s why he pulls away whenever I mention the police. Maybe he doesn’t want to be booked as his records might come out.”

Ditas waited for a few mo-ments before telling Isabel the coup de grace.

“And you know what?” she asked her cousin again. “I overheard my husband Romy and his father talking about the incident at the motel. My father-in-law said Lando admitted to him it was he who called Albert and told him about your tryst. He wanted to break you and Albert apart. Lando set up every-thing.”

Isabel’s blood pressure shot up. She was outraged.

“Ang putang nang iyon, sinira ang buhay ko (That son of a bitch. He destroyed my life).”

“Relax ka lang Ate, Bahala na ang Diyos sa kanya (Just relax Ate. God will take care of him).

But Isabel could not be appeased. She was livid. She wanted to hit Lando’s face with a metal bat and beat him to a pulp. Lando had done so much damage to her nothing would repay what she lost. Without saying a word, Isabel got her handbag inside her locker and went out of the store.

“Ate,” was all what Ditas could say.

Isabel boarded her car and drove towards National City, to the office of Lando about four miles away.

“Putang na! Putang na! Putang na (Son of a bitch, son of a bitch, son of a bitch)!” she kept saying as she drove on the freeway. She was not holding a metal bat when she

got out of the car in front of Lando’s office but she might as well be. She was prepared to throw everything at Lando once she saw him.

“Walang hiya ka (Your shameless)!” Isabel shouted upon seeing Lando. It was small law office with four desks facing the door. There were at least two other em-ployees and three clients discussing some cases. Lando was behind his desk talking to an elderly lady when he saw Isabel come in.

Isabel walked towards Lando and began hitting him

with her fists.“Walang hiya, walang

hiya, walang hiya! (Shame-less, shameless, shameless),” she kept shouting at him.

“Stop!” Lando shouted as he tried to protect himself from the attacks of Isabel. He got hold of her arm and asked: “Why, what did I do?”

All the people in the office -- the employees and the cli-ents -- were looking at them.

“Walang hiya ka (You shameless),” Isabel railed.

“You called my husband while we were in the motel room to break us apart.”

By that time, even pass-ersby were peaking into the office to witness the confron-tation. They were amused by what they heard.

“I did not do that!” Lando lied.

“You’re a liar! You told Mang Teban about it yester-day!”

But still, Lando kept deny-ing the accusations. The more he denied it, the more Isabel got angrier. Embarrassed in front of his co-workers,

clients and other people outside, Lando stormed out of the office and into his car. Isabel went after him. She would not let him go as she kept railing at him.

“You are an evil person. You destroy people’s lives. You are faking accidents to cheat insurance com-panies. You should be brought to jail!” she said aloud within hearing distance of everyone. The onlook-ers were amused. And Lando noticed it and he was embarrassed. He felt they too were mocking him.

Before he could start the car, Isabel managed to open the door at the passenger’s side and got inside.

“Walang hiya ka, bakit nakarating ka pa dito sa Amerika, maninira ka lang pala ng buhay ng tao (You shameless, Why did you come here to America just to de-stroy people’s lives)?”

Lando was so mad and ashamed he drove out of the street as fast as he could. He wanted to escape the con-temptuous looks of people behind. He entered a ramp and merged with the freeway traffic.

“Walanghiya (Shameless),” Isabel continued to harangue at him.

Finally, Lando responded.“Okay, I admit it. I called

up your husband and I wanted us to be caught. I wanted to break the two of you apart. Are you happy now?”

Isabel got angrier and hit him more.

“Why do you have to do that?” she asked.

“Don’t you get it? Tinaihan niya ako sa ulo noong inagaw ka niya sa akin, kaya tinaihan ko din siya (He shitted on my head when he took you away from me and I shitted on his head in return).”

“But it’s not Albert’s fault. He didn’t even know you existed. Why do you have to include him in your revenge?”

“Because he was the cause of my troubles.”

“No, he’s not, I would have left you even without Albert because you had no ambition in life. I kept telling you to join the U.S. Navy but you kept ignoring me. You have hurt the man I love.”

In anger, Isabel hit Lando once more. The latter tried to avoid the attack and lost control of the car. It hit the concrete divider in the middle of the freeway, and at 65 miles per hour, it rolled over two times. At least three other cars hit it before it stopped on the rightmost lane. It landed on its side with its wheels still turning. - AJ

(To be continued)

(Editor’s Note: To read the previous and weekly install-ments of this series, visit www.asianjournalusa.com. Once there, click the “News and Features” heading, then click “Promised Land by Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.” title to see the list of all chapters of ‘Prom-ised Land’. Click the title of the chapter you want to read and the article will appear.)



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

“Work in the areas of need for Filipino-English BilingualPoll Workers. We need your help in Bonita, Eastlake, Chula Vista, Otay Mesa, Nestor, Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, Del Dios, Encanto, Mira Mesa, Ranchos Penasquitos, Oceanside, Pomerado & Ocean Beach.”

Dear Sir, I have enjoyed reading your

web page and have learned many things about Immigration matters.

Something that is not abso-lutely clear, perhaps because it is a rare occurrence is when the Filipino citizen is the Petitioner on a divorce to an American in the USA. I will give you an example: James, an American citizen by birth, brings Anita, a citizen of the RP to the USA on a K1 Visa and they are married. The relationship does not work out and Anita returns to the RP. A year later, Anita meets a new USA boyfriend on the Inter-net, who visits her in the RP, they fall in love, and because she is still married to James in the USA, the new boyfriend hires an attorney and pays for Anita’s divorce from James, who does not contest the dis-solution and a final decree is issued by default.

Anita was the Petitioner on the divorce to Joe.

My understanding of Art. 26 is that the foreign spouse, James the American spouse has to be the Petitioner in the divorce against Anita, the Filipino citizen for this divorce to be recognized in the RP.

Moreover, neither Anita nor James filed a Report of Marriage with the Philippine Consulate in USA, and Anita’s CENOMAR is clear at the NSO.

Anita’s new boyfriend is ready to petition her on a K1 visa. His attorney says that since there is no record of marriage in the RP, then there is nothing to annul. Is this correct?

Since Anita was the Peti-tioner for divorce of her first K1 visa marriage, will the US Embassy issue her another K1 Visa based on a new petition by her new American boyfriend, without Anita first annulling her first marriage in the Philip-

Under Article 26, divorce must be filed by foreign spouse

pines? Or will they grant her a K1 visa and allow her to re-marry in the USA, as it was here where she obtained a divorce from her first marriage to an American?

Is it required by Philippine law to register your own foreign marriage?

I would be interested in your thoughts regarding this situation of a foreign divorce obtained by a Filipino citizen, whose new boyfriend is petitioning her for her 2nd K1 visa.

Thanks for your time,

Richard

Dear Richard,

Your letter gives us a chance to approach on a different angle the “conflict of laws” between Philippine and U.S. laws on marriages and divorce.

Although there are many possible scenarios, the basic rules remain the same. The legal capacity to marry of Filipino citizens is determined by Philip-pine law. Even if the Filipino citizen obtains a divorce in the U.S. and remarries there, Philip-pine law will still not recognize her divorce and will still con-sider her as married. Of course, once in the United States, U.S. law will apply, although it con-flicts with Philippine law.

Anita’s legal capacity to marry is governed by Article 26 of the Family Code. You are correct in noting that Article 26 requires that the divorce should be obtained abroad by the for-eign spouse, not by the Filipino spouse. Some might say that this is unfair, but bear in mind that this is a great improvement from the law prior to Article 26 which did not recognize all divorces. That resulted to a lot of injustices to Filipinos because while their foreign spouses who divorced them could remarry, the Filipino spouses remained

imprisoned to their defunct mar-riage. It was double jeopardy, in a way, because they had been abandoned yet remained impris-oned. So, paragraph 2 of Article 26 was added to the Family Code as an “equalizer”, so that these Filipino spouses can have the same freedom as their for-eign ex-spouses.

You also mentioned that an-other lawyer has advised Anita’s new fiancée that since her mar-riage to James was not recorded in the Philippines, then there is nothing to annul. We beg to dis-agree. At the same time, we also caution Anita. She is required to declare her marriage to U.S. immigration. If she conceals it, that will amount to immigration fraud.

The fact that Anita’s foreign marriage was not registered in the Philippines does not mean that the marriage did not take place. To be sure, the mar-riage was recorded in the U.S., so what Anita should present before the Philippine court is that U.S.-registered marriage contract. In this regard, Philip-pine law allows, but does not require, registration of foreign marriages.

So what Anita should do is to file a petition with the Philip-pine court to declare void her marriage to James, not based on Article 26 but on other grounds recognized under the Family Code. As mentioned, she may present her U.S. marriage con-tract to prove the existence of her foreign marriage.

Sincerely,

Atty. Karagdag

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philip-pines. He practices immigra-tion law in San Diego and has continuously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Phil-ippines 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 office in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Manila, Philippines 1007, with telephone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475 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 hy-potheticals intended as general, non-specific legal information.

dence in hitting the govern-ment’s 3.3-million target foreign visitor arrivals for full-year 2010.

“I am truly grateful that, despite the challenges we faced the past week and a half, we were still able to attract 96 foreign delegates from around the world and 191 Filipino sellers represent-ing 112 companies. I believe this is a clear testament of your con-fidence in Philippine tourism,” Lim said.

Lim also told the par-ticipants that for the first five months of the year, foreign visitor arriv-als had already reached almost 1.5 million or an 11.2 percent increase over the same period last year.

“If we are able to sus-tain this growth rate through your unwavering commit-ment of support our promo-tions efforts, we may hit our target of 3.3 million arrivals by year-end,” Lim stressed at the opening of Phitex 2010’s Travel Exchange comprising the business meetings be-tween the foreign buyers and local sellers.

“It is a positive sign that recovery will happen sooner than expected,” Lim re-marked. “The problem, after all, is not insurmountable. We know that wounds will heal in time. We are one to show our sincere sympathy with China, the hostage victims, and their families.”

The DoT was the first to initiate sympathy events like the Buddhist service and wreath-laying at the hostage site the following day which was also declared by Mala-cañang as a day of mourning. On the ninth day after the incident, a requiem mass was jointly hosted with the City of Manila and Radio Veritas, at-tended by sympathizers from the industry, government, the academe, and ordinary folk. Similar events were seen in various parts of the country.

Also right after the inci-dent, tourism and private sec-

tor leaders in Manila met with the DoT to formulate contin-gency plans which will be im-plemented in the appropriate time. These include sending a delegation to seek assistance from the Hong Kong travel trade towards lifting of the travel ban. Regular monitor-ing of cancellations will be made to serve as a barometer of the market’s sentiments and readiness to restore business with the Philippines.

In the meantime, while promotional activities in Hong Kong are being reviewed, the DoT will still continue efforts in the other source markets. Among those to push through are participation in travel fairs

in Busan, Korea, Japan, Aus-tralia, and others. The DoT tourism attachés, currently in Manila for the PHITEX event, were instructed during an ensuing two-day market-ing workshop, to restudy their plans and formulate fresh schemes to attain the new targets set for the year and towards 2016.

“We want to maintain or strengthen our presence in the other markets. The chal-lenge is to create demand in new source markets, sustain interest of traditional ones and eventually, work on win-

ning back the others we have poor showing in. Such will involve a lot of creativity in the midst of limited resources. It can be done,” said the tour-ism chief.

The DoT will pour in more resources and strengthen relationships with various stakeholders to push product develop-ment and raise domestic tourism as the backbone of the industry. “Local tourism growth has been

on the uptrend and based on PTM partial figures, the do-mestic market is seen to grow further. By building a broader domestic base, our industry bottom lines will avoid being affected by negative events such as this,” the Secretary stated.

Upon arriving in Manila last August 31, the Chinese visitors and the rest of the foreign delegation had a welcome dinner at the H2O Hotel, a water, light and laser show at the Ocean Park, and a tour of the Oceanarium, all comprising a tourism com-plex at the Rizal Park near the

China’s travel agents vow support for RP

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The Philippine Depart-ment of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently sponsored a trade forum at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. which I attended as one of the representatives of the Philip-pine American Bar Associa-tion (PABA).

Headed by DTI Undersec-retary Cristino Panlilio, the group was asking the Fil-Am community to support the Save Our Industries Act – a bill that seeks to expand Phil-ippine-U.S. Trade in Textiles and Apparel. Based on their presentation, the bill when it becomes law would grant duty-free treatment to certain products wholly assembled in the Philippines, provided that these are manufactured from U.S.-made fabrics; reduced tariffs would be levied for U.S. made yarns; and U.S. duty-free treatment would be granted to a limited range of Philippine exports of “cut & sew” apparel products that are not produced in the U.S. It is

Toward An Industrial Policy

Barong Tagalog worn at a wedding in Canada.co-sponsored by San Diego’s Congressman Bob Filner.

According to their es-timates, the proposed law would provide incremental job recovery of 50,000 in Year 2 and increasing to 200,000 in Year 5. We listened to the sad stories regarding the thousands of garment factory workers losing their jobs, and their industry being virtu-ally in the ICU from Ms. Ma. Teresita Jocson-Agoncilio, Executive Director of the Confederation of Garment Exporters of the Philippines (CONGEP). You could not help but pity the workers and resolve to assist in the lobby and advocacy efforts.

The Philippine apparel exports which are down from $2.1 B in 2006 to $1.0 B in 2009 are expected to be $1.32 B by Year 2 and $3 B by Year 5. On the other hand, U.S. textile exports to the Philip-pines would increase from $13.5 Million in 2009 to $250 M by Year 2 and $500 M by

Year 5 which means direct manufacturing jobs would also be created in the U.S.

Objectively, it is really a win-win situation for both countries, more particularly the textile industry in the U.S. which lost 600,100 workers to China which now controls 40 % of the world textile market and the garment industry in the Philippines.

There is a similar law between the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa. The sad consequence is that it virtually killed the textile industry of the latter. When I mentioned this privately to the group, saying that it could also kill the textile industry of the Philippines, I was told that the Philippine textile industry is virtually dead anyway.

It is very sad indeed to think that textiles made out of pineapple, abaca, banana among others could no longer be competitive worldwide resulting in the industries pro-ducing them to die. In wed-dings and other social func-tions involving Filipinos, I still see Barong Tagalogs and Ternos being worn and getting raves, so I could not help but continue to hope.

When I was taking my Master of Laws, one of the subjects I took was Inter-national Trade Law. In that class, I did a research paper entitled: “Industrial Target-ing”. Based on my study, all the industrialized countries including the United States, Germany, France, Great Brit-ain, Japan and the newly in-dustrialized countries (NICs) at the time of my research such as South Korea, Singa-

pore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, practiced industrial targeting in the early stages of their industrialization. The Asian Tigers, specifically targeted and protected their textile and garment industries. What it means is that their respective governments provided any or all of the following assistance to certain industries that they thought could be competitive worldwide:

Financial Assistance - Loans at preferential terms; Loan guarantees; Export fi-nancing; Preferential access to investment funds; Preferential access to forex; Nationaliza-tion.

Science and Technology assistance - Support for re-search and development; Con-trol over technology imports; Requiring technology sharing as a condition for exporting to or investing in the country; Assistance in acquiring for-eign technology; Training.

Tax policies - Special de-preciation rules; Exemption or Deferral for export earnings; Grants.

Home-market protec-tion - Restraints on foreign investment; Tariffs, Quotas; Discriminatory government procurement; and other non-tariff barriers.

Anti-trust exemptions - Mergers; Price fixing cartels; Export cartels; Joint research and development; Restrictions against competition.

The current NICs (Malay-sia, etc.) and China, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh all have industrial policies. The latter four heavily subsidize their textile and garment industries while the Philippines is a loyal advocate and promoter of “free market”, “free enter-prise” or “free trade” policies in this global economy. This would be okay if the other countries play fair but the sad fact is, they do not. That is a reality that the Philippines must reckon with.

A few years ago, I was part of a law and lobby firm (O’Connor and Hannan) which represented the inter-ests of the Philippines under President Fidel Ramos in Washington, D.C. As Ex-ecutive Director of the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce (APACC), I helped the American Indians lobby for their rights under existing Treaties including but not limited to their right to operate casinos in their res-ervations. In the early fights for Filipino Veterans equity, I convinced the Department of Foreign Affairs to advance the funding of a Veterans Lobby Office headed by the late Ambassador Nick Jimenez, father of Inquirer Editor Letty Jimenez Magsanoc. It eventu-ally became self-sustaining and brought about some successes. Efforts are continu-ing to gain full equity for the aging veterans.

I reassured Ms. Jocson-Agoncilio and USEC Panlilio that I would join the Fil-Am community’s effort to get the Save Our Industries Act passed. I suggested however, that the Philippine govern-ment seriously consider tar-

geting the garments industry and providing all the assis-tance needed to be competi-tive. It is an export-oriented industry. Any or all of the industrial targeting practices I enumerated above where ap-plicable could be utilized. The 8 million Filipinos overseas would be good consuming markets and indirect agents in their respective residential locations.

P-NOY is lucky to have Panlilio in his government. Known to be honest and competent, he has extensive experience in the private sector having been a banker and top executive of several companies prior to his ap-pointment. He also obtained an MBA degree from Ateneo de Manila University and took an Advanced Management Program in nearby Wharton School of Business.

Working under a corrup-tion-free, non-adversarial and cooperative environment between and among the busi-ness, labor, and government sectors, Panlilio should be able to encourage and increase foreign and domestic invest-ments especially in export-oriented industries within the next few years.

Men’s Barong Tagalog used at a recent wedding

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By RDLiporada

Publisher’s note: The com-plete novel serialized here is on Unholy Allied Mountains by RDLiporada. For those who would want to procure

a copy of the book online, go to unholyalliedmountains.

com. In the previous series, Ding Romualdez arrives in

the Philippines and is greeted by the wife of Commander

Ronald.

Chapter 6 continued (Ninth of a series)

“There,” said Chona. “I have texted Ronald that you have arrived.”

“Great,” said Ding. “I am really impressed on how we have gone high-tech.”

“You mean, how we now use emails and text-messag-ing?”

“We merely used chicklets before.”

Chona laughed. “Oh! Yes, those. We very seldom use chicklets anymore. Texting is faster and more secure.

“Chicklets?” asked George. “What chicklets?”

“Oh! You are relative new in the movement,” said Chona.

And she went about to explain that in the early days of the movement, long be-fore George and Fred were born, communications among comrades were done through messengers through the pasa-bilis system. The pass-on-quick system made kasamas write messages in the tiniest letters they could write on small pieces of paper. These papers were folded into the tiniest fold possible and they were referred to as chicklets. It could take weeks before a message is received. Often, information became passé as conditions have changed. It was not unusual, too, for

messages not to be received as messengers have change of orders or have thrashed the messages because they were in danger of being caught by the enemy.

Now, through texting, even simple folks in the remotest barrios could warn the NPAs if enemies are about to come to where they are. They could communicate the movements of the enemies to the NPAs who could set ambushes at a quicker time.

After being quarantined in the underground house for a day, Ding was off to Baguio City. Immediately, after land-ing at the Loakan Airport in the city, a comrade, calling himself Peter, whisked Ding to a terminal and boarded with him on a bus bound for Sagada in the hinterlands of the Cordilleras.

A third of the seven hour trip was relatively smooth with the cement paved road. The rest was a tortuous bumpy dusty zigzagging ride towards the uplands.

Amidst jolts and stomach jerking turns, though, Pe-ter managed to give Ding a glimpse of why he joined the New People’s Army. He said that he used to be a student. He was in a sort of a propa-ganda unit. They are now in the planning stage of produc-ing a video to show that the NPAs are not terrorists as tagged by the United States and the Philippine Govern-ment. He said that because Ding was there as a writer, he was assigned to escort him.

Ding did not know if Peter knew anything about his back-ground, about his being active in the arm struggle before. He decided to be just a free lance writer from the United States. “So, how old are you, Peter?”

“Twenty four.”Man, he was not even born

yet when we started, Ding said to himself.

It was already dark when they arrived in Sagada but the hinterland town was still bustling with tourists.

Peter billeted Ding into a hotel.

“Tomorrow,” Peter said, as he escorted Ding to his room after dinner at the hotel‘s res-taurant, “someone will come to brief you on the situation and make the next arrange-ments.”

On the prearranged hour the following day, a certain long haired woman in her ear-

ly twenties approached Ding as he was having brunch.

“I am with Ka Peter,” she said. She then instructed Ding to be at a waiting shed at the town center across the town hall at exactly noon. “You’ll proceed from there. Bring already all your things.”

Ding did exactly as he was told.

At the shed, a burly man

sat beside him. He gave Ding a friendly smile and then handed him what appeared to be a note. “When you reach the barrio you are going to, give this to Delfin,” he said.

Ding smiled back and nod-ded, pocketing the note.

Then a rickety passenger jeep eased up in front of the shed.

“Take this trip,” the man said.

Ding clambered up behind the jeep which was already full of passengers. At the aisle of the 16 passenger jeep were sacks of rice, banana bundles, and chickens, among the other baggage that he had to squeeze his feet into. As he cramped himself between an old man and woman nurs-ing a baby, he saw the burly man talking to the driver out front. The driver was nodding as he threw glances at Ding. The burly man then winked at Ding as the jeep proceeded to wherever it was going.

For four hours, it was a stomach swirling bumpy ride on pure dirt and dusty hairpin winding road. There was no respite on the jolts that Ding could hardly stand at the end of the trip which he thought

would never end.At the destination, the

driver dropped Ding off at a house within a barrio. The house was at a promontory where one can view noth-ing but seas of undulating mountains in the horizons. A couple in their 60’s and their two daughters welcomed him. “Eat,” the mother said. “You will need it. Your escort will be here soon. I understand you will proceed as soon as it gets darker.” They acted like their house was a normal tran-

sit place for NPAs and their visitors.

While Ding was in the middle of his meal, which, to his surprised, in the hinterland, the woman served him spaghetti, a Ka Delfin and Ka Rex arrived. He handed the note to Delfin, who after reading it nodded. “Yes, we know this already,” he said of whatever was written on the note. “We received the text early this morning that is why we are here to meet you. Rex here will carry your bags for you. You should reach

the camp tomorrow afternoon or evening.” Delfin winked at Rex. “We hope that you are ready for the ‘W’s”

From a distant mem-ory, Ding seemed to recall what ‘Ws’ mean.

When the sun started to hide behind the mountains, Rex and Ding left the house. There was just enough light so they could see the tracts within the barrio but dim so they don’t attract attention from the other barrio folks. At a distance, already away from peering eyes, Rex reached out for something from a bush on the trailside. He had left his holstered .45 caliber pistol there when they entered the barrio and was now slinging it back on his waist.

At first, the trail was mean-dering, cascading to a steady 10 to 20 degree downhill slope. After maybe a kilo-meter away from the barrio, it became steadily steeper until it reached a 75 to 80 degree angle. Worse, the trail became denser with stones and outcropping roots. And it was now dark. In spite of it, Ding and Rex were not really walking. They were in spurts of almost running down, forced by gravity, in spite of the ruggedness of the trail which was also carpeted with slippery pine needles and dry leaves. At several times, Ding was simulating snowboarding movements braked only by his bumping into a tree or by his clinging to a vine. Twice,

he almost made splits making him wonder if Rex could car-ry him to a hospital in case he injured himself. At this point, he was thanking three things. First, he had bought a penlight from Home Depot and had extra batteries. Second, there were vines and stumps on the trail that he could cling to whenever he could have slid to the rugged abyss below. Third, he was free to flap his arms as Rex was carrying all his packs.

It started to dawn on him that this is the first down stroke of a ‘W’. He shuddered at the thought of the other upcoming strokes.

Just as he was to stop for the umpteenth time to catch his breath, the swishing of vines that he clung to and the crackling of breaking twigs beneath his feet were intermingled with a rippling sound. The whimpering of a river which became louder gave him a burst of energy as he knew they were reaching the bottom of the descent.

By the time they reached the river bank, the moon has dominated the skies. With its light, Ding could see the silhouette of interlocking mountain skylines juxtaposed against a blanket of stars. And there, in front of them, was a dark mountain he has to con-quer on an upward slope.

But first they had to cross a thirty foot length hanging bridge. If he was younger, Ding thought, that bridge must have been an easy cross. He was now in his fifties, in the middle of nowhere, with his feet still trembling with the rigors of descent, with a roaring river beneath in the dark. He was almost crawling with Rex behind who Ding could swear was grinning. At the middle of the bridge, Ding stopped with the false hope that the wild swinging should stop first before he proceeded. It never did and Rex had to goad him to move on.

When they finally reached the end of the bridge, the scare of the crossing must have surpassed Ding’s being tired from the first leg of their

walk. He felt he was ready to move on. But Rex said, “We need to rest. It is going to be a very steep climb.”

“So how much longer?” he asked.

“Between thirty minutes to five hours, depending…” he said with an impish giggle.

Ding smiled as he under-stood why the wide range.

The initial stage of the ascent was not as bad. They skirted the top of rice ter-race retaining walls. It was a winding walk while climb-ing terraces which were like ladders to the skies. Then the trails became almost verti-cal, again on 70 to 80 degrees slopes. Ding was thankful that almost everyday, for the last ten years, he was running four flights of stairs, at least twice a day, at his work in Santa Barbara. But even this was not enough for the steep ascent. It came to a point where he had to stop every ten meters or so to catch his breath. He swore that Rex’s white teeth were gleaming in the dark as he grinned though being patient and understanding of his pre-dicament.

It was when he thought that he could not lift another foot up and was about to say: can we just stop and just stay the night here, that he heard dogs barking at a distance. Never did he consider them as such but at that instant, the dogs, to him, became a sign of civilization. At last, they should be near their destina-tion. The thought of maybe food, for by now the spaghetti he ate earlier have already been spent, and maybe a bed, sort of pumped energy into his wavering feet. However, he still had to stop every 10 meters or so.

(To be continued)

Name: Bebelita TakayasuMenu: Editorials - BALIK-TANAW by Dr. Romy V. Protacio, PhDHeading: Caridad Sanchez: - “Hindi ako Mestiza!”

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Unholy Allied Mountains Letters to the EditorRead previous articles by visiting our website at www.asian-journalusa.com

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


Spiritual Life

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by Msgr. Fernando G. Gutierrez

Lower Your Nets Balintataw

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by Virginia H. Ferrer

Now Available:

Tawa’t Tula ng mga Piling Katatawanan

By Joe Cabrera

A Collecton of Jokes Written in Pilipino Verse

$10.00 a copy

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Masaya AkoMasaya ako kung sa aking paggising sa umagaito'y masisilayan ko, ano't walang kasinggandaisang bagong araw na muli ko itong makikitapaano na naman kaya ang aking pakikibaka.

Masaya kong tinatanaw mga batang naglalaromasda't nakayapak, gula-gulanit ang kan'lang baropero walang pagsidlan ang katuwaang natatamoni hindi na naiisip ang sikmurang kumukulo.

Masaya kong nilalanghap dito ang sariwang hangintunay na nakakagaan sa mabigat na damdaminsana'y dito na lamang ako pirmihang nakatigilsimpleng pamumuhay lang wala na akong mahihiling.

Masaya ako sa bagong araw na gigay sa akinat sa mahimbing na pagtulog muli akong nagisingat masisilayan kong muli mga mahal kong suplingmay ngiti sa labi't mga mata nama'y may bituin.

Masaya ako dahil palagi akong may kasamasa madugong labanan ng buhay, 'di ako nag-iisalaging nasa tabi ko aking "anghel de la guwardiya"sa mga tukso sa tabi laging nakaalalay s'ya.

©2010 Virginia H. Ferrer. All rights reserved.

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


Quiet areacall

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Joke of the week: A woman stopped in a fruit mar-ket and told the clerk, “I want some fruit for my husband. He’s sick in the hospital.” Among the fruits he pointed out are the plums, remarking, “These are delicious. Besides they would be very good for him.” The woman said she would take a dozen, and then as a sort of after thought, she asked, “Are they sprayed with poison?” Without cracking a smile the clerk informed her, “No, ma’am. You will have to get that at the drug store around the corner.”

Scripture: First Reading: 2 Kings 5: 14-17. The king of Syria, using the illness of his army commander, Naaman, as a ploy against his rival to take control of Samaria, sent a letter to the king of that

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

territory asking him to have someone heal his army officer. The prophet Elisha’s re-sponse to this royal squabble shows that God could not be a party to any politically moti-vated vested interests. Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2: 8-13. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christianity. Paul firmly believes that his suf-fering in prison for the sake of the Gospel that could not be chained will merit salva-tion for others. Gospel: Luke 17: 11-19. Jesus is shown as healing a group of lepers who have been prevented from entering the normal bound-aries of social interactions. Jesus teaches that the pure are not those who observe the rules and appear holy, but those who are not blinded by the gift to see the giver. The

real pure and holy are those who humbly give thanks to the giver for the gifts that they have received.

Reflections: “Gratitude is a rare virtue in these times.” Perhaps we strongly believe that our success is due to our own ability, and that what we have was just simply what others owed us. It is said that saying “thank you” is one of the hallmarks in the journey toward maturity. Those who never learn to be grateful re-main psychologically dwarfs as adolescents, never growing up as matured adults.

The Greco-Roman world religious expressions were mostly motivated by dread, wonder, dread of punishment and catastrophe as well as supplication and petition. The Bible adds something new to these categories, namely thanksgiving. Thanksgiving involves God’s participation in human affairs and man’s response to this divine inter-vention.

Thanksgiving is an essential element of Christian spiritual-ity and worship, that the Greek word for thanksgiving, eucha-ristia, has been closely identi-fied with charis, grace. Thanks-giving is therefore understood as giving thanks to God who in his graciousness has given us the best gift or grace of all, his own beloved Son, Jesus Christ. The Christians give thanks to God by seeing every aspect of their life as permeated by God’s presence through Jesus Christ or as one that is deeply rooted in an intimate relation-ship with God and flows out into serving one’s fellow man

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in his behalf.There was a little boy who

fell off a pier into the deep cold ocean water. An older sailor, heedless of the great danger to himself, dove into the dangerous water, struggled with the boy, and finally, al-most dying from exhaustion, brought the tyke back to safe-ty. Two weeks later, the boy’s mother came with him to the same pier, looking for the sail-or who rescued her son. Find-ing him, she asked, “You dove into the ocean to bring my boy out?” “Yes, ma’am,” the sailor responded. The mother impa-tiently asked, “Then where’s the hat?”

Ten lepers were healed, but only one, a Samaritan, came back to give thanks. We do not know what happened to the nine others who were healed. Surely they were not restored back to their leprous state. What we are certain of is that the gratitude of the Samaritan earned him more, salvation. True faith that saves is that which is not prevented by the gift from recognizing the gen-erosity of the giver. This grati-tude affirms not only the gift, but also the Creator and our dependence on him. True faith includes gratitude primarily for the gift of faith and second-arily for all other blessings. A grateful faith also involves a life that bonds with the Lord and establishes an intimate re-lationship with him and is also seen in one’s love and service of neighbors.

Quotation of the week: “Be thankful for the least gift, so shall you be worthy to receive greater.” Thomas à Kempis. PNS -- It’s a fait accompli,

the Senate’s actions on the proposed postponement of barangay elections and similar bills, the Senate chairman on local government said yester-day.

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. moved to have the measures “ar-chived” by the upper chamber as no less than Presi-dent Aquino ruled out any

SK, barangay polls definitely on

possibility of a postponement of the polls, himself already announcing recently that the scheduled barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 25 will push through.

“The committee on local government

wanted to have the commit-tee report drafted at the soon-est time possible in view of the urgen-

cy of this matter. How-

ever, events have superseded

us and this option is no longer available to us,” Marcos said in manifesting on the floor the dispensation of Senate Bills 60 and 2377.

Both bills sought for the resetting of the barangay and SK elections.

Marcos’ committee con-ducted public hearings last Aug. 16 and 23 in hope of expediting the deliberations on these measures in time to call for the deferment of polls involving 42,000 barangay units, should the executive agreed to the proposition.

“In view of these develop-ments and in the interest of good order, it is therefore the decision of this representation, as chair of the committee on local government, to archive Senate Bills 60 and 2377 and the proposed draft committee report for record purposes.

“Likewise included in the records to be archived is a copy of the recommenda-tion of this representation to President Aquino to postpone the barangay and SK elec-tions scheduled this Oct. 25 to October 2011,” he added.


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Light &Shadows

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by Zena Sultana Babao

At the Los Angeles event in 1993 honoring the Living Trea-sures of the Filipino Martial Arts.

“Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, And departing, leave behind us, footprints in the sands of time.” – The Psalm of Life by Henry Wads-worth Longfellow

Kali Grandmaster Ben T. Largusa – a Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) legend and one of the greatest martial artists in the world – has left the nar-row bond of earth to touch the face of God!

Largusa passed away at age 84 early Sunday morn-ing, October 3, 2010, in his home in Kauai, Hawaii. A high-ranking yet truly humble martial artist, a husband, father and grandfather, he was preceded in death by his son Lane, and is survived by his wife Philomena, daugh-ter Lois, and sons Jerry and Lindsey.

His passing is a great loss to the FMA world! GM Largusa was the head of Kali – a martial arts system so effective in combat that some Southern Philippine Island tribes successfully resisted the armored steel might of the Spanish Empire for nearly four centuries.

GM Largusa is widely regarded as the final word on this devastating and deadly method of combat. Kali is a system so unique that it is the source of all Eskrima styles,

Kali Grandmaster Ben T. Largusa (1926-2010)

Seated L to R: GM Floro Villabrille, Kali Patriach; GM Ben Largusa, Villarbrille’s successor; and GM Mel Lopez, Largusa’s successor.

Farewell to FMA Legend and Kali Grandmaster BEN T. LARGUSA

and it could be the lone mar-tial arts system where there is only one Grandmaster and one Master (Tuhan) at any given time. In other martial arts systems it is a common practice that simultaneously there are several masters, grandmasters and even great grandmasters.

The very first grandmas-ter in Kali was no other than Grandmaster Floro Villabrille, the Philippines’ most revered fighter and victor of numerous stick-fighting death matches. It is from the patriarch of Kali himself that Largusa learned a unique blend of methods, strategies and techniques unknown to any other man in the world.

Largusa was born in Kauai

in 1926 where his parents immigrated to from Carcar, Cebu, Philippines. Although he started his FMA training from his father, his first Es-krima instructor was a Master Agustin. His training with Agustin ended when he joined the U.S. Army in 1945 during World War II.

While in the Army, Lar-gusa trained in several fight-ing systems that also included Judo and boxing. Upon his discharge from the Army in 1951, he returned to Kauai, and with the blessings of his instructor Master Agustin, he was accepted as a student of Grandmaster Villabrille.

At the age of 25, Largusa trained one-on-one with Vil-labrille, who was still in his prime then at 39 years old, for seven unbroken years. At the onset of his training, GM Villabrille had him promise to never teach anyone else the art of Kali. At the time, few people had ever heard of this deadly art because it was a closely-guarded secret that was passed only from teacher to student and from father to son.

As his years of training with Villabrille progressed, Largusa realized that what he

was learning was primarily comprised of fighting tech-niques and theory, and that he could not teach the system the way it was taught to him. So he broke down – step-by-step and move-by-move – Grand-master Villabrille’s complete system.

In recognition, the Kali Patriarch gave Ben T. Largusa a signed legal document des-ignating him the sole heir to the Villabrille method and the title of Tuhan (Master). Lar-gusa was also authorized to add his name to Villabrille’s system of martial arts, hence it is widely known up to now as: Villabrille-Largusa Kali System.

When GM Villabrille passed away in March 8, 1992, Tuhan Largusa auto-matically became the second grandmaster of the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System. Upon assuming the mantle of leadership, GM Largusa was duty-bound to also select who among the officially desig-nated Kali guros (instructors) will be the next in line.

Guro/Professor Mel Lopez of San Francisco was GM La-gusa’s choice! With Largusa’s demise, Grandmaster Mel Lopez is the third grandmaster

of the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System.

Largusa moved to San Francisco from Kauai when he was around 35 because GM Villabrille told him to train and spar with opponents of different styles. Once in the Bay Area, he met people from different karate and kung-fu styles. He was in-vited to spar with practitioners of choy li fut, wing chun, and praying mantis. Because he could easily handle the fight-ers, everyone thought that he trained in kung-fu, although he didn’t. Villabrille’s system gave him the facility to effec-tively deal with other martial arts style.

GM Ben Largusa was the first man to bring and intro-duce Kali into the United States public arena. He gave

America its first demonstra-tion of Kali in 1964 at the Ed Parker International Ka-rate Championships in Long Beach, California. Also in attendance were numerous martial artists from around the world, including the legend-ary Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto and Jhoon Rhee.

Both Bruce Lee and Ben Largusa were personal friends of Ed Parker and both were introduced to the American public for the very first time!

On stage, Bruce Lee dem-onstrated his modified form

of Wing Chun Gung Fu, the precursor to Jeet Kune Do, as well as Lee’s very well publicized, powerful two-inch punch. Largusa, on the other hand, demonstrated sparring using Eskrima sticks with his brother, Dominador Largusa.

Parker was a great mar-tial artist with an open mind. Even way before the 1964 Karate Championships, Parker wanted to know more about the art of Kali. Largusa ex-plained to him that Kali is not just about stick-fighting, and he proceeded to show Parker empty-hand movements and techniques. Parker was very surprised and decided the two get together more often. Parker loved the Kali move-ments and footwork. They used to get together with another friend, a choy li fut

practitioner. So when Parker decided to put on his famous karate tournament, he asked Largusa to demonstrate.

A few weeks after that eventful Ed Parker Karate Championships, Parker re-ceived a phone call from Wil-liam Dozier, the producer of the “Batman” TV series. Ed Parker had a lot of friends in Hollywood and was teaching martial arts to some of the top people in the industry. Dozier was then planning to pro-



Elections 2010

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MANILA-NOVEMBER 7, 2010LUZON-OCTOBER 31, 2010

VISAYAS-OCTOBER 24, 2010MINDANAO-OCTOBER 17, 2010

Every Californian who cares about education will want to take a close look at one of the statewide office elections on the November 2 general election ballot.

On that day, Californians will select a new State Superinten-dent of Public Instruction. Many believe this statewide office is the next most important one after Governor. Why? Because this non-partisan office is the top elected leader in education and head of the California Depart-ment of Education. The incum-bent, Jack O’Connell, is termed out after eight years in office.

Assemblymember Tom Torlakson is running to succeed O’Connell as State Superin-tendent of Public Instruction. Torlakson’s journey has led him from the classrooms of Contra Costa County’s Mt. Diablo High School and Los Medanos Com-munity College to the Antioch City Council, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and the California State Senate and State Assembly.

“I’m running for State Super-intendent of Public Instruction because I want to fight each day for our kids,” said Torlakson. “I want to take what I’ve learned as a science teacher, high school coach, and elected official and put that experience to work to re-store our schools to the top ranks in the nation.”

“I believe in this time of crisis for our educational system that our education leader must use the platform a statewide office provides to highlight the problems—and their potential solutions. That’s why I have brought together the largest and most diverse group of supporters of any statewide candidate this year,” added Torlakson. “I know from my personal experience and direct conversations how important our educational system is to members of the API com-munity—and how concerned its members are about the dramatic impact of the recent large fund-ing cuts to our schools.”

Throughout his career in public office, Torlakson has demonstrated his support and friendship for the Asian Pacific Islander community. It’s not just his policy positions. You can see it in the people he trusts around him the most.

In 1981, when Tom was first elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, he hired Gloria Ramil Omania as his chief of staff. Omania was the first Filipina (and first minor-ity) to serve in such a capacity in Contra Costa, a county in the East Bay region about 40 min-utes east of San Francisco.

Omania continued with Tor-lakson when he was elected to the State Assembly in 1996, be-coming the first Filipina to serve as chief of staff for a California State Legislator. Gloria has been working with Torlakson for over 29 years and is currently Tom’s campaign manager.

“Gloria has been a true leader, an inspiration, and my chief part-

Filipina American serves in Tom Torlakson Staff

Mae Cendaña Torlakson, Assemblymember Tom Torlakson, Gloria Ramil Omania.

ner in my public service career since the day she began working in my office 29 years ago. She is my top trusted advisor and has helped to shape major policy issues impacting our community and California,” said Torlakson. “Gloria has helped so many people resolve problems they have had in the communities I’ve served. She is a great manager—extremely organized, hardwork-ing, dedicated, and loyal.”

Earlier this year, Torlakson named Omania his 11th Assembly District “Woman of the Year” in recognition of all she has done and achieved for the people in Contra Costa County.

“Gloria is a highly respected leader of the Filipino-American community in Contra Costa and the East Bay. She has dedicated her time and talent to mentor-ing and promoting leadership in the Fil-Am community,” said Torlakson. “I was honored and pleased to have an opportunity to thank Gloria publicly, in front of my colleagues in the Legislature, for all she has done so far during our successful and active public service.”

Tom is married to Mae Cendaña Torlakson, a board member of the Ambrose Recre-ation and Park District. Cendaña Torlakson is the first Filipina elected to office in Contra Costa County. She is also seeking reelection to her position this November.

Mae and her husband are partners in education. She works as a program coordinator for University of California Office of the President for the MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) program. It is a job that connects well to Tom’s expressed priority to enhance STEM (science, technology, en-gineering, mathematics) educa-tion in California schools.

Together, the three of them enjoy serving the community and participating in numerous local projects and events.

“Working with Tom, I have had the good fortune as an adult to have a position that allows me to empower others,” explained Omania, when she made a pre-sentation on his behalf at a Fili-pino American Coalition event in September. “I just happened to luck out and find a good job, that became a better job, and grew into an incredible career because my boss is all about ‘creating opportunities.’”

As an Assemblyman for 6 years and State Senator for 8 years, Tom authored and sup-ported legislation to recognize the valuable contributions of the API community. He has been steadfast in his support for the Filipino Veterans Equity Act to provide long overdue benefits to Filipino veterans. Tom has co-authored legislation to include the role of Filipino Americans in World War II in the high school social studies curriculum, as well as the resolution to declare Octo-ber as Filipino Heritage Month.

“Improving public educa-tion has been my passion. As a

teacher, it is a lifelong commit-ment,” Torlakson explained.

“I received my first lesson in empowerment as a young child when we first immigrated to America. My father was told he could not buy a home in the non-minority side of Stockton. That didn’t stop my dad and I was soon attending elementary school where there were only four Filipinos, and three of them were my brothers.

Working with Tom, I have had the good fortune as an adult to have a position that allows me to empower others,” explained Omania, when she made a pre-

sentation on his behalf at a Fili-pino American Coalition event in September. “I just happened to luck out and find a good job, that became a better job, and grew into an incredible career because my boss is all about ‘creating op-portunities.’” For more informa-tion on Torlakson’s campaign for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, visit his web site at www.TomTorlakson.com or Fa-cebook page at www.facebook.com/Torlakson. You can learn more about Cendaña Torlakson’s reelection campaign at www.maeforparks.com.

Manila Bay.The following day, the

Chinese delegates had a city tour that culminated in a din-ner show at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila, where they were treated to a night of Filipino music and world-class entertainment.

After the dinner show, the Chinese delegates huddled around Secretary Lim for a souvenir photo, some of them flashing the “peace” sign to signify the close ties between China and the Philippines.

The next day brought all of the 96 foreign travel agents to the Manila Hotel for a full day of pre-scheduled one-on-one business sessions with lo-cal sellers of various tourism products.

Such business activities were capped with a fare-well dinner and party at The Gallery of the Greenbelt 5 in Makati, where they got acquainted with each other before parting ways for their respective post-event tours to

the different tourism destina-tions across the archipelago up to Tuesday (Sept. 7).

While the Chinese delega-tion was bound for Palawan, the others were headed for Cebu, Bohol, Boracay, Bicol, Clark, Subic and the Ilocos Region.

The three-day Philippine Travel Mart staged by the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), hap-pening right after PHITEX, was attended by local tour op-erators and national and local governments presenting new products and offering exciting and affordable tour packages.

The organizers’ report revealed utilization of 15 pavilions by regional and private exhibitors and 208 booths by 131 companies. About 139,000 foot traffic was recorded versus 133,000 last year while partial results show that sales completed on site reached P17.3 million compared to P15 million in 2009. Post after sales is esti-mated at P19.5 million. These indicators stress that domestic tourism remains unaffected by the current crisis.

(Story courtesy of Jacy Lynne A. Oiga and Vince G. Lopez of Manila Bulletin)


China’s travel agents vow support for RP

tourism


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San Francisco, CA -- October 5, 2010 --- The National Federation of Fili-pino American Associations’ (NaFFAA) 12 regions are getting ready to convene its 9th National Empowerment Conference, a.k.a. Empow-erment-2010 or E-2010, on November 19 to 21, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency San Fran-cisco Airport in Burlingame, California. Held every even year since its inception in 1997, the E-2010 will focus on hands-on ses-sions on leadership training and suc-cession planning. “Building the Next Generation of Community Advocates,” is a timely and welcome theme as NaFFAA strengthens its organizational structure, mission, goals, and objectives amidst the current economic challenges as well as contin-ues its role as a facilitator to help increase sustainability among member organizations.

Ben Menor, E-2010’s Conference Chair, explains: “A strong push toward in-volving the YP’s, NaFFAA’s new term that means ‘young Pinoys and Pinays or Young Pilipinos’ as well as young professionals, means that every member, supporter, and affi liate is committed to engaging emerging and seasoned Filipino community advocates among NaFFAA’s 12 regions nationwide. We had a very successful E-2010 kick-off event last August 12, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency where many of our local community-based organiza-

Filipinos Converge in San Francisco for the 9th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference

E-2010: “Building the Next Generation of Community Advocates”

tions in Northern California announced their upcoming events and projects. It was a very informative and enlight-ening community meeting that was co-hosted by the hotel’s management.”

Workshops include (1) The

Future is Now: Collaboration, Co-Existence, and Intergen-era- tional

Lead- ership; (2) Economic Empowerment: Entrepreneurship and Hom-eownership; (3) Social Em-powerment: Culture, Educa-tion, Health, and History; (4) Political and Legislative Empowerment; and (5) Orga-nizational Sustainability and Succession Planning. Elected Filipino American public offi cials will also be invited to attend the empowerment conference.

NaFFAA’s return to its “advocacy roots” in the San Francisco Bay Area for E-2010 will be honored dur-ing the November 20, 2010 Gala Event & Silent Auction. Business matters include the amendments to NaFFAA’s by-laws and its national elections.

“E-2010 is designed to be a value-packed conference minus many of its predeces-sors’ frills,” Greg Macabenta, NaFFAA’s Outgoing National

Chair, noted. “All partici-pants are expected to sign up for volunteer duties --- from session moderator, workshop runner, stage manager, host, to set-up and break-down crew member --- responsibilities that are typically found in best practices for event organiz-ing and community advocacy work.”

NaFFAA’s regional of-fi cers will confi rm their

participants’ registrations with the E-2010 Organiz-

ing Committee. This year’s conference is

hosted by NaFFAA Region 8 (North-ern California), headed by Jose Pecho, Regional Chair. For more

information, contact , Aurora S. Cudal, Chair, NaF-FAA Region 10 (San Diego, Riverside and Imperial Coun-ties)al Chair, (619) 755-3932) [email protected] or any of the E-2010 Organizing Committee members: Jose Pecho at JP&[email protected], Baylan Megino at [email protected], Lorna Dietz at [email protected], and Ben Menor at [email protected]. Website: http://NaFFAA.org or http://NaFFAAE2010.wordpress.com.

NaFFAA is a non-profi t and non-partisan coalition of community organizations and advocacy groups represent-ing some 4 million people of Filipino descent in America, promoting the interests and well-being of the United States, and concerned over the welfare of the Philippines.



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Showbiz Watcher

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

by Ogie Cruz

INAASAHAN na ni Wil-lie Revillame na magpa-file ng petition ang ABS-CBN na request sa Quezon City Regional Trial Court ng TRO (Temporary Restraining Or-der) para pigilan ang kanyang launching show na ‘Willing

Willie’ sa channel 5, at nangyari nga ito nung Oct 4,2010.

Pero sabi nga ni Mr. Wowowee, he is ready to face ABS-CBN in court at bahala na lang ang kanyang mga abogado kung anu ang susunod nilang Legal Action against sa petition ng channel 2.

So, abangan na lang natin ang legal battle niya sa dati niyang istasyon, pero ang malinaw ,ay puro rehersal sila sa nalalapit na launching ng nasabing show, pero hang-gang ngayon ayaw pa rin ito kumpirmahin ng management ng TV5 ang launching date.

Ang nakakamangha, binig-yan pala ni Willie ang tig-iisang kotse ang mga staff na sumama sa kanyang pag-alis sa Wowowee, para sa samah-an siya sa kanyang bagong show na ‘Willing-Willie’ at dinagdagan pa ang salary nila para iwanan ang kanilang work sa ABS-CBN.

Willie Revillame inaasahan and hiling na TRO ng ABS-

CBN sa Q.C. CourtSamantala,malaking

pasasalamat ni Willie sa Awit Award dahil nanalo ang kan-yang ‘Ikaw Na Nga’ bilang Best Selling Album.

GUMAGANDA NA RAW, ang ‘Win na Win’ matapos iwanan ito ni Kris Aquino ang nasabing show last Oct.1, at pinalitan naman siya nina Rico Puno, Rey Valera, Noynoy Zuniga at Marco Sison.Nagsimula na ang apat last Monday, sabi nga ng mga TFC subscribers dito sa Amerika,mas maganda na raw panoorin ang show, di tulad noon na si Kris ang host.

Tuwang-tuwa naman ang pinoy dito sa U.S. kapag nababanggit ni Rico ang name ni Willie Revillame.Niyaya kasi ni Mr. Puno ang dating Wowowee host na mag-guest ito sa kanilang show at sana raw matuloy ang bagong show niya sa channel 5.Kwela ang apat ,bagay ang show sa kanila at takenote tumaas na ang rating nila, kaya sana raw tumagal pa ang show.

BINALAAN NI MTRCB CHAIRMAN Laguardia na maingat si Vice Ganda sa kanyang mga sinasabi sa ‘Showtime’ lalo na yung mga double meaning, dahil imo-monitor daw siya ng naturang ahensiya.

Pero palaban si Vice Ganda, wala daw masama sa salita at ang masama raw yung kaisipan ng nakikinig na binibigyan ng ibang kahulu-gan.Ang dapat daw i-monitor yung utak ni Chairman La-guardia na binibigyan kahulu-gan ang mga sinasabi niyang simple.

Diin pa nga niya, “For me she doesn’t exist”,taray ni Vice Ganda.

ANU KAYA ANG NATU-TUHAN ni Chairman Laguar-dia kay Ms. Cristy Fermin ng itanong sa kanya kung papa-yag siya na si Kris Aquino ang papalit sa kanyang posisyon?Paano ba naman ng itanong sa kanya ito ni Ms. Dolly Anne Carvajal ibinalik niya ang tanong sa nagtanong.Sabi pa niya, natuto daw siya nung pumunta minsan si Ate Cristy.Which mean ayaw ba niya kay Kris Aquino, nagta-tanong lang kami.

BINABATI pala namin sina Ms. Monette Quintanar ng Simi Valley at si Ms. Flor-ence Tolentino ng Buena Park California.Maraming salamat po!

Willie Revillame

duce a new action TV series called “The Green Hornet.” He asked Parker’s assistance to help him search for a real martial artist to play the role of Kato, the Green Hornet’s sidekick.

Parker called up Largusa and told him that Hollywood needed a person for that role, and he thought of two people – Ben Largusa and Bruce Lee. But he decided to offer the part to Largusa first and Bruce second. Largusa told him that he truly appreciated the offer but that he couldn’t answer right then, he needed time to think. A few days later, he called Parker back and de-clined the offer. Parker was disappointed that he didn’t accept, but he understood. So Parker said, “I’ll have to call Bruce Lee.” And the rest is history.

Everyone who knows Ben Largusa knows that he is a very humble man. He never dreamed of using his martial arts knowledge as a way to gain fame, fortune and glory.

I and my husband first met

this great yet humble man, who describes himself as “just a man of Kali” back in the late 1970’s in one of the FMA events in Los Angeles. We were introduced to him by our very good friend and kum-padre Dan Inosanto, another martial arts legend.

And then in 1978, Largusa made my husband a Kali guro when his U.S. navy ship made a port visit to San Francisco. Today Narrie is the only certi-fied Villabrille-Largusa Kali guro south of Los Angeles.

In 1981, at a very special ceremony in Kauai which we attended, Grandmaster Vil-labrille presented then Tuhan Largusa the “Conveyance of Life Interest”, which gave Largusa the exclusive right, license and authority to use the name of Floro Villabrille School of Kali in perpetuat-ing and promoting the Kali system. Although there were others who trained under Vil-labrille, it was Largusa who was chosen by Villabrille to be his successor. It was such

an honor and a privilege for me to meet GM Villabrille in person! I wrote about him, and other Filipino martial artists, in the newspapers and magazines I write for through the years.

The last time we saw Grandmaster Largusa was in Los Angeles in June 18, 1993 at the very memorable event called “The City of Los Angeles Honors the Liv-ing Treasures of the Filipino Martial Arts.” I remember that among of the FMA leg-ends present, aside from GM Largusa, were the late GM Leo Giron, the late GM Sam Tendencia, the late Senior Guro Lucky Lucaylucay, GM Richard Bustillo, Guro Dan Inosanto, and Professor Greg Lontayao.

GM Ben T. Largusa – you are gone but not forgotten. You have left a lasting legacy to the Martial Arts world! You will forever be loved and revered by us all! Rest in peace with the Lord!!

Farewell to FMA Legend

and Kali Grandmaster

BEN T. LARGUSA


Quiet areacall: (619) 746-3416


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

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

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

Mahal KitaSa ‘yong mga mata, ako’y binihag mo,At ‘yong nalaman ding ikaw ay mahal ko.Kailangan ko pa bang ihiyaw sa mundo?Na tanging ikaw lang ang iniibig ko.

Sa bawat sandaling ‘di ka makapiling,Parang ang isip ko’y laging mababaliw.Ang hanap ko ikaw, laging ikaw giliw,Laging dalangin ko at lagi kong hiling.

May pagkakataong ako’y nagkukulang, ‘Di ko napapansing ika’y nasasaktan.Patawad mahal ko’t ako ay tao lang,Liban sa puso kong tunay kang minahal.

Sana’y madama mo ang pagsisisi ko,Na iyong matanggap, ako’y para sa ‘yo.‘Pagkat kailan pa man itong pusong ito,‘Di na magmamahal, dito sating mundo.

Tamis ng ‘yong labi, lambot ng ‘yong buhok,Ala-ala ko pang laging hinahaplos.Ang ‘yong mga ngiti kapag nalulungkot,Sa akin ay sigla at mabisang gamot.

Halina mahal ko, sa aki’y humimlay,Liwanag ng buwan ay ating pagmasdan.Sa bawat sandali ating madaramang,Itong ating puso, kapwa nagmamahal.

Mahal kitang labis, sana’y tandaan mo,At ‘di magsasawang ulit-ulitin ‘to.Tanging ikaw lamang ang nais kong mundo,Payapa ang lahat....ikaw ang mahal ko.

Katha ni: Romeo S. Nicolas

Pacman: Sabi ng titser ko, bakit daw ang eggplant walang egg?

Aling Dionisia: Sabihon mo sa titser mo, na pag me egg yun, turta na yan, TUR-TA!

Reporter: Ngayong nanalo ka Manny, anong pasalubong mo kay Jinkee?

Manny: Ibon syempre. Mahilig sya dun e.

Reporter: Ibon? Anong klaseng ibon?

Manny: Yung mga lipstek, pangmik up ba? Basta mga Ibon products! Yo know….

Dionesia: Doc gusto ko magpalagay ng breast.

Doctor: (gulat) magpapa-

Usapang Manny at Aling Dionisia

sexsi ka na? Dionesia: Breast sa ngipen

ba. Para umayos yun ngepen ko! Deba uso yon?

Pacquiao: Wala, talo ka na kahit anung gawin mo..

Hatton: Pagandahan na lang tayo ng nanay!

Pacquiao: Ah! Wala na-mang ganyanan. I mean you know…

Aling Dionisia: Inday, akina nga yung seeds ko.

Inday: Bakit po magta-tanim po ba kayo?

Aling Dionisia: Anung magtatanim sinasabi mo? Nasisilaw ang mata ko kaya kailangan ko yung seeds.

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Los Angeles – Aquil Basheer, a renowned gang intervention practitioner, uses his street experience to edu-cate youth and professionals that regularly deal with gang violence in Los Angeles. Perla Flores develops partnerships

The California Wellness Foundation announces 2010 California Peace

Prize HonoreesCommunity Leaders Each To Receive $25,000 Cash

Awards For Violence Prevention Work

that provide local services to sexual assault victims from underserved communities in Morgan Hill and surrounding areas. Sammy Nuñez is a for-mer gang member who now works to turn around the lives of at-risk youth, particularly

young fathers, in Stockton.On October 19, The Cali-

fornia Wellness Foundation (TCWF) will honor these three community leaders with its 18th annual California Peace Prize at a ceremony in Los Angeles. In recognition of their efforts to prevent vio-lence and promote peace, the honorees will each receive a cash award of $25,000. [Pro-files, photographs and video of the honorees can be ac-cessed at http://www.calwell-ness.org/leadership_recogni-tion/ca_peace_prize/2010/.]

“These honorees have helped youth and families devastated by violence, and provided essential leadership in organizations that work to make our communities better,” said Gary L. Yates, president and CEO of TCWF. “They represent thousands of unsung heroes dedicated to improving the health and well-being of California’s youth.”

Aquil Basheer

Aquil Basheer is a nation-ally known crisis-intervention specialist, educational consul-tant, and youth development expert who has worked for more than 40 years to reduce community violence. Basheer is the chief executive officer of the BUILD Youth Em-powerment Academy, which operates conflict-resolution training, mentoring, and gang-violence deterrence and intervention programs in middle schools and commu-nity centers throughout Los Angeles County. He and his organization work daily with high-risk youth to develop their sense of self-responsibil-ity, discipline, commitment, and self-esteem.

“We have to retrain our-selves,” Basheer said. “If we have to regulate a dispute, we should have the tools to be able to do that without using a gun or a knife.”

Perla Flores

Perla Flores is a passion-ate advocate for victims of domestic violence, sexual as-sault, and human trafficking. Because of her efforts, a rural community that once lacked adequate services and re-sources can now assist people in need. As a program direc-tor at Community Solutions, a multi-service nonprofit serv-ing southern Santa Clara and San Benito counties, Flores oversees development, imple-mentation, and evaluation of the organization’s domestic

violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking prevention and intervention services. Flores is particularly adept at reaching out to underserved populations, such as migrant women. She has forged key partnerships with medical and faith communities, in order to widen support in areas where the voices of victims are often silenced.

“The financial climate is impairing our ability to help abused women,” Flores said. “There’s a lot more need and a lot fewer resources.”

Sammy Nuñez

Sammy Nuñez has a deep understanding of how to work with young men and fathers. A former gang mem-ber himself, Nuñez graduated from a fatherhood program in Northern California that led him towards a path to a career in violence prevention. He has become a nationally recognized expert in the field of responsible fatherhood and youth development. Nuñez is the founding executive direc-tor of Fathers and Families of San Joaquin, a community-based organization providing services and parenting classes for young fathers and incar-cerated men.

“While we have obstacles in our community, we also have one of the most diverse populations in the nation and a solid group in the trenches that’s committed to re-writing our future,” Nuñez said.

The California Wellness Foundation is a private inde-pendent, private foundation, created in 1992, with a mis-sion to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention.

The Foundation priori-tizes eight issues for funding: diversity in the health profes-sions, environmental health, healthy aging, mental health, teenage pregnancy prevention, violence prevention, women’s health, and work and health. It also responds to timely issues and special projects outside the funding priorities.

Since its founding, TCWF has awarded 5,828 grants totaling more than $735 mil-lion. It is one of the state’s largest private foundations. Please visit TCWF’s website at www.CalWellness.org for more information, including a newsroom section devoted to the California Peace Prize and the three honorees. High-resolution photos are also available.

San Diego-area kids, fami-lies and businesses are invited to participate in the World’s Largest Christmas Project-

Operation Christmas Child. It’s simple and easy. Find an

Event Announcementempty shoe box and fill it with new toys, school supplies and necessity items. Then drop it off at one of 9 collection

points in the San Diego area. The gift-filled shoe box will be sent to one of 100 countries and hand-delivered to a needy child. For most kids, this will be the first present they ever receive! For step-by-step instructions or to find the collection point nearest you, visit

www.SamaritansPurse.org/OCC or call 714-432-7030.


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

journalusa.com

It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn’t been heard.

The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week.

As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then an army sergeant came in and said, ‘Why aren’t you with the rest of the pla-toon?’

The soldier replied, ‘I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord.’

The sergeant said, ‘Looks to me like you’re going to

play cards.’ The soldier said, ‘No, sir ..

You see, since we are not al-lowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country,

I’ve decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards.’

The sergeant asked in disbelief, ‘How will you do that?’

Deck of Cards‘You see the Ace, Ser-

geant? It reminds me that there is only one God.

The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments

The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John .

The Five is for the five vir-gins there were ten but only five of them were glorified.

The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth.

The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation.

The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives -- the eight people God spared from the flood that de stroyed the Earth.

The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him.

The Ten represents the

Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.

The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God’s first an-gels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell.

The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.

The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings.

When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.

There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week - 52 weeks in a year.

The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

Each suit has thirteen cards -- there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter.

So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.’

The sergeant just stood there. After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said, ‘Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?’

Please let this be a remind-er and take time to pray for all of our soldiers who are being sent away, putting their lives on the line fighting

Prayer for the Military.

Please keep the wheel rolling. It will only take a few seconds of your time, but it’ll be worth it to read on....

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.

Protect them. Bless them and their fami-

lies I ask this in the name of

Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen When you read this, please

stop for a moment and say a prayer for our servicemen and women all around the world.

There is nothing attached, but this can be very powerful.

Of all the gifts you could give a Soldier, prayer is the very best one.

In God I Trust!

The producers of BURN THE FLOOR, Broadway’s Latin and Ballroom dance spectacular, announced today that Vonzell Solomon of TV’s “American Idol” will join the touring company of BURN THE FLOOR on October 12, 2010 in San Diego, Calif., as the show’s female vocalist. BURN THE FLOOR will heat up SAN DIEGO CIVIC THEATRE in a Broad-way/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presenta-tion, OCTOBER 12 - 17, 2010.

Vonzell, better known as “Baby V,” is an international singer, songwriter, producer, record-ing artist, model and actress. She was the second runner-up in the 4th season of the FOX Television series “American Idol.” Following her amaz-ing performances on “Idol,” she launched her own record label, Melodic Records. Vonzell is presently putting the finishing touches on her highly anticipated sophomore CD release.

“We are delighted that Vonzell will be joining the US Tour. Her amazing vocal talents are the perfect match for the energy and athleti-cism of the dancers,” says Harley Medcalf, BURN THE FLOOR creator and producer.

The fall portion of the tour

“American Idol” Finalist Vonzell Solomon joins the National Tour of Burn the Floor

Along With San Diego’s Own MARY MURPHY; At SAN DIEGO CIVIC THEATRE ~ OCTOBER 12 - 17, 2010

also features “So You Think You Can Dance” judge Mary Murphy and alums Anya Gar-nis, Pasha Kovalev, Ashleigh Di Lello, Ryan Di Lello, Rob-bie Kmetoni, Janette Manrara and Karen Hauer. All seven have been seen on TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance,”

in the US (Anya Garnis, Pasha Kovalev, Ashleigh & Ryan Di Lello, Janette Manrara and Karen Hauer, Top 10 Final-ists) and Australia (Robbie Kmetoni, 2010 Winner).

Years before “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance” turned Ballroom Dancing into must-see TV, BURN THE FLOOR was blazing a new dance trail and igniting stages around the globe. In BURN THE FLOOR, Ballroom Dance is totally reinvented. All the dance styles are refreshed and invigorated and leave audi-ences grinning with delight and screaming for more. You see and feel, live on stage, all the passion, drama and

sizzling excitement of 20 gorgeous world champion dancers in a true theatrical ex-perience, a performance with a grace and athleticism that The New York Times calls, “Dazzling!” and The Times (London) calls “the summer’s hottest ticket”!

BURN THE FLOOR is directed and choreographed by Jason Gilkison. The national tour of BURN THE FLOOR launched in Portland, Ore. on September 7, 2010, and continues through spring of 2011. For a full list of tour cities, please visit www.burn-

thefloor.com.For more information on

Vonzell, visit her website at www.vonzellbabyvsolomon.com.

Follow Vonzell on Twitter! twitter.com/vonzellsolomon

(619) 702-3051


Quiet areacall: (619) 746-3416

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On the evening of Sep-tember 18, 2010 over one hundred community members of San Diego gathered at the Centro Cultural de la Raza of San Diego to view the contro-versial and thought provoking Philippine independent fi lm “Dukot” (desaparecidos/dis-appeared), directed by Joel C. Lamangan.

Upon entry guests made their way to the seating area and found themselves surrounded by an art piece done by the members of Anakbayan San Diego. Above their heads they found a web of clothes-lines with attached photos of murdered and missing Filipino activists during the Gloria Maca-pagal Arroyo adminis-tration. Underneath the clotheslines were three chalk outlines resem-bling murdered bodies. Attached at the head were photos of those also murdered under the dreaded Oplan Bantay Laya (Operation Free-dom Watch), Arroyo’s coun-terinsurgency program aimed at killing unarmed activists.

It is this gruesome real-ity of the past decade that the fi lm Dukot portrayed. In the fi lm, Junix (Allen Dizon), Maricel (Iza Calzado), and their families stand in to rep-resent the victims of Human Rights violations during the Arroyo administration. The political thriller is a breath of fresh air, daring to show the ugly realism of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappear-ances, torture, and govern-ment corruption.

Following the fi lm Anak-bayan hosted a Q&A with Melissa Roxas, Filipina

Dukot U.S. Tour San Diego: “A good wake up call”

American human rights activ-ist and survivor of enforced disappearance and torture. Roxas spoke about her ex-perience as victim of human rights violations and also spoke about the geopoliti-cal realities underwriting the fi lm. Roxas stressed to the crowd to make the connection between the political realities

of the Philippines that Dukot portrays and the daily lives of Filipino Americans and Amer-ican citizens here in the U.S. This connection is important since it is taxpayer money of American citizens that funds Oplan Bantay Laya, now extended under the current Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

The Q&A ended with Roxas encouraging the guests to continue the conversation about social justice issues of Filipinos and all struggles against oppression. The guests enjoyed the fi lm, many commenting on its power-ful message. One viewer commented that it was “A

good wakeup call”. The Dukot U.S. Tour is not only a “wakeup call”, but it is also an invitation for Filipinos here in the U.S. to deepen the foundations of what it means to be Filipino. There is often an emphasis on Filipino pride and learning Filipino cultural heritage, but what also needs to be included is an awareness of the oppressive political conditions facing Filipinos in the Philippines and across the Diaspora. The Dukot U.S. Tour is a cultural event that

is a stepping stone into deeper political awareness of Filipino lives.

The Dukot U.S. Tour could not have come at a more appropriate time. The tour moves into October, which is Filipino American History month. More importantly, today marks the 38th anniver-sary of Martial Law and Philippine President Be-nigno “Noynoy” Aquino III is currently in the U.S handling business. The oppressive environment of the martial law era of Marcos and the un-declared martial law of Arroyo continue to this day. As it stands there have been 13 cases of

extrajudicial killings under Noynoy’s administration. This is related to his extension of Arroyo’s Oplan Bantay Laya, which is responsible for 1206 extrajudicial killings and over 200 enforced disappearances of the last administration. The task at hand for Filipinos in the U.S. is to see beyond the symbolic appropriation yellow-shirt-people power and hold the current Aquino administration accountable to the Human Rights violations occurring under his presi-dency.

For more information about the Dukot U.S. Tour visit www.dukot.com

(Sacramento) - During early childhood, one of the most important things parents, teachers and caregivers can do is nurture children’s self-con-fi dence so they learn to gradu-ally become more indepen-dent. Studies show that kids who have strong self-esteem are more likely to succeed in school and in life.

In recognition of National Child Health Day on October 4, First 5 California offers general tips to help build self-confi dence in young children and foster healthy social and emotional development.

Focus on Relationships

Through loving relation-ships that offer security, com-fort and encouragement, kids gain confi dence to explore the world around them.

• Spend quality time with your child every day and show affection. This lets him know he is loved and teaches him relationship-building skills.

• Provide opportunities for your child to develop connec-tions with other children close in age. Children learn how to share and resolve confl ict by interacting together.

Give Positive Feedback

Acknowledge children’s efforts to learn new skills and face challenges at different periods of development.

• Praise your child for doing a good job during all stages of her early life – when she starts crawling and walk-ing to forming words and counting. This reinforces self-worth and increases a child’s sense of satisfaction.

Self-Confi dence: A Building Block to Success Nurturing children’s emotional development from birth

• Support her efforts to tackle a new activity and learn from mistakes. When facing a challenge, encourage her to try again and offer help only if she needs it. Be patient with the learning process – it pays off in the end!

Nurture Independence

Provide opportunities for kids to accomplish tasks on their own and nurture their own sense of curiosity. This helps them become more secure in their abilities and in themselves.

• Give your child age-ap-propriate responsibilities, such as picking up toys or setting the table. When he learns to master or fi nish a task, his confi dence will grow.

• Encourage him to explore a range of creative activities, like painting or telling a story. This will help him become more comfortable in express-ing ideas and feelings.

Be a Good Role Model

Children learn by watching adults and imitating their be-havior. If you are confi dent in your abilities, your child will learn to be confi dent too.

• If you’re too harsh on yourself or overly pessimistic, your child may eventually mirror this behavior. Nurture your own self-esteem and your child will have a great role model.

• Show respect to your child by listening to him, looking him in the eyes when having a conversation, and speaking kindly – all be-haviors that help reinforce a child’s sense of self-worth.

For more information,

contact First 5 California at ((800) KIDS-025 or visit www.fi rst5california.com/parents.

Parents can also order the free Kit for New Parents – a comprehensive parenting resource developed by First 5 California that offers practical information on a child’s fi rst fi ve years.

Highlights of the free Kit include an easy-to-navigate parents guide on topics such as prenatal care, child devel-opment, health and safety, fi nding quality child care and getting children ready for school. The Kit also con-tains an easy-to-read book that answers questions about common childhood illnesses and injuries. Other resources in the Kit include obesity prevention guides, brochures on topics ranging from oral health to the “Smoke-free Cars with Minors” law, and details on Paid Family Leave and the Healthy Families program.

The Kit is free for Califor-nia parents. To order, parents can call (800) KIDS-025.

About First 5 California

Research shows that a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the fi rst fi ve years and what parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child’s growth will have a meaningful impact throughout life. Based on this research, California voters passed Proposition 10 in 1998, adding a 50 cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes to support programs for expect-ant parents and children ages 0 to 5.


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To:

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

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

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Fax #

If approved please sign and fax back to

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

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

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City of San Diego Ethics Commission is accepting submittals for General Counsel services. See details:

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people, mataas din po ang level of confidene ng mga namumuhunan, isinasaayos yung framework para sa public private- partnership, gagawing more efficient ang assessment sa build operate transfer, tinatanggal ang red tape, ang pamahalaan po na-tin ay transparent, ipinapakita ang processes at procedures, lahat na ito makakatulong for stimulating economic growth,” Coloma said.

“Kaya po malaki ang am-ing expectations na higit pang lalago ang ekonomiya, and achieve higher growth,” he added.

The political opposition earlier challenged the Aquino administration to follow the lead of his predecessor after no less than the President’s economic managers admitted that Arroyo did a good job in keeping the economy intact.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Amando Tetangco, Jr. acknowledged during a recent budget hear-ing that the former president was able to keep the economy afloat in the face of the global economic crisis.

Coloma said the economy is seen to get better under the Aquino administration with the entry of more foreign investors. He said the Presi-dent has received a number of invitations and commitments from foreign investors to do business in the country, which are expected to be finalized in the course of the President’s planned foreign trips.


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The legal consequences of presumption of death are the same as in the case of a definitely verifiable death; for example, policies of life insurance become payable, and an executor or administra-tor must be appointed if the person left an estate. In some states, in a proceeding to dis-solve marriage the period of seven years’ absence has been shortened to five years.”

In a decision dated Febru-ary 2009 the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit stated that: “The standard legal effect of death on marriage is that it terminates the legal union. See 52 Am. Jur 2d Marriage § 8 (2000) (“[M]arriage…is terminable only by death or presumption of death, or by judicial decree of divorce, dissolution, or annulment.” In the United States, the law does not require institution of judicial proceedings to declare an absent spouse dead before

Legal presumption of death: When a dead spouse resurrects

the spouse present can remar-ry. Case law states that any person attacking the validity of the second marriage needs to show that the first marriage was valid, the previous spouse was alive, and the previous marriage was not dissolved by divorce or annulment. If these cannot be proven, the second marriage is valid. Further, the reappearance does not auto-matically render the second marriage void. The person attacking the second marriage needs to prove certain facts.

In the Philippines the rule on presumptive death is found in Article 390 of the Family Code. It reads: “After an ab-sence of seven years, it being unknown whether or not the absentee still lives, he shall be presumed dead for all pur-poses, except for those of suc-cession. The absentee shall not be presumed dead for the purpose of opening his suc-cession till after an absence of ten years. If he disappeared after the age of seventy-five years, an absence for five years shall be sufficient in order that his succession may be opened.”

The law says that the ab-sent spouse shall be presumed dead for “all purposes” except succession. It is only after an absence of ten (10) years that his succession will be opened. In that case, his heirs can now commence an intes-tate proceeding, for purposes of dividing or distributing the estate of the absentee, for by then, the right of inheritance shall have already become choate, for under Article 777 of the Civil Code, it is from the moment of death that there

shall be transmission of rights, properties, or even obligations from the decedent to the heirs because of the presumptive death of the absentee. There is not physical death, but there is only presumptive death under the situation.

Upon the other hand, Ar-ticle 41 of the Family Code of the Philippines, upon which the trial court anchored its grant of the petition for the declaration of presumptive death of the absent spouse provides: “A marriage con-tracted by any person during the subsistence of a previous marriage shall be null and void, unless before the cel-ebration of the subsequent marriage, the prior spouse had been absent for four con-secutive years and the spouse present had a well-founded belief that the absent spouse was already dead. Xxx” For the purpose of contracting the subsequent marriage under the preceding paragraph, the spouse present must institute a summary proceeding as provided in this Code for the declaration of presumptive death of the absentee, with-out prejudice to the effect of reappearance of the absent spouse.” Presumption of death is effective for all legal purposes and becomes effec-tive by operation of law. Phil-ippine law requires a judicial proceeding to be instituted to declare an absent spouse dead if the spouse present would like to remarry. This is reasonable since marriage is a social institution.

The principle of interna-tional comity requires that USCIS recognize the decision rendered by the Philippine court. The decree was is-sued by a foreign tribunal and people involved in the case were domiciled in that foreign jurisdiction. A decree that is valid in a foreign jurisdic-tion is valid everywhere and should be respected. In a North Carolina case the court dealt with the full faith and credit clause of the United States Constitution. It said since the Constitution does not apply to judgments ren-dered by courts of foreign countries, the question of recognition is solely one of comity. New York courts have recognized divorce decrees rendered in foreign coun-tries when such recognition does not offend any public policy of New York. The same principle should be followed when it comes to termination of marriage based on absence of spouse for several years.

Article 42 of the Family provides the effects of reap-pearance of the absent spouse. It states: “The subsequent marriage referred to in the

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preceding Article shall be automatically terminated by the recording of the affida-vit of reappearance of the absent spouse, unless there is a judgment annulling the previous marriage or declar-ing it void ab initio.” Clearly, the reappearance of the absent spouse does not automatically render the subsequent mar-riage void. The absent spouse must register her reappear-ance to render the subsequent marriage void. This did not happen in our case. The ben-eficiary’s biological mother did not register her reappear-ance. Therefore, the judicial decision declaring her dead should stand and the marriage between the petitioner and the beneficiary’s father should be recognized for immigration purposes. Will USCIS listen to our argument? We’ll keep you posted.

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

PNoy to exceed GMA’s feat?


with racism and discrimina-tion still continue all around the world. However, I feel that these particular numbers of problems have subsided drastically. Hopefully we can push our prides aside and come together as one!

***

Hazel is in her senior year at San Diego State Univer-sity majoring in Information Systems. She is a student of Dr. Dirige in Asian Studies 310, “Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communi-ties” and was also her student in AS 460, “Contemporary Issues in Filipino American Communities.

***

INCIDENTALLY

The FilAmFest held last Saturday, October 2, at the Paradise Hills area was a phenomenal success! Thanks to the excellent and hard work of the Organizing Commit-tee for putting up the show. These young people did most of the planning, coordination, and implementation of all the activities and they were all volunteers. Kudos to Dennis-Michael Broussard and Lu-isito Melchor JR who were the prime movers of FilAmFest. They were assisted by Virgil Yalong, Kat Contemprato, Liz Dela Cruz, Chris Feraro and many many others whose names will fill up many pages. They will surely be reporting so watch out for them in the news.

To my observation, there were more people this year than in the years past. It was more organized and there were more programs. There were more variety in the food

Being the eldest Filipina American daughter

Aj Rafael performing onstage to the many young fans during the October 2, 2010 FilAm-Fest in Paradise Hills.

sold, children were actively involved with the Gawad Kalinga booth, and even the seniors had an area all to themselves. I heard many positive comments about Fila-ment and the adult commu-nity was inspired to be more involved next year in planning the event. Of course, there were also suggestions for improvement.

What I can say is that Fil-AmFest has only one way to go and that is upwards. There were times when I wonder what would happen next but hearing the positive comments from one of our younger com-munity leaders, I was con-vinced that certainly it has a bright future! I hope that next year will even be better and bigger in terms of programs and community involvement. Here’s one thing I know, FilAmFest has captured the energy and enthusiasm of the youth!!

***

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***

SAVE THE DATE!!!!!!!!!!!

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8TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE

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“MOVING FORWARD”

SATURDAY, NOVEM-BER 13, 2010

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Progress Report from the President

“Remembering Dr. Riz Oades”

For Information call Rhod Resella (619) 399-6204 or

Chris Feraro (619) 477-3392

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

Once on a Moonless Night

by Dai Sijie

NEW FROM BN.COM$14.95 List price$10.76 Online Price(You Save 28%) Overview - Once on a Moonless NightProduct DetailsPub. Date: August 2010Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing GroupFormat: Paperback, 288ppSales Rank: 169,167Series: Vintage International SeriesISBN-13: 9780307456731ISBN: 0307456730

Synopsis

A precious scroll inscribed with a lost Buddhist sutra—once owned by Pu Yi, the last emperor of China—is illicitly sold to an eccentric French linguist, Paul d’Ampere, who is imprisoned as a result. In jail, he devotes himself to studying its ancient text. A young Western scholar in China hears this account from the grocer Toomchooq, whose

name mysteriously connects him to the document. She falls in love with both teller and tale, but when d’Ampere is killed in prison, Toomchooq disappears, and she, pregnant with his child, embarks on a search for her lost love and the scroll that begins, “Once on a moonless night . . .”

Auntie Tigerby Laurence Yep,

Insu Lee (Illustrator)

Overview - Auntie TigerProduct DetailsPub. Date: December 2008Publisher: HarperCollins PublishersFormat: Hardcover, 32ppSales Rank: 440,263Age Range: 9 to 12Lexile: AD670L What’s This?ISBN-13: 9780060295516ISBN: 0060295511SynopsisRumble, rumble.Auntie Tiger’s tummy is growling, and she is on the prowl for something very, very tasty.Big Sister looks delicious.Little Sister looks yummy, too.But Auntie Tiger will have

to be very tricky, because even though the sisters quar-rel, they will do anything to protect each other.Award-winning author Lau-rence Yep’s deft adaptation of a Chinese tiger version of “Little Red Riding Hood” has been illustrated in vibrant colors that pop off the page by newcomer Insu Lee. Auntie Tiger is sure to make you laugh—and make you hungry!

Children’s Literature

In this version of a Chinese folktale with echoes of Little Red Riding Hood, a widow lives in the woods with her two daughters. The sisters ar-gue constantly, since although Little Sister is sweet, she is also lazy. Big Sister ends up doing all the work and scolding her sister. One hot day, their mother must go to town for food. Because there is a Tiger on the prowl, she warns them not to open the door. Soon Tiger, disguised as an old woman, knocks and claims to be their Auntie. At first they do not fall for his tricks, but when he promises “a special treat,” foolish Little Sister lets him in despite Big Sister’s suspicions. Little Sister is soon swallowed. Big Sister cleverly outwits Tiger, however, and Little Sister has learned her lesson. Their mother is pleasantly surprised at their harmony when she returns. Lee sets the intensely colored visual tale in a lush forest of oddly variegated plants surrounding a rustic cabin. Mother and daughters are a bit cartoon-y, but ap-propriate for dealing with the more comic than frightening tiger whose grinning face fills the front of the jacket. The overall effect is humorous and not particularly Chinese in appearance. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

GLIMPSESby Jose Ma. Montelibano

I remember most vividly the Corazon Aquino’s presidency had early problems about Cabi-net members hiding behind the president when the going got tough instead of them shielding her from danger. The hostage fiasco triggered this memory recall as it seems that P-Noy has been taking the flak directly without his Cabinet appointees protecting him. More mice than men is an apt description of of-ficials who do not have either the good sense or the guts to take the blows for their president.

It is a good moment for President Noynoy to assess the men and women who comprise his official family. I am sure that they presented themselves top him as aggressive, go-getters and achievers – especially when they were angling for their appoint-ments. There were personalities who kept pushing their faces in front of Noynoy before and after he was sworn in as P-Noy, push-ing for their appointment or for the appointment of their prote-ges. In fact, I keep hearing of regular visits from familiar faces with folders of recommendations visiting P-Noy every chance they get. Yet, they are complete-ly out of sight when it comes to making life easier for P-Noy in a bad time. Opportunists, they used to be called. Cowards may be the more accurate term.

P-Noy went out on a limb to create a new Kamaganak, Inc, not of his blood kin, but kin of blood nonetheless around him. Well, this new Kamaganak, Inc, have been nowhere in sight in the battle field. They would be uncomfortable in an arena where they put themselves in front of their principal to be clobbered; it is easier just watching him take the blows rather than risk their positions. So much for courage and loyalty.

There was a horrible ending to the hostage-taking. It was not

More Mice Than Menthe death of some hostages but the way they died that clas-sified the incident as one big blunder. Although a president of the republic is not expected to be the field commander of a crime scene, the length of the drama and the massive cover-age by local and international media elevated a simple hostage situation to be more than what it was to the perception of people. P-Noy is even being blamed for not taking a call he did not know about. The administrator for Hong Kong is not, in the world of protocol or diplomacy, at the same level as the president of the Philippines. P-Noy did not even have to take his call even if he had known. The ARMM governor cannot just call the president of China or the United States and expect to be answered by him instantly and directly.

But the national and inter-national attention focused by media on the hostage drama did create a context where P-Noy or his spokesman was pres-sured to confront the situation frontally. Bungling by the police was worsened by another fiasco – the public relations kind. I had thought that there was an unusual number of demand-ing applicants for presidential spokesman, or to be in charge of messaging for the president. Well, as media kept the cam-eras on the fated bus for several hours, the messagers or explain-ers disappeared. They were more mice than men, after all.

When his mother took over Marcos in 1986, her detractors said she was not competent enough to govern. It seemed at first that they were right when her men hid behind her skirts when trouble would erupt. But Corazon Aquino proved that in-tegrity would produce courage, and that courage would produce results. She quickly fired some members of her Cabinet and proceeded to finish her term despite a relentless rebellion by some members of her own AFP.

In contrast, the macho that the dictator Marcos was, or screen hero Estrada, wilted and col-lapsed with under people power.

P-Noy will survive the ab-sence or cowardice of many of his appointees. He will survive even after he fires some of them. He has two debacles to ad-dress – the hostage negotiations which ended in a tragedy, and a public projection which devel-oped a perception that he was wishy-washy by default, by the absence of appointees who were only recently so eager to script or speak for him. P-Noy should survive because the people elected him and have placed on him their greatest expectations and sincerest hope, and because he would terminate those who are more mice than men.

Those who were pushy enough to work for their ap-pointments, those who were pushy enough to perter P-Noy for the appointment of their peo-ple, and even those who were simply appointed, they should form a protective wall around P-Noy in challenging times. It matters little what their job descriptions are; what matters most is the first and common job description they have – mem-bers of the official family. And in a family, the patriarch must be fiercely defended and protected. He is symbol and he is authority. If he falls, all fall.

So, to those who are more mice than men, please under-stand that Malacanang is not primarily for the ambitious, not primarily for the greedy, not primarily for the proud, but first and foremost, for the braveheart. You must find your courage because the presidency of P-Noy will not be a walk in the park. His destiny is about sacrifice, about courage in the face of ad-versity, about change against the odds. P-Noy has been tempered by the pain of a personal history, Have you?

“There is always a philoso-phy for lack of courage.” Albert Camus

RESUMPTION OF ePASSPORT

PROCESSING Los Angeles, 30 September

2010 – The Philippine Con-sulate General in Los Angeles wishes to inform the public that the technical problem ex-perienced with the electronic passport (ePassport) has been resolved.

In this regard, effective 1 October 2010, the Consul-ate will resume processing of ePassport to all applicants.

PNS --AN on-going online survey being conducted by the House of Representatives on adding two years to basic educa-tion yesterday showed that 407 or 65.22% of the respondents rejected the proposal.

Based on the partial results of the survey in congress.gov.ph, the official website of the House, as of 12 in the afternoon yester-day, the majority of respondents were against the Kindergarten-12th Grade (K-12) education model being pushed by the government through Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro.

Only 206 of the respondents or 33.01% supported the propos-al which critics have described as anti-poor despite its good intention to uplift the quality of education.

It was also learned that at least 11 respondents or 1.76% remained undecided on whether the proposal will help improve or not the country’s deteriorating educational system.

Supporting the voice of

House don’t want 12th grademajority of respondents, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said the government can only imple-ment the 12-year basic education if it has fully modernized the public school system and has adequately addressed all short-age problems including the lack of teachers.

“In the meantime, let’s keep our eyes on the ball and focus on what’s needed to be ac-complished first. Once we are assured that there are no longer classrooms under the trees, then we are ready to have a 12-year basic education cycle,” said Nograles.

But Aurora Rep. Edgardo “Sonny” Angara Jr., chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education, welcomed the plan as he agreed with the DepEd’s observation that much of the country’s unemployment woes are caused not only by the high rate of students who cannot go to college but mainly by their lack of skills and competencies even after completing secondary

education.Angara said that since many

of the country’s secondary school graduates can hardly af-ford to go to college, the govern-ment might as well equip them with better skills and competen-cies to improve their chances of finding gainful employment even without a college degree.


asian journal oct 8, 2010

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