JUNE 29, 2013

HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE94-356 WAIPAHU DEPOT RD., 2ND FLR.WAIPAHU, HI 96797

PHILIPPINE NEWSNoy Signs Universal HealthCare Bill Into Law

H a w a i i ’ s O n l y w e e k l y F i l i p i n O - a m e r i c a n n e w s p a p e r

12

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If you have known someone for 50 years—call it a lifetime—it can

be difficult to know where to begin the bittersweet remembrance of

things past.

I had known RuthImperial Pfeiffer, whopassed on recently,since the early 1960swhen I first came toHawaii as an East-West Center grantee topursue graduate stud-ies in political scienceat the University ofHawaii-Manoa. Shewas a lecturer at themus i c depa r tmen t ,where her husband,Professor William (Bill)Pfeiffer was the faculty

member who specialized inFilipino folk and indigenousmusic. Ruth finished a sec-ond master’s degree inmusic education at UH toadd to her first one fromthe Theological SeminarySchool in Sacred Music inNew York City, where shemajored in organ andchoral conducting.

The Pfeiffers’ beautifulhome in Manoa becamethe hub of East-West Cen-ter grantees in the 60s,mostly from the arts. I be-

lieve this was where I firstmet Ricardo Trimillos, a fel-low grantee majoring in eth-nomusicology, who becamea lifelong friend after weboth joined the UH facultymany years later.

The Pfeiffer householdwas rich in music and artstalk on a broad range ofgenres with Ruth playingmostly classical music andVisayan songs, which mademany of us nostalgic for thePhilippines. Their three

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LEGAL NOTESImmigrationReform Neededto AddressNursing Shortage

CANDID PERSPECTIVESRememberingAguinaldo, TheFather of FilipinoFreedom

133

HAWAII-FILIPINO NEWSCity Imposes NewBuilding PermitFee

6

RemembeRing Ruth PfeiffeRand heR Legacy

In celebration of the 152nd birth anniversary of thePhilippines foremost national hero, Dr. Jose P.Rizal, the Knights of Rizal-Hawaii Chapter held

the 3rd Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award for Peace and SocialJustice Gala on June 23, 2013 at the Filipino Com-

by Serafin Colmenares Jr.

KnightS oF rizAl holDAwArD gAlA, inStAllnew oFFicerS

by Belinda A. Aquino, Ph.D.

(continued on page 7)

DFA: Sex-For-FlyAllegAtion vS DoleoFFiciAl conFirmeD

MANILA, Philip-pines - De-partment of

Foreign Affairs (DFA)Secretary Albert DelRosario said on Mon-day that "certain alle-g a t i o n s "  o f  t h esex-for-fly schemevictimizing distressedOverseas Fil ipinoWorkers (OFWs)

by Louis Bacani

Ruth Pfeiffer (far right) at a Filipino community event with (from left) Bea Ramos-Razon, former Consul EvaBetita, Dr. Belinda Aquino and Dr. Matthew Santamaria.

(continued on page 11)

▲ Jose P. Rizal Award recipient Dr. Amy Agbayani (row 1, 5th from left)poses with members of the Knights of Rizal-Hawaii Chapter

A job applicant for abroad

JUne 29, 20132 News Edition

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The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle is published weekly by the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle Inc. It is mailed directly to subscribers and distributed at various outlets around Oahu and the neighbor islands.Editorial and advertising deadlines are three weeks prior to publication date. Subscriptions are available at $75 per year for Oahu and the neighbor islands, continental U.S. $85, foreign country $95.Copyright 2007-2012. The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle Inc. is located at 94-356 Waipahu Depot, Waipahu, HI 96797. Telephone: (808) 678-8930. Facsimile: (808) 678-1829. E-mail:filipinochronicle@gmail.com. Opinions expressed by the columnists and contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle management. Reproduction of the contents in wholeor in part is prohibited without written permission from the management. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Emil Guillermo

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J. P. Orias

Pacita Saludes

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NEWS EDITION www.thefilipinochronicle.com www.efilipinochronicle.com

Gov. Neil AbercrombieMayor Peter Carlisle

editorial

We’ve all read high profile stories of teens committing suicidebecause of high school bullying. Even more devastating areexamples of students such as Eric Harris and Dyland Kle-

bold who committed mass murders of class-mates at Columbine High School because theyclaim to have been repeatedly bullied. In fact,close to 90 percent of school shootings are di-rectly linked to some form of bullying.

A Wisconsin community came up with an in-teresting law that attempts to prevent schoolbullying before it turns into a potentially seriousproblem. In Monona, a suburb of Madison, Wis-consin, an ordinance was adopted to allow po-lice to cite the parents of chronic school bullies.If parents are notified in writing that their child isbullying and that child continues to harass otherchildren within 90 days from being notified, theparents can be fined $114 in municipal court.Monona’s chief of police said while that law is inthe books, there is a lot of discretion to allowparents to work on the problem without beingfined.

This ordinance may sound drastic to some, even misplacingblame onto parents who may have little control over their children.But with the escalation of violence at schools, could placing moreaccountability onto parents help to correct this problem that oftentimes end up with drastic consequences?

For the most part, initiatives aimed at curbing school bullyinghave been via public service announcements, school handoutsand discussions on the topic covering the basic do’s and don’ts.Despite recent campaigns to stop school bullying, which in yearspast have been viewed as a normal rite of passage, statistics showthat bullying is still very prevalent. Education alone just hasn’tbeen working.

The American Psychological Association says 70 percent ofmiddle school and high school students experience bullying inschool. Five to 15 percent of students are constantly bullied. Theeffects of this conduct can be serious. Some short-term effects in-clude depression, anxiety, anger, drop in school performance, ex-cessive stress and a general feeling that life is out of control.Reported long-term problems from those who have been bulliedsay they experienced feelings of insecurity, lack of trust, extreme

sensitivity and desires for vengeance well after incidences of bul-lying took place.

New Attitude towArds school BullyiNg

The good news is, just as the movement tochange workplace behavior, laws are also nowbeginning to ensure that schools are safer andstudents better protected from harassment,which is a big step forward from the days whenschool bullying was deemed unavoidable.

President Barack Obama denounced schoolbullying, saying “as a nation we’re founded onthe belief that all of us are equal and each of usdeserves the freedom to pursue our own versionof happiness.” His message came in the wakeof several recent suicides by young people whowere bullied for being gay. Aside from sexual ori-entation, a student’s color, disability, religion, na-tional origin and race have been reasons forbeing bullied.

hAwAii ANd BullyiNg

Hawaii law prohibits harassment by any students in the publicschool system during school hours, on school premises, or duringdepartment-supervised activities on or off school property.

In a Hawaii Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students reported a sig-nificant degree of violence and vulnerability. The study found that58 percent of Hawaii middle school and 44 percent of high schoolstudents said that someone tried to hurt them verbally while onschool property during the past 12 months. Nearly 15 percent saidthey have been harassed more than once in the past 12 months be-cause someone thought they were gay or lesbian.

The Hawaii State 2011 legislature passed H.B. No. 688 “Bully-ing” that requires the Board of Education (BOE) to monitor compli-ance with the Department of Education rules covering bullying,cyber-bullying, or harassment. The anti-bullying law defines “bully-ing” as any written, verbal, graphic, physical act that cause mentalor physical harm to other students. It also includes cyber-bullying.The bill also directs the BOE to develop a procedure for studentsand parents to confidentially report to school officials incidents ofbullying and cyber-bullying. It calls for schools to develop a formalinvestigation process and disciplinary procedures.

School Bullying Is A Serious Issue

MEMbER,

SOCIETy OF PROFESSIONAL JOuRNALISTS

(continued on page 3)

JUne 29, 2013 3News EditionCaNdid PerSPeCtiVeS

Remembering Aguinaldo, The Fatherof Filipino Freedom

June 12 came on a Tues-day this month, so manyof us outside the Philip-

pines weren’t all that free tocelebrate the true Filipino In-dependence Day. It was justtoo inconvenient consideringour wage slave bosses andmodern colonial obligations(irony of ironies). Besides,we’re Americans, right?

That didn’t stop many ofus from celebrating theweekend after, maybe evenincorporating Father’s Day.So let’s hope you didn’t justfixate on the party, and thatyou also paused to remem-ber the real father of Filipinofreedom, Emilio Aguinaldo.

He’s the reason youshould forget that fake inde-pendence day our American

colonizers gave the Philip-pines to match U.S. history.July 4th? That’s not Filipinoindependence. That’s U.S.Colonial Failure Day.

No, June 12 is the spe-cial day for Filipinos every-where, the real momentwhen Filipinos stuck it in theeye of all the colonials.

Filipinos broke out oftheir shell of passivity andessentially went amok.

And all it took wasAguinaldo.

His Philippine Revolu-tion actually began in 1896against Spain. Those of uswith Spanish last namesand Catholicism in the heartbear the stamp of that colo-nial rule. But the revolutionagainst Spain failed, andAguinaldo went into exile inHong Kong.

The Philippines wouldstill eventually be a back-drop for more war, and that’sthe strange twist of fatehere.

When the U.S. defeatedthe Spanish in Manila Bay, itset up Act II for Aguinaldo.Allowed back into the coun-try, Aguinaldo declared inde-pendence from Spain June12, 1898.

But Spain, which lost tothe U.S. didn’t recognize it.

And neither did the newboss, the U.S. government.And that’s the basis for theU.S.-Philippine war. If his-tory is said to be written bythe winners, there’s some-thing to be said about a warAmerica won—but doesn’tcare to crow about.

When the memory onlyproduces shame and regret,you can understand why.

Also known as thePhilippine Insurrection, it’s areminder of a time whenAmerica’s dreams of impe-rial greatness got in the wayof its democratic values.

But Aguinaldo’s declara-tion and hisfighting spirit

is the reason the war isworth remembering at all.

The new war beganFebruary 4, 1899. The firstshots came in a Manila sub-urb, when American soldiersshot at “the goo-goos,” per-haps the least offensiveterm used for the Filipinos,and indicative of the racisttone in the war.

Insurrection doesn’tbegin to describe the full-fledged war that lasted threeyears with more than100,000 Americans in-volved. Depending on theaccounts you read, the Fil-ipino civilian death tollranged from 250,000 to ashigh as 1 million casualtiesfrom disease or starvation.

The war was an Ameri-can betrayal. The national-ists, under Aguinaldo, fullyexpected to run the first in-dependent republic in Asia.

But that promise wasbroken when the McKinleyadministration sought the

Philippines as a colony andtapped into a new patrioticfervor for American Imperi-alism.

Historians believeMcKinley instigated the warto gain support in Congressto ratify the Treaty of Paris.That's when the U.S. dealtwith Spain directly, cuttingout the new Philippine lead-ership. Instead of becomingthe independent country ithad hoped for, Spain soldthe Philippines to the U.S.for $20 million. Aguinaldowent from president to in-surrectionist, just like that.

It fueled the fight insideAguinaldo and the national-ists for years to come. And itit all came after that simpledeclaration of independenceon June 12.

emil guillermo is an award-

winning journalist who writes for the

Asian American Legal Defense and

Education Fund.

T w i t t e r @ e m i l a m o k .  V i s i t

www.amok.com

by emil GUillermO

editorial(cont. from page 2; SCHOOL... )

whAt cAN Be doNe

Laws alone, or ordinances asthe one in Wisconsin which holdsparents accountable, cannotchange students’ behavior. Thereneeds to be a cultural movementagainst school bullying as whatoccurred over time in changingthe workplace for the better. Bothparents and children must dotheir part; and school administra-tors and teachers should not turna blind eye when they see im-proper, harassing behavior.

For students experiencing re-peated bullying, one of the bestways to stop the harassment isto have a journal noting everysingle instance of bullying, thenpresent that journal to a teacher,counselor or even the principal.

It’s challenging enough forstudents to excel academically.Bullying distracts from learningand it’s about time that societytakes the issue a lot more seri-ously. After all, bullying and hatecrimes are now against the lawin many parts of the country.

JUne 29, 20134 News Edition

(cont. from page 1; REMEMBERING ... )

boys—Gerardo (Jard), Pauland John—were alwaysthere romping about andprobably wondering whythere were so many peoplearound. It was an idyllic at-mosphere set against themajestic Manoa mountainscenery.

IN THE BEGINNING

Ruth Imperial, affection-ately called “Inday Ruth,”was music to one’s earseven if she was just en-gaged in ordinary conversa-tion. She was a child prodigywho began playing thepiano at age five. Her DNAmust have been wired withmusic when she was born.As she grew up in Du-maguete in the EasternVisayas region, music wasnot just a passing interest. Itbecame her passion for life.

When she entered Silli-man University to double-major in music and English,she was already a house-hold word in the community.She was the pianist for Sun-day School services oncampus and would play theorgan for the worship serv-ice at church. Much of herearly life revolved aroundher major role as an accom-panist for vocalists, instru-mentalists, violinists andother performers.

In time, Ruth becamethe leading light of Silliman’smusical ensemble, which

evolved into a university tra-dition. A group known as“Campus Choristers” wasborn, which brought thecommunity together throughthe power of music via con-certs and other musical per-formances. The impressivelist of her colleagues in thispioneer musical tradition in-cluded another talentedartist, Priscilla Magdamo,and Elmo Makil, a famousbaritone, among others.

In 1952, William RogerPfeiffer went to Silliman topursue his research interestin Philippine music. He hadpreviously studied andtaught at the Chicago Musi-cal College in Illinois and atthe Westminster Choir Col-lege in Princeton, New Jer-sey. He was also anexperienced choir conductorand baritone soloist withWestminster Choir.

At Silliman, Bill was re-sponsible for overseeing theconsolidation and expan-sion of the School of Musicas a world-class institution.Under his leadership, theschool undertook an exten-sive study and field researchin the Visayan region, col-lecting sound recordings,which later got published as“Songs of the Visayas.”

Bill was an accom-plished scholar-researcherhaving done similar fieldwork during his college daysat the Appalachian High-lands in America. He

brought with him to Sillimanhis appreciation and knowl-edge of folk music as acomposer. He encouragedfield research among hisgraduate students to collectrecordings of various “mu-sics” from the different re-gions. And because he wasalso an experienced broad-cast journalist, he con-nected the University MusicSchool with the larger com-munity in Dumaguetethrough DYSR.

To cut a fascinating longstory short, love entered themusical arena and Ruth’sand Bill’s lives came to-gether at Silliman. Recallsthe Pfeiffer middle son Paul:“The life stories of Bill andRuth Pfeiffer are intertwinedwith the history of music inwhich they each accom-plished much over thecourse of their musical ca-reer.” It was a perfect match.

In the mid-60s, Bill re-ceived a master’s degree inethnomusicology based onhis extensive research onManobo songs in Mindanao.His book “Indigenous Folkand Modern Filipino Music”is a classic piece of empiricalresearch in the field, which isstill being used as the defini-tive reference until today.

RUTH’S CAREER TAkES OFF

After getting married,Ruth and Bill settled down inHawaii. Combining raisingthree boys with her careeras a musical artist was noteasy, but she was deter-mined to succeed in bothendeavors. In 1970, she or-ganized a choral group inHawaii, which would even-tually become the SilanganSingers—but more of thislater.

Because Ruth was be-coming famous for her mu-sical and artistic talents, shereceived several grants topresent musical perform-

ances or organize musicprograms internationally. In1976, for instance, SillimanUniversity President QuintinDoromal invited her back toassume the directorship ofthe School of Music andFine Arts. It was a great op-portunity to pursue her ca-reer and to give backmuch-needed service to heralma mater in the field ofmusic.

With her remarkable vi-sion and work ethic, sheworked incessantly to main-tain the highest standards ofmusic training for her stu-dents at the school. She be-came a pro-active culturalleader in the university com-munity and beyond. TheYoung Singers in Sillimanunder her direction garneredtop honors in many competi-tions, including the NAMCYANational Choral Competitionin the Philippines.

Back in Silliman in thelate 70s and 80s, Ruthtaught and strengthened theschool’s music program toworld-class standards. Shelater said to Arlie Tagayuna,who became a member ofthe Silangan Singers, whichwas formally organized in1984: “I wanted to have achoir that sings songs com-posed by other people—beit folk, movie or indigenousmusic, so that audiences willnot just see and hear “DahilSa Iyo” (Because of You) asthe only Filipino song. Thisemphasis on indigenous orfolk music is what I’ve al-ways wanted and the one Istuck to.”

BACk IN HAWAII

Bill’s passing in 1983was a great loss to Ruth andher growing family not onlypersonally but profession-ally. Now she was on herown but Bill had mentoredand guided her well and shewas well-prepared to face

HeadliNeS

life without him. Back inHawaii, she picked upwhere she left off for a wholedecade and formed Silan-gan Singers in 1984, whichwill be her enduring legacyto the world.

Her Manoa home oncemore became a center ofgravity, this time with accom-plished and aspiring singerswho rehearsed rigorouslyunder her steady direction.Rehearsals were later heldat the First United MethodistChurch on Beretania Street.Arlie Tagayuna, now a doc-toral student at UH in sociol-ogy, recalls: “This time herinitiative was to start a newchorale group with a newmusical repertoire.... She didfurther research on arrange-ments/compilations of vari-ous musical pieces from thedifferent regions in theVisayas and Mindanao whenshe was in the Philippines.”

On top of her rigorousrehearsal schedules aschorale conductor, Ruth per-formed at Philippine Inde-pendence Day, FilipinoCenter inauguration, Arawng Kagitingan, Filipino Fi-esta and other Filipino com-munity functions. She wasalways so gracious and ac-commodating and neverhad the “prima donna” de-meanor that we often see infamous artistic personalities.She remained the organistfor the First UnitedMethodist Church and theBernie Pauahi Bishop Me-morial Church at Kame-hameha Schools.

She also performed withthe Honolulu Symphony andthe Hawaii Opera Theatre.She was an accompanist forvisiting musical artists fromthe Philippines like EleanorCalves, Noel Velasco andRedentor Romero.

The famous composerAngel Pena, who was a per-former for the HonoluluSymphony, always trustedand valued Ruth as a col-league in the profession.Irma Pena, Angel’s daughterwho has worked in Hawaiias a language instructor, re-members with fondnessRuth’s friendship with her fa-ther for more than 40 years.

(continued on page 5)

Ruth Imperial Pfeiffer

JUne 29, 2013 5News EditionHeadliNeSways excited with what wewere doing and came to sup-port us when we needed it.As her friend and as some-one who had been throughhigh school with her boysJard, Paul and John, I felt soblessed to have had a spacein her home where I could sitin warm welcome. Like thegreat accompanist that shewas, she heard our song andplayed along, and now herguidance goes on.”

CONCLUSION

During my last visit withRuth after she came out ofthe hospital, she was look-ing as vibrant and cheerfulas ever. Her appetite wasgood and as usual, wetalked about the good old

(cont. from page 4; REMEMBERING ... ) times and how lucky I wasto have been a permanentguest in her lovely home onseveral occasions in thepast. I kidded her that Ishould have applied as aboarder in some room inthe big house.

After the usual banterand before I left, I com-mented on how well shewas looking and howquickly she seemed to havebounced back from illness.“It has been a beautiful lifefor you, Ruth,” I murmuredas I hugged her goodbye. Ihad a somewhat eerie feel-ing that I might not see heragain. You know, that kindof premonition.

“A beautiful life,” Imused as I walked down

the stretch of road by herhouse to wait for my ride.“And a beautiful soul. A lifewith not only beauty butalso talent, sensitivity,courage and hope.” Asthese things raced throughmy mind, I braced myself towhat seemed inevitable tolife, no matter how beauti-ful.

And now she has goneto another realm. Maybemore beautiful than whatshe had inhabited in life.

Her children are grownand thriving in their respec-tive careers—Jard in localbusiness, Paul an interna-tionally-famous painter andartist based in New York,and John as a fashion andart consultant with Victoria’s

Secret, also based in NewYork. Bill and Ruth are un-doubtedly cheering them onin heaven.

Ruth’s grandchildrenJessice, Kawi and EllaRuth, will carry on the man-tle of the original Ruth em-body ing l i f e -a f f i rm ingvalues of faith, hope, com-passion, understanding andappreciation of beauty inthe world, and communicat-ing these to future genera-tions through art andculture as she always did inlife.

(DR. AQUINO, Emeritus Professor

at the UH-Manoa and founding Di-

rector of the Center for Philippine

Studies, is a lifelong friend of the

Pfeiffer family and knew Ruth up

close).

Irma says: “I always lookedforward to my conversationswith Ruth, who played dur-ing my wedding at NewmanCenter.”

She continues: “My dadAngel requested Ruth whenshe was in the Philippines tobring back a copy of some‘melodic’ lines from Bill Pfeif-fer's Manobo research, Ruthimmediately complied.”Angel Pena used it for anew composition he wasdoing at the time. “True toher word,” Irma further rem-inisces, “Ruth delivered thepiece that my dad had re-quested and later used forhis ‘Symphonic Variationson Two Manobo Themes.’Such thoughtfulness I willnever forget. She is one ofthe sincerest, most graciouspersons I have ever known.”

As if she did haveenough on her plate, Ruthventured into academia andbecame a lecturer and laterassociate professor at Lee-ward Community Collegewhere she taught Philippinemusic and related coursesfor many years. She wasone of the pioneers in Philip-pine Studies at LCC, whichis patterned after the earlierPhilippine Studies Program(later Center) at the Manoaflagship campus.

Even after she retired in2009, she continued withher multifarious activities re-lated to her profession as amusic educator and artist.Even when she was notfeeling well, she continuedto entertain at her home.

Ric Trimillos, who be-came a professor of ethno-musicology at UH and chairof the Asian Studies Pro-gram, considered Ruth notonly in professional terms asa colleague in the world ofmusic but also as a “greatfriend who did so much forso many.”

A n o t h e r  a c c o l a d ecomes from family friend EvaRose Washburn-Repollo,who teaches communicationat Chaminade University.She says: “Tita Ruth loved tolisten to stories about what isto come in our lives. Shewould sit at the head of thetable in her Manoa houseand just listen. She was al-

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JUne 29, 20136 News Edition HaWaii-FiliPiNo NeWS

marked the first timethat the governor initi-ated installation cere-m o n i e s  i n  h i schambers.

Founding officersinclude President Bay-bee Hufana-Ablan;Vice-President AlfonsoS. Sabangan; Secre-tary Felice T. Guillermo;Treasurer Ernie T. Yadao;

Auditor Amadao Sam Que-mado; Business Manager

THE UNIvERSITY OF THE

EAST ASSOCIATION OF

AMERICA recently formeda Hawaii chapter in prepara-tion for its coming global re-union to be held in Hawaii in2015.

Governor Neil Aber-crombie held a swearing-inceremony for the Hawaiichapter’s officers and boardmembers. The occasion

Joe C. Lim; P.R.O. MitoAblan; and Board of Di-rectors members Atty.Mar S. Apuya, Felipe“Jun” Abinsay Jr., Dr. Ma-rina Badua, Dr. ErlindaCachola, Dr. Amelia Ja-cang, Fidel A. Hufana,Joe G. Quebuyen andSaturnino L. Ulep.The newly-formed or-

gan iza t ion s ta r ted i t s

fundraising projects to helpsustain expenses for the up-coming global reunion. Over1,000 alumni from UEPhilippines and the main-land are expected to attend.All UE alumni are encour-aged to contact any of theofficers mentioned aboveregarding their membership.

For further information,please call 723-1473.

Univ of the East Assn of America Forms Hawaii Chapter

City Imposes NewBuilding Permit FeeTHE CITY’S DEPART-

MENT OF PLANNING

AND PERMITTING (DPP)began collecting plan re-view fees on certain build-ing permit applicationseffective June 17, 2013, inan effort to reduce the num-ber of permits that are sub-mitted for approval but notpicked up or paid for.

Honolulu Mayor KirkCaldwell recently signedinto law Bill 15, whichamends the City’s permitfee schedule and allowsDPP to charge a plan re-view fee of 20 percent ofthe total building permit feeat the time the permit appli-cation is submitted. Thenew fee is the first increasein 10 years.

The plan review fee is inaddition to the building per-mit fee and covers building,

electrical and plumbingbuilding permits. The newlaw exempts applicationsfor fences, retaining walls,driveways and swimmingpools. City officials soughtthe new fee to reduce thenumber of permit applica-tions reviewed and ap-proved by DPP staff but notpicked up by applicants.

Since 1999, DPP hasprocessed 2,591 commer-cial and residential permitsthat were never picked upby the applicant and there-fore account for more than$2.6 million in unpaid fees.

In addition to the planreview fee, the ordinanceraises fees for select zoningpermits.

For more information onthe new fee schedule, visitDPP’s website at www.hon-oluludpp.org.

A NEW CAMP HAS

LAUNCHED this summeron the Big Island for stu-dents entering grades 9through 12 with a passionfor science.

Science Camps ofAmerica has taken learningoutdoors and offering first-hand experience environ-ments that range frombeaches to rainforests tovolcanoes to snow-coveredmountaintops.

“The idea is to get teensoutside and into the field totruly explore science,” saysMichael Richards, campfounder and executive di-rector. “We have one of na-ture’s greatest laboratoriesin our backyard.”

A local entrepreneurfrom Kaneohe, Richardssold his software businessin 2010 and came up withthe idea to start a fun andeducational science camp.He teamed with geologyteacher Dr. Floyd McCoy tocreate a curriculum. McCoyis a highly-regarded scien-tist and educator who hasappeared on specials forNational Geographic, theBBC, TLC, NBC and Dis-covery channels.

The pair chose the BigIsland to launch ScienceCamps of America be-cause of its incredibly di-verse environment, climateand geology.

“One day we might beexamining lava flows, thenext we might be helpingreforest former ranch landand the next we might bestargazing from MaunaKea,” Richards says.

more,” he says. “We needcitizens who, although theymay not be scientists, haveenough of a science edu-cation to make wise deci-sions as they determinethe policies and leadersthat will shape the future.”

Participants will gainthe ability to see and un-derstand their surround-ings in a new and excitingway. Their experience willcreate a strong foundationof understanding of thebasic systems of the envi-ronment.

“Attending camp has somany benefits for the intan-gibles that are so criticaltoday like leadership, confi-dence, teamwork, nevergiving up, helping othersand expanding one’s hori-zons,” Floyd says. “Theseare what are called 21stcentury skills. And ofcourse, there will be oppor-tunities to make newfriends, explore new placesand have a lot of fun.”

The camp home basewill be at the Pahala Plan-tation Cottages in Ka’u.Campers in both sessionswill also learn aboutHawaiian history and cul-ture and Polynesian voy-aging.

The cost is $2,395 persession with room for up to36 campers per session.The Science Camps ofAmerica Scholarship Fundis offering three full andmultiple partial scholar-ships on a financial needbasis for each session.

To learn more aboutScience Camps of Amer-ica, visit www.Science-CampsAmerica.com.

New Local Science Camp for TeensLaunches This Summer

The first science sum-mer camp session, Landand Sea, was launchedJune 22 and extends untilJuly 1. It will give campersthe chance to examine vol-canoes, geology, beaches,reefs and the ocean. Theywill also visit Kilauea—themost active volcano in theworld—and explore marinelife by the water and hikethrough the mountains.

The second session,Air and Space, will be heldJuly 1-10 and exposecampers to topics includingthe atmosphere, weathersystems, climate changeand the innovative tech-nologies that address theever-changing world.Campers will visit MaunaLoa and Mauna Kea—home to 13 telescopeswhich are some of theworld’s largest. Camperswill gain a better under-standing of climate changeand the solutions to ad-dress this issue, includingseeing alternate energydevelopment in action.

Floyd says that youngpeople need to be “sci-ence-smart” because theirfuture depends on it.

“Over the comingdecades, today’s youngpeople will make decisionsabout how we deal with theissues of climate change,rising seas, a longer-livingpopulation, food, water andenergy supply and much

Founding members of UE Assocation of America-Hawaii Chapter pose with Gov. Neil Abercrombie

JUne 29, 2013 7

by atty. emmanuel samonte tipOn

Cancellation of Removal forNonpermanent Residents of U.S.

News Edition

ceptional and extremely un-usual hardship to the alien'sspouse, parent, or child,who is a citizen of theUnited States or an alienlawfully admitted for perma-nent residence.

The term “exceptionaland extremely unusualhardship” is not defined bythe statute. Hence it is leftto immigration judges, theBoard of Immigration Ap-peals (BIA), and the courtsto figure it out. According toone court, Congress in-tended to narrow the scopeof persons eligible for reliefwhen it added the word “ex-ceptional” to the formerstandard “extremely un-usual hardship.” The alienneeds to show more thanextreme hardship but doesnot have to show that thehardship would be uncon-scionable. Only a few alienshave met this test.

In Matter of Recinas, 23I&N Dec. 467 (BIA 2002),the BIA found that the alien,a single mother who had noimmediate family remainingin Mexico, provided the solesupport for her six children,and had limited financial re-sources, established eligi-bility for cancellation ofremoval under § 240A(b)because she demonstratedthat her United States citi-zen children, who were 12,11, 8, and 5 years old,would suffer exceptionaland extremely unusualhardship upon her removalto her native country. Thefactors considered in as-sessing the hardship to thealien’s children included theheavy burden imposed on

the alien to provide the solefinancial and familial sup-port for her six children ifshe were deported to Mex-ico, the lack of any family inher native country, the chil-dren’s unfamiliarity with theSpanish language, and theunavailability of an alterna-tive means of immigratingto this country.

Economic hardship ordifficulty in finding work inthe alien’s native country isgenerally not sufficient tomeet the standard.

Hardship to the alien isgenerally not a factor, al-though it may be consid-ered to the extent that itmay affect the potentiallevel of hardship of a quali-fying relative. Hardship to ason or daughter over 21years of age is not consid-ered, since they no longermeet the definition of a“child”.

(5) The period of thealien’s continuous resi-dence has not been termi-nated under the "stop time"rule of INA § 240A(d). Thealien’s continuous resi-dence is interrupted whenthe alien commits a criminaloffense or a Notice to Ap-pear is served on the alien,whichever is earlier.

The Attorney Generalmay grant only 4,000 ad-justment of status applica-tions per year for personsgranted cancellation of re-moval. The 12 million aliensunlawfully in the U.S. willwait for hundreds of yearsfor adjustment of status, as-suming they qualify for can-cellation of removal.

COMMENT: A person

Who says aliens notlawfully in theUnited States

should be given amnestybecause there is no reliefavailable for them if theyare placed in deportation?

There is relief availablebut it is very difficult to meetits requirements – probablyeven more difficult than at-taining salvation.

Here are the require-ments as prescribed bySection 240A(b) of the Im-migration and NationalityAct [8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)]:The Attorney General (orhis designee, the Immigra-tion Judge) may cancel re-moval of, and adjust to thestatus of an alien lawfullyadmitted for permanent res-idence, an alien who is in-admissible or deportablefrom the United States if thealien:

(1) has been physicallypresent in the United Statesfor a continuous period ofnot less than 10 years im-mediately preceding thedate of such application;

(2) has been a personof good moral characterduring such period;

(3) has not been con-victed of an offense under §212(a)(2), 237(a)(2), or237(a)(3), subject to para-graph (5) of the Act; and

(4) establishes that re-moval would result in ex-

(or soul) does not have toprove to St. Peter that theperson’s qualifying relativeswill suffer “exceptional andextremely unusual hardship”if such person will not be ad-mitted to Heaven. A personhas only to establish that hebelieves in God, has donegood deeds, and has askedfor forgiveness, expressedregret, and suffered re-morse for any sins. Thus it iseasier for a reformed sinnerto enter the Kingdom ofHeaven than for an alienwho is otherwise clean from

entering or remaining in theUnited States.

Atty. tipoN has a Master of

Laws degree from Yale Law School

and a Bachelor of Laws degree

from the University of the Philip-

pines. Office: 800 Bethel St., Suite

402, Honolulu, HI 96813. Tel.

(808) 225-2645. E-Mail: filam-

law@yahoo .com. Webs i t es :

www.MilitaryandCriminalLaw.co

m, and www.ImmigrationService-

sUSA.com. Listen to the most witty,

interesting, and informative radio

program in Hawaii on KNDI at

1270, AM dial every Thursday at

7:30 a.m., rebroadcast at

www.iluko.com.

iMMiGratioN GUide

munity Center (FilCom). Atthe same time, the newly-elected officers of the chap-ter were installed.

The Order of the Knightsof Rizal is an internationalfraternal organization thatwas established in 1922 inManila and subsequentlychartered by law under Re-public Act 646. Its purpose is

to spread the ideals andteachings of Dr. Jose P.Rizal, national hero of thePhi l ippines, especial lyamong the youth who Rizalconsiders as the “fair hopeof the Fatherland.”

Buoyed by its lofty uni-versal principles, the Orderhas spread throughout thePhilippines and to othercountries. Presently, there

are chapters in the U.S.,Canada, Australia, the Mid-dle East, Britain, Spain, Ger-many, Belgium, CzechRepublic, and parts of Asia,with a membership of morethan 10,000. Members in-clude government officials,businessmen, academics,doctors, literary men, engi-neers, students, artists, etc.

HeadliNeS(cont. from page 1; KNIGHTS... )

(continued on page 10)

JUne 29, 20138 News Edition PiCtorialS

ArAw ng KAlAyAAn CelebrAtionby carlOta HUFana-aDer

The Philippine Consulate General of Honolulu, together with the Filipinocommunity, celebrated the 115th Anniversary of the Declaration ofPhilippine Independence last June 12, 2013. At the same token, the

gallery of the Alay sa Sakada Lanai, which displays memorabilia and pic-torials of the early sakadas, Filipino-American veterans, the late U.S. Sen.Daniel Inouye and former Gov. Ben Cayetano, was open to public. ConsulGeneral Julius Torres, Edmund Aczon, Geronimo “Toy” Arre of the Knightsof Columbus and Fil-Am veterans assisted in the cutting of the ribbon.

Consul Roberto Bernardo read the following message from PhilippinePresident Benigno S. Aquino III: “Today, our people remain united in inde-pendence. May you ignite the patriotism and bayanihan spirit in yourhearts, as together we build and fortify the structures on whichour nation is built. May this event be an opportunity to promote

our cultural heritage and uphold the Philippines’ revived distinction in thisglobalized, multicultural milieu.”

Vice Consul Joyleen Santos read the following message from Secre-tary Albert Del Rosario from the Department of Foreign Affairs: “We call onall Filipinos to join in our country’s march towards economic developmentand social progress. By investing in the Philippines and engaging in en-trepreneurship, overseas Filipino workers can be more powerful drivers ofgrowth. Our collective effort will eventually transform overseas employ-ment from a necessary means of survival to a real economic choice.”

Consul General Julius Torres thanked attendees for participating in theIndependence Day celebration which included a flag ceremony, singing ofthe national anthem and a delicious merienda.▪

JUNE 29, 2013 9News EditionPHILIPPINE NEWS

Japan To Take Phl's Side in South China Sea Dispute

MANILA , Ph i l i pp ines -

JApAnese deFense min-

ister itsunori on-

o d e r A  o n  T h u r s d a y

assured the Philippines that

Japan will be on its side in de-

fending disputed territories in

the South China Sea.

Onodera, who is in a two-

day visit in Manila, told De-

partment of National Defense

Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in

a courtesy call that Japan will

cooperate to resolve the sea

row with China.

"We agreed that we will

further cooperate in terms of

defense of remote islands as

well as the defense of terri-

tory, or territorial sea as well

as protection of maritime in-

terest ... We will cooperate

with the Philippine side in this

matter," Onodera said.

The Japanese official

said that both countries are

facing "common concerns" as

China feuds with different

states over territorial claims in

overlapping waters.

" I  a l s o  s a i d  t h a t

Japan(ese) side is very con-

cerned that this kind of situa-

tion in South China Sea (as

it) could affect the situation in

East China Sea," he said.

Onodera also said that

peaceful means over military

might should remain para-

mount and that the rule of law

must be considered in seek-

ing arbitration.

"I would like to emphasize

here that the current situation

should not be changed with

use of force ... I think this the

concept that is agreed upon

in international communities

these days," he said.

Likewise, Onodera

lauded the Philippines' action

in seeking arbitration to re-

solve the matter.

“I have also learned

about the Philippines’ efforts

for the United Nations (UN)

arbitration process in the prin-

ciple that the Philippine side

seeks to solve this problem

based on the rule of law.

Japan side is totally support-

ing these kinds of efforts,” he

said.

He added that Japan's

priority, meanwhile, is to keep

and protect its own territorial

space in sea or air more than

to get involved in international

matters.

Onodera visited U.S.

naval base at Subic Bay be-

fore meeting with Gazmin,

while Japanese Prime Minis-

ter Shinzo Abe intends to visit

the country in July.

Japan claims that China

had intruded into the

Senkaku Islands, which

China calls Diaoyu Islands.

The Philippines for its

part, accuses China of intrud-

ing into various areas that are

within its exclusive economic

zone

Chinese intruders have

strengthened their presence

in the Panatag (Scarborough)

Shoal off Zambales and

Ayungin Shoal off Palawan.

They have also built

structures in the Mischief

Reef or Panganiban Reef,

which is about 70 nautical

miles from Palawan and Subi

Reef, an islet 12 nautical

miles southwest of Pag-asa

Island in the same province.

The Philippines has been

advocating a multilateral

rules-based approach to set-

tle the West Philippine Sea

(continued on page 11)

by Camille DIOLA and Alexis ROMERO/Thursday, June 27, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - A Fil-

ipinA hAs been nAmed

one of New York City’s best

teachers.

Marietta Geraldino, geom-

etry teacher in 10th and 11th

grades at the Fredrick Dou-

glas Academy II in Manhattan,

was one of the 11 teachers

who received the “Big Apple

Award” last June 12.

On its website, the NYC

education department said

the award was meant to rec-

ognize the top teach-

ers in public schools

across the city.

“Marietta is able to

deconstruct the most

complex mathematical

concepts and make

them palpable to even the

most resistant students,” the

website quoted Geraldino’s

principal as saying.

Geraldino has been

teaching for 24 years – nine

in New York and 15 years in

the Philippines.

“During her 24 years of

teaching, she has constantly

searched for ways to grow as

an educator and

seeks out profes-

sional development

opportunities to im-

prove her practice,”

the website added.

Geraldino was

chosen from the more than

2,000 nominees submitted by

students, teachers, schools

and families.

Aside from the Big Apple

trophy, the winners received

$3,500 each and classroom

grants. They were also

named Big Apple ambassa-

dors for school year 2013-

2014. (www.philstar.com)

Pinay Among Best Teachers inNew Yorkby Helen FLORES Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Geraldino

▪

JUne 29, 201310 News Edition HeadliNeS(cont. from page 7; KNIGHTS... )

The Hawaii Chapter was estab-lished in 1971. Among its past com-m a n d e r s  a n d  m e m b e r s  a r edistinguished members of the com-munity, Filipinos as well as non-Fil-ipinos. The chapter’s successfulprojects include: the erection of theRizal Statue at FilCom,passage of a City Councilresolution naming part ofCollege Walk as Dr. JoseP. Rizal Square, the rovingRizal exhibit, the Alay kayRizal Dramafest at UH,the annual Rizal YouthLeadership Institute, theAnnual Dr. Jose P. RizalAward for Peace and So-cial Justice, and the an-nual Rizal birth and deathanniversary celebrations. Last year,the chapter hosted the 4th USA Re-gional Assembly and Conference inSeptember 2012.

dr. Jose p. rizAl AwArd

The Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award forPeace and Social Justice is given an-nually by the Knights of Rizal-HawaiiChapter to a person who exemplifiesRizal’s life and teachings of thePhilippines foremost national hero.Rizal was a polymath and excelled inmany fields. He is known for his liter-ary works, keen scientific mind, de-votion to an educated citizenry, visionof an ideal community, but most ofall, his dedication to and struggle forfreedom and equality. For his love ofcountry, he paid the ultimate sacri-fice.

The Rizal Award is open to all na-tionalities residing in Hawaii, maleand female. The candidate must benominated by at least three reputablecivic, professional or community or-ganizations, and must submit a nom-ination form detailing his/heraccomplishments, the impact of saidachievements on the community,and how such achievements pro-mote the ideals and teachings of Dr.Jose P. Rizal. The nominee mustshow exceptional leadership,achievement, service and advocacyin the promotion of change throughpeaceful means, intercultural under-standing, social justice, and demo-cratic principles.

Our previous awardees were Dr.Belinda Aquino and Dr. Jorge Ca-mara.

This year, the awardee is Dr.Amefil (Amy) Agbayani, Director ofStudent Equity, Excellence and Di-versity (SEED) at the University ofHawaii-Manoa. Dr. Agbayani is awell-known advocate for civil rightsand social justice in Hawaii. She

spearheaded advocacy efforts thatresulted in systems changes to liftthe aspirations of Filipinos and othervulnerable communities in Hawaii.An active proponent of immigrantand language access rights, shewas one of the founders of theHawaii Civil Rights Commission,

serving as its first chair. Agbayani mobilized

and spearheaded aca-demic and communitystakeholders to initiatelandmark studies on edu-cation disparities at UH-Manoa for NativeHawaiians and Filipinos inrecruitment, retention, fac-ulty selection problems,and community service

barriers, resulting in the institutional-ization of a UH system-wide Diver-sity Initiative to bridge the gapbetween higher education and mar-ginalized communities. She co-founded Operation Manong, a publicschool-based tutorial program serv-ing immigrant students. Now calledthe Office of Multi-Cultural StudentServices, this program fosters allybuilding through respect and interestin learning from one another’s multi-cultural heritage, history, and strug-gles in order to develop a deepsense of purpose and strong valuesfor peaceful civil engagement, socialjustice, equity, and opportunities toreach one’s potential for the greatergood through socially responsiblecollaboration. With the help of law-makers, community leaders andother stakeholders, she was able tobuild an infrastructure to preserve,promote and perpetuate Philippinelanguages, Philippine studies, Fil-ipino-American history, culture, artsand more.

As SEED Director, Agbayani in-stitutionalized and enacted educa-tional reform that benefittedgenerations following the Filipino Di-aspora in 1906 and uplifted all ofHawaii’s diverse people up to thepresent. She oversees more than 14programs and over 50 full time pro-fessionals to address education dis-parities as a social justice issue.Through SEED, she forged a legacyof championing talented and pas-sionate professionals from diversebackgrounds, who themselves over-came adversity to achieve academiccredentials in higher education. Ag-bayani is also a champion ofHawaii’s working poor. She sup-ported initiatives to empower vulner-able workers through labor equityeducation, leadership training, unionorganizing and community partner-

(continued on page 11)

Dr. Amy Agbayani │Photo : Tim LLENA

ment is not aiming at protect-ing from any specific nationbut our stance is that we keepout territorial space, territorialair and sea space well-pro-tected. This should be doneaccording to the rule of law,”he said.

Last January, the Philip-pines challenged China’s ter-ritorial claim to most of theWest Philippine Sea beforean international tribunal of theUN.

China claims almost theentire West Philippine Seaand the East Sea. The area,delineated by a so-callednine-dash line, covers morethan 100 islets, atolls andreefs.

The Philippines believesChina’s nine-dash line, which

JUne 29, 2013 11News EditionHeadliNeS

ADVertiSe now AnD See How tHe FACe oF bUSineSS

iS CHAnging!No matter how small your ad, it gets our readers attention!

CALL 678-8930 OR GO TO OUR WEBSITE @www.efilipinochronicle.com

www.thefilipinochronicle.com

dispute. It has alsoChina, however, insists

that the row be addressedthrough direct bilateral nego-tiations.

A report from the news-paper The Japan Times saidthe meeting between On-odera and Gazmin wasmeant “to keep China incheck.”

The report also quoted anunnamed source as sayingthat Onodera and Gazminwould work out a “coordi-nated response” towardChina.

Onodera clarified thattheir security efforts are notdirected against a specificcountry.

“The Japanese govern-

PHiliPPiNe NeWS(cont. from page 9; JAPAN.. )

outlined its claims over mostof the sea, is illegal. China’sclaims also overlap withthose of the Philippines,Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei andVietnam. (www.philstar.com)

ships. Active in electoral pol-itics, Agbayani believes thatelecting and appointing pub-lic officials is critical sincethey are responsible formaking crucial decisionsthat affect society.

Among the positionsthat Agbayani has held arethe following: board mem-ber of the East-West CenterAlumni Association, mem-ber of the American CivilLiberties Union, president ofthe Filipino CommunityCenter, chair of the HawaiiCivil Rights Commission,member of the Hawaii Dem-

ocratic Party National Com-mittee, co-chair of theHawaii Friends of CivilRights, chair of the HawaiiJudicial Selection Commit-tee, board member of theHawaii Women’s PoliticalCaucus, vice chair of theNational Federation of Fil-ipino American AssociationsRegion 12, and member ofthe Quality of Life Alliance.She has also received thefollowing awards: East-WestCenter Outstanding AlumniAward, Hawaii’s WomenLawyers DistinguishedService Award, HonoluluYMCA Outstanding

Achievement Award, HonpaHongwanji 5 Living Treas-ures Award, Na Loio Keeperof the Flame Award, Univer-sity of Hawaii DistinguishedAlumni Award, and Univer-sity of the Philippines Distin-guished Alumni Award. Sheobtained her bachelor’s de-gree from the University ofthe Philippines and hermaster’s and Ph.D. degreesin political science from UH-Manoa.

iNstAllAtioN of officers

The event also includedthe installation of the newset of officers of the chapter

who will serve for the nexttwo years. The new chaptercommander is Sir Dr. ArnoldVillafuerte, KCR, director ofthe Bilingual Health Pro-gram and the Easy AccessProgram of the State De-partment of Health. The im-mediate past commander isSir Dr. Raymund Liongson,KGOR.

The other chapter offi-cers are: Sir Felipe Tan,deputy commander; Sir Dar-win Arellano, chancellor; SirRandy Cortez, pursuivant;Sir Allan Alvarez, deputypursuivant; Sir FlorantePumaras, exchequer; Sir

Ryan Fernandez, deputyexchequer; Sir Danny Vil-laruz, auditor; Sir ClementBautista, archivist; SirRichard Ancog, chaplain;and trustees Sir Serafin Col-menares Jr., Sir GeminianoArre, Sir Tony Sagayadoro,Sir Benjamin Sanchez, andSir Raymund Liongson.

The installing officer wasSir Serafin Colmenares Jr.,KGOR, Western USA AreaCommander. The guestspeaker was Sir Julius Tor-res, Consul General of thePhilippines, who is also amember of the Knights ofRizal.

(cont. from page 10; KNIGHTS... )

(cont. from page 1; DFA... )

have been "confirmed.""Certain allegations

were confirmed and thiswas accomplished by theth ree w i t nesses f r omRiyadh (in Saudi Arabia)coming forward and provid-ing us their testimony," DelRosario said at a televisedpress briefing on Monday.

He said those confirmedwere allegations of sexualharassment, molestation,and abuse of authority.

"However, until suchtime as other people areable to come forward, allother allegations will remainas allegations to be furtherinvestigated," Del Rosariosaid.

While they are "lookingat various alleged offend-ers," Del Rosario said theconfirmed accusations in-

volved an official of the De-partment of Labor and Em-ployment (DOLE) whoreportedly molested a dis-tressed OFW in exchangeof repatriation.

The embattled officialhas been recalled as ofMonday and will be investi-gated once he arrives in thePhilippines.

The DFA is looking atthe filing of graft and corrup-tion cases against thoseproven guilty, according toDel Rosario.

The official assured thatthey will investigate all ofthose who have been in-volved in the allegations. Healso urged other victims andwitnesses to surface.

Last week, AkbayanParty-list Rep. Walden Bellodisclosed that three labor of-ficials in the Middle East areallegedly involved in pimp-ing distressed OFWs in ex-change for a ticket back tothe Philippines.

At least four femaleOFWs have since surfaced,claiming that they wereforced to do sexual activitieswith labor officers in Riyadh,Saudi Arabia and were alsooffered to foreign nationals.

One of the accused,labor attaché to JordanMario Antonio, has deniedt h e  a l l e g a t i o n s .(www.philstar.com)

DFA Sec. Albert Del Rosario

JUne 29, 201312 News Edition HealtH & FaMilY NeWS

Almost 28% ofPinoys remainpoor

This won’t be about DanBrown vs. Francis To-lentino. This is about

our understanding of litera-ture as revealed by whatseems a public approval ofa fake letter, which the anti-Tolentino fans made viralover social media. The letterwas an uncreative argumentby referring to a disclaimerstating: “This book is a workof fiction. Names, charac-ters, places, and incidentsare products of the author’simagination or are used ficti-tiously. Any resemblance toactual events or locales orpersons, living or dead isentirely coincidental.”

By that disclaimer, peo-ple have dismissed Chair-man Tolentino’s reaction asnonsensical. By that dis-claimer, people have cometo believe that there is reallyno need to react negativelyover the portrayal of Manila.

This deserves anotherreading.

Presumably, everyoneshould know that a dis-claimer is a figment of imag-

inative work created not bywriters but lawyers. Thesewords were skillfully craftedto prevent anyone fromsuing an author for libel. Butin reality, every literary workis based on reality. Nothingis purely imaginative orpurely fictional and most arerarely coincidental.

Literature is a mirror ofhuman experiences. It can-not be a mirror if the textdoesn’t reflect an image ofreality. Even the most ab-surd sci-fi plots depend onthe reality of human emotionand conflict to keep thepiece credible and thereader engaged.

More importantly, the el-ement of setting in literatureis one particular elementthat depends a lot on ourshared perception of a spe-cific place or time. An au-thor’s choice of settingenables the reader to relateto the details in the fictionalstory and feel the appropri-ate emotions necessary forthe author to unravel his/hertheme. The choice of setting

depends less on imagina-tion and more on an accu-rate perception of whatothers think is reality.

Which is why we have tothank Chairman Tolentino forhis reply letter. It started thisexchange, this debate, thisconversation that ultimatelyrevealed the most importantreason as to why MetroManila has deteriorated to itshellish condition. From thetweets and Facebook postsof many of those who coun-tered Tolentino, we are givena picture of citizens whodon’t give a damn if theirhome is compared to hell.Would you allow a director touse your house as a scenefor other people to visualizewhat hell is like? Would younot feel reviled if the directordescribed the ugliness that isyour house as a perfectimage for inferno? But then,maybe that is the problem.

Not everyone thinks MetroManila is their home. Per-haps, many of us are justtransients waiting for an op-portunity to leave MetroManila. And that is perhapswhy we’re okay with otherpeople calling it hell.

But we should also thankDan Brown. His novel is awriting on the wall. We havebeen weighed and are foundwanting. If we are honestenough and if we careenough for our home, weshould be angry at ourselvesfor not doing anything as wesaw Metro Manila becomedirtier and smellier by theday. It was our own apathythat destroyed by neglect aonce beautiful city.

Metro Manila is not adamned city. Instead of in-vesting our energies in writ-ing negative posts aboutBrown or Tolentino, why notchannel our energy to restor-

ing Manila’s old glory? Thatis what Carlos Celdran andIvan Man Dy are doing byeducating Filipinos throughtheir old Manila walks. Thatis what Gina Lopez is doingby trying to save the PasigRiver. They are among thefew that have not given upon Metro Manila.

In the end, the worst re-sponse is to dismiss whathas been written aboutManila as merely fictional.My Philo teacher kept re-minding us in class that fic-tion is a lie that leads to thetruth. The power to be awak-ened by the truth containedin fiction will enable us toface reality and transform acondemnation into a wake-up call for social redemption.

A really great author,Graham Greene wrote inThe End of the Affair, “Astory has no beginning orend: Arbitrarily, one choosesthat moment of experiencefrom which to look back orfrom which to look ahead.”It’s time for us to forget whatwe have done to MetroManila and start lookingahead to see what we coulds t i l l  m a k e  o u t  o f  i t .(www.philstar.com)

Dan Brown’s Novel Is A Writing onthe WallteacHaBle mOments by Jose clarO

PHiliPPiNe NeWS

Noy Signs Universal Health Care Bill Into Law

MANILA, Phi l ippines -PRESIDENT AQUINO

SIGNED ON WEDNES-

DAY a law granting healthinsurance for Fi l ipinosfunded through proceedsfrom sin taxes.

Bacolod City Rep. An-thony Golez, one of theprincipal authors, said yes-terday Republic Act 10606,the Universal Health CareAct, will ensure that all Fil-ipinos, especially the poor-est of the poor, will gethealth insurance coverage

from the Philippine HealthInsurance Corp. (Phi l -Health).

“I firmly be-lieve in the ben-efits that thislaw will bring toFilipinos and inachieving uni-versal healthcare for Fil-ipinos,” he said.

“I am gladthat PresidentNoynoy finally signed it intolaw, and I am mighty gladand proud to have beenpart of the legislativeprocess in crafting one ofthe more important piecesof legislation at this point intime in our country’s his-tory.”

The law is a consolida-tion of over 50 bills from

the House of Representa-tives and the Senate toamend RA 7875 of 1995

creating theP h i l H e a l t h ,Golez said.

It mandatesa  n a t i o n a lhea l t h i nsu r -ance program(NHIP) as themeans for thehealthy to helppay for the care

of the sick and for thosewho can afford medicalcare to subsidize thosewho cannot.

It shall be compulsoryin all provinces, cities andmunicipalit ies, notwith-s tand ing the ex i s t i nghealth insurance programsof local government units.(www.philstar.com)

by paolo rOmerO /Saturday, June 22, 2013

Rep. Anthony Golez

Pres. Noynoy Aquino

JUne 29, 2013 13News Edition

by reuben s.seGUritan

The nursing profession isone of the fastest grow-ing careers in the United

States. The number of em-ployed registered nurses isexpected to grow 26% from2010 to 2020, making it thetop occupation in terms of jobgrowth. Licensed practicalnurses and licensed voca-tional nurses are expected toincrease 22%. Even duringthe economic downturn,182,000 RNs were em-ployed.

The high demand fornurses and healthcare work-

ers in general can be attrib-uted to the growing and agingpopulation. By 2025, therewill have been 50 millionmore Americans than therewere in 2006, and every dayfor the next twenty years10,000 Americans will reach65 years. By year 2020, fourout of every ten patient visitswill be by baby boomers.

Because of the agingbaby boom generation, thedemand for healthcare willcontinue to grow at a highrate, so much so that by 2030the U.S. is projected to havea shortage of more than900,000 nurses. The Afford-able Care Act law will furtherraise the demand as the lawexpands insurance coverageto more than 30 million Amer-icans by 2014.

The increase in nursing

school enrolment is at bestonly modest and far from suf-ficient to meet the demand. In2011, the increase was only alittle over 5%. At the sametime, however, the averageage of nurses has gone upand more and more nursesare nearing retirement age. Itis predicted that nurses over50 years old will soon com-prise about a quarter of theentire RN population.

Given the magnitude ofthe shortfall and the immi-nence of the surge in de-mand, domestic measureswill no longer be sufficient toavert the shortage. Immigra-tion rules that have been inplace specifically to restrictthe entry of foreign-educatednurses must be changed inorder to ensure that patientcare is not compromised.

For instance, most RNsdo not qualify for the H-1Bvisa for “specialty occupa-tions” because employersgenerally do not require abachelor’s degree for the po-sition. To be eligible for H-1Bclassification, an RN wouldhave to be in a supervisory orvery specialized position.

The limited number of im-migrant visas and long wait-ing times have alsocontributed to the deficit ofqualified nurses. Most foreignnurses are eligible for classi-fication under the employ-ment-based third preference(EB-3) category for skilledworkers. However, under EB-3 an employer would have towait between five to morethan ten years before a visabecomes available to itssponsored nurse.

The visa retrogressionhas undeniably hamperedthe recruitment of muchneeded healthcare workersfrom foreign countries, in-cluding the Philippines. Forthe past six years since theretrogression began, thou-

sands of qualified nurseshave simply been waiting fortheir priority dates to reachthe cut-off for visa availabilityunder the EB-3 category.

Unsurprisingly, not all ofthem end up pursuing theirvisa application. Some ofthem have simply been dis-couraged by the delay, whilesome are lured by equallypromising professional op-portunities in other coun-tries. The U.S. thereforeloses the benefit of theirskills and talent.

While immigration rulesremain restrictive and recruit-ment of foreign nurses issought to be kept at a mini-mum, patients face increas-ingly longer wait times inunderstaffed hospitals or areplaced in the care of over-worked nurses. Urgent actionin reforming immigration lawis needed to ensure that thehealth of millions of Ameri-cans is not endangered.

reuBeN s. seguritAN has been

practicing law for over 30 years. For

further information, you may call him at

(212) 695 5281 or log on to his website

at www.seguritan.com

Immigration Reform Needed toAddress Nursing Shortage

leGal NoteS

NEW YORK — THE IN-

vESTMENT LANDSCAPE

can be a scary place.This year’s stock market

surge has stalled and themarket is too choppy to pro-vide any sort of reassurance.Savings accounts earn prac-tically nothing. Bonds, a tradi-tional haven, seem like apoor choice because interestrates are likely to go up. Thestocks people invest in forsafe, steady income, like util-ities and health care, aren’tas cheap as they used to be.

The Associated Pressasked experts where they’reputting their money in theseuncertain times. Their sug-gestions are opinions, andyou should do your own re-search before making anydecisions.

Anton Bayer, CEO of UpCapital Management in Gran-ite Bay, California.

His idea: Floating-rateand shorter-term bonds Payattention, because this one isa little complicated.

The Federal Reserve hasbeen buying $85 billion worth

of government bonds eachmonth to try to make long-term loans cheaper and stim-ulate the economy. As longas the Fed is propping up de-mand for bonds, the Treasurydoesn’t have to worry toomuch about enticing buyersand can pay out low interestrates on them. If the Fed pullsback on its bond-buyingspree — something that Fedchairman Ben Bernanke hassaid could happen soon —then the interest rate onbonds will go up.

That’s bad for people whoalready hold the Treasurybonds. Here’s why: MostTreasury bonds pay out afixed rate. If you own a 10-year Treasury note that pays2 percent interest, and ratesgo up to three percent, you’restill going to get paid two per-cent. That means you’remissing out on investing in ahigher-paying bond. It alsomeans that the underlyingvalue of your bond is going togo down: No one wants tobuy a bond with a 2 percentyield in a 3 percent yield mar-ket. You can get all yourmoney back if you wait untilthe bond matures, but thatwill take 10 years.

Bayer recommends float-ing-rate bonds, because theinterest rates they paychange along with the Fed’sinterest rate. Be careful,though, because floating-ratebonds are often issued byriskier companies.

Bayer also recommendsfixed-rate bonds with shorterdurations. If you own a bondpaying a fixed interest rate,and then interest rates rise,it’s better to be able to getyour money back in one yearinstead of 10. Keep in mindthat the shorter-term Treas-ury bonds will pay muchlower rates: A 10-year Treas-ury note is paying about 2.1percent. A one-year Treasurynote is paying 0.1 percent.

Bayer says that investorswho were used to the higherinterest rates of previousdecades will have to retooltheir investing strategies.

“That’s the biggest mis-take that investors are mak-ing right now,” Bayer says.“What worked for the pastdecade is not going to worknow.”

Blake Howells, portfoliomanager and analyst atBecker Capital Management

MaiNlaNd NeWS

Where to Invest In An UncertainMarketby assOciateD press

(continued on page 14)

JUne 29, 201314 News Edition PHiliPPiNe laNGUaGe

Rinambakan ti SANNICOLANEOS USA itimaikapito nga aniber-

saryona ken kappili ngaopisyalesna nga

agserbi iti tawen 2013 -2015. Naaramid idi Junio14 iti Pacific Beach HotelGrand Ballroom.

Adu dagiti opisyales tiGobierno a kadua ni Gob-ernador Abercrombie a tim-mabuno. Da senador WillEspero, Joey Manahan,Rep. Romy Cachola, Con-sul General Julius Torres,ken dadduma pay. Kastamet kadagiti nagdonarkadagiti pammadayaw tireyna iti daytoy a rabii. Ticorona-ni Sen. Will Espero,Ti setro-da Chita Gonzalesken Edgar Santiago Jr., tiTropeo da Mr. ken Mrs. LitoAlcantara, Banda-da Jena-lyn Ramos ken Walter

Madamba, ti bouquet -daValerie Acebedo ken AlainPacis.

Ni Flor Martinez ti nangiturong ti Programa ket tinalaing nga ubing nga isu tireyna iti daytoy a rabii tinangkanta ti National an-them ni Reyna Deija Santi-ago Laya ti LupangHinirang ken ni Rossi Pat-ton ti nangbendision ni Fe-lipe Cabana.

Welcome Adress niCesar Bonilla ti nalatak ngaanunciador ti KPHI - PINOYSUNRISE ken bise presi-dent ti organisasion. NiCouncilman Joey Manahannga isu ti nangiyam-ammoti Guest Speaker ni Gov.Neil Abercrombie a na-mangsapata kadagitikabarbaro nga opisyales TiPRESIDENTE ni - Nalataka John H. De Los Santos,BISE PRESIDENTE -Cesar Bonilla, SEKRE-TARIA - Biatriz Santiago,KATULOGAN A SEKRE-TARIA - Wilhelmina Ibay,

TRESRORERA - Liza Ma-muad, KATULOGAN ATRESORERA - EmelitaGuillermo, AUDITOR -War-lita Baltazar, KATULON-GAN NGA AUDITOR - GinaLardizabal, DAGITI PRESSRELATION OFFICERS -Lydia Kamiya, RosemarieAquino, Victoria Caraang,BOARD OF DIRECTORS -Fely Burigsay, Letty Tesoro,Teddy Reyes, CresenteGuillermo, Rodolfo Ibay,Lee Kamiya, Steven Riban,SGT-AT-ARMS - Jose Bal-tazar, Hermie Tesoro, JoeDumayag, Edgar Santiago,ADVISERS: EstrellaCariaga, Joey Manahan -City Councilor, LEGAL AD-VISER – Ben Martin E SQ.Dagitoy dagiti kabbarbaronga opisyales babaen tiPanangidaulo ti Presidentemainanama a rumongrungbo ti San Nicolaneosof Hawaii Kasta met ti pam-matalded ken panang-dayaw ti Consul

General Julius Torres.

Ti coronation ti QUEENINFANTIL AGPAAY DEI-JAH LAYA mainanama anakalalagip ta damo paynga adda reyna INFANTIL tikommonidad, a binilan-gatan ni Sen Will Espero, ababaen ti Speechnanasayaat a medida ti rusatti organisasion. Kalpasan tipanagrikkep ti Sekretaria ti

naunday a programa nag-tuloy ti salsala dagiti amin adimmar-ay. Nangted pay tinaka lalagip iti dayta a rabiiti pannakaala dagiti amin adimmar-ay iti pakalaglagi-panda a ladawan babaen tikaadda ti OPISYAL A PHO-TOGRAPHER Iti dayta arabii.

Maikapito Nga Anibersaryo Ti SanNicolaneos U. S. A.Ken Panagsapata Dagiti Opisyales

in Portland, Oregon His idea: Big-name tech

companies, regional banksHowells likes Microsoft andApple, but not necessarily fortheir best-known products.

He likes Microsoft not forthe Windows operating sys-tem, which has garneredmixed reviews, but for theservers it sells “that make bigcompanies and big data farmsrun.” He likes Apple not for theiPhone and iPad — after all,the company’s stock is down19 percent this year and it’slargely because people areworried that Apple can’t keepchurning out blockbustergadgets — but because of theiOS operating system. Hethinks it will help Apple keepcustomers who won’t want to

go through the hassle ofswitching all the informationon their iPhones and iPads toanother system. “That gives ita little bit more sticking powerthan a BlackBerry or a Nokia,”Howells says.

He likes certain regionalbanks, like Pittsburgh-basedPNC Financial ServicesGroup and Minneapolis-based US Bancorp, creditingtheir plain-vanilla businessesof making loans and accept-ing deposits. He says they’re“in much better shape thanthey were at the start of thedownturn,” before the 2008 fi-nancial crisis. But he’s iffy onthe megabanks, even if someare selling at prices muchlower than before the finan-cial crisis. (www.philstar.com)

MaiNlaNd NeWS(cont. from page 13; WHERE .. )

by pacita c. salUDes

daYaSadaS

Ita Ta Nasapapay

Katibker dagiti ramramayAgsukay iti daga inka mulaan

Dika agsulit agitukitka naimbag a gagemUsarem ta panawen, bigat aldaw malem

Agmulaka tapno adda apitemLinaon ‘ta utek iganaganmo tapno di nakuriteg

Nainsiriban a pampanunot inka aramatenPangpasagneb natikag a pakinakem

Adda iti kinaregtam ti talingengenKinadalus ta puso ti mangpasimbengPartuat tai sip ti manglapped tubengNo adda agblag palapalen ida ti isem

Agmulaka latta dimo sardayanAglabas ti aldaw dagitanto ti pagapitam

Agdildilpatto dagiti di nagtigtignayMatada nakamulagat, eppes a panawe, itattapay

Agmulaka latta dika denggen ublagNamaraymay, natikagman daga a pagirukitam

Ala latta, amangan ta nasagsagneb ti matamaamGasanggasat adda agbunga adda met saan

Salukagmo addanto latta masupapakan

JUne 29, 2013 15News Edition

ClASSiFieD AD

CoMMUNitY CaleNdar

ON JUNE 19, 2013, FILIPINOS IN

SAN FRANCISCO, led by the Na-tional Alliance for Filipino Concerns(NAFCON), banded together toform a “Filipino Immigrant RightsTask Force” to educate and organ-ize Filipino-Americans around theissue of “genuine comprehensiveimmigration reform.”

Numbering over 50 Filipinosfrom all over San Francisco, thetask force united after threemonths of planning community fo-rums, multi-media projects andmass-actions. These projects aimto capture the attention of con-gressional representatives andthe public with stories that tell thetriumphs and struggles of undoc-umented Filipinos in the U.S.

“Our goal is to show the gov-

ernment and all of Amer-ica that undocumentedpeople in this countrydeserve dignity and jus-tice,” says said HaroldButanas, an undocu-mented worker and amember of MigranteNorthern California. “Immigrationreform should be about protectingour rights and keeping our familiestogether instead of treating us likecriminals. It should not be a crimeto find work to support yourselfand your family.”

Butanas came to the U.S. in2007 as a high-skilled welder andbecame a victim of human traffick-ing. Promised a three-year contractand a salary of $22 per hour, Bu-tanas and 67 other Filipinos

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PAgeAnt ● SunDAy ● June 30, 2013, 6 PM ● Ala MoanaHotel ● Contact: Jenny Quezon at quezonj001@hawaii.rr.com

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● Tapa Ballroom, Hilton, Hawaiian Village ● Contact: BernadetteFajardo (342-8090)

MaiNlaNd NeWS

Filipinos in San Francisco Form ImmigrantRights Task Force

Valbin Corporation is currently seeking tS/ScitAgAlog linguiStS who are also fluent inMaguindanao and/or Maranao. Please send us yourresume and salary requirements if interested atjobs@valbin.org

bUSineSS DireCtory

worked for two monthsbefore the companydropped them from thepayroll. In addition, theywere paid only $18 perhour.

Following Butanas’testimony, the task forcediscussed NAFCON’s“Principles and Demands

on Genuine Comprehensive Immi-gration Reform,” which articulatesthe need to address issues of“Forced Migration” and other de-mands including legalization for allundocumented, ending deporta-tions, reunification of families andan end to human trafficking.

“No immigration reform is gen-uine unless it includes all thepieces in NAFCON’s principles anddemands,” says Jun Cruz, the al-liance’s public information officer.

ASIAN-AMERICAN HOME-

BUYERS AND RENTERS facediscrimination and adversetreatment as or more often thanother communities of color whenseeking a home, according to anew study by the U.S. Depart-ment of Housing and Urban De-velopment (HUD) and TheUrban Institute.

Entitled “Housing Discrimi-nation against Racial and EthnicMinorities 2012,” the studyshows that discrimination is stillwidely prevalent in major metro-politan real estate marketsacross the country. Most alarm-ingly, the types and methods ofdiscrimination uncovered by thisstudy are generally undetectableby the home seekers them-selves.

“Discrimination continues tobe a systemic problem in thehousing industry, especially forcommunities of color,” says LisaHasegawa, Executive Directorof the National Coalition forAsian Pacific American Commu-nity Development. “Housing dis-crimination significantly impactseducational and economic op-

portunities. We still have furtherto go as a nation to safeguardthe civil liberties guaranteed toall Americans under the FairHousing Act.”

Key highlights from the re-port include: • On average, Asian-American

homebuyers are told about15.5 percent less homes andare shown 18.8 percent lesshomes than non-HispanicWhite buyers. Similarly,prospective Asian Americanrenters are told about 9.8percent less homes and areshown 6.6 percent less units.

• Minority home seekerswhose ethnicity is morereadily identifiable (accord-ing to name, physical ap-pearance or accent, forexample) are significantlymore likely to be denied anappointment than minoritiesperceived to be white.

• Asian renters are more likelythan a decade ago to beshown fewer units, whiletrends for black and Hispanicrenters seem to be improv-ing.

One anecdote shared by re-searchers included an Asian-American woman who wasshown only one apartment and awhite borrower of comparablequalifications who was shownthat same apartment as well as

three additional units. While victims of thistype of discrimination are often unaware ofthe unequal treatment, it clearly increasesthe length and cost of a home search, con-strains opportunities and limits choices.

The report concludes that fair housingenforcement alone is insufficient and callsfor a multipronged strategy to encouragediverse neighborhoods and to equalize thequality of services, resources and ameni-ties in minority neighborhoods.

For more information on the Filipino Im-migrant Rights Task Force, email Cruz at:jun@filipinocc.org.

New Study Shows Asian-Americans FaceSignificant Housing Discrimination

HaWaii-FiliPiNo NeWS

Philippine Naval Ship to VisitHonoluluTHE PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GEN-

ERAL OF HONOLULU has an-nounced that the Philippine Navy’snewest ship, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz,is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu onJuly 12, 2013.

The ship was named after Com-modore Ramon “Monching” Alcaraz, a World War II hero who commandedone of the Philippines Offshore Patrol’s Q-boat which shot down three Japan-ese aircraft. He and his crew were later captured and imprisoned as POWs bythe Japanese. Alcaraz later retired in 1966 and died on June 25, 2009.

Formerly the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz cantravel at speeds of up to 28 knots and is armed with a 76 mm gun and two Mk38 mod 2 gun systems. Its acquisition maintains the momentum of the ArmedForces of the Philippines’ modernization program. The ship will also serve asa laboratory for maritime security training for the Philippine Navy.

The BRP Ramon Alcaraz will leave Honolulu on July 15, 2013. Consulateofficials encourage the Filipino community to attend the arrival and send-offceremonies.

JUne 29, 2013News Edition16