November 30, 2013 1

New US envoy
P8
Ms. Intl appeal
P20
Vol. XXIII, No. 2 Online: www. manilamail.us November 30, 2013
Pacquiao win inspires calamity-hit nation
MANILA. It turns out news
about his boxing careers immi-
nent demise was greatly exagger-
ated. Filipino Peoples Champ
Manny Pacquiao mauled Bran-
don Rios in a brilliant 12-rounder
at Macaus Cotai Arena last Nov.
23, reinforcing his heroic image
as calamity-battered Filipinos
drew a lesson and inspiration
from the victory.
Nowhere was that more evi-
dent than in Tacloban City, hard-
Continued on page 21
WASHINGTON D.C.
Granting temporary protected
status (TPS) to Filipino nation-
als already in the United States
to help speed up recovery in the
typhoon-ravaged Philippines
is gaining steam as a biparti-
san group of senators and con-
gressmen joined various groups
nationwide to petition the White
House to approve the proposal.
In a letter to Rand Beers,
Acting Secretary of the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security
(DHS), the senators and con-
gressmen urged the administra-
tion to designate Filipinos as TPS
so they can receive work permits
and be protected from deporta-
tion. It also asked to consider
additional avenues of relief
for certain Filipinos with family
members who are US citizens or
lawful permanent residents.
TPS is granted to nationals
from countries affected by natu-
ral disasters or war. However, it
does not provide holders a path
to citizenship and is renewed
periodically, typically every 18
months.
Tens of thousands of Filipi-
nos now in the US without legal
status could benet from TPS.
The Senate letter was signed
by Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-NV), Senators Patrick Leahy
(D-VT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT),
John McCain (Republican-AZ),
Continued on page 23
Imelda aide
faces long
jail term
NEW YORK CITY. Vilma
Bautista, the former secretary
of former Philippine First Lady
Imelda Marcos, was convicted
on Nov. 18 by a Manhattan court
for conspiring to sell valuable art
and now faces a lengthy jail sen-
tence.
It took jurors only three
hours to convict Bautista, 75,
on conspiracy and tax fraud
charges stemming from the sale
or attempted sale of a Monet and
three other valuable paintings,
which disappeared in the 1980s
after Marcos husband Ferdi-
nand was ousted as Philippine
president.
In Manila, Presidential
Commission for Good Govern-
ment (PCGG) vowed to recover
the paintings, including Monets
Water Lily which was sold to a
Continued on page 23
Vilma Bautista
Manny Pacquiaos win lifted spirits in Tacloban City. Manny Pacquiao batters Brandon Rios.
Cuisia overwhelmed
by sympathy, aid
WASHINGTON D.C. Presi-
dent Aquino called world lead-
ers to thank them for helping the
Filipino nation after the devasta-
tion of super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan). His chief emissary in
the United States described the
outpouring of sympathy and
assistance overwhelming.
The President made a urry
of calls on Nov. 22 to Mexican
President Enrique Pea Nieto
and Australian Prime Minister
Tony Abbot in the morning and
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe in the afternoon. In the eve-
ning, he called Israeli Prime Min-
ister Benjamin Netanyahu and
World Bank President Jim Yong
Kim.
From a 13-year-old school-
girl in Virginia who broke her
piggy bank to donate $100 in
savings to a large evangelical
group in North Carolina that dis-
patched a Boeing 747 jumbo jet
with $5 million worth of relief
goods, sympathy and support
for typhoon victims in the Phil-
ippines was simply overwhelm-
ing.
We are touched by the
outpouring of sympathy and
solidarity by our friends here in
the United States, Cuisia said
two weeks after killer typhoon
Yolanda (Haiyan), described as
one of the most violent storms
Continued on page 22
Donald Cardinal Wuerl leads concelebration of mass for Yolanda victims
as Amb. Jose L. Cuisia expresses gratitude to US. (Photo by Elmer G. Cato)
November 30, 2013 22
November 30, 2013 3
Alicia Keys cheers up evacuees from typhoon-hit region
MANILA. Grammy-win-
ning singer Alicia Keys took
time off from a concert to cheer
up hundreds of evacuees, survi-
vors of super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan) in the Visayas, whove
received shelter at a hanger of
Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
Keys is behind such hits as
If I Aint Got You, Empire State
of Mind and Girl on Fire
In a series of photos posted
by the Philippine Informa-
tion Agency on its social media
accounts, the singer is seen
giving crayons and coloring
books to children and talking to
ofcials in the area.
She was in the country for
a concert at the Mall of Asia in
Pasay City last Nov. 25. It was
her 2nd in the Philippines.
The rst time Alicia Keys
was here for a concert, her arrival
was preceded by a big typhoon
that devastated Metro Manila.
Asked what her fond memo-
ries of that rst visit, no matter if
she was saddened by the damage
wrought by the typhoon, Alicia
said, Ah, well, the people. They
had so much energy during the
concert. They were so excited
despite what had just happened.
I was glad that we could inspire
each other.
Three days after typhoon
Yolanda struck Leyte and Samar
towns, she tweeted, To the
people of the Philippines, my
heart is with you.
Social Welfare ofcer Jane
Abello said Keys stayed for
about half an hour to chat with
the evacuees. Shes encouraged
her fans around the world to
donate to the typhoon victims.
Music star Alicia Keys visits evacuees at Villamor Air Base.
November 30, 2013 44
Family-based visas take big chunk of new immigration
WASHINGTON D.C.
Family reunication contin-
ued to take the lions share of
immigrant visas issued in 2012,
according to the think tank
Migrant Policy Institute (MPI).
Immigrants who obtained
green cards on the basis of a
family relationship accounted
for 66 percent of all Legal Perma-
nent Residents (LPRs) in 2012.
Spouses, children under the age
of 21, or parents of US citizens
comprised 478,780 of that total;
and immediate family of LPRs
and certain other family mem-
bers of US citizens accounting for
an additional 202,019.
During the last decade,
family-based immigration has
accounted for between 60 per-
cent and 70 percent of total
lawful permanent immigration.
Empl oyment-preference
immigrants made up 14 percent
of all lawful permanent immi-
gration in 2012.
The 143,998 immigrants
who received green cards
through sponsorship from their
US employers accounted for 14
percent of all LPRs.
The share of employment-
preference immigrants has
varied over the past decade
between 12 percent (81,714) in
2003 and 22 percent (246,865) in
2005.
Mexico, China, India, the
Philippines, and the Dominican
Republic were the top ve coun-
tries of birth of new lawful per-
manent residents in 2012.
The top ve countries of
birth Mexico, China, India,
the Philippines, and the Domini-
can Republic accounted for
38 percent of all persons who
received LPR status in 2012.
Nationals of the next ve
countries Cuba, Vietnam,
Haiti, Colombia, and Korea
comprised another 12 percent. In
all, the top 10 leading countries
of birth made up 50 percent of
the total.
As in 2003, the top 20 coun-
tries of birth in 2012 accounted
for about two-thirds of all LPRs.
Fourteen of the top 20 countries
on the list in 2012 were also on
the 2003 list. Guatemala, Russia,
Ukraine, Poland, United King-
dom, and Peru dropped off the
list, while Iraq, Burma, Bangla-
desh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Iran
joined it.
Calif ornia, New York, Flor-
ida, Texas, and New Jersey were
home to 58 percent of new LPRs
in 2012.
California remained the
favorite destination, accounting
for 19 percent of the 1 million
new LPRs in 2012. Other lead-
ing states of intended residence
included New York (14 percent),
Florida (10 percent), Texas (9
percent), and New Jersey (5 per-
cent).
The top 10 states of destina-
tion which also included Illinois,
Massachusetts, Virginia, Geor-
gia, and Pennsylvania accounted
for 72 percent of all LPR destina-
tions.
In 2012, close to 8.8 million
lawful permanent residents were
eligible for naturalization, up
from 8.1 million in 2010.
According to the latest avail-
able OIS estimates, there were
13.3 million LPRs residing in the
United States as of January 1,
2012. Of them, 8.77 million were
eligible to naturalize.
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Family-based immigrant visas dominated total green cards issued in 2012.
November 30, 2013 5
BSP sees OFW remittance surge following calamity
MANILA. Philippine Cen-
tral Bank ofcials predicted a
spike in remittances from over-
seas Filipinos in the last two
months of the year.
Diwa Gunigundo, deputy
governor of the Bangko Sen-
tral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said they
expected unusually high dollar
inows during the period as
Filipinos working abroad send
more money to their families and
relatives in the Visayas to help
rebuild homes and businesses
destroyed by super typhoon
Yolanda (Haiyan).
We might see a strong
inow [of remittances] in
the [typhoon-affected] areas,
because there are also reports
indicating that families who
were displaced by the super
typhoon have members working
abroad, he explained.
Normally, what we would
expect is that instead of the
normal level of remittances that
they send, probably they would
increase that, precisely to cover
the extra cost of rehabilitation
and rebuild their homes and
businesses. So, we would expect
that in November perhaps until
December, there could be some
spikes in terms of remittances,
Guinigundo said.
He said the increase in
remittances could eventually
provide additional counter-
weight and therefore provide
additional support to the real
GDP [gross domestic product].
Remittances power con-
sumer spending in the country,
which accounts for 70 percent of
the GDP.
Remittance growth rose an
average 3.7 percentage points in
the three months after past major
disasters since 2004, according to
one brokerage rm.
Calamities highlight the
Philippiness dependence on
remittances to nance domestic
consumption, with the affected
families turning to their relatives
working abroad for help, said
Trinh Nguyen, an economist
at HSBC Holdings Plc in Hong
Kong, who forecasts the funds
could rise 6 percent this year.
The Philippine economy
grew 7.6 percent in the rst half
of the year. The BSP said cash
remittances coursed through
banks hit a nine-month high of
$1.9 billion in September, or 5.3
percent higher than $1.8 billion
recorded year-on-year.
This brought cash remit-
tances in the rst nine months to
$16.5 billion, up by 5.8 percent
from $15.6 billion a year ago.
Fil-Aussie golfer overcomes loss to win World Cup
MELBOURNE, Australia.
Pro golfer Jason Day overcame
the loss of his grandmother and
eight other relatives from super
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) to
win his rst World Cup tourna-
ment in more than three years at
Royal Melbourne last Nov. 23.
Day had a 70 for a 10-under
total of 274. That was two strokes
better than Denmarks Thomas
Bjorn, who nished with a 71
after two late bogeys. His last
victory came at the Byron Nelson
Championship on the PGA Tour
in 2010, although hes had four
top-ve nishes in majors since
2011.
His mother, Dening, who
immigrated to Australia from
the Philippines 30 years ago,
and sister both hugged him as
he walked to the scoring tent to
sign his card. They ew in at the
start of the tournament to offer
support. Denings mother and at
least eight family members were
killed in typhoon Yolanda.
Day, 26, pledged a portion
of his $1.5 million prize money
to typhoon victims in the Phil-
ippines. Day was the sentimen-
tal favourite among the packed
galleries to win the individual
crown at Royal Melbourne this
week after learning about his
family tragedy.
It would have been the
easiest thing for me to just go
ahead and pull out of the tourna-
ment with what has been going
on over the last week, he added.
But I really wanted to come
down here and play.
To be with the family, the
win is the best thing that hap-
pened after the disaster in the
Philippines, so Im so happy that
this happened, Dening said
after his sons victory.
Days sister Kim added:
This denitely eases the pain.
We know that he is good; we
know that he is able to do it.
But its always scary being here
watching it.
Day said having his family
with him in Melbourne has made
all the difference. To have my
mum here this week, to see her
and to have my sisters and my
nephew to be here as a family,
knowing that I can hold them, is
very special to me, he said.
His closest rival in the tour-
nament couldnt help but share
Days joy.
Obviously a fraction dis-
appointed, I didnt play that
great today, Bjorn said. But
I couldnt be happier for Jason
winning. He has gone through
a rough time of late and for him
to even be here is a big thing and
then to go and win a golf tourna-
ment ... thats what you want to
see.
Jason Day holds trophy.
November 30, 2013 66
November 30, 2013 7
November 30, 2013 88
Goldberg takes over top US post in Manila
WASHINGTON D.C.
Bowing to the urgency of his
new posting, Philip Goldberg
was sworn in as Americas next
ambassador to the Philippines
just days after his accelerated
conrmation to help manage
one of the United States biggest
humanitarian relief operations
this year.
Im really pleased that
were able to get him out there,
said State Secretary John Kerry
at Goldbergs oath-taking cer-
emony last Nov. 21 in Foggy
Bottom. Hes accelerated his
departureand cant get there
soon enough in order to help
make a difference.
Thousands of US troops,
dozens of warships and air-
craft, and civilian relief workers
are currently in the Philippines
in response to pleas for help
from victims of super typhoon
Yolanda (Haiyan) thats killed
over 4,000 people.
Goldberg, a career diplomat
with a colorful past, replaces
Ambassador Harry K. Thomas
Jr. who completed his tour of
duty last September. Charg
dAffaires Brian Goldbeck was
the highest ranking American
ofcial when Yolanda struck;
Goldberg arrived in Manila this
week and is expected to quickly
present his credentials to Presi-
dent Aquino.
Goldberg was sworn in
so soon that there wasnt even
enough time for his family to
travel to Washington and wit-
ness the ceremony.
I head to Manila with
mixed emotions. Im excited and
honored to be going to the Phil-
ippines, a country with which
we share so much history. At the
same time, its hard to think of
the suffering of so many people
in the Philippines in recent
weeks and all theyve endured
without a touch of sadness and
without being moved, the new
American envoy to Manila said.
If Ive learned one thing
from the Filipino friends Ive
made all around the world, and
there are Filipinos all around the
world, its that theyre warm, but
theyre also tough and resilient.
There should be no doubt that
they will bounce back, Gold-
berg stressed.
He observed that the recent
calamity has underlined the
importance of coordination
between the US and Philippine
governments, especially their
respective militaries, and vowed
to help improve humanitarian
relief preparedness.
As Secretary (Kerry) said,
our relationship with the Philip-
pines is broad-based and deep. I
know well be able to do more in
many other areas. In commercial
ties between the US and the Phil-
ippines, opportunities abound
with the Philippine economy
growing at over 7 percent year
on year, during the rst half of
this year. And I look forward to
working with the Aquino gov-
ernment so that further progress
can be made in so many other
areas.
Goldberg was US ambas-
sador to Bolivia when he was
declared persona non grata
by President Evo Morales and
forced to leave the country in
2008 for allegedly supporting the
pro-democracy opposition. Prior
to his Manila posting, he was
Assistant Secretary of State for
Intelligence and Research (INR).
Goldberg hails from Boston,
Massachusetts and worked in
various hotspots including as the
State Departments point-man in
Bosnia and later as part of the US
negotiating team that forged the
Dayton agreement which nally
ended the Balkan bloodbath. He
also served as coordinator for
the implementation of sanctions
against North Korea.
President Obama had ear-
lier deployed the nuclear-pow-
ered aircraft carrier USS George
Washington battle group to the
Leyte Gulf to assist in typhoon
Yolanda relief efforts.
Our friends in the Philip-
pines will face a long hard road
ahead, but theyll continue to
have a friend and partner in the
United States of America, he
said.
The Philippines, one of only
two US treaty allies in South-
east Asia, is crucial to President
Obamas Asia pivot strategy
and attempts to contain China
that has emerged as Americas
chief geopolitical competitor in
Asia.
New US ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg (left) with State Sec-
retary John Kerry and Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr.
November 30, 2013 9
Rider offers hope for thousands of FilVets
WASHINGTON D.C. A
bipartisan measure by two sena-
tors offers perhaps the bright-
est hope for thousands of aging
Filipino World War II veterans
whose appeals for a one-time
equity compensation are in
limbo because they dont have
the papers required by the
Department of Veterans Admin-
istration (VA).
Republican Senator Dean
Heller of Nevada and Demo-
cratic Senator Mazie Hirono
of Hawaii have joined forces
to insert the Filipino Veter-
ans Promise Act in the 2014
National Defense Authorization
Act currently being deliberated
on Capitol Hill.
This amendment is the least
we can do for our nations brave
Filipino veterans. Every effort
must be made to ensure that
those individuals who valiantly
served alongside US troops are
properly recognized for their
contributions to our nation,
Heller said in a statement.
For her part, Hirono in a
statement said, Mahalo to Sena-
tor Heller for partnering with me
to help ensure all Filipino World
War II veterans who bravely
served alongside Americans in
the critical South West Pacic
Theatre receive the compensa-
tion they have earned.
Congress, through the
National Defense Authorization
Act, sets the yearly budget and
expenditures of the US Depart-
ment of Defense. Tacking on the
proposed Filipino veterans mea-
sure as a rider to the Pentagon
bill increases its chances of pas-
sage because its considered too
small to stand on its own.
Heller had earlier led a
bill that would allow the VA
to accept a wider range of of-
cial documents to authenticate
the war-time service of Filipino
World War II veterans. Accord-
ing to the latest (Oct. 1, 2013)
VA report, only 18,861 out of the
45,991 applications for the Fili-
pino Veterans Equity Compen-
sation (FVEC) fund have been
approved, representing total
payments of nearly $139 million
to Filipino World War II veterans
in the US and Philippines.
Of the thousands of appli-
cations rejected by the VA for
various reasons, 4,538 Filipino
veterans led appeals. Many of
them were turned away because
their names couldnt be found in
a reconstructed roster of former
soldiers and guerillas that fought
under US military command in
World War II (the original list
was destroyed by a re in the
1970s), the so-called Missouri
List.
Of those appeals only 469
were granted and more than a
thousand have been rejected.
Only one of those rejections has
been overturned so far.
In 2012, Heller sent a letter
to then Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta urging his department to
establish a process that will give
Filipinos veterans the opportu-
nity to prove their service.
It is my belief that in work-
ing with military historians, you
can establish standards for docu-
mentation to support whether
or not an individual had served
during World War II in the Phil-
ippines for veterans benet pur-
poses, he wrote.
Given the advanced age
of many of these Filipino veter-
ans, we simply cannot wait any
longer to establish a process that
fairly recognizes veterans who
deserve benets, Hirono added.
The FVEC was originally a
$198-million fund authorized by
President Obama, through the
American Recovery and Rein-
vestment Act of 2008, for distri-
bution as one-time lump sum
payments of $15,000 each to Fili-
pino World War II veterans who
are US citizens or residents; and
$9,000 each to those living in the
Philippines.
Massacre victims kin slam snail-paced trial
MANILA. Relatives of the
Maguindanao massacre vic-
tims blamed President Benigno
Aquino III for the slow of pace of
the trial of over a hundred sus-
pects in the murder of 58 people,
most of them journalists, more
than four years ago.
Journalists formed a human
chain along Roxas Blvd. in
Manila on the eve of the 4th year
anniversary of one of the worst
cases of political violence in the
country. The cold-blooded kill-
ing of 34 local journalists is the
single biggest one-day loss of
journalists in the world.
Harry Roque, legal coun-
sel of the families of 14 of the
58 victims, said that at the rate
the Quezon City Regional Trial
Court was handling the trial, it
would many more years for the
surviving families to get justice.
Regional Trial Court Judge
Jocelyn Solis-Reyes has charged
a total of 196 suspects with mul-
tiple murder although only 106
have been arrested so far.
Its frustrating. Four years
later, we only have 106 of the
accused in detention, 88 more are
still large. And despite the four
years, we only have presented
148 witnesses out of the 500 testi-
monies, Roque said.
We were hoping that the
gruesome nature of this mas-
sacre would prompt authorities
to reform the system. Clearly
we need to punish the killers as
soon as possible because we are
already the most murderous
country for journalists. Until we
send the killers behind bars, the
killings will continue, he added.
The killings happened in
Ampatuan, Maguindanao after a
convoy on the way to the capitol
to le the certicate of candidacy
for Esmael Mangudadatu, then
a vice mayor of a neighboring
town and now the provincial
governor, was stopped on Nov.
23, 2009 by armed men led by
Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr.,
son of then Maguindanao Gov.
Andal Ampatuan Sr. whose post
Mangudadatu was contesting in
the May 2010 elections.
Both father and son, along
with scores of other relatives and
their henchmen, are detained
at a special detention facility
at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicu-
tan, Taguig City. The Commit-
tee to Protect Journalists called
the Maguindanao massacre the
single deadliest event for jour-
nalists since they began keeping
detailed records in 1992.
I would hope it (convic-
tion) is during my lifetime but I
am sure you know of many sen-
sational cases involving single
victims taking as long as 15 years
when you consider the appellate
stage as well, Roque explained.
He said the families of the
massacre victims seemed
to have accepted the fact
that litigation takes very
long in the Philippines.
Relatives of the massacre victims
have elevated the case before the
United Nations Human Rights
Committee, asking it to require
the Philippine government to
pay compensation to the victims
families.
Under human rights laws,
Roque said that when a state vio-
lates its obligation to protect the
right to life of its people it is duty
bound to pay compensation to
the victims.
Compensation is particu-
larly important because most
of the victims, particularly jour-
nalists, were breadwinners. The
families want compensation
because the victims right to life
was violated, he explained.
The Philippine Center for
Investigative Journalism said at
least 23 journalists were killed
during the rst 40 months of the
Aquino administration, broken
down into 16 radio broadcasters
and seven print journalists.
Pinay sues over arrest, attempted deportation
LOS ANGELES. Filipino
American Sharon Arlanza Yost is
suing the United States govern-
ment for attempting to deport
her despite being a lawful US
citizen.
What were hoping is she
can receive compensation for the
harm she suffered and so, you
can never give someone back the
time that they spent locked up.
The least she can receive some
compensation for that harm,
explained Matt Adams of the
Northwest Immigrant Rights
Project of the National Lawyers
Guild.
He added they also wanted
to send a message to the Immi-
gration & Customs Enforcement
(ICE) about the need for exercis-
ing more diligence exercising
their deportation powers.
The suit stems from a 2010
incident when Yost pled guilty to
a misdemeanor drug possession
charge. While lawyers said she
had already served her original
punishment, immigration of-
cers eventually came to her San
Diego home in May of 2011 to
deport her.
Yost, now 33 years old, had
been a US citizen since 1993.
Despite producing proper
documents, she was held in
detention for nearly seven
months. They basically just
blew that off. The next 7 months
she was locked up while trying
to prove to them that shes a US
citizen, Adams said in an inter-
view on Balitang America.
They didnt believe her so
they put her in front of an immi-
gration judge and the immigra-
tion judge said theres some-
thing funny here, you guys need
to gure this out and the ICE
response was make her le an
application to prove shes a US
citizen and all along shes locked
up, he revealed.
Yost sought help from the
National Lawyers Guild earlier
this year and led her lawsuit
last month.
Drug convictions are deport-
able offenses for non-citizens but
not for US citizens.
They believe part of the
problem may stem from the
broken immigration system,
which can at times encourage
immigration ofcers to actively
seek deportable people.
Thats why we encourage
people to get their citizenship
so that they will have more sta-
bility that theyll be able to have
greater opportunity as far as
petitions and they wont be in
jeopardy or lose their status if
they make a mistake or a crime,
Adams said.
Sen. Mazie Hirono
Sen. Dean Heller
Journalists protest the slow-paced trial of suspects in the 2009 Maguin-
danao massacre.
November 30, 2013 10 10
Hedy L. Thomas is Top 100 MBE Award winner
Hedy L. Thomas, Leuterio
Thomas LLC has been selected
to receive the distinguished
2013 Top 100 Minority Business
Enterprise Award.
The Top 100 MBE ceremony
is designed to acknowledge
and pay tribute to outstanding
women and minority business
owners in Maryland, Virginia,
Pennsylvania, Delaware and the
District of Columbia.
The Top 100 MBE Award is
given to enterprising women and
minority entrepreneurs who fuel
the regions economy through
their innovation, sacrices and
dedication. These business
owners are living their dreams
and making signicant contribu-
tions to their clients, professions,
industries and communities.
The awards ceremony was
held during Mayor Stepha-
nie Rawlings-Blakes Supplier
Diversity and Inclusion Week
last October 30 at the War
Memorial located 101 Gay Street
in downtown Baltimore.
Hedy L. Thomas founded
Leuterio Thomas LLC in 2000 as
a single person structural engi-
neering rm.
Hedys ability to market,
develop relationships and win
contracts has led to the growth
of the company. She currently
has 15 full time and part time
employees. She has completed
800 design projects in the United
States, Japan and the Philippines.
She increased revenue in the
last three years by 100 percent
per annum to over $4 million.
She has ID/IQ contracts with
the FDA and WMATA, and has
worked with federal agencies
including the GSA, IRS, DOE,
Census and NARA.
Hedy has managed the
strategic growth of the com-
pany while working directly on
projects, developing studies or
detailing buildings, and travel-
ing overseas.
It has been the achievement
of her twin goals, a respected
business and raising two chil-
dren who are both in college: a
son, a Junior at Rhodes College
who is majoring in Computer
Science with a Minor in Math-
ematics, and a daughter, a fresh-
man at Franklin & Marshall who
has been recruited to play NCAA
Varsity lacrosse.
Hedy was part of the design
team that received the Irvan F.
Mendenhall award of excellence
for engineering for the Continu-
ous Electron Beam Accelerator
Facility, Newport News, Vir-
ginia. She was also a Paul Harris
Fellow, Rotary Foundation of
Rotary International in 2011. She
received the Outstanding Service
Award from PAMWE in 2010 on
top of this years Top 100 MBE
Award and 2nd place awardee
for BW ICRI Project of the Year.
Leuterio Thomas LLC pro-
vides architecture, engineering,
design build and BIM technolo-
gies to the commercial and fed-
eral communities.
Hedy L. Thomas
November 30, 2013 11
November 30, 2013 12 12
Sen. Cardin vows to help typhoon victims
BOWIE, Maryland- The
Philippines can count on the
continued support of the United
States in its efforts to get hun-
dreds of thousands of people
affected by Typhoon Haiyan
back on their feet.
This was the assurance given
by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (Demo-
crat, Maryland) to Ambassador
Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. and leaders
of the Filipino-American Com-
munity in Maryland during a
roundtable meeting on Typhoon
Haiyan, which he chaired Nov.
18.
Cardin was among the rst
who reached out to Ambassador
Cuisia and expressed condo-
lences to the Philippines and the
Filipino people. He co-sponsored
Senate Resolution 282 which
pledged support for the Filipino
people following the tragedy
caused by Typhoon Haiyan.
We are very proud of the
Filipino diaspora in Maryland.
They are particularly anxious
because they have ties and rela-
tives in the Philippines. Filipino
Americans lead us in the Ameri-
can effort, said Senator Cardin,
chair of the Subcommittee on
East Asia and Pacic Affairs of
the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations.
In his remarks, Cuisia reiter-
ated the gratitude of the Philip-
pine Government and the Fili-
pino people to the United States
Government and the American
people for responding immedi-
ately to appeals for assistance
in the wake of the devastation
wreaked by Haiyan in Leyte,
Eastern Samar, Northern Cebu
and other parts of Central
Visayas.
Cuisia also thanked the
Department of State, the Depart-
mentn of Defense and the US
Agency for International Devel-
opment for their role in the
ongoing disaster relief efforts.
He cited in particular the deploy-
ment of air and naval assets that
have effectively been supporting
the Philippine Government s
disaster relief efforts.
Cuisia also cited the impor-
tant role played by volunteers
from the Mammoth Medical
Missions and Team Rubicon
who were among the rst foreign
medical and search and rescue
units on the ground which have
been credited for saving hun-
dreds of lives in Leyte.
Typhoon shows need for US-PH military pact
MANILA. The rapid
deployment of a huge American
military force to help victims of
super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)
underlines the need to expand
the United States military pres-
ence in the Philippines, accord-
ing to Foreign Secretary Albert
del Rosario.
He said a proposed agree-
ment to strengthen the US mili-
tary presence, which was still
being negotiated when the killer
storm cut through Central Phil-
ippines on Nov. 8 would allow
for the easier delivery of relief
aid by US forces in the future.
I think the typhoon dem-
onstrates the need for this frame-
work, del Rosario said.
It accentuates one of the
main purposes of this frame-
work, which is to make humani-
tarian assistance and disaster
relief and response one of the
major aspects of this agreement.
The proposed deal would
allow more US troops, aircraft
and ships to pass through the
Philippines at a time when Wash-
ington is pivoting to Asia.
It had also been seen as a
counterweight to Chinese moves
in the South China Sea, where
Beijing has territorial disputes
with the Philippines. The US
recently backed Japans pro-
test after China imposed an air
defense identication zone in
the East China Sea that included
areas being contested by both
Japan and China.
The US warned China about
escalating tensions in the region.
This unilateral action consti-
tutes an attempt to change the
status quo in the East China
Sea. Escalatory action will only
increase tensions in the region
and create risks of an incident,
US Secretary of State John Kerry
said.
We have urged China to
exercise caution and restraint,
and we are consulting with
Japan and other affected parties
throughout the region, Kerry
said. The United States has
thousands of troops stationed in
Japan as part of a security treaty
between the two allies.
This comes as China sent
its biggest hospital ship, Peace
Ark to help victims of super
typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban
City. Some expressed hope the
humanitarian gesture would
defuse tensions between the two
countries even as the Philippines
pursues an accord for increased
American military presence in
the country.
At its peak, the US otilla
that responded to the Philippine
calamity had 13 ships, including
the nuclear-powered aircraft car-
rier USS George Washington and
nearly 8,000 American sailors
and marines who were involved
in the relief efforts, particularly
in transporting much-needed
food and water.
BIR seizes Pacquiao bank accounts over P2.2-B tax debt
MANILA. The Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) has seized
Filipino boxing hero Manny Pac-
quiaos bank accounts here over
a dispute on alleged unpaid
taxes to the Philippines.
BIR Commissioner Kim
Henares said they have gar-
nished two of Pacquiaos bank
deposits, worth about P1.1 mil-
lion. The BIR says Pacquiao owes
the government P2.2 billion in
unpaid taxes and penalties.
Henares said that when
the BIR issued a warrant of gar-
nishment on Pacquiaos bank
accounts, only two of 22 banks
responded.
She speculated that Pac-
quiao may have withdrawn his
money before the warrant of
distraint and levy was issued in
July or his money is deposited in
offshore accounts.
Pacquiaos lawyer Remegio
Rojas said, while it may be
true that only two banks sent a
response to the BIR, all of Pac-
quiaos accounts in other banks
were frozen because of the notice
of garnishment.
Rojas said some of Pac-
quiaos friends have voluntarily
lent him money to keep him
aoat.
For his recent bout with
Brandon Rios including pay-
per-view revenues, Pacquiao
was estimated to earn about $30
million (about P1.3 billion), but
Rojas said it will take time before
Pacquiao gets paid.
Henares said the BIR has
been asking Pacquiao since 2010
to provide them a copy of his tax
return led before the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) in the US.
Weve been asking him
to explain because he should
be reporting all his income. He
should show how much taxes he
paid in America. We waited for
two years, she stressed.
She explained that they got
a letter from Top Rank, which
promotes all of Pacquiaos
ghts, attesting that they had
paid his IRS dues. We simply
cant accept those papers. What
we need are the returns he led
with the IRS in the US, Henares
insisted.
The BIR chief denied that
Pacquiao was being singled
out because of his high prole.
Pacquiao said his camp
already submitted a copy of his
tax return, but the BIR wanted
the original copy from the IRS,
which he said his camp could
not get. However, according
to the IRS website, getting an
exact copy of a previously led
and processed tax return merely
needs completing a form and
mailing it to the IRS along with
a $50 fee.
He said he was forced to
borrow P1 million from friends
to deliver on his promise to
help typhoon victims in Eastern
Visayas.
Round table discussion on aid to Typhoon Yolanda victims was held in
Lanham, Maryland Nov. 17. Shown in photo are Philippine Ambassador
Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. (center) and Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland). Also
present was Maryland Delegate Kris Valderrama.
US Marines V-22 Ospreys proved the work horse for relief operations in Eastern Visayas because of its larger pay-
load and ability to land in areas without runways.
November 30, 2013 13
Obama okays House chop of immigration bill
WASHINGTON D.C. - Pres-
ident Barack Obama has taken
up the challenge of the Repub-
lican-controlled House of Rep-
resentatives by telling a group
of business executives recently
it was alright with chopping
immigration reform into pieces,
as long as they dont just do the
easy stuff.
Speaker John Boehner
has repeatedly said the House
wont go along with the Senate-
approved immigration reform
bill and would adopt its own
chop-chop version.
Obama said in an interview
with the Wall Street Journals
Washington Bureau Chief Jerry
Seib that he remains optimistic
about immigration reform.
If they want to chop that
thing up into ve pieces, as
long as all ve pieces get done,
Obama said. Obama has previ-
ously said he was okay with the
Houses taking the approach
it chooses, but also has said he
wanted immigration reform
done this year.
Brendan Buck, spokesman
for House Speaker John Boehner,
said taking the immigration issue
a step at a time is the only way
to ensure immigration reform
works and were pleased the
president is starting to recognize
that.
The interview was done
by the Wall Street Journal for
its CEO Council meeting and
was livestreamed. Before asking
about immigration reform,
Seib told Obama that a work-
ing group of CEOs was asked to
address the question of how to
stay competitive?
Their rst priority, rst
priority, was this: immigration
reform Immigration reform
could provide an instant jolt to
the U.S. economy that we need,
Seib said, reading the words of
the working group.
Obama said the CEOs were
right, immigration reform is a
boost to our economy.
The Senates, bipartisan
comprehensive bill addresses
border security, enforcement of
existing laws, problems in the
legal immigration system, the
need for high-skilled immigrants
and the future of 11 people not
legally in the country, Obama
said.
The House has been work-
ing on separate bills addressing
the different aspects of immigra-
tion.
I dont care what it looks
like as long as its actually deliv-
ering on those core values we
talked about, Obama said of the
House bill.
Obama said lawmakers
shouldnt just carve out a part
of immigration, such address-
ing the need for a steady agri-
cultural workforce which he
said is important but easier,
and leave behind some of the
tougher stuff.
Were not going to have
a situation in which 11 million
people are still living in the
shadows and potentially getting
deported, he said.
He said he doesnt think the
divide is that wide between the
two parties. What we just have
to do is nd a pathway where
Republicans in the House, in par-
ticular, feel comfortable enough
about the process that they can
go ahead and meet us, he said.
The comments drew praise
from Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an
avid immigration reform advo-
cate. He said the House approach
is like a multiple course dinner.
If we get several dishes together
and they make up, as a group,
serious immigration reform,
then we can work with Republi-
cans, provided none of the indi-
vidual dishes make us so sick to
our stomachs that we must leave
the table, said Gutierrez, D-Ill.
DOJ warns of dangers of fraud
WASHINGTON -The Jus-
tice Department has warned of
the potential for disaster fraud
and urged anyone who suspects
fraudulent activity pertaining
to relief efforts associated with
Typhoon Haiyan to report it.
The toll-free National
Center for Disaster Fraud hot-
line at 866-720-5721 is staffed 24
hours a day, seven days a week,
for the purpose of reporting
suspected scams after disasters,
the Justice Department said in a
news release.
The Justice Department
set up the National Center for
Disaster Fraud in 2005 to inves-
tigate, prosecute and deter fraud
associated with federal disaster
relief programs after hurricanes
Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
More than 20 federal agen-
cies participate in the center.
The Department of Justice
and the FBI remind the public to
apply a critical eye and conduct
due diligence before giving to
anyone
soliciting donations on
behalf of hurricane victims, the
Justice Department said.
Before making a donation,
federal ofcials urge consumers
to:
Be cautious of those who rep-
resent themselves as victims via
email or social networking sites.
Beware of organizations with
copycat names similar to those of
reputable charities.
Verify the legitimacy of non-
prot groups through the Inter-
net.
Make donations directly to
known organizations.
Do not make cash donations if
possible.
Anyone who believes they
may be a victim is urged to call
the center at (866) 720-5721,
fax at (225) 334-4707 or send an
email to disaster@leo.gov.
President Barack Obama
November 30, 2013 14 14
Fil-Am faces 13 years for taking $2.3-M bribe
LOS ANGELES, Califor-
nia. Federal authorities say the
$2.3-million cash bribe a former
Moreno Valley city councilman
accepted from an undercover
agent in January is believed to
be the largest such transaction
involving a public ofcial in a
sting operation in the United
States.
Former Moreno Valley City
Councilman Marcelo Co, 64, has
agreed to plead guilty to taking
the bribe. He was caught on
video Jan. 30 accepting the cash
from an undercover FBI agent
posing as a land broker and an
FBI informant in Temecula.
US Attorney Andr Birotte
Jr. said Co took the bribe in
exchange for guaranteeing coun-
cil land-use decisions that would
benet them. Earlier, Co had
accepted $5,000 and $10,000 from
the FBI operative to help nance
the 2012 council campaigns of
two people he said would vote
with him in a majority he called
Club 3-0.
Under Cos scheme, land
that was valued at about $710,000
would have jumped in value
to more than $5.3 million. That
value would include a publicly
listed price of $3 million, plus the
under-the-table cash payment,
authorities said.
Co has been charged in
US District Court on Tuesday
with one count of bribery and
one count of ling a false cor-
porate tax return for failing to
report $112,000 in income or pay
$31,000 in taxes to the IRS in an
unrelated 2010 incident.
Co said he would plead
guilty to both counts in an agree-
ment that could send him to
prison for 13 years, Birotte said.
Riverside County Dis-
trict Attorney Paul Zellerbach
warned city leaders the probe is
continuing as investigators try to
root out illegal activities involv-
ing development.
Let me be perfectly clear: I
will not rest until all of the cor-
ruptions been eradicated from
the city of Moreno Valley and the
perpetrators have been brought
to justice, Zellerbach vowed.
Mayor Tom Owings and
Councilman Jesse Molina got
$3,000 each from Cos company,
Qwik Pack Systems, in 2012,
according to campaign nance
reports.
With $2.3 million worth of
stacked bills on the table that
January day, Marcelo Co, a Fili-
pino American, looked relaxed
as he closed a lucrative deal to
deliver the necessary vote to
rezone a parcel of land, believing
he had accepted a bribe from a
real estate broker, federal pros-
ecutors said.
Co is set to make his initial
court appearance in December
and could face up to 13 years in
federal prison, prosecutors said.
Birotte called Cos crimes an
elaborate and brazen scheme to
undermine the democratic pro-
cess in Moreno Valley.
Co was elected to the coun-
cil in 2010 and became mayor
pro tem in January.
He resigned in August when
he was charged with fraudu-
lently collecting nearly $15,000
in home health services intended
for the care of his mother,
although he often sent her to the
Philippines, where she was cared
for by his siblings, court records
state.
Pinoy named top ofcial of
biggest theme parks group
ORLANDO, Florida. A Fili-
pino was chosen for the rst time
ever to lead the biggest associa-
tion of theme parks in the world.
Enchanted Kingdoms
Mario Mamon is the rst Asian
and rst Filipino to be named
chairman of the board of the
International Association of
Amusement Parks and Attrac-
tions (IAAPA).
Malaki ang ibig sabihin
nito sapagkat more than any-
thing else, sa aking pagkatao
(This means a lot, more than
anything else, because it speaks
of who we are) it recognizes
the capability of Filipinos in
the amusement and attractions
industry, Mamon said.
He was formally installed as
chairman during a kick-off event
held Nov. 19 in Orlando, FL.
The IAAPA is the largest
international trade association
for amusement facilities world-
wide that is dedicated to the
preservation and prosperity
of the $24 billion amusement
industry.
Mamon is the chairman and
president of Enchanted King-
dom, the Philippines rst and
only world class theme park. He
grew up in the familys agricul-
tural business and up until the
early 1990s was a sugar-cane
farmer. He admits he decided to
go into the theme park business
because of a memorable trip to
Disneyland in California in 1968
when he was just 15 years old.
Everything there was magical
to me, he mused.
The 95-year-old IAAPA has
more than 4,500 member com-
panies in 97 countries. Member
facilities include amusement
parks, theme parks, water parks,
family entertainment centers,
zoos, aquariums, museums, sci-
ence centers, resorts, and casinos.
Marcelo Co
Enchanted Kingdoms Mario Mamon takes helm of US-based theme parks
organization.
Warning signs of impending calamities?
The world appears to
be experiencing a period of
increased seismic activity and
its pushing some strange, rarely
seen creatures of the deep up to
the surface.
Last month, two oarsh
washed up on the shores of
Southern California. While these
large deep water sh are rarely
seen by humans because they
live so far below the surface,
some think their presence might
actually be a warning sign of an
upcoming natural disaster.
Several volcanoes have
erupted across the globe just the
past several weeks. An under-
water volcano off Nishino-Shima
Island in Japan erupted for the
rst time in 40 years. The Japa-
nese Navy detected the explo-
sions from the plumes of steam
as hot lava met the cold sea
water.
Almost 7,000 miles away
in Mexico, the Colima volcano
blew its top after a period of rela-
tive calm. In Guatemala the Fire
Mountain belched out lava and
sent up a moderate ash cloud
causing an ash fall over nearby
towns.
In Vanuatu the Yasur vol-
cano is giving some cause for
concern. Although the explo-
sions are quite weak the continu-
ous ash that is coming from the
mountain is starting to build up
on farming land. And in Italy,
Mount Etna is again putting up
a show as a massive eruption
lights up the sky.
Nearer to the Philippines, in
Indonesia, Mount Sinabung has
come back to life after lying dor-
mant for hundreds of years.
So many volcanoes throw-
ing so much gas, ash and par-
ticulates into the air could affect
the climate.
The sudden emergence of
oarsh could be a manifestation
of deep Earths increased activ-
ity, according to some scien-
tists. A group of oarsh washed
ashore in Japan shortly before
the 9.0 magnitude earthquake
struck the country in 2011.
Rarely seen serpent-like oarsh washes up in California.
Pinoy, 4 others in plot to
import NoKor drugs into US
NEW YORK CITY. A Fili-
pino man has been arrested with
four others for trying to smuggle
methamphetamine from North
Korea into the United States.
DEA agents arrested two of
the men, a Filipino and a Chi-
nese, in a successful buy bust
of 100 kilograms of the illegal
drug earlier this year.
The other three agreed to
store, guard and move the meth
after it arrived in Thailand from
the Philippines.
They appeared before a New
York City judge Nov. 21 and all
entered not guilty pleas. They
were ordered held without bail
until their next court appearance
on Dec. 5.
The suspects are allegedly
members of the crime ring based
in Hong Kong that US authori-
ties have been shadowing for
over a year for selling meth from
North Korea. That shipment
was seized by law enforcement
agents in Thailand and the Phil-
ippines and was tested as being
more than 99 percent pure, pros-
ecutors said.
The accused men planned to
transport the drug to the United
States by boat. The US in the past
has accused North Korea of traf-
cking meth. One of the suspects
alleged they had a stockpile of
one ton of the illegal substance
because of diplomatic tensions.
This investigation contin-
ued to highlight the emergence
of North Korea as a signicant
source of methamphetamine
in the global drug trade, DEA
Administrator Michele Leonhart
said in a statement issued by the
U.S. Attorneys ofce in New
York.
Methamphetamine pro-
duced in North Korea report-
edly makes its way to the world
market via China.
The suspects face charges
of conspiracy to import meth-
amphetamine into the United
States. If convicted, they each
face a mandatory minimum sen-
tence of 10 years in prison.
They were arrested in Thai-
land in September and extra-
dited to the US last Nov. 19,
prosecutors said.
Authorities in Thailand
described the men as accom-
plices of Joseph Hunter, a former
American soldier who was
arrested also last September in
Thailand and who pleaded not
guilty in to charges in New York
that he was a contract killer.
An indictment alleged that
Hunter, also known as Rambo,
recruited a group of ex-snipers to
be a security team for drug traf-
ckers.
November 30, 2013 15
If youd like to include your
organizations event in this calen-
dar, kindly send your information
to Maurese Oteyza Owens at mpa-
poose@aol.com.
Dec 1 (Sunday) 4:00-
6:00pm PAFC, Philippine
Embassy and FOCUS, Paskong
Pinoy. Features eight FilAm
choirs and Allan Chan. American
Legion Post 176, 6520 Amherst
Avenue, Springeld, VA 22150.
Free, donations encouraged for
Yolanda typhoon victims. Rafe
includes I-pad, gift baskets, and
more. Contact: Ador Carreon
atador.carreon@aol.com
Dec 7 (Saturday) 6:00 pm to
12:00 midnight. Marinduque-
nos of the Capital Area, Inc.
(MCA, Inc.) PASKO NATIN
2013 Dinner Dance @ New For-
tune Chinese Restaurant, 16515
Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg,
MD 20877. $50 adults, $40 teens.
Contacts: Ruby Solomon (703)
501-0112
Dec.7 (Saturday) 7pm to
12pm. CHSNAF-MWDC Christ-
mas Party and Induction of
ofcers will be held on from
Our Lady of Good Counsel,
Vienna,Virginia. Contact - Ruby
de Leon 703-307-3198
Dec 7 (Saturday) 5:30pm-
12:00mn Mabuhay, Inc. Pasko
2013: Ang Paskoy Pag-
ibig. Sheraton Washington
North Hotel, 4095 Powder Mill
Road, Beltsville, MD 20705. Con-
tact: Manny Lopez (301)452-7305
Dec 7 (Saturday) 2:00-
6:00p.m., Marinduquenos Asso-
ciation of the Capital Area,
Inc. (MACA, Inc.) Christmas
Party, Plum Gar Community
Recreation Center, 19561 Scen-
ery Drive, Germantown, MD,
20876. Contact leomonroyo@
msn.com for further information.
Dec. 8 (Sunday) 4:00-
7:00pm PAFC Pasasalamat/
Christmas Party and Election of
Board Members & Ofcers.Free.
Lincolnia Seniors Center, 4710
N Chambliss St, Alexandria, VA
22312. Elections for members
only. Inquiries regarding PAFC
elections may be sent to Elvie
Melegrito at elviemele@aol.com.
Holiday party open to members
and friends of PAFC. Contact:
Aylene Mafnas at aylene@mris.
com
Dec 14 (Saturday)
4:00pm Book Launch, The Par-
tys Over, a Nun For Modern
Times The Story of Myrna H.
Francia, ICM. Sweet City Des-
serts, 131-A Maple Ave West,
Vienna, VA 22180. (703) 938-8188
Dec 16 (Monday)
7:00pm Simbang Gabi, Church
of St.Thomas Apostle Catholic
Church on 2665 Woodley Rd.
NW, across from the Sheraton
Hotel. Filipino refreshments will
be served before the Mass. Con-
tact: jeff.bedia@gmail.com or call
571-331-8681
Continuing ART EXHIB-
ITS/MUSICAL PERFOR-
MANCES
Continuing through
Dec 21 (Tues-Sat)
10:001m-4:00pm, Art Exhibit,
Gabriego Filipiniana, a collec-
tion of recently completed paint-
ings. Vienna Art Society Gallery,
Village Green Shopping Center,
513 Maple Avenue W. Vienna,
VA. Contact: 703-319-3220.
Continuing through Dec 29,
Roge The King and I. Olney
Theater starring Filipino Ameri-
can Movie and Broadway star-
ring, Paolo Montalban (ABC/
Disneys TV musical movie,
Cinderella) on the title role
along with a cast that is also
2/3 Filipino American and local
performer Ron Curameng in the
role of Phra Alak. To reserve
tickets www.olneytheatre.org/
shows-a-events
Continuing through Dec
29 Paul Ta edo Photogra-
phy, Greenspring Gardens
Horticultural Center,4603
Green Spring Rd. Alexandria,
VA 703.642.5173. Meet theArt-
ist/Reception on November 3
at 1-3pm. Contact Paul Tanedo
at 703.915-4556
Continuing through Jan
23 (Monday-Thursday) 9am
- 10pm, (Friday) 9 am - 6:30
pm. Durant Art Center 27th
Anniversary Art Exhibi-
tion Young at Art. Includes
Filipino artist Nilo Santiago.
Durant Art Center ,1605 Cam-
eron St, Alexandria , VA.
Bonifacio
forgotten hero
MANILA. November 30
marks the 150th birth anni-
versary of Andres Bonifacio,
father of the Katipunan that
spearheaded the armed upris-
ing against the Spaniards near
the end of the 19th century. But
Bonifacio supporters lament the
government seems to have for-
gotten the date.
Other than the perfunctory
ag raising ceremonies by local
civil and military ofcials at the
Bonifacio monument in Calo-
ocan City, Liwasang Bonifacio
in Manila, Tandang Sora Shrine
in Quezon City and in Fort Boni-
facio, Makati City, the Aquino
administration has not sched-
uled any major event to com-
memorate the life and exploits of
Bonifacio.
Bonifacio was born Nov.
30, 1863 in Tondo, Manila.
Orphaned as a child, he was
forced to quit school at an early
age to support his siblings. He
established the Katipunan in
1892 and became the groups
supremo in 1895.The group
launched its rst attack on the
Spaniards, the San Juan del
Monte armory, in August 1896.
Bonifacio was arrested and exe-
cuted a year later on orders of
Emilio Aguinaldo who worried
about splitting the Filipino forces
between himself and Bonifacio.
November 30, 2013 16 16
Around DC in Pictures
Fil-Ams unite to help Yolanda victims
Photos by Bing C. Branigin
Chef Evelyn Bunoan and Manila Mail food expert gave a cooking demon-
stration on November 23 to a captive audience for a fundraising event. It
was the rst of a series of cooking demonstrations that would directly benet
victims of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Photo by Oscar Bunoan
Philippine Red Cross Chairman, Richard Gordon, receive the $5,000.00 check donation from Noel Bo Asinero,
from Virginia. Asinero is a member of the labor group Association of Teachers Federation, ATF-AFL-CIO, a Wash-
ington DC., based organization.
Eric Macalma of The Firestarte
Group (right) with Naomi Tacuyan
Underwood of KAYA, Jojo Maralit
of Filipino Young Professionals and
friends during the fund-raising for
the victims of Typhoon Yolanda at
the Tatoo Bar in Washington D.C.
recently.
Bing Branigin, (center), received check donation for the Philippine Red
Cross from Cocoy Pobre and Jack Suemitzo (left), producer of Q5 entertain-
ment in Norfolk. Q5 held a benet concert at the Philippine Cultural center
last November 9.
Taglish Tees created a special shirt Save The Islands, a project launched
at the Grandby Theater in Norfolk, Virginia Nov. 15 for the victims of
typhoon Yolanda.
Norfolk, Virginia Mayor Paul Fraim joins, Ron Villanueva, State Delegate, Virginia Beach, during the Save The
Islands, fund raising event for the victims of Typhoon HaiyanYolanda, at the Granby Theater, Norfolk, Virginia,
November 15. The three-hour event raised $40,000 and was attended by over three hundred guests and performers.
The money will benet the Philippine Red Cross for their efforts in relief and reconstruction in the typhoon affected
areas in the Visayas.
Rene Calandria (left), President of the Philippine American Chamber of
Commerce (PACC) and a native of Carigara, Leyte, hosted a Cheese and
Wine Tasting Nov. 16 at the FilAm Multicultural Center in Oxon Hill, to
raise funds for typhoon victims in his hometown. I am greatly humbled by
the outpouring of support from friends who are mobilizing their neighbors
and their own network to help our people, he said. (Photo by Jon Melegrito)
Filipino American organiza-
tions held a meeting Nov. 15 at
the Romulo Hall of the Philippine
embassy to discuss fund-raising
projects for the victims of Typhoon
Yolanda. Hosted by the cultural sec-
tion of the embassy, the Filam lead-
ers of about 50 organizations were
joined by represenatives of USAID
Center for International Disaster.
(Boots Felixberto)
November 30, 2013 17 Around DC
Among the 2013 Rizal Youth Awardees (top, from left):are Alyssa Marielle Raqueno, Ruvi A. Calizo, Timothy Robin B. Gopiao, Joseph Brandon B. Gopiao, Ross Collin Guieb; (bottom, from left):
Katherine Gillen, Janelle Maglunob Gonzaga, Kayla L. Argente, Leilani Malaya Soriano, Katherine L. Argente, Regina Verba Honigford. Not in photo are:Mary Anne Therese S. Ramada, Jacob
Filon, Mavis Joy Cornel Manaloto, Marc Daniel Cornel Manaloto, Theodore P. Mendez, Rochell Ann Yacat, Alphonso Gaston Cera Lopez, Michael Anthony S. Ramada and Paul Mariano Giglioli.
At right are the awardees with their parents. (photos by Jon Melegrito)
The 2013 Jose Rizal awardees
Sigma Delta Phi holds reunion
Sisters of the Sigma Delta Phi of the
University of the Philippines cel-
ebrated the 80th birthday of their
organization and also the 25th anni-
versary of the rst reunion overseas
held in 1988 in Washington, DC.
Unity sa DC was held on October
18-20 at the Marriott Chevy Chase
and surrounds. Loulou Rosales,
chair of the event, welcomed about
50 members at an evening reception
that also focused on the art work
of Cota Deles Yabut whose detailed
drawings of Filipino artifacts and
scenes from around the world told of
her travels and work of recent years.
A full day of activity included Pro-
fessional Development on helpful
topics such as Inuence and Emo-
tional Intelligence, by Professional
Trainer & Management Consultant
Lu Tuason Acosta, and Maintain-
ing Youth, by Dr. Ma. Patricia Mal-
abuyo Ilagan. Lilia Calderon Clem-
ent, nicknamed the Wonder Woman
of Wall Street, shared the story
of her lifes journey through Wall
Street and her adventures with going
global. Emotional moments punc-
tuated her speech as she recalled
family, school, and the future. A
city tour DC organizers included
LouLou Rosales, Lu Acosta, Winkie
Collas, Susan Coronel , Grande
Esquerra, Cindee Jacobs, Fe Lag-
dameo, Hazel Madamba , Maurese
Owens, Baby Mercado, Alicia Pur-
kapile, Puri Katigbak Tan, and Alice
Tanoue,. A weekend together with
sisters from all over the globe rein-
forceed sisterhood at its best, and
the will to meet again.
Thelma Billys annual Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless shelter was
held last November 23, in Washington, DC. Home-cooked, chicken, ham,
vegetables, mashed potatoes, sweet yams, vegetables, desserts, drinks, and
winter clothing were provided to over 500 residents of the shelter. (Photo:
Bing Branigin)
Evelina Galang, author of Angel De La Luna, answers questions from the
audience after her book reading at the Philippine Embassy, last November
12.
Steven Chiang and Raiza Basilio with their son Sylar at the celebration
of their engagement last November 17, at a restaurant in Tysons Corner,
McLean, Virginia. The couple set their wedding in 2014. (Photo: Bing Bra-
nigin)
November 30, 2013 18 18
November 30, 2013 19
Japan, China confrontation erupts over airspace
TOKYO - Tension has risen
over the East China Sea as China
announced on Nov. 23 air-
craft identication rules over
the Senkaku islands which are
claimed by Japan.
Japanese Foreign Minister
Fumio Kishida said that Tokyo
refused to recognize Beijings
division of the heavens. It was
a one-sided action and cannot
be allowed, Kishida said, warn-
ing that Beijings move was
expected to trigger unpredict-
able events.
The rules mean that Bei-
jing now requires aircraft ying
through this patch of sky to
report their ight plans to Chi-
nese authorities, remain in radio
contact with them and make their
nationalities and logos clear.
Chinas armed forces will
adopt defensive emergency mea-
sures to respond to aircraft that
do not cooperate in the identi-
cation or refuse to follow the
instructions, reported Xinhua,
the ofcial Chinese news agency.
(The US aircraft carrier
George Washington has cut
short its aid to the victims of
typhoon Yolanda and left along
with its support ships toward the
disputed zone.
(This means that airlines
from Manila going to South
Korea and Japan have to identify
themselves to the Chinese armed
forces.)
Wars have been triggered by
far less than the uncertain cus-
tody of a few remote specks of
land. For more than a year now,
tensions have simmered over the
contested ve islets, with patri-
otic rhetoric emanating from
both sides after Japan national-
ized three of the outcroppings
in September 2012. The Japanese
government says it bought the
tiny territories from their private
owners for fear they would be
purchased
by Tokyos jingoistic then
governor.
Military posturing has
surged too. This year, Japan
unveiled its largest warship
since World War II, while Chi-
nas military budgeting contin-
ues to escalate. Japan has repeat-
edly scrambled its jets to counter
what it considers potential Chi-
nese threats, including the rst
reported unmanned Chinese
drone to y near the Diaoyu/
Senkaku islands. China has also
increased the number of its ves-
sels sailing the resource-rich
waters surrounding the disputed
islands.
To complicate matters,
Taiwan, which calls itself the
Republic of China (ROC), claims
ownership over the bits of East
China Sea rock as well. Its gov-
ernment said that the disputed
islets are an integral part of
ROC territory, a fact which is
unaffected by mainland Chinas
declaration. Chinas newly
announced air-defense identi-
cation zone (ADIZ) also overlaps
with one that had been previ-
ously set out by South Korea,
leading Seoul to describe the
Chinese parameters as regret-
ful.
The current enmity comes
as China, under the leadership
of President Xi Jinping, has been
more actively pursuing territo-
rial interests in another water-
way, the South China Sea, strain-
ing Beijings relations with Viet-
nam and the Philippines, among
other Southeast Asian nations.
China has beefed up adminis-
trative controls over these South
China Sea shoals, reefs and islets,
even going so far as to promote
Chinese tourism and business
opportunities in some of the con-
tested territory. Southeast Asian
nations have responded by cozy-
ing up to the U.S. and even, on
occasion, Japan.
Map shows airspace declared by
China as under its control. This
means, even airlines going to
Manila will have to identify them-
selves when crossing this area.
Peace Ark could signal
thaw in PH-China tension
MANILA. The Chinese hos-
pital ship Peace Ark dropped
anchor off Tacloban City on
Nov. 24 and immediately
started treating victims of super
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
Its presence, which some
say could help reduce tensions
arising from a territorial dispute
in the South China Sea, was wel-
comed by ofcials.
This is an added boost
because the Peace Ark is even
bigger than our regional hospital
in terms of capacity with very
experienced doctors and medi-
cal staff from China, said Leyte
Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romual-
dez.
The 300-bed Peace Ark,
the rst 10,000-ton-class hospi-
tal ship in the world, arrived at
the Leyte Gulf before dusk on
Sunday. Chinese ofcials led
by Ambassador Ma Keqing met
with Romualdez to present the
medical services of the ship.
China has yet to join the
Multinational Coordinating
Council (MNCC), an assembly
of the Armed Forces of the Phil-
ippines and the militaries of 15
other countries working on the
ground to help in the relief and
rehabilitation efforts of a clearly
overwhelmed Philippine gov-
ernment.
The foreign militaries taking
part in the MNCC are Australia,
the United States, Japan, Canada,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei,
Sweden, Vietnam, South Korea,
New Zealand, Spain, Thailand,
the United Arab Emirates and
Israel.
We are very fortunate that
we have many friends and allies
that contributed their military
assets to help us in the rescue
and relief operations. Without
them, we would have some dif-
culty.
November 30, 2013 20 20
Reality star offers help for
Yolanda victims, gets ak
WASHINGTON D.C. Real-
ity star Kim Kardashian got some
ak after announcing an eBay
sale of her clothes and accesso-
ries to help raise funds for vic-
tims of super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan) in the Philippines and
then saying she was giving just
10 percent of the proceeds to
them.
No sooner had she launched
the sale last Nov. 22 when social
media lit up.
Hi guys, this is a very spe-
cial auction because a portion of
the proceeds of my eBay auction
are going to International Medi-
cal Corps, a nonprot organiza-
tion that provides critical health
services on remote islands where
families are struggling to access
medical care and basic resources
like food, clean drinking water
and vital medications, she
explained.
The proceeds will go
directly to the communities
theyre serving in the Philippines
and will help typhoon survivors
get access to medical care and
ultimately save lives, she noted
before adding, My prayers and
thoughts are with those affected
by the typhoon. Check out my
eBay auction here and support
those who need our help in the
Philippines. Xo.
The Daily Mail, Yahoo and
other news outlets noted Kar-
dashian intended to keep 90 per-
cent of the proceeds for herself.
When you actually go to
her eBay store, its very clear that
the portion Kimmys donating
is only 10% for her proceeds,
wrote celebrity blogger Perez
Hilton. Its a little bit awk-
ward that she her family run a
multi-million dollar empire and
all shes publicly giving up is a
mere fraction of her eBay prots
to support people devastated by
such a tragic natural disaster.
Kardashian has an esti-
mated net worth of $40 million
according to some reports.
The sale features items rang-
ing from super-high-end (like
Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana) to
more wallet-friendly (from her
own Kardashian Kollection). She
also tossed up a few ashy snap-
shots of herself posing in some of
the more memorable styles.
Bloggers noted that while
theyd like to give her sincerity
the benet of the doubt, it might
be better to display how chari-
table she is a secret next time
around.
Fil-Am beauty queen airs appeals for Yolanda victims
NEW YORK CITY. Miss
World 2013 Megan Young
pitched her appeal for help
for victims of super typhoon
Yolanda (Haiyan) during in the
Nov. 20 episode of ABC net-
works Good Morning Amer-
ica.
Young, a 23-year-old Fili-
pino American born in Alexan-
dria, Virginia who grew up in
the Philippines, won the Miss
World pageant title in Bali, Indo-
nesia last August. She is the rst
Filipino to ever win that interna-
tional beauty contest.
She was accompanied to the
show by Philippine consul Mario
de Leon Jr. Young.
She urged viewers to donate
to organizations such as the Phil-
ippine Red Cross for the benet
of Yolanda victims, saying that
even a dollar will go a long way.
Good Morning America is
aired from the ABC studios on
Times Square.
Young also recently vis-
ited the headquarters of the
United Kingdom-based tab-
loid newspaper The Sun, which
recently launched a campaign
to support Yolanda vic-
tims. According to the ofcial
Miss World website, The Sun
has already raised more than
$500,000, and is well on its way
to reaching $1 million.
The death toll from the
typhoon has already exceeded
4,000 according to Philippine
disaster ofcials.
Meanwhile, David Byrne
held a one-night-only fund-
raising re-staging of the musical
Here Lies Love which chroni-
cles the life of typhoon-ravaged
Tacloban Citys most famous
daughter, former Philippine First
Lady Imelda Marcos last Nov. 25
at Terminal 5 here.
Upon hearing about this
tragedy the cast contacted me
about doing a show to raise
money for relief efforts, Byrne
said. Most of our cast is Fili-
pino, and all of us feel the same
way. Its personal for all of us.
Fourteen out of the 17 cast
members of the original run are
Filipino-Americans.
All proceeds from the show
will go to Paris-based Doctors
Without Borders, which is spear-
heading a relief drive for the
typhoon survivors in Visayas.
Aguilar weds teen
in Islamic rites
MANILA. Folk singer Fred-
die Aguilar converted to Islam
and married his teenage bride in
a Muslim ceremony in Maguin-
danao province on Nov. 21.
Aguilar, 60, and his 16-year-
old girlfriend wed in traditional
rites witnessed by Maguindanao
Governor Esmael Mangudadatu.
He revealed that Aguilar, whose
Muslim name is Abdul Farid,
converted to Islam about six
months ago.
The conversion appeared
to lift at least some of Aguilars
troubles with carrying on a
romance with a teen. Although
the relationship reportedly had
the blessings of the girls parents,
Aguilar faced prospects of qual-
ied seduction charges in court.
Aguilar, who claimed to be
a born-again Christian, was
quoted in earlier reports as
saying he would do whatever it
takes even if it would mean con-
verting into Islam to marry his
girlfriend.
Mangudadatu explained a
woman can be presumed to
be ready for marriage when she
reaches age 15. Philippine law
requires a girl to be at least 18
years old to get married.
Presidential Decree No.
1083, which recognizes the
system of Filipino Muslim laws,
provides that any Muslim male
at least 15 years of age and any
Muslim female of the age of
puberty or upwards and not
suffering from any impediment
under the provisions of this
Code may contract marriage.
The singer, who separated
from his third wife a decade ago,
earlier said he and his girlfriend
were planning to wed when she
turns 18. They also openly dis-
cussed plans of having a family
of their own.
Aguilar has six children
from different relationships with
the youngest being 24 years old.
Mangudadatu expressed the
hope the marriage will last. He
said he agreed to solemnize the
wedding because he believed the
couple loved each other. But he
warned that if Aguilars conver-
sion to Islam was just for conve-
nience, he would be accountable
to God.
Freddie Aguilar with teenaged girlfriend Jovie Gatdula.
Miss International Megan Young with host Josh Elliott and Philippine consul
Mario de Leon Jr. on set of Good Morning America
Kim Kardashian
November 30, 2013 21
est hit by super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan), where hundreds of
people, many of whom lost
loved ones, watched the ght on
a large screen erected in the city
plaza.
It felt like I got my house
back, said street sweeper Ardel
Nebasa, who lost his home in
the storm surge spawned by
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)
struck Tacloban City last Nov. 8.
This isnt about my come-
back, Pacquiao said after the
ght.
My victory is a symbol of
my peoples comeback from a
natural disaster, a national trag-
edy, he stressed.
Pacquiao snapped a two-
ght losing streak and was in
control from start to nish, con-
stantly keeping Rios off-bal-
anced with his movement and
footwork, while nding a target
for his right straight and left
hook early and often.
The crowd booed Rios as he
entered the arena and it remained
behind Pacquiao throughout.
If there was any question
about how he would respond,
Pacquiao answered the doubts
early, with a urry of exchanges.
He came out aggressively, and
he landed left hands to the stom-
ach and the face. Rios did most of
his early work in close. He tried
to turn the bout into a brawl,
wrapped Pacquiao and punched
at both sides of his body.
Pacquiao went on to win by
unanimous decision, with scores
of 120-108, 119-109, and 118-110,
adding the World Boxing Orga-
nization (WBO) international
welterweight belt to his collec-
tion.
I did not consider Rios
as an easy opponent, said
Pacquiao after the bout. Hes
tough, hes a very tough boxer.
But hes a little slower. Im faster
than him.
I got beaten by one of the
best ghters in the world, a gra-
cious Rios said after the ght.
He came with a game plan and
he executed it. Hes very fast,
and he throws punches from dif-
ferent a lot of different angles.
Hes hard to ght against.
Pacquiaos speed and expe-
rience spelled the difference as
Rios, who made a name for him-
self as a come-forward ghter
who likes to keep pressure on
his opponent, could not nd his
rhythm at all during the ght.
Pacquiao repeatedly turned him
to the middle of the ring, while
slipping and evading Rios
punches with seeming ease.
Rios vaunted punching
power rarely came into play as
well, as he only landed shots
while clinching against Pacquiao.
The Filipino champ, meanwhile,
showed he had fully recovered
from his knockout against Mar-
quez, as well as his controversial
decision loss against Timothy
Bradley in June 2012.
Statistics showed that Pac-
quiao landed 36% of his punches
(281 of 790). Rios landed 27%
(138 of 502).
Rios trainer, Robert Garcia,
had questioned whether Pac-
quiao could still ght at an elite
level going into the bout and
believed that his ghters youth
can spell the difference against
the Filipino.
He was singing a different
tune once the nal bell rang,
however. Pacquiao still has it,
Garcia said. He has quickness
and great speed. Hell be around
for a long time.
The victory, and Pacquiaos
impressive, clinical performance,
may help revive talks of a poten-
tial mega-bout against unbeaten
American Floyd Mayweather Jr.,
while also keeping alive hopes of
rematches against Marquez and
Bradley.
Pacquiao, who was guar-
anteed $18 million in the ght,
was inspired by the plight of his
countrymen. He dedicated his
victory to the typhoon victims
and vowed to return home soon
to help.
Its really important to me
to bring this honor to my country,
especially to the people affected
by the typhoon, said Pacquiao.
Im pretty sure that theyre so
happy right now because I won
the ght.
An Associated Press report
from Tacloban suggests they
were not only happy, the
typhoon survivors were ecstatic
over Pacquiaos victory. Many
jumped repeatedly in joy as they
cheered on Pacquiao, according
to the dispatch.
I was so happy and I
wanted to cry, but there were
too many people, said street
sweeper Nebasa who added that
if Pacquiao lost, he would feel
that another storm hit them.
President Benigno Aquino
IIIs spokesman, Herminio
Coloma, said Pacquiao once
again united the hearts and
mind of our countrymen who
are facing intense challenges
brought by a series of tragedies
that have befallen our country.
When the bell rang to signal
the end of the 12-round match,
many spectators in Tacloban
threw their baseball caps, shirts
and pieces of cardboard into the
air, even before the result was
ofcially announced, the AP
said.
As in all past Pacquiao ghts,
life seems to come to a standstill
in the Philippines. Even the fre-
netic work of aid workers and
volunteers appeared to come to a
momentary halt as they, includ-
ing a number of US Navy per-
sonnel, watched the bout at Vil-
lamor Air Base in Pasay City.
To all the people and the
families affected by the typhoon,
I will see you there. I love you so
much, he said.
Pacquiao win inspires... from page 1
DC theater season sets holiday fare
By Dino dela Rosa
WASHINGTON D.C. The
2013-14 Washington D.C. the-
atre season has so far produced
a fantastic blend of world pre-
miere plays and iconic musi-
cals. Another iconic musical
is coming this holiday season,
Virginias Signature Theatre
proudly presents Gypsy, one
of the beloved musicals of all
time.
Directed by Signature
Artistic Associate Joe Calarco,
the production stars Sherri L.
Edelen as the iconic Momma
Rose. Edelen is joined by Mitch-
ell Hebert (Art) as Herbie, Donna
Migliaccio as Mazeppa, Sandy
Bainum as Tessie Tura, Tracy
Lynn Olivera as Electra, Carolyn
Cole as Agnes, Maria Rizzo as
Louise, and Vincent Kempski
as Tulsa. Rounding up the cast
are Erin Cearlock, Steven Cupo,
Samuel Edgerly, Alyssa Gagarin,
Gannon OBrien.
Featuring a book by Arthur
Laurents, music by Jules Styne
and lyrics by Stephen Sond-
heim, Gypsy has been revived
on Broadway four times since
its original production in 1959.
Inspired by the memoirs of
famed burlesque dancer Gypsy
Rose Lee, the musical casts the
spotlight on her mother Rose,
one of the most notorious show-
biz moms of all time.
The production will play in
Signatures MAX Theatre begin-
ning December 17.
It will play for ve weeks,
starting from Decemeber 17,
2013 through January 19, 2014.
All tickets are now on sale,
call 703-573_SEAT) or http://
www.signatu/re_theatre.org.
Meanwhile, I attended the
press performance of The Pride
in the Falls Of Autrey Mill, the
highly anticipated follow-up to
Paul Downs Colaizzos 2012 hit
Really, Really. This comedy,
running till December 8, is about
a upper-middle class family who
struggles to keep up appearances
in the tony suburban enclave of
Autrey Mill.
This production is superla-
tive in many ways. It was writ-
ten by the gifted Colaizzo and
deftly staged by Michael Kahn,
the esteemed Artistic Director
of Shakespeare Theatre Com-
pany. We also have the aston-
ishing Christine Lahti who com-
mands the stage and acts with a
strong supporting cast.
Pride In The Falls Of
Autrey Mill is one of the best
world premiere plays of the D.C.
2013-14 theater season, and is
running also at Signature The-
atre till December 8. For tick-
ets, call 703-820-9771 or http://
www.signature_theatre.org/.
Scene from Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill
November 30, 2013 22 22
in recorded history, killed more
than 5,000 people and affected
around 10 million in its devastat-
ing rampage across the Central
Philippines.
Our people are deeply
indebted to all those who came
to our succor, Cuisia said,
adding that the Philippine Con-
sulates General in New York,
Chicago, San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Honolulu and Agana
also reported the same outpour-
ing of support from the Ameri-
can public.
The US government was
among the rst to respond to the
disaster with the release of more
than $37 million in emergency
assistance and the deployment
of air and naval assets, including
the nuclear-powered aircraft car-
rier USS George Washington to
support relief efforts.
Mexico made a $1 million
donation through the Red Cross.
Australia sent a medical assis-
tance team; more than $7 mil-
lion in donation spread through
Australian NGOs, the United
Nations, and the Red Cross;
as well as $1.3 million worth
of emergency supplies such as
mosquito nets, tarps, and water
containers.
Japan donated $10 million
in emergency relief through the
United Nations and deployed
aircrafts with rapid response
medical assistance personnel
and humanitarian workers.
Israel also sent planes along with
medical personnel, as well as
desalination equipment, medical
supplies, and relief goods.
With over 5,000 dead, super
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) has
become the deadliest single nat-
ural calamity in the Philippines.
The lives of millions of Filipinos
in the Visayas region have been
disrupted and they will continue
to suffer hardships for years to
come.
The US Agency for Inter-
national Development (USAID)
said the US government was
committed to sustaining assis-
tance by shifting to re-building,
assured Jeremy Konyndyk who
heads USAIDs Ofce of Foreign
Disaster Assistance.
He said USAID would seek
guidelines from Manila on how
best to utilize the massive out-
pouring of aid from the interna-
tional community.
Its the Philippine govern-
ment thats going to be the lead,
Konyndyk stressed.
Responding to the United
Nations ash appeal, the inter-
national community has so far
committed a total of $317 million
in aid to the Philippines, Konyn-
dyk said.
Konyndyk said typhoon
Yolanda (Haiyan) has been a
huge story in the US, and the
suffering in Samar and Leyte
struck a very important emo-
tional place in the hearts of
Americans.
Cuisia noted that no less
than President Obama himself
called on the American people
to support the ongoing typhoon
relief efforts in the Philippines.
This is in addition to the resolu-
tions of support for the Philip-
pines that were approved by the
US Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives.
Cuisia also cited the critical
role played by American doc-
tors from the Mammoth Medical
Missions and search and rescue
specialists from Team Rubicon,
both based in California, who
were also among the rst foreign
volunteers to make it to Leyte.
According to the Ambas-
sador, the timely deployment of
the Mammoth and Team Rubi-
con volunteers, which was facili-
tated by the Philippine Embassy,
helped saved a number of lives
in the town of Tanauan, south
of Tacloban, where they served
under difcult conditions.
Cuisia also cited Samari-
tans Purse, a North Carolina-
based international relief agency
headed by Franklin Graham, the
son of evangelist Billy Graham,
which ew in a 747 plane car-
rying approximately 100 metric
tons of relief supplies with an
estimated value of $5 million.
The organization even pur-
chased 10 trucks in the Philip-
pines to help distribute their
goods and will spend for the
charter of local planes or helicop-
ters for their work.
Cuisia said Catholic
churches across the US also
responded to the call for assis-
tance for the Philippines and
offered their second collections
to support the relief efforts for
typhoon victims being under-
taken by the Catholic Relief
Services. The Baptist Church in
the US is also raising funds for
typhoon victims through its Bap-
tist World Aid program.
Among the rst to respond
to the typhoon relief efforts was
Asia-America Initiative (AAI)
headed by Albert Santoli, which
ew in 14,000 pounds of medi-
cines and medical supplies for
the Philippine Red Cross valued
at more than $1 million.
Cuisia said JP Morgan
donated $1 million and a com-
mitment to match funds raised
by 12,000 employees at their
Cuisia overwhelmed by... from page 1
SC outlaws pork barrel, eyes other govt fund schemes
MANILA. The Philippine
Supreme Court had declared
lawmakers pork barrel funds
unconstitutional and also moved
to limit President Aquinos dis-
cretionary funds.
The majority decision
penned by Aquino-appointee
Associate Justice Estela Perlas-
Bernabe on Nov. 19 declared the
Priority Development Assistance
Fund (PDAF) and all its past
incarnations as violating the 1986
Constitution.
In rare unanimity, 14 jurors
concurred and there was no dis-
sent although Associate Justice
Presbitero Velasco Jr. inhibited
himself because his son Lord
Allan is a congressman in Marin-
duque Island and presumed to
benet from the PDAF.
President Aquino and con-
gressional leaders immediately
said they would abide by the
decision and would no longer
appeal it.
That opened to question
what to do with nearly P25 bil-
lion (about $600 million) in
unspent PDAF funds for the
rest of the year (the SC ruling
ordered those funds returned to
the National Treasury).
Solons want those funds
spent for the reconstruction
of communities destroyed by
recent calamities, especially the
Nov. 8 super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan).
The Supreme Court also
ruled that the Malampaya Fund,
which is widely seen as Presi-
dent Aquinos own pork barrel,
should be used exclusively for
energy related projects.
The fund, created in 1976
by then President Ferdinand
Marcos, was built from royalties
earned from the countrys off-
shore natural gas platforms near
Palawan. Its since been used as
a kind of presidential slush fund,
much like the Presidential Social
Fund (PSF) which the High Tri-
bunal also questioned.
The SC declared unconsti-
tutional Section 8 of Presiden-
tial Decree 910 that allowed
Presidents to use the Malampaya
Fund for projects that may not
have any relation to energy.
The court also voided Sec-
tion 12 of Presidential Decree
1869 that allowed the use of the
PSF to nance priority infra-
structure development projects.
However, Supreme Court
spokesman Theodore Te clari-
ed only the PDAF should be
returned to national coffers;
the Malampaya Fund and PSF
will be retained to be utilized
for their respective special pur-
poses.
The jurors said the PDAF
violated the constitutional prin-
ciple of separation of powers as
it allowed legislators to wield
in varying gradations, non-over-
sight, post-enactment authority
in vital areas of budget execu-
tions.
They added that the pork
barrel system violated the con-
stitutional principle of non-del-
egability of legislative power
by allowing lawmakers to fund
specic projects they themselves
determine.
The PDAF, the Supreme
Court concluded, impaired
public accountability and sub-
verted genuine local autonomy.
The decision comes after
months of controversy over the
P10 billion pork barrel scam that
involved a number of lawmak-
ers. Alleged mastermind Janet
Napoles has testied before Con-
gress but a trial appears to be still
weeks, if not months, away.
The High Tribunal there-
fore directed the Department
of Justice and the Ofce of the
Ombudsman to investigate and
prosecute all government of-
cials and/or private individuals
for possible criminal offenses
related to the irregular, improper
and/or unlawful disbursement
of all funds under the pork barrel
system.
The magistrates rejected
the governments argument,
offered by Solicitor General
Francis Jardeleza in testimony
last October that the Supreme
Court already upheld the consti-
tutionality of the PDAF in previ-
ous cases, including LAMP vs
DBM.
The High Court is sched-
uled to deliberate next on the
Disbursement Acceleration Pro-
gram (DAP), another controver-
sial Malacanang program thats
raised a furor from critics who
say it short-circuits the disburse-
ment process and circumvents
the usual safeguards against the
abuse of executive power.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos
Zarate, one of nine petition-
ers challenging the legality of
the DAP before the Supreme
Court, argued that sources of
DAP funds, including unused
appropriations on the General
Appropriations law and the sale
of government assets, among
others, could not be construed
as savings as Malacanang of-
cials claim.
He said the DAP was a form
of presidential pork and bud-
getary dictatorship.
The DAP is administered by
the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) which is
directly under President Aquino.
The General Appropria-
tions Act must be preciseDAP
projects were not authorized by
Congress, Zarate pointed out,
adding the DBM cant apportion
funds outside what is already
imposed by Congress.
Continued on page 23
Filipinos in Washington DC join hands at a special Mass at St. Matthews
Cathedral for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus archbishop of Washing-
ton and president of Catholic Relief Services visited and celebrated Mass at
the devastated Palo Cathedral last Nov. 17.
November 30, 2013 23
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Dick
Durbin (D-IL), Mary Landrieu
(D-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK),
Ben Cardin (D-MD), Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-NY),Chris Coons
(D-DE), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Marco
Rubio (R-FL), Dean Heller
(R-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI),
Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ed Markey
(D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ).,
Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and
Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
In the House, Cong. Xavier
Becerra (D-CA) led a group 28
members who also signed a
letter to Beers urging the admin-
istration to grant such status to
Filipinos.
After Typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan) attened central Phil-
ippines, hundreds of Filipino
American groups, legal, civic
and religious groups have urged
President Obama to confer the
TPS to Filipinos in the US. Lead-
ing the petition are the National
Federation of Filipino American
Associations (NaFFAA) and the
Washington DC-based Migrant
Heritage Commission (MHC).
The MHC led by lawyer
Arnedo Valera said it needs to
reach the threshold of 100,000
signatures for the White House
to act on the petition.
Homeland Security may
designate a foreign country for
TPS when conditions there tem-
porarily prevent that countrys
nationals from returning safely,
or in certain circumstances,
where the country is unable to
handle the return of its nationals
adequately.
If granted, this would apply
only to Filipinos already in
the US, including about a mil-
lion undocumented Filipinos
who could get work permits
and would be allowed to travel
back to the Philippines, Valera
explained.
The US presently or in the
past granted TPS to nationals
from at least eight countries,
from war-ravaged Syria to Haiti
following a catastrophic 2010
earthquake that killed an esti-
mated 300,000 people. The dura-
tion of the TPS can vary Hon-
duras and Nicaragua for instance
have been on TPS since 1999.
The bipartisan group of sen-
ators said victims of Typhoon
Haiyan clearly meet the eligibil-
ity requirements for TPS, and we
urge you to extend this designa-
tion as soon as possible. Provid-
ing TPS is critical to humanitar-
ian relief efforts as it both pro-
tects individuals who would be
endangered by returning to their
country of origin and it allows
the home country more time to
recover before accepting return-
ees.
They went on to ask the
DHS to consider humanitarian
parole and expedited visa pro-
cessing for Filipinos who have
US citizen or lawful permanent
resident relatives in the U.S. and
approved or pending family
petitions, especially Filipinos
who have been orphaned, lost
relatives in the storm or suffer
other serious hardships.
We also ask that you con-
sider an automatic extension
of visas, in categories where an
extension is feasible, for Filipinos
currently in the US (and) con-
sider temporarily suspending
deportations to the Philippines
and utilizing alternatives to
detention in appropriate cases.
Ed Navarra, chair of
NaFFAA, said Typhoon Haiyan
was one of the most powerful
typhoons in recorded history,
leaving more than 5,000 people
dead and nearly 7 million more
displaced.
NaFFAA said it was encour-
aged by recent bipartisan actions
of members of Congress to pro-
vide relief aid and help limit the
strain on the countrys limited
resources.
The New York City Bar
Association headed by Carey R.
Dunne said in a letter to Presi-
dent Obama It is clear that the
Philippines qualies under the
criteria contained in the statute,
e.g., the occurrence of a natural
calamity which makes it unsafe
for citizens to return.
Seattle Auxiliary Bishop
Eusebio Elizondo, chairman
of the bishops Committee on
Migration, said the grant of TPS
would enable Filipino nationals
to work and to send remittances
back to the Philippines. Copies of
the letter were sent to Secretary
of State John Kerry and Denis
McDonough, White House chief
of staff.
Solons want protected... from page 1
shared services operations in
the Philippines up to $250,000.
Procter and Gamble donated
$1.5 million worth of daily use
products and 1 million sachets of
water purifying products. It will
also match the fundraising of its
employees up to $100,000.
Other corporate donors
include United Parcel Service,
$1 million; General Electric,
$750,000; Abott Laboratories,
$450,000; Citigroup, $250,000;
Caterpillar, $100,000; Medtronic,
$100,000; and Akin Gump
Strauss Hauer and Field LLP,
$50,000.
Filipino-American organi-
zations are also actively involved
in fundraising and other activi-
ties to support the ongoing
disaster relief efforts. Last week,
Cuisia gathered Filipino com-
munity leaders to discuss how
the Embassy and the community
could coordinate their efforts,
including a huge benet concert
featuring popular artists with
Filipino descent.
Bing Branigin, member of
the Board of Governors of the
National Federation of Filipino-
American Associations, said the
organization has been working
with Filipino and other Asian-
American organizations, includ-
ing Feed the Hungry, in raising
almost $5 million to support the
relief efforts.
At one-fundraiser in Vir-
ginia Beach, newly reelected
State Delegate Ron Villanueva
and other volunteers were able
to raise $40,000 for typhoon vic-
tims.
The Migrant Heritage Com-
mission, a Washington-based
grassroots organization led by
lawyer Arnedo Valera, also
launched its Tulong Mula sa
Puso, that seeks to help affected
communities in other areas in the
Central Visayas that were also
devastated by super typhoon-
Yolanda.
The World Bank-Interna-
tional Monetary Fund Filipino
Association and the Filipino
Young Professionals of DC have
also launched their own fund-
raising initiatives for typhoon
victims.
But its not only the big cor-
porations and organizations that
have responded.
Thirteen-year-old Ma.
Renzie Enaje of the Kilmer
Middle School in Vienna opened
her piggy bank and donated
$139 she collected from her
weekly allowance for the relief
efforts. Student organizations at
William and Mary in Williams-
burg, George Mason University
in Farifax and the University of
Maryland in College Park have
also initiated their own fund-
raising activities.
Ben James Ambalong,
owner of Stimulating Media, a
web design rm based in Mary-
land, took time out to help the
Embassy develop the Bayani-
han webpage (www.philippine-
susa.org/haiyan) that provided
information not only on devel-
opments in the affected areas in
the Philippines but also on how
the public could assist typhoon
victims.
Devinka Puswella, a Sri
Lankan-American who wit-
nessed the devastation caused
by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsu-
nami, organized a relief drive at
her daughters school in Howard
County. She said relief items
donated by students at Glenelg
Country School lled up the
school gym.
The Vietnamese-American,
Taiwanese-American and Cam-
bodian-American communities
are also actively engaged in fun-
draising efforts for typhoon vic-
tims in the Philippines. The Viet-
namese Embassy collected over
$1,000 from its personnel and
donated this to typhoon victims.
Cuisia overwhelmed by... from page 22
London collector for $42 million
in 2010.
Bautista was not in court
when the verdict was read. Her
lawyers said she was still resting
at home after being taken to a
hospital earlier with chest pains
and nausea.
The trial delved on the com-
plex $43 million transaction in
September 2010 that transferred
one of the Monets Le Bassin
aux Nymphs from Bautista to
a Panamanian company, then
to a London gallery and nally
to Alan Howard, a hedge fund
manager in Switzerland.
It fueled a simmering debate
about dubious dealings in the art
world. Prosecutors pointed out
the deal pushed through even
if Bautista could show only a
single-page document from
1991 purportedly signed by Mrs.
Marcos to prove ownership of
the valuable art works.
Bautistas lawyers, Susan
and Fran Hofnger, told the jury
that their client was authorized
to act as Mrs. Marcos agent and
had intended to send some of the
proceeds to her.
Everyone held their noses
and closed their eyes because
it was in their shared nancial
interest to do so, prosecutor
Ted Starishevsky said during
summation.
In addition to Bautista, the
jury also convicted on the con-
spiracy charge her two nephews,
Chaiyot Jansen Navalaksana and
Pongsak Navalaksana, for sell-
ing four paintings on the Asian
black market.
Bautista was also convicted
of criminal tax fraud for fail-
ing to report to state and city
tax ofcials on the $28 million
she received from the sale of
the painting. She faces up to an
additional 25 years in prison on
top of what she might get for the
conspiracy conviction.
The case also highlighted
the problems faced by Philip-
pine authorities tracking down
and trying to recover millions
of dollars worth of missing art-
work purchased with taxpayers
money during the decade-long
Marcos dictatorship.
All the works had been
taken in late 1995 from the walls
of an Upper East Side town-
house, owned by the Philippine
government, where Marcos
stayed and threw lavish parties
when in New York.
President Marcos was
ousted in a People Power revolt
in 1986 and was own aboard a
US Air Force plane to avoid pos-
sible bloodshed, and settled in
exile in Hawaii until his death.
Mrs. Marcos now holds the same
congressional seat of the former
strongman in Ilocos Norte.
Imelda aide faces... from page 1
Voice of EDSA People Power signs off
MANILA. June Keithley-
Castro, perhaps best remem-
bered as the fearless voice of the
EDSA 1986 People Power revolt,
passed away last Nov. 24 after a
long battle with breast cancer.
She played a pivotal role
in the nal days of a largely
bloodless uprising that ousted
President Ferdinand Marcos in
February 1986, after nearly two
decades in power, much of that
characterized by a brutal dicta-
torship.
Keithley, whose father was
American, was the widow of
news anchor Angelo Castro Jr.,
former head of the ABS-CBN
News division who himself was
claimed by lung cancer.
June Keithley-Castros
battle with cancerwhich she
had waged since 2009is at
an end. To her last breath she
exemplied courage and faith,
a statement from Malacanang
Palace said hours after news of
her death spread.
She started out as an actress,
featured in numerous TV come-
dies, but later became an activist
and broadcast journalist.
When the People Power
revolt erupted, Keithley was one
of the volunteer broadcasters
in the Catholic Church-owned
Radio Veritas, which was the
only media outlet trusted by Fili-
pinos to give them a true picture
of the unfolding drama at Camps
Aguinaldo and Crame where
mutinous troops led by then
Defense Minister Juan Ponce
Enrile and national police chief
Fidel V. Ramos were holed up.
Keithley said she rediscov-
ered her faith in 1985, when her
son asked her to accompany him
to the Quirino Grandstand for
the consecration of the nation to
the Blessed Virgin Mary.
June Keithley-Castro
November 30, 2013 24 24
On the Houses of Our Faith
W
ere No Angels, a
movie I saw twice
in my childhood,
a comedy of three escaped con-
victs trying to mend their ways,
and later on in my life the title
became a phrase of admonish-
ment, almost a nag, from my par-
ents and elders that my presence
on this earth was temporary, that
I should be very careful of what
I think and do or else I would
never get there.
There, of course, was a
hint of Heaven, suggesting a life-
time journey. And this reminder
would always come out in my
conversations with my parents
or elders whenever we were in
the vicinity of a church.
A church, or a mosque, has
always had an all-encompassing
inuence in the lives of Filipinos
or their descendants here in the
United States or anywhere else
in the globe. It is a house of wor-
ship, a sanctuary, a shrine, a con-
vent, or a monastery. It is where
we seek solitude, to be in close
communion with God, the only
place where we express repen-
tance and the need for forgive-
ness for errant deeds. There is
something in us, mortals, which
inclines us to go to this place, our
center of piety. We are not pure,
spiritual creatures; we are esh
and blood. To be in close proxim-
ity to the holy touches something
that is essential to our humanity.
But more than anything
else, a church, or the church, is a
group of pious people bound by
common beliefs in God. To most
of us, a Filipino or his forbear is a
living, walking, church.
This conviction was
strengthened by a conversation I
had many years ago with a vis-
iting professor from the Univer-
sity of the Philippines, who later
joined a religious order. She told
me that in her travels to Europe
or in Asia, whenever she would
feel the urge to go to a church,
but not nding anyplace near,
she would seek a compatriot
to be comforted by an assur-
ance that she is with and in her
church, in the presence of a Fili-
pino or a Filipina.
From the outside, a church is
a building. We are drawn to enter
because the colors, the acoustics,
and the interior designs make
up the emotional impact. Enter-
ing the west gate and taking the
rst steps on the nave leading
to the crossing and the transept,
the church becomes the whole
embodiment of the desires and
hopes of an individual, his or
her family, the town, the city,
and the nation. It is a part of the
countrys culture, replete with
historical facts.
The National Historical
Institute has installed a total
of 164 historical markers for
churches, convents, and places
of piety in the Philippines. For
the Metropolitan Manila alone,
there are 41, most prominent of
which is the Manila Cathedral,
in Intramuros, built in 1581 and
damaged by typhoons in 1582,
destroyed by res in 1583, and
leveled by earthquakes in 1606,
1645, and in 1863. The sixth
reconstruction took place in the
years 1954 to 1958. The center of
the Cross on the Dome is a refer-
ence point of Astronomical Lon-
gitudes of Manila in 1945.
The designs of the churches
built in the Philippines, follow-
ing the desire of King Philip II of
Spain to evangelize the natives
of her newest colony, were inu-
enced by the European com-
merce in the 16th and 17th cen-
turies which opened trade routes
to Asia, Africa, and the New
World. Exporting church designs
to the Philippines was a difcult
decision missionaries had to
make, whether to Christianize
the local religious architecture or
adapt western forms to be freed
of misleading associations with
old religion. In the end, because
of ease of trade routes between
Cebu and Acapulco, most of the
early churches built were pat-
terned after those existing in
Mexico at that time. Churches in
Quiapo and Binondo in Manila;
in Morong, Rizal; and in Baao,
Camarines Sur built in 1684 are
telling examples.
Inspiring awe and reverence
from the pious faithful are the
architectural designs of Roman-
esque of the Manila Cathedral,
of Gothic of San Sebastian in
Manila, of modern 20th century
trends of the University of the
Philippines Chapel and of the
Antipolo Church, and state- of-
the-art stained glass windows
of Santo Domingo Church in
Quezon City depicting religious
characters and scenes.
The Church, the building,
is used in a variety of ways. It
is a museum, a meeting place,
a showcase of religious his-
tory, full of exhibits, postcards
and money boxes. The Barosain
Church in Malolos, Bulacan
was the seat of the Revolution-
ary Congress from September
1898 to February 1899, where it
adapted the new Malolos Con-
stitution. Terms of the occupa-
tion of Manila by the U.S. forces
were signed in the vestry of the
Church of San Agustin in Intra-
muros, Manila, in August 1898.
A church has always been a
sanctuary for those evading reli-
gious or political persecutions.
During the Japanese Occupation
of the Philippines, the church
was the secret meeting place for
the Filipino patriots. The Church
of Baler, Quezon, was the seat
of refuge of four ofcers and
fty men from a Spanish garri-
son from June 27, 1896 to June 2,
1899. They were besieged by the
Filipino volunteers, demanding
their surrender on ve occasions.
The remnants of the Spanish gar-
rison learned later that Spain
had lost the Philippines. They
arranged a truce with the Filipi-
nos and marched out, across the
mountains to Manila. Their for-
titude was declared in a public
document signed by General
Emilio Aguinaldo on June 20,
1899.
A church of any denomi-
nation, a Masonic Temple, or a
mosque is an outward manifes-
tation of the presence of God in
our everyday life. The toll of the
church bells is acall from God, an
invitation to go deeper into the
fullness of His life, also a time
for sanctifying our souls and for
growing closer to God, in the
company of angels and saints.
We respond, to answer for our-
selves.
Know-it-all parachute
journalists
MANILA
A
merican medias recent
commentary about what
they thought was the
Philippine governments inad-
equate response to the super-
typhoon devastation in central
Visayas here has further hard-
ened my disregard for foreign-
ers opinion about us.
What right have these out-
siders to interrogate and harass
the
president of the Philippines
about his alleged slow response
to the crisis? Who are these
know-it-alls to impose their own
opinion on us even as we try our
best to bring succor to our unfor-
tunate and beleaguered country-
men?
The problem with these
US journalists is they think they
know everything. Anderson
Cooper and Christiane Aman-
pour of Cable News Network
(CNN) went overboard in their
questioning of the president of
am sovereign country. The tone
of their questions was insensitive
and disrespectful.
American reporters are
often smug and overbearing
when they talk to other people,
especially foreigners. Weve
seen them browbeat people they
dont like, abuse and intimidate
them by sounding authorita-
tive (authoritarian?) and domi-
neering. In short, theyre bossy,
oftentimes too bossy for their
own good.
Was this the right time to
speak so arrogantly to the leader
of an independent country? Is
there ever a time to do so, except
when the leader being inter-
viewed is a hated despot or some
other despicable character?
Its disingenuous to preface
a question, as Amanpour has
done, with praise and then attack
him by saying that his perceived
slow action could dene (nega-
tively) his otherwise praisewor-
thy governance?
Where do these people come
from? Where do they get such
hubris and arrogance? Where do
they buy this stuff?
No doubt, they will rational-
ize their rude behavior by claim-
ing
sympathy for the victims
of supertyphoon Yolanda. That
would be a lame excuse. Theres
no excuse for such sorry behav-
ior. They have no right at all to
behave like that.
President Aquinos critics
may say he deserved the kind of
intense (but uncalled for) ques-
tioning. I say no, not at that par-
ticular juncture when everybody
was trying to cope with a chaotic,
unprecedented and nightmarish
situation.
Yolanda was one of a kind.
At least so far in the early days of
the intensifying global warming.
Maybe more intense weather
disturbances are here to stay and
we were the rst to experience
one of them.
Would the Americans
have done a better job? Maybe,
because they have better equip-
ment, training and forecasting
capabilities. Maybe because
they have greater resources that
would enable them to respond
more quickly and in a much
more organized fashion.
But even with such
resources, I doubt if they could
have been quicker to respond
in Yolandas wake. Remember
that the American government,
both at the local and federal
levels, did miserably when Hur-
ricane Katrina pummeled New
Orleans, Louisiana. Also, the
eastern seaboard of the United
States, including New York, was
devastated by another storm not
too long ago, and many citizens
complained about how slow their
government had responded.
In any case, assigning blame
was so inappropriate at the time
when everybody, both govern-
ment people and civilians, were
scrambling to get a x on the
situation and react accordingly.
How could the government, or
any one, have responded in an
effective way when all means
of communication were down,
some of the terrain was forbid-
ding, chaos and uncertainty
were the order of the day, and
the number of affected people
was so great the rescuers didnt
know where to start?
Someone will say, thats
exactly the point, that the situa-
tion was so dire it needed some-
one to be directing all rescue
and relief efforts. True, but why
castigate the Filipinos, particu-
larly their president, at a time
Continued on page 30
Visit us online:
www.manilamail.us
November 30, 2013 25
39 Questions
W
hen the Yolanda
typhoon crisis ebbs,
Catholics here will
be asked to give their views on
39 questions that Pope Francis
elded earlier.
A survey of ordinary believ-
ers views on sexual ethics sig-
nals a potentially ground-break-
ing change of emphasis, BBCs
religious affairs correspondent
Robert Pigott writes. Many
Catholics passively murmur
amen to counsel from the Vati-
can. Now, Francis prods them to
speak up.
Francis unprecedented ini-
tiative is a survey sent to Catho-
lic bishops. Consult widely on
touchy issues from contracep-
tion, sex outside marriage to
divorced and remarried receiv-
ing Communion.
The Catholic Church in
England and Wales was the rst
in the world to put the survey
online,. It urged members:
Submit by 20 December.
Responses will be to given
to bishops before they gather
in Rome next September. They
meet for a synod to discuss the
family. And their conclusions
will be stiched into 2015 guide-
lines.
A covering note hints all
might not be well. Many Catho-
lic children and young people
will never see their parents
receive the sacraments.
Their responses are likely
to conrm what bishops already
know, Pigott writes. The daily
lives of Catholics -- including the
roughly one third who go regu-
larly to church --, is diverging
dramatically from earlier norms.
Divorced people who remarried
are, according to the strict inter-
pretation, committing adultery.
They are denied Communion.
In the Philippines, there are
the KBL: Catholics who come
to church three times in their
lives: binyag or baptism; kasal
or marriage and libing meaning
funeral,
A Social Weather Stations
survey in February 2013 found:
(a) weekly church attendance
slumped from a high of 64 per-
cent in July 1991 to a low of 37
percent in February 2013. (b) 29
percent of Catholics considered
themselves every religious,
compared to 38 percent among
Muslims.and ( c ) one out of 11
sometimes think of leaving
the Church.
The data reect a world-
wide historical trend of
secularization. Inquirers
Randy David notes. Not going to
church regularly is not giving up
ones faith. Social scientists call
this phenomenon de-churchi-
cation. In the Philippines, I
guess that it is the conversion
of Catholics to other religions,
especially to the Evangelical
Christian churches that particu-
larly troubles the church today.
Rome tried to x this prob-
lem by increasing the number of
saints who could serve as models
of religious commitment for the
young generation. John Paul II
beatied 319 individuals during
his papacy, far exceeding the
259 blessed persons named by
all previous popes since 1585.
Between him and Benedict, they
elevated 124 people to sainthood.
Two are Filipinos: Lorenzo Ruiz
Immigration Notes
By J.G. Azarcon, Esq.
Immigra-
tion relief
for typhoon
Yolanda
victims
On November 15, 2013, the
USCIS issued a press release
informing Filipino nationals
who are victims or were affected
by typhoon Yolanda that they
be eligible for certain relief mea-
sures if requested.
Recognizing that natural
catastrophes could impact immi-
gration status or the right to
obtain benets, the USCIS will
exercise its discretion to mitigate
the problems of victims and their
families.
The following relief may be
requested:
1. Change or extension of
nonimmigrant status for an indi-
vidual currently in the US, even
when the request is led after
the authorized period of stay has
already expired;
2. Extension of certain
grants of parole or advance
parole and expedited processing
of advance parole requests;
3. Expedited adjudication
and approval, where possible,
of requests for off-campus work
authorization for F-1 students
experiencing severe economic
hardship;
4. Expedited process-
ing of immigrant petitions for
immediate relatives of US citi-
zens andP lawful permanent
residents (spouses and minor
children under 21 years);
5. Expedited authoriza-
tion of employment authoriza-
tion;
6. Assistance to lawful
permanent residents stranded
overseas without travel docu-
ments (lost green cards);
USCIS is also studying
requests by some members of
Congress that the Philippines
receive Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) as it has done for
nationals of certain Central
American countries that were hit
VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINES
DECEMBER 2013
FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First: Unmarried sons/daughters
of US citizens Jun 01, 2001
Second:
A: Spouses/minor children of
permanent residents: Sep. 08, 2013
B: Unmarried sons/daughters 21 years
of age or older of permanent residents Mar. 22, 2003
Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens Jan. 02, 1993
Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens Jun. 01, 1990
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority workers Current
Second: Professionals holding advanced
degrees or persons of exceptional ability Current
Third: Skilled workers, professionals Jan. 08, 2007
Other Workers Jan. 08, 2007
Fourth:
Certain Religious Workers Current
Fifth: Employment creation/
(Million or half-million dollar investor) Current
Bankruptcy, Short Sale, Etc.
W
hen nancial hardship
hits anyone, a tough
decision must some-
times be made. Efforts were
surely taken to responsibly pay
for the nancial obligations that
were incurred. However, no
matter how conscientiously it
was made to meet both ends, it
still was not sufcient. Hence,
people opted to le bankruptcy,
did short sale on their properties
and sometimes ended in prop-
erty foreclosures. One of the end
results will adversely impact the
credit history. And the question
remains whether one could still
be qualied for a mortgage loan
to buy a house or not. The gen-
eral answer is, YES.
Bankruptcy is a legal status
of an individual who cannot
pay any longer its debts to the
credit grantors. The judgment is
handed by the court of law and
led by the individual person.
This is a nancial decision that
is always difcult to make. There
are several types of bankruptcy.
The two most common types
for individuals are Chapter 7,
also called straight bankruptcy
or liquidation, and Chapter 13
which is a debt repayment with
duration of three to ve years.
As far as mortgage application is
concerned, an individual could
still be approved for a loan after
several years depending on the
mortgage program. There are
programs which would allow a
minimum of 2 years and some
would go as long as 7 years
elapsed from the discharge date.
Foreclosure is a legal pro-
cedure wherein the holder of
a mortgage takes the property
ownership upon the failure of
the debtor to pay the mortgage
obligation and delinquent after
several months. By law, the
mortgagee (the party to the mort-
gage who extends the loan) will
do their due diligence to help
homeowners save their prop-
erties through various means
before they could take this route.
It is a tedious process to ensure
there are no other options avail-
able to the homeowner to retain
ownership. In foreclosure, the
title of the property is conveyed
to the creditor upon proper pro-
cedure, on default in payment,
without necessarily selling it.
Mostly, upon meeting qualica-
tions, borrower can apply for a
mortgage loan after 3 years of
transaction completion date.
Short sale is different from
foreclosure. Since many prop-
erty values were negatively
affected since 2007, home equity
went down or no equity at all.
Short sale is a process of sell-
ing the property less than the
amount owed. This entails nego-
tiation with the lender to get its
approval. The remaining balance
owed or deciency could be for-
given or a note will be issued by
the creditor that needs to be paid
in a certain amount of time. Some
states have passed legislation to
prohibit deciencies payment
after a short sale is approved. To
apply for a mortgage loan, there
is a program for eligible bor-
rowers who did short sale with
a qualied minimum waiting
period of 3 years from the date of
sale/transfer of title.
The Federal Housing
Administration (FHA) recently
gave an opportunity to apply for
a mortgage loan with one (1) year
waiting period for individuals
who can document these circum-
stances are the result of an Eco-
nomic Event among others. FHA
denition of Economic Event
is, any occurrence beyond the
borrowers control that results
in Loss of Employment, Loss
of Income, or a combination of
both, which causes a reduction
in the borrowers Household
Income of twenty (20) percent or
more for a period of at least six
(6) months.
For borrowers who went
through Consumer Credit Coun-
seling/Debt Management, a one
(1) year waiting period is needed
from the time of program com-
pletion. This is a process wherein
a borrower who experienced
credit or nancial mismanage-
ment may elect to participate in
consumer counseling sessions
to learn how to correct or avoid
such credit problems in the
future. Debt management must
be done by repaying the credi-
tors on negotiated terms.
After things have been
done, an acceptable and sat-
isfactory credit history must
be re-established in all of the
above situations. And an ability
to repay the qualied mortgage
being applied for will be subject
to approval.
Each and every individual
condition is different. It is impor-
tant to consult with a competent
and experienced loan ofcer to
have an objective analysis of
your current nancial and credit
capability situation.
Continued on page 30
Continued on page 30
Continued on page 30
November 30, 2013 26 26
BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH
LEMON GRASS
This fusion dish is a new
creation that I demonstrated
at a fundraising event to ben-
et victims of Typhoon Haiyan
(also known in the Philippines as
Typhoon Yolanda). This recipe
can be served at formal gather-
ings.
Ingredients:
2 pounds beef tenderloin
2 table spoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon cilantro
2 kafr lime leaves
Pounded Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic
1/2 stalk lemongrass
1 teaspoon peppercorn
Seasoning:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon white wine
2 tablespoon cream
Garnishing: Sprigs of cilan-
tro or spring onions and 1 table-
spoon of chopped cilantro.
Methods:
1. Sear the beef and let rest
for at least 15 minutes before cut-
ting into thin slices.
2. In a mortar, pound the
garlic, lemongrass and pepper-
corns until they become a paste.
3. Heat oil and add the
pounded ingredients and saut
until the aroma develops.
4. Add the beef and saut
until half-cooked. Add kafr
lime leaves, chicken stock, oyster
sauce, sugar, wine, chopped
cilantro and cream. Cook until
all ingredients are thoroughly
blended. Transfer to a platter.
5. Stir-fry 1/2 stalk of thinly
sliced lemongrass until crunchy
and place on top of the beef.
6. Garnish before serving.
Master Chef Evelyn: 100
Most Influential Filipina Women in
the U.S., 2009, Filipina Womens
Network; MHC Most Outstanding
Migrant Award in Culinary Arts,
2011; PAFC Dakila Special Achieve-
ment Award, 2011; Owner/Chef,
Philippine Oriental Market & Deli,
Arlington, Virginia; Founder and
President of CHEW (Cancer Help
Eat Well) Foundation, a 501 (c) (3)
public charity formed to help and
cook pro-bono for Filipino-Amer-
icans who are afflicted with cancer
and other serious illnesses; Culi-
nary writer; Member, Les Dames
dEscoffier International, Washing-
ton DC Chapter; Member, Inter-
national Cake Exploration Society,
Member, Culinary Historians of
Washington, D.C.; Master Chef,
French Cuisine and Patisserie, Le
Cordon Bleu, London.
LUCKY
First Guy (proudly): My
wife is an angel!
Second Guy: Youre lucky,
mine is still alive.
IN MOURNING
Anna had lost her husband
almost four years ago. Her
daughter was constantly calling
her and
urging her to get back into
the dating world. Finally, Anna
said shed go out, but didnt
know anyone.
Her daughter immediately
replied, Mom I have someone
for you to meet.
Well, it was an immediate
hit. They took to one another
and after dating for six weeks, he
asked her to join him for a week-
end in Virginia Beach.
Their rst night there, she
undressed as he did, too. There
she stood nude, except for a pair
of black lacy panties; he was in
his birthday suit.
Looking her over, he asked,
Why the black panties?
She replied: My breasts
you can fondle, my body is yours
to explore, but down there I am
still mourning.
He knew he was not getting
lucky that night. The following
night was the same - she stood
there wearing the black panties,
and he was in his birthday suit -
but now he was wearing a black
condom.
She looked at him and
asked: Whats with the black
condom?
He replied, I want to offer
my deepest condolences
ON DIET
Doc: For your health take
only a cup of rice, lean meat and
a saucer of kangkong. Fruits for
dessert and lots of juice.
Fat guy: Doc, shall I take
them before or after meals?
DRIVING
As a senior citizen was
driving down the freeway, his
cell phone rang. Answering, he
heard his wifes voice urgently
warning him, Herman, I just
heard on the news that theres
a car going the wrong way on
Interstate 66. Please be careful!
Heck, said Herman, Its not just
one car. Its hundreds of them!
SWEETS
Pacquiao: Honey, buksan
mo na yung sweets....
Jinky : Lambing mo talaga.
mwah !! Nasan ang sweets
honey?
Pacquiao: Yung sweets
ng ilaw. Di ko makita ang
dinadaanan ko ang dilim!!
ANG PASIYENTE
Ine-examin nung doktor ang
isang pasiyente sa Mental Hospi-
tal sa pamamagitan ng tanong
at sagot. Tanong nung doktor,
Kung ikaw ay palalabasin
ngayon sa ospital, ano ang una
mong gagawin?
Sagot nung pasyente, Titi-
radorin ko po ang buwan! Wika
nung doktor, Hindi ka pa pwe-
deng palabasin.
I-examinin ulit kita pagkali-
pas ng anim na buwan.
Pagkaraan ng anim na
buwan, muling inexamin yung
pasiyente. Tanong ulit nung
Doktor, Kung palalabasin ka
namin ngayon sa ospital, ano
ang iyong gagawin?
Sagot ng pasyente. Doc,
akoy magaling na. Pagkalabas
ko po sa ospital, maghahahanap
po ako ng trabaho para mabuhay
ng mag-isa.
Muling nagtanong ang
doktor, Pagkatapos, pag nakah-
anap ka na ng trabaho, ano ang
sunod mong gagawin? Sagot ng
pasyente, Doc, liligaw ako ng
isang mabait, masipag at magan-
dang babae na puwede kong
makapiling habambuhay.
Gulat ang doktor! Mukhang
matino na ang kaniyang pasiy-
ente! Muli pang nagtanong ang
doktor para makasigurado,
Pagkatapos niyong ikasal, ano
ang gagawin mo? Sagot ng
pasiyente, Aba, Doc, siyempre
pa, mag-hahanimun po kami!
Bilib na naman ang doktor.
Nagtanong ulit siya, Ano
ang gagawin sa inyong hani-
mun?
Sagot ng pasiyente, Doc,
huhubarin ko po ang blusa at
palda ng aking bagong asawa.
Pagkatapos... tanong ng
doktor.
Pagkatapos... sabi ng
pasiyente, huhubarin ko ang
kaniyang bra at panty.
Pagkatapos... tanong ng
doktor.
Pagkatapos... sabi ng pasi-
yente, kukunin ko lahat ng las-
tiko sa bra at panty at titiradorin
ko ang buwan!
SCAM
As a public service to my
readers, I would like to warn you
all about a scam against work-
ing men and this is very serious.
A lot of men would have been
caught unawares.
Women often receive warn-
ings about protecting themselves
at shopping centers and in dark
parking lots.
This is the rst warning I
have seen for men. I wanted to
pass it on in case you havent
heard about it.
A heads-up for those men
who may be regular customers
at Macys, Target, and Best Buy.
This scam caught me totally by
surprise.
Over the last couple of
months I became a victim of a
clever ploy while out shopping.
Simply going out to get sup-
plies has turned out to be quite
traumatic. Dont be naive enough
to think it couldnt happen to
you or your friends.
Heres how the scam works.
Two nice-looking, univer-
sity-aged girls will come over to
your car as you are packing your
purchases into your vehicle.
They both start cleaning your
windshield with a rag damp-
ened with window cleaner, and
with their breasts almost falling
out of their skimpy T-shirts. (Its
impossible not to look). When
you thank them and offer them a
tip, they say No but instead ask
for a ride to the nearest McDon-
alds.
You agree and they climb
into the vehicle. Along the way,
they start undressing. Then one
of them starts crawling all over
you, while the other one steals
your wallet. I had my wallet
stolen 6 times in September.
and 8 times in October. So far
this month, Ive been victim-
ized only twice, but very likely
it will happen again 3 times this
coming weekend.
So tell your friends to be
careful. What a horrible way to
take advantage of us men.
Warn your friends to be
vigilant. JC Pennys has wallets
on sale for $5.50 each. I found
even cheaper ones for $1.50 at
Walmart so I bought some.
Also, you never get to eat
at McDonalds. Ive already lost
15 pounds just running back and
forth from Target and Best Buy,
then to Walmart, and also from
JC Pennys to Macys.
So please, send this warn-
ing to all the men you know and
warn them to be on the lookout
for this scam.
(The best times are just
before lunch and around 4:30 in
the afternoon.)
Please take this seriously
and pass it on.
November 30, 2013 27
Easy Ways
to Ruin the
Holidays
I
just received a copy of The
Arlington CATHOLIC HER-
ALDS a few days ago for
November 21 27, 2013 issue.
On its front page, the article,
Why read this paper? caught
my attention. It explained why
this particular issue of the news-
paper suddenly appeared in
my mailbox. There were three
reasons given: 1) Primarily,
Arlington, Bishop Paul S. Lov-
erde has written a new pastoral
letter, Go Forth with Hearts on
Fire: A Pastoral Letter on the
New Evangelization, and wants
to share it with every registered
household in the diocese via the
Catholic Herald; 2) The second
reason is that since the season
of Advent is right around the
corner, we want to reach out to
Northern Virginia Catholics with
a message of anticipation and
hope; and nally, 3) For those
who do not receive the Catholic
Herald, this is an invitation to
subscribe.
I am really glad that I was
one of those who received a copy.
The stories and articles were
appropriately written, impor-
tant and relevant to current local
news. They were inspiring and
informative. Turning the pages, I
found most articles interesting to
read. With Christmas season just
around the corner, I came across
a column which caught my inter-
est - timely and relevant to get-
ting ready for the Christmas
celebration. The title was Easy
Ways to Ruin the Holidays,
written by Bill Dodds from the
Catholic News Service. Dodds
is the editor of My Daily Visitor
magazine and his latest novels
are Pope Bob and The Worlds
Funniest Aetheist. Back to his
column, I quote him, Yes, the
stores started displaying Thanks-
giving and Christmas items three
weeks ago, but theres plenty of
time to get ready to ruin the holi-
days for you and your family. Its
easy. Just follow the easy instruc-
tions.
The title itself was intrigu-
ing enough. I truly enjoyed read-
ing what follows. I must admit
the author has chosen a true to
life seasonal topic of interest.
How could I not laugh when
some of us can be identied with
these practices, not necessarily
with all listed, but I must say
some of us are probably guilty
of two or three, but not all. Not
all, really? I say number 8 might
be true, but I could not help but
chuckle with his witty remarks. I
am fully quoting the writer here-
with, to capture the reality and
humor injected in his narratives,
(enclosed in parenthesis are my
comments):
Say yes to every invitation
and request. Sure, that may mean
dragging the family to Thanks-
giving dinner at one household
at 1 p.m. and to another at 6 p.m.,
where youve been asked at the
rst place you visit to bring your
famous pumpkin pies and those
wonderful homemade rolls you
make at the second dinner. (This
is a sure re stress).
Never end a holiday tra-
dition. Ever. Not even as your
family continues to add more
of them year after year. This
includes decorating the outside
of the house. Less isnt more.
Only more is more. Show those
neighbors how its done. (Stress
plus heart attack.)
During Thanksgiving and
New Years Eve, drink a lot,
drink too much. (Might end up
in jail or funeral parlor).
Expect and demand that
the day be perfect. Perfect meal
served on a perfectly set table,
with perfectly chosen and
wrapped gifts under a perfectly
decorated Christmas tree with a
perfect spouse and children at all
holiday gatherings especially
the in-laws. (End up perfectly in
the hospital for hypertension).
When it comes to shopping
for gifts, charge everything. Even
if your budget is tight or loved
ones dont really need those
expensive items, remember that
credit card bill dont show up
until half way into next year.
At least a couple of weeks into
the New Year right? Theres no
better way to show love than to
over spend. True affections dont
come from the heart; they come
from the wallet. (A nancial
disaster; will have to pay up the
whole year).
Whenever the extended
family gathers, prepare to do
battle. This isnt the time to let
bygones be bygones. Be on high
alert for any look, word or ges-
ture that might be, just might be,
some kind of shot at you. (Might
have a good result less people
to invite next year).
And speaking of gatherings,
no matter the occasion, never be
hesitant to bring up politics or
religion. Everyone enjoys lively
and spirited conversation. And
what better time to educate
the others who are (lets be
honest here) remarkably wrong?
(Yey! Hope you win!)
Guilt your non-practic-
ing Catholic adult children into
attending Mass with you. Men-
tion that this might be the last
Christmas all of you are together.
And that, for all they know, next
year you could be dead. (Oh, no!
Hope it will not happen).
Holiday? Whats a holi-
day? Keep up a steady barrage
of phone calls, emails and texts
(dont forget the face books and
tweets). (Your choice- you might
end up with less face to face
personal connections with close
friends).
Conne Christ to the 60 min-
utes on Thanksgiving, Christmas
and New Years 90 minutes if
you attend the Christmas Eve
Mass. And while youre at it,
shoot a few pointed glances at
all those twice-a-year in-church
Catholics who are packed in
everywhere and have even com-
mandeered you pew. Your pew!
(Bahala ka na to communicate
with Him).
Or, this year you could prac-
tice a little more kindness and
patience, especially to yourself.
This year, you could just enjoy
times and celebrations with
your unique family and friends,
thanking God for them, and
asking Him to richly bless each
and every one of them. (Amen).
PS- We hope not to ruin our
Christmas celebration!
A Celebration of Firsts
T
hanksgiving is our fam-
ilys favorite holiday and
this is a special year. It
is going to be a celebration of
rsts. The twins spent most of
their newborn days at the hospi-
tal so this will be their rst intro-
duction to their cousins and their
rst turkey gobble-gobble photo-
op. It will be our rst celebration
away from the house we lived
in for 25 years. Because we have
downsized to a condominium
we dont have the room to enter-
tain our extended family. We
will gather at our rst daughters
house and celebrate there.
The devastation in the Phil-
ippines from Super Typhoon
Yolanda is in our minds. The
distance matters not. We give
thanks for we are the lucky few.
Our family in Tacloban, Leyte
and Bantayan, Cebu suffered
property losses but lives were
spared and limbs remained
intact.
I try to remain positive but I
am on a slow boil. I am disheart-
ened at seeing photos of bodegas
lled to the rafters with undeliv-
ered relief goods in contrast with
reports of thousands of people
who remain hungry. There are
enough examples of callous dis-
regard for suffering by those
who wield power.
I am one who appreciates
order and who follows rules
to the letter. But the red tape
imposed on the delivery of much
needed food is deplorable. Rules
are meant to lessen chaos. But
hunger and thirst especially after
suffering such calamity trump all
that. Hunger rules.
Vultures are circling over-
head. They may be aiming for
me. I will skedaddle and gift you
with a short story instead.
~~~~~~~~
Daan Dintala
I am Yolanda. I come from
Daan Dintala, a celestial cyclone
that drives the universe.
My mother showered me
with affection but discouraged
conversation. I yearned to know
why her friends called me poor
Yolanda. Even my playmates
treated me with deference. Their
oblique glances annoyed me. I
was pampered and wanted for
nothing. I was set apart from the
chaos of the nursery. Mama and
I were allowed to stay together
in a quiet area at our commune.
The rest huddled in groups.
The elders and younglings
lived in separate shelters. Mys-
tery and intrigue surrounded the
mudha where the adults spent
their evenings. They walked
with bowed heads and their
shoulders sagged from some
mysterious weight.
My earliest recollection was
of mamas terried shriek. Tears
of inconsolable sadness lled her
eyes and spilled unheeded onto
her cheeks. I cried out and wrig-
gled free from her tight embrace.
Thereafter mama kept me close
and begrudged the times when
her duties took her away from
me.
I never understood her
insistence on silence when we
were together. My mind was
lled with questions and I grew
weary of making up answers
to many of them. Why? Shhh!
Pinch. Where? When? What?
Shhh! After too many pinches I
learned to shush myself.
Pegataran. The Chosen
Magar. Even the mere mention
of the name earned admonition
from the elders. And bruised
ears. I had exceptional hearing
and had pieced together a pic-
ture of the Magar from the elders
description when they thought
they were beyond spying. But I
did not know there was someone
who was tasked to shadow me.
His stealth was even better than
mine.
A fortnight ago the elders
of our clan were summoned by
the great Pegataran. There was
much discord and rancor as they
prepared for the journey. My
cousins and I cowered from a
bulwark not far from the main
highway. The elders were far
enough away to eavesdrop, even
to my ears well-known for mis-
chief. But their countenance and
the maelstrom that accompa-
nied their hostilities sent a force
that tore the fragile cooperation
enforced by Pegataran.
My mother came home that
evening and hauled me to our
quarters.
Yolanda! You ignorant
child. Cease your spying.
My mothers voice rose as she
stressed each word. HE will
take you away from me!
Who do you mean, mama?
Peg I did not see the arms. I
felt the tug and heard my moth-
ers screams.
I felt a poke and awoke with
a start.
Where am I? Where is my
mother?
Child of Daan Dintala, you
are among your kind. The voice
was oddly familiar. The revenant
shimmered and appeared before
me. I wanted to ee but his mind
stilled me.
I am not here to cause you
harm. I am here to welcome you.
And to guide you on your jour-
ney. The specter spoke. He had
kind eyes as blue as the skies and
his robes reminded me of fair
weather clouds. On his forehead
was the letter K.
I am Divine Wind. Kami-
kaze. Come. He extended his
hand and bade me rise from my
bed.
I held out my hand and
screamed. I looked at my arms
and my body. I had become a
revenant, a specter that shim-
mered. But instead of peace and
serenity that emanated from
Divine Wind, my body roiled
with disturbance. Flashes of
blinding light marred my robes.
I looked at his eyes and saw what
he saw. My face was dark and
malevolent. On my forehead was
the letter Y.
You were chosen for a great
task. You will wreak havoc and
mayhem. It is a duty our clan has
performed for millennia. Come.
To be continued.
November 30, 2013 28 28
Typhoon Korina-Cooper
M
illions of Pinoys around the
world have turned to the for-
eign media for up-to-date infor-
mation about the calamity in the Philip-
pines following the devastation wrought
by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) Nov. 8.
Among their favorite channels were NBC
and the on-the-spot report of CNNs
Anderson Cooper who was in Tacloban,
Leyte to cover the disaster.
His reports generated criticism from
ABS-CBN anchor Korina Sanchez who is
married to VP Mar Roxas, the secretary of
interior and PNoys bet for the presidency
in 2016. Roxas was faulted for his failure
to oversee the relief efforts for survivors
of the tragedy. The spat became interna-
tional when Cooper responded by urging
Sanchez to go to Tacloban and see the
situation for herself. Upon his return to
the US, Cooper was guest of David Letter-
mans on Channel 9 Nov. 19
Obviously, Ive been on the ground
in Tacloban for days. In fact, I had inter-
viewed a very heroic Philippine Navy
captain. Hes helping people.
Ive seen the work being done and
the work that isnt being done, perhaps as
importantly. Ms Sanchez is welcome to go
there and I would urge her to go there. I
dont know if she has but her husbands
the Interior minister. Im sure he can
arrange a ight.
This is the problem when some mem-
bers of the impartial Philippine media
are connected with people in power.
***
Another target for criticism is Vice
President Jejomar Binay, who is eyeing
the presidency that Roxas also wants. Aid
from Makati that went to western Visayas
reportedly carried the sign that it came
from Binay.
***
Two days after the tragedy, the
Manila Mail was sought by the major
American broadcast media and newspa-
pers for its reaction. NBC Channel 4 fea-
tured an 8-hour Teletone by the Feed the
Hungry. It reportedly generated $20,000.
Among those interviewed by NBC Were
the Manila Mails Bing C. Branigin and
columnist Myrna M. Lopez. I dont know
why nobody called Tsismoso for com-
ment.
***
The worldwide response to the storm
of the century is overwhelming. And the
millions of Filipino expatriates in Europe,
the Middle East, the United States and
Asia were so generous in donating money
and goods for the millions of victims.
***
PNoy, who early on said casualies
were only about 2,500 dead is now being
agellated for trying to diminish the
extend of the tragedy. The count now is
over 5,000.
The reason, he said, is that the medias
role is to uplift the spirits of the Filipino
people - to nd stories of resilience, hope,
and faith, and show the world just how
strong the Filipino people are. Sounds
like Marcos.
***
Here are some reactions to the Coo-
per-Korina tiff on Facebook, Twitter and
other social media
-*cnn reporter is more credible.. he
stated the facts and the details,clear to his
memory..no malice reporting,,pure and
actual situational facts ..korina sanchez
was all about her husbands politicalm-
ambition and ltered sanitized reporting..
haaa y nako Yes, how can you say there is
no conict of interest when Korina is mar-
ried to Roxas.
-Yes I agree. Aquino government
is SLOW and want media NOT to show
their incompetence.
-I think whatever Cooper said in
his report is nothing but the truth. KAsi
naman nandun siya sa site eh. He sees the
aftermath of the typhoon and interviewed
people. And who are we to still judge
him? If he says about how slow the relief
goods are coming to Tacloban eh totoo
naman eto, the Malacanang even admit it
na nahihirapan sila. So whats the point?
And to think sino ba ang tumutulong sa
Philippines ngayon?
- I watched TV Patrol on TFC last
night and Korina Sanchez was shown in
Tacloban giving relief goods and what-
Editorial
Granting PTS to Filipinos
Super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) was one of the strongest storms
ever to strike the Philippines, unleashing a degree of death and
destruction that matched that distinction.
The world responded with massive assistance to help it recover
from this tragedy.
The courage and resilience of Filipinos were evident for the world
to see.
Recently, members of Congress, the Filipino American commu-
nity, religious and civic organizations have all asked President Obama
to put the Filipino nationals in the US on temporary protected status
(TPS), a relief given to citizens of about half a dozen other nations
that have suffered great loss from both natural and man-made disas-
ters.
Granting TPS will cover thousands of Filipinos in the US who will
encounter problems if they returned home to a devastated land. PTS
will temporarily allow them to work without fear of being deported
by the Department of Homeland Security. At the same time, they will
be able to help friends and relatives in the Philippines recover from
the damage that was caused by Yolanda (Haiyan).
If the US was able to offer this kind of emergency assistance to
citizens of other countries for many years now, it should be able to
grant the same status to nationals of the Philippines, Americas lon-
gest-running, most loyal ally in Southeast Asia.
Granting Filipinos now living in the shadows the ability to help
rebuild their devastated country will also enable them to pay US
taxes. While TPS is temporary and does not confer them a path to
citizenship, it will allow them to travel freely, including visiting their
relatives back home whom they have not seen for years.
President Obama has repeatedly urged Americans to help the vic-
tims of Haiyan. This gives him the opportunity to prove once more
his avowed love for Filipinos by ordering the grant of temporary pro-
tected status for the Philippines.
Continued on page 30
November 30, 2013 29
Joy in misery
A
s if the Philippines did
not have enough of its
share of misfortune,
here comes unforgiving Yolanda
sowing her destructive fury in
eastern Visayas on the heels
of Intensity 7 earthquake that
brought the people of Iloilo and
the Panay islands to their knees.
Shocked by the images of
misery, the world responded
quickly led by the cavalry of
warships and aircraft courtesy of
Uncle Sam.
The national government
also mobilized. But the gap
between good intentions and
results immediately became
apparent. While donations keep
pouring, people in Tacloban City
were still complaining about not
having food, water and shelter
ve days after the disaster as
tons of unloaded relief goods
were still being repacked for dis-
tribution. This was all too obvi-
ous for the media to overlook.
Pres. Noynoy Aquino was
on the defensive when inter-
viewed by CNN on the slow
pace of the relief operations.
The President blamed the
inability of the local govern-
ments to carry out the efcient
distribution of relief supplies. I
agonized watching the TV inter-
view at the lame excuse. In the
best of times, local governments
are capable of conducting disas-
ter drills involving evacuating a
few hundred people to take shel-
ter inside a church. In the worst
of times, local governments do
not have enough equipment for
immediate delivery of emer-
gency relief goods to victims of
calamities, many living in areas
not accessible to regular trans-
portation.
In Tacloban City for
instance, how can the national
government expect the local
authorities to serve as rescu-
ers and emergency relief givers
when most of their equipment
were washed away and many of
their personnel are victims them-
selves who need assistance?
Pres. PNoy reportedly
wants an investigation on the
inability of local governments to
adequately respond to the needs
of Yolandas victims. Instead of
pointing blame to deect blame
and instead of quibbling about
accuracy of the body count, a
more honest answer would have
been met with understanding
and more sympathy.
The local and national gov-
ernments are doing their best
but they just do not have what it
takes to mount a warlike emer-
gency offensive involving the
movement of people and mate-
rials in massive scale. It is not
embarrassing to admit that the
Philippines is still a poor coun-
try lacking of resources to effec-
tively and immediately respond
to disasters of Yolandas magni-
tude. Please world, HELP!
There are complaints that
the media should highlight not
just the bogged down relief oper-
ations but also stories of hero-
ism and strong character of the
people.
But of course, yes. CNN
reporter Anderson Cooper
acknowledges the strength and
resilience of the survivors just for
Getting it
right
P
resident Aquino is being
criticized for being slow.
For days, CNNs
Anderson Cooper called out the
government for the lack of an
effective response to the devasta-
tion wrought by super typhoon
Yolanda in Tacloban City. He
described in great detail the suf-
fering of the people and the chal-
lenges of fending for themselves
at their moments of greatest need
and vulnerability.
When Coopers colleague,
Christian Amanpour inter-
viewed President Aquino, he
questioned the accuracy of the
estimated death toll, saying that
he believed it would be closer to
2,000 to 2,500 dead but not the
10,000 various news and disaster
relief organizations were citing.
Local Governments Secre-
tary Manuel Mar Roxas made
it known that he was upset with
Coopers reporting. He rejected
allegations the government
response was too slow. His wife,
broadcaster Korina Sanchez, got
into the fray by publicly cast-
ing doubt on the accuracy of the
American journalists account of
government activity or lack of it
in Tacloban City.
As the killer typhoon bar-
reled into Eastern Visayas on
Nov. 8, the chief forecaster of the
Philippines Weather Bureau was
having a debate with his coun-
terparts from the United States
about just how strong Yolandas
winds were; he insisted the wind
wasnt as strong as the American
experts were reporting.
All these reports are trou-
bling for so many reasons. It
reveals the minds of key govern-
ment ofcials who could have
mitigated the already serious
damage spawned by one of the
most powerful storms to ever hit
land.
Why was President Aquino
preoccupied with minimizing
the death and destruction, at a
time when typhoon survivors
were crying out for food and
water, and help to look for loved
ones swept away by a storm
surge?
Was he fed accurate infor-
mation by his subalterns, princi-
pally Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin and Roxas, his run-
ning mate in the 2010 elections?
Or was that process impaired
because the President reportedly
wanted Roxas to run the show
and burnish his credentials as his
eventual successor in 2016?
Worse, was President
Aquino convinced that Yolanda
would be benign before she
struck, fueled in part by what
he was getting from government
scientists, and therefore believed
it did not merit extraordinary
precaution and preparations?
Meanwhile, the Philippines
marked the 4th anniversary of
the Maguindanao massacre, one
of the worst cases of political vio-
lence in the country. A total of 58
people, including 34 journalists,
were murdered in cold blood on
their way to le the candidacy
of the husband of one of the vic-
tims.
The Committee to Protect
Journalists described it as single
deadliest day for journalists in
the world. It thus elevated the
Philippines to the 2nd most dan-
gerous place for journalists, and
despite this embarrassing indict-
ment and the Aquinos admin-
istrations most vociferous pro-
Opinion
Continued on page 30
Yolandas Lessons
M
uch has been said about
the resilience of the
Filipino people for
bearing the brunt of typhoons,
droughts and oods.
CNN, or someone claiming
to speak for CNN, even went so
far as to say that a poor country
like the Philippines should feel
greatly honored for enduring the
worst storm ever.
But is resilience a badge of
honor, a blessing? Or is it more
a curse that has doomed us to
perpetual surrender even as we
struggle for survival?
In light of the devastation
wrought by Yolanda, it isnt
hard to understand why people
want to know where the sudden
calamities are coming from and if
there are more to come. How did
it get to be this way? How does
one explain super typhoons and
earth-shattering earthquakes,
like the one in Bohol?
Scientists, of course, state
the obvious. Climate change:
Increased air temperature
speeds up the evaporation of
water into vapor. Therefore,
storms like Yolanda become
more powerful, frequent
and intense as the globe gets
warmer.
To environmentalists, the
culprits are industrialized coun-
tries for failing to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions. Inevi-
tably, poor countries like the
Philippines are victims of a dam-
aged climate system thanks to
the carbon demon unleashed by
rich countries of today, burning
coal, gas and oil to propel their
rise from poverty.
At the annual U.N. summit
on climate change held in Warsaw
recently, Filipino diplomat Yeb
Sano put it bluntly: What my
country is going through as a
result of this extreme climate
event is madness. The climate
crisis is madness. Typhoons such
as Yolanda and its impacts rep-
resent a sobering reminder to the
international community that we
cannot afford to procrastinate
on climate action. If not us then
who? If not now, then when? If
not here, then where? Whether
the challenge is heeded or falls
on deaf ears remains to be seen.
In any case, its a wake up
call. Thats how U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon sums up
Yolanda. The super typhoon,
he said, could well be a sign of
whats to come in a warmer
world.
In the meantime, what can
be done to minimize, if not avert,
future tragedies, such as one that
left chaos and destruction in its
wake, a city in ruins, nearly 5,000
dead and millions of people
displaced, desperate and home-
less?
We can x this, Sano said.
We can stop this madness. We
can take drastic action now to
ensure that we prevent a future
where super typhoons are a way
of life. We refuse to accept that
running away from storms, evac-
uating our families, suffering the
devastation and misery, having
to count our dead, become a way
of life.
Julie Viloria agrees. For-
merly a World Bank Interna-
tional Development specialist
and now co-founder, with hus-
band Adrian Atkinson, of Tran-
sition Community Initiative
Philippines, Inc. or Kaya Natin
Magbago Pag Sama-sama,
Viloria believes that there are
practical and effective ways to
empower people to survive not
one but many storms.
First, we have to acknowl-
edge that the extent of the
damage done by Typhoon
Yolanda resulted from the living
conditions of the citizens in the
affected areas, she observes. She
cites a World Bank study from
2012, which states that more
than 4 out of 10 Filipinos live in
storm-prone cities with popu-
lations in excess of 100,000. For
a small archipelago that holds
the distinction of having the
worlds 12th largest population,
those numbers are quite alarm-
ing, but hardly surprising, the
study notes.
Viloria believes that what
happened in Tacloban can be
prevented if communities and
their localities become more self-
reliant in their local economy
and direct their own futures.
This means, she explains, build-
ing resiliency, improving their
income and livelihood so they
can meet their own needs in food,
energy, health, basic services and
housing. It means rebuilding
homes that can withstand strong
winds and surging waters. They
must be constructed in a way
that makes them less vulnerable
to damage. It means undertaking
all of these in a spirit of fun, joy
and support at coming together.
Established in March 2012
and based in Metro Manila, TCI
Continued on page 30
Continued on page 30
November 30, 2013 30 30
surviving for days without food
and water, some sleeping beside
decomposing cadavers waiting
to be buried. There are stories of
neighbors saving neighbors. The
Pinoy ingenuity was exemplied
by a young man who replaced
his lost shing boat with a oat-
ing refrigerator tted with out-
riggers. An idea of a thought-
ful child reportedly led to the
launching of the Fresh Change
program- donate panties because
the victims need a fresh change.
One month after the disas-
ter, many survivors have
nowhere to go. After the last can
of sardines shall have been dis-
tributed, rebuilding livelihood
is a gargantuan challenge for the
people, the volunteers and the
government.
In the meantime, the survi-
vors need a tonic to lift their spir-
its. Enter Manny Pacquiao. Bam,
bam, bam! The Filipino boxing
legend did just that. In twelve
dominating rounds, Pacquiao
dispatched of his opponent,
Brandon Rios, instantly lling
the hearts of the downtrodden
in Samar and Leyte with boil-
ing joy. They were boisterous in
their celebration after watching
the ght on live TV, courtesy of
kind-heartened business estab-
lishments. For a few eeting
moments, they forgot Yolanda.
Even in the midst of misery you
just cant take away the pride
that is called Filipino.
Samar and Leyte will rise
again. Mabuhay, Manny Pac-
quiao!
tests, more than 80 suspects or
about half of the total charged
for the murders remain at large.
One ranking Aquino admin-
istration ofcials retort to the
CPJ ndings is to question the
credentials of some of the 34
scribes killed (some, he pointed
out, worked as journalists only
part-time). The large number of
victims appeared to be merely
coincidental.
Im beginning to suspect the
problem with the Aquino admin-
istration is not that its slow, its
just that it needs to get its priori-
ties straight.
Getting it right... from page 29 Joy in misery... from page 29
Philippines describes itself as a
social enterprise network dedi-
cated to assist transition initia-
tives confronting food, nancial,
climate and energy crises, focus-
ing on social, natural environ-
ment, skills retooling, and peo-
ples development in the context
of sustainability and social jus-
tice.
Local projects in the prov-
inces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija
are currently underway to dem-
onstrate TCIs vision and mis-
sion of transforming local com-
munities as self-reliant, resilient
and less vulnerable to storms.
Putting all of this in context
is writer and teacher Gina Apos-
tol: At times our choices for sur-
vival are clever like the learn-
ing of others tongues, a resilient
ruse in unsteady times. But in
our resilience, we also make our
doom. We rage at politicians
self-serving blame of their inept
governance. But governance is
the point. It is easier, after all,
to blame nature for the thou-
sands of dead rather than on the
choices we make of incompe-
tent leaders trailing a family his-
tory of unpunished plunder, of
our continuing pillage of our for-
ests, of our clinging to Western
allies that spurn our demands
for a forceful response to climate
change.
Yolanda may yet wake us
all up and force us to make the
right choices for a way of life. Its
a matter of survival.
Send your comments to
jdmelegrito@gmail.com
when that was totally uncalled
for? Note that even the presi-
dents regular critics here have
generally been silent. Precisely
because its not the time to point
ngers.
Its easy for lone ranger-
type journalists to rush to a news
scene because its just them and
a small crew thats involved.
Rescue teams and social workers
in great numbers cant simply
materialize in a disaster area and
start saving survivors and feed-
ing thousands of victims. Trans-
port is paralyzed and affected
areas are covered with immov-
able debris. Power and commu-
nication lines are down. Water is
cut off.
Its so easy to criticize when
youre not the ones doing the
rescuing. Thats why foreign
journalists who swoop down
on a scene of disaster are called
parachute journalists. They
come in a haste and they become
instant experts on the place they
had just landed in.
Oftentimes theyre wrong
about what they say. But they
dont let ignorance get in the way
of sounding authoritative. And
arrogant.
Know-it-all parachute... from page 24
Until next time.
Ramon M Llamas, NMLS#:
483757, has been in the lending
business for more than 20 years. He
has helped thousands of homeown-
ers saved money in their mortgage
needs, purchase or refinance. Any
mortgage question or free personal
mortgage analysis, please email him
at homemortgage101@yahoo.com or
call his cellphone at 703.980.3984.
Bankruptcy, Short... from page 25
nots. bumabawi...kasi thumbs
down sya sa mga sinabi nya on
the radio criticizing Anderson
Cooper. Come on Korina San-
chez, nakakahiya ka!
- ako simple lng comment
ko, oo naging mabagal ang
tulong na dumating sa mga
nasalanta pro kng tingnan natin
ang sitwasyon ng bansang pili-
pinas sa ibang bansang mayaya-
man ang layo dba? sa knila kasi
pag may mga trahidya mabilis
pa sa alas 4 ang pagtulong nila
sa kanilang kababayan ksi sa
dami ng kanilang kagamitang
magamit sa panahun ng pangan-
gailangan at kaya naging maba-
gal tayo sa pag tugon ng mga
panga2ilangan ng ating
mga kababayan dahil salat
tayo sa mga kagamitan na dapat
nating gmitin sa panahon ng
dilobyo. hiling ko lang po sa
mga kabayan natin na tumolong
nlang tayo sa abot ng ating
makakaya... salamat po.....GOD
- Stop downgrading our
country! hindi tayo mahirap,
mismanaged lang tayo, few
years back onting Pilipino lang
ang maykakayahang magstar-
bucks, mag grocery, magtour sa
kung saan saang parte ng Pilipi-
nas but then they say na mahi-
rap tayo, ang basis ng pagiging
mahirap eh yung di ka naka-
kakain ng 3 meals a day, think
about it. Unless we change our
attitude and start being proud
of ourselves di magbabago ang
mga lintik na politicians na yan
kasi they would always have
a backup reason na sabihing
mahirap na bansa tayo at we
are giving them reason na wag
nang i audit ang pera ng bansa
natin. Bakit nga ba mabagal ang
Washington Tsismis... from page 28
Yolandas Lessons... from page 29
by natural calamities. This would
allow eligible aliens currently in
the US to remain beyond their
original authorized stay and
receive employment permit. TPS
granted to thousands of Cen-
tral American aliens have been
renewed for many years long
after the effects of devastating
storms have been felt. USCIS has
not made a determination at this
time whether or not to grant TPS
to Philippine nationals.
(For questions call: 703 893
0760)
Immigration relief... from page 24
and Pedro Calungsod.
There is a shortage of priests.
One priest here must serve
20,000 compared to the ideal of
2,000. Talakag is 30 kilometers
plus from Cagayan de Oro. I said
mass there and people dressed
in mourning surrounded me.
Father, will you bless our cem-
etery? For years our dead have
lain in unholy ground. When
they were dying there was no
priest to lift his hand above them
in absolution. In death, there was
no
priest to give them nal
absolution. We buried them like
pagans, without chant, or book
or bell.
And so I went to the ceme-
tery and the dead of years sleep
at last in hallowed ground. And
the people, with tears in their
eyes, pressed gifts into my hands
oranges and coffee and alligator
pears, and strange tropical fruits.
Every priest has a dozen Talak-
ags, different only in setting. But
wherever a priest comes to stay,
attendance at Mass doubles and
triples in a few months.
That was written 50 years
ago by the late Fr James Hag-
gerty, SJ. . It is still true today.
As societies modernize, the
place of religion in society will
become sharply dened and lim-
ited, but religious faith will not
disappear.
What we cannot know
except in retrospect, the sociolo-
gist Niklas Luhmann wrote is
what shape religion will take as
it adapts to new circumstances.
Even without touching core
beliefs, there could be changes in
practice, Pigott adds That d
stem from Franciss style, i.e.
to reduce conict in the Churchs
ideal values and the real lives of
its members.
To a great extent style is
substance when it comes to
applying the rules. In contracep-
tion for example, new thinking
could call for Catholic couples to
be open to life in their sexual
relationship. But itd leave up
to their consciences how exactly
they manage it.
. The Popes survey,
broaches issues that once were
no-no for debate.
This has raised expectations
and, assumptions. Whether jus-
tied or not, ( they ) might be
hard to satisfy.
A few weeks back, Fran-
cis slammed those too focused
on enforcing rules. He spurned
being locked up in small-
minded rules, and an obsession
with the transmission of a dis-
jointed multitude of doctrines.
There is no sign that Pope
Francis plans a major overhaul
of Church doctrine. But it is clear
that he wants a switch in empha-
sis to a message of mercy and
forgiveness, especially towards
those who are suffering.
Pope Francis is not offering
to change teaching on contra-
ception. It is not diluting what
it regards as a gold standard
Like the Churchs understand-
ing of what constitutes a valid
marriage - that is, between a
man and a woman is not open
to reform.
But there is elbow room
change of focus to the kinder
and
non-judgmental approach
Francis repeatedly calls for. The
Pope has shown that he is aware
that even those Catholics who
shun the rules are hurt by the
way the Church deals with them,
in deeds as well as words.
39 Questions... from page25
tulong?
politicians always have the
power to call for aid sa mga sea
ports natin, pwede naman mag
reroute ng ibang roro sa non
affected areas para mas bumi-
lis ang logistics, pwede naman
magsakay ng backhoe, bulldozer
at heavy equipments coming
from the mainland to the affected
areas, pero may nakaisip ba
nyan? till now isang truck lang
ang gamit nilang pang pickup ng
mga bangkay. again all of those
can be handled by good manage-
ment and decision making na
sobrang kulang ang ating Presi-
dent.
- Susko...Korina, you
shouldve thought a thousand
times before saying something,
youre comments bear no weight
at all because you are the wife of
Mar Roxas. Nagsalita ka as his
wifey not as a broadcster.
-Wawa naman si Ate Koring,
mukhang malabong maging rst
lady. Eh simple issue pa lang mas
marami pa ang naiinis sa kanya
kesa natuwa. Mas kinampihan
pa ng mga Pinoy ang dayuhan.
- Korina is Jealous and in
Denial. See now after report of
CNN. She ies to Ormoc to give
relief goods.
November 30, 2013 31
November 30, 2013 32 32