January 16-31, 2014 1

Vol. XXIII, No. 5 Online: www. manilamail.us January 16-31, 2014

WASHINGTON D.C. The
Republican Party will set out a
list of principles that could
nally drive elusive immigration
reforms in the House of Rep-
resentatives when they go on
legislative retreat in Cambridge,
Maryland later this month.
A comprehensive immigra-
tion reform bill, approved earlier
by the Senate, has been stymied
by the lack of support from the
GOP-dominated House of Rep-
resentatives. Although House
Speaker John Boehner has prom-
ised action, there was no appar-
ent urgency among congress-
men.
A report from politico.com
said Boehner told colleagues
after the New Year holidays that
his ofce will be distributing an
outline of the principles, by
the time the GOP holds its legis-
lative retreat, where they usually
Utahs new Fil-Am attorney in
thick of gay marriage debate
WASHINGTON D.C.
Hours after the US Supreme
Court temporarily stopped gay
marriages in Utah, the states
newly appointed attorney gen-
eral appeared on national TV
and offered a new face in what
could be a pivotal chapter in
the nations march towards gay
rights.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert
recently swore in Filipino Amer-
ican lawyer Sean Reyes as the
states new attorney general,
replacing John Swallow who
resigned last November over
alleged ethics violations.
Reyes, 42, is the son of
immigrants with Filipino and
Spanish roots. Married with six
children, he was raised in South-
ern California and received his
law degree from UC Berkeley in
1997.
The umbrella National Fed-
eration of Filipino American
Associations (NaFFAA) hailed
Reyes appointment. He is also
Kicking off 2014 with a laugh
OXON HILL, Maryland.
Filipinos are among the happi-
est people on earth, one survey
revealed, and that can be attrib-
uted to their ability to laugh.
So to start off the new year,
Filipino American community
leaders are featuring amateur
comedians, story tellers, psy-
chiatrists and a variety of local
entertainers from musicians to
magicians in an evening billed
as FNL at the FAC, or Friday
China riles US, PH over new
shing rule in South China Sea
WASHINGTON D.C. The
United States has warned China
that a new rule that took effect
Jan. 1, setting restrictions on sh-
ing boats in the South China Sea
will surely raise tensions in the
region while others say it made
prospects of armed clashes more
real and worrisome.
The US, Philippines and
Vietnam have raised a chorus
of protest over the new access
rules covering more than half of
the 3.5 million square-mile South
China Sea, including a part that
the Philippines claims and calls
the West Philippine Sea.
Under the rules passed by
Chinas southernmost prov-
ince of Hainan, all foreign sh-
ing boats must seek permission
before entering waters claimed
by Beijing.
McAuliffe takes over as Virginia
governor, vows bipartisanship
RICHMOND, Va. Terry
McAuliffe, the former Demo-
cratic National Committee chair-
man, became Virginias 72nd
governor last Jan. 11 promising
bipartisanship in the challeng-
ing task of leading a politically
divided government.
Courting vigorously Repub-
lican support and with moderate
Cabinet picks, he has built of late
an image of caution and bipar-
tisanship. He will need to woo
Republicans if he wants to get
his priorities through the GOP-
dominated House of Delegates
and control of the Senate still
uncertain pending two special
elections.
Continued on page 21
Continued on page 22
Continued on page 21
Continued on page 22
US warns China that new shing rules will raise tensions in region.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe at inauguration rites in Richmond.
The cast of Friday Night Laugh-in that includes Manila Mail columnist Jon
Melegrito (3rd from left).
Utahs Fil-Am Attorney General
Sean Reyes.
Speaker John Boehner
Continued on page 21
January 16-31, 2014 22
January 16-31, 2014 3
2-M illegals deported under Obama but pace slows in 2013
WASHINGTON D.C. The
United States deported 368,644
people last scal year, the small-
est number in President Obamas
ve-year tenure but it still drew
the ire of immigrant rights activ-
ists who accuse the White House
of reneging on its promise to
stop unnecessary deportations.
It was 10 percent lower
than the total number of people
deported in scal year 2012 but it
didnt stop some Filipino-Amer-
ican groups and advocates for
immigrant rights to assail what
they saw as political double-
speak from the Obama adminis-
tration.
The government would
claim that they have achieved its
enforcement goal, and that they
only look for criminals. Thats all
rhetoric, said Emelyn Tapaoan,
a Fil-Am adjunct professor who
teaches race and ethnic studies in
New York and New Jersey uni-
versities.
If youre undocumented,
even with no criminal record,
you have no immunity to depor-
tation. Thats the truth.
More than 2 million undoc-
umented immigrants have been
deported under the Obama
administration, the most under
any US president. ICE ofcials
say 98 percent of them were pri-
ority category offenders who
either have violated immigration
laws repeatedly or have been
convicted of serious crimes and
wanted by authorities.
Immigration rights groups
say as many as 151,834 of those
deported didnt have a criminal
conviction.
The scal year 2013 report
from the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE)
showed 110,115 undocumented
immigrants were arrested and
deported while another 106,695
were turned back from the bor-
ders during the period.
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January 16-31, 2014 44
Alert leads to timely release for Fil-Am kidnap victim
ANTIOCH, California. The
AMBER alert may have led to
freedom for seven-year-old Nat-
alie Calvo hours after she was
forcibly taken from her mother
on the evening of Jan. 3 as they
returned home from a trip to the
grocery.
The girls mother, Gina
Calvo, said she tried to ght
the lone abductor but backed
off when he pulled out a gun.
She reported the incident and
an AMBER alert (Americas
Missing: Broadcast Emergency
Response) was immediately put
out on radio, TV, cable, satellite
and internet stations, emails and
text messages.
Police arrested David Allen
Douglas, 43, who had shad-
owed the girl and her mother
when they were shopping at the
Walmart in East Bay. When they
got home, Douglas, who police
described as Filipino, made his
move.
The abduction happened at
6:45 p.m. and Natalie was found
at about midnight after law
enforcement received a tip from
the AMBER alert. Police were
able to nd Natalie in Douglas
car at a downtown marina.
The seven-year-old was
reunited with her family after
the traumatic experience. She
suffered no injuries from the
incident.
The rst few hours after a
child is kidnapped is the most
critical in rescuing them. The
longer a child is gone after an
abduction, the less their chances
are of survival.
Natalies father Eric told
ABS-CBNs Balitang America
that his daughter is just rest-
ing. Some of Natalies friends
dropped off letters for her.
Im really glad youre
home and youre safe, Brianna,
a friend of Natalie, said.
Natalies abduction has left
the community here worried for
their own safety. Nakakatakot,
kasi yung Walmart na pinang-
galingan nila, namimili din kami
doon eh. Tapos yung fact na
sinundan sila dito, eh, ibig sabi-
hin, kahit kanino, puwedeng
mangyari yon, said Dennis Her-
rera, a neighbor in the Balitang
America report.
Of course Im really con-
cerned because I dont want this
to happen to any other kid. But
Im glad they caught him, Syl-
vester Williams, a neighbor, said.
Fil-Am labor activist to head Asian American council
WASHINGTON D.C. Labor
activist Gregory Cendana has
been elected to head the execu-
tive committee of the National
Council of Asian Pacic Ameri-
cans (NCAPA), a coalition of 31
national organizations.
Cendana is also the execu-
tive director of the Washington-
based Asian Pacic American
Labor Alliance (APALA). He
is the rst Filipino and the rst
openly gay NCAPA chairperson.
The coalitions execu-
tive committee will spearhead
its efforts in achieving greater
policy presence and impact for
Asian-American, Native Hawai-
ian and Pacic Hawaiian com-
munities.
Cendana and the rest of the
executive committee members
will serve two-year terms and
are expected to lead the coalition
in advancing Asian and Pacic
Islander interests in America.
I [am] truly humbled to
be elected as the next NCAPA
chair, Cendana said in an Asian
Journal article.
We, as a council, are in a
unique political moment and
are poised to make some major
advancement for our commu-
nity. With new resources, we
have been building our capacity
over the last couple of years and
are ready to take it to the next
level, he said.
The other newly elected of-
cers include Asian Americans
Advancing Justice Executive
Director Mee Moua (vice chair
of programs), Japanese Ameri-
can Citizens League executive
director Priscilla Ouchida (vice
chair of membership), National
Asian Pacic American Wom-
ens Forum executive director
Miriam Yeung (vice chair of com-
munications and development),
Sikh American Legal Defense
and Education Fund executive
director Jasjit Singh (secretary),
and National Coalition for Asian
Pacic American Community
Development executive director
Lisa Hasegawa (treasurer).
According to Cendana, his
election to chairmanship means
there will be an additional plat-
form to help connect the history,
struggle and experience of the
Filipino community with others
in the AANHPI community.
Aside from the Filipino
agenda, Cendana said he would
also like to advocate for such
critical issues as the comprehen-
sive immigration reform, federal
recognition of Native Hawaiians,
increase in the minimum wage,
and passage of the Employee
Non Discrimination Act.
As the NCAPA is a mem-
bership-based coalition of more
than 30 national organizations,
Cendana encourages Filipinos
to engage in one of the member
groups, like APALA and the
National Federation of Filipino
American Associations. A full
list of these groups can be found
on NCAPAonline.org.
Young Pinay motorist
killed by drunk driver
BAKERSFIELD, Ca.
Family, friends and co-workers
of a 22-year-old Filipina respi-
ratory therapist are mourning
her death after she was killed
in a hit-and-run accident with
another driver who was report-
edly drunk last January 3.
The report on local ABC
News station identied the
victim as Princess Almonido-
var, who worked as a respira-
tory therapist at San Joaquin
Community Hospital.
The report, which quoted
Bakerseld Police, indicated
24-year-old Alex Rubio was
speeding when his vehicle col-
lided with Almonidovars vehi-
cle in the intersection of Ming
Ave. and New Stine Road at 3
a.m.
Almonidovar, who
had right of way, was killed
instantly.
Police said after the acci-
dent, Rubio ran from his vehi-
cle, but was apprehended. He
was later charged with driving
under the inuence of drugs
and alcohol, felony hit and run,
felony vehicular manslaughter,
and resisting arrest.
There is a memorial fund
set up for Princess family at
Kern Schools Federal Credit
Union for Princess Flores
Almonidovar Account #42352.
San Joaquin Commu-
nity Hospital, where she had
been employed for only 18
months, issued this statement:
Although she worked at our
hospital for just a short time,
Princess was loved by her co-
workers and a shining exam-
ple for young people working
toward a career in health care.
She will be missed by everyone
here at San Joaquin Community
Hospital. During this difcult
time, we extend our thoughts
and prayers to Princess family
and friends as they deal with
the full force of this tragedy.
Natalie Calvo
Gregory Cendana
Princess Almonidovar
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. with members of the Vietnamese commu-
nity who turned over almost $20,000 they were able to raise for victims of
Typhoon Yolanda, including $1,000 raised by 10th grader Francis Nguyen
from a paper crane folding fund-raising project. Nguyen along with friends
Chieu Le, Teresa Do, and Kali Gabriel got their families, neighbors, and
friends to fold a thousand paper cranes for Filipino children in typhoon
devastated areas. A dollar was donated for each crane made. (Philippine
Embassy Photo by Majalya Fernando)
January 16-31, 2014 5
PH seeks duty-free access to US for goods from typhoon-hit regions
WASHINGTON, D.C. If it
really wants to help the Phil-
ippines rise from the devasta-
tion of super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan), the countrys chief
envoy here said the United States
can grant preferential trade con-
cessions that can spur economic
activity in affected communities.
Similar to what the United
States did following the Haiti
earthquake, the Philippines is
looking at possible trade prefer-
ence for products from Haiyan-
affected areas, Cuisia said at a
talk before the Center for Stra-
tegic and International Studies
(CSIS) on Jan. 8.
He said the Philippines is
looking at arrangements that
will allow duty-free access for a
limited period of time for a lim-
ited number of products coming
from the affected areas, mostly in
the Central Visayas.
In his presentation, Cuisia
again expressed his appreciation
to the US government and the
American people for the gener-
ous assistance extended to the
Philippines in the aftermath of
Typhoon Haiyan.
The typhoon, one of stron-
gest in recorded history, killed
6,183 people dead, affected 2.6
million families and displaced
930,000 others. Another 28,626
people were injured and 1,785
people remain missing.
He said, the total US assis-
tance package from the US gov-
ernment alone is estimated at
around $85 million and covered
food aid, shelter materials, clean
water, and hygiene education
and supplies for affected families
as well as protection for vulner-
able populations.
This amount includes the
$25 million in additional aid
announced by Secretary of State
John Kerry during his visit to
Tacloban in December. The US
Chamber of Commerce Typhoon
Haiyan Corporate Aid Tracker
has also reported over $51.8 mil-
lion-worth of business pledges to
support recovery efforts.
There is much work to be
done, and in the spirit of the alli-
ance and partnership we have
shared, we continue to count
on your invaluable assistance,
Ambassador Cuisia said, adding
that at least $8.2 billion is needed
for the Reconstruction Assis-
tance on Yolanda Plan that the
Philippine government unveiled
last month.
He said priority needs
include shelter, food, debris
removal, water systems and
access to sanitation facilities.
Other priorities include liveli-
hood, public health services,
education and national protec-
tion capacity.
The forum entitled US
Response to Typhoon Haiyan
in the Philippines was hosted
by CSIS and Abbott, and moder-
ated by Murray Hiebert, Deputy
Director and Senior Fellow and
Ernest Bower, Senior Adviser at
the Sumitro Chair for Southeast
Asian Studies of CSIS.
January 16-31, 2014 66
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CDC: Get u shots as virus begins spread
WASHINGTON D.C. The
Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) has noted an upsurge
in u cases in at least 25 states,
including Virginia and are call-
ing on the public to get their u
shots early.
Hospitals in the Common-
wealth, especially in the Hamp-
ton Roads and Shenandoah
Valley regions, have reportedly
started taking precautions like
asking infected people to wear
masks to help slow the spread of
the virus. The u season usually
peaks in January or February.
Widespread activity was
reported in Alabama, Alaska,
Arkansas, Colorado, Connecti-
cut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indi-
ana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massa-
chusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska,
Nevada, New York, North Caro-
lina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn-
sylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia,
Washington state and Wyoming.
Widespread means that
more than 50% of geographic
regions in a state (e.g. coun-
ties) are reporting u activity. It
addresses the spread of the u,
not its severity.
The u incidence this time
last year, that was considered
relatively severe, led to the death
of 171 children and hospitaliza-
tion of 381,000 people across the
country.
Flu vaccines are recom-
mended for everyone 6 months
and older, especially pregnant
women and those at high risk
of complications, including the
elderly, children younger than
5 years and those with underly-
ing medical conditions such as
asthma or diabetes.
The Virginia Department of
Health said the most common
cases involve the H1 N1 virus,
the strain blamed for the 2009
u pandemic but has since been
established in humans. Its
become so common, its included
in this years vaccinations,
according to the CDC (each u
shot covers three strains of the
u including the H1N1).
Maryland health ofcials
reported more than 830 people
have been hospitalized with u-
like symptoms in the last week of
December.
The u virus can survive for
a while outside the body so it may
be lurking on surfaces, which is
why health experts recommend
frequent hand washing, sanitizer
use and avoid touching your face
with your hands.
Affordable housing named after forgotten Fil-Am hero
LOS ANGELES. A spanking
new low-cost community along
Glendale Boulevard in Historic
Filipino Town is being lauded for
recognizing a forgotten hero of
the American labor movement.
The Larry Itliong Village,
inaugurated last Dec. 13, is the
brainchild of two prominent
Asian American community
organizations, the Pilipino Work-
ers Center (PWC) and the Little
Tokyo Service Center (LTSC)
Community Development Cor-
poration. The LTSC Commu-
nity Development Corporation
serves as the lead developer and
managing general partner for the
Village.
Named after the Filipino
American labor movement pio-
neer, the development includes
44 affordable housing units
reserved for low-income fami-
lies, homeless individuals, and
transitional-age youth dened
as those between the ages of 16
and 24 and leaving foster care or
state custody. The village also
provides community spaces and
social service programs includ-
ing healthcare assistance, immi-
gration case management, and
employment workshops.
Itliong, along with other
Filipino laborers started the 1965
Delano Grape Strike, a protest
joined by Mexican farmworkers
led by activist Cesar Chavez who
had earlier formed the National
Farm Workers Association
(NFWA). This group merged
with Itliongs Agricultural
Workers Organizing Committee
to form the United Farm Work-
ers of America (UFW).
Filipino historians feel that
Itliong was overshadowed by
Chavez and didnt get the recog-
nition he deserved. In popular
culture, its seen as a Chicano
movement, not as the multieth-
nic alliance that it actually was,
said Dawn Bohulano Mabalon,
an associate professor of history
at San Francisco State University.
In Delano, which is two-
thirds ethnic Filipino, there are
no schools or parks or streets
named after Itliong, just the
Larry Itliong Day in Los Ange-
les county every Oct. 25.
Consul General Hellen Bar-
ber-De La Vega, who was guest
in last months ceremonies, said
that the opening of the housing
project is a milestone because
two communities came together
to address a sensitive issue
among all Asian American com-
munities affordable housing.
With this kind of partner-
ship, we demonstrate that we do
care for the other communities,
De La Vega said.
Authorities urge public to get u
shots as incidence spreads.
Larry Itliong Village faade.
January 16-31, 2014 7
January 16-31, 2014 88
Rebong is new PH Permanent Representative to UN Geneva
Ambassador Cecilia B.
Rebong has formally assumed
her post as the Philippines new
Permanent Representative to the
United Nations in Geneva, after
presenting her credentials to
Michael Mller, the acting direc-
tor-general of the United Nations
in Switzerland last Dec. 19.
She conveyed to the direc-
tor general the good wishes of
President Benigno S. Aquino III
and Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Albert F. del Rosario.
Rebong was the countrys
consul general in New York
City from 2004 to 2010. She
then served as chief coordina-
tor for the Ofce of the Secretary
of Foreign Affairs in Manila.
She served twice at the Philip-
pine Permanent Mission to the
United Nations in New York
and was for a time, First Secre-
tary and Consul at the Philippine
Embassy in Washington DC.
The United Nations Ofce
at Geneva (UNOG) hosts spe-
cial agencies and ofces
of several programs and
funds, including the High
Commissioner for Human
Rights, World Health
Organization, the World Intel-
lectual Property Organization
and others.
During the call, Rebong
expressed the Filipino nations
deep appreciation for help
extended by the United Nations
system to victims of Typhoon
Haiyan (Yolanda), as well as
the commitment of the United
Nations to assist in the Philip-
pine governments rehabilitation
and reconstruction plan.
Rebong assured Mller that
the Philippine Mission will con-
tinue to have meaningful partici-
pation in the work of the United
Nations Ofce in Geneva in the
eld of disarmament, human
rights, climate change, disaster
risk reduction and humanitar-
ian assistance, trade policies, and
migration and development.
United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ambassador Cecilia B.
Rebong
January 16-31, 2014 9
January 16-31, 2014 10 10
PH population to hit 100-M, govt seeks help to tame boom
MANILA. The 100-millionth
Filipino is expected to be born
sometime in 2014 and top Philip-
pine ofcials are looking for for-
eign donors who can help them
cool down the countrys over-
heated population growth rate.
The approaching milestone
has re-ignited the debate over
articial contraception, opposed
intensely by the nations domi-
nant Roman Catholic Church but
something President Aquino is
pushing via the stalled Respon-
sible Parenthood and Reproduc-
tive Health Act (better known
perhaps as the controversial RH
law).
Signed into law in 2012,
implementation was blocked
last year by a Supreme Court
restraining order, after accepting
the petition of several Catholic-
afliated groups and individuals
who questioned its constitution-
ality.
But Health Undersecretary
Janet Garin said the country
needs foreign help to manage
the countrys rapid population
growth, blaming the reduction
in the Department of Health
(DOH)s budget for the purchase
of contraceptives.
Garin said Congress voted
to cut about P304 million ($74
million) intended for contracep-
tives from the proposed P2.265-
trillion ($552 billion) budget for
2014.
She said the budget is sup-
posed to be used to implement
the RH Law. Garin admitted
that the budget cut will have
an impact on the DOHs repro-
ductive health programs which
include family planning, oral
care and maternal and child
health care.
The Philippines population
is growing by over 1.8 percent
yearly, and was the 12th most
populated country in the world
in 2013.
Somehow, there will be
a problem but I think donors
see our political will. We keep
our ngers crossed that they
will cover the gap, Garin said,
adding that at present they rely
on donations from the United
Nations Population Fund. The
US Agency for International
Development (USAID) stopped
donating contraceptives to the
Philippines in 2004.
To prepare for a 100-million
population, Commission on Pop-
ulation executive director Juan
Antonio Perez III has under-
scored the need to buy contra-
ceptives as soon as possible. He
explained that contraceptive use
must reach 65 to 70 percent, from
the current 49 percent, to cope
with the increase in population.
Very often these steriliza-
tion services are only available
at the provincial level. We have
to make sure that it is available
even at the district level, even
down to the barangay level, he
said.
Perez said there should also
be an intensied information
campaign on all types of repro-
ductive health methods to assist
couples who want to manage the
size of their families.
That (growing population)
is both a challenge and an oppor-
tunity because people are the
most important component of
any society. That is our view of
the situation, Presidential Com-
munications Operations Ofce
Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr
said.
US-based clowns bring laughter to Yolanda victims
MANILA. Live up to their
motto that no child should be
without laughter, a traveling
troupe of clowns from Virginia-
based Clowns Without Borders
(CWB) spent their Christmas in
Tacloban, spreading cheer to a
place thats witnessed too much
death and destruction just weeks
before.
The sounds of their laugh-
ter radiated through the struc-
ture bringing even more of the
locals to witness our show. It
was very hot and muggy inside
of the tent but the joy and laugh-
ter fueled our spirits to continue
performing our hour long show
even in the harsh conditions,
the grpup posted in their blog.
The clowns made several
stops in Eastern Samar towns
before heading for Tacloban
City for a week last December,
and they even performed while
soaked in rain.
In a disaster like this, it is
normal for children to be dis-
tressed. Some children have
nightmares or trouble sleeping.
Simple strategies can be used
to comfort and calm children,
such as telling stories and play-
ing simple games, said Dr. Lotte
Claessens of the childrens devel-
opment organization Plan Inter-
national.
In their blog, members of
CWB said they were moved by
how grateful their audiences
were before and after the shows.
When we arrived, the kids were
already swarming the van trying
to get a peek at what was inside,
they wrote.
The children had a mob-
like feel after the show wanting
high ves and photos with the
whole crew, they recounted.
They noted how the Filipino
children displayed spirit and
resiliency during the Christmas
season despite the communitys
huge loss.
The CWB was established
in Barcelona, Spain in 1993 after
professional clown Tortell Pol-
trona was invited to perform in
a refugee camp in Croatia and
realized the need for entertain-
ment in crisis situations espe-
cially for young victims.
There are now CWB orga-
nizations in Spain, France,
Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Ire-
land, South Africa, Canada and
the United States. All clowns and
performers are volunteers. They
will continue to perform in vari-
ous calamity-stricken areas of
the Philippines until February.
Oil eld discovered off Cebu,
Aussie rm sets more tests
CEBU. A potentially
commercial-grade oil eld has
been discovered by an Austra-
lian exploration rm near this
major Visayan island and could
help reduce the countrys reli-
ance on imported crude, the
Department of Energy (DOE)
announced last Jan. 9 in Manila.
The DOE has allowed
Australian rm Gas2Grid to
conduct additional tests on the
Malolos-1 oil well to see if oil or
gas can be pumped to the sur-
face on a commercial scale.
When approved by the
DOE it will provide an addi-
tional minimum period of 12
months to ow test the well and
establish commercial produc-
tion. Following the completion
of that work and with the DOEs
approval of commercial status,
the Malolos oileld will enter
a 25 year production phase,
explained Gas2Grid managing
director Dennis Morton.
He said the latest oil nd
is much larger Malolos oileld
than initially assessed. The
Australian rms service con-
tract covers 750 square kilome-
ters offshore in central Cebu.
They said the oil eld has
the potential to produce 100 to
200 barrels of crude oil a day,
and could be holding as much
as 12 million barrels.
We are condent that fur-
ther testing of Malolos-1 will
result in commercial oil pro-
duction from a much larger
Malolos oileld than currently
assessed, Gas2Grid said.
Another advantage of the
onshore Malolos oileld is its
proximity to land which makes
transporting its products and
establishing a pipeline highly
feasible and commercially
viable. Most of the oilelds in
the country are located far off-
shore and required relatively
bigger investments in terms of
infrastructure.
Little is known about the
oil eld but a July 18, 2013 ser-
vice contract for Malolos 1 indi-
cates its about eight kilometers
by road from the Cebus west-
ern coast.
Cebu is a major tourism
and transport hub in the coun-
try. The Philippines imported
nearly 65 million barrels of
crude oil in 2012, mostly from
Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates. Local produc-
tion, mainly from offshore Pala-
wan oil elds, comprised only
0.2 percent of total consump-
tion.
Oil was discovered in coastal waters between Cebu and Negros islands.
Clown entertains children in Tacloban City.
January 16-31, 2014 11
Black Nazarene draws
over 9-M devotees
MANILA. Nearly 1,700 devotees
of the Black Nazarene needed medical
attention, at least one serious enough for
doctors to amputate a mans toe after it
was crushed by the rope-drawn carriage,
during the huge 18-hour, 6-kilometer pro-
cession last Jan. 9.
The yearly ritual, which usually
ushers in the string of Roman Catholic
festivals culminating on Easter Sunday,
draws tens of thousands of devotees to
the Quiapo Church and its surrounding
neighborhoods every January.
Millions of barefoot devotees have
joined the Black Nazarene procession,
easily one of the worlds biggest Catho-
lic parades, honoring an ancient statue of
Jesus Christ they believe has miraculous
powers. Many of them believe that by join-
ing the procession, their prayers would be
answered.
Chanting Viva, Viva Senor Naza-
reno! (Long Live Mister Nazarene), fren-
zied pilgrims climbed over one another
in the suffocating heat to touch the Black
Nazarene during the ebony-hued wooden
statues slow procession.
This has been a family tradition
for years, and the Nazarene has given us
many blessings over the years, housewife
Josephine Manalastas was quoted in an
Agence France Presse report after she and
her 80-year-old mother were pulled out by
medics from beneath the surging crowd.
Health Assistant Secretary Dr. Eric
Tayag said they treated 1,686 patients
by the end of the procession that snaked
through from the church to Rizal Parks
Quirino Grandstand in the already con-
gested Manila port district as well its
narrow but busy arterial roads and back to
images home in Quiapo.
Most of the injuries were related to
abrasions or wounds, dizziness, and faint-
ing, Tayag revealed.
Twelve people were brought to hospi-
tals for either stroke, fracture, chest pain,
seizure, high-blood pressure, dislocation,
sprain, or dehydration, he added.
The Philippine National Red Cross
said it treated about 700; four of them had
to be rushed to the nearest hospital. A TV
Patrol report said one devotees toe had to
be amputated after it was crushed by the
carriage transporting the Black Nazarene.
Organizers said this years crowd out-
numbered the estimated nine million who
attended last year, although the number
could not be independently veried.
Filipinos show devotion to Black Nazarene.
January 16-31, 2014 12 12
First Fil-Am lesbian
couple to get ance visa
weds in California
MANILA. Maria Cecilia
Limson Gahuman became the
rst Filipino woman to receive
a same-sex anc visa from
the United States to marry her
long-time American partner
Carla Antonio in Santa Clara,
California last Dec. 30.
Last years US Supreme
Courts decision striking down
a portion of the Defense of Mar-
riage Act (DOMA) has opened
the oodgates for gay and les-
bian Filipinos with American
partners to apply for the neces-
sary visas to marry and live in
the US.
Gahuman and Antonio have
been together for the past 10
years.
However, the US Embassy
in Manila said the rst gay
couple in the Philippines to
receive a anc visa was Noel
Aeinghel Amaro and Robert
Cotterman last Dec.2. Cotterman
serves in the US military and is
scheduled to return from a tour
in Afghanistan in January 2014
after which the couple will be
married this month in the US.
Although same-sex mar-
riage is not yet recognised in the
Philippines, gay Americans are
now able to petition for family-
based visas on behalf of their Fil-
ipino spouses, ancs, and their
children.
Another same sex couple
marching down the aisle is
Fil-Am Jay Mercado of Pacica,
California and Filipina Shir-
ley Tan, who was the subject of
deportation proceedings that
prompted intervention from
California Rep. Jackie Speier and
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who intro-
duced a private bill to stop it.
They have testied in the
Senate on several occasions to
bat for same sex marriage rights
as well as the need to reform the
nations broken immigration
system. They have twin sons.
Mercado proposed to Tan
last July, on their 27th anni-
versary and shortly after the
Supreme Court decision. They
planned to marry on their
next coming anniversary but
are trying to move it up to this
month. Theyve asked both
Feinstein and Speier to ofciate
their wedding.
Fil-Am prosecutors murder remains
unsolved a decade later
BALTIMORE. Justice
continues to prove elusive for
a young, promising Filipino
American prosecutor found
murdered, his throat slit, near
a Pennsylvania stream over 10
years ago.
Assistant US Attorney
Jonathan Luna, was stabbed 36
times, mostly in the back, with
a pen knife and left for dead in
a stream in Pennsylvanias Brec-
knock Township, where he actu-
ally drowned to death in shallow
water on Dec. 4, 2003.
The son of a Filipino father
and African-American mother,
he rose from the projects of the
South Bronx to attend Fordham
University and later got his law
degree at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Luna became an assistant
US attorney in Baltimore in 1999.
He was married to an obstetri-
cian and had two children.
His death and the hunt for
his killers have already spawned
one book (The Midnight Ride
of Jonathan Luna by Bill Keis-
ling). But the murder is nowhere
near solution, and his assailant/s
remains at large.
At the time, he was pros-
ecuting two Baltimore men,
Deon Lionel Smith and Walter
Pointdexter, for drug trafcking.
His star witness, Warren Grace,
a convicted heroin dealer who
moonlighted as an FBI informer,
broke the conditions of the con-
dential informant program but
Luna was caught concealing this
fact to the court.
On the evening of Dec. 3,
Luna was working on a plea deal
he offered to the suspects earlier
that day and left at 11:38 PM,
leaving his cellphone and glasses
on his ofce desk. There began
the mysterious midnight ride
that took him to Delaware then
to New Jersey then to Pennsyl-
vania where his body was found
half submerged in the stream.
The probe into Lunas death
raised a lot of questions, accord-
ing to Keisling. The Lancaster
coroner ruled it a homicide but
the autopsy report was never
led and has reportedly been re-
classied as a suicide.
Police combed the area
where Lunas body was found
looking for a murder weapon
but it reportedly took them 6
weeks to determine Lunas own
pen knife was the weapon that
killed him.
Keisling wrote in his book
that it might have been a mob
hit and reported that a grand
jury was convened in 2009 to
look into Lunas death but never
issued any report.
The mystery deepens with
the passing of time. The FBI con-
tinues to offer a $100,000 reward
for information on the case and
the Pennsylvania State Police
said the case remains open and
under active investigation.
Anyone with information
on the case is urged to call local
authorities or Pennsylvania
Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4-PA-
TIPS.
Ca. solon bats for law vs job-baiting sex trafckers of foreigners
WASHINGTON D.C. Cali-
fornia Rep. Ed Royce, chairman
of the House of Representatives
Foreign Affairs Committee, is
pushing for the passage of a
bill that would require overseas
recruiters sending workers to the
United States, including those in
the Philippines, to register with
the Department of Labor to make
it tougher to lure unsuspecting
foreign workers.
January 11 was designated
as Human Trafcking Aware-
ness Day. The start of this new
year is a tting time to focus on
the shameful fact that human
slavery is not a relic of ancient
history, he said in a congres-
sional speech last week, adding
that more than 20 million people,
mostly women and girls, have
fallen prey to human trafckers.
It is a scourge even in the
communities that we serve and
represent he stressed.
January is also designated
as National Slavery and Human
Trafcking Prevention Month.
In my own community in
the last two years, the Orange
County Human Trafcking Task
Force has assisted more than 250
victims. Ninety-three percent
were women, and more than 80
of those women were from for-
eign countries, Royce revealed.
In a committee hearing con-
ducted in his district, Filipina
trafcking victim Angela Guan-
zon testied how she fell into
forced labor in Long Beach, Cali-
fornia.
He urged other lawmak-
ers to co-sponsor H.R. 3344, the
Fraudulent Overseas Recruit-
ment and Trafcking Elimina-
tion (FORTE) Act, to combat one
critical form of recurring abuse:
recruiters who bait foreigners
to travel to the US with prom-
ises of good jobs, but trap them
in sexual exploitation or forced
labor once they arrive.
The proposed law would
require that prospective for-
eign workers be given accurate
information about the terms of
employment, and anti-trafck-
ing protections under US law;
prohibit recruitment fees or
hidden charges used as coercive
leverage over workers; require
foreign labor recruiters to regis-
ter and remain in good standing
with the Department of Labor;
and provide new incentives
and enforcement mechanisms
to ensure that recruiters and
employers follow these disclo-
sure and registration require-
ments.
Rep. Edward Royce
Assistant US Attorney Jonathan
Luna
Newly wed couple Carla Antonio and Ma. Cecilia Gahuman in Sta. Clara,
Ca.
PH Army to acquire armored vehicles from US
MANILA. The Philip-
pines will acquire over a dozen
armored personnel carriers
(APCs) from the United States to
beef up the Armys re support
capability.
Army spokesperson Capt.
Anthony Bacus said they expect
to receive 14 M113 armored vehi-
cles from the US by 2015. They
will be installed with 76-mm tur-
rets among others from decom-
missioned Scorpion combat
vehicle reconnaissance (tracked)
units.
It will be tted with modern
re control and thermal imaging
equipment. Once it is completed,
the 76mm cannon armed M113s
will be quite lethal, Bacus
explained.
The Army is currently oper-
ating over 100 M113 units, and
the would-be acquisitions are
manufactured by BAE Systems
Land and Armaments.
In the US Army the M113
series have been replaced as
front-line combat vehicles by the
M2 and M3 Bradley.
The Department of National
Defense had said that more than
P85 billion is needed for the
modernization of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines from
2014 to 2018.
January 16-31, 2014 13
Lawyers press US Navy on Tubbataha reef damages
MANILA. A militant law-
yers group has criticized the
lack of progress in their petition
before the Philippine Supreme
Court to compel the United
States Navy to pay additional
nes after one its warships ran
aground on the Tubbataha Reef
last year.
Edre Olalia, secretary gen-
eral of the National Union of
Peoples Lawyers (NUPL), lam-
basted the P58.3 million ($1.4
million) ne assessed by the
Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR)
for the Jan. 17, 2013 grounding
of the USS Guardian at Tubba-
taha marine sanctuary, a United
Nations-designated World Heri-
tage Site.
Were opposed to the
paltry ne assessment made by
the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources. Those
responsible for the destruction of
the reef must be held liable. The
United States should pay more,
Olalia was quoted by the Philip-
pine Daily Inquirer.
The NUPL and other
groups led last April a writ of
kalikasan before the Supreme
Court that demanded an amount
10 times more than what the
DENR sought from the US Navy.
They compared the Tubba-
taha incident to the grounding of
the USS Port Royal on a coral reef
off Oahu, Hawaii in 2009, which
cost the US Navy $8.5 million in
damages in addition to $6.5 mil-
lion for repairing the reef.
That case has been idled by
the lack of a response from the
US government.
The petition also sought a
temporary environment protec-
tion order (TEPO) that would bar
US warships from sailing in Phil-
ippine waters or make port calls
without clear guidelines and
possible penalties for violating
the countrys environment laws.
When theres a case in the
United States involving the Phil-
ippine government, Filipino dip-
lomats are trembling over there
and our government would
quickly comply. But here, their
counterparts are ignoring our
courts, Olalia complained.
The USS Guardian, an
Avenger-class minesweeper,
was sailing from Subic port in
Zambales to Indonesia when it
struck the reefs. The US Navy
mounted a large removal opera-
tion, cutting the 26-year-old war-
ship in three sections and lift-
ing them off by crane to avoid
further damaging the protected
marine sanctuary. It took them
three months to fully extricate
the stricken ship.
A subsequent investigation
blamed the incident to faulty US
maps. Charts produced by the
National Geospatial Intelligence
Agency were reportedly inaccu-
rate by as much as eight nautical
miles.
Lovelorn Oregon man nabbed for hostage taking
MANILA. Police took
into custody a lovelorn retired
US Navy sailor after he held a
woman hostage for three hours
at a Quezon City apartment resi-
dence on Jan. 12.
Police nabbed Robert Sta-
saitis, 57, a retired member of the
US Navy who hails from Oregon.
Quezon City Police District
(QCPD) Kamuning station chief
Supt. Limuel Obon was able to
convince Stasaitis to let go of
hostage Alma Cordero, a recep-
tionist at the Paradise Apartelle
by pointing out to him that he
was much better off than most
people, including those suffering
in the Visayas from the devasta-
tion of super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan).
I told him that he should
not think of himself as hopeless. I
reminded him about the victims
of Supertyphoon Yolanda. He
is still healthy after all, Obon
said, adding that he was also
able to convince the American
that it was silly of him to resort
to extreme measures because of
love.
Stasaitis initially threatened
to kill himself because his ex-
girlfriend dumped his last month
and no longer wanted to speak to
him. He later on decided to take
hostage the cashier of the apar-
telle, saying he would release her
only if his girlfriend showed up.
Operatives of the Kamuning
police station, the QCPD Special
Weapons and Tactics unit and
operatives of the Special Reac-
tion Unit were immediately dis-
patched to the site with Obon as
the negotiator.
I told him being dumped
by his girlfriend was not the end
of the world, Obon said.
His ex-girlfriends brother
said Stasaitis had been in and out
of the country for two years and
that he had previously stayed
in a condominium in Sta. Mesa,
Manila.
My sister left him on Dec.
14 because he has been drinking
a lot. She advised him to change
his ways if he wanted her to go
back to him. She never cheated
him of his money, he said.
Obon said that Stasaitis may
be charged with alarm and scan-
dal and frustrated homicide, and
the apartelle could sue him for
damages because its operations
were disrupted due to the inci-
dent.
Chopped-up segment of the USS Guardian is hoisted to waiting tender after
the US warship ran aground at Tubbataha Reef.
Fil-Am fugitive nabbed in Taiwan
MANILA. A Filipino Amer-
ican wanted for a murder case
in Hawaii was intercepted in
Taipei last Jan. 10 while enroute
to Manila.
Suspect Giovanni Corpuz
was arrested at Taiwan Taoyuan
International Airport by the
Criminal Investigation Bureau
(CIB), marking the rst success-
ful operation by US and Tai-
wanese authorities since the Pre-
venting and Combating Serious
Crime agreement was signed on
Dec. 20, 2011.
Corpuz is accused of shoot-
ing 88-year-old Amby Cruz at
a New Years party last Dec. 31
and later bought a ticket to the
Philippines via Taiwan.
The CIB said it was tipped
off to Corpuzs arrival by the US
Federal Bureau of Investigation,
which informed Taiwan that
Corpuz would arrive at Taoyuan
Interantional on Friday morning
before transferring to a Manila-
bound ight in the afternoon.
The bureau located and
apprehended the suspect at the
counter for Philippine Airlines.
He was then transferred to the
National Immigration Agency
for holding and expatriation.
Former US Navy man Robert Stasaitis is led out by Quezon City cops.
January 16-31, 2014 14 14
Cordillera leaders laud Igorots role in landmark UN Declaration
BAGUIO CITY. Ofcials
here paid homage to one of their
own, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
who, as presiding ofcer of a
key United Nations agency in
New York, succeeded in putting
in place programs promoting
indigenous people rights across
the world.
Tauli-Corpuz, 60, was chair-
person of the 16-member UN
Permanent Forum on Indige-
nous Issues from 2005 up to 2010
and she nursed the adoption by
the UN General Assembly of
the Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples in 2007.
The UN declaration has
beneted tens of millions of
indigenous peoples all over the
world, said Wendell Bolinget,
Secretary-General of the Cordil-
lera Peoples Alliance (CPA).
Baguio City Mayor Mauri-
cio Domogan, who is a member
of the Bago tribe and an advocate
for indigenous peoples rights,
proudly declared that it took an
Igorot woman to chair the forum
and pass the declaration that is
being implemented by govern-
ments worldwide.
The sprightly Igorot lady
from Besao, Mountain Province
was a top graduate of the elite
Philippine Science High School.
She gave up an anthropology
course at the University of the
Philippines to take up nursing so
she can serve her people, and she
has been ghting for a cause all
her life.
The UN Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues was orga-
nized in 2002 under the UN
Economic and Social Council. It
focused on protection of human
rights and welfare of indigenous
peoples all over the world.
Indigenous peoples in
every corner of the globe deserve
utmost respect. They have estab-
lished their own form of gover-
nance, customs and traditions
that they have passed on to the
present generation, Domogan
said.
The declaration was used by
the Supreme Court to decide on
the constitutionality of Repub-
lic Act 8371, or the Indigenous
People Rights Act, which upheld
the rights of indigenous peoples
over their land, natural resources
and territory.
In Cambodia, the govern-
ment passed a law respecting the
rights of indigenous people to
their land and resources, while
in Bolivia the government made
the UN Declaration a national
law.
The Philippines has 115
indigenous cultural communi-
ties spread out in the different
parts of the archipelago. They
face the risk of losing their heri-
tage from land-grabbers and
intrusion by mining companies
in their territories.
Two Pinoys shine by returning millions to moneys owners
MANILA. The year started
auspiciously enough with Filipi-
nos showing off their best side:
from Las Vegas to Doha, they
have been praised for their hon-
esty.
Filipino-American taxi
driver Gerardo Gamboa found a
paper bag full of cash last month
but promptly turned it over to
his employer to prove that Las
Vegas may be a Sin City but is
actually an Angel City.
A native of Mabalacat, Pam-
panga and current Nevada resi-
dent, handed the $300,000 (P12.6
million) to the Yellow Checker
Star cab company, reports said.
Two weeks later, right after
New Years Day, it was Jayson
Castillos turn to shine after he
returned a bag with 250,000
Qatari riyals or about P3 million
inadvertently left behind in a
Doha gym.
Castillo is a receptionist in
the gym. I was nervous. How
should I return the money? he
said, adding he never took inter-
est in the money, partly out of
fear.
The owner of the black
pouch could not thank Castillo
enough for returning his bag. He
said the money inside the pouch
was for the salary of his employ-
ees.
Gamboa has been feted
by his employer, the Yellow,
Checker and Star (YCS) Taxi
Group of Companies. The rms
CEO Bill Shrinko said all of
their drivers undergo an almost
weekly seminar about honesty.
Gamboa, whos been driv-
ing a taxi for the past 13 years,
said he only wanted to prove Fili-
pinos are hardworking, industri-
ous and honest no matter where
they are.
For his honesty, YCS named
him Driver of the Year. He was
also given a $1,000 reward and
a free dinner in a high-end Las
Vegas hotel.
He was given a $5 tip by the
passenger he picked at the Cos-
mopolitan Hotel who left behind
in the taxi a paper bag full of
money. He only discovered it
when he was picking up his next
fare at the Bellagio Hotel where
the doorman, who hailed Gam-
boas taxi, told him, There is a
bag in (your taxi) full of choco-
late.
It turned out the bag con-
tained contain bundles of $100
bills totaling $300,000. The grate-
ful passenger, said to be a Las
Vegas high-roller, obviously
felt the $5 tip he gave Gamboa
wouldnt do so he reportedly
promised him a substantial
reward according to the local
CBS TV afliate who managed to
contact the owner of the money.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
Las Vegas cab driver Gerardo Gamboa.
Doha (Qatar) gym employee Jayson
Castillo.
January 16-31, 2014 15
If you would like to include
your organizations forthcoming
event, please send the information
to mpapoose@aol.com. If you no
longer want to receive this calendar,
please let us know.
Up to Jan 23, 2014 (Mon-
day-Thursday) 9am - 10pm,
(Friday) 9 am - 6:30 pm. Durant
Art Center 27th Anniversary
Art Exhibition Young at Art.
Includes Filipino artist Nilo San-
tiago. Durant Art Center ,1605
Cameron St, Alexandria , VA.
Jan 12, 2014 (Sun)
10:00am. Holy Mass in Honor
of the Infant Jesus .Crypt church
of the Basilica of the National
Shrine of the Immaculate Con-
ception, 400 Michigan Avenue,
NE, Washington DC. The main
celebrant and homilist is the
Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop
Carlo Maria Vigano.
Jan 15, 2014 (Wed) 7:00
pm Typhoon Haiyan Sup-
port Night!: Washington Wiz-
ards vs. Miami Heat Basketball
Game. NBA game between
the Washington Wizards and
the Miami Heat and help raise
money to support the victims of
the recent Typhoon Haiyandisas-
ter in the Philippines. $5.00 from
each upper level ticket and $10.00
from each lower/club level ticket
will be donated to the relief
efforts in the Philippines. Veri-
zon Center, 601 F Street NW,
Washington, DC 20004. Order
tickets online at: www.msesales.
com/wiz/haiyanrelief. Promo
Code: haiyan
Jan 17 (Friday, 7:00pm-
12am) Friday Night Laugh-
in @ the FAC, an evening of
comedy and musical entertain-
ment hosted by the FNL cast and
the Tutubi Band. Special guest:
Dr. Marilou Tablang-Jimenez
on how to release those feel-
good endorphins for a happy,
productive and a mentally and
physically healthy 2014. Also
featuring: Open Mike, Rafes &
Prizes, Zhumba & Line Dancing
and other surprises. Suggested
donation of $10 and up covers
dinner and refreshments (part
of net proceeds will be donated
to the Typhoon Haiyan Relief
Fund through the Fil-Am Mul-
ticultural Center.) For reserva-
tions call FAMC president, Mya
Grossman, Tel. 240-441-6941 or
e-mail,myatalavera@aol.com.
Jan Julian Oteyza and
his Tutubi Band Entertains the
Community
Jan 17 and 31 (Friday) 8pm
- 12 mn. American Legion,
3445 Washington Blvd., Arling-
ton, VA 22201.. Drinks for sale;
potluck snacks and light fare.
Contact: Julian (703) 969 5469.
Donations accepted.
Jan 18, (Saturday) 8 pm-12
mn. The rst of monthly Tutubi
concerts to help promote the Fil-
Am Multi-Cultural Center, 7500
Livingston, Rd., Oxon Hill, MD. .
Potluck. $5 donation at the door.
Jan 24 (Friday) 8pm-12 mn
VFW McLean,1051 Spring Hill
Rd.,McLean, VA 22102. Potluck
snacks and light fare. Donations
accepted.
Jan 18 (Saturday) Yolanda
Relief Campaign (YRC) District
of Columbia, Maryland
& Virginia (DMV)
9:45-12pm (Adult Com-
munity). Welcome to Project
Tindog Bungtu! Ahon Bayan!
Rise up, my people Arlington
Diocesan Center, 80 North Glebe
Rd. Arlington, VA. Bldg is a one
story with blue roof, behind KFC.
RSVP to Ed Tiong, YRC Coordi-
nator at dmvrelief@gmail.com,
1pm-3pm (Youth Com-
munity). Sweet City Desserts
(behind Mattress Discounters),
131-A Maple Ave W, Vienna, VA
22180. 703.938.8188. RSVP to Ed
Tiong at dmvrelief@gmail.com
Feb 3-7 Philippine American
Medical Mission of Mercy to Sor-
sogon, Bicol. Contact: info@med-
missionusa.org. Details to come.
Feb 22 (Saturday) Bowling
Tournament jointly sponsored
by UP Alumni Association, De
La Salle Alumni Association
and Ateneo Alumni Associa-
tion. Details to come
Apr 5 (Saturday) 12:00-
5:00pm. ABS CBN DZMM with
ANCOP Global Pinoy Singing
Idol 2014 Cultural Assembly
Church , Winter Park, FL, Details
to come.
PH is hottest
real estate
destination in
Asia for 2014
MANILA. The Philippines
has emerged as one of the top
real estate investment markets in
Asia for 2014, according to a new
survey by the Urban Land Insti-
tute and PwC.
In ULI and PwCs Emerg-
ing Trends in Real Estate Asia
Pacic report, Manila ranked
fourth out of 23 Asian cities in
terms of city investment pros-
pects.
Tokyo, Japan regained its
status as the regions most popu-
lar investment destination, fol-
lowed by Shanghai and Jakarta.
Manila outranked Sydney (5th),
Guangzhou (6th), Singapore
(7th), Beijing (8th), Osaka (9th)
and Shenzen (10th).
The report attributed for the
Philippine capitals rapid rise in
the survey to its fast-growing
economy, as well as its increas-
ing popularity as a destination
for multinational companies for
outsourced services. Also cited
were the perceived improve-
ments in transparency and gov-
ernance issues that have long
plagued the country.
January 16-31, 2014 16 16
Around DC in Pictures
Amb. Jose L. Cuisia Jr. (5th from left) poses for photo after he inducted the new Ofcers and Board of Directors of
the Philippine Medical Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC, at the Romulo Hall, Philippine Embassy, Janu-
ary 10. In picture are President Jun Anthony Quion; President-elect Benny Magno; Vice President Jose Cabacar;
Treasurer Rose Nicodemus; Secretary Guada Respicio; Business Manager Joseph Arzadon; Public Relations ofcer
Amy Beloy; Board of Directors: Elwin Bustos, Albert Coo, Stuart Goodman, and Executive Director, Jovy Eusebio.
(Photo: Bing Branigin)
L to R: Minister Elmer Cato, Press and Information, Amb. Jose L. Cuisia,
and Minister Emil Fernandez posed with a photo with Amb. Cuisia after they
took their oath of Ofce as Career Minister, Department of Foreign Affairs.
The oath taking was held at the Romulo Hall, Philippine Embassy January
10. (Photo: Bing Branigin)
Nikki Calonge (3rd from left), daughter of Philippine Ambassador to Israel
Generoso Calonge and Atty. Gloria Calonge, who practices in Virginia, mar-
ried Mike Mikos at simple ceremonies in a theater in Brooklyn, New York
on Jan. 1, 2014. Both the bride and groom are graduates of Theatre Arts
from New York Universitys Tish College for the Arts. Photo shows the whole
Calonge family after the wedding rites. They are, from left, Golda, Amb.
Calonge, the bride, JB and Atty. Calonge. Golda, the eldest daughter, is a
law student at the UC Berkely College of Law after she nished her Masters
in Social Work from Columbia University in New York. JB, the only son,
studies at NOVA.
Amb. Jose L. Cuisia Jr. inducted the new ofcers of the Philippine American Foundation For Charities last Janu-
ary 10 at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. Front Row: Amb. Cuisia, Nancy Ceniza,
Board member; Christine Torres, Ofcer; Bing Branigin, Board Member; Gloria Federigan, Board Member; Mya
Talavera, president; Sonny Busa, Chairman of the Board, Mitzi Pichard, Board member; Gigi Gopiao, Ofcer;
Aylene Mafnas, Board Member; and Nanette Carreon, Board Member. Back Row: David Pagsibigan, Ofcer, Bobby
Tamayo, Board Member, and Beth Wong, Board Member.
Mrs. Eleonor Macalma (3rd from
left), was given a surprised birthday
party by family and friends at a res-
taurant in Richmond, Virginia last
January 4. Mrs. Macalma turned
60 years old. From left are AJ and
JJ Macalma, the celebrant, and
Eugene and Eric Macalma. Photo:
Bing Branigin
The Speakes Noli Conty with Archie De La Cruz, guitarist at the fubd raising
concert last January 3 at the 9:30 Club, Washington, DC. (Bing Branigin)
The Speaks supporters attended the
fund-raising concert for the reha-
bilitation efforts in the Visayas at the
9:30 Club, Washington, DC last Jan-
uary 3. Photo shows, Roy Estaris,
Bing Branigin, Naomi Estaris, Joe
Montano, and Marlan Maralit.
Former Philippine Ambassador to Washington, DC Raul Rabe (4th back
row), and wife Buena Rabe (5th, back row), joined friends in welcoming the
New Year hosted by the Cruz-Embuscado Families of Chantilly, Virginia.
January 16-31, 2014 17
January 16-31, 2014 18 18
January 16-31, 2014 19
Fil-Am whiz, SnapChat partner turn down $3-B buy-out offer
WASHINGTON D.C. The
founders of Snapchat, reputedly
the hottest private messaging
application in the United States
right now, has reportedly turned
down a $3-billion offer from
Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg.
Twenty-three-year old Evan
Spiegel and 25-year-old Bobby
Murphy, whose mother is from
the Philippines, are the brains
behind the popular photo mes-
saging app where pictures,
videos, text and drawings sent
to friends disappear within 10
seconds theyre opened. It is esti-
mated around 450 disappearing
photos are sent through Snap-
chat every day.
According to Forbes maga-
zines estimate, there are cur-
rently 50 million people using
Snapchat, with an average age
of 18.
Spiegel and Murphy were
recently featured in Forbes mag-
azines 2014 30 Under 30, a list
of young individuals who are
changing the world.
The two met while they were
students at Stanford University
in California. Murphy was a
mathematics and computational
science major, while Spiegel was
in the product-design program.
In an interview with Forbes
magazine, Murphy said they
werent cool, so we tried to
build things to be cool.
Murphy and Spiegel rst
worked together to develop an
online software called Future
Freshmen, but it didnt take off.
For their next project, a
fellow Stanford student and
friend, Reggie Brown (who
would later sue the company for
ownership), came up with sug-
gestion for an app to send disap-
pearing photos.
Spiegel decided to tap
Murphy, who had just gradu-
ated, to develop the app.
While Spiegel is the good-
looking, outspoken public face
of Snapchat (hes on the cover of
Forbes magazine), Murphy, the
chief technology ofcer (CTO),
is the brains who developed the
app.
Little is known about
Murphy, who was described
by Forbes, as the son of state
employees from Berkeley,
adding that his mother had emi-
grated from the Philippines.
Id describe him almost
like a monk, David Kravitz,
Snapchats rst employee, told
Forbes. I dont think Ive ever
seen him upset.
While Snapchats prole is
rising, it now faces challenges,
such as Browns lawsuit against
Spiegel and Murphy for oust-
ing him from the company; and
a recent attack by hackers that
allowed usernames and phone
numbers of users to be compro-
mised.
Pinoy actor nds Hollywood
niche playing tough guys
HOLLYWOOD. In the
great tradition of the Filipino
character actor, Marcus Nativi-
dad has found a niche playing
tough guys on TV and the big
screen, including a recent stint
on the popular Hawaii Five-O
series and action icks opposite
the likes of Dolph Lundgren
and Danny Trejo.
They actually ew me to
Hawaii. I just couldnt believe
it. I was just in disbelief, it was
just so exciting. It was really a
dream. Just working with some
big stars like Alex OLoughlin
and great director Joe Dante,
hes a big director here in LA,
Natividad said in an interview
by ABS-CBN North America
Bureaus Yong Chavez aired on
The Filipino Channel (TFC).
He played the character
Tom Akuna as a guest star in
the updated version of Hawaii
Five-O that is familiar to many
Filipinos here and in the Philip-
pines.
Natividad was born and
grew up in Manila before
migrating to the United States
in 1990.
He studied Psychology and
Criminology at Glendale Col-
lege in California, and worked
for various companies in New
York City and Los Angeles,
California over the past two
decades. I was in the corporate
world for a long time, wearing
suit all the time, and trying to
beIt wasnt really like me, he
said.
He was hired as an extra
when a friend took him to the set
of Jackie Chans movie Rush
Hour 3. He said he stopped
because doing extra work
wasnt paying the bills, you see,
so I was really frustrated.
But the lure of the enter-
tainment world proved irresist-
ible and after a visit to the Phil-
ippines in 2010, he realized this
was what he really wanted to
do and started taking bit parts
beginning in 2011.
He slowly found his niche
portraying tough guys. When
I shaved my head, I got more
tattoos, my agent said, Marcus,
you know what, get more tat-
toos. You can be good playing
bad guys.
Bobby Murphy
Marcus Natividad
January 16-31, 2014 20 20
Govt cant re-build swiftly, offers bunkhouses to typhoon victims
MANILA. A ranking Phil-
ippine ofcial has admitted it
will take years for Samar and
Leyte homes destroyed by super
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) to be
re-built, forcing millions to live
in virtual refugee camps.
Public Works Secretary
Rogelio Singson said at least
half a million houses were dam-
aged or totally destroyed by the
Nov. 8 killer typhoon. If we are
going to build permanent houses
for 500,000 families, there is no
way the housing sector can build
500,000 houses in two years. So
that is the problem, he said in
an interview in a Jan. 6 interview
on the ABS-CBN cable news net-
work.
They will have to rely on
temporary shelters, Singson
added, while the permanent
structures are being constructed.
He said some Yolanda survivors
will have to live in bunkhouses
and tents while the permanent
homes are being built.
The bunkhouses (actually
a row of rooms) which have their
own toilet and kitchen areas
were recently criticized as sub-
standard and overpriced.
Each bunkhouse, which will
house 12 families, is estimated to
cost P780,000 ($19,000).
Singson denied the allega-
tions, offering to resign if the
charges can be proven.
He said contractors have
given up their overhead and
prot margins for the recon-
struction effort but added that
contractors would not be paid
if the agencys specications are
not followed.
He added that the Depart-
ment of Public Works and High-
ways (DPWH) has set a higher
standard for building materials,
citing the use of a much thicker
galvanized iron sheet roong at
0.40 millimeter.
We had originally tar-
geted 222 in the municipalities
that have identied relocation
sites. So far, we have completed
126, but we suspended further
construction because we are
changing the specications from
24 units per bunkhouse to 12
units per bunkhouse, Singson
explained.
The bunkhouses could serve
as the displaced families tempo-
rary shelter for up to two years
before they are moved to their
permanent homes.
The Department of Social
Welfare and Development and
local government units would
identify the families who would
be housed in the bunkhouses
with other families receiving
other forms of shelter interven-
tion.
I would be very happy if
100,000 houses (are) produced
in one year but minimum should
be 40,000. This is within the year.
Thats pushing it, he said.
For typhoon victims who
cant wait for the government
to re-build their homes, Singson
said the government can provide
them building materials so they
can re-build on their own.
DC typhoon relief reaches Cebu, Leyte, Ormoc City
WASHINGTON D.C. Dona-
tions from the DC-based Filipino
organization Feed the Hungry
Inc. (FTH) was able to deliver
relief goods to calamity-stricken
residents of Cebu and Leyte last
month.
The FTHs Pablito and
Tessie Alarcon, accompanied
by four representatives of the
Commission on Filipinos Over-
seas (CFO) traveled to Cebu last
November 28, 2013 to conduct
the second and third legs of relief
operations.
They repacked relief goods
into packs of two kilos of rice,
two sardines, two Ulalam, two
instant noodles, 4 liters water,
one pack of 10 pieces of Skyakes
crackers, coffee and instant pow-
dered milk.
Charlie Ng and Tony
Dumagsa of Cebu Institute of
Technology Alumni Association
(CITAA), previous partner of the
FTH and CFO, also met with the
group as they delivered their 20
rolls of tarpaulin to be donated
to Bantayan, Cebu.
The group split up to travel
and separately conduct relief
operations in two areas: the rst
team headed for Ormoc City and
Kananga, Leyte, the second team
to Northern Cebu.
The rst team was able to
load the truck aboard the MV
Wonderful Stars in Cebu for the
ve-hour voyage to Ormoc. The
goods intended for 100-150 fami-
lies Sitio Awihaw (Ormoc), were
unloaded in the city hall.
About 450 more families
were served in Brgy. Sto Nio,
Kananga through the help of
Mayor Elmer Codilla. The local
government supplied the addi-
tional 50 relief bags to accommo-
date the 438 households in the
barangay.
For the last implementation,
Alta Vista, Ormoc City Barangay
Captain Myrna Mangle received
helped distribute the relief goods
for 500 families.
The other team conducted
relief operations in the northern
part of Cebu with the help of
Susan Crisostomo, a World Bank
employee and a member of the
Knights of Columbus.
The team, also accompa-
nied Engr. Dumagsa of the
CITAA and some volunteers,
friends and relatives of Crisos-
tomo boarded a ferry Nov. 29
to Bantayan Island where they
distributed relief goods to 200
families in Barangay Maribago in
Madridejos. The second site was
Barangay Ticad in the Munici-
pality of Bantayan.
After the distribution at Bgy.
Ticad, the team proceeded to the
Municipal Hall of Bantayan to
turn over 20 rolls of tents to the
Ofce of Mayor Escario of Ban-
tayan. The 3rd site was in San
Remedio, Cebu.
Workers paves path on nished bunk houses in Tacloban City.
Members of Feed the Hungry Inc., Commission on Filipinos Overseas and
other volunteers pose in front of aid-laden truck.
January 16-31, 2014 21
The passing of these
restrictions on other countries
shing activities in disputed
portions of the South China Sea
is a provocative and potentially
dangerous act, US State Depart-
ment spokeswoman Jen Psaki
said Jan. 9.
But Chinese Foreign Minis-
try spokeswoman Hua Chuny-
ing said last week that the rules
were simply technical revi-
sions of existing laws govern-
ing the resource-rich waters off
Chinas Hainan province.
China is a maritime nation,
so it is totally normal and part
of the routine for Chinese prov-
inces bordering the sea to for-
mulate regional rules according
to the national law to regulate
conservation, management and
utilization of maritime biological
resources, said Hua.
She said foreign govern-
ments complaints that Bei-
jing is courting trouble spring
from ulterior motives.
The latest maritime dispute
among the neighbors with over-
lapping claims to islands and
resources in the busy East Asian
waterways has ratcheted up ten-
sions in the region, coming less
than two months after China
proclaimed an Air Defense Iden-
tication Zone over disputed
islands in the East China Sea.
Under the ADIZ, foreign
aircraft ying through the zone
are required to le ight plans
with Beijing, although the
United States, Japan and South
Korea have own military air-
craft through the region without
getting Chinas permission.
The ADIZ covers a cluster of
tiny islets in the East China Sea
that China claims as the Diaoyu
and Japan as the Senkakus.
The State Department noted
China has not offered any
explanation or basis under inter-
national law for these extensive
maritime claims.
Psaki said it is the long-
standing US position that all
sides avoid unilateral action
that raises tensions and under-
mines the prospect for a diplo-
matic or other peaceful resolu-
tion of differences.
The Department of Foreign
Affairs in Manila issued a state-
ment Jan. 10 saying the unilateral
Chinese exertion of control over
the shing grounds escalates
tensions, unnecessarily compli-
cates the situation in the South
China Sea, and threatens the
peace and stability of the region.
Taiwan declared that it
doesnt recognize the proclaimed
access rules as valid, and Viet-
nam called the Beijing power
play illegal and groundless.
Vo Van Trac, Vice Chairman
of Vietnam Association of Fish-
ery, said their shermen strongly
oppose Chinas rules and will
continue shing in areas in the
South China Sea where Vietnam
also claims sovereignty.
The rules will obviously
have an impact on our sher-
mens lives. We will ask our
shermen to keep shing. We
will tell them those areas [in
the South China Sea] that are
within our sovereignty. The
most important thing right now
is to reassure them about that,
Vo said.
The revised rules stem from
actions taken by authorities on
the island of Hainan, the Chinese
province closest to the sea where
areas are also claimed by the
Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
A year ago, Hainan authori-
ties announced enforcement
procedures that allow its police
to board foreign ships not autho-
rized to enter the area and to
seize the vessels, shing equip-
ment and catch. Penalties for
unauthorized access can also
result in nes exceeding $80,000,
the provincial rules state.
Analysts warn that the run-
ins could result in accidents or
miscalculations that could fur-
ther heighten tensions among
Asias leading powers.
China has virtually annexed
Scarborough Shoal, about 130
miles of the main Philippine
island of Luzon. The Chinese call
it Huangyan Island and com-
plain that the Philippine Navy
has been harassing its shing
boats there.
Ever since a naval stand-off
in 2011, China has banned Phil-
ippine shing boats from sail-
ing to the Shoal, which they call
Panatag Shoal.
The South China Sea and
coastal passages from Malaysia
to Russia are of vital economic
interest to all who ply the ship-
ping lanes used to ferry more
than $1.2 trillion in goods annu-
ally between the United States
and its Far East trading partners.
The US has declared the
freedom of navigation in the
South China Sea as a vital strate-
gic interest while China says its
sovereignty in what it considers
as territorial waters is a core
interest.
Chinas increasingly ambi-
tious assertions of sovereignty
also reect a power play with
Washington, which continues to
wield inuence and professes
commitment to defend long-
time allies in Tokyo, Seoul and
Manila.
Sam Bateman, a senior
fellow at the S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies
in Singapore, said in a Voice of
America interview that if Bei-
jing were to follow through with
the restrictions, there is a good
chance of heightened tensions.
But he says it would be dif-
cult for China to enforce the
policy because of the massive
effort needed to patrol the area.
Bateman said, This is not
just surface ships, but also air
surveillance of the area, because
normally maritime surveillance
and shery surveillance of that
nature is primarily carried out
by air and then you use surface
vessels to respond to any suspi-
cious sighting.
Bateman, a retired rear
admiral in the Royal Australian
Navy, says the regulations go
beyond anything acceptable
under the International Law of
the Sea, making China vulner-
able to legal challenges.
I think if China tried to start
enforcing the regulation, and
particularly if it arrested a vessel,
it would run fairly quickly into
a legal dispute, which frankly I
dont think China would have
any chance at all of winning,
said Bateman.
China riles US, PH... from page 1
set their agenda for the year, at
a resort on Marylands Eastern
Shore on Jan. 29-31.
Boehner reportedly reiter-
ated to Republican colleagues
that he was not ready to negoti-
ate using the Senates immigra-
tion overhaul bill, politico.com
revealed. He reportedly told
them that issue is a political
football thats not going away.
In a separate report on The
Wall Street Journal, Rep. Matt
Salmon (R-Ariz.) echoed that
sentiment. This is an issue we
have to deal with and I continue
to believe that, he reportedly
told Boehner.
Party elders have warned
that the GOP could lose substan-
tial support if the party as per-
ceived as the stumbling block for
immigration reforms, especially
with elections looming and the
growing political clout of the
Latino community.
Republicans have reason to
be concerned after onetime tea
party darling Sen. Marco Rubios
(R-Fla.) numbers tumbled after
supporting a sweeping immigra-
tion overhaul with a pathway
to citizenship. Many facing pri-
mary contests are wary about
embracing immigration reforms.
Still, its unclear whether a
lawmakers stance on immigra-
tion will actually matter in a pri-
mary.
It depends where you are.
I know in my delegation, theyre
not concerned about primary
challengers over immigration,
said Kentucky Rep. John Yar-
muth, a Democrat. On the other
hand, I think Texas matters.
Yarmuth was part of the
House bipartisan group with two
Texas Republicans (Sam Johnson
and John Carter) that privately
negotiated for months on a com-
prehensive immigration bill but
disbanded in the fall. After a
backlash back home during the
August recess about their work
on immigration reform, the two
announced they were quitting
the group.
Immigration policy is abso-
lutely one of the biggest concerns
for conservatives in the coming
years, and it will denitely be a
make-or-break issue with can-
didates, conservative Madison
Group policy director, Daniel
Horowitz wrote in an email.
Whereas a few years ago, this
issue was basically dormant, it
is now something we feel all our
candidates must get right.
GOP sets principles ... from page 1
Like the majority of other
states, we need to act on the con-
sensus of the business commu-
nity and health care industry to
accept funding that will expand
health care coverage, save rural
hospitals, and spur job creation,
McAuliffe said.
He also commended legis-
lators for reaching a bipartisan
compromise on ethics reform
prompted by the ongoing state
and federal investigations into
thousands of dollars in gifts and
loans outgoing Republican Gov.
Bob McDonnell and his family
received from Jonnie Williams,
the former CEO of dietary sup-
plement maker Star Scientic
Inc.
He said he will ask lawmak-
ers to enact the strongest pos-
sible new ethics rules to hold all
Virginia elected ofcials to the
highest of standards.
McDonnell bid farewell to
lawmakers last Jan. 8, apologiz-
ing once more for the gift scan-
dal that tarnished an otherwise
sterling performance that helped
the Commonwealth post major
economic gains in the wake of
crippling political stalemate in
Washington, the sequester and
lingering effects of the recession.
McDonnell reiterated that
hed broken no laws and gave
no one special treatment. But he
conceded in the speech to assem-
bled members of the state House
and Senate that his actions left an
adverse public impression.
He said he was deeply
sorry for the pain he had
caused the state. He is currently
facing federal and state investi-
gation although he has not been
charged with any crime.
McDonnell focused much
of his address on Virginias eco-
nomic growth, saying the state
logged a net gain of 177,000 new
jobs on his watch. He claimed
his strong economic steward-
ship also helped boost the state
governments reserves from $295
million to more than $1 billion.
He also cited the rst major
overhaul of the states highway
and transit funding scheme since
1986 as another achievement
together with lawmakers - secur-
ing billions of dollars in funding
for projects in the coming years.
I hope history will treat
him kindly and with the respect
and honor he deserves, said
Sen. Walter Stosch, R-Henrico.
I thought the apology was
heartfelt and it was appropri-
ate, said state Sen. A. Donald
McEachin, D-Henrico. As some-
one who believes in redemption,
I hope the people of Virginia will
join me and others in forgiving
him.
And while McDonnell
appears to retain his popular-
ity in the legislature, McAuliffe
must still try to win them over.
But some say his surprisingly
pragmatic start has at least some
conservatives warming to him,
even as they remain staunchly
opposed to his top agenda:
expanding Medicaid under the
federal health-care law.
McAuliffe has surrounded
himself with appointees with
long track records in state gov-
ernment. Among them are
holdovers from the McDonnell
administration, including Health
and Human Services Secretary
Bill Hazel and Finance Secretary
Richard D. Brown, who started
in state government in 1971.
For any incoming governor
to keep some experienced hands
around is a very wise thing
to do, said Del. Mark Sickles
(D-Fairfax).
Standing on the south por-
tico of the state Capitol designed
by Thomas Jefferson, McAu-
liffe told a crowd that included
former President Bill Clinton and
former US Secretary of State Hill-
ary Clinton, Common ground
doesnt move towards us, we
move towards it.
The days festivities started
with a prayer breakfast and fol-
lowed by a parade in downtown
Richmond, an open house at the
Executive Mansion and the inau-
gural ball.
McAuliffe unsuccessfully
sought his partys nomination
for governor in 2009.
He spent the next four years
touring Virginia and campaign-
ing, then won his rst elective
ofce by narrowly defeating
Republican Attorney General
Ken Cuccinelli. The Syracuse,
N.Y., natives ticket mates also
won, giving Democrats their rst
sweep of Virginias top three
statewide ofces in 24 years.
Mark Herring was sworn in
as attorney general and Ralph
Northam as lieutenant governor.
McAuliffe takes over ... from page 1
January 16-31, 2014 22 22
the rst Asian American to hold
a statewide position in Utah.
As Filipino Americans,
we are elated that one of our
own has gained the distinction
and honor of serving as Utahs
top law enforcement ofcer,
NaFFAA chairman Ed Navarra
said in a statement.
We wish him well as he
undertakes a challenging respon-
sibility, one that requires leader-
ship and legal skills, high pro-
fessional standards and strong
commitment to public service.
At his swearing in, Reyes
vowed to restore public trust
in an ofce devastated by
scandal, and create a culture
change through internal, exter-
nal and policy changes. But
beyond the task of repairing his
ofces tarnished image, Reyes
is also expected to spearhead
Utahs case in banning same sex
marriages.
There is not clear legal pre-
cedence for this particular situa-
tion, Reyes explained.
About a thousand gay
and lesbian couples in Utah
exchanged wedding vows in
the two weeks since US District
Judge Robert Shelby declared the
states ban on same-sex marriage
as unconstitutional and directed
the decision to be executed
immediately. The Supreme
Court put a halt to that last Jan.
6 pending a decision from the
Denver-based 10th US Circuit
Court of Appeals.
Reyes said they are looking
into whether those marriages are
valid. This is the uncertainty
that we were trying to avoid by
asking the District Court for a stay
immediately after its decision. It
is very unfortunate that so many
Utah citizens have been put into
this legal limbo, he lamented.
Gov. Herbert expressed high
hopes for the new attorney gen-
eral. Reyes rise opens a new
chapter for the state and the
attorney generals ofce, which
persevere in the face of adver-
sity. He has the right background
and, most importantly, he has
the right demeanor to take on
what I consider a new beginning
for the attorney generals ofce,
he declared.
Prior to taking over as attor-
ney general, Reyes was serving
as general counsel for a Utah
media and technology company,
eTAGz. Reyes also served as a
small claims judge, a partner
with venture capital rm Accel-
erate Ventures, and a member of
the boards of many non-prot
institutions, including one con-
ducting education against fraud.
He was also involved with
a National Commission estab-
lished by former President
George W. Bush to advise him on
Hispanic American issues.
Apart from his professional
duties, Reyes devotes his time to
community outreach programs.
In 2008, Reyes was the rst
person to be awarded the title
Outstanding Young Lawyer of
the Year by the American Bar
Association.
Reyes ran for Attorney Gen-
eral of Utah in 2012 against Swal-
low. He lost the primary election
with a margin of 69 to 32 per-
cent. When Swallow resigned
last month, Reyes was selected
as one of three candidates by the
GOP State Central Committee.
Reyes, who will serve out the
remaining two years of Swal-
lows term, will have to run for
election in November 2014.
Utahs new Fil-Am... from page 1
Night Laugh-in at the Filipino
American Center (FAC).
Launched last year as a
pilot, FNL returns January 17 at
7 PM to the Multicultural Center
on 7500 Livingston Road in Oxon
Hill, MD.
Our community has been
through so much pain and loss
lately, notably the tragic deaths
of friends and loved ones and the
devastation in the Philippines
caused by Typhoon Haiyan,
says FNL Producer Mya Talav-
era Grossman.
Thats why we need to for-
tify ourselves with laughter and
humor and stay healthy so we
can be productive and creative in
facing the challenges ahead.
In a format patterned after
TVs popular talk shows, FNL
will feature special guests,
including child psychiatrist
Marilou Tablang-Jimenez, Medi-
cal Director of the Montgomery
County Crisis Center. A mental
health professional with sterling
credentials, Dr. Jimenez will talk
about releasing those feel-good
endorphins that are so essential
to wellness and good mental
health.
Co-hosted by Manila Mail
columnist Jon Melegrito and
Abe Lobo, Board Chairman of
the National Philippine Mul-
ticultural Center Foundation
(NPMCF), the comedy show will
also feature an Open Mike seg-
ment, where people in the audi-
ence will do a 3-minute stand-up
comedy routine or share their
funniest, scariest, saddest and
most memorable moments in life
from raising children to retire-
ment.
Among those eager to share
her real story is writer Rita
Gerona Adkins. Well into her
80s but still sharp and going
strong, Adkins will re-enact an
attempted mugging incident that
happened near her apartment in
Arlington, Va. and talk about her
survival strategies throughout
the scary ordeal.
By recounting how hys-
terical the episode is long after
it happened, Ive been able to
deal with my own fears, being
an elderly woman living alone,
who sometimes walk the streets
late at night. But, she hastens
to add, not for the reasons
naughty minds like some people
I know might be thinking.
Featured performers include
the father & son musical duo,
Robin and Joseph Gopiao, whose
bosa nova tunes on the alto sax,
accompanied by his dad on the
keyboard, have won the young
musician plaudits and awards.
Beny Rizal and Alex Fraser,
known as The Fraser Broth-
ers, will perform the best of
pop heroes Michael Jackson and
Bruno Mars. Adding to the eve-
nings magic are magic tricks by
Tutubi Band Leader and Artist
Julian Oteyza, a man of many
talents and tricks.
The Tutubi Band provides
dancing music the rest of the
evening until midnight.
The evening is also a
birthday party for all Januar-
ians, says Talavera-Grossman.
In fact, one of them is mark-
ing 70 years on planet earth by,
yes, coming down to earth from
cloud nine and letting his hair
down. And hes having the last
laugh.
The suggested donation of
$10 and up covers dinner and a
glass of wine or beer. Net pro-
ceeds will be donated to the
NPMCFs typhoon Haiyan relief
fund. For more information, call
Mya Talavera at 240-441-6941 or
e-mail myatalavera@aol.com.
Kicking off 2014... from page 1
Wizards, Verizon Center host PH night in DC
WASHINGTON D.C. The
Washington Wizards and its
home, the Verizon Center is the
focal point of Filipino American
community events thats been
boosting the countrys prole
among basketball fans here.
The Filipino American
Basketball Association (FABA)
Metro DC chapter spearheaded
the 2nd Filipino Heritage Night
at the Verizon Center last Jan. 5.
Different Filipino American tal-
ents, including 11-year-old Justin
Fronda who sang the US national
anthem, performed before the
Washington Wizards-Golden
State Warriors game and at half-
time.
One the evenings main
supporters, the Migrant Heri-
tage Commission (MHC) used
the event to express its gratitude
to Americans who responded to
the plea for help from victims of
super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)
in the Philippines.
On Jan. 15, it will be the turn
of the Philippine Humanitarian
Coalition, a group composed of
representatives from various Fil-
ipino communities in Washing-
ton DC, Maryland and Virginia
dedicated to helping Yolanda
typhoon victims.
They will help raise funds
for Filipino victims when the
Wizards battle the LeBron
James-led Miami Heat. Heat
coach Eric Spoelstra is Filipino-
American and James himself
visited Manila to play a little bas-
ketball (a capacity crowd paid as
much as $250 to watch him play)
in July last year.
Organizers are also holding
a pre-game concert, featuring the
local Fil-Am band The Speaks at
the Ping Pong Dim Sum along
7th St. NW (about a block away
from the Verizon Center).
Fil-Am students perform Philippine folk dance during intermission in Wizards-Golden Warrior game in Washington
DC.
Visit us online:
www.manilamail.us
January 16-31, 2014 23
Faulty
concept of
right and
wrong
DALY CITY
W
E still have to hear the
last word about the
Culture of Impunity
that is said to pervade our gov-
ernment and the bureaucracy,
and there I was, the other day,
being told about our govern-
ments Culture of Incompetence.
I dont usually allow a non-
Filipino to say unattering things
about the Philippines or the Phil-
ippine government (even if I am
a pretty harsh critic myself), but
the California state senator bend-
ing my ear happens to be one of
the Fil-Am communitys most
loyal supporters and one of the
most effective, too. I decided
that he had invested enough in
the welfare of our community to
earn the right to criticize.
Why dont your public of-
cials ever learn? was the sena-
tors sardonic remark. Its not
as if typhoon Yolanda was the
rst major natural calamity to
hit the Philippines. The calami-
ties have punished your country
so frequently, they have almost
become predictable.
I agreed.
And yet your highest of-
cials always seem to be caught
unprepared, he went on.
Shouldnt they have
already anticipated the damage
that typhoons and earthquakes
would wreak on the country and
shouldnt they have already pre-
pared for them? But they never
seem to learn.
I agreed again.
He made no effort to hide
his sarcasm when he recalled
how Noynoy Aquino announced
on TV that he expected zero
casualties in the wake of the
strongest typhoon ever to hit
Philippine shores.
Did he write that speech
himself?, was the senators
caustic quip.
But he reserved his most
punishing commentary for Mar
Roxas, Talk about incompe-
tence, that guy wins the trophy.
If he were a California public
ofcial, he would be red.
Again, I agreed.
I actually began to feel quite
embarrassed as the conversation
went on.
But, heck, the senator was
telling the truth. I couldnt
argue against the things he was
saying. Our public ofcials, and
this starts from the very top, all
seem to subscribe to the Theory
of Post-Event Infallibility.
This is the same theory that
says, the most unerring way to
know a winning lotto ticket is to
read the results in the papers the
next day.
Applied to disaster pre-
paredness and prevention, our
public ofcials always seem to
know what should have been
done when the damage can no
longer be undone.
Ive always wondered why
this has been the case, over and
over and over again. But it has
occurred to me that, perhaps,
these ofcials are, in fact, bliss-
fully unaware that they have not
been doing a good job. In fact,
they may be convinced that they
have been performing excel-
lently and beyond the call of
duty. In other words, their con-
cept of right and wrong is faulty
and they cant tell the difference.
This brought to mind a
saying of Confucius: He who
knows and knows that he knows
is a wise man. Follow him. He
who knows not and knows not
that he knows not is a fool. Shun
him.
Having closely monitored
the media reports and commen-
taries on Roxass woeful per-
formance in Zamboanga and in
Tacloban, and having listened to
his and his apologists attempts
at spinning the news, I am now
convinced that he is sincere in his
belief that he has done a good job
and that his critics are unfair and
unjust in questioning his compe-
tence.
In other words, Roxas
knows not that he knows not.
How else could he have
so self-righteously justied his
premise in dealing with the
mayor of Tacloban concerning
the latter s appeal for aid?
Any right thinking individual,
and one doesnt need a Wharton
diploma for this, should have
realized how inappropriate, nay,
how cruel - it was to set condi-
tions for coming to the aid of a
city pummeled and devastated
by the worst typhoon in history,
exacting a horrible toll in death
and property damage.
But, to this day, Roxas, as
well as Noynoy Aquino, seem
sincerely convinced it was the
proper thing to require formal
paper work before the national
government, led by an Aquino,
could help the devastated city,
led by a Romuladez, a political
nemesis.
You cant even argue, much
less reason with them. THEY
ACTUALLY BELIEVE THEY
ARE RIGHT. Good grief!
But Roxas isnt alone.
Remember how Erap Estrada
kept insisting that he did nothing
wrong, and certainly nothing cor-
rupt, that deserved being ejected
from the presidency? According
to him, he never dipped into the
national treasury. According to
him, he made his money from
jueteng, and that was not from
the national treasury.
Did he even think the mil-
lions he received were kickbacks?
Come to think of it, maybe he
didnt and still doesnt. Maybe
he thinks the money was his
rightful balato or even his tong,
concepts for which there may not
be an equivalent in Western cul-
ture. In other words, Erap may
actually have believed, and still
does, that he deserved a share
of the millions being raked in by
the jueteng lords because, with-
out his acquiescence, that would
not have been possible. Ergo, his
share was justied.
And, guess what: A nation-
wide public opinion poll I had a
chance to look at indicated that
the masses also think so. They
didnt think, and they still dont
think, that Erap was corrupt and
that his conviction for plunder
was justied. No wonder, he
came second to Aquino in the
last presidential elections and is
now mayor of Manila.
But to go back to the matter
of competence. It has occurred to
me that competence isnt among
the qualities that the masses
require of our public ofcials.
Competence is certainly not as
important to them as being pogi
or sexy orhaving good PR
or marunong makisama or
having heroic parents, whether
the heroism is in real life or only
on the silver screen. .
But what is worse is that the
appointing powers, the presi-
dent being chief among them,
do not seem to think that com-
petence is that essential, either.
This explains why some nincom-
poops are holding cabinet posi-
tions.
So what happens when a
competent private sector man-
ager or executive is drafted by
the government and made into
a bureaucrat? The logical result
should be that the new appointee
will imbue his new ofce with a
culture of competence, right?
Wrong. What actually happens
is that the bureaucrat becomes
infected with the virus of incom-
petence that aficts
the government.
Having own in and out
of Manila frequently these past
Can salt cause cancer?
A
re soft drinks really bad
for our health?
Most denitely, yes.
On average, there are 10 to 15
calories per ounce of non-diet
soft drinks, so a 12-ounce can
contains 120-180 calories.
Drinking a can of this liquid
candy a day adds an extra 120
calories to the days diet. Statis-
tics show that an extra 100 calo-
ries a day leads to a weight gain
of 10 pounds a year. Imagine
what drinking a can with every
meal could do to your health.
But, worse than calories, is the
more dangerous fact that imbib-
ing soft drinks is associated with
the development of Metabolic
Syndrome (central obesity lead-
ing to high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, insulin resistance,
diabetes, heart attack, stroke).
All of us should abandon
soft drinks and also save our
children from this dangerous
drink. Red wine, even for chil-
dren (as practices in some Euro-
pean countries), would be safer
than these treacherous and
subtle poisons.
I hate daily insulin shots;
any alternative?
If your diabetes is not con-
trolled by pills and your phy-
sician prescribes diet, exercise
and insulin for you, it will be
wise for you to follow this cus-
tom-tailored regimen, otherwise
complications of diabetes could
ravage your entire body and
shorten your life. Since you hate
insulin shots like every diabetic,
you could consider implantation
of an Insulin Pump.
This is the state-of-the-art
method of administering insu-
lin to insulin dependent dia-
betic patients. The small device
is implanted under the skin and
the catheter connected to it is
inserted into a vein. The com-
puterized pump contains insu-
lin in its chamber and delivers
a precise dose of insulin at a
preset time schedule. The insulin
chamber is rellable. This pump
replaces the needle injection as
a method of giving insulin. Fur-
ther down the line, embryonic
stem cell transplant may some-
day become a routine cure for
diabetes.
Do video games hurt chil-
dren?
Excessive video gaming
(desktop or hand-held) is haz-
ardous to childrens body, brain,
and health in general, causing
anxiety, depression and poor
performance in school, accord-
ing to a study published by the
American Academy of Pediat-
rics.
There are also physical inju-
ries sustained after months and
years of video-gaming. Some of
them are back and neck pains,
carpal tunnel, nger, hand,
elbow tingling and numbness
problems, and bad posture.
Since kids usually play
alone, their concentration on
their games deprived them of
their awareness of their sur-
roundings and people around
them. Someone coined Ninten-
donitis to describe the injuries
from repetitive nger actions,
although all other video-gaming
gadgets also increase the risk
for the same injuries. An ofcial
website of a video-game manu-
facturer states that some people
(about 1 in 4,000) may have sei-
zures or blackouts triggered by
light ashes or patterns while
watching TV.
Indeed, parents should
teach their children about prior-
ity and disciplined and sched-
uled video-gaming, so it does not
interfere with doing home work
and school performance, and not
transform the child to a loner or
one without social skills.
Can fruits be contaminated?
Any fruit can be contami-
nated with chemicals, like the
recently discovered fungicide-
tainted orange juices from
Mexico sold in the United States,
or infected with bacteria, like
the Listeria-infected canteloupes
found in 18 States in America a
year ago, which killed 13 people
and the toll is expected to rise.
The incubation period (time from
ingesting the contaminated food
to the time symptoms occur)
could be more than 3-4 weeks.
The number of deaths here has
surpassed the 2009 salmonella
outbreak from contaminated
peanuts, which was reported to
be nine. There were also contam-
inated eggs, turkey, celery, spin-
ach, and peanut butter reported
in the recent past in the USA.
It is prudent to wash hands
frequently and wash the fruits
well, and discard any suspi-
cious-looking ones, according to
appearance, consistency, smell,
and taste. The same serious vigi-
lance is applicable to any food or
Continued on page 30
Continued on page 30
January 16-31, 2014 24 24
The Binays of Makati
gatecrash
MANILA
T
he Binays of Makati
recently forced themselves
upon the helpless security
guards of posh Dasmarinas Vil-
lage. They wanted to use a par-
ticular gate, and no lowly guards
could stop them.
The kingdom, er, city of
Makati, is part of metropolitan
Manila. Its one of the richest
cities , if not the richest, in the
Philippines.
As it turned out, that gate
usually closes at 10 P.M. for secu-
rity reasons, and it was already
close to midnight when the
Binays wanted to exit through
it. Mayor Junjun Binay wanted
to go through and nothing was
going to stop him. His sister,
Sen. Nancy Binay, was with him
in the convoy of cars.
According to press reports,
the subdivision guards stopped
the convoy and, obeying their
standing orders, bade the Binays
to use another gate, only 150
meters away. The citys mayor
wouldnt budge, he wanted to
exit through that gate.
Everybody, residents and
visitors, observe the rule. For
security reasons they dont pass
through that gate anymore after
10 P.M. per their villages rules.
But not the Binays.
A confrontation ensued.
Makati police were called in. The
mayors security clutched their
guns more tightly, poised to pro-
tect their bigshot boss.
How could the villages
poor security guards be a match
for such repower? It was like
puny David aligned against the
mighty Goliath.
Power speaks loudly in this
country. The guards were forced
to give in to the demands of
the important, very important,
passenger. They had to let the
convoy go through the gate.
Perhaps just to make sure
the guards realized their erring
ways, not recognizing political
royalty in Makati, and to make
sure whos boss, they were taken
into custody. Police would later
say the guards werent taken into
custody, they voluntarily went
with the mayors group to the
police station. But who believes
that? That wouldnt make sense
to anyone.
The media later reported
that the guards boss, the head
of the security agency protecting
Dasmarinas Village, duly apolo-
gized to the mayor. And rightly
so, thats how politics works in
this country. If your employees
are intimidated and humbled,
its your duty to apologize to
those who intimidated and hum-
bled them.
And so viral it went on the
Internet, the video of the may-
ors henchmen confronting mere
security guards.
The incident, no doubt, will
affect the image and reputation
of the mayors father, Vice Presi-
dent Jojo Binay, who will be run-
ning for president in 2016. His
opponents will dig up the inci-
dent and make the connection
that that would be the way the
Binays will be acting if and when
the father gets to the presidency.
Binay the Elder countered
news reports by saying that his
son, the mayor, deserved cour-
tesy when he wants closed gates
opened for him so he could pass
where he wants.
The video and the resulting
ak may or may not have any
effect on Jojo Binays run for the
presidency. But it will be used,
no doubt, to agellate him.
The key here is that the sub-
division gate was already closed
and another one a short distance
away was open. The Binays
could have easily, without fuss,
gone to the other gate. But they
insisted on going through the
closed gate. That is muscle-ex-
ing, bullying and intimidation.
Its abuse of power, an exercise
of the petulant ways of the pow-
erful.
The spokesman for the
Binays, always quick to the draw
when defending his principals,
tried to downplay the impact
of the video. That is the job of
spokespeople.
Whether the incident will
have a negative effect on the vice
president will be a question that
cannot be answered at this point.
We will have to wait and nd
out later. But many people have
taken notice.
On Our
Missing
Obituaries
S
undays for us living and
working here in the United
States are usually our days
for leisure, for spending time
with our families or friends, for
watching sporting games on TV
or at recreational parks, ticking
offs list of unnished house-
hold tasks, recapturing lost body
energy, or for catching up with
unreturned phone calls, emails
or social gestures of apprecia-
tion.
Above all these, Sundays are
for connecting with and paying
reverence to our Creator, our
only time to perform obligatory
physical and spiritual acts, the
exclusive moments dening our
humanity in a pattern of behav-
ior deeply rooted in our religious
beliefs. This is why, with time
still permitting, sitting on our
lounge chairs, we turn to the
obituary pages of the Sunday
newspapers.
Reading the printed obitu-
aries, scanning photos of the
departed, going through their
names, their survivors, their
ages, hints of places where they
have lived or worked, or merely
looking for personal connec-
tions, no matter how limited, are
defensive gestures, the sounds of
warning bells in our minds that
the inevitable is always around
the corner, waiting for us to
trip, compelling us to be aware
of what is proper and needed,
lest we suffer the same fate as
those being written about. How
they died or what the causes of
their death were, sneak into our
thought processes.
Obituaries or death notices,
or the lack of them, are part of
a nations culture. They, once
made known publicly, some-
times enter into the folkloric
stream when any of their parts
is incorporated into songs or
poems; overtime, they devolve
into a countrys printed chron-
icle of memorable events. The
song, Tom Dooley, which
became popular in the Fifties, is
an example.
Obituaries and death notices
in the newspapers are printed
advertisements. They involve
expenses calculated in cost per
inch of space occupied. Here in
the United States, the survivors
of the departed pay for such
expenses to fulll a legal obliga-
tion. State or county laws man-
date that the death of any indi-
vidual, regardless of cause, is to
be made known publicly because
the passing away of an individ-
ual signals the start or revision
of the process of relevant inheri-
tance from or the distribution of
properties of the deceased.
The passing away of celebri-
ties, country presidents, heads of
state, political leaders, or CEOs,
once announced, immediately
make headlines news, cost-free.
Obits, as they are called by prac-
ticing journalists, are prepared in
advance of the persons death.
My very rst day as a journalist
at the then Philippines Herald,
upon acceptance as a member
of the editorial staff, was spent
writing an obituary for the
sudden death of the president
of a commercial bank who at that
time was still in the prime of his
life. Writing an obit as headline
news, in advance of the actual
occurrence, requires special skill;
you do it most of the time from
information available in bits; at
its worst, from scratch.
In the Philippines, because
of the economic condition pre-
vailing nationwide, obituaries or
death notices are luxuries most
Filipinos cannot afford, or they
can do without. Only those who
can afford, especially those in
the private corporate companies,
pay premium spaces in newspa-
pers to notify the public of the
death of any of their members.
Sometimes, funeral parlors do it
in their names. Most Filipinos do
their personal announcement by
clinging to an old tradition. They
make known the death of their
loved ones by wearing black for
forty days, a constant reminder
of the loss suffered; to an out-
sider, it indicates the affected
persons state of mind, to be
considerate and to refrain from
saying or doing anything that
might be construed as offensive.
Other alternatives are the wear-
ing of black armband or a piece
of black cloth clipped to chest
pocket.
The origin of the wearing of
black for mourning, accepted as
apocryphal in Western countries,
had nothing to do with piety or
with the showing of grief, but an
expression of fear, the dread of
the dead visiting people at night.
Medieval people wore black as a
disguise, so that the ghost of the
deceased might not haunt them.
The wearing of black, as a stan-
dard practice, however, is not
observed globally. In England,
Henry VIII wore white to mourn
the death of his wife Anne
Boleyn. The Chinese, as a rule,
wear white during the sad occa-
sion. There are parts in China,
however, where people prefer
to wear purple instead. The Bur-
mese wear yellow and the people
of Turkey prefer violet.
Obituaries have their ori-
gins from the eulogies deliv-
ered in praises of a departed
hero, a king or an emperor. The
funeral oration delivered by
Pericles for the Athenian dead
at the latter part of the Pelopon-
nesian War between Athens and
Sparta in 425 B.C., as narrated
by Thucydides, expressed not
only grief but also meritorious
deeds. Mark Antony, a Roman
heroic gure, delivered the same
sentiments in William Shake-
speares The Tragedy of Julius
Caesar, immediately after Cae-
sars death in the 15th Century
at the hands of Brutus and Cas-
sius. Obituaries are panegyrics in
their short forms. In their much,
much shorter forms, they are epi-
taphs on gravestones. Insightful
thoughts of creative poets in epi-
grams are takes from epitaphs.
Obituaries in printed forms
started in Europe in the 15th
Century when major cities
started publishing the so-called
Bills of Immortality, a listing of
all deaths in a city and the causes
of death. Entries for London
City in 1629 included terms such
as planet struck, worms,
excessive drinking, and sud-
denly.
An obituary, even if one has
to cover the cost of publication,
is a useful, formal yet innocu-
ous way of humanizing the
deceased. It is a song of praise for
good deeds done and for honors
received, its melodic tone carry-
ing notes of how his or her pass-
ing away is leaving a vacuum,
emptiness, in the hearts of those
left behind. It aims to reconnect
wayward relationships, rees-
tablish lost status, and perhaps,
erase blemishes on past reputa-
tion, his or her last unspoken
words.
January 16-31, 2014 25
Whats in a
name? (2)
MANILA
A
British Broadcastng Cor-
poration reporter and a
business executive from
England have written, nine years
apart, witty features on unique
Filipino names that we take for
granted but stun foreigners.
On my rst day in Manila,
I was served by a smiling coffee
shop girl who wore a name
badge: BumBum, Kate McGe-
own of BBC recalls. I did a
double-take. But if its a joke the
whole country seems to be in.
Matthew Sutherland agreed
in an Obsever feature The sec-
retary I inherited on arrival had
an unusual name: Leck-Leck.
Filipinos, he discovered, were
fond of repeating names. They
include: Lenlen orNing-ning.
Names are rened by using
the squared symbol as in Len2
or Mai2, Sutherland wrote.
How boring to come from the
UK, full of people named John
Smith. How wonderful to come
to a country where imagination
rules.
The head of the Catholic
Church here then was named
Jaime Cardinal Sin.
Welcome to the house of
Sin, hed greet guests. Where
else in the world could that have
happened but in the Philip-
pines!
Everyone here has a nick-
name: Babes, Lovely, Precious;
Honey Boy, Bing, and Dong.
Even the former chief of the
National Police, and now Reha-
bilitation czar Panlo Lacson
has a doorbell name: Ping.
There are millions of
them, gasped Sutherland. Such
names are frequently used in
doorbell combinations like:
Dingdong; and Bingbing.
Others graduate into
repeating names like: Len-Len,
Let-Let; Mai-mai or Petpet.
How wonderful to come
from a country where imagina-
tion and exoticism rule, Suther-
land says. How boring to come
from a country, like the U.K., full
of people like John Smith.
The Presidents full Chris-
tian name is Benigno Simeon
Cojuangco Aquino, McGeown
weighed in. (These) names are
Spanish, Hebrew and Chinese.
His nickname, Noynoy, is the
only part that is truly Filipino.
Former president Joseph
Estrada is commonly known as
Erap. When spelt backwards,
Erap becomes Pare. That
means mate in Aussie or buddy
in Tagalog.
No one questions the integ-
rity of Joker Arroyo, one of the
countrys most respected sena-
tors (who has since retired),
McGeown wrote.
That is his real rst name.
Apparently he got it because of
his fathers fondness for playing
cards. Jokers brother is called
Jack.
Sutherland points to another
category: the randomly-inserted
letter names. It results in cre-
ations like: Lhenn, Ghemma,
Jhimmy or Jhun(Jhun2?). I think
it is designed to give a touch of
class to an otherwise only aver-
agely weird name.
Then, we have the tendency
Immigration relief for
typhoon Yolanda victims
O
n November 15, 2013,
the USCIS issued a press
release informing Fili-
pino nationals who are victims
or were affected by typhoon
Yolanda that they be eligible
for certain relief measures 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:
Change or extension of non-
immigrant status for an indi-
vidual currently in the US, even
when the request is led after
the authorized period of stay has
already expired;
Extension of certain grants
of parole or advance parole and
expedited processing of advance
parole requests;
Expedited adjudication and
approval, where possible, of
requests for off-campus work
authorization for F-1 students
experiencing severe economic
hardship;
Expedited processing of
immigrant petitions for imme-
diate relatives of US citizens
and lawful permanent residents
(spouses and minor children
under 21 years);
Expedited authorization of
employment authorization;
Assistance to lawful perma-
nent residents stranded overseas
without travel documents (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 by natural calamities, also
VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINES
JANUARY 2014
FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First: Unmarried sons/daughters
of US citizens Jul. 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 May 01, 2003
Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens Feb. 01, 1993
Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens Jul. 01, 1990
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority workers Current
Second: Professionals holding advanced
degrees or persons of exceptional ability Current
Third: Skilled workers, professionals Feb. 15, 2007
Other Workers Feb. 15, 2007
Fourth:
Certain Religious Workers Current
Fifth: Employment creation/
(Million or half-million dollar investor) Current
Be smart and creative
I
f you are buying or selling
your home recently, you
probably have noticed the
uncertainties in the market. Is it
a good time to buy or even sell?
Well, you must have a very good
and aggressive agent on both
sides; but you have to be smart
as well and willing to suggest or
cooperate with your Realtor . I,
myself have difculties adjusting
to this surprisingly turn of trend
no matter what the situation is.
Regardless of our friends and
families advice; its teamwork
between you and your Realtor.
Looks like short sales nowa-
days are easy to sell in the market
but of course takes too long. But
its all worth the wait if short
sale is successful. Standard sales
looks like there are lots of inven-
tories out there and snail motion
kind of thing. This means
reduce prices and just accept
the rst offer that comes in. Not
an ideal scenario for you. Once
your house is entered in MRIS
(agents listing system); it is auto-
matically downloaded in 65 real
estate websites or more. In short,
it will become public. Have your
sign outside the house once you
sign the listing agreement with
the broker. This will create a
buzz and curiosity in the neigh-
borhood (so what) thats what
you need. Better if trafc is right
there in front of your house. Ask
your agent to put lockbox/sen-
trilock and not combination lock
at the door. A Sentrilock is used
by all agents and only they have
access to it. Agent information is
automatically captured once the
house is shown and your agent
has the capability to follow up
on feedback, addressed concerns
or initiate buying interest. Com-
bination lock is not safe at all
as some agents may reveal the
code to their buyers or forgot to
shufe the combination before
leaving the property. Aside from
doing your own staging unless
you are a professional; hire a
professional stager that they can
use what you have or rent furni-
ture as a package. This does not
cost too much considering the
returns. Staging is your best bet.
Offer closing cost to buyers with
a disclosure provided it is a full
offer. Dont stick to it; you can
be exible once you have offer in
hand. Include only best photos
of the property whether in MLS,
brochures, yers or postcards.
Do not forget to include play-
ground, pool, tennis court, lake,
shopping centers etc.. I actually
do not believe in Open House
since everything is accessible
now on the internet, agents will
call and show if they have buyer
that would like to see it or poten-
tial buyers will call you directly.
It wont hurt to do a couple of
Open House. Usually, neigh-
bors go to Open Houses to see
how their home looks better than
yours and getting an idea of the
sales price to see how much their
equity now.
To be ahead of potential
buyer and potential issues on
home inspection, have your
furnace checked; duct cleaned,
major repairs and even minor
ones. These may kill the deal.
Better yet, purchase a Home
Warranty which basic cost is
around $400 and good for one
year. Home Inspection items can
be included to x or replace with
the Home Warranty that mostly
include furnace, appliances,
plumbing, electrical, HVAC
and a lot more with just ranging
deductible of $50-$100!!! Very
smart idea especially if the house
is old and not in perfect condi-
tion.
There are still a lot of ideas
out there which your agent
might have been doing. Before
you get the service of a Realtor
make sure you ask a lot about
marketing strategies and feel
free to suggest and address your
concerns. Dont be afraid to put
some money before you put the
house in the market, you will be
ahead of the game and buyers
appreciate that. Realtors
worked with their trusted con-
tractors at very reasonable cost.
They build that relationship for
years. Next time you know, the
SOLD sign is outside your house.
Note: Jocelyn Porteria is a
Realtor licensed in VA. She earned
a designation of ASP, Accredited
Staging Professional; ABR, Accred-
ited Buyers Specialist; CDPE Cer-
tified Distressed Property and Short
Sale Expert, (SFR) Short Sales and
Foreclosure Resource. For more info,
visit her website at www.jprealdeal.
com or call her at 571-432-8335 or
email at realdealconsulting@yahoo.
com for a free confidential evalu-
ation of your property, individual
situation, property value, and pos-
sible options.
Continued on page 30
Continued on page 30
January 16-31, 2014 26 26
FRESH LUMPIA
O
ur religious group, the
Ambassadors of Mary
requested this recipe
after trying recently my version
of fresh lumpia. As an incentive
to eat more vegetables, I have
concocted this healthy and deli-
cious dish using a mixed of veg-
etables instead of the traditional
heart of palm (ubod), which is
always hard to nd. This is a
vegetarian dish, but nothing can
stop you from adding shrimps
or chicken to make it your own
creation.
I have a recipe for home-
made wrapper (crepe) for those
who would like to experience
cooking it. Of course, the crepe
can be substituted with store-
bought lumpia wrapper.
Ingredients and Cooking
Methods for the Wrapper:
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup our
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a food processor or
blender, mix all the ingredi-
ents until smooth. If you prefer
to mix by hand instead, whisk
the egg and vegetable oil until
blended and then mix in the
water. Whisk the dry ingredi-
ents and pour in the egg mixture.
Whisk the batter until smooth
then strain. Cover and refriger-
ate for at least half an hour.
Heat a 9 or 10 non-stick
crepe pan over medium heat.
Pour 1/4 cup of batter, tilting
and rotating the pan to coat the
surface with the mixture. Cook
until almost dry on top (about a
minute). Loosen the edges with a
metal spatula and ip the wrap-
per over, using your ngers or
the spatula, and then proceed to
cook the other side for 20-25 sec-
onds. Repeat with the remaining
batter, wiping the pan with veg-
etable oil as needed and stacking
the wrappers as they are cooked.
Ingredients and Cooking
Methods for the Sauce:
2 cups water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoon cornstarch
(diluted in 3 tbsp. water)
In a small sauce pan, com-
bine the water, soy sauce, and
sugar and bring to a boil.
Then remove the sauce pan
from heat and whisk in the corn-
starch mixture until the sauce
has thickened.
Return the sauce pan to
the stove and let simmer while
mixing the sauce; add a pinch of
white pepper, if preferred.
Ingredients and Cooking
Methods for the Filling:
1 small onion, nely
chopped
2 cups young bamboo
shoots strips
1 cup carrots, julienne
1/2 can water chestnuts,
sliced in ne strips
1 cup chayote, julienne
1 cup sweet potato, very
thin strips
20 pieces snow peas, long
thin strips
1 teaspoon salt
Saut the onions for 3 min-
utes. Add the bamboo strips and
cook until tender. Then add the
carrots, water chestnuts, cha-
yote, and sweet potatoes and
cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Mix in the snow peas and season
with salt; continue to cook for
a minute or two. Transfer to a
platter and let cool.
Spread the wrapper on a
waxed paper. Spoon enough
lling (approximately 3 table-
spoons) and line it up on the
middle of the wrapper, leav-
ing the right side at least 1/3
unlled. Introduce a small slice
of lettuce over the left side of
the lling, leaving a portion of
the lettuce protruding over the
wrapper. Fold the right side,
then the bottom side over the
lling and lettuce, and without
missing a beat, proceed to roll
without tearing the wrapper.
For easy handling, wrap the
rolled lumpia with a small piece
of waxed paper. Finish wrap-
ping the remaining lling.
Choice of garnishing served
on the side:
5 cloves garlic, minced
or 1/4 cup nely chopped
roasted garlic
or 1/2 cup nely crushed
unsalted peanuts
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.
THE FROG
A man is telling this story:
I take the day off work and
decide to go out golng. Im on
the second hole when I notice a
frog sitting next to the green. I
think nothing of it and is about
to take my shot when I hear,
Ribbit. 9 Iron I turn around
and notice a frog next to me. I
grab a 9 iron and, sure enough,
I hit the ball ten inches from the
cup. I am shocked. I say to the
frog, Wow thats amazing. You
must be a lucky frog.
The frog replies, Ribbit.
Lucky frog.
I decide to take the frog with
me to the next hole. What do
you think frog? I ask.
Ribbit. 3 wood.
So I take out a 3 wood and
get a hole-in-one. I am befuddled
and dont know what to say. By
the end of the day, I golfed the
best game of golf in my life and
ask, Okay, frog, where to next?
The frog replies, Ribbit. Las
Vegas.
And so, we go to Las Vegas.
We walk into a popular casino
and the frog says, Ribbit. Rou-
lette. $3,000, black, six. I realize
this is a million-to-one shot to
win, but considering the frogs
intuition, I go for it. Sure enough,
tons of cash come sliding back
across the table. I take my win-
nings and buy the best room in
the hotel. I sit the frog down on
the bed and say, Frog, I dont
know how to repay you. Youve
won me all this money and Im
forever grateful.
The frog replies, Ribbit.
kiss me. Considering all that
the frog has done for me, I kiss
the frog. Instantly, the frog turns
into a gorgeous, very sexy 15
year-old girl.
... And that, your Honor,
is how the girl ended up in my
room.
ARCHEOLOGICAL FIND
A group of archaeologists
were exploring, when they came
upon a cave. Written across the
wall of the cave were the fol-
lowing symbols, in this order of
appearance: a woman, a donkey,
a shovel, a sh, and a Star of
David. They decided that this
was a unique nd and the writ-
ings were at least three-thousand
years old. They chopped out the
piece of stone and had it brought
to the museum where archae-
ologists from all over the world
came to study the ancient sym-
bols. They held a huge meeting
after months of conferences to
discuss the meaning of the mark-
ings.
The president of the society
stood up and pointed at the rst
drawing and said, This looks
like a woman. We can judge that
this race was family oriented and
held women in high esteem. You
can also tell they were intelligent,
as the next symbol resembles
a donkey, so, they were smart
enough to have animals help
them till the soil. The next draw-
ing looks like a shovel of some
sort, which means they even had
tools to help them. Even further
proof of their high intelligence
is the sh which means that if a
famine had hit the earth, whereby
the food didnt grow, they would
take to the sea for food. The last
symbol appears to be the Star of
David which means they were
evidently Hebrews.
The audience applauded
enthusiastically.
Suddenly a little old Jewish
man in the back of the room
stood up and said: Idiots!
Hebrew is read from right to left.
It says, Holy Mackerel, Dig the
Ass on that Woman.
ANG BOTE
Nakita ni Ana ang kumareng
si Nena na malungkot sa pangal-
awang araw ng kanyang kasal.
Ana : Mare, bakit tila
malungkot ka yata? Kumusta
ang rst wedding night mo?
Nena: Ay naku mare...
yong ari ng kumpare mo kasing
laki ng bote.
Ana: Eh, ano pang problema
mo? Di ba dapat happy ka nun?
Ana: Sinlaki nga ng bote,
pero bote ng Wipe Out hu, hu,
hu.
CROSS
Husband comes home from
church, suddenly lifts his wife
and carries her.
Wife: Why? Did the priest
tell you to be romantic like this?
Husband: No! He told me to
carry my cross!
PANAGINIP
Dalawang magkumpare ang
nagpunta sa Cebu for a conven-
tion. Dahil gustong makatipid
nagsama na lamang sila sa isang
kuwarto at sa kamalasan, isang
queen bed lang ang available.
Kinaumagahan, nagbida ang isa
sa kanila.
Kaloy: Pare ko, ang sarap
ang panaginip ko kagabi.
Gurdo: Siyanga? Pakuwento
naman.
Kaloy: Sawang-sawa daw
ako sa kahahalik sa dibdib ni
Ruffa Mae Quinto
Gurdo: Buwisit ka kaya
pala basang-basa ang puwit ko!
Gago!
SINGER
Mental patient is singing
while lying in his hospital bed.
After a song, he turns face down
to sing again.
Nurse: Bakit ka bumaliktad?
Continued on page 30
January 16-31, 2014 27
Chef Pete
I
saw him as an all American
chef, but with a Filipino heart
and taste buds. Just a few
people probably knew about this
piece of personal story about him
which I found out just by pure
serendipity. I readily noticed the
sparkle in his eyes when he was
running down with his expe-
rience in the Philippines. His
enthusiasm did not escape my
keen behavioral observation as
he recounted his unforgettable
sojourn which he did not fore-
see to become permanent as time
progressed. I did not know Chef
Pete that well prior to this con-
versation.
I was just going to invite
him to a Filipino culinary cum
business event as a favor to a
friend, a well-known entrepre-
neur in the Philippines, in the
U.S., in Asia and other foreign
countries where numerous Fili-
pinos reside. It was going to be
a food tasting event in the Metro
Washington D.C. area with a
limited number of attendees. We
made a short list of people whom
we thought would be appropri-
ate to be invited in terms of
having culinary and commercial
food interests Filipino or Asian
grocery proprietors, those in res-
taurant and catering business,
a Philippine food distributor,
chefs, a culinary school owner
and of, course the media.
I thought that it would be
good to invite the owner of Culi-
naria, a cooking school, to the
food tasting event. The place
was close to Sweet City Pastry in
Vienna, owned by Manny Tagle
who also owned Bistro 7107.
Manny asked me if I knew the
owner, I said, No. So one after-
noon I went to said school talk
with the owner. The guy in chefs
uniform at the reception area
pleasantly answered, Yes, I am
the owner, how can I help you?
I introduced myself and invited
him to a food tasting event, The
Philippine Flavors. That was the
start.
The host was Clara Reyes
Lapus, owner of the well-known
Mama Sita sauces, mixes and
avorings with her son, Mark
Lapus, who came over from
Manila to host, The Philippine
Flavors. It was an impressive
seventeen- course dinner pre-
pared by the chef of Bistro 7107
in Crystal City owned by Manny
Tagle. Here Chef Pete met Mrs.
Lapus and became acquainted
with some Washington Filipino
Americans in culinary business.
The event was a success with
the delightful food and excellent
presentation of the host.
Beyond a Gourmet Chef
A talented but unassum-
ing guy, he delicately combined
his culinary expertise with his
appetite for business venture,
but beyond anything else, he is
a magnanimous kind of person,
compassionate and kind.
Religion Philippine Style
A
friend characterized the
Philippines as 90% Cath-
olic and 100% pagan.
What an evocative statement.
I had not thought the Filipino
piety can be described thus but
she does have a point.
In Italy religion and art col-
lide. But in the Philippines reli-
gion and superstition compete.
I saw photos of the procession
honoring the Black Nazarene.
There were thousands includ-
ing the elderly and the inrm
who jockeyed to get near it for a
chance to touch the icon. Fights
and scufes were reported. It all
seemed obscene.
It took me back to my rst
Sinulog a year ago this month. It
is an annual festival held on the
third Sunday of January in Cebu
City. The festival commemorates
the acceptance of Christianity by
showing devotion to the Santo
Nino, the Child Jesus. Similar
celebrations in other cities and
islands like the Ati-Atihan in
Kalibo, Aklan have taken on a
carnival atmosphere.
I was swept along by the
frenzy and energy of those who
braved the crowd of celebrants.
I felt no sense of piety. Instead
I felt distressed. I lamented how
our devotion to God the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost
has taken on peculiar customs. I
guess I have lived too long away
from the land of my birth. The
time and distance have detached
me from what I regarded as cus-
tomary.
It wasnt always so. As a
young girl growing up in Cebu
I looked forward to religious
holidays. Lola Cadia, my pater-
nal grandmother, was a devout
Catholic. She was a woman of
few words and rarely smiled. I
accompanied her to Bisita Igle-
sia, the Holy Thursday tradi-
tion of visiting churches. Cebu
City is small enough so making
the rounds to visit the Catholic
churches was made mostly on
foot. Huebes Santo - Holy Thurs-
day - acquired a esta like atmo-
sphere. Huge crowds gathered.
We kept pace with one another
and made an impromptu proces-
sion.
Vendors selling candles and
snacks lined the streets, hopeful
for brisk business. Somber men
and women led their children,
some of whom cared less for the
solemnity of the day, and were
there like I was, for a chance to
see and be seen by friends and
our crushes. We were able to visit
three churches before exhaustion
took over. Lola Cadia walked
faster than I did. I lingered at
each stop, quick to appear seri-
ous and devotional when she
looked my way. If she ever sus-
pected my deceit, she was a dear
not to let on.
Lola, like many devout Fili-
pino Catholics, did not think con-
sulting with faith healers (arbu-
laryos, manghihilot) ran counter
to their faith. One complemented
the other. She hid the growing
tumor in her belly from all of us
and opted to seek the help of the
pseudo healers. She died rmly
believing in the powers of both
religion and magic.
The Philippines is the only
predominantly Christian nation
in South East Asia but it is loath
to abandon its superstitions and
beliefs. Each region has names
for the many supernatural beings
that roam the countryside. There
are the diwatas, the charmed
spirits, also known as encanta-
das. They can be both benevo-
lent and vicious. They are said to
encourage crop growth, health,
and fortune. But they can also
inict illness or misfortune upon
those who did not give them the
proper respect.
There are the mangku-
kulams, the powerful witches
who have spells and curses for
revenge, love, beauty, health,
and every need in between.
And to be candid I too revert
to old habits. I ask permission
from the kapre, the tree sentry,
some say its soul, before it is
cut down. When others express
admiration for my children and
grandchildren I whisper remem-
bered enchantments to shield
them from the envy of the eng-
kantos, those feared mystical
spirits. Ptui. Ptui. Pwera buyag.
I have many Buddha gures
of different shapes and sizes.
They are gifts from friends and
family. Years ago I was told
buying them for me will water
down my luck or worse, Ill have
no luck at all. This prompted my
rst son-in-law to question my
religious beliefs. I just smiled
and told him Im an equal oppor-
tunity devotee.
Harinawang sumagana ang
buhay namin. May we prosper.
Salamat po.
The Capture of the Children
and the Nation
By Fr. Shay Cullen
The story of the rescue of
Rosemary is heartening and
encouraging. When we read
about such stories of young
children like that of Rosemary
being helped and rescued from
the clutches of depraved people
who are arrested, we rejoice. But
we may not know that hundreds
of thousands are not rescued,
they suffer abuse like Rosemary
who was trafcked and sold at
14 years old into sex slavery and
bondage. She was rescued, shel-
tered and healed while many
others are not. A charity like
Preda Foundation with limited
funds can do only so much.
When children are saved
by government social workers,
police and charity workers, we
applaud and approve and our
admiration of good organized
government services increases.
Government is elected by the
people, given public trust and
paid through taxes on every-
thing to serve the common good.
In developing countries like the
Philippines, government agen-
cies, one by one have been cap-
tured by the rich to serve them
rather than the poor. Thats why
human trafcking and exploita-
tion is on the increase.
Its been going on for the
past many years. President
Aquino says he is trying to root
it out. Hundreds of thousands
are barely surviving dire pov-
erty and hunger; the children
are the most at risk. They totter
on the edge of abject poverty.
This is now seen in all its shame
by the fury of typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan). It bared the sprawl-
ing slums and stripped away the
fragile fabric of the hovels of the
teeming poor. Dire poverty was
laid embarrassingly naked.
Such poverty and social
injustice causes unrest, malnutri-
tion, disease and illness. Econo-
mists say the Philippines has
a strongly growing economy,
creating wealth, but for whom?
Little of it is reaching the poor.
A cheap hungry labor force ben-
ets the rich.
The Social Weather Station
(SWS) survey showed that 21
percent of the population, thats
4.3 million people, went hungry
at least once in the second half of
2013. In Metro Manila, there was
a 10 point increase in hunger
up to 26%, thats 738,000 people
who went hungry. The poverty
rate has not gone down and it is
higher since 2005. Meaning the
poor still have nothing much in
the world and live from meal to
meal.
As little as one percent of
the population are super rich
and own as much as 70% to 90%
of the national wealth. They use
their wealth as bribes and inl-
trate the bureaucracy, police,
military and congress and cap-
ture government agencies and
bend them all to support their
own interests. Government
appears to serve the interests of
the rich more than those of the
people. Corruption is epidemic.
President Aquino, considered
clean of corruption himself, has
made its elimination the goal of
his presidency.
Rosemary was a child of
poverty. When her mother died
of tuberculoses, Rosemary was
taken by a pimp and trafcker
who later became a manager of
a sex bar frequented by inter-
national and local sex tourists.
Rosemary was brought up as a
sex worker, one of many thou-
sands in the brothels and sex bars
of the Philippines into which
they are trafcked as human
slaves trapped by debt.
This is one of the great-
est and most shameful failures
of local and national govern-
ment. The mayor and ofcials
are seemingly captured by
favors and services, perhaps of
the industry and they allow sex
industry to thrive. The collusion
is sickening. HIV/Aids is spread-
ing again as a result. There is no
media or public outcry; there is
national collusion it seems to
allow sex tourism.
In this beautiful country,
the resilient, kind, patient and
friendly people are exploited
and most dont know it.
January 16-31, 2014 28 28
Tsismosos New Year Resolution:
Sorry folks. I became frozen in time.
The Arctic blast, the wind chill and the
predictions of impending disasters by
frantic weather forecasters froze Tsismoso
in his tracks.
***
Tsismoso is beginning to take the
side of Republican politicians who do not
believe in global warming. And Filipino
Americans who have relocated or are vis-
iting the Philippines are laughing as they
watch their fellowmen shiver in the cold,
suffering from the wind chill that dropped
to below zero.
***
Up to the last minute of 2013, the
Smithsonian APA Center was still seeking
gifts. It said: Dear Friend, The clock is
ticking, but there are still a few hours left
in 2013 to make a gift to the Smithsonian
Asian Pacic American Center.
***
World Facts Depending upon your
denition, and whether or not
you count Taiwan, there are approxi-
mately 196 countries in the world as of
this writing.
Maybe this is one reason why many
schools around the world have been
having a hard time trying to teach geogra-
phy subject. Try memorizing them.
***
The Census Bureau Census Bureau
Projects U.S. Population of 317.3 Mil-
lion on New Years Day. But thats noth-
ing compared to Chinas 1.4-billion and
Indias 1.2 billion. The Philippines? Close
to 100 million.
***
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, Health
and Human Services says January 1st
marks not only the beginning of a New
Year, but an exciting new day in health
care as millions of Americans will now be
able to access care, thanks to the coverage
they found at the Health Insurance Mar-
ketplace. For many of the newly insured
people like Molly from Charlottesville,
VA or Mark from Austin, TX - it will be
the rst time that they can enjoy the
security that comes with health cov-
erage. For consumers whose Marketplace
coverage begins on January 1, were
doing everything we can to help ensure a
smooth transition period.
Nw watch forthe rough road ahead.
Debate over who is the real Philip-
pine hero continues with no end in sight.
Leftists and nationalistic groups insist
Andres Bonifacio is the real hero because
he was the representative of the common
man while Dr. Jose P. Rizal represented
the ilustrados (the rich) who wanted more
freedom. Besides, they point out, history
shows that it was the American occupa-
tion government who selected Rizal as the
national hero because Bonifacio posed a
greater danger to the American occupa-
tion at the turn of the century.
***
Some columnists have lambasted
the governments decision to let Manila
Mayor Joseph Erap Estrada and Vice
President Jejomar El Negro Binay jointly
lay the traditional wreath at the Jose Rizal
memorial at the Luneta. They claim both
came from the descamisado class who
later became rich and therefore no longer
adhere to the ideals of Rizal. Even Andres
Bonifacio will kick them out.
Editorial
Just do it
Republican congressmen are meeting later this month to set
their agenda in 2014.
Looming large is the need to x the nations broken immi-
gration system. Leaders are reportedly crafting a list of prin-
ciples to draw the contours of the much needed reforms.
The Senate has already passed a bipartisan comprehensive
immigration reform bill. The GOP-dominated House of Repre-
sentatives has been stymied as much by bitter political battle as
their unresolved internal rift.
There are those within the party who subscribe to the urgency
and imperative of immigration reforms but there are also those
who question it. But should not be an excuse to do nothing.
House Speaker John Boehner is correct in rst working on a
consensus in his caucus. Doing so would at least unite them in
a course of action that could provide tangible ideas and even-
tually address the many dimensions of immigration reforms,
from border security to a possible path to citizenship.
Whatever those principles may be, House Republicans
have to begin working on a bill. And as the nation marches
inexorably onto another election, it will have the opportunity to
weigh on what could be put on the political table.
But they need to act now, just do it.

January 16-31, 2014 29
Goodbye
2013
H
ello 2014, good rid-
dance 2013. Why good
riddance? Many people
believe that 13 is not a lucky
number. As we look back, the
number 13 in 2013 brought the
most punishing double barrel
calamities in the Philippines,
the magnitude 7.2 earthquake
and the fear and fury of typhoon
Yolanda that devastated the
Visayas region.
Here are the notable events
and personalities of 2013.
Bitch of the year was of
course, Yolanda. She was so
unforgiving in her destructive
ways that even churches were
not spared along with thousands
in lost lives. First runner-up
for bitch of the year was Janet
Napoles. She is the one who is
allegedly the brains in the PDAF
scam in cahoots with politicians
and government ofcials suck-
ing peoples moneys intended
for victims of calamities. She
thinks that she could wipe away
her sins by bribing the Lord. She
reportedly contributes hand-
somely to the church.
Trapo award goes to Mayor
JunJun Binay of Makati City,
Philippines. Trapo is a coined
word for traditional politician.
The literal meaning however
is a dirty rug. One evening last
month, the Mayor visited his
Congresswoman sister in a plush
gated community. The Mayors
convoy was prevented by secu-
rity guards from exiting a par-
ticular gate that was regularly
closed after 10:00 p.m. as man-
dated by home owners associa-
tion rules. Residents and visitors
could exit through another gate
that was 100 yards away. The
Mayor would have none of the
homeowners rules. He got out
of his car and told the guards-
Do you know who I am? Then
he called for the Makati police
who then showed up and dis-
armed the guards and brought
them to the police precinct. Utos
ni Mayor, baluktot.
Roll-out that did not roll-
Obamacare. You would think
that this big fuc##### deal as
described by Vice President Joe
Biden will roll out with blister-
ing re works. On October 31,
the rst day of the roll out, most
people who tried to log in to the
federal health care website found
themselves just warming their
seats for hours. Only six people
were successful. My barber says,
they must be all hackers. Con-
gressional inquiry reveals inad-
equate security protection for
private information.
Joke of the year- If you
like your health care plan, you
can keep your health care plan.
If you like your doctor, you
can keep your doctor, period
Over and over again, Pres. Bar-
rack Obama and his Democratic
cohorts repeated this promise on
the way to selling Obamacare to
the people. The nal version of
Obamacare was crafted behind
closed doors without Republican
input. As millions of health plan
subscribers started to receive
notices of plan termination,
Obama pivoted an removed the
Haunted
Embassy
I
s the Philippine Embassy in
Washington DC haunted?
The soil within a foreign
embassy is considered sacro-
sanct. The unauthorized entry by
host countries might tantamount
to an invasion of the sovereign
country represented by that dip-
lomatic post; but it is also sanctu-
ary for its nationals.
The Philippine Embassy
along Massachusetts Avenue
NW has become a haven for all
Filipinos alive or, if you believe
the testimonial of one senior of-
cial there, dead.
Elmer Cato, has served as
the face and voice of the Philip-
pine Embassy. He was a jour-
nalist in Pampanga during one
of the most challenging and
dangerous chapters of the prov-
inces history. The Central Luzon
region, where Pampanga is
located, has been the hotbed of
agrarian unrest and a birthplace
of many armed rebellions.
He has plenty of stories to
tell but this latest one could be
the one to raise hairs. Hes been
posting on Facebook accounts
of strange goings on at the
Embassy. Heres the most recent
post:
A few weeks after the surge
in paranormal occurrences at
1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW
in Washington, D.C., our clean-
ing lady, Lupe, encountered her
for the rst time at Basement
Level II.
Lupe apologized for not
seeing her earlier. She was Fili-
pina and introduced herself as
Corazon Alvarado. She told
Lupe not to be afraid. She said
she meant no harm and was
actually sent down from heaven
to guard the building and its
occupants.
She told Lupe she and sev-
eral others stay most of the time
at Basement Levels I and II but
venture to the upper oors when
the occupants have left for the
day.
At one point, she spoke in
Tagalog but later apologized
and with a laugh said she forgot
that Lupe was from Latin Amer-
ica. Lupe asked what Corazon
wanted. She asked for a priest
since, according to her, the build-
ing had never been blessed.
A few days later, a priest
said mass and blessed the entire
building. He went from ofce
to ofce, oor by oor. How-
ever, there was one room that
the priest was not able to bless
because the ofcer occupying
it was away and his room was
locked. It was my room.
Does anyone in Washington
DC know a Tagalog-speaking
Corazon Alvarado? It would be
interesting to know if there was
one.
The four-storey building
was built in 1993 just across the
original embassy grounds that
now house the consular section.
There have been previous sight-
ings there but leave it to a jour-
nalist like Elmer to chronicle the
experiences for the rst time.
Filipinos are deeply spiri-
tual. We do not easily dismiss
the paranormal and are even
prone to embrace it, sometimes
as a way to communicate with
departed loves ones or sense
some intimation of the future.
There are some who are said
to possess a third eye which
makes them especially sensitive
Opinion
Continued on page 30
Turning 70
M
y eldest granddaugh-
ter, Maya, wants to
celebrate her 7th birth-
day with me this month. She
was born two days after my
63rd. Delighted, my daughter
Desiree pipes in: I just thought
of a theme for your joint birthday
party. Age 70 going on 7.
Come to think of it. Thats
exactly how I felt when Maya
was born on that cold, January
morning in a hospital in Prince-
ton. There was a sense of rejuve-
nation, of feeling like a kid again.
I remember how Mayas
screams music to my ears
pierced through the tense silence
of the maternity ward, maybe
even lit some spark in that New
Jersey winter gloom outside the
hospital window.
I still remember leaping like
a child soon as Mayas birth was
announced. We rushed out of the
waiting lounge, where all four
grandparents had stayed up all
night.
She was crying as we
entered the room. Trembling
body wrapped inside her moth-
ers arms, tiny mouth ravenously
grabbing her mothers nipple for
every drop of milk.
Just thinking of our con-
nection overwhelmed this aging
father about to become a Lolo.
Am I really a grandpa
now? I wondered.
I had wished shed come on
my birthday. But she wanted her
own dramatic entrance, arriving
two days later. She even stole
center stage from Hillary Clinton
who had dominated the news all
day when she declared her bid
for U.S. President. Im in, and
Im in to win, she said, vowing
to end the U.S. war in Iraq. As if
to mock the candidate, the infant
Mayas own dramatic statement
was a simple: Im out!
After 30 hours of labor, it
was no doubt a great relief for
both mother and child.
Thirty ve years earlier,
from that delivery on January 21,
Desiree herself came out of her
mothers womb on a cold Febru-
ary morning. Richard Nixon was
in the White House then, jeered
by anti-war protesters for send-
ing young soldiers to Vietnam.
And Ferdinand Marcos was plot-
ting to declare martial law seven
months later.
Its eerie, I thought then,
pondering the circumstances
of our births. The cruel wars in
Vietnam and Iraq were bloody
encounters of violence and
death. So was the war raging on
in 1944, when my mother gave
birth.
On that Saturday night in
Princeton on our way to the hos-
pital seven years ago, we had
passed by a graveyard. It took a
while for me to grasp the mean-
ing of tombs and wombs until I
heard a newborn baby cry. There
is new life, I exulted.
And its true what the poets
say that stars shine their bright-
est only in the darkest night.
Age 70 going on 7. Its been
a year since I retired, after being
in the labor force for nearly 50
years. Days before my retire-
ment, I was ruminating how I
was a little bit like the Roman
god Janus. He is usually depicted
with having two heads that face
in opposite directions. In a sense,
I am still looking back and look-
ing forward at the same time.
Looking back to what I have
accomplished and missed, and
forward to whatever more years
I have left, to a period of which
I am only certain of one thing: it
simply lies ahead.
Janus, for which January
is named, is also god of doors,
gates, bridges and passageways
all of which symbolize begin-
nings and endings, of comings
and goings, of departures and
arrivals, of exits and entrances.
In January 2004, poet Gwen-
dolyn Brooks wrote a poem,
Speech to the Young: Speech to
the Progress Toward. She may
well have been speaking to me
as I turn 70, proud Lolo to Maya
and her younger sister, Lilah.
Say to them,/say to the
down-keepers,/the sun-slap-
pers,/the self-soilers,/the har-
mony-hushers,/even if you
are not ready for day/it cannot
always be night./You will be
right./For that is the hard home-
run./Live not for battles won./
Live not for the-end-of-the-
song./Live in the along.
Send your comments to
jdmelegrito@gmail.com Continued on page 30
January 16-31, 2014 30 30
period in his promise. He then
said, what I really meant is that
you can keep your health plan if
it hasnt changed. Then he had
to swallow his pride and apolo-
gized to the people who lost their
insurance notwithstanding his
promise.
Natures trick of the year.
A group of scientists and some
global warming advocates and
tourists tried to sail from New
Zealand to the Antarctic just
before Christmas to prove that
the Antarctic ice was rapidly
melting as a consequence of
global warming. On Christmas
day, the Russian ship MV Aka-
demik Shokalskey sent a dis-
tress signal when it got stuck in
ice. A Chinese and Australian
icebreakers tried to rescue the
Akademik but were unable to
approach because of the ice. The
passengers were ultimately res-
cued by a Chinese helicopter.
One scientist in the group said
that they got stuck in their exper-
iment. Nature had a big giggle.
Man of the year goes to
Gerardo Gamboa- he is the Pinoy
cab driver in Las Vegas who
found a paper bag full of dollar
bills amounting to $300,000.00
accidentally left by his passen-
ger in his cab. He returned the
money to the rightful owner.
The Pope just gave him a coupon
which is a pass to enter the gates
of heaven when his time comes.
and accessible to wandering,
restless spirits. Lupe could be
one and perhaps even my friend
Elmer.
Some believe that ghosts
who enjoy the hospitality of their
hosts bestow on them their pro-
tection and certain favors. Elmer
was recently promoted from the
rank of First Secretary to Min-
ister for his role in helping set
up the network of mall kiosks
where Filipinos can apply and
renew passports and other travel
papers.
It was tting reward for
the hard-working spokesman, a
journalist whos veered towards
a career in international diplo-
macy. Or maybe somebody out
there just likes him.
Haunted Embassy... from page 29 Goodbye 2013... from page 29
for nationals of Sudan, Somalia
and Haiti. This would allow eli-
gible aliens currently in the US
to remain beyond their origi-
nal 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)
to cluster names for children,
like Jun, Joy, Joyce, Luzviminda
splices Luzon, Visayas and Min-
danao. And Jejomar, of course, is
not only the vice-president; the
name melds Jesus, Joseph and
Mary. They look great painted
on the trunk of the cab you hail.
Why those unique names?
McGeown asked Filipino friends.
Soon a heated debate began.
They agreed that, to outsiders
at least, it all might sound a bit
strange. The Philippines is a
melting pot of different cultures.
The Spanish, in a 1849
decree, mandated everyone had
to have a surname.
That resulted in tens of
thousands of newly christened
Marias and Joses.
So even today, most sur-
names are Spanish. With
the Americans came names like
Butch, Buffy and Junior--and the
propensity to shorten everything
if at all possible.
The large Filipino-Chinese
community here is caught up in
this national name game. Their
surnames are often a form of
Anglicised Chinese. But the Phil-
ippine penchant for fun shines
through.
Tsinoys apply imagina-
tion and humor in the naming
process. Sutherlands favorites
include: Bach Johann Sebastian,
Edgar Allan Pe, and Van Go.
When they become U.S.
citizens, some Filipinos opt to
Americanize their names.
What happens then?
Side-splitting mayhem, says
a tongue-in-cheek Internet fea-
ture. Gregorio Talahib, for exam-
ple, becomes who else? George
Bush! Thats who. Tomas Cruz
is recycled as Tom Cruise, while
Remigio Batungbacal becomes
Remington Steel. But Maria
Pascua prefers Mary Christmas.
The Internet feature is cap-
tioned: Filipino Names = U.S.
Citizens. It asserts the pre-
September 11 Immigration and
Naturalization Service released
the list of names of Filipinos,
who changed their names, when
they became naturalized U.S.
citizens.
The U.S. too, is full of John
Smiths. But that does not deter
the mint-new Pinoy Americans.
Thus, Juanito Lakarin took the
name of Johnny Walker, while
Esteban Magtaka picked Stevie
Wonder. Leon Mangubat icked
through the sports pages and
Whats in a name?... from page25
chose Tiger Woods. Victoria
Malihim preferred to be literal;
she picked Victoria Secret.
Pinoy is what Filipinos call
each other, a term of endear-
ment, author Gilda Cordero
Fernando writes. Youre Pinoy
from Pilipino just like youre
tisoy from mestizo or chinoy
from chino.
Its a nickname just as
Minoy is from Maximo, Tinay
from Florentina and Kikay from
Francisca. But now theyre Maxi
and Ben and Tintin and Cheska.
So, no one raises an eye-
brow that Boxer Manny Paquiao
named his two girls Queen Eliza-
beth and Princess. Ay, lintik!
Faulty concept ... from page 23
Patient: Side B na kasi eh.
VARICOSE VEINS
Wife: Doc, bakit lumalabas
ang mga ugat sa bird ng mister
ko?
Doc: Varicose veins yon!
Wife: Anong cause nun?
Doc: Pareho din sa legs
mo.... pag laging nakatayo!
ORDER
Customer: Waiter! bakit
ang tagal ng order ko? Ilan ba
ang cook niyo dito?
Waiter: Ay, sir, wala pu
kame Cuk dito... Pipse lang,
Pipse!!
BUSINA
BF: Sunduin kita mamaya,
ha? Bubusina na lang ako pag
nasa harap na ako ng bahay niyo.
GF: Sige. Anong sasakyan
ang dala mo?
BF: Wala. Busina lang...
PACQUIAO
After the Pacquiao vs Mar-
quez IV ght:
Chavit: Alam mo Manny,
umiyak ang buong Pilipinas
nang tinalo ka ni Marquez.
Manny: Gusto ko din sanang
umiyak kaya lang tulog ako.
Green and Clean... from page 26
Immigration relief... from page 24
drink items. After all, careless-
ness could lead to serious or fatal
outcome.
Why ban marijuana and not
cigarettes?
This is a most interesting
question that has beleaguered
me also for as long as I can
remember. While marijuana has
some medicinal uses, cigarettes
have nothing but serious health
risks, including cancers, lung
diseases, heart disease, stroke,
diabetes, allergies, asthma, and
upper respiratory diseases in
children, etc. The Journal of the
American Medical Association
reported that casual pot smok-
ers might even have stronger
lungs than non-users.... with a
good evidence that occasional
use can increase lung air ow
and lung capacity.
This was a 20-year study
among 5000 men and women in
Birmingham,
Chicago, Orlando and Min-
neapolis, conducted by The
University of California, San
Francisco and The University of
Alabama at Birmingham.
Obviously, this is a politico-
economic issue, a harsh reality
of our time, where government
and society are contributing, by
default, to the misery and deaths
of four billions of people around
the world every year. Not to
mention the catastrophic impact
on their loved ones.
I am not advocating that
marijuana be legalized, but like
this reader who emailed me
this question, I strongly feel that
tobacco is a ruthless killer and
should be banned, if we are to
save these 4 billion people from
dying.
To me, providing a smok-
ers area in a restaurant or other
public places with a common
aircon-ventilating system, is like
designating a portion of a swim-
ming pool as urinating area.
Having said that, I shall
defend the right of individuals
who smoke, and equally, the
right of non-smokers not to be
exposed to the more deadly sec-
ondhand smoke from inconsid-
erate and irresponsible smokers.
Can eating a lot of salt cause
cancer?
Yes, eating a lot of salt and
salty foods increases the risk for
gastric (stomach) cancer. Other
risk factors include eating pick-
led or processed foods, presence
of H. pylori stomach infection,
and a genetic predisposition or
family history of stomach cancer.
Those with H. pylori infection
are 50 percent more prone to
develop cancer of the stomach.
The US FDA recommended
allowance of salt intake is no
more than 2,400 mg a day, equiv-
alent to one teaspoon. The Insti-
tute of Medicine and the medical
community suggest 1,500 mg per
day as the maximum limit for
healthy individuals and much
lower for those with heart fail-
ure or kidney disease, and other
conditions where low salt diet is
prescribed.
Some anti-cancer foods,
besides sh with its omega 3
oil, are citrus fruits (tangerine,
oranges), orange-colored vegeta-
bles, various berries,sweet pota-
toes, carrots, Brussels sprouts,
garlic, onion, cabbage and other
and cruciferous vegetables, red
beans, pinto beans, pumpkin,
squash, and vegetables in gen-
eral.
*For cancer prevention data
and more, please visit: www.
philipSchua.com
Can salt cause ... from page 23
few months, I have seen how
one public ofcials incompe-
tence can erode the competence
of another public ofcial, thus
resulting in a general erosion of
efciency, a breakdown of ser-
vices, chaos and even anarchy.
For instance, in spite of the
yeoman efforts of Tourism Sec-
retary Mon Jimenez to convince
the world that its more fun in
the Philippines, the rst thing
that greets most incoming tour-
ists isnt fun at all.
You see, the airport that has
earned the reputation of being
one of the worst in the world,
NAIA One, is where foreign
airlines land, while PAL has
a monopoly of better-looking
NAIA Two and local airlines are
using the more modern NAIA
Three. Its bad enough being
inside NAIA One itself, but get-
ting out is pure hell.
To add insult to injury, to
be able to head south (or left
towards Sucat Road) from NAIA
One, you have to make a right
and take a long trip towards the
former location of Nayong Pili-
pino, there to make a U-turn to
be able to nally head south.
You would think an over-
pass from the airport, across
the main road would solve the
problem. But the idiots running
the airports may still be too busy
trying to nd their way out of
the mens room to do anything
about it. And, naturally, the Sec-
retary of Transportation & Com-
munications doesnt know what
hes doing either. I wouldnt be
surprised if he doesnt see any-
thing wrong.
And, by the way, at NAIA
Four (the old domestic airport),
they have a whole platoon of
security guards swarming all
over the terminal grounds and
no one, NO ONE, directing traf-
c on the main road to allow easy
entry to and exit from the termi-
nal. Gross incompetence!If its
any consolation for Mar Roxas
Hindi ka nagiisa.
January 16-31, 2014 31
January 16-31, 2014 32 32