aj june 11-18, 2010

Primary Election Coverage

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

Attend a free presentation for MONTELUCE -

the high point of Tagaytay

(Continued on page 21)

By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Asian Journal San DiegoThe original and fi rst Asian Journal in America

See page 3

Promised Land

Boracay“ANG GANDA NG BORACAY

(Boracay is beautiful),” Marta muttered to herself as the boat ferrying them from Caticlan port was about to land at the white beach of Boracay. She could feel the gush of wind on her face and already, she could smell the good life. She felt that she would never have a chance to experience the paradise island if not for Albert. As soon as they had freshened up, the group strolled along the path-ways beside the white beach of Boracay. Tourists and local vendors were also doing the same. In any given time of the day, a festive atmosphere permeated in the area. Marta was impressed with the white sands and clear waters of Bo-racay. She never imagined that such a beautiful combination would ever be possible.

People with passion, however, do what they do out of love

for the work they are perform-ing and for the results that

they expect to achieve. Thus, in 1973, Operation Samahan was born and incorporated

the same year into a 501 c3, non-profi t freestanding private community clinic. The hum-ble clinic, which was the hub of health screening and infor-mal health education gather-

ings, was relocated to a larger space in National City, south

of San Diego. The mayor of National City, Kile Mor-

gan, offered us the use of the Boys and Girls Club building free of charge for two years. Operation Samahan fi rst Ex-ecutive Director provided the

From Antique to America:Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

The Operation Samahan Story

Ground breaking of Samahan Health Clinic building, Na-tional City California with Mayor Waters and Council mem-bers. 1989

administrative support and machinery for the management of the clinic.We organized the fi rst Filipino Medical Foundation Inc., and I became the founding president

and the fi rst chairman of the Board of Operations. “Samahan” is a Filipino or Tagalog word that can be translated to “togetherness”, “ helping one another”, and “working together”.

By Dr. Cesar D. Candari

See page 12

Another Aquino will once again go down in history as the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

Aquino Proclaimed 15th President of the Philippines

The Congress, led by House Speaker Prospero Nograles and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, formally pro-claimed Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III as 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines following the country’s fi rst-ever auto-mated elections last May 10. Aquino won by a landslide, garnering more than 5 million votes against his closest rival, former President Joseph Ejer-cito Estrada. Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay wins Vice-President, besting Aquino’s running mate Mar Roxas by fewer than 800,000 votes.

Aquino topped the presi-dential polls with 15,208,678 votes, or a margin of nearly six million over his closest rival, former president Joseph Estrada, who got 9,487,837. Coming in third was Senator Manuel Villar with 5,573,835 votes; followed by admin-istration candidate Gilbert Teodoro with 4,095,839 votes; evangelist Eduardo Vil-lanueva with 1,125,878 votes; Senator Richard Gordon with 501,727 votes; disqualifi ed candidate Vetallano Acosta with 181,985 votes; Senator Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal with 46,489 votes; Nicanor Perlas with 54,575 votes; in the last place is JC Delos Reyes with 44,244 votes.

Aquino, who ran under a platform of anti-corruption and poverty alleviation, will formally take offi ce on June 30.

Noy Noy Aquino

June 11 - 17, 2010

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112th Philippine Independence Day

Filipino-American Nicole Scherzinger, the lead singer of Pussycat Dolls, won in “Dancing with the Stars” Season 10 together with her partner Derek Hough.

“I feel like I just won a Grammy, a dancing Gram-my, you know what I mean?” said an overjoyed Scherzing-er following their win.

Nicole took home the mirror-ball trophy after beating the likes of Olym-pic medalist Evan Lysacek, legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin, actress Shannen Do-herty, and sexy star Pamela Anderson.

The judges said that right from the start of the show, Nicole and her partner were clear contenders for the top spot.

Nicole was born in Ho-

Fil-Am Nicole wins Dancing with the Stars top prize

Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole with Dancing with the Stars partner, Derek Hough

nolulu, Hawaii, to a Filipino musician father from Batanes and a Hawaiian-Russian mother who was a lead hula dancer:

Nicole Elikolani Pres-covia Scherzinger, who used the stage name Nicole Kea when she joined an open audition for Pussycat Dolls, was born on June 29, 1978.

Fondly called Cola by her chums, she grew up in Lou-isville, Kentucky, where her family relocated when she was seven. She has a sister, Ke’ala.

June 11 - 17, 2010Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

H1B CAP

The H1B visa program is a type of working visa used by US employers to employ foreign workers for them to be able to legally work in the US.

The position to be of-fered to the foreign work-er must be in a specialty occupation. For the posi-tion to be considered as a specialty occupation, that occupation must require theoretical or technical expertise in a specialized fi eld and a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent as a minimum require-ment for the position. Some examples of what can be considered as a specialty occupa-tion are the following: architects, engineers, computer program-mers, accountants and teachers.

The H1B visa pro-gram has an annual numerical limita-tion or cap set by Congress. The cap set by Congress for the regular H1B visa program

Immigration Tidbits…..Immigration Reform Bill,

H1B Cap, Denaturalizationeach year is 65,000. As of May 21, 2010, approximately 19,600 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been fi led before

the US Citizen-

ship and

Immigration Services. The government has also allot-ted an additional 20,000 H1B visas for benefi ciaries who hold a US masters degree. As of May 21, 2010, approxi-mately 8,200 petitions have been counted towards the cap of 20,000.

Immigration Reform

Recent developments could be interpreted as a sign that Immigration Reform is still possible this year. In an interview on Meet the Press, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham appeared to be more conciliatory in his stance regarding the immigration reform bill. Appearing with Democrat Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Graham

indicated that “he would con-tinue to work on a bipartisan plan to reform the nation’s immigration system.” This was a reversal from his previ-ous statement that “he would sink the immigration reform bill” if the Obama health care reform bill passes. Calls for the Fed-eral Government to pass immigration reform have been made by different faith based organi-zations to counter the passage of the Arizona Immigration law and other states which seek to follow the lead of the State of Arizona.

Government denaturalizes citizen who was guilty of war crimes

In a news release issued by the US Department of State, it reported that a Florida man who served with the Bos-nian Serb Army has left the country after a federal judge ordered his denaturalization after having been found to have concealed a material fact in his application for natural-ization. This Florida man was found to have lied when he concealed that he was part of the brigade that was responsi-ble for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He has agreed to depart the country voluntarily in exchange for the government’s dropping of the criminal charges against him for unlawful procurement of citizenship and making false statements. This case demonstrates that the gov-ernment can take away a person’s US citizenship once they discover that a material misrepresentation has been made in one’s application for citizenship.

Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) - a full service law fi rm with offi ces in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The information presented in this article is for general infor-mation only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. The CTV attorneys will be holding its regular free legal clinic at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, California on June 28, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to dis-cuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The Center for Lao Studies (CLS) is pleased to announce its second annual Summer Study Abroad in Laos (SAIL) program, scheduled for June 15, 2010 to August 10, 2010 through the partnership with the Lao-American College (LAC), the fi rst private col-lege owned and run by an American in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The four SAIL students or SAILers will depart for their eight-week trip to Laos this week.

The Lao American SAIL-ers are the second generation of refu-gees that resettled in the United States since the late 1970’s as a result of the Indochina Confl ict (Vietnam War). Most of them grew up knowing very little about the country of their parents and grandparents and have the desire to reconnect with their roots. The SAIL program is able to offer them the oppor-tunity with the rare insight to gain a better understanding of their identity as a Lao person living in America. “I have always felt like a fi sh out of water living here in the Mid-west where I was always the minority and fi nding a Lao friend meant turning to my older sister. There is so much about me I still need to learn. Through SAIL immersion program, I will not only be able to advance my language competencies, but I will gain deeper understanding of the

Lao Americans Reconnect with Their Roots through Summer

Immersion Programculture and history of Laos,” states Toby Malavong of Clin-ton, Iowa and one of 2010’s SAILers.

The SAIL program is part of the Center for Lao Stud-ies’ vision to be an institution that leads and excels in the pursuit of knowledge in the fi eld of Lao Studies. “This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience Laos through language classes, country-specifi c courses, cultural exposure trips, and volun-teering,” explains Dr. Vinya Sysamouth, the Executive

Director of Center for Lao Studies. The SAIL program is open to un-dergraduate and gradu-ate students, educators, and educa-

tion administrators as well as those interested in Lao, Lao American, Southeast Asian, and Asian cultures and soci-ety.

Yaengsaeng Xayavong, a 2009 SAIL alumna who blogged about her experi-ence at www.laostudies.org/sailersblog, adds “this experi-ence is defi nitely one that I will never forget. Everything from going to classes, meet-ing new friends, exploring the city and visiting my family in the village where I was born have been journeys fi lled with learning and excitement. The emotions that I have felt while I was here have been only good ones and not enough words can describe the happi-ness that I have found here.”

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

Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comJune 11 - 17, 2010

Philippine Stories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

The future is bright thanks to the heroes of the past

This Philippine Independence Day we share the joy of your community

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129135 13x10.5 4c 1 5/20/10 2:53 PM


Chapter 10

Albert visited Isabel for the next few days. Every time he came by, the whole neighbor-hood gawked at him, a U.S. Navy personnel courting and on the verge of marrying their local beauty and bringing her to the United States. It was the dream of most people in the area. Lando, Isabel’s ex-boy-friend, was too heart-broken to witness the unfolding events. He spent his days at home, oc-casionally stepping out drunk and muttering the name of his lost love.

When Albert felt the heat of the neighborhood eyes ogling each time, he came up with an idea.

“Why don’t we spend a vaca-tion in Boracay?” he proposed to Isabel.

Isabel knew that it was the best way for them to have privacy and get to know each other.

“I have to ask for my mom’s permission,” she replied.

“BORACAY? Maganda daw doon. Hindi pa ako nakaka-punta doon eh (The place is said to be beautiful. I have not yet been there),” Marta, Isabel’s mother, blurted out when she was told by Isabel of Albert’s plan. “I hope I can go there someday.”

Albert took the hint. “Bakit hindi ho kayo suma-

ma, para masaya (Why don’t you join us, so that it will be

Promised Land

Boracaymore fun)?” he asked. He was expecting Marta to decline the perfunctory invitation as she knew that the purpose of the trip was for him and Isabel to get to know each other better.

“Papaano ang mga bata (How about the kids)?” Marta asked instead. She was refer-ring to Isabel’s younger sister and brother who would be left behind.

Albert had no choice but to say, “Eh di isama ho natin sila (Let us bring them with us then).”

Isabel felt squeamish as she knew Albert fell into his mother’s trap.

“O, sige, kailan tayo aalis (Alright then, when are we leaving)?” Marta asked.

“Bukas ho (Tomorrow),” Albert replied.

Isabel’s dad was too proud to join the sortie. He knew that his wife, Marta, was running the show. He also knew what his wife and daughter were up to, but he could not stop them. He felt helpless. Although he did not like the thought of his daughter getting married that way, he could not do anything because he knew he could not offer a better alternative. Even if he persevered in sending his daughter to college, her future in the Philippines, even as a college graduate, would still be bleak. Her best chance was to go to America. The only way she could do so, whether he liked it or not, was for her to marry Albert, a U.S. Navy

personnel who could help her get a permanent residency status in America. Worse, if he stopped the plan, Isabel might end up with Lando, a good-for-nothing high school drop-out whose only means of living was by hauling water in the neighborhood.

“ANG GANDA NG BORA-CAY (Boracay is beautiful),” Marta muttered to herself as the boat ferrying them from Caticlan port was about to land at the white beach of Boracay. She could feel the gush of wind on her face and already, she could smell the good life. She felt that she would never have a chance to experience the paradise island if not for Albert. Their family income was barely enough to eke out

a living, so their family never had a vacation in their lives.

Marta, Isabel and the two kids stayed in one room while Albert booked another one for himself. Not that Marta would mind if Isabel and Albert stayed together in one room since she had practi-cally given her daughter to her Filipino-American suitor. But common decency prevented everyone from even toying with the idea. As soon as they had freshened up, the group strolled along the pathways beside the white beach of

Boracay. Tourists and local vendors were also doing the same. In any given time of the day, a festive atmosphere permeated in the area. Marta was impressed with the white sands and clear waters of Bo-racay. She never imagined that such a beautiful combination would ever be possible. At the end of the day, Albert asked everyone, including the kids, to avail of the massage ser-vices being offered by women in the beach.

“Nakakahiya sa iyo, gagas-tos ka pa (It’s embarrassing to you. You will spend money),” Marta told Albert.

“Okay lang ho iyon, five dol-lars lang ang bawat isa (That’s okay, it’s only $5 each),” Albert replied.

That her prospective son-

in-law would consider insig-nificant 250 pesos, more than half the minimum wage in the country, assured Marta that she made the right decision in pair-ing off Albert with her daugh-ter, Isabel.

Again, it was the first full-body massage Marta experi-enced in her poverty-stricken life. She felt like a queen, a rich matron enjoying the luxu-ries life could offer. A woman rubbing her entire body, from head to toe, with fragrant oil as her muscles were gently massaged, was beyond her

wildest dreams. But there was the masseuse, making sure Marta felt relaxed, comfort-able and pleased. After a dip in the clear and cool water, the group went back to the hotel to take showers. They donned the new clothes that Albert had bought for them in one of the stalls in the area. Marta and Isabel were wearing comfort-able mumus while the kids had khaki short pants and colorful shirts.

Inside a native restaurant, they had a choice of delicious food to eat. Albert ordered a bowl of sinigang soup with fish, huge prawns, oysters and pork inihaw (broiled). Marta realized what the beauty of her daughter could provide. It was their key to the good life, and she was grateful that while they were not blessed with wealth, at least God made her daughter beautiful. Her beauty would have a better chance of uplifting their family from the quagmire of poverty than the earnings of her husband, who was so principled and moralis-tic than he was not willing to bend the rules to make extra income from his government job. It was the most enjoyable evening Marta had experi-enced in her entire life, lying on a soft cushion of the hotel’s bed, with the cold air-condi-tioned air (her first) permeat-ing inside the hotel room.

The family had a long night sleep, waking up at nine o’clock in the morning. They had taken the shower when

they went down the lobby and found Albert in a sofa reading a newspaper. He had already taken his morning coffee and had strolled along the beach.

“Let’s have breakfast,” he told his companions as he felt the pangs of hunger in his belly.

Albert chose to have native Filipino breakfast consisting of friend rice, fried egg, tapa (dried meat) and tuyo (dried salted fish) while the others opted for something different, food they never had eaten in their entire life: pancakes and cereals.

“Try the fruit loops,” Albert suggested to the kids. For Marta and Isabel, he recom-mended frosted corn flakes.

“Don’t put sugar in your coffee because your cereal are already too sweet,” he advised them. “And don’t forget to put chopped banana on your cereal.”

A guy met them outside the restaurant and offered to take them to the different islands surrounding Boracay.

“You will experience snor-keling and feeding the fish with bread held by your bare hands.”

“What’s that?” Isabel said. She had never heard about “snorkeling”.

“It is going under the water with a clear mask and observ-ing life under the sea.

“Baka malunod ako, hindi ako marunong lumangoy (I


Can give 3-4 consecutive days training

The Center for World Music pres-ents Philippines Day Celebration featuring the Pak-araguian Kulintang Ensemble on Satur-day, June 12, 2010 at 7:00 o’clock in the evening at The Neurosciences Institute Audito-rium at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla, CA 92121. This is the second time the concert featuring Philippine music is featured and generously underwritten by The Neuro-sciences Institute (NSI), as part of Performing Arts at The Neurosciences Institute, a se-ries of cultural events present-ed as a community service to support arts in San Diego to underscore the special rela-tionship between the arts and the brain.

Tickets are available at the box office before the perfor-mance at $15 each for Gen-eral Admission, $10 each for Students and Seniors w/ ID. To obtain or reserve tickets before the show, please call (760) 845-9480. For more information, check the Cen-ter for World Music website - http://www.centerforworld-music.org/concerts.html.

Kulintang music, consid-ered the highest form of gong music in the country, is an ancient form of music that has been played for centuries

Concert of Traditional Music and Dances of the Southern Philippines featured on June 12, 2010

at The Neurosciences Institute Auditorium in La Jolla as a Philippine Days Celebration sponsored by the Center for World Music

by the indigenous peoples in the Philippines, predating the Islam, Christian and West-ern influences. Mindanao’s traditional music, as well as their dances, is to some extent, similar to the culture of the Southeast Asian coun-tries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern Thailand. The Samahan Pakaraguian Kulin-tang Ensemble, directed by Ethnomusicologist, Bernard B. Ellorin, MA, will perform indigenous Mindanao ku-lintang and kutyapi music, dances and rituals of ethno-linguistic groups, such as the Maranao, the Maguindanao, and the Sama of TawiTawi. The members of the dance and music ensembles aim to present the Southern Philip-pines’ indigenous music and dances closest to the tradition-al form, in the way that they have learned from noted Min-danao and Sulu Masters, such as Maguindanao Kulintang Master Danongan Kalanduyan and his brother, Kanapia; Pan-galay dance practitioner and

author, Bai Ligaya Fernando Amilbangsa; Magui artists - Teng Emba, Akmad Siao and Faisal Monal; and Maranao Ethnomusicologist, Dr. Uso-pay Cadar.

A number of the dances and rituals that will be pre-sented during the Pakaraguian concert are based on the re-search studies done by Ellorin during his visits in Mindanao, as a three-time participant, since 2003 of the KulArts Tribal Tours in the island. Included in the presentation are Maranao dances, Kapa-gapir and Kasingkil, as pre-sented at the Mindanao State University cultural workshops on Maranao music and dance. Showcased also during the performance is the collection of colorful, hand-crafted Min-danao native attire and props that were personally acquired by Ellorin during his trav-els to Southern Philippines. Collaborating with Ellorin in staging the indigenous dances and rituals, is UCSD Ethnic studies graduate, Joseph Allen

Ramirez. These dances are familiar

to Philippine dance audi-ences because these have been interpreted and choreographed theatrically by various Fili-pino dance groups all over the world. For so long, the cho-reographed performances of the Southern Philippine danc-es accompanied with harsh unintelligible gong beatings have been mislabeled as the “Muslim Suite” of Philippine dance repertoire. Devotees of the religion find it irreverent that the choreographed dances and gong beats are called “Muslim” dance and music, a misconception that needs to be rectified to be politically correct. “There is no such thing as a Muslim dance and music,” stated Master Ka-landuyan during a Kulintang workshop in UCLA.

Regular members of the Kulintang music ensemble who have trained with the native Masters and have been playing with Ellorin are Eric Abutin, Chris Feraro, Mitchell Almoite, and Raynard Abalos. Along with Abutin and Fe-raro, Ellorin initially learned to play traditional Kulintang music from Master Kalan-duyan, starting at a young age of twelve as a musician with the Samahan Performing Arts in 1994. He went on to obtain his Bachelor of Arts in Ethno-musicology, cum laude, from UCLA and Masters in Music from the University of Ha-waii, Manoa. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Music majoring in Ethnomusicology at UH, Manoa. He also attend-ed classes in Philippine music, performance ensemble classes for kulintang, gangsa and rondalla music at the College of Music in the University of the Philippines.

San Diego, June 8, 2010. This weekend will be the 112th anniversary of the Philippines Independence from Spanish Colonial rule and with that many San Diego Filipino Or-ganizations have put together events in around San Diego to celebrate it with you.

The Emilio Aguinaldo Foundation will be hosting the Philippine Independence Day Festival at the Mira Mesa Community Park on Saturday June12 from 10am-6pm. Cel-ebrate Filipino culture, food,

arts, crafts, and entertainment. Find out more at www.agui-naldofoundation.com

The following Sunday, June 13, the Philippine American Youth Organization (PAYO), Kuya Ate Mentor-ship Program (KAMP), and Filipino American Educators Association (FILAMEDA) will be hosting their 2nd Annual All High School Filipino/a Graduation (HS FilGrad). The celebration will be at 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the historical Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park. For more info on the gradua-tion go to www.hsfilgradSD.webs.com

The FilAmFest Organiz-ing Committee in accordance

Festivities Mark the 112th Philippine Independence Day

to our theme of “Celebrating the Bayanihan Spirit” will be out and about to support these events and organizations as the weekend rolls around. For additional events around San Diego visit our FilAmFest sponsor www.webkalusugan.org.

Just in time for summer and as the schools begin to let out the FilAmFest Organiz-ing Committee recognizes that many of our students will be moving on to higher education and we offer our

support to them by offering the FilAmFest scholarship to students that not only work hard in school but also share with us their Bayanihan spirit by helping out in the commu-nity as well. The scholarship application and information will be available on our web-site, www.filamfest.com or students interested in applying can email the OC directly at [email protected].

The Filipino American Arts & Culture Festival will be Saturday October 2, 2010.

Questions or interested in getting involved please con-tact Virgil Yalong

[email protected]

Community News


ARE YOUR MORTGAGE PAYMENTS TOO HIGH? Foreclosure is not your only opti on

FORECLOSURE NIGHTMARES? A short sale at no cost to you may end your sleepless nights.

Call me today for a free evaluati on. I’ll be happy to explain all your opti ons so you can make an informed decision on what is right for you and your family.

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According to the California Association of Realtors, 70% of distressed properties were bought by investors. Some of these homes are stripped of appliances and fi xtures. But with house pricing at its low, there is a profi t potential for buyers who are ready for a challenge. Seasoned inves-tors whose business is to fi x, resell or rent out properties are taking advantage of these opportunities.

Fixers priced over $500,000 aren't as easy to sell today. Most buyers in higher price ranges are buying a home to live in. They want a move-in ready home and do not want to bother with any repairs. However, in a high-demand market niches with few listings, a fi xer-upper draws attention. Buyers are willing to do the repairs because that is the only way they can afford to move into the neighborhood.

How much you spend preparing a fi xer for sale de-pends on your purchase price, demand for fi xer uppers in the area, and how much does your real estate agent think you can sell the home given current market conditions.

Sellers of fi xers should make their property as pre-sentable as possible by clean-ing out clutter inside and outside the property, cosmetic improvements such painting, refi nishing worn out cabinets/counters, replacing worn out fl oor coverings and minor

Broker Associate, Weichert Realtor Elite (858-829-5452)

by Ligaya Cruz

Real Estate/Mortgage Tips

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for seasoned or even not so seasoned investors

landscaping work are worth looking into. It would enhance the desirability and the pric-ing of the property. Sellers who have extra cash or equity in their home should consider cost effective renovations. An upgraded kitchen and/or bath-room adds value to the prop-erty. Ask your agent what the home would sell for with and without these improvements before doing anything to it.

Ligaya Cruz is a broker associate for Weichert Realtor Elite. Prior to joining Weich-ert she worked as a mortgage and real estate broker for ABC Homes and Loans. She was an approved mortgage broker of several direct lending institu-tion originating commercial and residential mortgage loans. She is knowledgeable of loan process which is an advantage for prospective home buyer. She is also a certifi ed paralegal and worked for the City of San Diego's At-torney’s Offi ce. She assisted Deputy City Attorney in legal research on issues involving land use including but not limited to zoning, building, health and safety and environ-mental codes. She served as a liasion between city depart-ments, defense attorney and the publc on code enforec-ment related issues. She has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Univer-sity of Phoenix and Paralegal studies from University of San Diego. Currently, she works part time for City Planning.

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

Contemporary Asian American Issues

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

I need a haircut. I know this because my six-year-old daughter said so.

Somehow, in six short years, she’s turned into a little hair freak: brush this, curl that, trim here. But just what is it with hair? We spend billions of dollars every year color-ing, straightening, per ming, weaving, cutting, length ening, plugging, and on and on.

We have hair trans plants, we

Hair, simply hairA billion strands, a billion dollars

buy pills to take, lo tions to rub on, wigs and hair pieces to wear, and that isn’t the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

For whatever reason, a great deal of our identity is some-what made up from our hair. Sad? Yes, but true.

Cut, perm, or both?

There are at least nine bil-lion different ways to cut hair.

And that’s just a conserva-tive estimate. There may be a gazil lion more, but after a while counting becomes a bit tiring. Plus, I’ve never been good at math and after a few dozen, who cares anyway?

With all those different ways to style hair, how does one choose the right one? As far as I can determine, there are just a few acceptable ways to pick the right “look.” They are:

1. Browse through the hun-dreds of real old and slightly less old style mag-azines in the salon (go for the newest unless you want to end up look-ing like your best friend’s father or mother - remem-ber that person?). Like I said, keep the style magazine new;

2. Take in a picture of your fa vorite fashion icon. You won’t end up looking like that but self-deception always helps in fashion, grooming, and relationships (never mind that last one – I’m sure s/he really does love / like / toler-ate you);

3. Offer a vague description to the stylist of how you want it to look as you stare at her/him in the mirror. Neither of you will probably end up happy with the style, but at least you didn’t have to cut out pictures from magazines;

4. Let the stylist choose (they like this because they can be artistic and they don’t have to worry about creating your particular dream. On the other hand, they hate this because then the result is all on them);

5. Go with what you’ve always had. This is the easi-est, the most simple, the most stress free. It can also be the least imaginative, behind the times, dull cut there is but at least no thought was involved (and we all like that from time to time).

So after you have the style chosen, there is still color (if you want to change it, high-light it, or cover the gray or purple). Not everyone does color their hair, of course, but most at least think about it at

some point, and enough do to make it a billion dollar indus-try.

Cutting and coloring may

be fi ne, but what if you don’t have enough?

If you think that you’ve been losing your hair, you have been. If you think that you’re going bald, you are. All people lose hair as they age - no big deal. That is unless you’ve been losing it prema-turely (for most guys, prema-turely means before eighty years old). And if you’ve been losing hair, or indeed have lost every last strand of it, you’ve been thinking about ways to get it back, or at least cover up the loss. Now it’s time for the creams, the pills, the hairpieces, the wigs.

Yes, there are some medi-cines that can work, at least some of the time, for some

peo ple. Yes, it’s expensive. But for hair? Many women (yes, women lose hair too) and men will gladly pay the price.

But what if the drug won’t work for you? There is still the tried and true toupee, the hairpiece, the wig. You can pur chase some hairpieces for as low as twenty dollars (yes, they look it) and the price can go to the thousands (and can actually look pretty good. We can still spot them of course, but with the good ones we don’t laugh quite as loudly

when you leave. It’s nothing personal - we’re just bored).

Some hairpieces can appear fairly life-like. But it de-pends on the hair, the designer, the color and how that color matches and blends with your own. Here’s a clue men: if you are over forty (and es-pecially over sixty)

add gray to the wig. Natural hair on men after their fi fties and even earlier generally has some gray in it. Natural hair is not always the same shade of one dark color.

Years + wrong color = laughter

Here are another couple of things about hair. If your eye brows are dark brown, don’t color your hair plati-num blonde. If your hair is red, don’t color it platinum blonde. Dark brown or red eyebrows underneath bright blonde hair look absurd. So do blonde eyebrows under-neath dark hair. Remember; match the hair to the eye-brows unless you’re going for that particular look…and you’re under thirty. Far under thirty.

Men, if the color of the hair

on your chest, arm, legs and beard is gray, or partially gray, don’t have solid black or brown hair. This screams insecurity. Ever see a guy at the beach and whatever hair he has on his body is gray and the hair on his head is solid black? Yes, the women on the beach are laughing.

If you are going to have hair transplants, fi nd the best doctor on the planet. Nothing looks more absurd than poor-ly done hair transplants. Well done trans-plants can indeed look fairly natural (note, that the operative words there are “well done.” The job need to be well done – as in excellent, as in expensive and worth every penny, as in artistic, as in you want to kiss the mirror every time you walk by one). Got it? You want an excellent doctor, a brilliant doctor, a genius of a doctor. Remem-ber, people see your head fi rst. The idea is to never give them a reason to laugh. Never, never, never. Ever.

Finally, if you’re tired of trying everything, and you just want to be done with it, go for the bald look. A number of women have mentioned that they think it’s sexy. But if you do go for that look, please remember to shave it everyday. Razor burn from stubble on the top of the head is not cool.

A friend of mine fi nally did the bald look. He’s happy with it. Yes, he does say that shaving takes a bit longer every day, but when compar-ing that to coloring, toupees, weird styles, and all the money he’s spent over the past thirty years (he started going bald in his teens) he says he couldn’t be happier. And apparently some women think he looks sexier. If he had known that thirty years ago he could have bought a Lamborghini with the money he would have saved.

Growing up in a predomi-nantly white town, where the only other Filipinos were my family members, interracial relationships were nearly inevitable. This does not mean my parents had to like it. Growing up and to this day, my parents have always been nurturing and understanding. One thing that they always pushed upon me (more so my mom) was that one day, I would fi nd a nice, Filipina girl and have pleasant little Filipino babies. For as long as I can remember, I always re-belled against this “truth”. All through high school I dated white women not just due to preference, but also to protest to my parents’ closed minded mentality.

One thing that always stuck in my mind was they once told me that “whatever

My view of interracial relationships

Guest Writer: Sean Delizo

Although I did have this negative experience, I do not look down upon nor hold any resentment towards

interracial relationships.It’s just the opposite in fact. I highly support them. I am a fi rm believer in the saying “teaching is learn-ing”. Teaching someone else, especially someone I hold close to my heart is always a great experience.

Kelsey and Sean sharing a special photo op moment.

you do, please never bring home a black girl or a guy”. To say the least this infuri-ated me, so what did I do? The very next day, I walked into my parents’ house hold-ing hands with my best friend, Jeffrey, a guy. My mom au-tomatically shot out the door,

rosary in hand and headed to the nearest church to pray for my soul. I know this is quite a drastic example, but my parents really are supportive of me, as long as I somewhat fi t into the mold of what they want me to be. I do not hold resentment in my heart to-wards the way I was raised, but I do recognize the traits I do not believe in and wish not to pass on to generation to come.

Although it was tough to hear these assumptions, I had to try my best to understand where they were coming from before passing judgment. As an emerging adult, it was a hard thing to do, but if I did not question their logic and just accepted the things I was taught, I feel I would not be as opinionated as I am today. Getting back to the origin of this prejudice, although I grew

up in a predominant-ly affl uent and Cau-casian community in my later years, when I was younger, my family lived in Richmond, one of the most unforgiv-ing slums in the state of California. The demographic is almost 90 African American, crime rates are higher than most metropolitans in California, and Richmond boosts the

highest homicide in Califor-nia year after year. Living in this environment for my dad was to say the least a chal-lenge. When he was growing up, day after day, he would come home with black eyes or in tears because of the harsh treatment he received from

his peers for not being of the same ethnicity. This among other events left a bleak stain upon my Dad’s perception of the African American Culture. Although I did not agree with my father’s reasoning, I did have a better grasp of what brought him to that point. Negative experiences defi nite-ly can create a stigma upon one’s perception. This made me better relate with him.

As for being in an inter-racial relationship, I have had a few opportunities both bad and good. Surprisingly, the misperceptions never came from my family. In my life I have only dated girls of the backgrounds of Japanese, Filipina or Caucasian; I think this is a very point to note when mentioning my parents never had a problem with whom I dated.

First of all, my dad is obsessed with Japanese cul-ture, so that explains why he was so comfortable with that culture. I am Filipino, so my parents were always content with girls I dated of the same

Sean and his date, along with his friends and their dates, get-ting ready for prom.

ethnicity, and fi nally, my parents always wished me to be more Americanized so the Caucasian girls I dated were always treated like queens or a diamond in the rough when they came over to visit. As I previously stated though, the problem was never with my parents, it was always on the other end.

Immediately when I think about this subject, one inci-dent stands out clearly in my mind. One girl I was dating in high school, who happened to be meztiza (half Filipina, half Polish and Irish), wanted me to meet her parents. Her mom right away was quite warm to-wards me and I was respectful in return. Her Irish and Polish father on the other hand was quite the opposite. I was never acknowledged nor invited to family outings. The closest I got to acceptance was a fi rm and intentional handshake. And on top of all that, I was never spoken to.

The few times we did speak, I was treated as if I was not in the room. In other

words, my ex-girlfriend was used as a median for the conversations and I was only referred to as “him” or “he”. I came to fi nd out later on, this was because of the way my girlfriend’s uncles treated her father when he started dating her mom. This bitter taste of resentment was left on his pallet and he simply displaced it upon me. This was hard to deal with at fi rst, but in time, I accepted that I could not be liked or even tolerated by ev-eryone and this is an infl uence I wanted on my future family. The relationship ended there.

Although I did have this negative experience, I do not look down upon nor hold any resentment towards interracial relationships. It’s just the op-posite in fact. I highly support them. I am a fi rm believer in the saying “teaching is learn-ing”. Teaching someone else, especially someone I hold close to my heart is always a great experience. I feel it always pushes me to be fi rmly in touch with my culture and be confi dent enough to share it with someone else, for bet-ter or worse, you don’t date someone for the color of their skin, but rather what’s below it.

Sean is a 4th year student at SDSU majoring in Psychology with a minor in LGBT Studies. He is a student of Dr. Dirige in AS 460, “Contemporary Is-sues in FilAm Communities”. He was also Chair of this year’s AB Samahan.

***

ANNOUNCEMENTHEALTHY EATING AND


Perspectives

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

widely circulated Asian-Filipino newspaper!

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

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

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

Dr. Rizalino “Riz” Oades, (1935-2009)

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

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At Large...

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

by Miles Beauchamp


Adjustment of Status is the most exciting process for most aliens because this is the last and fi nal step in the process of obtaining a legal permanent resident status in the United States. This part of the process belongs not only to the applicant alien but also to his or her accompanying dependents such as spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21. The following are the frequently asked ques-tions in adjustment cases:

How does an alien apply for adjustment of status? What is the fi ling fee?

The alien should submit forms I-485, I-765 and I-131. The last two forms are op-tional. I-765 is the applica-tion for employment permit, which will authorize the alien to work while waiting for the green card. I-131 is the advance parole document, which will allow the applicant to travel outside the United States while the adjustment of status is pending. Gener-ally, the fi ling fee is $1,010, which includes a biometrics fee of 80. Applicants under 14 years of age and 79 years of age or older are not charged a biometric fee so the total fee is only $930. For applicants under 14 years of age, if fi ling with at least one parent, the fee is $600.

Maria entered the United States as student. She was in

Frequently asked questions in adjustment of status

her second year of the mas-ter’s degree program when she found employment for EB-2 category. Does Maria lose her student or F-1 status upon applying for adjust-ment?

No. The fi ling of adjust-ment application does not terminate lawful nonim-migrant status. If the EB-2 application is denied and the F status had expired at the time of denial, the alien would likely be unable to obtain another F-1 visa because of lack of nonimmigrant intent. If the alien stopped attending school and did not maintain his or her F-1 status before fi ling for adjustment of status, his or her application will likely be denied.

When should the Em-ployment Authorization Document (EAD) extension be fi led?

U.S. Citizenship and Immi-gration Services accepts fi ling up to four months in advance of expiration. I suggest fi ling between three to four months in advance.

What happens if an adjust-ment applicant fails to extend his or her EAD and continues to work without EAD and without valid nonimmigrant status after the fi ling of the adjustment application?

Unauthorized employ-ment after the fi ling of the


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by Philip TubezaPhilippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Presumptive president-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III Thursday took issue with the Office of the Ombuds-man’s decision clearing the First Couple in the $329-mil-lion NBN-ZTE scandal, and said his administration would provide the needed closure.

Speaking at a press confer-ence, Aquino said Benjamin Abalos and Romulo Neri, against whom the Ombuds-man had recommended graft charges, could not have planned and implemented the purportedly overpriced National Broadband Network deal with China’s ZTE Corp. on their own.

“Between the two of them, they would not have been able to secure all the necessary approvals to effect the deal. Therefore, the conspiracy has not been established com-pletely, and those who are responsible have not been identified and brought to the bar of justice,” he said.

Aquino said his admin-istration would prosecute those responsible for the deal, which had drawn protests so loud that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ultimately scrapped it.

“That is part of our cam-paign promise. There will be closure and completion as much as possible on all of these issues. Some of them will need a little bit more time to resolve completely,” he said.

‘Very, very tardy’Aquino said he agreed with

the Ombudsman’s statement

Aquino raps Ombudsman for clearing President, husband

that as President, Ms Arroyo could not be charged in court.

“The President is immune from suit while in office. But that already says that once [she is] out of office, it’s a different ballgame altogether,” Aquino said.

“Those who are accused have an opportunity to clear their names, but we need com-plete closure on it to prevent any future occurrences of the same,” he said.

Aquino said “some quar-ters” had assailed Ombuds-man Merceditas Gutierrez for being “very, very tardy” in investigating the controversies that had rocked the Arroyo administration.

“We, in fact, have pointed out the issue of Mr. Jocjoc Bolante, [the former agri-culture undersecretary who engineered the fertilizer fund scam],” Aquino said.

He observed that the Om-budsman “began investigating Bolante something like four years after the commission of the alleged fertilizer scam.” And yet, he said, no charges had been filed.

Complete failure of justice

“After six years—that’s equivalent to a full term—we have a complete failure of justice,” he said.

But Aquino stressed that the rights of those linked to scandals in the Arroyo admin-istration would be respected.

“As I did promise, we have to protect everybody’s rights. I hate to sound like a broken record [but] the true testament of a democracy is the ability to defend the rights of your

Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III

enemies,” Aquino said.“We will make sure all the

due processes are observed, all rights are religiously acknowledged and protected. But … if the evidence points to certain directions, prosecu-tions will have to happen,” he said.

No evidence of profit

In its decision issued on Wednesday, the Ombudsman cleared Ms Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, of culpability but recommended criminal and administrative charges against Abalos and Neri, who at the time chaired the Commis-sion on Elections (Comelec) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), respectively.

It also ordered Neri, now president of the Social Secu-rity System (SSS), suspended for six months without pay.

As NEDA chief, Neri was chiefly responsible for review-

ing the contract awarded to ZTE to connect government agencies nationwide through a broadband network.

He told a Senate inquiry at the height of the scandal in 2007 that Abalos had offered him P200 million to approve the deal.

On the phone Thursday with the Inquirer, Neri’s lawyer Paul Lentejas said the Ombudsman’s decision was “a sad commentary on the state of our justice system,” and that he and his client would contest it in the San-diganbayan and the Court of Appeals.

He said they were prepared to take their case all the way to the Supreme Court.

“There is no evidence that Neri had any financial benefit

from the transaction,” Lente-jas said, adding:

“He doesn’t own [ZTE] [or] any [other] company that was involved in the transac-tion, and he didn’t ask for money.

“There is completely no evidence against him. My cli-ent is really shocked and sad.”

Lentejas also said Neri did not intend to take a leave of absence from work at the SSS even if he was hurting from the Ombudsman’s decision.

‘I’ll be cleared’

Abalos, who resigned from the Comelec in 2007 after weeks of parrying accusations of dirty dealings in the course of brokering the contract with ZTE, said he did not feel like a fall guy.

Asked how he felt about the Ombudsman’s decision, he said: “The idea of a fall guy or feeling that I was left out assumes that something was committed. Nothing il-legal was committed [in the NBN-ZTE deal].”

He said he was actually relieved that the case would now end with the court as the final arbiter: “Ultimately, I think I will be cleared of all the charges. There is no dam-aging evidence whatsoever against me. I am very confi-dent I will be exonerated.”

Abalos also said he saw no reason why he should hold a grudge against the First Couple.

He said that as a lawyer, he understood how the legal system worked, and that if the Arroyos were cleared, it was only because no evidence was found to connect them to the case.

“Let us not be ruled by emotions. We should be ruled by the rule of law,” he said.

Out of government, Abalos is tending to an aquaculture business, which he claimed to

have long been his source of income.

Asked if he was worried about how the case would be pursued by the incoming administration, Abalos said: “I do not think Aquino is vindic-tive. I think what he wants to do is prosecute cases that should be prosecuted, and not specifically go after Ms Ar-royo.”

Peace offering

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the Ombudsman’s recommenda-tion of charges against Abalos and Neri might be a “peace offering” to the incoming administration.

“Probably, [Gutierrez is] offering the heads of Neri and Abalos … because she wants to put her office in the good graces of the new adminis-tration,” Pimentel said in a phone interview.

Pimentel stressed that “under the law,” Ms Arroyo and her husband had “lots of explaining” to do concerning the NBN-ZTE controversy.

He pointed out that Neri had made Ms Arroyo aware of the questionable contract being awarded to ZTE Corp., and she did nothing to stop it.

Pimentel said it seemed Gutierrez wanted to show that her office was “not covering up for people who committed graft and corruption.”

Thus, he said, Neri and Abalos were made “sacrificial lambs.”

‘Arroyo’s lackey’

But Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, who first blew the whistle on the questionable contract, posed the question: Would Neri allow himself to be such?

Lozada said the decision to clear the First Couple “vali-dated” his “suspicion” that



Dear Atty. Karagdag,

As in the case of many Filipinos, not everyone in our family was able to im-migrate to the United States. Only my two siblings and I were able to come with our parents on a petition fi led by my aunt. Our eldest brother was left behind because he was over 21 and already mar-ried. It was heartbreaking to leave him in the Philippines and this feeling of sadness turned into guilt as years went by. While my siblings and I were able to fi nish our stud-ies and found good jobs here in the U.S., our kuya and his family toiled hard in order to survive. At fi rst, we sent them money every month but we soon realized that it would be better for them fi nancially and emotionally if they have their own business. So, when we were already fi nancially established, we decided to put up a small business for them. We bought a couple of brand new taxi units which we paid in cash. Our kuya was supposed to drive one of the units himself and to rent out the other to our cousin at a low boundary, so the units wouldn’t get dilapidated. The plan worked out well during the fi rst few months. We were hoping that the income would be more than enough for our kuya and his family to live a comfortable life.

What we didn’t know was that our kuya had been addict-ed to gambling. He frequented the cockpits as well as the ca-sinos. He incurred huge debts to sustain his vices. He mort-gaged the two taxi units and issued postdated checks to his creditors. Because he was too busy with gambling, he was not able to drive the taxi him-self. He also imposed a very high boundary for the units that they soon became dilapi-dated. He lost his taxi units when the creditors foreclosed on the mortgage. But that was not the end of it. Since the taxi units were already dilapidated, they commanded only a small price when they were auctioned. He still has huge debts that remain un-paid. When one of his credi-tors threatened to sue him for bouncing checks, he was forced to sign a certain docu-ment entitled Waiver of He-reditary Rights and Interests Over a Real Property (Still

You cannot sell your future inheritance

Undivided) pertaining to a waiver of his hereditary share over our parents’ property in Quezon City. This property is quite large and valued at no less than 10 million pesos. It is our parents’ only remaining property in the Philippines and they really feel bad at the prospect of losing it since they plan to return to the Philip-pines next year and live there. The creditor has threatened to subdivide our parents’ proper-ty to get our kuya’s one-fourth share. Is there any way we can fi ght the case and protect our parents’ property?

Worried brother

Dear Worried Brother,

There is a particular provi-sion in Philippine law that addresses your concern. Article 1347 of the Civil Code provides that no contract may be entered into upon a future inheritance except in cases expressly authorized by law. For the inheritance to be considered “future”, the succession must not have been opened at the time of the contract. A contract may be classifi ed as a contract upon future inheritance, prohibited under the second paragraph of Article 1347, where the fol-lowing requisites concur:

That the succession has not yet been opened.

That the object of the con-tract forms part of the inheri-tance; and,

That the promissor has, with respect to the object, an expectancy of a right which is purely hereditary in nature.

In your brother’s case, there is no question that when he signed the Waiver of Hereditary Rights and Inter-est Over a Real Property (Still Undivided), succession to ei-ther of her parent’s properties has not yet been opened since both of them are still living. With respect to the other two requisites, both are likewise present considering that the property subject matter of your brother’s waiver conced-edly forms part of the proper-ties that he expects to inherit from your parents upon their death and, such expectancy of a right, as shown by the facts, is undoubtedly purely heredi-tary in nature. It constitutes a part of your brother’s future inheritance from your parents, which cannot be the source

of any right nor the creator of any obligation between him and his creditors. (Philippine Supreme Court, Ferrer vs. Diaz, G.R. No, 165300, April 23, 2010).

So, in other words, the creditors cannot go after your parents’ property under the Waiver of Hereditary Rights and Interest Over a Real Property (Still Undivided). However, since your brother still owes them money, the creditors have other ways of running after him, including carrying out their threat of su-ing him for bouncing checks. Be also mindful that, God forbids, if your parents die, your brother’s inheritance will be considered present inheri-tance. In that case, his credi-tors may be able to run after his share in the Quezon City property, not under the Waiver of Hereditary Rights and Interest Over a Real Property (Still Undivided), but perhaps by way of attachment or ex-ecution of judgment.

As we always advise those who write and call us, you and your brother should consult with a competent attorney for proper legal advice.

Sincerely,

Atty. Karagdag

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego and has continuously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His offi ce address is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an of-fi ce in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Ma-nila, Philippines 1007, with telephone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475 or email him at [email protected] for your free consultation. He speaks Tagalog fl uently. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheti-cals intended as general, non-specifi c legal information.

Ombudsman Gutierrez was a “lackey” of the Arroyos.

He said Ms Arroyo had been “creating a [thick] constitutional shield around herself.”

“But the world won’t be the same when she’s not Pres-ident anymore,” he warned.

Lozada was earlier tapped by then NEDA chief Neri to serve as his consultant on the NBN project.

He later revealed that the deal with ZTE was grossly overpriced and that Neri had told him to “moderate their greed,” referring to those lobbying for the contract, purportedly Mike Arroyo and Abalos.

Both men denied the al-legation.

Who was giving orders?

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, a former presi-dent of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said he expected more information to surface when Neri and Abalos face the court.

Lagdameo called on them “to face the accusation and

Aquino raps Ombudsman for clearing President, husband

(Continued from page 8)

tell the truth.”He also said that while

Abalos and Neri might have participated in the project, it was possible that they were getting “instructions” from someone more powerful than they.

“My question is, from whom will Abalos and Neri receive commands? For me, it seems that they were only instrumental,” Lagdameo said in a statement issued by the CBCP media offi ce in Manila.

The Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMSRP), which continues to provide sanctu-ary to Lozada and his family, expressed displeasure with the Ombudsman’s decision.

AMRSP co-chair Sister

Mary John Mananzan said she was pinning her hopes on Aquino to address the situa-tion.

Hub of corruption

“That was what he prom-ised—that he would change the system and that he would fi ght corruption. The Offi ce of the Ombudsman is one of the hubs of corruption,” Manan-zan said in a statement.

Mananzan also said the

Ombudsman should not have cleared Mike Arroyo.

“They are stupid if they say that he is not involved… He is more responsible be-cause he is on top,” she said.

As for the fi ling of charges against Abalos and Neri, Mananzan said she had no objections. With reports from Daxim L. Lucas, Beverly T. Natividad, Michelle V. Remo, Nikko Dizon, Christine O. Avendaño, Jerome Aning and Emil Sarmiento

Reach the lucrative Asian Pacifi c Islander

Market by advertising in the Asian Journal!Call (619) 474-0588

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

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

Phil - Am Law 101


Let’s take a page out of history and talk about the flags of our two

great countries: our mother country, the Philippines, and our adopted country, the Unit-ed States. This is very timely because this Saturday (June 12, 2010) the Philippines will cel-ebrate its 112th Independence Day, and on Monday (June 14, 2010) the United States will celebrate the American flag’s birthday, popularly known as Flag Day.

Our two countries are bound together, sharing the same stan-dard and values, and a history of common struggle for freedom. Thousands of lives have been sacrificed by both our countries in pursuit of liberty and justice.

The Philippine Flag

The Philippine flag is unique – unique in the sense that it has the ability to display a state or war, or a state of peace. It does this ac-cording to the orientation of the blue and red panels. When the blue panel is above the red, the country is at peace; and when the red is above the blue, the country is at war. For some of us who are not history buffs, the following info may be of interest:

The white triangle with equal sides symbolizes equality among

The Flags of Our Two Countries

men. The sun represents the gi-gantic strides the Philippines had taken on the road to progress and civilization. The eight rays of the sun represent the first eight united provinces to revolt against Spain: Batangas, Bulacan, Cav-ite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac.

The three stars in the triangle stand for the three major geo-graphical areas of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The red, white and blue colors symbolize the following: red for the willingness of the Filipino people to shed blood in defense of country, white for the purity and noble aspirations of the Fili-pino people, and blue for com-mon unity.

A Flag-Raising Ceremony will be held this Saturday afternoon at the Linayao compound in Ocean View Boulevard in San Diego, continuing the tradition started by the late Carlos Linayao, a promi-nent community leader here. As usual, this annual event will be sponsored by the Cavite Associa-tion of Southern California Inc. (CASCI).

The flag will be raised at exact-ly 4:45 p.m., the exact time when Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo raised the Philippine flag in June 12, 1898 in his ancestral home in Kawit El Viejo (Kawit, Cavite). And as the flag is being raised, the Phil-ippine National Anthem, Bayang Magiliw, will be sung.

The defiant lyrics of the an-them – a response to the need during that revolutionary time, was penned by Jose Palma, a sol-dier adept with the pen as well as the sword, and matches the stir-ring strains of the marching mu-sic composed by Professor Julian Felipe.

Here is the English version of the National Anthem:

Land of the morning, child of the sun returning,

With fervor burning, thee do our souls adore.

Land dear and holy, cradle of noble heroes

Ne’er shall invaders, trample thy sacred shore.

Even within the skies, and through the clouds

And o’er thy hills and sea, do we behold the radiance,

Feel the throb of glorious liberty.Thy banner, dear to all our hearts,

its sun and stars alight,O never shall its shining field be

dimmed by tyrant’s might!Beautiful land of love, O land of

light In thine embrace ‘tis rapture to

lieBut it is glory ever, when thou art

wrongedFor us thy sons to suffer and die.

The American Flag

A passionate emotion is created in the minds of people when they see the American flag waving in the breeze. It is truly one of the most powerful symbols of liberty and freedom that has had a strong impact throughout all countries of the world.

This prominent icon of our na-tional history will proudly wave everywhere on Monday, June 14, the date proclaimed by President Harry S. Truman as Flag Day.

The United States flag is flown 24 hours a day in the follow-ing places: the White House in Washington, DC; the Fort Mc Henry National Monument and Historical Shrine in Baltimore, Maryland; the Flag House Square in Baltimore, Maryland; on the Green of the town of Lexington, Massachusetts; the United States Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima) in Arlington, Virginia; the grounds of the National Memo-rial Arch in Valley Forge State Park in Valley Forge, Pennsylva-nia; and the United States Cus-toms Ports of Entry.

But since the September 11 ter-rorist attack on American soil, the American flag has been dis-played on private buildings, seen on cars, and exhibited every-where possible, symbolizing the support and commitment of the American government and our citizens to justice and liberty.

Betsy Ross, a seamstress who made clothes for George Wash-ington, made our first American flag in June 1776, and the rest is history. Our flag has 13 horizon-tal stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white. Each white stripe represents the original 13 colo-nies, and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union.

The red, white and blue colors symbolize the following: red for valor and robustness, white for innocence and purity, and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

Francis Scott Key composed the Star-Spangled Banner, our national anthem. The lyrics are particularly poignant and mean-ingful during times of national mourning and pride, and has brought courage and hope to so many during dark times. It has four verses in all, and we are all familiar with the first verse be-cause it is the verse we usually sing.

The significance of the fourth verse is that it mentions God and our national motto “In God We Trust”, and here it is:

Oh, thus be it ever when free men shall stand

Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!

Blest with vict’try and peace, may the heav’n rescued land

Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto, “In God is our trust”

And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

May the flags of our two great countries long proudly wave!

adjustment application can bar adjustment. USCIS will accumulate any unauthorized employment prior to the filing of the adjustment and unau-thorized employment after the filing of the adjustment, and, if the total exceeds 180 days since the last entry to the U.S., the applicant will be considered to be not eligible to adjust.

What happens if the ad-

justment applicant does not work without authorization but fails to maintain any nonimmigrant status after the filing of application for adjustment?

As long as the violation of status was less than 180 days after the last entry and before the filing of the adjustment application, the alien should be able to adjust without any problems.

Can the applicant for ad-justment of status be a benefi-ciary of a nonimmigrant visa petition filed by a different sponsor while the adjustment application is pending?

Yes, there is no require-ment that the alien be em-ployed by the sponsor on a permanent basis. The ben-eficiary can change employer once the petition is approved and the adjustment application has been pending 180 days.

Can a foreign national have more than one adjustment of status application pending at the same time? For example

Frequently asked questions in adjustment of

status(Continued from page 7)


Top Photo: L-R:Msgr. Oscar Aquino, New York Consul General Cecilia Rebong, unidentified guest, Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. and Mrs. Willie Gaa. Middle Photo: Couples For Christ Bot-tom Photo: ABS-CBN float with singers Christian Bautista, Sarah Geronimo. (Photos sent in by Manny Caballero)

Philippine Independence Day Celebration, New York Style

Light &Shadows

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

by Zena Sultana BabaoWill the Philippines bag its

first Olympic gold medal in the 2012 Games in London?

With a bit of help from British security solutions giant G4S, the world’s second larg-est employer after Wal-Mart, the most promising boxer to have come out of the coun-try’s pool of amateur fighters may have a chance.

Charly Suarez, a 21-year-old accounting student from Tagum, Davao del Norte, will be receiving support and train-ing from a team led by two-time Olympic gold medalist and marathon record holder Haile Gebrselassie, G4S global sports ambassador.

Suarez was the country’s most impressive fighter at the AIBA (Amateur International Boxing Association) World Championships in Milan last September.

The 5-foot-6 fighter won the gold medal in the feath-erweight division in the last Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos.

Under the program, the company selects 14 promising young athletes from 13 coun-tries for developing world-class skills.

Five G4S athletes compet-ed in the 2008 Beijing Olym-pics, with weightlifter Ilin Ilya winning a gold.

G4S announced the selec-tion of Suarez a day after inaugurating its brand-new seven-story offices, G4S House, in Pasig. The company provides security services to several embassies in Metro Manila including the US, the UK, Australia, Germany,

Charly Suarez

British firm to help RP boxer in Olympic quest

for Gold

Spain, Brazil and Norway, and to top companies including Nestlé and Aboitiz.

The company has been in the Philippines since 2000. It employs 596,000 in 110 countries, 5,000 of them in the Philippines. The sports program is part of its social responsibility projects, which also include landmine clearing in Afghanistan.

Explaining the selection of a boxer for its program in the Philippines, Mike Ross of G4S said, “Boxing and the Philippines go hand in hand.”

G4S ambassador Gebrse-lassie’s advice to athletes: “In all sports, the goal is the same. Be an Olympic champion. Be world champion.”

The Philippines has yet to nail the elusive gold medal in the Olympics since it first competed in the quadrennial sports conclave in 1924 in Paris.

It has won nine Olympic medals, five in boxing, two in swimming and two in athlet-ics since 1928 in Amsterdam.

The best that the Philip-pines has claimed are silver medals, won by boxers Antho-ny Villanueva in 1964 in To-kyo and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco in 1996 in Atlanta.

New York was feted to the 112th Phil-ippine Independence Day Parade on Sunday, June 6, The mile-long parade started at 1:00 P.M. from East 36th along Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhat-

tan and ended an hour-and-a-half later at East 25th Street where Filipino food and musical festival were held.Singers Sarah Geronimo and Christian Bautista led the entertainers at the festival.


Housing and Real Estate

License # 01113433

LOS ANGELES - In a continuing probe into a de-funct Southern California mortgage brokerage, Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the arrests of president and co-owner Sean McConville and two associates who used “deceptive promises and forged documents” to steal almost $1 million from hom-eowners falsely guaranteed at-tractive home loan refinancing packages.

“These criminals employed a classic bait-and-switch in their refinance scheme,” Brown said. “With deceptive promises and forged documents, they maliciously cheated homeown-ers who trusted them and just wanted a fair deal.”

Brown’s office initiated its investigation in October 2008 in response to more than 70 complaints against the defen-dants and their mortgage bro-kerage business, ALG Capital,

Inc. The brokerage operated out of Calabasas from early 2006 until late 2007 and then moved to Mission Hills until it shut its doors in 2008.

Brown’s investigation found that f! rom April 2007 to Octo-ber 2008, the owners and their associates lured dozens of bor-rowers into refinancing home loans by falsely promising low interest rates, minimal broker fees and other attractive terms. The brokerage then negotiated different terms with lenders.

When homeowners were presented with closing docu-ments, they bore the terms promised, but which the lenders never approved. After homeowners signed the clos-

Three More Suspects Nabbed in Million-Dollar

Bait-and-Switch Home Refinance Scam

ing documents, key pages were removed and replaced with pages bearing the terms that the lender had actually agreed to. The homeowners’ signa-tures were then forged on the replacement pages, and ALG forwarded the forged docu-ments to the escrow company.

Homeowners only discov-ered they had been defrauded when they received the final loan documents with the true terms and their signatures forged on closing cost disclo-sures, Truth-in-Lending dis-closures, loan applications and other documents.

Additionally, ALG col-lected al! most $1 million in undisclosed fees, charging homeowners up to! $57,000 in broker fees. In total, dozens of homeowners were locked into almost $30 million in loans with terms they did not agree to.

As a result of this scheme,

many homeowners were forced to sell their homes, come out of retirement, or tap retirement savings. Others paid significant prepayment penalties, includ-ing over $21,000 in one case. Borrowers also rarely received the large cash-outs they were promised as part of the refi-nance.

Sean McConville, 30, of Austin, Texas, president and co-owner of the brokerage, was arrested early yesterday morning at his residence. He is being held at the Travis County Jail in Texas pending extradi-tion. He was previously con-victed of robbery in November 1997.

Matthew Bourgo, 27, of

Thousand Oaks, who posed as a licensed notary for the bro-kerage, was arrested yesterday afternoon at his residence. He is being held in Ventura Coun-ty Jail and will be transferred to Los Angeles County.

Joseph Nguyen, 37, of Woodland Hills, a former loan officer for the brokerage, was also arrested yesterday after-noon at his business, where he worked as a chiropractor. He is being held by authorities in Los Angeles County.

The suspects are each being held on $29.5 million bail.

In September 2009, Brown’s office arrested three others involved in the bait-and-switch scam, including Michael McConville, 32, of Simi Valley, Sean’s brother and co-owner of the brokerage, Alan Ruiz, 29, of Huntington Beach, a former loan officer and Garrett Holdridge, 24, of Palmdale, who was convicted of seven felonies in March for his involvement in the scam.

Investigators located vic-tims in dozens of California cities, including: Auburn, Al-tadena, Arroyo Grande, Azusa, Bakersfield, Berkeley, Bur-bank, Calabasas, Castro Valley, Chino, Compton, Corona, Fairfield, Fontana, Fremont, Fresno, Garden Grove, Glen-dale, Hemet, Highland, Hun-tington Beach, La Habra! , La Mesa, La Mirada, La Quinta, Lancaster, Livermore , Los An-geles, Lo! ng Beach, Manteca, Martinez, Monterey, Murrieta, Nice, Northridge, Oakland, Ontario, Palmdale, Pasadena, Perris, Petaluma, Pomona, Quartz Hill, Rancho Cucamon-ga, Redlands, Reedley, Rialto, Sacramento, San Clemente, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Sierra Madre, Spring Valley, Stanton, Temecula, Whittier, and Winnetka.

The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, includes the following charges: 38 counts of grand theft, 19 counts of forgery, three counts of elder abuse, and one count of conspiracy to commit grand theft.

Brown also filed suit against the McConville broth-ers in May 2009 for running a property tax reassessment scam which targeted Californians looking to lower their property taxes. The brothers billed tens of thousands of homeowners throughout California nearly $200 each for property tax reassessment services that were almost never performed and are available free of charge from local tax assessors.

Homeowners across the country are loading up their tool belts and taking on home improvement projects on their own. This DIY crowd is looking for ways to make the home better while keeping expenses down.

The experts at Black & Decker have some tips and tools to make four of the most common projects a little easier.

Re-juvenate Cabinets. Instead of replacing your kitchen cabinets, stain them for a fresh, new look.

Wash cabinets with • mild detergent. Let dry, then scrape off loose paint.Sand all surfaces. Try • Black & Decker’s all-new Complete Sanding Kit with Smart Selectä Technology. Then wipe away sand-ing dust and prime all bare wood with sealer.Paint cabinet • interiors back walls first, then tops, sides and bot-toms. Paint bottoms, tops, and edges of shelves last.Paint both • sides of doors, beginning with inner surfaces. With panel doors, paint in this order: 1) recessed panels, 2) horizontal rails, 3) vertical stiles.

Assemble Furniture Your-self. Adding even one new piece of furniture, like a bookshelf, can help transform a room. To help eliminate some of the frustration that can come with following as-sembly instructions, follow

Helpful Hints for the Handy Homeowner

these tips:Set aside a work area • that’s big enough for unpacking and ma-neuvering the preas-sembled pieces.Spread out all the • furniture pieces and

hard-ware. Com-pare what you have with what’s listed in the in-struc-tion man-ual. Make

sure you have every-thing before you start.Be ready with the basic • tools. Some furniture is simple enough that no tools are required, but more complex pieces will probably call for a hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches and maybe even a power drill.

Install New Blinds. New blinds can help change the look of a room in no time. They also add privacy and can be an added form of insu-lation in the cooler months.

Take accurate mea-• surements before you buy. Inside and outside mounted blinds are measured differently. You can find measur-ing guides online to

help you get just the right fit.Open the package care-• fully. Don’t use a razor blade or knife to open the boxes because you could accidently cut a cord.Predrill pilot holes for • screws to avoid split-ting the work piece. Use a slower speed and moderate pressure. A steady and patient ap-proach works best with wood, to avoid slipping and misaligning holes.Screwdriving in dif-• ficult to reach areas is made simple with the Black & Decker Cordless Lithium-Ion Screwdriver.

Add a Chair Rail. It’s the perfect way to create a new look in any room without the pain of painting the entire space.

To determine how high • the chair rail should be, divide the height of the ceiling by three. The general rule is that the chair rail should be about 1/3 of the way up from the floor (between

32 and 36 inches for an 8-foot ceiling).

Following a • cutline with a saw can be difficult, es-pecially in poorly lit work areas. One tool that can make the job easier is a jigsaw.

Using a jigsaw • can be tricky when you first start out. Practice on a piece of scrap wood to avoid costly mistakes on the actual project and get you acquainted with using the saw

and what to expect.For more information and

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Poland based Filipino entertainer Alexander Marti-nez made history in Poland by being the only non-Polish entertainer to make it all the way to the Grand Finals of the country’s top rating reality show “Po-land’s Got Talent.”

While the show drew other foreign contenders who are also based in Poland, Alex was the only Asian who made the cut.

The story of Alex captured the imagination of judges and audiences of Poland’s version of the widely popular reality show that has spun off global franchises, including one in the Philippines.

He wowed judges and audi-ences alike in episode after episode, with his versatile vocal range that could even interpret songs like “Time To Say Goodbye,” which was originally sung by female art-ist Sarah Brightman.

So, from the thousands of candidates who auditioned, they were whittled down to 100, then 10, then the final three. The night before the fi-nals, Alex was running a high fever. Doctors already grew concerned as they attended to him.

He chose to perform an opera number entitled “The Final Countdown” and floored the jury made up of Polish ac-tress Malgorzata Foremniak, rock star Agnieszka Chylin-ska, and controversial show-man Kuba Wojewodzki, who gushed over his breathtaking

Alexander Martinez shines in Poland’s Got

Talent Contest

Alexander Martinez

Up to a certain point, his en-vironment and

his heredity shape a man’s life. But the time comes when it is up to him to create the kind of person he wishes to be. As I allowed my dream to take me to my journey, I also allowed the true spirit inside me, the spirit that stemmed from my roots to reach out and serve the poor and the underprivileged.

In 1972, three years af-ter we arrived in San Diego, California, there were only four Filipino foreign medi-cal graduates practicing in the city. Dr Romeo Quini and his wife Dr. Mila Quini, Dr. Adelito Gale and I were the pioneer Philippine graduates.

There were 160,000 Fili-pino-Americans living in San Diego County and mostly in the South Bay area of the city. They were predominantly U.S. navy retirees and their families. They originated from different regions and prov-inces of the Philippines.

At that time there were about 60 to 70 Filipino-American organizations in San Diego County. Notably, there was diversity. To bring together the different organi-zations to foster unity, har-mony and mutual cooperation, an umbrella organization was founded in 1971 which was called the Council of Filipino-American Organizations of San Diego County (COPAO). Eventually, I became a mem-ber of the Board of COPAO.

Meanwhile, the three of us Filipino-American doc-tors (Dr. Quini, Dr. Gale and myself) noticed the sad situation of many “old tim-ers “or “manongs” (Filipino men in their senior years) who had worked in the farms, in restaurants, or other menial jobs. They were living in the depressed areas of the city and shied away from the social scene. These “manongs” had never sought medical treat-ment or check up not only due to indifference but also due to their financial difficulties, limited knowledge of English and existing cultural barriers.

It was because of our keen awareness of their situation that in 1973, the three of us started a makeshift clinic in the backroom of a Filipino-owned barbershop on Mar-ket Street in downtown San Diego. Using our own time and resources, we made our consultation services available to patients on Friday nights where at least one, if not all three of us, along with other volunteers manned our tiny and understaffed clinic. From the beginning, our purpose was to provide free medi-cal care to those who had no medical insurance and could not afford the fees charged by most doctors.

I am convinced that people like to do what they are called to do. They are very patient when they are doing what they like. When people are fulfilling a calling, the calling fascinates them. As such the three of us were completely fascinated by our calling. Wanting to give something to

From Antique to America:Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

The Operation Samahan Story, Part 1

By Dr. Cesar D. Candari Eighth in a series of articles

“Success is a journey, not a destination.”- BEN SWEETLAND

Samahan Medical Health Clinic - at the grand opening of the new building addition with Mayor Waters of National City, California, May 6, 1990

the community that had given the three of us so much in life, we, the three medical mus-keteers pursued, this noble mission. Other physicians, like Dr. Iluminada Arenas, Dr. Mila Quini, Dr. Emma Matel, Dr. Ceferina Ruiz and others, rendered their helped. Filipino-American RNs also responded and joined as vol-unteers.

Words got out fast to the Filipino-American commu-nity that there was this “free” medical clinic operated by three caring physicians with the assistance of Filipino-American nurses. Our evening clinic was soon besieged by a growing number of patients, more than we were prepared to handle. At this point we sought for help from more members of the community and from the government agencies that could provide us the much-needed funds for expansion.

COPAO Chairman File-mon Adrid and Vice Chairman Paul Bayani were among the first to answer our call for help. A strong rally led by Grace Blaszkowski, a Fil-ipina, who was the Chief of the City of San Diego’s Office of Asian-American Affairs, and others concerned citizens lobbied for city and county funding. It proved to be not an easy task.

People with passion, however, do what they do out of love for the work they are performing and for the results that they expect to achieve. Thus, in 1973, Operation Samahan was born and incor-porated the same year into a 501 c3, non-profit freestand-ing private community clinic. The humble clinic, which was the hub of health screening and informal health educa-tion gatherings, was relocated to a larger space in National City, south of San Diego. The mayor of National City, Kile Morgan, offered us the use of the Boys and Girls Club building free of charge for two years. Operation Samah-an first Executive Director provided the administrative support and machinery for the

management of the clinic. We organized the first Fili-

pino Medical Foundation Inc., and I became the founding president and the first chair-man of the Board of Opera-tions. “Samahan” is a Filipino or Tagalog word that can be translated to “togetherness”, “ helping one another”, and “working together”.

The programs and services made available to the commu-nity included medical, educa-tional, cultural and multi-so-cial activities. The new focus and top minority programs helped the organization.

In 1975, the clinic moved to a 3,000 square foot medical professional building at 2340 Eight Street in National City. Then in 1977, to continue to meet the growing need for the clinic’s good and afford-able services, a branch of Operation Samahan expanded to Mira Mesa north of San Diego. Like National City, it was a venue for thousands of Filipino immigrants and other minorities of Pan-Asian descent. At its inception, most patients were predominantly Filipino-Americans but it became a beacon for pa-tients of all backgrounds and races, especially newlyarrived immigrants who could not afford the high cost of medi-cal expenses. Due to space limitations and its expansion into a multi-service health and family-service center for low-income families and in-dividuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds both the Nation-al City and Mira Mesa’s 800 square-foot clinic had to be maintained. The patients were Latinos, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Laotians, African-Americans, Caucasians and refugees from the Middle East and other countries. They were so diversified that the signs and pamphlets of the Operation Samahan were in English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Lao. Significant numbers of these people were unable to communicate in English. Operation Samahan also had to employ people who were bilingual since the significant number of the patients could

not communicate in English.There were ups and downs

in the clinic especially when the earlier members of the Board of Directors were not actively participating in the administration and supervi-sion of the day-to-day op-eration of the clinics. I had predominantly spent my time as chairman of the board of Samahan. After about a decade of volunteer services, I decided to slow down since there were other projects for me to attend to in the height of my medical practice. I took a sabbatical leave from Samahan. Together with the other two founders, we en-trusted the management of the clinic to civic oriented Filipino-Americans in the community

(Continued next issue) (About the author: Dr.

Cesar D. Candari, a native of Pandan, Antique in the Philip-pines was a long time resident and medical practitioner of San Diego County where he was an active community leader, having been one of the three Filipino American doctors who founded Opera-tion Samahan and its medi-cal clinic. He had served in various capacities as officer of different professional, civic and community organiza-tions. He is now retired and living in Henderson, Nevada. This book, “From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipi-no American Doctor” is being published by Green Mango Books, a division of Asian Journal San Diego and will be released in August 2010. To order copies of the book with a 20% pre-publication discount off the $12.95 selling price, call (619) 474-0588.)

(Read previous install-

ments of this memoir in www.asianjournalusa.com)

rendition, showering him with superlatives and high praise.

“More than his talent, they told me that it was his good attitude that endeared him to the Polish audiences. It really shone through,” his Polish wife Zanet said.

While the total votes failed to catapult Alex to the top spot – it went to a 27-year-old accordionist – he still received 5,000 euros and sponsored plane tickets to the Philip-pines, to his hometown Cebu for him, his wife and 10-year-old daughter Vanessa.

The Filipino talent keeps shining through anywhere in the world.

(From Good News Philip-pines)

Reach the lucrative Asian Pacific Islander

Market by advertising in the

Asian Journal!Call (619) 474-0588


The Law that Matters

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

by Atty. A. Erwin Bautista

How to reject executory con-tracts and unexpired leases in Chapter 7?

Question: I can no longer afford to pay my apartment, my cell phone and my leased car because I lost my job and my unemployment is not enough so I’ll be moving back to my parents and I don’t see any job in the near future, how can I get out of these contracts and leases?

Answer: Bankruptcy pro-vides for the rejection or assumption of contracts and leases and discharge of unse-cured debts, so a Chapter 7 will be an appropriate solution to your problem since accord-ing to you there is no foresee-able hope of employment in the near future in the horizon for you.

What are executory con-tracts and unexpired leases?

An executory contract is a contract where there remains substantial performance yet to be completed by both the debtor and the nondebtor party at the time the bankrupt-cy is filed. It may also mean to include a situation where substantial performance that remains is yet to be completed

Bankruptcy: Executory Contracts and

Unexpired Leasesby only one of the parties or a contract that may benefit the bankruptcy estate of the debtor by either performance or breach.

A lease on the other hand is where a property is leased and the title is reserved to the lessor and the property does not become the property of the lessee at the end of the term for little or no value. A lease agreement where the property becomes the property of the lessee at the end of the term for little or no value is a security agree-ment and not a true lease.

A good example of unex-pired contracts and leases are rental lease for an apartment, cell phone agreements and car lease among others. In an apartment lease the lessor allows the lessee to use the apartment unit in exchange for monthly rental payments and at the time of filing the Bankruptcy the lease contract has not expired. Likewise in a cell phone contract which is usually for 2 years a penalty

is required if the debtor stops using the service for less than the 2 year contract because the cell phone was given for free or at a discounted price in exchange for entering in the 2 year contract. In a car lease if the car is surrendered or reposed before the agreed period of lese the lessor is en-titled to the remaining months the contract remains valid just like an apartment lease contract, the lessee or renter remain responsible in paying the remaining months of the lease contract.

What can bankruptcy do to help a debtor with an execu-tory contract or unexpired lease?

Sec. 365 of the Bankruptcy Code provides that “the trust-

ee, subject to the court’s approval, may assume or reject any executory contract or unexpired lease of the debtor.

In a Chap-ter 7 case Section

365(d) provides that “if the trustee does not assume or reject an executory contract or unexpired lease of residential property or of personal prop-erty of the debtor within 60 days after the order for relief, or within such additional time as the court for cause, within such 60-day period, fixes, then such contract or lease is deemed rejected.

So in our example the ex-ecutory contracts and unex-pired leases on the apartment, cell phone and car can be rejected so that the debtor will be freed from performing those contracts or obligated from the responsibilities under those contracts and leases in a Chapter 7 petition and

a discharge was eventually obtained.

Other issues that need to be taken care of.

Also a dollar amount can be determined as to the debt the debtor will incur that the executory contract and unex-pired leases will result in a breach of those contracts and leases which should also be listed in the unsecured debt under Schedule F to make sure the debtor will be dis-charged of any resulting debt in the breach of those con-tracts and leases.

And finally the executory contracts and unexpired leases should be listed in Schedule G so that it will be rejected.

Should you or anyone you know have these outstand-ing executory contracts and unexpired leases which you can no longer afford to keep or maintain because you lost your job or your hours at work were reduced, consult a bankruptcy attorney to find out your options and avoid the penalties or avoid being sued for breach of those contracts and leases.

(We invite readers to set up their initial consultation with The Law Offices of A. Erwin Bautista. Atty. Bau-tista practices Immigration, Bankruptcy, Personal Injury, Family Law and Income Tax Preparation/Audit Representa-tion. Atty. Bautista obtained his law degree from Western State University, Fullerton, CA and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of the Philippines. You can reach him in Los Angeles at (213) 365 7690 at 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 2700, LA, CA 90010 or in San Diego at (619) 474 7755 at 550 E. 8th St., Ste. 11, National City, CA 91950)

Promised LandBoracay

might drown, I don’t know how to swim).”

“Nakakapit ho kayo sa bangka (You will be holding on to the boat.”

In the end, Isabel, her mom and siblings gave “snorkeling” a try and enjoyed it.

They spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the butter-fly exhibits in one part of the town and lolling on the beach. During the next two days, they enjoyed the pleasures Boracay could offer. The day before their return home, Isabel told her mom: “Gusto ho ni Al-bert na mapag-isa kami para makapag-usap kami ng husto (Albert wants us to be alone by ourselves so that we can talk privately).”

“Sige (okay),” Marta gave her permission. “So that you can get to know each other.”

“Umorder lang kayo ng gusto ninyong pagkain sa restaurant sa hotel (Just order any food you want to eat at the hotel restaurant),” Albert told Marta. “Pirmahan lang ninyo ang resibo at isulat ang nu-mero ng inyong kuwarto (Just sign the receipt and write the number of your room.)”

But before Isabel could leave, Marta was able to give her a message.

“Pag gusto ni Albert na magsiping kayo, pumayag ka na, para wala ng kawala (If Albert wants to sleep with you, you agree so that he won’t get away).” It was an awkward matter for a mother and daughter to talk about but Marta wanted to make sure her daughter would not be stupid enough to miss her chance.

“Si Inay naman (How could you?)”, said Isabel, maintain-ing her pride.

ISABEL AND ALBERT SPENT THE EVENING on another side of the island. They had a romantic dinner at

(Continued from page 3) a hotel restaurant and strolled on the beach. Albert brought with him two glasses and a bottle of wine which they consumed as they sat on the beach after a stroll. Late in the evening, Albert whispered to her: “It’s already too late to go back to your mom. Let us just spend the evening here.”

Isabel did not reply, but Albert knew she was too shy to express her agreement. He led her up to her feet. They walked towards a nearby hotel, checked in, and spent their first night together in bed.

“NAKU, ANONG GINAWA NINYO, saan kayo nagpunta? Bakit hindi kayo umuwi kagabi (What did you do? Where did you go? Why did you not come home last night)?” Marta was hysterical when Albert and Isabel returned the next day.

The two did not expect Marta’s reaction.

“Albert ano ang ginawa mo? Pinagkatiwalaan pa naman kita (Albert what did you do? I even trusted you)?” Marta asked Albert.

Albert could not say any-thing.

“Kailangan pakasalan mo ang anak ko, kung hindi, idide-manda kita (You must marry my daughter, otherwise, I will sue you)?”

“Oho (Yes),” was all Albert could say.

Isabel stayed in Albert’s ho-tel room when they returned to Manila. The next day, the two of them, together with Marta, went to the City Hall to get married. Till the end, Isabel’s dad was too decent not to have any part of it. He just prayed to God that his daughter made the right choice. - AJ

(To be continued)(Read previous install-

ments of this story in www.asianjournalusa.com)

858

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An Unauthorized History of the Philippines

24th of a seriesBy Rudy D. Liporada

In the first series, the author stated that history is written by those who have the time to interpret events based on their perspectives and believed by those who do not know better. In the subsequent series, the author traced why Spain, the United States, and Japan came to the Philippines and why the Filipinos failed to see their economic inten-tions; and how the subjugated the Filipinos who eventu-ally rose in arms against the colonialists in spite of the complicity of the landed elites with the colonialists.

From Heaven to Holly-wood and Wannabes

When I was a kid in the middle fifties, I and my younger brother would pa-tiently wait by our window expecting for the boy hawking the bi-weekly published ko-miks. I do not exactly remem-ber the days they come out but it was like on a Tuesday, the boy would be hawking Pilipino Komiks; on a Thursday, it would be Tagalog Klasiks. The fol-lowing Tues-day and Thursday, it would be Hi-waga and Espesyal Komiks. I may have mixed up the days and which came on which days but whenever we would hear the boy approaching, we would be rushing to the door to meet him to secure a copy of the komiks by paying 25 centavos given by my mother for the purchase

Unable yet to read at that time, we would excitedly flip through the pages enjoying already the graphics without reading the ballooned texts. When Saturday comes when my father have no work, and after lunch, we would lie on bed with me and my brother on opposite ends of my father and mother, excited that the characters on the komiks would now come to life. Only my father could read and the exploits of Gagamba, Palos, Lastik Man, and other supernatural heroes would leap from the pages into our imaginations. These were episodic novels that bi-weekly says abangan ang susunod na kabanata (till the next chapter) and my brother and I would patiently wait till the boy comes again for the next kabanata.

There were also war stories where the Japanese always lost to the guerillas with USAFFE insignia on their back packs. Moreover, I dis-tinctly remember the Apat na

Anino (Four Shadows) who were masked men ala-Zorro, who were Robin Hoods in their own rights who out-fenced Spanish swordsmen at every turn. Kenkoy and Kalabog and Bosyo provided comic relief. Most romantic stories involved classic epi-sodes where a rich son, at the objection of his parents, falls in love with a peasant lass. Against all odds, their love prevails and the story ends where everyone lives happily ever after, even the objecting rich parents.

The romantic stories involved class reconcilia-tions while the heroes and the comic reliefs made one forget prevailing problems. The abangan and susunod na kaba-nata would be the forerunner of today’s teleserye.

I also remember that these komik episodes would later on be transformed into the movie screens starring our fa-vorite stars like Susan Roces, Amalia Fuentes, Nida Blanca, Cesar Ramirez, Leopoldo Salcedo, Efren Reyes, and many more. Even as kids, my mother would drag me and my brother to the sinehan and enjoy, in black and white, the stories, especially the action and romantic ones, which we had religiously followed in the komics.

Later on, we acquired a radio, and I enjoyed drama episodes like the Tang-tarang-tang, voice-starred by Pugo and Bentot who were also movie actors. Their funny an-tics made one forget the rigors of the day. With the coming of telebisyon, though initially in

black and white, we an-ticipated Dolphy (who was evolving to be the King of Filipino Comedy) and Nida Blanca tandem in John en Marsha. Though reflecting the lives of the common “tao”, the episodes projected

the hardships of life on the lighter side which could be tolerated.

TVs also had noontime programs where partici-pants could win prizes. The teleserye also started in the middle 70s.

Towards the 1960s, there were more foreign films showed in the cinemas de-picting epic personalities like Hercules, Maciste; and cow-boys, secret agents, etc. The Filipino films mushroomed with copy cats like Tony Ferrer as Agent X-44. Star Fernando Poe, Jr. became a cowboy, samurai fighter, a guerilla, or whatever in his non-changing brand of side-burns.

The effects of the enter-tainment media

It is often said that un-

der the Spaniards for three centuries, the Filipinos were promised Heaven for all their hardships on earth. This, so the Spanish colonialists could hide their exploitative nature. To this day, suffering Filipi-nos pray for blessings from on high and deduce that their sufferings are God’s will that they should accept, for, one day, May Awa Rin Ang Diyos (God will have mercy). Until

that day comes, the colonial-ists are still hidden as the root cause of the Filipinos’ misery.

After Marcos was de-posed, many sectors of the Philippines thought that their livelihood will finally be improved. After a suc-cession of presidents after Marcos – Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada to Gloria Arroyo -, however, the economy of the Philip-pines have further worsened. The peso had plunged from 2 pesos to a dollar from Maca-pagal’s tenure to the current 50 pesos to a dollar. This re-sulted to raw materials being bought from the Philippines, purchased in pesos, spiraling down to become cheaper for the American imperialists; and finished products being imported into the Philippines, purchased in dollars, shoot-ing up in their expensiveness. The resulting skyrocketing of prices drove more and more Filipinos towards poverty. The onerous exchange depleted the coffers of the Philippines resulting in borrowing from international banks further sinking the economy of the Philippines due to its inability to pay with its further deval-ued peso. Moreover, the base of the economy remained to be agrarian with no future of national industrialization resulting to massive underem-ployment and unemployment.

Yet, sectors of the Philip-pines still fail to see the root cause of their poverty.

If the Spaniards succeeded for three centuries to hide under the graces of God, the American colonialists suc-ceeded to hide under Hol-lywood and its guise in the Philippine setting; added to their control of the educa-tional system. From when the flickering screens were brought to the Islands to the control of the mass media, Filipinos were exposed to storylines that cleansed class conflicts, success can emanate only from striving hard, and only America and Americans are the best – all for the Filipi-nos to accept their fate, strive

to be copycats of the Ameri-cans, or simply just to escape their problems momentarily by being entertained. These were augmented by the lo-cal vaudevilles, local mov-ies, comics, and other mass media.

The Wowowee and Pac-quaio Syndrome

WoWoWee

Recently, one of the more popular Philippine TV shows is WoWoWie. Televised on an international scale, it features provocative gyrating lady dancers, singing of love songs by the host, Willie Villame; and, most important, the program gives prizes through various contests involving down trodden participants like basureros, housemaids, and the like. Prices would range from 5,000 pesos to one million pesos. Contestants undergo rigid auditions and eventually, an average of two people could win from 10,000 to a million pesos per pro-gram. Willie also hands out 1,000 pesos to 15,000 pesos, jackets, cds, and advertise-ment giveaways at his dis-cretion. Many from the poor dream of being in WoWoWie and are obviously jubilant, especially when they win. Those in the audience and those pegged at their TV set from the US to Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and other parts of the world enjoy the gyrating girls, the antics of the host and the talents pre-sented by those of lowly life.

The poor are attracted to the show because they see in it a chance to better their lives. Consider a basurera who ekes but 100 pesos ($2.00) a day for rummag-ing through trash and just sleeps and her kariton (long cart) with her family of four and wins 500,000 pe-sos ($10,000). She shrieks, sobbing, thankful, saying “Thank you sa WoWowee. Hindi ko akalaing magbabago and takbo ng buhay ko (I did not expect my life to be changed)”.

For this, WoWoWee is be-ing celebrated as a salvation for the poor. This serves as a blinder for so many, forget-ting, that for every winner, there are hundreds who did

not make the audi-tions; and there are millions more who did not even go for the auditions nor even hear about it. The winning basurera did not have a TV. Only

a kindred soul who had one, advised her to go for the audi-tion.

One also forgets that every peso that Willy doles out is part of a profit of an advertiser in WoWoWee and designed for the audience to be attracted to their products. Moreover such an advertising cost is tax deductible.

Moreover, the contestants must also swallow the insult-ing derogatory jokes of Willy just to receive a dole out of, maybe, one thousand dollars. For instance, once he preten-tiously praised a contestant for wearing a jacket worth $2.00 from an ukay-ukay (ala-Salvation Army). Unwit-tingly, he puts down those who are already downtrod-den.

To further show the des-peration of the lowly in the Philippines with regards to WoWoWee, on February 4, 2006, about 30,000 people gathered outside the Phil-Sports Stadium to participate in the first anniversary epi-sode of program. The crowd was larger than the usual 5,000 who attended previous episodes. The crowd, mostly from the poor, came because prizes offered included jeep-neys, taxis, and a top prize of one million pesos.

A stampede started at 6:00 a.m. when organizers of the show began handing out

tickets for a limited number of people who could enter the show. People started try-ing to get ahead of the lines. Shoving started such that the security guards closed the en-trance gates which eventually gave way. People at the front of the crowd stumbled, result-ing in the stampede. Reported killed were 71 individuals and 392 injured.

Pacquaio

It is said that everytime Manny Pacquiao has a fight, crime in the Philippines is down to zero. Most are pegged at TV sets put up in malls and public arenas in the Philippines sponsored by entrepreneurs or politicians. Filipino TV subscribers all over world also crowd in their living rooms to watch. Every-

time Pacquiao wins, his credo of Laban ko, Laban mo (my fight is your fight) is accepted by the Filipinos as also their win.

Pacquaio became the hero of the masses. He became a collective winner, a personi-fication of what they want to be but cannot be. He grew up poor, sleeping on cardboards, selling newspapers, and the like. Realizing he had the tal-ent, he boxed so he could eat. Now every bout gains him no less than $30M. He has been named number 6th richest athlete by Fortune Magazine aligned with the likes of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

In every bout, however, the Filipinos forget their poor situation momentarily and re-joice with Pacquaio. It is as if they gain part of the millions he wins. Although he personi-fies greatness through hard work and talent, how many of the millions of Filipinos have any similar talents and no matter how hard they would work, they would not gain what Pacquiao has gained. For every Pacquaio who rise from poverty and who is ban-nered to distract the Filipinos from the root causes of their misery, there are millions of Filipinos who stagger to sub-sist everyday.

And then there are the Charises, the Arnel Pinedas, and others who break away

from their lowly situations. They, too, serve as inspira-tions for many to push hard to succeed but given the pov-erty situ-ations in the Phil-ippines, only a minute dearth re-

ally make it and those who do just succeeds in blinding the Filipinos from identifying the roots of the massive poverty in the Philippines, denying them precious moments to re-ally search for the root causes of their misery and identify-ing solutions to uproot these roots.

Continuing in this series

The Evolved Slaves from the East

The Unfinished Revolution of 1896

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


Spiritual Life

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

by Msgr. Fernando G. Gutierrez

Lower Your Nets Balintataw

Read Virginia Ferrer’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Virginia H. Ferrer

Dakila KaWalang pagsidlan itong aking kagalakansa mga biyaya na iyong nakakamtanhangaring tunay sadyang wagas at dalisaynararapat lamang makamit ang tagumpay.

Mga tulad mong nilalang dito sa mundoay bibihira lamang ang sadyang totoogagawin ang lahat sumaya lang ang taobukas-pusong ibibigay ang hilingin mo.

Walang hinihintay at walang hinahangad walang kabayaran sa kabila ng lahatpagpalain ka sana sa bago mong landasna iyong tatahakin o butihing anak.

LAW OFFICES OF

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Born in the Philippines (Cavite)

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

Business days Monday to Friday

IMMIGRATION LAW • DIVORCE • WILLS & TRUSTS • CRIMINAL DEFENSE • BUSINESS LAW • CREDIT/DEBT DISPUTES and PROBLEMS • WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS •

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For free consultation call (619) 203-5782

We can help you stop worrying about your legal problems.

Also Featuring:Debt Negotiation

Bankruptcy AssistanceLoan Consolidation

Joke of the Week: A man who worked in a lumberyard had been stealing valuable pieces of lumber for several years. Finally his conscience caught up with him. He began to worry, even staying awake at night with the thought that he was displeasing the Lord. Although he is a non-Catholic he decided to go and talk to the Catholic priest. After tell-ing his story, the, man told the priest, “Gee, Father, I wish I had gone to confessions long ago. I feel so good. Is that all there is to it?” “Not quite,” said the priest, “you’ve got to do something to make up for your sins, besides making a restitution to your company. Did you ever make a nove-na?” The man replied, “No, I never did. In fact, I don’t even know what it is, but if you got the plans, I got the lumber.”

Scripture: First Reading: 2 Samuel 12: 7-10, 13. Na-than’s role as a prophet was to counsel David to clearly see God’s grace that he had failed to acknowledge. This neglect on David’s part led him to murder Uriah and com-mit adultery with Bathsheba. Second Reading: Galatians 2: 16, 19-21. In meeting the Lord, Paul believed that he had been saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Those who receive this grace of God should not allow divisions

Loving and Forgiving Fatheramong those who come to the table of Lord. Gospel: Luke 7: 36-8: 3 (or 7: 36-50. It is much easier for Simon, the Pharisee, to see the dirt in the sinful woman’s eye than to see the dirt in his own eye. The woman receives the grace of God that enables her to be sorry for her sins whereas Simon, fail-ing to rec-ognize the presence of grace through Je-sus Christ, becomes condemnatory, judg-mental, and ethical.

Reflections: Today’s Gospel reading contrasts two persons with different attitudes. One the one hand, there is the sin-ful woman who acknowledges the presence of Jesus through grace, and on the other, there is Simon, the Pharisee, the moralist and theologian, who because of his self-righteous-ness, fails to see the presence of grace through Jesus.

Henri Nouwen in his book,

The Way of the Heart, wrote, … “we who study or teach theology find ourselves en-tangled in such a complex net-work of discussions, debates, and conversations about God and ‘God-issues’ that a simple conversation with God or a simple presence to God has become practically impossi-ble.” It means that when some professional theologians pray, their prayers are shrouded in discussions about God than conversing with him. Simon, in today’s Gospel, is a mor-alistic theologian, who sees

the sinful woman as a kind of per-son with whom he should have noth-ing to do. Because Simon fails to grasp the grace that is offered to him, his heart is not big enough to forgive and love, even the margin-

alized sinner, like the sinful woman. Simon is a theolo-gian whose focus is more on morals and issues about sin. It does not mean that we should not be concerned about the harmful spiritual effects of sin. But when we fail to expe-rience the grace of love that is offered us by God, our lives and words are void of God’s love, but rich and heavy with condemnations of others.

The sinful woman is fully aware of the grace that is

offered to her, she grabs that opportunity, she understands that no matter what and how grievous her sin she had com-mitted, because God has a big heart, she can be forgiven. This woman acknowledges the presence of God’s love in Jesus. David, in the first reading, knew too that God forgives the repentant sinner. He repented for what he had done, and he was forgiven. St. Paul wrote the Galatians that the only grace that justi-fies comes from Jesus who gave himself to us for our own salvation.

Ruth Youngdahl Nelson tells the importance of truly loving fathers/husbands in the following story. There is a huge fortress on a hill over-looking the town of Weinsberg in Germany. One day, far back in feudal times, the enemy surrounded the fortress. The commander of the enemy troops agreed to let all women and children leave the fortress. He also agreed to allow each woman take one valuable pos-session with her. Imagine the amazement and frustration of the commander when he saw each woman leave the fortress with her husband on her back! We are celebrating Father’s Day on June 20,. I hope and pray that husbands/fathers are truly the treasured possession of their family. May all of us, especially fathers/husbands, experience the presence of grace of a loving God, as David, Paul, and the sinful woman did in today’s read-ings.

Quotation of the Week: “Love is the greatest thing that God can give us; for himself is love: and it is the greatest thing we can give to God.” Jeremy Taylor.

ACTIVE LIVING (HEAL) CAMPAIGN

KCS is conducting a food demonstration of healthy dish-es as part of the HEAL Cam-paign. You will get to sample the healthy dishes for free! There will be raffles, handouts of recipes, and delicious food. The public is invited to attend:

Date and Time: June 19, Saturday, 9:00 AM to 12 noon

Place: Miramesa Senior Center, 8460 Miramesa Blvd, SD

Agenda: 9:00 AM Wel-come and Introductions by Dr. Dirige

Video: Healthy Eating Campaign

Power Point Presentation: Dr. Dirige

9:45 AM Cooking Demo: Rudy Liporada, Salad Master

Grilled Chicken8 Minute PancitColeslaw10: 30 AM Cooking

Demo: Demy Din, Modified Leche Plan

Dr. Dirige, Fruit Salad with Yogurt

11:15 AM Raffles11:30 LUNCH

For more information and to reserve your place, call Prosie Batac at (858) 384-7558 or Dr. Dirige at (619) 477-3392.

Co-sponsored by: Salad Master and Champions for Change, Network for a Healthy California, and MiraMesa Senior Center.

My view of interracial

relationships(Continued from page 6)

©2010 Virginia H. Ferrer. All rights reserved.

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

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

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

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

journalusa.com

A priest walked into a bar-ber shop in Washington, D.C. After he got his haircut, he asked how much it would be. The barber said, “No charge. I consider it a service to the Lord.” The next morning, the barber came to work and there were 12 prayer books and a thank you note from the priest in front of the door.

Later that day, a police of-ficer came in and got his hair cut. He then asked how much it was. The barber said, “No charge. I consider it a service to the community.” The next morning, he came to work and there were a dozen donuts and a thank you note from the police officer.

Then, a Senator came in and got a haircut. When he was done he asked how much it was. The barber said, “No charge. I consider it a service to the country.” The next morning, the barber came to work and there were 12 Sena-tors in front of the door.

***

One day these two fine southern ladies were sittin’ on the front porch having some iced tea. One of the women sticks out her hand for the other woman to see, and in her long southern drawl says “Look at this ring my hus-band gave me. Isn’t it nice?” To which the other woman replies, “Oh that’s nice, that’s real nice.” The first woman then says , “And just last month he took me on one of them Caribbean cruises.” The second woman again replies, “Oh that’s nice, that’s real nice.” “Well sweet-heart doesn’t your husband ever buy you nice things or send you nice places?” “Oh”, the second woman responds, “When we first got married he did send me to etiquette school.” “Why’d he do that?” the first woman asks. To which the second fine south-ern woman replies, “Well you see, before, when someone told me about the jewellery their husband gave them, or the trips he sent her on, I would have just said I don’t give a fuck, but now I say that’s nice, that’s real nice.”

***

A highly timid little man, ventured into a biker bar in the Bronx and clearing his throat asked, “Um, err, which of you gentlemen owns the Doberman tied outside to the parking meter?” A giant of a man, wearing biker leath-ers, his body hair growing out through the seams, turned slowly on his stool, looked down at the quivering little man and said, “It’s my dog. Why?”

“Well,” squeaked the little man, obviously very nervous, “I believe my dog just killed it, sir.” “What?” roared the big man in disbelief. “What in the hell kind of dog do you have?” “Sir,” answered the little man, “it’s a little four week old female puppy.” “Bull!” roared the biker, “how could your puppy kill my Doberman?” “It appears that

12 Senatorsyour dog choked on her, sir.”

***

A well dressed business man was walking down the street when a little kid covered in soot said to him respectfully, “Sir, can you tell me the time?” The portly man stopped, carefully unbuttoned his coat and jacket, removed a large watch from a vest pocket, looked at it and said, “It is a quarter to three, young man.” “Thanks,” said the boy. “At exactly three o’clock you can kiss my ass.” With that, the kid took off running, and with an angry cry, the out-raged businessman started chasing him. He had not been running long when an old friend stopped him. “Why are you running like this at your age?” asked the friend. Gasp-ing and almost incoherent with fury, the business man said, “That little brat asked me the time and when I told him it was quarter to three he told me that at exactly three, I should kiss his ass!” “So what’s your hurry,” said the friend. “You still have ten

minutes.”

***

A group of girlfriends are on vacation when they see a 5-story hotel with a sign that reads: “For Women Only”. Since they are without their boyfriends and husbands, they decide to go in. The bouncer, a very attractive guy, explains to them how it works. “We have 5 floors. Go up floor by floor, and once you find what you are looking for, you can stay there. It’s easy to decide since each floor has a sign telling you what’s inside.” So they start going up and on the first floor the sign reads: “All the men on this floor are short and plain.” The friends laugh and without hesitation move on to the next floor. The sign on the second floor reads: “All the men here are short and handsome.” Still, this isn’t good enough, so the friends continue on up. They reach the third floor and the sign reads: “All the men here are tall and plain.” They still want to do better, and so, knowing there are still two floors left, they continued on up. On the fourth floor, the sign is per-fect: “All the men here are tall and handsome.” The women get all excited and are going in when they realize that there is still one floor left. Wonder-ing what they are missing, they head on up to the fifth floor. There they find a sign that reads: “There are no men here. This floor was built only to prove that there is no way to please a woman.”

Ang Linta sa Ating BansaBakit nga ba itong Pinoy, pagpasok sa politika,Kung maglakad parang santo’t ang lahat ay kakilala.Kamay rito, kamay roon, kaway parang panalo na,Ang pangakong siyang gagawin, destinasyon ay basura.

Sa palapit na halalan, rekorida ang “announcement”Kaakabay ay PANGAKONG, kahirapan, papawiin.GINTONG DILA ay nabuhay sa pangakong tutuparin,Kapag naman nanalo na, pangako ay nililibing.

Ganyang lagi ang siyang kulay ng sino mang politiko,Nagpasalin-saling lahing panloloko na negosyo.Noong siya’y gobernador ang anak ay binatilyo,Nang magisip magretiro, anak naman ang sumapo.

Pati naman mga aktor, ma-babae o lalake,Sa kanilang kasikatan pangarap pang rumedoble.Sa “fake” nilang mga kilos at ambisyong doble swerte,Katangiang pinagtiyap, itong bayan, natorete.

Pagmasdan mo ang gusaling kay taas at kay tatayog, Ang may aring lahat nito ay dayuhang hindi tulog.Kasunduang naging kuwarta, pikit matang kinurakot,Masabi lang umuunlad, gayong bayan, nalulunod.

Pagmasdan ang Pilipinas sa tuwing ikaw ay dadalaw,Pakinggan ang “commentator” sa kanilang dinadaldal.Maganda ang ating bansa, ang sabi ng mga hibang,Pagdilat ng ng iyong mata, habag, awa’t kahirapan.

Papaano ang “corruption” di na tulad noong una,Pulu-pulong nangyayari at ‘di pansing napupuna.Ngunit ngayon ang “corruption” ay talagang talamak na,Laganap na’t di mapigil, nagaaway, sila-sila.

Mangurakot ng salapi sa paraang hindi tama,Sangkutan ng opisyales, pati na ang mga bata.Palibhasa’y mga sano, mga bobong tumutuka,Sa di kayang kasamaan ang asunto, lumalala.

Pagmasdan ang mga kilos pagdating na sa husgado,Bawat isang naroroon, puro “corrupt” sa gobyerno.Yaong isa sa partihang tila medyo nadihado,Alsa boses, nagaalma, sinasangkot, tatlo-tatlo

Itong pobreng mamamayan, wala namang magagawa,Pagkat TV ang kaharap at sarsuwela na kay sama.Ibinotong opisyales limot na ang pagmumukha,At ang pera, bilang LAGAY, naubos na at nawala.

Ang mayaman sa pagyaman, ay patuloy, walang tigil.Ang mahirap, nakahubad at sa asin nagdidildil.Kailang kaya mababago, takbo nitong bayan natin?Ang pag-asa ay sinaid, politikong LINTA satin.

Patayin man ang masama o lipulin silang lahat,Maiiwang dating binhi, sa paglaki, tiyak, palpak.Kaya buhay Pilipino ay kawawang naghihirap,Langit na lang ang pag-asa... hihintayin, bawat bukas.

Batikos No. 2ni: Romenico1Bocaue, Bulacan

Mr. A was sponsored by Gen-eral Electric as Chief Engineer and his I-140 was approved. Mr. H filed for adjustment of status which included his derivative beneficiary such as his wife, Mrs. W. She was likewise sponsored by Intel as software engineer and her I-140 was approved. She filed for adjustment of status and included Mr. H in her appli-cation.

There is no prohibition on multiple filings, but as a practical matter this should be avoided as it may cause con-fusion regarding biometrics, RFE’s, etc.

If an H-1B holder files for adjustment of status and his or her spouse and chil-dren are outside the United States, can the spouse and children enter the United States on an H visa?

Yes, provided the principal H-1B holder maintains his status as such.

If the applicant has chil-dren abroad, what does he or she need to do to prevent the children from aging out?

The applicant/parent must file Form I-824 with the adjustment application. This will be considered the child’s application for visa.

In January 1991, Jose, a U.S. citizen, filed an I-130 pe-tition on behalf of his daugh-ter, Maria. The petition was approved three months after or in March 1991. In Decem-ber 1999, Maria came to the United States on a tourist or B1/B2 visa. Maria was autho-rized to stay for six months, but she never left the United States. Last month, she re-ceived a notice from National Visa Center stating that her visa number is available. Can Maria files for adjustment of status?

Yes, Maria is eligible for adjustment of status despite

Frequently asked questions in adjustment of

status(Continued from page 10)

the fact that she has been out of status because she has the benefit of INA section 245(i). This allows an alien who has an immediate available immigrant visa to apply for adjustment of status even if he or she failed to maintain sta-tus or was employed without authorization to work. To be eligible under 245(i), an alien must be the beneficiary of an immigrant visa petition or application for labor certifica-tion that was filed on or before April 30, 2001

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

Street Poetry

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

by Michael R. Tagudin

©2010 Michael R. Tagudin. All rights reserved.

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

1341 East 8th St. Suite D National City, CA 91950

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Longing

what i fear most...most from you...is your silence!

the absence of youin periods of time

measured in longing...longing for your presence

your attention...that somehow...

you are still there with me...somewhat squeeze in...

within that period of timewhen you have to do...

do everything...at once!


by Ducky Paredesfrom MALAYA

“(I)f the Comelec had been smart enough to do a parallel manual count, the elections would have been totally trouble-free.” – Ducky Paredes

It’s a wonder that more things did not go wrong with “Eleksyon 2010.” Our pres-ent crop of Commissioners of the Commission on Elec-tions (Comelec) is just about the most amateurish we have ever had. Where previously, the Comelec was usually composed of commissioners who had at least ran in elec-tions as candidates, this time around, only one had election experience prior to his ap-pointment.

Also, this was the first time that the Comelec, as it were, delegated the work to a subcontractor. Where indi-vidual commissioners used to be in charge of various geo-graphical areas, responsible for whatever happened within their area of responsibility, this time around, everything was done by its subcontractor — Smartmatic.

Prior to the elections, politicians and organizations that had previously involved themselves in elections sug-gested that, because this was the first time that we were doing computerized elections — as a fail-safe device — why not also manually count all the ballots, even if only the votes for several positions are manually counted by the teachers at the precinct itself, the way we were used to.

Our amateur commission-ers rejected that.

Below is a letter from a former congressman who had

Comelec Should Have Listened

suggested a full manual paral-lel count which was rejected outright by the Comelec com-missioners.

I agree with former Bataan Congressman Felicito Payumo that if the Comelec had been smart enough to do a parallel manual count, the elections would have been to-tally trouble-free and the wild stories now circulating would have had no bearing. Here is Tong Payumo’s letter:

“A day after the election results had been speedily transmitted to the Comelec server within a few hours, I received an email from a daughter in the US asking me to click on “Eleksyon 2010” website. She found the web-site with real time update on the elections “cool” and asked if I had changed my mind about automation. She had been reading articles on the automated election including the proposal from a group of it experts that Comelec conduct a 100 percent parallel manual count even if limited only to five positions of president, vice president, congressman, governor and mayor.

“I told her that the early public euphoria was over the quickness of the ballot count but the verdict on its accuracy is not yet out. the acceptance by the people is still tentative, and ‘’Koala Boy’’had nothing to do with it.

“The losing local candi-dates, stunned by the swift-ness of the count and too in-timidated to raise questions as results at the national level co-incided with the poll surveys (both pre-election and exit), had kept mum. Noynoy’s lead has generally been accepted by the people regardless of the spin some columnists

make of Koala Boy’s revela-tions. But lately, doubts have emerged, questions have been asked, and protests are being filed by national as well as by local candidates. I need not list the names of these candi-dates who assailed the “Hocus Pcos” that allegedly happened with pre-programmed flash cards and tampered transmis-sion of election results. And it did not help the credibility of Smartmatic that 60 Pcos machines were found in the house of a Smartmatic tech-nician in Antipolo when the reason for the long queues was the clustering of precincts owing to the insufficient num-ber of machines.

“Automation speeds up the election process. But we are finding out that it is not impervious to mistakes or insulated from mischief.

“Couldn’t we have saved ourselves the furor that we read about had Comelec ac-ceded to a 100 percent parallel manual count? Now, they tell us we may do so, if we want. Sorry, but a manual count now will take long to complete, it will be more costly, and it will not be credible.

“1. Unlike a parallel manu-al count conducted simultane-ously across the country after the close of voting, a manual count now will have to be done sequentially. Instead of a maximum of 12 hours -much less if only 5 positions will be counted- it will take weeks to do it now. (The random audit was reported to have been only 10 percent completed after 2 weeks.)

“2. Unlike a parallel man-ual count when the BEIs were still in place in the precincts to do the manual count for an extra day’s allowance, we will have to spend more to do the count now.

“3. Unlike a parallel manual count conducted in the open before the public and watched by poll watchers, a manual count now will not be transparent. (The random

manual audit is done even without representatives of the parties and poll watchdogs.) The results of the count will not be as credible.

“The parallel manual count was not a call for a return to manual elections. It would merely serve as a check to the machine count as all the other technical safeguards have been discarded by the Comelec in this first automat-ed elections. Adding to the apprehension was the seem-ingly impossible logistics feat that Smartmatic performed when it recalled all the com-pact flash cards, ordered their replacement, had them shipped from an undisclosed source, physically distributed them to the 76,000 Pcos from Aparri to Jolo, installed and supposedly tested them – all within the short period of 3 days immediately before elec-tion day.

“No doubt, the country was put to grave risk even if a debacle had been averted. I am happy for chairman Melo whose illustrious career was spared from being capped by a disaster. But, regardless of the outcome, the com-missioners and members of the technical advisory board — if Comelec were a depart-ment in a corporation and the technical advisory board, its consultants – would all have been fired, and Smartmatic penalized and blacklisted permanently.

“Now, we have to resort to the random manual audit as required by law. The law prescribes an audit of at least 1 Pcos machine per congres-sional district. Since everyone agrees that the number is woefully inadequate, Comelec agreed to audit 1200 Pcos ma-chines or a ratio of 5 Pcos per congressional district. While the aggregate number of 1200 Pcos machines may be a suf-ficient sample size to confirm the outcome of election for the national candidates, it is not acceptable at the local level.

“To demonstrate, let us use the 1st district of Bataan, which has 6 municipalities, as an example. It means an audit of only 1 Pcos machine for each of the 5 municipalities. My hometown of Dinalupi-han, for instance, which was assigned 79 Pcos machines, will have only 1 machine audited. And the 6th mu-nicipality will not have even 1 machine audited. Will a local candidate accept his loss from the verdict of the grey box?

“That is the question lo-cal candidates all over the country would have been spared wrestling with had the a manual count been done to confirm the machine count.” — Felicito C. Payumo

By: Father Shay Cullen

It was a dark, overcrowded prison cell packed with the sweating, heaving tattooed bodies of the most wicked-looking criminals you could imagine. I could not see Ha-kim, the young kid I had come to rescue from this harsh place of human misery and degra-dation if ever there was one. Then in the dark corner near the stinking hole that served as a toilet, I saw the large star-ing eyes of this shrunken fig-ure. He was terrified. I looked through the bars, the other prisoners stirred and shouted at me for food, cigarettes, money and drinks.

I motioned to the guard, he removed the padlock and Joan slid back the bolt with a loud clang. “Hakim, come out!” the guard shouted. The boy looked up fearful. He stood on wobbly legs, a skinny skel-etal body like a prisoner from Auschwitz, a Lazarus from the grave. He took a faltering step and almost fell over. He was weak, emaciated, half-starved and naked, he had nothing but cotton shorts. The specter of TB was all over him like a shroud of death, like so many of the others we rescued. He was poverty itself. We guided him out the cell gate, down the crowded corridor to the warden’s office and his quivering hand signed the release paper. He was free.

A precious human life was saved, a cast away, unwanted, alone with his dark skin, Negroid hair and indigenous features, he was low caste. Now he was saved from certain death. “I came to bring freedom to the captives”, Je-sus said, and so we all should too and meet Him right there in the likes of the kid with the scabies and the hollowed-out eyes. “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

The gate clanged shut, he slowly walked free that day in March, out into the blind-ing, scorching sun, clutching a plastic bag with a dirty T-shirt in it - his only possession. I thought once again of all the useless surplus stuff I had, too much and promised heaven I would finally give it away.

The first stop was for food. Hakim was slow to eat, too weak to chew the first bit of chicken he had eaten in years. The boy looked around him hardly believing he was out of

Because of the lack of facil-ities, children share crowded quarters with adults, such as in this city jail in Metro Ma-nila.

Compassion for Children

the cells.It had been ten months

without a visitor, ten months with only two short trips to the court. One to be arranged for a crime he didn’t know, and although he said he was 15 years old, he couldn’t prove it and was marked an adult. The second time in court was to learn that there was no evidence or witness or a complaint to accuse him. But he was still sent back to the brutality of the prison and was forgotten.

He was at the bottom of the pile in the jail since he was a dark-faced indigenous tribal person, a Muslim from war-ravaged Mindanao. Even an enemy and migrant in a foreign land you might say. His village had been burnt, the people fled the fighting and Hakim was taken by rela-tives on a rusty old ship filled with war refugees and they got separated when the ship hit a reef and many drowned.

He got to manila and was begging on the streets when he was picked up by the police and charged with theft. It was the usual frame-up so they could claim they had solved a crime and get a reward and a step closer to their arrest quota and promo-tion. This boy was the most forgotten and discriminated of all. No doors would ever have opened for him unless Mina, Joan and Shiela had undone the bolt and led him out to freedom.

As the days passed, he slowly emerged from the ten-month depression. But the affirmation, acceptance, and friendship of the other boys in the Preda New Dawn Home gave him trust and the small smile grew bigger. He re-sponded to the medicine and the food and the good sleep in the cool shade of the mango tree. He healed. Today he is a college student.


ADVERTISE IN THE ASIAN JOURNAL (619) [email protected]

REDWOOD CITY, Ca –- (May 26, 2010) – “I’m not here to throw a concert; I’m here to throw a party!”

Grammy-winning hip hop giant T-Pain summed up what thousands who trooped to Bill Graham Civic Auditorium last May 22 experienced at MYX Mash, the coming-out concert of MYX®, America’s only Asian American music enter-tainment fusion and lifestyle channel. Co-presented by Comcast, MYX Mash lived up to its promise of becoming the biggest concert event in the West Coast in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heri-tage Month.

The talent line-up was truly diverse and international: imagine African American rap artist T-Pain sharing the stage with K-Pop’s pride, The Brown-Eyed Girls from Korea, and Filipino-Puerto Rican-American producer-songwriter turned solo artist, Bruno Mars. The result was a night-long, united shout-out of cheers and support from the equally mixed audience, which turned out to be fans of all the performers.

Bruno Mars kicked off the party with a winning repertoire that showed his guitar-playing skills and outstanding musi-cality. Ladies swooned over the good-looking and charm-ing Mars, but he impressed all with his great set of vocal pipes: he has one of the most listenable voices in today’s mainstream pop. His ability to swing from genre to genre also attests to his versatility. No over-the-top stage sets or dance moves for this guy, but he thrilled with beautifully constructed and performed pop: Somewhere in Brooklyn, Count On Me (on the ukulele), the number one hit, Nothin’ On You - minus the rap and with the whole audience sing-ing the chorus with him like

A Star Channel is Born: MYX® scores big with MYX Mash

T-Pain, Brown-Eyed Girls and Bruno Mars draw thousands to the major concert event of the only Asian American music entertainment and lifestyle channel

MYX Mash Photo by Roland Posadas

an anthem, and surprisingly, a showstopping cover of Mi-chael Jackson’s Dirty Diana. Make no mistake about it: Bruno Mars is bound for great-ness and the San Francisco Bay Area saw him live first on MYX Mash.

Fans got a special treat when fifth season champions of Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew – Poreotix – showed up for a high-energy number filled with wicked dance moves, humor and personality that won the crown for them this year. The group from Westminster, California, who also performed at the MYX Mash pre-show, had the privilege of introducing the roses between two power-ful thorns as repeated chants of “B-E-G” began to fill the whole auditorium.

Enter to the eardrum-shattering shrieks of fans: The Brown-Eyed Girls.

Ga-in, Narsha and Miryo (minus Jea who didn’t make it due to visa problems) started with the song that shot them to fame: L.O.V.E. The stage was on fire with hot costumes and even hotter dance moves from the sexy girl band. Then the ladies slowed it down with a surprise English cover of You

Raise Me Up, which show-cased their voices. This was followed by Moody Night, a slow, sexy track. But fans who expected a lot of dancing from B.E.G. didn’t end up disap-pointed when they heard the familiar opening strains from the group’s global dance hit: Abracadabra. A dance pande-monium took place as men and women did the famous “saucy hip” move that now ranks among the world’s top dance crazes. It was a short night for the Brown-Eyed Girls but their debut live performance in the West Coast via MYX Mash will surely linger long in the fans’ memory.

It was finally time for the night’s biggest act to take the stage. Flashy and fiery, T-Pain’s set was a full-scale production, enhanced and flavored with a cavalcade of props, lights, smoke, and dancers. The man who said he’d throw a party did exactly that, riding high on the energy of the packed floor. He ven-tured into a beat-heavy litany of club and radio hits: Freeze, Good Life, Kiss Kiss, Buy U A Drank, Low, Can’t Believe It, Dance Like Me, to mention a few. The song Kiss Her from his new album RevolveR also made its debut that night. It became a head-bobbing, roof-raising, crowd-jumping, fist-pumping session, with some brave souls even breakdancing on the floor. And as promised, T-Pain went beyond the Auto-Tune flavored hits and wowed the crowd with soul-tinged vo-

cals in some slow solos. The man is a true artist who gave his all for MYX Mash.

“We promised an earth-shaking day on May 22 and we delivered,” said MYX® Channel Head Miguel San-tos with a smile. “We’re so enthused by the turnout, the reception, and the world-class level of performances that are now all over the internet as uploaded by the fans who watched. We thank Comcast for the partnership and the whole Bay Area community for the support they gave to MYX Mash. This is just the beginning of bigger things to come from MYX®.”

“I was thrilled with the attendance at the MYX Mash concert in San Francisco” said Natalie Rouse, Director of National Ethnic Marketing for Comcast Corporate. “MYX® brings strong programming to the Asian-American audi-ence in the US and Comcast is proud to be a partner with ABS-CBN.” Comcast also brought Olympic speed skat-ing medalist JR Celski who graced the VIP Reception that the company sponsored for MYX Mash community partners.

“The concert embodied what MYX® stands for: a coming together of music, fashion and pop culture for the young Asian American,” said ABS-CBN International’s Managing Director Olivia De Jesus. “The response was awe-some and so we are commit-ted, more than ever, to engage this market through our initia-tives on the web, on cable, on ground.”

“The success of MYX Mash, our first major event to promote our MYX® music channel which targets the 2nd generation Asian American market, was a very pleasant surprise,” remarked Raffy Lopez, COO of ABS-CBN Global. “Admittedly, we had moments of anxiety leading up to the event since this is a relatively new market for ABS-CBN Global. However, the astounding turnout at the event validates our belief that this is a powerful market seg-ment that is largely unserved by current media offerings. Serving the 2nd generation Asian Americans will be the next high growth area for ABS-CBN Global. The poten-tial is significant and there is no media company in a better position to accomplish this.”

Los Angeles, 01 June 2010 – The Philippine Consulate General has of-ficially started accepting applica-tions for ePassport on 1 June 2010.

The ePassport is highly secure. Hence, it avoids pass-port reproduction and tamper-ing. The ePassport database is enhanced with Automated Fingerprint Verification System (AFIS) that guards against multiple passport issu-ances to the same person and enhances imposter detection.

Los Angeles PCG starts accepting ePassport

applications

It also facilitates fast clear-ance of travelers at immigra-tion checks.

The ePassport costs $60. Photo, thumbprints and signa-ture are captured at the Con-sulate during processing.

Photo shows a Consulate staff assisting Rev. Nestor S. Gerente, who applied for the ePassport on the first day.

Reach the lucrative Asian Pacific Islander

Market by advertising in the Asian Journal!Call (619) 474-0588


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(Family Features) The first home run, acing the final exam, and a fabulous pair of new jeans: these are everyday moments to celebrate. By keeping a few go-to activi-ties and simple recipes from www.MyChi-net.com on hand, you’ll be well prepared to recognize spe-cial moments throughout the year.

Family Band = Family Bond

Celebrate your child mak-ing first chair in the school band by challenging the family to a friendly air guitar or video game guitar competition. Parents versus kids? Males versus females? Let the star of the party decide.

Go-Getter Garden Start-ers

The little ones are anxious to play outside, but the weath-er isn’t cooperating. Take a quick trip to the garden center and let them pick out a few packets of seeds while you gather potting soil and a small watering can. Plant the seeds in sturdy, transpar-ent cups, such as Chinet Cut Crystal tumblers, and watch them grow. When the sun comes out and the seedlings are ready, you can transplant them outdoors.

Fruit Rx

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Do your part to give doctors a break by incor-porating this delicious, ver-satile fruit into more of your meals. Try this recipe, perfect for a family BBQ or a dinner with the neighbors.

Turkey Burgers with Grilled Granny Smith Apples and Brie

Celebrate Everyday Moments

Serves 4

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey4 1/2-inch cubes brie

cheese

Olive oil, for brushing the turkey burgers

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced 1/2-inch crosswise

1 tablespoon vegetable oilCiabatta rolls, split and

grilled1 cup arugula

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high. Shape ground turkey into 4 round patties about 1 1/2-inches thick. Make a small indentation in center of each patty, place 1 cube of cheese in it, and press the turkey up and around, to cover it. Brush both sides of the burger lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill until cooked through, about 4 min-utes on each side. While burgers are cooking, brush apples on both sides with vegetable oil and grill until golden, about 2 minutes on each side.

Split rolls and toast on grill, cut side down, until golden. Place a burger on the bottom of each bun. Top with 1 or 2 apple slices, several sprigs

of arugula, and the remaining bread. Arrange the burgers on a platter.

Aren’t in the mood to clean dishes? Use Chinet Clas-sic White dinner plates for a sturdy solution.

Make more moments special, every day of the year. For creative recipes and tips for entertaining, visit www.MyChinet.com.

(Family Features) Spring is the perfect time to find inspi-ration in the fresh colors of the season, from pastel pinks to bright shades of green and yellow. To help your creativity blossom, McCormick created an online workshop with fun and flavorful activities that you can do right in your own kitchen. Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, co-authors of the new book, “What’s New Cupcake?” (April 2010), have provided tips and tools that will help you and your family embrace the hues of spring.

“Playing with color is an easy way to add that ‘wow factor’ to baking,” says Tack. “In fact, sometimes all it takes to add pizzazz is just a little imagination and a few drops of food color.”

Need help getting your creative juices flowing? Visit the online workshop to find inspirational ideas for baking and decorating throughout the season. From easy-to-follow recipes and decorating tips, to fun party ideas, the workshop has it all, including a new cupcake recipe from Tack and Richardson.

With a few simple tech-niques, you can incorporate color into any spring celebra-tion, including Mother’s Day, bridal showers, birthday par-

Baking Creatively with Color

ties and more.Make dessert the center-

piece “arrangement” with a multi-layered cupcake tower. With a tiered serving platter (available at home decorating stores) assemble cupcakes - alternating colors and shapes between layers.

For a personalized bridal

shower, monogram cupcakes in the bride’s wedding col-ors. Or, give her “something blue” by throwing her a blue-themed shower, complete with blue frosted cupcakes topped with white rock candy to look like diamonds.

Bake cupcakes and cook-ies, and leave the decorating for the kids. Fill each section of empty plastic ice trays with different colors of sugar, sprinkles, shredded coconut, candy and nonpareils.

To learn more about how to create a colorful and flavorful

spring, visit www.mccormick.com.

Hello, Flower! CupcakesMakes 24 cupcakes

24 yellow cake cupcakes baked in white paper liners

30 marshmallows1 cup tinted sprinkles,

chopped coconut or sugars, 1 can (16 ounces) vanilla

frostingMcCormick Assorted Food

Colors and Egg Dye or Mc-Cormick Assorted NEON!

Food Colors and Egg Dye

1 cup coarse green tinted sugar, (See recipe that follows)

24 yellow spice drops

Place the colored sprinkles in a medium bowl. Cut several marshmallows crosswise into 4 slices with sharp scissors. Place cut marshmallows in sprinkles and toss to coat the cut area with the sprinkles. Trans-fer to a cookie sheet. Repeat

with remaining marshmallows and sprinkles to make 120 marshmallow petals.

Tint vanilla frosting bright green with blue and yellow McCormick food coloring. Place green sugar in a shal-low bowl. Spread the tops of several cupcakes with green frosting and make smooth. Roll edge of frosted cupcakes in green sugar to coat. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Arrange 5 marshmallow petals on top of frosted cup-cakes, pressing marshmallow into frosting to secure. Add a spice drop in the center of cupcake to complete flower.


Health and Family

(NewsUSA) - Many Americans equate exercise with pain -- they want to “feel the burn” because “there’s no gain without pain.” But when it comes to gaining muscle, rest is just as important as repetition.

Exercise causes small tears in muscle fibers. During rest, the body works to repair those muscles, building them back stronger than they were.

Experi-enced ath-letes know the value of structured rest -- many strive to help their muscles build back as fast as possible, so they can move on to harder, longer and more challenging workouts. But even casual athletes and weekend war-riors can takes steps towards smarter rest. The experts at W.F. Young, Inc., the com-pany that makes Absorbine Jr. pain relieving liquid, offers the following tips:

* Start slow. Many people make the mistake of trying to do too much too fast. If you haven’t participated in an activity for a while, ease your-self in -- start with a moderate 15 to 30 minutes of activity, and increase dura-tion and in-tensity by no more than 10 percent each week. Vary your workouts so you give

each muscle group one to three days of

Four Tips to Avoid the Burn After Workouts

rest, depending on your fitness level.

* Fuel yourself. Prior to a workout, your body needs carbohydrates, so snack on fruit or oats. Consuming an energy drink or bar during long workouts can help boost your muscles’ glycogen, or energy stores, so you won’t

feel as sore post-work-out.

For approxi-mately two hours after exercise, your body can synthe-size carbo-hydrates and protein faster than normal, so make sure you eat healthy carbo-

hydrates and protein soon after exercise. Good choices include toast with fruit or a whole-wheat bagel with pea-nut butter.

* Soothe your muscles. If your muscles are sore after exercise, use heat, massage and gentle stretching to in-crease circulation and pro-mote healing. Use Absorbine Jr. pre- or post-workout for added relief -; the fast-absorb-ing, pain relieving liquid uses botanical extracts to soothe aches, pains and strains, so

you’ll be ready for your next workout in no time.

* Embrace active recovery. Your muscles

need rest -- but rest can mean a brisk walk or a

slow bike ride. In fact, gently exercising during a rest day can increase blood flow to sore areas, helping muscles recover more quickly than a few hours spent vegging on the couch.

For more informa-tion, visit www.absorb-inejr.com.

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This offer is for new patients without insurance.

Washington, DC – Sixty-eight percent of Asian Ameri-cans want to quit smoking. However, the average Ameri-can takes 8 to 11 attempts to quit smoking. As we recog-nize Asian American Heritage Month, EX® offers a free way to break the smoking addic-tion.

With the latest research estimating that nearly six million people worldwide will lose their lives to tobacco next year[1], EX takes an innovative approach to help-ing the 43 million Americans who smoke to finally quit. The national quit smoking campaign is sponsored by the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation (NATC), a two-year old collaborative of state and national public health groups spearheaded by LegacySM, creators of the award-winning truth® youth smoking prevention campaign.

“While Asian Americans smoke at lower rates, they are not immune to the addic-tion that makes quitting diffi-cult,” said Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of Legacy. “EX is a free resource created by and for smokers and I am confident that it can help Americans re-learn life without tobacco.”

EX provides evidence-based tools to help smokers quit, including information that can help them prepare for a quit attempt by 1) “Re-learning” their thinking on the behavioral aspects of smoking and how different smoking triggers can be overcome with practice and preparation; 2) “Re-learning” their knowl-edge of addiction and how medications can increase their chances for quitting success; and 3) “Re-learning” their ideas of how support from friends and family members can play a critical role in quit-ting.

Celebratrate Asian American Heritage month

by quitting smokingFor smokers committed

to quitting, the EX Web site (www.BecomeAnEX.org) provides a free comprehen-sive quit plan with tools and information that can help them form their own indi-vidual plans. The Web site serves as a convening point for smokers who want to quit and collaborate on their suc-cesses and challenges with others going through the same struggle. Since March 2008, when the program first de-buted, more than a million people have visited the site, and

more than 14,000 smokers have joined the online community, forming nearly 300 custom-ized support groups, including a variety of groups for Asian-American smokers. EX tools were designed in collabora-tion with the Mayo Clinic and with input from former and current smokers who have lived with this struggle, in order to provide smokers with

a realistic approach based on evidence-based research.

Most smokers in America – 70 percent – want to quit, but in 2000, only about five percent of smokers were suc-cessful in quitting long-term. Quitting smoking is ultimately one of the single most impor-tant lifestyle changes one can make to improve and extend their lives. Tobacco-related death is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States; smokers there-fore need to be armed with all the available information to make the best, most informed choices about the smoking cessation medications and resources available to them.

In 2006-2007, Legacy, the national public health founda-tion best known for its truth® youth-smoking prevention campaign pilot tested EX in

four markets throughout the country: Buffalo,

N.Y.; San Antonio, Texas; Grand Rap-ids, Mich.; and Bal-timore, Md. A new study released in the September 2009 issue of Social Market-ing Quarterly found that EX was a trusted and

empathetic brand and that smokers who

were thinking more about quitting or were

more motivated to quit were significantly more receptive to the EX brand than those who had not yet reached that point in their quit process. As a result of the successful pilot program, in 2007, Legacy brought together several na-tional organizations and sev-eral states to form the NATC and launch EX nationally. The NATC is a group of states, non-profit organizations,

foundations and corporations, all dedicated to helping people quit smoking.

EX® is a collabora-tive public health campaign presented by the National Alliance for Tobacco Ces-sation, a partnership of the nation’s leading public health organizations and states. The campaign helps smok-ers prepare to quit and guides them to useful resources that foster successful quit attempts including the EX plan, a free personalized quit plan avail-able on the campaign’s Web site www.BecomeAnEX.org. EX is the culmination of several years of research and testing, combining an understanding of the power of nicotine addiction with messages that resonate with and motivate smokers toward behavior change. The EX approach is peer to peer and focuses on “re-learning life without cigarettes” by encour-aging smokers to think dif-ferently about the process of quitting. The campaign, which began airing nationwide in March 2008, includes televi-sion, radio, online AND out-of-home advertising. The EX Web site helps smokers create their own individual plan to quit and connects them to a virtual community of other smokers where they can share stories and strategies about quitting. Founding members of the NATC include numer-ous states and the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Na-tional Cancer Institute, the American Legacy Foundation, C-Change, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the As-sociation of State and Territo-rial Health Officials (ASTHO) and clinical partner, the Mayo Clinic.


Aquino Proclaimed 15th President of the Philippines

2010 San Diego Primary Election Coverage

Cliff Albert of KPGO 600 AM Radio commented on Nick Po-paditch’ heroic acts at the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq Tuesday night at Golden Hall Election Central.

Four young Filipino American ladies who were at Golden Hall Election Central last night pose for a picture with Zena Sul-tana Babao, who was covering the election results for Asian Journal.

Nick Popaditch, candidate for the 51st California Congres-sional District, adjusting his headset prior to his interview with KCBQ 1170 AM Radio at Election Central,Golden Hall, in downtown San Diego.

Nick Popaditch, who won the Republican Primaries for the 51st Congressional District last night at Election Central, Golden Hall, in downtown San Diego, getting ready to be interviewed by KUSI Channel 9 TV Anchor Ed Lenderman. Behind him are his mas-sive group of supporters. Also seen is Asian Journal columnist Zena Sultana Babao who was on hand to cover the affair for Asian Journal.

Election Day

Over 50 million Filipinos trooped to the polls for the country’s first-ever automated elections. Many people were at the polls as soon as polls opened at 7:00 am, only to be greeted by long lines and computer glitches that lasted for hours in some places. Election-related violence also marred the elections, with at least seven people killed and eight wounded in different provinces around the country. In the weeks leading up to the elections, Smartmatic, the provider of the optical scan machines, and the Commis-sion of Elections also had to face challenges ranging from software glitches to allega-tions of corruption, fuelling fears of massive cheating.

Poll results reveal that over-seas Pinoys are overwhelm-ingly for Noynoy and Mar. From Hong Kong to Singa-pore to the United States, Filipinos abroad voted for the Liberal Party tandem.

Winners, losersThe twelve Senators have

been proclaimed. They are the following:

1. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla2. Jose ‘Jinggoy’ Estrada3. Miriam Defensor-Santi-

ago4. Franklin Drilon5. Juan Ponce Enrile6. Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cay-

etano7. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.8. Ralph Recto9. Vicente Sotto III10. Sergio Osmena III11. Manuel Lapid12. Teofisto Guingona IIIAquino will vacate his seat

as Senator, sparking discus-sions on whether the vacant slot should be occupied by the 13th winner of the Sena-torial race, Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel.

In local posts, notable win-ners include Imelda Marcos as Governor of Ilocos, boxing champ Manny Pacquiao as Congressman of Sarangani, and Alfredo Lim as Mayor of Manila. Esmael Mangudadatu, rival of Maguindanao-massa-cre suspect Andal Ampatuan Sr., also won as Governor of

Maguindanao. Showbiz per-sonalities Vilma Santos and Herbert Bautista also won in their bid for Governor of Ba-tangas and Mayor of Quezon City, respectively.

Looking ahead

Sen. Benigno Aquino III fac-es tough challenges as the suc-cessor of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, considered the most unpopular President since Marcos and whose administra-tion was rocked with scandals and allegations of corruption and violence. - Ayala Founda-tion USA

Los Angeles, 8 June 2010 – The team from the Philip-pine Consulate General in Los Angeles will conduct a Consular Outreach Program in National City, California on 3 July 2010:

Location : HOLIDAY INN (Coronado Room)

700 National City Blvd., National City, CA 91950

Service Hours : 9:00 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The consular outreach pro-gram is being undertaken in cooperation with the Council of the Philippine American Organizations of San Diego County, Inc. (COPAO).

The following consular ser-vices will be rendered:

Applications for Machine Readable Passport (Cost: $50), to be returned to the applicant by mail at an addi-tional cost of $6.

Applications for the reten-tion and re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship pursu-ant to Republic Act 9225 or Dual Citizenship Law (Cost: $50). Oath-taking will be scheduled on the same day for qualified applicants.

Applications for Report of Marriage & Birth (Cost: $25) will be accepted but this will be processed in Los Angeles and returned to the applicant by mail at an additional cost of $6.

Notarization of documents (Cost: $25) will be accepted but this will be processed in Los Angeles and returned to the applicant by mail at an ad-ditional cost of $6.

STRICTLY BY APPOINT-MENT ONLY (by following the applicable scheduling steps below) AND WITH COMPLETED DOCU-MENTS ONLY. No walk-in applicants will be entertained.

1. Appointment Scheduling Steps for Machine Readable Passport (MRP) Applicants Visit the Philippine Consulate website (www.philippine-consulatela.org) and print the passport application form;

Complete the passport ap-plication form; and, No later than 25 June 2010, send an advance copy of the com-pleted passport application form and data page (bearing the name and photo) of the old passport to the Consulate by fax (213) 639-0990. Other than the thumbprint and photo which will be done on site, all pertinent data on the applica-tion form must be completed. Otherwise, incomplete forms will not be processed.

2. Appointment Scheduling Steps for Dual Citizenship Applicants

Visit the Philippine Consul-ate website (www.philippine-consulatela.org) and print the Dual Citizenship Application form;

Complete the Dual Citizen-ship Application form; and,

No later than 25 June 2010, send an advance copy of the completed Dual Citizenship application form and support-ing documents to the Consul-ate by fax (213) 639-0990. Other than the thumbprint and photo which will be done on site, all pertinent data on

Consular Outreach in National City

the application form must be completed. Otherwise, incomplete forms will not be processed.

Note: Oath-Taking will be scheduled on the same day for qualified applicants.

3.Appointment Schedul-ing Steps for Report of Mar-riage (ROM) & Birth (ROB) Visit the Philippine Consulate website (www.philippine-consulatela.org) and print the ROM or ROB form;

Complete the ROM or ROB form; and,

No later than 25 June 2010, send an advance copy (one set only) of the completed form and supporting documents to the Consulate by fax (213) 639-0990. Incomplete forms will not be processed.

4.Appointment Schedul-ing Steps for Notarization of Documents

No later than 25 June 2010, send an advance copy of the document to be notarized to the Consulate by fax (213) 639-0990.

Information FOR ALL AP-

PLICANTS The Consulate regularly up-

dates the appointment sched-ule posted on the website as they receive the completed applications.

The final list of all appli-cants with pre-processed ap-plications will be posted at the Consulate’s website (www.philippineconsulatela.org) by 28 June 2010. Personal ap-pearance is required for all ap-plicants for data verification, finger-printing and signature capture. Applications by mail are no longer accepted.

All applicants are advised to transact their business directly with Consulate officials and not through travel agencies.

Private photographers, who are knowledgeable of the photo requirements for the machine readable passport, will be present at the venue during the Consular Out-reach for those who will need photos for passport renewal. To obtain details regard-ing the MRP passport photo requirements, applicants may visit the Consulate’s website (www.philippineconsulatela.org).

Fees Fees must be paid in person

at the scheduled appointment. The Consulate will only ac-cept payments in cash, postal money order or cashier’s check. Personal checks will not be accepted.

Machine Readable Passport: $50 processing fee + $6 for passports to be returned to the applicant by mail

Dual Citizenship:

$50 processing fee Civil Registry:

$25 processing fee + $6 for documents to be returned to the applicant by mail

Notarization of Documents:

$25 processing fee + $6 for documents to be returned to the applicant by mail

If you purchased a ticket for the Philippine Faire 2010 raffle conducted by the Coun-cil of Philippine American Organizations of San Diego County (COPAO), you may already have won a prize! The winning numbers were drawn by the GMA Celeb-rity Performers Jay-R, Mark Herras and Wendell Ramos

Winning Numbers for COPAO 2010 Raffle

assisted by COPAO President Merly Ferrer at Kimball Park, National City, on May 29, 2010. Here are the winning numbers: First Prize: $1,000 Cash – 10040; Second Prize: $500 Cash - 05400; Third Prize: $300 Cash – 27161; and Fourth Prize: $200 Cash – 16174. Consolation Prizes:


Reach the lucrative

Asian Pacific Islander

Market by advertising in the Asian

Journal!Call (619) 474-

0588



REDWOOD CITY, CA, June 1, 2010 – The ink has definitely not dried on the recent presidential elections in the Philippines which makes the latest film offering of ABS-CBN International’s Starry Starry Store one of the timeliest to date.

From June 11-17, Noy, a realistic glimpse in the life of a tele-journalist covering the campaign trail of then presi-dential bet (and eventual win-ner) Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, will be shown in San Francisco, Milpitas, San Diego and Los Angeles-Cerri-tos in California. And for the first time, Filipino moviegoers in the U.S. will see on the big

screen today’s fastest rising Filipino actor-model, Coco Martin – hailed as RP’s King of Independent Movies and recently voted RP’s Sexiest Man of 2010 in the annual poll of Star-mom-eter, topping 99 other Filipino male stars.

Coco has drawn a lot of attention from TFC (The Filipino Chan-nel) fans all over the world with his star-making turn as the elusive villain, Ramon Lecumberri, in the top-rating teleserye, Tayong Dalawa, for which he won a Best Drama Actor from the PMPC Star Awards. He also currently stars in Kung Tayo’s Magkakalayo with Gabby Concepcion and Kris Aquino. Unlike most actors of his generation, Coco didn’t follow the path matinee idols usually take to make it to mainstream showbiz. Coco polished his acting skills by starring in numerous indie films– close to 20 to date – which has won him the praise of critics, the respect of his peers and movie fans overseas where some of his films played in international festivals. He was voted Best Supporting Actor by Gawad URIAN and Golden Screen Awards for Jay, where he played the ex-boyfriend of a murdered gay teacher, and Best Performance from the Young Critics Circle for Ma-sahista (The Masseur).

In Noy, Coco plays Manolo “Noy” Agapito, a street-smart, struggling tele-journalist com-missioned by a TV studio to follow the campaign trail of his namesake, Sen. Noynoy Aquino, for the 2010 presi-dential elections. The film is infused with actual documen-tary footages that inter-cut with dramatic scenes deal-ing with themes of poverty, survival and hope for the Filipino family. Being the sole breadwinner for the fam-

RP’s indie king Coco Martin makes U.S. theatrical debut

via “Noy” this June Critically acclaimed film to be screened in San

Francisco, Milpitas, San Diego and LA-Cerritos ily, Noy tries to find his moral center while he navigates all the challenges and tempta-tions as he gets enmeshed in the campaign. What makes the film so anticipated is the fact that Coco not only stars in it but also co-directed with Dondon Santos, co-wrote and co-produced the film.

Joining Coco in Noy is a sterling cast led by Cherry Pie Picache as Noy’s mother, Er-ich Gonzales as his girlfriend, Vice Ganda as his gay ex-ecutive producer/boss, Baron Geisler as his video-editor, Joem Bascom as his brother and Chesca Billones as his little sister.

“While we always seek to

entertain with our film offer-ings, we also make sure that what we screen remains rele-vant among our moviegoers,” said Kerwin Du, ABS-CBN International’s head of the-

atricals. “Noy provides both. It is a thor-oughly watch-able movie and an up-close look at the life of the Fili-pino fam-ily today, with all the joys and per-ils, and now with hope. In Noy, people look-

ing forward to catching Coco Martin on the big screen will understand all the hype about this talented young actor. ”

The film received an “A” rating from the Cinema Evalu-ation Board of the Philippines, the highest grade in terms of quality, which also awards tax incentives to the film. Writ-ten by Rondel Lindayag, Coco Martin (a.k.a. Rodel Nacian-ceno) and Francis Xavier Pasion, and produced by Cine Media and distributed by Star Cinema, Noy comes to the following screens on June 11-17:

SAN FRANCISCO UA Stonestown Twin 501 Buckingham Way San Francisco, CA 94132

MILPITAS Century Great Mall 1010 Great Mall Drive Milpitas, CA 95035

SAN DIEGO UA Horton Plaza 475 Horton Plaza San Diego, CA 92101

LOS ANGELES-CERRI-TOS

Cerritos Stadium Cinema 12761 Towne Center Drive Cerritos, CA 90701

For more informa-tion, please visit www.abs-cbnglobalmovies.com. Catch the trailer also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r9iXCrYvLI.

Plano, TX, (June 1, 2010) Make this Father’s Day one to remember with a standout gift Dad will treasure for years to come. At JCPenney, you’ll find perfect presents to give him – from sleek watches for the style-setter to grilling essentials for the backyard

gourmet. Which means he’ll always have something close at hand to remind him just how much he means to you. Affordable style is sure to make Pop proud!

$25 and under:

With over fifty bold shades to choose from, you can find him a St. John’s Bay Pique Polo ($9.99) in his favorite

color!Get your Mr. Fix-It Totes

Multi-Tool Set With Bits

Show love for dad this fathers day with gifts that impress from JCPenney

($9.99), with everything from screwdrivers to a mini ruler stashed in one easy piece.

From tweezers to a key ring, the compact Columbia

Grooming Tool ($12.99) has all the necessities Dad won’t want to leave behind.

Dad will make a break for the beach in a pair of splashy Arizona Swim Trunks ($14.99).

The Sharper Image 7x50 Binoculars ($14.99) are great for all Dad’s hob-bies, from bird-watching to catching an afternoon baseball game.

Give his gadgets a style upgrade with the sleek cherry finish Stafford Charging Valet ($14.99), which discretely hides cords while it recharges de- vices.

Long nights at the of-fice are no match for a wrinkle-

resistant Stafford Essential Oxford Dress Shirt ($14.99).

No day-light? No prob-

lem! With

the cooks Grill Light ($19.99), Dad can keep the family cookout going long after the sun goes down.

A Silver Engravable Money Clip ($19.99), etched with his initials, makes an elegant alternative to Dad’s usual wallet.

Cover all the bare necessi-ties with Stafford Essentials 3-Pack Boxer ($20 or buy one pack, get the other at 50% off) in classic plaid.

Give dad a leg up on his summer wardrobe with a

breezy pair of American Living Madras Shorts

($24.99).These J Ferrar

Men’s Watches ($30) are the perfect present for

the man of the hour.

$50 and under:

The ideal gift for your favorite grillmaster, a cooks 4-pc BBQ Set ($29.99) has all the tools he needs to get cooking.

Dad won’t want to leave home without this pocket-size 2GB MP3 Player ($39.99), which comes in a variety of sporty colors.

Give Dad license to have some high-speed fun with a wireless Blue Hat Remote Control Vengeance Car ($39.99).

cooks 10-Burger Grill ($49.99) gives you the flavor

of grilled burgers without ever having to leave the kitchen.

$100 and under:

At home or on the go, Dad can wake up and fall asleep to his favorite music with an iHome Portable Alarm Clock Speaker for iPod ($59.99).

A Samsonite XT780 Leath-er Notebook Case ($99.99) holds all his business essentials in one handsome laptop case.

Worth the splurge:

Dad will get a kick out of this pull-on Laredo Lizard Print Boot ($114.99) -- the perfect partner for his favorite pair of jeans.

Now Dad can share what he’s listening to on his iPod – whether he’s at the beach or camping – with the Portable Outdoor Speaker ($149.99).

Keep him looking sharp from head to toe with clas-sic JOE Joseph Abboud Suit Separates ($179.99 total).

The widescreen, feature-packed Garmin 4.3” Ultra-Thin GPS with Bluetooth ($339.99) is a must-have gadget for dads on the go.

To view more Father’s Day gift ideas and images, please visit www.jcplook-books.com.

Tidbits from this book inquiring minds want to know:

How many children does Tessie Agana have?Who are the two movie star cousins of Robert Arevalo?Seeking an autograph from what famous comedian led Perla Bautista to

become a movie star?What physical attributes did Bernard Bonnin have that made him a top sprinter

in college?Who is the other movie star brother of Robert Campos?Who was the Manila couturier instrumental in making Charlie Davao a movie

star?Who was the top actor with whom Myrna Delgado had a love child?Who was the legendary actor who gave Dolphy his first break in the movies?What is the relationship of Linda Estrella to Judge Jose Vera, the famous

founder of the Sampaguita Pictures?With which famous Sampaguita Pictures movie star did Bella Flores have a rift

that led to a hair-pulling incident?How did Amalia Fuentes get her last name?To which military outfit did Eddie Garcia used to belong?What sports makes Shirley Gorospe stay in good shape these days?What other talent does Liberty Ilagan have?Who is the legendary movie director who gave Anita Linda her screen name?What was the first screen name of Mona Lisa?What was Liza Lorena’s profession before she became a movie star?What was German Moreno’s first job at the once famous Clover Theater?What comic strip characters did Oscar Obligacion portray in the movies?Who was the famous Hollywood star Paraluman is always compared with?Why was Barbara Perez asked by a famous couturier to tone down her attire?How much was Delia Razon paid for her first dance number in a movie?Who was the top government official Boots Anson Roa considered as her “little

sister” in high school?What was Susan Roces’ first lead role in the movies?What kind of business Pepito Rodriguez is involved in these days?How was Ramil Rodriguez discovered?Who was the movie star brother of Gloria Romero?What prestigious award did Rosa Rosal receive for her public service deeds?Why was Caridad Sanchez considered not a typical movie star?Who was the ambassador husband of Gloria Sevilla?In what Manila public market did Luz Valdez sold wares before she was discov-

ered?What was the connection of Norma Vales with top Hollywood entertainer Mitzi

Gaynor?Who was the famous comedienne and next-door neighbor of Nova Villa who

introduced Nova to the movies?Which top Sampaguita Pictures actor and the drinking buddy of Zeny Zabala’s

father was instrumental to Zeny’s movie career?What title did Marita Zobel win that earned her the lead role opposite Lou

Salvador, Jr. in the movie “Bad Boy”?

Get all the answers in this entertaining book, “Balik Tanaw: The Filipino Movie Stars of Yesteryears”!

1

B

alik Tanaw:

The Fi l ipino Movie

Stars of Yest eryears

By Dr. Romy Protacio

Order a copy of“Balik Tanaw”

book now! Only $12.95 a copy!

Call (619) 474-0588

Featuring the profiles and rarely seen photographs of your Filipino

movie stars of yesteryears including:

German Moreno Oscar Obligacion Paraluman Barbara Perez Delia Razon Boots Anson Roa Susan Roces Pepito Rodriguez Ramil Rodriguez Gloria Romero Rosa Rosal Caridad Sanchez Gloria Sevilla Luz Valdez Norma ValesNova Villa Zeny Zabala Marita Zobel

Tessie Agana Robert Arevalo Perla Bautista Bernard Bonnin Robert Campos Charlie Davao Myrna Delgado Lilia Dizon Dolphy Linda Estrella Bella Flores Amalia Fuentes Eddie Garcia Shirley Gorospe Liberty Ilagan Anita Linda Mona Lisa Lisa Lorena

You can order and pick up copies of the book, “Balik Tanaw: The Filipino Movie

Stars of Yesteryears” at $12.95 a copy at the office of Asian Journal San Diego, 550 East 8th Street, Suite 6, National City, CA 91950 (Inside Old School House Complex

on the corner of 8th and E Streets)

Published by Green Mango Books, a division of Asian Journal San Diego,

the original and first Asian Journal in America, E-mail: [email protected]

Balik Tanaw: The Filipino Movie Stars of Yesteryears


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

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

lines, it costs

$______.00 to be paid upon your receipt of the invoice and tear sheet. Thank you.

Fax #

If approved please sign and fax back to

(619) 474-0373

__________________

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

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

06/11/10

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PUBLIC HEALTH/PLANNING SPECIALIST

The Public Health/Planning Specialist will play a key role in coordinating implementation of region wide interven-tions aimed at integrating public health, program analysis, and policy research into regional transportation and land use planning. Qualifications: a bachelor’s degree in public health, regional planning, public/business administration, or a related field, and three to five years experience. This is a limited term position. SANDAG offers competitive salaries and benefits. Visit www.sandag.org/jobs or call (619) 699-1900 for information. Open until filled. EOE.

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CITY OF SAN DIEGONOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

CDBG PROGRAM REPAYMENT HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the public hearing had been originally scheduled for June 15, 2010 has been rescheduled to June 21, 2010 at 2 p.m. in the City of San Diego Council Chambers located at 202 C Street, 12th Floor, San Diego, CA 92101. The purpose of this public hearing is to approve the proposed Repayment Agree-ment from the City’s Redevelopment Agency and authorize the Executive Director or designee to enter into the proposed Repayment Agreement with the City of San Diego which includes among other terms, Agency’s repay-ment of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) debt to the City in the amount of $78,787,000. If you require assistance or auxiliary aid in order to participate at the public hearing, contact the City Clerk’s office at (619) 533-4000.

Public comments will be accepted during this hearing. In addition, written comments will be accepted prior to the public hearing at the CDBG Program office (1200 Third Avenue, Suite 1400, San Diego, CA 92101) or by email ([email protected]) through June 21, 2010. All updates will be posted on the CDBG website (http://www.sandiego.gov/cdbg/general/).

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06/11/10

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PUBLIC NOTICESan Diego Association of Governments

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board of Directors has authorized release of a Draft Proposed Amendment to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Overall Disadvan-taged Business Enterprise (DBE) Goal-Setting Methodology for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2010-2012 for public comment. SANDAG currently proposes an FTA DBE overall goal of 7.04% for the FFY 2010/12 goal period. The DBE goal would be applicable to FTA-assisted contracts scheduled to be solicited and awarded during the period of October 1, 2010, through September 30, 2012. SANDAG currently proposes to meet 3.40% of its overall goal utilizing race-neutral measures in accordance with Title 49 CFR Part 26.51, and 3.48% of its overall goal utilizing race-conscious measures for construction contracts. Additionally, SANDAG currently proposes to meet 0.16% of its overall goal utilizing race-neutral measures and 0% utilizing race-conscious measures for professional service contracts. After making any changes needed to address public comments and additional review by the SANDAG Board, the goal-setting methodology will be sent to FTA for approval.

SANDAG’s proposed goal amendment and its rationale (developed in response to DOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program Regulations published under Title 49 CFR Part 26, the FTA Master Agreement and Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 22 [Docket No. OST–2010–0021], February 3, 2010, rules and regulations) is available for inspection and public review for forty-five (45) days following the date of this Notice, from 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday at our administrative office located at:

San Diego Association of Governments401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101

Attn: Elaine RichardsonPhone: (619) 699-6956

SANDAG will accept comments for forty-five (45) days from the date of this Notice. Comments can be forwarded to SANDAG at the above stated address or to the Regional Civil Rights Officer, U.S. Department of Transpor-tation, Federal Transportation Administration, Region IX, 201 Mission Street, Suite 1650, San Francisco, CA 94105-1839.

Dated at San Diego, CA, this 2nd day of June 2010.

SAN DIEGO, June 7, 2010 – More customers may be eli-gible to receive a 20 percent discount on their San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) bills, due to a boost in the in-come guidelines for the mon-ey-saving, state-sponsored California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program. While many residents already participate, more than 80,000 residents in the SDG&E ser-vice area could be eligible for the discount, but have not yet enrolled in the program.

Customers may qualify one of two ways: through their enrollment in certain public assistance programs, or based on their household’s income. For customers who are re-cently unemployed, household income is calculated from the date of unemployment. All other provisions on determin-ing income still apply. For example, a family of four with a yearly household income of $44,400 or less may qualify.

“We are committed to enrolling as many eligible customers as possible in CARE, so they can benefi t from the 20-percent sav-ings on their monthly energy bill – especially during these challenging economic times,”

More SDG&E Customers eligible for bill -

assistaince programsIncreased Income Guidelines Expand Eligibility

said Hal D. Snyder, vice presi-dent of customer solutions for SDG&E. “Through our partnerships with community groups and other outreach efforts, we are trying to make sure all our customers are aware of the many kinds of assistance available to ease their hardship.”

More than 270,000 cus-tomers throughout SDG&E’s service area are currently en-rolled in the CARE program and benefi t from the discount.

Customers can qualify for the CARE Program one of two ways:

• Customers may be eligible if they are currently enrolled in any of the fol-lowing public assistance programs: Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, Medi-Cal, Healthy Families A & B, TANF or Tribal TANF, Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only), Bureau of Indi-an Affairs General Assistance, Food Stamps/SNAP, Na-tional School Lunch Program (NSLP), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

• Customers may qualify if their current annual household income meets the

latest threshold. The income guidelines below will be in ef-fect from June 1, 2010 - May 31, 2011.

According to the utility, applying for the program is

easy and customers may use any of the following ways to apply:

• A toll-free automated enrollment line (877) 646-5525

• Online at www.sdge.com/care

• Through the CARE application included in their July SDG&E bill; or re-questing an application from SDG&E’s customer service at (800) 411-7343

In addition to the CARE program, SDG&E offers a variety of other assistance programs, such as no-cost weatherization and energy-ef-fi cient appliances for income-qualifi ed renters and hom-eowners, reduced energy costs for customers with certain medical conditions/equipment and payment extensions for those who need extra help:

• Neighbor-to-Neighbor: This fund provides a grant to help customers pay their gas and electric bills;

• Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA): Provides lower rates for large house-

holds of three or more per-sons;

• Energy Team: Will make your family more com-fortable and secure by sealing your place from the heat and cold and upgrading old inef-

fi cient appliances;• Medical Baseline:

Reduced energy costs for customers who have medi-cal conditions/equipment that impact their bill;

• Level Payment Plan: Allows for monthly payments to be spread equally through-out the year.

Additional information on these assistance programs is available from SDG&E’s Web site, www.sdge.com.

SDG&E is a regulated pub-lic utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 840,000 natu-ral gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange coun-ties. The utility’s area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help our customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.

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dress and your winning ticket number to [email protected], and arrange for a date and time to collect your prize. You will need to present your ticket when you claim your prize. Prizes not claimed by September 20, 2010, will be forfeited.


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