Asian Journal March 11, 2011 issue

10 Reasons Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat

.. p 13

The Illusions of Humanness

... p 11

(Continued on page 6)

“THE MOST DELICIOUS FOOD IN SAN DIEGO”GRAND OPENING!!!

HOURS: Sun thru Thus: 10:30 AM to 9:30 PMFri & Sat: 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Tel: (619) 336-1996

1819 East Plaza Blvd., National City, CA 91950www.bistrocity.net

PARTY TRAY TO GO $50 OR MORE

15% OFF

FOOD TO GO OR DINE IN $30 OR MORE $5 OFF

The Traffi cking of ChildrenBy: Father Shay Cullen

The great challenge that the Aquino government has inherited and is trying to confront is the proliferation of sexual violence against chil-dren and the shocking trade in human persons in the Philippines.

Most of the traffi cking is internal to the Philippines. Thousands of women and children are taken from the remote impoverished rural

regions. The job recruiters pay the parents an advance on the promised salary of the child. The recruited children, some as young as 14 years old is bonded labor and controlled by the debt and fear of prosecution by the recruiter and lat-er to the employer. In many cases the job as a domestic worker turns out to be that of forced prostitution.

With the renewed crack-down by the international policing community on traffi cking of children, fewer are being traffi cked abroad. Instead the sex tourists are being encour-aged to come to the Philip-pines and other countries in South East Asia. One report says that 14 % of the Philippine tourist trade is sex tourism. The failure of the Philippine internet providers to obey the law and install the software fi lters to block access to child pornography only encourages the growth of this evil practice and the increase

in sexual violence against children by locals and foreigners alike.

But cracking down on this scourge of sexual violence against children is gaining strength and more charges against foreigners are being fi led. Those coming here to get young girls under the guise of marriage are being investigated in Butuan City. The men traffi ckers are coming from Ireland no less, immigration offi cials are on the look out to arrest them.

The anti-traffi cking law needs amending. Lawmakers, some crit-ics claim, wrote the law as if they themselves would benefi t from them, it is riddled with loopholes to enable the child sex abusers to es-cape justice. So instead the accused are being charged under R.A.7610 - the child protection law. They will

get a minimum of seven years to life if convicted. The proposed amendments before the Philippine Senate committee headed

by Senator Loren B. Legarda are most urgent. There are few convictions for traffi cking of persons and this had landed the Philippines on US State Depart-ment “Watch List”, of countries that have low compliance with international standards of child protection and anti-traffi cking of persons.

Dr. Ma. Vanessa H. de Villa (standing, 6th from left), The Medical City (TMC) Liver Center director, and her team are all smiles after performing the fi rst successful pediatric liver transplant by an all-Filipino surgical team last January 8. [TMC photo via Manila Bulletin]

A landmark medical proce-dure has been achieved by an All-Filipino team of doctors in Medical City Hospital. The Pinoy specialists performed a fi rst successful pediatric liver transplant.

A three-year old girl who suffered from End-Stage liver disease with complications was the fi rst pediatric patient who benefi ted from the exper-tise of the newly established Center for Liver Disease Management and Transplanta-tion of the Medical City.

Charity patient Catherine Erica Buenaventura and her parents have been to sev-eral hospitals seeking treat-ment before she fi nally met liver transplant surgeon Dr. Vanessa H. de Villa and was referred to The Medical City.

According to hospital experts, the child suffered from complications by portal hypertension, an increase in blood pressure in a system of veins within the stomach, intestine, spleen and pancreas. Erica also suffered from mal-nutrition and bleeding in the veins around the esophagus.

Through the generosity of her uncle, 18-year old Jeffer-son Llantino, Erica underwent two operations starting at 7 a.m. on January 7.

Erica’s diseased liver was removed entirely before she received a graft or a portion of her uncle’s liver.

The whole procedure ended at 2:30 a.m. on January 8 and physical therapy ses-sions began on January 12. In January 18, the feeding tubes were removed.

Today, Erica is feeding

Pinoy team of docs perform fi rst successful liver transplant

(Continued on page 11)(Continued on page 19)


March 11 - 17, 2011

Today’s LifestyleMsgr. Gutierrez Ogie CruzSino ang mas magaling

umarte, si Mara o si Clara? ...p 15

Bantayan Island off the coast of Cebu, Philip-

San Diego 2nd Gen Fil-Ams Weigh in on Gawad Kalinga Bayani Challenge 2011

Bottom Photo: Felix Tuyay and Sal Flor with Village Children at GK School House, Rio Tuba, Palawan

Top Photo: GK Fil-Am U.S.A. Team with GK Founder/Staff. Tony Meloto, Founder of GK, Marcel Ocampo, Sal Flor, Felix Tuyay, and Dr. “Boy”

pines, will be the site of the GK Bayani Challenge

2011 come April 4-9,2011.

Legendary like Boracay and just as remote and beautiful, it will be ground zero for hundreds of volunteers from the USA and other parts of the world who will share brawn, talent, and inspiration to build a better na-tion for the least of their brothers one house, one family and one

community at a time.

GK Bayani Challenge volunteers gather from all corners of the world at the GK Build site in Rio Tuba, Palawan, 2010.

For the Love of RiceBy Vonda White | SAN

DIEGO, 3/11/2011 -- Many mornings at our house, we have Congee for breakfast-a delicious porridge made from rice left over from the previous day. Lunch for me at work at Goldmine Natu-ral Foods Company in San Diego (www.goldminenatu-ralfoods.com) is usually a soup, often miso-based, laden with vegetables and tempeh or tofu and more

left-over rice. At dinner, the rice is fresh-cooked. some-times with added grains, served with fresh-cooked vegetables, beans or fi sh.

I have learned to love

Page 2 March 11 - 17, 2011Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

In its March 2, 2011 Mem-orandum, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outlined its priorities in arresting and detaining illegal immigrants in the country. ICE is the agency tasked by the government to enforce the nation’s immigration laws. With the limited resources that ICE has, it is estimated that they can only apprehend, detain and remove around 400,000 illegal immigrants a year.

Working around its limited resources, ICE has laid down its priorities as to whom they would go after fi rst. On the top of their list are those who pose a danger to national se-curity or risk to public safety. These aliens include the fol-lowing: (1) those engaged in or suspected of terrorism or espionage; (2) those convicted of crimes, with emphasis on violent criminals, felons and repeat offenders; (3) those who are at least 16 years of age and have participated in organized criminal gangs; (4) those who have outstanding criminal warrants; (5) those who pose a serious risk to public safety.

The second on their list are

ICE outlines priorities in going after illegals

the so-called recent illegal en-trants. These are aliens who have recently violated immi-gration controls at the border, ports of entry, or through the knowing abuse of their visas.

The third on their list are the fugitive aliens ranked in the following order: (1) fugitive aliens who pose a danger to national security; (2) fugitive aliens convicted of violent crimes or who otherwise pose a threat to the community; (3) fugitive aliens with criminal convictions other than a violent crime; (4) fugitive aliens who have not been convicted of a crime.

The fourth on their list are aliens who re-enter the country illegally after removal ranked in the following order: (1) previously removed aliens who pose a danger to na-tional security; (2) previously removed aliens convicted of violent crimes or who oth-erwise pose a threat to the community; (3) previously removed aliens with crimi-nal convictions other than a violent crime; (4) previously removed aliens who have not been convicted of a crime.

The last group of aliens on their list is those who obtain

admission or status by visa, identifi cation, or immigration benefi t fraud. They include those who enter the country using an assumed name or false passport.

This does not however mean that those who are not included in their list of priori-ties will not be apprehended or removed by ICE. Thus, ICE may target an individual who initially enters the US legally and later fails to maintain his or her current nonimmigrant status. People are usually apprehended by ICE even if they commit a minor crime such as DUI or shoplifting. They can also be put in removal proceedings if they fi le an application for adjustment of status with the US Citizenship and Immigra-tion Services (USCIS) and the USCIS later denies the appli-cation and the applicant is no longer lawful status.

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 infor-mation presented in this ar-ticle is for general information 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 March 28, 2011. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consulta-tion to discuss your particular situation and/or how their ser-vices may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]

PerryScopeBy Perry Diaz

“ ‘Pork’ in budget doubled,”

headlines a newspaper. It says that on top of each of the 278 congressmen’s P70-million “pork barrel” from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), they will each be given an extra P75 million to be used for infra-structure projects in their districts. The extra pork barrel for each congressman consists of P50 million from the budget of the Department of Public Work and Highways (DPWH) and another P25 million from the Road User’s Tax.

The decision to provide additional pork barrel to the congressmen was seemingly made to placate a number of them who threatened to block the pas-sage of the national budget on grounds of “unequal budgetary allocations,” due mainly to former president and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s humongous DPWH “pork barrel.”

“Don’t ask, don’t tell”

However, Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño commented that the guaranteed P50-million pork barrel for each of the 278 congressmen was “meant to make the lawmakers shut up about the P500 billion in lump sum pork barrel of President Aquino.” He said that Mala-cañang refused to disclose the line item funding of Aquino’s P500 billion worth of projects. He was quoted in the news as saying: “We have been demanding lists of projects to be funded by these lump sums to no avail. Instead of a clear and concrete line item presenta-tion of such projects, the Executive promised a guaranteed pork barrel of P50 million per congressman from the [Public Works] lump sums to make us shut up. With such gargantuan lump sum funds, there is no transparency and accountability in this budget.”

In addition to the president’s ques-tionable P500-billion “pork barrel,” an-other allocation that is being scrutinized is the Confi dential Funds of the Offi ce of the President which was increased to P1 billion, P200 million more than Gloria’s last budget for confi dential funds. Aquino also decided to keep his Intelligence Fund of P500 million, which he promised to eliminate earlier to help lower government spending.

Dole-out for the “poorest of the poor”

Another controversial lump sum allocation is the P21-billion budget for the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program. First started by Gloria during her presidency, CCT provides cash

‘Pigging Out on Barrels of Pork’grants to the “poorest of the poor.” During the fi nal year of Gloria’s regime, the CCT allocation was only P10 billion doled out to 700,000 poor families. Malacañang justifi ed the sharp increase based on the estimated 2.3 million poor families.

While nobody questioned the purpose of CCT, the biggest concern was its potential for massive corrup-tion. In objecting to the increased CCT allocation, Gloria was concerned about the government’s “lack of readiness.” Indeed, without an effective control mechanism, it would be so easy to lose track of the fl ow of money, a situation that Gloria would have been aware of.

President’s pork barrel

Another questionable “pork barrel” was the P15-billion allocation inserted in various departments as Public-Private Partnership Fund (PPP). Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares commented: “These huge amounts for such a vague general item as ‘public-private partner-ships’ is dangerous because it is a lump sum amount and we do not know where this will go. As a general rule budgets should not have lump sum amounts as these are not only un-transparent but also sources of corruption.”

Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano piggybacked on Colmenares’ com-ment saying that the Department of Agriculture has a P5-billion lump sum allocation for a PPP project that is “very vague and susceptible to corruption.” “It appears that the allocations for the PPPs are intended ‘for the boys,’” Col-menares said. “As long as this provision is not deleted in the proposed budget, these PPPs are nothing but pork, pork, and more pork.”

The other two departments that are getting P5-billion PPP allocation each are Science and Technology (DOST) and Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Pork Barrel for Big Landlords Another controversial pork barrel

-- called “agrarian reform subsidy” -- is the P4-billion allocation to the admin-istration’s ally, Akbayan party-list. Ak-bayan would dole out the money to big farmer groups like Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac and the 11 huge estates in Negros Occidental owned by Aquino’s uncle, Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr.

But Akbayan insisted that the pork barrel was intended to “provide support to infrastructures, agricultural support and credit to agrarian reform communities (ARCs), and new farmer benefi ciaries of the extended land reform program.” However, peasant

leaders said that “only big landlords and foreign agribusiness groups engaged in production of export crops and who control and dictate the operations of ARCs will benefi t.” They believed that the P4-billion fund for Akbayan was in exchange for Akbayan’s support of the P21-billion funding for CCT.

Mother of all pork But the biggest recipient of pork

barrel in Congress is no other than Gloria who for some mysterious reason is going to get a P2.2-billion lump sum pork barrel from the DPWH budget. This is in addition to her P70-million PDAF pork, the P50-million extra infra-structure pork, another P28 million on top of that, and the P25-million windfall from the Road User’s Tax.

The “mystery” was solved when Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello revealed that Gloria used her infl uence when she was president to make sure that her dis-trict would get a lot of projects funded by “multilateral lending agencies” from Japan and South Korea. “What we dis-covered is while she was president, she [Arroyo] had contracted with foreign aid agencies to be able to funnel over the next few years billions of pesos into the 2nd district of Pampanga. Sinabi ni [Public Works Secretary Rogelio] Singson kahapon, he’s helpless kasi his hands are tied, kasi these were com-mitted by foreign aid agencies like the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Korea Development and Coop-eration Fund,” Bello said.

“Reform budget” The P1.645-trillion national budget

for 2011 -- which Aquino calls “Reform Budget” -- is 6.8% higher than the 2010 budget of P1.540 trillion. The defi cit for 2011 is estimated to be P290 billion.

The question is: Could the budget have been trimmed down to eliminate some, if not all, of the defi cit? In my opinion, yes, it could have been trimmed down or completely elimi-nated. The Aquino administration could have removed pork barrel allocations that weren’t needed at this time. The country needs to get back on its feet and recover from the havoc wreaked by the corrupt Arroyo government.

With pork barrel spending reach-ing record high numbers in 2011, our elected offi cials would be pigging out on barrels of pork for the entire year while the “poorest of the poor” are suf-fering from hunger and poverty.

That is not reform. That, sadly, is status quo of a corrupt government.

10717 Camino Ruiz, Ste. 122 San Diego, CA 92126Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry• State-of-the-Art Technology and Sterilization• Digital X-rays and Massage Dental Chairs• Caring and Friendly Staff• Affordable Fees• Military Dependents Welcome• Evening and Weekend Appointments Available• New, Walk-in and Emergency Patients Welcome• Most PPO Plans Accepted•

Email: [email protected] Phone: (858) 566-6099

Open: Monday – Friday 9am – 6pmSaturday 8am – 2pm

Credit Cards AcceptedZOOM!

Exam, Digital X-rays & Cleaning *

*Over $200 in savings, in the absence of gum disease, new

patients only.Limited time offer.

$3499Reg. $238 Towards Any

Dental Service$550 or more

Cannot be combined with insurance.

Limited time offer.

$10000

In Offi ce Teeth WhiteningIn Just an Hour!

Limited time offer.

$29899Reg. $600

Law Offi ces of Chua Tinsay & Vegawww.ctvattys.com

by Atty. Dennis ChuaLegal Buzz

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

Page 3Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comMarch 11 - 17, 2011

InsuranceMatters

Read Jerry Salcedo’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Jerry Salcedo

No driver can afford to be without automobile insurance, but it can be difficult to know how much coverage you re-ally need. These days most states require that all drivers purchase car insurance, and in states where coverage is mandated there is a minimum

coverage threshold that must be met. In California, for example, the minimum liabil-ity coverage is 15/30/5. This means that if you were at fault in an accident and held liable for damages, your Insurance Company would provide $15,000 in liability per per-son for bodily injury, up to $30,000 for each incident and up to $5,000 for prop-erty damage liability. Many drivers assume that this state minimum coverage is enough, but in many cases that level of

Car Insurance 101 - Why State Minimum Coverage

May Not Be Enoughprotection is completely inad-equate. It is therefore impor-tant for every driver to evalu-ate his or her own insurance needs in order to determine the best level of coverage for liability, property damage and other insurance categories.

Why the Minimum

When states pass laws mandating that every driver carry automobile insurance they need to consider a number of factors, but affordability is often near the top of the list. If the state legislature is going to require people to purchase a product or service they need to make sure that product or service will be affordable. For this reason many

states set the bar very low for car insurance cover-age. This low bar makes policies more af-fordable, but it also may leave many drivers without the pro-tection they re-

ally need. For that reason it is important to look at your own state’s minimum coverage levels and determine if those levels really provide adequate coverage. If for instance you carry only the required Cali-fornia minimum of $5,000 in property damage insurance, what happens if you total your neighbor’s brand new Porsche 911? If you do not have enough property damage in-surance in place you could be on the hook for the rest of the damages. And I think we can all agree that the Porsche is worth significantly more than $5,000. The same is true of personal injury – it is impor-tant to take a realistic look at the minimum coverage levels set by your state and deter-mine whether or not they are truly adequate for your needs. The more you have to protect the more insurance coverage you will need.

The Low Cost of Upgrad-ing

Many drivers simply as-sume that upgrading an exist-ing car insurance policy from the state mandated minimum coverage levels to something more realistic will be pro-hibitively expensive, but that is not necessarily the case. In many cases drivers can upgrade from the minimum set by their state to $300,000 worth of coverage or more for a reasonable increase in their premium levels. Upgrading coverage can be extremely af-fordable for those considered

being good risks, but even those with a few black marks on their driving records are often surprised at just how affordable that extra cover-age can be. Reviewing your car insurance coverage on a regular basis is the best way to make sure you are provid-ing adequate protection for your car, your family and your personal property. By know-ing the legally required cover-age levels and adjusting those levels to suit your own needs you can save money on your premium without sacrificing the protection you need. For a free “On Your Side” review of your current insurance needs, please contact Jerry Salcedo – Nationwide Insurance at 877-260-7104.

by GABRIELLE LARA P. BA-NIQUED and JEREMAIAH M. OPINIANO OFW Journalism

Consortium

STA. MARIA, Bulacan—YEL-LOW puffs led the sway of green rice stalks on the Bardos family’s 3-hectare land on a windy afternoon.

The signs point to a season of good harvest but the family’s young-est, Cherry Mae, remains wistful like the veteran farmers in this northern Philippine village.

“It won’t be enough. It has never been enough,” she almost whispers to the wind, confirming local experts’ view that Philippine agriculture has been losing out to overseas work as a source of farming families’ incomes.

The Bardos family is one of a few families here who have seen their fathers or mothers drop the plow and grab on suitcases to work in a foreign land. In the Bardos’s case, it was Jeric and he chose to work on water as a seafarer.

Since then, Cherry Mae has been seeing green but not from the land that Jeric and other farmers left behind. Every month, she receives green bucks at an average of P17,000 (roughly US$395.35 at P43=US$1). This also means Cherry Mae has at her disposal US$13.18, or P566.67 a day, nearly twice what an ordinary factory worker receives as gross salary.

That amount used to be more when Cherry was still dissecting frogs or memorizing scientific names of muscles in medical school because of additional remittances from mother Myrna, then an entertainer in Japan.

In this first-class farming munici-pality of Sta. Maria, that means big bucks.

For the Philippine Rice Research Institute, the Bordes case only con-firms their study that farming has be-come less the reason for the doubling of farmers’ incomes in the past decade.

According to PhilRice’s study titled “The Changing Image of the Filipino Rice Farmer,” total gross incomes of these farmers rose from P68,974.85 during the period 1996-1997 to P127,799.95 in 2006-2007.

Income from rice farming, over the ten-year period, rose by P25,367.32 but income from non-farming sources P27,386.59, showed the PhilRice find-ings that spanned 10 years and covered 30 provinces.

By percentage share, however, income from rice farming plummeted from 60.64 percent in 1996-1997 to 52.58 percent in 2006-2007. Non-farming income, for its part, rose from 29.63 percent in 1996-1997 to 37.42 percent in 2006-2007.

Farmers’ adoption of both farming and non-farming income sources also led to an increase in the number of the farmers who clambered from the poverty threshold, from 46 percent in 1996-1997 to 57 percent in 2006-2007.

“The share of non-farming activi-ties as sources of income had steadily been rising… as rice and rice-based farmers are now engaged in other busi-ness such as rubber production, wood craft, welding, and work overseas,” PhilRice said in a press release.

In the land of green, harvest comes from the sea

Plows

CHERRY Mae points to the fields bordering their land, which they call basak in the vernacular and which conjoins a twin 3-hectare rice field of her aunt Tata, Jeric’s sister.

Other farming families, like her aunt’s, have tried their luck to be like the Bardoses, who live on a two-floor bungalow filled with a television set, refrigerators, and other appliances.

In a municipality like Sta. Maria, that is a stature not uncommon as rice-farming families like the Bardoses who adopted overseas migration to diversify their incomes not only show that farmers’ socio-economic statuses are improving, but going elsewhere is a means to cope with a struggling agricultural sector.

Tata, for one, currently works as a head nurse in a hospital in Saudi Ara-bia while her family manages the land near the Bardos’s.

Another farming family is that of Siso Hermogenes’s. The 50-year-old Siso harvests only once a year, in the weeks between November and December.

With not enough farming income, his wife tried out to work as a domes-tic worker in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates but only lasted there for eight days and returned home after the eldest son, at 15 years old, died.

Without overseas migration, Hermogenes relies not just on some P30,000 earned per harvest but also from planting vegetables.

“If you only plant rice, and you did not make any harvest, there’ll be no in-come and you have to wait for another year to earn.”

In the case of the Bardos fam-ily, had Jeric not become a seafarer, Cherry Mae and a younger sister would have stopped going to school.

Given the seasonality of incomes from rice farming, we rely on the re-mittances from our father, she said.

Cherry said they have earned something last harvest season in April but the income from farming is almost the same as Jeric’s monthly remittance.

She says her father, who’s still in his mid-40s, is unlikely to retire anytime soon.

“It is not surprising that remittanc-es have helped improve the standard of living of the poor, and of farm-ers,” says agricultural economist Dr. Thelma Paris of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

“But the big question is how to make our agricultural sector more productive,” adds the Los Baños, Laguna-based economist.

Closed

PARIS’S question echoes the World Bank-Philippine office’s obser-vation that agriculture’s contribution to poverty reduction has been weaker, especially in the last 28 years.

“Improved productivity is critical for agriculture growth. In countries such as the Philippines, where the ‘land frontier’ has virtually closed, sustained growth of agricultural output can only come about through increases in productivity,” the World Bank observes in its report “Fostering More

Inclusive Growth.”That goal, however, continues to

grow farther as the country’s agricul-tural sector has contracted by 2.59 percent in the first half of the year. The palay sub-sector, to note, contracted by 10.24 percent.

Agriculture’s contribution to the macro-economy has been declining these past few years [see Figure 1] while the agricultural sector’s growth in 2009 (0.37 percent) was the lowest since 2002 [see Table 1].

The DA attributed the ongoing negative growth of the agriculture sec-tor to the El Niño phenomenon from March to May.

For an agricultural municipality like Sta. Maria, this hasn’t helped. Some 26.66 square kilometers of rice land of the total 29.02 sq. km. of Sta. Maria’s agricultural land area is rain-fed and only 2.36 sq. km. is served by irrigation facilities.

Cherry told the OFW Journalism Consortium that they venture into copra planting as well as occasional fishing at the Sta. Maria River when there is no rain.

Organized farmers are also lament-ing the Aquino government’s move to abolish the P8-billion palay procure-ment subsidy as an additional burden in these times of drought.

In a statement, the National Con-federation of Irrigators Association (NCIA) called attention on the plan of the administration of President Be-nigno Aquino III to have a zero palay procurement subsidy in the budget of the National Food Authority (NFA) next year.

“[This] will put local farmers at the mercy of profit-hungry palay trad-ers, who can now dictate the buying price of palay without fear of govern-ment intervention.”

The NCIA statement explained that “at present, the government, through the NFA, pegs the government support price of palay at P17/kilo.”

“Farmers usually sell their palay harvest to NFA whenever the buying price of private traders is below the government support price. Last harvest season, traders bought palay at P14 to P15/kilo or two pesos lower than the buying price of NFA.”

But despite the hardships of farm-ing, Cherry Mae is still seeing green amid the yellow buds across their family’s basak.

It has been 13 years, two years short of her father Jeric’s 15-year overseas stint, that she and her mother have taken care of their farm.

That’s 3,952 days of waking up early, overseeing the plowing, bending to the knees to sow rice seeds, and waiting –waiting for the grass to turn out golden yellow crops.

Cherry Mae and her mother’s hopes remain perennial gold would come not by working in a foreign land. —with reports from ISAGANI DE LA PAZ

OFW Journalism ConsortiumReporting from her hometown of

Sta. Maria, Gabrielle Lara Baniqued is a third year Journalism student of the University of Santo Tomas and is a daughter of a seafarer.

Call for your FREE Personal Expressions Guide.

I’ve learned to appreciate

SimpleThingsThat’s why I planned a Simple Tribute® Funeral.

• Affordable • Clear Choices • No Surprises

Finally, a better waySM

Let the Simple Tribute plans free you from the high prices and high pressure of traditional funeral homes. By offering complete funeral and cremation options with straightforward pricing, we make it easy to get the services you want — so you can get on with your life. It’s that simple.

Call us at 866.747.9776www.elcaminomemorial.com

Exclusive provider of the Simple Tribute plan in:San Diego

Sorrento Valley, FD-1260 Imperial Ave, FD-670Paci� c Beach, FD-815

Other Area LocationsEncinitas, FD-857La Mesa, FD-296

National City, FD-284

10904 • Simple Tribute • “Appreciate” Asian Journal • B/W • 1/8 Pg • 6.4375"x 5.25"

January 26, 2011

10904_SimTrib_Appreciate_AJ0126.indd 1 1/19/11 4:13 PM

To learn more about combining your policies, call us today.

Products underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affi liated Companies. Columbus, OH. Subject to underwriting guidelines, review, and approval. Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark, and On Your Side are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Savings compared to standalone price of each policy, based on new customer data from May 2010. Availability and discounts vary by state and other factors.ADP-7403 (11/10)

AUTO. HOME. LIFE.When things work together, they just work better. And it could save you money, too. Bundling your auto, home and life insurance with Nationwide, for example, can save you up to 25%. Who wouldn’t like the sound of that?

BUNDLE&SAVE25%UP

TO

Jerry Salcedo - Lic 0D86120Jerry Salcedo Agency162 S Rancho Santa Fe Ste E100Encinitas, CA 92024Phone: (877) 260-7104E-mail: [email protected]


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

As I sit here trying to work, my son Ryan and his friends are playing a game of basketball in the driveway. More often than not, the ball bangs against the house or garage door and sounds like a sonic boom every time. I jump, lose whatever train

Kids and dogs and pick-up basketball

Sometimes it’s just too hard to concentrate

of thought I may have been wrestling with, and sigh. Now sometimes I actually like the noise he and his friends make - it’s the sound of life. But not always and not when I’m under a deadline.

My daughter and the dog are busy running circles

around the room while fling-ing Barbie in the air and playing catch. Sound of life? Okay, sure.

What do I do while all of this is going on? I start getting annoyed, of course, which leads me to begin say-ing dad-like things:

* Knock it off!* Knock it off!* Knock it off!* Knock it off!* I’m not kidding, knock

it off! * I’m not kidding, knock

it off!* I’m not kidding, knock

it off!* I’m not kidding, knock

it off!* I mean it!* I mean it!* I mean it!* I mean it!

Now don’t think that I just keep saying these things with-out thinking about it. No, I pay attention to what is going on and definitely to those who are not paying attention to me.

Of course I don’t always expect them to pay atten-tion to me, it is just that I would like them to pay at-tention when I want them to, not when it suits them. That rarely happens. Really rarely.

Dad-speak

So, where were we? Oh, yeah, dad-speak. Well by now my vocabulary has more or less sunk to the following level:

* Keep the ball off the house!

* I told you two to go play outside! Daddy has to work.

* I mean it, go play outside or in your room.

* No you can’t go on the roof to get the ball.

* I mean it, go play outside or in your room.

Naturally pretty soon I get mixed up and start saying the wrong thing to the wrong kid and then son and daughter look at me like I’m from outer space. Like they do so often anyway.

Has the Barbie pick-up game between daughter and puppy stopped yet?

No. So what do I do? I slowly start to get out of my chair. I think that this will get their attention, make them think that they are really in trouble, and they will leave (have you noticed that by now I have started thinking that the dog is just another kid out to bug me? Sometimes I almost do think that and yes, it is a bit weird).

“Daddy, sit down! You are getting in the way!”

“Getting in the way? This is my office!”

“Daddy!”“Daddy nothing! You two

scram.”“But Daddy, can’t you see

we’re playing?”“Yes I can see that, but

can’t you two see that I am trying to work?” (Yes, I’m still talking as if the dog un-derstands every word. Give me a break, I’m a bit frus-trated).

“We’re just playing.” “Well play somewhere

else.”“We like playing here.”

“Yeah, well why do you like playing here so much?”

“Because you’re here.”She knew exactly what to

say to get me to cave. She pulls out the emotional, cute, loving daughter thing and smiles.

Do you know what I did after she said that? I caved.

I turned off the com-puter, took off my shoes, and

crawled down onto the floor with the two of them. As soon as I did that, it wasn’t hard to concentrate at all. I had sim-ply been trying to concentrate on the wrong thing.

Driveway basketball

My favorite games to watch are soccer (because my kids play and that got me interested in Manchester United among other teams) and driveway basketball.

In driveway basketball there are no time-outs, no one is ejected from the game, there aren’t any referees, and scoring is mostly a haphazard guess. It’s sports in a more pure form. No companies, no sponsors with names on shirts, no agents, no hundred-million this and billion dollar that. Certainly no absurd stadiums. And no one ever gets locked out unless they’re being a poor sport and then usually a parent quickly takes care of it.

My home has a basketball hoop in a large portable stand in the driveway. When I was younger I never saw myself actually owning one of those. But I do. My son and I found one fairly nearby on craigslist.com and bought it and hauled it home.

That thing is like milk to an infant. As soon as we started to assemble it, his friends came over and the first game started the minute it was finished. Between my son and his friends and my daugh-ter and her friends, (plus one goofy dog) I may have to put

up a schedule with a sign-up sheet on it. And you know what? That’s okay.

Now if the dog would just quit trying to catch the ball and slobbering all over it.

The first article I wrote was on “Organizational Leader-ship in Focus” that was pub-lished in the Asian Journal, November 5-11, 2010. In this article, I detailed the ten traits of a successful organization and gave Kalusugan Commu-nity Services (KCS) as an ex-ample of an agency that have

Second of a Series

Individual leadership in focus

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacri-fice, suffering and struggle; the tireless concern of

dedicated individuals.”…Martin Luther king

practiced these traits through the years making it an effec-tive, credible and successful organization.

This article will focus more on individual leader-ship, “What Makes an Effec-tive Leader.” I came to be a leader unexpectedly in 1992 when I founded together with

the late Dr. Riz Oades, Joel San Juan and Paul Ones, a coalition named Project Kalusugan that later became a 501 (c ) 3 organiza-tion and renamed Kalusugan Com-munity Services. Since then I have been the Executive Director and now the President & CEO of KCS due to the passing away of Dr. Oades in Octo-ber 2009. So I will share some of the lessons I learned in

the process.

DEFINITION OF LEAD-ERSHIP

Leadership is the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a certain task.” It can also be defined as “the art of motivating an individual or group of indi-viduals to act towards achiev-ing a common goal.” There are many tasks that need to be done in our community and there is a call for individuals to lead an organization in the attainment of these goals. A leader cannot do it alone but needs the assistance of oth-ers to fulfill these goals and objectives. However, there are certain leadership traits that one must have to inspire and motivate others to do so.

Throughout California and in the San Diego community, we have dedicated individuals who care about the health and social well-being of FilAms. They are leading various organizations (regional/town-ship, student/alumni, busi-ness, media, school, political groups), directing programs (art & dance groups, school activities), and advocating for environmental improvements that create safer and healthier places to live. They often lead without expectation of out-side recognition, motivated only by their own missions, and selfless commitment. We frequently meet them and we often do not think what our FilAm community would be like without them or what qualities make them so suc-cessful.

The call to leadership is

closely linked to particular communities and particular tasks. It does not just come to people who think of them-selves as leaders or have undergone “leadership train-ings.” For some the call to leadership comes as a sur-prise. A moment comes when the needs of the communities invite us to consider stepping into leadership roles for a certain time. As in my case, I saw the need for the Filipino American (FilAm) communi-ty to coalesce and help reduce the health disparity between us and the mainstream popu-lation. For some, they may have been elected as the President of an orga-nization and then their leadership role begins. Leadership is being available when our com-munities need us.

TRAITS OF A SUC-CESSFUL LEADER

What are some of the traits that make a success-ful leader? There are lots of books/articles written, speech-es delivered, and training programs about what makes a successful leader. However, all these yield some common themes or traits of a success-ful leader. These are:

VISION- Leaders have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish, what success is, and know how to articulate it. A leader knows what needs to be done, knows the criteria for success and able to talk to people about it so they can also catch the same vision.

INTEGRITY- A leader’s actions are consistently aligned with his words and values. Most often politicians

everywhere make so many good promises in order to be elected but as soon as they are in office, they forget all about it.

In

some FilAm organizations, some officers are not hon-est or transparent in terms of the financial accounting of the organization. Thus, when audit time comes, they are in trouble since the income and expense is out of balance. As an individual, let us be hon-est in all our dealings and be transparent to the public. Bad action spreads rapidly like a virus and contaminates the whole community.

SOCIAL BOLDNESS- Leaders possess thick skins and emotional stamina when dealing with others. We should be able to defend our stand and ward off people who want to criticize or downgrade us. As Asians, sometimes we don’t fight back

and defend ourselves. We have been in this country long enough or have been born here that we should be able to boldly respond and articulate what we have in mind. As the

Scriptures have said, “one should be bold as a lion when standing for one’s rights.”

The call to leadership is a call to increasing

vulnerability. As a leader we are subjected not only to compliments when we are doing well but also

to criticism of our actions or decisions. Part of one’s vulnerability comes from a multiple factors outside our

control but will affect the outcome and impact

of our decisions. We are vulnerable to the judgments of those outside the situation

who will judge us, as if we have full control

and knowledge of the situation. We should not let

criticisms discourage as since may people are nor aware nor do they have the knowledge on which we based our deci-sions.

EMOTIONAL STABIL-ITY- A leader possess ma-turity and tolerance against frustration or stress. One should be able to face frustra-tion and endure stress without being affected personally or mentally. This can only be done by having faith in the powerful God who can give us wisdom in times of dis-tress, comfort us in our loneli-ness, and give us strength to endure hardships and stresses in life. Woe to those who do not have anything or anybody to cling to since they have to struggle by themselves. No wonder some individuals get depressed or even commit suicide since there is no hope for their situation. But in God, there is hope!

INTUITIVENESS- A leader “trusts” her/his guts when making decisions. A leader asks advice from the experts and listens to their counsel. Some advice may be biased so they should make decisions based on their own assessment and judgment of the problem. Once a decision has been made, a leader does not go back and say “I should have done this or that” but should be confident and stick to the decision he/she has made.

TOUGH-MINDEDNESS- Leaders are not cowed by hardship. According to War-ren Bennis, “On Becoming a Leader”, there is a “crucible” or rite of passage that success-ful leaders pass through—often the result of conflict or stress.

“Some magic takes place in the crucible of leadership, whether the transformational experience is an ordeal like Mandela’s years in prison or a relatively painless experi-ence such as being mentored. The individual brings certain attributes into the crucible and emerges with new, im-proved leadership skills.

Perspectives

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

widely circulated Asian-Filipino newspaper!

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

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

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

Dr. Rizalino “Riz” Oades, (1935-2009)

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

Genevieve SilverioManaging Editor

Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Miles BeauchampAssociate Editor

Santi SilverioAssociate Publisher

At Large...

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

by Miles Beauchamp



Tuloy PoKayo

Tel: (619) 477-5643 • Suite # 5

V i e t n a m e s eNoodle House

Permanent Make-up and Skin Care

TESS R. REYESREALTOR

(619) 477-4173 • FAX: (619) 477-4819CELL: (619) 252-8377

MEDICAL CENTEREDNA M. BAY, R.P.T.(619) 474-3294 • Suite 14

Nesty and Elvie Arbulante(619) 477-1666 • Fax (619) 477-1690Specializing in Women’s Clothing and Gift Items

SUITE 10

ELVIE’SBOUTIQUE

Bernardita N. Lizan, D.M.D.

550 E. 8th St., Ste. #12National City, CA 91950

Tel. (619) 477-7570

San Diego

Asian JournalLJ Printing

(619) 474-0588 - Asian Journal(619) 474-1878 LJ Printing

Fax: (619) 474-0373Suite # 6

Quality Custom Framing

Manny I. MiclatOwner

(619) 477-2010Suite # 7

NOBLE PREMIUMS, INC.GENERAL SUPPLIES/INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS

“Excellence through Quality and Service”Phone: (619) 477-4387

550 E. 8th Street, Suite #1

(619) 336-1880 Of fice(619) 575-2598 Home(619) 336-1891 Fa x

600 E. 8th St., Suite #1

ED PASIMIORealtor - Broker

ROSE PASIMIORealtor - Owner

OLD SCHOOLHOUSE SQUARE

Gra

phic

sby

The

Filip

ino

Pre

ss

“Your Little Manila Shopping Center”

550 East 8th Street Suite 3

AMY’SHAIR SALON

550 East 8th St. #16 (619) 477-1795

MabuhayTailoring & Cleaners

DYNAMICProperties & Investments

(619) 336-0761 • Ste. 15FULL SERVICE SALON • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

Hair design • ColoringNail service • Perms

General Dentistry

Law Offices ofA. Erwin Bautista

Attorney at Law

550 E. 8th St. #11National City, CA 91950

(619) 474-7755 • Fax (619) 474-0051

24 HOUR REMITTANCETel: (619) 336-1112

Hours: 9-6 M to F • 9-1 Sat.

LUCKYMONEY

Specializing in: Military Uniforms,Embroidery Name Plates and Patches

and Mounting Medals

– Produce, Seafood, Meat –Open 7 Days a Week • 8:30 am - 7:30 pm

(619) 477-7954

WORLD-CLASS REALTY, INC.Ellen Nobles-Sexsion

Tel: (619) 336-4885

��

�

� �

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS FORBANQUETS UP TO 100 PERSONS, CALL (619) 477-8512

• C L O S E D O N M O N D AY S •

Fried Chicken and Filipino Cuisine None Can Compare.

Comevisit us!

Tuesdays & WednesdaysBUY ONE & GET ONE

50% OFF ONFRIED CHICKEN

from 11:00am to 2:00pm ONLY**Some Restrictions apply. Void on holidays and special days like Valentines Day, Christmas Day, Father’s Day etc.

MELINDA S. CASASOwner

(619)474-9640 • 550 E. 8th St. #17

MSC Physician Billing Services, Inc.

500-600 E. 8th St. National City, CA 91950 (7-Blocks East of I-5)

(619) 474-2300

MANANSALAINSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

• BOOKKEEPING • TAX PREPARATION •• NOTARY PUBLIC •

LOURDES B. MANANSALAAGENT/ BROKER/REALTOR

TEL: (619) 477-9709RES: (619) 428-4191

SUITE # 2

COIN LAUNDRYFluff & Fold

(619) 477-8613

Filipino Desserts & Turo-TuroSuite #9 (619) 434-6255

Pan-de-sal Bakery& Barbeque

Coming soon!Expansion &Frozen Yogurt

Coming soon!Expansion &Frozen Yogurt

600 E. 8th St., Suite # 3

Of fice: (619) 477-0940Fa x: (619) 477-1024email: [email protected]

Your Key to the Filipino Community

NEW!

Work Visas/Green Cards thru Employment• Family Visas• Student, Trainee, Tourist, Investors, Visas • Reinstatement of Petition • Deportation Defense• International Adoption• Appeals, Motions to Reopen/Reconsider• Battered/Abused Spouse• I-601 Waivers (Hardship)• Consular Support in Manila•

IMMIGRATION (619) 819-8648Speak directly with an Attorney

The Law Offi ces of SUSAN V. PEREZ offer the following services:

We also handle ALL PHILIPPINE cases and have an offi ce in Manila to service your needs there.

*Susan Perez is a licensed attorney both in the State of California and the Philippines. She has eighteen (18) years of combined experience in both jurisdictions in the areas of Immigration, Family, Appellate, Juvenile Dependency, Civil, Criminal, Labor, Contracts, Tax, and Business Law. She is also admitted to practice before the Ninth Circuit of the Court of Appeals, and the District Courts of Southern California and Central District of California.

Nagsasalita ng Tagalog asin Bicol.

By Appointment only from 9:00 to 5:30, Monday thru Friday.

San Diego Office: Manila Office:625 Broadway, Suite 1015 Suite 2502-A East TowerSan Diego CA 92101 Philippine Stock Exchange CentreTel. No. (619) 819-8648 Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig CityFax No. (619) 923-9555 Tel. Nos.: (632) 687-2565 / 687-9851 Email: [email protected] Fax No.: (632) 687-2565

Atty. Susan V. Perez

Visit our website: www.law-usimmigration.com

"Se Habla Espanol"

2340 E. 8th St., Suite H, National City, CA 91950 (Near Friendship Manor)

619-470-2558 We Speak Tagalog & Spanish

Walk - In & Emergencies welcomeOpen: Mon - Fri 9am - 7pm

Saturday & Evening Appointments Available

We accept most insuranceMost insurance cover 100% of initial visit

Service Offered:Preventive and Restorative Dentistry• Porcelain crowns and bridges• Cosmetic bondings & veneers• Partial and complete dentures• Valpast / Removable Non-Metal Partial •

DenturesTooth Extractions• Root canal treatment• Gum treatment• Teeth whitening - in offi ce or take home kit•

Military Dependents WelcomeSenior Citizens Discount

Zero Interest Payment Plans

Gentle & quality dentistry for children and adults

Rossana T. Alfonso, DDS

New Image Dentistry

FREECONSULTATION!!!

FREETeeth Whitening(Take Home Kit worth $200)

With CompleteDental Treatment

Coupon $aver

Coupon $aver

New Client Special

Zoom 1 hr. Teeth Whitening

$29900*Reg. $600.00

$3500*DENTAL EXAM & CLEANING

(or insurance payment)

Reg. $160.00

INCLUDES:A Full Oral Examination• Individual Diagnosis & •

ConsultationAny & All necessary X-rays• Plus: One Thorough Cleaning & •

Polishing*Does not include periodontal treatment in

adsence of gum disease

Mira Mesa Dental Care 6755 Mira Mesa Blvd. Ste. #142

San Diego, CA 92121

Tel: (858) 457-7747 Fax: (858) 457-0731

SACRAMENTO - Attor-ney General Kamala D. Harris has fi led a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Court of Ap-peals for the Fourth Circuit strongly asserting the legality of federal health care reform and urging the court to uphold the law.

The law strikes an appro-priate and constitutional bal-ance between national require-ments that will expand access to affordable healthcare while providing States with fl ex-ibility to design programs that

achieve that goal for their citizens, the amicus brief states.

In December, a federal judge in Virginia ruled that the law’s requirement that individuals maintain health insurance or pay a fi ne is un-constitutional.

Attorney General Harris, joined by eight other attorneys general, rejected that view in a brief fi led yesterday in Rich-mond, VA. They argued in the amicus brief that the Consti-tution gives Congress broad powers to regulate interstate commerce.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Files Brief in Support

of Constitutionality of Health Care Reform

The failure of millions of Americans to purchase health insurance has a signifi cant impact on the states. In 2008, the cost of uncompensated care was $43 billion nation-ally. In California, the annual cost of covering the health care expenses of the

uninsured is $455 per indi-vidual and $1,186 per family.

The new law’s minimum coverage provision will reduce the need to shift the cost of uncompensated care of the uninsured and will thus

reduce the expenses absorbed by the states and by individuals with health insurance.

Further, the brief states that the Affordable Care Act does not comman-deer the states to implement a federal program but rather pro-vides them with important tools

to cooperate in order to provide their citizens with access to affordable and reliable health care.

Other states joining Cali-fornia in this brief are Con-necticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Oregon and Vermont.

In January, the same group of attorneys general fi led an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit regarding the consti-tutionality of the Affordable Care Act.



by: Manny Paez Putting most of the balik-

bayan box industry executives in one place to discuss the future of balikbayan box is not an easy task.

However, it is now happen-ing with the cooperation of majority of industry members. In the last Pilipino America Shippers Association ( PASA ) meeting held at FACLA on the Historic Filipino Town, a brighter future for the balik-bayan box industry is starting to emerge.

There is a big variance in the pricing in the balikbayan box industry because, each company’s cost varies.

Companies offering low prices are non-compliance with the general require-ments of the United States and Philippine government and these are being passed on to the consumers who are

Manila Forwarder, In The Forefront of Government Complianceunaware of the situation they are getting into. Uneducated consumers are only after the low prices and as long as their balikbayan boxes are get-ting delivered, all is fine with them.

This line of thinking bites!

Thousands of our kaba-bayans have been victimized by these low-end companies and their balikbayan boxes have been sold to some other enterprising individuals in the Philippines.

Their balikbayan boxes are now gone and leaves a blem-ish in the industry.

It is sad to say that these people who patronized those companies was misinformed or refused to accept the infor-mation that has been placed in front of their faces for years.

Their balikbayan boxes got delivered the first few times

anyways, why would they believe the other balikbayan box companies who perhaps just want to charge more?

Most balikbayan box com-pany owners are hard working Filipinos who immigrated to the United States who just want a part of the American Dream. Majority are former balikbayan box agents of other established company who decided to try their own luck in putting their own busi-ness.

Unfortunately, some are just recycled scam artist who just change their company’s name every time they get burned.

Both however will not cut the American Standards.

American consumers must be protected and to provide such protection requires money and knowledge.

The United States Fed-eral Maritime Commission

requires balikbayan box companies to have enough capitalization to engage in this business. They also require at least three years of experience to be knowledgeable with the laws and regulations of ship-ping.

Some balikbayan box companies go around these requirements by selling their shipments to other licensed companies who does the ship-ments for them. These compa-nies, called “Master Loader”, let other companies use their license.

The Philippine Govern-ment on the other hand, through the Philippine Ship-per’s Bureau, also requires companies to engage in this business substantial capital-ization before they can be accredited.

Both requirements are of course for the protection of the consumers. Without such

accreditation, consumers are at the mercy of the company that they will choose.

It’s cheap. However, there are laws being violated here. The competition is also not fair as they get away with other expenses that other established companies are paying.

A recent check with the Philippine Shipper’s Bureau only shows Manila For-warder Phil, Inc as the only USA-based balikbayan box company with filed and valid accreditation.

Manila Forwarder USA Corp is also one of the few balikbayan box companies that are accredited by US Homeland Security. Regular security training modules and security updates are given and immediately implemented by Manila Forwarder USA Corp.

Manila Forwarder is headed by Manny Paez who

studied Graduate Studies in Criminal Justice from Cali-fornia State University and a former US military with spe-cialty in Counter-Terrorism. He was also a member of the Metropolitan Police Force in the Philippines.

Now how do you protect yourself as a knowledgeable consumer?

Ask for you balikbayan box companies accreditation. Visit or call the company’s head office office before patronizing them. If they are a one-man operation, ask them why? If you call their Manila Office and it’s a different name, ask them why?

And please, do call not a balikbayan box company looking for the cheapest rate. Ask what you deserve first, your protection as a United States’ smart consumer. A gal-lon of gas is now almost five bucks.

San Diego 2nd Gen Fil-Ams Weigh in on GK Bayani Challenge 2011It will probably take a gen-

eration, according to Gawad Kalinga visionary Tony Meloto, to achieve the reality that nothing is out of reach, no dream is ever impossible, if Filipinos worked for the com-mon good to achieve a world-class way of life in their own turf and in their own back-yard.

But it would take the “people power” of Filipinos living abroad and at home to make it happen.

The Asian Journal caught up with a few of the Gawad Kalinga volunteers from San Diego who were on the GK Build in Palawan last year. Sal Flores and Felix Tuyay, educators from SDSU and Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA and Marcel Ocampo, who was fresh out of college when he made the trek to Palawan, share their views about the Bayani Challenge and their personal journey.

Marcel Ocampo

Marcel Ocampo shares his insights about the GK Chal-lenge.

“In a nutshell, the GK Bayani Challenge last year was phenomenal. We were

able to connect with other Filipinos from Singapore, Australia, US, and the local Filipinos. I highly recom-mend it.

Filipinos were genuine in developing a relationship with their counterparts globally. They would say, “Welcome home” and “So how do you plan on helping YOUR coun-try”. They would impart that Philippines is the country of the Fil-Ams as well.”

Sal Flor, SDSU AB Sa-mahan advisor

Sal Flor, the soul behind SDSU’s AB Samahan ex-plains how the GK Build laid the groundwork for one’s roots and identity:

“As retired advisor to Andres Bonfacio SAMAHAN at SDSU, I always spoke to American born Filipino students about the urgency of making a trip to the Phil-lippines. The connection between heritage and home-land is not truly complete un-less you visit the Philippines. Very few of my relatives immigrated to the US; con-sequently, only Xmas cards with my Uncle Nesto was the extend of my communication with my mother’s family.

I could sense that the next generation 3rd or 4th genera-tion Filipino Americans who

do not speak the language would only view the PI as a country of interest.

Visiting the PI through the GK Bayani Challenge, truly was more than just a casual visit to the PI to meet relatives; it gave a sense of community world-wide. The Gawad Kalinga and WeAre-OneFilipino movement is not regional or provincial based and gives American Filipinos a sense of how they can help the country their parents left and give themselvs a stronger sense of national identity.”

What has changed in your perception of the country?

“Growing up in the US, the only news about the PI was less than complimentary, the Marcos regime, corruption, and poverty.

The GK experience and reading the book “ Builder of Dreams” by Antonio Meloto, made me appreciate the strug-gles my parents faced as leav-ing the PI and embarking on a new life in the US, that could have led to success or fail-ure. During the GK build in Palawan, I would ask strang-ers what they thought of GK in the PI and without a doubt, I knew that the trip would be successful. The warmth of the people, the sharing of culture and the GK extended family made me feel welcome as one of them.”

What does the journey mean to a native San Diegan who may not speak the Fili-pino language?

(Continued from page 1)

The GK Bayani Challenge 2011 InviteDear Bayani,

Since 2006, GK has staged the GK Bayani Challenge, a 5-day test of courage, endurance and love for country where teams of 15 people go on an adventure to plant hope on ground by building a community and fostering friendships that are critical to peace.

This year, on April 4-9 in Bantayan Island, volunteers from all over the world will gather once again for the Bayani Challenge. The event dubbed as, ”Kalinga sa Bayan,” is a call for every Filipino to be a nation builder. True to this spirit we are taking this year’s Bayani Challenge to the next level of raising up the island of Bantayan – more lives to be changed, to bring hope to others, to build sustainable communities.

We invite you to take part in this inspiring and exciting event. Join us as an individual or form a group of 15 (or more) for this year’s 2011 GK Bayani Challenge.

Register online at www.gk1world.com and choose from the following activities to take part of:KALINGA SA BAYAN : BANTAYAN ISLAND, Cebu1. Building of homes Experience building a house from laying its foundation to attaching its

roof, painting and landscaping.2. Paraisong Pambata Fun and learning with children aged 6 to 10 years old and participate in

feeding program, story-telling, games, conducting Sports Clinic for the children.3. School Build Refurbish and repair public school through painting, landscaping, repairing

tables and chairs.4. Island Greening Volunteers caring for the environment through coastal cleanup, mangrove

planting and tree planting to be conducted in tourist spots, town plazas, landmarks, playgrounds, etc. all over the island in order to preserve the environment.

5. Farm Build Volunteers set up the farm’s infrastructure such as fences, compost sheds & fam-ily plot markers.

6. Health Build Up: Needs volunteers to conduct a nutrition program, medical check-up and consultancy covering different barangays. A healthy people is a healthy nation.

We will cap off each spirited and fulfilling day with the following activities:Beach Competitions. After a hard day’s work the volunteers will be treated to various beach

competitions like Dodge ball, Beach volleyball, Beach soccer, Frisbee and Pinoy games. These are fun activities that foster team work and good sportsmanship.

Blogging Rights Day Sharing of experiences and stories of heroism that inspire.Empowerment Talks After-dinner talks and sessions to process the experience andHarness the heroism in everyone for nation building.Fellowship Night Brings together the volunteers for a night of celebration and commitment.Plus this year we will be hosting a series of KALINGA SA BAYAN SPECIAL EVENTS:BAYANIHAN RACE Teams will compete in a unique race around the island.MASTER KUSINERO The team who cooks the best dish using an endemic ingredient from the

island will be rewarded a prize.CONCERT To culminate the event, we will have festivities that include bands and other activi-

ties to celebrate a successful Bayani Challenge.This year’s Bayani Challenge will prove to be an exciting one with all the different activities hap-

pening simultaneously on the island.Hurry and register now at www.gk1world.com as slots are on a first come first serve basis. For

inquiries you may contact Franz Josef Hipol at +639178888596 or email [email protected].

See you in Bantayan!

Sincerely,

Kat Atillo, Event Head, GK Bayani Challenge 2011; Raymond Dimaiwat, Event Head, GK Bayani Challenge 2011; Jose Mari Oquiñena, Head of Operations Gawad Kalinga


Many among us believe that one can already re-marry if his or her spouse has been away for several years. This is not really a misconception, but is actually allowed under the old law, particularly the Civil Code of the Philippines which recognized the subsequent mar-riage, for so long as the absent spouse had been unheard of for seven consecutive years. There was no need to go to court to get a declaration. But there was a problem with this Civil Code provision, because it conflicted with the Revised Penal Code (the criminal statute) which makes the remarrying spouse criminally liable for bigamy unless there is first a judicial declaration that the absent spouse is presumptively dead.

Since August 3, 1988, it has been the Family Code that governs the case of missing spouses. And the rules have changed dramatically. First, the period of absence has been shortened from seven years to four years. The reason given for this amendment is that it is now easier to communicate, so if nothing is unheard of after four years, it presumably

The Case of the Missing Husband

means that the missing spouse is already dead. This period is further shortened to just two years, if the missing husband was last seen boarding a plane or ship that went missing, or joined the armed forces and took part in war, or was other-wise in danger of death. This provision is found under Article 41 of the Family Code, which provides:

Art. 41. A marriage con-tracted by any person during subsistence of a previous mar-riage shall be null and void, unless before the celebration of the subsequent marriage, the prior spouse had been absent for four consecutive years and the spouse present has a well-founded belief that the absent spouse was already dead. In case of disappearance where there is danger of death under the circumstances set forth in the provisions of Article 391 of the Civil Code, an absence of only two years shall be suf-ficient.

For the purpose of contract-ing the subsequent marriage under the preceding paragraph the spouse present must insti-tute a summary proceeding as

provided in this Code for the declaration of presumptive death of the absentee, without prejudice to the effect of reap-pearance of the absent spouse. (83a)

Our hypothetical today con-cerns Eldah who got married to Joel ten years ago in Pangasi-nan. After just a few months, Joel suddenly did not come home anymore, but left behind his clothes and other personal belongings in their house. Although Eldah has not heard from Joel, she has received unconfirmed reports from rela-tives and friends that Joel went to the Middle East. There was no way for Eldah to really find out what happened to Joel.

Meanwhile, young and beautiful as she still is, Eldah met Richard with whom she has deeply fallen in love. Eldah approached us for advice on how she can legalize her union with Richard.

As can be gleaned from Article 41 of the Family Code which we cited above, three conditions must be present before Eldah can legally marry Richard. First is that her first husband Joel must have been absent for a period of at least four years. Here, Joel left Eldah and has not contacted her since ten years ago. Therefore, the first condition appears to have been satisfied.

The second condition is that Eldah must have a well-found-ed belief that Joel was already dead. In our case, although Eldah has not heard from Joel, she has nonetheless received news that Joel is in the Middle East. With such information, Eldah cannot sincerely claim that she honestly believes Joel to be already dead.

But let as assume for the moment that the last thing Eldah heard about Joel was that he was kidnapped by some outlaws in Mindanao. This situ-ation would appear to satisfy the second requirement, since it is public knowledge that many kidnap victims in Mindanao are killed by their abductors. Nonetheless, still under this assumed scenario, Eldah must comply with another require-ment, which is to go to court to get a declaration that Joel is presumed dead. She cannot just by herself make such a dec-laration. There must be a court order to that effect.

After Eldah finally gets the court decision declaring Joel to be presumptively dead, she and Richard can lawfully wed, without having to worry about being charged with bigamy. Again, without the final court declaration of presumptive death, the marriage between El-dah and Richard would be void, and they even face the risk of being charged with bigamy. (As a side note, this is the same ra-tionale behind Article 40 of the Family Code which requires a final court decree of nullity of a previous void marriage).

But there is still one prob-lem here. If one day Joel re-turns and executes and submits an affidavit of his reappear-ance to the local civil register, Eldah’s marriage to Richard will automatically lapse. In lieu thereof, Eldah’s previous mar-riage to Joel will be resurrected. Although Eldah is already with Richard, she will still be shack-led to Joel. Imagine the confu-sion such a situation would

bring! Unbelievable, isn’t it? But this is really in Article 42 of the Family Code:

Art. 42. The subsequent marriage referred to in the preceding Article shall be automatically terminated by the recording of the affidavit of reappearance of the absent spouse, unless there is a judg-ment annulling the previous marriage or declaring it void ab initio.

A sworn statement of the fact and circumstances of reappearance shall be recorded in the civil registry of the residence of the parties to the subsequent marriage at the in-stance of any interested person, with due notice to the spouses of the subsequent marriage and without prejudice to the fact of reappearance being judicially determined in case such fact is disputed. (n)

So, what’s the best option

for Eldah if she wants lasting peace? Our advice is for her to file a petition in Court to declare her marriage to Joel as null and void ab initio, not on the ground that Joel is already dead, but because Joel suffers from psychological incapac-ity under Article 36 of Family Code, or on other grounds that would void their marriage. From what we have learned about Joel’s behaviour, it ap-pears that he was already inca-pable of performing his marital obligations to Eldah from the very start. His sudden depar-ture without the knowledge of Eldah and without informing her where he was going and his future whereabouts, betrays the absence of the necessary psychological capacity to enter into and sustain a marital rela-tionship.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law

in both California and the Philippines. He practices im-migration 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 office address is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an of-fice in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Manila, Philippines 1007, with tele-phone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475/(858)536-4292 or email him at [email protected]. He speaks Tagalog fluently. Articles writ-ten in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheticals intended as general, non-spe-cific legal information. Readers must seek legal consultation before taking any legal steps.

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

NEW PATIENT CLEANING

$40WITH THIS COUPON (Regular $115)

Includes full mouth exam, necessary x-ray & cleaning

This offer is for new patients without insurance.

Survive ACritical Illness

Without a

Financial Crisis

A critical illness can mean lost income, unreimbursedmedical expenses, caregiver costs—extra stress at a timewhen you can least afford it. American General Life andAccident Insurance Company (AGLA) has critical illness

coverage that supplements your existinghealth insurance so you can focus on important

things—like getting well.

AGLA, the critical difference when itcomes to your peace of mind.

The underwriting risks, financial and contractual obligations and support functionsassociated with products issued by American General Life and Accident Insurance

Company (AGLA) are its responsibility. American International Group does notunderwrite any insurance policy referenced herein. AGLA does not solicit

business in the states of New York and Wyoming.© 2009 All rights reserved.

Gen Silverio

CA License # 0G86915

Agent

San Diego, CA 92018

Phone: 619.851.9547

2650 Camino del Rio N, # 205

Gen Silverio, Agent619.851.9547#0G86915

Tess de la Pena, Agent619.565.4633

#0G48375


$50

As I write this article, the 100th Anniversary of Interna-tional Women’s Day is be-ing celebrated worldwide. I thought this was a good time for me to pay tribute to the efforts of women in their war against oppression and in their struggle for equality.

Records show that Inter-national Women’s Day was commemorated for the first time on March 19, 1911. The date was specifically chosen because it was the day that the Prussian King promised to introduce votes for women. This promise was not kept however. The date was later changed to March 8th.

About 30 years ago, I was a lucky delegate to the first United Nation’s sponsored World Youth As-sembly in New York. Outside of the assembly was another conference being held – a conference of Liberation or Revolutionary Movements in the United States. Among the participants were the Black Panthers’ Party, the Puerto Rican Young Lords, the Gay Liberation Movement, the Black Community for Self-Defense and the Women’s Liberation Movement.

I was invited as one of the speakers having repre-sented an activist organization in Asia. I followed Gloria Steinem of the Women’s Liberation Movement as a speaker. I remember deliver-ing the following words:

“There is this never-ending debate as to who is superior, man or woman? It is so never-ending that we had to look for some signs from God, the Al-

Watching Wronged Women Win Worldwide

mighty as to who is superior. The success or failure

of any project or endeavor is dependent upon three factors: first, you must be innovative – must conceive of new ideas; two, you must work or labor hard to implement such ideas; and third, perform or deliver.

The key

words are: CONCEIVE, LABOR AND DELIVER. Who did God choose to conceive, labor and deliver? Debate settled.”

Although it was meant only to generate laughter and it did, I always thought that women indeed, have shown superiority in many areas. I have seen it in the way my mother ran our family ef-ficiently and effectively. I noticed it in the way my five sisters ran theirs. My wife, of course, is the best in this field.

As a college student, I had this group called “AD-EBNAS” which is San Beda in reverse. We used to get invited to parties for one ma-jor reason – we believed and made sure that no girl would

remain a “wall flower” so ev-eryone would enjoy the danc-ing party. As I watched the girls dancing without stopping from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. I wondered why they would not get tired while I usually took a break after a few dances. It made me conclude that in endurance, the women had no equal!

In a book entitled, “The Natural Superiority of Wom-en”, author, biological and social anthropologist Ashley Montagu contends that “irre-futable and scientific evidence supports the conclusion that women as biological organ-isms are superior to men.”

As reviewed by Maureen Slade, “Women apparently have a more powerful im-

munological system, which affords them greater

protection against and better recovery from starvation, fatigue, shock and illness…….Conse-quently, the female

brain is more highly devel-oped structur-ally and func-tionally, and it is capable of thinking more soundly and

intuitively than the male brain.

Montagu says, “The end result is that women are insightful and have greater stamina and longevity --- or, in other words, women stand the test of time.”

And yet sadly, according to the World Vision Magazine, “….in our world today, be-ing female often means being sentenced to a life of poverty, abuse, exploitation, and depri-vation. Compared to her male counterpart, a girl growing up in the developing world is more likely to die before her fifth birthday and less likely to go to school. She is less likely to receive adequate food or health care, less likely to receive economic opportuni-ties, more likely to be forced to marry before the age of 16, and more likely to be the

victim of sexual and domestic abuse. Girls are forced to stay home from school to work. In fact, two thirds of the nearly 800 million illiterate people in the world are women. Only one in 10 women in Niger can read. Five hundred thousand women die every year from childbirth complications— that’s one woman every min-ute. Girl babies are even killed in countries where males are considered more valuable. Women are denied property rights and inheritance in many countries. Worldwide, women own only 1 percent of the world’s property. They work two-thirds of all the world’s labor hours but earn just 10 percent of the world’s wages. Being female, in much of our world, is not “heavenly.”

That’s why it is not sur-prising that emerging as the driving force in the revolts against dictatorships in the Middle East are the women. They have been showing up in rallies in big numbers without fear. They are fighting not just for their lives but more for freedom, for equality, for hope and for their future.

The People Power Revolu-tion in the Philippines was led and won by female leader Cory Aquino joined by nuns, female teachers, students, mothers, the young and the old in large numbers. They bravely faced the military tanks with spiritual inspiration from the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ.

As a tribute to women in general, Newsweek magazine featured “150 Women Who Shake the World”. In its cover was Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State and the second most admired woman in the United States. In its poll survey, the magazine reported that a large majority of women approve of the way Hillary Clinton is performing her job as secretary of state with 76% approving and 9% disapproving. Women across the political spectrum approve of Clinton’s performance. Democrats approve 94 to 0 percent, Independents approve 81 to 9 percent, and Republi-cans approve 54 to 18 percent. Liberals approve 98 to 0 per-cent, Moderates approve 84 to 4 percent and conservatives approve 63 to 8 percent.

Having endorsed and cam-paigned for Hillary Clinton in the last presidential primaries, I feel vindicated in my choice of a woman presidential can-didate.

An English professor wrote the words, “Woman without her man is a savage” on the blackboard and directed his students to punctuate it cor-rectly.

The men wrote: “Woman, without her man, is a savage.”

The women wrote: “Wom-an! Without her, man is a savage.”

What would you write?

SAN DIEGO, March 1, 2011 – If you had $25,000 to promote responsible leadership to the youth in your communi-ty, how would you use it? That is the challenge that San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has posed to non-profit organiza-tions with a focus on character development, and fair and ethical leadership in youth. Individual non-profits that are selected will receive up to $25,000, and those that collab-orate to develop civic projects will receive up to $50,000, as part of a new Excellence in Civic Leadership initiative.

Non-profits can learn more information and submit their grant applications at www.sdge.com/community from now until March 31. Programs should reach out to students in kindergarten through grade 12 that provide mentoring, tutor-ing and development of leader-ship skills, or have a primary focus on science, technology, engineering and math. The selected programs will cap-ture the essence of developing strong youth leaders in under-served and diverse communi-ties that engage future decision makers.

“There are so many or-ganizations doing valuable, forward-thinking work to develop the character of our lo-

SDG&E launches excellence in civic

leadership initiativecal youth,” said Frank Urtasun, director of community rela-tions for SDG&E. “We want to encourage those efforts that make an impactful difference and have the most far-reaching positive benefits.”

SDG&E will contact the selected grant recipients the week of April 18. Non-profit organizations that would like an overview of SDG&E’s online application process can join one of two conference calls on March 7 or 8 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., by calling 866-432-6924.

SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.5 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 850,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility’s area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is com-mitted to creating ways to help our customers save energy and money every day.

SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2009 revenues of more than $8 billion. The Sempra Energy companies’ 13,800 employees serve about 25 million consum-ers worldwide.

CALEXICO, Calif. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico ports of entry seized 128 pounds of cocaine in three separate inci-dents over the weekend. The combined street value of the three seizures is estimated at approximately $1,152,000.

The first seizure occurred on Friday, March 4, at about 6:00 p.m. at the Calexico downtown port of entry when officers ar-rested a 22-year-old male Mex-ican citizen after they found 49 pounds of cocaine hidden in the vehicle he was driving.

A CBP officer conducting inspections of vehicles and travelers escorted the white 2004 Ford Ranger to second-ary after he detected anomalies to the bed of the pick-up truck during the primary inspection.

An intensive examination that included a canine screen-ing led officers to the discov-ery of 20 wrapped packages concealed inside a non-factory compartment in the bed of the truck. The estimated street value of the cocaine is approxi-mately $441,000.

The driver, a resident of Mexicali, Baja California, was turned over to the custody of ICE agents for further investi-gation of the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt.

The second seizure occurred on Saturday, March 5, at about 9:05 a.m. at the downtown port of entry when an officer

CBP Officers at Calexico Ports Seized Over One Million Dollars

worth of Cocaine over the Weekendconducting a secondary inspec-tion, that included a canine unit, discovered 20 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed inside the gas tank of a white 2000 Nissan X-Terra. The weight of the narcotic was 51 pounds with an estimated street value of $459,000.

The third seizure occurred 15 minutes later at the Calexico East port of entry when a CBP officer conducting inspec-tions of vehicles and travelers referred a 1991 Dodge pick-up truck aside for further inspec-tion.

An intensive examination that included a canine screen-ing and use of the port’s x-ray imaging system led officers to the discovery of 11 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed inside specially built compart-ments on both the driver and passenger sides of the truck bed. The weight of the narcotic was 28 pounds with an esti-mated street value of approxi-mately $252,000. The driver, a 47-year-old male Mexicali resident, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt and turned over to the custody of ICE agents for fur-ther processing.

In all three incidents, the drivers were transported to the Imperial Country Jail, where they are currently pending ar-raignment.

CBP seized the vehicles and narcotics.

“My sense of identity with the Philippines became more pronounced. As a native born San Diegan and not under-standing or speaking the Fili-pino language, my sense of identifying with the homeland was questionable.

I obviously identified as Filipino American in recogni-tion of my parents immigrat-ing from Bicol.

My lack of communication skills in a Filipino dialect less-ened my identity. Although, not essential in identifying as a Filipino, language skills can make the transiton easier and more understood.”

What is the take away mes-sage?

“I believe we all have strengthened our understand-ing and ties with the home-land. We all would encourage like-minded individuals to make the GK challenge.”-- Sal Flor, AB Samahan SDSU advisor (retired)

Professor Felix Tuyay, Southwestern College

Professor Felix Tuyay, who has taught at Southwestern College for over 30 years,

is the co-author of the book “Filipinos of San Diego” (Ar-cadia Press) has this to say:

My Gawad Kalinga (GK) Experience

My GK experience only

enhanced my committment to educate and to make people aware of the present condi-tions in the Philippines and the people who are dedicated in improving those condi-tions such a poverty, social injustice, feelings of power-less, and being a “third world” country.

Goals of GK

The goals of GK is to change the country through “strengthening governance, developing community-based programs for health, educa-tion, environment and pro-ductivity; building a village culture that honors Filipino values and heritage. Through self-governance, self-reliance, and self-suffiency.”

Nation-Building

My personal goal is to encourage Filipino Americans and those who been away from the Philippines to be part of this nation building either by participation in the build-ing of homes or donate finan-cially.

Know History, Know Self

GK further increased my knowledge of the real life ex-periences of the people in the

Philippines as well to connect myself to my homeland, my roots. It only strengthed my feelings of who I am and what my parents have gone through that made me more proud of being Filipino. I also go by the motto, “Know History, Know Self”.

Meeting Real Filipino Heroes

One biggest perception of had of the Philippines before GK is that everybody in the country wants to leave the Philippines to work overseas to send money back to their families. The people I worked and interacted with during GK build wanted to stay in the Philippines to help the country to be economically and politi-cally independent. Being free from foreign domination and controlled by the land elites. They were from all types of backgrounds such a students, professionals, workers, fami-lies, and even the poor. In my eyes, these people are the real Filipino “heroes”.

Rich History and Cul-ture

We have a very rich his-tory and culture and continue to share, especially here in the United States. I would like to personally thank Tony Olaes and the San Diego GK staff for organizing the GK build and the people of the Philip-pines for providing me a rich and valuable experience. They were an inspiration to me.”

San Diego 2nd Gen Fil-Ams

Weigh in on GK Bayani Chal-

lenge 2011(Continued from page 6)


Kadalasan, ang puno ng saging ay tumutubo na walang nagta-tanim, at mabilis na nagbibigay ng masustansyang bunga. Kung paba-bayaan, ang mahiwagang ugat nito ay gagapang at lilikha ng iba pang puno, hanggang sa di kawasa’y may hanay na ng puno ng saging sa lupa sa likuran ng bahay.

Mayaman ang lupa sa Pilipinas at ang init at ulan ay tamang-tama lamang na ang mga tanim ay maging mayabong at hitik sa bunga. Batay sa karanasan, ang ano mang binhing mahulog sa lupa ay tiyak na tumutubo kahi’t na walang alaga at nagiging pagkain. Kung kaya’t sa kapaligiran ay may matatagpuang kamatis, okra, talong, ampalaya, at kung anu-ano pang gulay at prutas.

Nguni’t isang pala-isipan. Sa lupang masagana, bakit may mga taong nagugutom?

Sagana ang halaman at bun-gang-kahoy. Sagana ang dagat sa isda, hipon, alimasag at damong-dagat. Sariwa ang hangin at malinis ang tubig. Bakit mayroong naghihirap, nagkakasakit, nagdadalamhati?

Tingnan natin ang na-ganap sa isang bayan.

Kakaiba ang kalagayan ng saging sa Pulo ng Bel-lamonte. Dito’y sinasadya ang pagtatanim sa prutas na ito sa paraang malakihan at moderno. Si Don Ricardo, isang kapitalista, ay nag-ukol ng ekta-ektaryang lupa at nagsabog ng daang milyong piso sa pagtatanim at pagpapalalago ng saging. Ex-porter siya ng saging sa Estados Unidos. Barko-barkong saging na galing sa pulo ang itinatawid sa Dagat Pacifico at inihahatid, una, sa mga supermarkets; at pagkata-pos, ay sa hapag-kainan ng mga Amerikano.

Libong naninirahan sa Bel-lamonte ang namamasukan sa sagingan ni Don Ricardo. Sila’y tagapagtanim, taga-empake o kawani sa opisina. Milyun-milyon ang halaga ng mga makinarya at kasangkapan na ginagamit sa haci-enda at nang maging maayos ang ang negosyo. Gayon din, malaki ang halaga ng salaping ibinabayad na pasuweldo sa mga empleado at bayad sa buwis sa gobyerno. Dahilan sa sagingan, nagkaroon ng hanapbuhay ang mga mamamayan at naging maunlad ang nasabing bayan.

Ang saging na ipinadadala sa Estados Unidos ay kailan-gang naaayon sa sukatan ng mga mamimili sa nasabing bansa. Ang saging ay kailangang maging tama sa lasa, sa sukat, sa kulay, sa timbang at sa anyo. Hindi maaari na ang saging ay magkaroon ng mantsa o batik o di kaya ay madal-ing manglambot o mabulok. Kai-langang ang saging ay maitawid sa dagat at makarating sa Estados Unidos na maganda pa ang anyo kahi’t na ang biyahe sa bapor ay inaabot ng dalawampung-araw, humigit-kumulang. Makarating man ang saging sa pier ay ilang araw pa rin o linggo ang lumilipas bago ito nadadala sa mga pamili-han.

May Pakla Ang Saging sa Bellamonte Maikling Kuwento ni Percival Campoamor Cruz

Gumagamit ang sagingan ni Don Ricardo ng laksa-laksang chemical o pesticide na ang layon ay mapanatiling maganda ang anyo ng saging at mapatagal ang buhay nito kahi’t na mahaba ang biyahe.

Sa isang dako, magandang bi-yaya ang saging. Sa kabilang dako ay tagapag-dala ito ng suliranin at hilahil. Taon-taon ay malak-ing bilang ng mga mangagawa at maging ng mga kamag-anakan nila ang nagkakasakit, ng sakit na hindi maintindihan kung ano, na ikinamamatay nila. Mayroong nagkakasakit sa baga, sa atay, sa tiyan, o nagkakasugat na di gum-agaling. Mayroong pumapayat o nagkakaroon ng migraine na hindi maintindihan kung ano ang sanhi.

May hinuha si Don Ricardo na ang mga misteryosong pagkaka-sakit at pagkamatay ng mga tao ay resulta ng paggamit

ng chemicals sa sagingan. Nguni’t hindi niya ito maaaring tiyakin o aminin sapagka’t ang negosyo ay hihina o titigil.

Samantala, ang mga lider ng mga manggagawa ay nababahala sa mga nangyayaring lagim at kalungkutan. Sumangguni sila sa isang unibersidad sa Maynila at nang makakuha ng opinyon. Hiniling nila na magpadala ng mga doktor at scientifico sa pulo ang unibersidad at nang mapag-aralan ang paligid – ang tubig, ang hangin, ang lupa – at mabatid ang bagay o kalagayan na nagbibigay ng sakit sa mga taong-bayan.

Bukod sa nasabing hakbang ay nagsumite ng demanda sa korte ang mga manggagawa na humi-hingi ng karampatang kabayaran sa pagkamatay ng mga biktima ng kung anong “masamang hangin” na nakapaligid sa sagingan ni Don Ricardo.

Galit si Don Ricardo sa mga nagaganap na panggugulo ng mga manggagawa. Sa kanyang paningin ay di makatarungan na siya ang masisi sa pagkakasakit at pagkamatay ng mga tao. Sa kanyang pandamdam, ang mga naghahasik ng gulo ay ibig lamang na magkakuwarta o mapalaganap ang unionismo o komunismo sa naturang pulo. At siya ang inaas-inta sapagka’t siya ang may salapi.

“Mga walang utang-na-loob! Matapos mong bigyan ng hanap-buhay at turingin nang maayos,

ito pa ang isusukli sa iyo!” Sambit ng mayamang haciendero. “Kung ganoon ang gusto ninyo, sige, laban!”

Nakalulungkot na may kasa-ganaan nga sana dahil mayaman ang lupa. Nguni’t nagiging mapait ang bunga ng lupa, nagiging ma-pakla ang mga bungang-kahoy, na-pagsasamantalahan ang mga kara-niwang tao at sila’y nagugutom at nagkakasakit dahilan sa kasakiman sa salapi ng mga may malalaking lupa at kapital. Ang mayayaman ay nagpapasasa sa karangyaan saman-talang ang marami ay kayod nang kayod sa trabaho nguni’t kapos pa rin sa mga pangangailangan sa buhay at nagkakasakit dahil sila’y nakalantad sa panganib.

Isang araw ay nagpasiya ang mga manggagawa sa sagingan na mag-aklas. Hindi sila pumasok sa trabaho at sa halip ay nag-ipon sa harapan ng bahay ni Don Ricardo

at doon ay isiniwalat nila ang kanilang mga hinaing. Hindi lumabas si Don Ricardo upang harapin ang mga

nag-i-strike. Ang hepe ng kanyang security ang humarap sa kanila na may pagbabanta

– “Magsi-uwi na kayo at nang maibalik ang katahimikan. Bukas ay magsibalik kayo sa traba-

ho. Kung hindi, ang kapalit ng

inyong katigasan ng ulo ay pag-

kawala ng inyong trabaho. Mapipilitan si

Don Ricardo na itiwalag kayong lahat at umangkat ng mga trabahador galing sa ibang bayan.”

Nagmatigas ang mga mang-gagawa. Hindi sila umuwi at ipinagpatuloy ang maingay na pagwewelga sa harapan ng bahay ni Don Ricardo. May isang binati-lyo pa nga na naghagis ng bato sa naturang bahay at natamaan nito ang isang malaking salamin na ikinabasag nito.

Nang kaumagahan ay natag-puan si Tandang Berong, isa sa mga lider ng mga manggagawa, na nakasubsob ang mukha sa sapa at wala nang buhay. Nang tingnan ang kanyang katawan ay nakita ng mga nagsuri na maraming pasa ang lalaki na tila siya ay pinaghaham-pas ng sagwan hanggang sa siya ay mamatay.

Nagkaroon ng kaba ang mga taga-pulo. At nang wala nang map-ahamak pa ay tila sila mga tupa na nagsipagbalikan sa kanilang mga trabaho sa sagingan.

Napapaiyak si Aurelia sa tuwing maiisip ang nangyayar-ing sigalot sa kanyang bayan. Ang dalaga ay siyang nag-iisang tanglaw sa tahanan ni Mang Cesar na namamasukan sa sagingan. Si Aling Mona, na asawa niya, ay isang taon nang patay – biktima ng isang mahiwagang sakit.

Maganda si Aurelia, napaka-bait at madasaling bata. Marupok ang kanyang puso. Madali siyang magdamdam at mababaw ang luha. Umiibig siya kay Nino, ang

binatang kapitbahay, na nag-aaral ng medisina sa Maynila, sa isang bantog na unibersidad.

Halos tapos na si Nino, isa na siyang ganap na doktor halos at dalubhasa sa mga sakit na sanhi ng chemicals. Malapit nang umuwi sa Bellamonte si Nino upang mag-pakasal kay Aurelia at sa kanyang nayo’y magsilbi bilang isang tapat at mapaglingkod na manggagamot.

Pansamantala ay walang maga-wa si Aurelia kundi ang magtiis sa pangungulila at ang lumuha kapag nalulungkot. Ipinagdaramdam niya nang matindi ang pagkawala ng ina na nagdanas ng hirap bago namatay. Wala siyang magawa kundi ipalaman sa liham niya kay Nino ang kanyang mga hinanakit, datapuwa’t madalang at mabagal ang paglalakbay ng sulat mula Bellamonte hanggang sa Maynila.

Makalipas ang ilang buwang pagsisiyasat at pag-aaral sa mga reklamo ay nagpasiya ang huwes na dinggin ang kasong isinampa ng mga taong-bayan laban kay Don Ricardo.

Punung-puno ang sala ng huwes sa tuwing may hearing sa dahilang gustong marinig ng mga tao ang katotohanan. Nagpapasikip din sa korte si Don Ricardo at ang isang batalyon niyang abogado at mga managers na tagapagtanggol niya sa kaso.

Isinalaysay sa hukuman ng abogado ng mga nagtatanim ng saging na ang pataniman ay gumagamit ng libong tonelada ng chemical. Ang chemical ay ginagamit – isinasabog sa hangin sa pamamagitan ng mga sprayers - upang ang saging ay hindi dapuan ng mga peste na mag-iiwan ng mantsa o batik sa balat.

Chemical ang dahilan kung bakit nagkakasakit at namamatay ang mga mamamayan ng Bellam-onte. Ang sakit ay dala ng pag-kakalanghap sa hangin o pagkaka-hipo sa mga bagay na nadaupan ng chemical.

May ibang kaparaanan na magagamit sa pagpapanatili sa magandang anyo ng saging at pagpapatagal sa kasariwaan nito na kasing-bisa ng chemical; datapuwa’t hindi gusto ni Don Ricardo na sumubok ng mga ito.


EVELYN SALAZAR D.D.S.FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY

(619) 426-2040 We Speak

Tagalog

Offi ce Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30AM to 6:00PM

Saturday 9:30AM - 3:00PM

1339 3rd Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91911 Right next to Union Bank

EXTRACTIONS (Bunot) $60

For new patients without insurance Limited time offer only

GET ACQUAINTED OFFER!$39 Reg. $125

$25 for childrenIncludes: A full oral examination, Necessary X-Ray Cleaning (in absence of

existing periodontal disease)Plus FREE Toothbrush and ToothpasteFor new patients without insurance Limited time offer only

TEETH WHITENING( Special 1 Hr.) In Offi ce Whitening“ZOOM” as seen on TV $289

EVELYN SALAZAR D.D.S.

For patients without insurance, Limited time offer only

Looking For A Gentle Dentist?

• Personalize Attention• New and Modern Offi ce• Most Insurance accepted• Payment Plans (Zero Financing)• Digital x-ray (very low radiation) • Cosmetic (Veneers-lumineers)• Crown and Bridge, Dentures• Children and Adult Braces

from

COMPLETE DENTURESUPPER OR LOWER 750$

For new patients without insurance Limited time offer only

Medical Insurance Accepted

rice and to appreciate the dif-ferences in the many variet-ies, as it is one ofmy jobs at Goldrnine, to bag them in the Production Room. Some rice is delicate and exquisite, like Green Bamboo Infused Rice which has a distinct vanilla flavor when I open the large bag and pour it out. Cooked, this rice keeps that wonderful, almost indescribable vanilla flavor and its green color. Other exotic rice, like Black Forbidden Rice from China-- once exclusively served to the emperor-rand Red Bhutanese Rice--said by some to be im-bued with curative qualities--conjure up images of mystery and of faraway terraced rice paddies. These special grains lend beauty and contrast to a distinctive, well-served meal and serve as an enhancer to the appetite! How revealing to me it was, that rice has so many different qualities! I had thought most of my life, that ‘ rice’ was either white or brown and had no particular flavor!

Now, when I open bags

of Akitakomachi, Basmati, or Jasmine rice, I am greeted with wonderful and surpris-ing aromas-reminiscent of the smell of baking bread. I close my eyes and envision state occasions when only premier rice is served. And if I REAL-LY want to be ‘wafted away,’ I pay close attention when bags of wild rice from Canada or field-ripened rice from the foothills of the northern Cali-fornia mountains are opened; THEN I am transported to paddies and lakes where rice grows wild and free and im-parts the scent of nature and strength and vitality to those who consume it.

Short grain rice for com-pactness-long grain rice for lightness- all sorts of colors, many different aromas and degrees of sweetness-all dif-ferent, all beautiful, and all, delicious!

For the Love of Rice(Continued from page 1)

Roast Salmon on a Bed on Bhutan Rice Pilaf

By Roland Passot, ,La Folie Restaurant

6 5 oz. salmon fillets (skin on and scales off)

olive oil salt and pepperBhutanese Red Rice Pilaf - one

recipeMerlot Sauce:3 slices of smoke applewood

bacon, diced1 1/2 lb chopped shallots3 oz. butter1/2 bunch fresh thyme1 bay leaf1/4 cup cracked pepper2 liters of merlot wine2 liters of veal stock or beef

bouillon

Roll salmon filets into tourne-does. Use toothpicks to keep the round shape. Cook in olive oil for about 3 minutes on each side. Salt and pepper to taste. Let rest.

In sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute bacon until lightly crisp. Add shallots, sweat well. Add cracked pepper, bay leaf and thyme. Add wine, let reduce until 1/4 liter. Add stock. Let simmer for about 15 min-utes. Skim the excess fat well during cooking. Strain in a fine strainer.

Serve one filet on each plate on a bed of Bhutanese Rice Pi-laf. Place salmon on top of rice bed. Spoon sauce over salmon and rice. Sauce may be served on the side if desired. (Source: Lotus Foods)

Gold Mine Natural Food Company™ 7805 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126-4368 Tel: 800-475-3663 Fax: 858-695-0811, Hours: Monday-Fri-day 8am-5pm (US Pacific time)


From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

An Open Letter to APPA MembersBy Dr. Cesar D. Candari44th in a series of articles

“To say that the APPA is in trouble would be an understate-ment. Never in its history has it been beset with deeply troubling problems that its continuing vi-ability is now in question. Yet, faced with these difficulties, the present leadership remains smug,

virtual chanticleers blinded by their narrow agenda of personal image-building. Does the APPA deserve this kind of leadership?

Perhaps there is some truth to the words of John Steinbeck when he observed, “It is the nature of man, as he grows older to protest against change, particu-larly changes for the better.” And perhaps this may explain why the APPA and most especially the membership had to suffer through this cycle of stagnation and re-gression in the recent years. And why, despite of the blandishment and exhortations from the top, the members remain unimpressed and uncommitted.

“Figures don’t lie. The APPA account is depleted that opera-tions of the national headquarters are severely compromised. Its principal administrative officer, the Associate Executive Director, was forced to leave due perhaps to very unsettling conditions. Membership dues remittances are reduced to a trickle in the face of declining membership. Yet the present leadership is more en-grossed with slick press releases that contain an ounce of truth and a ton of slop than tackling press-ing problems that threaten the vitality of APPA. Do we really need this kind of leaders?

“The day is late, time is run-ning out. We the members must seize the power again from this cabal in our APPA and refocus the sights of our organization and steer the APPA away from the primrose path to everlasting bonfire that the present leaders are leading us to.

“Within two months, we will be faced with choices and through the ballot we must elect a new set of leaders whose vision, aspirations and expectations are commitments enlightened APPA members can identify with.”

At the day of voting, Dr. Cueto and I delivered our cam-paign speeches. I delivered mine first, entitled:

“A CRUSADE FOR CHANGE”

YOU AND I come to this

convention full of enthusiasm, excitement and expectations for a happy reunion with friends and classmates and to enjoy this social function. This is the old spirit of the organization and we must preserve it. I come as a candidate with great pride and optimism even if there are still a number of problems in the APPA today.

Today, my friends, in this election you will make a difficult and crucial decision. APPA is now at a crossroad where its des-tiny and future depend on what we can deliver as the best, the most effective, honest, and cred-ible leadership. YOU ARE THE ELECTORATE- and APPA’s destiny lies in your hands.

For some time, in spite of our persistent and tiresome call for unity, reconciliation and compas-

sion, conflicts still exist in the leadership of the organization because there is a cycle of crisis in leadership emanating from a call for change by a group of well-meaning leaders versus a STRONGHOLD MENTATLITY by others. This problem, ladies and gentlemen, threatens the very existence and the very soul of our association.

It is therefore in this context and for our love of this associa-tion, problems or not, that the Association of Philippine Physi-cians in America must continue to grow, must continue to go on, and must listen to the call of change for progress. These are the very problems that compel me to seek the position of President Elect so that I can continue to work within and effect important changes. In all these years, I have been a strong advocate of change for harmony, unity and removal of the “fires of politics” in the organization. My editorial writ-ings can attest to this instance. If elected as your president, I pledge to lead, fully committed to institute reforms that will restore our image and credibility in this society.

Friends, what we need in the

APPA today is a leader who has the courage and wisdom to carry on these reforms. To lead by the RULES is most basic and funda-mental to me.

There is also a certain kind of gloom that is hovering over us, the gloom of dark and heavy clouds of dissension and distrust. There is even a despicable enmi-ty. I am sorry to say, my friends, that we are in the deep morass of politicking. WE CERTAINLY HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH OF MUTUAL RECRIMINA-TIONS. MUCH TO MY DESIRE NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS NEGATIVE EXERCISE, I HAVE TO ANSWER AN ALLE-GATION THAT I HAVE TESTI-FIED AGAINST THE APPA. I DID NOT TESTIFY AGAINST THE APPA. I TESTIFIED AGAINST THE STATEMENT OF OUR OFFICERS UNDER OATH THAT THERE IS NO RULES OF THE HOD IN THE APPA.

These recent unfortunate events that we know of, should send a lesson to all of us. Because another breakdown of our rules will mean the final breakdown of our association. Such breakdown will be a significant negative impact not only to the members of the APPA but also to the entire Filipino doctors in this country, to the entire Filipino commu-nity, and most especially to our children who will follow us. Let me ask you this question, “What legacy shall we leave for our chil-dren and the Filipino community of tomorrow in this country?”

My friends, it is however my fervent hope that all these problems and conflicts will come to pass soon. And that when we meet again it will be a new begin-ning, a new and vibrant summer-time for all of us, for our lives, and for our hopes in the APPA.

I have given you my agenda for the APPA in my letter to you in this campaign. The main thrust of my administration will be the protection of the rights of the Filipino doctors in America. We must restructure our basic

empowerment to assure a clear definition of our roles and respon-sibilities. Above all, it must be a leadership that reaches out to all of us, the rank and file, and not a cultivation of a vacuous posturing of an elitist cocoon. I envision a leadership that not only heals and soothes and pacifies the troubled waters and the gusting winds but also a leadership that will inspire interest, involvement and renewal. Deep as we are in the quagmire of politicking, survival dictates that we rise up to a level of health where positive accom-modation and understanding will prevail. In this regard, I strongly recommend that our initial post election agenda will be to call a moratorium on hostilities. I will call for a meeting of the minds and hearts to try to resolve what could be resolvable. Beyond that, we will allow due process to rule. Healers that we are, let us all lay a healing hand on our beloved association.

I HAVE AN APPEAL to make

from the bottom of my heart: please, let us leave behind what’s petty, narrow and selfish and let’s enter a better orientation—one of magnanimity, and generos-ity and worthiness. Let us rise together, to work, to change, and be steadfast that we may endure. And for all the hurts and pains that we nurse and suffer through these days of darkened gloom, let us forget them and hope for a bet-ter tomorrow. APPA must move forward beyond any odds of power politics. Let us make this association highlight and priori-tize the protection, promotion and enhancement of the image of the Filipino doctors in America. Only then can we regain the faith and confidence of our members and the community.

Finally, my friends, in this unseemly twilight, as we observe the quintessential discovery of America, let me enjoin you, my dear colleagues, to rediscover our compromised pride and our com-promised honor. Let us set forth on a new direction from hereon---a Renaissance--- a resolve as never before that this association, “under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and shall not perish from the earth”.

Ladies and gentlemen, join me in this crusade for a new begin-ning and build APPA as the best institution in this country! Let me serve you as your president.

Thank you.” I delivered this speech without

looking down to read my notes. My modest eloquence and ef-fulgent splendor came from an oratorical glibness. I was not sure. Nothing to swank. When I was a young man in my second-ary school days, I exhibited that fluency. Several listeners praised and congratulated me of this ora-tory.

Afterwards, only a few cast their votes because most ballots, I was told, had been mailed days before the convention. My team lost the election.

The Filipino Reporter, a weekly newspaper that catered to the Filipino American community in New York City, had this to say before the day of election:

• “Candidates have raised against each other questions and concerns that “here and there the Florida election (July 1992) process has been rigged.”

• “Reformist charges the APPA leadership headed by a senior officer (no names to be mentioned; parenthesis is mine) with the following:

• “The distribution of bal-lots has been flawed. In several states members have received at least two ballots; in others, bal-lots have not arrived on time.

• “Individual votes are be-ing “bought”under

the guise of dues payment.”The above desideratum from

honesty and cleanliness were pitfalls and glitches in this elec-tions. Not only that, ballots were cast by a single person coming from the same address. You be the judge.

Remember, true politics in the Philippines has a strategist and/or an expert manipulator at winning votes over the opponent. This fraudulent expert could manipulate the process so that his ‘manok’ (chosen candidate) gains votes to win the election.

I delivered a short address to


Book launching of SUCCESS IS A JOURNEY, MEMOIRS OF A FILIPINO-AMERICAN DOCTOR FROM ANTIQUE TO

AMERICA. It took place in the FEU Medical School during the 36th Balik-FEU reunion from January 13-15 2011. Dr. Candari is a

member of the Golden Jubilarian ( 50th class anniversary)

Washington, D.C., March 1, 2011 – Leadership Educa-tion for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) unveils the findings of its newest leadership series report measuring Asian and Pacific Islander (API) inclu-sion on Fortune 500 boards.

“A minuscule 2.08 percent of the total 5,520 board seats in the Fortune 500 are held by Asian and Pacific Islanders, said J.D. Hokoyama, LEAP’s President and CEO. “Even more disap-pointing is the fact that only 98 of these companies have API inclusion on their boards.”

Key Findings In 2010, 96 Asian

and Pacific Island-ers held 115 board seats at 98 Fortune 500 companies. In contrast, APIs constitute 5.6% of the U.S. total popula-tion and its buying power is expected to grow 42 percent from $544 billion in 2010 to $775 billion in 2015, accord-ing to a 2010 report by the Selig Center for Economic Growth.

Ø There are 96 APIs holding 115 board seats at 98 Fortune 500 companies.

Ø The 115 board seats represent 2.08% of the total 5,520 board seats in the For-tune 500.

Ø Fifteen (15.62%) out of the 96 API directors are women.

Ø Ten API directors serve as chair, president and/or (co) chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 company.

Ø The ethnic breakdown of these API directors is as follows: Chinese (37), Asian Indian (34), Japanese (14), Pakistani (3), Vietnamese (3), Korean (2), Filipino (1), Sin-gaporean (1) and Sri Lankan (1).

Ø Fifteen API board members sit on more than one Fortune 500 board of which 4 directors sit on 3 Fortune 500 boards holding 12 seats: Vic-

According to LEAP’s Latest Report, Only 96 Asians Hold

Board Seats in the Fortune 500tor J. Dzau, Rajat K. Gupta, Andrea Jung and Arun Sarin.

Ø Thirteen Fortune 500 companies have more than one API director on their boards: Goldman Sachs Group (2), Best Buy (2), PepsiCo (2), Safeway (2), Cisco Systems

(2), Staples (2), Avon Products (2), Synnex (3), Yahoo (2), AECOM Technology (3), Sun-Gard Data Systems (2), Mattel (2) and MasterCard (4).

Ø MasterCard has 4 APIs on its board of directors, more than any other company in the Fortune 500.

About LEAP: Leadership Education for

Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) is a national organization found-ed in 1982 with a mission to achieve full participation and

equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) through leadership, empowerment and policy. With original

programs in leadership training, public policy research and commu-nity education, LEAP raises the impact and visibility of APIs in all sectors. LEAP is headquartered in Los Angeles and has an office in Washington, DC.

Under its leader-ship research initiative,

LEAP is producing a series of research reports

to evaluate and measure API representation at the highest leadership levels in corpora-tions, foundations, nonprofits and higher education.

Partial funding for the 2010 API Representation on Fortune 500 Boards report was provided by AT&T.


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

Buksan MoBuksan mo ang iyong puso at saka mo pagmasdanang mga himutok ko na halos ay ‘di na mabilangunawain mo at iyong pag-aralanalamin kung paano malulunasan.

Buksan mo ang iyong puso at sana’y iyong alaminmatagal ko nang kinukuyom na mga hinanaingisa-isa mong ito’y unawainsana’y pakinggan mo ang iyong damdamin.

Buksan mo ang iyong puso at ako ay papasukinnaunsyaming mga pangarap simulan muli natinat sa kanilang lahat ating amininna ako’y sa iyo at ikaw ay akin.

Buksan mo ang iyong puso at nang iyong mabasamga titik ng pagmamahal pati na ang pagsintapangalang inukit pati nang katagasabihin mong ito ay walang halaga.

Buksan mo ang iyong puso’t pakinggan ang sinisigawhuwag magtaingangkawali, at aminin ng tunayipagsigawan mo kung sino ang mahalnapakaikli lamang ng ating buhay.

Most recently, the dismiss-al of a trafficking case against a Philippine Mayor because the evidence was only sufficient to prove that he was a custom-er of the 12 year old child. So a defec-tive charge enabled the judge to dis-miss the case of trafficking. He is still charged child sexual abuse under RA 7610.

In another case, Maricel a small diminutive 14 year old girl was sold by her mother to an Australian, Pete the Pedophile here in Olongapo City. He continually sexually

abused her in the apartment of Nick, another Australian. The same had happened to Patty the 16 year older sister

of Maricel. She did not want her sister to suffer as she was suffering. She called the

Preda “Child Watch” hotline. Soon the Preda team had rescued Maricel and brought her to safety and the two Aus-tralians were jailed. The Charge against Nick was dismissed but Pete the Pedo-phile is on trial.

We live in a glo-balized world where the sexualization of children is taken for granted and women are increasingly seen as sex objects.

Young people are brain-washed into believing that sexuality is pleasure seek-ing and has little to do with procreation and family life until they get unexpectedly pregnant and many then seek abortions. Sexual exploitation has replaced commitment and has led to huge numbers of

divorces, separations, bro-ken homes and abandoned children. Taking a stand and promoting love as dedication is what we need to help young people have a happy family life. Yet outmoded and un-fashionable as it may appear love that is grounded in com-mitment and unselfish care for another without demanding or asking for sexual pleasure as a reward, is the love that brings lasting happiness for a whole lifetime.

©2010 Virginia H. Ferrer. All rights reserved.

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

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

Dr. Art PalaganasDr. Aleli Amos Palaganas

Lumineers

Please call for appointment

(619) 474-8441

Restorative Dentistry

COUPON INCLUDES:

Oral Exam• Cleaning/Polishing• (In the absence of gum disease. • Necessary X-rays• New patient and wtihout insurance•

FREE CONSULTATION

COUPON: $10.00 OFFTowards complete upper

or lower denture

1 HOUR ZOOM TEETH WHITENING

$225.00

EXTRACTION (BUNOT)$75.00

Regular extration only.

COMPLETE DENTURES UPPER OR LOWER$700.00 Regular complete

dentures only

(619) 702-3051

Joke of the week: The contractor who had remodeled and repaired the ramshackle church was having a hard time collecting his money. Deter-mined to arouse the congrega-tion to its fiscal responsibil-ity, he bought a devil’s suit, complete with horns, tail, and big pitchfork. During a Sunday service, when the congregation had reached an emotional peak of “getting reli-

gion,” he strode in the open door and up the aisle. Pandemonium broke loose, the crowd pushed and shoved for the door. Some even crawled out the open windows. Every-body got out except one old lady. She stumbled over a bench and fell at the feet of the devil. Looking up at the waving pitchfork, she shout-ed, “Wait a minute, Mr. Devil. I’ve been doing the things you don’t like, like singing in the choir, teaching Sunday school, baking pies and cakes for our food sales. But, Mr. Devil, re-ally I’ve been on your side all the time.”

Scripture: First Reading: Genesis 2: 7-9; 3: 1-7. Ac-cording to the story in the

The Illusions of Humanness

Book of Genesis, Adam is established as God’s son and servant. God creates man and woman, puts them at the Gar-den where he provides them with all the things they need. Failing to resist the temptation of the devil, their faith in God died in their heart. Both man and woman were given choic-

es, but both made the wrong decisions. Their decisions do not exoner-

ate them from their responsibilities.

Second Reading: Romans 5: 12, 17-19. St. Paul presents

two guides to his read-ers: Adam and Christ.

Through Adam

death and sin entered into the world; through Christ life and holi-ness come to us. Sin is nega-tive and brings forth slavery and punishment; holiness offers freedom and eternal life. Gospel: Matthew 4: 1-11. Adam, the original parent of mankind, failed the test and became disobedient to God; Jesus, the new Adam, suc-cessfully resisted the wiles

of the devil. Reflections:

The psychoanalyst Freud once re-

marked that the stumbling block to cure and remedy is the dysfunctional person who seeks help but is surrepti-tiously not facing the truth that healing demands. The temptations in today’s Gospel reveal one of the root causes of misery and sin: obsessive and compulsive love of self or denial of our humanness.

Since the creation of man, there has always been a temp-tation to consider that he is capable of doing it all along,

that he can be fully indepen-dent and self-sufficient, to be another god in competi-tion with the true God. To be human is to be essentially dependent upon a Divine Be-ing who creates and empow-ers humans. To deny and go against this basic meaning of humanness bring about misery and suffering. Even though this denial is an illusory dream and passing fancy, yet it is very desirable, because of the exhilarating and euphoric ef-fect that goes with it: for once “I am god!”

The world entices man to rely on material things that he produces or “turn stone into bread.” Man becomes a con-sumer and a producer, a god who shows that he can create his own food without the help of a Divine Being. This is an illusion, because the satisfac-tion that it brings is tempo-rary. The truth is that there is no one who is fully satisfied with what he has. True happi-ness and satisfaction, as Jesus shows us, come from God alone.

Another illusion that goes against the kernel of humanness is that power, be it political, economic, fashion, financial, is enough to make the self important and con-tented. This probably is one of the reasons, why ambitious men and women would risk their life and fortune in order

to gain and stay in power. His-tory shows that power also, not only money, corrupts. The Gospel attests what true power should be: it is from God and it liberates and saves.

The third temptation is a summary of the two previ-ous ones: to deceive oneself into thinking that man, who has the power to produce and consume what he has made, does not need God anymore, because he is self-sufficient and self-gratified with what he needs. Man lives in his illu-sion that there is no need for him to be dependent upon the Divine Being, because he can do it all by himself. The sin of Adam and Eve is the rejec-tion of their humanness; they wanted “to be like gods.”

Ash Wednesday, March 9, and the season of Lent remind us that we are human, limited, finite, and weak. We hear these phrases time and time again, “Repent and believe in the Gospel (‘from every word that comes from the mouth of God’); you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” We must face and accept the truth about our humanness so that we would not fall into the temptations of illusory self-sufficiency and power.

Quotation of the week: “Beware no man more than yourself; we carry our worst enemies with us.” Charles H. Spurgeon.

The Trafficking of Children(Continued from page 1)


Philippine Stories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

Check out The Ridge at Canyon Woods

Risk-free condo units that are already built, no need to wait to occupy the place. A 10% down pay-able in easy monthly install-ment moves you in and enables you to use and enjoy your place. Ownership automatically makes you a member of its golf course club, no initial fee to pay!

Call (619) 746-3416 for more information.

Afraid that the property you plan to buy in the Philippines may not be

built?

Buhawi Jack, TFC

Anderson Cooper 360 GMA Pinoy TV

•ChoiCeof3Filipinopackagesandaccessupto10Pinoychannels

available

• LiBReNGinstallationinupto4rooms(Applicableusetaxadjustmentmayapplyontheretailvalueoftheinstallation)

•LiBReNGHBO®,STARZ®,SHOWTIME®andCINEMAX®for3months

•LiBReNG HDDVRReceiverupgrade(Additionalfeesrequired) Plus,noequipmenttobuy!Nostart-upcosts!

Mga bagong ka-steady! Tawag at mag-switch na sa DiReCTV! 1-866-875-8749

$44.98PiNoYDiReCTTM

+ PReFeRReD ChoiCeTM

/monthplustaxfor12months(afterrebate)†

Ang aming pinakasulit na PiNoY and eNGLiSh package, may LiBReNG hD NA!^

All for under $45 a month!

†Price includes PINOYDIRECT and PREFERRED CHOICE™ packages.^^ PREFERRED CHOICE package along with an international a la carte service required. All offers require 2 year agreement.** Free HD requires Auto Bill Pay.^ Offers end 7/20/11. Credit card required (except in MA & PA). New approved customers only (lease required). $19.95 Handling & Delivery fee may apply.

plus over 125 english Channels

and more...

Sa DIRECTV, lagi kang steady!

^^BILL CREDIT/PROGRAMMING OFFER: IF BY THE END OF PROMOTIONAL PRICE PERIOD(S) CUSTOMER DOES NOT CONTACT DIRECTV TO CHANGE SERVICE THEN ALL SERVICES WILL AUTOMATICALLY CONTINUE AT THE THEN-PREVAILING RATES. Free HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME and Cinemax for 3 months, a value of $135. LIMIT ONE PROGRAMMING OFFER PER ACCOUNT. Featured package names and prices: PREFERRED CHOICE $39.99/mo. Price includes a $15 bill credit for 12 months after rebate, plus an additional $5 with online rebate and consent to email alerts (for the CHOICE package $26 bill credit for 12 months after rebate, plus an additional $5 with online rebate and consent to email alerts). Upon DIRECTV System activation, customer will receive rebate redemption instructions (included in customer’s first DIRECTV bill, a separate mailing, or, in the state of New York, from retailer) and must comply with the terms of the instructions. In order to receive $20 monthly credits (for CHOICE package $31 monthly bill credits), customer must submit rebate online (valid email address required) and consent to email alerts prior to rebate redemption. Rebate begins up to 8 weeks after receipt of rebate submission online or by phone. Duration of promotional price varies based on redemption date. ^FREE HD OFFER: Includes access to HD channels associated with your programming package. To be eligible for Free HD you must activate and maintain any qualifying international service bundle, which shall include the PREFERRED CHOICE programming package and enroll in Auto Bill Pay. Also requires at least one (1) HD Receiver and activation of HD Access. Account must be in “good standing” as determined by DIRECTV in its sole discretion to remain eligible for all offers. In certain markets, programming/pricing may vary. **2-YR. LEASE AGREEMENT: EARLY CANCELLATION WILL RESULT IN A FEE OF $20/MONTH FOR EACH REMAINING MONTH. Must maintain 24 consecutive months of your DIRECTV programming package. DVR Service $7/mo. required for DVR and HD DVR lease. HD Access fee $10/mo. required for HD Receiver and HD DVR. No lease fee for only 1 receiver. Lease fee for first 2 receivers $6/mo.; additional receiver leases $6/mo. ea. NON-ACTIVATION CHARGE OF $150 PER RECEIVER MAY APPLY. ALL EQUIPMENT IS LEASED AND MUST BE RETURNED TO DIRECTV UPON CANCELLATION, OR UNRETURNED EQUIPMENT FEES APPLY. VISIT directv.com OR CALL 1-800-DIRECTV FOR DETAILS. Advanced receiver instant rebate requires activation of the CHOICE XTRA Package or above; MÁS ULTRA or above (for DVR Receiver, OPTIMO MÁS Package or above); Jadeworld; or any qualifying international service bundle, which shall include the PREFERRED CHOICE programming package (valued at $39.99/mo.). Second advanced receiver offer requires activation of an HD DVR as the first free receiver upgrade and subscription to Whole-Home DVR Service ($3/mo.). Additional advanced receiver upgrades available for a charge. INSTALLATION: Standard professional installation only. Custom installation extra.*Based on 24/7 HD channels. To access DIRECTV HD programming, HD Access fee ($10/mo.), a DIRECTV HD Receiver, a DIRECTV Slimline dish, and HD television equipment are required. Programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change at any time. Pricing residential. Taxes not included. Receipt of DIRECTV programming subject to DIRECTV Customer Agreement; available at directv.com/legal and in first bill. ©2011 DIRECTV, Inc. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo, PREFERRED CHOICE, CHOICE, and all International service marks are trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

Bukod pa sa pinananabikang saya, meron pang:

Chapter 8

Danny called up his friend Pepito and asked for ideas on how best to help Kate. Pepito was the brother of his comedi-an friend, Elvis, one of the top entertainers in the Philippines at that time. Elvis had his own movie production company and Pepito was its manager. Danny met Elvis in San Diego when he performed in a show; since they were both racing afi cionados, they grew very close. Elvis even occasionally rode as a jockey and was good at it.

“Jackpot ka, pare (You’ve got a jackpot, friend),” Pepito told Danny. “She is a gold mine.”

“What do you mean?”“We can set her up with

rich Chinese men playing at the casinos and charge them at least 50,000 pesos to spend the night with her. I am sure many of them would be will-ing to spend that much just to be with a beautiful white girl like Kate. We will get our commission afterwards.”

Right away, Danny didn’t like the tone of Pepito’s voice. He may not be a good hus-band and father, a womanizer and a gambler, but he would never be a pimp—it was too immoral. He decided to call up Elvis himself.

COMPLICATED AFFAIRS

Leading Lady“Bring her to my offi ce at

four this afternoon,” Elvis told Danny. “I will take a look at her.”

“SAAN MO NAPULOT ITO (Where did you pick this up)?” Elvis asked Danny upon seeing Kate. “Bilib ako sa iyo, Pare ko, malakas ang kamandag mo sa babae (I am impressed with you, friend, You have got such a strong attraction with women).”

Danny just smiled. “Can you act?” Elvis asked

Kate.The American girl smiled. “I guess so,” she replied. “I

acted in a high school play.”“In a lead role?”“No, just in a supporting

cast.”“That would be good

enough. How much money do you need?”

“I don’t know, maybe $1,000. I just need plane fare money to go back home. Plus I need to pay off my hotel bills.”

“I’ll give you $3,000. You’ll play the lead role in my movie. We are shooting your scenes during the next two weeks.”

The girl was surprised. Being a leading lady in a movie was the last thing she expected. It was certainly a far cry from her arriving at the

Philippines as a groupie for a band.

“Do you think I will be good enough?” she asked. She had her doubts. She thought Elvis’ decision in giving her the role was rash on his part just to accommo-date his friend Danny. “You didn’t even give me a screen test.”

“You said you acted in a school play, right? There-fore, you can

his comedy roles.“Does she have to pose

nude?” Danny was concerned.“Of course not,” Elvis as-

sured him. “We won’t stoop that low. Kate will just wear a bikini and have a few kissing scenes.”

“With whom?”“The lead actor of course,”

Elvis smiled teasingly. He played the lead.

Danny knew kissing was required in the movie. In fact, it was necessary to justify the appearance of a beautiful blonde girl. It was not just an Elvis’ whim to take advan-tage of the situation. Many other spy movies had racy and bold love scenes, which Elvis would not do since his com-edies were geared towards the family audience.

“Are you okay with that?” Danny asked Kate nonethe-less.

“Of course. Is there a problem?” the girl was won-dering what the big fuss was all about.

THAT EVENING, Danny felt lucky and decided to gam-ble at the casino. He didn’t want Kate to be bored alone in her hotel room, so he invited her. She wore a sexy, black strapless evening dress that accentuated her beauty. Her milky, white skin was glowing under the bright casino lights. At that time, legal gambling was on a trial run in the Phil-ippines. To exclude regular gamblers, the only casino was located in a boat docked a few miles away from the Luneta Shore of Manila Bay. It was called a “fl oating casino”, and prospective gamblers had to show they had the money with which to gamble. They were brought by boat from a pier at the Luneta to the casino itself. They were brought back the same way.

Danny was so engrossed in a poker game that Kate de-cided to walk around, check-ing out the other tables. When Danny was done, he looked around and saw Kate watch-ing a game at the corner of the room. He walked beside her and she asked, “Are we

going?”He shook his head.A Filipino guy across the

table told his friend aloud: “Pare, patay tayo. May kasama palang pongpong (Friend, we’re dead. She has a Japanese companion [‘pong-pong’ is a slang for Nippongo, referring to a Japanese]).”

Danny ignored the com-ment. Later, a waiter who knew him approached and asked, “Bossing, nanalo ba kayo (Boss, did you win)?”

“Medyo (A little),” Danny replied in Tagalog. He pulled out a hundred peso bill and gave it to the waiter. “Heto ang balato mo (Here’s your bonus).”

“Thanks Bossing,” the waiter replied.

“Lagot, Pinoy pala (We’re screwed. He’s a Filipino),” the guy who mistook him for a Japanese said.

Danny smiled and told him: “That’s okay.”

He then walked away with Kate in her arms. The men around were green with envy.


Movie sex siren Ursual Andress in the James Bond movie “Dr. No”.

act. And you are pretty. There are not too many beautiful American girls we see in Fili-pino movies.”

“You mean you’ve been looking for an American ac-tress for this movie?” Danny asked Elvis.

“No, but when I saw Kate, I thought I could use her. She could attract a lot of male viewers.”

“But what about the script? Hasn’t it been written al-ready?”

“What script? We do not use a script here; rather, we just have a vague storyline and improvise as we go along. Now we are going to change the story. We will now have a provocative blonde spy com-ing out of the water in a bi-kini, just like Ursula Andress in the James Bond movie, ‘Dr. No’.”

At that time, James Bond had inspired numerous imita-tors. Spy movies had been in vogue in the Philippines then, and Elvis was making his own version with some comedic ef-fects since he was known for


Today’s Lifestyle

1. The ingredients simmer-ing in a Japanese kitchen are a simple variety of foods eaten on a consistent and daily basis:

Fish• Sea Vegetables• Land Vegetables• Soy• Rice• Fruit• Green Tea•

2. The Japanese enjoy home cooked meals on a daily basis. A traditional meal consists of grilled fish, a bowl of rice, simmered vegetables, miso soup, sliced fruit for dessert and green tea. The Japanese consume almost 10 percent of the world’s fish, although they make up about 2 percent of the world’s population. That’s 150 pounds per year, per person compared to the world average of 35 pounds. And this daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids may well explain why they live long and healthy lives. That, and the fact they consume 5 times the amount of cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, that Americans do.

3. The emphasis of Japanese cooking is to use what is fresh and in season. According to author Moriyama, “Japanese supermarkets are cathedrals of freshness. Food is not only dated, it’s timed—Japanese women buy fish, meat, veg-etables, or prepared meals that are timed by the half hour they were packed that day.”

4. The Japanese eat small portions of a variety of courses at a meal. According to Mori-yama, from childhood they are taught to eat slowly, savoring every bite. And the food is served on plates at least a third the size of American tableware. Moriyama includes the basic

10 Reasons Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat

foundations of Japanese home-cooked food presentation:

never completely fill up • the platesnever serve a big portion • of any itemeach item is served in its • own dishless is always more• each item is arranged • to showcase its natural beautyfood should be gar-• nished and dressed–lightlyfresh is best•

5. Japanese cooking is intentionally light and cooked gently. Most of the work is done on top of the stove using a variation of techniques such as: steaming, pan grilling, sauté, simmer or quick stir fries in a wok. The Japanese chef uses heart healthy oils and flavored broth to season a dish. And though the meal is light you feel content and satisfied, but not overly full.

6. The Japanese eat rice in-stead of bread with every meal. This is an important distinction between the East and West way of eating. It is the over con-sumption of refined wheat flour that is a major cause of obesity in America today. Instead of eating bread with each meal try a serving size (half a cup) of brown rice or other whole grain 1-2 times per day.

7. In Japan, breakfast is considered the most important and biggest meal of the day. It can consist of a variety of small courses which include green tea, steamed rice, miso soup with tofu and scallions, small sheets of nori seaweed, an egg omelet or piece of fish.

8. Sweet desserts are eaten less often in Japan and in much smaller portions than in

America. That is not to say that chocolate, pastries, cookies, ice cream and red-bean cakes are not treasured. Rather, they are respected for the power they can unleash in the appetite and harm they can do to the body when eaten in excess.

9. The Japanese have a different mind-set about food. While Americans are concerned with dieting and weight issues the Japanese are raised and encouraged to enjoy a more diverse variety of foods with-out dieting concerns. However, watch out Japan, with the in-troduction of western style fast foods obesity rates amongst Japanese youth are beginning to climb.

10. Exercise is part of the Japanese daily ritual. Accord-ing to a 2004 Time magazine cover story, How to Live to Be 100, “The Japanese are in good health and in excellent shape, they are an active people who incorporate plenty of incidental exercise into their days.” They have created a welcome envi-ronment for bicycling around town, walking, hiking, and generally staying active.

(Family Features) The tight job market has a grow-ing number of people looking to become their own boss. In a September 2010 Citibank small business survey, 81 per-cent of small business owners still like or love what they do, and 75 percent said they would start their businesses

Is it Time to Work for Yourself?again, even knowing about the challenges they would face.

But starting a business in a recession isn’t always easy. Getting a bank loan is tough and credit card companies are reducing lines of credit. One way to feed your entrepre-neurial drive in this economy is to consider a career in direct

selling.Direct

sales is a dy-namic indus-try – one that many entre-preneurs and stay-at-home parents are diving into. According to the Direct

Selling Association, more than 15 million people sold about $30 billion in products and services in the US in 2008. Nearly one-third of those sales were for personal items such as cosmetics, jewelry, and skin care.

The Better Business Bu-reau (BBB) and the Direct Selling Association Education Foundation (DSAEF) have partnered to help educate those interested in pursuing direct sales for themselves.

Here are three questions the BBB recommends ask-ing if you’re thinking about a career in direct sales:

Do I have what it takes to be a good salesman? Most


788,833 reads

Judy Patacsil, FAHNS | SAN DIEGO, 3/6/2011 -- What: Free screening and filmmakers’ discussion of documentary AUTUMN GEM

Where: San Diego Mira-mar College - Room I-101, 10440 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92126

When: Friday, March 11, 2011 at 6:30pm

Meet the “Chinese Joan of Arc” Qiu Jin (1875-1907), a radical women’s rights activ-ist who defied tradition to become the leader of a revo-lutionary army. She attempted an armed uprising against the corrupt Qing Dynasty and became the first female martyr for China’s 1911 Revolution. AUTUMN GEM is the first documentary feature on Qiu

To Commemorate International Women’s Day, SD Miramar College to Show Film “Autumn Gem”

Jin in the U.S.AUTUMN GEM has

screened at over seventy venues worldwide, includ-ing Stanford University, UC.

Berkeley, UC Irvine, Princ-eton, Brown, University of Maryland, Pacific Asia Muse-um, and Tribeca Film Center in New York. It was featured at the Tenth International Women in Asia Conference at Australia National University in September 2010.

San Diego Miramar Col-lege will host a free screening in celebration of International Women’s Day. On Friday, March 11, 201.

The screening is sponsored by San Diego Community College District International Education. Filmmakers Rae Chang and Adam Tow will attend the screening and participate in a Q-&-A session afterwards.



(619) 474-0588

Balik-Tanaw: The Filipino Stars

of Yesteryears

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

by Dr. Romy R. Protacio

After my article about Ma-ria Carpena, Binan’s Night-ingale of Zarzuela, I thought it would be a good follow-up to write about the first lady of Binan, Mayor Marlyn B. Alonte-Naguiat. Her con-tributions to the growth and development of Binan, in my opinion, rightfully earn her the title, “Ang Babae sa Likod ng Tagumpay ng Bayan.”

The City of Binan

Binan became a city only last year, 2010, but prior to that, it was already consid-ered a prime municipality in the country, with about a net income of Php250 Million Pesos and an annual gross income of Php677 Million (Commission on Audit report, 2007). After it was declared a city, it now holds the reputa-tion of being a first class city in the Philippines, known for its many suburban residential communities as well as the

Mayor Len Alonte:Ang Babae sa Likod ng

Tagumpay ng Bayan

Mayor Len Alonte, with family, takes oath of office.

Mayor Len at work

Mayor Len with President Nonoy Aquino, Jr. Mayor Len

The launching of the HAPI card.

export processing zones and huge industrial estates located inside Binan. It is also a primary link between Metro Manila and the rest of the cit-ies of Laguna.

Mayor Len had the zeal of Binan redesigned in order to embody all the vision and mission of the City. Here are some of the distinct fea-tures of the new City zeal and what they stand for:

The Philippine sun used in the coat-of arms echoes the rays of the sun in the Philip-pine national flag. Its 8 rays signify the provinces that revolted against the rule of the Spaniards, which includes Laguna, the province where Binan is geographically lo-cated;

The Rizal Monument symbolizes the heroism of Dr. Jose Rizal, the National Hero of the Philippines, who had his initial formal schooling at Binan under the wise guid-ance of Maestro Justiniano

Aquino Cruz. It was Maestro Justiniano who encouraged Rizal to pursue his education in Manila;

The large mortar and pestle signify the hard working citizens of Binan who were originally farmers.

The famous “Puto Binan” and an image of the family symbolize the spirit of solidar-ity among members of fami-lies who cooperate in making most family businesses and cottage industries successful.

The word “2010” is the year that the law establishing Binan as a city was ratified during a plebiscite held on February 2, 2010;

The Heroes Monument stands for the valor and the sacrifices made by Binan’s ancestors;

The torch and book are the emblems of the city’s efforts in providing free education to its people, and for encourag-ing the quest for knowledge;

Various industries found in the Laguna Techno Park and Laguna International Indus-trial Park are also depicted;

A pair of slippers is shown which was also originally in the old Municipal seal. This, together with the cap, stands for the small businesses es-tablished and managed by the local people of Binan;

Two twigs of laurel leaves, which have 12 leaves each, stand for the 24 barangays found in the City of Binan.

The golden color of the twigs signifies the rich resources available to the people of Binan.

Finally, the golden stars flanking the words, “City of Binan” are symbols of Service and Integrity.

The Mayor of the City of Binan

Marlyn Alonte-Nagu-iat, better known in Binan as Mayor Alonte, was born in St. Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City. Her father is Bayani Mance Alonte and her mother is Fe Erlinda Francisco Be-lizario, both natives of Binan. She has four siblings: Mar, Angelo, Cherry and Arlene.

She spent her elemen-tary and high school years

at the Canossa School in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and continued her studies at the University of Santo Tomas. It was interest-ing that unlike many politi-cians who were student leaders during their early years, Mayor Len was not even

involved in student council activities during her school days. As she matured, it was actually her father who swayed her into entering the world of politics.

On January 28, 2003, she married Steve Naguiat (on one occasion when I talked to Mayor Len, I learned that I actually met her husband Steve, several years back at the Century Park Hotel, my second home in the Philip-pines). Mayor Len and Steve were blessed with two chil-dren, Nicolas Antonio and Mariana Isabel. Nicolas is attending school at the Brent International School.

Her Achievements Mayor Len started her

political career as a Municipal Councilor in 1998 to 2004. After gaining experience in politics, she decided to run as Mayor of Binan, Laguna. In her campaign she promised good governance, and quality education that would be ac-cessible to all. Her campaign platform included health programs, housing project for marginalized, communities, environment protection, peace and order, drug-free Binan, sports development, job gen-eration, and protection of the rights of women and children.

During her first term as Mayor of Binan, she gave top priority to her housing proj-

ects which she was able to implement in partnership with the National Housing Author-ity and the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines. Houses were built in Baran-gays Langkiwa and Timbao in Binan where families living along the “riles” (railroad tracks) were resettled. Among her other accomplishments are the following:

“Health Assistance Pro-gram for the Indigents” (HAPI Card) was launched during the first one hundred days of her first term in service. It was a fulfillment of her promise during the campaign about the health care program.

Recently established the Binan Community College to be operated by the Poly-technic University of the Philippine until such time that Binan will have its own state university.

Doubled the allocation for scholarship programs initiated by the previous administra-tion. She worked with a com-mittee that created the schol-arship ordinance when she was a Municipal Councilor. Today, the funds allocated for “Iskolar ng Binan” has now reached 80M Pesos.

Recently built a first class public cemetery with a cre-matorium – a fulfillment of her commitment to “Womb to


Xu Jie(Poem No. 24)

I am just a faceless loverLike the stars aboveI seek solaceIn your serenityAnd solitudeGentle as the moonWarms as the sunXu Jie the girl I wantNow and beyond

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 •

UNEMPLOYMENT APPEALS • WORK CONTRACTS • LANDLORD – TENANT DISPUTES • BANKRUPTCY ASSISTANCE • FORECLOSURES • TAX PREPARATION

FAIR PRICES/COURTEOUS AND FRIENDLY SERVICE

We can accept the following on a Contingency Basis (CASE BY CASE BASIS):

AUTO ACCIDENT or PERSONAL INJURY • WRONGFUL TERMINATION • SEXUAL HARASSMENT/HOSTILE WORK

PLACE • WORK DISCRIMINATION (Racial, Age, Gender, Disability)

240 Woodlawn Avenue, Suite 11, Chula Vista, CA 91910Convenient location and plenty of free parking;

Near Chula Vista trolley station. Nagsasalita kami ng Tagalog

For free consultation call (619) 203-5782

We can help you stop worrying about your legal problems.

Also Featuring:Debt Negotiation

Bankruptcy AssistanceLoan Consolidation

Light &Shadows

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

by Zena Sultana Babao

God’s law is the blue-print for living!

***

Our lives are a series of choices. When we stop mak-ing choices in God’s direc-tion, all that is left is to make choices in the wrong direc-tion.

*** Every action we take sets

into motion a series of events or consequences that may still be going on long after we are gone. It’s best to seek God’s guidance for every action we take.

*** To make a difference, we

should first decide to be dif-ferent.

*** We worry sometimes

about details in our lives over which we have no control, while neglecting specific areas that are under our control, like attitudes, relationships and responsibilities.

***

No problem life is too

complicated if we allow God to help us. God is the only one who has the ability and the power to help solve com-plex problems in life.

*** Love is the most basic

emotion, and yet the most complex.

*** We often build monu-

ments to ourselves (expensive clothes, big houses, fancy cars and important jobs) to call attention to our achievements. These may not be wrong in themselves, but when we use them to give us identity and self-worth they may take God’s place in our lives.

***

My Random Thoughts about Life

Appearance is important to us, and we spend time and money improving it. But how much effort do we put into developing our inner beauty?

* ** Let not the comfort and

security of our present posi-tion make us miss the beauty of God’s plan for us.

***

Children still suffer from

the sins of their parents. Consider child abuse, drugs or alcoholism, for example. While these sins are obvious, sins like selfishness and greed can be passed along as well.

*** Often the sins we are try-

ing to cover up in our lives are the ones that anger us most when we see them in others.

***

Common sense isn’t all

that common. In fact, the common thread in many things we do is that they don’t make sense. We just hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

***

Patience is hardest when

we need it most.

*** Our most important oppor-

tunities may come when we least expect them.

***

Troubles and difficulties

are painful but inevitable. But most often, they are opportu-nities for growth.

***

When we are facing a

setback, we should acknowl-edge the power and presence of God in our lives. There is nothing like the reality of His presence and His power to shed new light on a dark situation.

** * Our rescue from trouble

and problems doesn’t always come the moment we want it. God has a time schedule we can’t see.

*** In a world where values,

morals and laws change constantly, we can find stabil-

ity and security in our un-changing God. The God who appeared to Moses is the same God who is with us today.

***

The Sabbath had two purposes: a time to rest and a time to remember what God has done. Without it, life be-comes a rut filled with activity but void of meaning.

Street Poetry

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

by Michael R. Tagudin

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

Tomb” program.She put Binan in the map

with her leadership to convert the Municipality of Binan into a component city last Febru-ary 2, 2010.

Mayor Len told me, “I’ve accomplished all the promises I made during my first term that’s why I ran un-opposed in the election.” She is now onto her second term. Her party list, which included the Vice-Mayor and eight councilors all won in the last elections.

I can’t help but admire her composure, her seem-ingly effortless way of carry-ing out her everyday duties. I asked her, “How do you handle mud-slingers?” and she replied, “I have matured in politics and I have learned not to be affected by the worst criticisms of my political opponents. I am only account-able to God and I’ll do what God pleases me to do.”

Drug addiction is a common issue among all the cities in the Philippines, and according to Mayor Len, Bi-nan City is no exception. She said, “Unfortunately, we do have our share of gangs and drug-related crimes in Binan.” However, since the start of her term as Mayor, she has contin-uously encouraged the police and peace keepers in Binan in helping make Binan a drug free City by 2010. They were able to raid a “shabu” labora-tory in Barangay San Antonio with the help of Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA). This was followed with the launching of anti-drug seminars in 24 baran-gays. The city has strength-ened its programs for the out-of-school youth through livelihood seminars, sports activities, and free education through the Alternative Learn-ing System (ALS) in coopera-tion with the Department of Education.

She also does not claim that Binan has a zero unemployment rate but she

says that her administration continuously pave the way for better employment for the people. The City never stops sponsoring job fairs. She talks with locators to help the youth find gainful employ-ment in companies around the city. She has also established a good working relationship with the Association of Hu-man Resources Officers in the Laguna Technopark, Incorpo-rated.

Oplan Kaagapay When the Philippines

was hit by one of the worst typhoons, “Ondoy”, Mayor Len’s siblings mobilized their resources to help those in need. Mayor Len was on a maternity leave of absence at that time and her siblings ini-tiated the relief project. The seed money came from her parents, husband, brothers and sisters. “Oplan Kaagapay” was intended to be a family project but later expanded when friends from abroad and communities outside Binan poured out their support. “Oplan Kaagapay” became a huge project that many re-lief organizations trusted the group with their donations. “Oplan Kaagapay” distributed relief goods to the typhoon victims through the concerted efforts of parents and students all over Binan, including even

those who are studying at the Brent International School.

Under her leadership, Mayor Len also encouraged women to participate ac-tively in various socio-civic activities, as well as to excel in their own fields. One of her initiatives included estab-lishing an award body called “Kababaihan Unlad Binan” whose primary mission is to honor the outstanding women of Binan.

Babae, Tagumpay Ka ng Bayan

Mayor Len aims to con-

tinue with her mission to improve the quality of life for the people of Binan City. Today, she has no further ambitions yet to run for a higher political position as she simply focuses on doing what is best for Binan City. Pouring her heart and soul into serving her constituents, there can be no better way to describe Mayor Len as “Ang Babae sa Likod ng Tagumpay ng Bayan.”

Mayor Len Alonte: Ang Babae sa Likod

ng Tagumpay ng Bayan



Optional column intro: From yard work and pest control to cleaning and taking care of home systems, there’s a lot that goes into maintain-ing a house. Everything Home offers practical tips and ex-pert know-how to help anyone take good care of their home.

(Family Features) Spring-

time showers aren’t the only thing warmer weather brings. It can also trigger termite swarms–and the presence of winged termites can be a bad sign for homeowners.

Termites can enter a home through cracks as thin as a few sheets of paper and de-vour enough wood and wood products to do serious damage. Even though they are smaller than a grain of rice, termites cause more than $5 bil-lion in dam-age to homes all across the United States, according to the National Pest Manage-ment Association (NPMA). To make matters worse, most insurance policies don’t cover termite damage, and accord-ing to Terminix, a national pest control company, ho-meowners pay an average of $3,000 in out-of-pocket expenses for repairs.

“A termite swarm is a group of winged, reproduc-tive termites that leave their existing colony to establish new ones,” said Paul Curtis, entomologist for Terminix. “Swarming is weather-driven and normally occurs on warm spring days, after a rain. The presence of a termite swarm is the most obvious, and often first, sign of a termite infestation, so it’s important to know what to look for and what to do if you experience a swarm in or around your home.”

Termite colonies can re-main hidden behind walls and other structural elements for months–and even years–be-fore their presence is detected. Homeowners should look for signs such as mud tubes, which are hollow, drinking-straw-sized roadways for termites, and check for wood that makes a hollow sound when tapped. Also, look for discarded wings around windows and doors, which termite swarms may leave behind as a sign of activity.

Keep Termites Out

Termite TroubleThe pest control experts

at Terminix recommend the following tips to help make your home less attractive to termites:

Fix roof or plumbing leaks. The moisture from these leaks allows termites to survive above ground.

Eliminate all wood-to-soil contact around the founda-tion, keeping firewood or other wood debris from being stacked against the side of the home.

Keep mulch or soil away from the home’s siding. It’s best to have a barrier of a few inches.

Remove items like scrap

lumber, boxes and even old books or newspapers from crawl spaces.

Maintain adequate ventila-tion in crawl spaces.

Use a mesh screen on all windows, doors and ventila-tion openings.

Have your home inspected by a trained professional at least once a year. Prompt treatment and regular inspec-tions can save thousands of dollars in damage repair.

You should also prevent moisture accumulation around your home’s foundation by making sure water is diverted with downspouts and gutters. Don’t let shrubs or other land-scaping cover up vents, and remove old tree stumps and roots close to the building.

Termite TreatmentIt’s very difficult for ho-

meowners to treat a termite problem themselves. Curtis says that treatment will vary depending on the severity of the infestation, the termite species, and the location of the building. Your best bet is to have a trained and licensed pest control company, like Terminix, assess the problem and recommend the appropri-ate treatment plan.

To learn more about termites and to download a swarm map for your area, visit www.terminix.com.

Housing and Real Estate

(Family Features) Did you know that preventable injuries rank among the top 10 causes of death for people of all ages? While it’s not something that many people often think about, the Ameri-can Public Health Associa-tion (APHA) helps to bring injury and violence preven-tion messages through this year’s National Public Health Week (NPHW) and warns that everyone is at some risk of injury, even at home.

Home Injury Facts

Four out of five U.S. fire deaths in 2008 occurred in the home.

Every day in the United States, about 82 people die as a result of unintentional poi-soning, and another 2,000 are treated in emergency depart-ments.

Falls are the leading cause of injury death among those

Make Your Home Saferaged 65 and older. More than one-third of U.S. adults 65 years of age and older fall each year.

Falls are the leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the United States. Falls cause half of the TBIs among children aged 0 to 14 years and 61 percent of TBIs among adults aged 65 years and older.

A survey by the Home Safety Council (HSC) showed that while nearly 60 percent of American parents feel there are steps they could take to reduce the risk of a home-related injury, a third of them just don’t know what actions to take. This checklist from APHA’s NPHW will help you make your home safer today.

General Safety Tips

Assess your home for potential hazards such as poor lighting and uneven surfaces

to prevent falls.Install and maintain smoke

alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

Establish a plan for evacu-ating from your home in the event of a fire.

Make sure all electrical outlets are covered and inac-cessible to children.

Program emergency numbers, such as the Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-

1222), into your phone to call in the event of a poisoning emergency. Also, make sure they are posted near all land line phones.

Check your hot water heat-er to make sure the thermostat is set to 120°F or lower to avoid burns. According to the HSC, nearly 4,000 home injuries occur annually due to scalding. It only takes one second for a child under the age of five to get third-degree burns from water that is 140°F or hotter.

Install four-sided isola-

tion fencing at least five feet high and equipped with self-latching gates to prevent drownings in home swimming pools.

In the Kitchen

Supervise young children whenever they’re near cook-ing surfaces and never leave food unattended on the stove. Keep things that can catch fire, such as dishtowels, paper or plastic bags at least three feet away from the cook top.

While cooking, make sure pot handles are turned in-ward to prevent the hot pan from being pulled or knocked down.

In the Bathroom

Store cleaning supplies and

medicines in locked cabinets out of the reach of children.

Make sure child safety caps are on all medications and cleaning products.

Be cautious of cleaners or medicines with fruit shown on the labels – small children may think they are okay to drink.

Making just one positive change a day can help prevent injuries and help your family start living a safer life. For more information about injury prevention, visit www.nphw.org.

Main photo courtesy of Getty

Logo courtesy of the American Public Health As-sociation

(619) 746 - 3416


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

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

The Law that Matters

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

by Atty. A. Erwin Bautista

Sige!!!! Sagutin Mo!!!!Sino kayang tao ang ‘di magsasawa sa mga balita?Walang pagbabago ang balitang sama dito sa ating bansa.Defense Secretary, kinilalang tapat ay biglang nawala,Ang tiwaling tao, mandi’y nilambungan, nitong haka-haka. Nakalulungkot na ang isang heneral na tulad ni A.R.,Ay biglang maipit sa laki ng bato na naguumpugan.Ang laking paghanga ng mga marami sa husay at dangal,Kapalit ay TANONG, paano ang kasong ngayo’y nasimulan? Ang ayon sa kanya (A.R.) nais ding ituloy, bago sya namatay,At kung magkagayon, alam na alam din ang kahihinatnan.Subalit ang lalim ng mga SANGKUTAN ay medyo BUM-ABAW,Kung kaya sikaping KALKALING mabuti, lumalim na hukay. Kung tuloy MASUNGKIT, mga KAKUTSABA at mga “CRE-ATOR”,Nitong NAGLIPANA sa kuwartang PABAON ng mga DA-MUHONG.Walang ETSAPUWERA, na sila’y patawan ng mahal na hu-kom,Dapat lang magdusa, bilang KABAYARAN sa ‘LIKHANG KURAPSYON. Kung papansinin nyo, mga paguusap ng mga Senador,May magandang balak na pati ASAWA, kanilang matanong.Ang problema nga lang, may mga tao ring tila tumututol,Sa aking palagay, may BAHID sama ring, mabigyan ng BU-KOL. Kaya kabayan ko, kayo ay making sa mga usapan,At sigurado ko, maraming marami ang matututuhan.Dito makikita ang pagbabaluktot ng tuwid na bakal,Ng mga EKSPERTO ng KATIWALIAN, dito sating bayan. Sayang na sayang lang, magiting na buhay ng isang Heneral,Umiwas bahiran, ganda ng pangalan sa panunungkulan.Kung nagisip-isip, kung ano ang dapat ng para sa bayan,Buhay syang tatayo at maninindigan sa TUNAY NA DAAN.

Batikos No. 9Romeo S. NicolasBocaue, Bulacan2/12/2011

Will your MySpace or Facebook Account Contra-dict your Greencard Appli-cation?

Question: I applied for adjustment of status based on US Citizen Spouse peti-tion, will my Facebook or My Space account which contain information about my children and former spouse in the Phil-ippines affect my application?

Answer: Yes it will, espe-cially if information contained in your networking sites con-tradicts a finding of good faith marriage in your adjustment of status application.

How Networking sites af-fect your application?

The Office of Fraud Detec-tion and National Security or FDNS of the Department of Homeland Security issued a Memorandum encouraging its officials to avail of the Net-working sites such as Face-book and MySpace to look for information that may contra-dict or lend to claims of fraud in Immigration application.

Below is a quote from such Memo on how the Department of Homeland Security particu-larly the US Citizenship and Immigration Service Adjudi-cation Officers detect fraud on petitioners and beneficiaries’

Immigration: Fraudulent Marriage

relationship particularly on adjustment of status applica-tion based on marriage to U.S. Citizens.

“The Internet has made it increasingly easier for people to get connected with each other whether that is with long-distance family, friends, or to find new loves and friendships. Social network-ing sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Classmates, Hi-5, and other similar sites are designed to allow people to share their creativity, pictures, and information with others. Sometimes people do this to find romance, sometimes they do it to find friends with simi-lar interests, and sometimes they do it to keep in touch with family.

Narcissistic tendencies in many people fuels a need to have a large group of “friends” link to their pages and many of these people accept cyber-friends that they don’t even know. This pro-vides an excellent vantage point for FDNS to observe the daily life of beneficia-ries and petitioners who are suspected of fraudulent activities. Generally, people on these sites speak honestly in their network because all of their friends and family are interacting with them via lM’s

(Instant Messages), Blogs (Weblog journals), etc.

This social networking gives FDNS an opportunity to reveal fraud by browsing these sites to see if petitioners and beneficiaries are in a valid relationship or are attempting to deceive USCIS about their relationship. Once a user posts online, they create a public record and timeline of their activities. In essence*using MySpace and other like sites is akin to doing an unan-nounced cyber “site-visit” on a petitioners and benefi-ciaries.” (AILA Document 1010473 published October 14, 2010)

Doubts or Outright Fraud Finding on your Marriage based on MySpace or Fa-cebook Innocent Looking Information.

So if you marry a U.S. Citizen to become a Legal Permanent Resident and then in your MySpace or Facebook Account there is a picture or comments on pictures posted by your children and former spouse in the Philip-pines looking forward to your petition once you become a naturalized U.S. Citizen based on your marriage to a U.S. Citizen then it will contradict a good faith marriage find-ing between the U.S. Citizen petitioner and the alien benefi-ciary.

It will be very easy to make a finding of marriage fraud because such comments support a conclusion that the former spouse alludes to a fraudulent marriage because she does not even consider the divorce and the marriage of her alien spouse (beneficiary to the U.S. Citizen petitioner) as real or in good faith be-cause she is already looking forward to her ex husband pe-titioning her and their children once the alien beneficiary becomes a Legal Permanent

Resident and eventually a U.S. Citizen.

It’s an old proverb of counting your chickens before they are hatched. It is a long term plan of marriage fraud involving the whole family which has been revealed in their postings, pictures and comments published in the networking site. How else can the children and the ex spouse look forward to being petitioned if they are not part of the conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.

Beware of any information you may post because it will come to haunt you.

Be careful of innocent looking comments or post-ing from you, your friends and family which may lead to fraudulent conclusions and eventual denial or revoca-tion of your Legal Permanent Resident status because of contradictory information on your MySpace or Facebook accounts.

Better yet do not open an account because even jokes may affect your application and be treated as serious fact that may contradict your ap-plication.

[We invite readers to call Atty. A.Erwin Bautista to set up their initial consulta-tion. Atty. Bautista obtained his law degree from Western State University College of Law, Fullerton, CA and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of the Philip-pines. Atty. Bautista practices Immigration, Bankruptcy, Family, Personal Injury and Tax Preparation/Audit Repre-sentation. He can be reached at (619) 474 7755 at his San Diego Office located at 550 E. 8th St., Ste.11, National City, Ca 91950 and at (213) 365 7690 at his Los Angeles Of-fice located at 3435 Wilshire Bl., Ste. 2700, Los Angeles, CA 90010.]

March 2011Attend a free presentation

Call (619) 746 - 3416


Health

Healthy habits can help prevent diabetes in your future

(Family Features) Ges-tational diabetes is diabetes that is found for the first time when a woman is pregnant. If you had gestational diabe-tes when you were pregnant, you and your child from that pregnancy have a lifelong risk for developing diabetes, a serious disease that can lead to health problems such as heart disease, blindness, kid-ney disease and amputations.

The good news is there are steps you can take to prevent or delay diabetes and lower that risk for yourself and your child.

“Women with a history of gestational diabetes can lower their chances for developing diabetes by taking steps to reach and maintain a healthy weight, making healthy food choices, and being active,” according to Judith Fradkin, M.D., of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Keeping a healthy lifestyle as a family is good for everyone.”

Keep up healthy hab-its — even after the baby is born.

Many women who have gestational diabetes see a di-etitian or a diabetes educator to guide them in developing healthy habits during preg-nancy. But what many women don’t realize is that it’s just as important to keep up with those healthy habits even after the baby is born.

If you are a woman who had gestational diabetes, it is important to get tested for diabetes 6 to 12 weeks after your baby is born, and at least every three years after that.

It is also important to reach and maintain a healthy weight by making healthy food choices, such as following an eating plan lower in fat and calories and high in fiber, and being active for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Even if women do not reach their “goal” weight, research shows that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help reduce risk.

Busy? Build physical ac-tivity into your day one step at a time.

Physical activity is an im-portant part of maintaining a healthy weight and preventing type 2 diabetes. Set a goal to be active at least 30 minutes, 5 days per week. If you have not been active, start slowly, building up to your goal. Take small steps to include physi-cal activity in your day-to-day routine.

Busy moms can use these tips to get started:

— Park your car farther away from the store, movie theater, your office, etc.

History of Gestational Diabetes— Get your friends and

family involved. Set a regular walking date, such as after dinner. Or do something that all ages can enjoy — shoot hoops, take a bike ride, or just dance around the house.

— Take a walk during your lunch break or push the baby’s stroller around the mall.

— Don’t just watch the kids at the playground ... play with them.

— Deliver a message to a co-worker in person instead of by e-mail, and take the stairs instead of the elevator.

— Exhausted from a busy

day and just want to plop on the couch in front of the TV? Use the commercial breaks to stretch, take a quick walk around your home, do some sit-ups, or march in place.

For more information, visit the National Diabetes Edu-cation Program (NDEP) at www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/GDM.

Get Tested!

Women who develop gestational diabetes have high blood glucose (blood sugar) levels during pregnancy. Im-mediately after pregnancy, 5 to 10 percent of women with gestational diabetes are found to have diabetes, usually type 2. All wom-en with gesta-tional dia-betes should be tested for diabe-tes 6 to 12 weeks after their baby is born. In many cases, their blood glu-cose levels show they are no longer considered to have diabetes at this time.

But what many people don’t realize is that having gestational diabetes increases a woman’s future chances of developing diabetes by 35 to 60 percent. Any woman who had gestational diabetes should get tested for diabetes and pre-diabetes at least every three years. This follow up testing is very important and usually consists of a simple blood test.

Women with a history of gestational diabetes should also talk to their health care provider about earlier screen-ing for gestational diabetes in future pregnancies. Chil-

dren born from a mother who had gestational diabetes are at increased risk for obesity and diabetes, so it’s a good idea for mothers to let their child’s doctor know that they had gestational diabetes and take steps to promote healthy habits for their child.

Holly’s Story

Holly Romans was diag-nosed with gestational dia-betes when she was pregnant with her first child. After the baby was born, a blood test showed Holly’s blood glucose was back to normal, so she didn’t think any more about it. But later a follow-up test showed she was at risk for developing diabetes.

She shared her history of gestational diabetes with her daughter’s doctor and a note was made in her daughter’s health record. Holly also made sure a note was made in her own health record as well.

Holly joined a diabetes prevention program at a local hospital and learned how to have a healthy lifestyle for herself and her family. She lost weight by making small changes in her daily routine, such as replacing her choco-late snack-cake stash with fresh fruit, preparing more salads, eating smaller por-tions, and taking daily walks.

In just a few months, Holly’s glucose numbers had returned to a normal level. And thanks to her lifestyle changes, she did not develop gestational diabetes when she became pregnant with her second child.

Today, Holly knows she needs to continue her healthy lifestyle habits and get tested for diabetes at least every three years. Holly continues to work to keep her weight down by doing aerobics and walk-ing with her two kids. She

makes sure she and her family maintain a healthy lifestyle by staying physically active and making healthy food choices.

— Had gestational diabetes— Exercises daily— Satisfies her cravings

in a healthy way by adding a tablespoon of peanut butter to a smoothie

— Practices portion con-trol by occasionally eating one 100-calorie cookie pack

— Enjoys walking with her kids at the park, on the board-walk, and at the beach

— Favorite healthy snacks: raw veggies and salads

Setting the stage for a good night’s sleep

(Family Features) Parents of newborns can’t wait for the baby to sleep through the night, but sleeping through the night can be a problem for children of any age, from birth through their teen years. Even naptime can present a challenge, with a number of daytime sounds and distrac-tions preventing the baby from getting the uninterrupted sleep a parent hopes for.

Sleep is vital to a child’s

health and growth, but what can parents do to help pro-mote quality sleep?

While a child’s sleep-needs vary as they grow, there are two recommendations that remain consistent, no matter the child’s age. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommends maintaining a regular bedtime routine and a sleep-friendly environment.

“Three of the biggest influences on sleep are noise, temperature and light,” said Jonathan Sadinoff, spokesper-son for LightCatcher Curtains, “so maintaining a sleep-friendly environment means controlling those elements as much as possible and keeping them consistent.” In fact, the American Academy of Pediat-rics recommends a cool, dark and quiet room as the best environment for sleeping.

Here are some things you can do to make your child’s room sleep-friendly and help them get the rest they need.

Noise. Busy traffic, noisy appliances, or even the bark-ing of neigh-borhood dogs can interrupt a child’s sleep. Children don’t need complete silence to sleep, but minimizing excess sound can help them fall asleep and stay asleep. The white noise of a fan or air condi-tioner can help block unwanted sound. Carpet, upholstery and blackout cur-tains can also absorb some of the ambient noise and make the room qui-eter.

Temperature. There isn’t an ideal temperature for sleep — the point at which temperature conditions interrupt sleep will be different for everyone. But in most cases, the NSF says that temperatures above 75 degrees and below 54 degrees will disrupt sleep. A slightly cooler room contributes to good sleep because it mimics what happens when the body’s internal temperature drops to its lowest level during the night. Monitor your child’s room for temperature. Rooms with more sun exposure tend

to be warmer and may need a fan.

Light. The human body is sensitive to light, even while sleep-ing. The Better Sleep Council (BSC) says that light, such as the rising sun, is a power-ful cue to the body and can wake up the brain well before the alarm clock sounds. Keeping the room as dark as pos-sible helps the body fall asleep

naturally. The BSC recommends getting as much exposure to sunlight during the day as possible, and to block as much light as possible during sleeping hours to keep the body on track.

Both the BSC and the NSF recommend the use of light blocking curtains. Blackout curtains, such as those made by LightCatcher, can help turn the bedroom into the sleep sanctuary children need. Because traditional-width curtains can leak light from the top and sides, LightCatch-er blackout curtains are cut wide, in over 50-inch widths, providing more light preven-tion. With exclusive Insuldark technology, these curtains also provide more sound dampen-ing and more energy savings than traditional curtains, help-ing to keep the room not only dark enough, but cool and quiet enough for good sleep. LightCatcher curtains are available at buybuybaby.com.

How Much Sleep Do They Need?

While there is variability between each of us in how much sleep we need, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has noted that the need for sleep changes as we age. The NSF has recommended the following sleep guidelines for selected age groups:

Newborns (0–2 months) 12–18 hours

Infants (3–11 months) 14–15 hours

Toddlers (1–3 years) 12–14 hours

Preschoolers (3–5 years) 11–13 hours

School-Age Children (5–10 years) 10–11 hours

Teens (10–17) 8.5–9.25 hours

Find out more at www.sleepfoundation.org.

Healthy Bedtime RoutinesHere are some tips from

Sleepforkids.org for help-ing children develop bedtime routines that will help them get to sleep:

Sleep Tips for Infants—Develop regular daytime

and bedtime schedules. —Create a consistent and

enjoyable bedtime routine. —Establish a regular

“sleep friendly” environment. —Encourage baby to fall

asleep independently and to become a “self-soother.”

Sleep Tips for Toddlers—Maintain a daily sleep

schedule and consistent bed-time routine.

—Make the bedroom envi-ronment the same every night and throughout the night.

—Set limits that are con-sistent, communicated and enforced. Encourage use of a security object such as a blan-ket or stuffed animal.

Sleep Tips for Preschoolers—Maintain a regular and

consistent sleep schedule. —Have a relaxing bedtime

routine that ends in the room where the child sleeps.

—Child should sleep in the same sleeping environment every night, in a room that is cool, quiet and dark — and without a TV.

Sleep Tips for School-aged Children

—Teach school-aged children about healthy sleep habits.

—Continue to emphasize need for regular and consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine.

—Make child’s bedroom conducive to sleep — dark, cool and quiet.

—Keep TV and comput-ers out of the bedroom.

—Avoid caf-feine.

Caption: Blackout cur-tains, such as those made by LightCatcher, can help turn the bedroom into the sleep sanctuary chil-dren need.

Sweet Dreams


DEAR ALL, Sir Alexander Fleming

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while try-ing to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the boy. There mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsmans sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

I want to repay you, said the nobleman You saved my sons life.

Lord Randolph Churchill

No, I cant accept payment for what I did, the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmers own son came to the door of the family hovel.

Is that your son? the noble-man asked.

Yes, the farmer replied proudly.

Ill make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of

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

journalusa.com

What goes around comes around

education my own son will enjoy If the lad is anything like his father, hell no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of. And that he did.

Farmer Flemings son at-tended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Marys Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known through-out the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same noblemans son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the noble-man? Lord Randolph Churchill .. His sons name?

Sir Winston Churchill.

Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said:What goes around comes

around.Work like you dont need

the money.Money earning is just for

livingLove likeyou’venever been

hurt.Dance like nobodys watch-

ing.Sing like nobodys listen-

ing.Live like its Heaven on

Earth.

normally and she is on her way to full recovery.

“Even when things seemed really difficult, we never lost our faith in God. We knew that He would guide us in this,” Carmela Buenaventura told the press in a conference at the hospital Mon-day.

Dr. De Villa said they are now working on giving the child full nutrition because at her age, she weighs only 10 kilograms.

The team of doctors who performed the procedure include surgeons Dr. Allan Concejero, Dr. Dante Ang, Dr. Catherine Asedil-lo, and Dr. Anthony Yap; anesthe-siologists Dr. Grace Herbosa, Dr. Celine Ancheta, Dr. Alexandra Odi, Dr. Elena Malong, Dr. Elke Sauz, and Dr. Rolan Carreon.

The medical team was com-posed of pediatric gastroenterolo-gists Dr. Karen Calixto-Mercado, Dr. Janus Ong, Dr. Eternity Labio, and Jean Guno, among others.

The successful operation was performed through the help of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) which provided P1.25 million for the liver trans-plant.

The liver transplant procedure amounted to P 3 million, said Dr. Alfredo Bengzon, president and Chief Executive Officer of The Medical City, who described the operation as “a landmark achievement.”

De Villa said that Erica will take lifelong medications, immuno-suppressive drugs that will help her body to respond bet-ter to her new liver by suppress-ing the body’s reactions against a foreign body.

Her medications will be adjusted as she ages and regu-lar medical surveillance is also needed, De Villa noted.

As for the liver donor, De Villa said the liver regenerates and it goes back to pre-donation size in one or two months.

Meanwhile, Margie Juico, PCSO chief, pledged an educa-tion grant to 18-year old donor Jefferson.

Liver disease is a common illness in the country affecting

both children and adults. Among adults, the culprits are chronic hepatitis B infection, alcoholic liver disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Among chil-dren, one of the causes is Biliary Atresia, a disease of the bile ducts, the tube-like structures that carry the enzymes for digestion.

This is not the first liver transplant in the country. De Villa said a number of liver transplant procedures have been performed in the past although only a few survived long after the operation.

(Story courtesy of Manila Bul-letin’s Jenny F. Manongdo and Edd K. Usman)

Pinoy team of docs perform

first successful liver transplant

natural sales people are outgo-ing, comfortable speaking in public, and self-motivated. But those are skills that can also be acquired. Before div-ing in, make arrangements to shadow several direct sellers so you can see what it takes to be successful.

Is this a product I can be-lieve in? Genuine excitement is catching, so if you really believe in the product, a lot of the work is already done for you. And the opposite is true, too – if you wouldn’t buy the product for yourself, you’ll have a very hard time selling it to anyone else.

Do I risk financial loss by joining the company? Le-gitimate companies generally have low start-up costs – typi-cally less than $100. It’s also very important to understand the company’s buy-back policy so that you will know your rights should you choose to quit the business.

Direct selling can be very rewarding. Denise Pagano from New York did her home-work and decided to become an Independent Beauty Advi-sor for L’Bel, a premium skin care and cosmetics company. “Once I tried the products, I couldn’t wait to start sharing them with my friends,” she said. “I felt good about work-ing for a company that’s had over 40 years of success, and it’s turned out to be a great fit for me. I get to set my own hours, I can sell online, one on one, or at L’Bel Beauty Parties – whatever works best for me.”

Denise has also benefited from the coaching and educa-tion provided by L’Bel, as well as the online support offered. “In my Beauty Advi-sor Office Suite, I can com-municate with people, manage my business and access more training and resources.” To find out if working with L’Bel could be a possibility for your career, visit www.lbelusa.com.

Is it Time to Work for Yourself?

From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

An Open Letter to APPA Members(Continued from page 10)the House of Delegates after the election. I said:

“We have witnessed the first test of a “milestone-making event”---the ‘one-man-one- vote,” the full and unrestricted rights and direct participation of all members in the election pro-cess in the APPA. The members have spoken and I respect their decision.

I wish to congratulate Dr. Cueto and I wish him luck in steering this organization in the right direction. I come out, as they say, a wounded soldier; how-ever, my wounds will heal and I will emerge as a stronger, wiser, and better person.

I wish to express my profound gratitude to each and every one of you for granting me this op-portunity to lead this assembly. I wish to thank those of you who have supported me and our cause. I am referring to “TO LEAD BY THE RULES,” the basic and fundamental foundation of any organization.

We must learn from our shortcomings in these elections. . We all suffer setbacks in life . We must learn the lesson of minimizing the impact of de-feat or setback by accepting it with grace. How we face those setbacks defines our fitness to become leaders and role models.The House of Delegates with its new and mandated powers must be in the forefront in making sure these rules that we have labored so long to legislate must be fol-lowed. No organization can exist, much less prosper, without rules and the members’ respect and ad-herence to them. For if we fail in our duties, I fear the day that our House rules will be supplanted by the law of a powerful few.

Two days ago, we ratified several amendments to our Constitution and Bylaws through the initiative of our dynamic Vice Speaker and chairman of the Bylaws committee Dr. “June” Paraguya and Dr. Grace Rabad-am, our Secretary, whose tireless efforts have done so much to pre-serve the integrity of the HOD. I am proud to have served this assembly and I hope you share my pride in spite of the efforts to

discredit me.Lastly, all my efforts and ac-

complishments would have not been possible without the sup-port, sacrifices and advice of my wife Cely and my family. I hope you will forgive me if I call Cely to please stand and be recognized.

I thank you all and I SHALL RETURN!”

The next chapter will tell you what happened after the events I covered above. It is very lamen-table to say that I did not return to APPA. Likewise, my friends and supporters did the same. FRIENDS LTD was born instead.

Consider this. It is my esti-mate that twelve (12) past presi-dents of APPA, never returned to participate in the association.

The following were portions of problems covered by:

• Filipino Reporter, 10-08-1999

Rudy Lontoc, active officer in the APPA wrote:

“APPA needs thorough cleansing for its survival.”

“Politicking is not unusual but what happened in this year’s election for president goes well beyond the norm. Rules are no longer adhered to religiously. Candidates recruit new members and paid for their pay their dues, majority of them are not even qualified…”

“… There is too much cheat-ing… some of those recruited and voted were just medical students, some have newly gradu-ated and not even in practice yet.

Their addresses, while not in P.O boxes, were also fabri-cated…”

“What is the difference be-tween typewritten ballots done by one person and those written by one or two secretaries?” (Did this happen to me when I ran for President-elect?) It only proved that the election process during my candidacy in 1992 was inac-curate and not credible. It looked farcical. Now I realized why the President decided to postpone the deadline of ballots to be submit-ted by voters for another month and I agreed. I was told later the reason was to give them time to recruit more members, and some-one paid their membership dues and wooed them to vote for the

candidate. Their hubris and greed made APPA elections a ludicrous one. Fil-Am image reporter stated: “Next time if you wish to win an election you must have an expert vote- getter- strategist”

(To be Continued)

To order this book, “From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor”, call (619) 474-0588.

(Continued from page 1)(Continued from page 13)


Showbiz Watcher

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

by Ogie Cruz

Kung no.1 primetime bida ng ABS-CBN ang “Mara Clara”, dito rin sa Amerika pinagkakaguluhan din ang naturang teleserye sa TFC. Itoy pinangungunahan ng mga baguhang youngstars na sina Kathryn Bernardo as Mara and Julia Montes as Clara.

Nu’ng masunog nga si Mara, isang bata ang pinag-kaguluhan sa Youtube at Facebook dahil video nito na masyado itong apektado sa nangyari kay Mara na inakala ng bata si Mara talaga ang nasunog. Kontodo iyak ang bata habang sinisigaw niya ang name ni Mara, so ang nangyari instant star siya sa Internet hanggang mapalabas na rin sa Tv Patrol ang natur-ang video at nagsalita na rin si Kathryn Bernardo , para ipa-hayag ang kanyang kagalakan at sa naging reaction ng bata.

Ang bata pala ay nasa Amerika, at itoy taga Illinois Chicago, ayon na rin sa dati naming student sa Central Colleges of Philippines na si-yang nagbigay ng information tungkol sa bata.Pamela daw ang name ng bata na kinatu-waan sa Facebook, na anak ni Joy Del Rosario.Alam nyo ba na gusto nga mainterbyu ang bata ng ABS-CBN, baka sa mga susunod na palabas

Sino ang mas magaling umarte, si Mara o si Clara?

ay makita nyo si Pamela at nagsasalita na rin sa Tv, yes instant star siya.

Ganon kaapektado ang mga Pinoy dito sa Amerika dahil sa nangyari kay Mara, at takenote pinagtulunan pa ito sa Facebook kung totoong namatay si Mara, pero sabi ko nga sa inyo matatalino na rin ang mga manonood at nanini-wala sila na hindi si Mara ang namatay kundi si Nenita na kontrabida na kasama ni Gary.

Totoo nga, hindi nga namatay si Mara ayon na rin sa huling napanood namin at nagkaroon ito ng Amnessia,hindi na niya maalala ang lahat tungkol sa kanyang pinanggalingan.Dahil sa twist ng story kaya patuloy ito na nasa no. 1 slot ayon na rin sa AGB Nielsen Survey.Ayon nga sa kanilang Whole Day Average Tv Rating nung last March 8,2011

Mara Clara 16.6Minsan Lang kita Iibigin

13.9Mutya 13.6The Baker King 12.9Imortal 12.2I Love You Pare 10.3TV Patrol, TemptationWife at Dwarfina 10Eat Bulaga 9.624 Oras 9.3Magic Palayok 8.8

Kaya dahil sa kasikatan na natamo ng natur-ang programa, gagawa ngayon ng isang movie ang sina Kathryn at Julia na sila ang bida mismo sa Star Cinema, sila na kaya ang susunod sa yapak nina Judy Ann Santos at Gladys Reyes.Ang tanong ngayon sino ba ang mas magaling um-arte si Mara ba o si Clara, pero kung kami ang tatanungin paraho silang magaling kaya lang mas angat si Clara

dahil mas challenging ang role niya samantalang si Mara subdued.

Anung say n’yo readers ?

NORA AUNOR UUWI NANG PILIPINAS !Ma-tunog na matunog ang balita sa linggo ito uuwi ang Nora Aunor sa Pilipinas, ayon na rin sa isang fan niya na galing pa ng Pilipinas para sunduin siya.

Dadalo raw ito sa grandfi-nals ng “Talentadong Pinoy” ng channel 5 along with Judy Ann Santos at Lani Mesa-lucha, sa sabado na yun sa March 12, ofkors this year.

Nagpatahi na nga raw ng gown ang Superstar sa Pilipinas at pati shoes nito na susuutin pero $60 question matuloy kaya?Habang sinusu-lat namin ito ,marami pa rin ang hindi naniniwala na uuwi ngayon si Guy, pero alam nyo na ba na may gagawin siyang pelikula na “El Presidente” ni Gov. ER Ejercito. Dahil sa kanyang pagdating, hindi na raw si Gov. Vilma Santos ang makakasama sa movie kundi si Nora Aunor na.

Isa na rin sa pagdating ni Guy na lilinawin ang tungkol sa nachi-chismis sa kanya na naghihirap daw siya sa Ameri-ka at pati pamasahe kailangan pang ipanglimos sa ibang tao, ayon sa pagtatanggol ng isang close sa kanya.

Pwes ! Abangan na lang natin ang kanyang pagdating o dumating na !

NAGSALITA NA SI MA-RICEL SORIANO ABOUT BASEMENT ISSUE !Matagal din kumalat sa showbiz landia na si Maricel daw ay nasa isang basement ng Hospital, at nagpapagamot.

Nasangkot din dito ang pagamit ng Diamond Star ng ipinagbabawal ng gamut kaya siya nasa basement ng hospi-tal na karaniwang nangyayari sa mga artista na nalulong sa nasabing issue.Kesyo masama raw talaga ang disposition sa buhay nito dahil sa pagkawala na kanyang pinakamamahal na ina.

Ang sagot daw ni Maricel sa issue na ito ay “ Wala ako sa basement nasa penthouse ako ngayon,”.So lumabas din ang katotohanan na hindi siya nasa isang basement ng hospital.

Ang tanong ngayon ng marami, kailan kaya mag-babalik ulit si Maria sa pag-gawa ng movie at tv show.Kung kami ang tatanungin

nyo, hindi namin alam .Basta ang alam naming,marami pa rin siyang tagahanga na sabik siya makita.

CHARICE BALIK GLEE ! Tuloy na tuloy na raw ang pagbabalik ni Charice sa sikat na Tv show rito sa Amerika na “GLEE” as Sunshine Corazon bilang pinay exchange stu-dent.

Isa raw katunayan tungkol sa Tweet ni Lea Michele na “Look Who’s Back”, siempre sinagot naman ito ni Charice ng ganito “You’re so sweet”, kaya naman naging sentro ng usapan ito sa twitter. Si Lea yung nakasagutan niya at kalaban niya sa pagkanta sa naturang show.Abangan na lang natin ang muling pagba-bangga nina Charice at Lea sa “GLEE”.

SARAH GERONIMO SUPER DALDAL NA RAW NGAYON ! Anu itong naba-litaan namin na yung dating sobrang tahimik e ngayon daw ay super daldal na raw ni Sarah Geronimo.

Kapag off air ang show nila, ang dami raw sinasabi ni Sarah at sobrang ku-lit ng young superstar. Ke-syo maganda ang damit mo ngayon,gusto ko yung buhok mo, yan daw ang mga litanya ni Sarah. Marami raw siyang napapansin sa ngayon, hindi kaya lalo siyang malagay sa intriga dahil kapag nagkamali siya ng kanyang mga salita e baka makarating it okay Cristine Reyes na alam nating hindi siya uurungan nito.

Samantala, tuloy pa rin ang paggawa niya ng movie with Gerald Anderson ,on going nga ang kanilang paggawa kaya baka sila na ang ma-link dalawa.Hindi kaya magalit sa kanya ang mga “kimerald fans” at bantaan siya ng mga ito at puedeng-puede ipalit ni Sarah sa puso niya si Gerald kapalit ni Rayver Cruz?

Isa pang movie na ga-gawin niya na sigurado na, ay ang pagsasama nila nina Sharon Cuneta at Judy Ann Santos.Tatlo silang mag-sasama sa isang movie, na im sure hindi ito panonoo-din ni Cristine Reyes.Kasi naman,nagmimistulang kakampi ito ni Sarah tungkol sa intriga nila ng kasalukuy-ang girlfriend ni Rayver.Sino pa, ang mga ate-atehan ni Sarah na sina Sharon at Judy Ann.

Maricel Soriano

Charise

New York, NY – March 8, 2011—Asian American talent takes center stage in one of this year’s most highly anticipated action fantasy films, SUCKER PUNCH, which opens nation-wide in theaters and IMAX on Friday, March 25, 2011 through Warner Bros. Pictures. Directed by Zack Synder (“Watchmen,” “300”), SUCKER PUNCH is an immersive, visual effects extravaganza featuring a num-ber of Asian American talent both in front of and behind the camera. This includes Chinese-Filipino American actress/sing-er Vanessa Hudgens (Disney’s “High School Musical” series), Korean American actress Jamie Chung (upcoming “The Hangover Part II,” “Dragonball Evolution”), Japanese Ameri-can screenwriter Steve Shibuya, Chinese American cinematogra-pher Larry Fong (“Watchmen,” “300”) and Chinese American editor William Hoy “Watch-men,” “300”). Additionally, SUCKER PUNCH’s unique cinematic style incorporates a number of Asian pop culture influences that include Japanese anime, Hong Kong martial arts films and even Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. For more info on SUCKER PUNCH and special promotions, visit: www.face-book.com/SPJourney.

About the film

Close your eyes. Open your mind. You will be unprepared.

“Sucker Punch” is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unre-strained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary.

She has been locked away against her will, but Babydoll (Emily Browning) has not lost her will to survive. Deter-mined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls—the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish)—to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac) and Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino), before the mysterious High Roller (Jon Hamm) comes for Babydoll.

Led by Babydoll, the girls engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samu-rais to serpents, with a virtual arsenal at their disposal. To-gether, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. But with the help of a Wise Man (Scott Glenn), their unbelievable journey—if they succeed—will set them free.

Born from the creative vi-sion of filmmaker Zack Snyder (“Watchmen,” “300”), “Sucker Punch” features an ensemble cast of young stars, including Emily Browning (“The Unin-vited”), Abbie Cornish (“Bright Star”), Jena Malone (“Into the Wild”), Vanessa Hudgens (the “High School Musical” films) and Jamie Chung (“Sorority Row”). The film’s main cast also includes Carla Gugino (“Watchmen”) and Oscar Isaac (“Robin Hood”), with Jon Hamm (“The Town,” TV’s “Mad Men”) and Scott Glenn (“The Bourne Ultimatum”).

Zack Snyder directed “Sucker Punch” from a screen-

EntertainmentAsian American talent featured in

action fantasy “Sucker Punch”Visual effects extravaganza features Asian American actresses

Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung; co-written by Steve Shibuya, cinematography by Larry Fong and editing by William Hoy

play he wrote with Steve Shibuya, based on Snyder’s story. Snyder and Deborah Snyder produced, with Thomas Tull, Wesley Coller, Jon Jashni, Chris deFaria, Jim Rowe and William Fay serving as execu-tive producers.

The behind-the-scenes cre-ative team includes Academy Award®-winning production designer Rick Carter (“Avatar”) and “Watchmen” and “300” veterans director of photogra-phy Larry Fong, editor William Hoy and costume designer Michael Wilkinson. The music is by Tyler Bates and Marius DeVries.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Cruel and Unusual Production of a Zack Snyder film, “Sucker Punch.” Opening nationwide in theaters and IMAX on March 25, 2011, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

“Sucker Punch” has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for thematic material involving sexuality, violence and combat sequences, and for language.

About the cast and crew

Vanessa Hudgens is an actress and singer best known for her work in the popular “High School Musical” series. Hudgens is of mixed cultural background, as her mother, a native of Manila, is of Chinese-Filipino-Spanish descent and her father is of Irish and Native American descent.

Jamie Chung has appeared in numerous television shows and feature films includ-ing “Dragonball Evolution” with Chow Yun Fat and the upcoming summer comedy “The Hangover Part II” with Ken Jeong. Chung is Korean American and was born in San Francisco.

Steve Shibuya is a Japanese American screenwriter who co-wrote SUCKER PUNCH with director Zack Synder. SUCKER PUNCH is his first produced screenplay.

Larry Fong began his pro-fessional career filming music videos for such artists as REM, Van Halen and Goo Goo Dolls. His first major studio film was “300”. Fong was born and raised in Los Angeles to Chi-nese-Hawaiian parents. He is also an accomplished magician.

William Hoy is a film editor with more than 25 credits since 1987. His films include such major Hollywood blockbust-ers as “300,” “I, Robot” and “Fantastic Four”. He is Chinese American.

Zack Synder is an ac-claimed director, screenwriter and producer whose credits include “Watchmen,” “300,”, and “Dawn of the Dead”. He has also been named as direc-tor of “Superman”. SUCKER PUNCH marks his third collab-oration with cinematographer Larry Fong and editor William Hoy.

Vanesa Hudgens


Food & Dining

(Family Features) Cut back on fatty foods…check. Re-duce sodium intake…check. Switch to diet sodas…check. There are a lot of things that get put on the dietary “to-do” list, and most of them involve eliminating what’s not good for the body. But what about adding what is good for the body? There are plenty of healthy and delicious foods that need to be added to every-one’s diet.

The U.S. 2010 Dietary Guide-lines recommend Americans follow a healthy meal pat-tern while staying within their calorie needs. Americans are urged to choose a variety of protein foods including soy products, as well as increase their intake of fortified soy beverages.

“Soyfoods can play a part in any healthy, well-balanced diet because they nourish the body with high-quality pro-tein that’s low in saturated fat and is cholesterol-free,” said Patricia Greenberg, aka The Fitness Gourmet, who is a Certified Culinary Profes-sional, nutritionist and chef.

“Many people are sur-prised to find out how many soy products are available,” she said. “Besides tofu, you can enjoy soymilk, soy oil for cooking, soy flour for baking, soy nut butter for snacking – and that’s just the beginning!”

Soymilk is also an op-tion for children with special dietary needs, such as food allergies and lactose intoler-ance. Fortified soymilk can supply calcium, vitamin D and a high-quality protein as well as potassium, magne-sium, folic acid and iron, all key nutrients of concern for

Make the Switch to a Healthier Youchildren.

Greenberg says to take steps to a healthier, plant-based diet one at a time, and offers these ideas for making the switch:

Breakfast

Dress up high-protein cereal with almonds, dried cherries, and vanilla soymilk.

For moist and fluffy muf-fins, pancakes, and quick breads – use soy yogurt in place of milk.

Enjoy a sweet and sus-taining breakfast by topping English muffins with soynut butter, bananas, and cinna-mon.

LunchEnhance creamy soups

with pureed silken tofu.Liven up soups and salads

by adding steamed edamame beans.

Go for the veggie burger – and be sure to add all your favorite condiments.

DinnerCreate better-for-you

quesadillas with grated soy cheddar, tomato, jalapenos, and cilantro.

Swap soy crumbles for

some (or all) of the ground beef in pasta sauces and chil-ies.

Add sliced vegetarian sau-sage to Italian-style peppers or jambalaya for a comfort food favorite.

SnackCreate homemade

trail mix with roasted soy nuts, dried fruits and bite-sized whole grain cereal.

Carry soy and fruit bars in your purse or backpack for emer-gency snack attacks.

Refuel fast with a soymilk latte and a banana.

For more ideas and recipes, visit www.soyfoods.org.

Soy Sloppy JoesMakes 6 servings 2 tablespoons

vegetable oil3 12-ounce pack-

ages soy crumbles1 medium onion,

chopped1/2 large green bell pep-

per, chopped1 cup ketchup2 cups tomato juice2 tablespoons brown

mustard1/4 teaspoon black pepper6 whole grain burger

buns, split In saucepan, heat oil

over medium heat and sauté crumbles, onions and peppers, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add ketchup, tomato juice, mustard, salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes, stir-ring frequently.

Smother a bun half with 1/2 cup of crumble mixture, replace bun top and serve.

Note: This mixture can be made ahead and frozen.

(Family Features) Whether you cook them for breakfast, lunch or dinner, eggs are a great ingredient for a meatless spring dish. By incorporating eggs with other easy-to-pre-pare ingredients, like piero-gies, you can create a hearty meal that can be served for brunch gatherings or week-night family meals.

The recipe below for Simple Spring Frittata com-bines eggs, pierogies, fresh asparagus and savory Swiss cheese to create a Spanish-style omelet the whole family will enjoy. If asparagus isn’t handy, you can replace it with spinach, broccoli or any one of your favorite vegetables. This seasonal recipe, which contains less than 10 ingre-dients and takes less than 30 minutes to prep and cook, is the perfect dish for the Lenten season. For more recipes, visit www.pierogies.com.

Make Meatless Meals a Favorite This SpringSimple Spring Frittata Serves 6

1 (16-ounce) package frozen Mrs. T’s Pierogies

6 asparagus spears, each cut into 1-inch pieces

6 large eggs1/3 cup milk2 tablespoons fresh

chopped parsley1 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon ground black

pepper1/2 cup shredded Gruyere

or Swiss cheese1 tablespoon butter

Boil pierogies as package directs. Drain.

Heat asparagus in small saucepan in enough water to cover to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until asparagus are tender. Drain well and pat dry.

Beat eggs, milk, parsley, salt and pepper in medium-size bowl; stir in shred-ded cheese. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter in 10-inch

Seafood Sustains Hunger Pangs

(Family Features) The season of Lent, when millions of Catholics, Anglicans and others abstain from eating meat on Fridays, often leaves people hungry for more.

Those observing Lent may be tempted to turn to meals packed with carbohydrates and sugar, in lieu of protein on meat-free Fridays. Carb-heavy meals often have little nutri-tional substance and leave diners starving an hour later. Thankfully, there is another delicious option perfect for meat-free Fridays, and it’s packed with protein and other nutrients - seafood.

Seafood is an excellent source of protein, and many types of seafood provide omega-3 fatty acids necessary for brain function and vision, as well as essential vitamins like B12 and D and other important nutrients.

Plus, there are a number of affordable and easy-to prepare seafood options that can be found right in the grocery store freez-er section. For instance, all-new Popcorn Fish from SeaPak Shrimp Company are a deli-cious and sophisticated twist on the traditional minced fish stick.

As a versatile and acces-sible seafood option, Popcorn Fish can be easily popped in-side a tortilla for a fresh take on tacos, on top of a salad as a tasty alternative to chicken or served as a center of the plate meal with a variety of savory and sweet sauces. For a casual and fun get-together, Popcorn Fish make the perfect fin-ger food for dipping in tasty sauces. Either way, they’re a convenient way to enjoy seafood throughout the season and, the best part is, they’ll keep hunger at sea.

Try this recipe for a meat-free menu delight. For more seafood recipe ideas, visit www.SeaPak.com.

Baja Popcorn Fish TacosTime: 25 minutes Serves: 4-6

1 22-ounce package SeaPak Popcorn Fish, frozen

8-10 soft flour, heated according to pack-age directions (can substitute crispy corn tortillas)

1 16-ounce bag of fresh slaw (or 1/2 head of shredded cabbage)

1 11-ounce can manda-rin oranges, drained

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 avocado, diced 2 tablespoon fresh cilan-

tro chopped (optional) Juice from 1 lime (about 2

tablespoons) 1 tablespoon honey Taco sauce (recipe below)

Taco Sauce8 ounces sour cream1 1-ounce packet ranch

dressing mix1 1.25-ounce packet taco

seasoning

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Bake popcorn fish accord-ing to package instructions.

Mix sour cream, ranch dressing and taco seasoning. (You can use a little milk to thin the sauce if desired.) Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve

Place slaw (or shredded cabbage), mandarin oranges, black beans, avocado, cilantro in a large bowl.

Place lime juice and honey in a small bowl and stir to-gether. Pour over slaw mix-ture and toss until well mixed and coated.

Assemble tacos. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of taco sauce onto a tortilla. Add slaw mixture and top with a hot popcorn fish. Serve immediately.

Hungry for More this Lenten Season?

AMERASIAN CUISINE

Del - Chit RiveraProprietor

289 E. Orange & Melrose Chula Vista, CA 91911

(619) 426-7804(Alongside Seafood City Supermarket)

Pary Trays - Fast Food - Food to go - Lechon

oven-proof skillet over me-dium heat. Add half of egg mixture; top with pierogies, asparagus and remaining egg mixture. Cook until frittata is just set around edges, about 5 minutes.

Place skillet in oven; cook until frittata is set, 5 to 8 min-utes. Serve immediately.


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

journalusa.com

Genie: Dahil pinalaya mo ako, may 3 wishes ka!

Man: UNA Gawin mo akong rich, pero di bayad ng tax;

PANGALAWA powerful, pero di halata;

PANGATLO notorious, pero wala sabit.

Genie: Okay, mula ngayon ikaw na si Mike Arroyo.

Sgt: Boss, nakatakas si Al-Ghozi.

Ebdane: Huh! Did you seal all exits?

Sgt: Yes, sir! Ebdane: Eh paano siya

nakatakas? Sgt: Doon po kasi siya

lumabas sa entrance.

A COW Story A COW Story America has COWboy and

COWgirl England has madCOW China has MaCOW Russia has MosCOW

Philippines has politicians magnanaCOW

Erap: “Doc, I accidentally swallowed a chicken bone!”

Doc: “Is it choking?” Erap: “No, it is Max’s.” Doc: “I don’t mean ‘Chow

King’, I mean, are you chok-ing?....”

Erap: “ JOking?No, Doc! Serioso ako, Doc!”

1828 Coronado Ave. San Diego, CA 92154Madona Illeto - Proprietor (619) 429-5778

LifestyleRead J’Son’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.

asianjournalusa.com

by Joe Son

By John Anthony P. Son

(This article is an original winning piece of a two-min-ute speech contest written and won by the writer/contestant, a fourteen year old, ninth grader just recently from San Ysidro, high school, from a group of six contestants.)

As a growing up fourteen year old boy, there are many things in life that puzzled me and at times drive me crazy and I wish they were gone. I have big problems in school to maintain good grades in my

studies sometimes with my homework, with my friends, especially at home with my three younger sisters, and with my parents, too. Though I believe, it is normal for a boy, my age to have all these problems and that’s why I should have to learn a lot of things in my life to make me understand what really is the kind of life I am heading in the future.

There were even time, I asked my mom and dad why I had to be the only boy in the family? Why didn’t they have another boy, so I could have someone to play basket-ball with or just telling some funny jokes? At times, I get bored because my sisters are often playing with their dolls. Sometimes, I wish, I didn’t have three sisters because they would start playing and in a second or two they would start fighting, which really irritates me. But, as a big brother, I can’t do anything except to hold my patience and calm them down very gently and diplomatically, or they will turn against me and be in trouble with my parents.

Sometimes I have crazy thought and asked myself, why did I become a big brother? I even thought about being the little one out of the

Why Me, Why Not?four, so that they will be the one taking care of me and not the other way around. My mom and dad always remind me that I have to care for my three younger sisters and consider them as princesses in the house, because they resort in crying to get anything they want. As a big responsible brother, I always cater to their needs, I have to give them food when wanted, watch TV channels of their choice and play games that they enjoy. Sometimes they grab and play with my video games and

interrupt me while playing basket-ball, and if I refuse they resort to crying and either my mom or dad will ask me

to let them play, so they won’t cry.

Why me? Why not? Hon-estly, when I am in the right mood and when I start think-ing about it, I realize that I love my three little sisters and I am proud to be their big brother. They cheer me up by making me laugh with their naughty and funny tricks and actions. Dimple, 10 years old, wants always to beat me in basketball. Joshelle, 6 years old, comes to me and wants me to teach her math, read-ing and spelling homework. Joshleen, 4 years old, wants me to teach her how to recite the ABCs, sing and dance. All four of us love each other and enjoy playing among ourselves. As the oldest of the four, my parents told me that I am responsible enough to care and understand my younger sisters.

Why me? Why not? I guess my little sisters just needed a big brother. I just hope and pray that as we grow older we still can get along with each other. Although, I am confident that by the guid-ance of our parents we will grow loving each other, and hope we remain, healthy, use our talents, finish our careers and live by the grace of God as law-abiding citizens of the United States of America.

Individual leadership

in focus(Continued from page 4)

Whatever is thrown at them, leaders emerge from their crucibles stronger and un-broken. No matter how cruel the testing, they become more optimistic and open to experi-ence. They don’t lose hope or succumb to bitterness.”

As a leader, sometimes we go through a very painful process of being looked upon by the group as inadequate or incompetent, does not make good decisions, alienates ev-erybody and not a good lead-er. Many are not pleased with one’s leadership, be critical of your management, bad mouth you to others, and antagonize all that you are doing.

Some may even leave the group, resign or fall out. It is these times that the leader becomes discouraged, loses the desire to continue and may eventually quit also. As mentioned above, this experi-ence is the “crucible” that can make or break us.

Let us then persists in times of hardship, when ev-eryone is leaving the fold, for it when you have endured that you emerge as a stronger and unbroken leader. Don’t quit when the going gets rough! This applies not only to leader but to followers as well.

DEDICATION- Lead-ers give the time and energy required to achieve their goals and inspire dedication among others by their example. Many of us are too busy pursuing other things such as pleasure, work, business, socials and membership in too many organizations. We do not have time for essential things such as worshipping and serv-ing God, spending time with loved ones, taking care of our health, doing physical activity, and helping others. We should prioritize our time to do the most essential things first. Then, we can be examples to our constituencies of what a balanced life looks like.

The call to leadership is a call to stewardship. It is a call to care for a treasure that belongs to someone else (community) but has been placed in our trust. Our call is to take care of whatever institution or communities we were assigned to for the sake of those who will need them to be effective long after we are gone.

CREATIVITY- Leaders can think outside the box and see what others often read-ily cannot. Leaders dream

positively and think of many different alternatives to the ways of doing things or solv-ing problems. They generally don’t stick to the same way in terms of programs or activi-ties. They tend to collaborate and devise new and modern ways of accomplishing goals and programs. They are not traditional but modern and current.

HUMILITY AND SUB-MISSION- The call to leadership is a call to submis-sion and humility. It is a call to give of ourselves, faithfully, to the best of our ability, and then as Dag Hammarsksjold reminded us, “give others the right to judge.” A leader is also humble and acknowl-edges the work of his/her staff and volunteers as an accom-plishment of the team more than by her/him. One should acknowledge the work that has been done by colleagues and volunteers in public and also in the news articles published. KCS usually gives certificates of recognition to our staff and volunteers dur-ing the annual anniversary celebration held in November.

CHARISMA- This is a trait that should be included; however, some argue that it is overemphasized. Charisma is defined as a special qual-ity of leadership that captures the popular imagination and inspires allegiance and devotion. It is also defined as a special charm or allure that inspires fascination or devotion. I am not sure what makes someone charismatic but I think it is that outward charm or personality that one has and that also comes from the inner character of virtue, strength and moral courage. There have been many posi-tive charismatic leaders the world over that has inspired millions such as John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill and Ramon Magsaysay from the Philippines. There are also negative leaders that led many people to their destruc-tion such as religious cult in Guyana.

One truly charismatic person is Jesus Christ, who lived on earth 2000 years ago to show

the world in His time and throughout the ages how God

is like. He was truly a great leader not only in words but in action. Through the 12 (11) disciples that He had trained, they were able to influence the world to live the abundant life on this earth and beyond. As a Christian, He is our Leader who called us to leadership in the particular work we have been assigned to. We should then be faithful in following Him & doing good works.

***References: The California

Wellness Foundation Annual Report, 2008

Dr. Shirley Mullen, Fuller Theological Seminary Maga-zine, Winter 2011, p.31.

***

COMING SOON!!!!!!!“TASTE OF HEALTHY

FILIPINO MEXICAN CUI-SINE”

March 26, Saturday, 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM

FILAM WELLNESS CENTER

1419 East 8th Street, Na-tional City 91950

Taste and learn how to prepare delicious and healthy FilMex dishes

Prepared by Rudy Lipo-rada, Saladmaster Chef and Victor Paz, Mexican Chef, Nutrition Network for Healthy California.

ENTERTAINMENTNEW DIETARY GUIDE-

LINES 2010RECIPE HANDOUTS

HEALTHY FILIPINO & MEXICAN FOOD

MENU:COLESLAW

CORN & GREEN CHILE SALAD

FISH SINIGANG ALBONDIGAS

10 MINUTES PANCIT VEGETABLE QUESADILLA

CHICKEN ABOBO MOLE CHICKEN

PINAKBET TROPICAL FRUIT PLATE FRUIT WITH YOGURT

MEXICAN RICWHITE & BROWN RICE

DRINKS

TICKETS ARE $10 FOR ADULTS AND $5 FOR

SENIORS.CALL KCS (619) 477-3392

FOR TICKETS


To:

From: Eugene De Leon

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

03/11/11

Liz Escamilla

10x4x10400

CITY OF SAN DIEGOEngineering & Capital Projects Department

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALFOR

Two (2) As-Needed Civil Engineering Services Contracts (H115429 & H115438)

The City of San Diego (City) is requesting proposals from highly qualified civil engineering firms for consultant services for Two (2) As-Needed Civil Engineering Services Contracts (H115429 & H115438).

It is the policy of the City to provide equal opportunity in its civil engineering professional services contracts. Toward this end, proposals from small local businesses, disadvantaged businesses and disabled veteran, women and minority owned businesses are strongly encouraged. Prime consultants are encouraged to provide subcon-sultant opportunities or joint venture with these firms. The City endeavors to do business with firms sharing the City’s commitment to equal opportunity and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition or place of birth.

This project has a voluntary Small Local Business Enterprises (SLBE) / Emerging Local Business Enterprises (ELBE) Participation Level (SLBE/ELBE) goal of 20%. SLBE/ELBE goals are achieved by contracting with SLBE and ELBE firms as defined in the following website, http://www.sandiego.gov/eoc/boc/slbe.shtml. At-tainment of the SLBE/ELBE goal is strongly encouraged, but strictly voluntary.

The City of San Diego will ensure that full access to programs, services, meetings and activities comply with Section 504, Title V, of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990, Public Law 101-336.

In-depth knowledge and a strong understanding of the local environment, and a local presence for interfacing with the City’s project management staff are essential to the successful completion of this project. The proposal must address the consultant’s knowledge and understanding of: the City and other local agencies’ regulations and policies; local environment; and local building codes and other criteria. The proposal must also address how the consultant plans to interface with the City’s project management staff and the consultant’s workforce in San Diego County.

All proposals submitted must be in full accord with the Request for Proposal (RFP) which can be obtained by requesting the RFP via email from John Mendivil, Consultant Services Coordinator, at:

[email protected] of San Diego, Purchasing & Contracting Department

1200 Third Avenue, Suite 200San Diego, CA 92101.

When requesting the RFP, please refer to the specific project title and number, Two (2) As-Needed Civil En-gineering Services Contracts (H115429 & H115438). For questions about RFP procedures please call John Mendivil at (619) 235-5855.

A pre-proposal meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 9:00:00 AM, at Bridgepoint Building, Wada - Large Conference Room 8A, 600 B Street, San Diego, CA 92101. It is strongly recommended that all interested parties attend. For more information, assistance, to request an agenda in alternative format, or to request a sign language or oral interpreter for the meeting, please contact Steve Frick, at 858-533-3409 at least five working days prior to the meeting to ensure availability.

Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 15, 2011, at the location stated in the RFP. This RFP does not commit the City to award a contract or to defray any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal pursuant to this RFP. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this RFP. The City also reserves the right to revise this RFP, including but not limited to the pre-proposal meeting date and the proposal due date. If the City revises the RFP, all RFP holders of record will be notified in writing by the City.

SuMMARy SCoPE oF SERvICESConsultant shall provide as-needed professional Civil Engineering services by Task orders on an hourly basis. The Contract has a term of not to exceed three calendar years from the award and shall not exceed two million dollars. Civil Engineering Services may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the preparation of reports, studies and/or construction documents relating to structural improvements, roadway and pedestrian access im-provements, water, sewer and storm drain replacements, pipe cleaning & televising, pump station upgrades, or other services necessary to complete the Tasks. These services will be provided according to City directions and in conformance with the current California Building Code/Uniform Building Code, California Title 24 Acces-sibility Standards, and the Americans with Disabilities Act/Americans with Disabilities Act Design Guidelines including professional standards of practice established by the City (see paragraph 1-15). This includes all amendments and revisions of these standards as adopted by the City. The remainder of the Scope of Services is contained in the Request for Proposal for Two (2) As-Needed Civil Engineering Services Contracts (H115429 & H115438), as Exhibit A to the Draft Agreement.

CAREGIVER NEEDEDPART TIME 7AM-12PMENCINITAS - CONTACT NADIA (760) 917-5734

Malinaw na walang damdamin si Don Ricardo para sa mga mang-gagawa at kamag-anakan nila. Salapi lamang at tubo ang kaisa-isang hangarin niya sa buhay. Walang halaga sa kanya ang mag-kasakit at mamatay ang kanyang kapuwa, maitaguyod lamang ang kanyang pagpapayaman. Si Don Ricardo ay may pananagutan sa mga napinsala at dapat na magbayad siya ng naaangkop na halaga upang maibsan ang pinsala at hinanakit ng mga nabiktima ng kanyang kasakiman. Kinakailan-gan din na itigil ni Don Ricardo ang paggamit ng mga chemical sa kanyang mga pataniman.

Sinabi naman ng abogado ni Don Ricardo na hindi siya masisisi sa pagkakasakit at pagkamatay ng mga tao sa dahilang walang sino-mang nakatitiyak kung ano ang sanhi ng pagkakasakit o pagkama-tay ng mga tao. Sinisisi ang chem-ical na ginagamit sa pagpapalago ng saging, ngun’it ito ay naaayon sa haka-haka lamang. Walang ebidensiya na ang naturang chemi-cal ang “salarin” kahi’t na ito ay ginagamit sa mga sagingan saan mang lugar sa mundo at kahi’t na ang may gawa ay nagpapatunay na ang chemical ay ligtas. Kung ito ay masama at bawal, hindi na ito lilikhain ng taga-gawa at ipagba-bawal na ito ng mga gobyerno.

Malaki ang pakinabang na idinudulot ng chemical sapagka’t dahilan dito ay gumaganda at

WANTED MARKETING ASSISTANT

CALL (619) 474-0588nabibili ang saging at nagkakaroon ng hanapbuhay ang mga taga-Bellamonte. Kung walang balot ng chemical ay hindi makararat-ing ang saging sa Estados Unidos na nasa magandang kalagayan sapagka’t mahaba ang biyahe.

Hindi pinagmumulan ng sakit ang chemical kung ginagamit ito sa tamang paraan. May mga alituntunin sa pataniman tungkol sa wastong paggamit ng mga chemical. Ang mga kawani na gumagamit nito ay kinakailangang magsuot ng guwantes at saka takip sa mukha at katawan at nang maiwasan ang kontaminasyon. Ipagpalagay man na may epekto ang chemical sa mga tao, ang may kasalanan sa pagkakasakit ay ang mga tao mismo na gumamit sa chemical na hindi sinusundan ang mga alituntunin. Hindi sila nagsusuot ng guwantes at ng naangkop na kasuotan habang gumagamit ng chemical.

Sinabi rin nila na ang mga taong-bayan ay nakikinabang sa ipinasusueldo sa kanila ni Don Ricardo; na sa halip na tuligsain ang kanilang tagapagbigay-hanap-buhay, dapat ay tinatangkilik nila at tinutulungan ang kompanya ni Don Ricardo at nang mapag-tagumpayan ang mga nakakaharap na problema.

Nang dumating na ang takdang oras na ipakilala ang star witness ng mga nagdedemanda ay tinawag ng abogadong taga-usig ang isang lalaking dalubhasa sa mga chemi-cals. Siya ay ang pangunahing doktor at scientifico, sa buong Pilipinas, na nakaaalam sa masasa-mang epekto ng chemical sa kalusugan ng tao. Ang pangalan ng doktor at dalubhasa ay si Dr. Nino Panganiban – dili iba kundi ang kasintahan ni Aurelia! Ipinatawag siya mula sa Maynila at dumating sa pulo upang maging pangunah-ing testigo sa kaso.

Nang mabanggit ang pangalan ni Nino ay nagulat si Aurelia. Dumating pala ang kanyang kasintahan! Nagulat din ang mga kapitbahay na nakakikila kay Nino. Siya pala’y dumating sa nayon na walang nakaaalam. Siya pala ay isa nang mahusay na dok-tor at dalubhasa sa chemical, ang dati-rati’y batang paslit sa nayon, na anak ng mahirap, na nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na makapag-aral sa Maynila. Kay dunong at kay palad na nilalang!

Hindi lamang nagulat si Don Ricardo, tumaas ang kanyang presyon at sumikip ang paghinga dahilan sa narinig. Bago papag-salitain ang testigo ay humiling sa huwes ang abogado ni Don Ricardo na bigyan ng ilang minuto ang inuusig upang makapagpahi-nga at matingnan ng doktor. Ang

kahilingan ay ipinagkaloob naman ng huwes.

Sa sasandaling recess ay nag-karoon ng pagkakataong makapag-usap sina Dr. Nino at Don Ricardo. Nagkulong sila sa isang silid at nag-usap nang lalaki sa lalaki.

Sabi ni Don Ricardo kay Nino, “Hindi ko akalain na ikaw pala ang testigo ng mga kalaban ko sa kaso, ikaw na para ko nang anak! Kinupkop kita at pinag-aral, na sana isang araw ay babalik ka upang suklian ang aking kabuti-han. Ganoon din upang matulun-gan mo ang aking negosyo, ang iyong mahirap na pamilya, at iyong mga kanayon. Ang pangarap ko ay di pala matutupad.”

Sagot ni Nino, “Ikinalulungkot ko po, Don Ricardo. Ako po’y lu-bos na nagpapasalamat sa inyong pagtataguyod sa aking pag-aaral. Tiyak ko na kayo ay maginoo na may magandang kalooban. Ako’y nakapag-aral sa pamamagitan ng inyong salapi. Ang dapat ay maging tapat ako sa inyo. Tama po kayo, Don Ricardo. Kung kaya ako po ay titistigo ay upang kayo ay matulungan, sapagka’t kayo ay isang biktima rin.

“May masamang hangin po sa inyong hacienda at ang lason ay nasa lupa na at sa tubig na iniinom ng mga mamamayan. Ito po’y iki-namatay na ng maraming kanayon at kamag-anakan natin, pati na ng ina ng aking pinakamamahal sa buhay. Kapag nakumbinsi ko po ang huwes na ang chemical ay lason at di mainam sa kalusugan ng mga taga-rito, Don Ricardo, lahat po tayo ay mananalo. Iisa po ang hanging ating hinihinga dito sa Bellamonte. Iisa po ang tubig na ating iniinom. Tayo pong lahat ay malalason, pati kayo Don Ricardo. Maaaring isa-isa tayong magkakasakit at mamatay sanhi ng chemical. Una-una po lamang ang pagdapo ng sakit sa atin, tiyak pong tayong lahat ay mama-matay.”

“Nino, ang katulad mo ay isang ahas na tumutuklaw sa kamay na nagpapakain sa kanya!” Mapait na pagsumbat ni Don Ricardo.

“Ikinalulungkot ko po, Don Ricardo, ang lalabas sa aking bibig ay ang katotohanan at ang kalig-tasan nating lahat. Patawarin po ninyo ako.”

At mula noon ay di na mul-ing magkakasanib ang landas ng tumulong at ng natulungan.

Mahalaga sa buhay ang utang-na-loob at katapatan. Nguni’t higit na matimbang sa timbangan ng buhay ang Pag-ibig. Pag-ibig sa kasintahan. Pag-ibig sa buhay. Pag-ibig sa tama. Pag-ibig sa nakararami. Pag-ibig sa naaapi. Pag-ibig sa katotohanan.

Classified Ads

Highest Pay, paid vacation Weekly Pay, Flexible Hours We speak Tagalog Call first for required

documents

High Profile Clients in Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Beach areas and La Jolla

Interviewing all day Mon.-Fri., 10am—4pm No appointment required

Rancho Santa Fe Plaza 162 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road, B-10 (facing Manchester)

Encinitas, CA 92024 (877) 254-4860 www.HCA-sd.com

Now Available:

Tawa’t Tula ng mga Piling Katatawanan

By Joe Cabrera

A Collecton of Jokes Written in Pilipino Verse

$10.00 a copy

Call Asian Journal San Diego619-474-0588

THE MOVIE WAS SHOT AND Kate had a splash in the local film industry. She even made it to the cover of many movie magazines and was featured in some newspaper articles. A pin-up photo of her wearing a bikini hung on the walls of the rooms of many adolescent boys. She was an instant celebrity and could have had a successful movie career had she decided to stay in the country. But to avoid trouble with the authorities, since she had no work permit due to her being there as a tourist, she was whisked away by Danny once she was paid. She invited Danny to see her whenever he visited America, but Danny thought it would

be next to impossible since he had no plans to go back to the U.S., at least unless it was ur-gently necessary. It didn’t help that Kate was from Kansas, and he only usually went as far as California.

DANNY EVENTUALLY REALIZED he could not depend on his winnings on the racetracks to be able to sup-port his family. But he was unskilled and too lazy to work for other people. Then he thought of putting up an off-track betting station for race horsing in the tourist district of the city. It was a brilliant idea as there was no competi-tion in the vicinity. The race aficionados usually bet on il-legal bookies, who sometimes did not pay their winnings. They occasionally avoid the prying eyes of the authorities

who usually pounced on them not to enforce the law, but to fleece money from the viola-tors. Danny’s off-track betting station was legal, operating with the sanction and supervi-sion of the horse racing or-ganizers. Danny had his cake and ate it too. He enjoyed the pastime and liked how he could make money out of it.

TIME WENT BY FAST AND BEFORE THEY KNEW IT, seven years had passed. But Mindy was no longer in the mood to have her first husband declared officially dead or missing so she could have her marriage annulled and marry Danny to get her immigrant visa. It turned out her parents were committing fraud by ille-gally collecting money from the government in America. The couple divorced so they could collect Social Security Supplemental Income pay-ments separately and thereby

get more money. But they continued to live together, and an envious acquaintance re-ported them to the authorities. Other petty frauds and fac-tors aggravated their situation until they voluntarily left the country rather than serve jail time. Besides, Mindy enjoyed being a pampered wife. She never worked to earn a living, and Danny provided for her. All she had to do was take care of her two daughters, the first with her first husband, the second with Danny. In America, she realized she would have to work her butt off, sometimes holding onto multiple jobs just to survive. Besides, her daughters were still young and would cer-tainly need a babysitter if she had to work. She would see America someday, she prom-ised herself. There was still plenty of time.

ONE EVENING, Danny was awakened by the inces-sant ringing of the telephone. It was his first wife, Betty. She wanted him to talk to their youngest child, Jimboy, who was upset and throwing tantrums at that time.

“Talk to him,” Betty or-dered her ex-husband. “I can no longer control him.”

“Why is he upset?” Danny asked her.

It was time for Betty to tell him the news. – AJ

(To be continued)

COMPLICATED AFFAIRS

Leading Lady(Continued from page 12)

May Pakla Ang Saging sa Bellamonte Maikling Kuwento

ni Percival Campoamor Cruz



Date post:	29-Mar-2015
Category:	Documents
Upload:	asian-journal
View:	404 times
Download:	5 times

Asian Journal March 11, 2011 issue

Documents