Asian Journal Feb 4 2011 Edition

Was Jesus Christ born in December and was

He black?... p 12

Please pass the salt... p 11

Warning: The California Department of Real Estate has not examined this offering, including but not limited to the condition of title, the status of blanket liens of the project (if any), arrangements to assure project completion, escrow practices, control over project management, racially discriminatory practice (if any), terms, conditions, and price of the offer, control over annual assessments (if any), or the availability of water services, utilities, or improvements. It may be advisable for you to consult an attorney or other knowledgeable professional who is familiar with real estate and development law in the country where this subdivision is situated.

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(Continued on page 10)

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Barona Resort & Casino celebrates the Year of the Rabbit With traditional Lion and Dragon dance. The two-week cele-bration lasts February 3-17 with opportunities for guests to win thousands in cash.

February 4 - 10, 2011

Rudy D. LiporadaMsgr. Gutierrez Ogie CruzSabi ni Rico, masama

ugali ni Williep 19

Manila was ranked as the ninth most dynamic city in the world, according to the Brookings’ Global Metro Monitor which surveyed 150 of the world’s largest metro-

politan economies.“Healthy tourism and de-

mand for IT products helped Manila crack the top ten, in Brookings’ rankings for the first time,” said an article at The Atlantic magazine, citing the report of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Pro-gramme and London School of Economics (LSE).

Manila’s 2009?2010 ranking leapt from its 24th spot in the recession period (2007?2009) and 34th place during the pre?recession pe-

riod (1993?2007). Manila was described as a metropolitan area with a 2010 population of 12.188 million with a per capita income of US$2,949 as of 2007.

The cities were ranked based on their positions as areas of high?value and high?impact economic activ-ity in their respective regions and nations.

Istanbul in Turkey topped the global list, followed by Shenzhen, China; Lima, Peru; Singapore; Santiago, Chile; Shanghai, China; Guang-zhou, China; Beijing, China; Manila; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Manila among the most vibrant cities in the worldCOMPLICATED AFFAIRS

Another ChildBy Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.

Publisher & EditorAsian Journal San Diego

The Original and First Asian Journal in America

Chapter 3

“What’s that?” Menchie asked upon hearing the noise coming from the ter-race.

“It’s nothing,” Danny replied. “Maybe it’s just a cat.”They looked at the terrace and saw a silhouette of a man.“There’s a peeping tom!” Menchie cried. She got hold of an ash tray beside the bed and

threw it at the direction of the terrace.The shadow scampered away quickly.

Menchie got out of bed and rushed inside the bath-room. When she came out, she was fully-dressed

but fuming mad.“You are all perverts,” she angrily told

Danny in a loud voice. She thought Danny allowed other people to peek at their love making.

“But I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Danny protested in vain.

Menchie nonetheless rushed out of the condo unit, slamming the door as she left.

Danny felt helpless and disappoint-ed. He dressed up and walked down the stairs, a defeated man. At the small lobby, he saw the security guards with two of his friends.

“Ayos ba, bossing (Is everything okay, boss)?” the guard asked with a big grin plastered on his lips.

Blood rushed towards Danny’s head. He was livid. He lunged for-

ward in anger and hit the jaw of the guard with his right hand. The guard fell on the floor, and his two friends helped him stand up.

“You son of a bitch!” he hollered at the guard. “You’re a pervert!”When the guard and his

friends were about to retaliate, Danny turned around and rushed

up the stairs. He closed and locked the door of his room after en-

tering it. He heard the three men banging at the door.“Go

away. I’m call-ing the police,” he

shouted.The banging continued for a

By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr., Publisher & Editor,

San Diego ASIAN JOURNAL |

SAN DIEGO, 2/4/2011 -- Two of the earliest Filipino Ameri-can businessmen in San Diego County, John Oropesa, founder of Family Loompya, and Louie Caballero, founder of Alice Cakeland, passed away this week.

CWO2 John R. R. Orope-sa, USN (Ret.), founder of Family Loompya, one of the earliest Oriental stores in San Diego County, passed away last January 30, 2011 in San

John Oropesa and Louie CaballeroPioneering Filipino American

businessmen pass away

Louie Caballero, founder of Alice Cakeland


Feb 3 Marks The Year of the Rabbit

Page 2 February 4 - 10, 2011Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

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by Atty. Jean Tinsay, Esq.Legal Buzz

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

The enactment of Public Law 111-83 on October 28, 2009 provides relief to many surviving relatives some who have waited many years only for their visa petitions or applications to be revoked or denied upon the death of their qualifying relative (in most cases the U.S. citizen or permanent resident petition-er). Last December 16, 2010, the USCIS issued the long awaited Policy Memorandum providing guidance on the implementation of Public Law 111-83.

The new law permits the approval of a visa petition or adjustment of status applica-tion and related applications even if the qualifying relative dies provided the alien seek-ing the immigrant benefits meet the following require-ments: (i) the alien resided in the United States when the qualifying relative dies; and (ii) continues to reside in the United States on the date his or her petition or application is decided.

The Policy Memorandum defines residence as “a per-son’s principal, actual dwell-ing place in fact, without regard to intent.” The new

Surviving relatives of deceased petitioner, Part III

law does not require the alien to show the he or she was, or is, residing here lawfully.

When does it apply? Public Law 111-83 applies to any visa petition or applica-tion adjudicated on or after October 28, 2009 even if the visa petition or application was filed and the qualifying relative died before October 28, 2009. The law allows the approval of a pending visa petition or application, despite the death of the qualifying relative provided the alien seeking the benefit meets the requirements mentioned above.

How about immigrant peti-tions filed and approved be-fore October 28, 2009 where the qualifying relative dies? The long standing regulation is that approved immediate and family-based prefer-ence immigrant petitions are automatically revoked by the death of the petitioner or the beneficiary. However, ac-cording to the USCIS Policy Memorandum, the USCIS in light of Public Law 111-83, will consider a request for humanitarian reinstatement of an approved immediate or family-based preference

immigrant petition which was deemed automatically revoked by the death of the petitioner or beneficiary even if the death that resulted in the automatic revocation of the petition was prior to October 28, 2009. This is not the case with employment-based peti-tions which are still deemed automatically revoked upon the death of the petitioner or beneficiary.

For visa petitions or appli-cations filed and denied prior to October 28, 2009 due to the death of the qualifying rela-tive, the USCIS will allow the alien to file an untimely mo-tion to reopen the visa petition or application that was denied before October 28, 2009 and present new evidence of the qualifying relative’s death, proof of residence when the qualifying relative died and proof of the alien continued residence in the United States.

The Policy Memorandum makes it clear that any other eligibility requirements or bars to approval of a petition or application are not changed by the new law. For example, an affidavit of support execut-ed by the qualifying relative is normally required in immedi-ate and family-based prefer-ence immigrant petitions. The death of the qualifying relative does not excuse the alien from such a requirement. However, the alien will be allowed to submit an affidavit of support from a substitute sponsor.

Atty. Jean S. Tinsay is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) - a full service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The

information presented in this article is for general infor-mation only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. The CTV attorneys will be holding regular free legal clin-ics at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, California. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]

LOS ANGELES (Febru-ary 1, 2011) – The Farmers Insurance Exchange and AEG today announced an historic naming rights agreement for the new downtown Los Ange-les football stadium and event center. The 30-year deal provides naming rights for a 1.7 million square foot sta-dium designed to host football games, international soccer matches and other champion-ship competitions along with concerts and entertainment events. The stadium will be called Farmers Field.

Farmers, the largest auto insurance company in Cali-fornia and the third-largest personal lines insurer in the nation, and AEG, develop-ers of STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE, among a portfolio of acclaimed international venues, made the announce-ment together in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Conven-tion Center, the future site of the new stadium which will

Farmers field will become L.A.’s new showplace for football, championship sporting events,

concert, special events, conventions and exhibitLandmark Naming Rights Agreement Between Farmers Insurance and AEG Destined to

Create World-Class Stadium and Event Center to Bring NFL Back to Los Angeles

occupy the footprint of the current West Hall.

“This groundbreaking agreement with Farmers not only makes this the largest long- term commitment in naming rights history, it also signals the most significant step forward in creating the football stadium and event center and bringing an NFL team back to Los Angeles,” said Timothy J. Leiweke, President & Chief Executive Officer, AEG, developers of the project. “Farmers’ com-mitment and partnership also allows us to completely priva-tize the development of the stadium, which will become the true catalyst needed to, once and for all, upgrade the Los Angeles Convention Cen-ter to become a top five facil-ity of its kind in the nation.”

Farmers Field will be a state-of-the-art event center contiguously connected to the Los Angeles Convention Center allowing Los Angeles to compete for and attract top-tier conventions and trade shows previously unable to commit to Los Angeles.

The one-billion dollar sta-dium will be entirely privately financed.

“This investment will court the NFL, and bring jobs and economic development to downtown Los Angeles,” said Bob Woudstra, Chief Execu-tive Officer of Farmers Insur-ance. “Farmers Insurance was founded in Los Angeles and has been headquartered here for more than 80 years. We have always sought to be net givers, not net takers, in the communities we serve, and

we are excited to be a part of this lasting legacy.”

“Like AEG, Farmers is a California-based company with thousands of employees and their families living and working here in Los Ange-les and they share our vision of investing in our City to provide services, support and economic stimulus to make our community a better place for everyone,” said Leiweke.

During the press confer-ence, Leiweke also detailed AEG’s commitment to de-velop Farmers Field at abso-lutely no cost to taxpayers and absolutely no risk to the City’s general fund.

“This event center – com-plete with a state-of-the-art NFL stadium and expanded convention center facilities – is a win-win for the residents of Los Angeles. And, it will not cost taxpayers a dime,” said Los Angeles Mayor An-tonio Villaraigosa. “Further-more, Farmers Field will be a catalyst for new development, creating nearly 20,000 jobs and $3 billion worth of new development in the downtown area alone.”

As part of the deal de-signed by AEG Global Part-nerships, Farmers’ naming rights partnership will provide exclusive naming exposure and signage inside and outside Farmers Field including elec-tronic and video messaging during events, a diverse offer-ing of hospitality access inside and outside of Farmers Field, promotional and experiential activation areas throughout Farmers Field’s concourses


Page 3Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comFebruary 4 - 10, 2011

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Yes, this is a column about Pepsi employment practices and its products in schools. Why? Well, I like to keep up with products I use and thought this was a bit interest-ing. If I was wrong and you’re starting to yawn uncontrol-lably, don’t worry, next week

Pepsi InfoPepsiCo Recognized as a Top Employer around the

World and it is cutting sugar in school products

I’ll be back to my usual irrev-erent self... unless I’m not.

First of all, Pepsi received honors around the world this year for being one of the best places to work. In every sec-tor of the company, the corpo-ration distinguished itself as a top employer.

“Honors in the PepsiCo Europe sector include rec-ognitions in France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the UK. In Turkey, for exam-ple, Forbes magazine recog-nized PepsiCo as the top com-pany “where women could be promoted the fastest.” In Spain, Actualidad Económica named Pepsi “one of the best companies that invests in train-ing.”

In their Asia, Middle East, Africa (AMEA) sector, PepsiCo was recognized in China, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Thailand. The Corporate Re-search Foun-dation (CRF) Institute, an independent organization that identifies top performing companies in the areas of HR, leadership and strategy, recognized PepsiCo in China as a “Top Employer.” In India, the corporation was recognized as a “Best Com-pany for Leadership Develop-ment” by the Great Places to Work® Institute.

In Mexico, the magazine Expansión named PepsiCo as a “Top Company to Launch Your Career,” while in Brazil, Exame and Você S.A. maga-zines – based on a survey of employees conducted in conjunction with São Paulo University – honored PepsiCo as a “Best Place to Work.” North American recogni-tions include Frito-Lay North America being named as a top place to work in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by the Dallas Morning News. Frito-Lay is a division of Pepsi.

PepsiCo also received

numerous recognitions for its leadership in Diversity and In-clusion. Honors include being named as a “Best Company for Multicultural Women” by Working Mother, a “Top Organization for Diversity” by Diversity Business, a “Best Company” by Asian Enterprise, a “Top Com-pany for Diversity” by Black

Enterprise, a “Top Company for Supplier Diversity” by Hispanic Business, a “Top Women MBA Employer” by Fortune magazine and a “Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Founda-tion. In addition, the company received the 2010 Visionary Award from the United Spinal Association.

A Consistent Global Ap-proach to Selling Beverages in Schools

Pepsi is voluntarily adopt-ing a new global policy to stop sales of full-sugar soft drinks to primary and second-ary schools by 2012. The industry-leading policy establishes for the first time a consistent global approach to the sale of beverages to schools by a major beverage company.

The policy applies in all

countries outside the United States, and is generally con-sistent with the company’s existing U.S. policy, which remains unchanged. PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said: “We have long advocated for school settings to be made as condu-cive as possible to promoting the health of students, and

we have programs under way with school authorities in several countries to do that. This includes restor-ing or expanding physical education and promoting nutrition educa-tion. This global policy will serve as an important part of that mission, by expanding our offerings of low-calorie and nutri-

tious beverages.”Details of the PepsiCo

policy were drawn up fol-lowing discussions with the World Heart Federation in Geneva. The World Heart Federation is the premier nongovernmental organiza-tion recognized by the World Health Organization as its leading partner in the preven-tion and control of cardiovas-cular disease.

“The World Heart Federa-tion welcomes PepsiCo’s an-nouncement that it will launch a new policy on stopping the sale of sugary beverages to schools globally,” commented Pekka Puska, President of the World Heart Federa-tion. “The soft drinks indus-try has voluntarily removed full-calorie carbonated bever-ages from schools in certain countries. The World Heart Federation has been leading discussions with industry for such a policy at a global level

and is pleased that PepsiCo is leading the way within the beverage industry.” PepsiCo will work with its bottlers, vending companies and third-party distributors -- in collaboration with par-ents, community leaders and schools officials around the world -- to offer low-calorie beverages for primary and secondary schools.

The global school beverage policy continues to advance PepsiCo’s commitment to reducing calories in schools by offering students a wider range of low-calorie and nutri-tious beverages in appropriate portions.

PepsiCo worked with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation -- a joint initiative of the American Heart As-sociation and the William J. Clinton Foundation and other beverage industry leaders -- to change the mix of bever-ages in U.S. schools through voluntary guidelines. The guidelines precluded the sale of full-sugar soft drinks to students in elementary and secondary schools, permit-ting only low-calorie drinks and portion-controlled juices, sports drinks and waters.

About PepsiCo PepsiCo offers the world’s

largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each gener-ates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. In recogni-tion of its continued sustain-ability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America).”

Source: PepsiCo

Guest writer: Hazel Rivera

One of the biggest things I remember most about growing up was the struggle

with my cultural iden-tity. At my elementary school, Filipino children were ridi-culed. It was

to a point that many of us just did not want to attend school anymore. All I was wishing for was to be just an American. In college, I was forced with so much parental pressure as well as family pressure from my aunts and uncles to take certain majors. If I wasn’t pressured to go into a particular career as I entered college, I really think that I would have graduated by now.

Introduction: My students in Asian Studies 310 (Con-temporary Issues in Asian American Communities) were asked to write a paper on “Education Issues of Asian Americans” while growing up and also in college. There was a common thread or experi-ences that run through all of their accounts no matter what their ethnicity is. In the early years, i.e., from elementary

First of a series: Education Issues

Education issues in Asian American Students Rivera Family;

Hazel, mom and brother.

to high school, most of their experiences were connected with their cultural identity. In college, many experienced parental pressures such as what careers they should go into or to excel academically to the point of exasperation or exhaustion.

MY STORY

The importance of educa-tion: While growing up, my family especially my mom, made it clear that education was the most important thing in life. Especially after my dad passed away and my mom being unemployed, even till now, I came to realize that in order to live a decent lifestyle you have to get a good job. And that starts with education. In order to get a good job, you have to have some form

of education. Below are some experiences I have encoun-tered as a Filipino American (FilAm) while studying in the U.S. during my elementary, middle school, high school and college.

Elementary School

One of the biggest things I remember most about grow-ing up was the struggle with my cultural identity. I grew up in a very traditional Fili-pino family with only a strict mother to look up to. While I was in elementary school, I remembered that I hated being the ‘Asian kid’. I was jealous of the white kids who seemed to have it easy with their parents. Growing up in South-East San Diego, I went to school with a lot of minorities, especially blacks and Mexicans. In school, you would see that Filipinos would play with Filipinos, Latinos grouped with Latinos, and so on. Even though there weren’t many white students at my elementary school, there still were a few that made the days in school extra long.

At my elementary school,

Filipino children were ridi-culed. It was to a point that many of us just did not want to attend school anymore. Being children of course, we never went home showing fear to our parents. I never told my mom about the bad experiences that I faced at school because I thought that she just wouldn’t believe me. We were laughed at, called names, scolded at by teachers, made fun of, everything; all the worst things one can think of. It was really hard for me. During those years, it seemed like I would cry in my bed-room everyday because of the torment that I suffered at such a young age. By sixth grade, I just hated the fact that I was FilAm. At that point, all I was wishing for was to be just an American.

Another experience that comes to mind that is ex-tremely hurtful to think about is an incident that occurred with my younger brother. He was beat up by a group of white kids after school. A teacher, who was in fact white, sided with the other kids and had no sympathy

for my brother at all. They had been making bad remarks towards him all throughout his younger years because of the fact that he was short. Since we grew up without a dad, it was hard for my brother to talk to us. He hardly spoke about the incidents that oc-curred in school. He kept it all to himself.

Middle and High School

As years went by, in middle school through high school, I began to meet a lot of people with similar cultural back-grounds as I am. One thing I noticed was that majority of the staff/faculty members at my schools was mostly white. You would see many Asian students getting called into the counselor’s office. The difficult part was speaking to a white counselor about the atti-tudes of an Asian student. Flat out, they just don’t understand us. They have different views about us. Their thoughts are clouded with the “model mi-nority” stereotype that Asians are smart, work hard, and have no problems at all.

College Years

In 2005, during my fresh-man year in college, I sensed a little bit of hostility from the Asian American students. Since my Tagalog was not flu-ent enough to join the group of students coming from the Philippines, I joined the Asian American group, only to be told by the upperclass-man behind the table with the nylon banner that I didn’t fit the characteristics of a mem-ber. Attending SDSU is where I met a variety of people coming from different back-grounds. Many of them were Asian, white folks and many other races. I came to realize that not all white people are cruel and mean and many are in fact genuine.

I was forced with so much parental pressure as well as family pressure coming from my aunts and uncles to take certain majors or careers. If I wasn’t pressured to go into a particular career as I en-tered college, I really think that I would have graduated by now. Before I graduated high school, I was already a certified nurse assistant. I was dreaming of going off to college to become a nurse. However, when I got into col-lege my mind was pressured into doing engineering. After 2 years in college, I realized that engineering was just not for me. Then family pres-sure started to build again and many of my relatives some-how coerced me to do ac-counting as a major. That also did not fall through. Now I am currently an Information Technology major and will be graduating next semester. Parental pressure is very dif-

(Continued on page 23)Lola, Ian and dadRodolfo Aguirre Rivera9/7/1950 – 9/29/1992

Lola (grandmother)

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


MAY THE YEAR OF THE RABBITBRING YOU JOY AND HAPPINESS FOR THE LUNAR NEW YEAR

N1010103B.indd 1 1/17/11 12:51:35 PM


Whether or not Christ was born in December, last month, Filipinos, again celebrated the feast of the Black Naza-rene enshrined at the Quiapo Church. Thousands, as in yes-teryears, followed the paraded image pleading for mercy, for blessings, for anything that would make their lives less miserable. They swam among the swarm of people just for their handkerchiefs to be dabbed at the face of the Nazarene as if that handker-chief would wipe away their miseries.

I wonder if anyone of them even wonders why it is called the Black Nazarene. I won-der how many of them are aware that that Nazarene was formerly white, sculptured from Mexico and was burnt when part of the ship that brought it from Acapulco was on fire. Nonetheless, dubbed as miraculous, for so many disparate lives, for so many disparate for miracles, its his-tory matters not.

But then, if there is a Black Nazarene, this presupposes that Jesus Christ was white. And truly, there have been debates over whether He was black or white. In the end, His race color should not matter for His prime commandment should really be paramount. Jesus said, “A new command-ment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). If we say Amen to this or just PERIOD, there should be peace on this earth.

But no!Christ is predominantly

depicted as white.My daughter reacts to this

and calls this “false advertis-ing.”

Why?I may not have the com-

plete answer to this but ask the Afrikaans who came from Europe and enslaved the

Was Jesus Christ born in December and was He black?

blacks of South Africa, ask the colonial Americans who im-ported and enslaved the blacks from Africa. In the Philippine setting, ask the conquistadores who subjugated the indios for more than 300 years.

My guess is because if the Christian conquerors were white, the pillar of the Chris-tian faith they imposed must

be white to give credence to their superiority.

If we go by the bible however, we would find that Genesis chapters 10 and 11 detail that Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth populated the whole world. Ham is the father of Cush (Ethiopia), Mizraim (Egypt), Phut (Libya), and Canaan. These four sons populated Af-rica. One of these sons, Egypt (Mizraim- Genesis 49:8-11) is one nation of whom the Israelites have been physi-cally likened to time and time again. Understand first that Egypt is a name given by the Greeks which means “black”. Also, in many paintings and artifacts made before the third century AD, you’ll see that the Egyptians are a dark Afri-can people.

Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob of Israel and sold by his jealous brothers , eventually became vice-ruler in Egypt. Joseph looked so much like

the Egyptians that even his own brothers, who had sold him, could not distinguish him from the Egyptians.

Moses, too, was an Isra-elite who was mistaken for an Egyptian. If Moses was white, or any other color than black, would he have not been discovered as not being one from when he was drawn from the river? So, if Jesus came from the long line of Abraham down to the Israelites, should He not be black?

Is Christ an Aquarian – Born in February?

Another question is: Was Christ really born in Decem-ber? If we go by astrology or by the Zodiac signs, it would appear that His character is that of an Aquarian. Those born between January 21 and February 19 are said to be “soft-spoken, courteous individual. However, don’t be fooled by this tranquil exte-rior. Aquarians are essentially rebels and non-conformists. For an Aquarian there is al-

ways a scope for change. He is a born thinker who can visualize the future with amazing clarity. In the world of astrology this is common refrain - ‘Aquarians see today what the world sees 50 years later’. The universal water bearer that represents this sun sign, comes a person

for the masses. He stands for change for the greater benefit of mankind. From his jug, the water bearer pours out water like ideas that come out of an unrestrained mind that can see tomorrow and beyond, while the rest of us are still struggling with the travails of today. Aquarians are idealists, however, without blind faith. They are people with original ideas and strong convictions. One of the negative Aquarius characteristics is their stub-bornness. Though they might not jump into the revolution-ary war with a sword as a Scorpio or Leo would, an Aquarian would ensure that despite bitter opposition his convictions are realized…

“It is their ability and need to interact with people that helps them develop a keen understanding of the plight of the ostracized and the elite alike. This gives individuals of this air sign strong hu-manitarian leanings. As they

go about mingling with the masses with enviable ease, and soaking up all information that comes by with their keen senses, their desire to improve the plight of the downtrodden becomes stronger. Often seen as tactless and rebellious, it is here that their love for free-dom comes in great use. In their quest to question author-ity and set norms, we see the Aquarians unparalleled zeal and courage to stand against injustice and fight the cause of the underdog…

“Just as you might think that it is the crowd in which your Aquarian friend finds solace, you might see him go into morose spells of loneli-ness, during which he medi-tates and contemplates over the newly acquired knowl-edge. Meditation is one of the typical Aquarius character-istics. It helps him retain his sharp sense of perception.”

All of the above are char-acteristics found in Christ who was selfless, willing to die for the world.

Check out those born in December. Yes, they could be great teachers like Jesus but zip on willing to sacrifice, could not die to save us from our sins.

Besides, in most places the recorded coldest month of the year is January or February. Was Christ not born in the coldest of nights?

Nonetheless, there could be other debates on whether Christ is black or white or when He was born. What mat-ters is do we follow His basic teaching? It is simple: Love your neighbor as thy self.

In the teaching’s simplicity, it is so hard a stretch between black and white and a long stretch between December to February. Truly, for peace to exist between among man-kind, we have to get rid of our minds’ color-blindness and unfreeze our frozen brains to really let flow the warmth water of love – like what any Aquarian would do.

As the Bamboos Sway

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by Rudy D. Liporada

By: Father Shay Cullen

Saving and protecting children from abusers, pimps, pedophiles, and traffickers, be they parents or corrupt busi-ness people, is the work that goes on everyday here at the Preda Children’s Home. New cases, seemingly one worse than the other, arrive every few days. The child care team and the legal team help them cope up with the trauma and protect them from the pursu-ing pimps and abusers.

Take the case of Michelle. She is a small 14 year-old child that looks like an 11 year-old Filipino and she was sold by her mother to a rich

The Suffering of Children

A Filipino boy holds up a sign that reads “stop child pornography” during a pro-test in Manila.

Australian pedophile sex tour-ist on a beach who then took her to live in an apartment provided by another Austra-lian.

Michele’s sister, Angie, who was also prostituted by her mother, reported the situation to a friend - Maria. She had attended a Preda child right’s seminar and knew exactly what to do. She contacted Preda and the authorities were called in and child was rescued. She is now in the protection of the Preda CFC (Childhood for Children) programme with many others. The Australian sex tourist is in federal police jail awaiting trial.

The trafficking of children as sex slaves is still rampant and the government social welfare department is strug-gling to do all it can to stop it. But it is not enough. There is the on-going high profile legal case against a town mayor. The disgusting and outrageous reality is that child trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children is allowed and permitted by many mayors. The mayor’s permit is essential for a sex bar to operate. The city hall business permit office gives out the permits and operating licenses in quick time to the sex bars and sex dens where cybers-sex is rampant. There is big money flowing in all directions.

It so easy to get accredi-tation for a sex bar but the children’s home permits are blocked by city officials. We are appealing to the Secre-tary of Social Welfare, Dinky Soliman, to help us get our accreditation renewed and overcome the blocking tactic of local government. She is the great hope of the Philip-pine poor and children right’s movement now. She quit the last government as Secretary of Social Welfare and De-

velopment because of wide-spread corruption she saw inside of the cabinet of former president Arroyo.

The case against the pow-erful mayor is that of a 12 year-old who was corrupted, groomed and persuaded by a pimp to become a child prostitute. The child, not knowing what would hap-pen, went with the pimp to the Mayor of San Marcelino, Zambales. The prosecution is alleging that he ordered the child to be delivered to his private residence like a pizza pie. This would make him a trafficker, a non- bailable of-fense. The mother of the child checked the mobile phone of her daughter and was shocked to see a text message from the pimp setting up a date with the mayor for her daughter.

She got the help of the City Social worker of Olongapo City, and with the police they went to find the child. They caught the mayor with the child in the act so to speak. The medical examination produced evidence that shows sexual abuse. The legal battle goes on, the medical exam-iner and his family has gone into hiding because of death threats. The courageous city social worker shrugged of the threats against her. “I will testify no matter what they try against me” she said.

The most vulnerable of all are the children trafficked, abused and incarcerated unjustly. Their conditions are documented as sub-human. Christian and human values and principles based on the dignity of the human person and inalienable rights under the UN charter for Universal Rights makes it mandatory for us to help protect these children with all the resources we can get. People who are abhorred by child abuse by person in authority as well as the acts of incest are chal-lenged to speak against the abuse at all levels and sup-port the children to heal and recover and testify. Despite all our efforts to prevent, and campaign against the corrupt elements in society and gov-ernment that allow such child abuse, we need the therapeutic community to help, heal and protect the victims. We have to act on our belief, faith, commitment, and not to leave the suffering of children to just talk, we have to act and save their lives.

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Immigration 911

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A few weeks ago, I re-ceived a call from a woman asking for my assistance to file a fiancé petition on behalf of her girlfriend’s son. The “woman” said she wanted to help her girlfriend’s son come to the United States and the only way she can think of was to make it appear that she and the boy are lovers. I told her right away that I don’t handle fraudulent cases.

A fraudulent or sham mar-riage is one in which one or both of the parties enter into the marriage primary for the purpose of obtaining legal resident status of the foreign spouse. While one of the mo-tivations for getting married can be a desire for an immi-gration benefit, it can not be the sole or primary reason. As long as the parties intended, at the time of the marriage, to establish a life together, the marriage shouldn’t be con-sidered fraudulent or sham. I met a 65-year-old disabled man who wanted to marry his caregiver so she could obtain legal resident status before he dies. He said that he truly cares for this woman and believes that this woman truly cares for him. Considering the U.S. citizen is disabled and unable to consummate a

The criminal and civil consequences of

marriage fraudmarriage, will the immigra-tion officer find this a sham or fraudulent marriage? Under the family code consumma-tion is not necessary to de-clare a marriage valid. Does our immigration law require consummation of marriage to make a finding of bona fide marriage? If the parties are physically capable of con-summating the marriage, the answer should be “YES”.

What are the criminal consequences of sham or fraudulent marriage? Under the United States Code any individual who knowingly enters into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined not more than $250,000, or both. It is also a crime to See 8 USC §1325(c).give a false statement under oath in any document required by the im-migration laws or regulations. False representation may also constitute perjury and may be enough for a conviction of making false statements to government officers. See 18 USC §1546 (2005) (treat-ing false representation of marital status as fraud against the United States); 18. USC


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What do you keep on your refrigerator door? Coupons? Emergency Numbers perhaps? A favorite painting made by your child? A recipe a friend emailed to you? Notes to self? A grocery list?

Before email, facebook and the digital revolution took over our lives, the refrigerator door was the one sure place everyone in the family would use to leave notes, pass on notes and reminders to each other in order to stay in touch throughout the day. This was the one place in the house no one could miss. Not only did it store food but it kept every-one in the loop.

It also showcased the fam-ily treasures, proud moments captured in photos and the many awards, report cards, mementos, and achievements the children in the family used to post, that is until they eventually left for college. I remember how the report cards festooned on the door would fl utter like fl ags every time the kids would throw the door wide open in search of snacks after school.

It also held a collection of magnets from local realtors in the boom years along with im-ages of the Sacred Heart, St. Padre Pio at Mass, and, most recently, an emergency evacu-ation checklist that is still waiting to be read to this day.

Posting notes on the refrig-erator back then was almost habit forming. It was the mis-cellaneous fi le. Receipts that

The Writing Wallhad no place to go found their spot on this wall until it was time to go.

Around her house, my mother, who was great at notes, took the practice beyond the refrigerator wall when the post-it note was invented. She made sure that there was a note on the dryer door to remind others to shut the door to keep her cat out of trouble, above the sink to make sure the faucet would not be left to drip, and in the linen cabinet to make sure things were neatly put back in place, among other things.

She also supplied our household with great mag-nets that she purchased from school fundraising drives that her friends in the hospital would sometimes bring to work. All in all, she took an active interest in what was up on the refrigerator wall in my own house.

Because it was the family command center, the refrig-erator wall was where she would post hints. At one time, she left the complete poem on “children learn what they live” just when the children were in elementary school. Later on the notes graduated to articles she had clipped or picked up at church or at work. Her calling as a nurse in the obstetrics ward of a local hospital was her life. This was where she also took inspira-tion from the miracle of birth and parlayed it into her own version of post-it notes for

mothers who need only to look at the refrigerator door to fi nd advice and the will to get things done.

Yesterday, I rediscovered one of the bulletins she once left on the refrigerator wall in a pile that was tossed aside after a long kitchen renova-tion. I would like to share it with you. Perhaps I should pass it on to a daughter who is married and will soon have a child of her own. Although yellowed and stained from being exposed to years of kitchen activity, the advice, long by today’s standards, given by author Kim Butts is a way to prepare young minds, using example and instruction, for the values and principles that would allow them to prevail against the inevitable challenges of life. Lest the meaning was lost upon me, my mother under-lined the words from the text that every mother hopes for in her heart: Lord, may the love my child shows for others be sincere. Help him to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. May he be devoted to others in brotherly love.

Here is the abridged ver-sion:

The Transforming Power of God’s Word in A Child’s Life

In Jeremiah 29:11, God makes a tremendous state-ment: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” What a powerful legacy for any child – or any Christian! Almighty God has told us that He has wonderful plans for us. When I read this passage, I am encouraged immeasur-ably by the Lord’s love for me. Does your child feel encouraged and uplifted daily by the Lord’s love for him or her? You can allow God to make a profound impact on the lives of your children

simply by making His Word known to them, and giving them opportunities to experi-ence the power of the Word of God each day. There is no circumstance, no diffi culty, or lifestyle which cannot be transformed, changed or overcome by the Word of God as the Holy Spirit convicts, strengthens or encourages His people. Once children real-ize who they are in Christ, they will have every tool they could possibly require to live a joyful, Christ-centered life.

Here are some practical steps toward bringing your children to fullness in Christ, through employing the power-ful Word of God:

Pray scriptural prayers for your children.

If you are not daily lifting up your children in prayer…who is? Stormie Omartian, noted author, has stated that “Prayer is seeking the pres-ence of God and releasing the power of God into your children’s lives.” I know of no better way to do just this than to pray His Word into their lives and situations. For example Pray Romans 12:9-12 by focusing the words of the scripture upon your child: Lord, may the love my child shows for others be sincere. Help him to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. May he be devoted to others in brotherly love. Help him to honor others above him. Father, I ask that my child would never be lacking in zeal, always keeping his spiri-tual fervor, serving the Lord. May he be joyful in hope, patient in affl iction, and faith-ful in prayer. Help him desire to share with God’s people who are in need, and may he always practice hospitality.

Of course, there are many passages of scripture which lend themselves to powerful prayer; however, you can now see the tremendous impact such praying will have upon the life of any child. Unleash-

ing the very Word of God into their daily lives will allow you – and them – to see the power of God at work within them.

What Would Jesus Do?Recently, a wonderful

question has been circulat-ing all over the world: What Would Jesus Do? It is a simple reminder that whatever we are about to do and say should be measured against the standard of Christ. When a child can simply stop and think how Jesus would handle a certain situation he or she is facing, it is a lot easier to make a wise decision. This will only happen if children are taught that Jesus is the standard upon which we are all measured as we walk with the Lord. It is the Word of God that reveals this behavior in powerful ways to our hearts and spirits. When children are truly walking in the Light of Christ, they will desire to seek after the answer to “What would Jesus do in my situa-tion?” or, “What would Jesus say if He were faced with this decision?” God’s Word has revealed the character of Christ so fully that it is impos-sible not to have a good direc-tion in which to head when these questions are asked. For example, when someone is unkind to your child, and he is angry or wishes to take revenge…ask your child, “What would Jesus do?” Take him to the passage in Matthew 5:43-45 that says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Fa-ther in heaven.” Offer to pray with him about the “offender” until he is readily able to do it himself. By taking your child to the Scriptures, you will give him a lifetime strategy for making decisions, and for choosing right behavior, based on what God desires instead of what culture or human

nature dictates. Share daily truths from

God’s Word with your chil-dren.

When children learn that the Bible is indeed a liv-ing, active, relevant book for their lives today, they will be more inclined to make it the fi nal Word on any decision, question or confl ict in their lives. It will be the foundation upon which everything else is built. Knowing that God’s Word is true is a great reas-surance to children as they face temptations and trials in their lives. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Encourage and help children to memorize God’s Word, effectively hiding it in their hearts.

If children have the Word of God hidden in their hearts, it will be the fi rst thing to sur-face in times of need, trouble or uncertainty. When they learn to depend upon God fi rst – before depending upon their own resources, or the solu-tions of others, they will live “…peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2). Deuteronomy 30:14 says, “No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it.” Until the Word is learned, it cannot be obeyed. Similarly, children learn what is and is not ac-ceptable in the home as they carelessly do the wrong things until they learn what the right behavior is. God’s Word is the path to right living. Here also are several Scriptures for chil-dren to memorize to remind them of the importance of the Word in their daily walk with God: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm



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We could feel the anxiety in Lannie’s voice. Her hus-band Eddie abandoned her and their two kids three years ago. She is okay with that, because she feels that her life now is much better without the constant quarrels. Besides, she has a good job which provides her and the kids with a comfortable life without any support from Eddie. But what worries her now is the news she has just received from a friend in the United States that Eddie went there about a year ago and has apparently over-stayed his tourist visa.

You see, Lannie’s tourist visa expires at the end of this month. Her two kids have their own tourist visas which will expire in 2012 yet. She and her kids have been tak-ing yearly vacations to the U.S. and, this year, they plan to spend White Christmas with her parents in New York. That was the reason why she applied for a renewal of her tourist visa last month. That

My husband overstayed.Can I renew my tourist visa?

was also the reason why she scheduled an appointment in our Manila offi ce last week, three hours before her inter-view appointment in the U.S. Embassy.

Lannie was worried that the U.S. Embassy would deny her visa renewal. She did not hide the fact that her husband is currently here, not only because the tourist visa ap-plication form requires her to list her relatives in the United States, but moreso because she is an honest person who does not want to tell a lie. I learned that Lannie has had her tourist visa for fi fteen years now; in fact, she had renewed it twice. She has never overstayed her visits, always leaving the U.S. long before her lawful stay would expire. If not for Eddie’s act of overstaying his own visa, Lannie should have no prob-lem having her visa renewed, She was afraid that the con-sular offi ce would start asking her questions about Eddie,

and suspect that she would do the same thing. Some sort of a conjugal fault.

But more than the merits of her visa application, which we consider are overwhelming in her favor, we were more concerned about Lannie’s preparedness to appear for the interview. We have learned through experience (includ-ing our own) that no matter how meritorious your case is, if you appear before the immigration offi cer nervous, defensive and doubtful of yourself, your chances of be-ing approved will be greatly compromised, especially in a tourist visa interview where the offi cer is given a lot of discretion to approve or deny your application.

We made Lannie realize that she has strong factors working in her favor. She has a nice job. She has two kids. She has properties, bank ac-counts and other assets. She has always returned to the Philippines in time after every trip to the U.S. Her current visa was still good for another two weeks, so the offi cer should be able to realize that she could leave right away (without need of renewal) if her intention was to overstay.

Then, we went through her husband’s case. They have been separated for three years now. She didn’t know that her husband went to the U.S. last year. It was tempting to claim that she does not know that Eddie was still in the U.S., but we both agreed against doing it. We stuck to our basic rule – always be honest.

Finally, we made Lannie understand that a lot of de-serving tourist visa applicants get denied. In the unfortunate event that she suffers the same fate, she could always apply again. It helped her psycho-logically to be assured that being denied would not be the end of the world for her. Now or in the near future, a judi-cious immigration offi cer will surely see that she deserves the visa.

So off she went to her visa interview, this time much more confi dent of herself. A few hours later, she called our offi ce. She was at the Manila Ocean Park with her two kids to celebrate her new visa.

Announcement : Consulta-tion in Manila

We are currently holding consultations in Manila/ If your loved ones are interested in consulting with us there, please tell them to contact our Manila offi ce at 522-1199 or 526-0326 to set an appoint-ment.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego

and has continuously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His offi ce address is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an of-fi ce in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Ma-nila, Philippines 1007, with telephone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475/(858)536-4292 or email him at [email protected]. He speaks Tagalog fl uently. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheticals intended as general, non-specifi c legal information. Readers must seek legal consultation before taking any legal steps.

The Philippines has been removed from the global list of tax evasion havens and money laundering by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The country’s removal from the “grey list” of tax havens is expected to boost investments from OECD member countries composed mostly of rich coun-tries in Europe and other mem-bers of the Group 20 like the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Brazil, and Argentina.

The government is lated by the delisting and expects this to strengthen the government’s campaign against tax evasion and money laundering.

This latest feat was achieved following the new administra-tion’s issuance of guidelines im-plementing a law that mandates the sharing of tax information.

RP’s Tax Haven delisting to boost investmentsThe Department of Finance

(DoF) lauded the OECD deci-sion to take off the Philippines on the list of non-cooperative tax havens saying this should help foreign investment in the Philip-pines.

In April last year, the OECD placed the Philippines, Malaysia, Costa Rica, and Uruguay on the list of countries failing to com-ply with agreed international tax standards. The country landed in the blacklist of non-cooperative tax havens for refusal to adopt new rules on fi nancial openness.

DOF offi cials said awmakers who worked for the passage of Republic Act No. 10021 or the Exchange of Information on Tax Matters Act as well as the new administration that crafted its implementing guidelines should be credited for the country’s “white list” upgrade.


Afraid that the property you may buy in the

Philippines may not be built?

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 installment 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.

“Crews working on the replacement of the Trolley’s overhead wire.”

Beginning Friday, Febru-ary 4, at 9 p.m. and continu-ing until the start of service Monday, there will be no Trolley service between the Iris Avenue and H Street Trolley stations. Southbound Trolley service will terminate at the H Street Trolley Station and resume at the Iris Avenue Trolley Station.

MTS appreciates riders’ patience during construction. When complete, the Blue Line will be transformed with new overhead wires, station plat-forms, passenger shelters, new low-floor trolleys, next arrival information and more.

Two bus services will be available for riders:

Trolley Shuttles• will serve the Iris Av-enue, Palm Avenue, Palomar Street and H Street Trolley sta-tions. This shuttle will run in both directions. Trolley Express• will operate non-stop be-tween the 24th Street and San Ysidro Trolley stations in both direc-tions.

These bus services will run every 8-15 minutes during normal Trolley service hours. Regular Trolley service will resume in time for the start of service on Monday, February 7. Trolley tickets, day passes, or monthly passes are required to board the Trolley Shuttle and Trolley Express bus ser-vices. No tickets are sold on board these buses.

The construction schedule for February is:

Feb. 4-6• : Blue Line closed between Iris Avenue and H Street.Feb. 11-13• : Blue Line closed between Iris Avenue and H Street. Feb. 18-20• : Blue Line closed between Palm and H Street.

Blue Line Closed from Iris Avenue to H Street this Weekend

Feb. 25-27• : Blue Line closed between Palm and E Street.

MTS encourages riders to expect delays and give them-selves extra time when travel-ing.

Please note that all con-struction dates are subject to change. Riders can find out more information online at www.sdmts.com/TrolleyRe-newal.asp or by calling the hotline at 619.557.4533. Dur-ing weekend closures, station ambassadors will be at the closed stations to direct and help riders.


Philippine Stories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

while but stopped after a few minutes. He got hold of the phone and called Jockey Diaz.

“Come over here quick and bring a cop with you,” he told Diaz.

“What happened?” Diaz asked.

“I’ll explain it later,” he an-swered.

DIAZ WAS FURIOUS WHEN DAN-NY TOLD him about the inci-dent.

“Iyong walang iyon (That shameless guy), I’ll have him fired,” Diaz vowed.

But Danny still did not feel secure. He packed up his bags and asked his friend to take him to a hotel. Diaz understood his friend’s con-cern and didn’t object to his decision. They dropped off the cop at the po-lice station and gave him 100 pesos for his troubles.

“Pag binalikan kayo (If

COMPLICATED AFFAIRS

Another Child(Continued from page 1) that guy still goes after you),

let me know,” he told Danny. After a few days at the ho-

tel, Danny realized he would just be incurring lodging expenses. He got some money from his fixed winnings in the horse races thanks to his good friend Jockey Diaz, but it was

not enough. Danny decided to return to San Diego. He had enough of this town.

BACK HOME, DANNY

enjoyed again his carefree lifestyle. When he wasn’t vis-iting his children, he would go to the races in nearby Del Mar and in Agua Caliente in Mex-ico. Everything seemed going well although he occasionally missed the good times he had enjoyed in Manila. As a ba-likbayan, he felt superior over the local residents and they somehow looked up to him.

“I HAVE A BUSINESS IDEA,” his friend Mandy told him one day.

“What? “ Danny asked.“Let’s bring used hospital

equipments from here to the Philippines. You’ll be our representative who will sell the equipment to the various hospitals in the country.”

“Will this make money?” he asked.

“Of course,” Mandy re-plied. “We will buy the equipments here as junk, but they could still be used and command a good price in the Philip-pines.”

“Have you done a study on it?”

“Our friend Bob-by did and it seemed workable. You like to be in the Philippines, no? And you have noth-ing to do

here. Besides, you’re good in sales. We need you, Danny. We can’t do this without you.”


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

Napulot na KahonIsang kahon ang aking napulot sa minsang paglalakadinuwi ko siya sa bahay at aking sinipat-sipatano kaya ang gagawin ko dito, tanong ko kaagadayaw ko namang itapon dahil may silbi pa ‘to tiyak.

At aking ngang pinagyaman itong napulot na kahonnilinis ko ng mabuti tapos medyo sinabon-sabonnilagyan ng pangalan ko at kinulayan pa ng asulmarahan kong pinagmasdan bago itinago sa baul.

sa kahong ito inilagay ko mga munting mensahe na nais ko sanang iparating sa mahal kong prinsipenasaan na kaya siya ngayon sino pa ang katabipunong-puno ng pananabik puso kong ‘di mapakali.

Ang mga alaala sa akin ng mahal kong magulangdito rin sa kahong ito maingat kong inilalagaymga gintong aral na kayamanang sa aki’y iniwanna hindi matutumbasan kahit anumang kayamanan.

At sa marami pang panahon sa aki’y daratingkasama na rin dito ang aking mga suplingsa kanilang paglaki dito sa bayan nating magiliwbuksan ang munting kahon ko at marami kang pupulutin.


©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.

Joke of the week: A man is sitting in a bar when a beautiful woman walks up and whispers in his ear, "I'll do anything you want for 50 bucks." He puts his drink down and starts going through his pockets. He pulls out a ten, two five's, a twenty and ten ones. He thrusts the wadded up money into the woman's hand and says, "Here...paint my house."

Readings: First Reading: Isaiah 58:7-10: This chapter contains a strong reprimand of the Jews on account of their vices, particularly their hypoc-

risy. They merely practiced and relied on outward cer-emonies, such as fasting and bodily humiliation, without true repentance and change of heart. It then lays down a clear and comprehensive sum-mary of the duties they owed to their fellow men. Blessings and prosperity as well as real temporal and spiritual bless-edness to those who keep holy the Sabbath day are likewise promised to those who per-form these duties in a variety of ways. Second Reading: 1Corinthians 2: 1-5: St. Paul wanted to teach that he would know nothing but Christ who was humbled, abased and de-rided by senseless men. Paul’s teaching was not based mere-ly on factitious eloquence: but it was the expression of the presence and action of the Spirit, and of the power which accompanied that presence. Thus his faith relies, not on the fair words of man, which another more eloquent or sub-tle persuasive speech might successfully refute, but on the power of God’s Spirit - a solid foundation to redeem us from our weakness and sinfulness.

Please pass the saltGospel: Matthew 5:13-16: Today’s gospel concentrates on light and salt. The passage describes how we as Chris-tians are to lead out our lives in today’s world. Not only by the way we are gathered in our churches (synagogues, temples, mosques), nor the way we gather together as a family. We are invited to live our discipleship out in the world, such as in our schools, places of work, neighbor-hoods, and with friends. Out there in the world which is often enveloped in darkness, we are enjoined to be light

and salt.Reflections: The most

common method of obtain-ing salt was mining. It was produced by evaporating sea water and removing the salts from the sediment, then rins-ing, purifying and crushing the raw salt. Salt has been used as a preservative since mankind began drying foods to keep them longer. In Bibli-cal times, almost all kinds of food were seasoned with salt. "Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt?" asks Job. In the ancient Near East, salt also symbolized a variety of functions, shifting between opposites of blessing and a curse, destruction and resto-ration, protection and harm. As the food preservative par excellence, salt was used to symbolize permanence. Dur-ing the medieval times, salt from which the word salary was derived was the method of payment or wage. Salt was very important that the posi-tion of the salt shaker at the dining table determined the seat of a prominent guest.

At the same time, salt for the ancients symbolized the

destruction of a city; spe-cifically, the ritual of sowing salt into the earth meant evil for the land, as the ancients clearly understood that sa-linity in soil caused aridity. Moses warns the Israelites that a breach of the Covenant with God would bring ruin to the land; he describes the state of affairs that would arise as follows: "All its soil devastat-ed by sulfur and salt, beyond sowing and producing, no grass growing in it, just like the upheaval of Sodom and Gemorrah…" In another Near Eastern text from the period, we find similar punishment in connection between treaty violation and destruction of the land by salt. For example, an 8th century B.C.E. Aramaic text (inscribed on three steles) establishing a treaty between King Barga'ayah of KTK and Mati'el of Arpad in Syria con-tains the following warning: "Just as this wax is burned in the fire, so may Arpad be burned along with the depen-dents. And may Hadad sow them with salt and tares and may they never more be (so much as) named."

Contamination being attrib-uted in ancient and primitive thought to the machinations of demons, and salt being re-garded as an incorruptible and cleansing substance, it was natural that the latter become a universally regarded potent against the evil forces. It was for this reason that mothers salted their babies, a ritual which included but was not limited to Hebrew women. Clement of Alexandria re-cords a superstition that water drawn from three wells and mixed with salt provides im-munity against the "princes of darkness." For the reason of preserving the faith and to become the “salt of the earth” salt is given to infants at catholic baptism.

We are the salt of the earth. Some of us, living in dark-ness of sin and wickedness, were as a vast heap, ready to petrify; but Christ sent forth his disciples, by their lives and doctrines to season the world with knowledge and grace. If they are not such as they should be, they are as salt that has lost its savor. If a man can take up the profes-sion of Christ, and yet remain graceless, no other doctrine, no other means, can make him profitable. Our light must shine, by doing such good works as men may see.

Quotation of the week: There is no article like salt, outside water, by taxing which the state can reach the starving millions, the sick, the maimed and the utterly helpless. Mo-handas Karamchand Gandhi

Bobby was their childhood friend who was practicing medicine in San Diego.

“Where are we going to get the capital?”

“From Bobby, of course. He has plenty of dough.”

“How much do I get?”“We’ll divide the prof-

its three ways: you, me and Bobby.”

“I need an advance for my living expenses.”

“How much do you need?”“$1000,” Danny said.“$500,” Mandy offered.

“We are just starting; our financier might run out of money right away.”

“$1000 or we don’t have a deal,” Danny insisted.

To his boyhood friends, he sounded cold-hearted.

Since he could not meet Danny’s demand, Mandy was forced to scuttle their pro-posed business project.

AS “LUCK” WOULD HAVE IT, DANNY FOUND OUT HE’D NEED TO RE-TURN to the Philippines sooner than he expected.

“Hello?” a girl from the other end of the line asked him.

“Who’s this?” Danny inquired.

“Don’t you recognize my voice?”

With the many girls that he had met, Danny could not place the voice of the girl. It sounded somewhat familiar, however.

“No,” he replied.“This is Juanita. Remem-

ber we used to go out in Tijuana?”

Danny remembered the pretty Mexican girl from Los Angeles whom he met while

COMPLICATED AFFAIRS

Another Child

(Continued from page 10)

she was having a good time with her girlfriends in the Mexican border town. She had been separated from her Chinese husband then, and the two had gone out on a few oc-casions. Danny had lost con-tact with her and later learned Juanita and her husband got back together.

“So how are you doing?” Danny was pleased to hear from Juanita.

“I am okay, how about you?”

“So-so,” he replied. “I’ve missed you,” his playboy per-sona took over again.

“Really?” she asked. “I have something to tell you.”

“What? “ Danny was

rejuvenated. He had not dated for a while and was eager to do so. He saw an opportunity with Juanita.

“I just gave birth to a baby girl.”

“Congratulations,” Danny said. “Are you sexy again?” he was hoping to renew their relationship but was unsure about it since she was with her husband.

Juanita did not answer his question; instead, she said, “And it’s yours.”

It was like cold water was doused on Danny’s face. His face turned ashen. Not again, he had that same phone



By Dr. Cesar D. Candari42nd in a series of articles

“Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom”

“(Some are born good, some make good and some are caught with goods)” - THOMAS JEFFERSON In the MABUHAY Times

newspaper, the late Dr. Riz A. Oades of San Diego, Cali-fornia, stated: “Dr. Cesar D. Candari, an associate patholo-gist at Mercy Hospital, runs for the top post of the Asso-ciation of Philippine Physi-cians in America (APPA), a “premier Filipino organization “ in the nation. The election will be held at the 21st An-nual Convention and Seminar on July 30, 1992 in Orlando, Florida.

“Candari, the incumbent APPA House of Delegates speaker, emerges as a favored candidate. His closest op-ponent is Dr. Alex Cueto, the outgoing Executive Director from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

“The Physicians’ associa-tion has been acrimoniously split between two major fac-tions – the “Leadership Alli-ance for APPA Reforms and Progress”(LARP) headed by Candari, and Cueto’s “Nation-al Coalition For the Advance-ment of APPA” (NCAA). A total 27 candidates was fielded by the two various positions.

“Just a few days away from election time, politick-ing in Orlando is heating up, already marred by some earlier charges of “unethical”

From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor Candidate For President Association Of Philippine Physicians In America

tactics, mudslinging and “bal-lot abuse.”

“Both parties have almost identical goals or platforms, but “their struggle for power and popularity” has brought to the fore the “fragility of their succession system” and “questions of credibility and factionalism.

“As of this writing, eleven of the 16 APPA past Presi-dents have openly endorsed Candari in what may well be the most crucial election in the history of the association.”

The Fili-pino Press had this to say: “The House of Delegates under Can-dari’s leadership is opening the door for a new beginning and turning point of APPA history.” As one colleague stated, “The winds of change have blown. The HOD and Candari have responded. It is time for heal-ing. It is time for Unity.”

MY VISION FOR APPA

– AN OPEN LETTER “Many of you realize that

the APPA has been in ex-istence for 21 years in this country with as many as 60 PMA associations and special-ty and alumni societies that are affiliated with what we may call our mother national medical organization in this country.

You may ask this question, “What is APPA for and what has it done for me and the Filipino doctors in America?” This is a basic and fundamen-tal question that everyone should ask and rightly so.

First, allow me to briefly mention in perspective a sig-nificant historical background on why we are here in this foreign land and how APPA has evolved. At a time when there was a dire shortage of physicians in America three

decades or so ago, FMGs were

virtually swayed into com-ing to this country, includ-

ing many of you and

myself in this room tonight. But

due to the ever-increas-ing number of U.S.-trained foreign medical graduates, (FMGs) we became less welcomed. To put it bluntly, this is due to the competition that we FMGs impose upon our native colleagues for the “green bucks.” I know that we FMGs contribute high quality and standard care to the health care system in this country that is at par, if not better, than our native colleagues. Stringent and discriminatory laws were imposed upon us. It was, and still is difficult if not impos-sible to take a state licensure examination of transfer to another State to relocate our

practice at any time. Subtle though they may be in many instances, everyone has felt the discrimination.

Formed many years ago by the founding fathers of the APPA under the leadership of Dr. Lucito Gamboa, this association of 21 years has the basic concept of promot-ing the image and unity of the Filipino physicians in this country. Additionally, its emphasis is to protect the rights of the FMG and to fight any acts of discrimination or injustice that are being thrust against us.

Over the years, the APPA has slowly attracted members and component societies from different cities and regions of this nation. Over the years, the APPA has demonstrated a strong display of unity and camaraderie, friendship, reunion, and alumni home-coming. It became a social vehicle for many of us for our families and children who, in turn, became conscious and proud of our Filipino heritage. The humanitarian projects in the form of medical mis-sions have been active the last 10 years in helping the poor people in our country. Excel-lent CME programs have been organized at annual conven-tions. Our publications in the Philippine Physician have been a good medium of infor-mation for the public and the members. There is a sense of urgency in restoring the faith of the APPA members.

Thus, the APPA has not been dormant all these years. It has accomplished a num-ber of goals and objectives. However, it has been slow in achieving its important prior-ity which is the total unifica-tion of the Filipino doctors in this country. It lacks more aggressive, well defined, and coordinated efforts, through its lobbying arm-the Political

Action Committee (PPPAC), in protecting the rights of the Filipino doctors in this coun-try.

Our Political Action Com-mittee was never the focal point of our thrust. I may state here that the PMA of San Diego during my presidency of that society back in April, 1987, was instrumental in get-ting the sympathetic pioneer-ing stand of Congressman Jim Bates of California in intro-ducing the first anti-discrim-inatory bill in Congress…the HR 3241-Equal Opportunity for Medical Licensure and Reciprocity Bill. It had caught the eyes of other politicians, and the Filipino doctors in general have made friends in U S Congress. Congressman Solarz of New York, Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, and Senator Moynihan of New York, and others introduced similar bills.

We appreciated the work of members of the APPA FMG committee chaired by Dr. Botuyan, Dr. Antonio Donesa of the ACIP, and others who have put their time and ef-forts along these endeavors. There were many hurdles that had to be surmounted. Let-ters of support and monetary political contributions to politicians from our members were slow and barely tricking. Documented discrimination of FMGs had been difficult to gather. Although AMA seemed sympathetic to our flight and denied any adversarial stance, many of us perceived that it was the reason behind our difficulties. The FMG alliance and the APPA also played a part in it.

(To be Continued)

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

The criminal and civil consequences of

marriage fraud§1001 (2005) (punishing concealment of facts); 8 USC §1325(c) (2005) (punishing “any individual who know-ingly enters into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws”); 8 USC §1227(a)(1)(G) (2005) (proscribing “deporta-tion for an alien who entered a for the purpose of procuring admission as an immigrant”); 18 USC§1621 (2005) (punish-ing perjury); 18 USC §371 (making it illegal conspire defraud the United States).

What are the civil conse-quences of sham or fraudulent marriage? If the U.S. Citizen-ship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determines that the marriage was entered into to evade immigration laws, our immigration laws bar the ap-proval of any subsequent peti-tions filed on the immigrant’s behalf. That includes visa petitions by employers, future spouses, and other relatives. There is no waiver available if there is a finding of marriage fraud. Additionally, even if the USCIS had previously granted conditional residency status based on marriage, but subsequently determines that the marriage was sham or fraudulent, USCIS will ter-minate the foreign national’s conditional residency and place that individual in re-moval proceedings.

In my next article, I will talk about ways to avoid a finding of sham or fraudulent marriage. We welcome your feedback. If you have any immigration questions, please feel welcome to email me at [email protected] or call 619 819 -8648 to arrange for a telephone con-sultation.



(619) 702-3051

$50

I will never forget what my philosophy professor, San Beda College Dean and ex-Jesuit Recaredo Enriquez said; “E gustibus non est dis-putandum.” Translated more literally, “there is not to be discussion regarding tastes”; but less literally, “in matters of taste there is no dispute.”

In her book, “Molly Bawn” which was written in 1878, Margaret Wolfe Hungerford (nee Hamilton) wrote the line “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Obviously we all have different tastes. What ap-pears beautiful to one individ-ual may seem ugly to another.

These two lines have found universal acceptance so much so that they were virtually in-corporated in the diplomatic, ethics and etiquette rules gov-erning diplomatic, political and social circles worldwide.

That’s why I read with amusement the columns, articles and comments of writers, reporters, politicians, bloggers and readers (who are either known critics or sup-posed supporters) on P-Noy’s acquisition of a third-hand 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo Car-rera sports car for P4.5M; his personal preference to dating younger, smart and beautiful ladies; and his personal inter-est in guns.

Yet in front of them are the following reports:

(1) “The Bureau of Cus-toms collected P20.224 billion in duties and taxes in January, exceeding by P2.62 billion or 14.9% of what it earned during the same period last year………The collection was the second highest collec-tion in BOC history. The high-est was recorded in July 2010 (P21.5) and the third highest was attained last December (P20.185), all during the Aquino Administration.”

(2)“PHILIPPINES GDP SIZZLED to its Highest Growth Rate in the Post Mar-cos Era at 7.3 Percent.”

May the Porsche and the 4s Be With You

(3)”A total of P29.25 billion were remitted by 19 government-owned and con-trolled corporations (GOCCs) to the national government (NG) on Friday. This is an increase of more than 100% from last year’s remittance of over P9 billion.”

As a boy growing up, I was full of hopes and dreams. So did all of my childhood friends, class-mates and relatives. Indeed, each of us had visions and missions to fulfill, and goals to ac-complish. To many, “mataas ang pangarap” (high expecta-tions) and to some, “maba-baw ang kaligayahan” (easy to please) would be the appropriate description. What differenti-ates them? It is really more a matter of taste.

Not recognizing it would be “insensitivity” of the high-est order!

LUXURY CARS

I have two sisters who are still very much alive. One is a retired nurse and the other a retired CPA. Like most Filipi-nos, they share a similar no.1 priority: educating and pre-paring their children to live independently and happily. All their children are now suc-cessful professionals living as they both had envisioned.

But as expected, they have different tastes. One prefers spending most of her hard-earned money traveling to all the places in the world which she dreamt of visiting since childhood. Name it: Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, the Holy Land, Latin America……she is not finished yet. She will continue doing it for as long

her health allows it. She also donated her inherited lands in the Philippines to the only daughter of our late eldest sister, a struggling teacher.

My other sister has a differ-ent take. She is spending most of her money building new homes on lots which she and her late first husband bought earlier. She is also remodel-ing the homes that she already built earlier. She also helps the daughter of our late eldest sis-ter by letting the latter use for free the house and lot which she (the former) inherited in the Philippines.

But the bigger difference is this: my other sister (the builder) bought a Rolls Royce which she still has to this day. It has been used to drive a Philippine Presidential candi-date and a U.S Minority Busi-ness Development Agency (MBDA) Director. I have also driven it.

Would I have bought it?

My honest answer would be, probably not. Would I have questioned her taste? My answer is both honest and definite: NO. She always had a taste for mansions, castles and luxury cars.

Sometime in 1983, I saw this movie “Risky Business” which starred Tom Cruise. The most memorable moment in the movie is the appear-ance of the 1981 PORSCHE 928 driven by Tom Cruise. The famous line by Cruise in describing the car was, “PORSCHE. There is no sub-stitute.”

Not too long after that, my brother-in-law was driving a PORSCHE of the same model and year. He just had to have it. His taste for the car had no substitute.

On the way to a campaign meeting for Delegate Kris, daughter of our common friend, David Valderrama, I was picked up to ride in a very expensive Convertible Super-car Mercedes Benz by a com-

panero who was also a former President of the Philippine Lawyers Association here in Washington, D.C. He told me he always wanted to have one like it since childhood. He decided to finally buy it after retirement.

My wife and I still share driving a 1996 Toyota Camry. We have been and still are very happy with it. It brings us everywhere we want to go safely and inexpensively. It would be another two years until the next emission inspec-tion. Hence, there is no pres-sure to replace it.

After looking at the elec-tric cars displayed at the most recent International Consumer Electronic Show (ICES) and the current Auto Show 2011 at the Washington Convention Center, we are now seriously looking at an electric car as our next automobile. But still no pressure to buy one at this point.

As you real-ize by now, our taste is a little different from the others

When I joined the clamor for Noynoy to run for President, I never asked him to change or give up his per-sonal tastes, his personal dreams and personal preferences. As

stated in the following link: http://benmaynigo.blogspot.com/2010/05/noynoy-hope-honesty-humilty-honor.html he was my choice for President because he brought Hope, Honesty, Humility and Honor (4Hs) to the position.

I committed to support him not only as a candidate but most especially as a govern-ing President for six years. As written in the following link: http://benmaynigo.blogspot.com/2010/12/ps-be-with-you.html the Philippines is beset with so many problems that it would really take more than six years to solve them. The solution and desired results lie in the several 4Ps mentioned such as “Prayers; Pana-cea; P-Noy; People with Power; Pacquiao; Prelates, Priests and/or Preachers; Passionate people; Point men; Plans; Programs; Projects; Proposals; Poli-cies; Procedures; Prepara-tion; Perspiration; Parental authority and responsibility; Patents (creativity & inven-tions); Peace; Poverty al-leviation; Patriotism; Peda-gogy; Portable computers & phones; Pens; Pencils; Pa-per; Pilots; Patrons; Papal and/or Pastoral teachings”

I will monitor his Presi-dency based on the above factors.

I never questioned the right and taste of my sisters, my brother-in-law and my lawyer friend. I do not intend to question my elected Philip-pine President’s personal taste in cars, in ladies and in self-protection either. “E gustibus non est disputandum.”

When I mentioned to my barber re P-Noy’s Porsche, and the corresponding criticisms, his reaction was, “That’s it? P-Noy was given the powers and discretion to disburse billions and billions of pesos affecting millions and millions of people pres-ently and in the future by the Constitution, and these people are more concerned about a third-hand 2007 sports car that’s costing the tax payer ZERO PESOS? Do they expect him to drive a slow-moving and cheap vehicle instead?” Take it from my barber!

Running a country like the Philippines is a “risky busi-ness”. Required of the leader is excellent physical, mental and emotional health. Excel-lent tools and “vehicles” for peace and prosperity plus all the 4s mentioned above are

needed. We wish our leader well and want him to have the best of everything. Presi-dency must equal Excellence. “There is no substitute.” That’s why the President is called “His Excellency”.

The Filipino people voted for Fernando Poe, Jr and Joseph Estrada partly because they were perceived (via movie roles) as macho, ladies’ men, and sharp shooters. Mar-cos, Ramos and Noynoy were elected also partly because they were macho, ladies’ men and sharp shooters. In the U.S. the right to bear arms is a constitutional right. In the Philippines where enemies of the State such as NPA rebels and Muslim terrorists and secessionists are many, be-ing a sharp-shooter should be praised and not criticized.

PH is now the internet domain for the Philippines. For me, it’s all about Ps and Hs. More specifically, the 4Hs and the many 4Ps as described above and in the links.

The proper greeting to P-Noy and the Philippines there-fore is, “May the Porsche and the 4s be with you!”

Veterans and their families are invited to the free Valen-tines 4 Veterans concert with music legends Florence La Rue and The 5th Dimension on Sunday, February 13, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. at the historic Balboa Theater, located at 868 Fourth Avenue in the Gaslamp District. The concert is also open to the military and local community.

Every year, the Department of Veterans Affairs honors Veterans during the week of Valentine’s Day (February 13 – 19) with the National Salute to Veteran Patients celebrated at each VA medical center across the nation. This year, San Diego was selected as one of 17 sites to also host a free concert to thank Veterans for their service and sacrifice. “We are happy to be able to host this wonderful event for Veterans in San Diego for the first time this year,” said Stan Johnson, director of the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

The Concert Series is sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service Office, and the na-tional nonprofit organization Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV) and the local VA medi-cal center. The program is designed to show appreciation to America’s veterans, in-

Valentines to Veterans Concert will honor

Veterans with music legends, Florence La Rue and The 5th Dimensions

crease community awareness of VA programs and services, encourage citizens to become a VA volunteer and increase the awareness of the issues facing injured veterans and their families from Operation Enduring Freedom and Opera-tion Iraqi Freedom.

The Concert Series origi-nated in 2007 as an outpour-ing of community support for a severely injured Iraq combat veteran and his young wife and has grown in popularity. In 2011, concerts will be held in 17 cities including At-lanta, Baltimore, Battle Creek, Birmingham, Chicago, Cleve-land, (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), Detroit, Durham, Miami, Montgomery, Musko-gee, Poplar Bluff, Prescott, Reno, San Diego, Shreveport, and St. Louis.

For more information regarding the Valentines 4 Veterans Concert in San Di-ego, or for ticket information, please contact the Voluntary Service Concert Line at 858-642-3622 or visit the website at www.sandiego.va.gov. For information on becoming a sponsor or to make a donation towards the concert, please contact Nonnie Artero, Vol-untary Service Specialist at 858-642-3267.


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.”

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LifestyleRead J’Son’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.

asianjournalusa.com

by Joe Son

Can snoring and personal hygiene really be grounds for divorce? This may sound funny, but they are! This ar-ticle is based on a true to life story of two different couples whom this writer knew. They were divorced, one for just a snoring husband and the other a wife who didn’t give a damn about personal hygiene. Both stories are related by a young wife and an elderly husband who filed the divorce re-spectively. I believe, couples should be concerned and make some precautions, so it won’t happen to them.

At any rate, here in Amer-ica to divorce someone is not a big thing, you go to Las Vegas meet somebody today get married and the next day or two get a divorce, simply just that . However, for God-fearing and decent family, it takes for both couple to be incompetent and incompatible with each other, for whatever reasons and may even get counseling prior to a divorce.

Snoring and personal hygiene should not really be a ground for divorce. Just know what’s causing your snoring and your personal hygiene problems, then it can easily be fixed. Let’s talk about snoring first. According to my doctor, there are some causes for you to snore like: tissues in your airway are bumping into each other and vibrating as you breathe. Sickness like sinus congestion makes it extra hard to pull in air, creating a vacuum in the throat and pull-ing together the tissues. Sleep apnea where some tissues are blocking your airway so much hey are cutting off your breathing and waking you up throughout the night.

Here are some of my doc-tor’s advice: Visit your doc-tor to make sure you don’t have obstructive sleep apnea, which stops your breathing and eventually could cause an enlarged heart or high blood

Are snoring and personal hygiene grounds for divorce?

pressure. Treat your nasal congestion quickly so you’re not forced to breathe through your mouth in your sleep. Cut off extra weight, extra bulki-ness in your throat narrows your airway and avoid heavy meals or snacks for three hours before bedtime. Avoid alcohol to relax the muscles in your throat. Get at least seven hours of rest every night. Sleep on your side rather than your back, which lets your tongue fall backward into your throat, narrowing your airway and obstruct-ing airflow. Over the counter nasal strips can help open your nasal passage. Never use antihistamine and sleeping pills, which may depress your central nervous system and relax your muscles, including throat tissues. Playing certain musical instruments can help. Singing improves muscle control of your soft palate and upper throat.

When all of these fails to control your snoring, your doctor will prescribe you a device for Continuous Posi-tive Airway Pressure (CPAP). CPAP is a nose mask that forces air through your air-way. There are other options of medical intervention to stop snoring like surgical insertion of palatial implants to stiffen your soft palate. There is also traditional surgery, known as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, which trims your excess tis-sue. You can also shrink or re-move the excess tissue in your throat through radio frequency waves of laser surgery.

Personal hygiene needs no medical attention, just make a habit of using a shower, bath soap, shampoo, lotion, exotic perfume and face powder can make you physically and romantically fresh, dazzling and seducing, While the use of a mouthwash, toothbrush, toothpaste, feminine hygiene wash you can buy on the mar-ket can maintain your baby s

i am gliding...floatingacross waters...

waters of time...rushing in movements...movements away from the past...with you staring from abovefeeling your presenceupon my shouldersyour weight, a burdenfor me to carryto carry across...this water of timerushing in movements

away from the pastaware of every momentwith you on my backcarrying youthe sting...i should avoidthat you may use...use on me...such a dangerous...dangerous cargo to beholdblindly offering my serviceswithin...really within...seeking a clarity of purposewhy even...because you aresuch a dangerous...dangerous cargo to behold...on my back to carryacross waters of timerushing in movementsaway from the past...blindly you are...you are...dangerous...dangerous cargo to behold!

Floating

PNS -- To test the adapt-ability and performance of rice varieties containing bene-ficial amount of beta-carotene, the country will conduct field trials on these varieties come dry season next year.

Atty. Ronilo A. Beronio, PhilRice executive director, said the country’s progress in pro-vitamin A rice research will help reduce incidences on vitamin A deficiency. Statis-tics from Food and Nutrition Research Institute revealed that around four of 10 children aged six months to five years old and three of 10 school children suffer from the defi-ciency. One of five pregnant and lactating Filipino women also lack vitamin A.

Using conventional method in breeding, plant breed-ers had introduced the gene for beta-carotene production into a local popular cul-tivar from a donor variety. To be trans-ferred to farmers by 2013, the beta-carotene-laden rice can be grown organically and will be sold in a price comparable with the regular polished rice.

“The first approval of this type of rice will likely be given to our country as plant breeders have successfully crossed the donor plant with PSB Rc82. PhilRice will test the variety’s adaptability and performance after signing a material transfer agreement,” Beronio said after attending the recent 15th board meeting of the Golden Rice Humani-tarian Board held in Singa-pore.

With the introgression of the beta-carotene gene to PSB Rc82, Beronio said deficiency in Vitamin A is expected to decrease as a study published in the June 2009 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that a cup of beta-carotene rice could supply half of the vitamin A needed every day. When consumed by the body, beta-carotene produces vitamin A.

Vitamin A deficiency results in poor eyesight and night blindness. The deficien-cy also damages the immune system increasing risk to com-mon bacterial and viral infec-tions and rate of mortality especially among children.

RP to test pro-vitamin A riceBeronio, who experienced

night blindness while grow-ing up in a fishing village in Palawan , said the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board is confident of the Philippines ’ capability to develop beta-carotene-rich rice owing to the country’s well-established regulatory frameworks on safety evaluation.

“The country’s National Committee on Biosafety un-der the Department of Science and Technology provides reg-ulatory oversight on contained research, while the Bureau of Plant Industry strictly moni-tors field trials. We also have Administrative Order No. 8, Series of 2002 stipulating the rules and regulations on the importation and releases of plant and plant products de-

rived from the use of modern biotechnol-ogy,” Beronio explained.

Other than the scheduled field testing of pro-vitamin A rice, PhilRice is currently increasing the rice’s resis-

tance to bacterial leaf blight and tungro. Dr. Antonio A. Al-fonsio, acting director of the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Center, leads the project.

Meanwhile, two accept-ability studies conducted by PhilRice and Internationnal Research Institute in 2004-2005 and Strive Foundation in 2005-2006 revealed that 69 percent of the respondents ac-cept biofortified rice produced through biotechnology while 58 percent of farmers and rural consumers are willing to plant, buy, and sell rice simi-lar to the varieties to be tested by PhilRice.


A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection , from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam con-flict broke out , the son went to war. He was very coura-geous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later , just before Chris tmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said , ‘Sir , you don’t know me , but I am the sol-dier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day , and he was carry-ing me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you , and your love for art.’ The young man held out this package. ‘I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist , but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.’

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son , painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. ‘Oh , no sir , I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.’

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later..... There was to be a great auction of his paint-ings. Many influential people gathered , excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. ‘We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?’

There was silence.. Then a voice in the back

of the room shouted , ‘We want to see the famous paint-ings. Skip this one.’

But the auctioneer per-sisted. ‘Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100 , $200?’

Another voice angrily.. ‘We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh’s , the Rembrandts.. Get on with the

Real bids!’ But still the auctioneer

continued. ‘The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?’

Finally , a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. ‘I’ll give $10 for the painting...’ Being a poor man , it was all he could afford.

‘We have $10 , who will bid $20?’

‘Give it to him for $10.

Let’s see the masters.’ The crowd was becoming

angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. ‘Going once , twice , SOLD for $10!’

A man sitting on the sec-ond row shouted , ‘Now let’s get on with the collection!’

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. ‘I’m sorry , the auc-tion is over.’

‘What about the paintings?’‘I am sorry. When I was

called to conduct this auction , I was told of a secret stipu-lation in the will.. I was not allowed to reveal that stipula-tion until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate , including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!’

God gave His son 2 , 000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer , His message today is: ‘The son , the son , who’ll take the son?’

Because , you see , who-ever takes the Son gets every-thing.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON , WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH , SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE........THAT’S LOVE

Do whatever you like , but remember that maybe ‘one’ of the people you might have taken the time to send this to , may be just the person who needs to hear this message. You have a choice to make.’

God Bless.Let us then approach the

throne of grace with confi-dence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

(619) 474-0588

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

journalusa.com

The SON conversation before. Another girlfriend in Tijuana told him about his daughter a few months ago, which caused his divorce from his wife.

“How sure are you?” he asked. “You got back with your husband remember?”

“She looks like you, with slinky eyes.”

“But your husband is Chi-nese. He has slinky eyes too.”

“My husband suspected she was not his baby. He had a DNA test, and it was not his.”

“But why me? You dated other men too.”

“No I did not. I should know.”

Danny didn’t want to have anything to do with the baby and had lost interest in dat-ing Juanita again. He had too much in his plate already, responsibilities he could not assume. He had five kids with his ex-wife and another with his ex-girlfriend in Mexico. He was lucky no one was ask-ing for financial support since his ex-wife had a high-paying job and his ex-girlfriend came from a wealthy family. And he was not about to assume another financial responsibil-ity. Danny was at a loss for words to say.

“Would you at least see your daughter?” Juanita asked him.

“She’s not mine.”Would you at least see the

baby?”He was about to hang up

but didn’t have the heart to do so. He might not be a car-ing person, but he still had a conscience.

“What’s your address?” he asked, hoping to end the

COMPLICATED AFFAIRS

Another Child(Continued from page 11) conversation.

She told him her address and Danny wrote it down at the back of a used race horse betting stub. Distracted, he hung up without even saying goodbye.

Danny had no intention of ever seeing the baby. She may have been his own daughter, but in his mind, he already had too many responsibilities on his plate. He wanted to live the carefree life of a divorced father and didn’t want to be tied down to another commit-ment. Juanita kept calling him until one day he agreed to go to L.A. with his friend Mandy.

The place was a low-in-come one bedroom apartment. It was messy and so was Juanita. She was no longer the picture of a pretty Mexi-can senorita from a year ago; rather, Juanita looked to have doubled her body weight, her skin completely blotchy, her eyes tired with dark bags haunting them.

“Where’s your husband?” he asked.

“He left me again upon learning this baby is not his child.”

Danny looked at the baby girl. She was cute all right, with curly hair and an angelic face. But Danny resisted any temptation to hold her, still denying to himself she was his child. Then the baby start-ed crying. Juanita was in the kitchen preparing her milk. Mandy picked up the baby but she wouldn’t stop crying even as he danced around, hold-ing her in his arm. Finally, he handed her to Danny. As if on cue, she stopped crying as soon as she rested her head

on Danny’s arms. Any father would treasure that moment, but it was not what Danny wanted.

Mandy was convinced she was Danny’s baby; however, Danny would have none of it. Juanita kept calling him afterwards, but he refused to answer her. Eventually, he blocked her calls, deciding not to have anything to do with her to avoid any potential li-ability. While he could insist on a paternity test to know once and for all if the baby really was his child, he opted not to do so, worried the truth might hound him.

After a month, he received an unblocked, unwelcome call from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. The person at the other end of the line wanted to meet Danny and personally inform him Juanita had asked for child support.

“I think I am ready to go to the Philippines now,” Danny told his friend Mandy. “I’ll take your $500 offer.”

“But there’s no more $500 offer on the table,” Mandy told him. “Bobby withdrew the offer when you told us you are not interested in the business.”

“Tell him I will do my part even if I pay for my own expenses. Just don’t tell any-body that I am in the Philip-pines.”

Mandy was baffled by his friend’s change of heart. Unaware of the District At-torney’s call, he thought it was generous of Danny to make this sacrifice and assure the success of their business. In reality, his selfish friend simply wanted to escape the long hand of the law and the financial responsibility of a father to a cute and pretty Filipino-Mexican girl. – AJ

(To be continued)


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

journalusa.com

Light &Shadows

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

by Zena Sultana Babao

BAKIT ang PINOY HINDE TUMAMA-TAMA ANG SAGOT KAHIT

MAAYOS ANG TANONG?

Tanong: Kumain ka na ba?Sagot: Busog pa ako?T: Andyan ba ang nanay

mo?S: Bakit po?T: Anong oras ang klase

mo?S: Mamaya pa po?T: Saan kayo galing?

Iba si PinoyS: Lumabas lang kami.T: Paano mo ginawa yan?S: Madali lang po.T: Bakit wala ka kahapon?S: Absent ako.T: Anong oras na?S: Maaga pa.T: Saan ka na?S: Malapit na, wait lang.AND MY FAVORITE.....

. . .Tanong: Saan tayo kakain?Sagot: Kayo? Mwaaaaaha-

haha!

“Football is like life – it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.” – Vince Lombardi

Football is America’s No. 1 sport and the Super Bowl is America’s biggest sport event!

On Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, Super Bowl XLV will be watched around the world. This event brings to mind the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, and his world-famous speech “What It Takes to Be Number One.” The Super Bowl champion will be receiving the coveted Vince Lombardi Tro-phy.

“What It Takes to Be Number One” has been a source of inspi-ration and motivation to everyone engaged in the pursuit of excel-lence and in winning. Not only football, or any other ball game, but the game of life!

Super Bowl XLV will be the 45th annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football and the 41st annual championship game of the modern-era National Football League (NFL). The game will pit the NFC Champion Green Bay Packers against the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the NFL Champion for the 2010 season.

The game will be held at the super-sized Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the first time that the Super Bowl will be held in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, and the third time it will be held in Texas. Houston was the host city to Super Bowls VIII and XXXVIII.

Over 100,000 football fans will be inside the massive

Super Bowl XLVWhat It Takes to Be Number One!

stadium, with 5,000 more fans watching the game on big screens outside the stadium. Millions more will be glued to TV sets in their homes and sports bars all across America and around the world.

Kick-off time is approxi-mately 5:25 pm CST. Sports aficionados, movie stars, performers and all kinds of celebrities will be there. No less than President Obama is

expected to attend! This will be the

eight-time appear-ance in the Super Bowl for the Steel-ers (who hold the

record with six Super Bowl wins) and the fifth for the Packers (who hold the record with 12 overall NFL titles, including three Super Bowl wins and 9 league titles prior to the Super

Bowl-era.As of the end of Janu-ary, the

Green Bay Pack-

ers are two to three point

favorites, making this the first Super Bowl in which the Steelers were underdogs since Super Bowl XXX. In all four previous Super Bowls that Green Bay Packers played in, they were favored to win.

Here is the famous speech “What It Takes to Be Number One” by Vince Lombardi:

“Winning is not a some-time thing; it’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Win-ning is a habit. Unfortunate-ly, so is losing.

There is no room for sec-ond place. There is only one place in my game, and that’s first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t ever want to finish second time again. There is a second

place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by los-ers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be the first in anything we do, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football play-er goes to ply his trade he’s got to play from the ground up – from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their head. That’s O.K. You’ve got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more impor-tantly, you’ve got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization – an army, a political party, or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win – to beat the other guy. May-be that sounds hard or cruel. I don’t think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the

most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That’s why they are here – to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules – but to win.

And in truth, I’ve never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t ap-preciate the grind, the disci-pline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head com-bat.

I don’t say these things because I believe in the “brute” nature of man, or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decen-cy. But I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour – his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear – is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he’s exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”

Have fun watching Super Bowl XLV!

Are you an excuser or an ac-cuser? There are extremes on both ends. An excuser often goes too far in trying to make light of every negative and letting everyone “off the hook.”

Mercy is critically important in the Christian walk (as we judge, so will we be judged; Matthew 7:2), and it is always best to give a person the benefit of the doubt, to be a defense lawyer. The problem is if we become an “enabler”: when our unwillingness to stand against wrong behavior is inter-preted as a green light by whoever is doing or saying or thinking the wrong things. That turns us into “accomplices.”

Sometimes, the most merciful -- and Godly -- thing we can do is stand our ground in the face of some who is a transgressor. There is strength (and faith) in doing that, and often it serves to “pop” the bubble of pride or other way-wardness around a person, who would otherwise simply carry on -- often at our expense. It is wrong to excuse someone who does not deserve to be excused and will not benefit from it. This is especially true, of course, with children (the Bible is clear on the fact that they should be fairly but firmly -- sometimes very firmly -- disci-plined (see Sirach or Proverbs). If a person is constantly saying something that is wrong, this need

Excuser or accuser? Balance important between enabling

what’s evil and exposing itto be made accurate (“the truth will set you free,” said Jesus, John 8:32; it will also set the other person free).

When we cower before evil, we enhance -- augment -- its abil-ity to attack and sometimes even open our spirits to demons. We al-low it to grow, empowering dark-ness. We allow it to fester. That’s not mercy. It’s a lack of strength (see Christ in that temple with the moneychangers). When a person is allowed to carry on with wrong behavior, that person can be like a loose fireman’s hose -- spewing darkness in all directions.

We are not called to let others step on us. As one viewer, Colleen Gulish in Aliqippa, Pennsylvania, recently wrote, “Regarding lost things reappearing, my daughter bought me a hand made natural pearl bracelet with a magnetic clasp. I wore it once this past sum-mer and lost it. I looked every-where for it and called the local stores where I had been shopping that day, but no luck. I gave up and resigned myself to the loss.

“On January 1st of this year, I went to our Blue Army prayer group and was in line for Confes-sion. Two prayer group members went in before me and when it was my turn I went in and started my confession. I noticed some-thing on the small ledge on which you rest your hands. I looked clos-

er and noticed it was a bracelet. On closer examination, I realized it was my missing bracelet! I also need to tell you, that I had made it one of my new years resolu-tions to not ‘cast my pearls before swine’ anymore. I am always trying to be nice to people where I work and it is often a hostile envi-ronment. I decided to stop letting myself be hurt, to be Christian, but not to ‘give my heart’ to people who crush it underfoot. I had just been speaking to our Lord about this on my way to Mass and then in the confessional there was my pearl bracelet! After Mass I asked the two Blue Army prayer group members if they had put the brace-let in the confessional. Neither one had ever seen it before and they would have definitely noticed it where it was in the confessional.”

We don’t let other trample what is precious to us (especially our sense of who we are).

At the other extreme, however, is accusation -- the wrong ten-dency to be prosecutor. When this happens, we are always looking for the wrong in people. Prosecu-tion can become persecution. Our society is currently full of this: those who want to see nothing but bad in relatives, friends, work-mates, or those in the public eye.

Sometimes there is very good reason to recognize the evil so pervasive in our time as long as we don’t overdo it and remem-ber to look for good -- for light -- in them and see with the other person’s eyes.

This too will set you free.The greatest danger (in this

regard) is gossip:When we talk about the fail-

ings of others, it means we have pride and want to indicate how good we are in comparison. Leave this sort of stuff to Satan (the “great accuser”).

As a mystical woman from Ireland named Eileen O’Driscoll writes, “It is funny but you always

hear from gossips the bad news, about the bad things that people have done; you rarely hear about the good. When I see people gossiping, I think of a rosebush with the flowers dying (if it’s not pruned, the energy will still be go-ing into the dead flowers instead of producing new stems). The bad news is run by the power of Satan. He is able to manipulate people’s minds. Jesus is the good news. We should start today and talk about the good, and stop criticizing. It only takes one person to change the habit of gossiping and speak well of people. After a while, when people see that putting others down is not tolerated, they too will change because they will have no one to listen to them.”

In many experiences with mys-tics such as Maria Esperanza, we have always noted how rare it is to hear them criticize.

We all need to meditate on the many times that God has had mercy on us and extend the same mercy to others.

At the same time, that doesn’t mean cowering before evil, nor allowing evil to flourish with its lies; it doesn’t mean to keep let-ting someone do the wrong thing, or get off without justice. Often this happens in our own families. There are times when -- guided by prayer (and tossing out anger) -- we need to hold firm. We need to let someone know that he or she has crossed a line. The fewer words, the better. Actions -- and silence -- often speak louder than words. The Holy Spirit will guide you. If you exercise patience, He will act in a powerful way at just the right time to correct a person without further tension and quar-rels and division. When you hear bad news -- and sometimes we must -- just remember to pray and fast and respect God; this will take you above even scandal.


776,016 reads

Adjustment of Status in the US Through a Family Member

Your legal permanent resi-dent or US citizen spouse or child who is over 21, as well as your US citizen sibling may be able to petition a per-manent visa on your behalf. If this has already occurred, or if you were named as a child while you were under 21 of

age in such petition, your age may be preserved in some circumstances pursuant to the Child Status Protective Act. Once the visa has been ap-proved, you must wait for it to become available, which may happen very quickly or take years, depending on your visa category and home country. It is important to understand that a visa is like a train ticket- you can have a train ticket but sometimes you need to vali-date it in order to get into the train. Similarly, although your visa may be approved fairly quickly, you need to await its availability to then have it actually tendered to you.

The validation process, which is actually registering as a legal permanent resident, may be in the form of either an adjustment of status or a

Caroline M. RobertsLourna M. Marquez-Car-rasquillo

consular processing, depend-ing, in part, on whether you entered the US legally or not. If you entered legally, you may be able to adjust status within the US depending on such factors as whether you overstayed your authoriza-tion to be inside the US and

the date of the visa petition for the visa. In some cases, a person will qualify to adjust their status within the US after entering with a valid visa and overstaying the authorized pe-riod of time. In other cases, a person will not qualify to ad-just status within the US, will have to go to the US consul-ate in their home country for consular processing and may be imposed a bar of 3 or 10 years, during which time they cannot return to the US unless they qualify for a waiver or pardon.

The answers to these ques-tions are just the beginning of the process. Registering as a permanent resident once the visa is available can be more complex than expected. Although doing it without an attorney may seem like a breeze, beware of the many

traps and fine print issues that you may not notice if you do it yourself or have a non-attorney do it for you. Many deportations have been initi-ated because individuals filed petitions without the assis-tance of an attorney and com-mitted permanently damaging errors. Others file paperwork themselves and commit errors which necessitate the hiring of attorneys at a later stage, which ends up costing them more money than if they had retained counsel at the begin-ning of the process. In sum, failing to hire counsel at the onset can cost you to lose a lot of time, sometimes years, and can cost you more in attorney fees to correct all errors with your file. In the worst case scenario, it may cost you your

petition and result in a depor-tation.

We are experienced and knowledgeable immigra-tion attorneys who will work diligently to identify the best option available to you and address any potential issues at the onset so that your petition is prepared correctly the first time around. Likewise, if we believe you are not eligible for either process, we will let you know in all honesty-we do not charge thousands of dollars to take on a case knowing that the person is ineligible for the remedy requested. Our rates are low because our goal is to remain very competitive and provide you with the peace of mind that you deserve.

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 27, 2011 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is remind-ing customers of the impor-tance of power line safety. Earlier this month in San Bernardino County, three members of a family were electrocuted when they came in contact with a downed power line. According to news reports, the husband was the first one to approach the downed line, which had fallen into the family’s back-yard. His wife and son also were killed when they tried to rescue him from the energized line.

“This tragedy serves as a reminder that you should never touch a downed power line and always should as-sume that any power line is ‘live’ and electricity is flowing through it,” said David L. Gei-er, vice president of electric operations for SDG&E.

The company warns that

SDG&E offers power line safety reminder

electricity travels from a high voltage level to a low volt-age location, which could be the ground. This is much like water that travels downhill. If a person touches a power line with their body or an object that can conduct electric-ity, the person and/or object becomes the path for the electricity to travel through to the ground. Such an incident can result in severe injury or death.

“If you encounter a downed power line, stay away from it and never touch the line or anyone or thing in contact with it,” said Geier. “Remain calm and immedi-ately call 9-1-1 or SDG&E.”

Fallen electric lines are extremely dangerous. Report any downed lines to 9-1-1 and SDG&E immediately at 1-800-611-SDGE (7343). In an incident involving electric power lines, SDG&E offers the following guidelines:

Down or Broken Power Lines

If a person or piece of equipment comes in contact with an energized power line, or if a power line has fallen to the ground:

Stay clear of the line • and do not touch it.

Call 9-1-1. Ask for • the police department, fire department rescue service or SDG&E.

Always assume that • power lines are energized. If a person has come into con-tact with a power line, don’t touch the person or any equip-ment involved. The line may be still energized and could be extremely dangerous.

Freeing a person or • animal from energized power lines or equipment should only be attempted by a quali-fied electrical worker.

If a Vehicle is InvolvedIf a vehicle is involved and

you are in it: Sit quietly until help •

arrives.Warn others not to •

touch the vehicle and direct them to call 9-1-1.

If the vehicle is on • fire and you must leave it, open the door or window and jump clear without touching the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Do not allow yourself to become a path of electricity from the vehicle to the ground.

Be careful not to fall • back against the vehicle and to avoid any wires on the ground.

Overhead Electric Lines Safety Tips

When you are work-• ing around electric overhead lines, follow these rules:

Watch where you are • going.

Stay clear of the • power line.

Don’t touch the power • line.

Keep all machinery, • equipment, and materials such as scaffolding tools, boat masts, fruit-picking poles,

antennas, satellite dishes, pool skimmers handles, metal lad-ders, etc., and people at least 10 feet away from the lines. If it looks like the lines will be in your way, call SDG&E at 1-800-411-SDGE (7343). Depending on the nature of your job, SDG&E might be able to turn off the electricity, cover the lines, or even move them temporarily while you complete your work.

Do not remove any-• thing caught in electric lines, not even an animal. Instead, call SDG&E immediately.

Underground Electric Lines Safety Tips

Hazards you don’t • see, like underground elec-tric lines, are easy to ignore or forget. Digging, drilling or blasting can damage these underground lines and cause electrocution or fire. To avoid an accident, call SDG&E’s Underground Alert Service at 1-800-227-2600. SDG&E will send someone to your site for free to show you exactly where our lines are buried.

If you see an open • SDG&E transformer or other piece of equipment, call SDG&E at 1-800-411-SDGE (7343) and we will investi-gate. Do not touch the equip-ment as this could lead to injury or death.

For other safety tips, please visit www.sdge.com and go the Safety tab.

SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million con-sumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 845,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The util-ity’s area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help our customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra En-ergy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.


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

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

Nang tayo ay pasukin na, nitong “extrimist” na Muslim,Nang ang DROGA pumasok, ‘di na kayang apulain.Ang “corruption” ay lumalala, na sa ngayon, kalat na rin,Ang “Heinous Crime” unti-unti, bumabalot na ring lagim.

Sa pagdami nitong krimen, abogado’y naging “corrupt”,“Supreme Court” ay gayun na rin, na iisa ang palabas.Pamilya na AGRABYADO, magagawa’y magpapalag,Sa binigat ng KALABANG, mayaman at mga SIKAT.

“Death Penalty” ay wala na, ang kriminal, tuwang-tuwa,Kahit ilan ang patayin, posible na makalaya.Bago na rin ang pagpatay, pati ULO, NAWAWALA,Ganyan ngayon ang panahon, KABAYAN KO AY HUMAN-DA.

Darating din ang panahong ang BATA ay KASANGKAPAN,Gawing isang SAKRIPISYO, dinamita sa KATAWAN.Nang dahil sa kahirapan, tatanggapin na paraan,Tanggapin na ang PABUYA, pumatay ng maramihan.

Kapag ito’y nagsimula, ibang-iba na nga tayo,Katulad natin ay ang Iraq na kaiba ang prinsipyo.Halimbawa itong Pulis, kasambahay MINALTRATO,Ang nalabing kasambahay, masahol pa sa DEMONYO.

‘Pag ganito tayong lagi, bagsak lahat ang pangarap,Wala na ring magdarasal ang PATAYAN ay TALAMAK.‘Di na tayo tatawaging Pilipinong UMUUNLAD,Kungdi PINOY na NAGSAWA, sa DASAL at PAGSISIKAP.

Ang Ampatuan ay MODELO na sya nating masasabi,MITSA itong HALIMBAWA, tutularan ng marami.Kaya habang ang HUSTISYA, NATUTULOG, mga BINGI,Tanging DIYOS ang pagasang lipulin ang MARURUMI.

Batikos #3 ni: Romeo S. NicolasBocaue, Bulacan

1/22/2011

Ang Krimen Sa Ating Bansa

Showbiz Watcher

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

by Ogie Cruz

Habang hindi nakakapasok si Willie Revillame sa kan-yang “Willing- Willie” this week, si Rico J. Puno naman ang pansamantalang naging special co-host nila.

Ayon sa balita , sumama raw ang loob nito kina John Estrada at Randy Santiago kaya nagkasakit at namahinga muna ito sa kanyang show na halos buong linggo.Si Rico ang napili mismo ng dating host ng Wowowee na pumalit samantala sa kanya.

Natanong nga si Mr. Puno ni Mo Twister, kung anu ang mas masaya yung dating show niya na “Win na Win “ o itong “Willing –Willie”? Sagot ni Willie, pareho lang daw dahil pareho daw siyang nanduon sa nasabing shows.

Tanong din sa kanya,at kung bakit natanggal ang naturang show niya sa TFC? Simple lang ang sagot ni Rico, ganon daw talaga ang buhay natatanggal kapareho raw sa show na ito kung saan siya ay special co-host , na puede raw ng isang linggo lang siya at matatanggal din.

Reklamo nga ni Rico,marami raw ang uma-away sa twitter niya sa ngay-on, matapos niyang i-accept ang pagiging special co-host niya habang wala si Willie. Kesyo raw wala raw siyang prinsipyo, kasi puro lait noon ang inaabot niya kay Mr. Revillame ngayon nandito siya.Siguro raw malaki ang binayad sa kanya,” Kuripot yun paano ako babayaran ‘yun, pero may sariling kusa naman,” dagdag pa nga ng singer.

Minsan sa isang game portion ng nasabing programa,naitanong ni Rico sa isang contestant doon at bakit nila nagugustuhan si Willie Revillame e masama ang ugali yun. Sagot naman sa kanya, hindi mabait si Wil-lie at marami raw natutulun-gan na mga tao ito.Halatang nagbibiro lang naman si Rico sa kanyang naging tanong, kung baga pang-asar lang kay Willie.

Isa pang pinagmamalaki ni Mr. Puno, best of friend daw sila ni Willie kaya kahit anung intriga na ipukol sa kanila still hindi raw mabubuwag ang kanilang pagkakaibigan.

Mukhang si Rico Puno ngayon ang itatapat ng TV5 sa lunch show nina John Estrada at Randy Santiago sa ABS-

Sabi ni Rico, masama ugali ni Willie...

CBN, kaya naman visible ang singer at dahil na rin sa recommendation ni Willie.

MAINGAY RAW SI KRIS AQUINO SA EROPLANO, REKLAMO NG IBANG PASAHERO! Dumating na si Kris Aquino galing sa kan-yang vacation trip sa Indo-nesia, at naghahanda na sa pagbubukas ng kanyang dala-wang shows sa channel 2.

Pero anu itong nakarat-ing na intriga sa amin, kesyo napakaingay raw ni Kris sa eroplano, dahil kapag sum-inga raw ito ay talagang dinig na dinig nang kanyang mga katabi sa business class ng eroplano.

At ang puna pa nga ng isang pasahero roon, kala ko ba edukada siya dahil may breeding siya at magaling si-yang mag-english e bakit raw ganon kalakas kung suminga siya, na nakakaagaw pansin.

Nadismaya raw ang pasa-herong ito sa naranasan niya with Kris sa Eroplano,sana raw magbago naman ito puede naman suminga pero huwag naman na dinig na dinig na lahat ng tao.

Siempre ang pangyayaring ito ay hindi rin nakaligtas sa mga blind Items ng progra-mang “Juicy”, at mismong si Cristy Fermin pa ang nagku-wento tungkol sa pangyayar-ing ito.At take note napak-adali na binigay na clue ni Ate Cristy, may “K” daw itong aktres na ito.

Totoo ba ito Ms. Kris Aquino, kung suminga ka isang haguran lang kaya napakalakas ng tunog, pati katabi mo nandidiri sa kanil-ang nadinig ?

PROMO NG VALEN-TINE’S CONCERT NI PIOLO PASCUAL ANG PAG-AMIN NA SILA NA NI KC CONCEPCION? Marami ang nagdududa at kung bakit

Rico J. Puno

natiempo ang pag-amin ni Piolo na sila na nga ni KC, ganong malapit na ang kan-yang valentine’s concert.

Kesyo hindi na rin nakilig ang mga tao sa rebelayon na isiniwalat ng matinee idol sa “ D Buzz” mukhang si Char-lene Gonzales lang ang may ganong kilig .Bakit kaya?

Kasi naman parang na-pakahirap na aminin ni Piolo na may girlfriend na siya, at ganon katagal ang inabot bago niya ito aminin.First time pa niya ginawa ang ganitong pag-amin sa ere, natatangi si Piolo sa pag-amin na ganito kumpara sa ibang actors.Kaya siguro nawalan na ng gana ang mga tao sa kanyang rebe-lasyon at pati ang anak niya ginagamit niyang panangga

kaya natagalan siya bago gu-mawa ng ganitong pag-amin last Sunday sa “ D Buzz”, ayon sa obsebasyon ng ilang movie reporters.

Hayaan na natin si Piolo, ganon talaga ang ugali niya kung baga irespeto na lang natin kung saan siya masaya.

ANNOUNCEMENT. Announcement from my batchmate Ms. Teza Yatco about US/Canada Arellano High School 79ers Reunion on Feb. 19-21,2011 at Las Vegas,Nevada.I f you are interested pls. contact Ms. Teza Yatco at (210) 323-7933,(210)323-7933 or email her at [email protected].

Kita kits na lang tayo,batch ’79 sa Las Vegas.

Farmers field will become L.A.’s new showplace for football, championship sporting events, concert,

special events, conventions and exhibit

and other public areas, and a variety of branded clubs and other interactive areas to be used by Farmers Insurance agents and customers.

“This historic investment by Farmers shows that they clearly share AEG’s vision to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles and trust in our continuing commitment to provide best-in-class facilities and content that attract the attention of fans worldwide,” said Shervin Mirhashemi, Chief Operating Officer, AEG Global Partnerships. “Start-ing today, the name ‘Farm-ers Field’ will become part of the lexicon of NFL fans across all demographics and regions as Farmers Field joins an exclusive family of iconic AEG developments around the globe. We are proud to call our friends at Farmers our partners in this unprecedented deal and project.” “Farmers Field represents a rare oppor-tunity to merge a significant investment in Los Angeles with tremendous exposure for the Farmers brand,” said Kevin Kelso, Executive Vice President and Chief Market-ing Officer of Farmers In-surance. “But this extends well beyond the Los Angeles market: this showcases the Farmers brand on a national stage.”

Farmers and AEG also an-nounced the launch of a new website, Farmersfield.com where fans can receive infor-mation about Farmers Field and sign up to be on a priority list for a variety of premium seating options. Information is now available online at http://www.farmersfield.com. Farmers Field is also on Twit-ter at @BringNFLBackLA. Fans can also text NFLLA to 44144 to subscribe to free

Farmers Field text message updates, special offers, and additional information about tickets (standard text messag-ing rates apply).

About Farmers Insurance Group of Companies

Farmers is a trade name and may refer to Farmers Group, Inc. or the Farmers Exchanges, as the case may be. Farmers Group, Inc., a management and holding company, along with its sub-sidiaries, is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group. The Farmers Exchang-es are three reciprocal insurers (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck

Insurance Exchange), including their subsidiaries and affiliates, owned by their policyholders, and managed by Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more infor-mation about Farmers, visit our Web site at www.farmers.com.

ABOUT AEG

AEG is one of the lead-ing sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collec-tion of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), Sprint Center (Kansas City, MO), Citizen’s Business Bank Arena (Ontario, CA), The Rose Garden (Portland, OR), WaMu Theatre (Seattle, WA), American Airlines Arena (Miami), Best Buy Theater (Times Square, NY), Verizon Theatre (Grand Prairie, TX), Colosseum at Caesars Pal-ace (Las Vegas, NV), Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), Acer Arena (Sydney, AU), Wukesong Arena (Beijing), Ahoy Arena (Rotterdam),


Globe Arenas (Stockholm), Qatar National Convention Centre (Doha), O2 World Hamburg (Hamburg), O2 World (Berlin) and The O2, a 28-acre development located in the eastern part of London along the Thames River which includes a 20,000-seat arena and over 650,000 sf of leisure and entertainment use; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Man-chester Monarchs (AHL), Reading Royals (ECHL), Houston Dynamo & Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS), two hockey franchises in Europe, the Hammarby (Sweden) Futbol Club and management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers; AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affili-ate that operates or consults with more than 100 of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide; AEG Merchandis-ing, a multi-faceted merchan-dising company; and AEG Global Partnerships, responsi-ble for more worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships naming rights

and other strategic partner-ships than any other organi-zation. AEG Live, the live-entertainment

division of Los Angeles-

based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance. AEG Live is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions, fifteen regional offices and owns, operates or exclusively books thirty five state-of-the-art venues.

AEG directed the overall creation and development of L.A. LIVE, the 4 million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports & entertainment district fea-turing venues such as Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, Club Nokia and The Conga Room; the GRAMMY Museum, sa-luting the history of music and the genre’s best know awards show; a 54-story, 1001-room convention “headquarters” destination (featuring The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels and 224 luxury condo-miniums – The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton – all in a single tower), Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 movie theatre, “broadcast” facilities for ESPN, along with enter-tainment, restaurant and office space making it the region’s most active live content and event destination.


AMERASIAN CUISINE

The Aklanons displayed their true colors in varying de-signs in individual costumes and group participation con-test sharing the fun dancing the night away at the Loma Verde Recreation Center Hall in Chula Vista.

This year’s activities was spearheaded by AASDC Pres-ident Hedelyn Ipanto Pfander, originally from Malinao, Aklan, with the cooperation of the officers and members of the association, and support of friends and benefactors. Dev-otees of the Santo Nino from neighboring cities like, Hemit, Long Beach, Ceretos, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nevada and as far as North Carolina brought added excitement to the celebration.

This annual festivity San Diego style is the local Fili-

The Aklan Ati-Atihan Festival 2011 in San DiegoThe Aklan Association of

San Diego, Inc. celebrates Ati-Atihan Festival

Tribu Malinao, Jan 2010 Ati-Atihan 2nd Place winner

pinos’ version of what their ancestors started many centu-ries ago. The Santo Nino or Ati-Atihan Festival is a com-memoration of an event. It ushered in an era of tranquil-ity and peaceful co-existence in Panay Island, Philippines.

History reveals that in the year 1212, several boatloads of Borneans sailed across the sea to escape the harsh regime of the mighty Srivijaya Em-pire under Makatunaw. The group landed on Panay Island where they established what was believed to be the first community of brown race in the island nation and formed the first union of states in Southeast Asia called: “The Madya-as Confederation.”

Their first Ati-Atihan celebration sealed the peace pact that eventually united

Tribu Malinao, Jan 29, 2011 Ati-Atihan 1st Place Winner

The Festival Judges: Engr. Joe Yabut Abueg,. Nengneg Fer-nandez Cabison & Lynne Quimpo Wilson

L. to R. Dave, Joe, Tessie, Edsel & Emma; Front: Hedelyn, Standing: Lynn

two people – the native Aetas and the migrating Malays. As stipulated in their contract, the Malays took control of the island’s low lands in exchange for the golden “salokot”, brass basins, bales of cloth, trinkets and harvest of the sea for one summer, while the hinterlands remained the sole domain of the native Aetas. A glorious celebration followed with food, wine and merrymaking that lasted for several days.

The Ati-Atihan (means- making yourself like an Ati or Aeta) or pretending to be one of Kalib’s frenzied and rau-cous historical and religious festivities oberserved every second week of January where the citizens, tourists and devo-tees blacken their faces and bodies with soot to look like the dark skinned natives of the island..

It became a religious feast with the baptism of 1,000 natives (isa ka libo) and their conversion to Christianity by the Spanish missionaries. That eventful day in the town now called “Kalibo” the drums of Madyanos (Kalibo) were sounded. The present Ati-Ati-han celebration is tinged with religious fervor. Fiestas, pro-cessions and drum-accompa-nied street dances are among the colorful tributes offered to honor the Santo Nino. It is also associated with peti-tions and miracles. Devotees stand in inside the century-old Cathedral to have their bod-ies touched with the statute of the Santo Nino. They say that this activity has “cured their ailments, answered their prayers and made their dreams in life come true. Neverthe-less, veneration of the Santo Nino is performed with deep piety based on centuries-old faith; continuous novenas, sol-emn masses and very Western liturgical ceremonies solidly parallel exotic rituals.

Today, Ati-Atihan is easily the most gaily celebrated fes-tival in the Philippines. It’s a culture that the Aklanons have brought with them here in San Diego and all over the United States of America. Ati-Atihan

is now the most celebrated festival among Filipinos ev-erywhere.

Photos by: Conrado Reloj, Jr. Asian Journal/ Prepaid Legal, San Diego, CA

Malinaonons in Action

The Impreso family clan of National City, CA

Intertainment Committee staff with Pres. Hedelyn I. Pfander

Follow Asian Journal on Facebook.com/asianjournal and Twitter.com/asianjournal.Jochi Resto Grill Opens in Chula Vista

Dele - Chit RiveraProprietor

289 E. Orange & Melrose Chula Vista, CA 91911

(619) 426-7801(Alongside Seafood City Supermarket)

Around TownRead Conrad Reloj’s previous articles by visiting our website at

www.asianjournalusa.com. Email: [email protected]

by Conrad I. Reloj, Jr.


Balitang KutseroBy Perry Diaz

Like clockwork, Berting

gets up at 7:00 every morning, Monday through Friday, have his usual breakfast of tapsilog and a cup of coffee. While eating, he reads all the major newspapers (about seven) in Manila. This morning, one newspaper headline said, “GMA says RP has Fiscal Crisis.” “This is going to be bad for my business,” he told himself.

He dressed up and looked at himself at the oversized gilded mirror in his bedroom. “Not bad,” he told himself, smiling, “Not bad at all for poor boy that made good… very good.” His left eye twitched occasionally. He al-most lost his left eye in an ac-cident when he was 13 years old. He was then a runner for the remnants of the Asiong Salonga gang in Tondo. He put on his sunglasses. “That takes care of that little prob-lem.” His twitching left eye became his trademark and his friends call him “Berting Kirat” or just “Kirat.”

He opened his drawer and picked up a 10-carat solitaire pinky ring and a watch from his expensive collection — a diamond-studded gold Rolex President. This watch had a sentimental value because the late Senator Cosme de la Concepcion, his former boss, gave it to him. Those were the days when he worked as a chauffeur for “Kissme,” as the powerful Senator — and bo-hemian — was called by his friends, especially the women.

He kissed his sleep-ing wife, Ai Ai, and left the room. Ai Ai had been playing mahjong till 3:00 AM. Bert-ing looked at his young and beautiful wife and smiled. Ai Ai is the daughter of one of Berting’s former clients, Toto, a rich Chinese smuggler, and Gigi, a beautiful Spanish mes-

The Life of Berting Kirattiza. It was rumored that Gigi was once working as a guest relations officer – used to be “hostess” -- at the Bayside Club on Roxas Blvd.

Berting stepped out the door to his waiting car, a Mercedes S500 with tinted windows. “I hope you did not forget to buy a bottle of Remy,” he asked Rico, his driver. “I got it, sir,” Rico answered. Berting is going to give the expensive bottle of Remy Martin “Napoleon Bac-carat” cognac to his friend, Ignacio “Quincy” Ramos, at his birthday party tonight. Quincy is a tax examiner with the Bureau of Internal Rev-enue. His friends call him “Quincy” because of his prac-tice of requiring a 15 (quinse in Spanish) percent kickback.

Berting arrived at his of-fice at the Manila Peninsula — the “Pen.” He instructed his driver to pick him up at 12:00 for a lunch meeting. He looked around and then went to the coffee shop. He took one of the empty tables and signaled the waitress for his usual coffee. This is Berting’s office. The “Pen” is where Berting and other fixers hang out everyday, except weekends. This is where they conduct their business.

Berting and his associ-ates do not call themselves “fixers.” They hate the word “fixer.” They want to be called “brokers.” Whether they call themselves brokers or fixers, the correct description of what they do is “influence ped-dling.” They act as facilita-tors to clients who want to do business with corrupt gov-ernment officials. They use their connections with elected officials and government bu-reaucrats to “facilitate” illicit deals. In the old days, a 5% commission would suffice to fix a deal. Today, it could be anywhere from 20% to 50%.

As Berting was drink-ing his first cup of coffee,

Bong, another fixer, joined him and told him about the successful outcome of a deal they worked together. Bong handed Berting an envelope, “Here’s your cut.” Bert-ing looked inside the enve-lope and saw a thick wad of P100 bills and smiled. “By the way, what do you think of the fiscal crisis? Will it affect our business?” Bert-ing asked. “Ah, don’t worry about it, pare,” Bong — who is more experienced in this business — said, “Our busi-ness is good any time… all the time. It’s recession-free. There are always people out there who need us. So, don’t worry, we’ll be around for as long as this country ex-ists. I’d better go, I’ll see you tonight at Quincy’s party, okay?” He stood up and left. Berting held the envelope tightly. This reminded him of his first “fixing” job when he was driving for Senator “Kissme.” The Senator told him to go see Mr. Reyes about a deal being worked under the table. Berting went back and forth several times serving as the conduit between Kissme and Mr. Reyes. After the deal was concluded, Mr. Reyes gave Berting his first enve-lope. “Not bad, not bad at all,” Berting told himself.

At 11:30 AM, Rico came back. “Bring me to Santa Maria Country Club,” he com-manded. They reached Santa Maria — the most exclusive country club in the Philip-pines — in one hour. Bert-ing rushed in and found Mr. Santander waiting for him at a table. “Sorry I’m late,” Bert-ing said. “Don’t worry, please sit down. I know you’re very busy so I ordered the food al-ready. Care for a Remy while we wait?” Mr. Santander asked. “Sure,” Berting replied. One of the two waiters serv-ing them ran to the bar to get a Remy XO. Their table was being waited by two waiters to make sure that they got served right away.

After their sumptuous

lunch Mr. Santander went on with his agenda. “Robert, I need your help. This guy from BIR told me that I owe the government P120 million in back taxes. His name is Ignacio Ramos.” “Oh, yeah, I know that guy. Actually, he’s having his birthday party tonight. How can I be of help?” Berting — Robert to his clients — asked. “Well, I can afford to pay P20 million. Do you think he’ll agree to that?” Mr. Santander queried. Berting replied, “You see, that’s P100 million you’re trying to keep. GMA needs the money to keep our coun-try afloat.” Berting took a sip from the snifter handed to him by the waiter and said, “Excellent Remy, thanks Roger.” “You’re welcome,” Mr. Santander responded meekly. After three minutes of deafening silence, Bert-ing said, “I have a plan for you. How about paying P40 million in back taxes and you give me a 25% commission from the amount you’d save? I have to take care of several people including Mr. Ramos. You’ll end up with a net sav-ing of P60 million.” “That’s very generous of you Robert. I like your plan. What do we do now?” Mr. Santander said with a sigh. “Mr. Ramos will call you.” Berting replied with finality in his voice. “Not bad, not bad at all. That’s 15% for Quincy and 10% for me,” Berting told himself and he let out a smile. The lunch meeting ended at 2:00 PM just in time for him to go back to his office at the “Pen” to pick up another envelope. It was a busy day for Berting Kirat, indeed.

# # #

(NOTE: I originally wrote and published this article in September 2004 under my column “PerryScope.” This article is fictional and all the characters are fictional. Any similarity in names and cir-cumstances is purely coinci-dental.)

By Maricar CincoPhilippine Daily Inquirer

COSTLY BURIAL could only aggravate an already unfortunate occasion, especially to a family of minimum-wage earners.

“What a crisis it is to have death in the family! Just for the casket, the cheapest you could get is around P8,000,” said Prudence Gaspar. “Wakes have become a venue for gambling, sometimes extending it up to a month just to raise money. Gambling groups come in, disturb-ing the community,” she added.

Gaspar, a member of the Gawad Kalinga (GK), and seven other couple members, trained in casket-making – a job they will offer as a livelihood to the families in Baran-gay Molino in Bacoor town, Cavite.

The families used to be informal settlers occupying the area for over 20 years until they were awarded portions of the property under a government mortgage program. Through the GK and other sponsor groups, they were able to build their houses in 2007.

Values formation

Most of the males in the com-munity worked in construction sites. “But that’s very unstable. Most of the time, they are doing nothing,” said Gaspar.

Their wives, on the other hand, earned by doing laundry or mani-cure or pedicure, if not scavenging on the streets.

“Our program aims for holis-tic community development. But what’s important is they have jobs to fulfill the rest of the program [which includes] values formation. They won’t listen,” she said.

Crimes were high early on in the community, said Juanito Garcia, another GK member.

“Providing them livelihood will keep them busy and away from gambling and drinking alcohol,” he said.

Affordable

Paper caskets, as an alternative to wooden coffins, were a brainchild of 71-year-old Lourdes Ocampo, who started a business of bag-making out of woven old newspaper more than 10 years ago.

“When my mother died in 1993, she was placed inside this box, often used for pan de sal [bread] before the cremation. I was very furious. I thought I better make [her] one,”

With paper caskets, poor Cavite village comes alive

she said.The paper casket uses plywood

as base and woven newspaper for the sides. A special laminating chemical is painted on the papier-mâché, while the inside is lined with a white cloth.

Fiberglass is used for the cas-ket’s top for viewing. The coffin’s color may depend on the client’s wish.

“If you want a pink one, it can be pink. You can do a lot of things. You can even design it with flow-ers,” said Gaspar.

A 45 by 75-inch adult-size cas-ket could be woven in four hours.

It is also twice cheaper than the regular wood casket—P2,500 to P3,000 each.

Ocampo, who owned the brand of bags she tagged D’yario, gave free sessions on bag- and casket-making as a livelihood program to several communities and even to mental institutions and jails in the country.

However, she said the train-ing, only on the casket-making, given here would be the last, as her daughter and son-in-law plan to put up a business producing the paper caskets.

Opportunity

Ricardo Guda, 55, a resident in the GK community, saw casket-making as an opportunity for them.

He earns P350 daily from construction jobs and said the skill would be a new source of the fam-ily’s income.

“For us to really help, we have to be the source of the materials,” Gaspar said, who thought of solicit-ing scrap wood and old newspapers.

The GK will also allot P5,000 from their microfinance project to provide for the capital and a startup for a cooperative.

“Even the children could earn. For every 100 strips of rolled news-paper (used for the weaving), we will buy it from them for P10,” said Eric Arce, also of the GK.

The community will also be taught bag-weaving.

Although they have just learned the skill themselves, Gaspar said they had their first order for the paper casket.

“She’s a 75-year-old nun. She said she did not want her congrega-tion and family to worry when she dies so she has asked us to make her one,” she said.

March 2011Call (619) 746 - 3416


Health

Sam Vaknin, Mental Health Matters, 29 September 2010 --

How to Spot an AbuserImagine a first or second

date. You can already tell if he is a would-be abuser. Here’s how:

Perhaps the first telltale sign is the abuser’s alloplastic de-fenses – his tendency to blame every mistake of his, every fail-ure, or mishap on others, or on the world at large. Be tuned: does he assume personal re-sponsibility? Does he admit his faults and miscalculations? Or does he keep blaming you, the cab driver, the waiter, the weather, the government, or for-tune for his predicament?

Is he hypersensitive, picks up fights, feels constantly slighted, injured, and insulted? Does he rant incessantly? Does he treat animals and children impa-tiently or cruelly and does he express negative and aggressive emotions towards the weak, the poor, the needy, the sentimental, and the disabled? Does he con-fess to having a history of bat-tering or violent offenses or be-havior? Is his language vile and infused with expletives, threats, and hostility?

Next thing: is he too eager? Does he push you to marry him having dated you only twice? Is he planning on having children on your first date? Does he im-mediately cast you in the role of the love of his life? Is he press-ing you for exclusivity, instant intimacy, almost rapes you and acts jealous when you as much as cast a glance at another male? Does he inform you that, once you get hitched, you should abandon your studies or resign your job (forgo your personal autonomy)?

Does he respect your bound-aries and privacy? Does he ig-

Learning to Keep Your Relationships Healthy

How to Spot an Abuser on Your First Date

nore your wishes (for instance, by choosing from the menu or selecting a movie without as much as consulting you)? Does he disrespect your boundaries and treats you as an object or an instrument of gratification (materializes on your doorstep unexpectedly or calls you often prior to your date)? Does he go through your personal belong-ings while waiting for you to get ready? Does he text or phone you multiply and incessantly and insist to know where you are or where you have been at all times?

Does he control the situation and you compulsively? Does he insist to ride in his car, holds on to the car keys, the money, the theater tickets, and even your bag? Does he disapprove if you are away for too long (for in-stance when you go to the pow-der room)? Does he interrogate you when you return (“have you seen anyone interesting”) – or make lewd “jokes” and remarks? Does he hint that, in future, you would need his per-mission to do things – even as

innocuous as meeting a friend or visiting with your family? Does he insist on a “dress code”?

Does he act in a patronizing and condescending manner and criticizes you often? Does he emphasize your minutest faults (devalues you) even as he exag-gerates your talents, traits, and skills (idealizes you)? Does he call you names, harasses, or rid-icules you? Is he wildly unreal-

istic in his expec ta -tions from you, from h i m s e l f , from the b u d d i n g relat ion-ship, and from life in gener-al?

D o e s he tell you constantly that you “ m a k e him feel” g o o d ? Don’t be

impressed. Next thing, he may tell you that you “make” him feel bad, or that you make him feel violent, or that you “pro-voke” him. “Look what you made me do!” is an abuser’s ubiquitous catchphrase.

Does he find sadistic sex ex-citing? Does he have fantasies of rape or pedophilia? Is he too forceful with you in and out of the sexual intercourse? Does he like hurting you physically or finds it amusing? Does he abuse you verbally – does he curse you, demeans you, calls you ugly or inappropriately di-minutive names, or persistently criticizes you? Does he beat or slap you or otherwise mistreats you physically? Does he then switch to being saccharine and “loving”, apologizes profusely and buys you gifts?

If you have answered “yes” to any of the above – stay away! He is an abuser.

Body Language of the Abuser

Then there is the abuser’s body language. It comprises an unequivocal series of subtle – but discernible – warning signs. Pay attention to the way your date comports himself – and save yourself a lot of trouble!

Many abusers have a specific body language. It comprises an unequivocal series of subtle – but discernible – warning signs. Pay attention to the way your date comports himself – and save yourself a lot of trouble!

Abusers are an elusive breed, hard to spot, harder to pinpoint, impossible to capture. Even an experienced mental health di-agnostician with unmitigated access to the record and to the person examined would find it fiendishly difficult to determine with any degree of certainty whether someone is being abu-sive because he suffers from an impairment, i.e., a mental health disorder.

Some abusive behavior pat-terns are a result of the patient’s cultural-social context. The offender seeks to conform to cultural and social morals and norms. Additionally, some peo-ple become abusive in reaction to severe life crises.

Still, most abusers master the art of deception. People often find themselves involved with a abuser (emotionally, in busi-ness, or otherwise) before they have a chance to discover his real nature. When the abuser re-veals his true colors, it is usually far too late. His victims are un-able to separate from him. They are frustrated by this acquired helplessness and angry that they failed to see through the abuser earlier on.

But abusers do emit subtle, almost subliminal, signals in his body language even in a first or casual encounter. These are:

“Haughty” body language – The abuser adopts a physi-cal posture which implies and exudes an air of superiority, se-niority, hidden powers, myste-

riousness, amused indifference, etc. Though the abuser usually maintains sustained and pierc-ing eye contact, he often re-frains from physical proximity (he maintains his personal ter-ritory).

The abuser takes part in so-cial interactions – even mere banter – condescendingly, from a position of supremacy and faux “magnanimity and largesse”. But even when he feigns gregariousness, he rarely mingles socially and prefers to remain the “observer”, or the “lone wolf”.

Entitlement markers – The abuser immediately asks for “special treatment” of some kind. Not to wait his turn, to have a longer or a shorter thera-peutic session, to talk directly to authority figures (and not to their assistants or secretaries), to be granted special payment terms, to enjoy custom tailored arrangements. This tallies well with the abuser’s alloplastic defenses - his tendency to shift responsibility to others, or to the world at large, for his needs, failures, behavior, choices, and mishaps (“look what you made me do!”).

The abuser is the one who – vocally and demonstratively – demands the undivided at-tention of the head waiter in a restaurant, or monopolizes the hostess, or latches on to celeb-rities in a party. The abuser re-acts with rage and indignantly when denied his wishes and if treated the same as others whom he deems inferior. Abusers fre-quently and embarrassingly “dress down” service providers such as waiters or cab drivers.

Idealization or devaluation – The abuser instantly idealizes or devalues his interlocutor. He flatters, adores, admires and ap-plauds the “target” in an embar-rassingly exaggerated and pro-fuse manner – or sulks, abuses, and humiliates her.

Abusers are polite only in the presence of a potential would-be victim – a “mate”, or a “collaborator”. But they are unable to sustain even perfunc-tory civility and fast deteriorate to barbs and thinly-veiled hos-tility, to verbal or other violent displays of abuse, rage attacks, or cold detachment.

The “membership” posture – The abuser always tries to “belong”. Yet, at the very same time, he maintains his stance as an outsider. The abuser seeks to be admired for his ability to integrate and ingratiate himself without investing the efforts commensurate with such an un-dertaking.

For instance: if the abuser talks to a psychologist, the abuser first states emphatically that he never studied psychol-ogy. He then proceeds to make seemingly effortless use of ob-scure professional terms, thus demonstrating that he mastered the discipline all the same – which is supposed to prove that he is exceptionally intelligent or introspective.

Show Off Instead of Sub-stance

In general, the abuser always

prefers show-off to substance. One of the most effective meth-ods of exposing a abuser is by trying to delve deeper. The abuser is shallow, a pond pre-tending to be an ocean. He likes to think of himself as a Renais-sance man, a Jack of all trades, or a genius. Abusers never ad-mit to ignorance or to failure in any field – yet, typically, they are ignorant and losers. It is surprisingly easy to penetrate the gloss and the veneer of the abuser’s self-proclaimed om-niscience, success, wealth, and omnipotence.

Bragging and false autobiog-raphy – The abuser brags inces-santly. His speech is peppered with “I”, “my”, “myself”, and “mine”. He describes himself as intelligent, or rich, or modest, or intuitive, or creative – but al-ways excessively, implausibly, and extraordinarily so.

The abuser’s biography sounds unusually rich and com-plex. His achievements – in-commensurate with his age, education, or renown. Yet, his actual condition is evidently and demonstrably incompat-ible with his claims. Very often, the abuser’s lies or fantasies are easily discernible. He always name-drops and appropriates other people’s experiences and accomplishments as his own.

Emotion-free language – The abuser likes to talk about himself and only about himself. He is not interested in others or what they have to say. He is nev-er reciprocal. He acts disdainful, even angry, if he feels an intru-sion on his precious time.

In general, the abuser is very impatient, easily bored, with strong attention deficits – un-less and until he is the topic of discussion. One can dissect all aspects of the intimate life of a abuser, providing the discourse is not “emotionally tinted”. If asked to relate directly to his emotions, the abuser intellectu-alizes, rationalizes, speaks about himself in the third person and in a detached “scientific” tone or composes a narrative with a fictitious character in it, suspi-ciously autobiographical.

Most abusers get enraged when required to delve deeper into their motives, fears, hopes, wishes, and needs. They use violence to cover up their per-ceived “weakness” and “senti-mentality”. They distance them-selves from their own emotions and from their loved ones by alienating and hurting them.

Seriousness and sense of intrusion and coercion – The abuser is dead serious about himself. He may possess a fabu-lous sense of humor, scathing and cynical, but rarely is he self-deprecating. The abuser regards himself as being on a constant mission, whose importance is cosmic and whose consequenc-es are global.

If a scientist – he is always in the throes of revolutionizing science. If a journalist – he is in the middle of the greatest story ever. If an aspiring businessman - he is on the way to concluding the deal of the century. Woe be-tide those who doubt his gran-diose fantasies and impossible

schemes.This self-misperception is

not amenable to light-headed-ness or self-effacement. The abuser is easily hurt and insult-ed (narcissistic injury). Even the most innocuous remarks or acts are interpreted by him as belittling, intruding, or coercive slights and demands. His time is more valuable than others’ – therefore, it cannot be wasted on unimportant matters such as social intercourse, family ob-ligations, or household chores. Inevitably, he feels constantly misunderstood.

Any suggested help, advice, or concerned inquiry are im-mediately cast by the abuser as intentional humiliation, imply-ing that the abuser is in need of help and counsel and, thus, imperfect. Any attempt to set an agenda is, to the abuser, an intimidating act of enslavement. In this sense, the abuser is both schizoid and paranoid and often entertains ideas of reference.

Finally, abusers are some-times sadistic and have inap-propriate affect. In other words, they find the obnoxious, the heinous, and the shocking – funny or even gratifying. They are sexually sado-masochistic or deviant. They like to taunt, to torment, and to hurt people’s feelings (“humorously” or with bruising “honesty”).

While some abusers are “sta-ble” and “conventional” – oth-ers are antisocial and their im-pulse control is flawed. These are very reckless (self-destruc-tive and self-defeating) and just plain destructive: workaholism, alcoholism, drug abuse, patho-logical gambling, compulsory shopping, or reckless driving.

Yet, these – the lack of em-pathy, the aloofness, the disdain, the sense of entitlement, the re-stricted application of humor, the unequal treatment, the sa-dism, and the paranoia – do not render the abuser a social misfit. This is because the abuser mis-treats only his closest – spouse, children, or (much more rarely) colleagues, friends, neighbours. To the rest of the world, he ap-pears to be a composed, rational, and functioning person. Abusers are very adept at casting a veil of secrecy – often with the active aid of their victims – over their dysfunction and misbehavior.

About the BookBased on my book “Malig-

nant Self Love - Narcissism Re-visited” 2007 Lidija Rangelovs-ka Narcissus Publications at http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/thebook.html

About Sam VakninSam Vaknin is the author of

, and runs the website Malig-nant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited. Sam Vaknin is not a mental health professional. He has served as the editor of Men-tal Health Disorders categories in the Open Directory Project and on Mentalhelp.net. He also maintains his own Websites about Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and relation-ships with abusive narcissists and psychopaths. Source: http://mental-health-matters.com/abuse/1248-how-to-spot-an-abuser-on-your-first-date

Is there anything you can do to avoid abusers and narcis-sists to start with? Are there any warning signs, any identi-fying marks, rules of thumb to shield you from the harrow-ing and traumatic experience of an abusive relationship?

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ficult to deal with along with the pressures that come with the college lifestyle.

What it means to be a Filipino American

Even though I faced many obstacles growing up as a FilAm, I came to understand my cultural identity. Filipino American also means having courage. We have the courage to try anything that comes our way. Even though something may seem impossible, we still have the bravery to try the impossible. We have the audacity to try things that are impractical and unbearable. I really think that courageous acts run in our Filipino blood.

Another thing, when I think of FilAms, I think hon-esty. Most FilAms I know are true and honest people. I know for a fact that there are also devious FilAms, but for the most part, we are genuine and sincere. Being a FilAm means having aspirations and dreams. Since I’ve grown up in the United States, I came to see that I have many possibili-ties to live the perfect life. I have been to the Philippines a few times and the lifestyle there is difficult. My family and I send money home from time to time just so my rela-tives can survive the harsh living. I came to a realization that I need to be grateful for the life I have and the mate-rial things that I have. For instance, since I live here in the United States I do not have to pay for things such as pencils, pens, and paper. All of those types of things are given in schools. In the Philippines, one has to pay for school supplies and it’s pretty expensive especially since the economy in the Philippines is not so great. I think that being a FilAm gives me a sort of flexibility especially living here in the US. I appreciate everything!

I also believe that because I am a FilAm, I live in a very different world than my parents. The traditions of my parents are important to me and that is why I try to learn the traditions. I do not want my Filipino traditions

to “die out” when my parents leave this world. So I try my best to practice old traditions like speaking Tagalog and Kapampangan ( my parent’s dialects). Being FilAm means that I can choose to do what I like to do and not what my parents want me to do. I still hold their values and interests at heart, but I think that it’s best that I choose something that I will enjoy for the rest of my life.

I recognize that we have differing needs, challenges and experiences. We have many gifts and resources to offer both the Filipino and American communities. Be-ing FilAm means having the power to make changes in this world and the ability to recog-nize the need to act on certain issues that affect us all.

***

Hazel Rivera is a gradu-ating senior majoring in Information Systems at San Diego State University. She is a student of Dr. Dirige in AS 310, “Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communi-ties”.

***

ADDENDUM:In my previous article last

week on “Health Care Reform and Its Impact on Asian Pa-cific American Communities”, the Introduction was omitted. This was crucial in under-standing the article; hence, we are printing it. It was meant to be a 2-part article but came out as a long, long one. I am sorry for the error. Our intent was for you to be informed of the entire health care reform so you will be able to follow the changes that will occur in the following days.

Introduction to Health Care Reform:

Kalusugan Community Services sponsored a work-shop on January 18, 2011 from 6:00-8:00 PM at the FilAm Wellness Center on the topic, “Health Care Reform and Immigration Impact on the Asian Pacific Islander Community.” This was presented by Maria Theresa Calimag, a law student who works with ACCESS Inc., an

Education issues in Asian American Students

organization that is a part of the San Diego Asian/Pacific Islander Community Health Network (API Network). Their role is to develop lead-ership among the API commu-nities in San Diego County so they can voice their opinions and take action to protect their rights to access health care.

This was an informative lecture that we will share with the community. The first part is the original health care reform act (Patient Protec-tion and Affordable Care Act) passed March 23, 2010, by Congress and approved by President Barack Obama. Our speaker made it simpler so the public can understand the provisions of the law and judge for themselves the benefits of the law. The intent of the act was to bring afford-able, quality health care to all Americans. It guarantees health coverage for everyone, at every stage of life.

Health care agencies have been working to implement the law’s provisions in ac-cordance with the schedule outlined by Congress and regulations from the U.S. Department of Health and Hu-man Services and state agen-cies. On September 23, six of the law’s provisions formally took effect. They support greater access to health cover-age and improvements to some elements of benefits that are consistently offered across the country that includes: De-pendent Coverage to age 26, Changes to Cost sharing in Preventive Services, Elimina-tion of lifetime limits, Elimi-nation of pre-existing condi-tions/exclusions for children, Emergency Services, and Ob/Gyn Services. Other provi-sions of the health reform will take effect in future years.

Unfortunately, with a new Congress, the House Repub-licans passed a resolution last week to repeal the nation’s health care law, fulfilling a top campaign promise and setting the stage for a renewed battle in the Senate. According to the Los Angeles Times, the senate showdown may not begin until several weeks, but promises to be substantially messier and more drawn-out than the debate just completed in the House. The result can be a return to bitter partisan gridlock ahead of a budget confrontation in March, when the health care law repeal could become intertwined with a debate over federal spending.”

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119:11). “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all gen-erations; you established the earth, and it endures” (Psalm 119:89-90). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Teach your children the promises God has made in His Word, and how they can claim His promises through faith.

His promises are true and right and trustworthy. As children learn that God means what He says, and that His Word can be trusted, their faith will be strengthened. For example, in Deuteronomy 31:8 we read: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” When a child is facing uncertainty, discouragement or fear, show him this powerful promise. Help him to memorize it and to claim it whenever he is in difficult circumstances. “Lord, You have said that you will go before me and be with me. You will never leave or for-sake me. Because you prom-ise this, I will not be afraid or discouraged.”

Pray for the past, present and future of your child’s life.

Past. In some families, the past can play a detrimental role in the life of children. Often, this past has nothing to do with the behavior of the child, but on the behavior of ungodly generations before him. It is important not to ac-cept or perpetuate a past that is unacceptable to God. Never dismiss or accept certain patterns that keep showing up by saying, “Well, these

The Writing Wall


things just seem to happen in our family” or, “It just runs in our family.” Jesus give us victory over such bondages. Things that tend to “run” in certain families do not have to continue, just as having “red hair” is not an accept-able explanation for a child’s anger or stubbornness. The power of the Word of God can break such bondages. “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth genera-tion of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my command-ments” (Exodus 20:5-6). The sins that happened in previous generations can be removed by a generation that loves, honors and obeys God. Fight back with the Word of God: Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prison-ers.” In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we read, “Therefore, if any-one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Galatians 5:1—“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” 1 Peter 1:3-5—“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resur-rection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheri-tance that can never perish, spoil or face—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Present. Children have very real concerns and needs each day. Ask your child daily

how you can pray for him or her. Everything is very serious to them – relation-ships, tests, sporting events, decisions, right vs wrong. No matter what age, our children struggle with these issues and others on some level regular-ly. Reminding them of God’s tender care and guidance can reassure even the most anxious child. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Future. Even if your children are very young, it is appropriate to pray for their futures. Your prayers today should focus on your child’s tomorrows just as powerfully as his present. Most likely, your child’s future spouse has already been born. You want to pray that he or she is being raised by godly parents, and will grow up delighting in the Lord, and being prepared to be just the right life partner for your child. It is impor-tant to pray for your child’s schooling, work, friends, and ministry – in whatever area it might be. If your child is older and already married, or work-ing, etc. you can adjust your prayers to reflect their futures as well. Continue to remind them, help them to memorize, and always pray for them. Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know that plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

These are just a few of the many ways in which the transforming power of the Word of God can impact your child’s life. No matter how busy our lives get, they should never be so busy that we cannot share the delight of the Word of the Lord with our children. May the Lord bless and keep you as you raise up this new generation for the glory of God – to be used by Him to do more than we could ever think or imagine! – The Transforming Power of God’s Word in a Child’s Life by Kim Butts (Herald of His Coming P.O. Box 279, Seelyville IN


The Officers and Staff of the San Diego Asian Journal would like to express their deepest

sympathy to the family of the late

CWO2 John R. R. Oropesa, USN (Ret.),

founder of Family Loompya, one of the earliest Oriental stores in San Diego County, who passed

away last January 30, 2011 in San Diego, California. Mr. Oropesa was 80 years old and was

born on May 6, 1930 in the Philippines. He is survived by his wife, Nenita and children, Ramon and his wife Deborah; Christina and her husband

Bert; and Joel and his wife Letty; and grandchildren. Mr. Oropesa was the brother of Soledad (deceased), Lourdes and Aludia.

Viewing days and time will be at the main chapel of Glen Abbey Mortuary in Bonita, California

on Saturday February 5, 2011 and on Sunday

February 6, 2011 from 5 p.m.to 9 p.m.

Interment will be on Monday,

February, 7, 2011 at the Glen Abbey Memorial Park after an 11 a. m. mass at the Corpus Christi Parish

Church in Bonita, California.We request the pious to pray for the

repose of his soul.

The Officers and Staff of the San Diego Asian Journal would like to express their deepest sympathy

to the family of the late

Luis Santiago Caballero

founder of Alice Cakeland, one of the earliest Filipino-owned bakeries in San Diego County, who passed away last January 28, 2011 in San Diego.

Louie was born on January 1, 1939 in Penaranda, Nueva Ecija in the Philippines. He finished high

school at the Papaya General High School and BA in Accounting at the Far Eastern University. He

migrated to the United States in 1968, first in Newark, New Jersey and in 1978 relocated in Chula Vista, California. He opened Alice Cakeland in 1979

which successfully operated for 28 years.He is survived by his partner, Lucita Bracaglia; son Gerry Caballero; daughters Azella Alvarez , Cherrie Lynn Caballero, Lillibelle Raif, and Lucia Young; the children of Lusita, Richard and Ted Malabey; grand-children Jeffery Lathrop, Justin Bolieiro, Camryn Al- varez, Marc Alvarez, Drew Alvarez,

Christian Alvarez, Caroline Cabal-lero, and Sarah Caballero .

Viewing and interment will be held on Saturday, February 5,

2011 at the Glen Abbey Memo-rial Park in Bonita, California

from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.For more information, call Cher-rie Caballero at 619-261-3735.

Diego, California. John was 80 years old and was born on May 6, 1930 in the Philippines. He is survived by his wife, Nenita and children, Ramon and his wife Deborah; Christina and her husband Bert; and Joel and his wife Letty; and grandchildren. John was the brother of Soledad (deceased), Lourdes and Aludia.

Viewing days and time will be at the main chapel of Glen Abbey in Bonita, California on Saturday February 5, 2011 and on Sunday February 6, 2011 from 5 p.m.to 9 p.m.

Interment will be on Mon-day, February, 7, 2011 at the Glen Abbey Memorial Park after an 11 a. m. mass at the Corpus Christi Parish Church in Bonita, California

Luis Santiago Caballero

Louie Caballero, on the other hand, founder of Alice Cakeland, one of the earliest Filipino-owned bakeries in San Diego County, died last January 28, 2011 in San Diego.

Louie was born on January 1, 1939 in Penaranda, Nueva Ecija in the Philippines. He fin-

John Oropesa and Louie CaballeroPioneering Filipino American

businessmen pass away(Continued from page 1)

ished high school at the Papaya General High School and BA in Accounting at the Far East-ern University. He migrated to the United States in 1968, first in Newark, New Jersey and in 1978, relocated in Chula Vista, California. He opened Alice Cakeland in 1979 which suc-cessfully operated for 28 years.

He is survived by his part-ner, Lucita Bracaglia; son Gerry Caballero; daughters Azella Alvarez , Cherrie Lynn Cabal-lero, Lillibelle Raif, and Lucia Young; the children of Lusita, Richard and Ted Malabey; grandchildren Jeffery Lath-rop, Justin Bolieiro, Camryn Alvarez, Marc Alvarez, Drew Alvarez, Christian Alvarez, Caroline Caballero, and Sarah Caballero .

Viewing and interment will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at the Glen Abbey Me-morial Park in Bonita, Califor-nia from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Memories

I remember when I first arrived in San Diego in 1983. Family Loompya was the larg-est Filipino-owned Oriental

the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of San Diego County. There were not much Filipinos in San Diego then compared to today, although they were substantial enough in number to support several thriv-ing Filipino-owned businesses. Later, John put up a lumpia (eggroll) factory along Inter-state 5 near the boundary of Chula Vista and National City.

I had a passing acquaintance with John then, but when I met him again 26 years later dur-ing a gathering at the house of his nephew, Dr. Lino Bautista, whose mother Soledad was a close friend of ours and who wrote poetry for the San Diego Asian Journal, we were like long-lost friends eager to recall the memories of the past.

John told me how he grew up in Cavite with three sisters. He was not supposed to enlist in the U.S. Navy although most of his friends were with the outfit since their neighborhood was near the navy recruitment area in Sangley Point, Cavite. He was supposed to take over the family’s shipping business, but as fate would have it, he found himself toiling with his naval comrades. In San Diego, he was one of the first, if not the first, to put up Filipino-owned Oriental store to cater to the needs of the growing Filipino American community. That was in 1973. He recalled how he tried to import bagoong from the Philippines, a staple in Filipino dishes. The authori-ties concerned would not let him do so because of its foul smell, but John persisted. He petitioned the governmental offices concerned, made repre-sentations, and presented all the requirements, plus testimonies it was not a danger to the health of the population. Thanks to his efforts, Filipinos in America are enjoying bagoong and other smelly but delicious food to this

day.One time, while observing

his customers, a woman asked him if he could have the fish he sold cleaned. An idea popped up in his mind, and he was the first to add the service of clean-ing up fish if a customer would request it. When I arrived in 1983, Family Loompya was the biggest Filipino-owned Oriental store. Eventually, other stores were put up like the Lorenzana Market along Plaza Blvd. near Interstate 805 (where a produce market is located), Rosario’s Store on Highland Avenue in National City, Super Palengke along 8th Street (where a branch of Valerio’s Bakery is in placed) and B & E Oriental Store on Saturn Blvd. (beside St. Charles Parish) and Flora’s Oriental Store on Palm Avenue in South San Diego. Family Loompya was so successful that John eventually put up an eggroll factory that supplied eggrolls to the naval commissaries in San Diego. I even attended a fund-raising affair for Asian Ameri-can congressman Robert Takeo Matsui of the 5th District in Californa at John’s Bonita resi-dence in the 1990s. Later on, John sold his businesses and en-joyed a quiet retirement with his wife Nenita. I told John he had

a treasure of memories about the early and pioneering days of San Diego’s Filipino Ameri-can community and I should interview him so I could write about them and preserve them for the present and future gen-erations of Filipinos not only in San Diego but also in other parts of the world. He agreed. Unfortunately, when I called him to follow up on our agree-ment, he was already sickly, going in and out of the hospital and didn’t have the time and en-ergy to recall the memories. His passing buried those memories with him for good. I even forgot to ask him why he spelled the Tagalog word for eggroll in his firm’s name “Loompya” not “Lumpia”, which is the com-mon spelling for the word.

Louie Caballero

Louie Caballero’s Alice Cakeland, on the other hand, was located on Quintard St. (behind a branch of the defunct Woo Chee Chong) near Third Avenue in Chula Vista. It was very popular not only among the Filipinos but also among the general consumers as well. I al-ways bought the birthday cakes for my daughters there, and

whenever Louie would see me, I always got a good discount. He was also a generous adver-tiser in our publishing efforts. He later put up an Alice Cake-land on Plaza Blvd. in National City, which his brother Ric eventually bought and renamed Happy Bakery. Ric later died of cancer and his heirs sold the business.

Louie was a founder and active member of the Nueva Ecija Association of San Diego County. He loved singing Ka-raoke, dancing and collecting beer steins from various coun-tries. He died due to complica-tions of diabetes.

John Lorenzana, Louie Caballero and other pioneers of Filipino businesses in San Diego like Clarita Rosario of Rosario’s Oriental Store, will be missed and should forever be remembered by San Diego’s Filipino community who should forever be grateful for their contributions to the Filipino Americans. Hopefully, some-body with more information about their lives, would be able to write about them, so they would eternally be etched in our memories.. - AJ

Louie Caballero

stores in San Diego, located along Reo Drive in Paradise Hills. A Chinese-owned store, Woo Chee Chong operated in Chula Vista and downtown San Diego.

John Oropesa, together with Louie Caballero and other Filipino American busi-nessmen like Paul Ones, Tom Rodri-guez and oth-ers founded the United Pilipino Merchants, which later evolved into

John Oropesa (center) is flanked (left-right) by his wife Nenita, nephew Oliver Bautista, his sister Aludia Oropesa, and another sister Lourdes Oropesa. (Photo c 2009 by Donna Bautista).

Documents

Asian Journal Feb 4 2011 Edition