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By Jun Burgos

MANILA, Philippines – The United States economy has been greatly helped by Filipino immigration, or the entry of our countrymen into the country for the purpose of permanent residence and work.

This can be deduced from a recent study which revealed that the U.S. economy benefit-ted from immigration both in times of recession and in times of economic expansion.

The study was released by the Migration Policy Institute, an independent, non-partisan, non-prof-it think-tank based in Washington, D.C., analyz-ing the move-ment of people worldwide.

E n t i t l e d “The Impact of Immigrants in Recession and Economic Ex-pansion,” the study was conducted by economist Giovanni Peri, associate professor in the Depart-ment of Economics at the University of Califor-nia, Davis, a public research university located in Davis, Calif., and one of 10 campuses in the Uni-versity of California system.

According to the study, “There is broad con-sensus among economists that immigration has a small but positive impact on the average income of Americans over the long term. But far less analy-sis has been done on the impact of immigrants on the labor market in the shorter term, particularly when viewed through the lens of the recession and its lingering labor market effects.”

The author asserted that immigration “un-ambiguously improves U.S. employment, pro-ductivity, and income.”

The study, examining the short- and long-term impacts of immigration on average and over the business cycle of growth and contrac-

SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENTArthur Espiritu first Filipino to sing at La Scala in 79 years

Page 14

HOME IMPROVEMENTShould homeowners install solar panels?

Page 4

Compiled from news reports

MANILA, Philippines – Even as President Benigno Aquino III claims “heads will roll” in the in-vestigation into the Aug. 23 hi-jacking of a bus that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead — and

the recent praise China’s top diplomat in Manila expressed toward the government’s actions connected with the incident — the violent event has left a rift between the two countries that has created political unrest and an economic “dominio effect,” ac-

cording to The Associated Press and Asian newspaper reports.

A recent AP report claims China’s anger over the incident continues unabated, with tens of thousands of people march-ing in Hong Kong to denounce the Philippines, resulting in a surge of visitor cancellations that has made an impact on the country’s tourism industry, the news agency reported.

Aquino has been asking for China’s forgiveness while ini-tiating investigations into the

embarrass-ing 11-hour standoff that unfolded on live television and made in-t e r n a t i o n -al headlines. China re-mains dip-lomatic but

skeptical, reports inferred.According to the AP sto-

ry, China is the country's third largest trading partner after

the U.S. and Japan — two-way trade reached $6.7 billion last year — and its fury is taking its toll. Flag carrier Philippine Air-lines and budget airline Cebu Pacific reported more than 1,000 cancelations from the Chinese territory of Hong Kong alone, the AP reported.

“It created a domino effect,” said PAL spokeswoman Cie-lo Villaluna to the AP. “We are hoping that the situation will be temporary.”

In the beach resort of Bo-

racay, hundreds of Chinese tourists scrapped their book-ings, said regional tourism di-rector Edwin Trompeta. Loss-es could top $500,000, he said in the article.

Backlash over Manila bus killings haunts RP

Liu Jianchao

Study: Economybenefits much

from immigrants

INSIDE | COMMENTARYSan Diego's Filipino community a driving labor force behind region's growth, says Fe Seligman. SEE PAGE 6

See backlash on 12

INSIDE | COMMENTARYGrEG MAcAbEntA: the hostage crisis in Manila won't be the first crisis of the Aquino presidency — or the last. SEE PAGE 7

China’s anger over hostage crisis creates political unrest, economic ‘domino effect’

FILIPINOS IN the uNIted StateS

Photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank

Philippines boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, left, and three-time world champion Antonio Margarito pose Aug. 31 in Los Angeles at a press conference to kick off their national press tour with stops in new York and Dallas. Pacquiao and Margarito will do battle nov. 13 at cowboys Stadium in Arlington,texas.

See study on 12

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Philippines boxing superstar (and new congressman) Manny Pac-quiao arrived to a very warm welcome on Tues-day, Aug. 31, and was mobbed by his fans and supporters as if he’d already beaten upcoming opponent Antonoio Margarito.

It was a typical scene, an organized chaos, each time the world’s greatest boxer flies in and out of Los Angeles, this one for the press tour of his Nov. 13 fight with Margarito.

The tour kicked Tuesday at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, then took both boxers and their respective camps to New York on Wednes-day, Sept. 1, and then to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday, Sept. 3, where the match will take place.

The fight is for the vacant WBC super wel-terweight crown at 154 lbs., although both sides have agreed to a catchweight of 151 lbs. The World Boxing Council has unanimously voted to sanction the fight. (philstar.com)

Pacquiao, Margarito tour U.S. to promote November 13 match

Miss Philippines California 2010

Photo: © BKMPHOTOG.COMPasay city native Frances Pascua, 23, was crowned Miss Philippines california 2010 national on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in San Diego. Pascua is of Filipino and German descent. She moved to the U.S. when she was 5 years old. Pascua earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies at San Diego State University and is currently a student at Alliant University pursuing her master’s degree in business administration. See story on page 19. FOr MOrE PAGEAnt PHOtOS, viSit FiLiPinOPrESS.cOM.

By Reyllen BangsalFilipino Press Contributing Writer

The multi-talented performer Mi-chael Laygo was in town recent-ly for his much-awaited summer

stints at Yokoz Sushi Bar and Islander Grill and at the 13th Annual Filipino Family Day at Knott’s Soak City. Laygo made his Yokoz engagement a stand-ing room only performance and happi-ly shared with the Filipino Press that some people had to be turned away be-cause the place was too full. His Filipi-

no Family Day guest appearance was also a huge success, as Filipinos flocked to the theme park for a little fun in the sun and for some live entertainment.

The former lead singer of Society of Seven is a recording artist, composer, music producer, musical director, TV host and actor. Laygo is best remem-bered as one of ABS-CBN’s original tal-ents when the network re-opened in 1989. His album “Kung Sakali Man” earned gold certification and earned four platinum record awards for the songs “Minahal Kita” and “Bakit Mina-

hal.” Laygo’s “Sinungaling Ka Pala” al-bum was also a hit. He received a gold and platinum award for the title song, “Sinungaling Ka Pala.” The “Nari-to Ako” album also garnered gold and platinum awards for the songs “Heto Ako,” “Hinding-Hindi IIbig sa Iba,” “Eternally” and “Naririto Ako.”

Laygo has composed numerous other songs, such as “I Love You I Do,” “Di Ko Masabi,” “Paano Na,” “Sana Ay Sabihin Mo,” “Nababaliw Ako” and “Heto Ako,” among oth-ers. Adding to his resume, he has

produced albums by the likes of Quwatro, Yam Ledesma and Sharon Rose Fe-liciano. Laygo also worked as a musical direc-tor for a variety show on ABS-CBN/PTV 4 called “Star-brighters,” then “Pinoy

Multi-talented entertainer thrills fans during San Diego appearances

Las vegas-based Filipino entertainer Michael Laygo visited San Diego in August for performances at Yokoz Sushi bar and Filipino Family Day. Courtesy photo

See laygo on 16

SPORtS: PaCQuIaO/MaRGaRItO FIGht

TEXAS SHOWDOWNWhat: Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao faces three-time world champion Antonio Margarito for the WBC super welterweight championship.Where: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TexasWhen: Saturday, Nov. 13 (available on HBO Pay-Per-View)

September 4 - 10, 2010

HEALTHY LIVINGBack to school: Time to get immunized

Page 8

2 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

MANILA, Philippines — In line with his advocacy to imple-ment change in government, President Benigno S. Aquino III vowed to improve the working conditions of teachers whom he called “our nation’s treasure.”

In his recent speech keynoting the awarding ceremonies for the 2010 Metrobank Foundation’s Search for Outstanding Teach-ers at Malacañang, the president said the days of corruption and the wasteful use of our resources are nearing its end.

The president said the recent submission of the Department of Budget and Management of the government’s proposed P1.645-trillion national budget to Congress for approval is a

sign that change is coming.“Sagisag po ito ng ating pa-

ninindigang tapos na ang pa-nahon ng paglulustay, tapos na ang panahon ng mga proyek-tong walang pinatutunguhan. Ang pera ng taumbayan ay mapupunta sa taumbayan la-mang,” the president said.

He said the proposed “Re-form Budget,” which mirrors his commitment to lift the na-tion from poverty through hon-est and effective governance, will be used to fund priority items such as salary increases, teacher-trainings, classrooms and equipment to ensure our ability to provide quality educa-tion to our students.

In this connection, the presi-

dent said, the incidences where a teacher has to make do with a piece of chalk for the whole week, when classes are held un-der a tree or worse when stu-dents are crammed into a small classroom or share a book full of errors will never happen again.

The president added that he is working closely with the Housing and Urban Develop-ment Coordinating Council and the Home Development Mutu-al Fund, the Department of Ed-ucation and Gawad Kalinga to continue a DepED project to provide homes for teachers.

The president said programs such as the Government Assis-tance to Students and Teach-ers in Private Education and the National Competency Based Teacher Standards of the DepEd and Commission of Higher Education would be fully supported and strength-ened to give educators a chance to improve their craft.

“Manalig po kayo. Nasa likod ninyo ako at ang aking adminis-trasyon,” the president said. (OPS)

The Philippines has been ranked the third cheapest tourist destination in South-east Asia, according to a sur-vey of a leading financial pub-lication in Asia.

FinanceAsia utilized Manda-rin Oriental’s rack rates as basis for the reader’s outlook.

Topping the list of best tourist destinations in Southeast Asia are Indonesia and Thailand, while Malaysia came fourth af-ter the Philippines.

“Despite our readers’ increas-ingly eccentric voting patterns, Indonesia seems a reasonable choice,” FinanceAsia said.

It added: “A cursory glance at Mandarin Oriental’s rack rates shows a deluxe room in August costs $345 a night in Bangkok, which would get you a club room

in Manila – plus change for a taxi to the airport. In Jakarta, a deluxe room is just $173 (and about the same in Kuala Lum-pur), which is literally half the price of Bangkok.”

Another method used is The Economist’s Big Mac Index, which uses the price of burg-ers around the world as a light-hearted measure of relative currency values, and used as a benchmark for tourists to work out how expensive an unfamil-iar country is going to be.

However, the evidence of this data is the opposite of the Man-darin data: a Big Mac in Indone-sia costs $2.28 – more expensive than either Thailand ($2.16) or Malaysia ($2.12).

O n t h e u p s i d e , r e a d e r s stuck in Hong Kong for the

summer can take advantage of the second-cheapest Big Macs in the world — cheaper even than China.

“But anecdotal evidence suggests that it is lower than in either Thailand or Malay-sia,” it stated. That makes the Philippines the cheapest place for both burgers and hotel rooms, the report noted. The peso also has the advantage of getting cheaper. It is almost unique in the region, having consistently weakened against the dollar this year.

Tourism traffic in the Philip-pines hit over 8.9 million in 2009, or 14.19 percent higher com-pared to 7.8 million in 2008. In the same period, 1,056 new hotel rooms were opened in Metro Ma-nila. (goodnewspilipinas.com)

BOI-listed investments hit P172 billion in 7 months MANILA, Philippines — Committed investments for the first seven months of the year surged by almost 300 percent as the Board of Invest-ments (BOI) recorded P171.8 billion worth of investments.

The BOI has expressed confidence that an all-time high level of invest-ments worth P400 billion will be recorded this year.

BOI data show that from January to July, committed investments reached P171.8 billion, 297 percent higher than the P43.226 billion worth of investments registered during the same period in 2009.

The number of projects also increased by 14 percent to 99, from only 87 projects during the same period last year. However, projects this year generated less jobs with only 14,715 from 16,343.

For the period Aug. 1 to 24, the BOI accepted 10 more projects with a combined worth of P5 billion. BOI Executive Director Lucita P. Reyes said they expect the August figures to increase further because the current figure does not show approvals given during the last two meetings.

Reyes said they have many investments in the pipeline. In fact, she noted that there are P111.5 billion worth of investments that they have already accepted but have not processed.

Reyes disclosed that at least two companies now located in China have agreed to transfer their operations here in the Philippines. She said that an American manufacturing firm in China said they will be moving here from China after the communist nation decided to impose additional taxes.

“They told us that since they are export oriented firms, it is not viable for them to locate in China anymore because of the additional taxes,” Reyes noted.

A European firm involved in the manufacture and export of food prod-ucts is also expected to transfer operations here from China, she said.

“Based on the applications, we will be able to hit our target,” Reyes said.

She noted that most of the investments came after the country was able to hold a peaceful and credible election. In fact, June investments was the highest for the first semester with P126 billion from P549 mil-lion in June 2009.

“We are optimistic that we will get the P400 billion worth of invest-ments,” Reyes told reporters. “We will reach the 2008 level which was the all time high for investments.” According to her, the P400 billion is combined investments from both the BOI and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. (philstar.com)

San Miguel gets controlling stake of Bell Telecommunication MANILA, Philippines — Diversifying San Miguel Corp. has acquired a controlling stake in a second telecommunications platform, Bell Telecommunication Philippines Inc., to beef up its entry into the highly competitive voice, data, and video business.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange recently, San Miguel said it had subscribed to shares of stock equivalent to 75 percent of three companies that in turn collectively own 100 percent of BellTel.

The three companies are Two Cassandra-CCI Conglomerates Inc., Perch-point Holdings Corp., and Power Smart Capital Ltd.

BellTel, which began commercial operations in 2002, offers an inte-grated package of services, including local and long distance telephone services, high speed data connectivity, Internet services, cable TV, and videoconferencing. It has a scope of licenses to include local exchange carrier, international gateway facility, inter exchange carrier, very small aperture terminal and Internet service provider (ISP).

BellTel has rolled out fiber-to-the-curb in the Makati central business district and entered into strategic alliances with the underutilized telecom infrastructures to be able to deploy infrastructure in a cost-effective manner.

It also operates a domestic C-band satellite hub providing connectivity for customers in remote sites not yet covered by its wireless networks. It is authorized to provide the full range of services throughout the Philip-pines.

San Miguel, together with its foreign partner, Quatar Telecoms, already owns a controlling stake in another telco, Liberty Telecommunication Holdings Inc., and is also set to complete the acquisition of Express Telecommunications Co. (Inquirer.net)

AmCham: RP must choose between producing and importing automobiles MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines must choose between produc-ing vehicles in the country or importing vehicles before crafting any new regulation in order to better support the auto industry.

In an interview, John Forbes, American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines legislative committee chairman, said that in order to make the Philippines an attractive automobile manufacturing hub, there must be certain policies especially when it concerns the importation of used vehicles.

“There will be no real progress in the industry unless the smuggling of vehicles is eliminated,” Forbes said adding that there are reports that imported used vehicles are still on sale in the country. “The Philippines can’t have both smuggling and car production.”

“The country has already missed the boat of opportunity in the industry because the government could never get the correct policy,” Forbes said.

For instance, he said that exports of locally produced vehicles are very small. He noted that the Philippines exports about 3,000 vehicles while the neighboring countries are able to export so much more.

He said that although a strong domestic market is necessary, it is not enough in order to attract big car makers to locate or expand their as-sembly plants here.

For his part, Benjamin Sevilla, executive director of the Philippine Auto-motive Competitiveness Council Inc.., said that Ford Motor Philippines, the lone exporter of vehicles in the country, is willing to expand their capacity should the government decide to increase the incentives given to car manufacturers who will be exporting their vehicles.

Toyota Motor Philippines has echoed the same sentiment in a separate interview saying that their planned expansion of their Laguna plant will be dependent on the incentive scheme given by the government. TMP is proposing a production based incentive.

“Given the right level of incentives, the members of PACCI are willing to expand their capacity,” Sevilla said.

This is the reason why the industry is welcoming the decision of the Board of Investments (BOI) to create a new Motor Vehicle Development Plan specifically for exporters. He said this will help industry players in their bid to ramp up local production. (philstar.com)

MANILA, Philippines — More than 4,000 people recent-ly attended a memorial service for the victims of the hostage crisis at the Quirino Grand-stand in Manila, where the in-cident took place on Aug. 23.

"This terrible case is also calling out to heaven for justice. Not only the Chinese are call-ing for a just and swift inves-tigation of this case. We Filipi-nos demand the same from our

officials. Bring out the truth let those who are responsible who-ever they may be held account-able. No whitewash. No scape-goats. Let there be new life for our justice system," Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pa-billo said in his homily.

Participants included Chi-nese Ambassador to the Phil-ippines Liu Jianchao, Phil-ippine Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr., Justice

Secretary Leila de Lima, Tour-ism Secretary Alberto Lim and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

Also on hand at the memo-rial service were members of the Filipino-Chinese communi-ty, Buddhist monks and hun-dreds of students from schools and universities in Manila, who prayed for the hostage victims.

Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said prior to the mass that investigation on the

hostage taking incident is well underway. Her department has received a number of reports regarding investigation results in various aspects and is wait-ing the final and complete in-vestigation report.

An ex-policeman hijacked a bus with 21 Hong Kong tourists in Manila on Aug. 23. The 11-hour long hostage-taking incident end-ed with eight tourists dead and injury of seven others. (MNS)

MANILA, Philippines — The head of the Manila Police District has apologized for the bungled hostage res-cue operations that resulted in the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists at the Quirino Grandstand last week.

“All I can say is that Iím sorry for the unnecessary loss of lives. I would like to extend my condolences to the fami-lies. I did my best, I did my best," Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay said.

Magtibay is on leave from his post pending investiga-tion into the August 23 hos-tage tragedy. He has been under fire because his men supposedly mishandled the cris is that led to a blood-bath, and for the alleged ill-equipped and poorly-trained SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team that attempted to rescue the hostages.

Magtibay, the ground com-mander at the time of the hostage crisis at the Quirino Grandstand, faced the Na-tional Bureau of Investiga-tion's Death Investigation Division to give his state-ment on the incident.

Aside from Magtibay, hos-tage deputy negotiator Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador and relieved MPD District Mobile commander Superintendent Nelson Yabut also gave their statements to the NBI.

The three policemen de-clined to divulge what they told the NBI, citing Justice Secre-tary Leila de Lima's gag order on premature disclosures con-cerning the hostage tragedy.

Manila Vice Mayor Fran-cisco Domagoso (Isko More-no) was also expected to give his statement to the NBI within the day. (MNS)

Manila police chief apologizes

P-Noy vows to improve working

conditions of teachers

RP 3rd cheapest tourist destination in Southeast Asia

Photos: MNS

Filipino people offer candles and flowers at the site during a memorial service for the victims of the tourist bus hostage crisis in Luneta park in Manila on Aug. 31. Philippine police shot and killed hostage-taker and former Police Senior inspector rolando Mendoza, who killed eight tourists from Hong Kong.

Memorial service held in Manila for Hong Kong hostage victims

September 4 - 10, 2010 3THE FILIPINO PRESS

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4 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

McMillin Realty recently announced that Realtor Deana Hoffman has joined its of-fice. With more than 19 years of experience as a top produc-ing real estate agent, Hoff-man has accumulated hun-dreds of clients and numerous relationships with businesses countywide, according to Scott McMillin, president.

Hoffman said she brings to the McMillin Realty team leadership skills and broad real estate experience in San Diego County.

“My experience ranges from representing first-time buyers to veteran investors and sellers as well as many years spent in property management,” she said. “I hope to contribute this experience to the entire McMil-lin Realty team.”

Hoffman and her sales team of Joanna Thompson and San-dy Owen will coordinate all phases of sales, including loan pre-approvals, negotiations, in-spections and repairs for their clients. Specializing in foreclo-sures and short sales, Hoffman holds titles as Certified Auction Specialist, HUD approved agent and FR Short Sale and Certified Foreclosure Resource by NAR.

She is a member of Pacific Southwest Association of Real-tors, California Association of Realtors and National Associa-

By June Fletcher

Q: I'm thinking of put-ting solar panels on my home. But I'm

not sure whether I should buy or lease. What advice do you have, and also, what ef-fect might this have on my home's resale value?

—PhoenixA: Solar panels are certainly a

selling point. But among real es-tate agents, there's no agreement as to whether or not they actu-ally add value to a home. Some buyers are attracted to the ener-gy savings; others are turned off by the aesthetic impact and the

need for regular cleaning and other maintenance.

One thing is clear, however: Even with generous federal and state tax credits and utility re-bates, they're not going to pay for themselves quickly. In Phoenix, the cost to install a 5,000 watt system (about the average house-hold usage) is about $35,000, but even with tax credits and rebates, the estimated net cost is about $13,500, according to Solarpow-errocks.com. Assuming a $100 a month electric bill and the cash you earn from selling some of your excess power to your utility, it will still take 10 years to recoup

your initial outlay, the website es-timates. And that's not counting the possible costs for maintain-ing the panels and for re-install-ing them should the area under-neath them need repair.

Leasing the panels means you don't have to pay out all that cash upfront. But leases can last as long as 20 years, so make sure you understand:

• What you're paying for ener-gy, and how it compares to what the utility charges.

• How the system will be insured.

• What sort of maintenance will be done on the system, and

how often it will be done.• What sort of warranties are

provided, and whether they con-vey to a new owner.

• The circumstances, if any, under which the contract can be cancelled and the penalties for nonpayment, including whether or not a lien would be placed on your home.

• Whether or not the equip-ment and lease convey with the sale of your house.

• What sort of credit score new owners would need to have, or other requirements they would

By June Fletcher

Q: I'm house-hunting, but with all the bad news coming out about the hous-ing market, I wonder if I should wait a few months or even years. Do you think I should?

—San DiegoA: If you need a home, then

keep looking. If you find a home that suits your needs and is reasonably priced compared to similar homes, make an of-fer. It doesn't make sense to try to time the market—because nobody can. Unless you plan to stay in your home for only a year or two, you eventually will accrue some equity, even if you buy before housing in your area hits bottom. In the mean-time, you will enjoy federal tax breaks, and avoid the rent hikes that are inevitable as de-mand for rental housing grows, fed by millennials entering the workforce, former homeowners who have gone through foreclo-sure and would-be homeown-ers like yourself who are wait-ing for home prices to fall.

Moreover, there are hopeful signs in the San Diego hous-ing market. If you consider the July data for existing homes released by the National As-sociation of Realtors, San Di-ego is performing better than

Should house hunter delay

purchase?

See purchase on 5

Should homeowners install solar panels?

See panels on 5 See hoffman on 5

McMillin welcomes

Deana Hoffman

September 4 - 10, 2010 5THE FILIPINO PRESS

TheCheck us out:www. .com

need to fulfill, before assuming your lease, and whether you'd be required to prepay remain-ing term of the lease before selling your home.

• Bear in mind that attach-ing any leased equipment to a structure also can create title and underwriting issues when you sell, and may hinder the ability of buyers to get a loan.

I'm a huge fan of alternative energy, and have long fanta-sized about going off the grid, or at least getting some of my en-ergy from the sun. Sadly, unless you plan to live in your home for more than a decade, it probably doesn't make too much econom-ic sense to buy solar panels. Sim-ilarly, leasing them may save you a few dollars on a month to month basis, but these savings may well be offset by the ex-pensive-to-remedy complica-tions that could arise when you try to sell your home. (wsj.com)

tion of Realtors. Hoffman has acted as the Chairperson of the Grievance Committee for Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors where she enforced ethical standards and fiducia-ry duties and was also appoint-ed by the San Diego Superi-or Court to facilitate disputed family law and probate sales.

Hoffman can be reached at the McMillin Realty Bonita of-fice at 4210 Bonita Road, suite B, or by calling (619) 994-7338.

McMillin Realty is a full-ser-vice real estate company serv-ing all of San Diego with a focus on the South County. For more information, visit www.mc-millinrealty.com or www.Hoff-manTeamSanDiego.com.

hoffmanContinued from p age 4

panelsContinued from p age 4

the country as a whole—part-ly because it was one of the first markets to fall when the bubble burst. In the U.S., sales were down 25.5% in July and prices up 0.7% from a year ear-lier, but in San Diego, sales were down 15.2% and pric-es up 4.6%. Similarly, accord-ing to RealtyTrac, San Diego County is doing much better than the rest of the country when it comes to foreclosure filings, a leading indicator of a market's health. In July, the county's foreclosure filings, which include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, reached 5,032, a 37% drop from a year earlier. By comparison, foreclosure activity nationwide fell only 10%.

Still, it's premature to de-clare that San Diego's market is definitely on the upswing, especially since consumer con-fidence remains shaky in the face of a weak job market. While the country's overall un-employment rate stayed flat at 9.7% in July from the pre-vious year, San Diego's crept up to 10.8% from 10.3%. Oth-er statistics are troubling, too: According to the San Diego As-sociation of Realtors, the avail-able inventory of unsold homes rose 23.3% in July from the year before, while the number of days homes remained on the market in July increased to 87 from 72 a year earlier for at-tached homes, and 71 from 69 for single-family homes for the same period. Meanwhile, affordability remains a prob-lem. San Diego remains one of the most expensive mar-kets in the country, with an average attached home price of $266,899 and single-family price of $506,540.

As you can see, the picture is too mixed for me—or any-one for that matter—to say with certainty where San Di-ego is in its housing cycle. But rest assured that it is a cy-cle, and that when it does be-come clear that the market is headed up, buyers will jump off the fence, prices will sta-bilize and interest rates may rise. So you may as well take the plunge now. (wsj.com)

purchaseContinued from p age 4

McMillin Realty has brought on Steve Carver, a real estate agent with a diverse background of experience and a passion for the real estate industry.

“My knowledge ranges from first-time home buyers to the person who may be buying his or her third vacation or in-vestment home,” said Carv-er. “I have learned throughout my years in the real estate in-dustry that each of these sit-uations will have their own unique issues and strategies.”

Carver grew up in Palestine, Ill. After graduating from high school, Carver joined the navy and was sent to Naval Amphib-ious Base Coronado in 1986 for duty. After leaving the mil-itary, he accepted a position at a construction company in 1991 where he trained in the design of automatic fire suppression sys-tems, eventually becoming an estimator and project manager for Grinnell and then CFI.

“I believe that with my prior

construction knowledge and de-sign experience I have an abili-ty to see all properties for what they are and their future po-tential,” said Carver. “I also be-lieve that my prior experience in lending and being a top produc-er gives me an advantage when working with banks on short sales and knowing how to navi-gate through the bank channels in order to get things done.”

Carver had the opportuni-ty to work alongside his wife as a loan officer at Pacific Re-public Mortgage in 2002 and later gained top producer sta-tus. He has made mutual-ly beneficial relationships by partnering with real estate companies including Mortgage One Lending in 2005 and Sil-vercrest Realty Group in 2008.

Carver can be reached at the McMillin Realty Terra Nova of-fice at 320 East H Street, in Ch-ula Vista, or by phone at (619) 993-9583. For more information, visit www.mcmillinrealty.com.

McMillin Realty hires new agent

6 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

It is tempting to comment on the botched hostage rescue operations that took place

on Aug. 23 when SWAT teams stormed a bus in which a dis-missed police officer was hold-

ing hostage tourists from Hong Kong. The operation resulted in the death of eight hostages and the hostage-taker. But with the joint investigation by Manila and Hong Kong forensic teams going on, I’d rather move on and leave the self-flagellation to others.

There is a standard policy among damage control experts that when your client is at the losing end of a controversy, it is better to remain silent after the client has explained his position. The Philippines is definitely at the losing end of this raging con-troversy, and since the police and the national government have admitted and apologized for the obvious blunders in handling the hostage situation, I’d rather not contribute to the self-flagellation that Filipinos have been kaing on themselves and their country

for several days now.Let the people of Hong Kong

vent their anger and sorrow. They have every right to do so. In the meantime, let us allow the investigators to do their job. As a nation beset with more pressing problems, let us move on.

I am more concerned with a different kind of hostage situa-tion, one that the Roman Catho-lic Church has imposed on Phil-ippine officials for many years. For decades, the church has held hostage Congress and the national government, threat-ening to withdraw its support from anybody who would push a population-control program that would use contraceptives instead of just natural methods.

In the last elections, the Catholic hierarchy said it would campaign against candidates who would support the Repro-ductive Health Bill which was then pending in Congress. One by one, those who had original-ly supported the bill withdrew their support, fearing a back-lash from the influential church.

Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III stood his ground, but he still emerged the winner in the pres-idential election by five million votes. Despite the repudiation, the Catholic bishops continue to

pressure Aquino on population-control policy, but apparently Aquino is still holding his ground.

On the occasion of World Population Day on July 12, less than two weeks after Aquino formally assumed the presidency, Health Secretary Enrique Ona announced that the new administration was boosting the country’s family-planning program, and that he would propose the procure-ment of contraceptives using government funds.

Ona said that to effective-ly promote responsible parent-hood, couples should be allowed to make informed choices by ex-posing them to all methods of population management.

“The couple should be giv-en freedom to decide how many children they would like to have. That’s normal. Every cou-ple does that. And so it is very important that they are given all the necessary information on how they may (decide on) the

number of children, the spacing of children,” he said.

Ona said it is the duty of the government to make information and services on artificial and nat-ural or scientific methods of fam-ily planning available to couples.

“Teach them (couples) all of these, give them the options and then let them decide ... But we all agree on the value of life. So it is very clear that we are against abortion,” he said.

On the same day, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Phil-ippines issued a pastoral state-ment reminding Aquino that the government’s program of pro-moting a contraceptive mentality through education and medical practices is immoral and would not bring good to the people.

Apparently, the bishops’ warning fell on deaf ears. Just last Monday, the Philippine Dai-ly Inquirer reported that the government has started imple-

I happened to visit New York City recently for both busi-ness and leisure. It sure is a

fun city to visit. Lots of places and things to see and do. Of course, one week is not really enough to explore the city, especially when the purpose of your visit is mostly for business, as it was in my case.

But it was an exciting op-portunity to learn more about the city. It was my first time to visit, so I didn’t have that much of an inkling on what to expect, experience or see oth-er than what you see on TV or read in a magazine.

Indeed, the city is a sight to behold — especially the Times Square area, where the tall buildings seem co-joined. In a city of millions, you see people walking everywhere on the bus-tling streets — even late at night — it seems like Las Vegas, mi-nus the lights. There's people ev-erywhere, and for most walking or taking subways are the most popular and inexpensive ways to navigate the city.

Having had a taste of the hustle and bustle of New York life, I came to the conclusion that I want to go back again to

further explore this fascinating city and enjoy more of what it has to offer. Still, I’m glad to be home in San Diego.

I guess was I’ve been spoiled having lived in National City, where everything is so close — from church, to work, to the gro-cery store and the park. After walking such long distances in New York makes me think I may not necessarily need to drive to work anymore. Just in order to go to one of my appointments I ended up walking 11 blocks after taking a 30-minute subway ride.

Sometimes you have to ex-perience things to find they are physically and mentally possi-ble. Such is the case with walk-ing. It often seems we are so used to the convenience of driv-ing that we actually default to it, not realizing that there are obvi-ously more benefits to walking.

An article I read recent-ly brings up the many benefits of walking: “Modern scientific studies have shown that walk-ing, besides its physical ben-efits, is also beneficial for the mind — improving memory skills, learning ability, concen-

Walking the talk

By Fe SeligmanFilipino Press Contributing Writer

Have you ever heard of the term “minority ma-jority?” This is a familiar

term that has been circulating recently in San Diego. I’ve heard this being used more frequent-

ly over the last few months, par-ticularly in meetings and casual conversations with and among members of the community.

The term evolved from the colloquial term “white majority,” which used to describe what San Diego looked like 10 to 15 years ago. While designated as one of

the 10 wealthiest cities in the nation by Forbes magazine, San Diego, which was once known as a “wealthy white majority com-munity,” no longer holds that distinction. Very recently, San Diego demographers have been stunned at some of the glaring statistics that face them.

According to the U.S. Cen-sus Bureau American Commu-nity Survey 2006-08 estimates,

Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) who make about 11 per-cent of the county’s overall pop-ulation of nearly three million, have grown at a staggering rate of 21 percent during the last five years. This makes non-Hispanic APIs the fastest-growing ethnic community in San Diego. Also worth noting is the fact that Fil-ipinos comprise more than half of this fast-growing community.

While Hispanics have grown in absolute numbers during the same period, their growth rate ranks next to APIs (17.2 per-cent). Whites, on the other hand, have leveled off to a little more than 1 percent, while African-Americans grew at a meager rate of 4 percent.

Inevitably, both APIs and La-tinos have become the driving force that have altered San Di-ego’s overall demographics dur-

ing the past decade. Popula-tion experts project that such a trend may continue for the com-ing 10 to 20 years. If that’s the case, there will no longer be one race or ethnicity that may form the county’s majority. Rath-er, San Diego will be known as a “Diverse Giant” — a high-ly skilled, wealthy, multi-racial metropolitan region.

What drives San Diego’s pop-ulation growth rate? Compared with other counties in Califor-nia, San Diego has been ranked as the 24th fastest-growing county. Its population grew at a humble 8 percent. Essentially, its population has been the re-sult of two factors: natural in-crease (increased birth rate was up to 12 percent) and foreign mi-gration (which registered at 9.6 percent). Interestingly, rough-ly one out of four individuals in

San Diego was born in a coun-try other than than the United States — and one out of three in-dividuals speak a language oth-er than English.

Growth spurts have been seen in the following cities ac-cording to a San Diego Associa-tion of Governments report: San Marcos, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, National City and Coronado. The South County region grew at twice the rate of any other re-gion in San Diego.

From within the API com-munity, foreign migration has been partly due to the in-creased number of profession-als from Asia who have provid-ed direct labor force increases to San Diego’s thriving health-care, business, bioengineer-ing and manufacturing indus-

C O M M e N ta R y

A different kind of hostage situation

APIs: The minority-majority

in San Diego?

See abelgas on 7

The

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Community Outreach: RUBy ChiONG • lORNA DElOS SANTOS ARMI GUzMAN

See seligman on 7

The couple should be given freedom to decide how many children they would like to have. That’s normal. Every couple does that.

See delos santos on 7

September 4 - 10, 2010 7THE FILIPINO PRESS

In mid-July, I wrote a piece entitled, “The Philippines’ image problem abroad.”

Here’s what I wrote: “To say that the Philippines has ‘an image problem’ abroad is an understatement. What we have is an image crisis.

“This has routinely been at-tributed to ‘unfair reporting’ by the international media and ‘the endemic corruption’ pre-vailing in our country. Thus, it is hoped that, with the Aqui-no presidency, the country now has ‘an opportunity to improve its image,’ subject only to ‘fair treatment’ by media.

“While this premise is part-ly correct, it is a rather sim-plistic viewpoint. The harsh fact is that the best inten-tions of the new government and its most laudable acts will not necessarily be understood or appreciated overseas — or even heard of. These things do not happen by accident.

“The Philippines is seen through different prisms by its various external publics — for-eign governments, internation-al organizations, businesses and prospective investors, hu-man rights and other activist groups, foundations and fund-ing institutions, the travel and tourism sector, the interna-tional media and overseas Fili-pinos. These perceptions influ-ence their attitude toward our country and the way they deal with us, including providing or withholding support.

“In an environment where perception is often mistaken for reality, much of what these external publics think of the Philippines — or think they know about our country — is based on impressions gath-ered through the years, like plaque accumulating on un-healthy teeth.”

It was for this reason that I suggested setting up a compo-

nent in the government’s com-munications office that would focus on overseas information and communication.

“It doesn’t help,” I noted, “that Philippine government offices abroad lack materials and a central source of infor-mation, as well as the logistics for effective two-way communi-cations with key publics.

“This was the case during the incumbency of Presidents Arroyo, Estrada, Ramos and Cory Aquino. It would be un-fortunate if this continues to be the case under P-Noy.”

Having made the suggestion “in a moment of patriotic fervor,” I concluded: “Like it or not, the proper handling of overseas in-formation and communication is an important matter, too. I just hope it won’t take a PR crisis for our new leaders to realize that.”

Unfortunately, that pub-lic relations crisis came much sooner than expected.

In the wake of the hostage tragedy, in addition to being re-garded as one of the most cor-rupt countries in Asia, we may now also be known as one of the most dangerous places to visit and our public officials may be perceived as among the most incompetent.

I hate to speculate on what the international perception of President Aquino might be. It doesn’t help that local commen-tators and opinion-makers have been rubbing it in. We seem to relish self-flagellation.

The question now is, what can be done about this situa-tion? And what should every pa-triotic Filipino do?

To start with, we should real-ize that the crisis, as bad as it has been, is simply the first ma-jor one and will not be the last to plague our country and the Aquino presidency.

Needless to say, every ef-fort should be taken to ensure that the blunders committed will not be repeated. But the process will not be painless. There are loud calls for “heads to roll.” Obviously, those de-manding it are not referring to their own heads. I’m sure they won’t be as punitive if their close friends or relatives were on the block — or if they them-selves have to make the hard decision to chop heads off.

Right now, it seems to me that everyone is expecting P-Noy to be the executioner. But he shouldn’t be the only one. Those primarily responsible for managing that crisis should be willing to take the axe, even if it means using it on their own necks. That takes balls.

In fact, there are other op-tions besides resigning or be-ing fired or firing subordinates. That will take Solomonic wis-dom. It would be a mistake to be simply reactive and to make hasty decisions because of the gallery’s thirst for blood.

The other thing that needs to be done is isolating the damage, not only to our national pride but also to our national inter-ests. It only serves the purpos-es of the hecklers and those out for vengeance if we allow the incident to jeopardize the good things that have started to hap-pen in our country since the new administration took office.

To be sure, a period of nation-al mourning is called for. We must bear the collective shame and grief demanded by the trag-edy. But after that, we as Filipi-nos should lift up our heads and resolve to move on.

And that is the greater chal-lenge — for all of us to rise from the dust of this debacle and pro-ceed to help P-Noy in what he set out to do: Create a new image for our country; take advantage of the opportunities that still await the new administration; and of-fer new hope to our people.

To believe, as some pundits claim, that the Philippines is a country of losers would simply confirm that we are losers. To accept as valid the verdict that “Philippine tourism is dead” would be foolish. We have suf-fered a major setback but other countries have suffered similar setbacks and recovered.

When Israel invaded Leba-non in the early 1980s and tour-ist traffic took a steep dive be-cause of the perception that the entire country was a war zone, Israel’s tourism authority sought the services of Issues & Images, the public relations arm of Needham Harper & Steers.

An aggressive promotions campaign was launched along the theme, “Come to Israel, come stay with friends.” In time, the negative image of the country was neutralized and the number of visitors returned to normal.

As I write this, Mexico is run-ning an advertising campaign in America to counter the nega-tive image caused by the rash of drug-related killings in the cities near the U.S. border, in addition

to the immigration problem. The headline reads: “Mexico – The place you thought you knew.”

In other words, there’s more to Mexico than illegal aliens and drug lords.

Indeed, there’s also more to the Philippines than Keystone Cops and Hamburger Honchos. And “major major” mistakes, whether in handling a hostage crisis or answering a question in a beauty contest, should not rob us of our national spirit.

If plans are as firm as an-nounced so far, President Aqui-no will soon go on an official trip to Indonesia, Vietnam and the United States. This should pres-ent a challenge to all of us — not just to the communications peo-ple in Malacañang — to help make sure that the leader of our country will be treated with re-spect, not with derision or with a patronizing attitude.

P-Noy and his party will be asked pointed questions by U.S. media. And they will be asking these questions on the basis of limited knowledge of our coun-try, influenced to a large extent by the hostage incident and the stories of corruption. Eyebrows may be raised when tourism, investments and good gover-nance are discussed.

The presidential trip will ei-ther be a major public relations opportunity or another public re-lations crisis. Every effort should be exerted to make sure that it is not the latter. And that effort should be made, not just by the president and his official fami-ly, but by every single one of us who still values being a Filipino. (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)

Back in the day a beauty pageant contestant had only to answer: “I just

want everyone to love everybody and for the world to live in peace.”

It didn’t make any difference if the question was about glob-al warning or the price of milk. If the competitor said this, it was a winner, especially if she sugar-coated it with a magnolia accent.

But no more. It is. The world is abuzz over it. She was a favor-ite in most quarters but didn’t win. It was a big upset if I may add, too. Sad to note that her harshest critics are her very own “kababayans” when they should all, in fact, come rallying behind her for achieving what many have failed to do.

Perhaps, you may have already heard about Miss Philippines and her answer to the judge’s question at the Miss Universe pageant. Ve-

nus Raj, Miss Philippines 2010, said that she had not made a ma-jor mistake in her life.

Whoops! Talk about bad tim-ing. Don’t you think the Miss Universe pageant was a ter-rible place to make your first misunderstanding?

Somehow, I doubt that it was her first major error.

How about you?Miss Philippines' answer

is a hot debate item today. Could Venus Raj be the “Carrie Prejean” of the year? Remem-ber how Carrie Prejean’s an-swer about gay marriage creat-ed a bunch of controversy?

Well, when asked whether or not she has ever made any big miscalculation in her life, Raj said “No.”

Some are saying that this response cost the 2010 Miss Philippines the Miss Universe

2010 crown.Miss Universe 2010 fourth

runner-up Maria Venus Raj was not the only one who had a hard time answering the question on the biggest mistake of her life.

Now, in Carrie Prejean’s de-fense it is hard to answer an inquiry about gay marriage without upsetting someone. However, Raj has no excuse. Af-ter all, how really tight is it to answer that $64,000 question?

Well, it’s a tough moot point that even a former United States president and several American journalists had a difficult time with the query as well.

According to a report aired on “ABC World News with Di-ane Sawyer,” former U.S. Presi-dent George W. Bush could not give a response when journalist asked him, “What would your biggest mistake be?”

“ M m m … I w i s h I , y o u would have given me a, writ-ten, this written, a question ahead of time,” was all that Bush could utter.

The killer question from American actor William Bald-win was said to have derailed Raj’s chances of taking the Miss Universe crown last Monday, Aug. 23rd in Las Vegas, Nev. (Tuesday in Manila).

“She was favored to win, ex-pertly negotiating platform heels and bikini. Then came the question that stopped Raj in her stilettos,” ABC News’ Sha-ryb Alfonsi said in her report, ”No answer, no crown.”

Raj dropped the ball when the Hollywood star asked the 22-year-old Filipino-Indian, “What is one big mistake that you’ve made in your life and what did you do to make it right?”

Raj replied, “You know what, sir, in my 22 years of existence, I can say that there’s nothing ma-jor major problem I’ve done in my life because I’m very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So thank you so much that I’m here. Thank you, thank you so much.”

The George W. Bush works in Washington, D.C., but evidently not in Las Vegas.

(William Baldwin would have talked about his mistakes but TV viewers didn’t have all night.)

Now, how hard would it have been to answer the question honestly? She’s had to do some-thing in her life.

Miss Philippines 2010 honestly wants us to believe that she’s nev-er hurt anyone’s feelings, broke something expensive, fell in love with someone she shouldn’t have fallen in love with, or lied?

It hasn’t been easy for Raj, who reportedly grew up in a wood hut without electricity but managed to graduate from college with honors. Questions about her birth certificate even caused her to briefly lose her Miss Philippines crown.

Again, you — my dear readers — should be the judge on this one.

In my own opinion, however , I can honestly say that one must train for interview questions.

If someone were to ask you in a tryout, “What are your weak-nesses?” You do not say that you do not have any, and you cer-tainly do not actually tell them your “real” infirmity. Rather you put a spin on your answer by making a positive trait appear negative. If you’re a teacher you might have said something like, “I do not tend to spend my Sat-urday’s studying and preparing for the week when I really need to work on balancing my school work and my free time.”

An example of a mistake that could be seen in a positive light would be something like the following: “When I was 12 years old, I had an opportunity to travel with my grandparents to the Philippines but I chose to stay at home with my family. However, later I realized what I had missed out on and the next summer I chose to travel and tour with my grandparents. So, basically it’s a simple, honest answer but an essential one — and that’s what it is.

I also say maybe it ’s not the answer itself, but perhaps the articulation of how she re-sponded to the question. It’s al-most as if she didn’t understand what was asked of her. Miss Universe is supposed to be the epitome of elegance, grace and humility. That response was unfortunately neither.

Miss Mexico was crowned this year’s Miss Universe. It wasn’t exactly surprising as together with Raj, she was also favored

to win. The U.S. was disappoint-ed after its candidate was sent home early. However, there’s al-ways next year to stage a come-back for good, old U.S. of A.

As for our “kababayan,” Raj’s answer may have cost her the Miss Universe crown but the ta-bles have turned unexpectedly in favor of her. It’s her; the me-dia are all talking about nowa-days — thanks to her “major, major” answer. It is truly more than the proclaimed Miss Uni-verse Jimena Navarette of Mex-ico. It gave us all something to talk about other than the tragic Manila bus hostage taking.

A lot of folks have criticized Raj in her answer and the ques-tion of whether it’s about time we require an interpreter for candidates have just surfaced. I do think it’s not a question of having an interpreter. Raj, her-self said she would still have the same answer if asked again so it doesn’t really matter if she an-swered in Tagalog or English.

A day after the coronation night of the 59th Miss Uni-verse In Las Vegas, Raj was still on cloud nine. She was still ecstatic over the outcome of the competition.

I say Raj can bask in her new found fame and she can become a model, even an ac-tress if she wants. Given her background, it’s her big break to help her family. Not every-body gets a chance like that.

It’s a "major major" win and way to go!

Making sense of Miss Universe Q & A

Just the first major crisis

tries. There is also an influx of Asian reserves and active duty personnel serving in the U.S. military.

San Diego, too, has become, a sanctuary for Asians seek-ing political asylum from per-secution and hardship from their countries of origin. Ex-amples are the Vietnamese, Hmongs and Laotians from the Vietnam War; Filipinos from Marcos’ dictatorship; Kurdish from Iraqis’ tribal cleansing; Burmese from the military junta; and Cambodi-ans from the Pol Pot regime. There are essentially pockets in San Diego which have be-come home for many refugees, including those from the Mid-dle East. These growing im-migrant enclaves, along with those coming from Mexico,

now form San Diego’s chang-ing ethnic landscape. They weave the new threads that create San Diego’s colorful human tapestry.

The bottom line? We can no longer ignore the fact that San Diego’s overall demograph-ic is changing. It is headed to-wards a dynamic and growing multi-racial community. Solu-tions to San Diego’s current issues may no longer fit the “white majority” mentality or logic model/framework. Need-less to say, the concerns of the API community, San Diego’s fastest-growing ethnic com-munity, need to be reckoned with. If programs designed for the overall community are to be effective, we need to allow the voices of the new “minor-ity majority” be heard and rep-resented. These people hold the key to San Diego’s promising fu-ture. (feseligman9@yahoo.com).

seligmanContinued from p age 6

menting a new family-planning marketing strategy designed by the United States Agency for In-ternational Development.

The “May Plano Ako” pro-gram, according to the Inquir-er, “targets not only women but also men and young people” on the importance of family plan-ning and contraceptive use, ac-cording to a top official of the Department of Health.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila has acknowledged Washing-ton’s active role in the Philip-pine government’s family-plan-ning initiatives.

Former Health Secretary Es-peranza Cabral said the state needed to “bring it (the popula-tion growth rate) down (from 2.04 percent in 2008) to a level of 1.3 to 1.4 percent per annum where the population will stabilize.”

If the Philippines main-tains its 2.04 percent growth rate, the Philippines will break the 100-million mark in four years! In any lan-guage, this number is astro-nomical and alarming for a country that is just slightly larger than Arizona (popula-tion: 6.16 million) and where close to 40 percent of the pop-ulation are languishing below the poverty level.

Most of the Philippines’ neighbors have drastically re-duced their population growth rate, but the Philippines contin-ues to have an alarming popula-tion growth rate. Vietnam had an average annual growth rate of 1.4 percent from 2001 to 2006; Indonesia, 1.3 percent; and Thailand, 0.8 percent. Malaysia has about the same growth rate as the Philippines at 2.1 percent from 2001 to 2006.

In 2004, the Philippines was

already the 14th most popu-lous country in the world, while Metro Manila was the 11th most populous metropolis.

Economic managers have pinpointed the rapid popula-tion growth as one of the biggest threats to sustainable economic growth. With more than one mil-lion babies born every year, the population will continue to put pressure on the country’s basic social services and declining nat-ural resources. The added popu-lation will be competing for the scarce resources in the future, such as health care, education, food, clothing and employment.

In the gloom that the bun-gled hostage crisis has brought upon the Filipino people, it is heartening to know that the government is at least confront-ing the hostage situation in-volving population control the right way.

(valabelgas@aol.com)

abelgasContinued from p age 6

tration and abstract reason-ing, as well as reducing stress and uplifting one's spirits."

Not a bad thing to consider, since walking is the cheapest form of exercise that you can do by yourself or with others. In fact, my traveling companions expressed interest in continu-ing our walking in San Diego, having been at it consistently for a week in New York.

We'll see. I guess we have to walk the talk to fully expe-rience the benefits of walking. Are we walking to stay fit or are we fit to do the walking?

E-mail me at susands4@yahoo.com with comments or suggestions. And don’t forget to visit us online at www.filipinopress.com and www.facebook.com/people/Filipino-Press.

delos santosContinued from p age 6

8 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare Sys-tem will host its third Na-tional Veterans Summer Sports Clinic from Sept. 19-24 in San Diego.

Recently injured combat veterans from around the country will participate in the clinic, which will include innovative adaptive sport-ing events such as sailing, kayaking, surfing, cycling and track and field events. The week-long program is designed to provide a sup-portive environment for healing and rehabilitation, and to promote a healthy lifestyle for veterans who are newly injured.

“San Diego offers a per-fect climate, picturesque scenery and ocean breezes — we hope this will create a healing experience for these veterans,” said VASDHS Di-rector Stan Johnson.

“We provide the highest quality health care to our veterans every day, and we’re pleased to be able to offer this clinic as an exten-sion of the medical, mental health and rehabilitative care we already provide,” he said.

T h e e v e n t i s o p e n t o 100 recently injured mili-tary veterans who have spi-nal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, certain neu-rological conditions, ampu-tations, other mobility im-pairments or post-traumatic stress disorder. For many injured veterans, this will be their first opportunity to participate in recreational sports and activities after being injured.

“We know from our expe-rience with VA’s other na-tional rehabilitative events that the camaraderie of par-ticipating with other veter-ans in rehabilitative sports has a powerful therapeutic impact on these Veterans,” Johnson added.

As San Diego County children begin another school year, it’s the per-

fect time for parents to make sure their children are up-to-date on vaccinations, especial-ly as cases of pertussis, com-monly known as whooping cough, continue to rise accord-ing to County Health and Hu-man Services Agency officials.

There have been 412 cases reported so far in 2010. There were 143 cases in all of 2009, and the previous high for San Diego County was 371 cases in 2005.

“Back to school time is the perfect time to remind parents to make sure their children

are immunized against pertus-sis and other diseases,” said Wil-ma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., Coun-ty Public Health Officer. “It’s important to remind parents that they are not only protect-ing their own children, but their child’s classmates and friends.”

The County is holding ad-ditional vaccination clinics on weekends at Northgate Markets and the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The clinics at the six Northgate Markets locations will be held on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The San Ysidro Port of En-try clinic will be held on Satur-days from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The clinics are scheduled to con-tinue on weekends until Sept.

26, based on vaccine availabili-ty. County residents are encour-aged to continue going to their private health care provider. Vaccines are available at County Public Health Centers for those with no primary care provider.

The Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention (CDC) rec-ommends that children get one dose of DTaP vaccine at the fol-

lowing ages: 2 months; 4 months; 6 months; 15 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years.

The CDC also recommends that children receive a boost-er shot of Tdap vaccine at 10-11 yrs. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recom-mends an adolescent-adult per-

By Danna Norek

The health and wellness benefits that massage offers are more abundant than once thought. Emerging research points to a growing list of ad-vantages that range far wid-er than simple anxiety, tension, and pain relief.

One of the most interesting benefits uncovered is a possi-ble link to improved immunity. Studies have shown that those who receive regular massage have lower cortisol levels in their saliva. Cortisol is the "stress" hormone, and it is linked to a lower immune function.

Cortisol actually kills off the cells that are necessary for healthy immunity. Lower-ing this hormone in the body not only can lead to greater im-mune response to foreign in-vaders, but it also leads to low-er stress and anxiety levels. Lowering cortisol levels has also been linked to a greater ease in losing weight and keep-ing it at a healthy level.

The mental health benefits from lowered stress levels and regulated anxiety are proba-bly worth it alone. However, there are even more advantag-es your body reaps from get-ting massaged regularly.

Discover therapeutic benefits of massage

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Back to school: Time to get immunized

September 4 - 10, 2010 9THE FILIPINO PRESS

Studies have indicated that regular massage helps with hy-pertension. Massage helps reduce anxiety, which contributes to high blood pressure. This is probably a part of the reason that it helps to regulate blood pressure.

However, there is also anoth-er factor that contributes to this function. The vagus nerve actual-ly helps regulate a person's blood pressure, and massage helps to stimulate this nerve into action.

The more obvious benefits of massage are its excellent ability to temporarily reduce and man-age pain. It can be used to re-lieve muscle pain, pain associ-ated with nerve damage, and even joint pain. The manipu-lation of the soft tissues helps increase circulation, which may aid in healing as well.

Enhanced circulation also leads to better skin tone and healthier soft tissue. This en-hanced circulation and man-ual pressure also helps to deliver oxygen and vital nu-trients to the cells.

Massage is even believed to help enhance the elimina-tion of toxic substances which

are transported out of the body by the lymphatic system. This lymphatic drainage, while ben-eficial, needs to be helped along by you. Hence, it is always rec-ommended that one drink plen-ty of purified water after a mas-sage, to push the toxins through the elimination process quicker.

Overall, massage is a great way to reduce stress, unwind, and enjoy some "you" time. It's important to remind your-self of the other benefits that massage offers if you start to feel a little guilty about it. Massage can be an excellent complement to an otherwise healthy lifestyle and diet.

Opening and closing cer-emonies will be held at Sea World and the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Mari-na, along with some of the other clinic events. Sport-ing events will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Cen-ter in Chula Vista; Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores; and the Silver Strand State Park in Coronado. Admission is free and the public is wel-come. More information is available at: www.summers-portsclinic.va.gov.

clinicContinued from p age 8

tussis booster vaccine (Tdap) for everyone 10 years or old-er who has not yet received it, especially women of child-bearing age, before, during, or immediately after pregnancy; and other people, including household contacts, caregiv-ers, and health care workers, who have contact with preg-nant women or infants.

Children 7-9 years of age who did not receive all of their routine childhood shots are recommended to receive a Tdap booster dose.

A typical case of pertussis in children and adults starts with a cough and runny nose for one-to-two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if pres-ent, is usually mild. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.

For more information about whooping cough, please call the HHSA Immunization Branch toll-free at (866) 358-2966, or visit the web site at www.sdiz.org.

The locations and dates for the vaccination clinics (all are held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sept. 26, subject to vac-

cine availability):

Saturdays• San Ysidro Port of Entry,

720 East San Ysidro Blvd, San Diego

 Sundays• Northgate Market, 2909

Coronado Avenue, San Diego• Northgate Market, 1410

South 43rd Street, San Diego• Northgate Market, 1058

3rd Avenue, Chula Vista• Northgate Market, 1346

South Mission Road, Fallbrook• Northgate Market, 1150

East Vista Way, Vista• Northgate Market, 606

North Escondido, Escondido

immunizedContinued from p age 8

massageContinued from p age 8

10 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

I have seven children, four boys and three girls. They were all raised and educat-

ed in the Philippines. They are our bundles of joy as well as bun-dles of challenges, especially when they were all growing up! I was so prolific and my moth-er thought that I was made for motherhood. I was pregnant al-most every other year and yet I pursued a highly successful ca-reer as public health educator in the Philippines. I was able to blend my responsibilities as a mother, as a career woman and as a church woman. Praise God for all the things He has done in our lives.

Looking back, we have very simple rules at home. Our fami-ly values revolved around love of God, love for family, respect for elders, commitment to education and love for friends and neigh-bors. We knew then as parents that we can not raise our chil-dren alone. So every Sunday we all wore our “Sunday best” to at-tend church. It was a ritual until

the children started to have their own group in church or in school.

How we survived those child-rearing years was God’s gift to us. All our children pursued their respective careers and they were able to come to the United States practically through their own ef-forts. We taught them early in life to become independent and to make their own decisions.

One of our children, BenHur, a dental surgeon and military man with the rank of lieutenant col-onel and chief of the profession-al training branch of the Den-tal Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told me ear-ly in his military career, when I offered to fast-track his promo-tion through our many friends, “Mama, I appreciate your help but I would like to carve my own career path.”

Another son, Charles Gor-don, was appointed senior plan-ning officer of the Department of Health immediately upon his graduation from the Philippine Christian University. I have to

tell my friends never to mention my name because he felt that “your name is difficult to carry. Everyone expected me to be as accomplished as you are. I can’t walk under your shadow.”

Arwin, who grew up with his maternal grandmother, has a passion for helping the under-dog. In college he organized the student body to challenge unfair policies of the school towards for-eign students. When he came to San Diego he decried the unfair labor practices of an agency that hired him. He wanted to be an outspoken advocate for Filipinos who couldn’t get their fair share in the workplace. I told him to slow down with his radical ideas and concentrate on providing for the needs of his own family.

Another son, Bobby, who re-cently became a permanent res-ident, has developed love for his work in caring for others. He has a broad experience in diplomacy and protocol, having been a pro-tocol officer for the Department of Foreign Affairs, but he told me once, “I think I inherited the genes of my Grandma Andrea (a public health nurse), caring for the elderly has become second nature to me.

All my daughters — Mary Ann, a patient advocate and psy-chology major, Gia and Sharon are registered nurses — all work-ing in the health care system. All have families of their own and they often ask me, “Mama how were you able to raise us? I would answer: “Ask God, I don’t know!”

But this I know: The Bible says, “Train your child in the way he should go and he will not de-part from it.”

“The LORD is close to the brokenheart-ed and saves those

who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Even in the darkest and most trying hour of our lives, God is near.

N o t l o n g a g o , t r a g e d y struck Pastor Walters' home. Both his wife and daughter were ill and in the hospital at the same time. The husband in him longed to sit with his wife, while the daddy in him ached to care for his daughter. As he stood in the hallway be-tween their two rooms, Pas-tor Walter knew he couldn't physically be in two plac-es at once. So he knelt down on his knees and entered the throne room of grace. As he drew near to God, God drew near to him and made pro-vision for his needs. Family and friends poured into the hospital as representatives of God's hands and feet. They ministered comfort, support, and love to him, his wife and daughter.

Sadly, Walter lost his wife. Though things didn't turn out as he had hoped, he didn't fret or fear. He understood that while his wife was with God in heaven, God's Spir-

it was also with him on earth sustaining him with strength, hope, and faith.

T h o u g h h i s h e a r t w a s crushed, Pastor Walter stood before the church family and spoke of the reality of God's Word, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your

rod and your staff, they com-fort me ... Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:4,6a) It was clear that God had come near in his dark-est hour with the comfort and strength he needed to endure.

Regardless of the road you travel - Lonely Lane, Broken-hearted Boulevard, or Pov-erty Parkway — there is no place you can go that God cannot follow. No heartbreak, no betrayal, no rejection, no failure, no disappointment, and no evil can stop Him from coming near. God will always come for His people. He can-not fail you. He will never quit you, never forget you, and never leave you. “The

Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Dear Lord, my heart is breaking. I hurt deeply. Come and save me. Comfort my spir-it and strengthen me so that I may endure. Be my shelter until my storm has passed. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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September 4 - 10, 2010 11THE FILIPINO PRESS

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tion, underscored the positive contribution of immigration to U.S. economy, but stressed that “it also involves some short-term adjustments (such as worker retraining or adop-tion of new technology).”

Here are some of the findings in the study:

• Immigrants do not re-duce native employment rates over the long run (10 years), while increasing productivi-ty and average income for na-tive-born workers. Immigra-tion to the United States over the 1990-2006 period can be credited with a 2.9 percent in-crease in real wages for the average U.S. worker.

• The adjustment process, however, is not immediate. When immigration occurs dur-ing a downturn, the economy does not appear to respond as quickly as it would during eco-nomic expansions and there is evidence of modest negative im-pacts on employment and av-erage income in the short run. These impacts dissipate over pe-riods of up to seven years.

• During periods of econom-ic growth, by contrast, new im-migration creates jobs in suffi-cient numbers to leave native employment unharmed even in

the short run. This holds true even for less educated workers. Immigration during economic expansions has no measurable, short-term negative effect on income per worker.”

“Adjustments to employ-ment, productivity, and in-come are more difficult during downturns. This suggests that the United States would ben-efit most from an immigration system that better adjusts to economic conditions, allow-ing legal immigrant inflows to be more responsive to the eco-nomic cycle,” Peri said.

He suggests “allowing em-ployers’ demand for work vi-sas to play a stronger role in determining the number of vi-sas issued annually, and that a share of the visas be allocated to less-skilled workers, partic-ularly those who perform pri-marily manual jobs that native workers increasingly are much less interested in filling.”

MPI President Demetrios Pa-pademetriou added: “This re-port offers further evidence yet of the need for the immigration system to become significant-ly more responsive to the U.S. economy’s constantly evolv-ing labor market needs, so that the benefits of immigration can be captured more fully and any negative effects neutralized.

“Establishing an indepen-dent executive-branch agen-cy that would make regular recommendations to the pres-ident and congress for ad-justing employment-based im-migration levels would inject a greatly needed degree of flex-ibility into the current rigid immigration system.”

The study didn’t mention it, but Filipinos are a big part of the immigrants contributing tre-mendously to the U.S. economy.

According to data from the 2006 American Communi-ty Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau, “the number of Fili-pino immigrants in the Unit-ed States tripled between 1980 and 2006, from 501,440 to 1.6 million, making them the sec-ond largest immigrant group in the United States after Mex-ican immigrants and ahead of the Chinese, Indian, and Viet-namese foreign born.”

It is understandably diffi-cult to have an account of the exact number of Filipino immi-grants to the U.S., owing to the decision of some, especially the “tago ng tago, or TNTs” not to participate in census surveys.

But it is safe to say that the millions of Filipinos who have immigrated to the U.S. have contributed much to its econ-omy. (Inquirer.net)

A recent Philippine Star re-port added the adverse effects of the Quirino Grandstand hos-tage-taking incident may lead to $70 million in losses for the tourism industry, according to Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim.

“The tension is still there and may still escalate. It would probably take three months be-fore it could finally dissipate and enable the industry to re-cover,” Lim said in the story.

According to the story, Lim said the Quirino Grand-stand siege may scare away about 100,000 tourists from Hong Kong and China and cut down tourism industry earn-ings by some $70 million.

Beyond its economic impact, the incident has sparked emo-tional protests in Hong Kong when thousands marched re-cently, blasting Manila police for what they called an amateurish rescue attempt, the story said.

Meanwhile, two of three Chinese recipients of the Ra-mon Magsaysay Awards, the Philippine equivalent of the

Nobel Prize, failed to show up for the ceremony in Manila on Aug. 31, the article said, even as the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao told the Star he appreciated the steps taken by the Aqui-no government. Liu also said the failure of the award recip-ients to appear had nothing to do with the tension between the two countries.

“He [Aquino] made very quick decisions,” Liu told the Star. “I think he was very sincere. Now, at this stage, what we expect is a comprehensive, fair and thor-ough investigation.”

For his part, Aquino prom-ised swift investigations and accountability.

Aquino has set a two-week deadline to complete the in-vestigation, with the justice department promising trans-parency in marathon pro-ceedings that began Friday, a report on BusinessWorldOn-line.com said.

In China, a Hong Kong news website, rthk.com, reported Hong Kong police officers have completed their inspection of the the tour bus, spending

more than 15 hours examining bloodstains and ballistic pat-terns. They will also perform laboratory tests on the guns used in the shootout.

An assistant Hong Kong po-lice commissioner, David Ng, said the information collected would be submitted to the cor-oner’s court in Hong Kong. In-vestigations by Hong Kong of-ficers in the Philippines are expected to take at least a month, the website reported.

In addition to possible dis-missals and disciplinary ac-tions, Aquino said he is also aware of the repercussions of the incident on tourism.

“That’s why we have to do something about it right now,” Aquino said in the Star report.

In a recent Philippine In-quirer story, Aquino vowed he would come up with an “unas-sailable report” on the botched police rescue effort that had made his administration an ob-ject of global derision.

“I will retain, for the inter-im, control over the PNP. At the end of the day, I am responsible for everything that has trans-pired,” Aquino added.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — How can the Asian-American com-munity effectively capture the media’s attention to in-crease their voice? How does the media determine the val-ue of your story and how can you effectively engage the me-dia in conversation?

Find out how the media chooses which stories to cov-er and meet well-known local Asian-American journalists at the Asian-American Jour-nalist Association San Diego’s

September luncheon on Satur-day, Sept. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Seafood Island Restaurant, 7580 Miramar Road.

Panelists for “How to Catch the Media’s Attention” include Chris Chan (reporter and an-chor at KNSD-TV San Diego), Genevieve Silverio (manag-ing editor for Asian Journal San Diego), Susan delos San-tos (publisher of the Filipino Press in San Diego) and Hoa Quach (editor for AOL’s Patch.com San Diego).

Jenny Hamel, reporter and anchor at the CW Network’s San Diego 6 TV, will emcee the event.

Tickets for the luncheon are $20 for the public, $10 for journalism students. Lunch and drinks included. All pro-ceeds benefit AAJA scholar-ship programs. RSVP is re-quired and limited to the first 100 guests.

For more information or to register, visit the AAJA web-site at www.aajasandiego.org.

Asian-American journalists to host media luncheon

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00771.PVH.AD.General_Ad_FilipinoPress.060310.indd 1 6/3/2010 4:46:42 PM

backlashContinued from p age 1

studyContinued from p age 1

September 4 - 10, 2010 13THE FILIPINO PRESS

SEPTEMBER 4 AND 5, 2010

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PLUMERIA SOCIETY’S HAWAIIAN PLUMERIA FESTIvALCome to the Southern California Plumeria Society’s Hawaiian Plumeria Festival, our annual flower show and plant sale.

The festival will be held on September 4th and 5th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Casa del Prado, Room 101, Balboa Park, San Diego. For more infor-mation: call (619) 461-5942 or visit www.socalplumeriasociety.com.

SEPTEMBER 11

PHYSICAL ACTIvITY WORKSHOP AT FILAM WELLNESS CENTERKalusugan Community Services will present a physical activity workshop on Sept. 11 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the FilAm Wellness Center, 1419 E. 8th St. in National City. For more information, call (619) 477-3392 or visit www.

webkalusugan.org.

SEPTEMBER 11

PHILIPPINE NURSES ASSOCIATION OF SAN DIEgO 36TH ANNIvERSARY AND SCHOLARSHIP AWARD NIgHTThe Philippine Nurses Association of San DIego 36th Anniversary and Scholarship Award Night and the Induction of Officers will be held on September 11, 2010.

The event will take place at the Double Tree Hotel, 7450 Hazard Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92108

For more information, contact Maria Camillon (President) at (858) 657-6503, Perly Aguinaldo at (858) 231-5576 or perly.aguinaldo@gmail.com, or con-tact Merly Ferrer at (619) 421-8882. You may also visit the PNASD website at PNASD.org.

SEPTEMBER 18

ILUMINADA 2010: CELEBRATINg OUR HERITAgEThe San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce invites community members to attend the Annual Gala Event honoring member acheive-ments. The event will take place Saturday, September 18 at the Sheraton Mission Valley.

The silent auction begins at 6:00 p.m. with a Mariachi concert following at 7:00 p.m. The dinner and awards pressentation will take place at 8:00 p.m. with dancing following at 10:00 p.m. The gala is a black tie event.

To reserve tables, call the SDCHCC chamber office at (858) 268-0790 or call (619) 808-8250.

SEPTEMBER 18

REUNION OF FILIPINOS WHO jOINED THE U.S. NAvYThe celebration will be held at the Filipino American Veteran’s Association located at 2926 Market Street in San Diego on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m.

Veterans widows are very much welcomed. Seats are limitied so please RSVP as soon as possible. Videos of past reunions will be shown. Nita Bar-rion’s band will perform.

For more information, contact Bert Andrade at (619) 470-8039.

SEPTEMBER 19

AUP AMBASSADORS TO PERFORM AT N.C. CHURCHThe Adventist University of the Philippines’ Ambassadors choir will perform at the First United Methodist Church of National City on Sunday, Sept. 19.

The Ambassadors, returning to San Diego on their fifth U.S. Goodwill Con-cert Tour, will perform twice that day. The choral group will first perform during the church’s morning worship service at 10:00 a.m. The Ambassa-dors’ Gala Concert begins at 2 p.m. There will be no reserved seating for the concert.

Tickets for the concert will be sold in advance and at the door. Cost of tick-ets are $20 (adults), $10 (children 5-12). Admission is free for children 4 and under and senior 62 and older.

Advance tickets can be purchased at FUMC’s administrative office Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The church is located at 242 E. 8t St. in National City.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call (619) 477-2741 or e-mail office@myfumcnc.org.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Coun-cil for Teaching Filipino Lan-guage and Culture officers Sally Idos, Christie Dumaran

and Ador Idos presented the San Diego Model Program of Filipino Language as a Global Language at the 14th World

Council for Curriculum and Instruction World Conference at the University of Pecs in Hungary from July 11-17.

The San Diego group’s pre-sentation on the language model program was received by an enthusiastic group of participants from Egypt, Hun-gary, India, Nigeria, the Phil-ippines, Sri Lanka the Unit-ed States and others, many of whom were interested in rep-licating the San Diego model in their own countries.

A presentation by Jackie Magat, CTFLC secretary, on a Gawad Kalinga: After School Program of Social and Civic En-trepreneurship for Youth was also well received. The inter-national participants found it an exciting possibility for the youth in their respective coun-tries as they connect with and value the Gawad Kalinga con-cept of caring for one another.

Estela Matriano, WCCI executive director and CT-FLC adviser, Carole Capar-ros, WCCI executive assistant and CTFLC board member, together with Karen Webb, HSOE founding dean and as-sociate provost and the WCCI executive board, headed some 300 international participants from more than countries dur-ing the week-long conference.

HSOE, Alliant Internation-al University, WCCI host in-stitution, with its secretari-at at the San Diego campus, was co-sponsor of the confer-ence with the Faculty of Adult Learning and Development, University of Pecs, Hungary.

‘Angel Island’ authors to sign books, lecture during San Diego appearance

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The San Diego Chinese His-torical Museum is proud to present a lecture and book signing featuring authors Eri-ka Lee and Judy Yung.

Between 1910 and 1940, over half a million potential immigrants sailed through the Golden Gate, but due to the discriminatory laws of the time, most of these new arriv-als from Asia faced detention, interrogation, and even de-portation at Angel Island Im-migration Station before they could pursue their dreams of a better life. In this landmark book, historians Erika Lee and Judy Yung present extensive new research into immigration records, oral histories, and in-scriptions on detention center barrack walls producing the

first comprehensive history of the Angel Island Immigration Station and the people who ar-rived there. Detainees includ-ed Chinese “paper sons,” Jap-anese picture brides, Korean students, South Asian politi-cal activists, Russian and Jew-ish refugees, Mexican families, Filipino repatriates, and many others from around the world.

Erika Lee is Associate Pro-fessor of History and Asian American Studies at the Uni-versity of Minnesota. She has won the Theodore Saloutos Book Prize in Immigration and Ethnic History and the 2003 History Book Prize from the Association of Asian American Studies. Judy Yung is Professor Emerita of American Studies at the University of California,

Santa Cruz where she found-ed the Asian American Stud-ies Program. She has won the

Association for Asian American Studies Lifetime Achievement Award and the Jeanne Farr McDonnell Book Award in the Women’s Heritage category.

The lecture and book sign-ing will be held in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Extension building at 328 J Street on Sat-urday, September 11th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Following the lecture, refreshments will be served at the reception held in the Chuang Garden at 404 Third Avenue. Admission is $2 and free for members and chil-dren under 12.

The San Diego Chinese His-torical Museum is located at 404 Third Avenue in downtown San Diego. For more informa-tion, please visit our website at www.sdchm.org.

Filipino Language Model Program highlighted at world conference

Photo: Courtesy photo

Front row (left to right) Sally idos, Estela Matriano and carole caparros. back row (left to right) Ardor idos, Prince Dumaran, Lady Lou idos and christie Dumaran.

14 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

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By Rosalinda Orosa

The first Filipino to make it to the La Scala Opera House in Milan, Italy,

was bass-baritone Jose Moss-esgeld Santiago Font who, in 1928, portrayed the role of Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigolet-to. Almost 80 years later, ten-or Arthur Espiritu of Morong, Rizal, succeeds Santiago as the second Filipino at La Scala, ap-pearing in 2007 as Fernando in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti.

In a press conference at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the modest, unassuming Espir-itu surprisingly belittled his La Scala engagement, saying, “It doesn’t take much to get into La Scala. You send your resumé, your CD and if they like your voice, you’re in.”

Yet when Espiritu, load-ed with international awards, sang for the press, his brilliant performance — voice rising and ringing resonantly — was undeniable proof that only the finest vocal artists make it to the sacrosanct halls of La Sca-la, the counterpart of New York’s prestigious Metropol-itan Opera House.

When La Scala invited Es-piritu to audition, he had al-ready portrayed the same role for the Pittsburgh Opera but he had to buy the score in Vi-enna all over again because the iconic judges — divas Mirella Freni, Teresa Bergan-za and Luigi Avila — keenly

wanted to hear him sing some of the arias and recitatives. Again this belied Espiritu’s as-sertion that it takes very little to get into La Scala.

Indeed, the cast’s prepara-tion for Cosi Fan Tutti took two months of daily rehearsals for hours on end.

How did the Filipino tenor feel at his operatic debut? “It was scary. All those huge chan-deliers! I kept asking myself: ‘What am I doing here?’” Mi-lan’s demanding opera freaks are known to throw things on-stage. But everything went smoothly. The cast was very supportive and Espiritu gained friends and admirers.

Before his La Scala engage-ment in 2007, Espiritu was already keeping a full opera schedule since receiving an Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservator of Music in 2004. He sang as Ormindo in Caval-li’s L’Ormindo, was Tybalt in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet, Beppo (a clown) in Leonca-vallo’s I Pagliacci, and Main-top in Pittsburg Opera’s high-ly acclaimed presentation of Britten’s Billy Budd. In the same season, he rendered the tenor’s role in Mozart’s “Cor-onation Mass,” performed in Vienna’s Belvedere’s Winners Concert, and the Marlboro Music Festival.

Is the lack o f height an impediment for Orientals? It may be logical for a Filipi-na (like the four-foot, nine-inch diva Jovita Fuentes) to portray the Japanese Mad-ama Butterfly. But it would be awkward for a petite Fil-ipino soprano to sing with a towering Caucasian tenor or for a towering European or American vocal artist to be looking down on a tiny Ori-ental lover onstage.

Espiritu did suggest that lack of height can be an im-pediment. He was once re-fused a role not for lack of vo-cal talent; the role went to a six-foot tenor instead.

From whom did Espiri-tu inherit his gifts? His an-swer: “I really don’t know. Probably from an uncle.” Es-

pir i tu comes from humble beginnings. His father sold fire extinguishers; his moth-er served the Philippine Con-stabulary as secretary.

Ironically, Espiritu began his musical career fronting a rock band while attending high school in the U.S., he said during a recent interview with Agence France-Presse.

“ ‘Wanted, Dead or Alive ’ was my favourite,” the tenor said with a laugh, referring to the Bon Jovi song as he re-calls a dizzying decade or so that brought him to the cusp of global stardom in the field of musical drama.

Having appeared in sever-al roles in France in 2008 and in the U.S., Espiritu looks for-ward to portraying Tamino in Mozart’s Magic Flute with the Israel Opera Tel Aviv, Elvi-no in Bellini’s La Sonambula, and Oronte in Handel’s Alcina with Stadt Theater in Swit-zerland, among many oth-ers for the 2011-12 season, as well as the tenor in Donizet-ti’s Requiem Mass.

Esp ir i tu made h is Ma-nila debut on Aug. 14 at the Philamlife Theater, with lead-ing soprano Rachelle Gerodias.

Entitled “Viva Bel Canto (Long Live Beautiful Song),” the classic concert was the first to be sponsored by the Klassikal Music Foundation chaired by George Yang, inci-dentally, a lyric tenor like Es-piritu. (philstar.com)

IN CONCERTTHE gREATEST HITMAKERSRico J. Puno • Marco Sison • Rey Valera • Nonoy ZunigaWhen: Sunday, Sept. 26,3 p.m.Where: Pala CasinoTickets: $38-$98. Online: www.usasiamediacenter.com. Phone: 1-888-874-1719. Tickets also avail-able at Pala Casino

CLUBSCAFE LA MAZE STEAKHOUSEjulius Obregon and Friends ShowWhen: Every Sunday at 7 p.m.Where: 1441 Highland Ave., Na-tional City, (619) 474-3222

LUCKY STARWednesdays Filipino Night with Eric de LeonThursdays: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra Big BandFridays: Ballroom dancing/KarokeWhere: 3893 54th St., San Diego, (619) 229-8228

MCDINI'S DINER & EvENTSFilipino food every Saturday with live Filipino Bands

Where: 105 E. 8th St., National City, (619) 474-6771

TROPHY LOUNgERising StarWhen: Every Thursday at 8 p.m.Where: 999 National City Blvd., National City, (619) 477-9862

KARAOKE18TH ANNUAL FIEST FILIPIANA MEXICANA KARAOKE COMPETITIONWhen: Saturday, Oct. 2Where: Seafood City, 1420 E. Plaza Blvd., National City, (619) 477-6080

gAPORESTION & KAROKEWhen: Tuesdays to Sundays, 7-MidnightWhere: 933 S. Harbison Ave., National City, (619) 267-3746

jASMINEWhen: Wednesdays, 9 p.m -1 a.m.Where: 4609 Convoy St., San Diego, (858) 268-0888

SIZZLER jULIUS OBREgON SHOW ROOMWhen: Every Friday at 7 p.m.Where: 1325 E. Plaza Blvd., Na-tional City, (619) 477-2590

gET LISTED: To have your concert, club or event listed in What's Happening, e-mail your information (include date, time, location, cost, and phone) to filpress@aol.com. Keep in mind we publish on Saturdays, so ensure your event happens on the day of publication or during the following week.

Filipino-American tenor Arthur Espiritu debuted Aug. 14 in the Philip-pines in “viva bel canto,” a concert of bel canto gems with soprano rachelle Gerodias and piansit najib ismail.

From Bon Jovi to MozartFilipino-American tenor Arthur Espiritu first Filipino to sing at La Scala in 79 years

the Greatest Hitmakers perform Sept. 26 at Pala casino.

September 4 - 10, 2010 15THE FILIPINO PRESS

MANILA, Philippines — No one would have thought that after 18 years, one of the teleseryes which real-ly had a mark on viewers’ lives will have a television comeback.

ABS-CBN recently bared the return of “Mara Clara”. T h i s i s t h e s h o w w h i c h paved the way for the suc-cess of today’s Queen of Tele-serye, Judy Ann Santos.

However, ABS-CBN left its viewers anticipating on who will star in the remake of the unforgettable soap.

New showsAs the Kapamilya net-

work celebrates its 60 years

of Pinoy Soap Opera, it also an-nounced its upcoming shows.

A n g e l L o c s i n a n d J o h n Lloyd Cruz will star in their first TV project together, a fan-tasy series entitled “Imortal”.

A n o t h e r o f f e r i n g o f t h e Precious Hearts Romances will be starred in by Shaina Magdayao as “Alyna” who is facing a di lemma on which person to love.

There will also be another “Your Song Presents” series which will feature the love story of two people played by Christ ian Bautista and Carmen Soo.

ABS-CBN also announced t h e c o m e b a c k o f a n o t h e r te leserye , “Kokey @ Ako” , starring Toni Gonzaga and Vhong Navarro.

T h e h i g h l i g h t o f t h e

event was the launching of the musical teleserye en-titled “iDOL”. This will be P o p s t a r P r i n c e s s S a r a h Geronimo's third musical-drama series as she already starred in “Bituing Walang Ningning” and “Pangarap na Bituin” before.

Geronimo will be joined by Sam Milby and Coco Martin in the said series. (MNS)

MANILA, Philippines — Megastar Sharon Cuneta is facing new challenge as she is set to host a lifestyle show on Lifestyle network titled “Sha-ron at Home,” inspired by the magazine of the same name that ABS-CBN Publishing launched early this year.

“We’d been on the lookout for our very own Martha Stewart, someone whom the local view-ers could relate to and whose way of doing things could easily be done here using local materi-als,” said Tippy Benedicto, Life-style Network channel head.

Benedicto said they found the answer in Cuneta, who is so into food, home, interiors and crafts.

“She fit the bill perfectly. She reads all these books and watches the Lifestyle Network programs of Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray and Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). She’s pas-sionate about these shows and says she learns so much from them and applies what she learns to her day-to-day life.”

According to Benedicto, a large part of the show was in-spired by the direction Sha-ron’s magazine took.

The viewers will be sur-prised to see another side of the singer-actress on the new TV program.

“Here they will get to see a domestic-savvy personality whoís talking about the vir-tues of her own herb garden or telling us to organize our linen closet this way, or that X cheese goes with X wine,” Benedicto said.

Aside from house t ips , Sharon at Home show will

also share the singer-actress’s life off cam with her friends

Sharon is RP’s Martha Stewart

ABS-CBN revives hit soap ‘Mara Clara’

Sharon cuneta

16 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

By Nario S. Idos

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Regi-na Camacho Salcedo Vda. Idos celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday, Sept. 4.

Born on Sept. 7, 1910, in Po-zorrubio, Pangasinan, Philip-pines, Idos is the matriarch of nine children, 62 grandchil-dren, 58 great-grandchildren and eight great-great grand-children — and still counting.

Idos was married to her late husband, Vicente Ventenilla Idos, for 68 years.

Idos was a “molder of the fu-ture,” according to her children, having served as an elementa-

ry school teacher in the Philip-pines Department of Education for 46 years. Upon her retire-ment from teaching in 1975, she followed her husband to the United States and has resided in San Diego since then.

Seven of her children also re-side in San Diego.

According to family mem-bers, their mother is truly a “mother for all seasons.”

“She is the one fountain of love that never diminishes or turn bitter. Regardless of our failures, in spite of our weak-nesses and doubts, whatever the sin or indiscretion, no mat-ter what others may think of

us — our mother still loves on! To our mother, we will always be her children. Her hopes and fears for us remain: the pride of our accomplishments,

the empathy of our defeats. Without condition, with-out compensation, her love endures, and will endure as long as days are without number — as long as she re-mains our mother — a moth-er for all seasons."

The Idos children:• Leticia “Letty” and Ju-

lio “Julie” Desamito (both de-ceased)

• Vida and Conrado Samson• Ralph P. Pacheco (de-

ceased)• Vicente Jr. “Ben” and Ze-

naida “Zenie” Gonzales Idos• Pilar Sulse (deceased)• Regina “Baby” and Aure-

lio “Relly” Mendoza• Nario and Corazon

“Cora” Aurellao Idos• Alfonso “Boy” and Vivien

Generao Idos• Salvador “Ador” and

Rosal;ina “Sally” Vijerano Idos• Nenita “Nenit” and Do-

mingo “Doming” Bautista• Rizalina “Ricy” and Ed-

gardo “Ed” Badillo

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Santa Lucia Academy Alumni Reunion

Photo: Courtesy photo

Alumni of Santa Lucia Academy of Santa Lucia , ilocos Sur, Philippines, held their picnic reunion on July 31 at rhor Park in chula vista. Attendees came from several states, but the largest contingent came from the town of Santa Lucia, followed by alumni from Santa cruz. the reunion was chaired by Mr. and Mrs. rodolfo Hermosura, co-chaired by Mr. and Mrs. Logrino belisario and assisted by Mr. and Mrs. Pete bembo, and Mr. and Mrs. Artemio cortez. the alumni agreed that the next reunion will be a dinner/dance to be held at the Marine corps Air Sta-tion Miramar on July 30, 2011, in San Diego.

Regina Idos turns 100: A mother for all seasons

tribute

Pop Superstar North Ameri-ca” in Las Vegas and “Search for a Star” in Chula Vista.

From 1989-2005, Laygo host-ed several TV shows, including “Cinemascoop,” “Regal Family,” “Aawitan Kita,” “Alas Dose sa Trese” and “Lunchbreak.”

Adding to this already im-pressive background, Laygo starred in films such as “Boy Topak,” “Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak” and “Japino.” He has also appeared in episodes of “Lovingly Yours Helen,” “Gu-long ng Palad,” “Maalaala Mo Kaya” and “Coney Reyes on Camera,” to name a few. Among his credits in theater are “Annie” and “Fiddler on

the Roof,” “Alamat ni Ilang” and “Saranggola ni Pepe.”

Laygo moved to the Unit-ed States in 2005. The Las Ve-gas-based performer pursued his love for music and scored a gig with renowned singer Lani Misalucha at the Flamin-go Hotel and Casino. He also shared the stage with former “American Idol” finalist Jas-mine Trias at the Goldcoast Ho-tel and Casino. He joined the pop group Society of Seven in 2008, which gave him the op-portunity to entertain and sing for Filipino communities across the U.S and Canada. Laygo is also no stranger to doing shows abroad. He has traveled to dif-ferent parts of the world during the course of his 20 years in the entertainment industry doing

what he does best — singing. Recently, Laygo had to leave

Society of Seven because the group decided to move back to Hawaii. The artist decid-ed to go solo again and said he is flattered to be booking more shows than ever. He recently performed at James Armstrong Theatre in Torrance, Calif.

When he’s not busy doing concerts, Laygo teaches voice and stage performances. Cur-rently, his hands are full jug-gling workshops with his stu-dents, performing on a series of shows and, most importantly, spending time with his family.

For more on Michael Lay-go, check out his Facebook page and YouTube videos. For guest appearances, e-mail Laygo at pangulo_0512@yahoo.com.

laygoContinued from p age 1

regina camacho Salcedo vda. idos

September 4 - 10, 2010 17THE FILIPINO PRESS

Hello, my pampered friends! I hope you all enjoyed my special be-

hind-the-scenes coverage of the Miss Philippines Califor-nia competition featured on our front page last week and in this issue. This week, I am tak-ing you on a trip to a Polyne-sian paradise courtesy of Ono’s Island Style Bistro in Bonita.

A 750-gallon fish tank, gi-ant tiki statue, bamboo décor and relaxing island music wel-come guests into the creation of Executive Chef Edward Ro-driguez, a San Diego native with Filipino roots. Originally a drink shop when founded in 2003, Ono’s has evolved into a full-fledged restaurant special-izing in Japanese-Hawaiian fusion cuisine with touches of Thai and Filipino flavors.

On this particularly hot summer’s day, I took comfort in being welcomed with a creamy and lightly sweetened avocado shake, a delicious nod to Ono’s drink shop beginnings. Tradi-tional miso soup prepared my palette for a journey I would not soon forget.

My meal began with the pic-turesque crème de la crème, Ono’s one-of-a-kind sushi roll. Just one bite in, it was easy to see why the establishment was recently awarded “Best Sushi” for the Southern Region of San Diego. Crab, cream cheese and shrimp tempura wrapped in smoked salmon, eel and avoca-do were complemented by the crunch of macadamia nuts.

A new addition to menu, Ono’s baked mussels made for a spicy highlight, complete with a topping of crab, chipot-le and unagi sauces and topped with red tobiko. Though the platter is a hearty portion, you will be left craving more due to the dish’s sheer deliciousness.

A favorite of Ono’s guests of all ages and taste buds is the Teriyaki chicken pasta. The garlic cream sauce coats lo mein noodles, marinated chicken breast and a combi-nation of shitake and button mushrooms. Fans of fettu-cine alfredo will have a new favorite pasta.

Just when I was already in food bliss (and nearly in a food coma), I was taken to heaven on a plate with Ono’s decadent dessert, Zenga. Creamy cheese-cake was wrapped in crisp tor-

tillas and rolled in cinnamon, served alongside flambéed ba-nanas and vanilla ice cream, then crowned with caramel and macadamia nuts. Chef Rodri-guez’s masterpiece will sweet-

ly haunt you and have you re-turning to Ono’s time and time again. You’ll be telling every-one you know!

Toast with a number of the options presented on Ono’s extensive beer, wine and sake list. I recommend the chilled sake, Funaguchi. Its sweet-ness is one that both sake novices and connoisseurs may enjoy.

Ono’s offers a lunch menu with items all under $10. Large groups are encouraged to make reservations at least one week in advance. The res-taurant also accommodates special event catering re-quests. (Ono’s recently hosted the wedding reception of a Fil-ipina celebrity, but asked that I keep the actress’s identity confidential.) The restaurant also hosts “Sake 2 Me Tues-days” complete with DJ CNE-RIO AND JON DOE spinning hip-hop. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m., with sushi fa-vorites at half price.

The warm Ohana (meaning “family”) vibe sets Ono’s aglow from within. In fact, Ono’s is truly a family affair, with Ro-driguez’s father serving as one of the chefs and his moth-er handling the finances. Chef Rodriguez himself did much of the construction and interior design of the restaurant.

Though Ono’s continues to grow in size, menu and popu-larity, it still manages to de-

liver a warm and intimate feel that pays attention to details. The restaurant never turns down the opportunity to help those in need, near or far. Ono’s has even championed causes such as a fundraiser for Haiti.

“We are always accommo-dating. Ono’s is still, at heart, a mom-and-pop shop,” said long-time employee Lester Go.

I highly recommend Ono’s for everything from a business lunch to a romantic dinner date, girls’ night out to family get-togethers. Quality and val-ue run high here. You will not be disappointed.

Ono's is located at 4154 Bo-nita Road. For reservations and more information, call (619) 470-ONOS (6667), or vis-it www.onoscafe.com.

— Francine, The Pampered Pinay

Want to keep in touch and join in on fun weekly chats with other Pampered Pinay fans? Simply check out www.Face-book.com, and search “Fran-cine Maigue.” See you online!

Check back every week for ways to pamper yourself and those you love. Why? The an-swer is simple: You deserve it!

Got a business or event I should know about? Wish to agree or agree to disagree with me? Want to send me a love note? (I love those.) E-mail me at thepamperedpi-nay@yahoo.com.

Say ‘yes’ to Ono’s

Photos: Anna Theresa Photography

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 6 PM – 8:30 PMEl Primero Boutique Hotel

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Have No Wealth”RSVP (619) 425-5927

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Invites you to the monthly

Health and Wealth Connection EventFrancine Maigue

The PamperedPinay

18 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS

By Aurora S. CudalFilipino Press Contributing Writer

Children of the 10 elemen-tary schools of National City were all smiles on Aug. 23 as they received unexpect-ed gifts of school supplies from the National City Pub-lic Safety Foundation on the first day of school.

The donations, a project of National City Police Chief Ad-olfo Gonzales and spearhead-ed by the foundation’s presi-dent and CEO, Ditas Yamane, was co-sponsored by Walmart in National City. National City Police officers delivered the supplies to the schools.

In a related project, Brian Clapper, a community volun-teer committed to quality ed-ucation and board president of the National City Library, was able to tap into Costco’s Back Pack Project.

“I’ve heard about the Costco Back Pack Project three years ago, but I’ve never seen one be-ing done in National City,” he said. “So I spoke with the man-agement of the local Costco

stores in San Diego and asked them if National City schools could avail of the program.”

Clapper discovered that Costco has its local ware-house in National City, so he was able to obtain 500 back-packs for three local elementa-ry schools — El Toyon, Palmer Way and Ira Harbison.

Both parents and students were enthusiastic and ap-preciative of the efforts of both Yamane and Clapper and their respective organi-zations in coordinating the school supplies projects.

“With our limited income, the free backpacks for my three children means a lot,” one parent said.

Administrators from all the schools expressed their grati-tude on behalf of the children who benefited from the projects.

“This is a great project,” said Manuel Machado, princi-pal of the El Toyon Elementary School. “It makes a great dif-ference in the lives of our chil-dren. They feel that the com-munity cares for them and for their education.”

National City students get free school supplies

Photos: Bill Ramsey

San Diego area Filipinos were honored during Filipino cultural night on Aug. 28 at Petco Park. Featuring en-tertainment from local Filipino entertainers before and after the Padres’ afternoon game against the Philadel-phia Phillies, attendees also received a free t-shirt. For more photos from the event, visit filipinopress.com.Above: Luis Sapinoso (left) and his wife, cora (right), and son, chad, take a break from enjoying the game.Left: international singing and acting sensation Lea Salonga belts out the national anthem prior to the Padres/Phillies game during Filipino cultural Day at Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday, Aug. 28. Salonga also performed “God bless America” in the seventh inning and later performed a concert at barona casino.

Padres Honor Filipinos at Petco

the Philippines Los Angeles consul General Mary Jo bernardo Aragon walks from the pitcher's mound after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch during Filipino cultural Day at Petco Park on Saturday, Aug. 28.

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — The Adventist University of the Philippines’ Ambassa-dors choir will perform at the First United Methodist Church of National City on Sunday, Sept. 19.

The Ambassadors, return-ing to San Diego on their fifth U.S. Goodwill Concert Tour, will perform twice that day. The choral group, conduct-ed by Ramon Molina Luauco Jr., will first perform during the church’s morning worship service at 10 a.m. The Ambas-sadors’ Gala Concert begins at 2 p.m. There will be no re-served seating for the concert.

Tickets for the concert will be sold in advance and at the door. Cost of tickets are $20 (adults), $10 (chil-dren 5-12). Admission is free for children 4 and under and senior 62 and older.

Advance tickets can be pur-chased at FUMC’s administra-tive office Monday to Thurs-day from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The church is located at 242 E. 8t St. in National City.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call (619) 477-2741 or e-mail office@myfumcnc.org.

AUP Ambassadors to perform at National City

church

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(619) 477-0940or check us on-line

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September 4 - 10, 2010 19THE FILIPINO PRESS

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Van-essa Joyce Castor begins her two-year reign as muse of the Oriental Mindoro Association of Southern California on the eve-ning of Sept. 18, when the orga-nization’s 17th anniversary and coronation ball takes place at the Los Angeles Airport Marri-ott Hotel.

Castor will be crowned by her predecessor, Miss OMASC 2009 Ali Umali Chua, during a formal ceremony that evening. The event is expected to draw as much participation as last year, when ABS-CBN President Charo Santos Concio, a Min-dorena, was the guest speak-er. This year’s guest speaker is Oriental Mindoro Congressman Rey Umali of the second dis-trict. His brother, Governor Al-fonso Umali Jr., is also expected to attend.

The 22-year old OMASC muse is the only daughter of Giovan-ni and Cynthia Castor and sis-ter to Giovanni Jr., Giovanni III and Brian Jay Castor. Her re-sume includes graduating with honors from St. Pancratius El-ementary School, where she ex-celled in sports, followed by four years of stellar performance both in the classroom and in the pep squad at Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood. She gradu-ated with honors in 2006.

Castor currently attends Cy-press College, where she hopes to obtain both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing. She enjoys dancing, shopping, cook-ing, playing various sports, go-ing to the beach and hanging out with family and friends. Castor also aspires to parlay her baking hobby into a success-ful business some day.

The young student said her life’s inspiration comes from a quote from American author Al-

bert Pine, who said, “What we do for ourselves dies with us; what we do for others and the world remains and is immor-tal.” Aware of OMASC’s charita-ble mission and anxious to be a part of it, Castor considers her Miss OMASC stint an opportu-nity to give back to the commu-nity.

OMASC has been at the fore-front of charitable endeavors among the many Filipino asso-ciations in the region since its founding in 1993. The province of Oriental Mindoro recognizes the contribution OMASC has made through the years, both in response to calamities or to promote and support the edu-cational, health, and welfare needs of the Mindorenos.

Membership in OMASC is open to all Mindorenos in Southern California and other parts of the nation. For more in-formation, please visit its web-site at www.omasc.org. To order tickets for the Sept. 18 event, call Erli Conti at (818) 425-5926 or Hermie Maramot at (626) 289-7607.

Ms. OMASC 2010 to start reign Sept. 18

vanessa Joyce castor

By Francine MaigueFilipino Press Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A crowd of hundreds poured into the theater of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School on Sat-urday, Aug. 28, to witness the crowning of the first Miss Philip-pines California National.

Energy ran high as DJ Sik Beatz of the 3 Wise Men wel-comed the audience with dance-able tunes. Friends and family members waved signs and pic-tures of the contestants they be-lieved should take home the ti-tle. Sitting front row were Miss Philippines of San Diego 2009, her royal court, and other local beauty queens, who anxiously awaited the news of who would be the next to join their crystal-crowned clan.

After the national anthems of both the United States and the Philippines were sung, talented dancers from Mystic Dance San Diego set the party into motion. Pageant contestants surprised everyone by entering through the audience, allowing fans a chance to see the beauties up close before they took the stage.

Star 94.1-FM radio producer Hula Ramos, best known for his work on “AJ’s Playhouse,” and newscaster Kris Audencial, both of Filipino descent, were emcees for the event. Judging the con-test were Emmy Award-winning journalist Georgette Copes, lo-cal educator Alfonso Magana, Emmy Award-nominated jour-nalist Jennifer Casillan and at-torney Rommel Cruz.

While the scores were tabu-lated by official auditors, two of Mystic Dance San Diego’s cham-pion companies, DaJURY, and RIOT 7403, delivered first-rate, impressive and athletic hip hop

performances.Representing Gawad Kalin-

ga, Frances Pascua, who turns 24 this month, proved to be the judges’ ultimate choice after besting the other contestants in the categories of fitness, evening gown and the ever-challenging on-stage interview.

The articulate college stu-dent handled her final ques-tion with poise. When asked which book has most impacted her life in this age of social me-dia, the Pasay City-born beau-ty referenced “The Biology of Belief,” sharing that the pow-er of such literary works cannot be outdone by the casual enter-tainment provided by brief Twit-ter updates or similar fancies in which today’s youth invest much of their valuable time and focus. Pascua’s strong answer and elo-quence propelled her above the other candidates for the title of Miss Philippines California Na-

tional 2010.Tears of joy and pride filled

the eyes of Pascua’s grandmoth-er, Ofrecina Pascua, who raised the first-time beauty queen along with her grandfather, who recently passed away. Pascua’s brother, Anthony Pascua, said with a smile, “He would be so happy. This is dedicated to him.” Frances added, “I imagine that if my lolo was here he would hug me and say, ‘Sabi ko sa iyo! (I told you so!)’”

Of Pascua’s win, competition founder Cheryl Daen said, “I am excited, thrilled and hopeful. Frances is able to express her-self genuinely and effectively. Her first official appearance will take place later this month.”

Host Hula agreed. “She was as poised, nice and

friendly behind the scenes as she was on stage.” he said. “Fran-ces is so humble, personable and outgoing. She’s going to be

a great representative for our community.”

Pascua’s humility was evi-dent.

“I am looking forward to the community events with the oth-er girls,” she said. “When Hu-liana’s name was called, I was so happy. It was as if one of the members of my family had won, too!”

Rounding out the royal court were first runner-up Dejah Ur-banovitch, who came away with the title and crown of Miss Phil-ippines California Regional, and second runner-up Huliana Poy-razoglu, who received the title and crown of Miss Philippines California Cities. Both Urbano-vitch and Poyrazoglu delivered strong performances, particu-larly in the on-stage interview portion of the competition. Ur-banovitch and Poyrazoglu rep-resented the platforms of the International Order of the Rain-bow for Girls and Filipino Amer-ican Youth Education, respec-tively.

The event also served as the formal coronation of Miss Teen Philippines California Nation-al, 16-year-old Raelene Pablo. A sophomore at Sweetwater High School, Pablo aspires to attend college in the future and become a hip-hop choreographer and nurse.

Producer Tiffany Hernandez applauded the team effort it took to bring the competition to life.

“This was a lot for a just a few people to handle,” she said. “Our hard-working volunteers played a key role in our success. Now, I’m looking forward to the top three girls being able to bring more attention to their commu-nity-service platforms through the Miss Philippines California organization.”

Hundreds witness crowning of first Miss Philippines California in San Diego

Photo: © BKMPHOTOG.COM

From left to right, Miss Philippines california regional Dejah Urbanovitch, Miss Philippines california national Frances Pascua and Miss Philippines california cities Huliana Poyrazoglu.

20 September 4 - 10, 2010THE FILIPINO PRESS