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TH E F I L I P I N O–AM E R I CA N CO M M U N I T Y NE WS PA P E R

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Volume 20 - No. 98 • 3 Sections – 28 Pages MIDWEEK EDITION DECEMBER 8-10, 2010

w w w. a s i a n . c o m

DATELINEUSAFROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

MANILA – A top executive of the World Bank assured President Aquino on Decem-ber 6 of the institution’s strong support for his administration’s good governance and anti-poverty agenda.

In a statement, WB Managing Direc-tor Sri Mulyani Indrawati reiterated WB Group President Robert Zoellick’s support for the overall policy direction the Aquino administration is taking.

“The World Bank Group is pleased to support the President’s major policy initia-tives, including clean government, better social protection, expansion of education and health care for the underserved and better infrastructure through private-pub-

lic partnerships,” Indrawati said.“And we are ready to step up our sup-

port if the government so desires.”In a speech also on December 6, In-

drawati said it’s her wish for Aquino to at-tain his vision of good governance.

“My sincere hope is that you can turn the vision of good governance into a real-ity,” she said.

“I believe the prospects for governance reforms in the Philippines are very good at this point in time. A new administration is in place with a clear mandate to improve governance,” said Indrawati in her speech during a forum on “Good Governance: From Vision to Action” at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Rockwell, Makati City.

Top WB executive backs Noy’s good governance reforms

IN A bid to sway Congress that will vote on the Development, Relief and Education for Minors (DREAM) Act on December 7, the Obama admin-istration said it will improve the country’s military readiness.

At the same time, the government has empha-sized that the bill – which will provide undocu-mented students in the US a pathway to citizenship - is not an amnesty.

“We believe prospects for the DREAM Act should

be good if we move past politics and look at what is good for the country, and one benefi t is military readiness,” Cecilia Muñoz, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs said.

Muñoz spoke to media on Dec. 7 via a telephone conference call from the White House, along with Undersecretary of Defense Clifford Stanley.

“We are expanding the pool of those who are available [for military service],” Stanley said in the conference call.

He added,” “To ignore [the DREAM Act] is really unconscionable.”

“We need smart people, whether born here or

not,” Stanley said in response to a question on whether the DREAM Act will diminish opportuni-ties for American-born individuals to join the mili-tary.

“I will categorically state the focus is on qual-ity. We look at the highest standards when getting people to join the service,” he added.

If enacted into law, the DREAM Act will give qualifi ed undocumented immigrants conditional status for six years, during which he or she will be required to either serve for two years in the US military or complete at least two years in a 4-year

‘DREAM Act will improve US military readiness’White House reiterates bill is not an amnesty

A GROUP of 52 former and current Filipino-Ameri-can hospital employees fi led a lawsuit against their employer, Delano Regional Medical Center (located in the Central Valley) for discrimination and harassment on the basis of national origin.

The complaint was fi led in the United States District Court, Eastern District of California last December 7, 2010.The action was fi led against Central Califor-nia Foundation for Health/ Delano Regional Medical Center and Delano Health Associates, Inc. (collectively referred to as “DRMC” or “Defendants”). The employ-ees are represented by the Asian Pacifi c American Le-gal Center (APALC), a member of the Asian American

52 Fil-Am employees sue hospital for discrimination and harassment

APALC and EEOC fi le lawsuit vs Delano Regional Medical Center

MANILA – Eight in 10 Filipinos are satisfi ed with the performance of President Aquino and Vice Pres-ident Jejomar Binay, the latest sur-vey by Pulse Asia showed.

Pulse Asia’s Ulat ng Bayan Sur-vey conducted from Oct. 20 to 29 showed that three of the country’s top offi cials obtained the approval of the majority of Filipinos.

The survey results showed that 79 percent of the 1,200 adult respondents are satisfi ed with Aquino’s performance; only three percent are dissatisfi ed while 18 percent are undecided.

The present approval rating was nine points down from the previ-ous quarter’s survey.

Binay, on the other hand, re-

ceived an approval rating of 78 percent and a disapproval rating of three percent; 20 percent of the respondents are undecided on his performance.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, meanwhile, received the approval of 61 percent of respon-dents; eight percent are dissatis-

Noy approval mark slips to 79%

MANILA – For-mer Central Bank governor Jose Cuisia Jr. is the country’s new ambassador to the United States.

Cuisia told The Star that President Aquino signed his appointment pa-pers on December 7 to replace out-going Ambassa-dor Willy Gaa.

“I’m excited about it,” said Cuisia, who served dur-ing the administration of the President’s mother.

Friends of the newly appointed envoy said he accepted the post because “he wants to serve.”

Cuisia was Central Bank governor and chairman of the Monetary Board from 1990 to 1993, and concurrently chairman of thr Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.

Prior to that, he was administrator and CEO of the Social Security System and chairman of Union Bank of the Philip-pines.

He is most associated with Philam Life, which he served as president and CEO for

Cuisia named envoy to US

WASHINGTON – With Democrats balking at his compromise with Republicans, President Barack Obama on Tuesday staunchly defended his decision to deal with the GOP in order to extend about-to-expire tax cuts for all Ameri-cans.

“There are some who would have preferred a protracted political fi ght,” the president said at a White House news conference a day after the deal was announced. “And I understand the desire for a fi ght. I’m sympathetic to that.”

Many Democrats in Congress are unhappy about the agreement because it continues tax

Obama defends tax deal, says best for the nation

ANAHEIM – Leading up to his title elimina-tor match, Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire Jr. said it was important for him to make a state-ment to Bantamweight Champion Fernando Montiel and last Saturday, he did just that at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

The Filipino Flash scored three knockdowns to defeat former bantamweight champion Vl-adamir Sidorenko of Ukraine to win the vacant WBC Continental Americas bantamweight title and solidifi ed his part in a future match with the

Nonito Donaire Jr. holds up his new bantamweight championship belt after his impressive four round win against Wladimir Sidorenko of Ukraine last Dec. 4. AJPress photo by Joe Cobilla

Donaire sends message to Montiel

CB governor Jose Cuisia Jr.

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by CECILLE SUERTE FELIPEPhilstar.com

by DYMPHNA CALICA-LA PUTTAJPress

by CYNTHIA DE CASTROAJPress

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Wilma Lamug and Elnora Cayme, two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that decided to stand up for their rights and speak out against discrimination and harassment. AJPress photo by Miko Santos

uPAGE A2 MEETING. President Aquino meets with World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani Indrawati at Malacañang on December 6. Philstar.com photo

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From the Front Page

This was Indrawati’s first visit to the Philippines as WB manag-ing director.

Earlier, Zoellick expressed the WB’s support for Aquino in a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations High Level Meet-ing on the Millennium Develop-ment Goals in New York City in

Top WB executive backs Noy’s good…September this year.

Indrawati said Aquino has clearly shown his strong political commitment to improve gover-nance in the Philippines. “With many Filipinos believing in him, this opens up opportunities to advance reforms that will ac-celerate the country’s develop-ment,” the WB official said.

She noted that the Philippine economy is doing well lately, with growth rate this year at 6.2 percent.

She said that the government’s plan to improve infrastructure and to streamline business pro-cedure and red tape should help sustain this growth.

“We are happy to support the government’s public-private partnership agenda and infra-structure program, in terms of advice as well as finance,” In-drawati said.

While praising the adminis-tration’s inroads in good gover-nance, she said it is up to Filipi-nos to choose which path to take to sustain achievements.

“From the outset, though, that it would be neither appropriate nor feasible for me to make any recommendation for the specific circumstances the Philippines is in – it is up to the Filipinos to decide the appropriate strategy for improving governance in the Philippines,” she said.

“Key challenge then is to capture this positive spirit and translate it into action – to pull together a strategy to achieve the government’s vision that has clear targets and a management structure to keep reforms on track,” she pointed out.

“There is no single ‘correct’ way of organizing governance reforms, but there is no doubt in my mind that an institutional home is needed to tackle what is likely to be the most difficult challenges a government faces,” she said in her speech.

Praise for RobredoIndrawati also acknowledged

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo’s ac-complishment as mayor of Naga City.

She said Robredo’s achieve-ments as local government of-ficial indicated that local gov-ernment units should be given genuine autonomy but with full support from the national gov-ernment.

It was Robredo who introduced Indrawati in the forum.

Indrawati also thanked the Asian Institute of Management, Makati Business Club, and the Movement for Good Governance for organizing the event and for the Ateneo de Manila University for allowing the use of its facili-ties as forum venue.

“This event comes at a time of renewed vigor here in the Phil-ippines to tackle the country’s long-standing governance chal-lenges,” she said.

“A country can move only as fast as its politics allows,” she pointed out.

“To me good governance is about fairness and equity. It means that when government officials apply laws and policies, they do so impartially, not influ-enced by personal relationships, likes and dislikes,” the WB offi-cial said.

“A good governance agenda, therefore, needs to reach be-yond efforts to tackle corruption to build strong and sustainable institutions of the state. It also should empower citizens through transparency and participation,” she pointed out.

Indrawati is responsible for the Bank’s operations in Latin Amer-ica and the Caribbean, East Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa.

Indrawati is one of the three managing directors who, with Zoellick, form the WB Senior Management Team.

She also oversees the Integrity Vice Presidency and Informa-tion Systems Group, in addition to providing strategic leadership for the bank’s governance and anti-corruption activities.

Prior to joining WB, Indrawati served as Indonesia’s minister of finance. As finance chief, she was instrumental in guiding the eco-nomic policy of one of the larg-est countries in Southeast Asia, and one of the biggest states in the world, during the global eco-nomic crisis.

Her efforts earned her the respect of her peers across the world.

Earlier, Indrawati visited an urban poor community in Pasay City whose residents were ben-eficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program of the government. n

PAGE A1 tdegree program. After the condi-tional status, the person can ap-ply for US citizenship.

The Dec. 7 press conference call was the third in a series that the Obama administration did in the last week. The White House had said in an earlier statement that it wants the public “to be in-

formed and engaged about this important piece of pending leg-islation.”

In the most recent conference call, the White House also react-ed to a statement from US Sen. Jeff Sessions, who implied that the proposed law is an amnesty for individuals who are in the US illegally.

“This irresponsible proposal would almost immediately legal-ize an estimated 1.3 - 2.1 million illegal aliens,” the Republican senator said in Dec 4. letter to his colleagues in the Senate.

“At the same time, the bill would provide safe harbor, and even amnesty, for aliens who

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many years.In September 2005, Cuisia

was honored as the Insurance Personality of the Year at the 9th Asia Insurance Industry Awards in Singapore, the only Filipino to receive the award, which is given by two of the most presti-

gious industry publications, the Singapore-based Asia Insurance Review and the London-based The Review Worldwide Reinsur-ance.

He was cited for his exception-al leadership of Philam Life and for significant reforms in the in-surance industry. (Philstar.com)

Cuisia named envoy to…PAGE A1 t

SIMULTANEOUS READ-ALONG NATIONWIDE. What a day Saturday was for more than 2,000 children in Davao City, Bacolod City and Marilao, Bulacan, and 22 other points all over the archipelago, where they were regaled with stories to “inspire individuals and empower communities,” as part of the Inquirer’s 25th-anniversary celebrations. It was the Inquirer Research special anniversary project. Inquirer.net photo

have committed serious crimes,” he added in his letter.

Director of Intergovernmen-tal Affairs Muñoz debunked this statement. At the same time, she reiterated the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) statement that the law will aid the government’s immigration enforcement efforts.

“We disagree wholeheartedly with Sen. Session’s assessment. It is very, very far from an amnes-ty,” Muñoz said adding, “In fact, the DREAM Act will help us put immigration under control.”

The DHS in a Dec. 2 briefing said the DREAM Act will help the government weed out illegal residents who have committed crimes and have these people re-moved from the country.

“The current version of the DREAM Act provides that the students must undergo a rig-orous background check,” US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said.

A salient provision in the bill states that only those undocu-mented students who have good moral character can be given a path to citizenship.

“Only those of good character will be eligible for relief. Those with criminal records will be eli-gible for removal immediately,” she said in the first of three con-ference calls the White House hosted for the media.

“Nobody who poses a threat to public safety will be able to adjust their immigration status,” Napolitano also said.

“It complements the DHS’ ef-forts to prioritize our enforce-ment resources for removing criminal aliens from the coun-try,” she added.

Meanwhile, the government also stressed earlier that the DREAM Act is expected to help the US become more competitive in today’s global economy.

“Unless we pass the DREAM Act, we will be throwing away investments. It is critical to our

economic future,” US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke told media on Dec. 3, at the second telephone conference call.

“These are students who are our future scientists, doctors, lawyers, engineers and impor-tant business leaders,” he said.

Locke noted that in the past 15 years, 25% of venture capi-tal firms that went public were started by immigrants.

“[The DREAM Act] will gener-ate revenue and create economic and business opportunities. It is a driver for economic growth,” he added.

It is estimated that approxi-mately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school each year but they cannot go on to pursue their dreams of higher education or continued development. According to the Migration Policy Institute, one in ten potential DREAM Act ben-eficiaries comes from an Asian country. n

‘DREAM Act will improve US…PAGE A2 t

Center for Advancing Justice. The complaint states that

DRMC discriminated against its Filipino-American employees be-cause of their national origin and subjected the Filipino-American workers to severe and pervasive workplace harassment. DRMC prohibited Filipino-American employees from speaking Taga-log and other Filipino languages under a broad-reaching, English-only policy. DRMC singled out only Filipino-American employ-ees in enforcing the policy.

Among all their employ-ees of various ethnicities, de-fendants required only Fili-pino-American employees to attend mandatory meetings with management. During these meetings, DRMC management told the Filipino-American em-ployees that they were prohib-ited from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages at the workplace.

DRMC reprimanded them, threatened to monitor them with audio surveillance and threat-ened to discipline and suspend employees who will be caught speaking Tagalog. Defendants also encouraged other employ-ees to report Filipino-Ameri-can employees to supervisors, which created tension and hos-tility among employees. Fili-

pino-American employees were monitored, chastised and threat-ened by supervisors and other co-workers who constantly told them to speak English.

During the press conference held at the APALC office in Los Angeles December 7, two of the plaintiffs, Wilma Lamug and El-nora Cayme, spoke about the un-fair treatment they received from DRMC management.

“DRMC’s actions made us feel humiliated, isolated, and unval-ued as employees. Many of us, including myself, had worked hard for DRMC for ten or twen-ty years. Despite our loyalty and years of service, we were shocked that DRMC singled out Filipino-American workers and blatantly discriminated against us,” said Plaintiff Wilma Lamug, a Licensed Vocational Nurse at DRMC for more than ten years.

Elnora Cayme, a licensed vo-cational nurse and respiratory therapist who has worked for DRMC for 27 years, said amid tears, “I have lived in Delano since I immigrated to the States in 1978 with my parents and sib-lings. DRMC is our community hospital. A majority of the hospi-tal’s staff was made up of Filipino health care professionals. I don’t know why they treated us so un-justly, even if we were all so loyal and devoted to our jobs.”

“DRMC enforced an overly restrictive and draconian Eng-lish-only policy against only its Filipino-American employees that cannot be justified by a business necessity. As a result, DRMC created a workplace envi-ronment that was hostile towards its Filipino-American employees and unfortunately increased ten-sions between Filipino and non-Filipino employees,” said Julie A. Su, Litigation Director at APALC.

APALC, on behalf of the em-ployees, is moving to intervene in a lawsuit that was filed by the US Equal Employment Oppor-tunity Commission (EEOC) on August 18, 2010. The EEOC’s lawsuit alleges that DRMC’s acts of national origin discrimination and harassment violate federal law (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964).

APALC’s complaint alleges that DRMC violated federal law as well as California state law, specifically California ’s Fair Em-ployment and Housing Act. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent future discrimination, as well as financial compensation from defendants for the employ-ees.

According to EEOC, the hos-pital prohibited Filipino staff from speaking Tagalog while al-lowing non-Filipino employees

52 Fil-Am employees sue hospital…

fied while 31 percent are unde-cided.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., however, received mixed re-sponse from the respondents: 45 percent approve of his perfor-mance while 11 percent disap-prove of him. A large percentage – 43 percent – are undecided about his performance.

“In the case of House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., nearly the same percentages of Filipi-nos express either approval for or indecision toward his perfor-mance,” Pulse Asia said in the explanatory note.

Chief Justice Renato Corona received the highest rate for dis-approval at 18 percent and the highest rate of responses under undecided at 45 percent; 35 per-cent of the respondents approve of his performance.

“Public ambivalence is the plu-rality sentiment toward Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato C. Co-rona,” Pulse Asia said.

In terms of awareness, almost all Filipinos have heard or read something about Aquino and Bi-nay as shown by the 100 percent awareness rate they received.

Ninety nine percent of respon-dents are aware of Enrile, while 88 percent have heard of Bel-monte. Seventy-nine percent are aware of Corona.

The survey also showed that only four Cabinet members gained a majority approval from respondents.

Social Welfare Secretary Cora-zon Soliman got the highest sat-isfaction rating (65 percent), fol-lowed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima (60 percent), Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim (55 percent) and Health Secretary Enrique Ona (52 percent).

Education Secretary Armin Luistro gained a public approval rating of 49 percent, still a “plu-rality sentiment” according to the polling firm.

Other Cabinet members re-ceived approval ratings in the range of 40 percent to 42 per-cent and indecision ratings rang-ing from 38 percent to 45 per-cent. These are: Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, In-terior Undersecretary Rico Puno and Armed Forces of the Philip-

pines chief Gen. Ricardo David.Receiving high indecision

ratings of 44 percent to 52 per-cent are Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Interior Secre-tary Jesse Robredo, Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang, Ex-ecutive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma, National Food Authority head Lito Banayo, and Ombuds-man Merceditas Gutierrez.

The respondents, however, are most critical of the performance of Puno, who received a disap-proval rating of 21 percent, and Gutierrez with 23 percent.

In contrast, Soliman obtained a disapproval rating of only seven percent, De Lima eight percent, and Ona nine percent.

In terms of public awareness of the Cabinet members, at least 66 percent of the respondents

Noy approval mark slips to…

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to speak other languages, such as Spanish. “Employers must ensure that company policies are applied equally,” said Anna Park, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Los Angeles Dustrict Of-fice. “Targeting workers of a par-ticular national origin is not only illegal, it also erodes company morale – pitting groups against one another.”

Wilma Lamug said other Fili-

pino-Americans who are victims of discrimination should not be afraid to speak up. “Don’t keep your mouth shut. Seek help like we did,” Lamug said. Elnora Cayme added, “Huwag kayong matakot o mahiya (Don’t be afraid or embarrassed.) Speak up for your rights.”

“An employer like DRMC with a diverse clientele should view an employee’s ability to speak an-other language as an asset, not a

disadvantage. It is reprehensible that our clients were singled out for enforcement of the English only policy and harassed. Employ-ers need to know that this type of discrimination and harassment on the basis of national origin is illegal,” said Carmina Ocampo , a staff attorney at APALC. “We hope this case encourages other immigrant workers to do as these workers did, and stand up pub-licly and demand their rights.” n

52 Fil-Am employees sue hospital…

have heard of or read something about them.

More respondents are aware of Lim (99 percent), Puno (89 percent), Soliman (87 percent) and De Lima (86 percent).

Less are aware of Coloma (66 percent), Baldoz (68 percent), Ochoa (68 percent) and Alcala (69 percent).

The survey has an error mar-gin of plus or minus three per-centage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

ElatedMalacañang on December 6

welcomed Aquino’s strong per-formance in the survey.

“The survey shows that the President and his team con-tinue to enjoy the trust of the people,” palace spokesman Lacierda said.

Lacierda noted that the heads of agencies that deal directly with people – such as the Department of Social Welfare and Develop-ment and Department of Health – traditionally enjoy high survey ratings.

While at it, he defended the poor performance of members of the Palace communications group.

“If the communications group does not really do as well as the others is because we do not deal directly with the people and that’s understandable,” Lacierda said.

He said the administration is more surprised that the Depart-ment of Justice rated high in the survey.

“I understand this is the first time that they rated this high. So basically it shows that people’s

confidence towards this govern-ment is there,” Lacierda said.

During the same interview, he also refuted rumors that Aquino presided over a so-called “hang-over Cabinet” because he would sometimes work late and with a hangover.

“President does not drink, that’s for sure. So there is no such thing. We are not aware of any midnight Cabinet, neither is there a hangover Cabinet,” Laci-erda said.

Binay’s office also welcomed the results of the survey. “Vice President Binay gratefully ac-knowledges the people’s sup-port. He sees it as an expression of optimism and confidence that life will be better in the years to come,” said its media relations officer Joey Salgado. (Philstar.com)

Noy approval mark slips to…

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WBC and WBO bantamweight champion Montiel in February.

Montiel is fighting on Decem-ber 11 and expects to win that bout easily. “I’m coming for you,” said Donaire referring to Montiel. “This is for the people. This is what they want to see and this is what I want. I wanted to make a statement and I did.”

Donaire’s performance cer-tainly was a statement.

Donaire moved up from the flyweight where he has reigned to the bantamweight division and in his first bout at 118 pounds, the Filipino Flash dom-inated.

Donaire, co-headlining Top Rank’s In Harm’s Way card, tow-ered over the smaller Sidorenko, a former bantamweight champi-on and Olympics medalist, and used his tremendous reach to gain an advantage early.

In the middle of the first round, Donaire stunned Sido-renko with a two-punch com-bination and displayed great power by constantly punching through the Ukrainian’s blocks. With about eight seconds re-maining, Donaire landed an overhand right, scoring the first of his knockdowns against Sido-renko.

Donaire scored at will. The Filipino Flash scored another knockdown in the third round. This time he landed a perfectly timed left hook to the head just as Sidorenko was angling for an inside position.

By the fourth round, Sido-renko’s face was battered and bruised. Donaire finished off Sidorenko with a clean two-punch combination to the head. Sidorenko took a knee and did not continue.

“I give Sidorenko credit, he’s

a great boxer,” said Donaire. “But I knew this fight was over the moment he signed that con-tract. I’m so motivated in fight-ing against Montiel and I know that if I train hard and prepare no one can beat me.”

Next up MontielMontiel of Mexico is currently

rated the No. 7 best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. The 31-year-old Mexican is no slouch and Donaire knows he has a tough task ahead of him.

But Donaire said he’s waited for a chance to face him for several months so he’s not go-ing to take that opportunity for granted.

Donaire said Montiel better be ready for February.

“I know I’m going to train my hardest and I’m going to do my best so he better be ready,” said Donaire. (Joseph Pimentel/AJ-Press)

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breaks for the wealthiest Ameri-cans. But Obama said a long po-litical battle “would be a bad deal for the economy. And it would be a bad deal for the American people.”

He promised a renewed fight during 2012 when the tax cuts would expire again, making the point that he still opposes the Republican position that high-income earners should get the extension, too.

Obama called “tax cuts for the wealthy” the Republicans’ “holy grail.”

“It seems to be their economic doctrine,” Obama added, pre-viewing a likely argument during his expected re-election race in 2012.

In the agreement, the president gave up a key goal to let Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans expire. But he said the deal would stop taxes from ris-ing for middle class Americans, “which is what I promised.”

“It’s a good deal for the Ameri-can people,” Obama said.

Obama cast his decision to accede to the GOP position on extending the tax cuts in stark terms.

“It’s tempting not to negoti-ate with hostage takers – unless the hostage gets harmed. Then, people will question the wisdom of that strategy. In this case, the hostage was the American peo-ple, and I was not willing to see them get harmed.”

He made a point to note that he long has opposed – and still opposes – keeping tax cuts in place for the sliver of Ameri-cans making $200,000 or more a year.

He said the American people agree with his position, but “I haven’t persuaded the Republi-can Party.” Reflecting the newly increased Republican clout in Congress, he said: “I haven’t persuaded (Senate Republican leader) Mitch McConnell and I haven’t persuaded (House GOP leader) John Boehner.”

Even though Democrats will control both houses of Congress until January, Obama insisted the deal was necessary to ensure enough Republican support in Congress to extend unemploy-ment benefits that also are about to expire, and he said a long, bloody battle with the GOP would be detrimental to recession-wea-ry Americans.

“This isn’t an abstract debate. This is real money for real peo-ple,” he said. “This package will help strengthen the recovery. That I’m confident about.”

Obama called the news confer-ence in the face of Democratic criticism of the agreement, which still needs House and Senate ap-proval.

It was part of a full-scale de-fense, with the White House ar-guing the deal would pump bil-lions into the economy at a time it is recovering from the worst recession in eight decades and

unemployment stands at 9.8 per-cent.

The plan calls for extending tax cuts from the Bush era that are due to expire at year’s end, re-newing jobless benefits through the end of 2011 and granting a one-year cut in Social Security taxes. Several officials said the package could add $900 billion or more to the federal deficit over two years.

Obama said he expects the unemployment rate to go down because of the compromise, al-though he would not predict by how much.

He also said he believes the jobless rate will recede because the economy is growing, even if businesses haven’t yet picked up the pace of hiring enough to send large numbers of people back to work.

Obama spoke as Vice President Joe Biden met at the Capitol with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and then other Democratic senators. House Democrats were holding their own closed-door meeting later Tuesday.

“It’s something that’s not done yet,” said Reid, D-Nev. “We’re going to have to do some more work,” he said after the meeting with Biden and members of the Democratic rank-and-file.

Across the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that said merely, “We will continue discussions with the president and our caucus in the days ahead.” (Ben Feller/AP)

Obama defends tax deal, says best…PAGE A1 t

PEARL HARBOR. This Dec. 7, 1941 file photo provided by the Dept. of Defense shows the USS California, right, after being struck by two battleships and two big bombs during a Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Durrell Conner, who coded and decoded messages for the Navy, was aboard the USS California when it sank in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Connor will return with 17 family members to remember those who died in the Japanese attack 69 years ago during the Pearl Harbor Anniversary. AP Photo/DOD

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AS THE popular statement goes, “Perception is reality.”Pulse Asia’s most recent survey on PNoy’s popularity (currently at

79% of 1,200 respondents, with 3% dissatisfi ed while 18% are un-decided; which means that 8 out of 10 Filipinos are satisfi ed with his performance) received mixed feedback.

Perception

Philstar.com, with its head-line, “Noy approval mark slips to 79%,” seems to view the glass as half-empty, saying that “the present approval rating was nine points down from the previous quarter’s survey.” Facts-wise, this statement does hold true.

Meanwhile, Inquirer.net’s headline, “Aquino enjoys high approval rating - Pulse Asia,” seems to tell a different story – a more positive perspec-tive of the President’s popularity rating.

According to reports, Malacañang sees the high rating as a blessing. “It’s a rating that is high and we believe that the Filipino people re-pose their trust in the President and the offi cial family,” Pres. Aquino’s spokesperson Edwin Laci-erda said.

Lacierda also emphasized that the President’s approval rating “was much bigger than the 43% of votes which PNoy obtained in the May elec-tions and that “the survey showed that people could see efforts of the President and his team in ‘fulfi lling’ (his) pledge to fi ght corruption and poverty.”

“While there have been naysayers, the survey is an indication that the President and the public are in harmony as to national goals on the way to

pursue reforms needed,” he added.Vice-President Binay, likewise got

a high approval rating at 78% and a disapproval rating of 3%; 20% of the respondents are undecided on

his performance.And the list goes on and on to reveal various in-

dividual ratings for Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., Chief Justice Renato Corona and current cabinet members to name a few.

Of course, the results vary for each individual, but overall, the general public is satisfi ed with the way things are being run by the Aquino govern-ment.

However, public perception should not be the only means to measure excellence. Regardless of ratings, the government should set the bar higher and avoid remaining in the status quo when it comes to delivering service.

The standard for excellence should exceed, not only the general public’s expectations, but also expectations that our public servants have set for themselves.

It is only through collective efforts (and not in-dividual ratings) that we will (actually) be able to move forward as a nation. (AJPress)

Editorial

Inquirer.net photo

AFTER more than two years of debate, bick-ering and speculation, the question on what to do with the controversial Bush tax cuts has been addressed in Washington. President Obama has just struck a deal with Republicans to lay down bipartisan framework to extend tax cuts to all Americans for two more years, including the top 2% who are the richest of billionaires.

This was his battlecry – repeated over and over again – when he was running for President in 2008: Repeal the Bush tax Cuts for the Rich!

But as Obama himself said, when he an-nounced the compromise, he had to give some to win some. While he would have wanted the rich to pay the same tax rate during the Clin-ton years to help reduce the defi cit while giv-ing tax break to the middle class to stimulate the economy, not reaching a compromise with the Republicans would remove the lifeline support for more than two million unemployed Ameri-cans whose jobless benefi ts are set to expire next month.

“In exchange for a temporary extension of the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans,” Obama announced, “ we will be able to protect key tax cuts for working families – the Earned Income Tax Credit that helps families climb out of pov-erty; the Child Tax Credit that makes sure fami-lies don’t see their taxes jump up to $1,000 for every child; and the American Opportunity Tax Credit that ensures over 8 million students and their families don’t suddenly see the cost of col-lege shooting up.”

Obama reminded his colleagues, particularly the liberal Democrats who were disappointed

about this deal, “The American people did not send us here to fi ght symbolic battles and win symbolic victories,” President Obama said. “They sent us here to solve problems.”

Republicans praised Obama for reaching out in compromise, but many Democrats called this “caving in” to so called “Repub-lican tantrums” as “a sign of weakness in our Commander-in-Chief.” They said he should have “drawn the line in the sand” and stood up for what he promised the American people during the campaign.

Republicans have maintained they would have much wanted to make the Bush tax cuts for all Americans permanent, as this policy will give the rich and the small businesses the resources to in-vest more in the economy that will help provide jobs to jobless Americans. They have always ar-gued that raising the taxes for anybody during a recession will kill jobs and hurt the ailing econo-my even more.

Democrats counter argue that such “trickling down” of wealth does not work. The Bush tax cuts have not stimulated the economy, but in-stead, have dug us deeper into debt and defi cit after having surplus during the Clinton years. They accuse the Republicans about being hypo-critical about wanting to reduce our trillion-dollar defi cit because this deal, they say, would mean we would have to borrow money from China add-ing further to our ballooning defi cit, only to give welfare to the rich.

“But these tax cuts will expire in two years. And I’m confi dent that as we make tough choices about bringing our defi cit down, as I engage in a conversation with the American people about the hard choices we’re going to have to make to secure our fu-ture and our children’s future and our grandchildren’s future,

it will become apparent that we cannot afford to extend those tax cuts any longer,” Obama reas-sured those who fear this may pave the way for the Republicans to make these tax cuts for the rich permanent, especially with the GOP in con-trol of the house in the next two years.

While the moderates look at this move of Obama as a gesture of “reaching out to Repub-licans” a signal for the GOP to work with him in issues like the passing of the DREAM Act , or the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Law, or bills that protect the environment, many Democrats do not share the same optimism. Republicans, they say, have vowed to make ousting Obama out of offi ce in 2012 as their top priority and there is no way they think they will work with Obama now. The Commander-in-Chief, they say, has just yielded his power to the Republicans.

President Obama promised that under his Pres-idency, there will no longer be” blue states” or “red states,” and that we will be the United States of America. While the Republicans may have la-beled him the most leftist polarizing President in history, Obama’s own partymates, ironically, have accused him of betraying the ideals of the

Democratic Party by giving in to the Republicans’ demands. As he moves to the Center, Obama has apparently created more enemies than friends in this divided political world.

In one CNN panel discussion on Parks and Spitzer, Obama was described as making bi-partsanship his end rather than his means to get things done in Washington. Crtitics say if Obama does not want to be a Jimmy Carter, he needs to be more like FDR – decisive, strong, combatant in making sure he achieves what he believes will be good for the country. Of course, we know that doing this, as evidenced by his fi ght on the health care insurance reform, he had been called by the conservatives as a dictator who shoves his social-ist agenda down peoples’ throat.

This divisive and fi ery debate will continue, and we will be hearing more toxic remarks from the right and the left. The US defi cit will also continue to grow. As America fi nds its way out of the pits, one thing is for sure – Americans who are about to lose their homes or have feared of not having the means to feed their family as their jobless benefi ts expire next month have found a new lifeline in this deal with the Republicans. Obama’s “weakness” or “compromise?’ Caving in, or realistic pragmatic governance? It depends what side you are in, or whether you have a check coming in the mail next month.

* * *Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com,facebook.com/gelrelos, twitter.com/gelsantosrelos.

Obama’s deal with Republicans: Weakness or pragmatism?

GEL SANTOS-RELOS

The Fil-Am Perspective

(Part 1)AMIDST the ruck-

us and noise of the Pilipinas Kay Ganda launching and its af-termath ,that led to a lot of fi nger point-ing and the eventual resignation of Usec Enteng Romano at the Department of Tourism (DOT), it is my turn to share with the readers the value and importance of Branding our beloved Philippines.

According to book author, Nick Wre-den, a brand is a long-term profi table bond between an offering and a cus-tomer. This relationship is based on eco-nomic, emotional and/or experiential value, backed by everyday operational excellence and consistently measured, optimally by customer profi tability.

The subject of Branding is a personal favorite among the many business sub-jects I teach at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business so I will take the liberty of using the Hong Kong (HK) successful tourism model to articulate how HK, a newly-minted SAR (Special Autonomous Region) of China in 2000 successfully executed their programs that led to a record breaking tourist ar-rival of 21.8 M in 2004…a whopping 40% Year on Year increase!

Talk about creating opportunities during a very uncertain period!

As for the Philip-pines, we only manage to bring 3.3 M tourists in 2009…a paltry fi g-ure compared to what HK accomplished in early 2000.

As a backgrounder, regional tourism is a major economic pillar for any Asian country, thus competition is undoubt-edly fi erce. There are more than 1,000 destinations in Asia that tourists can choose from.

With the uncertainty brought about by the handover, HK’s Commission on Strategic Development concluded that “Hong Kong needs to promote its unique position as one of the most cos-mopolitan and vibrant cities in Asia to a wide range of international audiences. A successful external promotion pro-gram can have a signifi cant positive im-pact on HK’s ability to achieve a num-ber of key economic, social and cultural objectives.”

The HK Government immediately commissioned a team of fi rms to con-duct research and develop a strategy to Brand HK. The following elements and key messages were highlighted:

Ideal locationPositioned HK as a Transport and

Corporate hub in Asia. Highlighting its advanced infrastructure such as new roads, railways to the Mainland, new container terminal, express air cargo terminal & logistics centre and a spank-ing Asia-World Expo Center with a total exhibition fl oor area of 70,000-square meters.

Lifestyle and convenienceHK is a compact, cosmopolitan city

with a stunning harbor, skyline & park-land vistas (over 40% of HK is park). The city also offers World-class and cul-tural performances, art exhibits, drama, arts festivals and street carnivals. It has the best restaurants and fi nest cuisine anywhere and has one of the lowest crime rate in the region.

Other important propositionsHK succeeded in creating a percep-

tion that it was politically stable. It also offered foreign businesses low taxes, advanced ICT infrastructure, low levels of corruption, equality of women and a government that was accountable.

After identifying the “Big idea” and the many communication values, the biggest hurdle of the proponents was the execution of the game plan.

The plan was based on fi ve key ele-ments: Build additional infrastructure, Improve existing facilities, enhance ser-

vice quality, encourage seamless visitor entry, active promotion of Hong Kong’s Business and tourism programs and a sustained Infrastructure base.

The campaign hinged on its medium- to long-range plans for the fi ve major tourism clusters with the objective of broadening the range of tourist facili-ties.

For entertainment, it offered desti-nation sites in Sunny Bay and Lantau Island where Hong Kong Disneyland, Tung Chung Cable Car and the Giant Buddha are located. It also created a destination for recreational facilities with activities covering hiking and wa-ter sports identifying the countryside and the harbor at Sai Kung.

HK tourism planners started with the infrastructure component as this entailed a longer gestation period. The results were overwhelming. Tourism components were integrated and sewn together by the infrastructure.

Creation of a culture beltThis is the stretch from the new inte-

grated arts, culture and entertainment area on W. Kowloon Reclamation to the existing museums and performing arts venues in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Development of the heritage, enter-tainment and dining areas

This zone is located right in the heart of Central, from Central Police Station

and covering attractions like the Gov-ernment House, St John‘s Cathedral, Hollywood Road and Lan Kwai Fong.

Promotion of eco-tourism projectsThe Hong Kong Wetland Park proj-

ect was developed to showcase Hong Kong‘s ecological richness.

Cruise Business as an anchor to the blueprint

A new cruise terminal in SE Kowloon was constructed.

And to make HK tourist friendly, it in-vested in new signage in all districts.

Beyond strategy, activation of the tourism blueprint defi nes the success or failure of the country as a destina-tion. The Philippine campaign never got the chance to advance to the activa-tion phase. So from a strategic footnote, it would be wise to allow Sec. Bertie Lim the opportunity to present DOT’s comprehensive fi ve year game plan mi-nus the noise and emotions.

(Part II of Branding the Philippines will come out next week.)

* * *Prof Soriano is the CEO of advisoryasia.com and the Founder of Asia America Policy Institute for Real Estate Studies, an advocacy group that protects the interest of homebuyers and promotes integrity and best practices amongst private developers and housing agencies. He teaches Global Marketing at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. For comments please email writer at sorianoasia@gmail.com.

Branding the Philippines

PROF. ENRIQUE M. SORIANO

The KiteRunner

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(213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 8-10, 2010 A�

Dateline PhiliPPines

HIGH MARKS. President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay take time to talk during Monday’s awarding rites for the 2010 Model OFW Family of the Year at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City. Inquirer.net photo by Rem Zamora

MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC), in re-sponse to the threat of the Airline Operators Coun-cil (AOC) to stop supplying customs declaration forms effective January, dispatched some 78 new-ly hired Customs personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals who have started working in shifts.

Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez told dzRH on December 6 morning that those who work on a 24-hour shift will enjoy night differential pay. The BOC will also start looking for a printing company that will bid for the printing of Customs declaration forms, he said.

The move was seen as retaliation for the shabby treatment the airlines have been receiving since they stopped paying airport officials overtime for the last 16 months.

The AOC said unruly Customs personnel are tak-ing revenge on innocent passengers.

Delta Air country manager Steven Crowdey, Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) first vice chairman, had requested Alvarez to stop his men from disrupting the service at the airport.

However, Alvarez said that the reported conflicts were blown out of proportion and that they have already taken steps to address the issues.

He said he is wondering why the overtime pay became an issue considering that he has already talked to Philippine Airlines (PAL) president Jim-

my Bautista since Dec. 3.Bautista reportedly agreed to give an initial

payment to the 412 BOC employees assigned at NAIA.

Based on the old rate, the BOC-NAIA employees reportedly charge P10 million a month, and accu-mulated a backlog of P160 million during the last 16 months.

The 412 employees were from the arrival, de-parture, collection, export division, and Aircraft Operations Division.

As to reports that some BOC employees ap-peared to have gone on strike thus causing long queues, the Customs chief said that he has already formed a backup team that underwent training to take over the abandoned posts.

The BOC personnel are reportedly requesting a 100 percent increase in their overtime pay.

The BAR, of which PAL is a member, said they are willing to pay the last five months’ worth of overtime of the airport personnel.

Alvarez said that for the last 16 months, some personnel have been rendering service beyond office hours, despite the court ruling favoring the BAR not to shoulder overtime pay.

The AOC and the BOC have been in disagree-ment over the issue of overtime pay of some 400 customs officers assigned at the premier airport.

Eventually, the issue was addressed by the Court of Appeals, who ruled that the BAR is entitled to their claim not to shoulder the overtime pay of

New NAIA Customs men dispatchedby Rudy SantoS

Philstar.com

uPAGE A8

MANILA – Senator Panfilo Lacson will not go to jail for the alleged abduction and murder of public relations practitioner Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito, solely on the testimony of the fugitive lawmaker’s former aide, ex-po-lice Superintendent Cezar Man-cao II, according to Senate Presi-dent Juan Ponce Enrile.

“I studied the records against him and, in a fair trial, I don’t think you can get a conviction just on the statement of Man-cao which has been changing,” Enrile said in an interview over radio station dzBB.

Lacson’s lawyers argued that the latest manifestation to the court showed that Mancao only learned of the supposed opera-tion to abduct and murder Dacer

MANILA – Senator Gregorio Honasan II on Monday branded as “malicious” and “very irre-sponsible” the inclusion of his name in the list of those who can avail of the amnesty granted by President Benigno Aquino III.

“It was malicious to begin with,” said Honasan, who had been charged with coup d’ etat for his alleged role in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

“This is a classic gunshot ap-proach because of their failure to do their homework. This is very irresponsible. This should be considered as criminal,” he further said in an interview over the phone.

Honasan said he was not part of the Marines stand-off, con-trary to the list submitted by the executive branch during this Monday’s hearing of the Senate

I can get Lacson off the hook – Enrile

ON AMNESTY LIST INCLUSION

‘Malicious’ and ‘very irresponsible’ – Honasanby Maila ageR

Inquirer.netcommittee on peace, unification and reconciliation.

He said he was charged in connection with the Oakwood mutiny but the case had been dismissed by the court.

“I attribute this to procedural

lapses. It should be incumbent for the executive branch to go over the list very very carefully before submitting it,” said the senator.

“Siguro yung magagaling na

by gil C. CabCaungan jR.Inquirer.net

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DECEMBER 8-10, 2010 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (213) 250-9797A� Dateline PHiliPPineS

LET IT SNOW? Government officials did not expect this level of attention from some 50,000 people but when the snow turned out to be light soap suds floating over Baguio City’s Session Road, they had to deal with a few angry parents who carried disappointed children. Inquirer.net photo by Ev Espiritu

government workers.Alvarez also denied news reports linking the

overtime pay with the customs declaration forms issue and that the threat of AOC to stop printing the cards is not a cause of concern because it would still take effect on Jan. 1 and by then he would have already come up with a viable answer.

Instead of relying on the AOC to produce the customs declaration forms, the Customs chief said they could take over the task and directly talk to advertisers such as Smart Communications.

He believed that the telecommunications firm would continue to advertise in the customs dec-laration forms since they are getting very good exposure.

Alvarez has already informally discussed the proposal with a Smart marketing executive who reportedly said that in principle they are interested to tie up with the BOC and just need to check on their agreement with AOC.

The BOC, for their part, would have to consult the Commission on Audit (COA).

The BOC uses about 1.5 million pieces of cus-toms declaration forms issued at the NAIA, Mac-tan-Cebu International Airport, and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark.

Alvarez said that there are a lot of firms which would apply to print the forms, especially if their company name could be carried on the forms as a way of advertising or promotion.

“We can start looking for bidders,” Alvarez said, but added that the BOC would have to confer with the AOC and PAL to clarify their statement with-drawing the supply of cards.

However, the mess has affected foreign visitors and the Department of Tourism seemed powerless to help them.

“We have already been receiving numerous complaints from arriving foreign visitors, but I re-ally have no control over the problem,” Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said, adding that he already met with BOC officials and asked them to resolve the problem immediately because it could ad-versely affect foreign arrivals in the country.

Lim said the BOC promised to assign personnel by shift so that they could provide 24-hour service at the airports without collecting overtime pay starting next year.

“To resolve the issue, BOC agreed to have three shifts of personnel starting January,” Lim explained, adding that the BOC would also be seeking supplementary budget from Congress or require additional airport tax to cover the salaries of their personnel.

He said that Congress may also come out with a new measure junking the mandatory three percent carrier tax imposed on foreign airlines operating in the country.

Palace: Sit down and talkBut Malacañang said it is leaving it up to immi-

gration and customs officials to settle the conten-tious issue among themselves.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government is now trying to find ways to pay the overtime fees of Customs personnel after the Supreme Court ruled that these should have been borne by the government, and not the airport man-agement.

Nonetheless, he said the issues will have to be threshed out by the two concerned agencies, which means Immigration commissioner officer-in-charge Rey Ledesma and Customs commission-er Alvarez will have to discuss the problem.

But the problem is that there is no law that re-quires the Bureau of Customs to pay overtime.

Lacierda, however, pointed out that the issue is already being addressed.

“In fact, they are planning to do a measure to be able to pay. The income of the airport is big. But they still have to discuss the issue because this is primarily the responsibility of the Bureau of Cus-toms,” he said. “There are already suggestions but I would rather that Alvarez make the announce-ment about the steps they undertake.”

No ‘Merry Christmas’ at the airportMeanwhile, Manila International Airport Au-

thority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Honrado ap-pealed to airport workers to stop greeting arriving passengers a merry Christmas.

“Please don’t say Merry Christmas or Happy New Year because this might be misinterpreted as asking for bribes. Simply smile or greet them good morning, as the case may be,” he said.

The MIAA had been appealing to airport work-ers, especially during the approach of the holiday season, to refrain from greeting arriving balikbay-ans, overseas Filipino workers and tourists. n

New NAIA Customs men…PAGE A7 t

MANILA – Philippine Airlines on Monday questioned the legal-ity and propriety of the planned strike vote of the PAL Employees Association (Palea).

In a statement, the flag carrier said Palea’s notice of strike vote it filed with the National Con-ciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) “is without basis” and that the conditions that justify the holding of a referendum call-ing for a work stoppage were not present. PAL said Malacanang had yet to decide on the union’s

MANILA – The Philippines’ stunning 2-0 win over Vietnam in the AFF Suzuki Cup group stage in Hanoi last Sunday came as a shock to the winners as it was for the losers.

“We were not expecting not only to win but to play the way we did,” Juan Cutillas, who had seen the best and worst of Philippine football, said on December 6.

“But it was a great result. They were very organized. They put

Pinoy booters shine through: Epic win big goal for PH football

everybody behind the ball. They took every opportunity,” said the former coach of the Philippine team.

Filipino-British players Chris Greatwich and Phil Younghus-band delivered the goals before 40,000 heart-broken Vietnamese fans in what could be the Philip-pines’ first win over Vietnam.

“I can’t recall us having beaten Vietnam in the past but we did beat Malaysia before,” added Cutillas, referring to the 1981 Ma-nila SEA Games where the Filipi-nos defeated Malaysia to make it

to the semis.Skipper Aly Borromeo, Neil

Etheridge, Anton del Rosario, Roel Gener, Ray Johnson and Rob Gier all had a hand in the victory.

The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Vietnamese, a regional powerhouse. If it were a boxing match, it was like Mike Ty-son being knocked out by Buster Douglas.

“Or it was like Australia beating England in soccer,” said Cutillas.

Shortly after the match, the Vietnamese coach, Henrique Cal-

PAL questions legality of union’s strike votepending appeal for presidential intervention in the PAL-Palea la-bor dispute.

As this developed, PAL as-sured its passengers that flights remained normal and continued to operate as scheduled. “A work stoppage does not happen over-night. PAL will exhaust all legal means to prevent any disruption that could hurt the economy and cause inconvenience to the rid-ing public,” PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said.

While PAL management has

received assurances from various employee groups that they would not join any strike, Villaluna said PAL had contingency measures in place. “PAL has made arrange-ments with sister airline Airphil-express and other local carriers to help carry domestic passen-gers, while PAL’s 134 interline partners are also ready to lend a hand in our international routes. To ensure the steady supply of food and other amenities, PAL also made arrangements with

MANILA – Some 2,300 over-seas Filipino workers on Mon-day urged the Supreme Court to act on their appeal in connection with the 27-year-old case they filed against a Texas-based gi-ant company worth some $609-million in claims plus interest.

In a three-page urgent motion ex parte for immediate decision, the group, through their lawyer Jerry Del Mundo, urged the high court to immediately resolve their appeal and affirm the De-

2,300 OFWs follow up 27-year-old case vs Texas-based firm

cember 3, 2002 ruling of the National Labor Relations Com-mission (NLRC) against Kellog, Brown, and Root.

NLRC had ordered that they be paid $609 million plus 12-percent interest payments for back wages, damages, discrimi-nation pay, hazard, and retire-ment pay.

The group of OFWs, who also held a protest rally outside the high court, said they have been fighting for their claims for 27 years.

The OFWs, who came from various provinces such as Batan-

gas, Laguna, and Cavite, urged the high court to decide on the merits of the pending petition.

This is the biggest discrimina-tion suit that reached the high court since its creation in 1901.

In 2008, the high court ruled that not all the more than 2,000 claimants are entitled to the $609 million because some claims were unsubstantiated.

The case was filed with the NLRC in 1984 to secure justice and compensation for all the marginalized and poor OFWs and similarly situated workers.

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by AbAc corderoPhilstar.com

by TeTch TorresInquirer.net

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News Briefs

BAGUIO CITY is expecting many tourists to visit this month because of the city’s cool weather and different Christmas attractions that is seen to generate an income of P375million ($8.6million) from foreign and local tourists alike.

According to Baguio City’s local website, activities such as the Parol on Wheels, wherein one can witness attractive and uniquely-lighted parols as they are displayed via a parade at the town proper; and boat-rowing in Burnham Lake are some of the many sought-after Yule-tide activities expected to draw tourists every month of December.

Tourists expected to flock to Baguio this Christmas season

MANILA – Police will arrest Sen. Panfilo Lacson even without a bounty on his head, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said on December 6.

“If we would always give bounty so that we could arrest someone running from the law then we would be suggesting that our law enforcement institutions, especially the PNP (Philippine National Police), are not functional,” he said.

Robredo said he was confident that the police could find Lacson.The amount intended for Lacson’s bounty could be put to better use, Robredo said.At the Department of Justice, officer-in-charge Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III reject-

ed on December 6 calls to issue a shoot-to-kill order against the fugitive lawmaker.Baraan said ordering the killing of Lacson is illegal because it is not within the law.“(Lacson) is not a convicted criminal,” he said. Meantime, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) vowed on December 6 to arrest Lac-

son before Christmas. Malacañang, on the other hand, denied on December 6 allegations that Robredo is cod-

dling Lacson. (Philstar.com)

‘With or without bounty, police will arrest Lacson’

MANILA – The House of Representatives will fight for the restoration of the P880-million fund for the purchase of contraceptives in the proposed P1.645-trillion national budget for 2010, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said on December 6.

He said the House would insist on the fund in the bicameral conference on the budget, which begins at 10 a.m. on December 7 at the Philippine Coconut Authority building in Quezon City.

He said the decision of the Senate to reduce the fund to P8 million meant that senators wanted “to eliminate the item altogether.”

The fund, intended for “family health, including family planning,” is part of the P32-bil-lion budget of the Department of Health.

The House named its budget conferees last night in preparation for on December 7’s bicameral meeting to reconcile the versions of the budget of the two chambers.

The conferees are led by Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, appropriations committee chairman. They will meet with their Senate counterparts led by Sen. Franklin Drilon.

The Senate’s contingent also includes Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Majority leader Vi-cente Sotto III, minority leader Alan Cayetano, and Senators Edgardo Angara and Ralph Recto.

Belmonte said Abaya has informed him that “there are no big differences (in the two ver-sions).”

“So within two or three days, I think they will be able to come out with a report that hope-fully will be acceptable to both the House and the Senate,” he said. (Jess Diaz and Christina Mendez/Philstar.com)

House to fight for restoration of contraceptives fund

MANILA – Industry players are questioning the legitimacy of the Tourism Congress Board, whose officers were appointees of the previous administration.

“When it was convened last year, there were only 58 members out of the 1,360 accredited tourism enterprises who were invited to participate in the Tourism Congress,” he said.

Ragaza said the officers were elected in a meeting of just 58 people handpicked by former Tourism secretary Joseph Ace Durano.

Various groups, including the Federation of Tourism Industries of the Philippines Inc., have pushed for a review of the Tourism Act, specifically the provision on the creation of the Tour-ism Congress.

They said officials of the Board of Trustees convened under Implementing Rules and Regu-lations that were being questioned in court.

Jaime Cura, Tourism Congress vice-president, had accused Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim of failing to consult the body on the re-branding of its programs.

Cura also lashed out at Lim for not recognizing the Tourism Congress, an entity created under the Tourism Act of 2009 to serve as a private sector consultative body on tourism poli-cies and programs.

“The alleged Board of Trustees of the Tourism Congress has no legitimacy to speak for the entire industry, particularly on the matter of opposing the confirmation of Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim,” Ragaza said. (Helen Flores/Philstar.com)

Legitimacy of Tourism Congress Board questioned

NON-EUROPEAN Union (EU) workers – including Filipinos – without job offers might find it hard to secure a working visa by 2011 due to the recent statement released by the British Embassy that the number of non-EU workers will be cut due to planned immigration changes that includes the reduction of net migration.

UK Home Secretary Theresa May of the British Embassy recently released a statement re-ducing the number of issued visas from 13,000 to 1,000 skilled non-EU migrants without job offers under an immigration program called the Tier 1, while an increase of 7,000 to 20,700 visas will be issued to non-EU migrants who fall under the program of Tier 2.

According to the UK Embassy, the Tier 1 program currently entitles non-EU migrants to work and live in the UK for two years and apply for an extension of three years thereafter; while the Tier 2 are for those migrants who are offered a position before coming to the UK and can work and live there within three to five years.

A report from Manila Bulletin said that the 2.2 million migrants in the UK was twice the population of Birmingham alone over the past administration that led to the tightening of the economic routes.

Non-EU workers reduced by UK

TO help Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are mostly in debt even before they get deployed due to high fees set by some recruitment agencies, Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero recently filed Senate Bill No. 2601 or the Fair Placement Fees for OFWs Act of 2010 that en-sures OFWs to get a fair deal in the recruitment process.

The bill, which is yet to be approved by the Committee on Labor and Employment, also prohibits the collection of placement fee higher than the placement fee fixed and determined by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA); collecting placement fee before job availability; not issuing receipts for any fee collected from the OFW; not returning the place-ment fee when deployment does not materialize; demanding an OFW to issue post dated checks to guarantee payment of placement fee; and forcing an OFW to borrow money only from designated persons or lending institutions.

Should the bill be passed, violators will be punished by six years imprisonment or sanc-tioned P100,000 ($2,294) to P500,000 ($11,574) or both.

Escudero addresses high placement fees

THE winner of the P741.1million ($17million) from the recently drawn 6/55 Grand Lotto last Nov. 29 is remains a mystery according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

PCSO publicity and advertising manager, Manny Garcia said, in an interview with The Star that as of December 6, the winner of the grand lotto still has not claimed his or her prize at the PCSO office in Pasay City.

Should the jackpot prize remain to be unclaimed after a year, it will be added to PCSO’s charity fund instead.

Multi-millionaire still unknown – PCSO

MANILA – President Aquino on December 6 congratulated the Philippine team for its vic-tory at the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup which, according to reports, stunned de-fending champion and host Vietnam.

“The President is pleased with this development, as it comes on the heels of Nonito Donaire’s new title as WBC (World Boxing Council) continental bantamweight champion, the medals brought home by our participants in the recently concluded Asian Games, and (Filipino box-ing champion) Manny Pacquiao’s victory in Texas,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said on December 6 in a statement.

Philippine ambassador to Vietnam Jerril Santos hailed as a “great game” the 2-0 victory of the Filipino football team on goals by Chris Greatwich and Phil Younghusband.

In a statement posted in his Facebook account, Santos broke the good news right after the game.

Lacierda said the President expressed his support for sports endeavors “where Filipinos excel and bring pride to our country.”

On Sunday, Malacañang also welcomed the victory of Donaire over Wladimir Sidorenko of Ukraine.

The “Filipino Flash” was hailed as the new WBC continental bantamweight champion after beating the former WBA champion Sidorenko via technical knockout. (Aurea Calica/Philstar.com)

Noy congratulates Phl football team

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and Corbito ex-post facto or after the fact, which made “his testi-mony that he overheard the al-leged plan being discussed prior to its commission nothing but a pure fabrication.”

Enrile said that another wit-ness, Glenn Dumlao, had contra-dicted Mancao’s claim and said that he was coerced by pros-ecutors to pin down his former boss.

“If you are the judge, you should only convict a person when you know he is guilty be-yond reasonable doubt. A skillful lawyer can create a wide area of doubt to attack the case of the

government. Based on my ex-perience as a lawyer, if I were to handle the case, I’m quite con-fident I can get him out,” Enrile said.

But Enrile said Lacson should heed the advice of Justice Secre-tary Leila De Lima that the best course of action for Lacson was to petition for bail rather than seek a reinvestigation of the case.

De Lima had noted that the Court of Appeals had already turned down the appeal for a reinvestigation and said that the DoJ could not do anything in the case because it was al-ready with the Manila Regional Trial Court. n

I can get Lacson off the…PAGE A7 t

gumawa ng listahan [Maybe those who are good in creating lists], they got the names from thin air,” he added.

But if the administration would insist on the inclusion of his name in the list, Honasan said he would not fight it out. In

fact, he said, he would avail the amnesty proclamation.

“I’m not doing anything to fight this amnesty. Kung ipipi-lit nila na isama sa listahan, e di mag aaplay ako [If they will insist to include me in the list, then I will apply],” said Hona-san. n

‘Malicious’ and ‘very…PAGE A7 t

They were hired and employed by Brown & Root International Inc. (now Kellog-Brown and Root) in their overseas projects in the Middle East, like Bah-rain and United Arab Emirates, from 1976 to the 1990s. Many of them also worked in Vietnam during the war between North

and South Vietnam in the 1960s before their overseas employ-ment in the Middle East.

Kellog-Brown and Root, based on Texas, is an associated com-pany of the Halliburton Group of Companies, which had United States Vice President Richard “Dick” Cheney as its chief ex-ecutive officer for five years. n

2,300 OFWs follow up…PAGE A8 t

several catering firms to supply meals,” she said.

Villaluna explained that con-ciliation talks before the NCMB “remain pending and have not bogged down. In fact, it was upon mutual agreement by PAL and Palea to suspend concilia-tion meetings to allow the Office of the President to act on Palea’s appeal to reverse an earlier rul-ing of the Department of Labor and Employment.”

She stressed that it was Palea itself that sought presidential intervention after losing its bid to reverse the DOLE decision recognizing PAL management’s prerogative to spin off its airport services, catering and call-cen-ter reservations units. Thus, she

said, the holding of a strike vote, despite its own pending appeal, displayed “the arrogance and lack of respect for legal process-es by Palea’s leaders.”

“Our lawyers will contest Pa-lea’s call for a strike vote, includ-ing their planned work stoppage. We believe Palea’s objective is to pressure Malacanang to rule in their favor and at the same time hold hostage thousands of Fili-pinos whose travel plans for the forthcoming holidays are already firmed up,” Villaluna said.

She added that any work stoppage at national flag car-rier would not only hurt PAL’s finances but also cause damage to the Philippine economy, aside from inconveniencing travelers. (Inquirer.net)

PAL questions legality…PAGE A8 tisto, was seen walking past the coach of the

Philippine team, Englishman Simon McMen-emy, and refusing to shake hands.

“It’s a historical victory for us. We’re elated with the results. And this only shows that we can excel in football,” said interim Philippie Football Federation president Mariano Ara-neta.

“We have these Fil-foreign players but it also showed that our local talents can be at par with them. It was a team effort,” said Ara-neta.

He said there are more Fil-foreign players waiting to be tapped, most of them in Europe, but having them naturalized will never be

easy.“We don’t need to do what the Singapor-

eans do because in reality these Fil-foreign players are being paid well in Europe. Hope-fully we can have more of them and more sponsors as well,” said Araneta.

Cutillas coached the Philippine team from 1969 until 1986, migrated to Australia, re-turned in 1996 and eventually regained his coaching post before finally retiring a couple of years ago.

He said the significance of the victory over Vietnam can be viewed differently.

He recalled the time, it was in 1970, when Andres Soriano Jr. was head of Philippine football, and in a bid to promote the sport

in the country. Cutillas was asked to bring in four Spanish players to head a Philippine selection.

Then the same team was invited to play in Indonesia the following year, and had a 1-1 draw with the South Korean national team.

There’s another way to view the recent vic-tory in Hanoi.

He said having these Fil-foreign players stay in the country for a longer period of time will bring in greater results because only then will they be able to share their talent and give benefits to the country’s football develop-ment.

It’s a goal, a late goal, and hopefully, the marginal goal for Philippine football. n

Pinoy booters shine through: Epic win big…PAGE A8 t

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COMMUNITYJ o u r n a l

Atty. RobeRt ReevesJeff L. KhuRgeL

Your ImmigrationSolution

IMMIGRATION Reform advo-cates around the country were pleased when Senate Leader Harry Reid recently advanced a new version of the DREAM Act. By now, supporters of the pro-posed law are aware that their optimism must be tempered by caution. Under discussion for almost a decade, the legisla-tion would give certain undocu-mented immigrants the chance to stay in the US by serv-ing in the military or attending college if they entered the US before the age of 16 and have no seri-ous law-enforcement violations. Qualified applicants would receive an interim conditional perma-nent-residency status and many would be on track for gradual naturalization. An estimated 2.1 million immigrants already in the US may qualify for benefits under the act.

The newest incar-nation of the DREAM Act is a stricter version, in an attempt to engender bipartisan support. The revised bill would still offer a path to citizenship to immi-grants who entered the country illegally as minors if they grad-uate from high school and pur-sue college or military service, but the path would take longer and exclude more immigrants. Senator Reid’s proposal lowers the maximum age of eligibility to 30 from 35, creates a 13-year wait for citizenship and closes some of the loopholes that im-migration reform opponents have argued were too broad-sweeping and generous.

All prior version of the DREAM Act have excluded im-migrants with serious criminal

Proposed new DREAM Act

records, but the compromised version also disqualifies im-migrants convicted of evad-ing the draft, smuggling, voter and marriage fraud, as well as other misdemeanor and felony crimes. Qualifying DREAM Act beneficiaries would not be able to become US Citizens until at least 2024, until which time they would not be eligible to vote, to petition certain rela-tives for immigration benefits,

or to receive most forms of pub-lic assistance.

Proponents of the bill feel that it would allow young im-migrants with clean criminal records and promising futures the platform from which to build a responsible life. In one fell swoop; the law would cre-ate legal taxpayers out of peo-ple who were once confined to living in the shadows, motivate young immigrants to attend col-lege and attain necessary skills to use in the American work-place, and entice immigrants to join the military at a time when our forces need bolstering.

Critics of the bill hope that it is once again defeated. They have applied the contentious and misleading label of “am-

nesty” to the bill and have made unsubstantiated exaggerations about the effects of passage, in-cluding that the bill would ben-efit criminals. On the contrary, the DREAM Act is comprised of strict eligibility parameters and would only benefit a very narrow percentage of the immigrant population – excluding serious criminals. As described above, the newest iteration of the bill creates heightened eligibil-

ity requirements, making it tougher than before to qualify. In order to be approved, an immigrant’s entire period of time in the US will be ex-amined, and an of-ficer of the Depart-ment of Homeland Security will need to make the deter-mination that the applicant has been a person of good moral character.

For years, vot-ers have looked to Congress for lead-ership and wisdom in enacting a solu-tion to the nation’s

immigration system. With the passage of the DREAM Act, Congress can make Americans proud by moving beyond petty party politics to fix a system that needs mending, for the benefit of all Americans.

* * *Atty. Reeves has represented clients in numerous landmark immigration cases that have set new policies regarding INS action and immigrants’ rights. His offices are located in Pasadena, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Makati City. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com.

* * *The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case. (Advertising Supplement)

“ All prior version of the DREAM Act have excluded immigrants with

serious criminal records, but the compromised version also disqualifies immigrants convicted of evading the draft, smuggling, voter and marriage

fraud, as well as other misdemeanor and felony crimes. Qualifying DREAM Act

beneficiaries would not be able to become US Citizens until at least 2024, until which time they would not be eligible

to vote, to petition certain relatives for immigration benefits, or to receive most

forms of public assistance.”

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Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes

Barrister’s Corner

MOST couples that want out of a marriage in California usu-ally file for Divorce. There are circumstances though that allow a couple to have their marriage “voided” rather than “dissolved.” There is a big difference between the two concepts. With a voided marriage, it restores the couple to status of unmarried person as if they have never been married before. In a divorce, the couple would always be regarded to as married during the period of the marriage.

Unlike Divorce which can be obtained regardless of the rea-son. Voiding a marriage may only be obtained based on certain grounds. It is void in cases of incest and bigamy. It is voidable in cases of minority, Unsound Mind, Fraud, Force, or Physical Incapacity. Marriages between parents, children, ancestors and descendants, brothers and sis-ters, half brothers and sisters, uncles and nieces, and aunts and nephews are incestuous and are void from the beginning. So are bigamist marriages where either party was still married to another person when they entered the marriage. Nevertheless, it is best to obtain a Nullity Judgment to clarify the legal status of the par-ties under these circumstances.

Certain situations does not nec-essarily make a marriage void but makes it voidable on the parties

Grounds for annulling a marriage

option. One such circumstance is when the petitioner was under 18 years old when the petitioner married and the parents did not provide their consent. The Nul-lity petition based on this ground has to be filed within four years after the party turns 18. The par-ent of the minor may also file the Petition provided it is filed prior to the minor turning 18. Another situation is a bigamist marriage where the first spouse has been absent and not known to be liv-ing for 5 years prior to the sec-ond marriage or if the party be-lieved the spouse to be dead at the time of the second marriage. A Nullity based on this ground may be filed during the life of the other party.

A marriage may be voided if either party was of unsound mind at the time of the marriage. Unsound Mind means a person is incapable of understanding the nature of the marriage contract and the duties and responsibili-ties it creates which depends on the degree of mental capacity of the party. This may not be a ground if the party later on came to reason yet continued to free-ly cohabitate with the spouse. Fraud is another ground for void-ing a marriage. The false repre-sentation or concealment must relate to a substantive matter and directly affect the purpose of the party deceived in entering the marriage. The fraud must go to the very essence of the mari-tal relation before it is sufficient

for an annulment. It is not suffi-cient simply to contend that your spouse turned out to be a lazy, drunken disappointment. Nul-lity based on fraud has to be filed within four years of discovering the fraud.

Certain marriages that are entered into by force are void-able. Circumstances that meet these standards requires that the forced party’s free will to have been overcome by the spouse such as through the use of threats. These type of Nullity must be filed within four years from the date of marriage. A marriage where the spouse was found to be incapable of physi-cally engaging in copulation may be voided. It can only be filed by the spouse that does not have the physical incapacity and must be filed within four years of the marriage. Before deciding weather a divorce is the appro-priate avenue to end your mar-riage, parties should evaluate if a Nullity is a viable alternative and weather it serves their best interest.

* * *Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes was

President of the Philippine American Bar As-sociation. He is a member of both the Fam-ily law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. Law Offices of Kenneth Reyes, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@aol.com. Website kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

Political empowerment is still a treasure that eludes us as a community here in America. While we are the second largest Asian American community in the United States, we have yet to harvest the power that comes from our numbers. The Voice of FilAmerica features elected and appointed officials – regardless of political affiliation – in the different US states who are of Filipino ancestry. As your Filipino American community newspaper, the Asian Journal recognizes the fact that we all have a responsibility towards bringing political empowerment to fruition, especially for our future generations. It is our hope to have our voices heard all over America.

FIL-AM Jose Esteves is back as Mayor of Milpitas, a town in Santa Clara County. Esteves easily won the mayoral race in a city with a huge Fil-Am pop-ulation, garnering 4,069 votes or about 41.89 percent of the total votes cast in the recent November elections.

Esteves had held the May-oral position from 2002 to 2008 but term limits forced him to bow out.

Esteves said his focus is to bring fiscal responsibility, economic development, ethical behavior, qual-ity education, and family values, sound city de-velopment and neighborhood pride to Milpitas.

Born and raised in Dagupan City, Pangasinan in the Philippines, Esteves has already estab-lished a track record of successes for the city and citizens of Milpitas.

During his term, he led the city’s Public Li-

brary construction, as well as the building of a Senior Center that invited many new business-es to the area. He also chaired several boards including the Milpitas City Council New Li-brary Subcommittee, New Se-nior Center Subcommittee, and Transportation Subcommittee, among several others.

He’s also received several awards for his work with the community including Milpitas Citizen of the Year, Certificate of Merit for Leadership, Knights of Columbus Supreme Assem-bly, Dr. J. Rizal Community Hero Award, Community Devel-

opment Council, Inc., and Outstanding Service in the Interest of a Better Milpitas: Service and Dedication to the Citizens of Milpitas, City of Milpitas.Esteves holds two bachelor’s degree – one in Civil Engineering and Industrial Engi-neering – and an MBA. He also attended Lead-ership in the 21st Century, JFK School of Gov-ernment, at Harvard University. n

Jose EstevesMayor of Milpitas

by Joseph pimentelAJPress

MonetteAdevA MAglAyA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

Atty. rAyMond BUlAon

Minding Your FinancesTHIS is a developing story. In

the international arena, there is a great disturbance caused by the recent publication of a mas-sive cache of hijacked classi-fied information on the internet from Wikileaks, now considered a rogue, loose group of cyber commandos worldwide founded by Australian Julian Assange. Assange is cementing his repu-tation as whistleblower extra-dordinaire. The massive leaks have unhinged the precarious peace of current world order. The damage to international diplomatic relations between nations is still currently being assessed and efforts at damage control are probably at work. There are tomato red faces in the American diplomatic com-munity embarrassed by disclo-sures of the stark difference be-tween what are carefully crafted public pronouncements and posturings and what is the truth of the matter.

Frankly, it matters little to the average Joe what is going on in that sphere as long as the world this Christmas remains a relatively safe place for most of its 6 billion inhabitants. I really don’t care for too much infor-mation that has little to do with the small orbit I move around in. While the leaks pose a disaster of hurricane proportions in in-ternational diplomacy, it is tough to see how it profoundly affects the ordinary mortal whose daily rounds include work and the home and the occasional run to

Of weak links and Wikileaks“…Nothing in the digital world is safe from scrutiny. Behave. Mind your manners. Play nice.Or better yet: LOG OFF OR OPT OUT.” —MAM

the grocery. There is an itch that needs to be scratched based on a natural curiosity among ordi-nary people of how international relations work. The leaks simply unmask and show how govern-ments work on the gut level, with few of the screens, filters and curtains that make diplo-macy and its protocols seem like rocket science. Because it does not affect me directly for now, it may seem petty, even ludicrous to me, to read how one diplomat really assesses a head of state or how Prince Andrew of England is rude, or how Saudi Arabia re-gards Iran. On the one hand, un-redacted documents with names and faces in covert operations made public can also put the lives of people in real danger. These leaks have the potential to alter the course of human lives, the course of international rela-tions and ultimately the course and fabric of modern history. Then it becomes a very big deal when such information compro-mises real lives and the precious gains made in the interest of peace.

Wikileaks is essentially a plumbing problem. There are leaks because there are weak links in the chain of information. If the sources dried up, then Wikileaks is out of business. Since it cannot function proper-ly without a server or the pipes that carry its content, then it

can be deprived of its existence by refusing service to it. It can be shut down, but only tempo-rarily. It can find other servers but a website under attack and constantly on the run is not as effective in getting a massive audience on which it thrives. However, it can still exist as a guerilla website even if servers refuse service buckling under pressure from governments or corporations. By cutting off the money flow of donations that fund its operations, the whis-tleblowing website is virtually doomed. Paypal, owned by Ebay has cut off its relationship to it. And a Swiss bank account set up to accept donations has closed its account on charges Assange lied on his application regarding his residency. It has no other op-tion but to operate as a guerilla front for now until it reinvents itself. Assange can probably find a generous sympathizer and pa-tron in the aging George Soros who has always put his money where he can dictate his version of world order.

That is, unless, Assange doesn’t spill the beans on Soros …

The way international diplo-macy is being conducted will be rewritten and security will be enforced from the ground up, including vetting the people even on the lowest rungs of the totem pole, using more filters

and screens and imposing fre-quent movements and rotations. Countries and corporations are on notice that nothing digital can be held in secret for long.

But before then, heads will roll as they find the sources of leaks and plug them. The international community will try to configure a way to communicate its mis-sives, for now bypassing or lim-iting internet use, which as they have found to their utter dismay, is actually a double-edged sword that have cut them at the knees. Unless some genius can invent a dedicated, virtually impenetra-ble tunnel going under or over the information superhighway as currently structured, brilliant people like Assange, driven by some kind of Messianic Com-plex, and perhaps, a monstrous ego to boot, gifted with a more than average intelligence for math and physics and a keen understanding of how the cy-ber world works, Wikileaks and other clone organizations which will ride on the wave of its suc-cess as commercial, for-profit ventures trading in sensitive in-formation, much like blackmail will continue to exist.

In a perverse way, it might be a good thing if people in power knew that they can be taken to task by a band of cyber bandits. Where was Assange when he could have blown the whistle on Big Bad Bernie Madoff who scammed thousands of people for decades in a Ponzi scheme in the billions of dollars?

Old technologies like good old paper and pen, might be tweaked and reissued in the af-termath of wikileaks. It is inter-esting to note that in the movie, Independence Day, as the aliens who were conquering earth were found to be using earth’s own satellites against humans, the various military forces of the world reverted back to the use of the old Morse Code to launch a coordinated massive offensive against the invaders.

While those who look at As-sange regard him as some kind of modern day hero wielding sensitive information that he and his group can access and distribute with impunity over the internet purportedly with only the interest of the public and transparency as his avowed mis-sion, Assange is still just plain human. I see a bloated ego. He could be playing into his own

TOUGH financial times are pushing strapped consumers over the edge. Delinquencies and bal-ances on delinquent credit cards are on the rise with no signs of slowing down. Faced with lay-offs and difficult economic times, a lot of people are resorting to use of their credit cards in order to pay for basic living expenses such as food and housing. A lot of people tap into their credit cards hoping it’s nothing more than a temporary solution “until things get better”. The bad news is that credit cards come with a steep price tag attached- the sky-high interest rates, not to mention late fees and over-the-limit fees.

Once credit cards are maxed out, some people resort to even more desperate measures just to make ends meet. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of people going as far as getting some of these so-called “payday” or “emergency” loans, which are ten to thirty times worse than credit cards! In most cases, the interest rates on these loans can be anywhere from 390% to 900% APR if you con-tinue to “roll over” the loan (i.e., ask for an extension of time to pay)!!! Can you believe that? I’ve seen clients have 2, 3 or some-times more payday loans at the same time. No wonder that these people are broke before pay day even comes! The “loan sharks” often prey on people who have bad credit and are already over-extended on debt.

If you are struggling with debt, perhaps you are finding it more and more difficult to catch up every month. If some of your ac-counts have been turned over to collections, this is even worse because this means that you can get sued by your creditors at any time. Once they obtain a judg-ment, creditors can then garnish your wages or levy on your bank accounts. Some people get para-lyzed with fear and do nothing, hoping that somehow by ignor-ing their debt problems, credi-tors will simply give up. Get real. You can’t ignore your debt prob-

Are you carrying a heavy debt load?

lems. If you do nothing, one of these days you will realize that your inaction has simply made your debt problems worse.

If you’ve done everything you can but nothing has worked up to this point, should you file for bankruptcy as a last resort? Bankruptcy can often be an op-tion for a lot of people who can no longer afford to pay their debts. In Chapter 7, credit card debts, personal loans, medical bills and most types of unse-cured debts can be wiped out. That means you can start over and rebuild your credit instead of having all your delinquent debts reported to the credit bureaus every month. Your fresh start begins the day your bankruptcy case is filed and creditors can no longer collect from you. For the first time perhaps in a very long time, you can finally breathe and feel like a human being again.

If you are able to pay a certain amount every month, you may also qualify for Chapter 13 debt consolidation in order to signifi-cantly reduce your monthly debt payments. In most cases, credit card payments can be reduced to half (or even less) of what you are currently paying. You also pay 0% interest on your credit cards and can get out of debt anywhere from 3-5 years, depending on how long your Chapter 13 plan is. If you are in foreclosure, Chapter 13 can also help you save your home and help you bring your payments current. If you have a second mortgage not supported with any equity, a “lien strip” may also allow you to completely wipe out the underlying debt. See an experienced bankruptcy attorney who can explain to you how this works. In a lot of cases, it is a lot better than doing a loan modification because you can significantly reduce what you owe on your property.

If you are in debt and need to find the best solution for your situation, call toll-free 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a free consultation. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos, West Covina and Valencia.

* * *None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 4,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-7772. (Advertising Supplement)uPAGE B5

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1 1 5 0 W i l s h i r e B o u l e v a r d , L o s A n g e l e s , C A 9 0 0 1 7 - 1 9 0 4 • T e l . ( 2 1 3 ) 2 5 0 - 9 7 9 7 • F a x . ( 2 1 3 ) 4 8 1 - 0 8 5 4

Community Journal

Atty. LAwrence yAng

Debt Relief

THE 341a hearing for this case was held last week on Fri-day, the day after Thanksgiving. I was sitting in the courtroom minding my business waiting for my client’s case to be called. I noticed that the chapter 7 trust-ee’s questioning of debtor being interviewed had become more aggressive. This change in tone normally means that the trustee has just seen an asset that is worth something and is not ex-empt. In other words, the trustee believes that the asset belongs to the bankruptcy estate. Upon further questioning, it came out that debtor transferred $30,000 to his son two months before he filed his chapter 7 case.

Question: Why did you give $30,000 to your son?

Answer: I gave the money to him to pay for his college tuition and expenses.

Question: When did you give the money to him?

Answer: I gave him the money

Transfer of $30K to son for college before BK filing fraudulentin August, two months before I filed my chapter 7 case. Ques-tion: Did your son pay you or do anything for you in exchange for the $30,000? Answer: No.

Question: Sir, the $30,000 that you gave to your son is fraudulent and I want the mon-ey back.

Answer: But he needs the money for college.

Question: Sir, you owe your creditors $170,000 in credit card debt; your creditors also need the money you gave to your son.

Question: Give me the name and address of your son; I am going to write him a letter to ask him to give the $30,000 to me. If he fails to do so, I am going to file a lawsuit against him to col-lect the $30,000.

What is going on here? By these questions to debtor and his answers, trustee has deter-mined that a fraudulent trans-fer of $30,000 to debtor’s son has taken place, and trustee is

invoking the trustee avoidance powers to nullify the transfer. Section 548 of the bankruptcy code states that, “The trustee may avoid any transfer (includ-ing any transfer to or for the benefit of an insider under an employment contract) of an in-terest of the debtor in property, or any obligation (including any obligation to or for the benefit of an insider under an employment contract) incurred by the debt-or, that was made or incurred on or within 2 years before the date of the filing of the petition, if the debtor voluntarily or invol-untarily: (A) made such transfer or incurred such obligation with actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud any entity to which the debtor was or became, on, or after the date that such transfer was made or such obligation was incurred, indebted; or (B)(i) received less than a reasonable equivalent value in exchange for such transfer or obligation; and

Atty. DAnieL HAnLon

Immigration Edge

ON MONDAY, December 6, 2010, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to file clo-ture on his recent compromise version of the DREAM ACT bill, S. 3992, setting up a full Senate vote on Wednesday, December 8, 2010. vote. The House is set to take up a different version of the bill also on Wednesday, ac-cording to Capitol Hill insiders. The exact date and version of the bill the House will consider is not clear, however, many ex-pect that the House could vote before the Senate.

The DREAM Act was first in-troduced in 2001 and reincar-nated in 2003 and will create an avenue of relief for deserving children who have been raised in the US and managed to attain a high school diploma allowing them to attain their own dreams of attending college or joining the military and becoming law-ful permanent residents of the United States.

Originally introduced as

Senate to vote on DREAM Act

S.1291 in 2001 by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rich-ard Durbin (D-IL) will reverse a harmful provision of 1996’s IIRAIRA that denies States the right to determine who quali-fies for in-state tuition. As most students and parents are aware, out of state tuition can render the college experience at State schools as expensive as tuition at some of Nation’s most exclu-sive private Universities. The DREAM Act will give States the authority to make such determi-nations.

Most importantly, DREAM will create a mechanism through which young people who meet certain criteria, including having good moral character and hav-ing lived in the US for at least five years preceding the Act’s passage, may apply to “adjust status” or become lawful per-manent residents of the United States.

Senator Reid has long cham-pioned the DREAM ACT, and recently attempted to include it in the Defense authorization bill, as enactment of the bill into law

would improve the nation’s mili-tary preparedness. Moreover, research has shown that provid-ing legal status for people who have striven for and achieved success in the US would contrib-ute to improving the economic conditions in the US as well. With High School graduation as a an incentive to attaining legal status in the US, fewer foreign born children would drop out of school than in the past, where lack of legal status imposed an enormous barrier to admission and obtaining student loans for college. Promoters of this long-overdue bill hope that members of Congress will be swayed by the cases of many minor aliens who had come to the US at ten-der ages with their parents or other adults, without any choice in the matter, and had per-formed well in school, but had no chance to ever adjust their status or attend college.

Before it becomes a reality, the DREAM Act must pass in the Senate, pass in the House and be signed into law by the Presi-

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Americaalendar of EventsacrossC

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

Community Journal

DECEMBER 8

Felipe P. de Leon Foundation Inc. proudly presents Katrina Saporsantos, soprano, Anthony Lim, tenor and Cynthia de Leon, pianist. 7pm at the Kalayaan Hall, Philippine Center, New York. Donation: $20. Seating is limited. For tickets please call Fatima Griffith at (201) 902-0978 or Cynthia de Leon at (201) 790-2735 or (201) 652-4435.

Diwa ng Lahi - A Showcase of Filipino Talents

MY husband and I traveled to Italy for a friend’s wedding. We visited Rome, Sorrento, Paestum, Pisa, The Vatican, Florence, Figline Valdarno and Venice. From the moment we landed on Roman soil to the last breath we took in of Venice’s ocean breeze, our entire first experience of Italy was just perfect. I can still remember the tunes of the local accor-dion players, to our daily gelato servings, to the first cup of cappuccino we had on a cold, rainy day in Venice… What warmed my heart the most while we were there, besides the ab-solutely beautiful scenery, was how hospitable and friendly the people were to us everywhere we went. But once we got back home, what seemed to stay with me even to this day was a Filipina lady whom we met in Venice, who worked at the hotel we stayed at.

When we arrived in Venice, with two huge rolling suitcases, a stroller and a one year-old, and after a few sets of steps crossing over canals, and after waiting out a short storm in a café, it was like we heard angels sing when we finally got to our little hotel. There we were greeted by a kababayan, and her name was Ophelia. She was dressed nicely, standing behind the registration desk beside an Italian gentleman who took care of checking us in. We chatted a little with both of them, and we watched in amazement as she spoke fluent Italian with the reservation attendant, although with a Filipino accent. And she greeted other guests, “bon journo!” as they came in. I remember being so impressed with her. After having lived there for two years, she picked up the language very well, I must say. She helped us get a larger room because we had our daughter with us, and she even arranged a baby bed which already made beside our bed. She even helped us with local restaurants to try.

In the morning we joined the other guests in the dining room for breakfast. Ophelia popped her head in the dining room and waved “bon journo!” to all of us who were happy to be greeted by her friendly face first thing in the morning. We went about our day shopping and strolling and eating. We stayed there for three nights. On our last night there, we walked the streets of Venice until late night. As we turned the corner to our hotel, in the moonlit darkness between the buildings came a softer “bon journo”. It was Ophelia on the side of our hotel, with a broom in her hand and a gray domestic uniform on, asking how our day was. She was there from early morning to late at night, working. A tear quickly found its way to one corner of my eye, as I was sur-prised to see her in that duty, when all along we assumed she was a hospitality employee--like a reservation attendant or guest services rep or something of that capacity. It was at that moment that I realized that Ophelia was an OFW, and that she is thousands of miles away from home, from her family, and from her country, so that she can work. I was in-stantly empathetic, as if her domestic position was something to be sad about.

I’ll never forget meeting Ophelia. I was proud of her for moving to a foreign country to work, learned to speak their language fluently, and seemed to surpass socioeconomic barri-ers. She didn’t seem embarrassed at all when we saw her in a different light when all along we assumed she was part of the hotel’s hospi-tality staff, or maybe even management. And she shouldn’t be. She is a respectable person just trying to make a living. This humbled me, and I am glad I met her. I will never forget her warm, friendly “bon journo.” (Anna Soriano, West Hills, CA)

Bon Journo!

DECEMBER 10

The Catholic Fellowship of Young Filipino Professionals cordially invites friends, families and followers of Simbang Gabi to join the Filipino-American young professionals of the Tri-State area and the Philippine Consulate General New York as they celebrate their annual nine-evening ‘Simbang Gabi’ masses at Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center located at 556 Fifth Avenue New York, New York. The Masses will be held from 2:30pm - 5pm and 630pm - 9pm.

Simbang Gabi Phil Consulate

DECEMBER 1 1

A must-see event during the holiday season, the San Francisco Annual Parol Lantern Festi-val and Parade begins with a series of parol lantern-making workshops held at the Bayanihan Community Center (1010 Mission St. on 6th Street), every Friday night from 5:30pm to 8pm and in other community centers. The parol-making workshop is open to the public. The parols made during these workshops are then displayed during our anticipated parade & festival held in Yerba Buena Lane, Jessie Square and St. Patrick’s Church. For more information contact Parol Festival at (415) 348-8042, email parolsf@gmail.com or visit www.bayanihancc.org.

8th Annual San Francisco Parol Lantern Festival

In the essence of celebrating Pampanga’s remarkable history and rich culture, a mass will be held in honor of Pampanga’s Patroness,the Virgen de los Remedios, on December 11 at 10am at the Immaculate Heart of Mary 4950 Santa Monica Blvd., LA 90032. The mass will also be the highlight of the event. Members of the Filipino-American community are invited. For inquiries and details, please call Rodel at (818) 424-8882 or Larry (323) 356-6065.

Celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Pampanga Day Celebration)

All are invited to attend the Voices of Worship (VOW) dinner concert on Dec. 11 at the River of Praise Tabernacle, Bayonne, NJ from 7-9pm. Songs will be rendered by Ellen San Miguel, Kats Alvir, Samuel Sonsona, Ptr. Allan Del Mar, and Ptr. Chyril Nicose. All proceeds will go to Missions and Church fund. For more info contact Ptr. Chryil Nicose (917) 575-6282; Ptr. Allan Del Mar (551) 221-0903; and Sam Sonsona (201) 456-6082.

Voices of Worship

Everyone is invited to attend the 3rd Annual Commissioning Mass and Parol Lighting Cer-emony at the Mater Dolorosa Church, 307 Willow Ave., South San Francisco, CA 94080 on Dec. 11. Event starts at 9:30am and the Commissioning Mass at 1:30pm. For more information con-tact to contact Ms. Nellie Hizon at nelliehizon@yahoo.com or Estele Oloresisimo at estele_o@yahoo.com.

3rd Simbang Gabi at Mater Dolorosa

The CONFAA and the Philippine Independence Day Foundation will hold the Christmas celebration, Pasko sa Carson, on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7pm at the church hall of the St. Philomena Catholic Church on Main St. between 220th and Carson St. Admission is free. Those who will come to the holiday concert are encouraged to bring unwrapped Christmas toys for the poor children in the Philippines. For more info, call Joe at (310) 549-3111 or Fe at (310) 513-1030.

Pasko sa Carson

DECEMBER 12

The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Chicago (UPAAGC) will hold its traditional Christmas event on December 12, 2010 at 700 South Barrington Rd, Streamwood, Illinois 60107. Visit upaagc.org for more details or contact Grace Avellana Villamora, President UPAAGC at (773) 973-4260 or president@upaagc.org.

UPPAGC Christmas event

The Philippine Chamber Rondall of NJ would be holding a Celebratory concert at St. Peter’s College’s Roy Irving Theatre, 2641 Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07306. Please order your tick-ets now by contacting (908) 359-3297 or (732) 207-3284. General admission is $15 ($20 at the door). For children aged 10 and younger-$5. Feel free to call us for additional information.

Philippine Chamber Rondalla of NJ

You are invited to please join us celebrate the Christmas Annual dance on December 12, 2010 (Sunday) at Grosvenor Hotel, 380 South Airport Boulevard , Burlingame, CA from 3pm to 8pm. Music will be provided by DJ Nolly Yamzon and food will be served. Donation is $35. For tickets and reservations, please call Edna M. Roxas at (650) 296-1659, Violeta Abad at (415) 337-1891 or Ernie Abalos at (415) 533-8391.

United Pangasinanes of America, Inc. Annual Christmas Dance

The Sto. Tomas Batangas Association of Southern California will celebrate their Christmas Party (poltluck) at Alex & Fe Dorado’s house in Chino Hills on Saturday, December 11, 2010 from 12nn - 7pm. For directions and other information, please call Willie Manacsa (818) 341-3472, Alex & Fe Dorado (909) 896-1980, Myrna Jaurigue (909) 247-4944, Ofie Villanueva (626) 383-4152, Rosie Sancianco (909)519-6626, Nemia Ventura (626)912-2642, Josie Malaiba (909) 374-3251, Dolly Hernandez (626) 735-1222, Ric Malaiba (562) 692-7363 or Jojo Espiritu at (626) 964-4560.

STBA Christmas Party

The United Batangueños of Southern California will hold its Annual Christmas Party at the Mayflower Restaurant - 679 N Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 on Sunday, December 12, 2010 from 6 - 11pm. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. www.midnightmotion-band.com For other details, please call Eric Villafranca (323) 224-8764, Nora Jusi (213) 324-6985, Romy Elepano romyelepano@yahoo.com, Willie Manacsa (818) 341-3472, Cely Anuran (805) 530-2836, Liling Emnace (213) 483-6146, Zenny Zoleta 909) 732-9589 or Rose Pascua at (323) 382-1124.

UBSCI Christmas Party

The SCV Filipino Ministry Choir performed magnificently during the OLPH Thanksgiving Concert and commendations echoed all throughout the evening. Here’s your chance once again to experience their musical gift. Join them on Dec. 12, 2010 starting at 5pm, for an evening of Christmas Carols, and let them fill your hearts with the Holiday Spirit! So mark your calendar and don’t miss out on this glorious musical journey! Admission is Free and donation will be appreci-ated. For further information, please call Roy Remigio at (661) 310-4549.

SCV Filipino Ministry Choir’s ‘A Night Of Christmas Carols’

DECEMBER 15

The whole Filipino community is invited to attend the traditional Archdiocesan Simbang Gabi at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Dec. 15 at 6:30pm. For any questions, you may get in touch with Ms. Cora Aragon Soriano (213) 999-1993.

Simbang Gabi at the Cathedral

DECEMBER 17

All are invited to watch the 6th Annual Parol Parade on Dec. 17 at 5:30pm. The parade route will start from the Manila Terrace Social Hall 2328 W. Temple St., Los Angeles CA, 90026. It will then proceed from Temple St to Carondolet St to Council St to Park View St to Beverly Blvd To Rampart to Benton Way and will end at the Center of Hope at Temple St. For more informa-tion contact Erlinda Lim (213) 924-4048 or Leo Pandac at (213) 810-0279.

6th Annual Parol Parade and Contest

The Association of Filipino American Accountants (AFAA) New York chapter will hold its annual Christmas party at the Astoria World Manor, Astoria, Queens on December 17 starting at 7pm. Dinner $50 per person. For more information please contact Neva Fajardo, AFAA NY Secretary (718) 275 1422.

AFAA Christmas Party

Mark December 17 on your calendars for the Filipino Film Festival happening at the Portland Community College Cascade Campus (Terrel Hall 122) at 3am-6am. For inquiries and reserva-tions email cinemalayan2010@gmail.com.

Filipino Film Festival

growing ego fed by his success at embarrassing a superpower, and having the temerity to de-mand Hillary Clinton to step down as US Secretary of State. That kind of power is intoxicat-ing and corrodes the soul. Orig-inally intended to be faceless, he has decided to put his face on Wikileaks so that no one else can claim credit or discredit. Acting no different from a glory hound, he wants recognition for his work.

Time Magazine, rightly or wrongly, is likely to put As-sange as its Man of the Year. Of course, those other mortals whose lives he had turned up-side down, would rather he is a dead man. This white-haired, 39 year-old cyber activist who only does online interviews and who prides himself into being able to hack the most sophisticated computer systems is on the crosshairs of an international police manhunt on the strength of a Swedish warrant involving a sex case with two women. He is believed to be in Southern Eng-land as the dragnet is closing in on him. Assange claims he is be-ing smeared with a trumped up

charge over consensual, unpro-tected sex. It is probably a pre-text to lay hands on him. What he has done is to stir a massive hornet’s nest creating enemies whose collective fury his nimble mind, deft fingers and fleet-foot-ed movements may be unable to stave off.

The Wikileaks website was rendered temporarily unavail-able for a few hours but is cur-rently back online with a sympa-thetic Swiss host. Amazon online kicked it off its servers and there are pressures worldwide to dis-able its website, which has been attacked by massive amounts of data from unknown sources that tend to overwhelm and render it useless. But as in anything viral on the internet, it is only a mat-ter of time before it can morph into another website.

We live in an uncharted terri-tory. There is no primer on how to deal with this. Assange and his band of cyber brothers claim they have over 300,000 support members from around the world and that if anything should hap-pen to him and his colleagues, his fight to disclose information in the interest of investigative journalism, transparency and

purportedly to keep the world on the straight and narrow will continue. He claims that his treasure trove of information is encrypted and will be released by his followers if something should happen to him and his immediate cohorts. His story bears watching if only to see where this brand of activism in the information war tilts the bal-ance of power, how the interna-tional diplomatic community re-gains its poise and equilibrium after such sticky disclosures and essentially how this unusual story of our time plays out in the end.

The lesson for ordinary cyber denizens: Nothing in the digital world is safe from scrutiny. Be-have. Mind your manners. Play nice. Or better yet: LOG OFF OR OPT OUT.

* * *Nota Bene: To ask questions and send feedback, e-mail monette.maglaya@asianjournalinc.com. If you want to read more articles on aspects of immigrant living, go to amazon.com, search using my name and two entries will pop up, with the titles, “The Complete Success Guide for the Immigrant Life: How to Survive, How to Thrive, How to be Fully Alive,” and the portable, handy, “The Immigrant’s Little Quote Book for Success.”

Of weak links and…

(ii)(I) was insolvent on the date that such transfer was made or such obligation was incurred, or became insolvent as a result of such transfer or obligation.”

If son does not turn over the $30,000 to trustee immediately, trustee will file an adversarial complaint against son to re-cover the money pursuant to Section 548. Will son have any defenses against the complaint? Theoretically, if son had given debtor an exchange of value for the money, this would be a good defense. For example, if

son gave debtor a 2009 Lexus 350-R without liens to father for the $30,000, trustee would not be able to prove circumstances required by 548 (B)(i) causing the complaint to fail. However, debtor testified that son did not do anything for debtor to enti-tle him to get paid $30,000 by debtor. This is strong evidence that there was no exchange of value for the money.

Even transfers made pursu-ant to a divorce judgment are subject to the trustee avoidance power of Section 548. For ex-ample, divorce judgment orders

Transfer of $30K to son for college…transfer of debtor’s community property share in equity of the residence to ex-spouse and debtor did not receive any ex-change of value for this trans-fer. If transfer occurred within 2 years of the bankruptcy filing, the transfer may be annulled!

* * *Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S Fremont Ave Bldg A-1 Suite 1125 Unit 58 Alhambra, CA 91803. (Advertising Supplement)

dent. As for now, students in the United States who feared that attending college in the US was an impossibility should remain hopeful. A chance to attend col-lege at one of this nation’s fine

institutions and live the Ameri-can dream may be just around the corner.

* * *Daniel P. Hanlon is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law and a principal of Hanlon

Law Group, PC, located at 225 S. Lake Ave., 11th Floor in Pasadena, California; tel. No. (626) 585-8005. Hanlon Law Group, PC is a “full-service Immigration Law firm.” E-mail: visas@hanlonlawgroup.com and www.hanlonlawgroup.com (Advertising Supplement)

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ON December 18, 2010, the Filipino American community of Saint Bede the Venerable Catholic Church of La Canada, California will sponsor its an-nual Simbang Gabi celebration. The event, which will start at 5:30pm, will highlight the rich spiritual and cultural experience of the Filipino people as they prepare for the coming of the Lord on Christmas Day.

The Simbang Gabi (literally “Night Mass” but more com-monly understood as Dawn Mass) is one of the most popular and important Filipino Christ-mas traditions. It is a series of nine dawn masses that culmi-nate on Christmas Eve. During Simbang Gabi, Catholic church-es will open their doors before the break of dawn (usually by four o’clock in the morning) to welcome the faithful to the Sim-bang Gabi mass.

Traditionally, the pre-dawn mass is announced by the ring-ing of the church bells. In or-der to wake up the faithful and

St. Bede’s in La Canada celebrates Simbang Gabi

get them ready for the dawn mass, some parish priests used to knock on the doors of their parishioners; some rural areas even had brass bands playing Christmas carols all over town before the start of the mass. Af-ter the mass, the church-goers usually partake of the various traditional Filipino foods made from sweet glutinous rice like bibingka, puto bumbong, or the various regional versions of suman, accompanied by a cup of hot salabat (ginger tea) or hot tsokolate (thick chocolate).

The Filipino practice of Sim-bang Gabi has evolved into a nine-day novena beginning on December 16 and culminating on December 24 in a midnight mass or misa de gallo on Christ-mas Eve to welcome the birth of the Savior. Some churches present a play called panuluyan, which is a reenactment of the time when Joseph and Mary tried to find shelter for the night so Mary could give birth to the Baby Jesus.

MANILA – On November 9, 2010, the much anticipated wedding of Los Angeles Immigra-tion Attorney Abraham “Abu” Lim and Phil. Dept. of Tourism in Los Angeles Director Mary Anne “Annie” Cuevas took place at the Iglesia Ni Cristo chapel in San Juan City, Manila.

On hand to witness the nuptials were god-parents Former Philippine President Joseph “Erap” Estrada and his wife, Former Senator Dra. Loi Estrada, Philippine Vice President Je-jomar “Jojo” Binay and his wife, Dra. Elenita Binay, Bataan Governor Tet Garcia and his Vicky Sandejas Garcia, Atty.Leonardo Siguon Reyna and Armida Siguon Reyna, Mr. Joey and Yoly Reyes, and Mr. Erano G. Cuevas and Mrs. Agnes Sy. The solemn and dignified ceremony was also attended by Mr. Jimmy Tang, Chair-man of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Com-merce, Mr. John Tan, Vice President of Phil-ippine Air Lines, and various members of the Lim and Cuevas family and colleagues of Annie from the Philippine Department of Tourism and associates in the Philippine travel industry.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the bride and groom were whisked to the reception ven-ue in a vintage white Jaguar sports car. The re-ception was held at the Blue Leaf located in the McKinley Hills area off Forbes Park in Makati. While the bride and groom prepared for the biggest night of their lives, early arriving guests were treated to sumptuous hors’doeuvres and cocktails presented in an ice sculpted bar. Seen mingling were Ambassador Ruth Prado who was formerly a consul at the Philippine Consul-ate in Los Angeles and retired from the foreign service after serving as Phil. Consul General in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mr. John Lu Koa, a classmate of Atty. Lim in Xavier School and now runs French Baker, Mr. Raphael Soon, also a classmate of the groom during his high school days at Xavier and is the owner of the North Park chain of restaurants in Manila. They were serenaded during the cocktail hour by no oth-er than Jay Cayuca, renowned violinist of his time.

At around 6:45 pm, Atty. Lim and his new bride, Annie, appeared at the front of the Blue Leaf entrance greeted by a fireworks display alongside a performance of I’ve Got A Feeling by Jay Cayuca. For about 10 minutes, a lavish fireworks display dazzled the crowd and the newly weds as they were greeted by arriving guests such as Bohol Congressman Arthur Yap who excused himself early from congressional budget hearings just to attend the couple’s re-ception, and Senator Loren Legarda, a family friend of the couple, who also left the Senate budget hearings early to be with the bride and

groom.Dinner began at around 7 pm as 50 white

gloved waiters began serving the 7-course meal specially prepared by Chef Gaita Forres of Cibo. There were around 200 guests that eagerly awaited the dinner by the award win-ning chef. Seen among the guests were Mr. Paul Cabral, who designed the groom’s bar-ong as well as the groom’s entourage, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who arrived as soon as the budget hearings were concluded for the night, Former Senator and Presidential Candidate Richard Gordon who was Secretary of Tourism at one point in time during the Arroyo Admin-istration, the bride’s colleagues from the Dept. of Tourism, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay Jr., Lucena City Mayor Talaga and her husband, the former mayor, Former Senator Ernesto Maceda, Congressman Abet Garcia, Asian Journal Publisher Roger Oriel, award-winning composer and musician Alvina Sy, Philip and Ching Cruz, Bobby Piccio, Former Governor Remulla, Congressman Sherwin Gatchalian of Valenzuela and his father William Gatchalian, Atty. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III(who was a member of the groom entourage), and Gov. Ejercito of Pagsanjan.

The VIP table where the godparents and par-ents of the bride and groom were seated was serenaded all evening by a 10-piece orchestra while a video taken by Mr. Patrick Uy (who was also the official photographer for the wedding) was shown on 2 big screens during the recep-tion.

The best man, Secretary for Information Technology Ivan Uy gave a short speech con-gratulating the couple as the entrée was being served. Atty. Lim gave the traditional groom’s speech thanking all the godparents and guests in attendance. The cake cutting ceremony fol-lowed soon thereafter which concluded with the first dance where the couple swayed to The Way You Look Tonight recorded by Atty. Lim before the couple left for Manila from their home in Los Angeles with music rearranged and produced by Filipino recording artist Flo-rante from the original recording by Chad and Jeremy.

A dessert bar prepared by Bizu was the con-clusion of the lavish dinner reception. Sweets and pastries prepared by the award winning patisserie left guests feeling high from the sug-ar and sweet as they mingled in the celebrity filled crowd. Senator Bong Revilla gifted the couple with lechon that was served along with freshly made bibingka at the Blue Leaf garden as guests stayed on till late at night hobnobbing and taking photos. n

THE LIM-CUEVAS NUPTIALS

A solemn matrimony

Even though at present par-ish priests no longer knock on their parishioners’ doors and there may not be brass bands that play at dawn, the sense of family and community and the renewal of faith still pervade the celebration of Simbang Gabi. The sense of joy and festiveness is evident in the colorful lights and lanterns (called parols) and Christmas trees with the Nativity Scene that are displayed and the Christmas songs that are heard. On Christmas Eve, after the mid-night mass, families gather in their homes to celebrate Noche Buena where an even more sumptuous feast is prepared.

For Filipinos transplanted to America, the Simbang Gabi is still central to the celebration of Christmas. To keep the tradition alive, in 2004, St. Bede’s parish organized the Simbang Gabi. Instead of the standard nine-day event, this Simbang Gabi is condensed into one night of solemn Eucharistic Mass. In the spirit of the Christmas sea-

THANKSGIVING CONCERT. The Holy Family Filipino Chorale with members of FASO and the Philippine Chamber Music and Arts Society held a Thanksgiving Concert at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Glendale last November 19. AJPress photo by Andy Tecson

Searching for a kababata from your hometown, a college buddy or a Pinoy colleague? Your search is finally over. The Asian Journal brings you Re:Union, Filipino American Associations in America -- your link to a network of kababay-an associations here in the United States. As your Filipino-American community newspaper, the Asian Journal recognizes your need to nourish and maintain ties with the people and the culture you were born with. This is our way of connecting our kababayans to the past, of creating new opportunities for the present and of inspiring you to pay it forward by becom-ing active members of your association and the FilAm community at large in the future.

The Association THE Mamburao-USA Association (MUSA) is

a non-profit and non-political organization, or-ganized not for the private gain of any person, governed by the Officers and Board of Direc-tors elected by the membership and supported by the generosity and dedication of our loyal and supportive members, friends and donors nationwide and overseas who want to make a difference.

Established in March 1999 in Los Angeles, California, the association has been formed for pleasure, recreation, social and cultural cel-ebrations and other similar non-profitable pur-poses and operating with revenues from mem-bership fees, voluntary contributions, grants and other fund-raising activities in accordance with Section 501(c)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code and any applicable law.

ObjectivesTo afford members the opportunity to meet

professionally, socially and culturally and to develop contacts and friendships within an en-joyable social environment.

To celebrate Mamburao Town Fiesta in early March and the Mamburao October Feast in mid-October in honor of the town’s patroness, Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pil-lar).

To act as a point of liaison between the mem-bership, the Philippine Consulate-General, the Mamburao town and the Mindoro province of the Philippines and other associations on mat-ters relating to social and cultural affairs.

To promote love, peace and unity.Officers and DirectorsExecutive Committee Chairman - Mrs. Paz Sison GarmaPresident - Mr. Roger P. CalabioTreasurer - Mrs. Edna Pacal PalmaAuditor - Mr. George S. GarmaBoard CommitteesChair, Membership - Miss Jannette Servando

Maneja

Chair, Social/Cultural Affairs - Mrs. Minda Pacal Barnachea

Chair, Fund-raising - Mr. Bernard T. Abele-da

Chair, Community Relations - Mr. Reggie C. Pacal

Chair, Mamburao Link - Mrs. Patria Cosuco Mercene

West Coast Coordinator - Mrs. Vincent V. Rendon

East Coast Coordinator - Mr. Oscar V. UrietaWest Coast PRO - Dr. Francisco V. FloresEast Coast PRO - Mrs. Alicia Liboro Ve-

landriaMUSA Public Library Coordinator - Ms. Ri-

zelita Tarriela AbeledaMUSA Little League Coordinator - Mr. Pepito

L. SantanderFriends of MUSA Coordinator - Mrs. Cecilia

Pagilagan CabreraInternational Group of MUSA Coordinator -

Mrs. Presentacion Trajeco TriaLiaison Officer, Southern California - Mrs. Al-

ice Catama PascuaLiaison Officer, Northern California - Mrs.

Fely Sison CalabioLiaison Officer, Illinois - Mrs. Victoria Pacal

AlegreLiaison Officer, New York - Mr. Constancio

G. de Jesus Honorary Board of DirectorsMs. Thelma P. Calabio - Chairman Emeritus,

Honorary Life Director, Editor-in-Chief, MUSA Bulletin Chairman, Website Operations

Mr. Henry H. Ketikian - Artist, Mail Admin-istrator

Mr. Lamberto V. Tajonera - Chairman, Web-site News

Dr. Adolfo P. CalabioMr. Rudy M. MontemayorMr. Julius S. PacalMr. Remy R. PanganibanDr. Nora Razon PaculdoMrs. Nora Malabanan Crisostomo n

Mamburao-USA Association (MUSA)Contact:Mailing address: P.O. Box 17616 Beverly Hills, CA 90209-5616Telephone No: (310)286-2482Fax No: (310)286-9191Website: http://musabulletin.com

son, the Filipino-American pa-rishioners will share their gifts of song, music, dance, and, of course, food with the members of the community.

Since it started in 2004, St. Bede’s Simbang Gabi has al-

ways been a fun and enriching experience for its parishioners and the larger community. Hence, the parish and its pa-rishioners continue to work to keep and celebrate this tradi-tion. This year, the Simbang

Gabi celebration is spearhead-ed by the Pastor of St. Bede’s Church, the Rev. Msgr. Antonio Cacciapuoti, and co-chaired by Willie Reynado and Cecille O’Neil for the 2010 St. Bede’s Simbang Gabi Group. n

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MAGAZINEWednesday, December 8, 2010

The AsiAn JournAl

to ServiceLA ife Devoted

A TRIBUTE to PETER CORPUSSIPA Director of Development and Communications

MDWK Magazine DEC 8.indd 1 12/7/10 4:56:09 PM

Why Aiko-Martin marriage failed

The Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 8, 2010

IN MEMORIAM

Peter Corpus, Director of Development and Communications, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA)

LAst November 22, the Filipino-American community lost a well-loved member with the sudden passing of long-time community leader and advocate Peter J. Corpus, a veteran of community organizing and a devoted champion of equality for over 21 years. A special com-munity celebration of Peter’s life will be held this coming Friday, December 10.

Many communities rely on people with community spirit to survive; people who love to do an activity or service which benefits their community. In the Filipino-American community in Los Angeles, Peter Corpus was one such person. A long-time director of the Fil-Am social services organization in Historic Filipinotown—search to Involve Pilipino American (sIPA)—and its indefatigable Director of Devel-opment and Communications, Peter devoted his life to the vital service of the Fil-Am commu-nity. His altruistic involvement in the community helped made it healthier and livelier.

Corpus was committed to help sIPA reach its goals of pro-viding health and human services as well as community economic development and arts/cultural programs for low to moderate income youth and families in multi-ethnic Historic Filipinotown and the greater Los Angeles Pilipino American community.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Peter relocated to Los Angeles in 1989 after a brief stint working in Yosemite National Park. Over the past several years, Peter was employed as sIPA’s Director of Development and Communi-

cations, but also volunteered tirelessly for numerous Pilipino American, Asian Pacific Islander, and LGBt community-based or-ganizations, including Philippine American Los Angeles Demo-crats (PALAD), FilAm ARts, API Equality-LA, and National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA).

An experienced community leader with a vast network in both the API and philanthropic communities, Peter was a proac-tive and effective organizer of community programs and events. He was a wise mentor to young Asian Pacific Americans who sought to pursue careers in community service. At the same time, he will be remembered equally for his incomparable sense of humor and wit, fun-lov-ing spirit, and boundless enjoy-ment of life.

Peter served as a member of sIPA’s Board of Directors from 1995 to 2001 and joined the staff as Director of Development and Communications in 2002.

He helped raise over $25M throughout his career for a vari-ety of non-profit institutions. He held Chief Development Officer positions at the International House of Blues Foundation, Citrus Valley Health Foundation, Wheels for Humanity, East West Players and st. John’s Well Child Center. Before serving in those positions he was special Events Manager for Project Angel Food.

Mr. Corpus also helped found the Asian Pacific American Development Roundtable and was a former member of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Fundrais-ing Professionals. He was also a volunteer fundraiser for the Asian American Alliance Against AIDs and is a co-founder of both the Gay Asian Pacific support Network (GAPsN). For GAPsN, he served in the positions of Co-Chair, Public Relations Coordinator and Fundraising Coordinator. He was a key figure in the shaping of GAPsN’s early identity as an organization dedi-

cated to providing supportive environments for members of our community.

In addition to serving as GAPsN co-chair and in numer-ous other officer positions on the GAPsN board, Peter also was a founder of Barangay (the gay Pilipino organization of Los Angeles), Asian Pacific Islander Pride Council, and an active par-ticipant over the years in efforts

to organize members of the API LGBt community nationally. Also serving on the organization’s Faith Committee, Peter will be remembered for his robust laughter and colorful language which always livened up a room.

Corpus also sat on leadership committees for the Philippine American Los Angeles Demo-crats and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Being with sIPA which is the leading provider of social and economic services for youth and families in multi-ethnic Historic Filipinotown, Peter played a vital role in the local community. As Director of Development and Communications, he promoted sIPA’s comprehensive array of programs designed to meet the needs of youth, families and individuals, such as after-school enrichment activities, affordable housing, small business devel-opment, and financial literacy activities.

Peter has dedicated his life and talents to inspire and em-power the community to make smart choices, bring families together, and ultimately, revital-ize the community.

the Filipino-American com-munity extends its deepest sympathy to Peter’s parents and other members of his family. He will be sorely missed.

by Cynthia de Castro

AJPress

DOLLYWOODby dolly anne Carvajal

Inquirer.net

At first Martin Jickain was hesitant to open up about the annulment of his marriage to Aiko Melendez. But since we are drinking buddies at sofra Fort strip, Martin willingly granted me his first and last interview about the issue.

He is too much of a gentle-man to say no to a good friend. “It’s ironic that our marriage lasted for over a year only,” he says. “But the annulment took three years.”

Martin recalls that their whirlwind romance began when they met in Boracay. After a few weeks they took the plunge. “It was bound to fail because we got carried away by our emo-tions,” he says. “We weren’t thinking straight. But I will always remember Aiko fondly. Our daughter Martina will keep us eternally linked in a special way, even if we both have re-spective partners already.”

so who’s the new love of his life? “she’s also a chef like me,” he beams. “Even if she’s younger, we get along well... Funny thing is, A.M. din ang initials niya like Aiko. But I don’t want to rush into marriage again. that can wait.”

I asked chef Martin: If he, Aiko and his current GF were dishes, what would they be? “Aiko would be dessert because she is super sweet. My GF is like adobo because she’s yummy any time of the day,” he quips. “And I would be steak because

I’m rare.”Love is best served hot.

Bon appetit, chef Mart on your second serving of l’amour! May your heart keep burping!

Blessing in disguise?the stroke that William Mar-

tinez suffered could actually be a blessing in disguise for him and estranged wife Yayo Aguila.

“When I found out that Wil-liam was rushed to the ICU, I felt guilty,” says Yayo. “Kahit hiwalay na kami, di ko maiwasan mag-worry. In my heart I am still his wife. Sabi nga ng marami baka way ito ni Lord para magkaba-likan kami... Ako pa rin nagba-bantay kay William. Not because I have to, but I really want to.”

Not everybody is given a second lease on life so I’m sure William will not put it to waste. He and Yayo have truly stood by each other through thick and thin, sick and sin!

Forced to disrobeA concerned relative of

Denise Laurel comes to her defense. “she is not pregnant,” her aunt clarifies. “she’s in the United states on vacation. Poor Denise!”

Her aunt adds that “Denise was made to show more flesh in ‘Kristine,’ which she only found out during the show’s taping. Even if she’s well-endowed, she does not want to project a slutty image. When she didn’t want to disrobe some more, ’di na muna

binigyan ng project.”so the little birdie is wrong

about the coming of the stork in Denise’s life.

MMFF now nationwidethrough the years, the

Metro Manila Film Festival has come up with some of the finest films in the history of Philippine cinema.

Himala, an entry in the 1982 MMFF, is a fine example. View-ers of CNN voted it as the Best Asia-Pacific Film of all time.

this year’s MMFF entries are Ang Tanging Ina Mo Rin (Last Na To!), Rosario, Si Agimat at si Eneteng Kabisote, Shake Rattle and Roll 12, Dalaw, Father Jejemon, Super Inday and the Golden Bibe and the amimated film RPG.

the festival is now nation-wide. All eight entries will open simultaneously in Metro Manila and key cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. the film fest which is now on its 36th year. Viva la Vida Cinema Manila!

A Dedicated Community Leader

Peter Corpus with ConGen Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon (2nd from right) and friends at the 2009 SIPA fundraiser.

Peter Corpus with Joel Jacinto, Executive Director of SIPA, Lea Salonga and friends

Peter Corpus with the Gay Asian Pacific Support Network

Welcome back to Isla Kulinarya. For the whole month of December and January, we will be featuring the dishes that were prepared by the

6 finalists at the recently concluded Kulinarya : A Filipino Culinary Showdown held at the Metreon in San Francisco last December 4, 2010. Organized by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco along with the various government agencies, namely, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Philippine National Police with the goal of increasing the awareness and appreciation of Northern California residents on Filipino cuisine.

Kulinarya, which means culinary or cuisine in Tagalog, started in 2005 as a cultural tourism program of the Philippine Department of Tourism . Dubbed as Kulinarya Filipina, the program introduces Philippine flavors to domestic and international tourists to promote the country as a culinary destination. Travelers practically eat their way around the country as they visit destinations that are well-known for their food. There are Kulinarya tour packages that are being offered now to various parts of the country and each region has its own culinary treasure to boast.

INSTRUCTIONS1. Squeeze calamansi on the prepared and sliced lapu

lapu. Make small slits on both sides of the fish to prevent it from curling while being fried.

2. Coat both sides of the fish with flour, and fry at a medium high heat.

3. Fry until golden brown, and then set aside on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil.

4. On separate pan, caramelize julienned onions, and then add the minced garlic and ginger.

5. Add carrots,baby corn, water, soy sauce, patis, and vinegar. Allow to simmer until vinegar boils gently.

6. Add bell peppers, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes.7. Carefully add diluted cornstarch, mixing consistently

but gently.8. Add prawns, and then turn off the heat. The residual

heat from the pan is enough to cook the shrimp.9. Add the quail eggs.10. Allow eggs and prawns to cook, being careful not to

overcook them.11. Transfer fried fish on a serving platter, and then top

with the sauce.

Ingredients:1 large lapu lapu, sliced1 1/2 lbs prawns1 large carrot, sliced1/2 medium onion, julienned1/2 red, gree, and yellow bell peppers, julienned1 can baby corn1 can quail eggs5 cloves garlic, minced1/4 cup garlic, minced1/2 cup vinegar1/4 cup soy sauce1/2 cup brown sugar2 tbsp patis (fish sauce)1 cup water1 tsp salt1 tsp pepper1 1/2 tsp chili flakes2 tbsp cornstarchFlour and calamansi for the fish

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

Isla Kulinarya lets you explore the islands, taste the food, relive the memories -- all made possible by Island Pacific Supermarket. Go and visit an Island Pacifc near you with branches in Southern California located at Cerritos, Canoga Park, North and South Vermont in Los Angeles, Panorama City and West Covina; Union City and Vallejo in Northern California.Check out our website at www.islandpacificmarket.com. Stay connected with us-- like us on Facebook (island pacific market), follow us on Twitter (islandpacificUS) and Blogger (island pacific market). For your comments, suggestions and request for recipes that you want us to feature, please email info@islandpacificmarket.com. Presyong Sulit... sa Island Pacific.”

**The featured recipe and some references were taken from Kulinarya: A Filipino Culinary Showdown Event Magazine published by the Philippine Department of Tourism, San Francisco, December 2010. Published with prior consent from the Philippine Department of Tourism, San Francisco.

LAPU-LAPU ESCABECHE*

Winner, Amateur DivisionKulinarya : A Filipino Culinary Showdown

*Copyright 2010, Philippine Department of Tourism, San Francisco

recipe created by

Nathan Camba

19 year old Nathan Camba, the youngest participant competing in the Amateur Division, is a college student from San Jose, CA and works as a part-time host at the San Jose Fishmarket on Blossom Hill Road. He inherited his passion for cooking from his mother and his family and he has been whipping up various Filipino dishes since he was little.

Kulinarya : A Filipino Culinary Showdown has been organized to discover and showcase the talents and expertise of Filipino chefs and foodies. A total of 6 finalists competed -- 3 in the Amateur Division and 3 in the Professional Division--- in cooking regular meal items that included an appetizer/salad, adobo and another Filipino entree, and a Filipino dessert. The judges consisted of notable culinary experts, professional chefs and food critic such as Chef Thomas Weibull-- an accomplished chef for over 25 years and who has worked in numerous three star restaurants in the Bay Area from One Market, Aqua, Rubicon and Plouf; Chef Kelly Degala--Executive Chef at the Academy Café at the California Academy of Sciences; Lynne Char Bennet- SF Chronicle Staff Writer and Food Critic; Nancy Freeman, President of the Asian Culinary Forum; June Belen-- writer for SFoodie, SF Weekly’s widely read food blog and has been featured at Saveur Magazine’s “The Best of the Web”; and Mrs. Tess Paynor, wife of Consul General Marciano A. Paynor. Winners were selected according to the cohesiveness of menu, presentation, creativity; and taste/flavor

This week we are featuring the recipe of Nathan Camba, the winner in the Amateur Division.

Join us again next week as we share with you the recipe of Chef Ed Grajo, the winner in the Professional Division.

MDWK Magazine DEC 8wads.indd 2 12/7/10 5:44:31 PM

features 3The Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 8, 2010

Two more Kapamilya turning Kapatid soon?

Long awaited hotel at Valley View Casino is now openVALLEY CENTER—Valley View Casino cut the ribbon and

opened the doors to its new luxury boutique hotel this morn-ing for its eager guests. The upscale adults-only casino hotel offers gaming enthusiasts the thrill of Las Vegas with the added advantages of superior guest service, Certified Loose slots, Southern California’s best buffet and six other delicious res-taurants, all with the convenience of being an easy drive from anywhere in Southern California.

“Our guests often tell us that they love our casino so much they never want to leave—and now they can stay in our beauti-ful hotel!” said Bruce Howard, general manager at Valley View Casino & Hotel. “Not only do we offer San Diego’s only Certi-fied Loose slots, the best table games, amazing restaurants, live entertainment and first-class guest service, but now with our new hotel our guests are able to extend their entertain-ment experience and spend the night in a gorgeous, comfort-able hotel room so the fun never has to end!”

Surrounded by breathtaking views of the picturesque Palomar Mountain range, the hotel features 96 Deluxe Rooms and 12 Luxury Suites. Deluxe Rooms feature 520 square feet of comfort and stunning views from every room, as well as luxuri-ous platform beds dressed with 300 thread count sheets and plush bedding, a spacious sitting area, a 42” HD TV, imported marble and granite floors and countertops in the bathroom, dual vanity mirrors, separate enclosed shower and bathtub and more.

The Luxury Suites truly live up to their name with 1,050 square feet of living space. The floor-to-ceiling windows pro-vide spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The bedroom features a plush platform king bed and a 52” HD TV, and the separate living room features a sec-ond 52” TV, fold out sofa bed, coffee table, sitting table, per-sonal refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave, free wireless hi-speed internet access and more. The bathrooms also feature imported marble and granite floors and countertops, dual van-ity mirrors and separate enclosed shower and bathtub.

Valley View Casino & Hotel includes exciting perks that make every hotel stay special. A complimentary poolside breakfast is included daily for hotel guests, and the rooms come stocked with complimentary bottled water. Additionally, Valley View Casino & Hotel does not charge any taxes or resort frees, and overnight valet and garage parking is always free.

“Today is a huge milestone for Valley View Casino and the San Pasqual Tribe,” said Joe Navarro, president/CEO of the San Pasqual Development Group, Inc., the tribe’s gaming cor-poration. “We have been waiting to open our hotel doors and raise the bar on the Southern California casino hotel experi-ence for a very long time!”

For more information about Valley View Casino & Hotel or to book your reservation, visit ValleyViewCasino.com or call (760) 291-5500.*

� *Advertising�Supplement

San Pasqual Casino Development Group Board of Directors including Bruce Howard, Joe Navarro and Chairman Allen Lawson cut the ribbon and welcome eagerly awaiting guests to the new hotel.

FUNFARE by RicaRdo F. Lo

Philstar.com

A FEW days ago, Funfare published a blind item about two Kapamilya stars who are con-templating on turning Kapatid as soon as their contracts expire. They are both, uhm, male. I didn’t give a clue. I simply said it’s a MESS!

Don’t look now but two other Kapamilya are doing the same—if the negotiations turn out okay.

The first, (a singer-actress) is, according to the Funfare�DPA, “sure to quit ABS-CBN and sign up with TV5.” That’s what the company managing her wants. The other Kapamilya (an actor) is being wooed by TV5, giving him offers and options he may not be able to refuse… for long? Clues? Ask the Presidential Security Guards of the Philippines!

Should ABS-CBN manage-ment do a loyalty check? No need. All the network has to do is give the four stars a good reason to stay.

When Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid march down the aisle at their beach wedding on Dec. 22, they will do so to the tune of�Iniibig�Kita, a wedding

song composed by Ryan Cay-abyab.

At the reception while they are offering a toast to their guests and sealing their vows with another kiss (as the guests excitedly clink their wine glasses with the silvers, screaming, “Kiss, kiss, kiss!!!”), Dingdong Avan-zado will sing a love song titled Iibigin which he wrote as a spe-cial gift to the couple. Dingdong

is one of the seven groomsmen that also includes Pres. Noynoy “P-Noy” Aquino.

“The song is an ultimate expression of one’s love,” said Dingdong. “It’s a song na�kakan-tahin�ng�isang�tao�sa�pinakama-mahal�n’ya. As I finished writing it, I thought of Regine and Ogie, so I decided to dedicate it to them. Bagay�na�bagay�sa�kanila. I gave it to Ogie a month ago.”

Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez are all set for their Dec. 22 wedding. Their groomsman Dingdong Avanzado (right) will sing to them his own composition ‘Iibigin’ at the reception.

Why these legends should live on and make more musicby PochoLo concePcion

Inquirer.net

Ugat: the Legends of Pinoy Folk and Rock

December 3, araneta Coliseum

THE JOKE among some friends was that those who failed to watch this concert couldn’t find the right substance to ingest and felt too sleepy after warming up with drinks at home.

But those who made it to the Big Dome looked happy to relive their lost youth with no need for mind-altering chemicals. The music, played by its original creators, was enough to stir up the crowd’s consciousness.

The sheer number of per-formers qualified the event as a festival that would’ve lasted all night, but the promoter, Viva Concerts, wisely compressed it with a tightly scripted produc-tion.

Still the gig stretched past midnight, even as the artists had to limit their spot numbers to three songs each.

Loud cheers greeted Sam-paguita and Florante, who had both been long absent from the scene—the former living a quiet suburban life and the latter set-tling in the United States.

Despite her now bulging frame, Sampaguita moved around with ease, even traips-ing to the beat while singing

Bonggahan. The music proved too infectious to the audience as some of them rose to their feet.

Florante may have gained a lot of weight, too, and lost his hippie hair, but his warm, folksy appeal was intact in�Ako’y�Pinoy and Sana’y�Pag-ibig. His sarcastic humor had not lost its edge: “Miss na miss ko�ang�Cubao. May�kaibigan�ako�rito�na�magaling�na�abogado.�Ewan�ko�lang�kung�nakalaya�na�siya�sa�kulungan.”

Two other singer-songwrit-ers from a younger batch, Gary Granada and Noel Cabangon, showed why Pinoy folk will never go out of style. The crowd re-sponded with much enthusiasm to the masterfully crafted lyrics of Granada’s�Kahit�Konti,�Mabuti�Pa�Sila and Holdap.

Heber Bartolome and Lolita Carbon sustained audience in-terest with their folk-rock sound. Bartolome had a surprise guest singer, J.R. Prisno, who reprised the rap verses from Francis M’s version of Tayo’y�Mga�Pinoy.

Among the three members of Juan de la Cruz, it was Mike Hanopol and Wally Gonzalez who were apparently still in good shape. Hanopol, playing with his favorite Steinberger headless guitar, performed with ferocious energy in Tulungan�Natin, Buhay�Amerika and Laki�Sa�Layaw.Gonzalez’s set was a

bit too loud though, or was it just our eardrums showing signs of wear and tear?

All these years, Joey “Pepe” Smith remains a paradox. He’s the rock star who almost always bungles up his act. That Friday night his voice was hoarse and he couldn’t stop fussing over and focusing on his guitar—in effect missing out the lyrics of his songs by a few beats.

Good thing he had Jun Lopito, his constant sideman after JDC broke up, on lead guitar. Lopito’s textured playing enhanced the music in Smith’s Sa�’Yo�and Summer�Wind.

Whatever songs the audi-ence felt were missing from the repertoire were heard during the opening and closing medleys — of which Sampaguita’s Tao and Florante’s Handog delivered powerful statements on desire, aspiration, gratitude and mortal-ity.

Long after the singers are gone, the songs live on.

But let’s not kill the legends yet. Chuck Berry is 84, Willie Nelson is 77, Bob Dylan is 69 and they’re all actively play-ing. It would be great to see Sampaguita, Smith and the rest (with the exception of the still prolific Granada and Cabangon) write new songs so they’ll have something new to say the next time around.

REVIEW

MDWK Magazine DEC 8.indd 3 12/7/10 5:00:05 PM

4 featuresThe Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 8, 2010

December 7, 1941: The Pearl Harbor Moment

The more things change, the more they stay the sameA DIFFERENT BEAT

by Paco aresPacochaga

“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” is a

French Prov-erb that truly means more than what it says. Read it again and you may just begin to realize that on a deeper level, change doesn’t really affect reality (www.wiktionary.org).

So why then do we rave and rant when a new wave of change comes our way? At work, for instance, why do we complain about new company policy? At home, why do we complain when someone decides to rearrange the furniture? Among friends, why do we jeer among ourselves when one of us decides to settle down and start a family? Why are we scared of change? Is stagnation a better option?

Change helps us to move forward. It also helps us to cope with life and our environ-ment. Change helps us to stay where we are and be with whom we want to be with. Change makes us better (or worse). Change

really keeps us where we really are. Life moves in a forward motion. Technol-

ogy is progress and vice versa. What was once cutting edge is now either obsolete or the norm. Skills need to be sharpened to be able to go with the flow. Strategies need to be revisited and changed to keep them cur-rent. In order to stay where we are, we need to move away from where we once were.

In my world, the world of marketing, social media has taken precedence over Search. Groupon, the online group coupon company, snubbed Google’s $6-billion offer (www.24sevenpost.com). Five years ago, you didn’t mess with the big G! But now, things have changed.

The sad part is nowadays, what is current only has a “shelf life” of 2 years or less. By the time we’ve mastered today’s technology, something new will emerge. And the process needs to be repeated.

What can you and I do? First, we have to accept that “change”

as inevitable. There are good books to read like Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson that will help you and me cope with

the ever-changing times.Learn new skills. Invest in yourself and

learn a new skill set. If you haven’t picked up social media, create your own Twitter and Facebook page. Know what LinkedIn is all about and play around with it.

Pick up a new sport and get off the couch if you’ve been on it for quite awhile. Stop ranting and whining and start packing up those muscles.

Change!

It’s what will keep your job. It’s what will make you marketable. It’s what will keep you abreast. It’s what will keep you staying where you are. It’s what will keep you strong.

Change.***

Paco Arespacochaga is a musician/songwriter for the award winning band Introvoys (www.introvoys.net). He is an Internet Marketing Consultant for ReachLocal ( www.reachlocal.com) and runs his own media company, 2heaven Media ( www.2heavenmedia.com). He is also a husband, a father and a friend. Read more of his thoughts by going to www.pacoarespacochaga.com and send him an email at pacointhe-house@gmail.com

MooNlIghTINg

by Mylah de leon

hoW could it have hap-pened? Pearl harbor, and its awful treachery and death, is the story of the worst battles defeat ever suffered by the US, and of how courage and ingenuity move upon the smoldering wreckage of tow-ering explosion, monstrous ships moaning as they died, young sailors trapped in steel hulks.

on a day we thought more than usual about war-time sacrifices, the infamous attack that was so unex-pected, so brutal and chaotic, that killed 2,400 Americans and drew America into World War II. That event still has an emotional grip on much of the American public, strug-gling to understand what happened—and no one wants to forget, almost 69 years later.

When the Americans had cut of Japan’s oil supply, Admiral Yamamoto (Mako), a brilliant harvard-educated warrior, saw no other re-course, but to launch a sur-prise attack on Pearl harbor where more than 100 ships and about more than half of the entire Pacific fleet were anchored.

Sunday morning, Decem-ber 7, 1941 at 7:55, the Japa-nese unleashed 183 planes aimed not only at the ships on Pearl harbor but at all Military installations at oahu. Aged survivors interviewed

in TV, drew sobs as they nar-rated the sneak bombing.

It was not a drill, the planes came high and came in low, in waves in formation, in two’s and threes’—past the mist-ringed purple mountains winging toward their tar-gets, one after the other, in rapid successions, swooping through the clouds, as they dove, circled and hovered. They made run after run, de-livering their loads, sucking life from the air, and creat-ing nerve jangling cacopho-nies as they attacked, strafe pursuing manifest destiny with fanatical dedication. “on that day that will live in infamy,” Pres. Roosevelt said.

on any given time, a trib-ute to that nation’s military, nobody stands taller than the World War II veterans. Feeling proud but forgotten, battle scarred and fighting age and illness, he embodies poignant messages of duty, honor and undying love, heroism and sacrifice.

It was time once more to honor the men and women and what they died for in moments of celebration, despite the bloody cost. It was always a proud day. It wasn’t just the colors or the uniforms. Never mind if it was just a few moments to show off their medals and remember. It was bitter-sweet. Many of this who left for war were fresh, muscular 20-21, young back them and strong and resolute, bonded in that kind of relation-ship war forges with fire and steel—who now sat on wheelchairs or walk aided by a cane. Some can no longer walk. Some were unable to speak to us about the death

defying dramas they survived so well in what seems… oh, so long ago!

Craggy faced veterans in their uniforms and garrison caps bedecked with medals of valor… stomach in, oc-casionally, dabbing at their eyes.

It was a day of retrac-ing the steps of years ago, reviving the great adventure in honor of fallen comrades; as an honor and guard paced slowly through the crowd, followed by the men in uniform, some now fitting tightly across the stomach, others fitting as trimly, as the day, they were first worn, the Fil-Am community, began to clap and stomp their feet. And some began to cry.

The peoples applauses were special—it wasn’t in the program. There was no cue. They simply put their hands together, in long sustained ovation for the be medaled veterans, of a world war, who came perhaps for the last time to pay tribute to the few left among them, and their untucked memories. history validates that the manner in which these soldiers demon-strated loyalty for their coun-try accounts in large past for the freedom.

They helped define what it was to be an American, “not about race, or the color of ones skin, but about the manner you serve your coun-try.”

I was encouraged to ex-pand my thoughts on World War II by reading the works of William Machester, Tom Brokaw, Ben Bradlee and Stewart Aesop.

***E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol.com

Glorious holiday feasting at Hilton’s Café Sierra

WANT to make Christmas really merry for friends and family? Book your reserva-tions now at Café Sierra at (818) 509-2030. The mood is perfect with Master Carolers performing all-time favorite Christmas songs from 6:30pm

to 9:30pm on December 17, 18, 19, 23, 24 & 25, 2010

As anyone who has expe-rienced Café Sierra’s glorious buffet offerings, Café Sierra is the place to be. The food, the ambience, the company, and much more… It’s a place that makes you feel special. It has become the Fil-Am community’s go-to place for memorable events that happen more often during this Christmas season. For Christmas eve which falls on Friday December 24th, there is a holiday Luncheon Buffet from 11am to 2pm. The adult rate is $30 and the children’s (3-10) rate is $15. For the

Christmas eve Seafood & Prime Rib holiday Christmas Buffet from 5pm to 10pm, the adult rate is $56 and the children’s (3-10) is $25.

For those who want to celebrate on Christmas Day itself on Saturday, December 25th, Café Sierra is offer-ing its holiday Champagne Brunch from 11am to 3pm. Adult rate is $42 and the children’s (3-10) rate is $20. For dinner from 5pm to 10pm, the adult rate is $56 and the children’s (3-10) rate is $25.

Come experience Café Si-erra. You’ll be glad you did.*

*Advertising Supplement

MDWK Magazine DEC 8.indd 4 12/7/10 4:59:34 PM

5The Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 8, 2010

featuresin cooperation with PH’s Department of Trade & Industry

19 Food ExportErs promotE products in us

Seafood City holds successful Barkadahan Food FairIt was an exciting and fun-filled week-end at

the Seafood City Barkadahan Food Fair in the Eagle Rock Plaza last Dec 4-5. Fil-Ams had a great time eating and sampling different new products from the Philippines as they also enjoyed great music, met new friends and played games, Pinoy style. the event was jointly implemented by the DtI through the Bureau of Export trade Promo-tion (BEtP) and the Philippine trade and Invest-ment Center (PItC), Los Angeles, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through the Office of the Philippine Consulate General, Los Angeles, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), and the Philippine Food Industry.

the food exporters from the Philippines which participated in the fair were Aiza’s Sweets (pastil-las and cashew marzipan), Amarich Marketing International (brewed coffee), Bonsure Evergreen International Corp, (shredded tuna), Concio’s Food Corporation (gourmet balut), Cormel Foods (sukang Ilokos), Jamla Corporation (hot chocolate), Mapagmahal Foods/Q.F.C. USA Inc (dalandan and calamansi concentrates), Marigold Manufacturing Corp (Mama Sita products), Mariki-na Food Corporation (HOBE bihon), Mega Fishing Corporation (sardines), MLGS Herb Products (malunggay products), Monde M.Y.San Corpora-tion (snack crackers), Monde Nissin Corporation (Voice combo sandwich), Namica Enterprises Inc (tea bags), Navarro Foods International Inc (crab paste), Sasmuan Delicacies (polvoron), Universal Robina Corporation and Weambard International traders Inc (fruit concentrates).

Consul General Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon, trade Representative Archie Gomez from PtIC-LA, Ferdie Chanpongco, Monde Nissin Corp Export Manager and Head of the Delegation, Seafood City Advertising Manager Cathy Quien and Operations Manager Eucliff Cheng did the symbolic ribbon cutting on stage. there were special performances by emcee/comedian/singer Joseph Gelito, the Filipino American Symphony Orhcestra, and the Filipiniana Dance troup.

Consul General Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon, Trade Representative Archie Gomez and Filipino food exporters during the ribbon-cutting of the Barka-dahan Food Fair at the Seafood City Eagle Rock Plaza last Dec 4-5. Photos by Bert Jarigue

Other exciting activities included cooking class and demonstrations by Chef Cecilia de Castro, comedy skits, showcase of Filipino games, Lucky Me! hot & spicy pancit eating contest, Spin a Win roulette and raffles. Customers who attended the Barkadahan Food Fair had a great time register-ing and being issued “passports”. they brought their “passports” to the different participating food exporters tables for stamping after sampling the products. After the passports got stamped by all the exporters, the customer received a $5.00 Seafood City Cash Coupon. More than 100 gift boxes,giveaways, and major prizes were given to lucky winners.*

� *Advertising�Supplement

DTI holds Outbound Business Matching Mission to LAtHE Department of trade

and Industry has organized an Outbound Business Matching (OBM) Mission to Los Angeles, USA from December 2-8, 2010. the OBM has three components, namely: (1) Overseas Sales Pro-motion at Seafood City dubbed as “Barkadahan Food Fair”; (2) Business Matching/Meetings; and (3) Meetings with Asian, Hispanics and US mainstream supermarkets/hypermarkets and Market Survey of fresh and pro-cessed foods in major hypermar-kets/supermarkets. this is jointly implemented by the DtI through the Bureau of Export trade Pro-motion (BEtP) and the Philippine trade and Investment Center (PItC), Los Angeles, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through the Office of the Philippine

Consulate General, Los Angeles, USA, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), and the Philip-pine Food Industry.

the activity aims to penetrate a major Filipino supermarket, Seafood City, as the entry point to the US and also expand business by penetrating major ethnic consumers in the US. the business matching event will bring in buyers not only for the Filipino market, but Hispanic and mainstream as well. It will also broaden the market base of the retailer by expanding its reach to new generations of Filipinos and other ethnic consumers. the market survey in particular aims to provide the participants a glimpse of the market outside the Filipino ethnic market for their future expansion. It will

serve as a starting point in creat-ing a Filipino Food Section in the supermarkets in the US in the future.

the delegation is composed of nineteen (19) food exporters carrying food products with high export potential in the US not only for the Asian and Filipino communities in the US but also for the mainstream markets. the products range from kalamansi juice/purees, malunggay (mo-ringa oleifera) based products such as tea, capsule and powder; crackers, biscuits, confectionery products, noodles, sardines, cane vinegar, bottled gourmet balut, coffee, tablea and instant choco-late drinks, sardines, fish & crab pastes, and tuna flakes. these products are guaranteed to meet

celebrating the holidays, Hawaiian styleWItH the Holiday season

just around the corner, everyone is looking forward to party with family, friends, and co-workers with hopes of forming greater bonds, recollecting the events of the year, and rekindling lost con-nections.

But while holidays are gener-ally pictured as something fun and spontaneous, it can also be stressful, especially if you are the host. Whether at home or at the office, preparations can be quite time-consuming, not to mention the part where you have to keep in mind that you have a limited budget can also add to the pres-sure.

In any party, a good selection of food is one of the things that are eagerly expected by guests. For those who are fond of attend-ing gatherings especially during the holidays, guests consider the latter as a chance to be exposed to the different flavors of some of the world’s greatest cuisines.

this holiday season, Q & Q Hawaiian B.B.Q is inviting you to break away from your usual Holi-day rituals and celebrate it with a Hawaiian twist. With its variety of appetizing food choices great for birthdays, family gatherings, and office holiday parties, guests are sure to leave your party with smiles on their faces.

Q & Q Hawaiian B.B.Q, located at Ventura, California, is dedicated to bringing its custom-ers the best Hawaiian experience with their classic “Plate Special” which is a huge, gastronomically challenging mixture of Asian and American food that is sure to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.

Under a tight economy, Q & Q Hawaiian B.B.Q understands that people intend to save but also do not want to risk not hav-ing a good quality food; that is why they serve in large portions of high quality food at very rea-sonable prices.

the catering or party menu services provided by Q & Q Hawaiian B.B.Q is a stress-fee and affordable way to host a any party all through out the year. the medium size catering (which serves 20 to 25 persons) and

large size ca-tering (which serves 40 to 50 persons) that includes B.B.Q Chick-en, Chicken Katsu, B.B.Q Beef, Mahi-Mahi, Kaibi Short Ribs, Crispy Fried Shrimps, Island Ceasar Salad, and Steamed rice.

For cater-ing services, a 50 percent deposit is required upon placing orders and require ad-vance notice. Full payment is expected upon pick up. Servings during lunch and din-ner will include a macaroni salad, steamed rice and vegetables.

Enjoy Q & Q Hawaiian B.B.Q’s Hawaiian Combo with choices of the Chicken Combo, Chicken & Beef or Ribs, Hawaiian B.B.Q Mix, Mixed Seafood with Chicken, B.B.Q Chicken & Mahi or Shrimp, B.B.Q Beef & Short Ribs Combo.

the Q & Q Hawaiian B.B.Q’s family meal is great for a group of four where you can choose three items from BBQ Chicken, Curry Chicken, teriyaki Chicken, Mahi-Mahi, Chicken Katsu, Kaibi Short Ribs, or the Chicken with Curry Sauce. It also includes rice, macaroni salad and vegetables.

People have been raving about Q & Q for having the best Hawaiian meal and providing a great dining experience over at Ventura. take the review of the satisfied customer Shayne L. who took time to post his review about Q & Q over yelp.com. He said he drives all the way from San Buenaventura, California just to experience Q & Q.

“Oh, sweet Christmas, this place. If I had to name one place as my guiltiest pleasure, the one

place I absolutely CANNOt resist going to eat at during a trip back home to Ventura, this would be it. Even when I was living in Oxnard I would make religiously frequent trips out to the great Q&Q - growing up in the home of a mother raised in Hawaii makes this place’s cuisine the closest to the taste of home.”

Like Shayne, more people have been discovering the good-ness of eating at Q & Q. So for one memorable dining experi-ence, come to Q & Q Hawaiian B.B.Q located at 1780 S. Victoria Avenue, Unit F in Ventura, California 93003. For reservations and inquiries you may call (805) 644-8988 or fax (805) 644-2288.*

*Advertising�Supplement

Continued on Page 6

MDWK Magazine DEC 8.indd 5 12/7/10 4:59:04 PM

6The Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 8, 2010

Manila Sunset in Cerritos opens to warm customer receptionGears up for coming holiday celebrations

THE new Manila Sunset in Cerritos, California, has opened to a warm reception by customers in the vibrant Fili-pino-American hub and those from other Southland cities including Carson, Long Beach, Downey, Cypress and Orange County communities.

The Cerritos inauguration comes close on the heels of the company’s opening of the restaurant’s Concord Branch in the East Bay Area.

The family-owned Manila Sunset is noted for its special pancit Malabon, bibingkang galapong, puto-bumbong, and goto.

“We are happy to bring to this community these tradi-tional Filipino delicacies that have become a part of many Filipino-American family cel-ebrations for many years now.

“We have also added

‘Manila-style’ grilled specialties and other regional favorites to our original menu.” according to the husband-and-wife team of Jay and Mae Halili , co-owners and managers of the new store, and the Los Angeles branch. “ We are right now gearing for the coming Holi-days, and we have prepared a special selection of festive party platters for Christmas and New Year’s Eve traditional Noche Buena celebrations.’ To many Filipinos, whether in the homeland, or here in the US, Christmas family gatherings are never complete without the nostalgic aroma and taste of freshly cooked bibingkang galapong and puto bumbong from Manila Sunset.

Manila Sunset first intro-duced its original bibinkang galapong, made from wet-ground aged jasmine rice,

cooked in specially made ov-ens that simulated the old-style method of cooking the rice cake with heat on top and at the bottom of the pan, the way it is done in Philippine coun-trysides and food stalls during Christmastime. The bibingka is topped with a specially made white cheese that has become the “trademark” of Manila Sunset bibingkas.

“In more than two decades now, we have never used short-cuts in the preparation of out heirloom recipes, accord-ing to Jay Halili. “We have never, and will never, use rice flour and cream cheese, the easy way, in the preparation of our bibingka.This is our com-mitment.”

Manila Sunset is celebrat-ing another milestone this month—the 25th anniversary of the opening of its first store

in Los Angeles. Today, aside from the Cerritos and Los Angeles branch, Manila Sunset is also in West Covina , North Hills (San Fernando Valley), Rancho Cucamonga ( San Ber-nardino county), National City ( an Diego), Concord (Northern California), Las Vegas, and New Jersey.

Recently, Manny Pacquiao’s TV program Pinoy Records featured Manila Sunset as a “record holder” for a Filipino restaurant in America (View it on YouTube). Joe L. Guevara, the late dean of Philippine col-umnists (Point of Order, Manila Bulletin) in his time, wrote of the manner Manila Sunset pop-ularized Filipino food special-ties in the vast and competitive America in his article titled There’s Gold in Bibingka.

Reviews of Manila Sunset in the past 25 years include those

in the Orange County Regis-ter, Hudson County Magazine (New Jersey), Los Angeles Times, San Gabriel Valley Tri-bune, Orange County Indepen-dent, Guide to Ethnic Food in Los Angeles (by Linda Burum) and Guide to Restaurants in Los Angeles & Southern Cali-fornia (by Paul Wallach).

Mary Furr, a long-time member of the Southern Cali-fornia Restaurant Writers said in her column in the Orange

County Independent, “Manila Sunset’s Filipino Cuisine is ir-resistible,“ and, according to Orange County Register food critic Elizabeth Evans, “Manila Sunset really shakes up Filipino Cuisine” in her article titled “Flavors of a Sunset.

Manila Sunset is a TOBY (Ten Outstanding Businesses of the Year) awardee by the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce.*

*Advertising Supplement

the US import requirements on food safety and quality.

The activities included:December 3 – Press Confer-

ence with Fil-Am MediaDecember 4 & 5 - BARKADA-

HAN FOOD FAIR- Seafood City, Eagle Rock, LA.

December 6 - Market SurveyDecember 7 - Business Match-

ing to be held at the Pacific Palm Resort Hotel

The participating food export-ers are:

• Aizas Sweets• Amarich Marketing Interna-

tional• Bonsure Evergreen Interna-

tional Corp.• Concio’s Food Corporation

From Page 5

DTI holds Outbound Business...

A warm welcome for the Manila Sunset of Cerritos (13347 South St.), the city’s customers joined by those from the neighboring cities of Artesia, Norwalk, Buena Park, Bellflower, Cypress and La Palma.

• Cormel Foods• Jamla Corporation• Mapagmahal Foods/q.f.c.

U.S.A Inc.• Marigold Manufacturing

Corporation• Marikina Food Corporation• Mega Fishing Corporation• Mlgs Herb Products• Monde M.y. San Corpora-

tion• Monde Nissin Corporation• Namica Enterprises Inc.• Navarro Foods International

Inc.• Sasmuan Delicacies• Universal Robina Corpora-

tion• Weambard International

Traders Inc.* *Advertising Supplement

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Visit us at our website: www.originalthaibbq.com

BRANCHES

MDWK Magazine DEC 8.indd 6 12/7/10 5:06:43 PM

7The Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 8, 2010

MDWK Magazine DEC 8wads.indd 7 12/7/10 6:15:53 PM

8 The Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 8, 2010

“We reserve the right to terminate the sales promo without prior notice. We also reserve the right to replace items with products of approximate value. No rain checks. Promo good while supplies last. Not valid with any other coupon or promo. Prices may change without prior notice. Giveaways not valid for customers with discount.”

IP DISTRIBUTION823 Lawson St.

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