Asian Journal May 7-13, 2010

(Continued on page 16)

Asian Cultural Festival May 8th at Liberty Station

BORACAY SAND SCULPTURE. A Boracay Island sand artist fi nishes up on his sand sculpture in time for tourists to appreciate his art work. PINOY GONZALES/ PNS

$34,000 condo units in Tagaytay. While you are away, you can rent out your unit as a condotel and make money on your investment. Presentations available in June 8 & 9, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Asian Journal offi ce at 550 East 8th Street Suite 6, National City, CA 91950 (in Old Schoolhouse Square). Call (619) 474-0588 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

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the high point of Tagaytay

Additional coverage and photos of the event on page 12

Tony Olaes and Loida Nicolas Lewis join community leaders of Southern California at the People Power USA event in San Diego

May 7 - 13, 2010

CommunityDr. Ofelia Dirige Dr. Ed Gamboa, MDWho is a Mother?

Philippine Scene

2010 Elections: Ruminations of a Helpless Bystander

The Department of Labor and Employment has launched a new project that provides opportunity to Filipino nurses to become productive while practicing their skills and ex-tending much-needed health services in the countryside.

“Project Entreprenurse is a fi rst of its kind in the Philip-pines. It seeks to change the outlook of nurses in the coun-try and help them recognize that nurses entrepreneurship is a viable option for them,’’ said Labor Undersecretary Carmelita Pineda, one of the prime movers of the initiative.

“I believe that the signifi -cant impact of these newly-formed nurses’ cooperatives will be in public health, where they are expected to contrib-ute to the achievement of our Millennium Development Goals on maternal and child health,’’ she said.

Pineda said the program will be pilot-tested in Davao, adding that the provincial and local government units in Re-gion 11 (Davao Region) have openly answered the call of the DoLE to engage its nurses in the project.

She said some 500 nurses in the region have initially banded into cooperative and are currently complying with the requirements for registra-tion with the Cooperative Development Authority as a cooperative.

The DoLE, she said, will provide the start-up capital for the cooperatives.

According to Pineda, the nurses will be assisted in putting together their busi-ness plans so they can ask for grants from government and non-government sources.

Among the potential sources of revenues for the cooperatives are the local gov-ernment units, PhilHealth’s capitalization fund, foreign donors and migrant Filipino organizations abroad, she said.

Project Entreprenurse set to provide opportunities for nurses

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Ibinabahagi ni Naty ang kanyang panahon, isip at lakas upang ang mga tinatangkilik niya sa Smokey Mountain ay makakita ng bahagya man lamang na liwanag sa kulimlim na ulap na bumabalot sa kanilang buhay. Bukod pa sa pagkalinga ay may materyal na tulong na ibinabahagi si Naty sa kanila, na walang iba kundi ang ano mang salapi na sumasayad sa kanyang palad.

Nang gabing iyon sa pag-iisa ni Naty sa kanyang silid ay ginunita niya ang isang matagumpay na araw. Nagawa niya ang ninanasang mga gawain sa Smokey Mountain na makatutulong sa kapuwa at ang pakikiisa niya sa pagdadalamhati ng mahihirap; bagkus ay ang makagawa ng paraan upang maibsan ang kanilang pagdaralita sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng pabuyang salapi.

Pahina 2

Ang Babaeng Robin Hood

A historic event for the Fili-pino American Community in San Diego County transpired April 28th at Jasmine Restau-rant in San Diego. Some of the most successful 1st & 2nd Generation Filipino American business, political, and profes-sional leaders from Southern California gathered to show

The Fil-Am wants a voice in the United States, but does not know how to achieve it. The term Filipino- American has always meant it was distinctly separate from the Philippines. The Fil-Ams issues here in the U.S. are separate from the issues over in the Philippines. The fi rst

their support of a movement that would help ameliorate the social and political conditions in their home country, the Philippines.

The gathering was in support of the Liberal Party candidates for the presidency and vice presi-dency of the Philippines, Beni-gno “Noynoy” Aquino and Mar Roxas, respectively.

Page 2 May 7 - 13, 2010Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

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Naaalala mo pa ba noon na:

1. diyes lang ang pama-sahe, kandong libre pa?

2. ang babae lang ang may hikaw?

3. ang preso lang ang may tattoo?

4. si Erap at FPJ (sln) ay sa showbiz section lang ng dyaryo nababasa?

5. ang intindi mo ng LOL ay UL OL imbes na Laughing Out Loud?

6. ARCEGAS at ESCOL-TA ang shoppingan sa bansa?

7. diyes lang ang isang basong taho?

8. at kailangan mong magdala ng sarili mong baso, kasi wala pang plastic cups noon si manong na magta-taho?

9. chocnut, bukayo at kending vicks ang pinag-ga-gastusan mo ng sinko mo?

10. Sarsi with egg ang pampataba at star margarine at matamis na bao sa umaga?

11. nagkaka-kalyo ka dahil sa manual typewriter pa ang ginagamit mo para sa school paper mo?

12. kaya uso pa noon ang carbon paper?

13. at Tancho o 3 Flowers pomade ang pang-ayos mo ng buhok?

14. KLIM ang tinitimpla ng nanay mo para sa’yo para inumin mo bago matulog?

15. nakakapag-grocery ka na 20 piso lang ang dala?

16. lima na numero lang ang kailangan mong tandaan para tawagan ang kaibigan mo?

Naalala mo pa ba?17. diyaryo ang iyung

tinutupi para maging baril-barilan?

18. singkwenta sentimos lang ang songhits?

19. pango pa si Vilma? 20. kay Paeng Yabut ka

lang naniniwala pag-ukol sa kung may pasok kung may bagyo !

21. sinkwenta sentimos lang ang pa-gupit?

22. pinagtatawanan ang kalbo?

23. hindi uso ang gusot ang buhok at damit?

24. nakakahiya kung na-kalitaw ang halfslip ng babae, ngayon nakadisplay pa ang panty at pusod?

25. lalaki pa noon si Ernie Maceda at Sonny Osmena?

26. hostess pa ang tawag, ngayon GRO na?

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28. payat na payaaaaaattt ka pa noon?

29. highway 54 pa noon at wala pang EDSA?

30. malago pa ang buhok mo?

31. songhits lang katalo na sa pagkanta.. ngayon naka Kareoke at videoke pa?

32. $1.00 = 2 pesos? 33. si Dolphy matanda na,

hanggang ngayon buhay pa at nag aanak pa?

34. sa Quiapo dati “praise the lord”, ngayon “assalaam alaykum” na?

Kung naaalala mo pa yan eh..

tsk tsk MATANDA KA NA NGA ! ! ! ...

Kuwento ni Percival Cam-poamor Cruz

Humahangos ang mga pulis nang dumating sa tindahan ng alahas. Nakatanggap sila ng emergency call na ang tindahan ay napagnakawan ng pinaka-mamahaling alahas nila. Naabu-tan ng mga pulis doon ang mga paramedic na nilalapatan ng cpr ang isang may edad na lalaki.

Nagbalik ang malay ng lalaki nguni’t ayon sa kanyang mga vital signs ay nagpasiya ang mga param-dedic na makabubuti na siya ay madala na rin sa ospital.

Ang My Lady Jew-eler ay isa sa mga sikat na tindahan ng alahas sa Makati , ang pina-ka-mayamang pook sa Kalakhang Maynila. Ayon sa pinagsama-samang salaysay ng mga empleado ng tindahan ay ganito ang nangyari:

Abala ang mga empleado sa pakikiharap sa mga dumating na customers. Si Mr. Jose Pacia, may-ari ng tin-dahan, humigit-kumulang sa 60 ang edad, ay nagma-masid, gaya ng naging kaugalian niya. May mga taong dumating na nakipagkita kay Mr. Pacia sa kanyang opisina. Karaniwan na ang mga ibig makipagkita kay Mr. Pacia ay mga taong kailan-gan niyang makausap, kaugnay sa pagpapatakbo ng tindahan; at di na pinapansin ng mga em-pleado ang pasok at labas ng mga bisita niya, bagkus at abala sila sa pakikitungo sa mga cus-tomers. Kung sino man ang du-mampot at nagbulsa ng nawawa-lang alahas ay tiyak na isa sa mga naging bisita ni Mr. Pacia nang araw na iyon. Nguni’t kung sino ay ang malalim na misteryo.

Napuna ng isang empleado na may di pangkaraniwang nang-yari nang kuliling nang kuliling


ang telepono ni Mr. Pacia sa opi-sina niya nguni’t wala namang sumasagot dito. Sumilip siya sa opisina ni Mr. Pacia, nguni’t walang tao doon. Naghanap siya kay Mr. Pacia sa Men’s Room; wala rin siya roon. Naisip niyang pumunta sa silid na sekreto, sa likod ng tindahan, na si Mr. Pacia lamang ang nakapapasok. Doon niya itinatago ang pinaka-

mamahaling alahas at ang mga batong hindi pa nagig-ing alahas. Natuklasan ng empleado na hindi naka-kandado ang pinto. Nang

itulak niya ito at sumilip sa loob ng silid ay

nakita niya si Mr. Pacia na nakahiga

sa sahig, at tulog na tulog na tila sanggol na may

bahagyang ngiti pa sa labi.

Agad ay humingi ng tulong ang empleado. Isa sa kasamahan niya sa trabaho ay pinul-suhan si Mr. Pacia at

nang matiyak na ito ay buhay pa ay kinalong ang ulo nito sa kan-yang kandungan at malumanay na sinubu-kang gisingin ito. Samantala ay may isa

namang empleado pa na tumawag na ng ambulansiya.

-- Tumawag kayo ng pulis! Napagnakawan tayo! -- ang unang nasabi ni Mr. Pacia nang magkamalay.

Kinabukasan ay sumabog sa pahayagan, radyo at tv ang na-ganap na pagnanakaw ng alahas sa My Lady Jeweler na nagpa-mangha sa mga pulis at reporter kung paano nangyari at kung sino ang may gawa. Ayon sa say-say ng Mrs. ni Mr. Pacia nang ito ay kapanayamin ng pulis at press, naiiba ang pagnanakaw na naganap dahil sa walang ebiden-syang naiwan ang salarin at wala ring testigo na nakakita sa nang-yari. Walang pwersang ginamit;

walang get-away car, walang manloloob na nakatakip ng hood ang ulo na nakita sa paligid. Tanging si Mr. Pacia lamang ang makapagsasabi, nguni’t batay sa kanyang saysay ay wala ring magagamit na information ang mga pulis.

Sa loob ng silid na sekreto ng tindahan ay may manekin ng babae na nasusuotan ng makiki-nang na alahas. Dito sa silid na ito ipinakikita ni Mr. Pacia ang pinaka-mamahalin at pinaka-pambihirang alahas niya sa piling-piling customers lamang. May isang customer daw na lalaki, ayon kay Mr. Pacia, na naka-Amerikana at isang ban-yaga (foreigner), ang nakipagkita sa kanya sa opisina, matapos na ito ay humiling ng appointment sa telepono, isang oras bago dumating; at sa loob daw ng silid na sekreto, habang nagpapakita siya ng alahas, ay nagbuga ang lalaki ng isang spray sa kan-yang mukha. At wala na siyang natatandaang iba pang nangyari pagkatapos nito . . .

------------------

Dinampot ni Naty mula sa passenger seat ang pahayagang Star na inilako sa kanya ng isang newspaper boy habang nakahinto sa traffic sa may Cu-bao ang kanyang kotse. Kararat-ing pa lamang niya sa Smokey Mountain, kung saan siya ay isa mga volunteers. Bago bum-aba ng sasakyan ay mabilis na binasa ang isang headline: “P5 Milyong Alahas Tinangay”.

Napailing si Naty at nasabi sa sarili, -- What else is new? -- Palasak na ang krimen sa malaking lungsod kung kaya’t di na siya nagugulat sa gayong balita.

Bibisitahin nang araw na iyon ni Naty ang limang pamilya na naka-atas sa kanya. Kasapi si Naty sa isang samahang-pangsimbahan na nagbibigay ng kalinga sa mga mahihirap na pamilya sa nasabing pook. Ang Smokey Mountain ay tambakan ng basura at ang mga nakatira doon ay nabubuhay sa pamamagitan ng pagpulot sa ba-sura ng ano mang maipagbibili

Page 3Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comMay 7 - 13, 2010

E-mails from the Desert

Read Ed Gamboa’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com and http://emailsfromthedesert.blogspot.com

by Dr. Ed Gamboa

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ASIAN JOURNAL_SD_05_07_10__6.4374x10.5

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49730_AJ_SD.indd 1 4/30/10 4:02:20 PM

SAN DIEGO, 5/7/2010 -- As I punch the keys of my e-note-book (a technological marvel dormant in blueprint only a few years ago), I am reminded by the box in the corner of my Facebook that the presidential elections in the Philippines are two weeks away. I also read, in a Yahoo international report, that Filipinos from as distant as Saudi Arabia are handing in mail-in ballots to contribute to what will turn out to be a criti-cal turning point of the mother country.Indeed, the Philippines sce-

nario is not without similarities to George Lucas’s Star Wars, a gargantuan battle between the forces of good and evil. When I was back home for a medi-cal mission last year, there was widespread political uncer-tainty. Many felt that the cur-rent president was contemplat-ing an extension of her term by some Machiavellian maneuver or another. There was talk of another martial law, there was talk of a constitutional assem-bly. There was talk of a sleight-of-hand switch, a la Vladimir Putin, from president to prime minister. There was also talk of yet another People Power if madam president extended her term beyond the nine years

Ruminations of a Helpless Bystander

she had s q u a n -dered so far.T h e r e

h a d b e e n h i g h h o p e s that a p r e s i -d e n t

the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politi-cians” ranked the Philippines 139th, along with Bangladesh and Pakistan. There was talk of the former

actor-president, who had been convicted of plundering the country, and who had earned the reputation of formulating governmental policies in the midst of nocturnal binges with his drinking buddies, was re-couping his political alliances. And there was talk that the weary masses were willing for forgive and give the poor fel-low another chance to plunder the country once again. Remi-niscent of the national senti-ment when a famous politi-cian in the 1960’s proclaimed: “This nation shall be great again!”Then something happened. I

remember that my wife and I were invited to dine out with friends and family when the talk concentrated on the break-

ing news that had electrified the coun-try. Bolted the nation out of complacency. The son of former senator Gerry Roxas, a grandson of former president Manuel Roxas, was giving up his run for the presi-dency in favor of a

son of a national hero and a national heroine. There was an unmistakably palpable groundswell of enthusiasm

1950s. Snapshots of the capital city during “peace time” show clean streets, artful buildings, well-dressed pedestrians. A striking contrast to present day traffic pollution, uncollected garbage, and ubiquitous im-ages of malnourished children in slum areas no different from Haiti or Darfur.Yet, now I read that a billion-

aire, who claims an impover-ished childhood, is poised to capture the presidency har-nessing the financial skills and business savvy that has made him the 9th wealthiest Filipi-no. Already, the Comelec, who is charged with upholding the sanctity of the ballot, has au-thorized the printing of ballots designed to strategically place his name on top of the list of presidential candidates. There is talk of potential hacking of electronic ballots as well.I find myself helpless -- like

a moviegoer watching a scene of mayhem and destruction. Indeed, I had applied for dual citizenship two years ago in

2010 Philippine Electionsthe hope of voting for this presidential elec-tion only to find out how difficult it was, at least in San Diego, to register to vote.I recently checked with the Philippine Consulate in LA only to be told that I had missed the deadline. A massive registration effort was launched a year ago, the con-sular official told me. Somehow, I had been spared the tsunami of information that had inundated areas of the Filipino Diaspora.But then again, I

felt helpless when the combined forces in Congress and the White House rammed

through a health care bill crafted by politicians, law-yers, economists and social engineers who did have the decency to consult the doc-tors, nurses and hospital ad-ministrators who work day in and day out in the trenches of health care.I end this piece by pay-

ing homage to the man from whose book I derived the title. Thomas Merton wrote Con-jectures of a Guilty Bystander in 1965. He said then that he had no clear answers but a lot of questions. I feel the same way now as Father Louis did almost half a century ago – passionately concerned about the gathering storm, but help-less to stop the tide.

Edgar A. Gamboa, M.D., FACS, FICS -- Chief of Surgery, El Centro Regional Medical Center, 1745 S. Imperial Avenue, Suite 104, El Centro, CA 92243 Phone (760) 352-7230

“The polls confirmed what people felt deeply. The team of Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas would catapult the country into the bright future it deserved.”

NoyNoy Aquino in Times 4/26/10 issue

Liberal Party standard bearer Senator Noynoy Aquino III and Senator Mar Roxas visits Gen-eral Santos City with Congress-woman Darlene Antonino-Costu-dio.Photo by/ Jay Morales

Liberal party presidential bet Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III with his girlfriend Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad durng the proclamation in Valenzuela City. Photo by/ Jay Morales

who attended Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and earned an economics degree, magna cum laude, from Assumption College would have the neces-sary skills to turn a third world county around. Indeed, the daughter of the late Philippine President Diosdado Macapa-gal, whose royal ancestry can be traced to Lakandula, the last reigning Rajah of Salu-dung, appeared to know what she was doing. Optimistic perceptions, however, fell by the wayside when corruption, so familiar indeed endemic in Philippine politics, reared its ugly head. The country settled towards the bottom of the bar-rel, so to speak. In 2007, Transparency Inter-

national, using its Corruption Perceptions Index to survey 180 countries according “to

and optimism.Indeed, the country could

truly be great again. At the very least, it could be politi-cally clean again. Malacanang would be swept clean, the government machinery would function without bribes, pri-vate armies would be dis-mantled, the masses would be provided basic services, such as clean water and cheap elec-tricity, education and health-care would be on the top of the government’s agenda, etc.The polls confirmed what

people felt deeply. The team of Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas would catapult the country into the bright future it deserved. For once, we could finally catch up with neighbor-ing nations which, after World War II, had lagged behind the Philippines economically but left us in the dust in the ensu-ing decades. The present gen-eration, of course, hardly real-izes that the Philippines was an economic powerhouse in the


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Letters to the EditorRead previous letters to the Editor by visiting our website at

www.asianjournalusa.com

Mga Tula ni Romeo G. Nicolas

That’s life in Phils. We keep hoping for the best. People should vote where their heart is to really know

Palpak noon, palpak ngayon

what’s best for our coutry.Sometimes can’t blame people when they were given their promises that never exists.

- Cesar Benitez

San Diego, CaliforniaApril 16, 2010

***

Palpak noon, palpak ngayon

Mga Tula ni Romeo G. Nicolas

Let’s say it’s true statement and nothing change

- Linda BenitezSan Diego, CaliforniaApril 16, 2010

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

by Atty. Dennis ChuaLegal Buzz

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

The State of Arizona has re-cently passed one of the toughest measures against illegal immi-gration in the country. The new law makes it criminal in the State of Arizona for anyone who does not have lawful immigra-tion status.

The original version of the law authorizes local law enforcement offi cers to determine the immi-gration status of persons when they come into law-ful contact with them and where reasonable suspi-cion exists regarding the immigration status of the person. The law also pun-ishes the willful failure of an immigrant to complete or carry an alien registra-tion document. The law classifi es a fi rst offense as a class 1 misdemeanor; and a second or subsequent violation of the law as a class 4 felony.

Drawing national criticism that the law will lead to racial profi l-ing, the law has been amended to allow law enforcement offi cers to check on the immigration status of an individual only after a lawful stop, detention or arrest by the law enforcement offi cer. The amendment also prevents law enforcement offi cers from using race as grounds for sus-pecting someone is in the coun-try illegally.

Despite the new changes in the law, critics of the law are not convinced that these changes will not lead to racial profi ling. The law which is set to take ef-fect on the summertime is now

The Arizona Immigration Law

facing legal challenges before the Courts and various civil lib-erties groups have vowed to fi ght the enforcement of the new law.

Although the Arizona law will only be enforced within the State

of Arizona, its passage has far reaching consequences national-ly. It has put immigration reform back in the national spotlight. A group of conservative lawmakers in Oklahoma and Texas are con-sidering pushing a bill similar to Arizona. Republicans running for offi ce in Colorado and Min-nesota have expressed support of the Arizona law and have vowed to pass similar legislation once elected.

On the other hand, the Demo-crats are spearheading a plan to enact this year a comprehensive immigration reform law to coun-ter the newly passed Arizona law. Political pundits however, predict that the passage of such a law will not happen soon.

The Arizona law was prin-

cipally enacted to curb illegal immigration and criminal activi-ties perpetrated by drug and gun smugglers in the US-Mexican border. However, the law is unjust as it criminalizes non criminal aliens such as people who enter the United States just to earn a living and to escape poverty in their home country. The Arizona law does not affect only Mexican immigrants but every ethnic group in the coun-try whose skin color will be subject to a reasonable suspi-cion that he or she is not in the country illegally. The solution to illegal immigration is not to pass a law which criminalizes people who are out of status in the country. Instead, a com-prehensive immigration reform law which addresses border security and enforcement and the legalization of people who are

out of status and are currently here should be passed by Congress.

In order to help fi ght the enforce-ment of the Ari-zona law and the passage of similar restrictive mea-sures, contact your congressman and senator and let them know that now is the time to pass a just and hu-mane comprehen-sive immigration reform law.

Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a part-ner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) - a full service law fi rm with offi ces in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. The CTV attorneys will be hold-ing regular free legal consulta-tions at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, California. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be re-tained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]


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by Dr. Ofelia Dirige Co-Founder and Director, Kalusugan Wellness Center

Contemporary Asian American Issues

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

Perspectives

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

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

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

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

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Mother’s DayA day of celebration tinged with so many emotions

We all know that we’re celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday. We all know why and most even have a vague idea of some of the informa-tion about Mother’s Day. In the spirit of community ser-vice I decided to fi nd out more and the results are below.

The fi rst Mother’s Day observance was a church service in 1908 requested by Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, to honor her deceased mother.

Jarvis, at an early age, had heard her mother express hope that a day to commemorate all mothers would be established. Her mother had also expressed the sentiment that there were many days dedicated to men but none to mothers. Two years after her mother’s death, Jarvis and friends began a letter-writing campaign to declare a national Mother’s Day observance to honor mothers. In 1914, Congress

passed legislation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

How Many Mothers

82.5 million: Estimated number of mothers of all ages in the United States.

68%: Percentage of wom-en in Mississippi, ages 15 to 44, who are mothers. This is among the highest rates among states. The national average is 56 percent.

82%: Percentage of wom-en 40 to 44 years old who are mothers. In 1976, 90 percent of women in that age group were mothers.

New Moms

4.0 million: Number of women who have babies each year. Of this number, about 425,000 are teens ages 15 to 19, and more than 100,000 are age 40 or over.

25.1: Average age of women when they give birth for the fi rst time — a record high. The average age has risen nearly four years since 1970.

40%: Percentage of births that are the mother’s fi rst. Another 32 percent are the second-born; 17 percent, third; and 11 percent, fourth or more.

35,000: Number of births in 2002 attended by physi-cians, midwives or others that do not occur in hospitals.

More than 687,000: Num-ber of child day-care centers across the country in 2002. These include nearly 69,000 centers employing close to 750,000 workers and another 618,000 self-employed per-sons or other companies with-out paid employees. Many mothers turn to these centers to help juggle motherhood and career.

About 2 million: Among more than 10 million pre-schoolers, the number who

are cared for in a day-care center during the bulk of their mother’s working hours.

Growers: The fl owers bought for mom probably were grown in California or Colombia. Among the 36 sur-veyed states, California was the leading provider of cut fl owers in 2003, accounting for more than two-thirds of the domestic production ($306 million out of $425 million) in those states. Meanwhile, the value of U.S. imports of cut fl owers and fresh fl ower buds in 2004 from Colombia, the leading foreign supplier to the United States, was more than $385 million.

$5 billion: Revenue of greeting-card publishers nationwide in 2002. The 15,859 employees of the 119 greeting-card publishing companies are especially busy creating Mother’s Day greet-ing cards.

How many?152 million: Number

of Mother’s Day cards ex-pected to be given this year in the United States, mak-ing Mother’s Day the third-largest card-sending occasion. (Source: Hallmark research)

10 million: The number of single mothers living with children under 18 years old, up from 3 million in 1970.

How Many Children2: Average number of

children that women today can expect to have in their lifetime.

3: Average number of children that women in Utah and Alaska can expect to have in their lifetime. These two states top the nation in average number of births per woman.

Only about 10 percent of women today end their child-bearing years with four or more children. That compares with 36 percent in 1976.

What’s it all mean? It

means that come Sunday you should have a card, make a phone call, send fl owers or give a gift. You should do something for that very fi rst woman in your life. And remember that Mother’s Day is many things. They can be joyful or poignant; some are sad as we remember moms who are no longer with us, some are fi lled with laughter, others painful. The important thing is to remember the point of Mothers Day, the love be-hind the thoughts, the central human importance of mothers everywhere. So, Happy Mother’s Day to every mom, ina, mère, mut-ter, moeder, ibu, madre, mor, mamá, me, and ma wherever you are, however you are.

And to my own mother Jo, and my kids’ mother Mi-chelle, Happy Mother’s Day to two of the very best moth-ers I’ve had the pleasure to know.

Happy Mother’s Day ev-eryone!

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau

by Guest Writer: Rev. Perla D. Belo

We are celebrating Mother’s Day! It is an important celebration because we know that the world owes a lot to mothers. When a baby is born, the fi rst face that this baby sees is that of the mother. The mother is the one who nurses the baby through her milk and provides comfort and nurture to the baby in order to grow. This

Who is a Mother?

Daughter Leah Feraro Hidalgo and mom Helen Arenas spend quality time buying matching “Elvis” glasses from Las Vegas.

message is based on Bible passages on mothers and looks at the different aspects of who a mother is.

EVE: THE MOTHER OF THE LIVING

Gen-esis 3:1-22 (fi rst book of the Bible), tells about the fi rst man and woman, the land, and the serpent that heard God’s punishment on them because they disobeyed God’s com-

mandment to not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowl-edge and evil. The woman’s punishment was she will bear children in pain. It is through the woman that a new hu-man being will be born. The naming of Eve occurred after hearing God’s punishment. Adam, the man, whose name means “ground”, gave his wife the name, Eve (Gen. 3:29). The Hebrew word for Eve means “life.” Eve means “the mother of the living.”

The punishments were enough to make one feel discouraged about life. But the man’s answer was to have faith, of embracing life in spite of the coming hard-ships of life and the eventual

physical death in their lives. Through the naming of the woman as Eve or life, the man and the woman affi rmed that they will live their life and that hardships would go with it. The pain, the love, and the defi ance against hardship and death are contained in the word Eve, the mother of the living.

Every woman is a potential Eve; a potential mother of all living because the mother is the one who bears a human being into the world or if not married can care for an-other human being. The word “Mother” is a name of honor and the name Eve is of equal importance, “the mother of all living.”

I admire Adam because even when he was given a harsh punishment in life, he did not feel sorry for himself and his wife. He took life and embraced it with all the pain it will bring as a result of the disobedience to God. Nam-ing his wife Eve, mother of the living, was an act of faith. We too can learn from their example, to accept and choose life rather than defeated when things go wrong in our lives, our work, and our relation-ships. God promised His pres-ence to us, to guide and give us wisdom.

DEBORAH: A MOTHER, JUDGE, AND A PROPHET (JUDGES 4:4-7)

In the early history of Israel, before the rise of the monar-chy, judges ruled Israel. The most famous judge was Sam-son (one willed his downfall because of Delilah). Judges were either male or female.

The Old Testament viewed female leadership in a positive light in the secular, political

and religious areas. “At that time, Deborah, a prophet-ess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel (Judges 4:4).” Deborah was a successful judge of Israel, a mother, and a prophetess.

To be a prophet is to speak on behalf of God to the people. God reveals his will to the prophet and the prophet faithfully tells the nation God’s will. The prophets spoke for God and so they were important in the life of Israel. Deborah as a woman was not a barrier for God to use her as a ruler, a judge and a prophetess. Being a proph-et, a judge, and a mother are not contradictory to each other; we are to view them as complimentary especially if the woman has the gifts of leadership.

Deborah as a mother pro-vided care and protection for Israel. Being a mother, this did not prevent Deborah from doing other roles that most people would think are only for men like being a judge and prophetess. Deborah is a strong model for women and for mothers especially and the roles they play in the home, religious, social and political community.

There is no limit to God’s transforming power to shape our lives, no mother or wom-an can say that just because she is only a mother or a woman that she cannot be like Deborah!

ATHALIAH: EVIL WOMAN AND MOTHER (I KINGS 22:52; 2 CHRONI-CLES 22:3)

Mothers are looked upon as carriers of life and comfort-ers (Isaiah 66:3), nurturers of their children, and good moral, ethical, and spiritual examples. These qualities are the general perspective on mothers. However, there is always an exception. There are mothers who are examples of evil behavior.

King Ahaziah was a king in Israel and his mother’s name

was Athaliah. The Bible says that his mother was his coun-selor in doing wickedly, “for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong” (2 Chronicles 22:3). Athaliah was shaped by the non-moral acts of his father, King Omri, the grand-father of King Ahaziah. Omri “did what as evil in the sight of the Lord; he did more evil than all who were before him by provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger by worship-ing idols” (I Kings 16:25, 26)

The evil behavior toward God was passed on from father to children.

King Ahaziah of Israel did what was evil before God and walked in the ways of his father and mother, and in the ways of Jeroboam, the fi rst king of the divided kingdom of Israel, son of Nebot, who caused Israel to sin by build-ing two calves for Israel to worship, built shrines to wor-ship pagan gods, appointed priests who were not Levites (the offi cial priests of Israel), instituted a new festival, of-fered sacrifi ces to the calves.

You have heard of the say-ing, “like father like son. The origin of the saying comes from the Bible. It is actually “like mother like daughter.” In Ezekiel 16:44, 45, “see, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you, like mother, like daugh-ter. You are the daughter of your mother.” This was a reference for the unfaithful-ness of Jerusalem toward God, as an adulterous wife who became a prostitute and worshiped the god of the Egyptians, Babylonians, As-syrians, and Philistines.

Mothers are to be examples to their children in living a life that is morally, ethically, and religiously pleasing to God. Let us ask God to help us bring our children in the way of a righteous life under the infl uence of God. The lesson from Athaliah teaches us the strong infl uence of a mother to shape the life of her daughter or son for good or evil.

THE COMMANDMENT WITH A PROMISE: HON-OR YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER (DEUTERONOMY 5:16)

This commandment is addressed to more mature children on how to treat their elderly parents. The mature son or daughter is no longer under the control of parents and are now stronger than the parents in many ways. The commandment has in mind the elderly parents, the weaker and needier members of the family who may be regarded by grown children as unimportant, burdensome, or unable to control adult chil-dren.

The outcome of the promise, honoring father and mother, “suggests that each genera-tion honoring and caring for the older members creates and maintains a social climate that enhances the possibility of a good and long life for each person in the society and for the society as a whole. To the extent that indiffer-ence and neglect of the older generation becomes a societal pattern, the possibilities of a long and happy life are dimin-ished.” (Von Rad)

To honor one’s mother and father is to regard them with great worth, not unimport-ant, not burdensome, and not disrespectful but to protect parents and to treat them with great importance and love.

MOTHER: IT’S MEAN-ING EXPANDED AND MADE RADICAL BY JE-SUS CHRIST (MATTHEW 12:46-50)

During one of the times that Jesus was preaching, he was told that his mother and brothers wanted to speak to him. Jesus answer was, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, Jesus said, “Here are my mother and my broth-ers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

and religious areas. “At that



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An Unauthorized History of the Philippines

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Nineteenth of a seriesBy Rudy D. Liporada

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

The Legend of Bataan and the Death March

It is often said that when

the legend is better than his-tory, the legend is presented and accepted as truth. That is assuming that history, as presented, by itself, holds the truth.

The siege of Bataan and the Death March are com-memorated every year as a heroic comradely defense of the Philippines by Americans and Filipinos fighting side by side…that in spite of all odds, outnumbered, they stood their grounds until they had to surrender to suffer the mon-strosity of the Japanese during the infamous Bataan Death March.

While, however, we should really venerate the sacri-fices of those who suffered, especially those who have died; and truly condemn the monstrosity of the Japanese, extenuating circumstances should not be glossed over to relegate truths under blankets of illusions and legends.

In recent years, Filipino WWII veterans had been fight-ing for the promise of General MacArthur that they would receive their just compensa-tions for having fought side by side with the Americans in the

trenches of Bataan and Cor-regidor; and eventual guerilla warfare against the Japanese. When most of the Filipino vet-erans have already died of old age, those few remaining who have gone feeble received a measly $15,000.00 for their profusely legend shrouded heroic efforts during the war. Understandably, during the six decades of posturing with the senate and congress, begging for the promise to be fulfilled, even those Americans who were supposed to have fought side by side with the Filipinos in the trenches opposed the bills to fulfill the promise. The American veterans feared that the government would dip into the allotted budget for the American veterans for the fulfillment of the promise.

So much for camaraderie.At the end of the day, the

Filipino Veterans’ issue was used merely as fodder by most American politicians to get Filipino American votes.

MacArthur, the Illusionist A central theme in the

Bataan legend is the illusion that the American and Filipino defenders fought “against overwhelming odds” or “in the face of overwhelming numerical superiority.”

Renato and Letizia R. Constantino, in their Philip-pines – A Continuing Past, wrote that “Such phrases were the staple of communiqués emanating from MacArthur’s headquarters…Often inac-curate, they even reported victories in battles that were never fought…such reports were eagerly picked up the American press and greatly boosted MacArthur’s prestige. The chief of the USAFFE public relations office, Col Le Grande A. Diller, later revealed that many of the communiqués were written by MacArthur himself and many others were carefully edited by him.”

At the trial of General Homma, the Japanese General exposed the numerical myths. The Japanese testified that there were only around 54,000 Japanese troops against 70,000 USAFFE in Bataan. When Corregidor surrendered, there were only 2,000 Japanese on the Island against 10,000 Fili-pinos and Americans.

The Bataan Death March and Internment

This numerical disparity would be one factor that led

to the harsh treatment of the Japanese towards their cap-tives.

When the Bataan forces surrendered on April 9, 1942, the Japanese were jubilant but quite surprised that the sur-render was made early and quite easily than the Japa-nese expected. The Japanese were then overwhelmed and were unprepared for so many prisoners. Assuming that there could have been a few of them with kindred hearts, the Japanese could not help but be harsh given the number of prisoners they have to take care of, much less to feed. There was also the language barrier where the Japanese barked orders were not under-stood. Moreover, the Japanese foot soldiers were in a foreign country which they correctly presumed to be hostile to-wards them. The tension of marching a horde with so less Japanese guards in a hostile environment added to the ten-sion of a Japanese to quickly club, bayonet, or behead a Bataan prisoner of war who, even slightly, got out of line.

Official estimates state that between 50,000 of the Filipinos and 9,000 arrived at O’Donnell after completing the March. Between 12,000 and 18,000 of their number are unaccounted for. What happened to them is unknown but it is assumed that between 5,000 to 10,000 died during the March. Half of the Fili-pinos interned or 25,000 and 1/6 of the Americans or 1,900 were to die during their intern-ment at Camp O’Donnell. The inability of the Japanese forces to feed the prisoners and give them medicines for malaria, beriberi, diarrhea and other illnesses contributed largely to the death of the pris-oners. Again, this was because the Japanese were unprepared to accommodate such a huge number of prisoners, much less feed and medicate them.

Before the Death March The fact is, even before the

Death March, the USAFFE troops were already about to perish not from the hail of bullets from the Japanese but from hunger, thirst, and lack of medicine from illnesses borne from jungle menaces.

It should be reiterated that with the MacArthur’s aban-donment of Plan Orange and subsequent late reversion to it, food, medical, ammuni-tion and other supplies for Bataan and Corregidor were

left, wasted, in depots along the beaches from the Northern Luzon down to Bataan.

Renato and Letizia Con-stantino state “…normal ration, rice stocks would have lasted only twenty days, flour and canned vegetables thirty days, canned milk forty days and canned meat and fish fifty days. Salt, lard, and sugar were in very short supply and there were practically no onions and potatoes. To make mattesr worse, around 26, 000 Filipino refugees had followed the 80,000 troops into Bataan and disgracefully meager supplies had to be shared with them. As early as January 5, MacArthur put all USAFFE force on half ration, only to reduce this several more times in the following weeks. The soldiers, especially those at the front, became so hungry that foraging for anything at all to eat became more ur-gent than looking out for the enemy…The supply of such an elementary drug as quinine was inadequate from the very beginning.”

Moreover, Corregidor was more stocked up than Bataan so that Corregidor had a sup-ply for 10,000 men for six months at the time that Mac-Arthur had ordered Bataan forces to be on half rations and getting the brunt of en-emies’ attacks. The Constanti-nos surmise “Perhaps because it was to be MacArthur’s headquarters as well as that of President Quezon, Corregidor had been given priority over Bataan…”

From the above, it could be deduced that, perhaps by no conscious intentions from any quarters, the forces in Bataan had to be surrendered by General King, commander of the Bataan forces, when there were only two days rations left for the troops. Meaning they were already going to die from hunger and illnesses. In effect, to prevent the slaughter of his troops meant, so they would

not starve, King passed on the responsibility of feeding the Bataan fighters to the enemy. Unprepared for this task where, even in the absence yet of the Geneva Conven-tion, conquerors are supposed to take care of their captives, the Japanese failed immensely to feed and medically care for the Bataan forces for the sheer magnitude of the captive troops. For this, the Japanese, solely, were harshly condemned, branded as the monsters of the Bataan Death March; where the errors made by MacArthur at the outset of the Japanese invasion which led to the inadequacy of the USAFFE troops and their sup-plies were largely ignored.

Corregidor is Different from Bataan

It should also be pointed out that those in Corregidor did not take part in the Bataan Death March as many are mistakenly led to believe. Richard M. Gordon of Burnt Hills, New York, was a de-fender of Bataan, a survivor of the Death March and a prisoner of Camps O’Donnell and Cabanatuan. In an article he wrote, he clarifies that the USAFEE in Corregidor did not take part in the Bataan Death March as countless spawned articles and books mistakenly presented. While Bataan forces were surren-dered in April 9, 1942, Cor-regidor fell on May 6, 1942. The Bataan Death March spanned five to six days right after Bataan’s fall. Therefore, the last of the Death Marchers had already been interned in Camp O’Donnell almost two weeks before the surrender of Corregidor.

Other Bataan Myths

To this day, Bataan day is celebrated as a shrine of Filipino American unity where Filipino and American blood

were equally shed for the defense of freedom against monstrous Japan. According to the Constantinos, shedding of blood between the two was never equal as the Filipino soldier was not treated as equal to the American soldier. The USAFFE was a single command but had two distinct armies – the Filipino Army and the US Army. The two armies had distinctly different food by virtue of their unequal allowances. For the Filipino soldier, his meal allowance was forty centavos per day. His American counterpart was one dollar or (at that time) two pesos. Moreover, the Filipino private received only 18 pesos for his month’s pay while his counterpart, received 100 pesos.

Moreover, the Filipino units were mostly in the front lines and the 10,000 Americans were mostly held in reserve.

All the inequities, however, would all be glossed over and almost forgotten blanketed by the perpetuated monstrous so called handling of the Japanese of the Bataan Death March. The Constantinos state “By promoting Bataan as the symbol of Fil-American unity and common sacrifice, this propaganda made Filipinos forget the empty promises of aid and ignore the errors of their military idol, Douglas MacArthur. It also strength-ened their faith in the United States.”

Continuing in this seriesJapanese Collaborators and

Japanese sponsored Indepen-dence

Who really liberated the Philippines from the Japanese?

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


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Atty. Susan V. Perez

Visit our website: www.law-usimmigration.com

by Atty. Susan V. Perez

Legal BriefRead Atty. Susan Perez’s previous articles by

visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

False claim to U.S. citizen-ship is worse than committing a crime under our immigration laws. It is ironic that applicants for adjustment of status or im-migrant visa who have been convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude may apply for a waiver of inadmissibility, while those who made false claims to U.S. citizenship are not be eligible for waiver. Prior to the enactment of the Illegal Immi-gration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) on September 30, 1996, only false U.S. citizenship claims made to U.S. immigration or consular offi cer in connection with visa application, admission to the U.S,. or obtaining immigration benefi t rendered the foreign national inadmissible to the United States. As such, misrep-resentation of U.S. citizenship to private persons or entities such as employers, banks, and airlines did not result in inadmissibility. Also, a waiver is available to parent, spouse, and children of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents based on hardship.

The enactment of IIRIRA made foreign nationals who made false claims to U.S. citizenship to be permanently inadmissible. Also the inadmissibility applies not only to false claims to U.S. citizenship to obtain immigra-tion benefi t, but also to false claims for any purpose or benefi t under any other Federal or State law such voting and doing jury service. It is not necessary for the claim to have been made to a U.S. Government offi cial. A false claim of U.S. citizenship to a private employer on Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verifi -

Defending charges of false claim to U.S. citizenship


cation) made the foreign national inadmissible. One exception is in the case of a foreign national, if each natural parent (or, in the case of an adopted child, each adopted parent of the foreign national) is or was a U.S. citizen, the foreign national permanently resided in the United States be-fore attaining the age of 16, and the foreign national reasonably believed at the time of making such representation that he or she was a citizen. In this case, he or she shall not be considered to be inadmissible.

As an attorney, my job is to fi nd legitimate ways to overcome charges of inadmissibility based on false claim to U.S. citizen-ship. First is to determine the date when the false claim was made. As discussed above, IIRIRA took effect on September 30, 1996. Therefore, it applies only to claims made on or after this date. I received an inquiry from the Philippines. He was a benefi ciary of an I-130 petition fi led by his U.S. citizen mother. When the benefi ciary applied for an NBI clearance, it showed that he made a false claim to U.S. citizenship back in 1990. As such, he is eligible for waiver of inadmissibility. It should be not-ed that some fraudulent acts, like crimes are considered continu-ing. In an unpublished decision made by the Board of Immigra-tion Appeals (BIA) in 2006, the BIA found that although the false claim to U.S. citizenship was made in 1995, the IIRIRA provi-sions were applied because the foreign national received ongo-ing discounted tuition fee after September 30, 1996, that re-


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Philippine Stories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

SMILES FROM THE

HEARTQuestion: How many people does it take to furnish a classroom with books?

The answer is 3. That’s right. 3 friends from highschool or elementary school or the same town x 1 idea x 10 books are all it needs to fi ll a classroom with 30 books.

Join the Friends of Sol Bautista in her quest to benefi t Gawad Kalinga USA by pre-ordering a set of 10 copies of the book “Smiles from the Heart,” a collection of the late poet’s work featured in the Asian Journal from 2007-2010. Then ask two of your friends to match your pledge of $150.

All proceeds will be donated to Gawad Kalinga USA, a 501(c)3 non profi t organization, to raise funds for community building in the Philippines. To learn more, email [email protected] or [email protected].

To:

From: Eugene De Leon

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

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

lines, it costs

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

Fax #

If approved please sign and fax back to

(619) 474-0373

__________________

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

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

05/07/10

Mike Sigman

HELP BUILD THE AIRPORT!

Kiewit/Sundt is currently looking for small and local contractors to start work for the landside improvements of the Green Build Project. There will be 5 bids coming out between June and September covering the following scope:

Utilities: Storm Drain, Sewer, Water, Hydronic Lines, Electrical & Communication, GasRoadway Improvements: Demolition, Earthwork, AC Paving, Curb, Gutter, SidewalkBridge Foundations: Driven Piles and CISS Piles, CIDH Piles, Structural Excavation and Backfill, Concrete, Rebar

Interested contractors can find more information by:Visiting www.san.org/greenbuild or by

Calling Mike Sigman or DeAnna Andrews at 858-408-4285

SMILES FROM THE

HEART

Please join us at the Asian Journal booth to purchase copies of the book “Smiles from the Heart” from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM during the Asian Cultural Festival in Liberty Station on Saturday, May 8th, 2010. Call 619.851.9547 to pre-order.

Chapter 5

After just two weeks, Ditas received the letter from her cousin Isabel. Enclosed was a beautiful picture of Isabel taken when she was a brides-maid in Ditas’ wedding. Ditas was surprised. Whenever Isabel’s mom would tell her daughter to send a photo to Ditas (so that Ditas could fi nd a U.S. resident husband for her), Isabel would not hear of it. Suddenly, the photo and the letter arrived.

Ditas put the photo in her wallet - just in case it came in handy. She had mixed feelings though. While she wanted to help her cousin fulfi ll her dream of settling in the United States, Ditas doubted whether it was the right way for Isabel to achieve happiness. That was the route Ditas took. But things did not work out the way she hoped for.

“DITAS, IPASOK MO NA ANG BAKA sa bakuran (Put the cow inside the backyard),” her mother, Aling Lucing yelled at her from their bata-lan (dirty kitchen).

That was ten years ago. She was twelve years old then, growing up in their province in Bulacan. She was skinny, not because she watched her weight, but because they

A Complicated Affair

The Last Man on Earth

did not have enough to eat. Her house dress was loose, a hand-me down from her cousin Isabel who lived in the city. Ditas was barefoot. Her rubber sandals were fi nally beyond repair, no matter how many times she tried tying the thongs together. But her feet

got used to the sharp pebbles and thorny ground, thanks to the rough calluses that developed on her feet like a hard shoe sole. It was al-ready dusk, and darkness was enveloping the area. Before, they used to let their cow graze in the fi eld near their house overnight. But after hard times fell on the area and rustlers came, cows were reined in during the night.

She led the cow in and tied its rope to a tree. Before, (Continued on page 16)

her younger brother Berto made the mis-take of tying the rope to a post of their house. When the cow was agitated and went ber-serk, it pulled away the rope

causing the back part of their house to collapse. The cow was their remaining prized possession. They used to have a carabao which their father used to farm the land, which was owned by their landlord from Manila. But since her father died six months ago, they had to sell the carabao to survive. There was no money coming in when their father, the family breadwinner, passed away.


So, there is something wrong with your Philippine birth certificate. Your name Lucio was misspelled as Lucia. Since the kumadrona who reported your birth thought that you were a girl -- either because of your misspelled name or her poor eyesight -- she also errone-ously put an “X” on the box next to female. What should you do now to correct these seemingly harmless errors?

Previously, you can correct your birth certificate only by going to court, which as we

Correcting Your Philippine Birth

Certificateall know may be a tedious process. Fortunately, Repub-lic Act (RA) 9048 was en-acted in 2001. This new law authorizes the civil registrar or the consul general to make the correction without need of a court order.

But not all corrections can be made by the civil registrar or consul general. They are limited only to clerical or typographical errors, or to changing a first name under certain conditions.

In the case of Lucio, the civil registrar or consul

general can change his first name from Lucia to Lucio, if he proves that the error was obviously clerical or typo-graphical. The Imple-menting Rules of RA 9048 define a clerical or typographi-cal error as “a mistake committed in the per-formance of clerical work in writing, copy-ing, transcribing or typing an entry in the civil register that is harmless and innocu-ous, such as misspelled name or misspelled place of birth or the like, which is visible to the eyes or obvious to the understanding, and can be corrected or changed only by reference to other existing record or records.”

In addition, Lucio can also claim that he is entitled to change his first name because he has been habitually us-ing the name Lucio and he is publicly known by it, and that correcting his birth certificate will avoid confusion.

The more difficult ques-tion to answer is, can Lucio correct the entry regarding his sex? At first blush, we would think that this is an obvious clerical error which can be corrected by the civil registrar. After all, Lucio’s gender can be readily estab-lished by a routine medical examination. But you would be surprised to know that RA 9048 does not allow outside-of-court correction of the sex entry. The law clearly says that “no correction must involve the change of nation-ality, age, status or sex of the petitioner.” No ifs and buts. Not even if the indicated sex is clearly erroneous.

The Philippine Supreme Court has ruled that “under RA 9048, a correction in the

civil registry involving the change of sex is not a mere clerical or typographical

error. It is a substantial change for which the applicable procedure is Rule 108 of the Rules of Court. (Silverio

vs. Republic, G.R.. 174689, Oct. 22,

2007)So, what must Lu-cio do? He

should file a petition

in the Regional Trial Court to ask the

court to correct both entries pertaining to his name and sex. There will be no need for him to separately go to the registrar to correct his name. The court can correct both entries in the same petition.

In his petition, Lucio must prove that he is the same per-son named in the birth cer-tificate. He may present his parents or other competent persons to testify to this fact. He should present documents proving his identity such as his baptismal certificate, medical, school and employ-ment records, pictures, and other papers. It may also be necessary to present a doctor to testify on his sex and that he has not undergone any sex change, in view of recent Supreme Court rulings that disallowed transsexuals from amending their birth certifi-cates to indicate a new name and sex.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the

Philippines. He practices im-migration law in San Diego and has continuously been a trial and appellate attor-ney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His office address is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an office in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Manila, Philip-pines 1007, with telephone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475 or email him at [email protected] for your free con-sultation. He speaks Tagalog fluently. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheticals intended as general, non-specific legal information.

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

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

Phil - Am Law 101


Tony Olaes and Jelynn Rodriguez of VH1 and Nickelodeon

People Power USA San Diego

Photos reprinted the with permission of Joseph Roley-Arzaga

Months, weeks, and days before the May 10 election countdown in the Philippines, San Diego supporters were already wearing the colors of the NoyMar 2010 campaign at many local events and to the grand fi nale of the People Power USA San Diego at Jasmine Restaurant last April 28th. Just as the NoyMar Rally began

in February at the Araneta Center, so did the campaign among Filipinos overseas. It was early in February when individuals in San Diego, CA like Dr. Estela Matriano and Carol Caparos hosted “fund-raising parties” and invited supporters to their home to meet with Susan Afan, a NoyMar campaign volunteer, and sister of Dr. Martin D. Bautista, otherwise known as “Dr. Balikbayan”, a successful physician in the U.S. who is running for a Senate seat in the Philippines. Soon other private citizens and leaders followed suit from the membership of organizations like COPAO. The community builders of Gawad Kalinga also

NoyPi-ver catches oncame moved by the vision of a new generation of leadership that puts the interest of many fi rst. The were not the only ones, of course, but many others came to be a part of history and to be counted among their countrymen.Its not the only grassroots

campaign that comes to mind. “It’s Noy or Never!” declares the NoyNoy Aquino for President Movement. The NAMP is using its wits to attract people to a popular initiative in the Philippines called a “Peso for Change” for a clean election. The donor gives a peso to signify that his or her vote is not for sale. Even in San Diego, the “NoyPi”

fever became viral as the 501(c)6 group, US Pinoys for NoyNoy Mar, staged a fundraising blitz across the U.S. and Canada. You know, Noy Pi or Pinoy or

“Filipino” in dyslexic slang. Or better yet, the chant is said with one’s hand raised up straight in the air to form the letter L for “Laban” or fi ght. NoyPi has become the hot political term of endearment for “Iboboto ko si NoyNoy Aquino” or “I am voting for NoyNoy Aquino.” Unabbreviated, the idea requires the skillful maneuver

of the vocal chords over eleven syllables in Filipino, which is why the short version is always handy when it comes to the impact and

timing of politics. “NoyPi” also counts for the multi-syllabic slogan of the politically minded group “Pinoys for NoyNoy”

which is why the Filipino word of the day is NoyPi, a term useful even after the elections if you are learning Tagalog for the fi rst time

only because the second meaning stands for “Filipino,” the people or the person. -- AJ

Joanne Camaro waits at controls for telecast Evelyn Constantino and a friend

Merly Ferrer, Fred Gallardo, Aurora Cudal at COPAO table Rita Andrews, Beth Antiporda, Alice Podschun, Dr. Andrew Chan with friends

Myrna Reyes, Katrize Trinidad, Loida Nicolas Lewis, and Merle Marcel Ocampo, Eric Elegado and Marlon Austria



EntertainmentMovies to Watch

(Following are movies now showing or soon to be shown in San Diego.)

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

L01A_Frappe_Mocha_PrintAd_Filipino_F_PO.indd 1 4/15/10 7:39 PM

Set in the midst of war and political upheaval during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860s, The Warlords is a spectacular historical action film starring Jet Li (in his best role since Hero). Li plays martial arts master General Pang, who barely survives a brutal massacre of his fellow soldiers by playing dead, and joins a band of bandits led by Er Hu (Andy Lau) and Wu Yang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). After fighting back attackers from a helpless village, the three men take an oath to become “blood brothers,” pledging loyalty to one another until death. But things quickly turn sour and the three men become embroiled in a web of political deceit, and a love triangle between Pang, Er Hu and a village beauty (Wu Jing-Lei). Winner of 8 Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Picture, Director (Peter Ho-Sun Chan), Cinematography and Actor (Jet Li). (Fully subtitled) www.warlordsmovie.com

Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the Palestinian segregation wall in the West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop is the story of how an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur film maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results. Billed as “the world’s first street art disaster movie,” the film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shephard Fairey, Invader and many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists at work. www.banksyfilm.com

Kate (Catherine Keener), Alex (Oliver Platt) and their teenage daughter Abby purchase the apartment next door in order to expand their two bedroom Manhattan apartment. Their only problem is the old cranky lady, Andra, living in it, and that they’ve got to wait for her to die. Andra is cared for by her sweet granddaughter Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) who has no life, and is blatantly rejected by her other highly cynical granddaughter, Mary (Amanda Peet). Simply waiting for Andra to die becomes complicated when the two families’ lives intersect, resulting in a dramatic comedy about love, death, and liberal guilt from Nicole Holofcener (Friends with Money, Lovely & Amazing). www.sonyclassics.com/pleasegive/

This film is Rated R by the MPAA. Running time 90 minutes.

Please give

The Warlords

Exit Through the Gift ShopThree women’s lives share a common core: they have

all been profoundly affected by adoption. Karen (Annette Bening) had a baby at 14, gave her up at birth, and has been haunted ever since by the daughter she never knew. Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) grew up as an adopted child; she’s a bright and ambitious lawyer, but a flinty loner in her personal life. Lucy (Kerry Washington) is just embarking with her husband on the adoption odyssey, looking for a baby to become their own. www.sonyclassics.com/motherandchild/

This film is Rated R by the MPAA. Running time 126 minutes.

Mother and Child

PNS -- THE SM theatre where the premiere of “You to Me Are Everything” was held couldn’t accommodate the huge crowd that came to watch. So many people weren’t able to get in, but those who did weren’t disap-pointed as it’s a feel good movie aimed to please viewers. The story is tailor made for the Ding-dong Dantes-Marian Rivera love team and their fans were shriek-ing with delight during the film’s various “kilig” moments.

Marian is Iska, a mountain maiden in the strawberry fields of Benguet who inherits a huge for-tune in Manila from her wealthy father. She lives by herself in this huge mansion formerly owned by the family of Rafael (Ding-dong), whose congressman dad is jailed due to corruption making Rafael a pauper. The drunken Ra-fael goes home to their old house one night and Marian is shocked to see him inside her room. But she listens to his drunken mono-logue and takes pity on him, even taking him to his new humbler

Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera

Dingdong, Marian movie mobbed

residence the next morning. Iska is like a fish out of water in her new affluent surroundings and she needs a business manager to guide her. Guess who she picks to do this? Rafael, of course. He takes the job only because he intends to borrow a huge amount from her later on to start his own business. But you know how these stories go, one thing leads to another for the obliga-tory happily ever after kind of ending.

The story is another take on the age old Cinderella story, with Iska having two scheming stepsisters (Krista Sullivan and Andrea Torres), but the differ-ence is that her stepmom (Pinky Amador) is not evil. As usual, there’s this big ballroom scene where the wicked stepsisters are expecting Iska to make a fool of herself in a tacky “sagala” gown. Unknown to them, Rafael has taken her to a stylist and she arrives looking resplendent


Spiritual Life

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

by Msgr. Fernando G. Gutierrez

Lower Your Nets Balintataw

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

by Virginia H. Ferrer

Prayer to Blessed Virgin

(Never known to fail)

Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven. Bless Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me here you are my Mother. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me here you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humble beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity(make re-quest). There are none that can withstand your power. O Mary, conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee (three times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days & then you must publish & it will be granted to you.

PersonalPrayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit thou make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my love ones in your perpetual glory, Amen. A Person must pray this 3 consecutive days without stating one’s wish will be granted no matter how dif-ficult may be. Promise to publish this soon as your favor has been granted.

Sonia Sonia

Kasi Ikaw TagihawatNakakainis ka naman tagihawat kang nilalangbigla ka na lang sumulpot sa aking pisngi’y dumungawhindi ka man lamang nagsabi o kaya’y nagparamdamimportante pa naman sana ‘tong aking pupuntahan.

At sa dapat kong puntahan ako pa rin ay tumuloy‘di kita pansin dahil wala ring sa aki’y tutulongtiniis kitang dalhin sa mga pisngi kong may biloymapula ka nga lamang at hapdi ikaw ay mayroon.

Ngunit alam mo ba na sa akin ikaw ay nagdulot ng isang kasiyahan sapagkat lubos kong natarokna kahit ano pa man ang sa mukha ko ay sumulpotsadyang mahal pa rin pala ako nitong aking irog.

Joke of the Week: The visiting priest stopped in the middle of his homily and signaled to the usher. “In the second row,” he whispered, “is a man sound asleep. Wake him up.” “That’s not fair,” said the usher. “What do you mean, ‘not fair’?” “You put him to sleep; you wake him up,” replied the usher.

Scriptures: First Reading: Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29. It was mentioned last Sunday how Paul and Barnabas showed their missionary account-ability to the Antioch church. When the Judean Pharisees contend that there is no salva-tion without circumcision, this matter was brought to the mother church in Jerusalem to which the Antioch is account-able. Peter recounted how God cleansed the hearts of the Gentiles by faith. Paul and Barnabas narrated their mis-sionary activities among the Gentiles, how God worked wonders and signs in their midst. Second Reading: Rev-elation 21: 10-14, 22-23.The use of Ezekiel imagery, such as the city on the mount and the twelve gates (represent-ing the twelve tribes), high-lights the importance of the new city: This new city has no temple because the divine presence makes the whole city a temple. There is no need for the moon and the sun to shine on the city because the glory of the Lord provides its light. Gospel: John 14: 23-29. Previously, one of the apostles asked, “Master, why is it that you reveal these things to us and not to the world?” Expecting a triumphant and awesome display of power at Jesus’ return, the apostles

The insider who inspires and strengthens all mothers

instead received a surprising answer: the Father and Jesus will come to those who love them and the Father will send the Holy Spirit to enlighten the Christians about Jesus’ words.

welcome. Jesus knows that it would

be difficult for his disciples to keep his words. They are humans and vulnerable to failures, especially when he is no longer with them. Jesus knows if he had been perse-cuted and put to death, those who follow him would suffer the same fate. He assured his followers not to be afraid, instead to be at peace. Perhaps the disciples were thinking that it is easy for Jesus to say that because he is going back to his Father. But Jesus assured them again that he would send the Holy Spirit, the Insider, who would be with them and would unfold to them everything that he has revealed so that they would not only forget him but that they would be enlightened, guided, and strengthened, es-pecially during their difficult and trying times.

Two things are worth mentioning regarding today’s readings: first, the church on earth; second, the church in heaven, the culmination of the church on earth and built on living stones. The church on earth is beset with weak-ness, but strengthened by the Body and Blood of the Lamb, the risen Christ. She goes through journey, but along the way she encounters trials and temptations. She is supposed to be the pleasing Bride of Christ, but at times her life is tainted with scandals. How-ever, to focus merely on her negative life is to forget the church on earth is also made up countless women and men, “the precious stones,” some of whom have already been made the foundation stones of the heavenly church, while still with us, are already shining examples of how the words of Jesus are kept.

May the Holy Spirit con-tinue to bless, strengthen, and inspire all parents, especially all mothers. A Blessed Moth-er’s Day.

Quotation of the Week: “Every neighbor, even though he be hateful in himself, becomes lovable to the full-grown ‘I’ if he, too, is a child of God.” Fulton J. Sheen.

Reflections: Last Sunday’s gospel tells us that Jesus gave his disciples a new command-ment: to love one another as Jesus loved them. Today’s gospel continues with Jesus making it clear to his disciples what it means for them to love him: to keep his words. This is a tall order. It is difficult to keep the memories of those who are no longer with us. No matter how hard we try, there would always be a moment of “sudden amnesia.” It has been observed that one of the rea-sons why partners in a failed marriage jump right away into a new relationship is that with the replacement of the old one they want to forget the traumatic or unhappy relation-ship of the previous marriage. Another reason, according to marriage counselors, is that people who came out of broken relationships suffer emptiness in their lives and are vulnerable to any show of affection. Whoever or what-ever fills that void is mostly

Defending charges of

false claim to U.S. citizenship sulted from the false claim. This ruling is very disturbing not only because it directly contradicts the plain language of the law, but because it is a threat to many as-piring immigrants. Most of them made false claims on I-9 forms when applying for employment before September 30, 1996. Can these foreign nationals be denied adjustment of status based on continuing fraud theory if they continued employment after the effective date of IIRIRA?

Most of my inquiries regard-ing false U.S. citizenship claims arose from completing Form I-9. Box 1 of the form states: “I attest, under penalty of per-jury, that I am (check one of the following) [ ] A citizen of the United States”. All employees (citizens or noncitizens) hired after November 6, 1986, and are working in the United States are required to complete and submit Form I-9 before starting employ-ment. For these cases, the most common defense is the ambigu-ous nature of the claim whether the applicant was claiming to be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national. Most people believe that U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals are the same, but in fact they are not. Some Mexican nationals have been residing in the United States since they were infants. Their parents crossed the border and took their infant children with them. Some of these children thought they were born in the United States and are nationals of the United States. If they have very limited English language skills and education, it is hard for them to distinguish between U.S. citizenship and nationality. Since the law refers only to false claim to U.S. citizenship and not U.S. nationality, the courts have recognized the “citizen/national” ambiguity as a valid defense in many cases involving forms I-9.

We welcome your feedback. If you have any immigration questions, please feel welcome to email me at [email protected] or call 619 819 -8648 to arrange for a telephone consultation.

(Continued from page 9)



Community News

San Diegans meets Noynoy at Luisita Golf and Country Club in San Miguel, Tarlac. Left to right: Mr. and Mrs. Nolan and Charito Ulonan, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III and Quint Ramil, Jr. After playing 18 holes of golf, a helicopter landed on the driving range and Noynoy exited. He proceeded to the clubhouse where thery met him with his aunt, Dona Dely, who is the CEO of Club Luisita and sometimes plays golf with them. The FilAms promised Noynoy that they will campaign for him in San Diego.

San Diegans meet Noynoy at Luisita Golf

and Country Club


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at mapagkikitaan.Maganda si Naty. Mataas,

kayumanggi, mahaba ang buhok, busog ang dibdib at, sa kabuuan, ay larawan ng isang kaaya-ayang babae na maaring maging artista sa pelikula. Nguni’t sa pagkakataong ito ay payak at di pansinin ang anyo ni Naty. Nakamaong lamang siya at kara-niwang t-shirt, at natatakpan ang mukha ng sunglasses at baseball cap. Nagtapos siya ng pag-aaral ng chemistry sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas -- ang pamantasan ng matatalino at mga hasa sa pagtulong sa kapuwa. Hindi pa nagsisimulang magtrabaho si Naty dahil sa naghihintay pa ng magandang pagkakaton. Sa-mantala ay patuloy ang pagta-tangkilik sa kanya ng kanyang mga magulang na nakaririwasa naman.

Masasabing si Naty ay nama-mangka sa dalawang ilog. Sa isang panig ay may buhay siya na tahimik at nakaririwasa; at sa kabilang panig ay nakikisala-muha siya sa mga kapos-palad at may karamdaman na maligalig ang buhay. Sa isang panig ay masugid siyang kasapi at volun-teer ng simbahan; at sa kabilang panig ay girlfriend siya ng isang aktibista na maka-kaliwa, na kanya ring tinutulungan, kaug-nay sa pagpapaganap ng mga

layuning makabayan.Naniniwala si Naty, kahi’t na

ang pagiging rebelde ay hindi mababasa sa kanyang anyo, na walang katarungan sa mundo. Ang marami ay nanghihigapos sa buhay dahil sa kawalan ng pagkakataon at sa pagsasaman-tala ng mga nasa kapangyarihan. Ang malalakas at mayayaman ay patuloy sa kanilang pagpu-punyagi, samantalang ang mga mahihirap ay nabubuhay sa pispis at patuloy sa pagkakabaon sa burak ng kahirapan at karam-daman. Gagawa si Naty ng ano pa mang hakbang, na kahi’t na pangsarili lamang, ay makatutu-long tungo sa pagkakapantay ng timbangan ng katarungan.

Tinatangkilik ni Naty sa Smokey Mountain si Nestor, isang lilimampuing may sakit sa kidney. Dating taxi driver si Nestor, nguni’t nahinto ang pagkita ng pera na pambuhay sa pamilya dahil sa pagkaka-sakit. Ang mga mayayaman na may sakit sa kidney ay naka-pagpapagamot at nakabibili pa ng kidney kung kailangan ng kapalit. Nguni’t ang mga ma-hihirap na katulad ni Nestor ay lipos ng pananakit ang katawan at naghihintay na lamang ng wakas, sa kawalan ng kakayahan na makabili ng gamot, bagkus ay makayanan ang gastusin sa isang operasyon.

Si Lisa at Amy naman ay mag-ina na nabubuhay sa pagkalkal sa basura. Ang asawa ni Lisa ay napagkamalang miyembro ng NPA; dinampot siya isang araw, dinala sa Camp Capinpin ng mga sundalo, at di na mul-ing narinig o nakita. Kung di gagawin ni Amy at Lisa ang araw-araw na pagsisid sa basura ay mamamatay sila nang dilat ang mga mata, dahil sa gutom at uhaw. Ang plastik at bote na napupulot sa basura ay nagiging kaunting barya na pangtawid nila sa buhay sa araw na araw na ginawa ng Diyos.

Ang paborito ni Naty sa lahat ng kanyang tinatangkilik sa Smokey Mountain ay si Richard, pitong taong anak na lalaki ni Jane. Napakaguwapo at matali-no ng batang ito. Sa maghapon ay nag-iisa sa bahay si Richard, sapagka’t sa araw ay nagpupunta sa trabaho ang kanyang ina. Siya ang bantay sa nakababatang kapatid na di pa man halos naka-lalakad. Nagluluto si Richard at nagpapakain ng kapatid. Siya rin ang nagpapakain sa dalawang alagang baboy ng ina, naglilinis sa kanilang kulungan at na-glilibot sa bahay-bahay upang humingi ng kaning-baboy. Kay laking responsibilidad gayong siya’y pitong taong gulang pa lamang!

-- Gusto ba ninyong uminom ng tubig, Miss Guevarra? -- alok ni Richard kay Naty. Gawi ni Naty na umupo sa bangko sa hapag-kainan nina Richard upang makipag-usap sa bata.

-- Salamat, Richard. Okay pa


generation has tried gallantly to unite, but regionalistic ways con-tinue to get the best of them. It is believed that the Filipino Ameri-cans have not been successful in forming their ideal voice here in the United States. They remain a divided people going about their professional lives as Americans.

The event explained bits of Filipino history, like how the Fil-Ams came to be and how they are connected by blood and spirit to the Philippines, no matter where they were born. It not only explored how the world looks positively upon the Filipino as a collective people, but also how the Filipino state reflects the opposite sentiment. The event connected the lost second generation to rise in honor of the one thing that links them…and that is Country. It was an invitation to act and de-clare oneself as a Filipino.

Tony Olaes, a native San Di-egan and entrepreneur, brought this message home by giving his testimony of his lifetime quest to

People Power USA rocks San Diego

(Continued from page 1) find his identity. Loida Nicolas Lewis passed a symbolic torch to the next generation while discussing the significance of People Power in Edsa 1 and the destiny of a person to lead the Global Filipino. People Power USA is a rally to engage all Filipino and Filipino-Americans, especially the second generation, to respond to their wants and needs while honoring who we are as proud Filipinos through one voice.

During the event, the audience heard first hand what is being done to shift their motherland on the ground and what they can do as Filipinos living outside of the country. They heard from some of the top community leaders here in the states and some of the most trusted in the Philip-pines via live teleconference.

It was a call to action for them to take part in building a nation, whether they are in the U.S. or in Philippines. It was time to call upon all to stand for what is right, empower themselves, speak out and witness the power

of the Filipino people. The event was intended to end

the tour of “US Pinoys for Noy” with a bang with Global Filipino media covering the event.

The guest speaker of the evening, Loida Nicolas Lewis, is Chair and CEO, TLC Bea-trice, LLC, a family investment firm. An attorney by profession who was admitted to practice in the Philippines and New York, Mrs. Lewis was the first Filipino woman to pass the New York bar without attending law school in the United States.

After her ten years stint as General Attorney in the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (currently U.S. Citizen-ship & Immigration Services) and winning her discrimination case against INS in 1987, Mrs. Lewis co-authored “How to Get A Green Card”, a best-seller in its genre now on its 8th edition.

In 1995, she landed on the cover of Working Woman maga-zine as Top Business Woman in America when she steered to $2 billion revenue in TLC Beatrice Foods business con-glomerate whose chairmanship she assumed upon the death in 1993 of her husband, Harvard law graduate Reginald Francis Lewis. In 1987, he became the first and only African American to achieve a $985 million lever-

age buyout.The participants in the telecon-

ference were Mikee Cojuangco, daughter of former Tarlac Congressman, Jose Cojuangco and his wife, former Tarlac Governor Margarita “Tint-ing” Cojuangco; Philipine Star Columnist Billy Esposo; Pasig Congressman Dodot Jaworski; and Alexander L. Lacson, a Filipino lawyer, author, lecturer, philanthropist and politician running in the 2010 Philippine Senatorial Election. He is best known as the author of “12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country.”

The event was hosted by Fil-ipina America actress Jelynn Ro-driguez, with entertainment pro-vided by singer Katrize Trinidad and the band Rising Star.


He just came home with a cough that developed into a high fever later that evening. The next morning, he had to go back to the farm despite his ailment and help with the harvest, which had to be done right away due to an impend-ing typhoon. It was an unusu-al situation. Rain was pouring down even though it was almost summertime. After toiling under the hot rays of the sun, his father soaked in the rain to harvest the remain-ing rice stalks. It was a mis-take. Throughout the night, his fever rose so high that he was hallucinating. The family could not afford to take him to a doctor and settled with a herbolario (quack doctor) who rubbed coconut oil on the patient’s back and placed wet leaves on his forehead. He did not survive the night. The family was sure he died of something else but it was too late and too expensive to conduct a post mortem. A coffin was made out of cheap wood. For five days and five nights, his neighbors, friends and relatives stood vigil dur-ing the wake to raise as much money through card games to help the family shoulder their funeral and living expenses. The poor farmer was sur-vived by his wife Lucing, his daughter Ditas and his two sons, Berto and Mario.

“Papaano na kayo ngayon, papaano kayo mabubuhay (How are you now, how can you survive)?” well-meaning friends asked the family. All Lucing, the mother, could do was cry. They learned how to survive as the days went



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Who is a Mother?Jesus sounded not concerned

with his family but the Greek text tells otherwise in contrast to the English version. The single point of the story is that for Jesus, a new spiritual fam-ily takes priority over natural family. This idea from Jesus will be hard to accept espe-cially for those who put their natural family ties as the most important.

The defi nition of Jesus’ true family is ethical. To be in Je-sus’ family, one must live the life of the kingdom of God which means liv-ing under the rule of God. Mother is more than a physi-cal attribute; it also becomes a spiritual one in which the life of God and Christ are clearly seen.

God bless you as you as you cele-brate Mothers this special day! Belo Family


Dingdong, Marian movie

mobbedand gorgeous in a stunning red gown.

There’s really no big confl ict in the movie. Both Rafael and Iska are already committed to someone else (Dingdong to Isabel Oli and Marian to AJ Dee), but even these hindrances are quickly taken out of the way. In the end, we realize that the confl ict is not really provided by some external forces, as is usu-ally the case in love stories like this. The confl icts here are more of an internal nature, emanat-ing from within the core of the lead characters themselves. Will Rafael ever fi nd some mercy in his heart to forgive his erring dad and realize what a positive infl uence Iska is in his life? Will Iska be willing to give up all the luxuries she has tasted in the city for a simpler life in the mountains where she grew up, including the city boy who has captured her heart?

Director Mark Reyes makes sure his leads are both sympa-thetic characters and he’s served well by Dingdong and Marian who both give very endear-ing performances. Dingdong is really one of the most dash-ing leading men we have these days. As for Marian, we’re just uncomfortable at times with the way Iska’s jologs ways are laid on too thick. She has such a heart of gold she’ll even go out of her way to help a kit-ten that can’t get down from a tree and, instead of punishing her mean stepsisters, she even rewards them with a huge part of her inheritance. But it’s to Marian’s credit that she’s able to credibly carry all the ridiculous things she was made to do in the movie, including a scene where she suddenly sings and dances in a serious boardroom confer-ence. Technical credits are fi ne and the rustic beauty of Benguet is captured vividly on the big screen.

(Continued from page 13)Perla D. Belo, is a graduate

of Fuller Theological Semi-nary (MDiv) and Princeton University (MTh). She is also a retired pastor with the Asian Ministries, American Bap-tist Churches. She now lives in Seattle with her husband Gasat, children Nathan and Ariele, and grandchildren, Ezekiel and Jaedon. She is a member of the KCS Board of Advisors. This article is a condensed sermon delivered at a Filipino church on a Mothers’ Day Sunday.


ako.-- Malaki ba ang bahay ninyo?

Ang bahay namin ay yari sa karton at lumang yero, pero, siguro, pag mayaman na kami ay magkakaroon din kami ng bahay na bato at malaki. -- wika ni Richard.

Iniba ni Naty ang usapan. -- Kailan ka ba papasok sa esk-wela? -- tanong ng dalaga.

-- Aywan ko po. Sa ngayon ay mas mahalaga ang mag-alaga kay Junior at sa mga baboy. Sana ay matuto po akong mag-basa at nang kung ako’y naiinip ay makababasa ako ng libro. -- sagot ni Richard.

-- O, sige . . . sisimulan natin ngayon. Tuturuan kita muna ng ABC -- pakli naman ni Naty.

Lingid sa kaalaman ni Richard, siya ay isang Amerikano, anak ng isang Amerikano na nanilbi-han sa Subic Bay . Nakilala ng nanay niya ang sundalong taga-California at sa loob ng walong buwan ay nag-live-in sila at naging bunga nga ng pagsasama nila si Richard. Pinangakuan ng sundalo si Jane na siya ay kukunin sa loob ng tatlong buwan lamang at maninirahan sila sa California , kasama ang magiging baby nila; nguni’t ang mapait na katotohanan ay hang-gang sa airport lamang umabot si Jane. Wala siyang natanggap sulat man lamang sa pinagkati-walaan niya ng kanyang puso at katawan.

Ang nakababatang kapatid ni Richard, napag-alaman ni Naty kay Jane na rin, ay buhat sa ibang tatay. Matindi ang awa ni Naty sa pamilyang ito - kinab-ubuuan ng isang dalagang-ina na dalawang ulit nang nagkamali sa pag-ibig, na sa harap ng kahira-pan at pagnanasang buhayin ang dalawang anak ay pumapasok sa isang trabaho na mababa ang uri; at ng dalawang bata na walang malay sa nangyayaring dagok sa kanilang kapalaran. Si Richard, dapat ay nasa California , at tinatamasa ang buhay na nauu-kol sa isang Amerikano. At sa halip ay nasa Smokey Mountain

at pinagdudusahan ang isang ma-pait na kapalaran na hindi siya ang may gawa.

Ibinabahagi ni Naty ang kanyang panahon, isip at lakas upang ang mga tinatangkilik niya sa Smokey Mountain ay makakita ng bahagya man la-mang na liwanag sa kulimlim na ulap na bumabalot sa kanilang buhay. Bukod pa sa pagkalinga ay may materyal na tulong na ibinabahagi si Naty sa kanila, na walang iba kundi ang ano mang salapi na sumasayad sa kanyang palad.

Nang gabing iyon sa pag-iisa ni Naty sa kanyang silid ay ginunita niya ang isang matagumpay na araw. Nagawa niya ang ninana-sang mga gawain sa Smokey Mountain na makatutulong sa kapuwa at ang pakikiisa niya sa pagdadalamhati ng mahihirap; bagkus ay ang makagawa ng paraan upang maibsan ang kanil-ang pagdaralita sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng pabuyang salapi.

Sa harap ng salamin ay inani-naw ni Naty ang kanyang sariling hubad na katawan at nangigiti sa nangyari sa kanila ni Mr. Pacia.

Hindi aaminin ni Mr. Pacia kung ano ang tunay na nangyari sa pagkawala ng kagila-gilalas na kuwintas na may malaking brilyante na nagkakahalaga ng limang milyong piso! Sapagka’t ang tunay na nangyari ay kahiya-hiya! Siya at si Naty lamang ang nakaaalam ng tunay na naganap.

Si Naty ang isa sa mga dumat-ing sa opisina ni Mr. Pacia noong araw na iyon, na nagkunwaring anak-mayaman na ibig makakita ng mamahaling kuwintas. Ipi-nasok siya ni Mr. Pacia sa silid na sekreto ng tindahan upang ituro ang nababagay sa customer, na ayon sa sariling saysay ay malapit nang ikasal. Itinuro ni Mr. Pacia ang kuwintas na nakasabit sa leeg ng manikin at sinabing iyon na ang pinaka-mahalagang alahas sa kanyang tindahan, at bukod doon, ay may mga pira-pirasong brilyante pa na di pa nagagawang alahas na nakapaloob sa maliliit na kahon.

Humingi ng pahintulot ang da-laga na kung maaari ay maisuot niya ang kuwintas. Malugod namang nagpaunlak si Mr. Pacia. Humiling, sa katunayan, ang

dilag na kung maaari ay tulungan siya ni Mr. Pacia na maisuot ang kuwintas. Lumapit ang lalaki sa babae at halos ay nagkayap sila, dahil kinailangang maibalot ni Mr. Pacia ang kanyang dalawang bisig sa leeg ni Naty, upang mailapat ang kuwintas nang tama. Nakaramdam ng naiibang pakiramdam si Mr. Pacia habang nakadikit sa katawan ng dilag. Tila siya isang bakal na hinigop ng magnet. Nasamyo niya ang bango ng “kayakap” at tila unti-unting nalalasing siya sa sarap. Ang kanya namang dibdib ay nakaramdam ng dalawang mati-tipunong bundok na wari niya’y bukal ng isang libo’t isang kali-gayahan.

-- Mr. Pacia, alang-alang sa inyo, ay may idudulot akong ligaya. -- at habang nakayakap ang may-ari ng tindahan sa kanya ay unti-unting inalis ni Naty sa pagkakabutones ang kanyang suot na blusa. Lantad na ang mga busog na busog na dibdib ni Naty. Kagyat ay uminit lalo ang dugo ni Mr. Pacia at nagpaunlak sa paanyaya. At ano pa ang magagawa ng lalaki kundi ang namnamamin sa halik ang makikinis na pisngi at labi ng nakababaliw na ineng. Unti-unting pinagapang ni Mr. Pacia ang kanyang nanginginig na labi hanggang sa ito ay humantong sa dalawang bundok na una muna’y nilasap-lasap ng dila niya at pagkatapos ay hinigop.

At dahil si Naty ay isang chem-ist, may ipinahid siya sa paligid at dulo ng kanyang dalawang bundok na chemical na pampatu-log. Inalalayan niya ang matanda nang mawalan ito ng uliran, at nang hindi ito mabuwal, at sa halip ay malumanay na mapahi-ga lamang ito sa sahig. Sa gayon ay wala man lamang kahi’t na kaunting alingasngas na tatawag sa pansin ng mga empleado. Suot na ni Naty ang mamahal-ing kuwintas sa kanyang leeg, isinara na lamang ang blusa, at pagkatapos ay walang malisyang nilisan ng dalaga ang tindahan. Dumakot pa siya ng isang bung-kos na brilyante bago lumabas ng pinto ng silid na sekreto.

Ni si Mr. Pacia, ni si Naty ay di na kikibo tungkol sa pagkawala ng mga alahas.



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

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

Ang Puno Ng “Saging”Isang gabi noon, gabing matahimik,Ako’y nasa ‘Pinas at wala sa “State”.Kasama’y pamangking sa lakad pahaplit, Papunta ng bahay ng barrio, Makitid.

Sa pagsapit namin, sa pinto’y kumatok,Marahang binuksan, kami’y pinapasok.Lubos na paggalang, aking pinaabot,Sa mga magulang ng mahal kong irog.

Sa maraming tanong at pangungumusta,Masayang usapan, masaya rin sila.Kamusta ang “state”, ano bang talaga?Ang buhay ko ngayong isang “Sailor” na.

Mabuti po naman, sagot kong magalang,Nagsisikap pa ring gumanda ang buhay.Kahit mayrong lungkot ay nilalabanang,Makausad muli sa balon ng buhay.

Naunawa naman, ibig kong sabihin,Medyo nagtinginan, magulang ng giliw.Kung kaya’t nabanggit anak ay darating,Buhat sa Maynila, bago pa dumilim.

Habang lumalaon ay aking napansin,Ang isang lalaking balisa sa tingin.Ako’y kinutuban, siya nga marahil,Ang naging mapalad pumalit sa akin.

Walang ano-ano, may biglang nabuwal,Palamuting “Saging” sa tabi ng hagdan,Dalawang matanda ay nagkatinginan,Habang si pamangkin itinayo naman.

Ngunit ‘di nagtagal ay muling nabuwal,Si misteryosong tao ang siyang gumalaw.Sa pagkakaayos medyo nagtagumpay,Ngunit bumagsak ring hindi malinawan.

Ako ang tumayo at siyang nagayos,Tumuwid ang “Saging” sa kaunting kilos.Si Mommy at Daddy, napahanga halos,Palamuting “Saging” may nais ‘paabot.

Walang ano-ano, susi‘y kumalansing,Pinto ay bumukas, may papasok mandinKutob ko ay tama, na siya’y dumating,Siya‘t walang iba, mula sa gawain.

Laki kong mangha, siya‘y tuloy-tuloy,‘Di man lang nagmano sa magulang noon.‘Di ako pinansin ni hindi lumingon,Nagtuloy sa kuwarto at doo’y nagkulong.

Si Mommy, sumunod upang kausapin,Upang ibalita ang aking pagdating.Pagbaba ni Mommy, iling sya ng iling,‘Di rin sya bumaba na ako’y batiin.

Ako ay tumayo na nagpapaalam,Na bakas ang lungkot laking pagdaramdam.Dalawang matanda ay nakikiramay,Bigong pagkikita ay sayang na sayang.

Sa aking paghakbang sa may tarangkahan,Tuloy ng palayo, pauwi ng bahay.Biglang may tumawag sa aking pangalan, Nang aking lingunin ay ang aking mahal.

Bigla syang tumakbong palapit sa akin,Yakap na kay higpit na hindi mapigil.Patuloy ang iyak na ang sabi sakin,Nasasaktan din syang ‘di na ’ko kapiling.

Wika ko sa kanya, malupit ang buhay,Na siya at ako’y naging biktima lang.Ang lahat ng ito’y ayon kay Maykapal,Ang pagpipilian, tanggapin na lamang.

Hindi ko napigil ang aking sarili,Siya’y hinagkan ko’t ‘di siya tumanggi.‘Yun ang unang halik at ‘yun din ang huli,Doon din nagwakas, hindi na nga kami.

Sa tagpong yaon ako ay nagising,Na ang lahat pala’y panaginip mandin.Dagli kong kinuha ang lapis at papel,Buong kasaysayan, aking isinalin.

Itong pangyayari ay aking sinaysaySa isa kong tapat, isang kaibigan.Matapos isaysay, ito daw ba ay tunay?Sagot ko ay oo at panaginip lang.

Tunay ang inilalarawan sa tulang ito athindi kathang isip ng inyong lingkod:Romeo Nicolas…Bocaue, Bulacan 2/13/2010

By Dr. Cesar D. Candari

Second in a series of articles “Not he who has little, but he

who wishes more, is poor.”- SENECA (4B.C.-A.D. 65)“(What troubles the poor is the

money they can’t get and whatTroubles the rich is the money

they can’t keep)” I was a guest speaker at one of

the Filipino-American organiza-tions of San Diego, California. The introduction started like this: “Ladies and gentlemen, present-ing Cesar D. Candari, the eight president of the Paradise Valley Lions Club 41-6 of San Diego, California. As a presenter, I beam with pride and honor to introduce this highly-esteemed man.”

To hear someone introduce me as “a highly-esteemed man” was quite humbling. I considered myself as one of those individu-als who nursed a secret passion and heeded its clarion call, in spite of uncertainties, fears, discouragements, and daunting odds. Ultimately, I went on to do what I felt was right and good for others and for myself.

Allow me to place in perspec-tive how I got to where I am today. I have always believed that life is a series of adventures. In adventures we discover our beliefs and dreams and come to know who we really are. In adventures we explore the possi-bilities of our life’s pursuits. My modest achievements reflect how I played my part

From Antique to America:Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor

Ordinary Dream Comes True

But before accepting the real-ity of life that has given me the highest pride, high regard and respect, the truth shall be told. Discovery of truth is the sole purpose of philosophy and has a fair prospect of existing to the

Pre Medical Student with Oscar Salazar, right, at Iloilo City 1954

end of time. As I sus-pected, it is very difficult for one to write about anybody but himself. It is necessary to dig deeper in one’s story. A writer once stated: “Digging underneath the story is where the stunning truth is often hid-ing. Whether it’s told in a straightfor-ward lan-guage, a secret letter, or even a list, the nonfiction should be an honest, evocative, and unique experience.” The story is one that only you can tell because your life counts and what you leave behind is the evidence of the life you have lived. Why not tell it your way? This is exactly what I am doing.

Lucky Year Let me go back and share

with you the earlier part of my life. The year I was born was a lucky year in 1933 in the Philip-

pines. Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as the thirty-second president of the United States pledging to lead the country out of the Great Depression. And he did.

In a small town called Pandan, in the province of Antique, island of Panay of the Philippine Ar-chipelago (Visayan region) and located in the northern part of Antique, was the place where my poor parents raised me. An anec-dotal story of origin of the name Pandan came from a byword during the Spanish time that means “bread” on the table. The word “pan” in Spanish means

“bread” and “dan” in our dia-lect means “that”. To the residents, Pandan reminded them of prayers for their daily bread on the table.

My father Praxides Oirola Candari and my mother Fulgencia

Condez Dioso, were hardwork-ing and loving parents and were both schoolteachers. My mother left her teaching job before I was born to raise and take care of us. Their six children were taught respect and care for others and the education of their children was their priority.

My paternal grandfather was an elected mayor of our town in the early 1915-1917 .A strong, dynamic, and feared leader but respected and loved, Presidente Municipal Simeon Candari was known to be a protector of the poor. My maternal grandfather, Leon Dioso. was a farmer/fisher-man, who lost his life at sea in the 1900s in search of his liveli-hood. My father’s younger broth-er who was my favorite uncle, Francisco Candari, also became a town mayor of Pandan in 1941 before the Second World War. He was an advocate and defender of the poor. He was not impover-ished. I remember that I used to ride in his Ford automobile with pride and felt dignified. He and his lovely wife had no children and wanted to adopt me as their son. He was well-respected and had dedicated his service to others, particularly the op-pressed and the underprivileged. .He surrendered to the Japanese occupation at one time so the people of Pandan could harvest their rice and not be slaughtered by the Japanese soldiers. Those were the kind of roots I belonged to and am very proud of.

A 4th class municipality The town I was born is a 4th

class municipality in the prov-ince of Antique, Philippines. Ac-cording to the 2000 census, it has a population of 27,647 people in 5,534 households. I wish to in-form my children and grandchil-dren and generations to come of my partial family tree. Our town Pandan, poor as it is, has pro-duced some prominent people in government worthy to be proud

of. My agnate great grandfather, Vicente Rendon Gella (24 June 1856 – 24 April 1926) was a teacher, school director, lawyer, and governor of the Province of Antique in the early 1900s. He was born in Pandan, Antique to Bonifacio Gella and Juana Rendon, who owned parcels of land and fishponds in the mu-nicipality. His musician father was elected capitan municipal (municipal captain) during the Spanish Period. He was a mater-nal great-granduncle of Senator Loren Legarda, and by paternal genealogy Senator Legarda is my third degree cousin.

For his college education, Vi-cente was sent to Colegio de San Juan de Letran where he gradu-ated with a degree in Bachelor of Arts. He studied law later on at the University of Santo Tomas and finished the course in 1885.

It seemed that he maintained a close friendship with Jose Rizal during his college years. When Rizal left the Philippines on 3 May 1882, he was part of the party who sent Rizal off aboard the Salvadora. He accompanied Antonio Rivera, father of Leonor Rivera and Mateo Evangelista.

He communicated with Rizal even when the latter was already overseas. Evidence of this is the letter he sent to Rizal dated 30 June 1882. Part of the said letter read:

“If the absence of a son from the bosom of his esteemed fam-ily is sad, no less will be that of a friend who, being very dear to all of us who has had the honor of being called his friends and comrades, now is away; from us seeking the welfare that we all desire. Had it not been for that, the separation would have been more painful for the distance that separates us. May God help you for the good that you do to your fellow countrymen.”

Vicente returned to his home-town in 1886, a year after graduating from the University of Santo Tomas. He was the only registered lawyer in the whole province of Antique in 1890, and he also practiced the profes-sion even during the time he was teaching in his school. He was later on appointed as justice of peace of the town of San Jose, Antique, and for a few years became acting judge of first instance.

Fiscal for Antique During the American occupa-

tion, he was appointed as fiscal for Antique on 13 April 1901. He held the position until January 1913. He went back to serving the government as governor of the province from 1919 to 1922, but refused to run for another term. These informations are in the Free Philippine Encyclopedia online

Peter Garrucho Jr., former Secretary of Tourism and later former Executive Secretary of President Cory Aquino and former Assistant Secretary of Tourism Narsilina Zaldivar Lim, are also my cousins.

The late Justice Calixto O. Zaldivar, “a man of integrity and vanguard of Justice” is a second cousin of my father. He has served the legislative de-partment as Councilor in 1934, and was elected Assemblyman as Antique’s representative to the Philippine Legislature and a member of National Assembly in 1938-1941. From 1951 to 1955, he was elected Governor of the province and the appointed as Executive Secretary in 1964 under the administration of then President Diosdado Macapagal. On the same year he was ap-pointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

I am proud to be a close rela-tive of Sally Zaldivar Perez, the current Governor of Antique. She is the daughter of former Justice Zaldivar.

The late Enrique Zaldivar, (I call him Toto Eque), brother of Governor Sally Z. Perez, was also former governor and repre-sentative of Antique. He served as ambassador to Brunei during the Estrada administration. He was my classmate in intermedi-ate grade; as a governor he was a soft spoken very intelligent man; he was a source of calm and sobriety in a tense situation. As his cousin, I am so thrilled to be in the family tree.

Another agnate grandfather, Vicente G. Gella, (nephew of the older Vicente R. Gella), a native of Pandan, was National



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The widow takes a look at her dear departed one right before the funeral and, to her horror, fi nds that he’s in his brown suit. She’d specifi cally said to the undertaker that she wanted him buried in his blue suit; she’d brought it especially for that occasion, and she was distressed that the mortician had left him in the same brown suit he’d been wearing when the lightning bolt hit him.

***

She demanded that the corpse be changed into the blue suit she’d brought espe-cially for that purpose. The undertaker said, “But madam! It’s only a minute or two until the funeral is scheduled to begin! We can’t possibly take him out and get him changed in that amount of time.

***

The lady said, “Who’s pay-ing for this?” Seeing the logic to this argument, a very re-luctant mortician wheeled the coffi n out, but then wheeled it right back in a moment later. Miraculously, the corpse was in a blue suit.

***

After the ceremony, a well-satisfi ed widow complimented the undertaker on the smooth and speedy service. She especially wanted to know how he’d been able to get her husband into a blue suit so fast. The funeral director said,

The Blue Suit “Oh, it was easy. It happens that there was another body in

the back room and he was already dressed in a blue suit. All we had to do was switch heads!

***

A cowboy rode into town and stopped at a saloon for a drink. Unfortunately, the locals always had a habit of picking on strangers,

which he was. When he fi nished his drink, he found his horse had been stolen. He went back into the bar, hand-ily fl ipped his gun into the air, caught it above his head with-out even looking and fi red a shot into the ceiling.

***

A man lay sprawled across three entire seats in the posh theatre. When the usher came by and noticed this, he whis-pered to the man, “Sorry, sir, but you’re only allowed one seat.” The man groaned but didn’t budge. The usher became impatient. “Sir, if you don’t get up from there I’m going to have to call the manager.” Again, the man just groaned, which infuri-ated the usher who turned and marched briskly back up the aisle in search of his manager.

In a few moments, both the usher and the manager returned and stood over the man. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move him, but with no success. Finally, they summoned the police. The cop surveyed the situation briefl y then asked, “All right buddy, what’s your name?” “Sam,” the man moaned. “Where ya from, Sam?” With pain in his voice Sam replied “The balcony.”

Broker Associate, DRE# 486032Weichert Realtor Elite (858-829-5452)

by Ligaya Cruz

Real Estate/Mortgage Tips

Members of the military and certain federal employees serving outside the United States have an extra year to buy a principal residence and qualify for the credit. The buyer of a primary residence must enter into a contract on or before April 30, 2011. If the property is in escrow with-in those dates, the buyer has until June 30, 2011 to close on the purchase. Members of the uniformed services, foreign services and intelligence com-munity as well as their spous-es are eligible for the special rule. The rule applies to those who serve on duty services outside the United States for at least 90 days during the period beginning after De-cember 31, 2008 and ending before May 1, 2010.

As I mentioned, on my previous article the Califor-nia State tax credits kicks in May1, 2010. Military per-sonnel and certain federal employees can still double dip and take advantage of both the State and Federal up to the maximum of $18,000. Under the State program fi rst time homebuyers may receive up to $10,000 and repeat home-buyers (not fi rst time) may also take advantage of the State incentive if purchasing a property that has never been occupied or a newly con-structed home. The California credit does not contain income

$8,000 Tax Credit for Home Buyers

restrictions. Federal credit however, begins to phase out for incomes above $125,000 ($225,000 for joint fi lers) with no credit available for income over $145,000($245,000 for joint fi lers)

For more details regard-ing the Federal tax incentive extension, please check with the Internal Revenue Services website or your trusted ac-countant.

Ligaya Cruz was a mort-gage/real estate broker prior to joining Weichert Realtor Elite. She originated residen-tial and commercial mort-gages. She is also a certifi ed paralegal and worked for the City Attorney’s Offi ce, City of San Diego. She assisted Deputy City Attorney in legal research on issues involving land use including but not limited to zoning, building, health and safety and environ-mental. She has a degree in Business Administration from University of Phoenix and Paralegal studies from Uni-versity of San Diego. She is a member of the San Diego As-sociation of Realtor (SDAR) Housing Committee. The committee provides education to home buyers and partners with business to promote homeownership. If you have any questions, email her at [email protected] or call her at 858-829-5452.

©2010 Michael R. Tagudin. All rights reserved.

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

Street Poetry

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

by Michael R. Tagudin

Poem No. 65

To deceive!To humiliate!To hurt!That is their design!One could have many faces!One could only have one heart alone!Like streamsPrayers fl owing through timePolishing heartsSo that they may be smoothAs smooth as stones!

Treasurer of the Philippines from 1951 to1964.

“In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heri-tage - to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No mat-ter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an empti-ness, and the most disquieting loneliness.” -- Alex Haley

(Continued next issue)

(About the author: Dr. Cesar

D. Candari, a native of Pandan, Antique in the Philippines was a long time resident and medi-cal practitioner of San Diego County where he was an ac-tive community leader, having been one of the three Filipino American doctors who founded Operation Samahan and its medical clinic. He had served in various capacities as offi cer of different professional, civic and community organizations. He is now retired and living in Henderson, Nevada. This book, “From Antique to America: Memoirs of a Filipino American Doctor” is being published by Green Mango Books, a division of Asian Journal San Diego and will be released in August 2010. To order copies of the book with a 20% pre-publication discount off the $12.95 selling price, call (619) 474-0588.)

(Read previous installments of

this memoir in www.asianjour-nalusa.com)

Ordinary Dream

Comes True(Continued from page 18)

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

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05/07/10

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CITY OF SAN DIEGOCity Planning & Community Investment Department

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALFOR

Euclid Avenue and Market Street Village Master Plan (H105050)

The City of San Diego (City) is requesting proposals from highly qualified planning firms for consultant services for Euclid Avenue and Market Street Village Master Plan (H105050).

It is the policy of the City to provide equal opportunity in its planning professional services contracts. Toward this end, proposals from small businesses, disabled owned businesses, women owned businesses, firms owned by African-Americans, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Filipinos, and Latinos, and local firms are strongly encouraged. Prime consultants are encouraged to subconsult or joint venture with these firms. The City endeavors to do business with firms sharing the City’s commitment to equal opportunity and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition or place of birth. This project has a voluntary Subcontracting Participation Level (SPL) goal of 15%. SPL goals are achieved by contracting with any combination of Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Women Business Enterprises (WBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE) or Other Business Enterprises (OBE) at the prime or subcontractor level. Definitions of MBE, WBE, DBE, DVBE and OBE are contained in the Request for Proposals (RFP). Attainment of the SPL goal is strongly encouraged, but strictly voluntary.

The City of San Diego will ensure that full access to programs, services, meetings and activities comply with Section 504, Title V, of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990, Public Law 101-336.

In-depth knowledge and a strong understanding of the local environment, and a local presence for interfacing with the City’s project management staff are essential to the successful completion of this project. The proposal must address the consultant’s knowledge and understanding of: the City and other local agencies regulations and policies; local environment; and local building codes and other criteria. The proposal must also address how the consultant plans to interface with the City’s project management staff and the consultant’s workforce in San Diego County.

All proposals submitted must be in full accord with the Request for Proposal (RFP) which can be obtained by requesting the RFP via email from John Mendivil, Consultant Services Coordinator, at:

[email protected] of San Diego, Purchasing & Contracting Department

1200 Third Avenue, Suite 200San Diego, CA 92101.

When requesting the RFP, please refer to the specific project title and number, Euclid Avenue and Market Street Village Master Plan (H105050). For questions about RFP procedures please call John Mendivil at (619) 235-5855.

A preproposal conference will be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 1:00:00 PM, at San Diego Concourse, North Terrace Room, Rooms 207 & 208, 202 C Street, San Diego, CA 92101. It is strongly recommended that all in-terested parties attend. For more information, assistance, to request an agenda in alternative format, or to request a sign language or oral interpreter for the meeting, please contact Karen Bucey, at 619-533-6404 at least five working days prior to the meeting to ensure availability.

Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, 2010, at the location stated in the RFP. This RFP does not commit the City to award a contract or to defray any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal pursuant to this RFP. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this RFP. The City also reserves the right to revise this RFP, including but not limited to the pre-proposal conference date and the proposal due date. If the City revises the RFP, all RFP holders of record will be notified in writing by the City.

Summary Scope of ServicesThe proposed mobility and land use master plan study will integrate and connect the Euclid and Market Vil-lage area to the surrounding community by creating mixed-use, multi-modal corridors along Euclid Avenue and Market Street, and providing pedestrian and bicycle access along Chollas Creek. The mobility component of the study will provide conceptual plans as a framework for future design work. The land use component of the study would serve to build upon and expand the geographic area that was studied in previous Pilot Village and the Imperial Avenue Corridor Master Plan efforts. A summary of objectives are to: 1) Improve bicycle and pedestrian access to the 47th Street Trolley Station, and the Euclid Avenue Trolley Station and bus transit center, 2) Provide conceptual plans for a pedestrian path along Chollas Creek linking the 47th Street and Euclid Avenue Trolley Stations to improve Trolley access and foster environmental stewardship, 3) Implement a multi-modal mobility network to transform the auto-oriented character of the area, to support the community’s Village land use vision, and to better connect the Village to the surrounding community, and 4) Recommend appropriate land uses, densities and design for an expanded Village area to better support transit, enhance the community, and meet regional smart growth objectives for the Community Center and Transit Corridor place types. This Request for Proposals (RFP) solicits a consultant firm or team to perform and complete specified tasks and projects in relation the Euclid Avenue and Market Street Smart Growth Incentive Program master planning project. A Proposer that offers a multi-disciplinary consulting team is desired to work with staff on the work program that is outlined in this RFP. The work program is anticipated to be completed over 24 months from when the consultant contract is finalized. The City is seeking requests for proposals from Proposers (Consultant Team) with expertise in the following disciplines:

Urban planning (lead firm): Preparation of general and area plans under California Planning Law1. Urban design: Analysis and projection of urban form at skyline and pedestrian scales as well as public 2. recreational space.Meeting facilitation3. Sustainable design and development principals4. Zoning regulations and ordinances5. Public facilities, parks systems strategies and phasing plans6. GIS mapping 7. Visual preference survey8. Mobility planning and traffic studies9. Historical resource reconnaissance and archeological studies10. Noise studies11. Hazardous materials studies12. Co-location and buffer strategies13. Economic/Market/Fiscal Analysis and Studies14.

Interested parties who have successfully demonstrated an ability to perform Consulting work for a city or public agency of similar size and have a proven record of success in providing planning services are invited to sub-mit a Response to this Request for Proposal (RFP). The remainder of the Scope of Services is contained in the Request for Proposal for Euclid Avenue and Market Street Village Master Plan (H105050), as Exhibit A to the Draft Agreement.

To:




lines, it costs


Fax #


(619) 474-0373

__________________



05/07/10

L Escamilla

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480

CITY OF SAN DIEGOPurChASING & CONTrACTING

rEquEST FOr quAlIFICATION FOr CAlENDAr YEArS 2010-2011

CITY/COuNTY/POrT OF SAN DIEGO CONSulTANT rOTATION lIST

The City of San Diego (City), the County of San Diego (County), and the Unified Port District (Port) invite submittals of Statement of Qualification (SOQ) from highly qualified firms, joint ventures or individuals desir-ing to be considered for placement on the joint City/County/Port Consultant Rotation List for the following architectural, engineering, and related professional services:

The Request for Qualification is in PDF format and may be viewed and printed at:

http://www.sandiego.gov/purchasing/consultants/services/rotation.shtml

However, parties interested in submitting a STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATION must request the original Microsoft Word submittal forms by contacting John Mendivil via e-mail at:

[email protected]

For further assistance, please contact John Mendivil, Consultant Services Coordinator, at (619) 235-5855.

A non-mandatory pre-submittal meeting will be held on Thursday, June 3, 2010, 2:00 PM, at Comerica Bank Building, Wada - Large Conference Room 8A, 600 B Street, San Diego, CA 92101. It is strongly recommended that firms that have not submitted a SOQ previously, or that have questions about the SOQ or the Consultant Rotation List process, attend. For more information, assistance, to request an agenda in alternative format, or to request a sign language or oral interpreter for the meeting, please contact John Mendivil, at 619-235-5855 at least five working days prior to the meeting to ensure availability.

COMMITMENT TO EquAl OPPOrTuNITY

It is the policy of the City, County and Port of San Diego to encourage equal opportunity in its professional services contracts. Toward this end, proposals from small businesses, disabled owned businesses, women owned businesses, firms owned by African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, Filipinos and Latinos, and local firms are strongly encouraged. The City endeavors to do business with firms sharing the City’s commitment to equal opportunity and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, or place of birth.

If your firm wishes to claim status as a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) or a Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) please attach a copy of your certificate. If your firm is not currently certified and is interested in participating as a DBE in the Unified Certification Program (UCP) of California or wishes to obtain DVBE status, the applications, information and directions are available at the following websites:

DBE: www.dot.ca.gov/hq/bepDVBE: www.pd.dgs.ca.gov/smbus/default.htm

Disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) Participation

DBE participation is a goal for U.S. Department of Transportation (FHWA, FAA, FTA) funded projects. The City, County and Port of San Diego, Consultant Rotation list is not intended to be used for U.S. Department of Transportation (FHWA, FAA, FTA) funded projects.

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on,but the leftover money from the wake ran out. They started to feel the familiar pain of hunger in their stom-aches . This time, the pain persisted as the days without food became frequent. The mother, the daughter and the two boys started going out to the fields, pulling out wild grasses to be sold as horse feed to carretela (horse car-riage) operators in the area. When the money coming in was not enough, Lucing did laundry work for rich families in town. Through all these hardships, Ditas managed to continue going to school.

Her brothers, who were not studious anyway, dropped out and helped the family make a living.

“Talbos ng kamote na na-man (camote leaves again)?” Mario complained one eve-ning as they sat on the floor eating dinner through the flickering light of a gas lamp. “Hindi na ba tayo kakain ng isda (Are we not going to eat fish anymore)?”

“Maghintay ka lang anak. Mag tatag-ulan na, makakakuha na tayo ng da-lag, palaka at suso sa pilapil (Just wait son. Soon it will be rainy season and we can get mud fish, frogs and shells in the rice fields),” Lucing consoled her son.

“Binebenta naman ninyo ang mga mahuli namin, eh (But you sell whatever we

catch),” Mario complained.“Sus, tama na. Mas kailan-

gan natin ang pera (Stop it. We need more the money),” Ditas reprimanded her young-



(619) 702-3051

Rooms for Rent

No Smoking, No DrugsIn a quiet residential

neighborhood of National City

Call 619.656.0409

Housing and Real Estate

License # 01113433

Kathy Bond-Borie, Guest Columnist

(Family Features) Even though the weather has turned cold and we’ve put our garden roses to bed for the winter, that doesn’t mean we have to be rose-de-prived until spring. Miniature roses adapt quite well to life indoors. They are a bit more particular about light and humid-ity than some indoor flowering plants, but they will reward the extra effort with stunning flow-ers that come in a wide range of colors.

For the most part, miniature roses are scaled-down versions of full-sized roses, and while they vary in many ways, all mini roses have small, rarely fragrant flowers. Plants can range from micro-minis (5 inches or less) to 3 to 4 feet or even larger. Flow-ers can be anywhere from 1/2 to 2 inches across, with a color range as broad as for full-size roses.

Mini roses need plenty of bright light, such as in a bright west- or south-facing window. But for repeat bloom, you’ll need the supplementary light provided by fluorescent tubes. Also pro-vide some extra humidity around

Growing Mini Roses Indoors

the plants because indoor air is typically quite dry. Set plants in a water-filled tray on a layer of pebbles, or use a room humidi-fier. If humidity is too low, the leaves will shrivel, turn yellow, and drop. Here are some other tips:

1. Buy new plants each sea-son to ensure that your plants are free of diseases and pests. Choose varieties that are short and especially floriferous.

2. Fertilize weekly with a fertilizer diluted to one-quarter strength. To encourage blooms, use a fertilizer with a formula high in potassium, such as 5-5-10.

3. Watch carefully for any sign of pests. Spray whiteflies with a lightweight horticultural oil. If spider mites become a problem, wash plants thoroughly every 2 to 3 days. For a severe infesta-tion of spider mites, strip all leaves and cut the plant back by

(Family Features) Spring time ushers in warmer weather and the promise of outdoor activities. But, for many, it also brings the irrepressible urge to stay inside to clean away the dust and dirt that have collected during the winter months. Whether you like to scour the house for a top-to-bottom buffing or you prefer to spread shorter cleaning ses-sions over several weeks, spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a big chore.

Cleaning expert Linda Cobb, host of DIY-Do It Yourself Net-work’s “Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean,” knows first-hand the struggles of maintain-ing a clean home and tackling spring cleaning. Here are some of her favorite tips to make this endeavor successful and short:

* Don’t clean your clutter. Spring is a great time to look through each room and remove things you don’t need or don’t use. Your housecleaning will be faster and easier with fewer items to scrub. Hold a garage sale to sell unwanted items or donate them to a local charity.

* Trim your product collection. Before diving in, gather all your cleaning products together and then get rid of what you don’t need. The cleaning aisle may be

Strategize for a

Speedy Spring

Cleaning

teeming with specialty prod-ucts that prom-ise to perform miracles, but you can avoid spending extra cleaning time and money by using a multi-purpose cleaner. Look for versatile products that you can use in all the rooms of your house and on many appli-ances and surfaces, like Pine-Sol Cleaner, which can even be used on hardwood floors and furniture. Adding a few capfuls to a spray bottle will go a long way.

* Strategize your scrub down. Just thinking about tackling an entire home with all of its nooks and crannies can be overwhelm-ing. To motivate yourself, start your spring cleaning in the room that requires the least effort. You’ll finish quickly, which will give you a sense of accomplish-ment and you’ll be ready to tackle another more challenging room.

* Gadgets get grimy. Some of the dirtiest things in your home are things that most people never think of cleaning. Use a multi-purpose solution to wipe down your remote controls, game controls, docking stations, cell phone, blackberry and iPods. Wash the globes on overhead light fixtures and dust light bulbs; it will make the room look cleaner and brighter. Don’t forget to do the same to your purse and briefcase, which visit so many dirty places every day and land on the kitchen counter.

* Spruce up with a scent: Make cleaning less tedious by using your favorite scented cleaners throughout the house. Try laven-der to soothe moods or a citrus scent, like orange or lemon, to lift spirits and energize in the kitchen or rooms where children play.

Simple strategies like these can help you get your cleaning done so you have time to enjoy all that spring has to offer.

half. Healthy new growth will emerge rapidly.

4. Use a commercial potting mixture containing perlite and vermiculite when repotting.

5. When flowering has finished, place plants under fluorescent lights to encourage reblooming in about six weeks.

6. After the last frost in spring, gradually acclimate plants to out-door air. Plant them in the garden or in an outdoor container.

For more tips and garden infor-mation visit www.garden.org

A former floral designer and interior plantscaper, Kathy Bond-Borie has spent 20 years as a garden writer/editor, includ-ing her current role as Horti-cultural Editor for the National Gardening Association. She loves designing with plants, and spends more time playing in the garden - planting and trying new combinations - than sitting and appreciating it.


Light &Shadows

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

by Zena Sultana Babao

Rooms for Rent

No Smoking, No DrugsIn a quiet residential

neighborhood of National City

Call 619.656.0409

“A man’s work is from sun to sun, but a mother’s work is never done.” – Author Un-known; “Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impos-sible.” – Marion C. Garrety; “A mother’s love is instinc-tual, unconditional, and for-ever.” – Author Unknown.

To some, the second Sunday of May is just another day. To others, it is the most impor-tant day of the year. It’s the day we get to honor

our mothers and recognize the amazing job that they do year in and year out.

Anne M. Jarvis is credited with originating Mother’s Day. She never married and was extremely attached to her mother, Mrs. Anna Reese Jarvis. After Mrs. Jarvis died, Anne Jarvis missed her moth-er so much that she and her friends began a letter writing campaign to gain the support of congressmen, businessmen and influential ministers in de-claring that we have a national Mother’s Day holiday.

Ms. Jarvis felt that children often neglected to appreciate their mothers enough while their mothers were still alive. She hoped Mother’s Day would increase respect for mothers and strengthen family bonds.

Today, largely because of Ms. Jarvis efforts, Mother’s Day is being celebrated throughout the world. This year, Mother’s Day will be celebrated this Sunday, May 9th. Although Mother’s Day do not fall on the same day in every country - Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Aus-

Happy Mother’s Day!tralia and Belgium celebrate Mother’s Day the same day we do here in our country.

President Woodrow Wilson issued the first proclamation making Mother’s Day an of-ficial holiday. In a resolution passed by Congress desig-nating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, it also declared that the American

flag be displayed on govern-ment buildings and people’s homes “as a public expres-sion of our love and

reverence for the mothers of our country.”

There is a proverb

that says: “The hand

that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the

world.” While not all prov-

erbs that are found outside the Bible are true, this one is! True, because the mothers who rock the cradle will have the greatest impact on the moral and spiritual develop-ment of the child.

As a result of this impact, the child will be influenced for either good or evil depending upon the moral and spiritual beliefs of the parents, espe-cially the mother.

We all know this – so this coming Sunday, our Moms will get the tribute, love and respect that they so deserve. Mothers are inundated with flowers, chocolates and jew-elry from sons, daughters, husband, and even from third generation members of the family.

There’s no other day, aside from Valentine’s Day, when flowers are so in demand!

A study was conducted more than a year ago to find the age at which children appear to establish a moral foundation. Based upon this research, it was determined that by age 3, a child’s basic ideas of good and evil, right and wrong, were pretty well set. So from

birth, a child is at that im-pressionable time when good values have to be instilled in their young minds.

Because the mind of a young child is like a sponge that is waiting to be filled, it is imperative that the ones car-ing for them, whether natural mothers, or mothers by proxy, like babysitters, stepmothers, or daycare workers, be good role models for the children they care for. The nurturing of our children is such a great responsibility!

This responsibility often falls on the shoulders of our mothers, so mothers need to know the right priorities in life. Other important things in life, such as career, self, husband and community involvement do sometimes come second in comparison to a mother’s responsibility to raise good children – children that will someday be the lead-ers of our country.

Even if mothers work in a high-powered executive position, sometimes mothers make a conscious decision to stay at home and care for the children while the children are still very young. They do that because they know they are the pre-eminent influence to their children as far as life lessons are concerned.

This precious, quality time with their children goes a long way to instill self-confidence and strength of character on the children. Love, care and nurture help children develop and thrive intellectually, phys-ically and socially throughout their lives. They experience love and attention, so when it’s their turn to become par-ents also, they have the love to give and share.

In the healthy environ-ment created by the parents, especially the mother, chil-dren learn empathy, develop confidence, and acquire resilience. They also develop good communication skills. A safe environment created by love and care has the follow-ing benefits for the children: help children develop a sense of trust and self-reliance; help children handle stress better; and give children enthusiasm and motivation to learn, grow and succeed.

Whether we know it or not, God has given a special power to mothers. And that power is to teach good moral and spiritual values to our young through both word and deed.

Rev. Stephen Pilon of the Pillar of Fire Church charac-terized this special power as such: “It is a power that can either exalt the Lord in the minds of our children, or it

er brother.Lucing could not help but

cry. She was tired of eating camote leaves, but they could only afford to survive, not to enjoy life.

“Hamo, paglaki ko at maka-pagrabaho na ako, maka-ahon na rin tayo sa kahirapan (Don’t worry, when I grow up and I get a job, we can lift ourselves from poverty),” proclaimed Ditas.

DITAS GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL years later but could not afford to go to college. She wanted to become a doctor but she knew that for her, it was not a dream, but a fantasy.

“Balang araw, makapapag-aral ka din. May awa ang panginoong Diyos (You will eventually go back to school. God is merciful),” her mother consoled her.

At seventeen, she was already a grown woman and exuded a simple beauty. A childhood neighbor, Romy, was already courting her. But he was the farthest thing from her mind. For one thing, she was ambitious and didn’t want to remain poor forever. She wanted to work hard first, earn a living, and provide a better life for her mother and brothers. For another, she didn’t like Romy. He was an irresponsible kid who hardly went to school, did not work and was always drinking and gambling with friends.

But Romy persisted on pursuing her, until he became the butt of jokes among his friends.

“Let me make this clear with you again,” one day Ditas told Romy when he accosted her


can be used to reduce Him to nothing more than a fairy tale, something that is enter-taining but totally irrelevant to life. It is a power that can lift up a nation, or if abused, can destroy an entire people. And most importantly, it is a power that can bring our chil-dren to the Lord, or be used to drive them away from Him forever.”

Rev. Pilon cautioned moth-ers to be careful how to use this power that the Lord has entrusted upon them – for the eternal life of our sons and daughters may very well rest upon how mothers discharge their duties.

Happy Mother’s Day!

while he was tipsy and drink-ing with friends in a nearby store. “I will never marry you, even if you are the last man on earth.”

The friends laughed hard and Romy retreated in shame. The next day he left town and she didn’t hear from him until she received a letter from the United States Naval Base in San Diego, California. It was written by her jilted suitor Romy, who by then had joined the U.S. Navy. - AJ

(To be continued)



AutomotiveA & S Auto Sales 260 Broadway Chula Vista, CA, 91911 (619) 426-0133

Acura Car Sales2626 National City Blvd., National City, CA 91950(619) 474-1900

Acura Dealers Sales & Service 1502 Auto Park Way North Escondido, CA 92029(760) 737-3300

Allen’s Motors 3888 Kearny Mesa Road, San Diego CA 92111 (858) 279-1122

Aloha Motors 1611 Palm Ave. San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 429-5911

Alpha Cars 7268 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, CA 92115 (619) 697-8661

Anchor Motors 1105 National City Bl National City, CA 91950(619) 474-2276

Auto Action Sports12160 Community RoadPoway, CA 92064 (858) 486-4380

Mossy Nissan 2700 National City Blvd. National City, CA91950 (619) 474-7011

Auto Rossy 225 W San Ysidro Bl. San Diego, CA 92173 (619) 690-1335

Auto Spot 1001 National City Blvd. National City, CA 91950(619) 477-7766

Auto Villa 6935 North AvenueLemon Grove, CA 91945(619) 667-3801

B & J Auto Sales 696 Broadway Chula Vista, CA 91910 (619) 422-7810

Auto Dealers DirectoryBalboa Volvo 8029 Balboa Avenue San Diego, CA 92111 (619) 279-2424

Ball Auto Group 2001 Naitonal City Blvd. National City, CA 91950(619) 474-6431

Ball Honda/Oldsmobile 1935 National City Blvd. National City, CA 91950 (619) 474-6431

Ball Motors 1807 National City Blvd. National City, CA91935 (619) 477-2141

Ball Oldsmobile-Honda-GMC-Mitsubishi 1935 National City Bl Na-tional City, CA 91950(619) 474-6431

Bankers Auto 121 W. Plaza Blvd.National City, CA 91950 (619) 477-2191

Bayside Auto 9555 Distribution AvenueSan Diego, CA 92121 (619) 235-6614

Beach Motor Cars 942 Palm Ave Imperial Beach CA 91932 (619) 429-3355

Best Auto Buy 301 W Plaza Bl 28th St. National City, CA 91950 (619) 477-6210

Bills Quality Cars 1040 National City BL National City, CA 91950 (619) 474-2600

Blackmore Auto Brokers 2560 Main St. # E, Chula Vista, CA 91911 (619) 423-5760

BMW Cunningham 875 El Cajon Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92020 (619) 440-3394

BMW of San Diego 5090 Kearny Mesa RoadSan Diego CA 92111

8-580-560-5050

Bob Baker 5515 Car County DrCarlsbad, CA 92008 (760) 431-3050

Bob Baker 5500 Paseo Del Norte Carlsbad CA 92008 (760) 438-2200

Bob Baker Ford 730 Camino Del Rio North San Diego CA 92108 (800) 721-8419

Bob Baker Isuzu National City Blvd. & 22nd National City CA 91950(619) 474-8816

Bob Baker Jeep 5515 Car Country Drive Carlsbad CA 92008 (760) 431-3050

Bob Baker Lexus 1000 Arnele Avenue El Cajon CA 92020 (619) 440-5398

Bob Baker Subaru Group 5500 Paseo del Norte Carlsbad CA 92008 (760) 431-3150

Bob Baker Toyota 591 Camino Dela Reina Ste 1105 San Diego CA 92108 (619) 287-2400

Bob Baker-Cadillac 5215 Car Country Drive Carlsbad CA 92008 721-2544

Bob Baker-Ford 730 Camino Del Rio N. San Diego CA 297-5001

Bob Stall Chevrolet Geo 7601 Alvarado Road La Mesa CA 91941 (619) 460-1311

Bonanza Corvette 1600 Broadway San Diego CA 92101 (619) 239-1646

Brecht BMW 1555

Auto Park Way North Escondido CA 92029 (760) 745-3000Broadway Automotive 1415 Broadway Suite #101 Chula Vista CA 91911(619) 427-2330

Budget Car Sales 6006 Miramar RoadSan Diego CA 92121 (858) 623-2300

Buick/Cadillac 5334 Paseo Del Norte Carls-bad CA 92008 (760) 438-5311

Cal Worthington Dodge Carlsbad Inc. 5548 Paseo Del NorteCarlsbad CA 92008(760) 431-1222

Carl Burger Dodge WorldP.O. BOX 3687 La Mesa CA 91944 (888) 613-2418

Cars For You 1630 Ionian San Diego CA 92154 (619) 423-5950

Chrysler-McCune 2340 National City Blvd. National City CA 91950 (619) 477-1101

City by the Bay 2111 Morena Blvd. San Diego CA 92110 (619) 276-6171

College Ford Sales Inc.Fwy 94 at College Exit 6828 Federal Bl Lemon Groove CA 91945 (619) 582-1900

Corvette Headquarters-Bonanza 1600 Broad-way San Diego CA 92101 (619) 239-1646

Cougar Auto Sales 652 BroadwayChula Vista CA 91910 (619) 427-0125

858

Now Hiring Drivers

TORRANCE, Calif., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Mo-tor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today provided a report on the significant progress that has been made to modify recalled Toyota and Lexus vehicles. To date, more than three million remedies have been performed for three recent recalls, including ap-proximately:

1.6 million to address the potential for sticking accelera-tor pedals,

1.5 million to address the potential for floor mat pedal entrapment, and

115,000 program updates to the anti-lock brake systems (ABS) in certain 2010 Prius and Lexus models.

More than 732,000 vehicles have received both the floor mat and sticking pedal modi-fications, bringing the total number of recalled vehicles that have been serviced to ap-proximately 2.4 million.

“Toyota and Lexus dealers continue to make significant progress in servicing cus-tomers’ recalled vehicles as quickly and conveniently as

Toyota Passes 3 Million Milestone in Implementing

Recall Remediespossible, and we appreciate their extraordinary efforts,” said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota Chief Quality Officer for North America. “Over the

past three months, Toyota has de-livered on its com-mit-ment to listen to the voices of custom-

ers more intently and respond more swiftly and effectively to their needs. Above all, we want to thank our customers for their patience as we imple-ment the recall remedies, and we won’t let them down.”

To date, approximately 70 percent of the sticking pedal modifications have been com-pleted on the 2.3 million ve-hicles that have been recalled, for an average of more than 120,000 remedies performed per week.

Approximately 27 percent of the floor mat entrapment modifications have been completed on the 5.4 million vehicles that were recalled for this issue, and more than 75 percent of the ABS program updates have been performed on the 147,500 Prius and Lex-us models that were recalled.

Event offers ‘Sandwich Boom-ers’ and their parents valuable tools to better cope with senior driver safety challenges

WASHINGTON, May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AAA brings its first national Senior Driver Expo to San Fran-cisco to help Bay Area seniors and their ‘sandwich boomer’ children deal with senior safety and mobility challenges. Pro-duced in conjunction with AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah, the expo will be held at the Presidio Officers’ Club on May 18, from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080226/DC15031LOGO)

Similar to popular community health-fairs, the AAA Senior Driver Expo will offer a hands-on opportunity to sample AAA’s suite of research-based senior driver resources. Attendees will have access to tools that can help assess and improve driving skills, reduce driving risks and foster dialogue between adult children and their senior parents about driving issues.

“Our research shows that nearly one-in-three Americans don’t know where to turn for information on senior driver issues,” said AAA Vice Presi-dent of Public Affairs Kathleen Marvaso. “AAA’s Senior Driver Expo will help families learn how to prepare for and address the challenges senior drivers and their families face as a result of the natural, inevitable conse-quences of aging.”

Families can take a test drive of several AAA senior driver safety tools and products.

AAA Brings National Senior

Driver Expo to San Francisco


Documents

Asian Journal May 7-13, 2010