Asian Journal Nov 27 2009

(Continued on page 16)

November 27 - December 3, 2009

Zena Sultana Babao EntertainmentGiving thanks with

a joyful heart

Msgr. GutierrezThe longest Christmas,

Filipino Style

Philippine Scene

Palm tree in Limasawa Island in Cebu. Limasawa. Photo by Ferdinand Edralin.

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

Attend the free presentations of the affordable but luxurious housing developments in the Philippines! Presented in San Diego, Hemet and Temecula December 2009. Call 619-746-3416 for reservations.

Presidio at Britany Bay, near Laguna de Bay,

Sucat, Paranaque, Makati and Taguig areas

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Luxurious single family homes beside Alabang For brochures and other info, call 619-746-3416.

Single family homes in Antipolo; Bacoor, Imus and Dasmarinas, Cavite; Sta. Rosa

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Retirement or vacation homes in Tagaytay


Eastlake residents Scott and Carmelita Vinson of CB Royal Realty recently hosted an early fundraiser for the 2010 mayoral campaign of Cheryl Cox, the current mayor of the City of Chula Vista. The business mixer was held at Nico’s Restaurant in Otay Ranch, Chula Vista. In the photo (L-R): Myrna T.F. Reyes, Tony Olaes, Mayor Cheryl Cox, Daisy Mirador, Nedy Lao, CL Vinson, Femy Cupit, and Edna Consing Concepcion.

Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox drums up support for 2010 campaign

Pushcart educator named CNN Hero of the Year(CNN) -- Efren Peñaflor-

ida, who started a “pushcart classroom” in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, has been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper

Efren Peñaflorida

revealed Peñaflorida’s selec-tion at the conclusion of the third-annual “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday night.

The gala event, taped before an audience of 3,000 at the Kodak Theatre, premieres on Thanksgiving, November 26, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the global networks of CNN.

The broadcast, which hon-ors the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009, features performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Carrie Underwood, R&B crooner Maxwell and British pop sensation Leona Lewis.

Peñaflorida, who will re-ceive $100,000 to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company, was selected after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 2.75 million votes were cast.

“Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tap-estry,” Peñaflorida said upon accepting the honor. “Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.

“So to each and every person inside this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is wait-ing to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy

Before Fannie could reply, a young girl walked out of his

beauty salon towards the street corner. She didn’t seem to

know what she was doing as she kept looking around. She

was aware that there were people looking at her from in-side the parked van shielded by its one-way glass window. She felt awkward, if not em-

barrassed.Dillon took a good look at

her. She was standing right in front of the car window but she could not see Dil-lon inside. Looking at the girl from head to toe, Dil-

lon decided to pass up. She was young alright, but she

looked frail and too ordinary.“She’s not my type,” he texted Fannie. “Just get me the girl I

dated the other day.”The vehicle moved on, leaving the girl standing on the street corner bewil-

dered and embarrassed.

By Simeon Silverio, Jr., Publisher & EditorAsian Journal San Diego, The original and first Asian Journal in America

See page 3

Two Lives

PASACAT is proud to present the 13th annual Parol Lantern Festival on Saturday, December 5, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM at St. Rita’s School Auditorium, 5115 Churchward, San Diego. The event will be highlighted by perfor-mances of local groups and the PASA-CAT Philippine Performing Arts Com-pany in Sayaw sa Parol, an exhibit of parol lanterns, costumes, instruments and books and vendors, parol making workshops and a pabitin.

The festival opens with a merienda, a festive meal of pancit (noodles with vegetables and meat), lumpia (egg-roll), pandesal (sweet bread) and turon (sweet banana fritter). PASACAT’s collection of textiles, costumes, instru-ments, and books will be exhibited, in-cluding a bahay kubo (native thatched hut) and two life-size carabao (water buffalo) made of paper mache con-structed by Rudy A. Alquero.

The ambiance of a Philippine Christmas will be enhanced by PASA

PASACAT’S 13TH Annual Parol Lantern Festival on December 5


PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE -- After putting up a good fight in the 45th Qubi-caAMF Bowling World Cup, four-time champion Paeng Nepomuceno of the Philip-pines is not coming home empty-handed, after all.

The 52-year-old lefty, who missed the quarterfinals by only three pins despite a high 206.67 average in 24 games, was given the Sportsman Award during the victory banquet here Thursday night.

This is the first time in 45 years that a Filipino won

Paeng feted again

Paeng Nepomuceno

Goodbye Johnny...

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Balik-Tanaw: The Filipino Stars

of Yesteryears

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

by Dr. Romy R. Protacio

Delia Razon or Lucy Mae Dulin Grytz in real life was born in Iloilo City to a German father, Karl Grytz, and a mother of Filipino-Spanish descent, Lourdes Espinosa Cortez

Delia never dreamed to be a movie star. In her teens, how-ever, she is a movie fan of movie celebrities. Together with her friends, she would go to Sam-paguita Studio to watch the actors and actresses while they were shooting. She was still a chubby teenager then with pretty German-Spanish mestiza fea-tures when she used to visit Sam-paguita studio with her friends back in 1940. On one of these visits, a talent scout approached her and asked her if she is inter-ested to join the movies. Delia said, “No, my mama will get angry. She would not want me to be in the movies.” Anyway, the movie staff got her name and contact number. One day, she was called to do a dance number in a movie. She agreed to do the number and she was paid P4.00 a day. That was big money during that time!

Delia recalls an incident that happened while she was at the Sampaguita Studio premises. “Hoy, ikaw, ayaw nila sa iyo dito. You get out from here. “Huwag ka ng babalik dito,” she was told. Delia got scared. She thought she did something wrong. so she left the place. Delia erased from her memory the unpleasant incident. But one day, Luisito Silos, an LVN movie director went to her house and asked if she could be an extra

Delia Razon:The Dancing Queen

in a Mila del Sol picture. Delia recalls saying, “Ayoko na, ayoko na. Natakot na ako.” Anyway, inukilkil nya ang mama ko hang-gang sa pumayag. Her mama said, “OK, isa ka beses lang.” So she went with Luisito. She did a screen test in a Mila Del Sol-Teddy Benavidez picture called “Malaya.”

In the short role she did in the screen test, the matriarch of LVN Pictures, Dona Narsisa de Leon (better known as Dona Sisang), noticed Delia. She had caught a glimpse of the young mestiza and was greatly interested in her. Dona Sisang said, “Sino yang mestiza na ‘yan? Hanapin nga ‘yan.” Every time Delia meets somebody she knows, they would tell her that Dona Sisang has been looking for her. She was so worried that she did something wrong again.

The search did not take long. Delia was located and presented to the LVN’s matriarch. She was offered to sign a contract right there and then. Delia was

reluctant to sign the contract be-cause she has the “utang na loob” to Sampaguita Studios who gave her the fi rst break in the movies. Eventually, she signed the LVN contract. She was paid P350 as a bit player. (Again, during those days, P350 was a lot of money to a young girl).

Before she even fi nished that contract, Dona Sisang talked to her again. Dona Sisang said, “Halika, ikaw gagawin kitang leading lady, ang leading man mo ay si Rogelia de la Rosa.” Delia told me, “Wow, kamuntik na akong madapa. Imagine si Rogelio de la Rosa ang leading man ko.” Rogelio de la Rosa was very popular at that time. Together they made “Principe Amante.” That made Delia Razon a movie star. When the movie came out, Delia became known from Aparri to Jolo. “From that time on tuloy-tuloy na ang popularity ko,” Delia recalls.

When Delia signed the contract, Dona Sisang did not like her name – it sounded too foreign, and besides, it was diffi cult to pronounce. Dona Sisang asked her staff the name of the charac-ter in the fi lm of Lilia Dizon that Delia played and she was told it was “Delia Razon.” Dona Sisang thought that was a lovely name and she told Lucy Mae Dulin Grytz, “O ‘yan, mula ngayon ang pangalan mo ay Delia Razon na.” When she went home, she told her mother that her new name is “Delia Razon.” From that time on, she was known as Delia Razon even off screen.

The Movie Career At about the same time Delia

was being launched as a new face, a young man from Pagsan-jan, Laguna, was trying to get a job as an artist in the set-making department of LVN. His name was Roger Colin Macalalag. Roger had dark good looks and remarkable profi le. Roger Ma-calalag stayed in Manila after the Liberation to look for a job while doing his studies at the Univer-sity of the Philippines as a fi ne arts student.

Roger was at that time work-ing as a commercial painter. His

hope to be an LVN artist landed him as a movie extra instead. He started as a stuntman in an LVN movie. Manuel Conde noticed his talent and cast him as one of swashbuckling brothers in “Siete Infantes de Lara” in 1950.

Based on the account of the incident by the late movie col-umnist Joe Quirino, Dona Sisang noticed Roger as a star material when she viewed the rushes of the movie directed by Manuel Conde. Roger Macalalag was called by Dona Sisang and asked him to sign a contract. Dona Sisang gave Roger the screen name Mario Montenegro. From then on, Mario made movies as a leading man until he was as-signed to do a movie with Delia.

Principe Amante, her debut movie with Mario Montenegro launched her to full stardom and soon enough, Delia Razon became a household name. In 1954, she was nominated as Best Actress in the FAMAS (Fili-pino Academy of Movies and Sciences) for her fi lm Luksang Tagumpay with Eddie Rodriquez and Jaime de la Rosa.

The love team of Delia and Mario was a huge box-offi ce draw. Their movies were always sure box offi ce hits. Their fans were hoping that they would fall in love in real life and eventu-ally get married (much like the fans of the Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz love team) But that was not to be. Mario fell in love and married another LVN star, Letty Alonzo, while Delia chose to marry Rely Reyes, a non show-biz guy. (She, however, would not elaborate on her married life, which I respected).

The movies that Delia and Mario starred together were: “Bohemyo” (1951), “Rodrigo de Villa” (1952), “Tatlong Labuyo” (1953), “Pusong May Lason” (1953), “Dose Pares” (1954), “Prinsipe Tinoso” (1954), “Dambanang Putik” (1954), “Lapu-Lapu” (1955), “Banal o Makasalanan” (1955), “Ilaw sa Karimlan” (1956), “Among Tu-nay” (1956), “Higit sa Korona” (1956), “To[po-Topo” (1957), “Balae” (1958), and “Rebelde”

Delia Razon today

(1958).Delia told me her interesting

friendship with the late Nida Blanca. Together with Armando Goyena, she made a personal ap-pearance at the Estrella Theater in Malabon. The front act of the show was Nida Blanca. She was a teenager at that time. “Pak-anta-kanta si Nida, may laso sa ulo,” Delia narrates. After the show, Nida came to see Delia and said, “Delia, tagahanga mo ako. Alam mo gusting-gusto kong mag-artista. Pakilala mo naman ako kay Dona Sisang.” Delia said Nida was following her around -- sobra ang kulit. Until Delia fi nally said, “O sige na nga, tulungan na kita.” Punta ka sa bahay.” Nida’s mother said, “Kunin mo ang address, kunin mo ang address.” So Delia gave her address to Nida. Sure enough, Nida showed up to her house after a week. Delia had fun talking about Nida, “Dumating nga si Nida sa ba-hay, may laso pa rin sa tuktuk, parang helicopter. Ganun kami nung araw.” Delia asked Nida to remove her ribbon and lend her a pair of high heeled shoes. They took a taxi and went to see Dona Sisang.

Dona Sisang told Nida she could start as an extra and her acting would be assessed. The “Principe Amante” movie was followed by a sequel, “Principe Amante sa Rubitania.” Nida played as a “Dama.” Dona Sisang saw Nida’s potential and she was called to sign a contract. The name “Nida” is a popular name in Bulacan. Dona Sisang told her that she would be called “Nida.” Dona Sisang could not

think of a last name for Nida and later said, “O sige, maputi ka na rin lang, “Blanca” na ang last name mo. Nida Blanca, that’s your screen name.”

Today

Delia describes her life as happy and fulfi lling. She would always tell the people who would interview her, “I am happy that people know me. That’s why I really go out of my way to talk to the movie fans. I am not the ‘yabang’ type, kasi God said that all of us are equal. That’s what I teach to my grandchildren. You have to be polite and nice to people. God has been good to me. You see, I have no sorrow in my life --- no heartaches.” She is busy participating in the ac-tivities of the Horseshoe Village Homeowners Association where she served as Barangay Captain.

When I was in Manila in April, 2009, I drove to the Pamban-sang Museo ng Pelikula (Na-tional Museum for the Philippine Cinema) with movie icons Delia Razon, Marita Zobel, and former Senator Soc Rodrigo’s daughter, Pempe Rodrigo upon the invita-tion of Boots Anson-Roa. The visit to the fi lm museum is worth a thousand lectures and a hun-dred books!

Led by Boots Anson-Roa and her staff, we went from one gallery to the next, transported back into an era when movie stars were gods and goddesses in their own rights. With gra-cious hospitality from our host, Boots Anson-Roa and courteous service from the staff, our visit to the museum was an experience to savor and remember.

On our way home from the museum, Delia Razon invited us to stop by her huge house in Horseshoe Village, Quezon City. If the house could only talk, it would surely share with us the grandeur and glory of Delia’s acting career. She showed us her priceless collection of clothes, awards, and pictures during her days as one of the unforgettable fi lm actors of the 50s.


Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comNovember 27 - December 3, 2009

Philippine Stories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

Two Lives painting by Susanne McCoy.

Dillon was having lunch with a con-tractor at a mall

when his cell phone beeped. It was Fannie, the gay pimp and beautician who always provided him with a bevy of call girls.

“Sir, we have a new one. She’s eighteen and she needs money,” read the text.

“When can I see her?” Dillon texted back.

“Now,” was the answer.“Wait for my next text,” he

wrote to the pimp.“So we have a deal,” he told

the contractor across the table. “We will give you the business and you will give us fifty percent back.”

“Yes sir,” answered the man.Dillon didn’t wait for the guy

to pay the bill. He stood up and walked towards the door of the mall. He texted his driver and

Two Lives

by the time he was out of the main door, he only waited for about five minutes before his car pulled up from the parking garage. Inside his air-con-ditioned minivan, he told the driver: “Let’s go to Fan-nie’s.”

AN ASSIS-TANT IN THE OFFICE of a city mayor, Dillon did the dirty works for his boss. He made shady deals with the city’s contrac-tors and suppliers

and saw to it that the mayor’s office got its share of the bribes and other illegal revenues gener-ated within the city government. He got the post because the mayor, his cousin, had full con-fidence in him. Besides, he had the stomach for the job.

He could have had all the girls working in bars and prostitutions dens in the city for free. The bar and den operators would just be too eager to offer them to him. But he got tired of them after years in power. This time, all he wanted was new girls just learn-ing the tricks of the trade.

“Tell the girl to walk towards the street corner and stand there. We will pass by,” he texted Fan-nie.

His minivan reached the place in about ten minutes, but there was no girl in sight.

“She’s not here yet,” he texted the pimp.

Before Fannie could reply, a young girl walked out of his beauty salon towards the street corner. She didn’t seem to know what she was doing as she kept looking around. She was aware that there were people looking at her from inside the parked van shielded by its one-way glass window. She felt awkward, if not embarrassed.

Dillon took a good look at her. She was standing right in front of the car window but she could not see Dillon inside. Looking at the girl from head to toe, Dil-lon decided to pass up. She was young alright, but she looked frail and too ordinary.

“She’s not my type,” he texted Fannie. “Just get me the girl I dated the other day.”

The vehicle moved on, leav-ing the girl standing on the street corner bewildered and embar-rassed.

TITA WAS LYING IN BED inside the small room she was renting. Her six-month old baby was asleep beside her, but when he wakes up, she knew he would be hungry and cry. She only had a cup of powdered milk left to give him.

It was hot inside the room. Tita could not open the window as they would be exposed to the people walking on the sidewalk right in front of the house. She felt trapped. She could not go out and work because nobody could take care of her baby while she was away. Besides, a high school drop out like her would not get

a job that paid a decent wage. Then her cell phone rang.

“Are you available?” it was Fannie at the other end of the line.

“I don’t have anybody to leave my child with,” she answered.

“Don’t you want money?” Fan-nie asked her again.

“I’ll be there,” she replied.She frantically called up her

cousin who lived nearby and asked her to come over and look after her baby.

“I need to go to the mall and buy some milk,” she told her.

The cousin knew what Tita was up to but the promise of a fifty-peso tip lured her to come over nonetheless.

As soon as her cousin arrived, Tita took a bath at the common bathroom outside that all the ten-ants in the house shared.

She grew up without a father and her mother could hardly support her and her two other siblings with her job as a gov-

ernment clerk. At seventeen, Tita got pregnant by a jobless boyfriend and she was forced to move out of their house because of her uneasy relationship with her stepfather. The boyfriend was more of a liability because he could not provide for Tita and the baby’s needs. Tita tried to work as a salesgirl in a depart-ment store, but the pay could hardly meet her transportation and babysitting expenses. A friend referred her to Fannie who got fifty percent of the one thousand-peso fee Tita earned for her services.

SHE WAS IN A HURRY as she walked towards the waiting minivan. When she got inside, Dillon gave instructions to the driver.

“Take us to the same place,” he told him.

They spent the rest of the after-noon in a nearby motel.

IT WAS SEVEN O’CLOCK in the evening when Dillon arrived home. His family was already at the dinner table, waiting for him.

Over dinner, his eighteen-year-old daughter asked: “Dad, could I have my car replaced?”

“Why?” he asked her. “Your Toyota is only six months old.”

“I know,” she replied. “But I am the only one among my friends without a BMW.”

Dillon felt bad. Ever since he could afford it with his city job, he always wanted his children to keep up with their peers in the exclusive private school he enrolled them in.

“We’ll go to the dealer after school tomorrow and trade-in your Toyota for a BMW,” he declared.

IN ANOTHER PART OF TOWN, at the same moment, Tita arrived home with a bagful of groceries. With the money from Dillon, she bought a bag of rice for herself, a few canned goods and at least five cans of powdered milk for her son. She could be at peace for a while, since she knew that the supply of milk would last long enough till she gets her next call from Fannie. As soon as her cousin left, she lied down beside her sleeping son and fell asleep. Her body was too tired to eat dinner. Unlike Dillon’s daughter who was eighteen year old like her, a BMW was the farthest thing in Tita’s mind. - AJ


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

On October 28, 2009, Presi-dent Obama signed into law a bill which ended the so-called widow penalty. Before the pas-sage of this law, widow(ers) of US Citizens will not be able to get their green cards if they have not been married for at least two years. For those who have been married for two years, they can self-petition and eventually get their green cards if they can show that their marriage to the US citizen spouse was bona fi de. For those US citizen spouses who died before the marriage has existed for at least two years, their surviving spouses are subject to the so-called widow penalty. The petitions fi led for them will result in their auto-matic denial and these widows faced the threat of deportation. As discussed in our previous article, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service has issued a Memorandum on June 15 2009 which provided guidance as to how these widows can stay despite the death of their US citizen spouses, to temper the harsh effect of the widow penalty.

With this new law, it now removes the two-year mar-riage requirement from the current law and now allows these widows to self-petition. They would still however need to show that the marriage was entered into in good faith.

New law gives green card to widows and relatives of

deceased petitionerUnmarried children below 21 years old of the widow(er) may be included in the self-petition that is fi led for the widow(er).

This new law benefi ts all widow(ers) whether they are currently here in the United States or outside the country. There are deadlines which need to be met in fi ling the self-peti-tion. These widow(ers) whose spouses died prior to the enact-ment of this law must fi le their self-petitions within two years from the law’s passage or until October 28, 2011. Widow(ers) whose spouses died after the passage of the law must fi le their self-petitions within two years of the citizen’s death.

This new law also benefi ts other relatives of deceased petitioners. The new law added a new section to the US Immi-gration and Nationality Act and allows certain relatives to have their petitions or green card applications decided despite the death of their petitioning rela-tive. In order to qualify under this section, the following conditions must be met:

The petition must have been a. fi led prior to the death of the petitioner;

The benefi ciary or derivative b. benefi ciary resided in the U.S. at the time of the death of the petitioner;

The benefi ciary or derivative c. benefi ciary continues to reside

in the US. The law enumerates those d.

relatives who are included, and they are as follows:

Immediate relatives (spouse, e. parent, minor, child of a US citizen);

Unmarried son or daughter of f. a US citizen;

Married son or daughter of a g. US citizen;

Spouse or child of a legal h. permanent resident;

Brother or sister of a US i. citizen;

Employment based depen-j. dents or derivative benefi cia-ries;

Benefi ciaries of refugees/k. asylee relative petitions;

Nonimmigrant in T or U l. status;

Asylees.m.

We welcome the passage of this new law as it eliminates the harsh consequences of the widow penalty and benefi ts certain survivors of deceased petitioners who are here in the United States. Although the law will not cover all survivors of a deceased petitioner, the passage of the law is a step for-ward in removing the inequities of the current immigration law.

Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) - a full service law fi rm with offi ces in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The infor-mation presented in this 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 at-torneys will be holding regular free legal clinics at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, Califor-nia. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consulta-tion to discuss your particular situation and/or how their ser-vices may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]

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

journalusa.com

Why is it when two planes almost hit each other it is called a “near miss”?

Shouldn’t it be called a “near hit”?

What does Geroni-mo say when he jumps out of a plane?

Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?

How do you KNOW it’s new and improved dog food?

Why do they put locks on the doors of 24-hour stores?

What do they use to ship styro-foam?

Why is it called rush hour when everything moves so slow?

Why do they call them express lanes when during rush hour everything is stopped?

If sour milk is used to make yogurt, how do you know when yogurt has gone bad?

Why call it a building if it’s already been built?

Why do kamikazee pilots wear helmets?

Is it true that cannibals don’t eat clowns because they taste funny?

Does ‘virgin wool’ come from sheep the shepherd hasn’t caught yet?

If the front of your car says ‘DODGE’, do you really need a horn?

What do sheep count when they can’t get to sleep?

Do they have reserved parking for non-handicap people at the Special Olympics?

How come wrong numbers are never busy?

If you shoot a mime, should you use a silencer?

If corn oil comes from corn, where does baby oil come from?

Why do they put braille on the number pads of drive-through bank machines?

What’s another word for the-

Too many points to pondersaurus?

What would we have called the color orange if it wasn’t a fruit?

After eating, do amphibians

have to wait one hour before

getting out of the water?

If someone with multiple per-sonalities threatens to kill

himself, is it considered a

hostage situation?Instead of talking to your

plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow, but only to be troubled and insecure?

Is there another word for syn-onym?

Isn’t it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do “prac-tice”?

Just “before” someone gets nervous, do they experience cocoons in their stomach?

It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial cost and blamed it on the cost of liv-ing.

We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get worse.

Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there’s a 90% probability you’ll get it wrong.

A fi ne is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fi ne for doing well.


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LOS ANGELES (Nov. 13, 2009) – The Renault-Nissan Alliance today announced that Nissan and Reliant Energy of Houston, Texas, one of the major competitive electricity providers in the nation, are announcing an agreement to advance zero-emission mobility in the United States. The announce-ment helps pave the way for the 2010 introduction of Nissan LEAF, the industry’s first all-elec-tric, zero-emission car designed for the mass market. The com-pany expects to begin sales in late 2010. Reliant is a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), one of the largest electricity gen-erators in the United States.

Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn announced the partnership today at the kickoff of the Nissan LEAF Zero-Emission

Nissan LEAF Zero-Emission Tour kicks off in Los Angeles

Renault-Nissan Alliance forges Zero-Emission Vehicle agreement

with reliance energy

Tour, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, marking the first North American appearance of Nissan LEAF.

The vehicle debut was followed by a panel discussion representing the key interests of the environ-mental, energy and air-quality communities. Participants in-cluded Ghosn, Mary D. Nichols, Chairman, California Air Resourc-es Board; David W. Crane, President & CEO, NRG Energy, of which Reli-ant is a subsidiary; and Patricia Monahan, Deputy Director, Clean Vehicles Program and Director of the California Office, Union of Concerned Scientists.

“The Renault-Nissan Alliance has committed to becoming a global leader in zero emissions,” said Ghosn, who also is chairman and CEO of Renault. “Together,

Nissan and Reliant Energy share the vision that electric vehicles offer the best solution to reducing CO2 emissions. The Nissan LEAF is the only all-electric, zero-emis-sion vehicle that will be available to drivers on a mass-market scale and at an affordable price.”

As part of the agreement, Nissan and Reliant Energy will develop plans to promote a charging infrastructure for electric cars that encourages home and workplace charging, as well as a public

charging infrastructure. The companies will

work to coordinate the establishment

of policies and help streamline charging

infrastructure deployment.

Nissan also has agreed to make available a supply of elec-

tric vehicles to Reliant and in its areas of operation nationwide.

“This agreement with Nissan is another part of our comprehensive effort to speed up the adoption of broad-based electric-powered transportation ecosystem,” said David Crane, CEO of NRG.

“We can now see a clear path to having thousands – even hundreds of thousands – of zero-emission vehicles on Texas roads in the next several years,” said Jason Few, President of Reliant Energy.

The Los Angeles debut marked the first stop on a nationwide tour of LEAF. The Nissan LEAF Zero-Emission Tour will make stops in 22 cities, in 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Vancouver, Canada, offering the opportunity for interested drivers, media, civic partners, businesses and univer-sity students to learn more about

Nissan LEAF and the benefits of zero-emission driving. Los Angeles-area stops also in-clude Santa Monica, Glendale

and the University of Southern California campus. Details can be

found at www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car.

Nissan, along with alliance partner Renault, is the only automaker committed to mak-ing all-electric vehicles available to the mass market on a global scale. Through the Nissan LEAF Zero-Emission Tour, Nissan will be showcasing the electric vehicle and battery technology as well as the company’s zero-emission mobility objectives. Nissan is also furthering the development of an electric-vehicle infrastructure through agreements with the State of Tennessee, the State of Oregon, Sonoma County, San Diego, Phoe-nix, Tucson, Washington D.C., Seattle, Raleigh, Vancouver, and Mexico City.

Nissan North America

In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manu-

facturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reduc-ing CO

2 emissions, cutting other

emissions and increasing recy-cling. More information on the Nissan LEAF and zero-emission mobility can be found at www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car.

Renault-Nissan Alliance

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has begun zero-emission vehicle initiatives in Kanagawa Prefec-ture and Yokohama in Japan, as well as in Mexico, Israel, Den-mark, Portugal, Monaco, the UK, France, Switzerland, Ireland, China and Hong Kong. The Renault-Nissan Alliance, founded in 1999, sold 6,090,304 vehicles in 2008. The objective of the Alli-ance is to rank among the world’s top three vehicle manufacturers in terms of quality, technology and profitability.


by Dr. Ofelia Dirige Co-Founder and Exec. 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 first Asian-Filipino weekly in Southern California

An award-winning newspaper, it is San Diego’s most widely circulated Asian-Filipino newspaper!

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

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

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

Dr. Rizalino “Riz” Oades (1935-2009)

The Asian Journal is published weekly and distributed in all Asian communties in San Diego County. Publication date is every 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 submissions. Entire content is © 2009 copyrighted material by Asian Journal. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced without specific permission from the publisher.

Genevieve SilverioManaging Editor

Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Miles BeauchampAssociate Editor

Santi SilverioAssociate Publisher

At Large...

Read Miles Beauchamp’s previous articles by visiting our web-site at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Miles Beauchamp

The grand day of na-tional thanksgiving is over. Now we can

look forward to Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years and leftovers. Ah, well. But now that Thanksgiving Day is over we can finally spend some time looking at the other side of things. In other words, we can spend a bit of time thinking about all the things we aren’t thankful for. What am I

The anti-ThanksgivingThanksgiving is over – now let’s hear the other side

not thankful for? Glad you asked.

Just a few things I’m not thankful for

1. Acid indigestion (particular-ly following too much Thanks-giving food

2. Headaches after too much food, beverage, strange family members

3. Crowds (really heavy after Thanksgiving)

4. Drivers who cut you off5. Drivers who won’t let you in

6. Anyone driving a car on the day after Thanksgiving

7. Leftover turkey (after the third day of eating the stuff)

8. Oyster dressing9. Cranberries (cranberry

sauce, yes. Cranberries, no)10. A cousin or two (no, I’m

not mentioning names)11. After Thanksgiving sales

(of course I like saving money, what I hate are the crowds, the lack of parking spaces, the crowds, the store aisles piled high with so much stuff you can hardly walk, the crowds, and finally, all those crowds)

12. Television commercials advertising After-Thanksgiving Sales

13. Television commercials advertising Pre-Christmas Sales

14. The start of Christmas ads filled with cheery Christmas music, snow, sleighs pulled by reindeer, and a constant ho, ho, ho (for some place with Metal-lica CDs on sale)

15. The beginning of Christmas music being played anywhere and everywhere (don’t misun-derstand me, I love Christmas music, it’s just that after awhile, with it being everywhere, it can get on your nerves)

16. Christmas Specials at plac-es that shouldn’t have Christmas Specials (a Christmas Special at Toys ‘R Us, or Sears or Pen-ney’s, fine. But please, spare me the Christmas Special at the car dealers, the golf courses, the cell phone store, the auto parts store, the beauty salons, the plumbing store or the hardware store)

17. Weird recipes coming out to tell us all the things we can do with leftover turkey (turkey meatloaf, fine. Turkey enchila-das, fine. Even turkey à la king, fine. But turkey omelet, not fine.

18. A Christmas sale on a case of engine oil is not a good thing

19. Fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake

snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow, fake snow. And I’m not too fond of fake snow, either

20. Goose (I don’t care if goose was a traditional Christmas

dinner – I don’t want goose for Christmas. If I have to eat any of the usual things, I want ham or turkey – preferably smoked. And this doesn’t mean I don’t like goose – I do. I just don’t want it for Christmas. And no, I don’t know why)

21. Lines in front of the lo-cal Honey Baked Ham store as Christmas approaches. And couldn’t anyone figure out how to smear some honey on a ham and bake it before Honey Baked came along? What’s with people and their Honey Baked hams? That being said, yes, I rather like the things too and have stood on line to pick up one of them for over an hour (actually, I wouldn’t have done it on my own, but it got me out of the house for an hour as my wife was whizzing around getting ev-erything ready for Thanksgiving Dinner with the in-laws).

22. Christmas cheer (and here I mean the fake kind of Christmas cheer. Real Christmas cheer is hard enough to deal with, but the fake Christmas cheer is a killer – as in if you give me one more fake smile I will probably have to have you killed)

23. Christmas letters from family and friends when the only information they give is how bad things are going. I’m sorry you lost your job, the house burned down, you’re getting a divorce and the dog bit you. But this is Christmas; if you can’t say anything good then don’t say anything besides Merry Christ-mas. Everyone is having a tough time right now but these are the holidays.

24. Low fat, sugar free eggnog (or most any other holiday food). Hey, it’s a great time of year so enjoy

25. Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys!

Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys!Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys!Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys! Toys!

I’m getting sick of toys, ads for toys, commercials for toys, kids begging Santa for toys, and the huge crush of humans trying to get into a toy store before Christ-mas. I feel this way because I have two wonderful kids who are even now probably trying to find some Santa’s lap to crawl up

onto and whisper what they want for Christmas. Well, one kid anyway – our daughter. Our son is past that age (although he says he believes - he wants to hedge his bets or just go along with us for his sister’s sake...and to keep us happy). Why don’t these kids smarten up and simply grab Santa and hold him hostage until Mrs. Claus and the elves fork over everything the kids want?

Okay, okay, okay, okay. Enough of all the things I’m not thankful for. And, yes, even though this anti-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas column has been my usual cranky self, I’m sure you know that I am indeed happy and thankful to be approaching another Christmas, family intact. Merry Christmas everyone.

Greetings and wel-come to the cel-ebration of the 7th

anniversary of the founding of the Filipino American Wellness Center (FWC) and to honor the memory of our beloved Founder and President, Dr. Riz A. Oades, who passed away October 8, 2009.

At every anniversary, it is the tradition of KCS to report to the board and the community the progress and accomplishments of KCS and to honor the sponsors, donors, staff, board and commu-nity individuals who contributed financially, served KCS, and made a difference in the lives of the Filipino American com-munity.

What do we do now that our leader passed away? There are three things we can do. First, we grieve because we mourn the death of a loved one who has been dear to us, a constant com-panion, and friend. There is pain in grieving and we just have to suffer until the pain eases away. Grieving is normal and is part of the healing process. Some may grieve for a month and others for

Family members of Dr. Riz A. Oades receiving an award from Dr. Ofelia Dirige, KCS. Photo credit: Areeluck “Rose” Parnsoonthorn

Remembering, working and trusting: A message of hope and dedicationKeep remembering what God has done in the past, serve God with all your heart in the present, keep trusting God for the future.” II Samuel 12: 20-24

years depending on how close they were to the person who passed away.

Secondly, we can quit, throw the towel and forget everything. I already had some people ap-proach me asking whether KCS will continue or fold. As long as I am here and there are individu-als who will support the vision and mission of KCS, the organi-zation will continue.

In order to move forward, we must think of three positive

things to inspire us: remember our glorious past, work actively in the present, and look to the fu-ture with hope and trust in God.

2009 KCS HIGHLIGHTS

The year 2009 is a period of contrasts for KCS … a time of joy due to the successful comple-tion of one of our major projects, the Healthy Eating Campaign, and a time of sadness because of the passing of our beloved Founder and President, Dr. Riz A. Oades. Added to the gloom is the reality of the current economic recession that further gives us tremendous insecurity and reaching deep into our pock-ets. This started in 2007 and may continue until 2011.

Our theme for this year is the

From lt to rt; Joyce Temporal, Dr. Aurora Cudal, Steve Eldred, Dr. Ofelia Dirige, and Arlie Aricasa. Photo credit: Areeluck “Rose” Parnsoonthorn

same as in 2008,” Keep remem-bering what God has done in the past, serve God with all your heart in the present and keep trusting God for the future.” I Samuel 12:20-24. Our hearts do not despair because we always remember the faithfulness of God in times past, we serve Him and the community with all our heart, mind, and soul, and trust the Lord for the future. We are not to lose heart but HOPE in God.

THE PAST: “In everything give thanks” is our slogan at this Thanksgiving time. We thank God for the good as well as the bad that happens to us. Primar-ily, we think about the glorious past that KCS had: from a small staff of two to 50 part timers plus all the volunteers, from one program to 5 major pro-grams, and from a tiny budget of $50,000 to $3 million through the years. This year we are thankful for the following grants received:

a) The Healthy Eating Campaign (HEC) started in 2006-2008 and was extended for another year to 2009 by The California Endowment in the amount of $143,000, making the total grant amount to $ 411,000 for three years. The purpose of the grant was to prevent obesity or overweight in the FilAm pop-ulation by increasing the healthy options offered by FilAm restau-rants and grocery stores.

Ten restaurants in National City, Chula Vista and Mira Mesa participated in the campaign. These are Conchings, Villa Ma-nila, Pinoy Fiesta, Goldilocks, and Point Point Restaurant in National City; JNC Pinoy Mart and Lutong Bahay in Chula Vista; and Bechay’s Pancit and Grill, R & B Cuisine, and Ma-

nila Fast Food in Mira Mesa. We organized a coalition and

advisory committee to give direction to the campaign and trained 25 advocates to work with the restaurant and gro-cery owners. We analyzed two recipes from the restaurants and modified them to be lower in fat, cholesterol, sugar and salt. The restaurant chefs prepared the

FilAmFest committee members recognized for their efforts for this year’s FilAmFest 2009. Photo credit: Areeluck “Rose” Parnsoon-thorn

modified recipes and advocates invited the community to come to a taste testing to sample the healthy dishes. Participants were delighted and surprised to find that nutritious dishes can also be so tasty and delicious.

We also put up posters on healthy eating at the restaurants, suggested serving more healthy entrees such as lean meats, fish, and less fried dishes; fruits for dessert; salads and non-sautéed vegetables; low calorie drinks

and fruit juices; and brown rice.For our grocery campaign,

we worked with managers in four Seafood grocery stores in National City, Chula Vista and Mira Mesa. We conducted as-sessments of the healthy options found in these stores and found that many healthy foods were available. However, customers

were not aware of them so in our campaign we conducted grocery tours to show them where the healthy options are located and prepared samples for them to taste.

It was difficult at first to work with the owners because they were unfamiliar with the program, did not perceive the benefits of it, and were fearful that it may lead to lesser profits. However, as we worked with them, they realized that the pro-gram will benefit individuals by making them healthier and their business can even realize greater profits. Restaurant owners are now aware of the importance of cooking healthy and have started to use oil with less trans fat and cook less meat and more veg-etables.

b) The Filipino American Arts and Cultural Festival (FilAm Fest) has been sup-ported in the last three years by government grants from the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Tony Young’s City of San Diego District 4 and the SD County Community Enhance-

ment Fund. Private sponsors this year included Sempra, Union Bank, Comerica Bank, Mabuhay Alliance, Jollibee, and Corner-stone Church of San Diego. Fundraising included commer-cial and food booths, raffles, as well as sales of products. The event continues to attract art-ists and residents, mostly young people. This year the estimated crowd was 13,000 at the Paradise Hills area. There were more than

300 student volunteers and 100 booths. FilAmFest continues to grow not only in number but in quantity and quality of programs.

THE PRESENT

The FilAm Wellness Cen-ter’s core operating support that includes some staff salaries and programs has been funded by The California Wellness Foun-dation since its inception and continues through 2007 to 2010. Programs include screening and referrals, nutrition and physical activities, health education and parent youth workshops, and board development.

Screening for blood pressure is done at the Center and various locations throughout the County, at health fairs, and various FilAm events in collaboration with the Philippine Nurses Asso-ciation of San Diego. Besides the HEC, we also conduct healthy cooking classes at the Center and Mira Mesa. Physical activities include aerobics taught by Alice Bautista and line dancing by Virgie Palmer. Two parent work-shops were held this year.


From lt to rt; Joyce Temporal, Dr. Aurora Cudal, award receipent Tony Olaes of Gawad Kalinga, Arlie Ricasa, and Dr. Ofelia Dirige. Photo credit: Areeluck “Rose” Parnsoonthorn



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by Atty. Susan V. Perez

Legal BriefRead Atty. Susan Perez’s previous articles by

visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

This is a true story of a man who came to the United States as a non-immigrant K-2 child of a K-1 visa holder, his mother. Let’s call him “Pedro”. Pedro and his mother entered the United States at the same time on December 1, 2002. At the time, Pedro was 20 years old. The mother married her United States citizen fi ancé a day after her arrival and later fi led an adjustment of status to become a lawful permanent resident (LPR). Pedro’s authorization to remain in the United States expired on December 5, 2002, the day before his 21st birthday. On December 7, Pedro fi led an application with U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) to adjust status to that of an LPR based on his entry as a K-2 nonimmigrant. USCIS denied Pedro’s application stating that the marriage creating the step-parent/step-child relationship occurred after the son turned 18. Four years later, Pedro received a Notice to Appear (NTA) from Department of Homeland Secu-rity (DHS) charging him with being removable for overstaying his authorization to remain in the United States. While the remov-al proceedings were ongoing, Pedro married a United States citizen and fi led an adjustment of status based on the approved im-migrant petition fi led by his wife. DHS moved to dismiss Pedro’s application for adjustment of status on the basis that an alien who entered as a K visa may not adjust to an LPR through any other means than through his K-2 status. The main issues in

Could K-2 Visa holders “Age out” of eligibility for

adjustment of status?this case were: whether a K-2 visa holder can “age-out” of this status and whether a K-2 visa may adjust through any other means. This case was decided in Minnesota and the Immigration Court decided in favor of Pedro.

The K-1 nonimmigrant clas-sifi cation was created in 1970 as a means for a fi ancé or fi ancée to bypass the lengthy wait for a nonpreference immigrant clas-sifi cation and enter the United States as a nonimmigrant despite an intent to stay in the United States. The sole purpose of this visa is to enter into a marriage with the United States citizen petitioner. The K-1 classifi cation allowed the minor child who was accompanying or following to join a K-1 nonimmigrant to enter and adjust status with the K-1. The adjustment of status was automatic upon the occurrence of the marriage. In 1986, Con-gress eliminated the automatic adjustment, required the fi ling of adjustment of status petition, and imposed a two-year condition on the status as a legal permanent resident (LPR). The condition applies to both the fi ancé or fi ancée and the son or daughter of the alien spouse. The amend-ment also restricted the K visa holders from separately adjusting to LPR under the general adjust-ment provision of the Immigra-tion Nationality Act. The K statues were silent whether K-2 applicants need to be under the age of twenty-one at the time of adjustment to LPR.

In this particular case, the


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ENGLEWOOD, CO., (No-vember 23, 2009) – The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), proud sponsor of Joy Rojas and her Takbong Pangarap Trans USA Run, welcomed her into New York City after her run across the United States. What began as a charity run to raise money to fi ght tuberculosis and heart disease has become a fi re of inspiration that has lit throughout all Filipinos across the nation.

A survivor of tuberculosis herself, Rojas began her journey in the Eagle Rock Plaza in Los Angeles, CA and arrived in New York City on Sunday night, completing a run of over 3,000 miles across the United States. Overcoming count-less odds and experiencing major hurdles, the journey has not been smooth for Rojas. Throughout the run, she encountered elevations as high as 8,000 feet and weather that ranged from 100 degree scorching heat to near-freezing temperatures. She even saw snow for the fi rst time in her life.

After a knee injury delayed her expedition by several weeks, Rojas fi nally arrived in Washington D.C., where she was greeted by a large crowd of fans excited to see her. One of the Western Union® Agent locations in Fort Washington, MD hosted a welcoming party where Rojas shared her experiences and rested to complete her run to New York.

She arrived in New York City on Sunday night and was ready to meet and greet with fans and media on Monday afternoon at an event hosted by Western Union at the Philippines Consulate General.

“We are so proud to support such a great cause and also build an awareness about our great ser-vices. She perfectly exemplifi es the can-do spirit that matches Western Union’s yes! campaign,” shared Silvia Eliat, Marketing Director of Ethnic Segments for Western Union.

Running with her trainer Mat Macabe, who underwent open-heart surgery last year, Rojas decided to challenge herself with this Trans USA run to benefi t a Division of the Philippine Heart Center and the Anti-TB Program of the Inner Wheel Club, District 378.

From left to right: Mohit Bijlani; Senior Marketing Manager of USOB to Philippines at Western Union, Shirleen Velasquez; Senior Manager of USOB Philippines at Western Union, Joy Rojas; Trans USA runner, Mat Macabe; Trainer, Cecilia Rebong; Consul of Philip-pine Consulate General in New York. -Photo by Ivan Roque

Joy Rojas Arrives in New York City, Completing her Journey Across U.S.

Filipina Trans USA Runner Ignites Spirit All Around Country

“They said it couldn’t be done, but with hard work, determination, commitment, endless prayers, and the help of so many people, running across America—and any dream for that matter—can be achieved,” Rojas said. “Thank you to Western Union and everybody who paved the way for us to run from Califor-nia to New York. It was a privilege and an honor.”

In addition to working with Joy Rojas to help her achieve her goal, Western Union also works hard to support the community and its cus-tomers. In the spirit of holidays and giving, Western Union is offering its consumers several promotions this season. First is the ‘$50 for $5’ promotion where consumers can send up to $50 to loved ones in the U.S. for a $5 fee through December 26, 2009. Also, send $50 or more internationally by December 26, 2009 and receive a coupon good for 40% off the next qualifying money transfer*. Western Union is also offering the ability to send cash on a Western Union® branded prepaid gift card**.

* In addition to the transfer fee, Western Union also makes money when it changes your dollars into foreign currency. Promotional

discounts expire 3/31/2010. Funds availability subject to terms and conditions of service. See send form for Restrictions.

** The Western Union® Gift Card is issued by MetaBank™ pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. INC. MetaBank; Member FDIC. A $2.50 per month servicing fee applies after 12 consecutive months of non-use.

About Western UnionThe Western Union Company

(NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta and Pago Facil branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money orders. West-ern Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta operate through a combined net-work of more than 400,000 Agent locations in 200 countries and terri-tories. In 2008, The Western Union Company completed 188 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $74 billion of principal between consumers, and 412 million consumer-to-business transactions. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

SAN DIEGO, California (No-vember 17, 2009) – San Diego County is home to a large popu-lation of Filipino-Americans. Depending on the cited source, there are nearly 300,000 Filipi-nos of voter age residing in San Diego County. During the recent FACE (Filipino American Com-munity Empowerment) election of Offi cers and Board Members held in the offi ce conference center of Dr. Myrna Lazaga in Poway, some eye-raising San Diego County statistics were presented.

Total Filipino American Regis-tered Voters number 41,870. Yet, the total voters who participated in all of the last three county-wide elections totaled only 5,322.

An obvious conclusion would be that Filipino Americans are not a viable voting block. Based on the statistics, voter participa-tion by percentage is shy of 13%. Add to that, the fact that only about 14% of the voting-eligible population is actually registered, you have a rather dismal picture of the political infl uence that can be attributed to Filipino Ameri-cans.

Although these numbers don’t bode well for the current sta-tus of Filipino American voter participation, it does signal a tre-mendous opportunity for FACE. Central to the FACE mission is “voter education, registration, and voting.” Any successful initiative would certainly result in improvement considering the large gaps between eligible ver-sus registered voters, and regis-tered voters versus actual voters.

The recently elected Offi cers and Board Members will have their plates full to design and implement policies and pro-grams designed to increase voter registration and participation throughout the Filipino American community. These efforts will be led by the Vice President for Voter Education and Registra-tion, Mr. Julio DeGuzman.

FACE is currently registered in

Filipino American Voter Participation in SD County Signals Opportunity

the State of CA as a non-profi t Political Action Committee. It was founded in 2005 to empower the Filipino American commu-nity by creating positive change through the political process. Ac-tivities include voter registration, voter education and increasing voter turnout; political advocacy and political endorsements; legislative advocacy and hold-ing public offi cials accountable to the voters; and working with other community organizations to increase voter involvement in politics. For membership

information, please contact Ms. Katrina Benfer, VP of Member-ship, at [email protected] or visit the FACE website at http://www.fi lamvote.org/


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

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

You see, Lannie’s tourist visa expires at the end of this month. Her two kids have their own tourist visas which will expire in 2012 yet. She and her kids have been taking yearly vacations to the U.S. and, this year, they plan to spend White Christmas with her parents in New York. That was the reason why she applied for a renewal of her tourist visa last month. That was also the reason why she scheduled an appointment in our Manila office last week, three hours before her

My husband overstayed.Can I renew my tourist visa?

interview appointment in the U.S. Embassy.

Lannie was worried that the U.S. Embassy would deny her visa renewal. She did not hide the fact that her husband is cur-rently here, not only because the tourist visa application form requires her to list her relatives in the United States, but moreso because she is an honest person who does not want to tell a lie. I learned that Lannie has had her tourist visa for fifteen years now; in fact, she had renewed it twice. She has never overstayed her visits, always leaving the U.S. long before her lawful stay would expire. If not for Eddie’s act of overstaying his own visa, Lannie should have no problem having her visa renewed, She was afraid that the consular office would start asking her questions about Eddie, and sus-pect that she would do the same thing. Some sort of a conjugal fault.

But more than the merits of her visa application, which we con-sider are overwhelming in her favor, we were more concerned

about Lannie’s preparedness to appear for the interview. We have learned through experience (including our own) that no matter how meritorious your case is, if you appear before the im-migration officer nervous, defensive and doubtful of yourself, your chances of be-ing approved will be greatly compromised, especially in a tourist visa interview where the officer is given a lot of discretion to approve

or deny your application.We made Lannie realize that

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

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

Finally, we made Lannie un-derstand that a lot of deserving tourist visa applicants get denied. In the unfortunate event that she suffers the same fate, she could always apply again. It helped her psychologically to be assured that being denied would not be the end of the world for her. Now or in the near future, a judicious immigration officer will surely see that she deserves the visa.

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

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego and has continu-ously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His office address is located at 16486 Ber-nardo Center Drive, Suite 228, San Diego, CA 92128. He also has an office in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Manila, Philippines 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 consultation. He speaks Tagalog fluently.

SAN DIEGO – The Internal Revenue Service in partnership with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is looking for volunteers to assist in preparing tax returns next year at various AARP sponsored sites throughout Southern California . Volunteers of all ages and back-grounds are welcome.

All AARP tax counselor vol-unteers receive comprehensive AARP Tax-Aide training in cooperation with the IRS. Indi-viduals with good computer skills are especially needed to assist in transmitting returns electronically through the IRS E-file program.

“IRS is proud to work with AARP on this program, it’s really a great resource for the American taxpayer,” said IRS Spokesman Raphael Tulino. “With 168 sites

IRS and AARP Seek 2010 Tax Preparation Volunteers

at senior centers, libraries and other locations in the area, there’s bound to be one close to home.”

Training generally begins in

early January. Volunteers can help in five separate capacities:

Return Preparer – A re-• turn preparer will actu-ally prepare tax returns. A one-week training course is provided.Computer / IT Special-• ist – Those who wish to be a computer technology specialist only.Greeter – Someone to greet • taxpayers, answer questions and provide forms.Communication Special-• ists – Working with local media sources to promote

the program.Fund Raiser -- Solicit • funds from local businesses to help offset the cost of equipment.

AARP Tax-Aide sites are gener-

ally open from the first week in February through April 15, 2010. Days and hours of operation will be different from site to site and the time commitment will also vary, but most volunteers spend only four to eight hours a week at a site.

Volunteers completed over 38,000 returns and helped more than 60,000 taxpayers last year at sites located throughout Southern California .

More information on how to join the AARP Tax-Aide team can be found by calling 1-888-687-2277 or by visiting AARP’s Tax Aide website at www.aarp.org/taxaide. IRS information, includ-ing more on the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program can be found at www.irs.gov.



Light &Shadows

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

by Zena Sultana Babao

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are fi lled with joy.” – Psalms 126:3

Thank You, Lord

Let us pray to the Lord with a joyful heart: “Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we give you thanks this day for all your good-ness and mercy and for your gift of life and continued blessings. We give you thanks for your incomparable love by giving us your precious Son who redeemed us from our sins. We give you thanks for all the things that we hold near and dear to our hearts. We pray that the diffi culties we are going through right now would make us stronger – spiri-tually, physically and emotion-ally. We pray for guidance for our country’s leaders, that they may live and lead by your words. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.”

Thanksgiving Day

Giving Thanks with a Joyful Heart

America celebrated Thanksgiving Day yesterday, Thursday (November 26, 2009), and carried on the tra-dition that the Pilgrims started 387 years ago. A tradition that had its beginning in Mas-sachusetts, a part of our country which has been, from its found-ing, a leading force in culture and tradition!

Thanksgiving is always a tender time, a unifying ritual. It brings family and friends together for a reunion complete with a feast of turkey, ham and pumpkin pie. And our choicest ethnic foods too! To most of us, this holiday has a much deeper meaning. It is the day of giving thanks to our Almighty God for his continued blessings upon us. It’s also a day of rejoicing because the seeds of democracy sown on our shore hundreds of years ago continue to take root and blossom in our beloved country. Our fl ag is still there, and long may she wave!

This year, though, has not been a year of plenty. Some people from across the coun-try, and especially here in California, have lost their homes and their jobs. Businesses struggle to stay afl oat. People affected are stressed to the break-ing point, not knowing what to do – where to lay their heads at night, or where to get some food to eat.

Some people now think that America has become a desolate wasteland. They could see nothing beyond the horizon – no hope,

no laughter, and no music. They keep on tightening their belt, struggling to make ends end. Their checkbook balances have inched towards the panic level. And some don’t have any check-book at all. Some say that they

feel that hope and opportunity have fl oated and disappeared away like bubbles blown by the wind.

But there’s always hope. One day the searing loss and pain would be abated, and they will fi nd joy again. And there’s always opportunity, but we have to take action and create move-ment towards it. Life is a wheel

– there are times when we are up and times when we are down. But despite all the problems and worry now, there are many bless-ings that we have to be thankful for.

Counting our Blessings

Counting our blessings is by far the best way of observing Thanksgiving. Each of us has been given by the Lord a cornu-copia of blessings. Your bless-

ings and mine may not exactly be the same, and what I am thankful for this year may not be what you are thankful for.

I am thankful for a lot, and here are a dozen of them, in no particular order:

My family, who through good times and

bad, stick together for love, sup-port and encouragement.

My friends. Life would not be what it is without them.

(3) The freedoms I enjoy as a U.S. citizen.

(4) Our brave men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces who serve our country and sacrifi ce their lives for the freedoms we enjoy.

(5) The opportunity to make a difference.

(6) My health. Having it is

a gift, and I never take it for granted.

(7) Plenty of good books to read and great ideas to share and be shared.

(8) A roof over my head, a warm bed, and plentiful food.


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Poem No. 10I think of nothingI listen to the silenceWhen awareness is freed from thoughtsThat is our liberationa momentary sanctuary in our place in this universeSo much so like the face of the sunUnveiled by the passing of the moonBrilliance radiating from shredded shadows.. ..The shadows of our thoughts

©2009 Michael R. Tagudin, “Riding the Dragon”

About the Author: Michael R. TagudinEducated as an engineer in the Philippines, the City of Los Angeles employee hopes his legacy of poems will provoke a dialogue about the human condition. He is donating the proceeds from the book to anti-human trafficking efforts in the City of Angels. Contact [email protected] for more information about the book of poetry.

Street Poetry

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

by Michael R. Tagudin

Biz leaders ask to re-assign Ethics Commission in light of budget crisisSan Diego’s elected officials

have asked residents for recom-mendations on cost-cutting to combat the estimated budget deficit of $180 million, and at least one response is generating buzz.

Last week, the Filipino-Amer-ican Chamber of Commerce of San Diego (FACCSD) sent a letter to Mayor Jerry Sanders and city councilmembers suggesting the city re-assign the functions of the Ethics Commission to the City Attorney’s office, which — the letter claims — would save the city about $500,000 a year.

The Ethics Commission was formed in 2001 in the wake of a series of scandals that tainted the public image of San Diego’s local government.

Part of the commission’s mis-sion statement is to “preserve public confidence in (the) city government.” The commission educates and advises politicians, the public, and lobbyists, and investigates and levies fines for municipal government eth-ics violations. It has subpoena power, too.

“Not every major metro city has an ethics commission and before 2001 San Diego didn’t have one, so that tells me that an Ethics Commission is a luxury, not a necessity,” said FACCSD president Audie J. de Castro.

de Castro said the idea oc-curred to him when he saw the budget for the Ethics Com-mission ($890,000) and com-pared it to the budgets for the mayor’s office ($600,000) and Chief Financial Officer’s office ($880,000).

“We’re at that level where almost any amount matters and we’re talking about a continuing savings, not just this year,” de Castro said.

The commission questions de Castro’s motive, though.

de Castro, a local attorney, said he represented Dante Dayacap, the former director of finance for the Southeastern Economic De-velopment Corporation. Dayacap faces allegations of violations of the Ethics Ordinance, specifi-cally the alleged misuse of his position for his personal financial gain. Dayacap faces an adminis-

trative hearing before the com-mission in 2010, and is no longer represented by de Castro.

Stacey Fulhorst, the commis-sion’s executive director, noted de Castro’s tie to Dayacap in a statement to San Diego News Network.

“It would therefore appear as though the enforcement action concerning Mr. Dayacap has influenced Mr. de Castro’s views with respect to the Ethics Com-mission’s budget,” Fulhorst said.

Despite representing someone before the commission, de Cas-tro said the FACCSD’s recom-mendation is independent of his former client.

“I will emphasize that the is-sue has nothing to do with Mr. Dayacap, and I no longer repre-sent him,” de Castro said. “As an aside, the letter represents the views of my organization, the Filipino Chamber of Commerce. Hence, I am obviously not alone in my views.”

According to the Ethics Commission’s 2008 Annual Report, of 63 matters that were investigated, 62 percent were dismissed. Most settlements involved strictly technical viola-tions, and in the full year $6,500 in fines were assessed by the commission.

“I’m not saying that we shouldn’t enforce things of a local nature; I’m just saying another agency should enforce them, and better prioritize what it enforces,” de Castro said.

The letter states that “local eth-ics laws can be enforced by the City Attorney’s office, with cost savings,” and that state ethics laws can and should be enforced by the state.

In an e-mail response to SDNN regarding the FACCSD’s recom-mendation, Fulhost wrote:

“It is simply false to suggest that the City Attorney’s Office could perform the duties of the Ethics Commission. First and foremost, the City Attorney’s of-fice can only prosecute criminal misdemeanors. The vast major-ity of violations of the City’s campaign laws, lobbying laws, and ethics laws, do not merit criminal prosecution. Second, the City Attorney’s office cannot

give advice to candidates for elective City office, political committees, or lobbyists. Final-ly, because the City Attorney is an elected official, and because all of the attorneys in the office are subject to the City’s Eth-ics Ordinance, it would present an obvious conflict for the City Attorney’s Office to handle en-forcement of campaign laws and ethics laws.”

But de Castro said the Ethics Commission is just one example of unnecessary spending by the city and writes in his letter that, “the City should also review its expenses on other boards and commissions.”

“I’m looking at this as not a singular resolution, but one that can be explored and piggybacked on by other commissions,” de Castro said. “The numbers speak for themselves and were taken directly from their own annual report. I find it highly inap-propriate for the commission to politicize a pending investiga-tion, when legitimate issues are raised in the context of a histori-cal budget crisis. I would call this a red herring and, ironically, unethical.”

Mayor Sanders’ office and the City Attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comment and various councilmembers declined to comment specifically on the issue.

Steven Bartholow is SDNN’s multimedia editor and political reporter.

to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers ... you are the change that you dream, as I am the change that I dream, and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.”

The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an ini-tial pool of more than 9,000 viewer

Pushcart educator

named CNN Hero of the

Year(Continued from page 1)

nominations, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. Each of the top 10 Heroes receives $25,000.

“With the recognition they receive on our stage,” said Cooper, who hosted the tribute, “they’ll be able to help thousands and thousands of people. Through their efforts, lives will be changed and lives will be saved.”

Underwood performed an original orchestral arrangement of “Change” from her best-selling album, “Play On.”

Maxwell sang “Help Somebody” from his first album in eight years, ‘BLACKsummers’night.’

Lewis, a three-time Grammy nominee, performed “Happy,” from her second album, “Echo.”

See photos of all the performers and honorees

All three performances echoed the spirit of the CNN Heroes campaign, which salutes everyday people whose extraordinary accomplish-ments are making a difference in their communities and beyond.

Presenters included Nicole Kid-man, Kate Hudson, Neil Patrick Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Randy Jack-son, Greg Kinnear, George Lopez and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

“This record number of nomina-tions is further evidence of the momentum CNN Heroes has built in just a few short years,” said Jim Walton, president of CNN World-wide.

“Viewers have been engaged by these stories of inspiration and ac-complishment beyond our expecta-tions. It is truly an honor to be able to introduce the CNN Heroes to our global audience every year.”

Again this year, producer/direc-tor Joel Gallen served as executive

producer of “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.” Among his credits, Gallen produced telethon events supporting victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, winning an Emmy Award

and a Peabody Award for “America: A Tribute to Heroes.”

The Kodak Theatre is best known as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards.



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LOS ANGELES, CA (OC-TOBER 29, 2009) -- “Filipino Hoops and Heritage Night” will be held by the Los Angeles Clip-pers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Saturday, December 5, 2009 during its game against the Indiana Pacers at the world famous STAPLES Center in downtown Los Ange-les. The historic event is the fi rst of its kind to be held by the LA Clippers. Raymond Townsend, the fi rst and only Filipino bas-

Raymond Townsend, fi rst and only Filipino NBA player in history, to promote celebration of Filipino culture and heritage

featuring Filipino celebrities who have realized their dreams in several fi elds.

“It is my desire to bring the NBA to our Filipino communi-ties to honor our rich heritage,” says Raymond Townsend. “I was fortunate enough to realize my dream of playing basketball in the NBA, and my hope is to support the youth in our commu-nity and encourage them to fol-low their dreams as well.” Townsend, whose mother Virginia Marie Rug-nao hailed from Taal, Batangas in the Phil-ippines, was a fi rst round NBA draft pick in 1978, and played in the NBA from 1978-1982 for the Golden State War-riors and then the Indiana Pacers. Townsend

also played college basketball at UCLA from 1974-1978, and was a member of the 1975 UCLA Basketball National Champions under legendary Coach John Wooden.

The evening starts with a meet and greet reception from 5:30pm – 6:30pm at the City View Terrace inside STAPLES Cen-ter. The meet and greet will be

Filipino hoops and heritage night to be hosted by NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers on December 5th

Raymond Townsend

ketball player to ever play in the NBA, is teaming with the LA Clippers to produce a unique celebration of Filipino culture and heritage, while promoting the game of basketball, one of the most popular sports in the Philippines and among Filipinos worldwide.

The theme of Filipino Hoops and Heritage Night is “Follow Your Dreams”, and will high-light an array of talented young performers from the Filipino community. Special Philip-pine cultural, dance, and vocal performances will occur during pre-game festivities and at half-time, while the national anthem will be performed by nine-year-old Filipina singing sensation Ciana Pelekai. In keeping with the theme, the evening will also feature 30-second “Follow Your Dreams” video vignettes played on the scoreboard video screen,


EntertainmentMovies to Watch

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

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PNS -- THE so-called Divine Diva, Zsa Zsa Padilla returns to the big screen after almost a year of hiatus. When she made “Mano Po (Ako Legal Wife” about two years (?) ago, she had convinced fans that she’s at her best doing acting as well as singing.

In “Mano Po 6: My Mother’s Love,” this year’s version of the popular franchise movie, Zsa Zsa pits talents with other tested thespians like Megastar Sharon Cuneta, Heart Evan-gelista (she won best actress at the FAMAS, remember?) Kris Aquino, Dennis Trillo and Christopher de Leon. At first Zsa Zsa was hesitant to accept it because the role is too “bad” for her and involves physi-cal encounter with Sharon’s character.

But Zsa Zsa thinks that the feeling would be worse had she not accepted it.

PNS -- WE don’t know why some writers keep on asking KC Concepcion about the real score between her and Piolo Pascual. As if they expect KC to say “yes, we’re on.” She did admit that “I’d love to be in a relationship and take care of someone right now. But getting married, huwag muna. I still have a lot of work to do. I don’t want to rush things so as of now, I just go with the flow. If ever magkaka-boyfriend ako, I want him to be as dedicated as me in my advocacies, pero dapat, manggaling sa puso niya at hindi napipi-litan lang.”

KC was officially launched as Swatch’s new endorser in their “KC Cares, Swatch Shares” campaign aimed to help the UN World Food Program (WFP) for which she is an official ambas-sador. Just like in her team-up with Bayo, part of the proceeds from Swatch Fall-Winter col-lection will go to WFP’s drive against hunger. Each Swatch bought will feed a child for an entire month. “I’m often asked

KC’s frustrations

PNS -- OUR condolences to the family of award-winning actor Johnny Delgado. He passed away last Thursday due to the big C, leaving behind wife Laurice Guillen and daughters Anna and Inah. Johnny is the son of scriptwriter-director Ben Feleo. A versatile actor, he could do both drama and comedy and was part of the Bad Bananas. He has played many villain roles but also did lead roles as in “Mga Uod at Rosas” with Lorna Tolentino. He won the best supporting actor award for “Tanging Yaman.” He was last seen in ABS-CBN’s “May Bukas Pa.” His remains lie in Carmel Church. Let’s pray for the repose of his soul.

Goodbye Johnny...

Johnny Delgado

KC Concepcion

what’s more important to me, my humanitarian work or my life as a celebrity? I always say, why make me choose just one when I can make them work together, hand in hand? I’m so grateful to Tita Virgie Ramos of Swatch for helping me fight hunger in our country. I’ve been to Mindanao six times on various missions in Marawi, Lanao del Sur and Norte, and Cotabato. I’ve seen

the poverty that causes kids to die of malnutrition. Kaya malak-ing tulong ito makakain man lang sila. One time, may threat ng bombing sa isang mission ko, but I wonâ€™t be cowed by it as I’m happy and honored to be part of the fight against hunger.”

Is Angelina Jolie her role model? “She’s an ambassador for refugees, but I read her book ‘Notes from My Travels’. My counterpart is Drew Barry-more, as we’re both in the same agency against world hunger. But they’re both an inspiration to me at sana marami pang gaya nila who’d aspire to help other people in need.”

She says she asks the help of Robin Padilla when she goes to Mindanao. Would she like to do a movie with him? “Yes, kaya lang parang nakakailang kasi naging ka-love team niya ang mama ko sa movies. Ang dami ngang leading men na di ko pu-

wedeng maging partner, like Tito Aga na gumagawa pa ng movie with others na ka-age ko pero hindi na puwede with me kasi he was paired with my mom also. Parang alangan.”

Piolo Pascual.

Bad role good for Zsa Zsa

Zsa Zsa Padilla

It’s too good a role she would regret it had she turned it down.

RED CILFF - Legendary action-cinema master John Woo and inter-national superstar Tony Leung reunite for the first time since the 1992 classic Hard Boiled in this epic historical drama based on a legend-ary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. Red Cliff opens as power hungry Prime Minister-turned-Gen-eral Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeks permission from the Han dynasty Emperor to or-ganize a southward-bound mission designed to crush the two troublesome war-lords who stand in his way, Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). As the expedition gets underway, Cao Cao’s troops rain destruction on Liu Bei’s army, forcing him into retreat. Liu Bei’s military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) knows that the rebels’ only hope for survival is to form an alliance with rival warlord Sun Quan, and reaches out to Sun Quan’s trusted advisor, war hero Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). Vastly outnumbered by Cao Cao’s brutal, fast-approaching army, the warlords band together to mount a heroic campaign—unrivaled in history—that changes the

face of China forever. A massive hit in Asia and the most expensive Asian film production of all time, Red Cliff is a breathtaking war epic that marks the trium-phant return of John Woo. (Fully subtitled) www.red-clifffilm.com This film is Rated R by the MPAA. Running time 148

minutes. NOW ON VOD & Exclu-

sive Engagement Opens Friday, November

27thLandmark’s Ken Cinema

4061 Adams Avenue – (619) 819-0236


Ms Carol Davidson of Tran-quility on Marius Day Spa-Australia tries the skin analysis machine at the Dermlaser and Phototherapy Center of Makati Medical Center

Australian tourists who are constantly in search of health and wellness packages seem to have found the perfect destina-tion for their holiday experience — The Philippines.

All About Asia, one of the leading travel wholesalers in

Wellness holidays lure Aussie tourists

Australia, in their firm belief in the country’s potential in attract-ing the niche market of health and wellness travelers, has es-tablished Meditour with the sole purpose of selling health and wellness tours to the Philippines.

Department of Tourism offi-cials said, “The country leads in catering to travelers who look for wellness destinations because of our prime ecotourism locations. Nature and wellness go hand-in-hand; with the wealth of natural

health tours. With our wealth of eco-friendly destinations, complemented by the Filipi-nos’ caring character, travelers looking for the perfect wellness getaway are assured to have their expectations met,” the DoT further stressed.

Renowned medispa facili-ties are continuously gaining acclaim, among which is The Farm in San Benito, Batangas. All-organic meals coupled with the most effective detoxification programs – all set in a reinvigo-rating environment, are suitable for all discriminating wellness travellers.

Trips to the country’s top caliber medical facilities were organized for All About Asia’s retail agents to better appreci-ate the country’s medical and wellness tourism products. The agents went for an ocular visit to various health and wellness facilities such as Devarana Spa, Dr. Cecile Infantado’s Dental Clinic, Beverly Hills 6750, Dr. Rosero’s Dental Clinic, Makati Medical Center, Zen Institute Medispa, NuU Asia Dental Clinic and Beverly Hills Medical Group Clinic.

The Farm

The DoT also said “Our culture is deeply rooted in the Filipino people’s long tradition of well-ness. Hilot has been a traditional way of healing, and other com-munities also have their own in-digenous ways towards wellness – and this sets the country apart.”

And with the ongoing global challenges, a lot of tourists are now thinking twice about travel. Health matters, however, need utmost attention. And we are seeing that a growing number of tourists are becoming aware about the world-class health and dental care available in the coun-try, at a more reasonable price.

“We believe that the Philip-pines has all the ingredients to satisfy the discriminating health and wellness travelers from down under – the finest facilities, affordable cost, credible profes-sionals, supportive government agencies, and above all – the caring and healing hands of the Filipinos,” the DoT noted.

resources present in the Philip-pines, we can continue to nurture travelers who wish to lead a healthy travel lifestyle.”

“We are grateful to All About Asia’s strong confi-dence in the Philippines’ readiness for

SAN DIEGO-Vice Admiral Norbert R. Ryan, Jr., USN, Ret., and General Richard I. Neal, USMC, Ret. MOAA’s President and the Chairman of the Board respecively, presented a Five Star Level of Excellence Award Streamer to President Oscar Sa. Garcia, CWO4, USN, Ret., for the Sweetwater Chapter, MOAA (the chapter’s 7th consecutive LOE award since 2003).

The presentation was during the “Year of the Chapter” awards dinner which was the conclusion of the “MOAA deploys to San Diego.” The various meetings, symposiums, career fairs and other activities attended by more or less 500 junior to Four-Star General Officers and guests from all parts of the United States

2009 Level of Excellence Award for Sweetwater Chapter of MOAA

started from October 22nd, and ended on October 24, 2009.

MOAA with 378,900 members, 417 chapters and several coun-cils from every branch of the uniformed services is the most influential association of military officers. It has served for over 80 years the needs of not only its own members but fought for the rights and protection of benefits of the miliatray men and women including active duty, Retired, Reserve, National Guard, others and their families.

MOAA is one powerful force promoting a strong National De-fense. “A community of officers from every service who share a sense of camaraderie that lasts a lifetime.”

The Law that Matters

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

by Atty. A. Erwin Bautista

When are co-debtors safe from creditor collection of debtor’s obligation?

Question: I asked my friend to cosign for me when I applied for credit card and when I bought my first car which I surrendered because I can no longer afford it, can I still file bankruptcy and prevent liability for my friend co-debtor?

Answer: Yes you can still file for bankruptcy but it must be under Chapter 13 where it can provide for a co-debtor stay so your co-debtor friend will not be liable for your debts.

What is a co-debtor stay?

Section 1301 of the Bankruptcy Code states thus: “… [A]fter the order for relief under this Chap-ter, a creditor may not act, or commence or continue any civil action, to collect all or any part of a consumer debt of the debtor from any individual that is liable on such debt with the debtor, or that secured such debt …”

An automatic stay prevents

Bankruptcy: Co-debtor Stay/Chapter 13

any collection effort from the creditor against the debtor. And the co-debtor stay affords the co-debtor the same protection that a debtor possesses at the filing of a bankruptcy petition, that of stopping all creditor collection efforts.

What is required of the debtor to effect the co-debtor stay?

In exchange for the co-debtor stay the debtor must provide for payment for such debt incurred with a cosigner or a co-debtor in the Chapter 13 plan. Failure to provide payment will be basis for creditor to request for relief from the automatic stay and run after the co-debtor.

In our situation the debtor must provide for payment on the credit card debt and defi-ciency on the auction sale price of the surrendered vehicle co-signed by a friend in the Chapter 13 Plan otherwise the creditors can still run after the co-debtor.

What debts are not covered by co-debtor stay?

At the outset it must be noted that only “consumer debts” are protected by the co-debtor stay and not business debts. The stay ends when the case is closed, dis-missed or converted to a chapter other than chapter 12 which is for farmers and fisherman.

Other types of debts that may not be covered by a co-debtor stay are tax debts, tort liabilities and

as indicated above obligations in the ordinary course of a business incurred by the debtor.

The creditor may run after the co-debtor if the consideration for the claim was held by the co-debtor and not the debtor. So in our example if the car was in the possession of the co-debtor or the credit card debt was actu-ally incurred by the co-debtor then the creditor can run after the co-debtor. The debtor must really provide for such payment in order to avail of the co-debtor stay.

Benefits of co-debtor stay.

The “co-debtor stay” of Sec-tion 1301 of the Bankruptcy Code protects all co-debtors of debtor who are usually family members, friends and relatives from collection, harassment and aggravation from creditors of the debtor. Protection of the co-debt-or stay avoids the necessity of the co-debtor being forced to file for bankruptcy as well, or from forcing the debtor to pay the co-signed debt separately or prefer to pay the co-signed debt outside of the Chapter 13 plan because of pressure from the co-debtor.

So a Chapter 13 petition will afford protection to the co-debtor rather than a Chapter 7 petition.

Should you be in this type of situation and you feel the need to avail of the protection of the Bankruptcy Code consult an attorney sooner to protect your co-debtor from the harassment of your creditors.

(We invite readers to set up their initial consultation with The Law Offices of A. Erwin Bautista. Atty. Bautista prac-tices Immigration, Bankruptcy, Personal Injury, Family Law and Income Tax Preparation/Audit Representation. Atty. Bautista obtained his law degree from Western State University, Ful-lerton, CA and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of the Philippines. You can reach him in Los Angeles at (213) 365 7690 at 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 2700, LA, CA 90010 or in San Diego at (619) 474 7755 at 550 E. 8th St., Ste. 11, National City, CA 91950)


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

Sa Gitna ng Malakas na Ulan (1)

Malalim na ang gabi. Matindi ang lakas ng ulan.Masungit ng panahon na tila walang pakialam.Isang matandang babae ang nasa gitna ng daanmag-isang naglalakad, naghahanap ng masasakyan.

Basang-basa na siya at halatang nagmamadalikaya’t nang makita ang taksi ‘di na nag-atubilipinara na kaagad kahit na ang gilid ay yupiat sumakay ng mabilis bitbit ang kanyang tampipi.

Nangangatog sa lamig isinulat sa isang papeldireksyong pupuntahan saka ibinigay sa tsuperat wala nang tanong-tanong humarurot na sa hayweyang taksing sinasakyan na kasingtulin ng traysikel.

Joke of the Week: “Thanks for the mouth organ you gave me for Christmas,” the little boy said to his uncle the first time he saw him after the holidays. “It’s the best Christmas present I ever got.” “That’s great,” said his uncle. “Do you know how to play it?” “Oh, I don’t play it,” the little fellow said. “My mother gives me a dime a day not to play it during the day and my father gives me fifty cents a week not to play it at night.”

Scriptures: First Reading: Jeremiah 33: 14-16. Jeremiah’s prophecy lies between the time before and after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. From prison, Jeremiah prophesied about the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the Chosen People. Amidst the impending disasters, the prophet speaks an encouraging message: if God were true to his promise of punishment, because the people had sinned against him, he would also be true to his promise of blessing, if they repent of their infidelity. Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3: 12-4: 2. Like Jeremiah, Paul en-courages the Christians at Thes-salonica to remain faithful to the Lord until his Second Coming. To accomplish this, Paul reminds the converts about the catechesis he had instructed them “through the Lord Jesus.” Gospel: Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36. Jerusalem is on the verge of collapse, be-cause slackness has the upper hand over things. Jesus cautions his disciples to watch and pray during this period of social and religious decadence, because God will punish the guilty, but bless the faithful ones. Reflections: The very first

Christian feast was not Christ-mas but the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, from Good Fri-day until Easter Sunday. Though much earlier the Church has already acknowledged the birth of Christ, yet it was not until the middle of the fourth century that Christmas was celebrated. Ad-vent is presumed to have started in Spain when in 380 A.D. the Spanish hierarchy exhorted its Catholic population to a more frequent church attendance from December 17 until Epiphany. In France, Catholics were asked to fast on three days a week from November 11 till Christmas. Rome started celebrating the sea-son of Advent only in the sixth century. Advent has since been a season of prayer and penance in preparation for the second com-ing of Christ and for the celebra-tion of his birth at Christmas. Liturgically, Advent is clearly a season in preparation for Christ-mas, though for so many people it is already Christmas.

Among those who consider Advent as Christmas season are the Filipinos. Filipinos do not only celebrate Christmas during Advent, but also, among their festivals, Christmas takes the longest holiday, from Septem-ber until the Feast of Epiphany (Three Kings). By September, Christmas carols can already be heard on the airwaves, shopping malls have Christmas displays and decorations, and Christmas lights and parols (star lanterns) are conspicuous at almost every home.

In 1988, the Philippine Sen-ate task force did one of the most comprehensive studies of Filipino character, traits, and values. Among the identified major strengths of the Filipi-nos are joy, humor, religios-ity, intimacy, and sensitivity to interpersonal relationships. The Spanish colonizers shared with the Filipinos their festive spirit and faith in God. Instead of be-

Advent: First Sunday

The Longest Christmas: Filipino Style

ing overwhelmed by tragedies, the Filipinos can laugh and sing during time of crisis. Belief in the Divine Providence makes the Filipinos utter in difficult times, “Bahala na” (literally, God is in control). There is a danger though with this attitude: trivial-izing serious matters could lead to passivity or fatalism. Prob-lems could persist for so long, because they cannot be solved at all. There is no use doing any-thing at all to change the course of events. Some people wonder why Filipinos could be festive and humorous in spite of the different coup d’état that plagued the Philippines. “Balikbayans” (Filipino-Americans) are puzzled why their relatives and friends back home could still be happy in spite of the country’s stark poverty. Looking providentially at suffering, the Filipinos know that they can rise above it. Also, because the Filipinos find their identities primarily in the group, any opportunity for them to be with the community and to share and celebrate with others an im-portant event, such as Christmas, is always a festive occasion. Christmas is the time to celebrate

with family, friends, and the sea-son to be festive in spite of the burdens of daily living. These beautiful traits: religiosity, joy, communal and festive spirit en-able the Filipinos to be resilient during times of adversity and to celebrate Christmas the longest time. Surrounded by merrymak-ing and glitters of the holidays, the Filipinos do not close their eyes to the problems around them, because they believe that those difficulties could be handled when they do their level best with God’s help (nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa).

Today’s readings present a dire situation: the powers of the heavens will be shaken; there will be global destruction, and oceanic upheaval. The Filipi-nos can find joy amidst those dire predictions and trust in the Divine Providence. However, there is a danger that serious things can be taken lightly, and festive spirit might overshadow the importance of living or witnessing to what we celebrate. It has been said that the second most important celebration in the Philippines is the Holy Week. Overstressing the festive aspect of Christmas as well as the suf-fering and death of Jesus during the Holy Week (to the neglect of his Resurrection) runs the risk of having a Christ who was born and died, but never lived. True faith makes a person to look positively at suffering and trials, to patiently hope for better times, and to gladly believe that God will deliver us from all evil and disasters, but at the same time it also requires living and witness-ing to what one believes and celebrates.

Quotation of the Week: “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too

short for those who rejoice; but for those who love, time is eter-nity.” Henry Van Dyke.

Delia stopped making mov-ies many years ago. Once in a while, she would still grace the television and the movies. What she enjoys doing now is tak-ing good care and enjoying the company of her grandchildren. Two of her “apos” followed her footsteps: the famous “Carla” in a shampoo commercial, and “Wazzup Wazzup’s KC Reyes. During the interview, Delia was so excited to tell me that Carla (with screen name now as Carla Abellana) has a contract with GMA 7 to do a telenovela, “Ro-salinda.”

Carla is the daughter of Rey “PJ” Abellana and the grand-daughter of Delia Razon. She is a cum laude graduate of De La Salle University with a degree in Psychology. She is not only a pretty face, but an educated woman.

Carla joins the rest of the Kapu-so talents in an acting workshop under director Joel Lamangan. In an interview with 24 Oras, Carla showed interest in under-going more acting workshops as a preparation to her role as Rosa-linda. Aside from acting lessons, Carla is currently undergoing voice and Latin dance lessons.

Geoff Eigenmann will play Fernando Jose in the GMA-7 remake of “Rosalinda star-

Delia Razon:The Dancing

Queen(Continued from page 2)

ring Carla Abellana, the pinay Rosalinda. The telenovela will start in July, 2009, scheduled to run for two seasons. “Geoff is the son of Gina Alajar, an apo of the famous Eddie Mesa,” Delia narrates.

Today, Delia goes ballroom dancing with her friends and occasionally meets her LVN contemporaries. She has found solace in prayer and medita-tion. “God is good. He has not

abandoned me through all these years. Though there had been many difficult moments in my life, He was with me all the way. I cannot ask for more,” she says.

Marita Zobel and I left De-lia’s house taking home with us beautiful memories of the past. I couldn’t ask for a better day, well spent with friends who journeyed back with me to a time and place close to my heart.


(Continued from page 7)




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Court found that the actual age of the K-2 holder is relevant only at the time of entry or admission under a K-2 visa. The Court also found that Pedro was eligible to seek adjustment of status on the basis of his entry as a K-2 nonimmigrant despite the fact that he was 21 years old when he filed his I-485 application. The USCIS, however, has a different interpretation. According to US-CIS, the K-2 beneficiary must be a “minor child,” which is defined as an unmarried child under 21. As a result, USCIS imposes an age limitation on K-2 adjustment applicants, and will deny peti-tions for those who turn 21 while their application is being adjudi-cated. There is a case pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) which will finally resolve this issue. Hopefully, the BIA will follow the immigration court’s interpretation in this case. If BIA does, USCIS has to fol-low the BIA’s ruling.

Regarding the second issue, the immigration court found that the restrictions on adjust-ment of status did not apply to

Could K-2 Visa holders “Age out” of

eligibility for adjustment of

status?

Remembering, working and trusting: A message of hope

and dedicationWorkshops conducted were:

“Let’s Talk about Prostate Cancer” by Marlon Saria, MSN, RN, PhD candidate; Life Coach-ing by Michael Aguinaldo; and An Evening with Alex Lacson. Two board developments were conducted by Lenore Lowe from Non-Profit Management Solu-tions, namely, “Philanthropic Leadership” and “Fundraising”. Collaborations were with the Bicol Club, High Tech High In-ternational, Asian Pacific Island-er Community Health Forum, Champions for Change (Net-work for a Healthy California), Samahan FilAm Performing Arts and Education Center, COPAO, FACE, SD Majestic Lions Club, Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture, Veterans Museum and Memorial Center, SD FilAm Humanitarian Foundation, and Gawad Kalinga.

THE FUTURE: A MES-SAGE OF HOPE AND DEDI-CATION

Our hope is to continue the vision that our founders had in the beginning i.e., to promote the health and well-being of FilAms and other underserved groups. In order to fulfill our vision and mission, KCS holds a Strategic Planning Session every three years to plan its operations. Our goals from 2007-2010 included strengthening our organizational capacity by recruiting a board with diverse talents and capa-bility; improving our market-ing strategy; expanding our programs; and adding another building.

We wish to continue imple-menting and expanding our time-tested effective programs not only in quantity, quality but also geographically. Our program components are: community service, training, research, and advocacy. Community services consist of dissemination of in-formation, screening and refer-rals, health education and parent youth workshops, nutrition and physical activities, and inter-generational cultural events.

We provide field work for stu-dents from various colleges and universities and give opportunity to high school students to fulfill community service requirements. We collaborate in research with San Diego State Univer-sity (SDSU) and University of California SD (UCSD) to design a reliable and valid question-naire to collect data on the food

intake of FilAms and also design a weight control program for breast cancer survivors.

With expansion, we need more staff and space to con-tinue our operations. We plan to enlarge our working space by constructing a building in the ad-joining lot to accommodate ex-panded programs. This has been the vision of our founder, Dr. Riz Oades, to have a building next door to the current center which he has not been able to realize. FWC is not only a wellness cen-ter--- it has become a community center and a hub for community gatherings and events.

To fulfill this vision and mis-sion, we need funds to make it happen. Without a stable income none of the activities mentioned above can be accomplished. Our number one goal then is to be financially stable using diverse means of fund raising such as grants, donations, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, business ventures, and fundrais-ing activities (concerts, festi-vals, walkathons, silent auction, raffles). This coming year, we will start an annual donor appeal to add to the strategies we are currently using. We hope that you will be able to contribute to this venture.

To continue the vision and legacy of Dr. Riz Oades for KCS, we need volunteers to devote their time, effort and energy to work at the Center and also support it financially. Many of you have benefited from the work of KCS and this is the time to give back to show your appreciation. We will renew our volunteer program next year, so if you want to participate, please call Dr. Dirige at (619) 477-3392 or H (619) 656-1983 or send e-mail to [email protected]. In the next few months, KCS will be in a period of transition and things may be slower than usual but we are still active.

We need to renew our vi-sion, unify, and work towards a common goal. Life is short so let us live for things that matter not only in this life but beyond.

As Dr. Oades quoted, “ The true treasure of a community lies not in the material riches—but in men and women who shape their community’s destiny.”

Message delivered on No-vember 14, 2009, at Four Points Sheraton, during the 7th anni-versary celebration of KCS and Tribute to the late Dr. Riz A. Oades.

attended by Filipino cultural per-formers, celebrities, NBA bas-ketball legends, and Raymond Townsend himself. Attendees will have the opportunity for autographs and photos through-out the reception. Pre-game entertainment begins at 6:30pm, followed by tipoff at 7:30pm.

Discount tickets are available in special Filipino Hoops and Heritage Night seating sections, for $15 (upper level center), $35 (200’s level), and $47 (lower level 100’s) by visiting www.filipinohoopsandheritage.com. All tickets include a free collec-tor’s edition Filipino Hoops and Heritage Night T-shirt. Ad-ditional T-shirts are available for purchase as well. The meet and greet is open to the first 500 FHHN attendees with lower level (100’s) tickets, on a first-come, first-served basis. Early ticket purchase is highly encour-aged, as seats are limited.

A portion of the proceeds from Filipino Hoops and Heritage Night will benefit local Filipino community nonprofit organiza-tions, as well as relief efforts for Typhoon Ondoy and Typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines. For more information, please visit www.filipinohoopsandheritage.com.

To Purchase Tickets - Visit www.filipinohoopsandheritage.com, or go directly to the LA Clippers ticket website at www.clippers.com/filipino.

Tickets are also available by phone by contacting Lauren Kimball, LA Clippers Group Events Coordinator, at (213) 763-4617.

Tickets must be purchased through these methods in order to receive special Filipino Hoops and Heritage Night discounts, seating, and T-shirts.

Media Inquiries - Please con-tact Aris Tagle at [email protected] or (626) 319-0965

Event Details and General In-formation - Please contact Ray-mond Townsend at [email protected] or (408) 677-9169

About Raymond Townsend

Raymond Townsend is the first and only Filipino NBA basketball player and member of 1975 UCLA Basketball National

Champions. A true pioneer among Filipino-American ath-letes, Townsend played four sea-sons and was a three-year starter on the UCLA Basketball team, and was a member of legendary coach John Wooden’s 10th and final NCAA Championship team in 1975. His senior season, he was the last John Wooden recruit to graduate, currently tied for the 7th best free throw percentage in UCLA history with Jamaal Wilkes (87.9%) and one of the top five shooting guards in field goal percentage in UCLA his-tory (54.6%). Townsend was selected in the first round of the 1978 National Basketball As-sociation Draft, and played for the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers. Townsend is an experienced director and manag-er who founded two companies in San Jose, California, that have serviced over 30,000 children in the past 18 years.

For more information, please visit the Filipino Hoops and Her-itage Night website at: www.filipinohoopsandheritage.com.

Filipino hoops and heritage night to be hosted by NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers on

December 5th

the award. Nepomuceno was pleasantly surprised to receive the pewter trophy.

According to officials, the Bowling World Cup is an amaz-

Paeng feted again

Pedro. Therefore, Pedro was also eligible to adjust through the ap-proved petition filed by his U.S. citizen spouse.

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 consulta-tion.

ing bowling experience, and it s not just about winning the title. Towards the end of the tourna-ment, all the bowlers vote for the sportsman and sportswoman of the tournament and this is a highly coveted title.

The women s award went to New Zealand s Belinda Tan.

The other RP entry, Liza del Rosario, finished an impressive sixth in the women s division af-ter fighting back from 11th place in the qualifying round all the way to the head-to-head semifi-nal matches.

Caroline Lagrange of Canada and Choi Yong-kyu of Korea emerged this year s champions.

Lagrange gave Canada its eight title by downing England s Zara Giles in the finals, 2-1 (189-184, 210-181, 218-11).

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

journalusa.com

PHIL-AM PARALEGAL SERVICENotarizing & Assisting

Notary Public Power of Attorney Transfer of Real Ownership Will-Living Trust Assist Preparing immigration Paper Work requirements For: Affidavit of support Under Section 213A Petition of Relative or Fiance Natuiralization Adjustment of Status to Premanent Residence

With Contractual Attorney in: Divorce Auto Accidental Injury

EFREN J. TULAOLicensed Paralegal

Individual Income Tax PreparationReal Estate Sales/Mortgage Loan Services

Business Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00-4:30 Saturday 10:00-2:30Call Office or leave a message for an appointment Bus. (619) 420-5868 (619) 420-5823

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Tawa at TulaRead previous articles by visiting our website at www.asian-

journalusa.com

ni Joe Cabrera

HotdogDun po sa Africa’ng ka-suluk-sulukanMay mga tribu pong, mabangis na kawanMata’y matatalim, sobra’ng ka-pangitanMga “head-hunters” kung…sila’y tagurian

Iyan ngang “head-hunters”, ang pakay ay taoNa di nya ka-tribu, taga ibang barrioPag may huli sila, sigawn na kamoItong porbreng bihag, sa kawa ang tungo

Sobra nga ang lupit , ng mga demonyoBawat bihag nila’y lulutuin kamoKaya nga’t ang bansag, sa mga impaktoMga “cannibal” po, ma-ga-ngain tao

Mayron akon kuento, tungkol dun sa isaMedyo matalino, “English speaking” paHindi sinasadya, biglang yaman siyaGandang pangyayari, sa buhay nga baga

Do-on sa Africa, ay mayron ding “lotto”Isang “cannibal” po, ang tumama ditoLimang milyong dolyar, tinamaan nitoEh di po malaman, ang gagawin kamo

Palibhasa naman, diyan sa AfricaSalita ay Ingles, alam ng lahat naKayat ang na-isip, nito ngang si TonggaIkutin and mundo, mag-paka-ligaya

Ibig kong matikman, sa loob loob nyaIba-ibang bansa, and pagkain nilaKayat nag-“prepara”, kagyat umalis naInunang ikutin, itong Europa

“Le-Escargot” ng France, unang tikim niyaKay gandang pakingan, suso lamang palaSumunod ay Pitza, do-on sa ItalyaAt dun sa Ehipto, ay “shis-kebob” baga

Do-on sa Germany, sa “bir” nalunod syaSa Denmark at Holland, Keso’y naging purgaVodka’t kaldereta, dun naman sa RussiaAt dito sa Japan, sarap ng tempura

Do-on po sa Pinas, syempre may tinolaDun naman sa China, handa’y ibang ibaSapagkat po diyan, sarap ng comidaAng ulam sa “lauriat”, ay pitong-pu’t lima

Pag dating sa New York, maganda ang kuentoPasok sa Mcdonald, itong AfrikanoNais na matikman, itong paboritoNa pagkain baga, ng Americano

Hey waiter what is new, sabi agad nitoWhat’s your fav’rite food, tanong naman kamoHamburgers and hot dogs, sagot ng meseroSi cannibal natin, nakunot ang noo

Hotdog nga ba itong, narinig nya bagaOh yes sir, D-O-G, ang sagot sa kanyaSo dog is the menu, here in AmericaLalim na nag-isip, sobrang nag-tataka

Was ut git dig tiy said, pagsisiguro nyaOh yes sir, D-O-G, ang sagot sa kanyaWell then, hotdog it is, nag-“decide” si TonggaTao nga ulam ko, eh aso pa nga ba

Bumalik ang waiter, hotdog nilapag nyaSa gitna ng mesa, U-usok-usok paNagitla si Tongga, sa kanyang nakitaDi ko makakain, sa loob loob nya

Hey waiter, hey waiter, bigland habol niyaI can not eat this thing, tigas na tanggi nyaA whole dog I can eat, pagmamalaki paBut this part of the dog, we don’t eat in Africa.

GIRL 1 : Halata na tiyan mo, bakit di pa kayo magpakasal ng BF mo?

GIRL 2 : Ayaw ng pamilya niya eh!

GIRL 1 : Sino may ayaw, tatay o nanay niya ?

GIRL 2 : yung misis niya!

Dahil sa pera

MISTER: Kung hindi sa pera ko hindi ka makakatira sa gani-tong kalaking bahay!

MISIS: Hoy, kung di rin dahil sa pera mo wala rin ako rito!

******

Si Dan na taga Bicol

Dumating si Dan sa Amerika sa tulong nang kanyang kumpare na may kontak sa immigration sa Pilipinas. Medyo tagilid ang papeles niya kaya masyado si-yang maingat (TNT). Ayaw man lang lumabas ng bahay si Dan kung hindi kasama ang kanyang kumpare.

Eh minsan, nagsawa na ang kanyang kumpare sa kaaalalay sa kanya. “Pareng Dan,” Sabi ni kumpareng itinatago ang inis, “Heto ang susi ng kotse, at mga credit cards ko. Mag-shopping ka naman sa mall, lumabas ka na-man ng bahay nang malibang ka naman. Kung may problema ka, tawagan mo ako sa telepono sa opisina, papasok na ako.”

Eto na po, dahil na siguro hiyang-hiya na rin si Dan, kahit nerbiyos na nerbiyos ang kolokoy, sinubukan niyang lum-abas. Tuwang-tuwa si tarantado

Ang tatay mo(Dan) sa pamamasyal sa mall. Nakapili ng damit na gusto niya, pero pagdating sa cashier, big-lang tanong sa kanya Sir! Visa or MasterCard?

Biglang nataranta at natakot si Dan, todo-panic ika nga! Karipas ng takbo palabas si Dan, dahil sa takot! “Aba!, tinamaan ng lintik at hinahanap ang visa ko!” sabi ni Dan, “Baka nabisto na ako!, Shet!” Sakay kaagad siya nang kotse ni kumpare, haruruot!.

Kaso, halos wala nang gas ang sasakyan kaya huminto siya sa isang gas station. Nang maglagay siya nang gas, biglang nagsalita ang cashier sa speaker, “Sir! pay first please!”. “Naku, patay! Papers daw! Hinahanap ang papers ko!”

Nagtatakbo si Dan sa maga eski-askinita hanggang makakita siya ng pay phone. Patago-tago siyang lumapit sa pay phone.(hingal)Kailangang...(hingal) ... matawagan ko .... (hingal) si Kumpare ... (hingang malalim, sabay lulon) para masundo niya ako rito ... (hingal).

Pagtaas niya ng telepono, narinig niya, “AT&T, how may I help you?” ... ..... “Aba, Anak ng putakteh!, alam na TNT ako! Buking na ako!” Pagbaba niya ng telepono, may amerkanong nakatayo sa likod niya, ang tanong ba naman.....

“Are you done?”. Napahan-dusay si Dan sa phone booth. Biglang bulalas, “Buray kan ina!, alam pa ang pangalan ko!” Sa gulat ng amerikano ..... “Hey! be cool, man!”, “Hinakupo,” sabi ni Dan, “Alam pa kung taga-saan ako!”. Sa matinding takot at nerbiyos ni Dan, nagpahuli na

lang siya. Ngayon si Dan ay nasa Bicol

na muli at binansagan siyang si “Dan Balikbayan”.

Occasional only

Applying for a job for the first time, isang seksing coed was filling up the application form . Mabilis siyang natapos pero na-hirapan siyang sagutin ang isang tanong:

PERSONNEL: Do you need help in filling up the application, Miss?

MISS: Puede ho bang “oc-casionally lang” ang ilagay na sagot.

PERSONNEL: Which ques-tion, Miss?

MISS: Sex

(9) My writing career, which gives me the opportunity to touch and develop amazing pro-fessional and personal relation-ships with people who I meet and interact almost every day.

(10) Social networking sites, like Facebook. Never before in our history has it been so easy for average people to get their voice out there in a massive way, and be afforded the opportunity to have lots of friends around the world.

(11) The wonderful climate here in San Diego County, where there is no flooding, hurricanes and smog.

(12) And most especially, God’s gift of life, and time to enjoy it!

A little Bit of History

History books say that Thanks-giving is the story of people of two races bound together by one of the greatest of human needs – the need for survival. During their first winter in the new coun-try, the Pilgrims lived aboard their ships and suffered the loss of 47 colonists, victims of the same epidemic that decimated thousands of Indians.

The arrival of the Pilgrims was

Giving Thanks with a Joyful Heart


significant in creating the United States of America, and yet we must not forget that the Native Americans found this corner of the country hundreds of years earlier. When the Pilgrims at last decided to go ashore for food, they were welcomed with a peace cry by Samo-set, a Pemaquid Indian from Maine. Samoset introduced his friend Massassoit, chief of the Wampanoags, and other Indian braves to the Pilgrims. Early set-tlers had long feared the hostile Indians, but relative peace pre-vailed because of Massassoit.

Their common effort of sur-vival gave rise to the feast of Thanksgiving, the first and most characteristic celebration of the American people. In 1621, Massachusetts Governor William Bradford invited the neighbor-ing Indians for a three-day feast in gratitude for the bounty of the season. By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day had become an institution through-out America and was officially proclaimed a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

“Thanks” and “Giving”

The word “Thanksgiving” is made up of two significant words: “thanks” and “giving.” First, we give thanks to our God, and then to everyone who has touch our lives. It has been said, “Of all the qualities one can possess, perhaps the trait which brings the most contentment is gratitude.”

If we are keen observers of people, we can see that those who enjoy life the most are those who show gratitude and acknowledgement of their bless-ings. An appreciative and joyful heart brightens a dreary day and shortens the longest night!

Second, it is good to make a practice of giving. We have to give not only money and mate-rial things. We have to give our time, a helping hand, a shoulder to lean on, caring and support – and most especially, love. Happy Thanksgiving Day! May the Lord bless us through the rest of the year and for always!



(619) 702-3051

$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.

Call (619) 474-0588 to view a presentation at the Asian Journal office at 550 East 8th Street Suite 6, National City, CA 91950 (in Old Schoolhouse Square). You may also e-mail [email protected] for more information.

Attend a free presentation for MONTELUCE -

the high point of Tagaytay

CAT’s collection of colorful capiz parols, and traditional star parols in various styles and col-ors. Parol workshops and parol kits for $12.00 will be available during the afternoon event.

PASACAT’s Junior and Com-pany dancers will be accom-panied by the Rondalla string ensemble in a presentation of dances of the Philippine Coun-tryside which include the popu-lar Pandango Sa Ilaw-Oasioas, dance of the lights and the audi-ence favorite, Tinikling, bamboo dance. Sayaw sa Parol will fea-ture colorful illuminated lanterns made in Pampanga, the capital of Parol making in the Philippines and designed especially for the dance. A number of other parols created by San Diego artist Jose Morales, Jr. will also be dis-played and used as props.

Bringing in the Philippine Christmas spirt is St. Rita’s Folk Choir who will sing Tagalog Christmas songs -, Payapang Daigdig, Noche Buena, and Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit. The high-light of their presentation is the

PASACAT’S 13TH Annual Parol Lantern Festival on December 5

exhilarating choral arrangement, Simbang Gabi, by Lucio San Pedro, 1991 Philippine National Artist. The lyrics describe the Philippine Christmas: mano po (where the hands of the elders are held by the younger ones and placed on the latter’s forehead); gifts from ninongs (godfather) and ninangs (godmother), the noche buena (meal after mid-night mass), the birth of Jesus and the Feast of the Three Kings.

In addition to PASACAT, the inter-generational event will feature performances by Giri-nata performing Balinise Kebyar dances; Halau ‘O Pualani in an ancient and modern hula; the energetic Pride Rice, an up-and-coming hip-hop group; the prestigious award-winning School of the Creative and Performing Arts School Choral Ensemble in an array of choral arrangements; SAYARI perform-ing lively dances from the House of Peru based in Balboa Park, St. Rita’s Samoan Catholic Youth Group in an exciting demonstra-tion of praise songs and dances

from Samoa. High school Philippine dance

groups will also, perform from Ugnayan from Montgomery, Kaisahan from Morse and Pangkat Sayaw from Otay Ranch High Schools from the South Bay.

The Festival concludes with the pabitin, where children 5 through 12 will jump for toys and candies hung from a bam-boo rack which is raised and lowered in similar fashion to Mexico’s piñata.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the door, $15.00 for reserved and sponsor seats, $12.00 general admission, $10.00 for students, seniors, and active-duty military, and may be purchased at the door.

PASACAT was founded in 1970 and is funded in part by the San Diego County Community Enhancement Fund and the City of National City’s Community Development Grant Program. For more information contact PASACAT, 102 East 16th Street, National City, CA 91950, 619-477-3383, E-mail: [email protected]. or the website at www.pasacat.org.

The National Geographic has chosen the Philippines as one of the “25 best new travel destina-tions in the world for 2010.”

In its November Adventure is-sue, the popular American publi-cation cited the country’s “ancient cultures, structures and biodiver-sity” as key reasonsto visit the country.

The Washington, DC-based mag-azine described the Philippines as “harboring as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet.”

It described the Philippines and the 24 other destinations as “just right for right now” for “travelers who want their dollars to do more – for others, for the planet and for themselves.”

Among the magazine’s other must-see places were Bhutan, Bo-livia, Botswana, Costa Rica, Ice-land, Ireland, Kenya, Laos, Nepal, Peru, Slovakia, and Sri Lanka.

Last month, National Geograph-ic-Traveler magazine named the

National Geographic names RP top travel site

Ifugao Rice Terraces as one of the “50 Places of a Lifetime: Greatest Destinations in the World.”

It described the rice terraces in the Cordillera Administrative Region, declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, as “mas-terpieces of agrarian art” and

“natural poetry.”Other “destinations of distinction

and character” on the list are the South Pacific island of Aitutaki, Switzerland’s Mt. Rigi, the Yap

outer islands in Micronesia, the Balkan country of Montenegro, the Gobi desert in Mongolia, Bwindi forest in Uganda, and the little-known islands of Lord Howe in Australia and Fernando de No-ronha in Brazil, among other.

H1N1 Iinfluenza weekly update The County of San Diego Health

and Human Services Agency (HHSA) is reporting one additional death associated with the pandemic H1N1 Influenza virus. The deceased is a four-month-old female with no known underlying medical conditions.

San Diego County has had 617 hospitalized cases of pandemic H1N1 Influenza to date. There have been 33 deaths of San Diego County residents associated with H1N1, plus four deaths of non-residents.

The general public is encouraged to stay home from work or school if they have influenza-like illness or symp-toms similar to the seasonal flu which include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. It is recommended that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reduc-ing medicine.

Individuals with underlying medical conditions experiencing influenza-like illness or symptoms should contact their primary care physician in a timely manner.

Please visit www.sdcounty.ca.gov or call 2-1-1 for additional informa-tion on H1N1 influenza or vaccine availability at County vaccination facilities.

Asian Journal Nov 27 2009

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Transcript of Asian Journal Nov 27 2009