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For the past 17 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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- Feds give her time to prove US offer of ‘permanent haven’
- US deports 95 Filipinos on Thursday
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San Francisco, CALIFORNIA, December 10, 2004 --- A 56-year-old Filipino woman who entered the United States in 1986 as a nanny in deposed Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ entourage has won a round in her fight against deportation.
A US District Court in San Francisco ruled that Teresita “Tess” Huppanda could remain in the country while trying to prove that the U.S. government had promised permanent sanctuary to Marcos and everyone accompanying him in exchange for the dictator’s agreement to leave the Philippines and avoid civil war.
“She will be given her day in court on the issue raised, an issue no prior court or agency has been willing to entertain,’’ U.S District Judge William Alsup said in a report.
The case is scheduled to go to trial before Alsup in June, said Huppanda’s attorney, James Mayock.
Huppanda, meanwhile, can continue to live in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova, where she works as a cashier at Wal-Mart.
“We’re finally going to have an opportunity to get to the merits of what happened in February 1986 ... the promises made and forgotten by the U.S. government,’’ Mayock said in a report.
Huppanda started working as a nanny for the two children of Fabian Ver, former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, in January 1986. Six weeks later, Marcos — who had claimed victory over Corazon Aquino in a disputed presidential election — was unseated by the People Power uprising and fled with his family and associates in U.S. military aircraft.
After Marcos arrived in Guam, the U.S. government issued a statement, quoted in Alsup’s ruling, that said members of his entourage would be admitted for six months, a period that “will be extended indefinitely for those who wish.’’ Mayock said it was part of an arrangement worked out by President Ronald Reagan’s administration to induce Marcos to abdicate peacefully.
But after Marcos died, and his widow, Imelda, returned to the Philippines, federal officials notified Huppanda in 1992 to leave the US. Since then, she has gotten a series of reprieves, but immigration judges have ruled that the terms of any alleged agreement with the U.S. government were beyond their jurisdiction. A final deportation order was issued Oct. 20.
Ver’s son, Irwin, said a US immigration office also gave him and his family the notice but they were allowed to stay by virtue of a request for political asylum.
In court papers supporting Huppanda’s deportation, the U.S. attorney’s office denies that she was promised a permanent haven. Government lawyers argue that the 1986 statement was not a binding contract; that the State Department, which issued the statement, had no authority over immigration officials supervised by the Justice Department; and that the phrase “extended indefinitely’’ did not mean forever.
Mayock said at least three other members of Marcos’ entourage had fought deportation but had been unable to persuade federal courts to consider their claims that they had been promised sanctuary.
Huppanda said she was jailed in October for two days.
95 Filipinos deported by US government
The U.S. government deported 95 Filipinos for overstaying and in connection with criminal charges.
The group, the ninth batch of deportees since 2003, arrived on board Miami Air at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, in Pampanga, on Thursday, according to a news agency report.
The aircraft fetched the deportees from San Francisco in California, Honolulu in Hawaii, the US Commonwealth of Mariana Islands and Guam.
The deportees proceeded to the Haribon terminal of the Philippine Air Force in the DMIA complex where they were met by relatives. — with reports from MNS and SF Chronicle
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A MOTHER'S DREAM COME TRUE. Teresita Delfin (left) is finally reunited with son, Lorenzo Delfin, after 14 years of separation. Teresita's former lawyer gave up on son's case, and the letters from two senators and a congressman were of no help. [Photo: Law office of Michael Gurfinkel]
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NEW YORK, December 9, 2004 --- A Filipino man who fought 14 years for his US immigration petition was reunited with his mother and brother here.
Lorenzo Delfin, Jr. was eight years old the last time he was with his mother, Teresita, according to a report.
With a complicated petition, Lorenzo’s former lawyer gave up on his case. It was then Teresita sought the help of high-ranking government officials and politicians.
All efforts failed.
Teresita entered the US, in 1988, on a tourist visa, and settled in New York City, where she found a job as a house cleaner, baby sitter and caregiver.
Later on, she found in the city an employer who petitioned her as a babysitter. She got her green card in 1989, and immediately petitioned her sons Lorenzo and Lorendo.
In April 1994, Lorendo’s application was processed, but Lorenzo’s application was nowhere to be found amid the backlogs.
When Lorendo left for the U.S. in July 1994, Lorenzo was devastated, the report added. He was without a mother for 14 years already, and his brother had also left him behind.
In May 2004, Teresita consulted Michael Gurfinkel, an immigration lawyer who has a large base of Filipino clients.
Six months later, Lorenzo, now 32, was given a US visa. He now joined his mother and brother for their first Christmas together after 14 years.
“It was a ‘miracle’ that made my dream come true,” Teresita said.
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NEW YORK, December 9, 2004 --- The Philippine government on Monday received a P1-million donation from the New York Life Insurance (NYLI) for the government’s relief and rehabilitation operations of the flood-ravaged areas in Bicol, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon.
The donation was turned over to the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by NYLI president Fred Sievert, who paid a courtesy call on her this morning in Malacañang.
The President then handed over the NYLI donation to Defense Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).
Sievert also mentioned to Arroyo on NYLI’s plans to expand its insurance business in the country.
“Our company is doing very well in the Philippines and we are happy doing business here,” Sievert said.
He told the President that NYLI would infuse fresh capital into its Philippine operations.
Arroyo congratulated NYLI for its success even as he thanked Sievert for his company’s social responsibility. “I wish you more success doing business in the Philippines,” she said.
Sievert said NYLI’s target is to join the circle of the top five insurance companies in the country. He expressed confidence that this objective is attainable given NYLI’s expansion program and additional capital investment.
“The President has expressed her appreciation for the outpouring of support from the foreign community. The United Nations Disaster Assessment Group is here and they’ve been assessing the situation in the calamity areas for the last three days,” Carolina said.
He added that UNDAG has raised $500,000 from foreign donors to fund relief and rehabilitation efforts in the areas hit by the calamity.
Carolina said that the UN disaster assessment team issued an appeal last week to other foreign organizations to extend assistance to the disaster victims.
$10G donation from PAF
In a separate event, Ambassador to the US Albert del Rosario received on Monday a $ 10,000 check for the Filipino typhoon victims from the Philippine American Foundation (PAF).
“The PAF saw the appeal of the Ambassador to the community for donations to help the victims and we responded to that call,” Ms. Irene Natividad, executive director of PAF, said.
“Our donation is targeted towards the provision of shelter for the typhoon victims,” added Natividad, who also cited PAF’s other shelter provision projects for the victims of the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption and last year’s Leyte mudslides.
Del Rosario thanked Natividad and the PAF for the donation for the Philippine government’s relief and recovery efforts to ease the suffering of thousands of Filipinos who have been affected by typhoons “Winnie” and “Yoyong.”
The PAF is a non-profit organization established in 1986 to promote economic development in the Philippines.
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Consul General says “ID is voluntary”
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NEW YORK, December 10, 2004 --- Encouraged by the popularity of Mexican consular identification cards, the matrícular consular, the Philippine Consulate in the United States will start issuing similar consular identification cards to Filipinos in 2005.
The move is long-awaited by many undocumented Filipinos who could not open a bank account and live in deprivation since they have come to the United States.
“It will be voluntary. It could help a lot of Filipinos,” said Consul General Cecilia Rebong, in an interview. She said the issuance of the ID card would be advantageous to Filipinos so they can open a bank account, be accepted in hospitals and have proper identification with police officers.
The cards will help the Philippine government to keep track of its citizens for consular, tax and census purposes and to provide a verifiable form of identification for Filipinos in the United States. The formal announcement on the issuance of cards will be given by the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Rebong said all seven Philippine Consulates in the U.S. would issue the ID cards next year. She said she had met her counterpart official from the Mexican Consulate and she had learned of the many benefits of the Consulate ID.
Due to an increase of undocumented Filipino workers in the United States, most immigrant groups pushing for immigrant rights believe the ID cards would encourage undocumented immigrants to work with law enforcement, deal with financial institutions and even get health insurance and drivers’ licenses in some states.
For 45-year-old Martha Ligos (not her real name), who has been working as a housekeeper in Manhattan for eight years and has no documents, she is unable to open a bank account. She keeps her weekly salary hidden in her apartment. A year ago, somebody stole her hard-earned dollars and she couldn’t do anything but cry. She has moved to a new apartment in Jersey City but still lives in fear and insecurity. The Philippine ID would be honored by banks in the United States, solving her problem by safe-keeping her dollars.
“I commend the initiative of the Philippine Consulate to assist Filipinos who are having difficulties in procuring U.S. state ID. I understand that this is a voluntary one and not mandatory. The Consulate should be able to allay and properly address fears of privacy and security issues. In order for the system to be a success, the Consulate must devise a mechanism that would ensure confidentiality and protect the integrity of the information obtained under the ID system,” top Filipino-American immigration lawyer Reuben Seguritan said in an interview.
The Philippines Congress has proposed a national ID system in the Philippines, but faced opposition from many groups due to fears that the ID system would be used to detain people or violate human rights of some suspected people.
In the United States, approximately 70 banks and 56 credit unions, including Citibank, Bank of America, U.S. Bancorp, and Wells Fargo, accept the matrícula as a form of identification. Financial institutions have begun to recognize the huge market of these consumers, who operate primarily in a cash economy. Customers must provide a second form of ID, like an Individual Taxpayer Identification.
The Blue Cross of California also accepts the matrícula so that Mexicans can apply for their own health insurance. It said that the matrícula can also be used to open electrical company accounts and telephone lines in California. The success of the Mexican ID encouraged many consulates from Latin America to issue their own ID for their citizens.
But critics of the consulate IDs say the growing use of such cards will effectively take U.S. national security matters, identity verification, and other crucial issues out of the hands of the U.S. government and put it in the hands of foreign countries. Some groups are also criticizing the plan because it would encourage illegal immigration. The Mexican ID prints the name, date of birth, photo and address of the ID bearer, but it doesn’t mention the person’s immigration status.
But the Philippine Consulate said in the aftermath of September 11, there is a need to properly identify Filipino workers, especially in case of emergency or terrorist attacks.
Rebong said the Philippine Consulate would design ID cards with security features and anti-forging cards so as it could gain wide acceptance in U.S. institutions. She said they were doing research to come up with the ideal ID cards.
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The Philippines, an archipelago of about 7,100 islands, is the Southeast Asia’s typhoon belt.
According to PAGASA, an average of 19 typhoons or tropical storms strike the Philippines every year.
Typhoon “Undang,” which made landfall last week, is the 27th typhoon or tropical storm to hit the Philippines this year.
Following is a list of the 10 deadliest typhoons or tropical storms to hit the country in recent decades:
- Dec. 6-19, 1951: Typhoon “Amy” kills 991. (“Amy” was the international code name.)
- Oct. 11-15, 1970: Super Typhoon “Sening” kills 768.
- Aug. 31- Sept. 4, 1984: At least 1,363 die as Typhoon “Nitang” hits.
- Nov. 3-6, 1984: Another 895 die in Typhoon “Undang.”
- Nov. 23-27, 1987: Super Typhoon “Sisang” leaves 979 dead.
- Nov. 10-14, 1990: Super Typhoon “Ruping” causes almost P11 billion in damage, more than any other typhoon since 1947. It kills 748.
- Nov. 2-7, 1991: Tropical Storm “Uring” kills an estimated 5,000 to 8,000, with about P1 billion in damage.
- Sept. 30 - Oct. 7, 1993: Typhoon “Kadiang” leaves 576 dead and nearly nine billion pesos in damage.
- Oct. 30 - Nov. 4, 1995: Super Typhoon “Rosing” kills 936 and causes about 11 billion pesos in damage.
- Oct. 15-24, 1998: More than 300 die from Super Typhoon “Pacing.” Damage is nearly P7 billion.
-- with reports from AFP
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