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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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This website includes selected articles from this week's edition of the Filipino Express. Not all the stories published in the printed version appear on this site.
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Mug shot of accused
Filipino surgical nurse,
Raymond A. Marquez.
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Chicago, ILLINOIS, January 28, 2005 --- A Filipino surgical nurse accused in a string of thefts and burglaries in Chicago suburbs has bailed himself out and will be facing preliminary hearing of his case on Feb. 17 before Judge Victoria Martin of the Lake County Circuit Court, according to Lake County sheriff’s office in suburban Waukegan, Illinois.
Sgt. Christopher Thompson, spokesperson of Lake County Sheriff Gary Del Re, said Raymond A. Marquez, who celebrated his 31st birthday last Jan. 10, was arrested twice following a lengthy surveillance and investigation.
After getting information from Lake Forest Hospital that several of its patients were victims of burglaries in their homes, Lake County Sheriff investigators tracked a wireless personal laptop computer that had been taken from a Long Grove residence on Dec. 8 through the help of an Internet Service Provider.
The investigators found the laptop computer in the residence of Marquez at 4441 West Hill Avenue in Waukegan and invited Marquez for questioning.
A Filipino citizen on a work visa, Marquez posted $6,000 of his $60,000 bond to gain temporary liberty.
He was charged with four counts of burglary and two counts of theft charges in break-ins in several; vacant houses in six other northern suburbs in series of robberies that started last July.
Investigators said that Marquez would get information from his surgical patient and once he was sure that there was nobody home in the patient’s residence, he would break into the home through rear windows and doors, and would skim off valuables.
“It is hard to believe that a person employed in the medical field and entrusted with the task of caring for sick and injured people would victimize them in this way,’’ Sheriff Gary Del Re said in a statement.
Marquez, who has been employed by the Lake Forest Hospital in suburban Lake Forest, Illinois for two-and-half years, was also accused of breaking into a doctor’s home after learning that the doctor was attending a Christmas party.
Lake Forest Hospital spokesperson Anne O’Connell said Marquez was fired from his job after the hospital learned of the charges filed against him.
O’Connell said Marquez had no prior criminal record. He passed an “exhaustive” background check before being hired.
“It is important to note that these were actions of one individual acting alone. Although, the 215-bed community hospital had no role in these unfortunate incidents, we are currently reviewing our policies that govern access to patient records and addresses to continue to protect the privacy of our patients.” O’Connell added.
Marquez became the target of investigation when a wireless laptop computer stolen from a Long Grove home on Dec. 8 was tracked in his home with the help of an Internet service provider.
Marquez allegedly stole jewelry, electronic equipment, including DVD players, computers and other items, according to investigators, who are still looking for more.
Marquez confessed to the charges against him in the burglaries in Lake Bluff, Linderhurst, Libertyville, Highwood, Green Oaks and Waukegan, according to investigators.
Marquez could not be reached for comment.
Consul Patrick John U. Hilado of the Philippine Consulate said the Consulate is looking for Marquez to find out if he was apprised of his rights. (For comments, e-mail to: lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
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 Jersey City, NEW JERSEY, January 28, 2005 --- For years Elma Santander has been known in the Filipino community as a business person, a fashionista, and a socialite.
As Grand Marshal for the Philippine-American Friendship Committee, Inc. (PAFCOM) this year, she plans to lead the organization through what she is known for.
“For me, an organization is like a business. You want it to grow and grow, using your own resources and strong points,” Santander said. “As a Grand Marshal, it’s a big responsibility.”
Believing that young generation of Filipinos in Jersey City will help empower the organization and help in building a better community, Santander has the vision to tap them through fashion shows.
“I want to gather the young ones. I think fashion shows are very visual, and that’s my approach to attract them,” she said.
Like any other community organization, Santander said, PAFCOM needs to raise funds to carry out its activities.
“I want to raise more money. I want to ask as many people as I could to join the annual PAFCOM parade. I’m still in the middle of all these plans, but I will work on this little by little.”
Santander is the president of the Philippine Bread House and the International Remittance Corp. (IRC) based on Newark Avenue. She is also the executive vice president of the Worldwide Remittance Corp. -- a conduit of IRC formed in the Philippines to manage and handle the conversion of dollars to local currency through bank.
With the success of the Philippine Bread House, the State of New Jersey touted Santander for her significant role and important contributions in the state’s economy.
A graduate of the Philippine Women’s University, Santander bagged the AWIB “Entrepreneurial Achievement Award”, in 1999. A year later she received a citation from Mayor Schundler for her support for the “Sister City Agreement” between Jersey City and Manila City.
She also went to New York School of Interior Design, Culinary School of Basic Baking in New York, Dale Carnegie School for Public Speaking, and the Gemology Institute of America-Apprenticeship in General Merchandising, specializing in antique and estate jewelry.
“I will try my very best to do what I can for PAFCOM and the community. For now, I think I should be given the chance to get to know everyone in the organization,” Santander said.
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NEW YORK, January 28, 2005 --- At least three Filipinos are among the part-time cleaners who won a pay hike lawsuit after a federal judge here found their cleaning employer in violation of federal labor law.
Judge Margaret Kern ruled on Jan. 7 that North Hills Office Services of Woodbury, Long Island, refused to live up to its agreement to provide part-time cleaners in New Jersey with a pay raise.
The ruling said North Hills violated the law by failing to extend a $0.35 wage hike to part-time workers despite an agreement with Local 32BJ that both full and part-time workers at the Rutherford, NJ work-site would receive the raise.
Kern ordered North Hills to immediately pay the twenty five workers their raise and all back wages with interest.
The three Filipinos, who refused to be identified due to their immigration status, said they felt that justice was brought to them.
“The decision against North Hills is an important victory for part-time workers and in our campaign against illegal employment practices in the Tri-state area,” said Mike Fishman, president of Local 32BJ. “Responsible building owners should stop doing business with contractors, such as North Hills, that flaunt the law and exploit their own workers.”
This is the third of five National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaints since March 2004 where federal judges have ruled against North Hills. One complaint awaits a judge’s decision and another is scheduled for trial in February. Three out of the five Complaints have been issued at worksites in Long Island, where North Hills has the majority of its contracts.
The rulings and complaints, involving more than 100 violations of federal labor laws, document a pattern of worker harassment, surveillance, threats, firings and suspensions by North Hills. In one instance, a North Hills’ operations manager threatened a female employee with physical harm in retaliation for legally supporting a union.
In a September 15, 2004 decision against North Hills, a federal judge held that the sworn testimony of the company’s top managers was “entirely incredible, untruthful,” “belligerent and uncooperative,” and that these top managers “exhibited a clear willingness to say anything at all - no matter how preposterous, illogical, exaggerated or just plain false . . . to cover up its unlawful conduct.”
With more than 70,000 members, Local 32BJ is the largest private sector union in the New York tri-state area. — Information from the Service Employees International Union was used as supplement for this report.
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Clothing retailer to pay $40M in discrimination suit;
workers now eligible for payment
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Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA, January 28, 2005 --- If you applied for a job at Abercrombie & Fitch and were turned down because of your race or sex, or if you worked at Abercrombie and were let go or relegated to the back room, you may be eligible for payment from the settlement of a class action lawsuit against the retail giant.
The settlement applies to all women and all African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos who either applied for a job at an Abercrombie store (or attempted to do so and were discouraged) or were employed there between February 24, 1999 and November 16, 2004. The stores include Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie kids and Hollister stores.
Claim forms are available right now and must be postmarked and mailed to the Claims Administrator by March 25, 2005. To get a claims form, visit www.abercrombieclaims.com or call toll-free 1-866-854-4175.
The Gonzalez v. Abercrombie Claims Administrator is at P.O. Box 10564, Tallahassee, FL, 32302-2564.
“The settlement provides $40 million in compensation to Latino, African American, Asian American, and female applicants and employees discriminated against by Abercrombie,” explained attorney Tom Saenz — the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).
The settlement comes in the case of Gonzalez v. Abercrombie, a federal civil rights lawsuit filed in 2003 by MALDEF, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), and private plaintiffs' law firms on behalf of nine young adults of color, including students and graduates of the University of California and Stanford, who were refused sales jobs or terminated because of their race or ethnicity.
The original plaintiffs were joined by others across the country, including women who were discriminated against based on their gender.
The plaintiffs' claims were validated by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
In addition to the money for class members, the settlement requires Abercrombie to substantially reform its recruitment, hiring, job assignment, promotion, and training practices. “It is a comprehensive package of reforms that will make minority and female employees feel more welcome,” said plaintiff Jennifer Lu, a recent graduate of UC Irvine who was terminated from a southern California Abercrombie & Fitch store.
For more information, call MALDEF, c/o Shaheena Ahmad Simons, (213) 629-2512 ext. 127; PALC, c/oMinah Park, (213) 241-0220; or NAACP LDF, c/o Marcy DeVaux/John Tucker, (310) 342-5130
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Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA, January 28, 2005 --- At least one Filipino was killed and another was injured in Wednesday's train collision in Los Angeles, California, report said.
Pons Caballero was killed instantly. Another Filipino, Edgar Macabenta, was injured and is currently being confined at Glendale Hospital in Los Angeles.
Police have charged Californian Juan Manuel Alvarez with 11 counts of murder after parking his car on train tracks in an aborted suicide attempt last Wednesday, which caused the rail tragedy.
The charges carried a "special circumstances" allegation that meant prosecutors could decide to seek the death penalty if Alvarez is convicted.
As many as 200 people were also injured when two commuter trains smashed together and derailed north of Los Angeles on Wednesday.
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Washington, D.C., January 28, 2005 --- Vowing to empower Asian Americans, Dr. Sonny Carlota, a Filipino-American based in Tennessee was unanimously elected chairman of the National Asian American Republican Coalition (NAARC).
“I’m proud to be a Tennessean of Filipino descent,” said Dr. Carlota who shone in politics in 1983 when he was elected as Vice Mayor of Lakeland, his home city, in 1993.
Other elected officers of the Coalition were Dr. Grace Shu (PA), 1st Vice Chair; Elena Brady (NV), 2nd Vice Chair; Dolly de Leon (NV), Secretary; Tran Dinh Truong (NY), Treasurer.
“We’ve got work to do. The stakes are high. We need to empower the 13 million Asian Pacific Americans politically, economically, and socially,” said Carlota. “We’re the fastest growing ethnic Americans. Yet there’s a long list of unmet needs in the community.”
Carlota was appointed by President Bush to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in 2001-2003. He chaired the Commission’s SubCommittee on Health which prepared a comprehensive report on health disparities among Asian Pacific Americans. Right recommendations on solving the Asian health needs were an integral part of the report submitted to the President.
The NAARC is a diverse group of community leaders representing the major Asian Pacific Islander population that helped determine the final outcome of the 2004 presidential elections, Carlota said.
With participatory leadership, the newly elected national chairman said that he would work towards implementing a 5-Point Plan which are to: 1.) Broaden the base of membership nationwide by appointing ethnic co-chairs for each nationality, and have the co-chairs recognized by the State Republican Committees in their respective areas; 2.) Work for the appointment of qualified Asian Pacific Americans in federal, state, and local governments and the private sector; 3.) Encourage and support qualified Asian Pacific American Republicans to run for public office in the federal, state and local levels; 4.) Steer the ethnic republican groups to integrate with the activities of the State and County Republican Committees during primaries, federal, state and local elections; and 5.) Strengthen NAARC’s working relationships with the White House, Republican Senators and Congressmen, the RNC, as well as the State, and local Republican Committees.
After the elections, Carlota announced a partial list of appointees to serve as part of his leadership team: Charles Wang (NY), co-chair, Chinese Americans; Paul Blanco (CA), co-chair, Filipino Americans; Dr. Sonny Lee (NJ), co-chair, Korean Americans; Dr. Jasmine Brooks (NV), co-chair, Vietnamese Americans; Dr. Leo Pandac (CA), executive director; Rudy Asercion (CA), communications director; Jun Policarpio (NY), White House liaison; and Augustus Alzona (MD), political director.
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