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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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OF ALL the Christmas songs wafting through the cold wintry air, there’s this one carol that never fails to warm our hearts. It is one of the very few that does not speak merely of personal loneliness, nor of longing for one’s loved ones. But rather, it expresses the hope that someday, at Christmas time, the world will be a better place to live in.
The song, “Someday at Christmas”, wishes for a world without weapons, a world without wars: “Someday at Christmas, men won’t be boys, playing with bombs like kids play with toys ... Someday at Christmas, there’ll be no wars, when we have learned what Christmas is for ... there’ll be peace on Earth.”
Unfortunately, the US’ war on terror rages on in many fronts. There’s war in Iraq, terrorist groups continue to sow fear and claim lives almost everywhere, and the Middle East remains as the world’s biggest stage of what was described as a clash of civilizations.
In the Philippines, a 38-year old communist revolution, A 30-year Muslim secessionist rebellion, plus new threats from terrorist groups like the Abu Sayyaf have stalked the lands, causing unnecessary deaths and drain on the already limited resources of the nation.
The song also touches on the greatest scourge plaguing the humankind: poverty and the unequal distribution of wealth. “Someday at Christmas, we’ll see a land, with no hungry children, no empty hand. One happy morning people will share a world where people care.”
Yet, more than three-quarters of the world’s population live in poverty. The world is divided between the rich North and the poor South; or into First, Second and Third Worlds; or into former colonial masters and colonies.
In the Philippines, 90 percent of the population own 10 percent of the nation’s wealth; while one 10 percent control 90 percent of the country’s resources.
But again, despite all these ugly realities, hope springs eternal. That’s what “Someday at Christmas” is all about: hope.
That’s what Christmas is all about.
Merry Christmas to one and all.
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Simbang Gabi in Winter Wonderland
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Chicago, ILLINOIS --- The so-called Simbang Gabi in the tropics, like the Philippines, is really a misnomer. The more appropriate description of it should be Simbang Madaling Araw because it is held at dawn.
And the faithful who can really lay claim to celebrating Simbang Gabi are those attending the masses in Chicago and the Midwest and other areas in winter land, like the East Coast or in Canada, where masses of this nature, well, are held during the vesper hours. Holding it at dawn like they do it in the Philippines will be too cold for comfort, although these faithful can endure a Midnight mass during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
The Simbang Gabi in the Philippines starts at 4 a.m. It is also called a Sunrise Mass or Misa de Gallo (rooster in Spanish), when church goers are roused from their sleep by the crowing of ubiquitous cocks all the over the country. The masses celebrate the nine-day consecutive evenings from Dec. 15 anticipating the spiritual preparation for Christmas.
But because the Filipino faithful, who have transplanted this religious celebration in Chicago and in other cold climate areas all over the world, the organizers decided to hold masses during the early hours of the evening.
70 Churches in Chicagoland Host Simbang Gabi
Previously, unlike in the Philippines, where the nine-day masses are held in all the churches all over the Philippines because of the numerous church goers, who can fill the church to the brim, the Simbang Gabi (masses) in Chicagoland are held in successive days in different area Catholic churches.
But the Simbang Gabi in Chicagoland has now become very popular it is being held in more than 70 churches in what the Archdiocese of Chicago calls “the largest-ever multicultural and inter-parish celebration” of an ethnic group in Cook and Lake Counties.
Filipinos have now a wider choice of churches to choose from in their neighborhood which they want to attend. According to James Dwyer, director of the Office of Media Relations of the Archdiocese of Chicago, parishioners can make a choice of the different churches for times and dates for the Simbang Gabi schedules by visiting the website of the Archdiocese of Chicago or by clicking here.
In Chicagoland, Simbang Gabi is now even bigger celebration than the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or Las Posadas (The Inns) or even the Kawanzaa. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated by Hispanic Catholics, which is also a nine-day (Dec. 3-12) novena to honor Mary, the Mother of God. The feast commemorates the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1531 to St. Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac outside Mexico City.
Las Posadas & Kawanzaa
Las Posadas is a Mexican tradition that occurs during the nine nights before Christmas, re-enacting Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging in Bethlehem. After the re-enactment, a procession and entertainment follow. Comes next is a free reception, featuring Mexican foods, traditionally served during the holiday season.
Kawanzaa is a combined celebration of African culture and American experience for seven days (Dec. 26-Jan. 1), introducing the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) to establish the African American holiday.
For this year, my previous and my parish church of choice, St. Gregory Church in Chicago’s northside, will be celebrating the Simbang Gabi Friday, Dec. 16, starting at 7 p.m. Like in the Philippines, after the mass, parishioners, hosted by Fr. Bart Winters, will repair to the church’s cafeteria and share the Filipino food prepared by the Filipinos of St. Gregory, a civic group. They may not be sharing puto bombong and bibingka that parishioners in the Philippines will buy on their way home from the church. But the parishioners in Chicago will always have these sweetened rice cakes back home in mind.
And, of course, Father Winters’ predecessor, Fr. John Clemens, used to lead the community in singing Christmas carols. Did I hear Father Winters fine-tuning his vocal skills for the upcoming songfest?
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IT’S almost Christmas. And many ask to re-read those “pernnials” that have moved them in Chirstmases past. Here’s one -- the Wall Street Journal first published this editorial in it’s Christmas issue in 1948.
When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus, the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.
Everywhere there was civil order for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.
But everywhere there was something else, too.
There was oppression – for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar.
There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people.
There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners – to quite those whom the Emperor proscribed.
What was man for but to serve Caesar?
There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage.
And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?
Then, a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying :. Render unto Caesar the things that are God’s.
And the voice from Galillee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my breathren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.
So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with leaders.
But it came to pass for a while in diverse places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said : Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness knoweth not wither he goeth.
Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterwards Paul of Tarsus, too, was so afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.
Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the ‘lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upwards to see even a winter’s star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.
And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians the words he would have us remember afterwards in each of the years of his Lord:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ was made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
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44 people indicted in fixed marriage investigation
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THE U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that a total of 44 people, many of them based in Orange County, CA, had been indicted, based on an elaborate scheme to obtain fraudulent immigration visas for hundreds of aliens through sham marriages to U.S. citizens.
The indictments capped a 3-year investigation, known as Operation “Newlywed Game”. The suspects now face a variety of federal criminal charges, including conspiracy, fraud and misuse of visas, making false statements in passport applications, marriage fraud, and inducing aliens to enter the U.S. illegally (alien smuggling).
According to ICE, the fraud scheme involves “facilitators”, “recruiters” and “petitioners”. The facilitators charge up to $60,000 to “fix” marriages between aliens and U.S. citizens, and submit fraudulent immigrant visa petitions on behalf of the aliens.
The facilitators often use recruiters, who were typically paid $1,000 for each referral (finding U.S. citizens willing to marry aliens and submit the immigrant visa petitions). The U.S. citizen petitioners were paid thousands of dollars, plus travel expenses, in order to travel to the alien’s home country to meet and marry them.
After the sham marriage, the facilitators helped the petitioners and aliens file bogus immigration petitions, and would coach the petitioners and aliens on what to say at their adjustment of status interviews, in order to convince the USCIS officers that it was a “love marriage”.
However, the scheme began to unfold when some of the facilitators used the same petitioners over and over again, with some of the U.S. citizens having several “spouses” at the same time, and submitting numerous fraudulent spousal petitions. When the California Service Center started matching the same petitioners submitting several petitions on behalf of different “spouses”, they alerted ICE agents, which started the investigation.
According to investigators, the suspects went to elaborate lengths to make the sham marriages appear legitimate, through wedding pictures, fabricated love letters, and even fraudulent joint tax returns.
This should be a lesson for anyone considering a fixed marriage. While obtaining a green card through marriage to a U.S. citizen is one of the fastest and easiest ways, it is critical that the marriage must be for love. You must intend to have a life together, live under the same roof, etc.
Not only does this investigation point to the criminal consequences of fixed marriages, but immigration law also provides for a lifetime ban for anyone who is ever caught in a fixed marriage.
This means that if a person is ever caught in a fixed marriage, they can never get a green card through any other means – whether they are petitioned by another U.S. citizen (for love), an employer, or even a U.S. citizen child.
That is why it is so important that you seek the advice of a reputable attorney, who can advise you on legitimate ways to legalize your status, so that you will not resort to schemes and scams.
Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 24 years, and is an active member of the State Bar of California and New York, as well as the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Immigration Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has always excelled in school: Valedictorian in High School; Cum Laude at UCLA; and Law Degree Honors and academic scholar at Loyola Law School, which is one of the top law schools in California.
WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com
Four offices to serve you:
LOS ANGELES:
219 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, California, 91203
Telephone: (818) 543-5800
SAN FRANCISCO:
601 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 460, South San Francisco, CA 94080
Telephone: (650) 827-7888
NEW YORK:
60 East 42nd Street, Suite 2101, New York, NY 10165
Telephone: (212) 808-0300
PHILIPPINES:
Heart Tower, Unit 701, 108 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati, Philippines 1227
Telephone: 894-0258 or 894-0239
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