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For the past 20 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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The bloody month of August
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WITH Mayon Volcano gearing up for a major violent eruption this month, old folks back home might have felt vindicated in believing that August is a bloody month.
Much of the belief may have been rooted in superstition, but our history is full of events that seem to support this deeply held notion among the older generation.
It was on August 19, 1896 that a Spanish friar, Fr. Mariano Gil, led guardia civils in raiding the printing press of Diario de Manila, where the Katipunan’s newsletter, Kalayaan, was being printed. The discovery gave birth to a chain of events in August that will bolster its reputation as a bloody month.
On the 23rd of the same month, Katipunan Supremo Andres Bonifacio and Kalayaan editor Emilio Jacinto led a mass meeting of Katipuneros in the yard of Melchora Aquino’s house in Pugadlawin (a barangay within Balintawak). Aquino is better known today as Tandang Sora.
Historian Renato Constantino recounted that the meeting was a stormy one, as the revolucionarios debated whether it was already time to launch the revolution. It was on this occasion that the Katipuneros tore their cedulas to symbolize their desire to break away from Spanish colonialism. This is the famous Cry of Balintawak or Cry of Pugadlawin.
On the 29th, Bonifacio led the Katipuneros in attacking an ammunition depot in San Juan del Monte (now San Juan) in a bid to get hold of more firearms. This is now regarded as the first real encounter between Filipino revolutionary soldiers and Spanish colonial troops. Known as the Battle of Pinaglabanan (in San Juan), it is considered as the actual breakout of the 1896 Revolution.
The battle raged on until the following day, August 30, giving the Spanish colonial government time to send reinforcements. As a result, the Katipuneros were forced to retreat.
The next day, August 31, then Spanish Governor-General Ramon Blanco declared a state of war in Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna, Cavite and Batangas. His decree was the first ever martial law declared in the country, antedating Marcos’ martial law by 86 years.
The assassination of former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. happened on August 21, 1983, another event that seemed to confirm the negative reputation the month of August has acquired.
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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- I was in my primary grade when the Beatles “invaded” America and were hosted by Ed Sullivan in his TV show. I enjoyed listening to their songs particularly those that Paul McCartney composed or collaborated with John Lennon. And perhaps it was this Beatles-mania generation that made me like the name Paul.
Even after the Beatles broke up and Paul found his new group, his new compositions stuck with me. What I particularly liked with his songs was that not only were they lyrical and tuneful, they also portrayed a message that lingered in my mind.
Whether the messages of his songs were about his personal experiences or social issues, I found them inspiring. As a poetry buff then, I wondered if he would consider my poems for his songs. My aunt, who was also a fan of the Beatles, thought I was living in a dream and dismissed my ambition as fantasy.
Perhaps she was right. I grew up liking the name Paul anyway and wished that if I had a son, I would name him Paul, not Samuel, a name my father had suggested. But that never happened and my wish remains.
Over the years, I’ve known a lot of friends and acquaintances named Paul. Even when I joined the Jaycees or Toastmasters in New York City, Paul was a popular name. And five years ago, I met a true friend named Paul. I didn’t even know he used to be a lawyer until after I started my friendship with him and started respecting his persuasive legal argumentation whenever an occasion arose.
Paul’s parents wanted their son to be grounded in the laws, the orthodoxy, and the traditions of his culture. Such training was not available in his town, so they took him hundreds of miles to the south to study. As a young man, Paul studied law intently, believing that the law was truth.
I admire his intelligence, boldness and determination. Coming from a small, unknown town, I learned of his preparations to a trip, which he had wanted to do despite the risks of such journey to a foreign land.
His sponsor, who had approved and funded his trip, was greatly impressed with his travel proposal. Paul said his heart pounded with great anticipation as his sponsor prepared documents for him to take.
Before his trip, his benefactor, like a concerned parent, focused his eyes on him and said, “And may the God of our fathers go with you.” He was flattered by his sponsor’s affirmation buoyed by the confidence he (sponsor) expressed.
Paul bowed before him and, as he stood, embraced him, kissing him on both cheeks. “May God be with you,” his sponsor repeated. After saying, “And also with you,” he took off to begin his journey to a hundred miles.
His trip took long, tiring hours. By late afternoon, he saw the city he was visiting in the distance; it was a beautiful sight. The sun was slowly descending toward the western mountains, and its rays flooded the city with light, outlining it against the late afternoon sky. Seeing the city in the distance was cause for celebration.
Paul’s journey was coming to a close, but his purpose was only beginning. His mind raced. Suddenly, directly overhead, a light appeared like a falling star, its brilliance beaming against the evening sky.
His companions who were traveling with him stood baffled as the light continued to fall and were shocked to realize the light was coming toward them. With no time to run, they shielded their faces from the glare and held their breath.
In the meantime, the light came to rest on top of Paul surrounding him and looked as if he was on fire. Paul fell to the ground in a panic.
A voice thundered from the light: “Why are you persecuting me?” Paul prepared to die but his thoughts continued to run through his mind. What is this, he wondered. Who is this?
Whimpering, he asked: “Who are you, Lord?” afraid to the answer. As a student of the old covenant tutored by his teacher Gamaliel, Paul had read of encounters like this. Many of the men traveling with him were likewise familiar with the stories of Moses and Elijah and Jonah. They were terrified.
Then the voice bellowed out again, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.” The ground shook. After hearing Jesus Christ tell him to get up and go into the city for someone to meet him, Paul opened his mouth to speak, but he was unable to make a sound.
Just as the light had suddenly appeared, it vanished. Paul remained crouched on the ground and saw nothing but blackness. “I’m blind,” he shouted. The men picked up Paul and lifted him to his feet, continuing their travel to Damascus.
For three days, Paul would not eat or drink and hardly spoke a word. A lifetime of study and deep-seated convictions had been dashed in a single moment. Every one of his relationships, whether with a friend or foe, had been forged by these beliefs.
On the fourth day, a man named Ananias visited him saying: “Jesus has sent me to touch you so that you can see again. The Holy Spirit has come to fill you, and I am going to baptize you.” Paul could see again and embraced his new friend, Ananias. A new sense of calm took control his heart, assuring him that God would provide whatever he needed to accomplish the purpose for which he had been made.
That is the life story of my friend Paul. Except for Jesus himself, no one in history had a greater impact on the formation of Christian doctrine and the setting up of the church than Saul of Tarsus – the apostle Paul.
So far, I’ve learned so much from his writings particularly on social issues, which I think were just as influential on the life and beliefs of Christian culture as were his doctrinal statements.
For example, in Colossians, Paul expounded on how a follower of Christ should live a radically different life –using heavenly standards instead of earthly ones. He extolled the virtues of compassion, kindness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace and gratitude.
These virtues, I believe, are lacking from most of us – community leaders included. A reading of Paul’s writings would probably open our eyes that have been blinded for quite too long.
This is the Paul, I know.
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Aquino and Aragoncillo: A case of divided loyalties
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CHICAGO – If the Arroyo Administration would like to get to the bottom of the espionage sagas of Leandro Aragoncillo and Michael Ray Aquino, all it has to do is to follow the paper trail contained in their indictments, which both of them have owned up to have committed.
Was Aragoncillo, a US naturalized citizen, really motivated by his love of his native country, the Philippines? If so, whatever he set out to do at the expense of his adopted country, the United States, should put him in a bind – very deep bind.
But in the case of Aquino, to me, it was more of a search for a safe haven than an act of patriotism to the Filipino nation. Putting himself between the devil and the deep blue sea, Aquino, who is facing double murder at home, was only looking for a safe haven in the United States.
But it seems, his effort to help install his former bossman, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, in power in the Philippines turned out to be his undoing when he did not take care of his immigration papers.
“Fall guy?”
But if we go by the plea agreement Aquino got from the New Jersey US Attorney General, on paper, he acted as a “fall guy” as promoted by Arroyo apologist Congressman Nograles.
No longer will the US authorities pursue the investigation of “de-stabilization campaign against the Arroyo Regime” beyond the “one-count superseding information that charges Aquino with knowingly and willfully having unauthorized possession and control of a document and information relating to the national defense and information the defendant had reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation.”
For owning a single-count of the indictment, Aquino could likely get the maximum 10-year prison sentence plus the restitution of $250,000.
Aquino could easily pay the restitution up if it is true that he and his co-accused in the Dacer-Corbito double-murder, Cesar Mancao, arrived in the US as couriers of the spoils of the bounty from the notorious “Kuratong-Baleleng Gang” that was supposed to bankroll the presidential campaign of their former bossman – Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Aquino will no longer reckon with the additional charge of “acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign official” that could have drawn him additional 10 years in prison.
Accommodating and intrepid
But in the case of Aragoncillo, the accommodating but intrepid ex-US Marine, he is likely to stay much longer in the slammer, perhaps for life. Aragoncillo pleaded guilty to four counts of an indictment returned by a federal grand jury.
Count One charged him with Conspiracy to Transmit National Defense Information; Count Two charged him with Transmission of National Defense Information. The maximum penalty for both of those crimes is death under certain circumstances – including the transfer of secrets that result in the death of an intelligence source – that are not present in the case of Aragoncillo. Consequently, the maximum statutory penalty on those counts for Aragoncillo is any term of years up to life in prison.
Count Three charges Aragoncillo with Unlawful Retention of National Defense Information, and Count Four charges him with Unlawful Use of a Government Computer, both of which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
But what really drove Aragoncillo to pull the sensational stunts? Good question. But if one were to look for answers, he only has to go over his plea agreement, where he mentioned that he did it “to obtain employment for his relatives in the Philippines; in legislative branch and in private industry.”
Now, Arroyo can take a “loyalty check” to rid the “legislative branch” of Aragoncillo relatives, who could wreak havoc on her government.
To come to America
But in the case of the unindicted co-conspirators – ex-Pres. Estrada, Sen. Lacson and Rep. Arnulfo Fuentebella and the unnamed Representative No. 2, Mayor No. 1 and others – if they entertain the idea of coming to the United States without being pulled out from the immigration and customs line at the port of entry (remember when Ex-Senate President Drilon was asked to take off his shoes at the San Francisco airport?), they better arm themselves with diplomatic passport if they wanted to be untouchable.
Unfortunately, for this to come about, if they cannot obtain a diplomatic passport from an international body, they have to dance with the Arroyo Administration. Otherwise, they have to topple Arroyo from power and hope to secure the diplomatic passport from the new government.
(lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
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LIKE the proverbial bad penny, this issue keeps turning up: Do expiration dates on medicines mean anything?
This question often arises in Commission on Audit reports. In Cebu and Camarines, for example, COA annual reports strafed officials for having, in stock, medicine beyond their expiry dates.
Critics earlier raked the fund-strapped V. Luna Military Hospital for accepting donations of drugs nearing expiry dates. Our soldiers deserve better than lapsing — and “ineffective” — medicine, the argument went.
So, should you junk “expired” medicine? Or do you use them?
Stamping expiration dates on drugs started in 1979. They “stand for something,” Harvard Medical School says in it’s Family Health Guide. “But ( it’s) probably not what you think it does.”
The Harvard article forms part of “updating literature” for all US doctors. Excerpts that may be useful for COA, local governments and families follow:
Much of what’s known today about drug expiration comes from a question that the US military tossed the Food and Drug Administration: Should it junk it’s $1-billion stockpile of medicine every two or three years?
FDA, therefore, studied more than 100 drugs. It found that 90 percent of both prescription and over-the-counter medicines, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.
“Expiration dates don’t indicate a point at which the medication is no longer effective or has become unsafe,” the Harvard note states. “This is the date at which the manufacturer can guarantee full potency and safety of the drug.”
“Many drugs stored under reasonable conditions retain 90% of their potency for at least 5 years after the expiration date on the label, and sometimes much longer”, notes Brigham Young University Health Center.
A simple device, such as “placing a medication in a cool place, such as a refrigerator, will help a drug remain potent for many years”, it adds.
Some medicines that FDA tests found effective after their expiration dates include, among others: Bayer’s anti-biotic Cipro and aspirin; SmithKline Beecham PLC’s Thorazine, a tranquilizer. Wyeth-Ayert’s antidote to chemical poisoning was still effective 15 years beyond the expiration date.
FDA’s findings saved the US military $263.4 million on it’s initial grant of $78,000 for the study. We extended shelf lives instead of “destroying large quantities of still-useful medical products,” says Francis Flaherty who oversaw the FDA testing program
This has implications for the Philippines and other poor nations. Here, government clinics are perennially drug-short, from simple aspirins to anti-tuberculosis drugs.
“TB or not TB is the congestion,” Woody Allen once wisecracked. But TB is no joking matter here. TB incidence in the Philippines is triple that of Thailand.
But many turn down drug-company donations, if they’re within a year of expiration dates. Is misinformation depriving sick people of medicine? “Is there no balm in Gilead?” cried the ancient writers.
“Unless you have nitroglycerin, insulin and liquid antibiotics, you can pretty much be assured that your medication expires years beyond the date it says it does,” notes Dr Joseph Mercola.
“The major tragedy is many Third World countries needlessly discard the drugs that... could actually be saving lives due to lack of appreciation of this concept,” adds this author of “Total Health Program”.
So, are expiration dates just a marketing ploy?
“Look at it another way,” the Harvard note suggests. “Expiration dates are very conservative to ensure you get everything you paid for. If a manufacturer had to do expiration-date testing for longer periods, it’d slow their ability to bring you new and improved formulations”.
Drug-industry officials don’t dispute the results of the FDA’s testing, within what is called the “Shelf Life Extension Program”, reports Wall Street Journal’s Laurie Cohen. “They agree expiration dates have a commercial dimension. But they say relatively short shelf lives make sense from a public-safety standpoint, as well”.
“Two to three years is a very comfortable point of commercial convenience,” Cohen quotes Mark van Arandonk, senior director for pharmaceutical development at Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. “It gives us enough time to put the inventory in warehouses, ship it and ensure it will stay on shelves long enough to get used.”
But companies uniformly deny any effort to spur sales through planned obsolescence.
U.S. Pharmacopeia, a non-profit scientific group, urges pharmacists to peg expiration dates at no more than one year, if drugs are dispensed in containers other than the original packaging.
“New containers may let in more moisture and heat into the container the manufacturer used for the stability study,” says the USP General Counsel Joseph Valentino. The one-year rule is “motivated by product integrity, not by profit.”
When faced by the drug expiration date dilemma, the Harvard note suggests a rule-of-thumb: If the expiration date passed a few years ago and it’s important that your drug is absolutely 100 percent effective (as for stroke, cancer, etc.) “you might want to consider buying a new bottle”. Or ask your doctor.
COA and other agencies unquestioningly abide by what’s stamped on medicine label. But it may be time to hone that mechnical response to current medical knowledge.
Far too many Filipinos are poor and can not afford medicine. It’d be a crime to deny them perfectly good drugs due to inability to read beyond a label. Health is precious. “If you don’t have a cold,” the Chinese say, “you need not fear to eat watermelons.”
(E-mail: juan_mercado@paci-fic.net.ph )
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TEXT message floating through the ether above Manila: While the HezBOLA guerillas in Lebanon exchange rockets with Israel, HERbola in Malacanang Palace boasts that stranded Filipino Overseas Foreign Workers are undergoing rescue operations.
An estimated 34,000 “bagong bayani” were caught in the midst of the Hezbolla-Israeli war. After about a week after the start of the shelling, the Pinoys started coming in in trickles in a disorganized manner.
Words seeping out of the Palace disclosed that a few days into the war, there were no contingency plan for a rescue. Worst, there was no money. Philippine Ambassador Francis Bichara in Lebanon sounded the alarm to the media about the absence of money. And now, the poor guy will probably get the ax for so sounding off publicly. Couldn’t he wait to be protected by Executive Order 464?
Now, a task force was created and $2 billion was appropriated for the rescue project. Everybody and his uncle are aware that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has been for years charging OFWs and has accumulated billions of pesos as a trust fund for the workers. The funds are to be used by the workers for whatever needs they have. These include emergencies such as the present Lebanese war.
And so, it is logical for those concerned such as the members of the Senate to look into the whereabouts of the OWWA funds. And BOLA, er... voila! Senator Jinggoy Estrada disclosed that like the big joke it is turning into as the 728 million peso fertilizer scam allegedly designed (upon orders from his masters), and produced, directed and executed by fugitive from a Senate investigation, Joc Joc Bolante, the OWWA trust fund allegedly was also filched for use in the 2004 presidential elections.
The two funds it seems suffered the same fate. Nawala parang BOLA...er, BULA.
Score: FERTILIZER - 728 million pesos. OWWA - 500 million. What other calamities to the national treasury are waiting to be discovered?
The Senate summoned officials of the Department of Labor, Department of Foreign Affairs and others involved in the funds of OWWA. Voila! Malacanang invoked the convoluted translation of the Supreme Court on EO 464, and the poor senators faced a long table with none of the officials they invited present. Only their name cards.
Going on to the other matter, where the big JOC or joke appears to want to disappear like a bursting bubble or BULA by appearing to float another BOLA, the true picture is starting to materialize. There were many theories about why Joc Joc was detained by the US immigration authorities. One, his US visa was cancelled at the instigation of the Manila US consul because of minor infractions. Two, he was guilty of money laundering. Three, that he is seeking political asylum because the communist NPA want to kill him (his own story, which the NPA right away denied).
The likely story that is floating is that he wants asylum so he can stay in the US and never return to the Philippines. Not because he is afraid the Senate will roast him for the fertilizer scam. Powerful people of the administration have proven the Senate is nothing to fear, if you have Malacanang to back you. Ask Garci. Ask Iggy. They ignore the Senate and then proceed to run for public office.
But the story gaining credence is that Joc Joc actually is afraid of his former allies.
And that he is ready to sing a much awaited ditty titled “Abono”.
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State Dept. promises to be fair and respectful
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THE U.S. Department of State, which manages the visa process (issuing visas), recently published a “Customer Service Statement,” promising that visa applicants would be treated with “dignity and respect” when applying for visas. Among the “promises” made by the State Department (to people applying for visas at the Embassy) are:
“We promise to you, the visa applicant, that: - We will treat you with dignity and respect, even if we are unable to grant you a visa.
- We will treat you as an individual and your case as unique.
- We will remember that, to you, a visa interview may be a new or intimidating experience and that you may be nervous.
- We will use the limited time available for the interview to get as full a picture as possible of your travel plans and intentions.
- We will use our available resources to fairly assist all applicants to get appointments to allow travel in time for business, study, and other important obligations.
- We will explain the reason for any visa denial to you. Furthermore, if you are a:
- Student, we will make every effort to ensure that you get an appointment and, if qualified, a visa in time to start classes.
- Medical and humanitarian emergency traveler, we will expedite processing for those dealing with life threatening emergencies.
- Business traveler, we will establish appropriate mechanisms to facilitate business travel and expedite cases of particular concern to American business. At the same time, we expect you, the visa applicant, to:
- Plan your travel and visa application as far in advance as possible.
- Complete your application fully and accurately.
- Be forthcoming [truthful] about your purpose and plans.
- Prepare for your interview by being able to clearly and concisely describe your intentions.” (Emphasis Added)
I, myself, have had the opportunity to deal with the U.S. Embassy on many, many occasions, concerning my clients’ visas, whether applying for temporary (non-immigrant) visas, or immigrant visas (green cards). The Consuls and their staff really are fair and reasonable, and the Embassy is not in the “business of denying visas.” As the Consul General of the U.S. Embassy once said to me, “A good day would be when we are able to issue a visa to every applicant.”
However, it is really up to you, the visa applicant, to prove (or demonstrate) your eligibility or entitlement to the visa. If you’re not entitled to the visa, (because you do not meet the legal requirements, or have some other ineligibility or “problem” with your case), then, by law, Consuls cannot issue you a visa, as that would be “against the law.”
I would also suggest that people follow these additional points when applying for a visa (or adjustment of status): - Tell the truth to the Consul or Immigration Officer.
- Present only documents that are true, genuine, and authentic. No documents from Recto Street!
- Be brief and to the point in your answers to the Consul’s questions. Resist the temptation to tell your whole life story and family history to the Consul in response to every question he asks.
- Stick to the subject and get straight to the point in your answers.
- Listen to the question the Consul is asking before you start answering.
- Make sure you understand the question. If not, ask the Consul to reword or explain the question, rather than you answering a question that you do not understand.
- Don’t guess. If you don’t know an answer, tell the Consul the “truth,” that you don’t know or you don’t remember.
Of course, no one can “guarantee” that a person will be issued a visa. However, if you do apply for a visa, do so only if you are eligible, able to fully prove and document your eligibility, and you tell the truth. In so doing, you’ll greatly increase your chances for success!
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