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For the past 21 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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NEW YORK– Brandishing placards and spearing the effigy of President Gloria Arroyo, members of cause-oriented groups U.S. Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan USA) and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) rallied in front of the Consulate Sunday to protest terrifying human rights abuses as the war to fight terrorists continued in the Philippines. The plight of 27 Filipino nurses in New York who were abused in violation of labor laws, but criminally charged, was also exposed.
Member organizations from the two coalitions each delivered speeches of concern over the annual State of the Nation Address (or SONA) delivered by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo this week in the halls of the Philippine Congress. The plight of overseas Filipino workers, such as the Sentosa 27, is a more reliable gauge of the State of the Nation, more so that any fabrication by the Arroyo government,” said Rico Foz of NAFCON.
“Arroyo seems to believe she can transform the Philippines into a first world country, but she is clearly not using her economics degree in this instance. She is using her lack of reason and logic, and puppetry to foreign multi-nationals, to come to this conclusion. As migrant Filipinos, we bear the economic brunt of keeping the Philippine economy afloat with our hard-earned remittances, especially from the US. There is no indication that this trend will ease up anytime soon,” Foz added Amid a brilliant sun, protesters chanted slogans as speakers took turns to voice out their demand. Rallyists carried placards that read: “Justice for Sentosa 27 nurses and “Repeal the human security act of 2007.”
“ State terror is intensifying under the Arroyo rule,” said Christina Hilo of the Anakbayan Filipino Youth Collective, and a memberorganization of BAYAN USA.
Protest hightlights include solidarity speeches by representatives of the International Action Center, Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum, and the Free Hawaii Solidarity Committee. Other organizations present include Philippine Forum, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, Lakas Diwa Filipino Youth Alliance of New Jersey, PF-Kabalikat Domestic Workers Support Network, Movement for a Free Philippines, and even members of the Sentosa 27, a group of Filipino nurses trafficked to the US by way of illegal recruitment by the Sentosa Healthcare Agency, a Long Island-based company, whose majority of workers are nurses for the elderly sick. American activists and allies backed the protest.
“The U.S. should end military aid to the Philippines to end terrifying, political killings in the Philippines,” said Bill Cicel, an American activist. Protesters also lambasted the recently enacted Human Security Act of 2007, also known as the Anti-Terror Bill, as a means to open up the Philippines to the domestic policies of the US War on Terror by outlawing peaceful and legitimatedissent in the country.
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WASHINGTON D.C., -- The United States has cut by nearly two-thirds the assistance intended for the Philippine military and police forces next year following allegations they were involved in extra-judicial killings.
A State Department report showed the extent of reduction -- Foreign Military Financing (FMF) was reduced from nearly $30 million to only $11 million by fiscal 2008 which starts this September. It also slashed the International Military Exchange Training (IMET) program in the Philippines from $2.9 million to $1.5 million over the same period.
These funds directly benefit the 160,000-man Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The FMF is used to pay for the procurement of military equipment from the U.S., including Excess Defense Articles or surplus from the U.S. military stockpile -- everything from patrol boats to spare parts and ammunition. IMET, on the other hand, pays for the cost of sending and training AFP officers in the U.S.
The U.S. will also reduce its International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) program to the Philippine National Police, from almost $2 million to just $1.1 million.
The aid cut is an offshoot of shifting American priorities and recent policy changes that centralized decision making on how to divide the $26 billion allocated to foreign assistance next year.
US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice overhauled the way foreign assistance was distributed to more than 120 countries around the world.
The bulk of the foreign aid budget of $23 billion will go to just a “handful” of countries, leaving about a hundred countries to vie for the remaining $3 billion.
Rice has set five key criteria to prioritize US allocation of foreign aid. Recipient countries are evaluated on the basis of their contributions to building peace and security; governing justly and democratically; and reducing widespread poverty, among others.
The Philippine situation is aggravated in part by persistent charges of human rights abuses allegedly committed by members of the police and military. A panel led by church leaders and human rights activists told a Senate panel last March that over 800 people, including 25 churchmen and scores of journalists have fallen victim to extra-judicial killings in the six years President Arroyo has been in power.
They charged many of these were perpetrated by members of the security forces. Most of these murders have remained unsolved, and only a few have actually been prosecuted.
Four months after that damning report in the U.S. Senate the Arroyo administration is faced with another incident – the abduction of farm technologist Jonas Burgos, son of the late media icon Jose “Joe” Burgos Jr. Witnesses identified the vehicle used in the abduction and subsequent investigation traced it back to the impounding lot of an army battalion headquarters in Bulacan.
The Washington Post reported that Secretary Rice had personally approved the country-by-country budget figures.
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JERSEY CITY, New Jersey - Immigration and Customs Enforcer (ICE) officers raided a Filipino household at the break of dawn 11 July. Arrested were Marilyn Calagos, 46 and husband Roberto “Champoy” Calagos, 47.
“I didn’t know they were immigration officers” stated Marilyn in an exclusive interview with the Filipino Express. “They were in civilian clothing with a vest that says ‘Police’.” she continued. “I didn’t see immediately see the ‘ICE’ on the back of their vests. The ICE officers knocked at their home along Clinton Ave. Jersey City at around 6:45 in the morning.
“When I opened the door, they asked if I am the owner of the house” Marilyn said. “I let them inside because they said they only have a few questions to ask.” She only realized that the officers were from the ICE when they started asking if they have greencards.
According to Marilyn, the officers asked if they can take her along with them for further questioning. She politely asked if she could at least change clothing. “Then my husband came out.” she said. “They also started questioning him”.
The ICE officers immediately handcuffed Marilyn and her husband Roberto to be taken to the ICE detention site in Elizabeth, NJ leaving their 3 children to another household companion.
At the detention center, the Calagos couple filled up a number of paper works. They had their mug shots taken and also fingerprinted.
After running their identities through the ICE computer system Roberto was placed in ICE custody for immediate detention. Roberto, the ICE officers found out had a standing voluntary removal order from 1998 from which he did not comply.
Marilyn on the other hand was released under the order to appear before an immigration court on August 16.
She said that she believe the ICE officers are looking for her husband because of his previous deportation order but was surprised she was also taken into custody.
Marilyn said she currently have a petition filed in December 2004 and was approved on January 2007. She also said that she had a previous employer petition submitted in the past and that they were approved in 1995 but her lawyer failed to file all the necessary documents on time.
Marilyn Calagos arrived in the US on September 10, 1989 on a G-5 Visa and has worked as a caregiver for a United Nations diplomat. Her visa only allowed her to stay in the U.S. for three years.
Her husband Roberto Calagos arrived a year later on a tourist visa. He is popularly known as “Champoy” within the Filipino community in Jersey City.
Since moving to the US the couple had three children Robelyn 10, Ryan 8 and Robert 7.
“I need to speak out about this” Marilyn said without hesitation. “Other Filipinos must be warned in order to know about their rights and how to deal with similar situation”.
“I believe that we have been on ICE surveillance for a while prior to the raid” Marilyn claims. “That’s why the officer’s faces are very familiar, I’ve seen them near our house, on the streets. I know we’ve all met before in our neighborhood.” she added. She also believe that their telephone line was tapped claiming that when she was talking on the phone, “it sounded like someone else is listening.” A friend also warned them before that their phone may have been tapped.
“That’s why all I can say is that everyone should be careful when answering their doors and do not let anybody in.” Marilyn speaking in Tagalog warned. “Be aware of your environment and the people around you.” she ended.
The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns and Philippine Forum, New York-New Jersey based immigrant support groups and community organizations expressed support for the family and vowed to contribute to the advancement of Filipino immigrants in the area through education and advocacy.
The Calagos family is accepting financial and material support. Any donations can be sent to or dropped off at the Filipino Express office in Jersey City, NJ.
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CHICAGO, Illinois -- A son of Filipino parentage will appear in court Tuesday, July 31, during a pre-trial hearing of federal child pornography charges that accused him of being the first person to use the social networking site Facebook.com to prey on minors.
Michael Macalindong, 24, will appear before Judge Ronald Guzman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern Illinois, in Chicago at 10 a.m.
During his arraignment last June 12, Macalindong, a U.S. citizen, and resident of suburban Fox Lake, Lake County, Illinois, pleaded not guilty to taking sexually explicit photographs and video of at least three minors, according to Randall Samborn, a spokesman of the U.S. Attorney’s office.
One of his victims was a 15-year-old boy from suburban Evanston, Illinois who authorities say Macalindong lured to his home for sex last year by using Facebook to pose as a teenage girl.The incident is believed to be the first accusation that the Facebook Web site was used to contact a minor for predatory reasons. Facebook is a social networking made up of 47,000 networks--individual schools, companies or regions--that are each independent and closed to non-affiliated users.
A mortgage broker, Macalindong, a graduate of business at Northern Illinois University in 2005, is suspected of having hacked the Facebook’s safeguards by “hijacking” the account of a female high school student in early 2006, investigators said.
Macalindong, pretending as a girl, told the boy that for him to have sex with her, he had to first have sex with her male friend and have it taped so she could watch. Macalindong was the male friend in the modus operandi, authorities said.
Court records showed that Macalindong videotaped the first encounter at his apartment in May 2006 and had at least two more meetings with the boy.
When the minor refused to meet again in January, Macalindong threatened to post the videos on the Internet unless he was paid $200, authorities said. At this point, the teen contacted police, and Macalindong was arrested.
Investigators found photos and video footage of Macalindong, having sex with other minors when they searched his home.
The photos and video were taken by Macalindong from August 27, 2005 to Jan. 31 this year at Fox Lake and Riverwoods both in Lake County.
At the arraignment on April 26 this year, Macalindong pleaded not guilty before Lake County Circuit Court to child pornography and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
In May, the State prosecutors agreed to transfer the felony case from state to federal court.
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