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Founded in 1986
Founding Publisher/Editor:
Lito A. Gajilan
Columnists:
Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel
Joseph G. Lariosa
Gani P. Tolentino
Ted L. Reyes
Atty. Reuben S. Seguritan
Photographers:
Butch Gata
Sheryl Garcia
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher
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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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To tell us what you think about Filipino Express Online or to comment on the stories published here, E-mail us at Filexpress@aol.com
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GOVERNOR Eliot Spitzer tried to step on the gas on the plight of illegal immigrants in New York by proposing a plan to grant them access to one of the most sought-after public documents in America–The driver’s license.
He was instantly hailed as a hero by pro-immigrant groups. His glow when he announced his plan was akin to that of Moses when he was on top of Mount Sinai with the stone tablets in his hands.
Now, after intense opposition from almost all sectors, including fellow liberals, Spitzer shifted gear. He is now on reverse.
He made the announcement earlier this week that his proposal will no longer be pursued. Spitzer is no Moses to illegal immigrants after all.
Such is the state of affairs in America concerning illegal immigrants.It has gone up to frightening proportions.
Anything favoring illegal immigrants is like a virus– nobody wants to do anything with it. Likewise, nobody wants to get caught doing anything with it. It is the modern plague.
Indeed, we have successfully made a new class of subcitizens.
Citizens that live under the shadows of fear.
Citizens that have no civil rights and no identities.
Citizens that Americans want removed from their land of the free.
True, they have broken the law. They may have crossed borders or overstayed their visas. However, they are here– millions of them.
We cannot treat them as outcasts or invisibles. They work among us, eat among us, live among us. We must accept the fact that they are part of the society now, and the least that we could do is to allow them to drive.
With the failure of Congress to grant illegals any way to achieve legitimacy, State governments are trying to make moves to tackle the issue.
However, most States made moves not to bring these illegals out of the shadows, but to push them further into the abyss.
Perhaps, we are just stubborn enough not to give them any leeway to gain recognition or identity. Somehow for us, a government issued card that allows illegals to drive is tantamount to giving them reprieve for the unlawful act that they did when they entered our country.
Our behavior toward them may baffle citizens of other countries, that believe the US is the beacon of tolerance and freedom. Well, they should know better. It is all public relations. In this country, we pardon plunderers and perjurers, yet we seem to grapple with the thought of pardoning honest immigrants who entered the country the unpopular way.
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Crime Victims May Stay Under U Visa
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(Editor’s Note: REUBEN S. SEGURITAN has been practicing law for over 30 years. For further information, you may call him at 212 695 5281 or log on to his website at www.seguritan.com)
UNDOCUMENTED aliens who are victims of certain crimes may now be eligible to stay in the U.S. under a new temporary visa known as the U visa.
The U visa, which was implemented on October 15, was created under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. It offers protection to crime victims and helps enforcement agencies to prosecute criminals.
10,000 visas will be available every year. Those granted the visa will be allowed to remain and work in the U.S. for four (4) years. Extensions may be granted if the alien’s continued presence is needed for the prosecution of a crime.
The accompanying spouse, children, unmarried siblings below 18 and parents, may also be eligible to apply for the visa if the petitioner victim is under 21. If he/she is 21 or older, the spouse and children may be included.
Permanent resident status may be granted to the petitioner if he/she has been physically present in the U.S., for a continuous period of at least three (3) years since the date of his/her admission as a nonimmigrant and his/her continued presence is justified on humanitarian grounds or is in the To be eligible, the crime victim must have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse and must possess information about the criminal activity.
In addition, he must be helpful to the investigation or prosecution of the crime and the activity must have violated federal, state or local criminal law.
Qualifying criminal activities include murder, rape, torture, sexual exploitation, extortion, witness tampering, obstruction of justice and false imprisonment. They also include domestic violence, sexual abuse, trafficking or other crimes which vulnerable immigrants are often targeted.
Civil rights advocates have hailed the U program as necessary to encourage victims, especially trafficking victims, to come out in the open without fear for their safety or for their deportation.
According to government estimates, 50,000 foreign nationals are victims of human trafficking in the U.S. each year. Many of them come from the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries and from Latin America.
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Victims are often lured from poor countries with false promises of gainful employment.
But once they are in the U.S., they are forced to work under inhuman conditions with long hours and low pay. Victims usually work as domestics, nannies, waitresses and factory workers.
To file for U visa status, an alien victim must submit Form I-918 to the Vermont Service Center. Attached to the petition must be a certification of helpfulness from a federal, state or local enforcement agency or a prosecutor, judge, or other authority charged with the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity.
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NPC Mural Needs Disclaiming, Not Retouching
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SEVERAL years ago, an aide forgot to ask the California governor to sign a bill the governor wanted vetoed. Because of the negligence of the aide, the bill became a law. And the governor said he had nothing to blame for the misstep of his aide but himself because he made the mistake of hiring the negligent aide.
In another instance, U.S. government prosecutors omitted mention of “restitution” in a plea agreement on a certain case. The omission cost the U.S. government $100-million. When the prosecutors told the judge to reconsider his decision because of a “typo” error, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman said, "The court is not free to read something into a contract that is not there or to interpret uncertain language in the government's favor."
In both cases, it is very clear that when someone makes a mistake, he or she has to be ready to accept the consequences of their mistakes.
Redoing something, like retouching portions of the National Press Club (NPC) of the Philippines mural, is never an option for the NPC as shown by the California governor and Judge Friedman.
Entering into a contract with another is like entering into a marriage contract. If you did not court your future wife long enough to know her character, it will be your fault if she becomes unfaithful. It is usually during the period of courtship that you can find out if your future wife has “unfaithful” tendencies.
If you cannot detect this trait, then, it is your problem.
Besides, replacing your wife is an expensive proposition in the Philippines because it takes years and tons of money to go thru a marriage separation.
EMAIL FROM NPC PRESIDENT
In an email to this columnist, Mr. Roy Mabasa, NPC President, said “The fact remains that the NPC commissioned them (Neo-Angono Artists Collective painters) to express the club’s sentiment ONLY on two major issues - killings of JOURNALISTS and libel cases. Before they started their work, they were under strict guidelines on what to convey. No identifiable faces, no political statement. They agreed to these and they should respect the ideas and rights of the club as BUYER.
“At the 11th hour, we begged on our bended knees for them to come to the club to do some minor retouching but not even one of the 10 came. Being tired and sleepy is indeed a flimsy reason for these artists not to address our concern. Professionalism and love of work should be foremost here.
THE PAINTING DOES NOT REPRESENT THE CLUB’S SENTIMENTS.
Our action was not aimed to please anybody, not even GMA (President Arroyo) whose presence is but merely in adherence to the Club's tradition. There was no outside intervention on our decision to make minor and temporary revisions on our own painting.
Those are mere spins.
“The vividness of our mutual agreements during the previous meetings should leave no room for them to commit grave mistakes like putting an inverted Philippine flag in the center of the painting; putting so much faces of people whom they (artists) would like to immortalize; unwarranted insignias and political statements that are reflective not of the Club's view but those of the artists, etc.
“If that is the case, they should not have charged us exorbitantly and instead offered their services for free if they really want to express their own ideas and beliefs.”
FEARING FOR OUR LIVES
“Now, we are fearing for our lives and even the safety of our officers due to the threats being posed by unseen hands here.
“Since its inception, the NPC has been in the forefront of promoting press freedom, fighting censorship and even attempts to stifle free press. For many years, the club has been a sanctuary not only for beleaguered newsmen but also for "activists" - you should know that.
“The huge tide may be against us but I will never cease fighting for what we believe is the truth. I’m here to defend the institution and promote its ideals.
I cannot allow political ideologies to reign in our midst. The NPC should promote the welfare and interests of us lowly newsmen and not those of vested interest groups.”
Well said, Roy. But as a friend and as a former director and lifetime NPC member, I think for the death threats on the NPC officers to go away, I would suggest you issue a press statement, saying that you and the NPC Board had made a mistake in commissioning the Neo-Angono Artists Collective to do the mural.
The mural is like an op-ed section of a newspaper, where varied views are expressed.
You made another mistake when you tried to redo or retouch the mural. Now, you are asking the artists to redo or retouch the mural to its original but you have to make a disclaimer at the bottom of the mural: “The ideas expressed in this mural are the Artists’ not those of the NPC members of the board.” (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
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“WE’RE all experts at practicing virtue (from) a distance,” Notre Dame University president Theodore Heshburg writes. His comment aptly describes the farce of Senator .Juan Ponce Enrile dubbing Speaker Jose de Venecia “hypocrite” and a “pretender”.
This had nothing to do with “The Great Pretender”.,the Platters’ schmaltzy song of 1956. Rather, De Venecia “had the gall to call for a national moral revolution” while backing graft-laced North Luzon Railways Corp. (NorthRail) and National Broadband Network (NBN), just one of skeleton crammed cabinets, Enrile asserted.
“I’m furious at hypocrites, people who pretend to be someone they are not.”
O.K. So, those with high Pharisee quotients don’t bag popularity awards. “God has given you one face/ And you make yourself another,” Shakespeare groused. But didn’t Enrile do that too?
He hasn’t lived down faking his car ambush to trigger martial law The Davide Commission found Enrile’s fingerprints all over “God Save The Queen” coups. And who invented dagdag bawas electoral fraud? Ask Senator Aquilino Pimental. Indeed, it’s easier to battle for one’s principles, than live up to them
“The true hypocrite,” Andre Gide wrote, “is the one who lies with sincerity.”
A panicked Malacanang burnt a month, to draft a sieve-like explanation for paper bags, stuffed with P200,000 to P500,000, doled to local officials and legislators.
Pampanga’s 26th governor, in contrast, told the truth in a snap. In mid-October, a Malacanang staffer shoved a bag stuffed with P500,000 on him, Gov. Eduardo Panlilio said. On front pages “Among Ed” displayed five bundles of P100,000 each.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo met, at the Palace, with 200 officials from the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines. Panlilio was present.
She conferred with 190 congressmen thereafter. Some deny the bags they toted home contained equivalent sums. Most zippered their lips. But all kept the bags. That’s not reason enough to bobby-trap Congress.
Cebu congressman Antonio Cuenco is. Congress “number one jetsetter”. He.pocketed P200,000. “But it was a "Christmas gift.", he moaned in Gidean sincerity. Santa comes in October? Onli in da Pilipins. That confirms we have the world’s most stretched out Christmas.
Cuenco’s “Christmas gift” has molted more times than a chameleon: from Palace denial, the budget commission’s washing of hands, to fund-strapped local officials claiming they paid to Kampi’s limp admission. “Hypocrites kick with their hind feet while licking with their tongues”, a Russian proverb says.
Or “put yourself in the shoes of Imelda Marcos,” suggests Jonathan Watts of the “Guardian” As one of the world’s 10 richest women, she was “intimate with dictators”. She owned “arguably the biggest private collection of art -- and footwear -- on the planet”.
Today, you’re a widow, garlanded with corruption charges and. “ridiculed across the globe as a by-word for extravagance and bad taste…
Many of your shoes have been confiscated. And if that’s not enough, you have gained as many extra pounds as years.” What would you do?
“Promises cost nothing” parliamentarian Edmund Burke says. Hence, “hypocrisy can afford to be magnanimous with promises”. In a pre-77th birthday interview last year, Imelda told Time Magazine : the do-nothing Marcos Foundation would alleviate poverty..
“People say I’m touched in the head. But I’ll come up with a project that will wipe out poverty in two years.”
Davao’s Mariannet Amper couldn’t wait. The 12- year old hanged herself due to unrelieved penury. In a letter to the “Wish Ko Lang," tv program, Mariannet yearned for a bag, a bicycle, jobs for her parents -- and a pair of shoes. Surely, Madam can empathize with this wish to be shod.
Bongbong and Imee Marcos didn’t wait. They’ve dumped their halos, heeding Mark Twain’s counsel “Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.” Ex-cronies had developed a nasty habit : they pocketed funds, parked in their firms, by the dictator who flaunted a halo. “Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue.”
The Presidential Commission on Good Government backs Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr claims 60 percent of nine Lucio Tan’s firms is Marcos wealth. Sister Imee shoves collection bills under doors of GMA’s Gilberto Duavit to Ortigas land firms. “Imee’s List,” People Power crowds found, covers 21 pages. This will keep both busy.,
In Lapu-Lapu City, Mayor Arturo Radaza hijacked Our Lady of Rule pulpit to attack “uncivilized businessmen”, Cebu Daily News” reported. These savages did “not pay taxes and spread lies about him”. But it’s true that the Ombudsman suspended Radaza for splurging on overpriced Asean street lamps. It’s also true that businessman Efrain Pelaez filed charges against 18 Lapu-Lapu officials for buying P23-million worth of computer clones
Radaza was not amused.. Handcuffed by the courts from padlocking Pelaez companies, in Mactan’s export processing zone, Radaza insists that 80 tenants get permits from City Hall --- or else. He didn’t bother with this issue for a decade until sued..
In dolling up harassment as “law enforcement”, Lapu-Lapu officials flag to the country’s 17 other ecomonic zones George Bernard Shaw’s caustic remark: “Where there is no religion, hypocrisy becomes good taste.”
Indeed, “the greatest way to live with, honor in this world, is to be what we pretend to be”. That’s from Socrates, not the Platters.. (E-mail: juanlmercado@gmail.com )
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Intimations of Mortality/Immortality
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PERSONS who get immersed significantly in the political life of a nation are sometimes confronted by a crossroad where they face a rare opportunity to choose which path to take. The path to mortality or the path to immortality.
An example was the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. It's interesting to go into a "what if" mental calisthenics on what would have been the fate of the Philippines had Marcos turned into a benevolent dictator instead of the repressive one he became. The array of opportunities would have been vast. The Philippines could have turned out to be a Malaysia or a Thailand or even a Japan. At the end of World War II, observers were saying the Philippines had such a chance.
We were personally close to at least two of Marcos UP law classmates and had some discussions with them about his presidency. They told us that Marcos conducted some discussion with them about martial law after the fact. One advice they gave him was to use the event only as an opportunity to reform the country (which at that time was already a political basket case) and to chart its course to become a model democratic and economic power in Asia. Specifically, they suggested that he retain martial law only for three years. They foresaw the danger of abuse with a prolonged dictatorial regime.
But Marcos had ears for other advisers. He had his military advisers. He had his business friends. He had his political loyalists. And of course, he had his family. And obviously, he heeded them. And the rest is disastrous history.
His law classmates painted before him a glorious scenario. He would become a saviour of his country. A Lincoln or a Kennedy. But to no avail.
Does Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have a similar crossroad to confront now? We believe she still has a rare opportunity no matter what his bitterest critics say. She is still clothed with enough power to avail of it. Her tenure ends in 2010 with an open path to serve beyond that time. She can still manage events to achieve what is needed to reform the country and assume her place in her nation's history.
Her toughest obstacle is credibility. She has to win over vital sectors of the nation. The religious sector. The business sector. The labor and the agricultural sector. And the military sector -- which could be the easiest or the toughest undertaking. Considering our culture, it’s also the most vital.
Easier said than done? You’ll never know until you try. But considering what's at stake, is there a choice?
The only alternative is pure folly. Most rulers are remembered only by the amount of loot he or she took away from the ruled.
The greatest sin of our leaders is the corruption of our youth. The young now set their ambition in terms of the loot they can put away in their lifetime. Consciously they ideally aspire for a profession or vocation to pursue their dreams. But in a compartment of their minds, they likely keep alive the hope that they will enjoy an opportunity to carry out their plans successfully through a political connection in their pursuits.
The leader who can change this national culture will deserve a prominent place in our pantheon of heroes.
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‘Insiang’ was made memorable by the presence of Hilda Koronel who essays the story's central character. It was indeed a rare appearance for the enigmatic actress who many view as the very best actor/actress in Philippine cinema and possibly one the loveliest faces ever seen on the silver screen.
And why not, Insiang is a landmark film, it was the very first motion picture from the Philippines shown at the France's Cannes Film Festival.
Released in 1978, Insiang is set in the slums of Tondo in Manila and centers on the girl Insiang who is raped by her mother's live-in lover and her subsequent redemption after she exacts revenge on those who have abused her. Considered Lino Brocka's masterpiece, Insiang ranked second in the Millennium List of the greatest Filipino Films.
I asked Hilda on how she felt watching the neorealist masterpiece more than two decades after it was originally exhibited. And her quick response: “ I have mixed emotions ... it still affects me”.
The Brocka protege who to this day remains the Actress of Philippine Cinema, is one of the few actors who has pursued her studies and obtained a degree in Foreign Service at Maryknoll College. When queried about getting into a diplomatic career, Hilda made no qualms in saying that she is not very diplomatic ... so I suppose that would be an unlikely path for her.
The strikingly tall and lovely star wore a chic mauve velvet ensemble and was quite animated that evening as she consented to be interviewed by print and broadcast media representatives who did not miss out on the rare opportunity.
Ms Koronel was born Susan Reid to an American father and Filipina mother. She started her acting career at age 12. She won her first acting statuette in Lea Productions’ Santiago, an action film megged by her mentor, Lino Brocka. She was only 18 when she made Insiang.
She is acknowledged by Filipino cine critics as among the best actresses of all time. At the event, she was accompanied by her husband, Ralph Moore, her son, Diego and her in-laws led by Priscilla Hunt.
Now a California resident. Hilda is currently on a sabbatical from making movies, though she still welcomes worthwhile projects.
Her latest films, Crying Ladies (with Sharon Cuneta), a comedy and Star Cinema's Nasaan Ka Man (2006), has reaped more acting laurels for her. Her youngest, the 16-year old Diego, a high school student, has joined her here in the Southland. Husband Ralph is project manager for his mother's company of vast real estate holdings, Hunt Enterprises.
Another movie classic of Hilda (cast opposite another dramatic great, Christopher de Leon) also by Brocka, Tinimbang Ka, Ngunit Kulang (You were Weighed but found Wanting) was the closing film of Cinema IndioFest 2007 last Thursday night at the SIPA Performing Space in L.A. A fitting culmination to the festival film screenings dubbed "Thursday Night at the Movies" to celebrate Filipino American History Month in October in Historic Filipinotown.
The Los Angeles Cinema Indio Festival with its slogan “illuminating images”, now on its sixth year, continues to showcase annually the finest of Filipino-themed classic as well as contemporary cinema in Los Angeles. It also invites emerging independent Filipino and Filipino American filmmakers to its annual filmfest in Los Angeles, the film capital of the world.
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