|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MANILA-- Former president Corazon Aquino is suffering from colon cancer and is in a hospital, her family said.
Aquino’s daughter Kris, a television host and actress, read a statement over a television network saying the cancer was discovered when the former president went to have a check up.
"Our mom wanted to know what was wrong with her, and with her family by her side, she submitted herself to a check-up and several tests. The results showed that our mother is suffering from cancer of the colon," Kris said.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Malacañang is “saddened by the news” of the former president’s condition and wished her a speedy recovery.
A weeping Kris, with her brother, Senator Benigno Aquino III beside her, said their family is asking for “compassion and prayers for our Mom’s recovery.”
At the same time, she also asked that the former president “be accorded her privacy” during a “very difficult time for her and our family.”
Aquino, widow of the late senator Benigno Aquino Jr., became president after a popular uprising ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. Her husband was assassinated on his return the country from exile in 1983. The murder gave birth to the protest movement that eventually led to the downfall of the 14-year Marcos dictatorship.
Meanwhile, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has joined various sectors in extending sympathies to former President Corazon Aquino who was diagnosed with colon cancer.
In a statement, President Arroyo said she is saddened over Mrs Aquino’s health condition, noting that the former President led the country in “peaceful change.” Mrs Arroyo also appealed for prayers for the recovery of the former President.
“Nalulungkot tayo, ang sambayanang Pilipino, sa karamdaman ni dating Pangulong Aquino. Siya ang nanguna sa ating bansa sa mapayapang pagbabago. Ipanalangin natin ang paggaling niya at ang katatagan ng kanyang pamilya,” President Arroyo said.
Mrs Aquino is a vocal critic of President Arroyo. In fact, the former president has twice called for President Arroyo to step down from her post over corruption allegations in her administration. Mrs Aquino also accompanied ZTE deal probe witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr in some of his public appearances exposing corruption in government.
In another developement, ZTE mess probe witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr has vowed to continue the fight for truth while expressing sadness over the medical condition of the former leader. Lozada said he plans to visit Mrs Aquino once he returns to Metro Manila, adding he will continue attending the rest of the scheduled Masses for truth and accountability even if the former president is no longer by his side.
“Itutuloy pa rin namin yan, that’s supposed to be for nine Masses. Siyempre nalulungkot ako sa development na yan. Si Tita Cory, or former President Cory, nagbibigay ng moral support sa akin. Siya lagi nagpipilit na palakasin ang loob ko para sa pamilya ko at para sa bayan,” Lozada said.
“Ngayon nagkasakit siya nalungkot ako pero mas lalo pa yata ako kumbaga mas lalo kong isinapuso ang bilin niya, maysakit na siya pero ipinagpatuloy pa rin niya ang paglalaban para sa katotohanan. Mas lalo akong dapat, wala akong sakit,” Lozada said.
“Siguro mas lalo dapat tibayan ko ang loob ko sa pangyayaring ito sa kanya,” he added.
Earlier, Lozada had lamented that the ZTE case – which saw him abducted upon his return from Hong Kong last Feb. 5 – had forced him to change his lifestyle. He also said that his decision to testify on the controversial deal had wrecked his family life, adding he failed to visit his 80-plusyear- old mother in Bicol last Easter Sunday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Filipino hospital employees, Fil Am community saddened by loss of an institution
|
|
|
|
|
|
JERSEY CITY- Despite public outcry and much debate on the fate of a hundred-year-old institution in Jersey City, the proposed closing of Greenville Hospital was approved by Commissioner of Health and Senior Services Heather Howard, according to a press release issued by Liberty Health, which operates the Jersey City Medical Center and the Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center. The hospital will shut its doors on April 23.
The release stated that Greenville Hospital is losing patients and about $4 million a year, and is no longer needed to serve the community’s medical needs since it duplicates the services of the new Jersey City Medical Center.
“I was appalled that the Commissioner would vote to close the hospital in light of the fact that the emergency rooms at both Christ Hospital and the Jersey City Medical Center are packed and many residents will be affected,” remarked Councilwoman Viola Richardson of Ward F. “I’m appalled that they (Liberty Health) would balance the budget on the backs of poor people.”
Councilwoman Viola Richardson, a driving force behind Save Greenville Hospital Coalition, which includes Mayor Jeramiah T. Healy, Senator Sandra Cunningham, Deputy Mayor and NAACP President Kabili Tayari, Councilman Mike Sotalano of Ward A, other Council people and elected officials, and many concerned citizens and community groups.
Filipinos who work at the hospital have expressed mixed feelings and opinions regarding news of the hospital closing, the fate of their own employment, and the impact on the community.
Marcelito Tan, a Filipino full-time staff nurse who has been with Greenville Hospital for the past 8 years, is sad to see the hospital go. “I’m kind of sad about its closure because most of the other employees are like family to me already.”
Tan estimates that there are 20 or more Filipinos working at the hospital. Tan further shares that people in the community use the hospital on a regular basis and have become like friends to the Greenville Hospital staff.
“A lot of patients are sad since they live in the neighborhood,” said Tan. “They may find it harder to go to Jersey City Medical Center when Greenville Hospital is so close.”
Tan expressed little concern about finding another hospital for work and remains optimistic as he feels that nurses are quite in demand. He is uncertain though that he will find another hospital that would measure up to the level of caring that Greenville Hospital provides.
When asked about whether he agrees with Liberty Health’s assertion about declining patient numbers and services that are essentially being covered by other area hospitals, primarily Jersey City Medical Center, Tan offered no comment.
Other staff members are more vocal though about their opposition to the hospital’s closing. A Filipina registered nurse, whose name is being withheld per request, says that she is both sad and angry as she has spent 14 year of her career serving the hospital. She disagrees with the explanation that the hospital is in financial dire straits or losing patients, as she sees that the emergency room is almost always full. As for her job prospects, she is not satisfied with the offers she has received, which do not match her schedule preference and her desire to continue working in the emergency room.
Dr. Michael Wagner, whose specialty is Internal Medicine and has been with the hospital for 40 years, also disputes Liberty Health’s reasoning for closing the hospital. In his testimony at a public hearing and a written statement submitted to Commissioner Howard and elected officials, Dr. Wagner provided the results of his own research, contrary to Liberty Health’s assertions.
“Through the Internet, I learned that the $3 million operating loss attributed to Greenville Hospital seems to be a fabrication. The IRS Form 990’s of non-profit organizations are available at HYPERLINK "http://www.guidestar.org" www.guidestar.org as PDF copies of the originals. The Greenville Hospital returns, up to those of fiscal year 2006, showed no such loss. In no recent year was there an operating loss even close to $3 million.”
On a more personal note, Dr. Wagner shares that the level of expertise, care and commitment of Greenville Hospital’s staff is incomparable. A Filipino doctor, who has served the hospital for 30 years, once performed acute surgery on him. He offers this experience in his written testimony saying, “I once drove 31 miles with an acute surgical abdomen, bypassing many others better equipped and better regarded, when I needed emergency surgery. In my professional opinion, I would not be alive today if I had chosen another hospital.”
“People in the southern part of the City have really been dealt a tremendous disservice,” said Councilman Steve Lipski of Ward C. “The medical industry as we know it is undergoing tremendous changes but I don’t think that it should be solely borne on the backs of people, particularly this section of Jersey City.”
Councilman Sottolano, who represents Ward A and the Greenville section, expressed his disappointment over the decision. He hopes that Mayor Healy’s letter will result in new possibilities. Ultimately, he wants to see a primary care facility serving the residents of Greenville.
Councilman Lipski said that Mayor Healy sent a letter to the State, requesting an extension until a buyer for the hospital has been found.
Throughout the approval process, Mayor Healy has pushed to keep Greenville Hospital open. Following a promise that Mayor Healy made in a public hearing, the City Council voted, back in December 2007, to give Greenville Hospital $1.5 million, intended to keep the hospital open for six months. That offer was rejected by Liberty Health Systems.
Liberty Health’s press release states that brochures will be mailed to all households in the Greenville community with transportation information and locations of area hospitals and federally qualified health centers. Area residents may call Liberty Health at 201-
915-2000, for help finding local medical facilities and transportation information.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW YORK–A guy in a suit is busy talking on his cell phone, while brisk walking and eating a sandwich along W 23rd Street. He looks so stressed out, it appears as if his eyes are going to pop out. He is not a stockbroker. He is a lawyer– A lawyer on a deadline.
With the USCIS April 1 date of filing for H-1B applications fast approaching, law offices resemble emergency rooms, while lawyers are in a frantic phase to beat time. Employers can file applications starting on this day up to five business days. However, with he USCIS only issuing 65,000 visas to 500,000 applicants, the extra five days of filling are useless as the entire visa cap gets issue don the first day alone.
“Everybody is out of control,” says one Fil Am lawyer. “ Employers, employees, law firms, it’s crazy. The visa cap is just too low. Employers are surely going to be inadequately supplied by skilled worker again this year.”
The USCIS recently announced new rules that will make H-1Bs harder to obtain. Employers can only submit one application for each worker in need of the visa. Once it exceeds the limit, the employee is ineligible. Due to the difficulties in obtaining H1-B visas, employers resort to L–1 visas as an alternative. They can apply for L–1s at any time of year, and there is no limit to the number of L-1s that can be issued.
Some H1-B aspirants can have a crack at the elusive visa via shortcut. These aspirants must have master’s degrees or similar advanced degrees to get excluded from the pains of the visa lottery and get special treatment via a reserved cap of 20,000 visas in advance and another 20,000 after the general lottery.
The USCIS announced the guidelines for H1-Bs in a statement a few weeks back. The statement partly read:
“To ensure a fair and orderly distribution of available H-1B visas, USCIS will deny or revoke multiple petitions filed by an employer for the same H-1B worker and will not refund the filing fees submitted with multiple or duplicative petitions,” the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in an announcement.
“Congress has set a limit of 65,000 for H-1B workers for the fiscal 2009. The changes will ensure that companies filing H-1B petitions subject to congressionally mandated numerical limits have an equal chance to employ an H-1B worker," it added. This rule does not preclude related employers (such as a parent company and its subsidiary) from filing petitions on behalf of the same worker for different positions, based on a legitimate business need.
The USCIS said the changes to the H-1B filing process under the new rule are an important part of the initiative announced by President George W Bush in August on undertaking a series of immigration and border security reforms.
According to the agency, from April 1 employers can file petitions requesting H-1B workers for fiscal year 2009 employment starting on October 1, 2008. The first 20,000 H-1B applicants who have a US Master’s degree or higher are exempted from the current cap. Once USCIS receives 20,000 petitions from such foreigners, all other cases requesting the educational exemption are counted toward the 65,000 cap. Once the 65,000 cap is reached for a fiscal year, USCIS will reject further petitions.
The rule also stipulates that if USCIS determines the number of H-1B petitions received meets the cap within the first five business days of accepting applications for the coming fiscal year, USCIS will apply a random selection process among all H-1B petitions received during this time period.
“If the 20,000 advanced degree limit is reached during the first five business days, USCIS will randomly select from those petitions ahead of conducting the random selection for the 65,000 limit. Petitions subject to the 20,000 limit that are not selected in that random selection will be considered with the other H-1B petitions for the 65,000 limit," the agency said. The rule stated that USCIS will deny petitions that incorrectly claim an exemption from any H-1B numerical limits and those filing fees will not be returned.
There has been growing pressure from US companies to raise the H-1B visa quota with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates describing the cap as “arbitrary and counterproductive”.
“Microsoft has found that for every H-1B hire we make, we add on average four additional employees to support them in various capacities,” Gates, who once said that if he had his way he would scrap the H-1B visa system entirely, told a House of Representatives Panel on Science and Technology. With reports from MNS, AP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
