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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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EMPTY CHAIRS, EMPTY TABLES
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THE upcoming duel between two Filipino-American groups looms and everyone anxiously awaits the results. Who will win? What event will pack more people? Which is the better event?
As the two groups fight tooth and nail to gather more attractions to beat each other, most FilAms are torn. Somehow, they like to attend both events and get the best of both worlds. The duel is further enflamed by the presence of two rival networks in the Philippines supporting the events. Obviously, the Secaucus festival has ABSCBN on their side, while the Jersey City Expo has GMA 7 on their back. There is no middle ground. From what everyone sees, it is all out war.
However, some looks at this competition in a negative way– a testament to the age-old truth that is crab mentality, other view it as a healthy competition, one that is good for the community. They say that the more events we have the better we look.
It is not hard to agree with that reasoning, but the trouble with the whole thing is that there are 365 days in a year and to have two similar events fall on the same exact dates raises more red flags than white ones. It encourages more negative thoughts than positive ones about the FilAm community. It shows how we do not support one another. It shows how we are divided and how we actually hate each other.
The Secaucus festival is geared towards the masses. It is aimed for the TFC viewing public. The ones who jump with glee as soon as Willie Revillame sings his Lito Camo novelty songs on Wowowee.
The Jersey City expo, is borderline elitist in their choice of local artists to grace their event. True, they do have some named stars from the GMA network, but the whole event is dominated by unknown garden-variety acts. We think, though, that the decision to feature more local acts is brilliant.
If we opt for the Secaucus festival, we get to see already established stars, who may not need more support, however, we can be certain that we will have fun. Now, if we opt for the Jersey City expo, we show that we support the local artists, which is very noble, but risk the possibility of boredom.
Given these pros and cons, we now ask ourselves: What is the right this to do? Where should we go? These are the real questions and it won’t be surprising to see people who would actually choose neither. Perhaps, they would just forget about the two events and just do something else that weekend. But for most of us who will have to choose, we only hope that this should the last time we are to choose between two good things. This should not happen again– Ever. Because if next time, these two groups battle again for the attention of the community, there is a huge chance that these groups will see empty chairs and empty tables.
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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
A bill intended to lift the retrogression of visa numbers for Registered Nurses (RNs) and Physical Therapists (PTs) was introduced on April 29 in the House of Representatives.
Rep. Robert Wexler, Democrat from Florida, and Rep. James Sensenbrenner, Republican from Wisconsin, sponsored the bill (HR 5924) which is also known as the Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act.
The measure which is long overdue would alleviate the current shortage of RNs and PTs.
Under the proposed law, 20,000 visa numbers will be given to PTs and RNs every year through September 30, 2011. Immediate family members will be allowed to immigrate without being subject to the quota limitation.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be required to review and act on the immigrant visa petition (I-140) within 30 days from filing. The I-140 petition is the first step in the green card process.
After the approval of the I-140 petition, the file will be transferred to the National Visa Center (NVC) which would then request the submission of the biographic data of the alien and other documents. The last step is the immigration interview to be conducted at a U.S. embassy.
If the alien is in the U.S., he/she may file an adjustment of status application.
A fee of $1,500.00 for each nurse who uses the visa shall be charged to the employer except when the employer was affected by the Katrina disaster or is located in a Health Professional Shortage Area.
The fees collected will fund a grant program to attract more students and faculty members in the U.S.
Immigrant visa applicants will be required to attest that they do not owe their countries of residence or origin any financial obligation.
Another provision of the bill will allow physicians or other health care workers and their dependents to reside in a candidate country and still be considered as physically present and residing in the U.S. for the purpose of establishing their residency requirements for naturalization.
Immigrant advocates are hopeful that the bill will be passed because of its bipartisan support. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, they note, has been known to be lukewarm to, if not against comprehensive immigration reform but he agreed to push for the passage of the bill.
There have been several bills introduced in the past two years to increase the visa numbers for nurses but they all failed to pass.
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 which sought to exempt RNs from visa quota through September 30, 2017 was passed in the Senate in 2006 but failed to become a law.
The Rural Nursing Promotion Act (S. 640) which exempts RNs from the quota through September 30, 2017, which was introduced by Senator Norm Coleman on February 15, 2007, is still in the Judiciary Committee.
Senator Hutchison of Texas and Senator Schumer of New York proposed in March 2007 and in August 2007 the recapture of unused visa numbers but they did not get enough support. In October 2007 when they reintroduced the proposal, the Senate passed it but failed to get the approval of the House.
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CHICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – Sen. Joker Arroyo became a friend of mine while I was covering him in his anti-Marcos cases in the fiscal’s office in Pasay city during martial law in the Philippines.
I would later meet Senator, then Local Government Secretary, Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel after the overthrow of Marcos when Mr. Pimentel held a press conference as he was busy replacing governors and mayors under the Cory Aquino Administration.
I was re-introduced to Sen. Pimentel by Los Angeles, California community activist Bobby M. Reyes when I interviewed him over the phone when Mr. Pimentel was campaigning in Los Angeles and in Las Vegas, Nevada before the Filipino communities in his unsuccessful presidential bid for the nomination in the opposition party in 2004.
I was reunited with Senator Pimentel in 2005 when I paid him a visit in the Philippine Senate office in Pasay City.
In my talks with Senator Pimentel, I noted that he has always been passionate in bringing economic development in Mindanao, which has always been historically backward if you compare it to Luzon and Visayas.
This economic neglect has prompted Muslim leaders like Nur Misuari to call for secession of Mindanao from the Philippines as they sought for self-rule.
I can tell that Mr. Pimentel, a senator from Mindanao, is proposing an amendment to the 1987 Philippine Constitution with no other thing in mind but to bring about economic reforms in Mindanao.
I don’t blame Senator Pimentel if he is an adherent of the self-serving popular idiom -- charity begins at home.
WRONG MOVE, TIME, REASON
Unfortunately, Senator Joker Arroyo thinks that Mr. Pimentel’s dream will only turn into nightmare, saying that the proposed Philippine political makeover from unitary to federal form of government is “a wrong move at the wrong time for the wrong reason.”
Arroyo asked aloud that, "Once Congress convenes as a constituent assembly to deliberate on the federalism amendments, "who can prevent that same Congress, this time switching back to its role as a legislature, to make amendatory resolution expanding the amendments that can be proposed to any other thing?"
My old friend, Joker Arroyo, has a point. But he should bear in mind that amendments to the constitution do not always take effect immediately so that they do not benefit the lawmakers, who approved the amendment/s.
I know Senator Arroyo’s drift – some people, who are already disqualified from running for president, like incumbent President Arroyo, who would be nine long years in office as president if she finishes her term in 2010, might be given an opportunity by these proposed amendments to extend her term longer.
Fortunately, Nene’s proposal is a mere amendment, not a total revision, of the Constitution, which will effectively shut out Mrs. Arroyo from staying in Malacanang beyond 2010.
And I suppose, Sen. Arroyo should let Nene’s proposal go. Unless, he has already forgotten such popular anti-Marcos slogans --“kung hindi tayo, sino? Kung hindi ngayon, kelan?” (If not us, who? If not now, when?)
GIVE CHANGE A CHANCE
We’ve been keeping the current unitary system for more than half a century – 67 years to be exact – it’s about time we give change a chance.
Among the proposals of Senator Pimentel is the adoption of bloc voting for electing the President and Vice President. A vote for the president is also a vote for vice president and vice versa. This will minimize public squabbles between the two highest government officials of the land.
Nene already gained the support of 15 other senators or two thirds of the 24-man Senate for calling for the convening of Congress into a Constituent Assembly that will amend the 1987 Constitution to establish a federal system of government. It will need three-fourth votes from both the Senate and the Lower House to pass an amendment to the Constitution.
Another feature of the Pimentel amendment is the political subdivision of the Philippines into 11 autonomous regions to be called “States.” These regions, which are the centers of finance and development, are the State of Northern Luzon, the State of Central Luzon, the State of Southern Tagalog, the State of Bicol, the State of Minparom (Mindoro, Palawan, and Romblon), the State of Eastern Visayas, the State of Central Visayas, the State of Western Visayas, the State of Northern Mindanao, the State of Southern Mindanao, and the State of BangsaMoro.
Metro Manila would become the Federal Administrative Region (FAR) as the country’s lone center of finance and development.
TURNING BACK THE CLOCK
"The Federalization of the Republic would speed up the development of the entire nation and help dissipate the causes of the insurgency throughout the land, particularly the centuries-old Moro rebellions," according to Joint Resolution No. 10 signed by the 16 senators.
Under a federal system, only certain functions, such as foreign affairs, national defense, taxation, currency, inter-state commerce and basic education, remain under the jurisdiction of the national or federal government. Each state becomes virtually a country unto itself, with its own set of police, political and economic powers subject to Federal authority.
Under the proposal, senators will no longer be elected nationwide. They will be elected by regions or states, including overseas Filipinos. It will, indeed, turn back the clock between 1916 to 1935 when the Philippines was electing senators by district. During that time, the Philippines was divided into 12 Senatorial districts, each district grouped several provinces and each elected 2 senators except for "non-Christian" provinces where the Governor-General of the Philippines appointed the senators for the district, but this was discontinued in 1941 when the Senate was reestablished, wherein all senators were elected on a national basis. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
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The richest country on earth is feeling pangs of pain. Food prices are on a wild ride up. Consumer confidence is shook up.
President Bush of the US describes the economic instability of his country plaintively saying it is having "very difficult times, very difficult." It is conflicted because it is being politicized. The White House is accusing the Democratic Party-controlled Congress of being uncooperative on the economic bills the administration is proposing. On the other hand, the Democrats are creating a rift between the big oil companies and the average Americans -- the haves and the have-nots. With the next election within sight, expect more delays before the economic issues are resolved.
At the forefront of the conflict is the vexing problem of the gasoline price. Then there is the inflationary push created by the soaring food cost. As if the economic issues are not causing enough pain for the people, contributing further suffering is the escalating cause of national health care.
Maybe not as nearly urgent as the push from gasoline and food prices, but with pain getting palpable day by day, is the housing mess. An estimated 3 million American families are expected to lose their homes through foreclosure within the next 2 years. The impact of the housing mortgage crisis is expected to contribute greatly to the ongoing economic slowdown. Some economists are finally persuaded to call it recession, although some are wary to call it as such. Whatever you call it, it is undeniable that many Americans have started to exhibit a recessionary behavior when they visit the supermarket or visit the shopping malls.
The rapid descent of home values, some economists say, has not been seen in the last 20 years. They are worried especially since the crisis has started to threaten the stability not only of the big mortgage banks. The fears have reached the doors of the two largest government-established lending institutions -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- considered the US lenders of last resort.
Has the time arrived for the economic managers of Washington DC to starting studying the issues in terms of last resorts?
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THE HAVES THAT DO NOT HAVE
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A common observation of visiting Filipino Americans in Manila is there seems to be no poverty in the Philippines. The shopping malls are always full of shoppers. So are the restaurants full of diners sometimes you have a long wait before a table becomes available. So it seems there's plenty of money going around.
Partly true. The shops are full, but are the people shopping? Or are they dining at the restaurants? A test is go inside a movie theatre. Almost all the time, one could easily count the people inside. We think the cinemas are poorly patronized they cannot afford to rent many good films.
In Makati's shopping areas, the life of new stores seems short. They keep opening up and after a short time, they shut down. In the big malls and the smaller strip malls, there are always vacancies.
The ones that last longer are the cheap fastfood places that serve 20-peso snacks and 10-peso sodas. Especially those stores frequented by common office workers during their lunch and snack breaks. On some occasions we saw some customers at these places ordering a drink and later unwrapping home-prepared lunch or snack to eat using the store facilities. In other words, many try to save money whenever they can.
On the other hand, in many cases we guess, what they save they spend trying to maintain their old habit of enjoying "one for the road" with the boys before they head for home in the evening. A little splurge on beer and "pulutan" to keep life interesting.
Some companies even in Makati provide their workers with facilities in the workplace where they can take out their home-prepared meals. In its absence, they take their lunch on their office desks. It's unheard of before. But it happens now most of the time.
Something new is also taking place during the lunch hour. Employees put out their boxes of assorted merchandise, lay out the items on their desks which functions as a mini-shop. Buy anything you want now. "If the item is not there, tell me I"ll have it next time." Easy terms. Settle in 3 or 6 paydays. "Hulugan". "Paiyakan". Drop drop.
In fact, go to any workplace and ask who is in the "banking" business. Cash available for tuition fees. To replace an old TV, refrigerator or any appliance you desire. In which case, what you'll get is not cash but the appliance, free delivery to your home if it's not too far.
Clothes? Go to this posh store, and select from the display. Give me your size. The cost may cost an arm which you cannot afford with a one-time payment. But with me, no problem. Drop drop.
Sometimes the workers have set up a credit union where you can a bigger loan even to buy a house. They'll probably discount it with a bank if it's large enough.
It's a booming business. Recession is not a problem to the creative Filipinos.
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CELEBRATING THE PRINTED WORD: YOUNG AUTHORS HOSTED AT CONSULATE
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Authors Night (April 25) at the Los Angeles Philippine Consulate spotlighted young erudite writers and their books. It gives us faith in our youth as the very beacon for a brighter tomorrow. Six of them were presented by Philippine Expressions through Linda Nietes and the Philippine Consulate with the Consul General Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon who welcomed the attendees, giving the occasion the importance it deserved.
The authors who introduced themselves and their books in chronological order were:
Theodore Gonzalves, author of Stage Presence: Conversations with Filipino American Performing Artists. An assistant professor in American Studies, Gonzalves' book is a collection of essays and interviews and features among others, Eleanor Academia, literary writer Jessica Hagedorn (who authored Dogeaters which was set during the Marcos era Philippines and subsequently adapted into a stageplay);
Rico Reyes and Dawn Mabalon co-authors of "Filipinos in Stockton" paid tribute to the enduring presence of Filipinos in Stockton and through powerful images, they chronicled the earliest pioneers at the beginning of the 20th century to the present day;
Carina Monica Montoya collected vintage images of early Filipinos in Hollywood. The photographs in her book, "Filipinos in Hollywood" captured the spirit and challenges faced by Pinoys in America as well as their triumphs, recognition and success in Hollywood. The memoir spans more than 80 years, dating back to the early 1920s when the first wave of immigrants settled in Los Angeles;
Edwin A. Lozada edited and published Field of Mirrors: An Anthology of Philippine American Writers, writings by 79 authors from California and other parts of the U.S. Lozada writes in English, Ilocano and Spanish. His first book of Spanish poetry was 'Suenos Anonimos".
Quintin Jose V. Pastrana, a recent international MBA graduate from Georgetown University in WA DC, co-authored "Profiles Encourage: Ordinary Filipinos making an Extraordinary Difference" The book profiles ordinary people who are making a big difference throught their lives and actions -- ranging from a lifetime of random acts of kindness to programs that have eased poverty and uplift our sense of nationhood. Real life stories that could inspire the Filipino youth of today;
Marivi Soliven Blanco's "Spooky Mo: Horror Stories", a collection of imaginative, scary and unpredictable stories woven around the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, anger, avarice, sloth, gluttony and lust. She has written 10 books for children. Two of which won Palanca awards. Her other books are "Speak up, Woman: Stories on Living, Loving, Leaving and Learning", Suddenly Stateside - a collection of essays on immigrant life which has become a bestseller, Baby Love: A Pinay's Guide to Pregnancy.
Incidentally, Marivi or Maria Victoria is a daughter of the late Manuel Soliven, younger brother of journalistic icon, Max Soliven, who served as Executive Vice-President at the Philippine National Bank. She also happens to be related to your columnist, her mother, being a first-degree cousin.
On the other hand, Quintin Jose is my brother's namesake and only son. He has a degree in political science from Ateneo de Manila and took up post graduate studies in business and public policy at Oxford University in Great Britain last year. He is the founder of the Library Renewal Partnership, a nationwide movement in the Philippines, with its pilot program in Kalibo, Aklan province. This young and dynamic Chevron executive is committed to continuing his education abroad but only as a means to better serve his country and countrymen back in the Homeland.
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