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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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MANILA-- The global food and oil crisis notwithstanding, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has assured Filipinos that the nation would survive even as she spelled out her administration's programs and how revenues from the expanded value added tax would help tide the country.
This year's State of the Nation's Address was Arroyo's eighth since she assumed post in 2001. She finished her speech in 57 minutes, with the audience interrupting her with applause 101 times.
Arroyo rallied the public, Congress, and the judiciary to work with her for the people, stressing that she will not let the political ambitions of some to get in the way of her desire for the nation.
"As your President, I will let no one -- and no one's political plans -- get in the way of the well-being of the people. I will let no one hinder our people's progress and prosperity. I will let no one threaten our nation's survival. This is my commitment," she said in her speech.
"Our country and our people have never failed to be there for us. Let us be there for them. Now," she added. Arroyo said global challenges confronted the country with the surge in oil and food prices. But she added that "because tough choices were made, the global crisis did not catch us helpless and unprepared."
She laid down three strategies to solve "many complex challenges."
"First, we must have a targeted strategy and set of precise prescriptions to ease the price challenge we are facing; second, food self sufficiency, less energy dependence, greater self-reliance in our attitude as a people and in our posturing as a nation; and third, short-term relief cannot be at the expense of long-term efforts. These reforms will benefit not just the next generation of Filipinos, but the next President as well," she said.
She said that the 12- percent VAT, which many sectors want scrapped, has a very crucial role to play in meeting these strategies.
"Itong programa ay sagot sa mga problemang namana natin [This program is the answer to the problems we have inherited]," she said.
"Una, mababawasan ang ating mga utang [First, our debts will be reduced] and shore up our fiscal independence; pangalawa, higit na pamumuhunan para sa imprastraktura at taong bayan [second, more investments for infrastructure and our people]; panghuli, sapat na pondo sa mga programang pang-masa [and last, enough funds for pro poor programs],"she said.
"Take VAT away and you and will abdicate our responsibility as leaders and pull the rug from under our present and future progress, which may be compromised by the global crisis," she said.
She said her administration has persevered and has been "without flip-flops" despite the "much criticized but necessary policies" on oil and VAT and oil deregulation.
Arroyo firm on policy of natural means of birth control In her speech, Arroyo has stood pat on her population policy of promoting natural birth control. Responding to critics, Arroyo said that promoting natural family planning and female education have curbed population growth by 2.04 percent. She said this was lower than the 2.36 percent population growth in the 1990s when the artificial birth control method was being pushed.
"Our campaign spreads awareness of responsible parenthood regarding birth spacing. Long years of pushing contraceptives made it synonymous to family planning. Informed choice should mean letting more couples, mostly Catholics, know about natural family planning," she said.
Hasten passage of CARP bill
Arroyo also appealed to members of Congress to speed up the passage of several measures, including one extending the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). Arroyo asked legislators to work on the extension of the CARP to give the law another five years to allow for the distribution of lands to farmers.
Arroyo also asked Congress to pass a bill allowing the Social Security System to grant housing loans beyond the 10 percent limit.
She also asked for the passage of the bill on the use of farmlands as loan collateral, renewable energy bill, anti-corruption act, and the consumer bill of rights.
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CHICAGO – The whole summer of “backroom maneuvering” to get the Senate Bill 1315 on the House floor is not enough. As the U.S. House of Representatives goes on a recess from August 1st to September 8th, supporters of the Filipino Veterans bill got an assurance from the staff of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Dem.-CA-18) last Wednesday (July 23) that the Speaker is going to calendar S. 1315 when session resumes after September 8th.
This means that the month-long hiatus should give the supporters and lobbyists of the Filipino veterans bill an opportunity to regroup and revitalize strategies to get the bill through the House.
At a conference call Saturday (July 26th) presided over by Eric Lachica, executive director of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, it was disclosed that the “magic number” of votes needed to obtain the 218 simple majority votes is “39 Republican congressmen.”
As of press time, there are 143 out of 236 Democrats who are voting for S. 1315 while there are 37 out of 199 Republicans who are voting for it. This means that there are so far 180 votes out of a total of 435 members, who are now voting for it. This means a total of 39 votes are needed to come up with the 218 majority votes. However, if the House would like to ensure a veto proof two-thirds majority, it will need 70 more votes to come up with the total of 287 votes.
In two previous meetings with the Pelosi's staff during the last two weeks, the ACFV representatives were told that Speaker Pelosi was doing her best to help the bill go thru. “Our agenda was to realistically assess campaign and intensify or ‘whip’ the necessary votes to approve S. 1315 before the House adjourns on Sept. 26,” Lachica said.
In a crucial meeting convened by Rep. Mike Honda (D-Campbell CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the key aides of Speaker Pelosi, Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-So. Carolina), Veterans Committee Chair Bob Filner (D-CA), Assistant to the Speaker Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles CA) and Republican co-sponsor Darrell Issa (R-Vista CA) “reassured our Capitol Hill team of advocates from ACFV, NaFFAA, NAFVE and Philippine Embassy officials,” Lachica said.
It was disclosed that the shortage of the needed votes are due to the following:
1) More than a dozen members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats caucus (51 votes) had clearly expressed their reluctance to vote for S.1315, according to the staff;
2) Rep. Stephen Buyer (R-Indiana), Republican ranking member and former chairman of the VA Committee, with the help of the American Legion Washington DC officials dissuaded House Republican members from supporting the Filipino veterans’ bill “because of their unfounded claim that funds would be taken from VA disability programs. This issue was clarified by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and resolved by the overwhelming vote of 96 to 1 in the full Senate;” and
3) Certain vulnerable and freshmen Democrats up for re-election are privately worried about this issue. The earlier goal of getting a 2/3 majority to approve S. 1315 is unrealistic without extensive debate, "killer amendments," or it being sent back (motion to recommit) to the Veterans Affairs Committee.
The Speaker's and Whip's staff were hopeful the bill will be passed during the September vote if there are enough votes committed between the August 1 to Labor Day (Sept. 6) recess. The veterans bill supporters will have a “three-week window from Sept. 8 to Sept.- 26, to get S. 1315 approved as a probable rider a larger must pass (Omnibus) bill.
Actions being undertaken by ACFV and other supporters were:
1) Bi-partisan "Dear Colleague" letter to be obtained from Chairman Filner and Rep. Darrell ISSA co-chair of Philippines-US Friendship Caucus appealing to members to vote for S.1315 based on Pelosi's June 30th announcement that she will bring our bill to floor vote "soon."
2) Joint letter of support from the chairs of the congressional caucuses: Asian American (10), Hispanic (20), Black (40) and other sympathetic.
3) One-minute House floor statements made by our cosponsors urging vote on S.1315.
4) House resolution will be introduced this week by Issa and Filner honoring the sacrifices of Filipino WWII veterans on the anniversary of the July 26, 1941 Military Order drafting Filipino soldiers into the US Army by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
5) Urgent local actions by our veterans and community leaders to visit and meet face-to-face their congress members at district offices to demanding congressional approval.
6) Meeting Speaker Pelosi in person to reaffirm her pledge to Filipino American/ Asian community leaders in San Francisco tentatively around August 4 week.
7) Photo op by our veterans to thank presidential candidates Obama and McCain for their public calls for passage of S.1315. And
8) Filipino Americans should meet with congressmen in their respective districts or send and follow up calls, fax or emails to seek their support for the bill.
S. Bill 1315 was overwhelmingly passed last April, granting non-service benefits to Filipino World War II veterans.
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ICE urges illegal aliens to turn themselves in
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NEW YORK- In what is perhaps the present administration’s last ditch effort to curb illegal immigration, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a plan to encourage undocumented aliens to just show up and deport themselves.
ICE assistant secretary Julie Myers told a national TV audience that the Bush administration would soon announce self-deportation policy called “Operation Scheduled Departure”. The measure allows undocumented aliens to deport themselves rather than get deported.
It may seem that the proposed plan does not make correct sense given the resilience of the millions of illegal aliens in the country to fight on and wait for a comprehensive immigration overhaul. However, the ICE maintains that illegals that chose to avail of the self deportation program would avoid the risk and humiliation of being jailed and tried before a court.
Immigrant advocates called the plan a gimmick that is unlikely to reduce the estimated U.S. illegal immigrant population of 12 million people. While federal raids at workplaces and neighborhoods have spread fear, there is little incentive for illegal immigrants to go into “permanent exile,” or to check in with ICE first if they wish to leave, said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum. Noorani called the offer a “harebrained scheme” adding: “This is nothing more than a modern-day Trail of Tears.”
Hayes said the program was inspired by critics who accuse ICE of using punitive tactics and say that fugitives would surrender themselves. ”This is a great opportunity for those advocacy and faith-based organizations who have asked us to look at other ways to conduct fugitive operations to really step up to the table and bring their clients to us and work with us to schedule their departure,” Hayes said.
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