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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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CHICAGO – The husband of a confessed illegal recruiter in the Los Angeles suburb of Long Beach, California was sentenced to a three years’ probation last June 22 after pleading guilty to concealing and harboring an illegal alien, who lived in their house.
Darwin A. Padolina, 56, was also ordered by United States District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess of Central California to pay $100 special assessment fees and participation for a “period of six months in a home detention program, which may include electronic monitoring, GPS, or voice recognition and shall observe all rules of such program.”
His wife, Evelyn Pelayo, 53, co-defendant in the case of forced labor offenses for bringing illegal aliens into the United States and forcing two of them to work at her businesses, is slated for sentencing on July 27, 2009. She is facing 25 years in prison.
Mr. Padolina, a native of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija in the Philippines, was also ordered to “maintain a residential telephone line without devices and/or services that may interrupt operation of the monitoring equipment.” He was also ordered to pay cost of home confinement “not to exceed the sum $12 for each day of participation.”
A legal resident alien, Mr. Padolina, an accounting clerk, was ordered to “comply with the immigration rules and regulations of the United States, and if deported from this country, either voluntarily or involuntarily, not re-enter
the U.S. illegally.”
Assisted by private defense lawyer Philip P. DeLuca, Mr. Padolina was also ordered not to “engage, as a whole or partial owner, employee or otherwise, any business involving elder care” and employment in any local, state or federal agency without or prior approval of the Probation Officer prior to engagement in such employment. Waiving his right to appeal, Padolina was also ordered to “cooperate in the collection of a DNA sample from the defendant.”
Aside from Evelyn Pelayo, Padolina’s other coaccused were Rodolfo Demafeliz and Rolleta Riazon, both of whom were involved in smuggling illegal aliens into the United States under the guise of participation in martial arts competition. Demafeliz and Riazon had both pleaded guilty to their offenses and were sentenced to time served and returned to the Philippines, their country of origin.
Padolina pleaded guilty to harboring an illegal alien for private financial gain. The illegal alien was identified as Marites Padolina, his first cousin, who provided services as a nanny and caretaker for his four children while the family resided in the Philippines and resumed doing so in 1998, when she came to the United States through and including 2008. Padolina has since realized his mistake, which he described as “reckless and selfish” and turning a “blind eye” and having “no regards for what was happening around me.” He originally faced a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Pelayo was the owner of two residences in Long Beach where she operated an elderlycare and boarding facilities called Vernon Way Care Home and Walton Care Home. Both elder care homes, advertisedas assisted living facilities— and located at 5561 E Vernon Street and 5651 E Walton Street—were closed in April2008 on the strength of a federal search warrants.
According to court records, Pelayo admitted that she paid a co-defendant $12,000 to smuggle two illegal aliens into the U.S. from the Philippines and then forced the two to work at her elder care homes after confiscating their passports and threatening to turn them over to authorities if they attempted to escape.
"The defendants in this case exploited the dreams of foreign nationals who sought a better life in the United States," said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. "Instead of realizing the American Dream, the victims in this case were subjected to inhumane treatment that profited only the defendants. For forcing victims to work up to 24 hours a day, while keeping up to half of their meager salaries.”
Pelayo recruited potential workers in the Philippines, promising them jobs in her elderm care facilities. Once the victims agreed, Pelayo contacted Demafeliz, a Taekwondo martial arts instructor, who would enter the aliens in Taekwondo tournaments in the U.S. as a ruse to bring them into the country. Demafeliz obtained visas for the victims and provided,them with limited martial arts training to make the visas appear legitimate.
Pelayo paid Demafeliz $6,000 for each alien smuggled into the United States. Pelayo would tell her victims she paid Demafeliz $12,000 and they had to work in her elder care facilities until they repaid the balance. Some victims were also told that they would have to work for her for 10 years after they paid her their smuggling debts. She discouraged victims from speaking with neighbors, patients, family members of patients and law enforcement officials; and threatened to contact police and immigration officials if they tried to escape. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
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CHICAGO – United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) reintroduced a bill Wednesday (June 24) to reunite Filipino World War II veterans who are U.S. Citizens and U.S. residents with their children in the Philippines who have languished for years on the visa waiting list.
Jesse Broder Van Dyke, Akaka’s spokesman said, the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2009 is cosponsored by Senators Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington).
“In seeking an exemption from the numerical limitation on immigrant visas for the children of the Filipino veterans, our bill will address and resolve an issue rooted in a set of historical circumstancesthat are now nearly seven-decades old,” according to Senator Akaka, chairman of the U.S. Veterans Affairs Committee. “It does not require any appropriation and will serve to reunite these veterans with their children and honor their too-long-forgotten World War II service to this nation.”
According to the press statement, of the 30,000 surviving Filipino World War II veterans, 7,000 are U.S. citizens and reside in the U.S. Many filed visa petitions for their children, who remained in the Philippines. Now in their 80s and 90s, these
men continue to wait for their children, who languish on the visa waiting lists, to join them. This legislation exempts the veterans’ children, about 20,000 individual in all, from the numerical limitation on immigrant visas.
HISTORY OF FILIPINO WWII VETERANS
In 1941, over 200,000 Filipinos were drafted into the United States armed forcesand served honorably during World War II. In 1946, Congress passed the Rescissions Act, which authorized a $200 million appropriation to the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines conditioned on a provision that service in the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines should not be deemed to have been service in the active military or air service of the United States.
It would take Congress more than four decades to acknowledge that the Filipino World War II veterans had, indeed, served in the U.S. Armed forces. The Immigration Act of 1990 included a provision that offered the opportunity to obtain U.S. citizenship. And nineteen years later, last February, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) included a provision that authorized the payment of benefits to the 30,000 surviving Filipino veterans in the amount of $15,000 for those who are citizens and$9,000 for those who are noncitizens.
The token benefits given to the Filipino veterans are the final recognition bestowed by the U.S. Congress to their heroism on behalf of the American flag during World War II. After the war against Japan, the U.S. Government assigned an American consul in Manila solely to accept applications from the Filipino war veterans who wanted to be U.S. citizens. But for unknown reason, the consul was recalled to Washington, D.C. Without any replacement, preventing thousands of applicants from submitting their applications for U.S. citizenships. (lariosa_ jos@sbcglobal.net)
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NEW YORK– The Liberty Bell will toll, the Declaration of Independence will be read, and the nation will celebrate its birthday. July 4 is Independence Day, and while the whole country pays tributeto the Stars and Stripes,
several Asian-American artists will likewise show the virtue of independence not only of the country but of their music through a special night at one of the most prestigiousmusic venues in Manhattan, Crash Mansion.
The show entitled “Indie Day Music Festival” is a celebration of the new generation of independent artists in the city. It is organized by the premiere Filipino-American online music magazine, Poptimes for the benefit of the Manhattan Therapeutic Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve human lives through extensive medical research and to sponsor the medical treatment of less fortunate citizens who are afflicted by rare diseases. The organization is headed by its Filipino president Jonathan Suarez.
Seven amazing artists will take the grand stage at Crash Mansion beginning at 8:00 PM: Glass Rats, Alfa Garcia, Jason Castillo, The Kuwagos, Qwadra, Wallows, and Bleud. These Filipino-American artists have in many ways spearheaded the surge of indie music since they began playing.
Glass Rats- is is an acoustic duo that has managed to create a lot of buzz since moving from the West coast. Formed by Brandon and Melissa, this duo’s music is both clever and infectious – giving their audience the coolness of bare-unplugged instruments that always compliment their impeccable song-writing talents.
Jason Castillo - Only a few Fil-Am artist, if any, can match the soul that’s in Jason Castillo. From his emotional guitar licks to his tender vocals, he has captured what has been elusive to so many groups: Groove. An amazing guitar player and a masterful songwriter, Jason, is actively playing around the New York club circuit and soon scheduled to release his recordings.
Alfa Garcia - Is perhaps the best female singers ongwriter in the scene. She has amassed a big following because of her intelligent, heartfelt lyrics and engaging music. Her new album, Second Skin, is a collection of beautiful songs that give further credence to her superior musical skills.
The Kuwagos – The Kuwagos are the essence of Filipino-American indie rock. They have pioneered a brand of music that every Filipino Immigrant in America can totally relate to. Their songs like “Tabo,” “Gusto Mo,” “Eh Ano Ngayon,” and “Ikaw Lang” all tell stories very close to a Filipino’sheart. The band is currently recording their second album under Soulworks records slated for release this year.
Bleud - Formed in 2005 and quickly became one of the most successful bands in the Filipino-American music scene. Two of their songs were released in Manila: “Hello My Friends, Hello” - released by Alpha Music Philippines as part of the 2005 compilation album, Silver Shiny Jeepney; and their hit single “Bye Bye Na,” which was famously covered by Filipino supergroup Rivermaya for Star Records Philippines. Currently, the band is recording their 2nd full-length album under Soulworks Records.
Qwadra- This Queens, New York quartet is perhaps the hardest rocking Fil-Am band in the scene today. Their music is rich and deep–full of emotional yearnings that neverfails to grab their listeners by their throats. Qwadra have released several singles since 2007, most notably “Rosas” and “Magulang,” which established the band as a premiere attraction in Fil-Am music.
Wallows- This band is one of the driving forces of the new generation of bands in the scene. Formed in Queens around two years ago, the band lost no time in breaking in to the club circuit and quickly established themselves as a premiere rock band. Like most of the active bands in the thriving scene, Wallows are also in the studio recording their debut offering.
Tickets for $20 are available at the Crash Mansion door - 199 Bowery, New York, NY. Show starts at 8:00 PM
The show is made possible by:
http://www.poptimesmagazine.com,
http://www.mtrfny.org
http://www.taglishtees.com
http://www.unitedstaffing registry.com
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