October 1-15, 2014 1

Vol. XXIII, No. 22 Online: www. manilamail.us October 1-15, 2014

Fil-Am home care
nabbed Page 4
PH-US war games
Page 12
Mommy Ds boyfriend
Page 11
John Legend in Manila
Page 18
Our own month
Page 29
Binay charged for
P2-B public garage
MANILA. The Senate
continued to hear allegations
of wrongdoings by Vice Presi-
dent Jejomar Binay but a recent
survey seems to suggest the
public is growing wary about the
sincerity of the probe.
An allegedly grossly over-
priced Makati building con-
structed while Binay was the city
mayor has been the center of cor-
ruption charges. Former Makati
City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mer-
cado testied that Binay alleg-
edly received a standard 13 per-
WASHINGTON D.C. For-
eign Affairs Secretary Albert del
Rosario pressed United States
ofcials to grant the Philippine
governments request for tem-
porary protected status (TPS)
during a visit here Sept. 25.
A TPS designation for the
Philippines would allow more
than 200,000 undocumented Fili-
pinos to stay and work legally in
the US for at least 18 months.
The Philippines sought the
TPS designation in December, a
few weeks after super typhoon
Yolanda hit the eastern and
central Visayas region, killing
over 6,000 people and severely
affecting more than 1.4 million
others in 17 provinces.
Del Rosario wrote both Sec-
retary of State John Kerry and
Secretary of Homeland Security
Jeh Johnson last September 22,
reiterating the governments
appeal.
I take this opportunity to
once again reiterate the Philip-
pine Governments request for
the US Governments immedi-
ate positive consideration of the
request... Many of my country-
men in the US were affected by
Typhoon Haiyan. This humani-
tarian assistance would provide
temporary relief for them from
the natural disaster, he said.
Ofcials from the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security
(DHS) told Fil-Am community
Continued on page 21
Family of Fil-Am suicide
calls for end to bullying
By Jun Medina
SAN FRANCISCO. The
family of Jay Zolina, a junior at
San Diegos Cathedral Catholic
High School who killed him-
self last September 11, is calling
for an end to bullying, a grow-
ing school malaise that appar-
ently led the 16-year-old Filipino
American teen to depression and
suicide.
How I wished I have
known that he was hurting
inside, Jays mother, Lea Maria
Sia-Zolina, posted in her sons
Facebook account. A person can
take only so much bullying.
It was too late when I found
out He was gone, continued
the pained message of the griev-
ing mother. And because of this
my life will have a huge void.
Mrs. Zolina, a dentist, said
her son masked the pain very
well with his smile and positive
attitude.
Suicide is the third leading
cause of death among young
people, resulting in some 4,400
death yearly, according to the
Centers for Disease Control.
MANILA. The government
moved swiftly to seize valuable
art works, swooping down on
the ofces and homes of former
First Lady Imelda Marcos, taking
several paintings including a
work by Pablo Picasso.
The National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) dispatched
several teams last Sept. 30 to
recover valuable old master
paintings under the possession
of Mrs. Marcos and her family.
In their San Juan house
alone, authorities were able to
recover eight large paintings,
including the Picasso. The search
at Marcos ofce at the House of
Representatives yielded repro-
ductions.
Of the four known
addresses that we visited, it
was only in the Marcos house
in San Juan where we were
able to recover eight paintings,
explained NBI Anti-Organized
and Transnational Crime Divi-
sion (AOTCD) chief and head
agent Rommel Vallejo.
The Sandiganbayan had
issued a writ of attachment just
a day earlier for at least eight
paintings by renowned Euro-
pean artists, saying they had
been illegally acquired with
public funds.
Mrs. Marcos, 85, who prides
herself as a keen art collector,
will appeal the court ruling. The
order is highly questionable. We
will question that order, said
Marcos counsel Robert Sison.
Sison described the court
ruling on the eight paintings
Continued on page 21
Continued on page 21
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario with US State Secretary John
Kerry at the United Nations.
Vice President Jejomar Binay with son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay
Jay Zolina with mother Lea share a
sele photo
Govt seizes Imeldas Picasso,
Gaugin, Goya, Michelangelo
Former First Lady Imelda Marcos;
the Picasso hangs on the wall
behind her.
Continued on page 21
October 1-15, 2014 22
October 1-15, 2014 3
PH slams China expansionism at UN
NEW YORK. Foreign Affairs
Secretary Albert del Rosario
blasted China at speech in the
United Nations for its expan-
sionist territorial claims.
We have invited a State
Party to settle our maritime
disputes peacefully through
UNCLOS (UN Convention on
the Law of the Sea) including its
provisions on dispute settlement,
specically arbitration, he told
the UN General Assemblys 69th
annual high-level meeting.
Although he did not men-
tion China by name, the Phil-
ippines has hauled the Asian
superpower to court because it
was encroaching on disputed
waters in the West Philippine
Sea but China has said it was
snubbing the proceedings.
The state party has refused
to join us and has continued
to unilaterally embark on an
expansionist claim that violates
the legitimate rights of the Phil-
ippines and other littoral neigh-
bors under UNCLOS such as
their Exclusive Economic Zones
and Continental Shelves, Del
Rosario bewailed.
He said the state party
is taking reckless activities
instead of choosing the peaceful
route.
Instead of peacefully
resolving the maritime dis-
putes within the framework of
UNCLOS, said State embarked
on a series of dangerous, reck-
less and forceful activities in an
attempt to impose unilateral
change in the maritime status
quo of the South China Sea, he
said.
US Pacic chief: We dont want bases in PH
WASHINGTON D.C.
Outgoing Pacic Command
(PACOM) chief Admiral Samuel
Locklear said the United States
remains committed to re-bal-
ance to the Asia-Pacic not-
withstanding the escalation of
military operations against the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Our ability to remain for-
ward and to do the things that
we need to do in the Pacic will
not be affected in any signicant
way, Locklear said in an article
posted on breakingdefense.com.
Locklear will be replaced by
Admiral Harry Harris Jr., the rst
Asian American to occupy the
post. Born in Yokosuka, Japan,
Harris currently commands the
US Pacic Fleet, the operational
arm of PACOM.
Let me reiterate again that
the US has no desire or plans to
build any US bases anywhere else
in the world, he stressed.
He added, The plan with
our Filipino allies was where we
might be able to put a shared
facility but admitted theres no
real movement there. The EDCA
has been stalled by a legal chal-
lenge raised before the Philip-
pine Supreme Court (please see
related story in this paper).
Meanwhile, Locklear said
the growing crisis in the Middle
East as well as the Ebola epi-
demic in Western Africa has
not forced the redeployment of
forces or resources from the US
Pacic Theater.
He noted that tensions
have cooled back after an inci-
dent where Chinese ghter jets
harassed an American patrol
plane off Hainan Island in the
South China Sea. We havent
had any more such incidents,
he said.
He said that he was disap-
pointed by the conduct of the
Chinese but not necessarily sur-
prised.
Secretary Albert del Rosario at UN
General Assembly
October 1-15, 2014 44
Pinoy care home owners nabbed over wage theft
SAN FRANCISCO. Author-
ities raided four nursing homes
on Sept. 17, arresting six of its
owners including three Filipino
Americans on charges of wage
theft, tax and insurance viola-
tions.
Prosecutors said Filipina
Florinda Yambao, who owns
Floran White Dove Care Homes
in Brentwood, failed to pay half
a million dollars to employees
who worked 12 to 16-hour days
and only got paid between $50 to
$80 per day.
The deputy district attorney
said Yambao employed 14 full
time employees and a few part
time workers, all of them were
Filipino.
Sara Abraham, Annette San-
chez and Julio Sanchez operators
of Abraham Rest Home Inc. and
Sanchez Abraham Corporation
were also booked into Contra
Costa County jail on $300,000
bail for eight felony charges.
Yambao faces four felony
charges and one misdemeanor.
Businesses should not
prot by stealing from their
hard-working employees,
Contra Costa District Attorney
Mark Peterson said in a prepared
statement.
Prosecutors say the defen-
dants owe a total of $2 million to
60 employees.
When a corrupt business
owner commits wage theft, he
or she almost invariably com-
mits tax and insurance fraud. We
cannot allow these unscrupu-
lous businesses to gain an unfair
advantage over law-abiding
businesses.
Wednesdays search war-
rants, arrests, and charges
involved three separate cases.
Two of the investigations started
after the U.S. Department of
Labor received complaints about
Abraham Rest Home Inc. and
Sanchez Abraham Corporation
and also Florin White Dove Care
Homes.
The third case was the result
of information discovered while
investigating the complaint
against Florin White Dove Care
Homes and led to the serving of
a warrant against Glenda and
Rommel Publico who owned
Scienn Hall Care homes.
The Department of Labor
launched its investigation on
care homes last year and estab-
lished that workers were not
being paid minimum wage or
overtime at 14 facilities.
Too often workers in resi-
dential care facilities are working
long shifts, being underpaid and
then are retaliated against when
they exercise their rights in the
workplace, said Ruben Rosalez,
regional administrator for the
US Department of Labors Wage
and Hour Division.
Police raid a home care facility in
Brentwood, Ca.
October 1-15, 2014 5
Abu Sayyaf apes IS, threatens to behead German hostage
MANILA. Muslim extrem-
ists have threatened to behead a
German hostage in an apparent
show of solidarity with Islamic
State in Iraq and Syria which ear-
lier executed their American and
British captives.
The Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) has deployed
an additional 1,000 troops to
Sulu to intensify the search for
the Abu Sayyaf group hold-
ing two German hostages even
as Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin expressed doubts over
reports local militants have
already joined forces with the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
A combat brigade was air-
lifted to Jolo and two more bat-
talions were deployed in other
parts of Muslim Mindanao.
Gazmin stressed that the
Philippines will not negoti-
ate with the Abu Sayyaf over
its demands for a $5.6 million
ransom for the Germans.
Over 100 people from
Southeast Asias Muslim major-
ity countries of Indonesia and
Malaysia, as well as from Min-
danao in the Philippines region
are believed to have gone to join
Islamic States ght in Iraq and
Syria.
Admiral Samuel Locklear,
head of the US Armed Forces
Pacic Command (PACOM)
estimated there are about 1,000
recruits from India to the Pacic
that may have joined Islamic
State.
That number could get
larger as we go forward, Lock-
lear told reporters at the Penta-
gon last Sept. 25. PACOMs area
of responsibility covers 36 coun-
tries from West Asia to the Far
East, including Australia and the
Korean Peninsula.
Thousands have reportedly
sworn oaths of loyalty to Islamic
State as local militant groups
capitalize on a brand that has
been fuelled by violent online
videos and calls to jihad through
social media, security analysts
say.
Security ofcials say this has
disturbing implications for the
region, especially when battle-
hardened ghters return home
from the Middle East.
Although Germany has so
far shied away from contributing
combat forces to the anti-Islamic
State coalition, a German foreign
ministry spokeswoman never-
theless declared that threat are
no appropriate way of inuenc-
ing Germany foreign policy.
The Abu Sayyaf has more
than demonstrated its vicious-
ness in the past, beheading a
Peruvian-American tourist it
kidnapped in 2001, as well as
dozens many of its civilian and
military captives.
The Abu Sayyaf was
believed formed in 1991 by Fili-
pino mujahideens returning to
the country after ghting Rus-
sian forces in Afghanistan.
Abu Sayyaf terrorist brandishes a bolo
October 1-15, 2014 66
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Pinoy UN peacekeepers
to guard Pope Francis
MANILA. Pope Francis will be pro-
tected by a thousand-strong force of vet-
eran United Nations peacekeepers when
he visits the Philippines in January 2015.
The heightened security comes amid
fears that Islamic militants might pose a
threat during the papal visit. Pope Fran-
cis will be in the Philippines from January
15-19 and will visit the survivors of Super
Typhoon Yolanda, which left about 7,300
people dead across the central Philippines
in November last year.
Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop Luis
Antonio Cardinal Tagle said Pope Fran-
cis visit will be an opportunity to lead
the Church in the Philippines down new
roads in the faith and in the mission.
Pope Francis pastoral visit, centered
on mercy and compassion, will undoubt-
edly offer great opportunities to experi-
ence grace, to hear a call, to question our
comfortable surroundings, to value the
poor, renew society, care for creation and
live honorably, the cardinal said in a
letter to Catholics of the Philippines.
The country hosted visits by Pope
Paul VI in 1970 and St. John Paul II in 1981
and 1995.
The Popes visit in 1970 mysteriously
opened for me a door into the mystery and
mission of the Church, he said.
Tagle was 13 years old at the time of
the visit. At one point, seeking to see the
Pope, he was surrounded by thronging
crowds of faithful.
I stretched my neck and focused my
eyes in order to see him as the car in which
he was riding passed in front of us. The
Popes serene gaze and attitude amazed
me. That image never left my mind, he
reected.
Eighteen years later in 1985, I regis-
tered at the Catholic University of Amer-
ica to study theology, he said.
I never imagined in 1970 that one
day I would travel inside the mind, heart
and soul of this great Pope, who led the
renewal of the Church in the modern
world!
Tagle, who left for Rome last Sept.
28, hand-carried a letter from about a
thousand street children in Metro Manila
who expressed the hope Pope Francis
can spend some time with them when he
visits the country, according to the Tulay
ng Kabataan Foundation (ANAK-Tnk),
a nonprot organization which has been
helping neglected, battered and abused
children.
Manila Archbishop Cardinal Tagle with Pope
Francis
October 1-15, 2014 7
October 1-15, 2014 88
Nation marks Filipino American Heritage Month
SAN FRANCISCO. A series
of special events mark the cel-
ebration of Filipino American
Heritage Month in October.
The world-renown Ballet
Philippines is on a North Amer-
ica tour to help highlight the spe-
cial period and in Alameda, Cali-
fornia, ofcials are naming new
streets in honor of Fil-Am heroes
Larry Itliong and Philip Vera
Cruz. A third street was named
Bohol Lane.
The citys development
board invited residents to help
name the streets of the Alam-
eda Landing development.
They were asked for names that
would honor gures from the
citys diverse communities.
The Filipino American His-
tory Month was established by
the Filipino American National
Historical Society (FANHS) in
1988 and is widely celebrated in
large Fil-Am enclaves particu-
larly in California and Hawaii.
It was rst recognized in
2006 in California. In November
2009, the United States Congress
passed a resolution setting aside
the month of October as Filipino
American History Month.
On October 18, 1587, the rst
Filipinos (Luzonians) arrived
in Morro Bay, California aboard
the Manila-built galleon ship
Nuestra Senora de Esperanza
under the command of Spanish
Captain Pedro de Unamuno.
In 1720, Gaspar Molina, a
Filipino from Pampanga prov-
ince, supervised the construction
of the El Triunfo de la Cruz, the
rst ship built in California. But
it was not in 1763 when the rst
Filipino settlement was estab-
lished in North America near
Barataria Bay in southern Loui-
siana.
But among the most cel-
ebrated highlights of Filipino
American history is Sept. 8, 1965
when 1,500 Filipino farm work-
ers in Delano, California walked
off their jobs, marking the start of
the Delano Strike of 1965 thats
been described as perhaps the
most signicant labor action in
American agricultural history.
It was the strike that led to
the formation of the United Farm
Workers of America, AFL-CIO;
and led to sweeping changes in
US farm labor laws, resulting in
the formation of the rst national
political organization of Filipi-
nos in the US.
Archive photo of Manilatown in Louisiana
October 1-15, 2014 9
PNP chief probed for White House spending, wealth
MANILA. Senators were
aghast by revelations at a public
order panel hearing on the
wealthy friends and personal
nances of the countrys top cop,
whos been accused of graft and
plunder before the Ombudsman.
Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the
Senate Committee on Public
Order and Dangerous Drugs,
grilled Philippine National
Police (PNP) Director General
Alan Purisima on private dona-
tions amounting at least P11 mil-
lion for refurbishing the police
chiefs ofcial residence, dubbed
the White House in Camp
Crame.
Poe said the donations made
by Purisimas alleged pals Carlos
Gonzales of ULTICON Build-
ers, lawyer Alexander Lopez of
Pacic Concrete Corporation
and Christopher Pastrana of
CAPP Industries was ostensibly
turned over last December but
the absolute deed of donation
was only made last September 3.
Purisima explained the
donors, whom he identied as
friends, wanted to stay anony-
mous but was convinced to sign
the deed of donation after it was
questioned in press reports.
Poe has asked for copies of
Purisimas statement of assets
and liabilities (SALN).
Poe has asked Purisima to
go on leave pending the congres-
sional investigation.
Purisima served as one of
then President Corazon Aqui-
nos aide-de-camp, and later re-
assigned as a police bodyguard
to her only son, who would later
become president too.
When the Civil Service
Commission nally released
Purisimas 2013 SALN, they tried
to blame the delay on a mix up
with the SALNs of rank-and-le
police ofcers. But Poe observed
that the police chiefs SALN
lacked crucial details.
For instance, the police
chief listed businesses in Caba-
natuan City, Nueva Ecija but
gave no details. These reportedly
included a four-hectare poultry
equipped with the latest farm
machinery worth millions that
was registered in the name of his
son Rainier Purisima.
Actress moms murder re-ignites death penalty debate
MANILA. The police and
the National Bureau of Inves-
tigation (NBI) are mounting a
parallel effort to bring the killers
of the mother of popular actress
Cherry Pie Picache.
The murder has focused
attention on the worsening crime
and re-ignited the debate to
restore capital punishment in the
country.
Picaches 75-year-old
mother Zenaida Sison was
stabbed dead inside her house
in Quezon City at the height of a
powerful storm last Sept. 19.
Peter Serrano, Picaches
friend, said the actress decided
to go to her mothers house after
she could not reach her through
her mobile phone.
Sison lived alone. She had
three cleaning ladies who alter-
nately visited her house. She also
employed a gardener.
Serrano added that Sison
was well-known in her village,
which made it easier for her to
live alone. Police suspect robbery
was the motive.
Special Investigator Joey
Ajero of the NBI-Death Investi-
gation Division said the agency
would focus on how the killers
got into the victims house and how they ed from the scene.
No human being deserved
to be violated that way, Pecache
said of the fate of her mother.
Sisons body was cremated on
Sept. 24 after two of her children
nally arrived from the United
States.
Im angry; the whole family
feels the same. We demand
answers to a lot of questions,
Picache said.
Senator Vicente Sotto III has
led a bill that would restore the
death penalty for high-prole
murder, kidnapping for ransom,
drug trafcking and other hei-
nous crimes.
Sen. Grace Poe grills PNP chief Alan Purisima over his personal nances
and donations given by wealthy friends
Actress Cherie Pie Picache is using mothers murder to call for tougher govt
stand against crime
October 1-15, 2014 10 10
Protests hound P-Noy from Boston to San Francisco
WASHINGTON D.C. Presi-
dent Aquinos latest visit to the
United States drew hecklers
and, on the way home, sparked
another controversy that
prompted Malacaang to issue
last Sept. 28 a statement counter-
ing accusations he deliberately
snubbed a Filipino community
in California.
He was already there and
he had time to visit a gun store
to satisfy his hobby. Hes able to
satisfy his stomach by going into
In N Out but the community
was never given any sense to be
with the president, Dr. Orlando
Cagampan of Los Angeles said.
A known gun enthusiast,
the President also visited Pen-
insula Guns and Tactical in San
Bruno, which is located less than
10 minutes away from San Fran-
cisco International Airport, and
bought some gun accessories.
LA (Los Angeles) was not
in the itinerary from the start,
Communications Secretary Her-
minio Coloma Jr. said in an inter-
view with the Philippine Daily
Inquirer. He added that Aquino
spent most of his short time in
San Francisco meeting with busi-
ness leaders.
During the short period of
time his plane was in San Fran-
cisco, the President met with
leaders of two multinational
companies on entertainment and
banking who expressed inter-
est in investing or expanding
their current participation in the
robust economy of our country,
Coloma explained.
The Filipino American Com-
munity of Los Angeles (FACLA)
told ABS-CBNs Balitang Amer-
ica that they have long been
trying to invite the President to
their FACLA Hall, which was
one of the last places his father,
the late Senator Benigno Ninoy
Aquino Jr., visited before he was
assassinated.
But Coloma said he was not
aware of any plan for Aquino to
visit Los Angeles.
We ask for their under-
standing. The Presidents itiner-
ary was quite hectic: 94 events
in 11 days in 7 cities across con-
tinents and time zones, Coloma
explained.
Upon Aquinos return to the
Philippines after his 12-day visit
to Europe and the United States,
he said he was able to secure $2.3
billion in pledged investments.
During his speech, he said the
highlight of his trip was meet-
ing Filipinos living and working
abroad and telling them about
the improvements at home.
PH-US defense pact on hold due to court challenge
MANILA. Talks to esh
out a defense cooperation
pact between the Philippines
and United States is report-
edly stalled because of legal
challenges thrown by militant
groups, fearful it could pave the
way for the return of US military
bases in the country.
The Enhanced Defense
Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)
was signed on the eve of Presi-
dent Obamas visit to the Philip-
pines last April.
The accord would grant US
forces access to Philippine mili-
tary installations as well as pre-
position equipment and supplies
across the country.
The territorial disputes with
China in the South China Sea and
the urgent need to modernize
and upgrade the Philippine mili-
tarys external defense capabili-
ties have convinced the admin-
istration of President Aquino to
welcome back US forces.
But ofcials from both sides
revealed that talks to iron out
implementing rules for the EDCA
have ground to a halt because of
a legal challenge lodged with the
Philippine Supreme Court.
Filipino ofcials are report-
edly condent
the suit would
eventually be dismissed citing
previous examples where the
Supreme Court sided with the
executive branch in matters
of defense and foreign policy
although they concede the pro-
cess could take years.
A spokesman for the
Supreme Court said that the
case, led in May, was still pend-
ing, and that the court has yet to
decide when it would even open
the hearing.
The plaintiffs, a group of
12 academics, activists, lawyers
and ex-lawmakers, likened the
US-Philippine alliance to an
unequal and exploitative love
affair, and argued that the new
agreement violated the countrys
constitution because it had not
been approved by the Senate.
The government maintains
that it doesnt require the Sen-
ates approval because rota-
tional deployments are permit-
ted under a pre-existing Visiting
Forces Agreement.
An American government
ofcial, who also asked not to be
named, conrmed that the two
sides had been forced to suspend
discussions out of respect for the
continuing judicial process.
President Aquino visits the Boston house where the Aquinos lived in the US
Brown pushes immigration
reforms in California
SAN FRANCISCO. California Gov.
Jerry Brown has signed into law three
immigration reform bills that would aid
undocumented students and allow pro-
fessionals in the country without papers
to apply for licenses to work as doctors,
dentists and nurses.
The rst bill establishes a State Dream
Loan Program that will provide $9.2 mil-
lion for state public universities to admin-
ister loans to undocumented students.
This is expected to give a much-needed
boost to undocumented students who
cant get nancial assistance or private
loans because of their immigration status.
Another bill signed by Brown, Senate
Bill 1159, will allow undocumented immi-
grants to apply for professional state
licenses to work as doctors, dentists,
nurses and in other professions.
Brown also signed legislation allocat-
ing $3 million for non-prot organizations
to legally represent minors in their depor-
tation cases. The legislation is a response
to the surge in the number of unaccompa-
nied Central American children arriving
on the US-Mexico border.
I think Gov. Brown has been an
active participant as it relates to taking
leadership on immigrant issues in the
state, said Ronald Coleman of the Cali-
fornia Immigrant Policy Center.
[Immigration] advocates and the
governor havent always agreed but I
think the governor has always shown
good intent to make sure we can do the
right things to meet the needs of our state
residents, Coleman added.
In 2011, Brown signed the California
Dream Act into law, allowing undocu-
mented children brought into the U.S.
under the age of 16 to apply for student
nancial aid.
Last year, Brown also approved a
controversial bill that will grant drivers
licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Opponents say these new laws
will attract more immigrants to unlaw-
fully cross the border and use California
resources.
Filipino and US soldiers exchange
notes
California Gov. Jerry Brown
October 1-15, 2014 11
PH waits for list of arsenal as MILF begins disarming
MANILA. The difcult pro-
cess of disarming Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) rebels
after a decades-long insur-
gency has started, negotiators
announced in Kuala Lampur,
Malaysia last Sept. 28.
Negotiators from the Philip-
pine government and the MILF
continue to discuss and map out
the disarmament process thats
seen as key to ending the insur-
gency in Mindanao and enforc-
ing a peace agreement signed by
the two sides in March.
They have appointed
experts from Brunei, Turkey
and Norway to join an inde-
pendent body that will oversee
the decommissioning process,
together with four local experts
who are yet to be nominated.
Decommissioning is a deli-
cate and difcult component of
any peace settlement. It must
be done effectively and sensi-
tively, chief government negoti-
ator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said
in a statement.
Chief MILF negotiator
Mohagher Iqbal said earlier that
75 assorted rearms, including
high-powered ries, would be
stored and padlocked in a ware-
house as part of the normaliza-
tion process that will see the
rebels trade their weapons for a
chance to join mainstream soci-
ety.
Ferrer had said that the
rst order of business for the
meeting would be for the MILF
to submit a list of weapons and
combatants.
Military estimates place the
strength of the MILF at 10,000.
The group has not disclosed the
size of its force or the number of
weapons in its arsenal.
Decommissioning will be
phased, depending on the deliv-
ery of government commitments
under the peace deal, Iqbal
explained.
Iqbal issued a statement in
Davao City giving assurance
that the establishment of the new
autonomous region would not
only end the conict in Mind-
anao but also make the Philip-
pines whole.
It will spur development,
as it will become an economic
hub in an area adjacent to Malay-
sia, Indonesia and Brunei. With
peace that the Bangsamoro will
bring, there will be more invest-
ments, more jobs, more educa-
tion and more opportunities
not just for the Bangsamoro but
the whole country as well, he
stressed.
Mommy Ds boyfriend welcome in Pacquiao clan
MANILA. Looks like
Michael Yamson, Mommy Dio-
nesia Pacquiaos 38-year-old
boyfriend is now almost family.
He attended a Pacquiao
family occasion for the rst time
during the dedication ceremony
for the youngest child of People
Champ and Sarangani Con-
gressman Manny Pacquiao last
Sept. 28 in General Santos City.
Mommy Dionesia is of
course the 65-year-old mother
of the worlds only eight-class
boxing champion.
She ew to Iloilo earlier to
pay her last respects to her boy-
friends mother, who died late
last month.
More fondly called
Mommy D, she was welcomed
by residents in Estancia but went
straight to Yamsons house to
view the remains of his mother
Melinda.
She said she was thank-
ful that the Yamson family had
accepted her as Michaels girl-
friend, despite their 20-year age
gap.
He insisted its love.
When Mommy D
announced her blooming rela-
tionship with the seaman last
month, she and her beau got
swamped with criticism. Some
people were blunt and disparag-
ing in their disapproval, saying
there could be no other motive
than nancial gain for Yamson.
In the TV interview, Yamson
admitted being hurt by negative
comments but vowed to prove
critics wrong.
They met on Valentines
Day Feb. 14 at a karaoke bar in
General Santos City where the
ship Yamson was serving on was
on a lay-over. I found myself
staring at her singing. When it
was my turn to sing I saw her
applauding. I mustered the cour-
age to approach her bodyguard
and ask to have a picture with
her, he recounted in one inter-
view on they met.
The ceremony was attended
by around 200 guests, includ-
ing Pacquiaos teammates in the
Philippine Basketball Associa-
tion (PBA).
Boxing champion Manny Pacquiaos
65-year-old Mommy Dionisia has
found a new love
MILF rebels celebrate after learning of peace accord with the government
October 1-15, 2014 12 12
SC res graft court justice for pork scam links
MANILA. The Supreme
Court sacked kast Sept. 23 a
top member of the graft courts
bench for his alleged links to
accused pork barrel scam mas-
termind Janet Lim Napoles.
Voting 8-5, with 2 absten-
tions, the high tribunal ordered
the dismissal from service of
Sandiganbayan Associate Justice
Gregory Ong, nding him guilty
of gross misconduct, dishon-
esty, and impropriety under the
New Code of Judicial Conduct
for the Philippine Judiciary.
Ong, 61, became the rst
Sandiganbayan justice to be dis-
missed from the service since the
court was created in 1978.
The administrative com-
plaint against Ong stemmed
from his alleged links to Napoles.
Pork barrel scam whistleblowers
Benhur Luy and Marina Sula
testied in a Senate Blue Ribbon
Committee hearing last year that
Ong is Napoles contact in the
anti-graft court and allegedly
received money from Napoles in
exchange for favorable rulings in
her cases.
Ong is the chairman of the
anti-graft courts Fourth Divi-
sion, which acquitted Napoles
in 2010 in the questionable pur-
chase of Kevlar helmets by the
Philippine Marines.
The high court ordered Ong
investigated and designated
retired SC Associate Justice
Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez to
conduct the probe.
Ong reportedly received
an undetermined amount of
money from Napoles prior to
the promulgation of the deci-
sion in the Kevlar case. He also
allegedly visited Napoles in her
ofce where she handed to him
11 checks, each amounting to
P282,000 or over P3.1 million, as
advanced interest for his P25.5
million BDO check she deposited
in her personal account.
Ong was also spotted in
some of Napoles parties and
was even photographed with
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, whos been
charged for his role in the scam.
When the Supreme Court con-
fronted him with the allegations,
he denied partying with Napoles
and did not mention the visits to
her ofce.
The high court adopted
Gutierrezs ndings, stressing
that only substantial evidence is
required in administrative pro-
ceedings.
The high court ruled that
Ongs act of voluntarily meet-
ing with Napoles at her ofce
on two occasions was grossly
improper and violated the New
Code of Judicial Conduct.
The high tribunal added that
Ong was not a rst-time offender
and no longer t to remain as
a magistrate of the special graft
court. In 2010, he was ned
P15,000 for conduct unbecoming
for holding separate hearings for
a Davao City case.
PH, US war games in Palawan, Zambales
MANILA. Some 4,000
troops from both the Philip-
pine and United States navies
are taking part in a two-week
amphibious warfare exercise
off Palawan near the disputed
Spratly Islands.
The Philippine Amphibi-
ous Landing Exercise (Phiblex)
will be joined by 3,000 sailors
from the US Navy and over 1,000
Filipinos sailors and Marines,
according to spokesman Lt.
Jerber Anthony Belonio.
The 11-day war games
is being held in Palawan, the
Philippine province closest to
the Spratly Islands thats being
claimed in part or wholly by the
Philippines, China, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei,
as well as the old American mili-
tary facilities in Subic and Clark.
The USS Peleliu, a Tarawa-
class amphibious assault ship,
and the USS Germantown,
a Whidbley-class dock land-
ing ship are spearheading the
US force. The guided-missile
destroyer USS Halsey also sailed
into Subic on a routine port call.
Were hoping to gain new
techniques from the US Marine
Corps, said Captain Reyson
Talingdan, head of the public
affairs of the Philippines 3rd
Marine Brigade in Palawan.
The US Embassy in Manila
said, the eld training exercises
will provide the Philippines and
US marine units multiple oppor-
tunities to continue to improve
their skills while sharing best
practices and enhancing an
already high level of cohesion.
Live re exercises will be
held at Crow Valley in Tarlac fol-
lowed by mock raids at Arrecife
Island in Palawan. Mechanized
assault exercises will be held in
Zambales, the province closest to
Scarborough Shoal that has been
virtually annexed by China.
China has expanded its ter-
ritory in the Gaven, Johnson
South, Cuarteron and Chigua
reefs in the Spratlys, reclaiming
land to build islands to assert its
claims.
The Philippines has moni-
tored the presence of more than
120 Chinese warships and sh-
ing boats in the Spratlys in the
rst half of 2014.
Former Sandiganbayan Associate
Justice Gregory Ong
Filipino and US commandos aboard
zodiac as one of the Phil. Navy ships
acquired from the US looms in back-
ground
October 1-15, 2014 13
If youd like to include your
organizations event, please send
your information to Maurese Oteyza
Owens at mpapoose@aol.com
Oct 3 (Friday) 4:00pm
-10:00pm Bicol Association
of Metropolitan Washington
DCs Summer Hawaiian Luau
Tiki Jam Session.Lincolnia Recre-
ation Center. 4710 N.Chambliss
St, Alexandria VA 22312. Tel
703-914-0223. Hawaiian cos-
tumes, dancing, food and fel-
lowship. Free parking. $25
(childrens rate available). Con-
tact: Pam Belmes at 240-401-8020
or p_belmes@yahoo.com. Write
check to BAMWDC and mail to
BAMWDC, 17 Shipwright Ct.
Gaithersburg MD 20877
Oct 4 (Saturday) 2:00-
4:00pm. Archdiocese of North-
ern Virginia Grace Before
Meals with Fr. Leo Pataling-
hug. St. John Neumann Catho-
lic Church 11900 Lawyers Rd.
Reston, Va. Fr. Leo will have
several events throughout the
day, including his most popular
Youth/Young Adult presenta-
tion on Spiritual Combat for
ages 12-25, which is *free* and
on a rst-come, rst-serve basis,
and a Grace before Meals pre-
sentation in the evening, which
is open to all throughon-
line pre-registration. Pur-
chase the rst ticket @ $30, up
to 4 additional tickets are only
$15.00. For additional info and
registration:filipinoministry@
catholicweb.com
Oct 4 (Sat) Philippine
Nurses Assn of MDC Educa-
tionalConference Light the
Fire Within Part 2: Empower-
ment and Engagement through
Policy, Collaboration and Prac-
tice. Springhill Suite, Alexan-
dria, VA. Contact: Joy Arellano
-mjarellano19@yahoo.com
Oct 4 (Sat) ANCOP Annual
Golf Invitation, Putt Out
Poverty,Waverly Woods Golf
Club, 2100 Warwick Way, Mari-
ottsville, MD 21104. Registration
$110. Tournament fees include:
Donation to help a childs educa-
tion, Green Fees, Cart, Food and
drinks. Contact: Dan Delanoche
410-661-1351.
Oct 4 (Sat) 1 pm - 7
pm. Tutubi Music and Art Festi-
val. Buy, sell and have fun with a
variety of bands and artists per-
forming.Live painting, exhibits,
childrens art. Vendors selling
Christmas gifts like books, crafts.
Musicians selling used instru-
ments. Filipino American Multi
Cultural Center, 7500 Livings-
ton Rd, Oxon Hill, MD. Vendors
donate 10% of sales to Multi-cul-
tural Center. Donations welcome
from attendees. Contact: Julian
Oteyza at julianoteyza@gmail.
com
Oct 18 (Saturday) UP
Alumni Association DCMDVA
40th (Ruby) Gala Ball, Tysons
Corner Marriott, 8028 Leesburg
Pike, Tysons Corner, VA. Con-
tact: Liza Virata-Theimer at liza-
virata@yahoo.com
Oct 18 (Saturday) 6-11
pm. Mayon Global Founda-
tion, Inc. Annual Dinner Dance
Gala (Board of Trustees Induc-
tion), Hilton Hotel Gaithers-
burg, 620 Perry Parkway,
Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Con-
tact: Danny & Nelly Orio at e
mail:daniloorino@aol.com or
(301) 332-3999
Oct 18 (Saturday) All Saints
Filipino-American Ministry Cul-
tural Show. 9300 Stonewall Rd.,
Manassas, VA. Contact: Rose
Ann 703-909-6454
Oct 18 (Saturday)
7:30pm. Monthly Filipino
Mass. St. Bernadettes Catho-
lic Church, 7600 Old Keene
Mill Road, Springeld, VA
22152. Mass Sponsor:. Sponsored
by Filipino Ministry of Northern
Virginia in cooperation w/ the
Diocese of Arlington, Ofce of
Multicultural Ministries
Oct. 25 (Saturday)
7:30pm Habi: Ang Makulay na
Tunog at Tinig Pilipino, a Tang-
halang Pilipino cultural pre-
sentation. American University
Kay Center, 4400 Massachusetts
Avenue, NW. Washington, D.C.
Contact: Elvi Bangit, elvibangit@
gmail.com,Tel. 703-981-9163.
Oct 25 (Saturday)
10:00am Birhen ng Anti-
polo, USA, Inc. Devotional
Mass. Basilica of the National
Shrine, 400 Michigan Ave NE,
Washington, DC 20017 tel (202)
526-8300. Contact:bnantipolo@
gmail.com
Oct 25 (Satur-
day) 7:45a.m OLGC Filipino
Catholic Ministry Trip to Atlan-
tic City. Meeting Place is Navy
Federal Credit Union at 820
Follin Lane SE, Vienna, VA
22180. Destination: Caesars
Atlantic City Hotel and Casino.
$45/passenger (include $20 play
money,snacks,tips). Check pay-
able to Filipino Catholic Minis-
try, c/o Chiqui Sanchez, 1106
Jackson Court, Falls Church, VA
22046. Checks must be received
by Oct. 17. Contact: Chiqui 571-
499-8277.
Nov 1 (Saturday) Medical
Mission of Mercy USA Gala
Fundraising. Hilton Aexandria
Mark Center, 5000 Seminary
Road, Alexandria , VA 22311.
Proceeds are earmarked for a
medical mission to Urdaneta,
Pangasinan, on January 26-30,
2015 and to a mini mission in
Laoag, Ilocos Norte, February
2-3, 2015 . Contact: Yolly Arza-
don, 703 750 3768/ 703 623 7782
Nov 15 (Satur-
day) Bicol Association 31st
Sarung Banggi Dinner and
Dance. New Fortune Res-
taurant, 16515 S Frederick
Ave,Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
$55. Contact: Pam Belmes 240-
401-8020 or p_belmmes@yahoo.
com. Attire: Semi-formal.
Nov 15 (Saturday) 2014 Feed
the Hungrys Handog, Hilton
Alexandria Mark Center Hotel,
Alexandria, VA. $75 per person.
Dinner, dancing, fun for a worth-
while cause. Contact: Lyta Sese
301.229.1232
October 1-15, 2014 14 14
Pinoy convicted for conspiring to ght for Al-Qaeda
LOS ANGELES. A Califor-
nia court found on Sept. 25 an
American and a Filipino guilty
of plotting to aid jihadists abroad
and kill American soldiers.
A jury convicted Sohiel
Omar Kabir, 36, a naturalized
US citizen, and Filipino Ralph
Deleon, 25, after a six-week trial
that comes as the United States
leads air strikes in Syria and Iraq
against Islamic militants.
Ofcials said the trial
underlined the threat that home-
grown extremists pose to the
United States. But in Manila, the
Department of Foreign Affairs
expressed disappointment with
the verdict.
They promised to provide
legal assistance to Deleon and
support to his family.
Deleon was specically
found guilty of conspiring to
provide material support to Al-
Qaeda, to receive military-type
training from the group and to
commit murder, kidnapping, or
maiming overseas.
This case shows that the
appeal of extremist ideologies
can reach from Afghanistan to
America, said United States
Attorney Stephanie Yonekura
after the trial in Riverside
County, east of Los Angeles.
This demonstrated the
clear need for continued vigi-
lance in rooting out homegrown
violent extremists who plot ter-
rorist acts both here and abroad.
Two co-conspirators:
Miguel Alejandro Santana Vid-
riales and Arifeen David Gojali
had already pleaded guilty and
are awaiting sentencing.
The trial heard evidence that
Kabir travelled to Afghanistan in
2012 and encouraged Santana
and Deleon to come with him,
saying they would all join the
students (Taliban) and the pro-
fessors (Al-Qaeda).
An undercover FBI agent
contacted Santana and Deleon.
The latter said he wanted to go
abroad to wage violent jihad,
while Santana said he wanted to
be a sniper.
In September 2012, Deleon
and Santana recruited Gojali to
accompany them to Afghanistan.
The three undertook pre-
liminary training in southern
California at rearms and paint-
ball facilities. They were arrested
in November that same year as
they prepared to drive south to
Mexico, where they planned to
kick off their journey to Afghani-
stan.
FBI Los Angeles agent Bill
Lewis said: The threat posed to
Americas security by individu-
als within the United States who
support terrorists is very real.
Judge Virginia A. Phillips
will hand down sentences on
February 23.
Groups boost voter registration for midterms
WASHINGTON D.C. The
National Voter Registration
Day (NVRD) was held across
the country last Sept. 23 to help
mobilize higher voter participa-
tion, especially among minority
groups, in the November mid-
term elections.
The NVRD has been held
every fourth Tuesday of Septem-
ber since it was launched in 2011.
The main idea was to try
to do for civic engagement what
Earth Day did for the environ-
ment, and really create one posi-
tive, fun, exciting day where
everybody could plug in, in
whatever way was easiest for
them, says Jessica Reeves, the
vice president of partnerships at
Voto Latino, one of the collabo-
rating organizations.
The initiative has registered
voters in every state, the high-
est numbers in California, New
York, Illinois, and Texas.
Over 235,000 of the registra-
tions took place online (which is
available in 22 states), and the
rest at eld events and through
the mail.
It started back in 2011,
according to Matt Singer, the
executive director of the Bus
Federation Civic Fund, which
mobilizes a network of grass-
roots organizations to participate
in leadership development and
other civic programs like NVRD.
Matt Singer, executive direc-
tor of the Bus Federation Civic
Fund and one of the founding
members of the NVRD, said he
was alarmed by 2008 US Census
data indicating that about 6 mil-
lion people hadnt cast a ballot
because they didnt know how
to register to vote or had missed
a registration deadline.
And, he thought, the central
importance of voting to democ-
racy was in danger of falling out
of the public consciousness.
The core idea of voting,
which is central to what it means
to be American, has been caught
up in partisan squabbles
rather than a celebration of this
right that people have fought
and died for, says Singer.
We wanted to bring back
this idea of voting as being cen-
trally American.
He adds that recent
research shows that voter regis-
tration drives do lead to a mea-
surable increase in voter turnout.
In its rst year, the initia-
tive recruited over 1,200 partner
organizations to host voter reg-
istration events, and today has
over 1,800.
Partners include well-
known organizations like Rock
the Vote, as well as a host of local
institutions like churches and
food banks. The day has been
declared ofcial by the National
Association of Secretaries of
State.
Ralph Deleon
October 1-15, 2014 15
October 1-15, 2014 16 16
News in Pictures
The Asian Festival in Maryland
All photos by Bing C. Branigin
The Gigantes gure at the Philippine Village of the Asian Festival was con-
ceptualized by Presy Guevarra and his wife Dulce, John Mendoza, Lito and
Eric Baisas and Ponching and Ana de Jesus was on e of the attractions at
Rosecroft. Posing in front are, from left,k Bing Branigin, Assistant Executive
Director, Asian Festival; Miss April Talanghari, artist/model from Philadel-
phia; Mya Grossman, President, PAFC, and Eileen Nadal, Chairman, Phil-
ippine Village, Asian Festival.
Owners of Filipino American restaurants and catering services who partici-
pated in the Asian Festival pose for picture after the two-day event in Mary-
land. They are Merlyn Eda of Northstar and her staff, Luming of Luming
Restaurant and Catering Services and staff, Manila Street Foods, and Tam-
pakan Philippine Market.
Members of the George Mason University-Filipino Cultural Association who volunteered to help in the 11th Annual
Asian festival last month pose for picture. They are, from left, Nikko Dizon, JC Videna, Harold Flores, Melissa
Mandac,Bing Branigin, Geny Flores, Alex Wong, Kevin Viray, Nathan Tsuda, Michael Rodgers, Elaine Mangulab-
nan and Bing Branigin, Assistant Executive Director of the AF.
L to R: Consul General Emil Fer-
nandez, Jay-Jay Reed, Asian Fes-
tival program emcee, Miss Dianne
Cho, Anchorwoman, WJLA7, and
Fil/Irish/American, ofcial guest
mistress of ceremonies at the Asian
Festival, and Mr. Sonny Busa, Chair-
man of the board, PAFC., posed for
a picture at the ofcial start of the
11th Annual Asian Festival, last
September 13, Rosecroft Raceway,
Maryland.
Amb. Jose L. Cuisia (1st row, center) visited the tent of the YFAMD Cultural group from Virginia Beach, during the
Festival. The YFAMD is one of the best cultural Filipino American group from the DMV/Hampton Roads area and a
regular performer at the Asian Festival.
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia buys food from the Northstar Restaurant booth
led by Merlyn Eda.
11th Annual Asian Festival Philippine Village was the favorite area of festival visitors. The annual two-day free event
was held last September 13 to 14, Racecroft Raceway, Fort Washington, Maryland.
October 1-15, 2014 17
Around DC in Pictures
The La Salle Philippines Alumni Association celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a Dinner DanceBente Berde,
held last September 13, 2014 at the Crystal City Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA. It was an event lled with joy,
nostalgia, and pride for its accomplishments in the last two decades. The celebration was led by Leony Gimeno,
president, and featured premier La Sallite Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia. From left are Tito Alisuag, Gogi Goduco,
Butch Cascarro, Aimee Cascarro, Mrs. Vicky Cuisia, Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Jay de Castro, Icelle de Castro, Leony
Gimeno, Elmer Rosario, Gregg Angeles, Yasmin Angeles, Rowena Penaranda, Ariel Penaranda, Mayette Velilla
Recent Washington D.C. visitors former Philippine Ambassador to the U.S.
Willie and Mrs. Linda Gaa were recently eted with a belated birthday dinner
at Bistro 7101 in Crystal City. From left are Ambassador Gaa, Manila Mail
columnist Becky M. Pagsibigan, Mrs. Gaa, White House Executive Chef Cris
Comerford and Pat E. Pagsibigan.
The Asian American Studies Program Scholarship Awards Night at the Uni-
versity of Maryland College Park was held Sept. 10 at the uMCP Stamp
Building. Recipients of the AAST were announced by the Scholarship Com-
mittee last September 10 at the Prince Georges Room, Stamp Building,
UMCP. Recipients are Andrew Mayton, Sharvani Naik, Ryan Scott, Mokhyun
Kim, Joel Vasquez, Karie Cheung, and Michelle Nguyen. With them are Ret.
Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, Bing Cardenas Branigin, and Mencie Hairnston,
members of the AASST-UMCP Scholarship Selection committee.
Nya and Joy Gotidoc of Falls Church, Va. commemorated the 40th death
anniversary of their mother, Corazon Gotidoc of Mabalacat, Pampanga on
September 15. Joining them to celebrate her life were family and friends,
including grand nieces and nephews (standing from left) Jean Manalansan,
Andrea Santos, Aubade Garcia, Michaela Tindugan, Angelica Reyes, (seated
from left) Adrian Reyes, Benedict Santos and Travis Villanova. Fondly called
Auntie Cora, she lived in the Washington DC area for more than 20 years
before returning to the Philippines last year. (photo by Jon Melegrito)
Washington DCs phenomenal performance in the 27th NABA Inter-City Basketball Tournament held recently in Glendale Heights in Chicago, Illinois showcased the higher level of basketball
Washington DC teams have evolved into. The Back to Back champions are the Seniors with James Toling as head coach (top left) and the Damsels with Bryant Brown and Norman Carlos as head
and assistant coach, respectively (top right). The other winners are the Juvenile with Aldrin Jose as head coach and the Mosquito with Russell Casapao and Phil Tanedo as head and assistant
coach, respectively.
GLOREHES guests sing happy birthday to Atty. Miriam B. Riedmiller in Alexandria, Virginia Sept. 17. Shown from
left are Marvin Santos, Angelyn Tugado Marzan, Kevin Montgomery, Mrs. Avelina Bustamante, the celebrant, Ben
Humphrey; 2nd row: Mrs. and Mr. Huff, Mrs. Faye Hauer, Ann Shack, Mrs. Aida Bacarra, former Alexandria Vice
Mayor and Untouchables awardee, Mr. Bill Cleveland, Radio broadcaster, Scott Carter, Danny Barizo, Aida and
Malcolm Peck, Boots Felixberto, Michael Rosyln and Peter Philippi, Dr. Abe Bacarra, Shalini Gali, and Roman
Corpuz.
October 1-15, 2014 18 18
Action star faces raps for abandoning son
MANILA. Action star Derek
Ramsays attempt to settle with
his estranged wife and mother
of his 11-year-old son collapsed
after both sides found the rift too
wide.
Mary Christine Jolly-Ram-
say, a former model and nursing
student from the United Arab
Emirates, surfaced last month to
reveal her past relationship with
Ramsay and demand alimony
for their son. They were report-
edly married in 2002.
Jolly has also sued Ramsay
for violation of the countrys
violence against women and
children law. She bewailed press
reports emanating from her
former husband. He doesnt
seem to understand his obliga-
tions under the law, making it
appear that its extortion, said
Jollys counsel Argee Guevarra.
I think its one perfect
example in evidence of the eco-
nomic abuse in what hes parad-
ing as a settlement, he added.
Any hope for a settlement
was dashed, Guevarra said,
when Ramsay expressed doubt
that an afdavit submitted by
his son last Sept. 18 was genu-
ine. The statement purportedly
shows the sons resentment after
Ramsay allegedly abandoned
him and his mother.
Ramsays counsel Joji
Alonso said they were ready to
push through with a trust fund
for his son but backed out. Prior
to the preparation of the pro-
posal, certain statements were
relayed to us regarding the inter-
pretation of the trust fund, which
is why we resolved not to pursue
it anymore, Alonso added.
They will be presenting
instead additional witnesses.
Both sides were given until Oct.
13 to submit the additional state-
ments.
Legend gives Pinoy audience the best ever performance
MANILA. Filipinos were
regaled by Grammy award-win-
ning John Legend at the Smart
Araneta Coliseum, telling them
I wanna be the best youll ever
have in a one-and-a-half-hour
long concert last Sept. 26.
He did not disappoint his
fans during the Manila leg of
his All of Me Tour, which was
billed as an intimate, acoustic,
stripped down concert.
Manila, I wanna be the best
youll ever have, John told his
screaming fans before he turned
to the piano to perform Tonight
(Best You Ever Had).
There was no big produc-
tion numbers or need for danc-
ers, just his piano and band and
his amazing voice.
I miss you Manila! Its
good to be back in Manila. It
has been ve years. I wanna get
more intimate with you tonight
to get to know you better, said
John, who rst visited Manila in
2009 for his Revolver tour.
He took everyone down the
memory lane as he shared sto-
ries about the early years of his
career, working on a corporate
day job while doing nightly gigs.
He paid homage to Kanye
West who helped him and
recalled his collaborations with
artists like Lauryn Hill (in 1998),
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys (in 2003),
before he nally signed a record
deal in 2004 and released the
album Get Lifted.
The 35-year-old singer also
paid tribute to his grandmother
and shared how she inuenced
him with gospel music and
taught him how to play the
piano.
Curtis US indie movie
coming out October
MANILA. Actress Anne
Curtis is excited for the forth-
coming release of her rst
American indie lm, Blood
Ransom.
Something to look for-
ward to next month! she wrote
on her Facebook page.
Curtis, who is part Austra-
lian, plays the character Crys-
tal, the girlfriend of Roman
(Alexander Dreymon, whose
credits include appearances in
cult-favorite American Horror
Story) whos kidnapped by
Jeremiah (played by Caleb
Hunt).
As the plan unravels,
Roman sends a psychopathic
hitman after them. Crystal and
Jeremiah tread the dangerous
path of love on the run.
I actually auditioned to
get this part and got to experi-
ence lming in the States! So
excited to see how it turned out!
Yaaaaahoooooo! Blood Ransom
will be coming to cinemas in
the Philippines on October 29
and October 31 in North Amer-
ica, Curtis gushed.
The movie is directed by
Filipino-American Francis dela
Torre, who was also behind the
2011 movie Subject: I love you
that starred Jericho Rosales.
The movie was shot in 2012
and was scheduled to be shown
in 2013, but the release date was
delayed.
Mary Christine Jolly Ramsay
John Legend
Anne Curtis
October 1-15, 2014 19
Lola Naty Turns 100!
By Lealani Mae Acosta, MD
FAIRFAX, Virginia. Cel-
ebrating a century of faithful
discipleship and devotion to Our
Lord and Our Lady, Natividad
Veneracion Yanez has always
had service to others close to her
heart.
Growing up in Bulacan,
outside metropolitan Manila,
she made the move to the city
in order to pursue her medical
studies at the University of Santo
Tomas, an unusual career move
for a young woman in those days.
She chose to study obstetrics
and gynecology because of the
thrill of participating in the birth
of babies, which in those days
often entailed not only being in
the hospital but calling in on the
mothers for home deliveries. She
served the poor generously often
giving them free medical care
and free medications.
In one of the parties she
attended, she met a handsome
young attorney named Pedro
Yanez. Initially she thought it
was a joke when he invited her
to his birthday party, the date of
which happened to coincide with
her own. In fact, the two actually
shared the exact same birthday!
After getting married on
Valentines Day during Second
World War, the happy couple
settled into their lives together,
she with her thriving obstetrics
and gynecology practice and he
with his legal career. During her
clinic work, she unfortunately
suffered a series of misfortunes
revolving on anti-rabies treat-
ment after being bitten by a stray
cat, rendering Natividad a para-
plegic in her late 30s. Undaunted,
she remained as active as ever,
transitioning her medical career
into that of family practice, stay-
ing involved in the raising of her
six children.
She spent most of her life in
the Philippines, practicing medi-
cine until she was physically no
longer able to do so. It was only
after her husbands death that
she was persuaded to move to
the United States for better care.
She moved in with her daugh-
ter (this author) at the age of 91.
Though she nds the cold of the
East Coast winter less appealing
than the warm tropics of the Phil-
ippines, she has embraced her
new life in Virginia. She enjoys
spending her days watching
EWTN and praying the rosary,
the beads of which are often
found intertwined in her hands.
Fil-Ams in Glorehe soiree
in Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA, Va. An ice
cream social plus soiree was
here last Sept. 17 by GLOREHE,
a public relations and public-
ity company, to promote child/
youth resiliency initiatives and
diversity programs for Filipino
Americans.
Alexandria Mayor William
Euille and Vice Mayor Allison
Silberberg welcomed the diverse
and multi-cultural mix of guests
led by Fil-Am business and
media leaders.
Fil-Am GLOREHE Man-
aging Director Atty. Miriam B.
Riedmiller and Director/Child
and Youth Expert, Kevin D.
Montgomery, treated guests to
Filipino food at the Commu-
nity Cafe lounge that included
Magnolia ice cream supplied by
Ramar Foods, Sans Rival cake
gifted by Master Chef Evelyn
Bunoan and husband Oscar, and
Lechon given by Mrs. Baltazar to
symbolize celebration of unity.
The public service event
spotlighted on Fil-Am talents
to break ground for mentoring
resiliency and diversity pro-
grams.
GLOREHE seeks to
empower minorities. GLORE-
HEs signature projects include
humanitarian and education-
based marketing for clients. It
acknowledged Fil-Ams humani-
tarian initiatives and Filipino
resiliency. It executed these pro-
grams through the Philippine
Humanitarian Coalition (PHC)/
Finance and Fundraiser Commit-
tee (PHC/PFC), with the help of
volunteers from various sectors.
Guests congratulated GLO-
REHE Managing Director Ried-
miller who presented her groups
initiatives on mentoring, resil-
iency and diversity, as platforms
for PR and publicity in order to
bring economic advancement for
communities, including Filipino
Americans.
Among FilAm leaders pres-
ent were PAFC Chair Sonny
Busa, Malcolm Peck of Meridian
International Center, and wife
Aida, Dr. Abe and Mrs. Bacarra,
Radio Broadcaster, Scott Carter,
Journalists Jennie Ilustre, Eric
Lachica and Boots Felixberto,
Shalini Gali, Roman Corpuz, RJ
Diokno and wife, Young Soon,
George Cabalu, djo Gonzalez
and wife Hermie, Jon Cabrera
and others.
Febe Antolin Rumingan, 84
ARLINGTON, Virginia.
Febe Antolin Rumingan passed
away on September 20, 2014.
She was 84. She was laid to rest
on September 24 at Columbia
Gardens in Arlington, Virginia.
A memorial service took
place earlier in the day at Mur-
phys Funeral Home in which
the Rumingan clan, some of
them travelling from Norfolk
and Canada, as well as friends,
came to pay their last respects.
US Army Capt. Wilfredo
Rumingan was both eloquent
and touching as he delivered
the eulogy. Victoria Goldberg
was the same as she spoke from
the heart on behalf of the grand-
children. Both remembered
Febe as someone with a heart
of gold. Victoria recalled she
was always there for anyone in
need, even strangers.
Pastor Dave Kirkland with
Dulin United Methodist Church
in Falls Church also celebrated
Febes life. Febe lived with her
eldest son Boy and his wife
Renee during her last year, and
Victoria thanked them on behalf
of the family. Madelyn, daugh-
ter of Arden and Joyce Rumin-
gan, was impressive as she sol-
emnly sang How Great Thou
Art in a capella.
Febe graduated from Far
Eastern University in Manila.
She taught in the Philippines
from 1951 to 1966 and also
in Patrick Henry Elementary
School in Arlington, Virginia
from 1977 to 1981.
Febe is survived by her
children, Boy, Freddie, Julius,
Judy, Glenda and Arden, as
well as daughters-in-law Renee,
Walby, Marites and Joyce;
sons-in-law John Morris and Al
Vitale, sisters-in-law Victoria
Soliven, Nieves Taroc, and Ilu-
minada and 17 grandchildren, 9
great-grandchildren, and sisters
Rosing and Geling.
Febes husband, World
War II veteran Guillermo O.
Rumingan, passed on in 2010. In
a tribute to both of them, grand-
daughter Victoria recited his
favorite Irish Toast, as follows:
May the road rise up to
greet you, May the wind be
always at your back, May the
sun shine warmly upon your
face, And the rain fall softly
upon your elds And until we
meet again. May God hold you
in the hallow of His hand.
Alexandria Mayor William Euille and Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg with
the Filipino American community, including lawyer Miriam Reidmiller
standing to the mayors right and Manila Mails Evelyn (to Reidmillers
right) and Oscar (rst row, extreme right) Bunoan.
Natividad Veneracion Yanez (in wheelchair) still active in church; standing
behind her is Manila Mails Jun Medina.
October 1-15, 2014 20 20
Pinoy nurses ready
to battle Ebola
LAS VEGAS. Filipino nurses
said they were ready to ght the
spread of Ebola as the Center for
Disease Control (CDC) reported
the rst case of the deadly dis-
ease in Texas.
The Filipino nurses were
part of National Nurses Organiz-
ing Committee of the California
Nurses Association which dis-
cussed the challenges of respond-
ing to the global threat from the
spread of the Ebola virus.
We are saying that our hos-
pitals here in the US should be
prepared to ght Ebola. We are
not prepared. We have put out a
survey of the registered nurses
here in the US to see if the hospi-
tals they work for is prepared to
ght the Ebola virus and weve
gotten a lot of responses and so
far, none of our hospitals are pre-
pared here, said Lynn Tirona of
the CNA-NNOC.
Among the international
delegates to the convention are
registered nurses from the Phil-
ippines.
Theyre having a hard time
controlling the Ebola epidemic
in Africa. Nations that havent
been affected yet should unite
and send specialists, nurses and
doctors to help those affected
by Ebola and help stop it from
spreading, said Jossel Ebesate,
president of the Alliance Health
Workers of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the American
Nurses Association (ANA) said
the nursing shortage in the US
has been exacerbated by the lack
of teachers to train future nurses.
Each year, 80,000 appli-
cants are turned away from
nursing schools, often because
there arent enough teachers or
resources to accommodate grow-
ing student interest.
The fear is we will have
to shrink the number of nurses
we can prepare for the future
at a time when we need to pre-
pare more, said Dr. Kimberly S.
Glassman, chief nursing ofcer
at NYU Langone Medical Center.
In addition to not having
many student placements, and
the retirement issue on the part
of the faculty, the slowness at
which we can prepare these
nurses to serve as teachers has
really come together at a time
when we really want to increase
the numbers, ANA president
Pam Cipriano explained.
Glassman noted that larger
institutions such as NYU Hospi-
tal and similar facilities in major
cities are not the ones that are
suffering the most. Its the insti-
tutions in smaller, more rural
areas that will experience the
effects more swiftly.
Willing to pay $2k for latest iPhone?
MANILA. Much of the
world went gaga when Apples
latest iPhones hit the market;
some tech acionados waited in
line, sometimes for days, outside
stores to be the rst to get the
iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. There
were no long queues in the Phil-
ippines, that is, if youre willing
to fork almost $3,000 for it.
The fact that the Philippines
was not included in Apples
global rollout last Sept. 19
explains in part the formidable
price tag but that didnt stop
local online retailers.
Yahoo News said the latest
iPhones were being hawked by
the likes of Lazada Philippines,
Widget City and The Gadget
Hub with prices ranging from
P52,500 (on Widget) to as high
as P83,616 (on Lazada) for the
smaller, 4.7-inch iPhone 6.
Thats a far cry from its off-
contract recommended price of
$649 (roughly P29,000) in the US.
The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus,
on the other hand, went from a
low P84,420 to a jaw-dropping
P117,585 (about $2,870). The
lowest price was still more than
double what the iPhone 6 Plus
ofcially costs in the US ($849 or
around P38,000).
That was obviously the
result of the classic clash
between strong demand and
limited supply, with prices that
were palatable only to wealthy
Apple fans desperate for brag-
ging rights to be among the rst
iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus users
in the Philippines.
Pinay teacher airs side in racial slur controversy
SAN FRANCISCO. The
Filipino teacher embroiled in a
racism allegation said she was
just repeating the n-word after
confronting a student that yelled
the same word across the class-
room.
Wow! (N-word) Is that a
good word?, Cajon High School
teacher Bernadette Yuson said
she asked the student after he
took her chair, disrupted the
class and yelled the derogatory
word from across the room.
It was this same student that
accused her of the racial slur,
Yuson said.
After she explained to him
she was not referencing anyone,
and just repeating what he said,
the student walked out the room.
The incident has reached
the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) and prompted calls for
her ring.
What we are calling for is
the removal of that teacher from
the classroom. If you can refer to
our students, our kids, as being
(N-word) then you dont need to
teach them. I have no condence
at all that you have high expecta-
tions, said A. Majadi of African
American Education Collabora-
tive during a NAACP-hosted
town hall.
According to a report in the
San Bernardino Sun, the Cajon
High School math teacher was
rearranging the students seats
earlier this month when an Afri-
can American student asked
why she was moving only the
black people around.
The student then claimed
Yuson responded by saying, I
want to move the (N-word).
He went straight to the
school district after the schools
administration allegedly failed
to address the complaint.
Yuson has been teaching at
Cajon High School since 2001
and remains on an administra-
tive leave as the school district
continues to investigate the case.
A former student of Yuson
who also knows the complainant
believed that student attitudes
may have played a role in the
alleged incident.
Shes a very petite person
and always in a very large class
and the class its very hard for
her to control the class. Ive seen
kids like measure her up and
pressure her like walking over
her in the hallways and stuff.
So when I look at that I do see
that this lady was probably pro-
voked, he said.
Bernadette Yuson
A Facebook ad shows prices for new iPhones in Manila
White House launches online link to
Asian American data
WASHINGTON D.C. The
White House has launched a
new online tool that establishes
a one-stop-shop of resources for
and about Asian Americans and
Pacic Islanders.
The launch of Data.gov/
AAPI marks an important mile-
stone for better understanding
and responding to the complex
needs of AAPIs, now the fastest
growing racial group in the coun-
try, said Kiran Ahuja, Executive
Director of the White House Ini-
tiative on Asian American and
Pacic Islanders (WHIAAPI).
The WHIAAPI launched
the new comprehensive hub
of government data on Asian
Americans and Pacic Island-
ers (AAPI) at Data.gov/AAPI,
with almost 2,000 datasets from
nearly 50 federal, state, county,
and city sources.
The data is consolidated
in one location, easily acces-
sible by anyone, and searchable
by theme, language, race, and
ethnic group.
The data and the contradic-
tions in the data reveal the com-
plexity of the AAPI community
and highlight the importance of
disaggregation for a comprehen-
sive understanding.
For example, despite jokes
about tiger moms and percep-
tions of AAPI as educationally
high achieving, the numbers
show that in the rst year of col-
lege, Asian American and black
students have the highest enroll-
ment rates in remedial educa-
tion courses.
Disaggregated data also
shows that that only one in
seven Native Hawaiians and
Pacic Islanders has a university
degree.
We hope that this effort
propels new research and anal-
ysis to more clearly dene the
needs of AAPI subgroups and
create more effective policies
and programs to better serve the
community in the long term,
said Ahuja.
Filipino nurses say theyre ready to stop Ebola epidemic
October 1-15, 2014 21
leaders here last month that the
Philippine request to be placed
under TPS was still under con-
sideration.
In previous years, the US
granted the same immigration
relief to undocumented aliens
from El Salvador, Nicaragua and
Haiti after these countries were
struck by natural disasters and
subsequently placed under TPS.
In a little over six weeks,
the world will observe the rst
year anniversary of Typhoon
Haiyan/Yolanda. While the
memory of the devastation still
lingers in the mind and psyche
of the Filipino people, we have
not forgotten the unprecedented
outpouring of international sup-
port for the Philippines, Del
Rosario said.
However, almost one year
after the calamity, there is still
much to be done. Massive invest-
ments and necessary expertise
are still necessary to continue the
reconstruction work, he added.
Del Rosario nudges... from page 1
cent kickback from all infrastruc-
ture projects and not just from
the construction of the parking
building.
Mario Hechanova, former
vice chair of the Makati govern-
ments bids and awards commit-
tee (BAC), testied that the bid-
ding for the construction of the
P2.28-billion (about $74 million)
parking building was rigged
to favor Hilmarcs Construc-
tion Corp. allegedly on Binays
instructions.
Binay, through the late city
engineer Nelson Morales, alleg-
edly gave a P200,000 monthly
allowance to Hechanova and
other members of the BAC to
ensure the bidding would be
xed, Hechanova said.
Mercado said Binay fun-
neled illegal commissions
through three channels: one
though his son, Junjun Binay,
then a councilor and now his
fathers successor in City Hall;
a second one through Binays
nance ofcer, Gerry Limlingan;
and a third through the mayors
trusted aide, Ebeng Baloloy.
Ronald Llamas, presidential
adviser for political affairs, said
that corruption would still be a
dominant issue going into 2016.
If the Vice President will be
unable to confront these issues
head on and convincingly, his
ratings may continue to unravel,
he averred. Malacanang has tried
to steer clear of the controversy
but President Aquino ran under
the Liberal Party, virtually push-
ing its then titular leader Interior
Secretary Mar Roxas aside at the
last minute. Like Binay, he has
barely concealed ambitions to
run for the top post in 2016.
Binay and his son and other
Makati City government of-
cials are facing a plunder charge
before the Ombudsman for the
overpriced garage.
One of the countrys more
reputable polling outts, Pulse
Asia ran a survey at the start of
the Senate hearings and found
that while Binay was still leading
potential presidential rivals, his
popularity declined by 10 per-
centage points.
Llamas described the fall as
very signicant.
Binays party, the United
Nationalist Alliance (UNA), said
the decline was softer than they
expected.
Given the very challeng-
ing and rough times that the
Vice President faced in the past
weeks, we expected a bigger
decline but the latest survey
results are a surprise for us, said
UNA interim president Toby
Tiangco in a statement.
Pulse Asia President Ronald
Holmes surmised Binays decline
in the ratings may be attributed
to the corruption-related contro-
versies hounding him and mem-
bers of his family.
The poll posed the question
that if presidential elections were
held during the survey period,
who would respondents vote?
Binay got 31 percent followed
by Roxas with 13 percent and
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago,
11 percent. All three, who coin-
cidentally many regard as the
strongest presidential candi-
dates in 2016, saw their scores
suffer compared to the last time
a similar survey was taken by
Pulse Asia.
Using face-to-face inter-
views, the nationwide survey
from Sept. 8 to 15 covered 1,200
Filipinos aged 18 and older. It
had a margin of error of plus or
minus 3 percentage points.
Other possible contend-
ers whose names surfaced were
Sen. Grace Poe, Manila Mayor
Joseph Estrada, Sen. Fran-
cis Escudero, Sen. Ferdinand
Marcos Jr., former Vice Presi-
dent Noli de Castro, former Sen.
Richard Gordon, former Sen.
Panlo Lacson, Sen. Alan Peter
Cayetano, Camarines Sur Rep.
Leni Robredo and detained Sen.
Ramon Bong Revilla.
Albay Governor Joey Sal-
ceda has called on Congress to
impeach Binay for alleged cor-
ruption but the proposal gained
little steam among Binay sup-
porters in the legislature.
In an apparent attempt to
defuse the charges, Binay volun-
teered to make public his State-
ment of Assets, Liabilities and
Net Worth (SALN). His coun-
sel, lawyer Princess Turgano
revealed at a Sept. 25 press brief-
ing that Binay had a net worth of
P60,118,766 as of December 31,
2013. He also has P28.7 million
worth of cash at hand and real
properties consisting of 12 assets.
Binay was worth just
P2,527,724.85 when he was rst
elected as mayor of Makati City
in 1988, according to his SALN.
In the US, nearly 30 percent
of students are either bullies
or victims of bullying, and an
estimated 160,000 children stay
home from school daily because
of fear of being bullied.
Studies by Yale University
found that bully victims are two-
to-nine times more likely to con-
sider suicide than non-victims.
A similar study in Britain
found that at least half of sui-
cides among young people are
related to bullying.
Vowing to be a voice against
bullying in remembrance of Jay,
Mrs. Zolina said on FB, I hope
and pray that no more families
will have to go through what we
are going through.
Nic Venzon, a close friend,
posted a picture of Jay Zolina
leaning on his shoulder, and a
poignant message recalling the
times they spent together like
brothers.
My deepest prayers go out
to primarily your family and the
pain they are still enduring, but
also the pain you endured and
kept hidden away from the eyes
of the public [with] your smile
that so amazingly held up all
the hurt you felt inside, wrote
Venzon, who called Jay, Kuya,
an endearing Filipino word for
older brother.
Another friend, Nicholas
Doyle, told local station 10News
reporter Rielle Creighton, He
had a huge impact on every-
bodys life. We had Mass, and
everybody was just in tears. I
dont think Cathedral will be
the same without him, Dolye
added.
In an emotional letter,
school Principal Michael Deely
remembered Jay for his happy
demeanor, his goodness and his
ukelele playing. Let us focus
on the joy he brought to us in
order to deal with the pain and
the sense of loss we now feel,
Deely added.
The school head urged
people to remind everyone we
know that they are loved, they
have worth and value in our
hearts, and that we will listen.
There was an outpouring of
affection and support for Jay and
his family at school and in the
social media.
On Friday night a prayer
service was held and a promise
to Play for Jay before the high
school football teams game with
Torrey Pines High. Cathedral
won 8-7.
One of the most touching
messages was perhaps the one
posted by Jays maternal grand-
mother on FB: I already miss
you Jay-Jay. Your hugs when
I see you and your welcoming
smile, your sweetness and jokes
when we get together will be
terribly missed. You broke our
heart but we know youre now
in good hands. Sleep tight grand-
son. We all love you.
Binay charged for... from page 1
Family of Fil-Am... from page 1
as illegal since they were not
included in a forfeiture case that
the government had earlier led
against the Marcoses.
The Philippine Supreme
Court ruled in the governments
favor on the forfeiture in 2003, a
case that included $658 million
in Swiss bank deposits.
The Philippines has esti-
mated that Marcos, his family,
and cronies amassed more than
$10 billion (6.17 billion pound) in
cash, jewelry, assets, stocks and
works of art during a 20-year
rule. About half of this amount
has been found and recovered.
Picassos Femme Couchee
VI, Michelangelos Madonna
and Child and Paul Gaugins
Still Life were among the chief
targets of government agents.
The other listed works are:
Portrait of the Marqueza de
Sta. Cruz by Francisco de Goya,
LaBaignade Au Grand Temps by
Pierre Bonnard, Vase of Chry-
santhemums by Bernard Buffet,
Jardin de Kew pres de la Serre
1892 by Camille Pisarro and
LAube by Joan Miro.
Marcos lawyers were
already waiting for the NBI-
Reaction Arrest and Interdiction
Division (RAID) and Sandigan-
bayan sheriffs when they arrived
at the San Juan residence. The art
works were taken largely with-
out resistance.
The government also raided
Mrs. Marcos other properties
on Penthouse Plaza Condomin-
ium and One McKinley Place in
Makati and the Marcos ancestral
home in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
Govt seizes Imeldas ... from page 1
Fil-Am teen who climbed Freedom
Tower arrested anew
NEW YORK. Filipino-
American teenager Justin
Casquejo, who just earlier this
month was sentenced for climb-
ing the 1 World Trade Center in
New York last March, has been
arrested again after pulling off a
similar stunt at a 175-foot New
Jersey water tower last Sept. 17.
The 16-year-old Casquejo
was arrested for climbing the
historical Weehawken, New
Jersey water tower in his home-
town. He was charged with
deant trespassing and resist-
ing arrest for attempting to
climb the centuries-old brick
structure on Park Avenue, New
Jersey.
State ofcials said his latest
stunt could violate the provi-
sions of his probation.
On March 22, Casquejo
was charged with misdemeanor
criminal trespass for sneaking
past the security to reach the
top of Americas tallest build-
ing. He pleaded guilty during
the trial and was sentenced by a
New York City court of 23 days
of community service.
During the sentenc-
ing, Midtown Community
Court Judge Felicia Menin
told Casquejo that she was
impressed by Casquejos sin-
cerity, remorsefulness and will-
ingness to accept responsibility
for your conduct.
One of Casquejos friends
observed that he has devel-
oped a yen for scaling precari-
ous structures and for parkour,
an extreme sport that combines
elements from martial arts,
gymnastics and rock climbing.
Justin Casquejo
October 1-15, 2014 22 22
A woman with a generous, loving,
and caring heart
By Hermie Climaco
Arriving in America may
just be the greatest experience
any person could ever have.
It was for me. But as you would
quickly discover this greatness
comes with a price. Lots of them.
There were, for instance, the
high prices you pay as you begin
to set foot into the unfamiliar
place from the familiar one, or
from a life you were accustomed
to living with back home to a
totally new kind of life environ-
ment in America.
Truly, being in America may
be the greatest life experience
any person could have but - it is
not all bed of roses! You have to
pass through some really rough
roads as you begin to assimilate
yourself into the new culture that
happens to be your dream land.
Fortunately, the road that I
passed through early on here in
this foreign country didnt seem
to be that much rough at all,
though.
Because when I was just
about to start the big journey,
there happens to be souls along
the way ready to offer helping
hands to newcomers who could
be experiencing difculty trudg-
ing on.
One of those was Bing Bra-
nigin. And so, though a new-
comer in America the pressures
that I ought to have normally
gone through did not really
come to be, because I have been
blessed with the thoughtful
guidance of one of those kaba-
bayans in America who carry
in their heart the advocacy to be
always there for new arrivals.
Being in the writing eld, I
remember Alex, as they called
MSg Alexandra Orillo PA of
the Defense And Armed Forces
Attache Ofce (DAFAO), where
my husband, then TSg Rey Cli-
maco of the Phil Air Force, was
newly assigned telling me Ipa-
pakilala kita kay Ate Bing (I will
introduce you to Ate Bing). Alex
was so hopeful that Ate Bing
would pave my way to becom-
ing a contributor of Manila Mail.
One day, a car parked in
front of the house that my family
shared with outgoing DAFAO
Admin Assistant MSg Danilo
Antonis PAF. It was Bing Bra-
nigin, bringing with her some
winter stuff for the kids.
Finally, I got to meet the
lady whom Alex frequently
mentioned to me. She looked
so much younger, though.
Younger than I thought she was.
And I told her so. I was think-
ing you were an elderly lady!
I said, without hesitation. She
didnt mind my honesty. And so
began my challenging yet color-
ful journey with Bing Branigin as
she walked me through both the
ups and downs of our rst days
here in America.
That was twelve years ago
now. So many, many events have
transpired since then. I almost
already forgot those most memo-
rable moments in my early years
in this country, but thank God
for birthdays - it gives you the
opportunity to look back. Espe-
cially when the birthday is that
of someone who have played a
special part when you were just
establishing a new life in a coun-
try that is not your own.
I remember just now the
glad tidings we had just before
our very rst Christmas here in
America. Bing delivered presents
for the kids one of which was a
big Karaoke for my then thir-
teen year old daughter Angel,
who she overheard saying she
wanted to have for Christmas.
And Bing endeavored to make a
childs wish come true.
What a joyful moment
that was for my daughter and to
her siblings, even to the whole
family, who shared in that joy!
But just as there are several
seasons in the land, so do our life
have seasons, too. My walk with
Bing did not cover all seasons of
my life for along the way there
were several detours to yield to.
But Bing was around at the
most vulnerable season of my
life, her presence even was one
of those that largely made that
season whole, and beautiful
than it should be. And I was not
alone. There were many others
more beside myself whose early
years in America had seen beau-
tiful days because they were
touched by the generous, loving
and and caring heart of Bing
Branigin.
From the bottom of my
heart: Thank you and God bless
you for everything you do, Ms.
Bing!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
(Bing Cardenas Branigin is the
National Editor of the Manila Mail,
the only Filipino American news-
paper in English in the nations
capital. The Mail, in existence for 23
years now, is run by volunteer col-
umnists and editors like Bing who
see the need for a Filipino American
community newspaper in Washing-
ton D.C.
Bing joined the MAnila Mail
as a volunteer photo-journalist
more than 15 years ago, expecting
no remuneration except probably
for the satisfaction that she helps
provide a voice for the growing Fili-
pino community in the center of the
Federal government. She buys her
own cameras and other communica-
tion equipment and pays for her own
transportation to cover major events
in the area.
Accredited to cover the White
House, Congress and other gov-
ernment departments, Bings most
memorable accomplishments were
the coverage of the inaugural of
President Barack Obama, lobbying
for Filipino veterans in Congress,
organizing community events and
initiating other socio-civic pro-
grams.
Bing is the wife of Bill Bra-
nigin, one of the top editors of the
Washington Post.- THE EDITORS)
America is the place where
dreams are made of
By Eric Macalma
America the beautiful! In all
her glory, this is the place where
dreams are made of; where
anyone can pursue The Ameri-
can Dream.
These are the thoughts of a
29 year old young FilAm
CEO chasing the so called
dream as he stands in front of
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As
he reects under the falling cur-
tain of a setting sun, a still small
voice echoes the words that if he
just continues to work hard
and never give up, he will
eventually reach his mountain
top.
I am sure these thoughts are
all also shared by many business
owners, and walking through
Washington, D.C. I am reminded
that as a son of immigrant
entrepreneurial parents, I have
learned that the most valuable
key to business success is stay-
ing true to your Brand. This
is why in the world of Branding
where I come from, standing for
something is more as important
than standing out.
If standing for something
ever meant anything, let me take
you back to the year 1988 when
a young Filipino couple with
three young boys had migrated
to these foreign lands to pursue
that elusive American Dream
for the sake of a better life.
Coming from Manila both my
parents left promising careers as
a sacrice for their children.
My mother Eleanor was a
doctor while my father JJ ran
a communications business.
Having arrived to the U.S. Elea-
nor had to make a decision to
go back to medical school to
become a Doctor in the States or
go to work right away eventu-
ally choosing the latter for the
sake of helping the family keep
things aoat. On the other hand
my father was out of work for
several months having left his
successful business back home,
which forced him to quickly tap
into that entrepreneurial spirit as
he refused to sit idle, so he went
right to work.
Unfortunately not having
nished college he did not have
much to work with except the
childhood he was blessed with.
He was a son of a farmer, and
having grown up on the farm
lands of Ilocos Norte, he decided
to go back to his roots as there
was something
about working hard for
your family in the red hot sun
and running your hands through
the dirt while growing some-
thing of beauty that enticed him.
There was an art to growing
things from the ground up. This
idea grew fervently in his heart
so he got his rst start when he
got a call from a local woman to
cut her grass. She provided him
with all the tools for her yard
but what started off as just
her yard ended up multiplying
to other jobs sometimes 2 to 3
and more leading him to pur-
chasing his rst lawn mower. Lo
and behold a few years later
what began as just a lawn
service ended up becoming a
full service landscape design and
property management company.
As time passed his reputa-
tion spread like wildre as word
of mouth got around town that
the friendly Filipino man with a
strong thick accent became the
go to designer for some of citys
elite. How could this be?
The Climaco family.
Bing Branigin poses with her photo-
graphic equipment during the Asian
Festival in Maryland last month.
L to R: Aj Macalma, Mr. JJ Macalma, Mrs. Eleanor Macalma, Eugene
Macalma, and Eric Macalma.
October 1-15, 2014 23
Not Since Ramon Magsaysay
J
inggoy Estrada has appar-
ently succeeded in diverting
the attention of both main-
stream and social media, from
the P10-billion pork scandal to
alleged anomalies involving
Noynoy Aquinos Disbursement
Acceleration Program (DAP)
and the Malampaya fund.
As I write this, the lead sto-
ries in the Manila dailies (exclud-
ing Business World which
focuses on business and eco-
nomic news) are no longer about
Napoles, Tanda, Kuya, Sexy and
Pogi, but tend to point an accus-
ing nger at Malacaang:
Aquino may face raps after
term ends Recto (Philippine
Daily Inquirer), Recto: P130B
missing from Malampaya
fund (Manila Times), SC hears
pork issue today; Recto asks
how P130B from Malampaya
was used (Malaya), Palace
refutes Joker on budget dictator-
ship (Philippine Star), Palace
tags critics of DAP as DOMs
(Manila Standard Today), and
Legality of Noys DAP queried
anew before SC (Philippine
Daily Tribune).
Where the opinion pieces
used to be mostly about the
Pork Barrel Queen, meaning,
Napoles, some columnists are
now calling Aquino, the Pork
Barrel King.
Even the online news sites
of the two leading TV networks
echo the dailies: Palace exec
to DAP critics: Focus on fund
misuse, not legal questions
(GMA News), and Palace hits
Jokers silence during Arroyo
admin (ABS-CBN News). Note
that in both instances, Malaca-
ang is on the defensive.
Aided by the showbiz gos-
sip-style reportage of the media,
Estrada was obviously hoping
that he could sway public opin-
ion with his bombshell. Failing
that, he was apparently deter-
mined to sink his tormentors
along with him.
In this regard, he may have
succeeded in raising questions
about the integrity of the Aquino
administration. We are a very
impressionable people, even
those among us who are sup-
posed to be more enlightened.
Some of us can easily get caught
up in the frenzy of the mob.
Theres a Tagalog term for it:
Madaling sindihan (easy to re
up). That makes us putty in the
hands of master manipulators.
What exacerbates this is the
tendency of media to treat the
news like movie studio tsismis.
In the eagerness of some report-
ers and their editors to nd a
new angle or to spice up the
news, they sometimes take liber-
ties with the facts.
Consider the lead or open-
ing paragraph of the Inquirer
news item with the headline,
Aquino may face raps after
term ends Recto:
President Aquino faces
possible criminal charges at the
end of his term unless Malaca-
ang accounts for billions of
pesos in the governments share
of revenues from the operation
of oil and gas wells in Malam-
paya off Palawan province, Sen.
Ralph Recto said on Monday.
If you dont have the time to
read the rest of the story, guess
what your impression will be.
At any rate, for the benet of
those with time on their hands,
Inquirer added on the side of
Malacaang, with a reassurance
from Secretary Butch Abad of the
Department of Budget & Man-
agement and Deputy Treasurer
Christine Sanchez that the funds
are intact.
Thats more than can be
said about the way Manila
Times massaged the story: The
Malampaya gas drilling project
has generated a total of P170 bil-
lion in revenues for the govern-
ment since it started in 2000, but
the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) is clueless
as to where a P130-billion chunk
of it went, according to Senate
President Pro-Tempore Ralph
Recto.
Did the reporter or editor
ask for the side of the Depart-
ment of Budget & Management?
If they did, its not in the story.
The last Million People
March, held in Makati and
attended by considerably less
than a million, was characterized
by a proliferation of demands,
from the original abolish the
pork to calls for Aquino to
resign or be impeached. Addi-
tionally, certain quarters, identi-
ed with the Left, hitchhiked on
it (hijacked was the term that the
original protest organizers used)
to promote their own agenda.
The October 4 gathering
wasnt exactly the Tower of
Babel, but the lack of focus on
the original reason for the protest
confused many and turned off a
lot, prompting them to leave.
Will this affect participation
in future mass protests and dem-
onstrations? That is possible,
unless the leaders of this largely
informal movement can do a
reality check, agree on what it is
they really want to achieve, and
focus on those objectives.
Meanwhile, let us all hope
that a distraction is the most
that the alleged plunderers will
achieve with their diversionary
tactics. Once the Ombudsman
determines that there are suf-
cient grounds to le criminal
charges against them before the
Sandiganbayan and the latter
issues a warrant for their arrest,
theyll have to resort to other
means to avoid detention.
Of course, considering the
selective application of justice in
our country, they could wangle
leniency by way of hospital
arrest or rest-house arrest, as
in the case of Erap Estrada.
Let us all hope, further, that
the Department of Justice, the
NBI, the Commission on Audit
and the Bureau of Internal Rev-
enue, as well as Noynoy Aquino
himself, will not lose their focus,
in the face of the slings and
arrows of outrageous accusa-
tions that they are being - and
will be - subjected to.
Let us hope that they will
not allow themselves to be put
on the defensive, as they appar-
ently are tending to be, and will
proceed single-mindedly to pin-
ning down the plunderers, who-
ever they are, whatever their
party afliations not just those
in the initial line-up but those
whose skeletons are still being
unearthed.
Indeed, what the Aquino
government is doing, for all of its
seeming aws, is something we
have been hoping for all these
years. Even in the aftermath
of the People Power Revolt, we
couldnt get satisfaction. The
Presidential Commission on
Good Government (PCGG)
turned out to be as question-
able as those it was mandated to
pursue.
Noynoy Aquino is now
doing something that our coun-
try hasnt seen, since the presi-
dency of Ramon Magsaysay.
There was a cleansing of govern-
ment then and important heads
actually rolled. But urban legend
tells us that it took the CIA to get
that done.
Is it possible to do it on our
own this time?
(mmsi13@gmail.com)
Standing Room Only?
MANILA
W
hat do you do when all
seats are taken?
The Philippines,
Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia
control real islands in the South
China Sea. China came very late
to this party and missed out on
all the good real estate, wrote
British Broadcasting Corpora-
tions Rupert Wingeld-Hayes
in Chinas Island Factory. So, it
is creating, through reclamation,
new islands.
Wingeld-Hayes, who
joined BBC in 1999, worked in
Beijing from 2000 to 2006. He
served as Moscow correspon-
dent until 2010 and was named
Middle East correspondent.
Beijing today seeks to dom-
inate sea-space within the rst
island chain, Wingeld-Hayes
writes. It runs from Borneos
coast, past Taiwan, to southern
Japan. It is, in Beijings opinion,
Chinas backyard.
But in the longer term,
China wants to move beyond the
Philippines and southern Japan
to the second island chain. That
stretches from Palau, Guam and
Northern Mariana Islands&.
This will be a seismic shift in
the Western Pacics balance of
power.
For the past 70 years, US
power has been unassailable
there. Now, for the rst time,
a new power is emerging with
the will and means to challenge
Americas military dominance. It
is unlikely to be a smooth ride.
Recent Philippine Navy
photos document land reclama-
tion work China did since Janu-
ary. It is building new islands on
ve different reefs. They are cre-
ating new facts on the ground.
Beijings belated nine-dash
line map sweeps in a tongue-
shaped expanse up to the coasts
of the Philippines, Vietnam, even
Borneo. For decades, China did
little to enforce its vague and
sweeping claim. Now, the Com-
munist Party reclassied South
China Sea as a core national
interest. That lumps it with
Taiwan and Tibet and means
China is prepared to ght to
defend it.
Manila lacks military
muscle. So, the Philippines
brought its case to the United
Nations, seeking a ruling based
on the UN Convention on the
Law of the Sea (Unclos). Unclos
usually accords coastal states
an exclusive economic zone up
to 200 nautical miles from their
coastline.
An Unclos ruling would be
good for the Philippines. Beijing
made it clear it will not be bound
by any ruling.
This is not just a quarrel
with the Philippines and other
countries bordering the sea, its
resources or even strategic space,
let alone sovereignty, Wingeld-
Hayes notes. Instead, it is about
Chinas real strategic rival: the
United States.
Washington does not
acknowledge Chinas claim. And
the US Pacic eet sails regularly
through these waters. Almost a
third of global crude oil and over
half of global liqueed gas pass
yearly from African and Per-
sian Gulf suppliers, through the
South China Sea, to Asian con-
sumers.
The Monroe Doctrine
of 1823 identied the Western
hemisphere as Americas back-
yard, notably the Caribbean Sea.
Old European colonial powers
were told to keep out. Today,
China is doing something very
similar in the East and South
China seas.
Thursday, Manila displayed
ancient maps which document
Chinas claims.
From the Song Dynasty in
year 960 until end of the Qing
Dynasty in 1912, Chinas south-
ernmost territory was always
Hainan island, just off the Chi-
nese coast. All ve constitutions
of China make that point. None
include, for instance, Scarbor-
ough Shoal, which China seized
in June 2012.
Supreme Court Justice Anto-
nio Carpio, who did the most
extensive research on this territo-
rial dispute, notes: The facts can
restrain extreme nationalism& or
give hope to a just and durable
settlement of disputes.
Indeed, these waters are
dotted with strange little mili-
tary outposts and civilian colo-
nies, Wingeld-Hayes notes.
Its hard to decipher which is
which and who controls who.
Pagasa was called Thitu Island;
in Chinese it is Zhongye Dao,
and Dao Thi Tu in Vietnamese.
Johnson South Reef is
dubbed Chi Gua, Yongshu, Gac
Ma to Mabini Reef.
And so it goes for dozens of
other islets, even sandbars. The
Philippines has nine outposts,
Vietnam eight, and Malaysia
seven like China, at last tally.
October 1-15, 2014 24 24
PH police, the peoples
predators
MANILA
C
rimes involving cops
themselves have been
rampant here lately. Pres-
ident Benigno Aquino III must
order Interior Secretary Mar
Roxas and National Police Chief
Alan Purisima to crack down on
erring policemen.
High-prole crimes involv-
ing police reveal a loose sense of
duty and a faulty understanding
of their responsibilities. It makes
one wonder about their training,
how rigid it is and how emphatic
the people in command are in
instilling commitment to duty
among their ranks. The situation
calls for immediate and drastic
action from the top.
Its ironic that among the
public servants here that people
could run to for assistance, the
police arent among the rst
ones that come to their minds. In
fact, the police are the last ones
people seek help from because
the police are often perceived as
unreliable, abusive, gruff, insin-
cere about their duty and worse,
predatory. Its not uncommon
for citizens to feel that the police,
instead of being the peoples pro-
tectors, are more likely to be their
predators.
Already, a number of senior
police ofcials are on the dock
for crimes allegedly committed
while in the service. There seems
to be no sense of honor in serving
as the peoples protectors. There
seems to be no special pride in
being a member of the police
force. Theres no iron-clad code
of ethics and conduct in place.
Surely there are many mem-
bers of the force who are serious
about their duty to the people.
But the continuing involvement
of police in crimes and the recent
high-prole nature of the crimes
destroy whatever good reputa-
tion and good will the entire
police force may have in the peo-
ples minds.
Daily, people live with crim-
inality. Even gated and tightly-
guarded subdivisions arent
crime-free. What more neighbor-
hoods that are open and exposed.
Police brass have lately been
saying that the crime rate has
gone down from previous levels.
That may or may not be true. The
cynics are unconvinced.
Ask the people on the street
and they would sneer at that
assertion. They will say with
scorn that the police are not
effective in preventing crimes.
Bad cops have the advan-
tage. They are armed. Theyre
trained in crime-ghting and
they know the criminals tech-
niques, a deadly combination
that gives them an edge on how
to commit crimes themselves.
They know whos vulnera-
ble. They know which establish-
ments have money and where
its kept or when its taken to the
bank for deposit or withdrawal.
They have accomplices among
criminals they come across with
in their work and who are lured
into working with them to pull
criminal deeds.
The President must order
Roxas and Purisima to take dras-
tic and permanent action against
crooked cops, and cleanse the
police force of criminals in uni-
form from top to bottom. Its not
enough to just re policemen
involved in crime, they must
be jailed. Administrative cases
arent good enough, criminal
charges must be led too.
The people are scared for
their lives because of all the news
about criminality in our midst.
Specially so when its cops who
commit the crimes.
Its time President Aquino
himself, Roxas and Purisima
took decisive action. The people
are afraid and they feel unsafe
wherever they are, even in their
own homes. They demand action
from the top.
On Coming Face-to-Face with Culture
Manila
G
reetings from Makati,
a city in Metro Manila!
In spite of the 24-hour
heavy rains and oods in iso-
lated streets wrought by the
tropical storm Mario, the gaiety
continues in the aftermath here
in this vibrant metropolis; here
even in the waking hours of an
early morning the pulse dares
not resume, for it has never
stopped, and the heart throbs in
an unending sounds of vehicles
coming and going, from a des-
tination to another, of people
too, following a seemingly end-
less procession to a sought-after
grail, a way to live, to survive,
come rains or come shines.
Looking out of a window of
a condo unit where my wife and
I stay, on a brief visit to fulll
family obligations, there is a way
of life here which I cannot ignore,
even though I have spent most of
my entire life outside the bound-
aries of this archipelago of more
than 7,000 islands. I was born
here, in a small town in Manila,
where my parents house was
one of about a hundred sharing
only one street, the only thor-
oughfare for daily commerce
and other convivialitys. And
much has changed since then.
Looking out, from where my
wife and I stay, there is always
this tendency for the eyes to cast
up, to see and imagine how high
the planned next building would
be, how many oors would be
added for the elevators to ascend
past the usual fty. Metro Manila
is driven by change.
But I, by myself inside the
condo unit or out there mixing
with friends, relatives and other
acquaintances, am not subject to
change, certainly not a creature
on a petri dish eyed for pos-
sible manipulation of chromo-
somes and genes. Echoing what
a famous Filipino novelist said
many years ago, the Philippines
not only is in my heart but also
in my senses of seeing, hearing,
smelling, touching, and most
especially of eating. It is my
culture, my way of life handed
down to me by my parents, their
parents parents and of those that
came before them many genera-
tions ago. If I have to alter my
way of life, I can only manifest
the change as part of the heritage
of the Filipinos aspiration for
excellence and dignity.
Of course, if one has to be
academic about it, culture (Kul-
tura in Tagalog) is a societys
distinctive spiritual, material,
intellectual and emotional char-
acteristics, including its arts and
letters, modes of life, value sys-
tems, traditions, and beliefs. In
the Philippines, the most visible
representation of Filipino
culture is in the food we eat.
While there may be a profusion
of restaurants here in Makati,
and elsewhere in the country,
offering various menus originat-
ing from France, Italy, Germany,
China, Vietnam, Thailand, and
Indonesia, the dishes preferred
to satisfy ones palate are still
the Adobo, Sinigang, Dinuguan,
Kinilaw, Pakbet, Kare-Kare, and
in moments of gustatory weak-
ness, the Lechon.
Adobo is the countrys
national dish and the everyday
easy choice to appease hunger.
It is a combination of chicken
cut into pieces and pork cut into
cubes marinated in vinegar, salt,
peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic,
and soy sauce. For heightened
taste, pork livers and other giz-
zards are added. It is served or
eaten with rice, as staple, and
sometimes with atchara (sweet
and sour green papaya relish).
For those living in any of the
thousand islands teeming with
sh and other seafood, the choice
is for Sinigang, a dish soured by
green tamarind, camias, dayap
(native lime), kalamansi (native
lemon), santol or ripe guava
fruit, and broth. Vegetables
added to the broth are eggplants,
slices of radish, taro, cabbage,
kangkong or leafy plants. To
taste, patis (sh sauce) and kala-
masi are served on the side.
Dinuguan, an exotic dish
and a Filipino invention, is a
challenge to a discriminating
gourmand. It is basically pork
cuts and pig innards, seasoned
with whole pepper (green or
red) slices, garlic, onions, oreg-
ano, and stewed and drowned
in thick, fresh pork blood. It is
sometimes served with puto,
steamed white and uffy rice
mufn. Kinilaw is the Filipino
version of sashimi, sushi, or
maki, a preparation of raw sh
or shellsh dressed in vinegar
and other condiments such as
chili peppers, onions, ginger,
and turmeric. Variations in the
preparation abound in several
geographical regions of the
country.
Pinakbet is a native dish
of locally-grown vegetables
sauted in oil and bagoong (a
native condiment of small sh or
shrimps). Kare-Kare is made up
of a cows stomach, boiled and
cut into pieces and then sauted
in thick peanut butter sauce and
cut pieces of native vegetables.
Occupying an undisputed place
in plate offerings is a choice cut
from suckling roasted pig, with
the crispy crackling skin and a
sauce prepared from pigs liver.
The dish, lechon, guarantees a
ve-star taste, but it is not for the
weight-watchers.
Rounding up the cultural
offerings to satisfy our sense of
taste is either yet another light
meal or a light dessert. Halo-
halo is the king or queen of the
picker-upper. Halo-halo is a
thirst quencher on a hot or dry
summer, all-weather refresh-
ment, an in-between-meal snack,
a pick-up for a downed spirit, or
the alternative choice during tea
time or coffee break. Sensuous
and captivating, halo-halo is a
concoction of cooked sweetened
fruits layered for visual effect
in tall, uted glass topped with
nely-shaved ice and shots of
condensed or regular milk.
Halo-halo (mix-mix , in Eng-
lish) is served either as regular or
special treat. Regular halo-halo
will have only the basic sweet-
ened kamote (sweet potato),
saba (a variety of banana) and
red or mongo beans, topped by
ice shavings, sugar, dash of milk
and may or may not be topped
with a scoop of ice-cream. Spe-
cial halo-halo is served with
layer of 10 to 12 sweetened
fruits, including sweet potato,
saba, slivers of jackfruit, red or
mongo beans, cubed green or
red native gelatin (gulaman), ube
(glutinous purple yam), nata de
coco, kaong (sugar palm seeds),
chick peas, leche-an (egg yolk
custard), makapuno (a variety
of coconut), rice crispies, white
beans, grated melon, topped
with shaved ice, shots of regular
or condensed milk, sugar, scoop
of ube-avored ice cream, and a
cherry sitting on the very top.
Eating halo-halo, undeni-
ably, is who I am, born in a place
with a culture made up of multi-
layered Asian, Spanish, and
American inuences. It is my
identity. As with other Filipinos
in the same plight, understand-
ing and appreciating this fact
ease my and their potential for
self-achievement and self-fulll-
ment.
October 1-15, 2014 25
Meaning of
SC age-out
decision
T
he recent US Supreme
Court decision in the case
of Scialabba vs. Cuellar
De Osorio (formerly known as
Mayorkas vs. Cuellar De Osorio
upheld the governments inter-
pretation limiting the application
of the Child Status Protection
Act (CSPA) to a particular class
of child beneciaries.
Before the enactment of
CSPA in 2008, the long immi-
grant visa backlogs caused cer-
tain children who turn 21 years
old or age-out before a visa
becomes available to lose their
rights under the visa category
applied for. Some age-out appli-
cants would become ineligible
while others may qualify for a
conversion to another visa cat-
egory.
To alleviate the harsh con-
sequence for these children,
Congress passed the CSPA. To
determine eligibility for aged-
out children, the childs age at
the time the visa is available for
his/her priority date is reduced
by the period of time it took
the government to approve the
petition. If the result is under
21, then the child is entitled to a
visa. If the result is over 21 years,
then the childs petition shall be
automatically converted to the
appropriate category retaining
the same priority date issued
upon ling of the petition. This
means that visa petitions con-
verted to another category will
be credited for the waiting time
already incurred from the date
of the original ling, instead of
starting all over again in a new
VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINES
SEPTEMBER 2014
FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First: Unmarried sons/daughters
of US citizens Aug. 01, 2004
Second:
A: Spouses/minor children of
permanent residents: Jan 01, 2013
B: Unmarried sons/daughters 21 years
of age or older of permanent residents Dec. 01, 2003
Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens May. 22, 1993
Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens Mar. 15, 1991
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority workers Current
Second: Professionals holding advanced
degrees or persons of exceptional ability Current
Third: Skilled workers, professionals Apr. 01, 2011
Other Workers Apr. 01, 2011
Fourth:
Certain Religious Workers Current
Fifth: Employment creation/
(Million or half-million dollar investor) Current
Food overdose?
D
id you know that we
could overdose not only
on drugs but also on
common food items we have in
our kitchen?
We are not talking about
eating more than what we should
and gaining excess weight. We
are talking about a true condi-
tion of food overdose, resulting
in medical complications.
Heres a case reported last
week in the New England Jour-
nal of Medicine:
A 47-year-old Michigan
woman developed a bone dis-
ease rarely seen in the U.S. after
she drank a pitcher of tea made
from at least 100 tea bags daily,
for 17 years, researchers report.
The Detroit woman visited the
doctor after experiencing pain
in her lower back, arms, legs
and hips for ve years. X-rays
revealed areas of very dense
bone on the spinal vertebrae and
calcications of ligaments in her
arm, said study researcher Dr.
Sudhaker D. Rao, a physician at
Henry Ford Hospital who spe-
cializes in endocrinology and
bone and mineral metabolism.
The researchers suspected the
woman had skeletal uorosis, a
bone disease
caused by consuming too
much uoride (a mineral found
in tea as well as drinking water).
The patients blood levels of
uoride were four times higher
than what would be considered
normal, the researchers said.
Skeletal uorosis is endemic
in regions of the world with nat-
urally high levels of uoride in
drinking water, including some
parts of India and China, but is
rare in Europe and North Amer-
ica. (Low levels of uoride are
added to drinking water in the
United States to prevent cavities,
but arent high enough to cause
uorosis.)
While any kind of tea, when
consumed in excess, can cause
uorosis, a specic type, Kombu-
cha tea, has also been in medical
news on WebMD:
Kombucha is a sugary,
black tea fermented by a at,
pancake-like symbiotic culture
of bacteria and yeasts called the
Kombucha mushroom.
The beverage is claimed to
have immunity-boosting and
benecial effects, but there is
very little scientic evidence of
these available in current lit-
erature..The American Cancer
Society has warned that certain
Kombucha starter cultures may
contain contaminants such as
molds and fungi, some of which
can cause illness..There have
been reported cases of severe
toxic reactions to Kombucha tea.
*Nutmeg*
Nutmeg is sometimes used
as a light dusting on eggnog, has
no ill-effects and makes beverage
more delicious. However, when
the spice is ingested in excessive
quantities as a low-cost halluci-
nogenic drug, serious side effects
could occur three to eight hours
after ingestion.
This can include anxiety,
fear, and a feeling of impending
doom.
According to a case report
published in Emergency Medi-
cine Journal in 2005, some people
may also experience acute psy-
chotic episodes, detachment
from reality and visual halluci-
nations. Even at a high dose of 20
to 80 grams of nutmeg powder
is rarely fatal, with only 2 cases
reported in medical reports.
*Carrots*
Carrots are popular for its
vitamins, minerals, and bers
that are good for your health.
However, consuming too many
carrots can elevate the blood
level of beta-carotene, the
molecule responsible for carrots
bright orange hue and a pre-
cursor of vitamin A. This leads
to carotenemia, which causes
yellow or orange skin discolor-
ation, particularly in the nasal
area, palms, knees and soles.
It occurs more often among
infants fed with excess pureed
carrots in baby foods. Oral caro-
tene supplement can also cause
this complication. One cup of
chopped carrots contains about
15 mg of carotene, and one needs
to eat half a cup for months to
develop the yellow/orange skin
tone. Although the discoloration
is alarming, carotenemia is not
life-threatening and subsides
when the excess intake ceases.
*Tuna sushi*
Ingestion of too much raw
tuna also increases intake of mer-
cury. Large shes on top of the
food chain, such as the prized
bluen tuna, accumulate methyl
mercury in their muscles because
they consume many smaller
shes with mercury over their
Continued on page 30
Climate change is upon us
T
he sights, sounds, and
smells that assailed me as
I was walking through the
devastated chaos and destruc-
tion of Tacloban City in the Phil-
ippines last year, soon after the
most powerful storm ever to hit
land, made me realize that this
was the future. This utter dev-
astation wrecked by a vengeful
nature on her tormentors was
going to be repeated across the
globe. Climate change is upon
us.
Extreme weather conditions
will be what we can expect in
the future. In the UK last year,
massive unprecedented ood-
ing cut off towns and villages.
The economic cost was massive.
We have to ask why and what
can be done to prevent such
destructive weather conditions
getting worse and less frequent.
The Philippines experienced 25
typhoons in 2013.
Humans are the custodians
of the creation and guardians
of the planet and yet we have
sinned against it. Now its time
to repent and make amends, but
how?
As I write this, the Balkans
are experiencing the worst ood-
ing sincerecords began 120 years
ago. Vast areas of countryside,
towns and villages are inundated
and as many as 300 landslides
have destroyed property and
35 people were killed. In three
days rain that would normally
fall over three months hit the
region causing destruction,death
and huge commercial loss. In
Afghanistan a few weeks ago,
anentire village with hundreds
of people was buried alive
when a rain-saturated hillside
came roaring down to bury and
smother them all.
Every news bulletin seems
to carry reports of another huge
ecological disaster; droughts
and wild res in the United
States are consuming forests and
elds, and even more destructive
oods are to come in Europe we
are told.
Last week, the United
Nations Inter-Country Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) made
its latest report after seven
years of exhaustive research and
number crunching to inform and
convince us that catastrophic cli-
mate change can be averted and
even reversed if we act now. The
report was made by 1,250 emi-
nent scientists and experts and
endorsed by 146 governments.
Its for real: the planet has
warmed up and we humans
have caused it by burning fossil
fuels non-stop for the last 150
years. That has to stop.
We must turn to alterna-
tive sources of energy, the report
strongly advises, or else.
The worst offenders are
the oil- and coal-burning indus-
tries. Their power plants, facto-
ries, houses and cars warm the
earth by releasing CO2 gas. The
carbon dioxide and methane
gases create a blanket around
the earth causing this warming.
This in turn has melted huge sec-
tions of the polar ice caps and
removed natures big reector of
sun light.
Antarctica is melting too.
Soon the rise in ocean levels will
be covering lo- lying islands and
beach fronts.
The permafrost in Siberia
and Canada is melting, releasing
even more deadly methane gas
from the once frozen bogs and
releasing it into the atmosphere.
The effect on food production
and water resources will be mas-
sive and will lead to food short-
ages and the social impact will
be great; migration and armed
Continued on page 30
Continued on page 30
October 1-15, 2014 26 26
CHICKEN IN WHITE WINE
AND MUSHROOM SAUCE
T
his is one of my favorite
chicken dishes, derived
from my French dish,
Poulet Chasseur, which I have
learned from Le Cordon Bleu
when I was studying in London.
I am so passionate in making
my own recipes and reinventing
them to translate into a whole-
some dish. This is one of my
classic dishes which I serve to
VIP guests who cannot have red
meats and seafood. I have to
admit that this dish is quite com-
plicated, but if you try it once,
the second time around will be
easier.
Remember this rule: Read
the recipe, memorize if you can,
and prepare all the ingredients
and line them up in the order of
cooking.
Serves 3
Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken
breasts (or chicken thighs)
1 tablespoon plus 2 tea-
spoons all-purpose our
1 teaspoon chopped tarra-
gon
pinch fresh chopped thyme
3 teaspoons salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
and 1 tablespoon ghee (claried
butter)
2 shallots, nely chopped
1 cup nely chopped mush-
rooms
1 small tomato, peeled,
seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons white wine
1 teaspoon tomato paste
half teaspoon raw honey
half to 1 cup chicken stock
Methods:
Remove any visible fat from
the chicken (if using thighs).
Combine and mix well the our,
tarragon, thyme and salt to make
our mixture. Dip chicken one
piece at a time into egg and
dredge each piece of chicken in
our mixture.
In a skillet, mix vegetable
oil and ghee and heat half of it
over medium-high heat. Cook
chicken, turning once for about
8 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from skillet and transfer
to a plate, cover with foil to keep
warm.
In the same skillet, add
remaining vegetable oil and
ghee over medium heat and stir
in the shallots, stirring for about
3-4 minutes or until the shallots
are soft and translucent. Add
mushrooms and cook until light
brown then add the tomatoes,
stirring for a minute.
Add wine, cook, and reduce
until liquid is almost evaporated.
Add chicken stock, tomato paste
and honey. Cook for two min-
utes or until the sauce thickens.
Return the chicken to the pan,
coat with sauce, turning both
sides and cook for another 5 min-
utes or until the chicken is very
hot.
Editors Note about Master
Chef Evelyn: 100 Most Influential
Filipina Women in the U.S., 2009,
Filipina Womens Network; MHC
Most Outstanding Migrant Award
in Culinary Arts, 2011; PAFC
Dakila Special Achievement Award,
2011; Owner/Chef, Philippine Ori-
ental Market & Deli, Arlington,
Virginia; Founder and President of
CHEW (Cancer Help Eat Well)
Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) public
charity formed to help and cook pro-
bono for Filipino-Americans who
are afflicted with cancer and other
serious illnesses; Culinary writer;
Member, Les Dames dEscoffier
International, Washington DC
Chapter; Member, International
Cake Exploration Society, Member,
Culinary Historians of Washington,
D.C.; Master Chef, French Cuisine
and Patisserie, Le Cordon Bleu,
London.
PINOY CONTRACTOR
T
hree contractors are bid-
ding to x the White House
fence. One an American,
another a Mexican and the third
a Filipino.
They go with a White House
ofcial to examine the fence.
The American contrac-
tor takes out a tape measure
and does some measuring,
then works some gures with a
pencil. Well, he says. I gure
the job will run about $900... $400
for materials, $400 for my crew
and $100 prot for me.
The Mexican contractor also
does some measuring and some
guring, then says, I can do
it for $700... $300 for materials,
$300 for my crew and $100 prot
for me.
The Filipino contractor does
not do any measuring or gur-
ing , but leans over to the White
House ofcial and whispers
softly: $2,700.
The ofcial, in disbelief,
says, What? You didnt even
measure like the other guys!
How did you come up with
such a crazy gure? How do you
expect me to consider your ser-
vice with that kind of bid?
Kasi, ganito yun, Sir,
the Pinoy explains in a whis-
per, $1,000 por you, $1,000 por
me, and we hire the guy from
Mexico.
The next day, the Mexican
and the Pinoy are happily work-
ing side by side along the White
House fence.
CHEMISTRY
A Chemistry teacher asked a
sexy, blonde student, What are
nitrates?
The student replied shyly,
Maam, sa motel po. Night rates
are higher than day rates!
LAID OFF
Prospective employer to
applicant: So why did you leave
your previous job?
Applicant: The company
relocated and they did not tell
me where!
US NAVY SHIP
Isang gabing umuulan at
may bagyo, may US Navy Ship
na dumaraan sa Northern Philip-
pines. Ganito ang conversation:
US Ship: Please divert your
course 15 degrees to the north to
avoid a collision.
Pinoy: Recommend you
divert your course 15 degrees to
the south to avoid collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain
of a US Navy ship and its battle
group. I say again, divert your
course.
Pinoy: Tang na, tigas ang
ulo. No, I say again, divert your
course.
US Ship: (Galit na) This is
the Aircraft Carrier USS Eisen-
hower, the 2nd largest ship in
the US Navy. Were accompa-
nied by 3 Cruisers, 3 Destroyers,
and numerous support vessels.
I demand that you change your
course 15 degrees north, or coun-
ter-measures will be undertaken
to insure the safety of our ship!
Pinoy: (Cool na Cool) Okay,
matigas ka. This is the light-
house on top of Rocky Hill, gusto
mo, banggaan tayo!
ETHICS
Sa isang classroom...
Titser: Class, what is Ethics?
Pilo: Etiks are smaller than
ducks.
Titser: Okey, that duck will
lay an egg in your Report Card.
KUTSI
Bisaya 1: Ang gara ng kutsi.
Siguro kay Miyur iyan.
Bisaya 2: Dili bay!
Bisaya 1: Kay Hipi?
Bisaya 2: Tuntu ka man.
Kay Father iyan. Gisulat niya sa
likud o, SAFARI.
PANAWAGAN
Misis: Sir, mananawagan po
sana ako sa mister ko kasi dinala
niya ang limang anak namin.
Radio Host: Ok, go ahead!
Misis: Honey, ibalik mo na
ang mga bata, isa lang naman
ang sa iyo diyan, eh!
HOT SI MISIS
Hating-gabi, hot si Misis,
haplos niya ilong ni Mister,
kiliti niya sa leeg, saka bulong
ng malambing sa tenga: Luv,
wala na akong panty.
Sagot ni Mister: Ha? Sige,
tulog ka na, bukas ibibili kita!
ARAY
Anak langgam: Nay, Nay,
nakabuntis ako.
Nanay langgam: Naku,
anak, kailangang panagutan mo
yan. Sino ba siya?
Anak langgam: Yun pong
elepante sa zoo.
SOPDRINK
Tatay: Anak, ibili mo nga
ako ng sopdrink
Anak: Coke o Pepsi?
Tatay: Coke
Anak: Diet o Regular?
Tatay: Regular
Anak: Bote o in can?
Tatay: Bote
Anak: 8 oz. o litro?
Tatay: Bwiset. Tubig na nga
lang.
Anak: Mineral o distilled?
Tatay: Mineral.
Anak: Malamig o hindi?
Tatay: Hahampasin na kita
ng walis eh!
Anak: Tambo o tingting?
Tatay: Hayop ka!
Anak: Baka o kambing?
SILIP
Nahuli ni Inday ang poging
hardinero nila na naninilip
habang siya ay naliligo.
Inday: Bastos ka... bakit mo
ako sinisilipan?
Boy: Hindi, ah!
Inday: Sinungaling ka.
Boy: Peksman! Wala akong
nakita kasi maliit ang butas.
Inday: Eh, gago ka pala eh!
Bakit hindi ka na lang pumasok
sa banyo?
October 1-15, 2014 27
Seasonal
Goodbye and
Hello
S
easons come and go and
changes are inevitable. As
the blooms of summer fade,
we welcome the crisp air and
new blaze of colors of autumn.
Once again changes are bound
to happen where the four sea-
sons are expected to occur. Once
again, there are adjustments and
shifts to be made, both inside
and outside our homes affect-
ing our daily life- our personal
needs, family and household
priorities, daily activities, place
of work, social, community com-
mitments, etcetera.
As expected, the electric bill
will rise up. Hot water consump-
tion will increase. Help is needed
to rake the fallen leaves. It is time
to take the thick clothing out of
the closets or if outtted and/or
outdated, buy new ones, likewise
the footwear. Clean and keep
the light and summer clothes
back to closets. Change light
bed linens and quilts to warmer
and heavier comforters. Kitchen
is always expected to have hot
soup and menu will have some
adjustment.
My Favorite Season
I just listed down the adjust-
ments that normally happen
during the change of the season,
but nonetheless, autumn is still
my favorite season. To liken it
to the seasons of life, the fall of
life is when we feel the chang-
ing of the guard which I con-
sider as the transition period
from the zestful summer to a
tranquil autumn, a time to quiet
down and reect on past months
of daily mode of living. This is
the time when I enjoy most the
beauty of nature - the palette
of colors of blazing red, burnt
orange and golden yellow leaves
that shimmer on well-shaped
trees as the soft breeze whispers
along. I know very well that soon
the rustling leaves will begin to
fall, but meantime, I will enjoy
the calls of the golden autumn.
To complement the trees in front
of my house, I added pots of
beautiful mums of bright yellow
and purple on the brick planters
by our front door. They greet me
good morning when I open the
door before proceeding to my
favorite chair in the kitchen nook
to have breakfast with my hus-
band. This is my way of looking
forward to a day with a happy
beginning with the hope of an
equally happy and quiet evening.
The season brings longer nights,
ergo curling up in bed and catch-
ing up with unnished readings
is pleasurable. Household chores
become easy to do and manage
when the mind is calm and the
body is well rested. My common
sense tells me to take advantage
of this blissful state of the season
by doing things Id like to do,
both productive and fun activi-
ties.
Conforming to the seasonal
change, one productive task in
the house that I could challenge
myself to do is organizing things
in the house like editing or trash-
ing unused stuffs or cleaning up
messy clutters. Failing to do this
chore springtime, now, I would
like to take advantage of these
precious and gracious days in
front of me. There are always
some clutters somewhere, which
I guess present even in the so
called pristine and museum-
like homes. Clutters could be
major ones or minor in a cabi-
net, drawer, les or on a table.
Blessed are the people who have
even tiny pins neatly pricked on
a pin cushion. Honestly, I am
not one of those blessed people.
Forming clutters is situational
and circumstantial. Common
sense tells us that the forma-
tion of clutters depends upon
the number of people in your
household. One good rule of the
thumb is to prevent clutters to
pile up- Nip it in the bud. A
senior wisdom that I read which
is something to ponder on: An
immaculate house is a sign of
misspent life.
Discovery of Signature
Services
While I was doing my
computer clean- up project, I
came across with some interest-
ing pieces of information from
magazines which I originally
highlighted. I found one of them
as oddly fascinating which Id
like to share with you. These are
uncommon services for the rich
adventurous souls who have
plenty of moola to spend and
who said, buh-bye to boring
facials and rubdowns like where
others go, including me. There
must be captive customers oth-
erwise, their chosen business
wont thrive. However, I share
the perception with others who
came to know of these unusual
services as exotic and eccentric at
worst, but hilarious to death.
For those who are insanely
interested, these places can be
discovered in the Washington
D.C. area: The Caviar Dreams
Facial- The treatment uses
expensive sh eggs, slathered
all over your face which imbue
your skin with much-needed
protein and antioxidants. As
noted, caviar has cell structure
similar to that of a human skin
cell, which helps in the rejuve-
nation process. $190/80minutes;
The Birthday Cake & Ice Cream
Pedicure- This specialty pedi-
cure mixes ice cream and cake
batter scrubs, which leave your
feet smelling sweet and look-
ing divine. Bonus: This yummy
service is vegan and gluten-
free. $75; The Cherry Blossom
Champagne Body Treatment
This treatment uses D.C.s spec-
tacular cherry blossoms, which
famously bloom every spring
around the Tidal Basin. The ve-
star treatment starts with a gentle
body exfoliation, a deep soak in
a cherry blossom- lled tub and
caps off with a champagne and
salt scrub, nishing off with a
skin-soothing body butter wrap.
$240/80 minutes; The De-Stress
Massage and Body Cocoon- It
features a full body exfoliation,
a hydrating cocoon wrap, some
relaxing reexology on your feet,
ending in warm oil massage.
$284/110 minutes; The Abso-
lute Pearl Illuminating Facial-
This one uses nectar, borrowed
from Indian rituals combining
pearl powder with whitening
agents to smooth out blemishes.
$1`40/60 minutes; The Detoxi-
fying Oxygenating Treatment-
Its products and treatments are
eco-friendly working as an anti-
pollution agent, detoxifying the
skin and removing harmful dirt
acquired from city life. Anyone
interested?
Fun Activities, Too
It will be boring if times
are spent all working indoors.
Fun activities are also lined up
for the season like apple pick-
ing with my family (my chef
daughter bakes delicious apple
pies), going to the Shenandoah
mountains to see the spectacular
autumn sceneries, visiting muse-
ums in Washington, D.C., going
to out of town ower and garden
show, body massage and facial
sessions (only the usual boring
sessions), outlet shopping, lunch
and dinner invitations with
friends and relatives, etc. These
are simple, but enjoyable and
calming activities which meet
my idea of the fall as a transi-
tioning season. Soon the golden
leaves of autumn will come
down. A season will pass by,
thus another phase of changing
of the guards. It is a cycle. That
From Manila With Love
(Part I)
MANILA
I
t is 2am on a Monday morn-
ing and I am awake with a
headache. I have a deadline to
meet and am trying to summon
recalcitrant gray cells which
have decided not to show up for
a while. We-are-on-vacation and
theyre skipping with glee. So
heres half a brains report. Date-
line Manila.
Choosing itinerary has sup-
posedly become easier when
airline sites opened the menu
to regular travelers like me. But
in practice, it has added another
layer of stress. Too many choices
make for a very cross-eyed and
cross me.
I thank the roulette dice that
steered us away from Chicago
and the arson scare that para-
lyzed that airport. I chose another
route because via OHare would
have added an additional 30
minutes to the total travel time.
How about that for luck?
However, my sense of
humor deserted me at Dulles
Airport in Virginia.
Our trip didnt start out well.
I printed the eticket for myself
twice and excluded Mitchs
entirely. I was in full panic mode.
My husband tried to hide his irri-
tation. I crossed my ngers and
approached the counter. All that
was asked of us were our pass-
ports. I breathed a sigh of relief,
briey. Then we were told our
luggage was overweight.
I booked us on Cathays
vaunted Premium Economy. I
hoped the extra leg room was
worth the extra dollars. That also
allowed us two 55-lb baggage
per passenger. I looked at the
three bags we had and counted
to ten.
The rst bag was 55.5
pounds. It seemed that half
pound was a mortal sin. The
second and third bags were
52 pounds each, three pounds
lighter than the limit. I almost
shoved the eticket towards the
agent behind the counter. She
knitted her brows with displea-
sure. She read the specied bag-
gage section on the document
and mumbled some words.
She took delight in stamping
HEAVY on tags and attached
them to the offending bags but
no ne was levied. Nor deserved.
Next I was horried when
the security pointed to my TSA
Pre-check boarding pass and
asked Mitch and me to go to a
different section. Mitch didnt
have that qualier on his ticket.
What did I do to deserve this
humiliation, I grated under my
breath? Yes. Yes. Now I know
those words meant an easier
pass through security.
The improved Dulles Air-
port certainly looked impressive.
There was ample light and the
shops looked new and tempt-
ing. But the long walk to gate
B71 from the main terminal took
more than thirty minutes. The
hearty Samurai beef burger (with
mouthwatering wasabi mayo on
the side) we had for lunch at the
BRB burger joint at Reston was
by then a distant memory. We
were exhausted and hungry. We
chuckled. We couldnt wait for
airline food.
We were grateful when
boarding was nally announced.
Cathay couldnt place us on any
premium seats on American
for our rst leg from Dulles to
LAX, but our seats were not bad.
There was no one assigned to the
aisle seat beside me so there was
enough room for us to have a
comfortable ight.
The food and beverage cart
nally reached our row.
Would you like to purchase
a meal for $8? The ight atten-
dant was buoyant and friendly.
Excuse me? I asked.
Theres no free food? She
shook her head and pointed to
the menu that was half hidden
inside the seat pocket in front of
me.
Mitch and I couldnt help
laughing. We wiped tears of
amusement and ordered a Caesar
Salad and a chicken sandwich to
share. This farce hid more tricks
up its sleeves! We had traveled
on business class prior to this
trip by using our airline miles.
We had gotten spoiled.
But dont cry for us Argen-
tina. Fate redeemed itself by
bumping us to Business Class in
the nal one and a half hour leg
of our itinerary from Hongkong
to Manila. Yippeyayeyy! Luxury
engulfed in individual pods.
Good free food and pampering
at last. Continued on page 30
October 1-15, 2014 28 28 Editorial
Political Tsismis: The Binays
A
Tsismoso in Manila, who claims
to be a topnotch political analyst,
has forwarded to yours truly an
analysis of the real situation in the
Philippines in the wake of charges and
countercharges against Vice President
Jejomar Binay who appears certain to win
the presidential election less than two
years from now. Here goes:
Pare ko, I respectfully submit the
following ndings based on my observa-
tions here in the Philippines.
- If President BS Aquino wants a
second term it is because he fears Vice
President Jejomar Binay will pull an
Arroyo on him. PNoy can be charged
with plunder over the same Pork Barrel
that got Arroyo into trouble as well as
alleged violation of the Constitution
- Pinoy thinks a Binay victory will
result in the dropping of all plunder
charges against his partymates -- i.e.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy
Estrada, former Senate President Juan
Ponce Enrile and Sen. Bong Revilla.
- The danger is not so much about the
Binays alleged corruption but his dynas-
tic tendency. Their rule in Makati city will
become the norm nationwide.
- A Binay presidency Will lead to a
new system of election where dispensing
government largesse rather than quali-
cations will become the norm for elections
in the country.
- If Makati city is used as a norm, the
Binays will not allow anybody else to rule
the Philippines for decades to come.
- VP Binay has already announced
that what the Philippiness needs is
national discipline. Remember the Marcos
martial law slogan that Sa ikauunlat ng
Bayan, disiplina ang kailangan.
What many fear is that no amount of
exposes of alleged corruption will affect
Binays election to the presidency.
Unlike other anti-Marcos personali-
ties who did not take advantage of their
position after the revolution, Atty. Jejo-
mar Binay made the most of it. He was
a virtual unknown when he campaigned
against the Marcos dictatorship. When
Cory became president, he was able to
wangle from her the temporary position
of mayor of Makati city. That was the start
of the Binay rule in Makati for the past 28
years.
A caution to readers in America.
If you read stories about politics in the
Philippines, be sure you choose the news-
paper that has no ties with either of the
parties involved. For instance, if you read
politicaql stories in the Daily Tribune
which is allegedly funded by Erap (former
President Joseph Estrada), expect it to
defend them. Ditto for the Manila Stan-
dard which is reportedly funded by anti-
Aquino entrepreneurs. The Manila Times,
which is owned by a former adviser of
President Arroyo, is bitterly anti-Aquino.
The Philippine Star, which is now report-
edly owned by a business conglomerate,
is not expected to come out with exposes
against any politician. Malaya and other
small newspapers do not carry any weight
in politics.
Thus far, only the Daily Inquirer and
Manila Bulletin appear to be traipsing a
balancing act.
Of course, the current investigation
against the Binays in the Senate is Sen.
Antonio Trillanes, who is reportedly plan-
ning to run for president himself. Who
are the other potential candidates? It
seems that even PNoy himself has given
up trying to endorse his former run-
ning-mate Mar Roxas who lost to Binay
in the 2010 elections. Among them are
Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago who has
reportedly survived cancer, former Sen.
Panlo Lacson
In 2001, the center for investiga-
tive journalism chronicled the rise of the
Binays and how they accumulated prop-
erties. The detailed report did not impress
the electorate and Binay continued his rise
in power. The expose even rated an award
from the Ongpin Journalism Center but it
did not stop the election of Binay and the
other Binays later.
In frustration, the investigative center
asked whether voters elect candidates on
the basis of the largesse they give them
instead of their honesty and qualica-
tions.
When Binay delivered his speech
September 17 at the International Conven-
tion Center denying all charges against
him this was the common view of Center
for Media Freedom and Responsibility
(CMFR) chairman of the board Vergel
Santos, and Pulse Asia President Ronald
Holmes.
Speaking to ANC, Santos said he
found the vice presidents speech lacking,
as Binay once again answered the accusa-
tions thrown against him only in very
general terms.
He said Binay failed to speak con-
vincingly that he did not commit any
wrongdoing in the construction of the
11-storey Makati City ofce and parking
building, which is the subject of a plun-
der complaint against him, his son Makati
Mayor Junjun Binay, and other Makati
government ofcials.
The Filipino heritage in America
The United States Congress has designated October as Filipino
American Heritage Month.
It has also designated October as National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, LGBT His-
tory Month, among others.
Theyve been placed on the American calendar for a purpose,
a sort of bookmark in a truly expansive tableau that afrms their
place and importance in the overall ow of life.
More signicantly, they call attention to struggles past, pres-
ent and future, waged by people to advance a cause. They remind
Americans of the daily, barely noticed, easily forgotten labors of
individuals bound by a common purpose and the overpowering
desire to succeed and excel, regardless of the challenges they must
face.
After establishing the rst Filipino settlement near Barataria
Bay in southern Louisiana in 1763 and nearly ve decades later,
felt invested enough in their corner of America to help ght Brit-
ish invaders in the Battle of New Orleans.
And weve been ghting ever since. In 1901, the US started
recruiting Filipinos to the military yet the US Congress voted in
1946 to disenfranchise those soldiers and sailors, thousands of
whom died in defense of American freedom and values.
Filipino labor organizers spearheaded the 1965 Delano grape
strike that led to the establishment of United Farm Workers, the
pioneering agricultural union. Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruzm
Benjamin Gines, Pete Velasco names that all Americans, not
only those of Filipino ancestry, should recognize.
Filipino Americans continue to make huge strides: the rst
chief justice of California or the rst woman executive chef at the
White House, war heroes and beauty queens, chart-topping enter-
tainers and trailblazing politicians.
Filipino American organizations nationwide should therefore
mark this month as a celebration of our individual and collective
achievements. It also reminds us why we should aim even higher,
work harder, persevere longer.

October 1-15, 2014 29
Warrior
Barack
P
res. Barack Obama drew
ack when he returned a
snappy salute from two
Marines with an awkward salute
while holding a coffee cup in
hand as he descended Marine
One helicopter on his way to a
United Nations summit in New
York.
Those who revere the tra-
dition and symbolism of salute
would likely take offense and
view it negatively as a breach
of military protocol. According
to military historians, salute has
a long tradition and its mean-
ing has evolved with todays
military adopting it as a sign
of respect and recognition that
should not be treated lightly or
with irreverence.
Lets forgive Barack the
Commander-In-Chief. He did
not go to West Point but he did
learn his basic military etiquette
at Hains Point by the Potomac.
And good thing he is not the
Pope, or he would come out of
the St. Peters Basilica balcony
after breakfast and bless the
adoring believers wagging a
banana in his hand.
***
After American ghter
planes and warships started to
rain bombs in Iraq and Syria
aimed at the Islamic State jihad-
ists, Secretary of State John Kerry
assured or confused the nation
by saying that the military action
does not mean America is at war.
War is dened as an armed
conict between nations or
groups. Fighting like armed
marauders who take no prison-
ers the ISIS warriors seized cities
and villages in Iraq and Syria
sending shivers to Americas
Arab allies in the Middle East.
There is widespread ghting and
dying and America is now in the
thick of the ght. This is not war?
Kerry and the adminis-
tration have reasons to call a
skunk a squirrel. Pres. Obama
has promised to end Americas
war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In
2011, he proudly declared that
America is leaving a stable Iraq
and he saw no need to press the
Iraqi government to allow the
continued presence of a mini-
mal American force. Admitting
that Obama has returned to war
would validate the dire warning
of former Pres. George W. Bush
in 2007 that the withdrawal of
American troops before the com-
manders say we are ready would
invite Al Qaeda back to establish
a new safe haven they lost in
Afghanistan; it would mean we
would be risking killings on a
horric scale; and it would mean
we are increasing the probability
that American troops will have
to return to confront the enemy
that is even more dangerous.
Moreover, admitting war would
invite loud calls for Congressio-
nal authorization as required by
the Constitution.
To sugar coat the no war
hostilities, Obama promises no
boots on the ground. Military
observers however point out that
the limited number of military
personnel recently sent to Iraq
is just that- boots on the ground.
Real dangers
from Islamic
State
P
resident Obama has
acknowledged that the
United States underesti-
mated the threat posed by the
Islamic State.
That realization and the
ensuing frenzy, from the cor-
ridors of the Pentagon to the
United Nations Security Council,
has given it an overblown pos-
ture of potent menace. The world
is playing catch-up to contain
the perceived danger, launch-
ing air strikes in Iraq and Syria
to degrade and destroy IS.
But the battle lines have barely
budged, and probably wont for
a long time.
But dont the media hype
and the dread it engenders play
to the hands of extremists? Thats
evident in western Mindanao,
the hotbed of Islamic extremism
in the Philippines and home to
the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG),
the al-Qaeda afliate that the
even the United States has given
up for dead.
They were the reason the
US deployed Special Operations
troops to Mindanao, especially
after it kidnapped foreign tour-
ists, beheading one and mur-
dering a vacationing Christian
missionary whom they held for
ransom.
Through a vicious cam-
paign (government ofcials at
one point held close relatives of
one of its leaders until he nally
surfaced and was eventually
gunned down) and with a little
help from the US, the ASG was
reduced to a rag-tag band of ban-
dits, occasionally venturing from
their jungle hide-outs to pillage
and kidnap, not because they
were taunting the government,
rather that was the only way for
them to survive.
Government estimates of
their strength have always been
misleading. Their size swelled
and contracted depending on
what they were doing.
When they had hostages,
especially foreigners, their num-
bers would grow overnight, lit-
erally (Manila-based journalists
working in Sulus capital town of
Jolo during one of these kidnap-
ping incidents would notice how
the Abu Sayyaf gunmen they
interviewed in their camps at
dusk would be the same vendors
theyd bump into at the public
market the next morning); when
they didnt have any and the
military was actively pursuing
them, only the tiny core would
remain in the jungle.
They are now threatening to
behead one of their German hos-
tages. Its obviously their way
of riding on the Islamic State
hysteria, to give their emaciated
organization a semblance of
resurgence and respect in the
face of signs the world has dis-
missed them as a mere police
problem, not worth the fuel to
keep US drones ying over the
Sulu and Basilan hinterlands.
Now they are a threat. The
Philippine army is moving addi-
tional battalions to Sulu, rein-
forcing the Philippine Marine
brigade already stationed there.
The Islamic State undoubt-
edly poses a threat (a large part
of it arising from the Iraqi armys
humiliating rout) but its dan-
gerous mainly for the countries
surrounding Iraq and Syria. Not
Continued on page 30
A Month of Our Own
T
hanks to the Filipino
American National His-
torical Society (FANHS),
Filipino Americans now have a
month of their own to celebrate
their history and culture and
their progress in this country.
But before 2009, when the
US House of Representatives
approved H.R. 780 recognizing
October as Filipino American
History Month, Filipinos and
30 other Asian groups were all
given the month of May to cel-
ebrate their collective histories
and cultures. President George
H.W. Bush signed a law in 1992
permanently designating May of
each year as Asian Pacic Ameri-
can Heritage Month.
Apparently, May was
chosen because it marked the
arrival in the U.S. of the rst
Japanese immigrants and the
completion of the transconti-
nental railroad, which employed
Chinese immigrant workers.
But for Filipinos, the only
May event worth observing
was the defeat of the Spanish
Armada in Manila Bay by the US
Navy, which led to US coloniza-
tion of the Philippines. What fol-
lowed, as some historians would
facetiously describe it, was one
hundred years in Hollywood,
preceded by 300 years in a con-
vent.
As far as FANHS was con-
cerned, this moment in history
wasnt worth remembering, let
alone cherishing. So, at its 1988
national conference, the mem-
bers unanimously passed a
resolution establishing Filipino
American History Month to be
observed nationally each year
during the month of October.
The celebration was ofcially
launched in 1992, to mark the
405th anniversary of Filipino
presence in America. History
records show that the rst Filipi-
nos settled in California on Octo-
ber 18, 1587.
With FANHS leading the
way, studies documenting the
history and advancement
of Filipinos in America
started to circulate. Among the
notable publications: Fred Cor-
dovas 1983 pictorial-essay, Fili-
pinos: Forgotten Asian Ameri-
cans, which provides accounts
of the presence and life of Fili-
pinos in America from 1763 to
1963 through a collection of 250
photographs, documents and
22 essays. This was signicant
because very little was known
about Filipinos. Libraries and
resource centers didnt have very
much information, if at all.
Most of these accounts,
however, were focused on the
West Coast. Which was under-
standable given the large inux
of Filipino immigrants to Califor-
nia and the state of Washington.
But how about Filipinos
who settled in the East Coast,
particularly in the Washington,
D.C. metropolitan area, in the
capital of the most powerful
country in the world? With the
annexation of the Philippines to
the United States, most of the
Filipinos who came were mili-
tary servicemen, students, teach-
ers, medical professionals and
government workers. With their
families, they formed organiza-
tions and built communities.
That the focus of research
and studies was mainly on the
West Coast was disturbing to
Rita Cacas, a native Washing-
tonian, a long-time federal gov-
ernment employee at the U.S.
National Archives, and daughter
of Depression-era pioneers. To
remedy the situation, she created
the book Filipinos in Wash-
ington, D.C. to, as she puts it,
spotlight the lively community
and rich culture that exist on
the East Coast, and document
the families, cultural events and
workplaces of Filipino pioneers
who settled in the area from the
early 1900s to the present. She
teamed up with Juanita Tamayo
Lott, a demographer and a Silver
Spring resident, to research and
write the book, which was pub-
lished in 2009.
When I arrived in the Wash-
ington DC area in 1968, there was
a thriving community in Oxon
Hill, MD. Many were retired
Continued on page 30 Continued on page 30
Opinion
Book cover of Filipinos in Wash-
ington, D.C.
October 1-15, 2014 30 30
conicts will erupt.
China, one of the worst cli-
mate polluters with its thousands
of coal and oil power plants is in
direct conict with Vietnam after
moving an oil drilling platform
into waters claimed by Vietnam.
Riots, property destruction and
the evacuation of thousands of
Chinese from Vietnam are the
news this week.
The content of the reports of
the IPCC are vehemently denied
by powerful business interests in
the gas, oil and coal industries.
These thermal tycoons want the
burning of fossil fuels to con-
tinue but the time iscoming when
fossil fuels have to be abandoned
and left in the ground.
Alternative renewable
sources of electric power like
solar, wind and geothermal elec-
tric generation have to power the
future.
Huge investments have
to be made in wind and solar
power. Natural gas is a much
cleaner source of energy, though
with some limitations, but a
better alternative to coal. The
common people and their gov-
ernments have to stand up to the
polluters of the planet and bring
closer that day when the demand
for oil and coal will taper off. In
the Philippines, crony capitalists
are manipulating the national
leadership and capturing the
regulators to persuade them to
approve more coal plants.
We all have to be caretak-
ers of our God-given world, the
garden of Eden is sadly wilting
and dying and we humans will
be dying in body and spirit with
it through disease, famine, and
extreme weather events.
Remember, more than 6,000
people were killed by Typhoon
Haiyan/Yolanda on 8 Novem-
ber. There will be many more
dying in future storms and
oods of equal magnitude. We
must preserve all life, especially
the life of the planet itself.
[shaycul l en@preda. org,
www.preda.org]
is life.
Exciting Events for Some
Friends
As I recall, last summer was
not that hot and humid. Like-
wise, my activities were not that
crazy. By choice, I minimized
my social and community activi-
ties due to my focus on a family
event that I wrote about last
issue. My summer may not be
that crazy, but the wedding of
my daughter was a wonderful
event that lled-up the season.
The tail-end of last summer also
saw joyful events for the fami-
lies of close friends. Norma and
Warie Azarcon hosted a baby
shower at their home for their
unica hija, Andrea and her hus-
band, Andrew. A baby girl is
expected to arrive late November
or early December. It was a big
baby shower party attended by
about sixty guests coming from
at least six states. The expect-
ant lola is excitedly preparing
herself to help Andrea take care
of her rst apo. Another friend,
Vellie Dietrich-Halls daughter,
Ayn got married in Belize, a
Caribbean Island. It was a des-
tination wedding at a beautiful
tropical island. It would have
been a lively and exciting wed-
ding to attend, but understand-
ably I was one of those who did
not make it. I gathered that des-
tination weddings are becoming
popular now-a-days. I wonder
if it is a more expensive or less
expensive choice.
My wise barber however believes
that Obama will not be caught
lying. He must have ordered
those GIs to be tted with Nike
or Adidas.
***
Pres. Noy Aquino of the
Philippines still cant get his
mind to forget term extension.
He maintains that he will listen
to his bosses- referring to the Fil-
ipino people. Reading between
the lines, if there is an over-
whelming clamor for him to con-
tinue beyond his term, he is open
to tweaking the Constitution so
he can run for another term.
That he did not steal a cen-
tavo while in ofce is a great
accomplishment. That there are
still millions of mahirap means
that he has so far failed in eradi-
cating the kurap. There is still
no relief from trafc in Metro
Manila and ooding problems
continue. His report card is not
going to ignite an overwhelming
call for more of the same.
People however will
respond to a strong leader. They
recognize results when they see
it. As much as people want to be
liberated from poverty, they also
want to be free from fear. It is
bad enough that you have to be
afraid of bad people, it is worse
when the bad people are the
people that you are supposed to
rely on for protection.
It is very disturbing to read
news reports about policemen
in Metro Manila involved in
Hulidap- arrest and hold-up.
The victims are arrested from
their vehicles, taken to the police
precinct and threatened with
trumped-up charges and forced
to cough-up big cash. If people
cant trust the police anymore,
who is going to deliver them
from evil? A TV commenta-
tor suggested that perhaps the
problem needs a Mayor Rodrigo
Duterte, a no nonsense tough
guy feared by criminals bringing
real law and order in Davao City,
Philippines.
If PNoy can be a Duterte for
the remainder of his term, people
will clamor for Superman to pro-
tect them forever.
***
Golf tidbits: Week 1- El Sal-
vador took top bragging rights.
Kilabot collected a few lollipops.
Eveready Freddie, King Arthur,
Juliets Romeo, Don Alex, King
George and Sir Lakai were con-
soled by chicken wings and
French fries. Week 2- Sir Lakai
joined the party in time to hit the
jackpot. Don Alex was runner-
up and Kilabot took a few lolli-
pops. El Salvador, King Arthur,
Eveready Freddie, Juliets
Romeo and King George treated
themselves with chicken wings
and fries. I got even with my
Godfather.
anymore.
Because of the global
response to that threat, the
Islamic State has become more
formidable in so many other
ways.
The clever way they have
tapped into social media helped
make them appear larger, and
even in the realm of extremism,
more sinister. Just like the ASG,
their ranks have swelled because
theyre holding a valuable hos-
tage in this case, essentially
much of the Middle East, and the
wealthy but spooked West.
Their rapid rise has left
governments scrambling. Presi-
dent Obamas response, not-
withstanding the successful
diplomatic initiative to form an
international coalition against
the Islamic State, has been found
wanting barely ve weeks
before the midterm elections that
will determine the nations polit-
ical fortunes in his last two years
at the White House.
Its remarkable how the
debate in America has shifted so
swiftly. Obamacare and immi-
gration reforms now seem so dis-
tant. In a way, the growing con-
ict in Iraq and Syria has crystal-
lized the overriding issue for the
coming elections: leadership.
Real dangers from... from page 29 Warrior Barack... from page 29
military servicemen. I met Ritas
younger brother, Sam, in the
1970s when we were organiz-
ing opposition to the martial law
regime in the Philippines. Thats
how I learned about Sam and
Ritas father, Clemente Cacho
Cacas, a World War II veteran
who arrived in the D.C. area in
1929 and drove a taxi cab for over
40 years. I also met their mother,
Maria, who remains active in
the community as a member of
the Ilocano Society and the VFW
Womens Auxiliary.
When Mr. Cacas began to
suffer from Alzheimers dis-
ease, Rita started to document
his fathers experience and those
of other Filipino immigrants he
knew. She feared that unless
their stories are told, they will
disappear.
In 1993, Rita received a small
grant from the Prince Georges
Arts Council to fund her project,
A Visit with My Elders: Por-
traits and Stories of Washington
area Filipino Pioneers. She pre-
sented the photographs and gave
talks at conferences, libraries and
cultural centers. This project laid
the groundwork for the book
Mencie Hairston, founder
of Mabuhay, Inc., and I visited
with Rita recently to talk about
her next project: establishing a
foundation, which will establish
a repository for ethnographic
histories, culture and archives of
Filipinos Americans in Washing-
ton, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
She has been talking to ofcials at
the University of Maryland, who
have agreed to serve as a reposi-
tory for this collection. She cant
contain her excitement. And we
are delighted as well.
At her home in Silver
Spring, Rita showed us mounds
of pictures collected by long-time
family friends. She had gathered
about 1,000 photos in her effort
to collect them for the book.
That was one of the biggest
challenges, she says. Some of
the older people I reached out to
did not save old family photos.
Rita is putting the word out
about this project and is call-
ing on the community to sup-
port its goal: documenting the
Filipino immigrant experience in
America and encouraging young
people to keep track of their
family histories.
You have to understand
and appreciate your past to
move forward, she says. We
agree that the personal nature of
these collected stories of strug-
gle and overcoming obstacles
will make it easy for readers to
connect with the experiences.
Ritas efforts, and those of
others who will strive to also
collect and share their stories,
will ensure that the proud and
inspiring legacy of our pioneers
will remain alive and make the
celebration of Filipino American
History Month even more mean-
ingful.
E-mail your comments to
jdmelegrito@gmail.com
visa petition.
The Immigration Service
interpreted the application of
CSPA only to a limited class
of child beneciaries- the F2A
family preference category or
children of lawful permanent
residents under 21 years of age.
The Scialabba vs. Osorio appel-
lants sought to expand the
coverage of the law to include
derivative beneciaries or chil-
dren of primary beneciaries, i.e.
children of aliens whose parents
were petitioned by US citizens.
The Supreme Court agreed
with the interpretation of the
USCIS. The aged-out child will
only retain his priority date upon
automatic conversion of his visa
category if the child would have
qualied as the beneciary of a
visa petition in his own right, as
opposed to visa aged-out appli-
cants who were merely piggy
backing on their parents quali-
cation for a visa.
For instance, if a perma-
nent resident petitions for his
minor child and the child turns
21 before the visa becomes avail-
able, the child may still be enti-
tled to receive a visa under the
F2A category under the CSPA
formula or may automatically be
converted to F2-B, child over 21
of permanent residents retaining
the original priority date.
As in the Osorio case, reten-
tion of priority date under CSPA
will not apply when a US citizen
petitions for his child who has
children of his own. The grand
children are called derivative
beneciaries. This is a family
preference petition under the F1
category. When the derivative
beneciaries turn 21 before visa
becomes available to the parent,
they will no longer be available
for a visa. If their parent obtains
a green card and later petitions
for them, they will not be cred-
ited with the original priority
date when they were derivative
beneciaries of their parent.
Seasonal Goodbye... from page 27
Meaning of SC age... from page 25
A Month of Our Own... from page 29
lives.
Its difcult to pin down the
mercury levels in pieces of sushi,
because they can vary depending
on the size and species of sh.
This makes it difcult to set a
denitive cap on sushi consump-
tion. Because mercury can cause
severe neurological problems,
pregnant women and young
children are advised by the Food
and Drug Administration and
the Environmental Protection
Agency to avoid eating too much
tuna. According to the agencys
2004 guidelines.
Food overdose?... from page 25
Climate change is... from page 25
October 1-15, 2014 31
October 1-15, 2014 32 32