asian journal february 11, 2011 digital edition

Flying Into Headwinds... p 6

Love and Hatred.. p 11

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The Philippines has overtak-en India as the world’s number one country for shared services and business process outsourc-ing (BPO), according to IBM’s Global Locations Trend.

This is the first time the Philippines is in the top spot for these activities.

IBM growth markets gen-eral manager Bruno Di LeoHe said the Philippines is attractive to international business due to its well-educated workforce, strong work ethic and good language abilities.

“Filipinos are competitive

and flexible and productive. That is why we are confident in investing in the future of the Philippines,” he said.

IBM yesterday announced the opening of three new ser-vice delivery facilities inside the UP Ayala Techno Hub in Quezon City that will deliver outsourced process services, including human resources, finance and administration, customer relationship manage-ment, application management services and shared services (IBM internal) to existing and future clients of IBM’s BPO unit.

This expansion also further strengthens IBM’s existing ser-vice delivery capability in the Philippines which serves over a million client employees across 84 countries.

A mix of BPO services will be delivered to global com-panies from sectors such as healthcare/ pharmaceutical, consumer goods, technology, entertainment, telecommunica-tion and distribution through these new facilities.

Di Leo emphasized that the company is committed to growth and to the Philippines. IBM operates in eight world-

RP overtakes India as world’s leader in outsourcing

(Continued on page 23)

Quoting Gump on Valentine’s Day

“I’m not a smart man... but I know what love is.” -- Forrest Gump (1994)

Doing the laundry, taking out

the trash, and work-ing two

shifts to make ends meet may not be the first things that come to mind when it comes to love and Val-entine’s Day but many a couple live out their love in the humdrum details of daily living without pro-claiming the words that put all of it in context.

Romance makes life exciting. But like a cash cow that gets milked

by strangers to influence you to express the

size of your affection

with signs and symbols that

range from diamonds to luxu-ries be-

yond your

other half’s wildest dreams and more often than not, the budget, it gets too much press.

Indeed, love is grand. It is grand because it can take you to paths un-foreseen and unplanned toward a deeper and unexpected vista of life.

For this reason, my 86-year old father, in his half-joking and half-concerned manner, would say to my young-est daughter whenever she is in town, “Don’t fall in love. It’s danger-ous!”

And yet, you do it anyway. Love and destiny are one and the same. But forget the sonnets.


With just a few days left before the much-awaited launch of the new of-fering of The Filipino Channel (TFC), Happy Yipee Yehey! hosts John Estra-da, Randy Santiago, Mariel Rodriguez and Toni Gonzaga are now gearing up for their comeback. Catch the grand-est pilot of Happy Yipee Yehey! on February 12, Saturday straight from the Ynares Sports Arena, Pasig City.

In the recently held ABS-CBN Thanksgiving Lunch for the advertis-ers at the Makati Shangri-La, the four hosts ensured that they’ll give the Filipinos pure fun. “Walang halong away,” said Randy. Toni also con-firmed that she’s now in deep friend-ship again with Mariel Rodriguez. The glowing eyes of Mariel and Toni only assure the authentic love that the two friends have for each other.

John, Randy, Toni and Mariel gear up

for their comeback…‘HAPPY YIPEE YEHEY!’


By Ellen Tordesillas,Malaya

These scoundrels really know timing.

They unloaded their dirty tricks at the time when when the public was busy with Christmas shopping and parties while coping with issue overload — Amnesty proclamation for military rebels, release of Morong 43, boycott of No-bel Peace Prize ceremonies in exchange for the life of Filipino drug traffickers, and acquittal of Hubert Webb and company in the Viz-conde massacre case .

First was the decision of the Supreme Court allowing Mikey Arroyo to take his seat as sectoral representa-tive of the security guards and tricyle drivers uphold-ing the bastardization of the partylist system. The second was the deal struck by retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia with the Sandigan-bayan.

In remanding the petition filed by Akbayan question-ing Mikey Arroyo’s rep-resentation of the security guards and tricyle drivers, the High Court said it has no longer jurisdiction because Gloria Arroyo’s eldest son

Foul, foul

Mikey Arroyo


is back as member of the House of Representatives .

Mikey Arroyo’s presence in Congress via the partyl-ist, Ang Galing Pinoy, once again underscores his fam-ily’s perversion of the law to keep themselves in power.

The partylist system was introduced in the 1987 Constitution with the noble purpose of giving the mar-ginalized groups a voice in Congress. It was giving substance to the philosophy articulated by the late Presi-dent Ramon Magsaysay that “those who have less in life should have more in law.”

How in heaven’s name could the Supreme Court justices, just like the Comelec commissioners, could be so blind to the stark disconnect between Mikey Arroyo and the security

February 11 - 17, 2011

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sasampalin si Cristy Fermin p 19

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February 11 - 17, 2011Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

The spouse of a US citizen will be granted permanent resident status after the US citizen fi les a petition for the spouse. If the spouses have not yet been married for at least two years at the time the petition was fi led, the spouse shall be only granted conditional resident status by the USCIS. The conditional resident spouse shall enjoy all the benefi ts and privileges of a permanent resident. They can work and travel without further authorization from the US Citizenship and Im-migration Services. The only difference is that the condi-tional resident spouse’s status will expire two years from the time permanent resident status was granted. This rule was enacted to give the US Citizenship and Immigration Services another opportunity to look into whether or not the relationship between the spouses is a bona fi de one.

Prior to the expiration of the conditional status, both the US citizen spouse and the conditional resident spouse

Separated before conditional resident

status expiresmust fi le another application to have the conditions on resi-dence removed.

If the conditional resident status fails to fi le the petition to remove the conditions on residence, the permanent resi-dent status will be terminated and in some cases, removal proceedings may be instituted against the conditional

resident spouse whose status has already been ter-minated.

Things may not

work out between the spouses before the expiration of the conditional status such that the spouses may have already

been living separately. The law requires the both spouses must fi le (unless the US citi-zen spouse is deceased) the petition to remove the condi-tions on residence jointly, unless the following can be shown by the conditional resident spouse: (1) the condi-tional resident spouse entered the marriage in good faith but the marriage was terminated by divorce; or (2) the condi-tional resident spouse entered the marriage in good faith but the conditional resident spouse was battered or subject to extreme cruelty by the US citizen spouse.

What then happens to a conditional resident spouse whose marriage has not yet been terminated by divorce and was not battered by the US citizen spouse? Since the conditional resident spouse’s marriage has not yet been terminated by divorce, can the conditional resident spouse fi le the petition without the US citizen

spouse sign-

ing the

joint petition?Based on a USCIS memo-

randum, USCIS will allow the conditional resident spouse to

fi le the petition even without the submission of the required judgment showing that the marriage has been terminated. The USCIS will however later issue a Request for Evidence giving the conditional resi-dent spouse around 87 days to submit the divorce decree. Should the conditional resi-dent spouse fail to submit the divorce decree within the time period given by the USCIS, the petition to remove condi-tions on residence will be denied by the USCIS. The conditional resident spouse will however have another opportunity to present the di-vorce decree before an immi-gration judge should removal proceedings be instituted against the conditional resi-dent spouse.

If the marriage between the conditional resident spouse and US citizen spouse can no longer be salvaged, the con-ditional spouse might have to fi le a divorce petition right away to have the conditional resident status removed in a timely manner.

Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) - a full service law fi rm with offi ces in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The infor-mation presented in this ar-ticle is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. The CTV attorneys will be holding regular free legal clinic at the Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo, California on February 28, 2011. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consul-tation to discuss your particu-lar situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; [email protected]

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REDWOOD CITY, CA, January 31, 2011 – Under-scoring the dedication to journalistic excellence and integrity in serving the Fili-pinos worldwide, Balitang America senior reporter Henni Espinosa was named the lone Filipino media awardee by BAYAN-USA for the latter’s 6th anniversary celebration, to be held this Friday, February 4, at the Bayanihan Commu-nity Center in San Francisco.

Espinosa will receive the Media Bayani (Media Hero) award for her eight years of service as a reporter covering California for Balitang Amer-ica, the only nightly news program for the Filipino com-munity aired in North Amer-ica via ABS-CBN Interna-tional’s The Filipino Channel (TFC). Other recipients of the awards from BAYAN-USA are San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar (Serve the People award) and the Bayanihan and Filipino Community Centers (Community Roots award). Also to be honored at the event are Raquel Redondiez and Kawal Ulanday, founding Secretary General and Chair of BAYAN-USA, respectively.

Espinosa has extensively covered the plight of the Fili-pino World War II Veterans and their widows, the abuse of Filipino caregivers and hotel workers, the struggle of low-income families and seniors

Henni Espinosa of TFC’s Balitang America to

Receive BAYAN-USA’s Media Bayani Award

in the South of Market in San Francisco, the fear of undocu-mented Filipinos from being deported and the Filipino-American activists’ call to end corruption and human rights violations in the Philippines, among others.

Many of Espinosa’s sto-ries also shed light on issues affecting mainstream America today, such as unemployment, foreclosures and homeless-ness.

Espinosa has a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Com-munication at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City and a Masters Degree in Communication at the Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.

BAYAN-USA is an alli-ance of progressive Filipino groups in the U.S. represent-ing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. It was in San Francisco, six years ago, that progressive Filipino American organizations from across the U.S. founded this alliance. Since then, BAYAN-USA has strengthened its organiz-ing and campaign efforts and deepened its relationships with the Filipino-American community, communities of color, and working class communities. It has swelled its ranks to 14 organizations nationwide.

Joins SF Supervisor Mar, Bayanihan & Filipino Community Centersas 2011 community awardees

Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comFebruary 11 - 17, 2011

Chapter 4

Danny left for the Philip-pines as soon as he could. He did not even wait for Mandy’s instructions on what to do with their proposed hospital equipment business in Manila. He wanted to evade the po-tential financial responsibility of being a possible father to Juanita’s baby.

In Manila, however, he refused to stay at his friend’s, Jockey Diaz’s, condominium unit despite Diaz’s offer. He was still worried that the security guard he had hit and his friends might retaliate and harm him. Instead, he rented an apartment in Makati. To partially cover his expenses while waiting for their busi-ness to make money, he continued to hang out with Jockey Diaz and make money from insider information on the possible results of horse races. He started doing the rounds in the city hospi-tals and provinces, looking for potential buyers for the equipment they were going to import. Mandy, for his part, purchased equipment that was about to be taken to junk-yards by using the money that their friend Bobby had given as capital. Bobby, a doctor, also advised them on what

COMPLICATED AFFAIRS

Graftequipment could still be used. Based on the inexpensive costs of the equipment, which they had bought as scrap, they expected to have a big profit margin since they would peg their prices on the reasonable value of used but still work-ing equipment in Manila. A knowledgeable technician would fix the equipment and make sure they were op-erational before they were shipped.

Mandy learned the tricks of the trade through trial and error. He found a way of shipping them cheaply and most efficiently: renting cargo containers and ship-ping them himself. He found out there were many Filipino and American businessmen shipping used machineries as capital equipment to the country since new ones were much more expensive. Each person had his own specialty; for example, one was shipping printing machineries, the oth-ers equipments for different industries.

What Bobby, Mandy and Danny did not realize before launching the business was the extent of corruption in the Philippines, both in the private and public sectors. It did not matter whether the hospital equipment they were

selling were of good quality and could potentially help many patients improve their lives. For a hospital to buy their equipment, they needed to offer kickbacks to various personnel: the board of direc-tors, purchasing managers, au-ditors, accounting executives and even minor accounting clerks who processed the pay-ments. Otherwise, no purchase orders would be issued. Even if the equipment was already purchased, the accounting clerks would delay their pay-ments by holding onto the checks unless they were given a percentage of the cost.

“Wala na tayong kikitain (We won’t make any profit),” Mandy told Danny after learn-ing of the illegal practices.

“Taasan daw natin ang presyo (Let’s increase the price),” Danny suggested to him. “This way we can ac-commodate the kickbacks to people who would approve the purchase and facilitate the payments.”

“How can we win the pub-lic bidding if our prices are too expensive?” Mandy asked, mindful of the public bidding provisions in any purchase of equipments and services in

both the public and private businesses.

“It doesn’t matter. The bidding will be rigged any-way; they will make sure we win despite our high prices,” Danny replied.

“How can they do that?”“They already have a built-

in system. They have been doing it for years.”

“Won’t the other partici-pants complain if they lose to a higher price?”

“They will turn in much higher prices themselves. They operate like a syndicate. The winning bids are dis-tributed among them during the course of the year; thus, everybody ends up as a win-ner at one time or another so long as they participate in the scheme.”

“How did you get into that closed circle?”

“You know me. I know how to wine and dine the pur-chasing officers. If necessary, I gave them women. And if Jockey Diaz had a good tip on a horse race, I shared it with them. Pretty soon, they ac-cepted me as their own.”

“How about the auditors? Can we pass their audit?”

“They are also with us

since they get some of the loot.”

In the end, the cost of the equip-ment they had sold was much higher than that of the brand new ones.

“If I were those officials, I would have bought the new ones. They are much cheaper and efficient than the used ones they had bought from us,” Mandy observed after their first deal was consummated.

“You are wrong,” Danny

corrected him. “How much do you think the new ones will cost once you factor in kick-backs? Certainly they would be much more expensive than our overpriced used machiner-ies.”

BOBBY WAS EXTREME-LY DISAPPOINTED when he found out how their busi-ness venture initially turned out. Being a medical doctor in San Diego for many years, he did not need the money. He thought of investing his own money in the business to help his country, the Philippines. In return for nurturing him as a child and a young man, he wanted to send cheap medical equipment to the various hos-pitals in the country to benefit as many patients as possible. He wanted the patients to receive low-cost medical services. which the used and supposedly cheap machines could provide. As it turned out, the machines, since they were overpriced, commanded much higher costs for medi-cal services to the patients, especially the poor.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Mandy advised his friend Bobby who confided his dis-

appointment. “That’s the way of life in our home country. Corruption is embedded in our soul from the highest of-ficial to the lowest personnel. Can you imagine what it’s like in the military? The soldiers do not have good uniforms or enough food allowances and military equipment because the generals siphon the budget for their personal use. This is why we have the world’s longest-running revolutions, the one with the Communist rebels and the other with the Muslim Separatist movement. The generals want to continue these conflicts because ongo-ing war means more funds can be channeled to their personal coffers.”

“Why won’t Congress enact laws to stop these injus-tices?”

“We have the laws, but nobody is enforcing them. Everybody is turning a blind eye on the corruption because they are all doing it. The congressmen and senators have millions of pesos of pork barrel money that are sup-posed to be used for their pet projects. They do not have to account for them; hence, most of the money ends up in their pockets.”

“One time, they proposed a Freedom of Information bill that would require all govern-ment expenditures to be item-ized and made available to the public. Since it would restrict them from robbing the Trea-sury, the congressmen were conveniently absent during the voting for the passage of the bill. There was no quo-rum, and the law did not take effect. Nobody, including the press which was paid off, is clamoring for it to be refiled. So corruption continues and will remain forever at the ex-pense of our poor people.”

(To be continued)

Philippine Stories

Read Sim Silverio’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.


by Dr. Ofelia Dirige Founder, President & CEO Kalusugan Community Services

Contemporary Asian American Issues

Read Dr. Dirige’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com


A few days ago we went to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure theme parks for my daughter’s sixth birthday. We gave her the option of a birthday party or Disneyland and she chose Disneyland. Big surprise. But I was absolutely in favor of it.

As expensive as two days at the Disneyland Resort can be, it’s still cheaper and

easier that a party for a large group of six year old girls. Plus there’s the bonus of no clean-up. Okay, I’m in; we’re going.

Day One: Things we did at Disneyland

Disneyland RailroadMain Street CinemaMain Street Vehicles

The Disneyland Story pre-senting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

The Disney GalleryBuzz Lightyear Astro

BlastersFinding Nemo Submarine

VoyageSpace MountainAstro OrbitorAutopiaCaptain EO Tribute

Disneyland MonorailDisneyland RailroadInnoventionsStarcadeSnow White’s Scary Ad-

venturesPinocchio’s Daring Jour-

neyDumbo the Flying El-

ephantCasey Jr. Circus TrainMr. Toad’s Wild RideAlice in WonderlandMad Tea PartyPeter Pan’s FlightSleeping Beauty CastleKing Arthur CarrouselPixie HollowBibbidi Bobbidi BoutiqueDisney Princess Fantasy

FaireIt’s a Small World

Matterhorn BobsledsStorybook Land Canal

BoatsBig Thunder Mountain

RailroadPirate’s Lair on Tom Saw-

yer IslandFrontierland Shooting

ExpositionMark Twain RiverboatRafts to Tom Sawyer

Island

Sailing Ship ColumbiaBig Thunder RanchThe Golden Horseshoe

StageFantasmic!Tarzan’s TreehouseJungle CruiseIndiana Jones Adventure:

Temple of the Forbidden EyeWalt Disney’s Enchanted

Tiki RoomPirates of the CaribbeanHaunted MansionDisneyland RailroadSplash MountainThe Many Adventures of

Winnie the PoohDavy Crockett’s Explorer

CanoesMickey’s House and Meet

MickeyMinnie’s House

Goofy’s PlayhouseDonald’s BoatChip ‘n Dale’s TreehouseRoger Rabbit’s Car Toon

SpinDisneyland RailroadGadget’s Go Coaster

Day Two: Things we did at California Adventure

Francis’ Ladybug Boogie Heimlich’s Chew

Chew Train It’s Tough to be a

Bug! Princess Dot Puddle

Park Tuck and Roll’s

Drive’Em Buggies Grizzly River RunMission Tortilla

Factory Redwood Creek

Challenge Trail Soarin’ Over Cali-

fornia Walt Disney Imagi-

neering Blue Sky Cellar

Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular .

Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!

Muppet Vision 3D Sorcerer’s Workshop Turtle Talk with Crush The Twilight Zone Tower

of TerrorCalifornia Screamin’ Golden Zephyr King Triton’s Carousel of

the Sea Mickey’s Fun WheelSilly Symphony Swings Toy Story Midway Mania World of Color And now I’m so tired

I can barely see how to type this. It’s time for bed. But I have to say that my daughter had one heck of a great time and so yes, it was worth it.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the list of rides; my list is in a Disney canal somewhere...

Happy Birthday!Disneyland and California Adventure and I’m exhausted

Perspectives

ASIAN JOURNALThe first Asian-Filipino weekly in Southern CaliforniaAn award-winning newspaper, it is San Diego’s most

widely circulated Asian-Filipino newspaper!

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

In Pursuit of ExcellenceEugenio “Ego” Osin, (1946 - 1994)

Joe Cabrera, (1924 - 1996)Soledad Bautista, (1917-2009)

Dr. Rizalino “Riz” Oades, (1935-2009)

The Asian Journal is published weekly and distributed in all Asian communties in San Diego County. Publication date is ev-ery Friday of the month. Advertising deadline is Thursday prior to publication date at 5 p.m. For advertising rates, rate cards, or information, call (619) 474-0588. Subscription by mail is available for $50 per year (56 issues). The Asian Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs but welcomes sub-missions. Entire content is © 2009 copyrighted material by Asian Journal. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced without specific permission from the publisher.

Genevieve SilverioManaging Editor

Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Miles BeauchampAssociate Editor

Santi SilverioAssociate Publisher

At Large...

Miles is Assistant to the Dean and Assistant Professor in the Shirley Hufstedler School of Education at Alliant International University where he teaches new media and diverse writing courses. He has been with the Asian Journal since the 1990’s.

by Miles Beauchamp

Women were encouraged to wear a red dress to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness.

By Emma Abutin, RN, MPH and Ofelia Dirige, DrPH, RD

February is National Heart Month and the emphasis is on the prevention of the major killer of men and women, i.e., heart disease. This article gives simple and engag-ing facts to help individuals assess their personal risk of heart disease and outlines steps one can take to improve their heart health and reduce their chances of developing heart disease.

What is heart disease?

Coronary heart disease (CHD) or simply “heart disease” is a disorder of the heart’s blood vessels and is the most common form of heart disease. It is a condition in which plaques builds up on the inner walls of the coro-nary arteries. CHD can lead to serious heart problems such as heart attack, heart failures, ir-regular heartbeats and sudden cardiac arrest.

The buildup of plaque can narrow the coronary arter-ies over time. This reduces blood flow to the heart and can lead to symptoms such as chest pain or discomfort.

The external structures of the heart include the ventricles, atria, arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood away from the heart while veins carry blood into the heart. The vessels colored blue indicate the transport of blood with relatively low content of oxygen and high content of carbon dioxide. The vessels col-ored red indicate the transport of blood with relatively high con-tent of oxygen and low content of carbon dioxide.

Be kind to your heartThe plaque can also suddenly rupture, causing a blood clot to form on the plaque’s sur-face. This clot blocks blood flow within the artery and if large enough it can block blood flow to part of the heart muscle. This is the most com-mon cause of a heart attack.

Is heart disease just a men’s disease?

Did you know that the number one killer of women in the United States and a leading cause of disability among women is heart dis-ease? It is not just a man’s dis-ease. In fact, 1 in 4 American women died of heart disease. However, breast cancer, the major cause of death among Asian women in San Diego, is still the most feared disease by many women and kills 1 in 30.

Heart disease is especially dangerous in women, because they are more likely to die within a year of their first heart attack. This is due in part to being older and having significant health problems at the time the heart attack oc-curs. Also, their symptoms are not recognized early enough, so treatment is delayed and they suffer more heart dam-

age. Women experience symptoms that were new or different a month or more before having a heart attack. Women’s symptoms are not as predictable as men’s.

What can you do to help your heart?

Heart disease results

from both environmental and inherited factors. There are so-called risk-factors, condi-tions or habits that increase one’s chances of developing CHD or having it worsen. While most women’s risk factors are the same as men’s, certain heart disease risks have more significance for women. More than 75% of women aged 40-60 have one or more risk factors for heart disease. There are risk factors that you cannot change and those you can control.

Risk factors that are not easily controlled are race, age, and a family history of heart disease. “You cannot choose your parents.” Researchers have now uncovered the larg-est set of genetic variations

that underlie high cholesterol and high triglycerides that are inherited lipid risk factors for heart disease.

Risk factors that can be easily controlled are smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and being overweight. The smartest thing you can do to prevent heart disease is to know what your risk factors are and make simple lifestyle changes to decrease this risk. The first step is to see your doctor for a thorough check-up. Then, tell your doctor you want help in achieving your goal of heart health. To make changes, you have to understand the risk factors you can change and make efforts to reduce them.

A.RISK FACTORS AND ACTION PLANS - Having one risk factor doubles your risk of heart disease. Hav-ing two risk factors increases your risk fourfold and three or more risk factors increases it more than tenfold.

1. Those you cannot

changeFAMILY HISTORY. Hav-

ing a father or brother with heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister with heart disease before age 65 are fac-tors that contribute to heart disease.

RACE. Blacks, Hispanics and Filipinos have a higher risk of heart disease than Cau-casians.

AGE. The older you are, the more you are at risk for heart disease. About 4 out of 5 people who die of heart disease are 65 or older.

2. Those you can change SMOKING. Cigarette •

smoking greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke as well as lung cancer and other serious diseases. The risk of smoking is about the same for men and women. The smoker’s risk of heart at-

tack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. There is a saying that if you quit smoking now, you will add at least 5 years to your life. Just one year after you stop smoking, your heart disease risk will drop by more than half.

HIGH BLOOD PRES-• SURE. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, congestive heart fail-ure and kidney disease. It in-creases the heart’s workload, causing the heart to enlarge and weaken over time. Your blood pressure should be less than 120 over 80 and if you have diabetes, your reading should be less than 130/90.

You can help lower high blood pressure by following

the new DASHeating plan (Dietary Ap-

proaches to Stop Hyperten-sion) and cut down on salt

intake. The Dash Eating Plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables,

whole-grain foods,and low-fat dairy products. It limits red meats, sweets and

sugar-containingbeverages. It is rich in magne-sium, potassium and calcium

as well as protein andfiber. It is also low in satu-

rated fat, total fat and choles-terol.

HIGH BLOOD CHO-• LESTEROL. The risk of heart disease rises as blood cho-lesterol levels increase. Total cholesterol should be under 200 mg/dl; LDL (bad cho-lesterol) should be less than 100; HDL (good cholesterol) should be above 50 mg/dl; and triglycerides under 150 mg/dl. Women with low levels of HDL are more likely than men to develop heart disease and high triglyceride levels are a stronger risk factor for women than for men.

Keep track of your cho-lesterol and blood pressure numbers. If your numbers are off target, talk to your doc-tor about how to safely lower them.

UNHEALTHY DIET. • You can improve your heart’s condition by eating health-fully. Eat a balanced diet emphasizing lots of fruits and vegetables with a variety of grains especially whole-grain, low-fat or nonfat dairy prod-ucts, fish & seafoods, legumes and other sources of protein that are low in saturated fats and cholesterol such as poultry, lean meat and plant sources. Eat more fish. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish help keep the heart beat rhyth-mic and regular, according to studies.

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Light &Shadows

Read Zena Babao’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Zena Sultana Babao

Self-improvement is one of my ongoing endeavors in life. My goal is to be good in what I do, especially in speaking and writing – two passions of mine. So I make it a point to read books and motivational materials.

One of the Personal Suc-cess materials that I receive via e-mail is the Brian Tracy International Newsletter.

Brian Tracy, a world leader in self-improvement for 50 years, is one of my favorite authors and speakers.

The newsletter I got this past Sunday, February 6, 2011, has an article entitled Flying into Headwinds. It’s a motivational gem! It ap-plies to personal, business and other aspects of life, so I immediately shared it with friends in the social network-ing site Facebook. Brian Tracy encourages his readers to share his newsletter with friends.

Gen Silverio, our lovely Managing Editor here at Asian Journal, encouraged me to turn Tracy’s Flying into Headwinds into an article for this column. I am nowhere in the league of the great moti-vational writers, and I know I would not do justice to Brian Tracy if I paraphrase it.

And so, here is the Brian Tracy International’s February 6, 2011 issue containing his article Flying into Headwinds for your reading pleasure:

Flying Into Headwinds

By Brian Tracy

When you set off toward a new destination or goal, like taking off in an airplane, you will have an idea of both your departure time and your arriv-al time. You will set a sched-ule for yourself and expect to

Flying into Headwindsarrive pretty much on sched-ule. But as soon as you take off, you will experience what pilots call “unexpected head-winds.” The situation in your life is similar. As soon as you embark on a new journey, you will experience headwinds as well: everything will cost twice as much and take three times longer than you antici-pated. You should estimate

how long you will take to achieve certain milestones and then triple that time to get the actual time period required.

Types of Headwinds

Headwinds in your busi-ness and personal life will come from several sources. Your primary source of headwinds will be other people. They will disappoint you, cheat you, betray you, and fail to live up to your expectations, and turn out to

be incompetent or indiffer-ent. Your customers will be a major source of headwinds. When you start a new venture, you will be amazed at how difficult it is to get custom-ers to buy your product or service for the first time. Your customers will disappoint you in that they will buy less than you expected, take longer to buy than you expected, pay slower than you expected, and complain more than expected. Remember that the customer is always right. It is not what you produce but what people

buy that counts. “How to Build Rock Solid

Self-Confidence and Achieve all of Your Goals”

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In my exclusive 6-CD pro-gram, you’ll learn a number of practical action steps you can take eliminate all your doubts and fears, and develop rock solid self-confidence.

Develop Your Self-Confi-dence Today!

Financial Headwinds

Another form of head-winds that you will face has to do with money. Some people will tell you

that it is easy to make all the money you want just by thinking positively and visu-alizing yourself as wealthy. Everyone wants to believe that this is true, and many people embrace the idea of effortless wealth with their whole hearts. But that doesn’t include those people who have actually achieved finan-cial success. People who have made a lot of money have learned through bitter experi-ence that the only thing easy about money is losing it. As the Japanese proverb says, “Making money is like dig-ging with a pin; losing money is like pouring water on the sand.”

Personal Headwinds

You will experience head-winds personally in that you will discover, much to your surprise that you lack specific talents, skills, and knowledge that you need to succeed. You may find that you are a poor time manager or that you lack self-discipline. You cannot seem to focus, concentrate, and apply yourself single-mindedly to your most im-portant tasks. You waste time and feel overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time in which to do it. You may lack financial, analytic, marketing, or selling skills. You may not know how to plan and organize your busi-ness, advertise effectively and

attract customers, or persuade your prospects to buy from you. Fortunately these are all learnable skills. But the starting point of mastering these essential skills is for you to admit that you need them. After that, the education can begin.

Action Exercise

Because of your incred-ible mind, you can learn any skill you need to learn to achieve any goal you can set for yourself. You must never allow yourself to be held back because you lack a particular skill. Figure out what skill you need to increase the qual-ity of your life, and then set out to learn it.

By: Father Shay Cullen

These days, “love” is in the air. Valentines Day is a big event and a commercial one but what does it mean? People seek affection and together-ness with others to be happy, secured and fulfilled. Nearly all humans desire and long for such a relationship but love is elusive and frequently misun-derstood.

John Lennon and the Beetles sang “All You Need is Love” but many ask why do we need it and where did it come from? According to one theory, human love arose from the evolutionary dictate that they who bonded survived. The pleasure of sexuality ensured offspring for early humans but that was not a guarantee of the survival of the species in a danger-ous and cruel world where children were at risk. So the brain evolved another pleasur-able sensation for emerging humans, a feeling of pleasure when a couple stayed exclu-sively together. It was not related to sexuality but to an emotional and affectionate bonding as persons.

The monogamous rela-tionship helped the children survive and the family unit to evolve. It gave protection, food and learning. When this bond is absent the parents eas-ily separate and the offspring are at risk. That’s why today the bond of married love must be more than a sexual rela-tionship if it is to last and the children kept safe. It needs a spiritual dimension.

When hunting and gather-ing for survival gave away to a settled agricultural way of life, food was more secure and the village was born. Emotional bonding became an important element in non-ag-gression and peaceful surviv-al. Being together as family was valued all the more and celebrated. These values, hu-

All You Need Is Love

Agape is one of several Greek words translated into English as love, one which became particularly appropri-ated in Christian theology as the love of God or Christ for mankind.

man feelings and emotions, inspired artistic people to express and celebrate them in even more beautiful art. Greek culture valued human rela-tionships and celebrated the natural emotional attraction between individuals. They called it Eros - a happy attrac-tion and emotional attachment between individuals. This is the love that is celebrated on Valentines Day.

They called love, Philo, and they loved wisdom (Sophia) and so we got Phi-losophy. They taught us to understand the different kinds of love and to nurture and cel-ebrate them. For the Greeks and CS Lewis, (the author of The Four Loves), Eros is different from sexuality. Eros only seeks emotional bonding but it can lead to, or be part of friendship. The philosopher Plato expounded on this and gave us Platonic love.

As Lewis says, if sexual-ity is added to friendship and Eros as an outward expression of inner feeling (called Venus by Lewis), then it is a very

different relationship. Mar-ried love is the best and most beautiful expression of this. It has a spiritual dimension that can last a life time.

The Greeks had high regard for friendship; it is a strong bonding between individuals or a small group that arises from the need of individuals to work together for a common goal that could not be achieved alone. Eros, affection or emotional at-traction, can also be pres-ent strengthening the bond of friendship. Friendship is based on spiritual values; mutual and equal return of trust, equality, honesty, open-ness, shared values, loyalty, faithfulness and even endur-ing death for the other. It is a spiritual love between indi-viduals. “No greater love can anyone have than to lay down his life for a friend”, said Jesus of Nazareth.

This can grow to yet another higher form of love - Agape. It is part of friend-ship but goes beyond it. It is unconditional, self-sacrificing love of others asking nothing in return. The love is ex-pressed in compassion, con-cern and a desire to end suf-fering, help needy people and bring about justice and happi-ness in the world. The Gospel story of the good Samaritan is one example and the self-sacrificing acts of redemptive love of the individual dying for the many so they will be saved from evil is another. Jesus of Nazareth gave us the example. That is God’s love made present in Him. [[email protected]]

SAN DIEGO, CA –February 8, 2011--California Bank & Trust (CB&T) (www.calbanktrust.com) is pleased to announce its philan-thropic performance and charitable activities in California for calendar year 2010. The bank contributed monetary and in-kind support of more than $800,000 to hundreds of charities that reside in the Califor-nia communities where CB&T has branches. Of that total, $272,975 was allotted to community develop-ment, including affordable housing projects, community facilities and neighborhood projects throughout California.

“We are very proud of CB&T’s tremendous spirit of generosity,” said Steven Herman, Vice President and Manager of California Bank & Trust’s Community Reinvestment Department. “CB&T’s culture of giving encourages our associates as well,” he added. “Last year, our associates stepped up to donate more than 6,528 volunteer hours to numerous non-profit organizations and also contribute an excess of $200,000 in support specifically for the United Way.”

“Many people are facing difficul-

California Bank & Trust Announces Philanthropic Performance for 2010

ties in this economic slow-down and so many families are desperately in need,” Herman continued. “As a community bank, CB&T and its associates have a strong connec-tion to our local residents and we’re honored to support the organizations who serve them.”

About California Bank & TrustCalifornia Bank & Trust, a

subsidiary of Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ: ZION), is one of the largest banks headquartered in Cali-fornia with over $10 billion in assets and more than 100 branches state-wide. CB&T provides a full array of financial solutions for businesses and individuals, including commer-cial and small business lending, cash management, international banking and wealth management. The profes-sional bankers at CB&T are backed by major resources, yet maintain local decision-making authority and regional market and industry expertise. They are committed to providing clients with valuable busi-ness and economic insights and to connecting them with the beneficial business relationships they need to succeed. To learn more, visit www.calbanktrust.com.


A couple came to my office a couple of weeks ago asking if I could represent them at their second interview for the wife’s adjustment of status based on marriage. Accord-ing to the couple, they pre-sented documents to prove they are living together and have commingled their funds and properties such as joint bank account, joint contract of lease, joint car insurance, joint utility bills, and pictures. The adjudication officer (AO), however, did not even look at those documents. The AO focused his interview on the previous relationship of the U.S. citizen husband, which was a same-sex relationship. Apparently, the U.S. citizen husband filed documents with the county or federal agency stating that he was in a same-sex domestic relationship and the AO was able to get hold of those documents.

There is no magic formula to determine what and how much evidence is necessary to prove a bona fide marriage. Some AOs are not much interested in documentation and instead rely on question-ing ---usually about how the couple met and how the rela-tionship developed – to reach a judgment about the mar-riage. In the example given, how would they prove that the marriage is bona fide consid-ering the husband was in a

How to avoid a finding of sham or fraudulent marriage

previous same-sex domestic relationship. The couple has every document to prove they are living together and have commingled their funds and properties. I personally know people from my hometown who were gays and lesbians during their younger years, but are now happily married to the opposite sexes and have children. The challenge is how to convince the AO that a gay or lesbian can decide later in life to be “straight”.

Unconventional or non-traditional marriage will typically raise the suspicion of the AO. The USCIS Adju-dicator’s Field Manual lists ten red flags that the officer should look for, to wit: large disparity of age, inability of petitioner and beneficiary to speak each other’s language, vast difference in cultural and ethnic backgrounds, family and/or friends unaware of the marriage, marriage arranged by a third party, marriage con-tracted immediately following the beneficiary’s apprehen-sion or receipt of notification to depart the United States, discrepancies in answers to questions of which a hus-band and wife should have common knowledge, no cohabitation since marriage, beneficiary is a friend of the family, and petitioner has filed previous petitions on behalf of

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Read Atty. Susan Perez’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com



When it comes to love, you can always rely on a quote from Mrs. Gump to land with both feet on the ground:

Forrest Gump: What’s my destiny, Mama?

Mrs. Gump: You’re gonna have to figure that out for yourself.

Surely, love is dangerous. It can undo the best-laid plans. One man, who was in his twen-ties at the time, followed the love of his life to the ends of Nevada just to be with her. She was on a work visa and he was a tourist. A professional with a bright career ahead of him, he risked everything coming as he did as a stranger in a strange land.

But love can also overcome adversity.

A lawyer in his own coun-try, he was forced back to the motherland. Needless to say, this is not the end of the story. The two eventually reunited, married, had a child, and again made their way back to Ne-vada.

Love takes on many forms. Often it takes on the unusual.

Mrs. Gump: Life’s a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get.

One of the most unusual courtships happened to a mem-ber of the family. A sensible, grounded, career woman who had worked her way through grad school, she met the man of her dreams at a friend’s place as he was out to ride off on a bike. The two became a pair. The relationship had

Quoting Gump on Valentine’s Day

(Continued from page 1) become serious by the time we heard the news from her mother: The pair was planning to hike and bike through Eu-rope beginning in Venice, Italy. From there, they were going to climb the snow-covered, 5,642-meter Mt. Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia from the south slope in the Re-public of Georgia. They sealed the end of the adventure, I heard, with a toast of vodka at the only tavern in town, feted by the local townfolk, to a woman, the first Filipina American mountaineer.

Sometimes, love also means having to fill in some big shoes (heels, even).

For one of my friends, it means defying the macho-cen-tric expectations of his peers to take on the role of a Mr. Mom, caring for his young children while his wife works. Outgo-ing, manly, and self-confident, he is a pretty sharp guy with a sabre-like wit to match. His wonderful boys are happy kids and very, very lucky to be nurtured by a father who loves them deeply.

At other times, love means looking beyond the usual places for inspiration.

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?

Forrest Gump: I didn’t know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.

Life in between the week-ends and Valentine’s can be downright challenging. You never know what you’re gonna get. Small kids have a

knack for quickly reminding you who is in not in control. Maybe your efforts to multi-task between the home-cooked meal and helping the kids with homework may not fall into neat compartments of time. Perhaps, books about purple dinosaurs are a tad below the intellectual content of the framed and prized PhD diplo-ma that is positioned strategi-cally in the den.

Even then a small gesture of love can carry you through the day.

One working friend recently posted a photo of a lunchbox her spouse had prepared with a note saying “I hope you enjoy your lunch. I love you.”

Now that beats Hallmark!As a young wife, I would

often look to frame the experi-ence beyond the moment, us-ing for my inspiration the hap-py and contented look on my mom’s face when she would come to visit. By then she had forgotten the miniscule, unruly details of the past and was now basking in the soft after-glow of seeing her own brood grow into adulthood. After all, she lived through the rough patches of raising a family, and survived to tell the story.

At other times, it was some-thing from my own childhood. Like a precious memory that was lost and again found of the knowledge that someone up there with a grand plan for my life is in control even if I felt I was not. I did not have to know the exact details minute by minute; just that I had to trust. It is to this day my inspiration for a love that never fails and never expires, even on Valen-tine’s.

Fortunately, the proverbial box of chocolates comes with directions. But even if you didn’t look before taking it all in, its not the end of the story. Look again.

Find your inspiration this Valentine’s Day. It’s some-where in the box.

Forrest Gump: That’s all I have to say about that.

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10904 • Simple Tribute • “Appreciate” Asian Journal • B/W • 1/8 Pg • 6.4375"x 5.25"

January 26, 2011

10904_SimTrib_Appreciate_AJ0126.indd 1 1/19/11 4:13 PM

by Genevieve Tagudin-Silverio

In Perspective

Read Genevieve Tagudin-Silverio’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – It’s here – iPhone 4 on the Verizon Wireless network makes its debut for the general population this week. Begin-ning at 7 a.m. EST on Thurs-day, Feb. 10, iPhone 4 will be available at more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communi-cation stores nationwide and Apple’s retail locations.

“We know people across America have been waiting for the day when they can experience an iPhone 4 on the Verizon Wireless’ most reliable network,” said Dan Mead, chief executive officer for Verizon Wireless. “Our store employees nationwide are poised and ready to help customers purchase their iPhone 4s activated as quickly as possible.”

iPhone 4 is available for suggested retail price of $199.99 for the 16 GB model and $299.99 for the 32 GB

iPhone 4 arrives on the nation’s most reliable network

model with a new two-year customer agreement. To enjoy all the features of their new iPhone 4s, customers can subscribe to a Nation-wide Talk plan (beginning at $39.99 for 450 minutes) or a Nationwide Talk and Text plan (beginning at $59.99 for 450 minutes and includes un-limited text, picture and video messaging), as well as an unlimited Email and Web data plan for $29.99 per month. Customers will also enjoy the new Personal Hotspot capabil-ity paired with a 3G Mobile Hotspot plan to use iPhone 4 to connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The 3G Mobile Hotspot plan is $20 per month for 2 GB.

Verizon Wireless Trade-in Program

Wireless users who want to move their mobile numbers

to the nation’s most reliable network can take advan-tage of the Verizon Wireless Trade-in Program and receive value for their used phones. For example, a wireless user could trade in a smartphone in good condition and receive a Verizon Wireless gift card worth more than $200. The Verizon Wireless gift card will arrive within two weeks of receipt of the smartphone and can be used online at www.verizonwireless.com, in Veri-zon Wireless Communications Stores or to pay a Verizon Wireless bill. The Verizon Wireless Trade-in Program ac-cepts phones from most major manufacturers and wireless carriers. For additional in-formation, visit http://www.trade-in.vzw.com.

For more information about the iPhone 4 on the na-tion’s most reliable network, visit www.verizonwireless.com/iphone.

This Valentine’s Day, indulge in a romantic sea-food dinner at South Bay Fish & Grill for only $39.95

per couple. This dinner will not only include the appetiz-ing choices of soup or salad, entrée and dessert, but it will also include a complimentary glass of champagne to spice up the mood.

Located on the Chula Vista Harbor, the three-course meal will begin with starter choices of clam chowder, lobster bisque or salad. The night will continue on with flavorsome entrees choices such as suc-culent lobster-stuffed sea-bass topped with honey-chili beurre blanc, ricotta chicken served with garlic-whipped potato, scrumptious tuscanni shrimp served over mushroom risotto, and hazelnut-crusted scallops topped with tropical-fruit salsa served with jasmine

rice and seared peppers. To top off the night of dinner and romance, the dessert choices will be crème brulee, tiramisu

or choc-olate-dipped straw-berries.

South Bay Fish & Grill, 570 Marina Parkway on the pictur-esque

South Bay Fish & Grill offers Valentine’s Day dinner for two

--Only $39.95 per Couple for a Romantic Night Out--

Chua Vista harbor, boasts dramatic views from the many windows in the 10,000-square-foot prop-erty. The restaurant features a blend of fine dining and casual fare with a maritime ambiance, created by a unique collection of nautical antiques and yacht club memorabilia. The restaurant offers a 15 per-cent discount to all members of the military with a military ID. Seniors also receive a 10 percent discount. Visit south-bayfishandgrill.com or call 619-420-7234.


Read previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjo-urnalusa.com

by Atty. Rogelio Karagdag, Jr.Member, State Bar of California & Integrated Bar of the Philippines

Phil - Am Law 101

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I have been asked this question many times before. Should I bring my girlfriend here as my fiancée? Or should I first marry her in the Philip-pines and then petition her as my spouse? The answer I always give is – it depends on your situation.

Let’s first deal with the technicalities before we move on. A fiancée (female) or fiancé (male) is a person to whom you are engaged or contracted to be married. A spouse is a person to whom you are legally married, and must be of the oppo-site sex. Same sex

Fiancée vs. Spousal Petitionmarriages are neither allowed nor recognized by U.S. im-migration laws. A fiancée petition is the Form I-129F. A spousal petition, also called an immediate relative petition, is the Form I-130. A visa issued to a fiancée is a non-immi-grant visa, just like a tourist visa. It is good only for one entry and for one particular purpose which is to enter the U.S. to marry the petitioner.

A visa issued to a spouse is an

immigrant visa, and she becomes an immigrant the moment she enters

the U.S. A fiancée

still has

to

adjust status after the marriage for her to become an immi-grant.

Let us now go back to the question.

First, if you are still an immigrant, forget about the fiancée petition, because it can only be filed by a U.S. citizen. An immigrant cannot peti-tion his fiancée to come here. If you are still an immigrant, you may consider filing a spousal petition for your wife, although the current visa wait-ing time for spouses is almost 5 years.

Second, if you have not seen your fiancée within the last 2 years, again, forget about the fiancée petition. The law requires that the petitioner and the fiancée must have personally met each other within the last two years. So, a person cannot file a fiancée petition for someone whom he has met only in the internet, or even for his childhood sweet-heart whom he has not seen for 2 years.

Third, if you are not ready to marry your fiancée within 90 days from her arrival into the U.S., once again, forget the fiancée petition. The law requires your marriage to take place within 90 days from your fiancée’s arrival. The fiancée visa is a one-entry visa only. If you fail to marry with-in 90 days, the visa expires.

But a fiancée petition of-fers several advantages over a spousal petition. For one, if your fiancée has children from a previous relationship, they can get a “free ride”, mean-ing that you can include them in the same fiancée petition. In contrast, you have to file separate petitions for your stepchildren. Likewise, you do not have to go to the Philip-pines to get married. You can do it here at a presumably lesser expense, because you will save on travel expenses and there will be fewer guests in your wedding reception.

However, in order to get her green card, a fiancée will still have to file an application for adjustment of status after she marries her US citizen husband. In contrast, a spouse already enters the U.S. as an immigrant and received her green card in a few days.

What about the speed? Usually, a fiancée petition is faster by a few months. But according to current data from the USCIS California Service Center, the fiancée and spousal petitions take ap-proximately the same time to process. That puts speed out of the equation. You will have to decide based on the other factors.

In reality, the answer really depends on you and your part-ner. Do you want to get mar-ried in the Philippines to share that special moment with her relatives and friends? The typ-

ical Filipino family is closely-knit and sentimental. Will it be acceptable for her family if you hold the wedding here without them? Of course, this will greatly depend on how much they trust you to take care of their daughter. Do not forget your own family; they might also want to be present in your wedding. Do you have enough time-off from work to go to the Philippines? Do you have enough money for your travel and wedding expenses in the Philippines? I know of someone who opted to marry her fiancée in the Philippines. Her family was impressed because of the grand wed-ding. When she arrived in the U.S. a few months later, she was aghast to discover that her new husband was heav-

ily indebted. There was no more time to enjoy America. She had to immediately find work to help him pay back the loans.

Announcement : Consul-

tation in Manila

We are conducting con-sultations in Manila until the third week of February. If your loved ones are interested in consulting with us there, please tell them to contact our Manila office at 522-1199 or 526-0326 to set an appoint-ment.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag , Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego and has continuously been a

trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His office address is located at 10717 Camino Ruiz, Suite 131, San Diego, CA 92126. He also has an of-fice in the Philippines at 1240 Apacible Street, Paco, Ma-nila, Philippines 1007, with telephone numbers (632)522-1199 and (632)526-0326. Please call (858)348-7475/(858)536-4292 or email him at [email protected]. He speaks Tagalog fluently. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are hypotheticals intended as general, non-specific legal information. Readers must seek legal consultation before taking any legal steps.


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Hailee Steinfeld, a 14-year-old Filipino-Ameri-can actress is a rising star in Hollywood.

Her stand out role in the Coen Brothers’ Western adap-tation of the movie True Grit has gained for her an Oscar Best Supporting Actress nomination, a Best Actress nomination for the 2011 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTAs) and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Supporting actress.

Time critic Richard Corliss listed Steinfeld’s performance as one of his Top 10 of the year.

“Billed a demeaning seventh in the credits behind veteran scene stealers Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper, Hailee easily dominates the Coens’ faithful adaptation of the Charles Portis novel.

She delivers the orotund dialogue as if it were the easi-est vernacular, stares down bad guys, wins hearts. That’s a true gift,” he wrote.

Despite the Oscar nomi-nation, accolades and all the hype surrounding her, Hailee sees herself as a regular teen-aged girl.

“I’m a normal girl. I get in trouble for texting too much and using the computer too late—all kinds of stuff like that,” Steinfeld recently told People at the 16th an-nual Critics’ Choice Movie

Fil-Am teen actress is Oscar nominee for True Grit

Hailee Steinfeld

Awards.Her father is Jewish and

her mother is of Filipino, African-American and Euro-pean-American descent.

Steinfeld was raised in Agoura Hills and later in Thousand Oaks, California, attending Ascension Lutheran School, Conejo Elementary, and Colina Middle School. She has been home-schooled since 2008.

She began acting at the age of 8, eventually landing a number of supporting roles in teen-oriented films and television, and appeared in a K-Mart commercial for “blin-gatude.” On January 16, 2011, she and Justin Bieber intro-duced the nominees and win-ner of the 2011 Best Animated Film Golden Globe award.

Hollywood based Filipino fashion designers Oliver Tolentino and Monique Lhuil-lier drew praise critics for the gowns they made for Holly-wood celebrities Amber Riley and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

At the Red Carpet of the 2011 Golden Globes Sunday night, Oliver Tolentino cre-ated the gown of Glee star Amber Riley. She wore a stunning mermaid venus-cut, silver-sequined gown with black satin, bugle-beaded belt gown that drew oooh’s and aaah’s.

Riley’s gown was praised by Joan Rivers and Kelly Osborne on E! Fashion Po-lice “as one of the best at the Globes.”

Monique Lhuillier de-signed a regal green strap-less gown worn by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Her look was complemented with some dazzling Van Cleef & Arpels jewels and Ferragamo heels.

Lhuillier’s gown was given the stamp of approval by fash-ion critics who said “coupled with some seriously sparkly

Riley at her fitting with de-signer Oliver Tolentino.

Filipino designers gowns draw raves in Golden Globes

diamond chandelier earrings, the look is pure Hollywood glamour.”

Oliver made a name for himself in the Hollywood fashion scene after being chosen one of 10 finalists in the “Oscars Designer Chal-lenge,” organized by the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Tolentino, born in Bataan and educated in a fashion school in Ma-nila, was picked based on his spring-summer collection in the Downtown Los Angeles Fashion Week last year.

The Cebu-bred Monique is a famous name now among Hollywood’s A-listers. She has a boutique in Los Angeles located in the prime spot on the corner of Melrose Place and La Cienega.

Big fans of the Filipina designer are California’s First Lady Maria Shriver, actresses Michelle Trachtenberg, Shiva Rose, Perrey Reeves, Becki Newton, Rachel Nichols, Melissa Sagemiller, and Maria Menounos, jewelry designer Martin Katz, event planner Patrick Herning, and ” Char-lie’s Angels” director McG, Maggie Grace and Jud Tylor, Rebecca Gayheart, Jessica Collins, Emilie de Ravin, Kristen Bell, Kate Mara, Dita Von Teese , Marilyn Manson ‘s ex-wife.

Photos courtesy of Spot.ph

Philippine tennis’ boy wonder Miko Eala is making waves on the international stage.

The 8-year old triumphed yet again winning the 8 and Under Boys Singles Championship Match at The Little Mo Interna-tional Tennis Tournament 2010 beating Myles Decoste of the US, 6-1, 6-1.

Attended by more than 200 competitors from 32 countries in December at the world- re-nowned IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the tournament is dubbed as the Worlds Greatest Tournament “For Kids” with boys and girls catego-ry for ages 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Former Little Mo Champions include US Open champion Andy Roddick and the up and coming Ryan Harrison.

The Grade 3 student from Xavier also did very well in other divisions. For the 8 and Under

8-year old Miko Eala rules Florida

tennis tourney

Miko Eala

Boys Doubles Miko teamed up with his fellow finalist Myles Decoste. Their bid resulted in a semi-finals match versus an Asian American duo that eventually took the title.

For the 8 and Under Mixed Doubles, Miko and partner, Maxi Duncan ended as Finalists.

The IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy is regarded as the best tennis academy in the world.

Dad Mike Eala, a business-man beams with pride “Miko really trained hard for the tourna-ment and to win the champion-ship. Against tough international competition in Florida, makes it even more gratifying and we’re very proud of him.”

“I’m overwhelmed by my son’s victory, he’s worked very hard to get to this level and he’s really proud to be Pinoy,” says Rizza, Miko’s mom, an executive for a telecoms firm.

Eala is not only a top young athlete, he’s also an honor student in school.

He is a Philippine home-grown tennis talent with his train-ing base at Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig.

His advanced athletic skills have been honed by his grand-father-coach, Bobby Maniego, since Miko started learning basic tennis at the age of four.


Spiritual Life

Read Monsignor’s previous articles by visit-ing our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Msgr. Fernando G. Gutierrez

Lower Your Nets Balintataw

Read Virginia Ferrer’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Virginia H. Ferrer


Joke of the week: A young girl came home from a date looking sad. She told her mother, “Charles proposed to me a few minutes ago.” “Then why are you so sad?” her mother asked. “Because he also mentioned he was an atheist. Mom, he doesn’t believe there’s hell!”

Her mother replied, “Marry him anyway. Between the two of us, we’ll show him how wrong he is.”

Readings: First Reading: Sirach15:15-20: David A. deSilva writes: “Yeshua Ben Sira, a scribe living and teach-ing in Jeru- salem, brought the wis-dom tradi-tion of Israel

square-ly in line with the core value of Torah observance. Unlike Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesi-astes, from which he learned much and which he also re-butted on certain points, Ben Sira places the pursuit of piety and obedience to the ancestral Jewish law at the center of the pursuit of Wisdom—and this at a time when tensions concerning assimilation to the dominant culture of Hellenism were mounting and about to reach a fevered pitch in the crisis of 175-164 B.C.E.” Ben Sira was a conservative voice in the first decades of the second century B.C.E. He called on his pupils to seek their fortune, their honor, and their good name through

Feb. 13, 2011: 6th Sunday

Love and Hatreddiligent observance of the demands of the God of Israel first and foremost. The path to Wisdom, and to a successful and secure life, was first of all the way of Torah, supple-mented by the worldly wis-dom of many various cultures. Second Reading: 1Corinthians 2:6-10: The church of God in Corinth was a large one, as we learn from Acts 18:10. It had within it some very disturbing elements introducing ways and habits and even doctrines of a sort which were com-mon enough in the Corinthian world, but which were abso-lutely contrary to

the nature

and spirit of

the Christian community. Partly perhaps it was due to

the igno-rance of the Corinthian

Christians, who had inquired from the Apostle Paul certain ques-tions. Still Paul not only answered their questions but also called their attention in most vigorous language about their grievous errors both in behavior and doctrine. This he did not in annoyance or anger or sarcasm, but, “out of much affliction and anguish of heart...” Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37: The Jewish teach-ers had taught that nothing except actual murder was for-bidden by the sixth command-ment. Therefore they missed its spiritual meaning. Christ showed the full meaning of this commandment; according to which we must be judged

hereafter, and therefore ought to be ruled now. Jesus exposes the essence of the scribes’ her-esy. To them, the law was re-ally only a matter of external performance, never a question of the heart. Jesus brings the law back to the matters of the heart.

Reflections: The explana-tion which our Lord has given us of the sixth command-ment, shows, that we are not to confine the import of the commandments to the mere letter, but to regard them as extending to the words of our lips, and the dispositions of our hearts. Nor must we imagine that they are intended solely to prohibit sin: they must be understood as incul-cating all those virtues which are opposed to the sin for-bidden. This is evident from the connection in which the text stands with the preced-ing context. Our blessed Lord had declared, that a wrathful word was in fact a species and degree of murder. To call someone “Raca” expressed contempt for their intelligence and contempt for their char-acter.

“Raca,” is a scornful word, and comes from pride: “Thou

fool,” is a spiteful word, and comes from hatred. The idea behind Raca is “nitwit, block-head, numbskull, bonehead, brainless idiot.”

We should emphasize that Jesus is not saying that anger is as bad as murder. It’s ridic-ulous to think that someone who shouts at another person in anger has sinned as badly as someone who murders another person in anger does. Jesus is emphasizing that the law condemns both, without saying that the law says they are the same things. Either one broke the heart of the law against murder, even if it did not commit murder.

We should not think that our service towards the Lord justifies bad relationships with others. Jesus uses the occasion to inculcate the necessity of exercising in every respect a spirit of love, so as, not only to entertain no anger in one’s own heart against others, but so as not to leave room for the exercise of it in the hearts of others towards us.

Quotation of the week: I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” Mother Teresa.

By Marc T. Newman, Ph.D.

“I wonder you should ask me whether it is essential to keep the pa-tient in igno-rance of your own existence. That question, at least for the present phase of the strug-gle, has been answered for us by the High Command. Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves.” Screwtape, in The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Somebody down below

Faith, Doubt, and Demonic Possession in The Rite

didn’t get the memo.

The only thing that masks demonic forces in The Rite, a new film by director Mi-kael Håfström, is the lack of spiritual discernment by the young seminar-ian, Michael Kovac. His self-imposed blindness to the reality of diabolical forces, and how he regains

his spiritual eyesight is the focus of The Rite, a complex story that explores practical faith and wrestles with theo-logical questions. One thing is for sure. If you are a jaded filmgoer, if you think that you have already seen everything an exorcism film has to offer, think again.

The Struggle of Faith

Human beings are, in their sinful nature, spiritually re-luctant to cede control of self. So much is at risk in giving oneself completely to God. Religious history is filled with people such as Lot’s wife or the escaping Hebrews in the desert who, at their first

opportunity, despite explicit manifestations of God’s pres-ence and power, looked back longingly at a world that ignored their God. Are we all that different? Isn’t there a little bit of Michael Kovac in all of us?

Throughout Michael’s seminary studies he has a hard time believing that the words he is saying have any real meaning. Early in the film, Michael watches in horror as a young woman on a bicycle is struck by a truck. He runs over, kneels in the road beside her and, at her pleading, reluctantly gives her extreme unction. But when he later

©2010 Virginia H. Ferrer. All rights reserved.

About the Author: Virginia H. Ferrer is a Filipino Language Teacher at Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista.

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MinsanMinsan ay talagang gusto ko pang mabuhayminsan nama’y parang gusto ko nang matunawminsan ay mayroon akong gustong matanawminsan naman ninanais ko ng pumanaw.

Minsan may mga sandaling ako’y masayaminsan naman ay puno ako ng problemaminsan ay malakas ako parang atletaminsan ay mahina na halos ay tumumba.

Minsan ay alam na alam ko ang gusto kominsan ay para bang ako’y napakalayominsan ay ganap itong aking natatantominsan para bagang ako ay naglalaho.

Minsan tulad mo ako din ay may pangarapminsan ay bigla na lang itong magaganapminsan ay wala ni isa mang matutupadminsan ang mabuhay ay talagang masaklap.

Minsan ay maganda ang ‘king pakiramdamanminsan akala ko na’ ng kaligayahanminsan akala mo wala ng katapusanminsan bigla naglaho ‘di mo namalayan.


Picture from Left to Right: (Dr. Ruben Garcia, SBA Director; Albert Salon, President of AREAA San Diego; Regina Ong-Garcia, Secretary/Event Coordinator; Ric Manalo, Vice President; Chris Mei-Shia Lin, Community Partnership Chair).

By Marissa Acierto, SAN DI-EGO, CA - On February 8, 2011, Tuesday in the mid-morning of 11 a.m., Asian Real Estate As-sociation of America, San Di-ego Chapter (AREAA San Di-ego) had a celebration to start the “Year of the Rabbit, 2011.” This was the official start of the Chinese New Year which was celebrated in Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant on 3709 Convoy Street, Ste. 101.

Founded in 2008, the San Di-ego Chapter of the Asian Real Estate Association of America is a non-profit professional or-ganization dedicated to increas-ing the homeownership of the Asian American community and enhancing professional de-velopment opportunities for its members. AREAA San Diego’s membership represents a broad array of real estate, mortgage and house-related professionals that serve the diverse Asian market.

AREAA Board MembersThe following 2011 Executive

Board Members of AREAA San Diego are Albert Salon, Presi-dent (Broker Associate, Pacific Crane Realty); Ric Manalo, Vice President (Broker, Manalo Realty); Shonee Henry (Found-ing President of AREAA San Diego, NAR President Liaisons of Philippines, and Broker, Al-legro Realty and Mortgage); Regina Ong-Garcia, Secretary (Broker, and CEO Streamline Web Systems); Chris Mei-Shia Lin, Community Partnership Chair (Broker Associate, Real-tor Prudential Ca-Realty); Eran Sinai, Boardmember (Owner of Credit Restoration and Analy-sis); Eric Elegado, Membership Committee (Broker, Eric Ele-gado & Associates and Realtor, Prudential California Realty).

ProgrammeThe programme began with

a special guest speaker Gwen-Nguyen Coronado who is a Broker by profession but on the

side note has a Feng Shui busi-ness which she spoke about the enlightenment of positive ener-gy to be utilized for harmonious balance.

Grace Gan, a guest of AREAA San Diego said, “I enjoyed Gwen talking about Feng Shui but wished that more time was available so that I could hear more of it.”

Then another special guest arrived, San Diego City Coun-cilmember Carl DeMaio, and he spoke about businesses be-ing tough and how we need to find ways to make it easier for businesses to survive. He ques-tioned who determines the fees involved in getting business li-censes, the water situation and the strong mayor decisions to override a vote.

Julio de Guzman a guest for AREAA San Diego said, “Every time I hear Carl speak, I learn something new. It is amazing.”

The final guest speaker spoke, Dr. Ruben Garcia, the SBA Di-rector for the U.S. Small Busi-ness Administration. Mr. Garcia gave an award for the outstand-ing achievements that AREAA San Diego is doing for the com-munity. President Albert Salon spoke and thanked Ruben for the plaque on behalf of the core members of the organization.

The Chinese New Year event was a delight for all that attend-ed and was successful due to the coordinating efforts of Regina Ong-Garcia, Event Coordinator/Secretary and assisted by Vice President Ric Manalo, President Albert Salon and other officers and members of AREAA San Diego.

AREAAFor further info on how you

can join or participate with AREAA San Diego, please contact President Albert Salon, [email protected] or [email protected]. Website: www.areaa.org/sandiego.

AREAA, SD Chapter Celebrates The Year of the Rabbit, 2011

Housing and Real Estate

Sentinels at Del Sur, Poway, 2/8/2011 -- The Del Sur Educa-tional Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rais-ing additional funds for Del Sur Elementary School, will host its second annual “Night at the Ranch” fundraiser from 5-10 p.m. Saturday, March 19.

Party planners will transform the Platinum LEED-rated Del Sur Ranch House into Casino Del Sur, featuring gaming, en-tertainment and a live and si-lent auction. The Del Sur Ranch House is located at 15455 Paseo Del Sur, San Diego, CA, 92127.

An expected highlight at this year’s event; the “Date With a Teacher” auction includes stu-dent-teacher dates such as surf-ing or going to a Padres game. New this year, each Del Sur Elementary classroom will con-tribute an auction item crafted by students. Additional auction items can be donated by contact-ing Pete Kunowski at [email protected].

“As parents and community

members, we’re thrilled to help support Del Sur Elementary ’s needs,” said Pete Kunowski, event chair. “Last year’s inau-gural event raised $21,000 in one night, and this year we are hoping to more than double that amount.”

Tickets start at $35, with op-tions to buy advanced ticket packages, reserve gaming ta-bles, and more. Tickets can be purchased at www.delsurfoun-dation.org.

Also, to alleviate babysitting needs, “Kids Night Out” will be hosted at Del Sur Elementary during the night of the event, with activities including Zumba taught by Time to Shine. This childcare option is $10. Ad-ditional details are available at www.delsurfoundation.org.

In order to contribute addi-tional funding to key school programs, parents and commu-nity volunteers launched the Del Sur Educational Foundation in 2009. In addition to its annual Night at the Ranch, the Foun-

dation hosts a farmers market every Thursday on the corner of Camino del Norte and Lone Quail Rd. in San Diego, and plans to host a 5K, golf tourna-ment, and other events through-out the year. For more informa-tion about the Foundation and its upcoming events, please visit its brand new website www.del-surfoundation.org.

Night at the Ranch is spon-sored in part by Black Mountain Ranch, LLC and the Del Sur homebuilders. For more infor-mation on the neighborhoods at Del Sur, visit www.DelSur-Living.com. Local business On Corp Us, Inc. also donated sev-eral RCA televisions to be used as raffle and auction items.

Del Sur Educational Foundation to Host Casino Night March 19

2nd Annual Del Sur Auction Night to benefit Del Sur Elementary School in Poway. Follow Facebook.com/DelSurLiving

March 2011Call (619) 746 - 3416


In the Philippines, Fili-pinos were introduced to the English language In 1762 by British invaders, not Ameri-cans.

What is the world’s 3rd largest English-speaking na-tion, next to the USA and UK ? The Philippines .

The USA bought the Philippines , Puerto Rico and Guam from Spain in 1898.

The Filipino-American Independence War from 1898 to 1902 ensued, Killing 4,234 Americans and how many Filipinos? 16,000 were killed in action And 200,000 died from famine and pestilence. (The Philippines lost and was Colonized until 1946.)

Los Angeles, Cali-fornia was co-founded in 1781 by a Filipino namedAn-tonio Miranda Rodriguez, along with 43 Latinos from Mexico sent by the Spanish government.

What antibiotic did Fili-pino doctor Abelardo Aguilar co-discover?

Hint: Brand is Ilosone, named after Iloilo . Erythro-mycin.

The one-chip video cam-era was first made by Marc Loinaz, a Filipino Inventor from New Jersey .

The first ever international Grandmaster from Asia was Eugenio Torre Who won at the Chess Olympiad in Nice , France in 1974.

This son of two Filipino physicians scored over 700 on the verbal Portion of the Standardized Achieve-ment Test (SAT) before age 13 - Kiwi Danao Camara of Punahou School , Hawaii ... Edward Sanchez, a Mensa member, bagged the Grand prize in the first Philippine Search for Product Excellence in Information Technology.

Who was the Filipino-American dancer who scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT? Joyce Monteverde of Califor-nia .

Who invented the fluores-cent lamp?

Thomas Edison discovered the electric light and the fluo-rescent Lighting was thought up by Nikola Tesla. But the fluorescent lamp we use today was invented by Agapito Flores (a Cebu man named Benigno Flores of Bantayan Island, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer), a Filipino scientist.

Americans helped then-Philippine leader Ramon Magsaysay to develop it for worldwide commerce. (Yes! Many foreigners have noted

Filipino Triviathat the Filipino population has Asia ‘s highest rates of inventors and international beauty queens.)

Two Filipina beauties, Glo-ria Diaz and Margie Moran, were chosen as Miss Universe in 1969 and 1973, respec-tively.

Pure- or part-Filipino ce-

lebrities in American show-biz include Von Flores, Tia Carrere, Paolo Montalban, Lea Salonga, Ernie Reyes Jr., Nia Peeples, Julio Iglesias Jr., Lou Diamond Phillips, Phoe-be Cates and Rob Schneider.

The first Filipino act to land a top hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s was the group Rocky Fellers of * Manila. * Sugar Pie deSanto (father was from the Philippines ), The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (according to the October 1984 article “Prince in Exile” by Scott Isler in the magazine Musician), Jaya, Foxy Brown and Enrique Iglesias fol-lowed.

Pure Filipinos who made success in minor charts were Jocelyn Enriquez aka Orien-tal Madonna, Buffy, Pinay and (Ella May) Saison.

Latina-American pop star Christina Aguilera lost to Filipina vocalist Josephine Roberto aka Banig during the International Star Search years ago. In a mid-1999 MTV chat, she said that competing against someone of Banig’s age was “not fair.”

Besides gracing fashion magazine covers, this interna-tional supermodel from Ma-nila had walked the runways since the 1970s for all the major designers, like Calvin Klein, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Donna Karan, Gianni Versace and Yves Saint Laurent - Anna Bayle.

Who is the personal phy-sician of United States Pres. Bill Clinton?

Eleanor “Connie” Con-cepcion Mariano, a Filipina doctor who was the youngest captain in the US Navy.

The first Filipino-Amer-ican in US Congress was Virginia Rep. Robert Cortez-

Scott, a Harvard alumnus.Distinguished British

traveler-writer A. Henry Sav-age Landor, thrilled Upon seeing a Bicol landmark in 1903, wrote:

“Mayon is the most beau-tiful mountain I have ever seen, the world-renowned Fu-jiyama ( Mt. Fuji ) of Japan sinking into perfect insignifi-cance by comparison.” Mayon has the world’s most perfect cone.

Filipinos had their first taste of Mexican chili and corn during the Manila-Aca-pulco galleon trade (1564-1815). In return, Mexico ‘s people

had their initial taste of tamarind, Manila mango and a Fili-pino banana called racatan or lakatan.

Founded in 1595 by Span-iards, the Uni-versity of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines is older than Harvard and is the old-est university in Asia. University of Santo Tomas in Manila , es-

tablished in 1611, is Asia ‘s Second oldest.

Who’s the Filipina sena-tor popular for her colorful jargon, delivered in a mile-a-minute speed and in a weird Harvard-meets- Ilonggo ac-cent?

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The first female president of the Philippines sworn into office in 1986 was Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Her maiden name is Chinese.

In a March 31, 1997 ar-ticle, The New York Times reported that the CIA ma-nipulated Philippine elections: “(CIA operative Col. Edward Lansdale) essentially ran the successful presidential cam-paign of Defense Minister

Ramon Magsaysay in the Philippines in 1953.”

Who was the first Asian and/or Filipino to snatch America’s Pulitzer Prize? Philippines Herald war jour-nalist Carlos P. Romulo in 1941. (He was also the first Asian to become UN Secre-tary-General. )

The first two Filipino-Americans to garner the same award 56 years later were Seattle Times’ Alex Tizon and Byron Acohido, who is part-Korean.

Filipino national hero/writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age 2, and grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, Greek, German, French and Chinese. What were his last words? “Consummatum est!”

(“It is done!”)“What’s still most impres-

sive to me about the Philip-pines is the friendliness of the people, their sense of humor...,” wrote Honolulu

journalist John Griffin in a 1998 visit to Manila .

(619) 702-3051

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The Law that Matters

Read Atty Bautista’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Atty. A. Erwin Bautista

Which is better Debt Elimination or Debt Reduc-tion?

Question: I lost my job and I have a mountain of bills and credit card debts, which is better, filing bankruptcy or debt consolidation?

Answer: In your situation it would be better to eliminate your debt than just reduce it because you have no source of income to fund a debt consoli-dation plan.

What is Bankruptcy and Debt Consolidation?

Bankruptcy usually eliminates unsecured debts and debt consolidation re-duces the debt. If someone has lost a job then definitely the best solution is bankruptcy because it will eliminate the debt and not just reduce it.

But if your hours were just reduced and there is still some amount of income left after deducting monthly expenses then debt consolidation or debt reduction would be the better alternative.

How does bankruptcy

differ from debt consolida-tion and how will it benefit you?

Bankruptcy especially

Chapter 7 will eliminate debt under the force of law whether the creditors like it or not. Whereas debt con-solidation is voluntary on the part of creditors to reduce the debt, the debt consolidation company needs the creditors’ acquiescence. It means that the creditor will have to agree to your proposal through a debt consolidation company in reducing the amount of your debt.

Debt consolidation is more like a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy but without the protection of the Automatic Stay. Chapter 13 is partial discharge of debt because the debtor has dispos-able income that will fund a payment plan of 3 to 5 years of the portion of the debt.

Bankruptcy: Chapter 7In bankruptcy whether

Chapter 7 or 13 once a peti-tion is filed an order of stay is automatically issued. What that means is that all creditors cannot continue with their collection efforts such as telephone harassment, sending statement letters or collection suit.

In Debt Consolidation the creditors can continue to send statements or file collection suits in State Courts but they usually stop the harassing phone calls.

The disadvantage is that all the previous payments made to other creditors will be wasted if one creditor will sue you for non-payment of debt. This will force the debtor who has been trying to avoid at all cost to file for Bankruptcy to prevent a judgment on the collection suit. Remember bankruptcy has a stay order that prevents creditors from filing cases or from continu-ing with a pending case.

All the while the debtor is relying that all creditors will cooperate with the debt consolidation, so it can avoid filing for bankruptcy. Unfortu-nately since this is voluntary on the part of the creditor, anyone creditor can file suit if it feels doing so since there is no stay order to prevent them from doing that just like in Bankruptcy

At this time we can con-clude that Chapter 7 is best when a debtor lost his/her job because it will eliminate or extinguish unsecured debt.

Which is better Chapter 13 or Debt Consolidation?

Both appear to have the same purpose, rehabilitation of debtor by reducing the debt and paying by installment. Also it presumes that debtor has a disposable income to pay a portion of the debt un-like in Chapter 7 where the Debtor has very little or no income that elimination of debt is preferred.

Bankruptcy is a public pro-ceeding so anyone will know

you are in Bankruptcy. Since debt consolidation is a private matter it will not be in public records but only reflected on the credit report. But again the automatic stay will prevent any creditor from suing you while debt consolidation will not.

How will either one affect your credit report?

While undergoing debt consolidation your credit report will reflect all the debts not being paid but as soon as a debt or an account is paid the creditor usually removes any negative entries, which will end up with you having a very good credit record.

Bankruptcy on the other hand will be reflected in your credit report for the next 7 or 10 years. Will that pre-vent you from ever getting a good credit rating? Not at all because what is important is reestablishing ones credit record by paying outstand-ing debts or obligations in a timely manner. Examples are car loans and mortgage pay-ments on your house after you are discharged in Bankruptcy. My clients usually get an offer from a credit card company to open an account anywhere from 6 to 9 months from date of filing the petition or dis-charge.

Consult a bankruptcy at-torney who might be able to explain to you your options and to find out if you qualify for Chapter 7 or 13. At the Law Office we have been helping people get out of debt by availing of the fresh start for those who qualify under Chapter 7 or rehabilitation of debtor under Chapter 13 with-out fear of being sued by any creditor while in bankruptcy.

(We invite readers to set up their initial consultation with The Law Offices of A. Erwin Bautista. Atty. Bau-tista practices Immigration, Bankruptcy, Personal Injury, Family Law and Income Tax Preparation/Audit Representa-tion. Atty. Bautista obtained his law degree from Western State University, Fullerton, CA and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of the Philippines. You can reach him in Los Angeles at (213) 365 7690 at 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 2700, Los Angeles, CA 90010 or in San Diego at (619) 474 7755 at 550 E. 8th St., Ste. 11, National City, CA 91950)

Food for thoughtRead previous articles by visiting our website at www.asian-

journalusa.com


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My barber was at the People Power Revolution led by Cory Aquino and Jaime Cardinal Sin. He was one of those who answered a call to protest the fraudulent Presi-dential elections and to end the long oppressive dictato-rial regime of Marcos.

The call was also to rein-force the withdrawal of sup-port by General Fidel Ramos and Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and their fol-lowers in the military against the Marcos regime.

I was not at the historic revolution. I was here in the United States as an active offi cer of the Movement for a Free Philippines (MFP) portraying a different role in support of the revolution. More specifi cally, I was in Honolulu, Hawaii with the mission to convince then Consul-General Raul Rabe to defect and support the military faction of Ramos and Enrile and of course, the People Power Revolution. He did not need convincing. Even before I could see and

talk to him, he had already scheduled a press conference to announce his defection.

A lot of books and articles had been written about this historic event so no need for me to repeat them. What is worth remembering and “repeating it again and again once more for the nth time” is the courageous display and demonstration of desire and dedication by the Filipino people in the struggle against dictatorship to achieve de-mocracy.

This became a showcase for all countries that transi-tioned from dictatorial re-gimes to democratic govern-ments subsequently.

The case of Egypt, which is now a major candidate for a similar transition, would be a quick study. Political ana-lysts would say that the dem-onstrations and rallies would have to continue and grow in numbers to display the people’s will and desire for freedom. A well-disciplined and trained military would have to eventually withdraw

People Power in the Philippines

From D (Dictatorship) to D (Democracy) by D (Demonstration)

and D (Display), of D (Desire) and D (Dedication)

People Power in Egypt

its support to the dictator and side with the Egyptian peo-ple. The United States which has been heavily funding and training the Egyptian military must also clearly signal to the latter that the “Pharaoh must let the people go.” The free world should and would support such a transition by quickly recognizing the new Egyptian government orga-nized with the consent of the governed.

Deposing the dictator-ship is actually only the fi rst part of a long and usually uncertain democratic future. A Constitutional framework of governance would have to be established; clean, fair and democratic elections would have to be held; and an honest, humble and honor-able leadership would have to deal with the high hopes of the Egyptian people. Many would have high expecta-tions and some would be easy to please. Defi nitely, many would be disappointed. The silver lining is, that every-body would have this various set of feelings FREELY.

***

My barber tells me about a customer of his who was an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) who came from the Middle East. He saved so much to be able to build a new house, buy a VCR, a TV and a Video Camera. Notice-able despite his relative lack of education was his regained confi dence especially on the geography of the Middle East where he was assigned for many years.

My barber asked him, “Can you tell us about Egypt, Iraq and Iran?”

The OFW answered with utmost confi dence still with his native accent, “E-Jeep is not a car. Neither is it a bus. E-Rock is not a small stone. E-Ran is not e-Walk.”

When asked about the Kuwait-Iraq War, the OFW also confi dently said that Iraq would eventually win over Kuwait. “Why?”

The OFW replied, “Like Manuel Uy, a Kuwaiter never wins, a Winner never Ku-waits.”

***

We now know the role of the United States in eventu-ally freeing Kuwait from the

invading Iraqis. “Why did Iraq decide to

invade and keep Kuwait in the fi rst place?” again the OFW was asked.

Now venturing into a diffi cult foreign policy, he went ahead and gave his own historical interpretation of the event leading to the invasion.

A White House briefi ng regarding the Middle East for several Arab diplomats was being held. According to the OFW, the Iraqi diplomat kept interrupting the briefi ng and discussions. This prompted the White House Middle East expert to shout, “KEEP QUIET” which the Iraqi dip-lomat understood as “KEEP KUWAIT.”

A call was made to Sadd-am Hussein immediately letting him know that the

United States had given the GO SIGNAL.

My barber was taking it from an OFW!

***

Egypt’s President Muba-rak, his ardent supporters, the Egyptian military, the Egyp-tian people and the free world are looking for a clear signal from the United States. His-tory is being re-written and re-played. The U.S. must be on the right side of history.

The formula for a similar situation has been available and tested a number of times. From D (Dictatorship) to D (Democracy), by D (Demon-stration) and D (Display), of D (Desire) and D (Dedica-tion), expect no D (Defeat)!

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Street Poetry

Read about Michael’s upcoming book of poems “Crushed Violets” by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Michael R. Tagudin

©2010 Michael R. Tagudin. All rights reserved. About the Author: Michael R. Tagudin Educated as an engineer in the Philippines, the City of Los Angeles employee hopes his legacy of poems will provoke a dialogue about the human condition. He is donating the proceeds from the book “Crushed Violets” to the “Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Traffi cking (CAST)”, a non-profi t that provides public awareness and advocacy efforts against human traffi cking in the City of Angels. To learn more, visit www.castla.org. To help, call the CAST 24 hour hotline 888.KEY.2.FRE(EDOM) or 888.539.2373. Contact [email protected] for more information about ordering the book “Crushed Violets.”

life is just a dreamwhen i wake upeverything...will be meaningless!new year!new life!i will celebrate...and be liberated...through my actions...man as i am!

Just A Dream

SAN DIEGO, CA, 2/11/2011 – San Diego will be experiencing a cultural festival in recognition of Asian Pacifi c American Heritage Month at the second annual Asian Cul-tural Festival of San Diego, taking place on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at the NTC Park at Liber-ty Station in Point Loma. This festival will unite the Asian communities of San Diego in celebration of the diversity of Asian and Pacifi c Islander cul-tures, ethnicities, and peoples in San Diego!

All are welcomed to this festival, which will showcase a main stage of entertainment featuring contemporary, cul-tural and traditional acts; and two other performance areas – one focusing on martial arts and cultural dances, and the other on cooking demos with samples of these cultural cui-sines!

A returning highlight is our Culture Row – our coun-try/cultural exhibits with fun educational facts and cultural displays showing the beauty of

Martial Arts, Cultural Performances, Cooking Demos, and more at Asian Cultural Festival

the countries of Asia. Includ-ing Japan, Thailand, China, Myanmar, Vietnam, and more, this will be a memorable and interactive area where people can learn more about these countries.

In addition to the entertain-ment and culture, this festival will have a kid’s area with crafts, such as calligraphy and origami. A fun, free, and fami-ly-oriented event, there will be something there for everyone!

Please contact us at [email protected] or visit www.asianculturalfestivalsd.com for more information or to get involved with the Asian Cultural Festival of San Diego. We are currently accepting sponsors, vendors, performers, advertisers, and volunteers. All forms are on our website.

Presented by the National Asian American Coalition, a 501(c)3 nonprofi t organiza-tion, and produced by Silk Road Productions, this will be a major community event in celebration of Asian Heritage Month.

San Diego to celebrate Asian Heritage Month at 2nd Annual Asian Cultural Festival


aliens especially prior foreign spouses.

Regarding large dis-parity of age, I’ve noticed that it’s more acceptable when it’s the man who is much older. I’ve seen cases that were approved when the man was ten to twenty years older than the woman. But many cases were disapproved when it’s the other way around. Same is true with physical appear-ance. It’s acceptable when the man is much taller than the woman, but not the other way around.

Additional factors not listed about that may raise red flags are divorces and marriages done in Las Vegas. Unless one of the parties in the divorce proceedings can prove that he or she actu-ally lived and worked in Las Vegas before the divorce was filed, the AO is most likely to deny the adjustment of status based on a finding that the marriage was not valid because the divorce in Las Vegas was not valid. When the couple is called back for a second interview, it is highly likely that they will undergo a marriage fraud interview. It is important they prepare thor-oughly before the interview. If the AO asked something that was not taken during the preparation, do not be

How to avoid a finding of sham or fraudulent marriage

nervous. Answer the ques-tions truthfully. It is better to answer “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember” than to guess or fabricate an answer. Pay attention to activities and events the weekend and days before the interview. Refrain from talking about or proving details beyond what is asked. Also, try to avoid making it appear that the marriage is perfect. The AO expects the couple to remember impor-tant events and dates such as: wedding date, date of pro-posal, and where and how the proposal was done, how did the couple celebrate Christ-mas, birthdays, New Year’s day, Thanksgiving, etc. The AO asks about work sched-ule. The couple is expected to know each other’s work schedule, salary and other de-tails of the job such as name of employer, location and nature. The key to a success-ful interview is preparation. But no matter how hard you prepare, if you’re lying about something it will likely come up.

We welcome your feed-back. If you have any im-migration questions, please feel welcome to email me at [email protected] or call 619 819 -8648 to arrange for a telephone con-sultation.

Seminary Valentine

(619) 474-0588

(Continued from page 7)

Please forgive me if I would appear to be a Catho-lic basher in this article. I am not. I simply want to relate an episode in my life which would probably help explain an ongoing phenomenon where some Catholic priests are now in pedophilic cases which could be shaking the very foundations of the Chris-tian sect.

Let me begin by saying that I thought I heard a call right after graduating from grade six. It was my first time to be in a beach.

The expanse of the sea ini-tially overwhelmed me. The sand which tickled and singed my toes and which glittered with tiny sparkles uplifted my spirit. The whizzing wind that made the coconut leaves swish reminded me in whis-pers about the wonder of creation.

The day progressed with me leaping with the waves as they broke into roaring splashes. I romped, evading the chasing waters as they arched unto the shore before drawing back to the sea. I erected towers of sand that toppled over time with the lapping waters.

After some time, I just sat by the shore with the water just caressing my feet.

The sight of the bound-less horizons began to rattle my soul beyond its core. The lapping of the roaring waves on the sands also seemed to

begin whispering a message I did not initially understand and cared about.

As the day closed, how-ever, as the placidness of darkness slew what remained of the sunlight in spite of its slicing still through the clouds, a booming voice whis-pered silently unto my heart. As we had dinner along the beach, the stars that blanketed the skies twinkled like send-ing throbbing messages into my heart along with the now gentle splashing of the break-ing waters along the sands.

Nature tells us all and I heard and I decided that it was God who was whispering loudly to me, not only to my soul but to my whole being.

For the first time in my life, I proved to myself that what I learned from Catechism in school is true. Who else would have created the vast-ness of the ocean, making its tongues splash on the shore? Who else would have painted the glorious sunset in the sky with brushstrokes placing the clouds precisely where they were to break the remaining rays of the sun into dimen-sions of hues of orange, red, and gold? Who else would have peppered the skies of the night with all those twinkling stars?

When wåe reached home from the beach, I told my mother and father, “I want to be a priest.”

As the Bamboos Sway

Read Rudy Liporada’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Rudy D. Liporada

“Would you be my Valen-tine?”

So, at an early age I en-tered a so called minor semi-nary ran by Flemish priests and where one began at high-school and upon graduation in college could already be a priest. I was then entering my puberty without even hairs to my manhood.

Housed in a dormitory of all boys, classes started in June. Eights months later, on the first week of February, a senior seminarian approached me and, holding my hand, said “Would you be my Valen-tine?”

I thought he was kidding but I was still kind of shock. No, he did not grope me or anything but he started giv-ing me candies, cookies, and chocolates – things given by his relatives when they came to visit – things that should have been submitted to a common slush gift collection to be distributed by the priest storekeeper to all seminarians. This senior pinched those gifts for me for he considered me a special someone.

I never thought of that se-nior again after he graduated and I went on to be in my sec-ond year high-school. I never thought of it then but the pinching of gifts among all of us, I later realized, evolved in us a kind of selfishness which was untoward in becoming selfless on the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

My Other Questions

Moreover, I began to ques-tion why the foreign priests who were our directors had different food on their tables. I had wondered, why are the Flemish priests’ food different from ours? Why is their coffee not soggy like ours? Is it be-cause they are priests? Priests who are white? Because they have a different culture of

eating that they could not content themselves with the food served to us? Is it be-cause we are being prepared for our vow of poverty or are we just Filipinos? But those Flemish priests must have also been prepared for their vow of poverty. So why do they now feast on apples, juice, and non soggy coffee and we do not? Didn’t Jesus Christ share the same enliven bread and fish with his apostles?

I must have been young and simplistic then. Yet such inequities dealt some dents on my respect for these priests who even yelled at us when we did have some, to me, simple infractions like gig-gling in the hallways.

The most telling incident that drove me out of the seminary, however, was when I was cleaning a director’s room. See, we seminarians were also cleaning the chapel, the dining room, the library, etc. Anyway, while assigned to this priest’s room, under his mattress, I unearthed a Play-boy Magazine.

That was it for me. I may have been called among the many but I refused to be cho-sen. I also stopped going to a Catholic church for masses except on occasions – to attend friends’ weddings, bap-tisms, and funerals. I stopped receiving Holy Communion for I wondered what those priest’s hands which distrib-ute those hosts reached, held and climaxed with the night before.

I do not generalize that all priests are bad. One of them taught me how to sing by using my diaphragm. Another, engrossed me into writing. Nonetheless, he who had yelled at me; he who had that Playboy Magazine – and appeared pious during the concentration of masses, I branded to be hypocrites.

Later on, I respected the priests who had left their cas-

socks in order to marry. To me, they had found the path of honesty. Later on, when all those issues about the pedo-philes surfaced and how the hierarchy promoted or trans-ferred the sinners instead of punishing them, I kept mutter-ing to myself: how could so many still follow them, still believe in them?

Hello!!! Valentines is for lovers,

even gay or lesbian lovers.Not for those who cam-

ouflage their preying spirits within the mantle to the cross even though they may also be part of creation.

Amen.


Laughing MatterRead previous articles by visiting our website at www.asian-

journalusa.com

Yan ang tunay na Pinoy. Maski san mo itapon o kanino mo iharap, walang takot at handang makipaglaban.

Kaya nga, nagkalat na tayo sa buong mundo. Maski saang sulok ng mundo, may Pinoy.

PERFECT EXAMPLE OF LAKAS NG LOOB...

Bill Gates organized an enormous session to recruit a new Chairman for Microsoft Europe.

5000 candidates assembled in a large room.

One candidate was MA-RIO DIMAYUGA.

Bill Gates: “Thank you for coming. Those who do not know JAVA may leave.” (for those no computer savvy: JAVA is a computer program-ming language)

2,000 people left the room.MARIO said to himself, “I

do not know JAVA but I have nothing to lose if I stay. I’ll give it a try.”

Bill Gates: “Candidates who never had experience of managing more than 100 people may leave.”

2000 people left the room.Mario said to himself, “I

never managed anybody but

Lakas ng loob ng Pinoy, maski anong trabaho papasukin

myself but I have nothing to lose if I stay.

What can happen to me?” So he stayed.

Bill Gates: “Candidates who do not have management diplomas may leave.”

500 people left the room.Mario said to himself, “I

left school at 15 but what have I got to lose?” So he stayed in the room.

Lastly, Bill Gates asked the candidates who do not speak Serbo- Croat to leave.

498 people left the room.Mario says to himself,

“I do not speak one word of Serbo-Croat but what do I have to lose?”

So he stayed and found himself with one other candi-date.

Everyone else had gone.Bill Gates joined them and

said “Apparently you two are the only candidates who speak Serbo-Croat, so I’d now like to hear you converse in that language.”

Calmly, Mario turned to the other candidate and said, “Kumusta ka, pare ko.”

The other candidate an-swered, “Mabuti naman, ikaw?”

"Zumba is the name of a dance fitness program, created by dancer and choreographer Alberto ("Beto") Perez in Colombia during the 1990s. Zumba was marketed by entrepreneur Alberto Perlman,who made the concept popular through dance classes as well as branded merchandise The program combines Latin and international music with dance in an effort to make exercise fun. Zumba classes are offered through licensed instructors in more than 90,000 fitness center locations in 110 countries with ten million participants"

SAN DIEGO, Calif., Janu-ary 27 – Following the certifi-cation of an estimated 42,054 signatures, Walmart today urged local officials to repeal the city’s big-box ordinance and allow the company to move forward with an effort aimed at creating jobs, im-proving access to fresh and affordable food, particularly in underserved communities, and stimulating economic de-velopment across the city. The plan - which is dependent on the retailer’s ability to open a wide range of formats includ-ing large stores - includes the following key components:

· Create about one dozen projects of varying size and format across the city. This will provide customers with more convenient access to affordable groceries, par-ticularly those living in areas without access to fresh and affordable food;

· Generate approximately 1,100 associate positions and 300 construction jobs, helping to offset the city’s 10.1 per-cent unemployment rate;

· Encourage the use of minority contractors and lo-cal suppliers by requiring the selected general contractor to set a goal of awarding at least 20 percent of the work on projects to qualified minority-owned businesses and wom-en-owned businesses;

· Continue to serve as a leader on sustainability by working towards achieving the company’s environmental goals of being supplied by 100 percent renewable energy, creating zero landfill waste and selling products that sus-tain our environment;

· Develop charitable part-nerships in San Diego worth $8 million that will work to end hunger, increase work-force development and help San Diego residents live bet-ter, particularly those located in underserved communities; and

· Pay competitive wages at all levels for Walmart associ-ates across San Diego.

“Customers should have the opportunity to choose for themselves where they shop,” said Kimberly Sentovich, senior vice president for Walmart. “We can make a real difference in San Diego by bringing new jobs to the area. Moreover, as a result of our new healthier foods initiative,

Walmart Announces Plan to Increase Store Growth Over Five Years and Create 1,400 Jobs in the City of San Diego

Plan dependent on ability to open wide range of store sizes, including large format

Walmart is uniquely posi-tioned to bring San Diego cus-tomers nutritious, affordable product offerings, particularly to those living in the city’s underserved communities.”

With more than 140 mil-lion customer visits each week, Walmart plans to make food healthier and more af-fordable to everyone. This was underscored at an an-nouncement last week in Washington D.C. with First Lady Michelle Obama where Walmart unveiled a compre-hensive effort. More informa-tion can be found at www.walmartstores.com/healthier-foods.

The healthier foods ini-tiative is one of the many benefits Walmart brings to a community. The company has a model for making a differ-ence that works. Through the company’s sustainability com-mitment, Walmart has used innovation to conserve en-ergy, reduce waste, and bring more affordable, sustainable products to the market. And, Walmart has taken that same approach when introducing an innovative Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, co-branded with Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), that provides significant savings on monthly plan premiums and prescrip-tion medicine copayments and cost-shares for Medicare ben-eficiaries, including seniors and people with disabilities.

“We see an opportunity and a responsibility to be an advocate for the families we serve, on the issues that are important to them,” Sentovich added. “We want to work with city leaders to serve San Diego residents, helping our shoppers save money and live better. Now is the time to do what is best for San Diego, and that includes repealing the big-box ordinance.”

Walmart has consistently

opposed the ordinance on the basis that it limits consumer choice. San Diego residents agree and have expressed their opinion loud and clear. In fact, Walmart collected 53,948 voter signatures in 18 days, nearly 65 percent more signatures required in almost half of the allotted time. Wal-mart has been clear that their investment plans are depen-dent on the company’s ability to build stores of all sizes.

“Walmart’s plans to in-vest in San Diego will cre-ate job opportunities for our residents, stimulate our local economy and provide badly needed shopping options in underserved communities,” said Mayor Jerry Sanders. “I urge the City Council to repeal this de facto ban and restore consumer choice to San Diegans.”

“I am hopeful my City Council colleagues will fol-low my lead and overturn this misguided measure,” said San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer. “Our city could certainly use the added sales tax revenue and the thousands of jobs Walmart would bring, and it’s clear to just about everyone now that most San Diegans want to decide where they shop. Walmart would bring more access to affordable groceries and other items at a time when San Diegans need it the most.”

“We on the City Council should support efforts to grow our labor force and increase tax revenues; that is exactly what this proposal by Wal-mart will do. I look forward to putting this issue to rest once and for all, repealing this unfair ordinance and getting back to the work of the people who elected us,” said Coun-cilmember Carl DeMaio.

“As a former small busi-ness owner, I know all too well the challenges facing businesses today,” said Coun-cilmember Lorie Zapf. “As elected officials, we should do our part to promote busi-ness growth – not deter it. I applaud Walmart for stepping forward with this proposal, and I look forward to helping these efforts get underway by voting to repeal the big box ordinance.”

Additionally, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation plans to commit $8 million over the next five years to San Diego organizations that help those in need. “Across the nation, the Walmart Foundation seeks to help build communities by tackling needs such as hun-ger, education and job train-ing – and we will continue that challenge in San Diego,” added Sentovich. “We can make a big difference support-

ing causes that are important to our customers and our as-sociates.”

About Walmart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) or “Walmart,” serves customers and mem-bers more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,800 retail units under 59 dif-ferent banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Walmart em-ploys more than 2 million as-sociates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in For-tune Magazine’s 2010 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com and on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Walmart. Online merchandise sales are avail-able at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.

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776,016 reads

LifestyleRead J’Son’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.

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by Joe Son

Generally speaking about word like love, we always associate these as a strong and deep feeling of attachment, great affection or maybe passionate attraction and an ardent affection especially for one of the opposite sex and for romance as a romantic act or experience. Contrary to these perceptions, it doesn’t need any special day or month, if one will regard love as fondness like love of books, love for mankind in general or merciful attitude toward and individ-ual, and romance as a work of fiction stressing and incident. A dreamy mental condition with imag-inings or maybe a falsehood.

Most of us really do not know the origin of St. Valen-tines with his relation to love and romance. What we know since our adolescence and puberty and the days of our puppy loves that Valentines Day is another special day associated with love and ro-mance, gift giving, Cupid and his bow and arrow, valentines card, red heart, flower and chocolate. No one really cares if this a myth or fact, it is practically accepted as a leg-

February... month of love and romance!

endary belief and tradition and practiced around the world by young and old Christians and non-Christians.

Thus, February 14 is noted as Valentines Day, a day for lovers. Where St. Valentines, became the Patron Saint who died as a martyr because of his defiance to the Roman monarch’s decree, banning

marriage for Ro-man soldiers.

His-torically, it began to be annually observed

by young Romans who

offered hand-written greetings

of affection to the women they admired.

With the advent of Chris-tianity, the day came to be

known as St. Valentines Day. It was believed though, that St. Valentines Day became definitely associated with love and romance when one historian in medieval France and England noted that Febru-ary 14 is the birds and fouls mating day. Making images of birds as symbols of lovers in poems and stories, and relat-ing February as the mating season of birds and fouls.

Since the middle ages, Valentine became as popular as to become one of the most

popular saints in England and France. Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanc-tify the holiday, the associa-tion of Valentines Day with love and romance continued through and the holiday evolved over the centuries. Middle eastern historians also noted that during this time a certain Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke, a gradu-ate and native of Worcester, Massachusetts is considered as the mother of Valentine. She created the first American Valentines Day greeting cards. It was nit until 1840’s that Valentines Day greetings card were commercially produced.

Today, Valentines Day is one of the major holidays in the Philippines and the US and has become a booming commercial success. Valen-tines card business tops in all cards sent compared to other type of social cards includ-ing birthdays, weddings, get well and anniversaries during the calendar year. Most of the Valentines Day cards on the market today are designed with hearts to symbolize love. The Valentines Day card spread with Christianity, and is now widely celebrated globally.

My Happy Valentines greetings to Linda Culligan and her escort. Ms. Linda Culligan is this year’s Miss Valentines 2011 of San Diego Samahan Seniors at FAVA Hall in Market St., San Di-ego. Her excellency will be crowned as Miss Valentines 2011 on February 11, 2011, Friday, as advance annual Valentines Day celebration of PASSCO. After the corona-tion and presenting the sash and trophies, her royal court’s entourage will immediately follow. Come one, come all and join the fun with karaoke songs, dance and food. Happy Valentines Day!

A bouncing, baby hippo was born today (Wednesday, January 26, 2011) at the San Diego Zoo in front of about a hundred Zoo guests. Two okapis from the adjacent exhibit also strained to watch the event through a fence. The crowd had gathered during the two-hour labor of mother Funani. At 11:30 a.m., Fu-nani backed into the pool in her enclosure and soon a baby hippo, known as a calf, popped up in the water beside her.

The crowd that had been urging her to “Push! Push!” gasped and cheered. Tears poured from the eyes of Karen Grupe, a visitor from Wis-consin. Her husband, Keith Grupe, said the family, which included three children, had waited an hour at the exhibit for this moment.

“You saw her (Funani) fidgeting and fidgeting and all the sudden there was a baby in the water with her,” he said. “It’s the coolest thing you could ever see.”

His daughter, 10-year-old Rachel Grupe, gasped: “I cant wait to go home and tell my friends I saw a hippopotamus born!”

The birth is something San Diego Zoo keepers have been hoping for. Two years ago, male hippo Otis, 36, came from the Los Angeles Zoo to meet Funani, 26, at the

San Diego welcomes the birth of Baby HippoTears and cheers erupt among Zoo guests watching as birth happens before their eyes

San Diego Zoo. There were fireworks right away as the Hollywood hippo and Funani, who had been in the ex-hibit for more than a decade, struggled for dominance. But after a cooling-off period and re-introduction, they became an affectionate couple. Otis

recently garnered national attention when a photo of him “smiling” went viral.

Keepers began to see breeding between the two in April 2010. Typically, a hippo’s gestation period lasts 8 months. Otis was taken off exhibit a few weeks ago because he has not fathered a calf at the San Diego Zoo and keepers did not know how he would react to a newborn. Funani is an experienced mother who had three babies with Jabba, the previous male hippo in the exhibit. Otis came to the Zoo in hopes of diversifying the hippo popula-tion.

“Since June 2010, Fu-nani has gained about 300 pounds,” said Matt Akel, a San Diego Zoo animal care supervisor. At this point, the calf has not been named,

keepers do not know its sex, and there are no plans for whether it will stay at the Zoo after it is weaned or be moved to another zoo for breeding purposes.

The hippopotamus is listed as vulnerable by the Interna-tional Union for Conservation

of Nature, known as the IUCN. The primary threats to hippos are illegal and unregulated hunting for meat and ivory (found in the canine teeth) and habitat loss. Hippos can still be found in a number of countries in sub-Saharan

Africa.The 100-acre San Di-

ego Zoo is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats. The organization focuses on con-servation and research work around the globe, educates millions of individuals a year about wildlife and maintains accredited horticultural, ani-mal, library and photo collec-tions. The Zoo also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo Safari Park (histori-cally referred to as the Wild Animal Park), which includes a 900-acre native species reserve, and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. The important con-servation and science work of these entities is supported in part by The Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego.


The mother who had just delivered a baby became a missing person. The hospital’s quiet maternity ward turned into chaos. The nurses and helpers were frantic and con-fused. The mother had hardly rested and she had already left. The other patients heard what was going on and started to worry.

The baby who the mother left behind was crying un-controllably; a nurse came to calm it down. She picked up the baby from the crib, hugged it and began sway-ing it to sleep. She noticed that the baby in her arms became bigger and heavier. She thought of pushing the baby away so she could see it better, perhaps, push it to the wall or to the floor, but she had no chance to do much. The baby’s hands were clutch-ing her neck. Its appearance changed into that of a mon-ster. Black, sharp hair similar to that of the pig’s popped out of the skin, the eyes became red and menacing, and long, sharp claws stuck out of the fingers. The nurse did not have even a chance to scream. When she was discovered, she was already dead, lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Her face and chest looked like a piece of meat that was cut into slices with a sharp cleaver.

The policemen who re-sponded to the call could not readily explain what had hap-pened. A mother who had just delivered went missing and the baby she delivered became missing, too. The baby, ac-cording to hearsay, had killed the nurse.

In the meantime, in a vil-lage called Lagrimas, a wom-an with long hair, who looked very tired, had just gotten off a tricycle. While she was getting off, another passenger, Fr. Robert, was preparing to board the same tricycle. His friends were bidding him farewell and good luck on his next assignment. The head of the church who was in charge of Lagrimas had decided to close the chapel for good and reassign the priest somewhere else. The church attendance was very poor.

From afar, Tata Pepe, the village medicine man, could see from his window what was going on.

“Gunding, the priest is leaving,” he told his wife. “The chapel is definitely go-ing to be abandoned. I’m sure

The Extraordinary Trait of the TiyanakShort story by Percival Campoamor Cruz

the bad spirits will have a heyday.”

“Virgin of Lagrimas have mercy! Pepe, I wish you were wrong. . . . Gunding reacted.

That evening the wind was blowing hard. Inclement weather was forming; perhaps a storm was on its way. Pepe and Gunding could hear the chapel door banging on the wall due to the strong winds; Fr. Robert left it unlocked.

“Pepe, come with me, let’s check it out,” Gunding sum-moned her husband.

The couple walked the grassy path going to the chapel. They saw the chapel door swinging back and forth and making loud thuds as it slammed on the wall. The rusty hinges were also mak-ing an eerie sound. It was pitch dark inside the chapel. The couple could hardly see the small statue of the Virgin standing by the altar. The wind could tip the statue off its pedestal and cause it to break on the ground.

“Pepe, let’s bring the Virgin home. She needs to be cared for in the meantime that a priest is not available.”

“It’s up to you, Gunding.”On that moonless night, the

couple took careful steps go-ing back to their house, now carrying the image of the Vir-gin like cradling a baby. Their clothes and scarves were be-ing blown by the wind. Walk-ing the short distance to their house became a struggle. At a distance a dog was howling, intensifying the eeriness of the moment.

In another house, a mother and her daughter were having dinner; they were Ka Dolor and Veronica. The latter ar-rived from Manila that af-ternoon. Veronica had lived in Manila to attend college. To Ka Dolor, her unexpected arrival at Lagrimas was a foreboding of some sort.

Veronica was lovely. She had a brownish skin and a very friendly face. Twenty five years old, more or less, she was of medium build. Her most recognizable feature was a little black mole below the left eye. According to her mother, she took after the Vir-gin of Lagrimas, the image of the Mother of Jesus that had a drop of tear under the left eye. The patroness of Lagrimas and the holy image that the couple Pepe and Gunding had taken home from the aban-doned chapel.

Ka Dolor could sense that her daughter had a problem. She looked tired and worried.

“I’m going back to school, Mother, in a few days. We are on a break so I took the oppor-tunity to see you,” Veronica told her mother.

“Thank you for thinking of me, dear daughter. Let’s go to the farm tomorrow. There are still mangoes to be picked . . . I just wish the weather will cooperate,” Ka Dolor said.

In all probability the visit to the farm would not mate-rialize. As they were having the conversation, the wind was gusty outside and rolls of thunder coming from a dis-tance could be heard faintly, both foreboding of a coming storm.

There was another rea-son that would stymie the visit to the farm, an incident that occurred that night. At past midnight, Ka Dolor was awakened by growls coming from Veronica’s room. She thought Veronica was having a nightmare. She arose from bed and went to see the daughter, in the meantime, calling her name: “Veronica, Veronica, wake up!”

“Get away from me,” Veronica answered in a voice that was deep and manly, and so cold it could make some-one’s hair stand on end.

Veronica, obviously, was not her true self. She looked like she was having a convul-sion - the lips were crooked and the eyes were rolling. It was hard to tell if she was awake or asleep. She was squirming and kicking in bed.

“None of your business!” another unsettling word came out of Veronica’s mouth in reference to the mother, “Don’t get near me!”

Ka Dolor was trembling with fear but still she managed to hug her daughter. She felt an intense heat coming from Veronica’s body. Veronica pushed her mother away with such force that she slammed on the wall.

Ka Dolor panicked. She ran to Tata Pepe’s house and asked for help.

When Tata Pepe saw Veronica, he knew right away what was going on. He started praying in a loud manner, at the same time, shoving a cru-cifix at Veronica’s face. After a while, Veronica calmed down and fell asleep.

“A bad spirit had taken over her body, Ka Dolor. Let

her sleep, I’ll be back in the morning so I can have a talk with her,” Tata Pepe said.

Another unexpected visitor had just arrived in Lagrimas. He was Balthazar, investigator of the Manila Police. He was assigned to solve the heinous crime that occurred at the hos-pital. Balthazar knew that the mother who disappeared from the hospital after giving birth to a baby had something to do with the killing of the nurse. He found out that the miss-ing woman lived in Lagrimas. This was the reason he was presently at the village.

Tata Pepe requested Ka Dolor to leave Veronica and him alone so they could talk in private. Then, Veronica confided to Tata Pepe every-thing that had happened:

She was alone at the dor-mitory when one evening a strange man suddenly showed up inside her room. “I’m sure I locked the door so I had no idea how he got in. His words were very powerful and I don’t know what other charm he used to seduce me. I was too weak to resist, I was in the middle of a dream and a state of wakefulness.”

“Tata Pepe, the man made love to me. I knew he was a stranger but I could not resist,” Veronica admitted, and tears began rolling down her cheeks. . . “As a result, I became pregnant and eventu-ally delivered a baby. I did not have the courage to take the baby with me. I left the hospital, told no one, without the baby. I remember that in previous nights before the man mysteriously appeared in my room, I was experiencing unusual episodes of sweat-ing and uneasiness in bed, of sensual dreams . . .”

Tata Pepe advised Ve-ronica to wear a rosary around her neck that had a crucifix. “Whenever you feel that you’re losing control of your-self, recite this prayer that I am about to give you.”

“Tata Pepe, please don’t tell my mother . . .”

When Tata Pepe came back to his house, there was a visitor waiting for him – a tall man, a man from the city for sure basing on his fair com-plexion. He was well-built and wore a moustache. “I am Lieutenant Balthazar, detec-tive, Manila Police, the visitor introduced himself.

He continued on, “An as-signment brought me to your door. I am told by your neigh-bors that you’re some kind of an adviser in this village. I am looking for a female person going by the name of Veron-

ica dela Paz.” And the detec-tive gave Tata Pepe a sum-mary of what had happened at the Calalang General Hospital in Manila.

“In my opinion, Veronica dela Paz is the killer. How could a newly-born baby be capable of killing a nurse?” the detective said in very cer-tain terms.

“You know nothing about the Tiyanak. Let me educate you, gthen: Around us there are different spirits. There are times that these spirits want to experience being humans like us. The Victoria you are talking about was raped by a powerful spirit and begot the pitiful Virgin a child. Tiyanak is the result of the union be-tween a female human being and a bad spirit. The Tiyanak looks like a human baby and makes sounds similar to the sounds made by a human baby; surely, it can win affec-tion – and very quickly it can change into a different form – an entity with claws, fangs, wrinkled skin with pig hair standing on it; a “baby” that suddenly grows bigger and heavier. It could walk, with one foot limping, like an old man. It could also be that the Tiyanak was in the womb and the mother died before it was born. The mother was bur-ied under the ground and the Tiyanak burrowed itself out of the grave.”

Balthazar seemed stunned at the explanation of the vil-lage medicine man. He was figuring whether the man re-ally knew what he was talking about or he just had a wild imagination.

“Your gun, my friend, is useless against the Tiyanak or his father, a powerful, bad spirit. Better have a silver bul-let. Then, coming to this place would be worth the effort. In the meantime, take this bag of garlic – the Tiyanak can’t stand garlic – but again, you can only get the Tiyanak through a silver bullet,” Tata Pepe was very insistent.

The detective hurriedly asked permission to leave, sweat forming on his fore-head. On the way to his car, he dumped the bag of garlic in a trash can.

Veronica planned on leav-ing for Manila the following day. She thought of stopping by the chapel to pay respects to the Virgin of Lagrimas. She was surprised to see that the chapel door was wide open and it was dark inside. Leaves blown in by the wind were all over the floor. She went in, knelt and prayed, anyway.

Someone suddenly grabbed her by the wrists and dragged her toward a post. Her hands were wrapped around the post and then locked in a handcuff.

“Your running away is

over, Veronica,” said the man whose identity could not be ascertained in the dark.

“Look at the baby you abandoned – see how it be-comes upset with you,” the mysterious man was threaten-ing.

“Merciful Virgin of Lagri-mas, help me, please!” uttered Veronica.

“The power in this church is gone. Power is nowhere in this building, nowhere in this village. No priest, no Virgin, no holy crucifix. I, the prince of darkness, now owns this village,” the man said in a booming voice.

The baby made soft whim-pers that grew into raspy growls, similar to that of a dog about to attack. The baby enlarged at the wink of an eye and became a Tiyanak. It was going for Veronica’s neck.

Veronica made the loudest scream she could make and it tore the silence of the night.

Then four gunshots from a rifle were heard. Veronica saw her captor fall and the Tiyanak, too.

Tata Pepe appeared with a rifle in his hand, the barrel still smoking. Gunding also appeared with a torch in her hand.

Gunding brought the torch closer to the bodies lying on the floor. They saw Balthazar, the man who made-believe he was a policeman, and the other one, an old man who had a wrinkled face.

Tata Pepe brought along the image of the Virgin of Lagrimas. He put the image before the two bodies lying on the floor. He knew they were evil. In a quick second, the image of the Virgin caused the entities to burn and disappear into the air as a black smoke.

Veronica made her trip back to Manila the following day. On the Sunday after she left, the villagers opened the chapel once again and rein-stalled the Virgin of Lagrimas at the altar. The chapel was cleaned up, the lights were put back on. The villagers became prayerful and invoked that the bad spirits would not come again; that the Virgin would watch and protect them, and bring peace and quiet to the village. If a permanent priest could not live with them, the villagers would have a priest available to say mass, at least, every Sunday.

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Read Romeo Nicolas’s previous poems by vis-iting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

Ni Romeo Nicolas

Mga Tulang Tagalog

PABAONKay lawak ng nasasakop nitong “BIG TIME” na kurapsyon,Na kay daming mga SANGAng tumatambad satin ngayon.Turo dito, turo doon, kay dami ng PINUPUKOL,Eh! Sino ang pasimuno sa lumobong mga bukol?

Tunay ngayong lumalabas ang uri ng politika,Sa bayan ko at bayan mong sa KURAPSYON, sobra-sobra.Wala silang KAHIHIYAN kapag sama’y BINULGAR na,Ang sisihan abot-abot, idadamay, ‘sang KATERBA.

Paano ba susugpuin ang SUNOG na walang LIYAB?UMIINIT na ang APOY, DALDALAN pa’t puro DAKDAK .NASAAN ang magigiting, sa “CORRUPTION”, sumasabak?O, Baka naman pati kayo, sangkot na ring MASISIBAK?

Ako’y awa sa kay P’NOY, sa dinami ng problema,Sa pagusad ay kay bagal, puro na lang ang UMPISA.Sa problemang dumaragdag, paano ba, paano ba?May sapat bang paglalagyang sa SAMA ay mabuhay pa?

Ang totoo naman ngayon, kahit sino ang umupo,Ang mangulo sating bansa, kanya-kanya ng PAKULO.Ganyan tayong mga Pinoy, basta KUWARTA, lumiliko,Sa diretsong mga daan, “ZIG-ZAG” pa rin ang syang tungo.

Paano kung matapos na ang termino ng Pangulo,May pagasa pa kayang ang KURAPSYON ay mabago?Kayo na nga ang sumagot, kumbinsihin naman ako,Na ‘di tayo MALULUNOD kung dumating ang DELUBYO.

Batikos No. 7Romeo S. Nicolas1/31/2011

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Suko hanggang langit ang galit ang Tita Swarding kay Cristy Fermin, nagbabala pa nga siya na kapag nagkita sila sa isang showbiz affair e baka masampal daw niya ang host ng “Juicy”.

Saan ba nagsimula ang galit nito ng sikat ng Showbiz Announcer ng DZRH? Ang alam kasi namin ay tungkol ito sa kanilang parehong pi-nasusulatan na Pinoy Parazzi, pinatatanggal diumano ni Cristy si Tita Swarding sa nasabing tabloid , ayon sa sumbong ng isang staff doon mismo kay Tita.Pero hindi lang pala nag-ugat ang lahat tungkol dito ,marami pa raw na dahilan kaya galit na galit si Tita kay Ate Cristy.

Dati pala nung nasa ICU si Tita sa isang hospital humingi pala ng tulong ito para sa pagbabayad ng bill, at isa sa nalapitan ng dating asawa ni Tita na si Betchay ay si Willie Revillame.Si Cristy Fermin

Tita Swarding sasampalin si Cristy Fermin?

Cristy Ferminang namagitan para makahi-ngi ng tulong kay Willie, na nilapitan ni Betchay.

Nabigo sila dahil ayon sa sabi ni Ms. Fermin, galit daw si Willie kay Tita Swarding dahil madalas daw ito tira-hin sa radio show niya at sa panulat.Laking taka naman ni Tita , dahil dati niyang naging kasama ito sa isang show-biz talkshow sa channel 9 at hindi naman niya ito tinitira sa DZRH.

Yun pala , sinisiraan raw ni Ate Cristy si Tita Sward-ing para magalit sa kanya ang host ng “Willing Willie”. Ang gusto lang daw ni Ms.Fermin ay masolo niya si Willie at hindi ito malapitan ni Tita.

Sa isang presscon din daw noon ni Ai-Ai delas Alas ng Concorde Re-cord kung saan host si Tita Swarding,nagtanong daw si Cristy sa kanya instead sa nagpa-presscon kaya naimby-erna ang showbiz announcer ng DZRH at tuluyan na itong nag-walk out sa naturang presscon.

Ang tanong daw kasi ni Ms. Fermin ay ganito “Hindi daw ako puedeng magsulat sa iyo kung ikaw ang editor ng isang tabloid dahil istapa-dora ako.Mag-ingat ka sa mga sinasabi mo at baka kasuhan kita ng Libel”,.

Dagdag pa nga ni Tita,hindi raw niya ito ma-papatawad sa mga kasalanan

nagawa nito sa kanya puede raw sa kabilang buhay.Aban-gan na lang natin ang kung anu ang magiging sagot ni Cristy Fermin tungkol sa mga maiinit na akusasyon sa kanya ni Tita Swarding.

WORTH 4-MILLION NA SINGSING ANG BINIGAY NI PIOLO KAY KC.Ayon sa kumakalat ngayon sa show-bizlandia, 4-million daw ang halaga ng singsing na binigay ni Piolo Pascual kay KC Con-cepcion.

Pero marami ang hindi makapaniwala na ganitong halaga ang puedeng ibigay ni Papa P sa daughter ng Me-gastar, dahil sobrang higpit nga daw ito sa pera at hindi ito mahilig magregalo kahit kanino.

Marami rin ang nagsasabi from the movie press, na hanggang February lang daw ang relasyon nina Piolo at KC, at matatapos din daw ito.

Anu ito press release lang para sa valentines concert ni Piolo Pascual dahil special guest star doon si KC?

SNOOKY SERNA MAD-ALAS SA GAYBAR ?Anu itong kumakalat na chismis tungkol sa aming friend na si Snooky Serna na madalas daw ito makita ngayon sa mga gaybar?

Nagsasabit pa raw ito ng pera sa mga macho dancers na nagpe-perform doon habang enjoy na enjoy siya sa kapapa-nood.Pero ayon sa depensa ng Aktres, ocular visit lang daw yun dahil may gagawin daw siyang pelikula na ang tema ay tungkol sa mga nangyayari sa isang gaybar.

Pero ang intriga sa kanya bakit madalas na daw siyang napagkikita roon, 10 times na daw sabi pa ng isang makat-ing dila kung ocular visit lang yun para sa isang pelikula.

Sana masagot ito ni Snooky para malinawan kung totoo ang mga chismis na ito na nakakasira sa kanyang image na kasama pa nga raw niya ang isang kaibigang actor na nachichismis na bading sa panonood ?

TULOY NA TULOY NA ANG LUNCHSHOW NINA JOHN AT RANDY.Tiyak matutuwa na ang mga TFC Subscribers dahil may papalit na sa “Win na Win “ ay ang “Happy Yipee Yehey” this February. Sina Randy Santi-ago at John Estrada ang main hosts rito kasama sina Toni Gonzaga at Mariel Rodriguez.

Marami na kasi ang na-kakamis sa iniwan ng timeslot ng “Wowowee” at show noon nina Rico and co. sa TFC,lalo na sa gabi dito sa Amerika.At least daw ngayon may kapalit na , dahil hindi nila magustu-han yung pinalit na “Banana Split” at isang teleserye.

But this time hindi kasali si Valerie Concepcion sa natur-ang show, kaya naman nag-paparinig ngayon si Valerie sa TV5 para kunin siya sa pang-lunchtime show nito na binabalak.

Pero matunog na si Rico Puno ang kukunin ng channel 5, para maging host dito ayon na rin sa lakas nito kay Willie Revillame para pantapat sa show nina John at Randy sa channel 2.

Malabo pa rin daw ang chismis na lilipat na ang “Eat Bulaga” sa TV5 dahil may kontrata pa rin ito sa GMA7, pero ang maliwanag isang lunchshow ang bubuksan ng TV5 soon.Pwes, abangan na lang natin.

Note: hi Eugene naka at-tached pala rito sa next page ang picture ni Tita Swarding pakilagay na lang.Thanks ogie cruz

“Sa tulong ninyo, sigu-radong magre-rate kami,” said John followed by the loud screams and applauses from the advertisers. It’s been awhile since John last hosted a show.

None one among the four hosts is a neophyte. It can be recalled that John and Randy hosted the hit 90’s noontime show Magandang Tanghali Bayan, while Mariel and Toni also had their own stints in

John, Randy, Toni and Mariel gear up

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two different noontime shows.The four hosts added

extremely funny and excit-ing games that come with whopping prizes for Happy Yipee Yehey! audiences. Plus, renowned choreographer Joy Cancio gives the hottest and craziest dance moves through the Happy Yipee Yehey! danc-ers.

Meanwhile, Happy Yippee

Yehey! co-hosts Melai Can-tiveros, Bianca Manalo, Jobert and Bentong are also ecstatic. “Grabe po talaga sobrang kinakabahan ako at excited po talaga ako,” said Melai.

Experience extreme satis-faction. Make Happy Yipee Yehey your newest habit premiering on February 12, Saturday only on TFC!Tita Swarding

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Read Ogie Cruz’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Ogie Cruz



Health

Many times people, in the heat of the moment, will say something, and then quickly upon realizing that it was inappropriate, try to stuff the words back in their mouth pleading that they did not mean that or they were just joking. The problem is that retraction is not possible.

If I asked you a question in a language you did not know, you could not possibly under-stand and therefore could not have an answer. If you say something, it must be in your thoughts otherwise you could not have said it. It is that simple, we cannot say some-thing we have not thought about. This means that if you say something and then try to retract your words saying you did not mean it, no one will believe you.

This slip of the tongue is an opportunity to learn about yourself, and in learning the truth, you have the opportuni-ty to set yourself free. Reflect upon your thoughts honestly and you will see that there is a part of you which did mean it, and does believe what you just said. This article is about finding out who you really are, because if you do not, you will live a lie containing who you are in an emotional prison and only show an imaginary image of who you think you are.

Don’t just think who you are, Know who you are.

Normally, we can control our words, but that means we live a life of containment and denial. I prefer to live honest-ly with my thoughts and then I sleep peacefully at night. If you say something that causes a problem, perhaps rather than trying to smooth it over, let it erupt and let the pieces fall where they may and move on. You have at least discov-ered the truth about your own thoughts and feelings.

When you do not know or admit the truth about your own thoughts and feelings, keeping yourself contained by self denial, those thoughts constantly try to burst out of repression as you try to hold back from speaking up. Every now and then, the truth finds a way to sneak out when you are not paying attention. How-ever, if you are honest with yourself, then there is no pris-oner status to your thoughts, so they rest calmly and there is no effort in controlling your words, since you are not containing. This is the secret key to never putting your foot in your mouth. If you do not deny the reality of yourself, then there is no inner conflict, and thus your mind will live in peace and calm.

Life is too short to be lived in a lie. Many people do not sleep well, need pills to sleep through the night, or pills to make it through the day. This epidemic of mental and emotional discomfort is so widespread that it is consid-ered normal. I dispute that. It is not normal to be mentally or emotionally uncomfortable all the time.

My belief as to the cause of this discomfort is the contain-ment of thoughts through self-lying and denial. Keeping your true thoughts to yourself and ignoring them will not make you a better person, it just eats away at you from the

inside. Eventually the walls of your self-control get thin-ner and you may collapse in a mental or emotional break-down, as the Americans put it, ‘go postal’. There are several security tape videos on the internet if you do a google search for ‘Office worker goes crazy’.

Emotional Containment

‘Emotional Containment’ is what I call it. It is the disease that has been created with the politically correct movement which prohibits people from speaking freely and saying what they think and believe. We have created an emotional disease equivalent to AIDS.

There is a cure for this prob-lem, and once cured, a person can attain emotional freedom, which brings happiness and peace, and perhaps that may also be a first step towards a spiritual experience or devel-opment.

The problem is that the cure appears near deadly. You have a choice, go through a tempo-rary period of difficulty or live a life of perpetual discom-fort. Before I tell you about the cure, you must consider carefully if you are willing to take it, as the cure can, and most likely will, cause many problems in your life. Some will be temporary and others will be permanent.

The problems are that there will be some relationships which will be destroyed. This includes personal and business. The reason this will happen is that you who undertakes this ‘cure’ are a rare person, and so will be seen as getting sick rather than healthy, until you are finally cured. When you are cured, then you will be seen as a leader, one to be admired, but until then, you will be seen in a very negative way. Additionally, if you apply this cure only by reading this article, you stand a good chance to get it wrong and make more trouble for your-self than necessary. It is best to take it under guidance, and since this is my discovery, although there may be others who have found this as well, I caution you to ask advice to understand it in depth before just going around spouting off whatever is in your mind.

Emotional Freedom

It takes time to prepare your mind to be ready to apply this method of attaining emotional freedom. If you think that the exercise is simple enough, just say what you feel, you will get into much trouble, as I am certain you can imagine. If you would like to attempt this exercise, write to me and we can discuss how to apply it. The reason it must be done this way is that every person is different and so the skillful application requires indi-vidual adjustment. Addition-ally, you need someone who has already succeeded in the practice to reflect your daily experiences and guide you to improving your skill in the practice based on your results.

This of course tells us why so few people undertake the cure. This also tells us why there are so few people who are emotionally free or simply at ease with themselves. It also tells us about the danger

of being misguided by follow-ing the instructions of some-one who thinks they know but doesn’t. Being arrogant and saying whatever you feel under the guise of personal growth is just an excuse to be rude and hurt people while avoiding the real work of self development. These people are just fooling themselves and needlessly hurting others.

Know What You Really Think

When you are in a con-versation and want to say something, but know that it is inappropriate or will hurt the other person, do not speak. The important thing to do is to know what you really think. Do not cover up your thoughts with the self lie that you are not really prejudiced or shal-low. Find and admit the truth about yourself based on the fact that your thoughts prove who you really are.

If you want to be content, first you must know who you really are. Once you have discovered your current true character, if you do not like it, you have a chance to change. Imagine trying to shoot at a target in the forest but not knowing what or where the target is. On the other hand, if the target was as big as an elephant ten yards or meters in front of you in an open field, anyone could hit it.

About the Author

David Samuel is The Entre-preneur Monk, a rag to riches story making his first million at 25. Reaching his financial target by the age of 29, he sold his businesses to become a monk and travel internation-ally for several years.

David has resolved the riddle of why we do what we know is bad for us yet do not do what we know is beneficial and teaches that very effec-tively.

Read more about David and view his books on Entrepre-neurMonk.com

URL: http://www.self-growth.com/articles/i-didn-t-mean-that-emotional-con-tainment

I Didn’t Mean That, ‘Emotional Containment’

by David Samuel

This slip of the tongue is an opportunity to learn about yourself, and in learning the truth, you have

the opportunity to set yourself free.

Very often, the expectations we have of others stem from our own consciousness, our own psyche, and have little or nothing to do with the other person.

Expectations

When we take our own ideals, standards, and values and use them as benchmarks of whether someone is good enough for us or good enough to us, we’re bringing unhealthy expecta-tions into the relationship. We then demand that the other per-son behaves in accordance with these expectations. So when he or she eventually does some-thing that appears to be in deep contrast with the standards we’ve projected onto them, we often feel hurt, betrayed, angry and confused.Have you ever done some-

thing nice for someone that you expected them to like, but they weren’t showing the enthusi-asm about it that you thought they might? It was something you would have appreciated someone doing for you, so why didn’t they like it?When we base our perception

of our partner using our own beliefs, values and experiences, we’re bound to be disappoint-ed. We may then begin to drive our partner away by becoming

cold and aloof, unappreciative, selfish and suspicious.The truth is, people show us

exactly who they are and how much they care for us through their everyday behaviors. They wake up early to prepare break-fast for us. They know exactly how we like our minced meat noodles. They leave the last fishball for us. They call almost everyday during lunchtime to see how we are. They sacrifice sleep to go shopping for the freshest crabs to make chili crab for us. I realize the high number of food-related examples, buy hey, I’m Singapor-ean - eating is our life!

Different Ways

Give it some thought and you’ll realize how many different ways your partner shows you that he or she loves you. We need to stop fantasizing about how a per-fect partner should behave. And we need to stop suspect-ing that things are not as they are.Take a moment to

think about someone for whom you have developed a set of expecta-tions for. How accurate are the assumptions you have made about this person’s feelings and behaviors? Can you see that many of your expectations of them really revolve around you and your own feelings, be-liefs, hopes, needs, and desires related to the relationship? That these things have been project-ed onto them?We continue to look at how

bringing unrealistic expecta-tions into a relationship can prevent us from developing love, honesty, and meaning.Take a moment now to think

about how you view your partner’s words and actions. Do you usually tune out obvious clues to their authentic per-

sonality? Projecting upon them instead, a set of

your own hopes, beliefs, needs and

desires?Of

course, it usually seems safer and easier to stay in

the secure cocoon of our

fantasies. But if we re-

main there, we are guaranteeing ourselves more pain from the inevitable let-downs of unmet expectations.

After all, how can anyone

ever live up to an illusion?

Break the Illusion

When we choose to break the illusion and replace our as-sumptions and projections with a more truthful evaluation, we become free from expectations. We then have the opportunity to create a clearer and more honest relationship.On the flip side, we may sense

Expectations in Relationshipsby Zile Hina

that we are part of someone else’s illusions at times, and that they have made assump-tions and expectations of us. If we are afraid of losing this person, we typically try to live up to these fantasies. We with-hold our real selves, presenting instead a version of ourselves we think this person demands.But when the cracks begin

to show, where will you hide? Is the person in love with you or the version of you you’ve allowed that person to see? Are you contributing to the reinforcement of illusions and projections that others have related to you, that have led them to develop unrealistic expectations of you? We hold some responsibility here, not to conform to others’ manufac-tured images of ourselves.

Be Real

Be real with the people in your life. Let them know who you really are, and how you really feel. As you begin to see and accept them for who they truly are, gently help them to see their own mistaken as-sumptions and illusions they’ve built around you, and see the real you.When we demonstrate the

courage to embrace the truth, we can finally put an end to the pain of constantly being disap-pointed by our partners falling short of our expectations. Only then can we move forward to build a relationship rich in authenticity, intimacy, trust and deep emotional bonding.

As Nikos Kazantzakis once said, “I expect nothing. I am free.” URL: http://www.selfgrowth.

com/articles/expectations-in-relationships


AMERASIAN CUISINE

guards and tricycle drivers.If Mikey Arroyo is truly

concerned with the plight of tricyle drivers, where was he when Manila policemen were battering the kuliglig drivers?

Garcia, the face of military corruption walked out of his detention cell in Cam Crame last Saturday after posting a P60,000 bail made possible by a deal he struck with San-diganbayan where he would return only P130 million of the P303.27 million he stole from the funds of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Not only would Garcia keep the P173.27 million.Spe-cial Prosecutor Wendell Sulit, who negotiated the deal with Garcia, agreed that the charge of plunder which is non-bailable would be dropped after Garcia pleaded guilty to the bailable crimes of direct bribery and violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Law.

Punishment for direct brib-ery is about four years while violation of AMLA is punish-able by 4-7 years in prison. With his money, and given the “kindness” of Sandiganbayan, it won’t be surprising if he would be declared not guilty. Beats winning the lotto.

As an enraged TonGuE-tWisTeD said, “Magnakaw ka ng P300 Milyones ipapasoli lang sa yo P135M. Pakulong ka lang ng sampung taon.Aba anak ng p… ayos pa-lang hanapbuhay yang pag-nanakaw!”

It stinks. It’s foul.

Foul, foul

Gabrielle Andrew first picked up a tennis racket at age five, she didn’t like the sport. But after falling in love with it, she is now ranked number one in the United States Ten-nis Association’s 18-and-under division.

“I just kept practicing and got better and better and started playing in tournaments,” she recalled.

For her Filipina mother, Evelyn, who works for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and her father Mike, a Los Angeles policeman, the family never thought she would be this good. Tennis started out as a family fitness activity, when she was five.

“It was ‘Hey, lets go out

Fil-Am is No. 1 teen tennis player in America

have fun, we’ll socialize, it’d be a good activity, family fun, all in the spirit of togetherness and family,’ but I had no idea she’d turn out to be as good as she is,” said her father Michael.

In less than 9 years, Andrew has earned a record of 80 wins and only 12 losses. She finished 2010 by winning the Juniors National Tournament in Ari-zona and will travel to Spain in February to train for a month.

“To have that high ranking and seeing all of my records–from being 110 to 13 is a really, really good record. And I was proud of myself, and I wouldn’t stop there. I really want to keep going,” Gabrielle said.

(Story courtesy of ABS-CBN News)

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and stroke even if they have no other risk factors. Excess weight puts strain on the heart and arteries; it also influences blood pressure and blood cho-lesterol, and makes diabetes more likely to develop. It also increases the risk of conges-tive heart failure, gallbladder disease, arthritis, breathing problems, and cancer of the breast, colon and others.

Your Body Mass Index (BMI) gauges your weight in relation to your height.

The risk for diabetes, breast and uterine cancers starts to climb above a BMI

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PHYSICAL INAC-• TIVITY. The heart is a muscle and it needs regular exercise to stay in shape. Exercise at least 30 minutes (60 minutes is much better) on most days of the week. The good part is you can take your daily exercise in increments, that is, 10 minutes in the morn-ing, ten minutes at noon and

Be kind to your heart(Continued from page 4) 10 minutes in the afternoon.

Exercise can help control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity as well as lower blood pressure on some peo-ple. Consult with your doctor before starting an exercise regimen.

DIABETES: Diabetes • is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and other diseases. It seriously increases the risk of develop-ing cardiovascular disease for both sexes, but it is a 3 to 8 times more potent heart disease risk for women than men. Diabetes has two close ‘friends’: hypertension and high cholesterol. Either one of these three conditions can happen first but surely, one or the other of the two will soon follow.

STRESS. Stress is • a natural part of our lives. In moderation it allows us to function effectively. But in certain circumstances, too much stress can create problems. Stress can raise blood pressure and make the heart beat faster. It often has unhealthy behavior partners- smoking and overeating. Try to keep things in perspective, set reasonable goals and let yourself relax.

In Conclusion: Research shows that women can lower their heart disease risk by

82% simply by leading a healthy lifestyle. This means:

Following a heart • healthy eating planGetting regular physi-• cal activityMaintaining a healthy • weightNot smoking• For others: some may • have to take medica-tions

References: The Heart Truth for Women, US Dept of Health and Human Services, NIH, NHLBI, 2010. Visit the NHLBI Health Information website [email protected] for more information.

***

14 Reasons to get to the Emergency Room right away!

Loss of consciousness• Chest or severe abdom-• inal painSudden weakness or • numbness on face, arm, legSudden change in vi-• sionDifficulty speaking• Severe shortness of • breathBleeding that does not • stop after ten minutes of pressureAny sudden, severe • painMajor injury, such as • head traumaUnexplained confusion • or disorientationSevere or persistent • vomiting or diarrheaCoughing or vomiting • bloodA severe or worsening • reaction to an insect bite, food, or medica-tionSuicidal feelings•

Do not drive yourself to the hospital: call 911

Source: Excerpts from Readers Digest, March 2010 issue.

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discusses his experience with the head of his seminary, he admits that he felt nothing. It was just words. Michael has serious doubts about the existence of God — doubts shared, at one time or another, by many believers.

When Father Superior Mat-thew sends Michael to Rome to take a class in exorcism, the hope is that direct confronta-tion with the supernatural will ignite his faith. Once Michael arrives, he is assigned to veteran exorcist Father Lucas Trevant, a complex spiritual warrior who has successfully performed thousands of exor-cisms. Despite exposure to the spiritually afflicted, Michael insists that these are psychi-atric cases, not incidences of possession. To those with a predisposition to disbelief, no amount objective evidence can constitute compelling proof. Before Michael can make his leap of faith, the de-monic attacks have to become more personal. In order for him to live in faith, some of Michael’s ideas will have to die.

Theological Issues

The Rite is a film about the struggle between faith and doubt – a struggle that does not completely abate even after faith is embraced. But it is not without its own theo-logical controversies over the reality of devil, the nature of spiritual warfare, and whether the barrier between the Spirit-indwelt believer and the pow-ers of darkness is permeable.

Despite M. Scott Peck’s popular book asserting that there is, in this world, a real, personal manifestation of evil, many in the contempo-rary church have abandoned the concept of the devil as an arcane, vestigial remnant of our medieval past. George Barna, noted researcher on trends in religion, in a survey conducted in 2009 discovered that the majority of people who self-identify as Chris-tians do not believe in a real, personal Satan. Barna notes, “Most Americans, even those who say they are Christian, have doubts about the intru-sion of the supernatural into the natural world. Hollywood has made evil accessible and tame, making Satan and demons less worrisome than the Bible suggests they really are.”

The Rite is not one of those Hollywood films. By focus-ing primarily on the workaday tasks of a modern exorcist, which include waiting rooms and exorcism-interrupting cell

Faith, Doubt, and Demonic

Possession in The Rite

phone calls, the film attempts to demystify exorcism. At the same time, the film does not stint on the power of the devil to inhabit human beings, and the necessity of the followers of Christ to answer the call to drive them out. Rather than maintain some false dichoto-my between the supernatural and natural realms, the movie shows how they interpen-etrate.

Spiritual warfare is taken seriously in The Rite. Father Gary Thomas, the Catholic priest on whose life The Rite is loosely based, emphasized that exorcists must ready themselves through a commit-ment to prayer and personal holiness. Christ defeated Sa-tan when He died on Calvary and rose from the dead three days later. Still, individual skirmishes continue as Satan attempts to sideline believers, to destroy their witness, and to eliminate as many image-bearers of God as possible.

The only troubling aspect of the film, to me, was the im-plication that Christians could be possessed by demons. According to Father Gary, and corroborated by the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church teach-ing holds that Christians can be possessed, though it must be stressed that such posses-sion extends only to the body, and not to the soul.

Protestant teaching on this topic varies. Some in the more Pentecostal denominations argue for demonic oppression, but the distinction between oppression and possession has always been lost on me. If a demon takes control of a per-son’s actions, that constitutes possession in my book. The standard Evangelical answer to the question of the demonic possession of Christians has always been, “No.” Christians cannot be bodily possessed because their bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, indwelt by God, and therefore there is no room for demonic spirits.

Christians may have some “in house” disagreements on the particulars, but on the subject of the supernatural, we are united. .Regardless which side you take in these issues, plot devices which concern God, the devil, angels, the su-pernatural, and the acknowl-edgement of a spiritual world can evoke edifying conversa-tions as people gather after a film to discuss its meaning.

Importance of Supernat-ural Films

Father Gary made it clear in an interview that he does not want The Rite to be construed as a horror film. Instead, it really is about a young man, steeped in scientific rationalism, who is confronted by diaboli-cal activity but tries to find any way he can to explain it away. He does not want to have to admit that what he is experiencing is an encounter with transcendent evil. In this

regard, he mirrors the experi-ence of many in contemporary western culture.

For decades, people in the West have been indoctrinated by an educational system committed to a scientific-materialist worldview that denies the supernatural. And yet, films that feature the otherworldly represent one of cinema’s most enduring genres. When filmmakers portray serious supernatural attacks on the screen, audi-ences do not respond with ridicule, as one might expect if they actually identified with a completely material-ist worldview. Instead, they scream, cower, watch through interlaced fingers, and, in their hearts, they experience fear.

Rudolf Otto, in The Idea of the Holy, explains that in ancient non-Christian cul-tures, the first experience of the transcendent usually takes the form of demonic dread – the fear of demons or ghosts. Some will argue that modern culture is post-Christian, so it should not be surprising that people have reverted back to their pre-Christian experi-ences. Rejecting God, the only source of the transcen-dent comes in the form of the demonic.

People are hard-wired by God to respond to the spiri-tual. They need transcendent experiences. And when the church does not oblige by preaching about transcen-dence from the pulpit, Holly-wood is only too eager to cash in on that impulse by offering it up at the cinema. People have a spiritual hunger that extends beyond learning how to have their best life now. Rather, they are concerned about the timeless questions: Are we truly a great cosmic accident, or does human life have real, lasting meaning? Is this world all there is, or are unseen forces at work, inter-acting with the human drama and battling for ascendancy? What happens to us when we die?

Christians have the an-swers, but too often we are shy about offering them up, leading people to seek them elsewhere. Films such as The Rite provide a venue to share what we know. The devil is real. There is good reason to fear. But we have an answer for the problem of transcen-dent evil. We can show you how to wage spiritual warfare. We even know someone who has conquered death who came to rescue us. Come and see.

Dr. Marc Newman is president of MovieMinistry.com, a company dedicated to providing pastors, lay lead-ers, and ordinary Christians with the tools necessary to use movies as a way of reaching out to others with the Gos-pel of Christ. Dr. Newman is an associate professor in the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University.

Article printed from Catho-

lic Exchange: http://catho-licexchange.com

URL to article: http://catholicexchange.com/2011/02/04/147381/

class locations in the business centers of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu and delivers IT and business solutions to leading public and private sector clients throughout the country.

He said the three new global delivery facilities here will further add to IBM Philippines’ ability to deliver business services to both domestic and multi-national clients around the world.

Di Leo also revealed that in the next five years, IBM intends to more than double its employees in the Philippines because the country is a world leader in providing business support functions.

He added that next year, IBM intends to double its busi-ness growth in these global delivery centers by building centers of competence with deep industry expertise in business analytics, applications management and helpdesk operations. “We will hire more industry IT architects as well as graduates from top universi-ties,” he noted.

Meanwhile, IBM Philip-

pines country general man-ager James Velasquez said this expansion demonstrates their continued commitment to the country.

“The Philippines is one of the strategic locations in IBM’s Global Delivery network that integrates capabilities, assets and skills without borders. With abundant resources and globally benchmarked pro-cesses and methodologies, IBM will provide solutions to global and domestic clients to help them reach higher operational efficiency in a cost-effective way,” he said.

Meanwhile, IBM Corp. vice president for global process services delivery Peter Lynt explained that global delivery as a concept has evolved from outsourcing primarily for cost benefits to partnering with clients to demonstrate greater value and differentiation.

IBM recently rebranded the BPO business from Man-aged Business Process Services (MBPS) to Global Process Ser-vices. This new organization has been constructed to deliver the benefits and advantages of the breadth IBM as a company (software, research, etc) to its BPO clients, Lynt said.

IBM Global Process Servic-es started in the Philippines in 2004 and has been experienc-ing dramatic growth ever since, he noted.

Lynt pointed out that the three new IBM buildings are part of IBM’s commitment to extend existing investments in the country and part of the company’s strategy transforma-tion into a Globally Integrated Enterprise – where the work-force is remixef to the locations where IBM finds the skills necessary for today’s highly globalized economy.

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The Economic Research Analyst will conduct complex economic research studies and analyses in support of agency programs, projects, and initiatives, developing strategic fiscal recommendations for regional decision-makers, and providing technical assistance to SANDAG staff and clients of the Service Bureau. Qualifications: a bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics, public finance, public/business administration, or a related field, and one to three years of experience in an economics or planning-related research field. SANDAG offers competitive salaries and benefits. Visit www.sandag.org/jobs or call (619) 699-1900 for information. Closes: February 25, 2011. EOE.

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Notice of PreparationEnvironmental Impact Report for the Sorrento to Miramar Phase 2 Project

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) will be the Lead Agency and will prepare an Envi-ronmental Impact Report (EIR) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Sorrento to Miramar Phase 2 Project.

SANDAG would like to know your views or the views of your agency as to the scope and content of the en-vironmental information that will be addressed in the EIR. Due to the time limits mandated by state law, your response must be sent at the earliest possible date, but no later than 30 days after the date of this notice. Written and oral comments also will be taken at the public scoping meeting listed below. The proposed project is located along the Los Angeles to San Diego (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor in the northwest portion of San Diego County, California). The project site extends from near Milepost [MP] 251, east of Interstate Highway 805 (I-805), to near MP 253, south of Miramar Road. The railroad right-of-way (ROW) is south of Carroll Canyon Road/Carroll Road, and north of Miramar Road, within Soledad Canyon, trending generally east-west. The rail is presently single tracked and has the sharpest curves and steepest grade of any segment within the LOSSAN Corridor. The purpose of the proposed project is to improve the horizontal track alignment by realigning the curved track to improve passenger train speed and safety, and also to add a second track to increase rail capacity and improve reliability. Two project alignments will be evaluated equally in a detailed analysis within the EIR: Alignment 1c – South Alignment with Open Cut Curve Straightening and Alignment 6 – Northern Alignment. Alternative 1C roughly follows the existing alignment and remains on the south side of Soledad Canyon. Alternative 6 in-cludes new tracks on the north side of Soledad Canyon with two bridges crossing over Soledad Canyon. Both alternatives require the acquisition of new railroad ROW. SANDAG will be soliciting input on preparation of the EIR at a public scoping meeting scheduled at the following time and location:

When: Tuesday, February 15 at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037

Please send your response to Cheryle Hodge, SANDAG, 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Please include the name of a contact person.

The Notice of Preparation may be reviewed or obtained at SANDAG, 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101. A full copy of the Notice of Preparation for the Sorrento to Miramar Phase 2 EIR also can be found on the SANDAG Web site at www.sandag.org/notices.

Date: February 4, 2011


RP overtakes India as world’s leader

in outsourcing(Continued from page 1)


By Leila B. Salaverria, Delfin Mallari Jr., Inquirer

Southern LuzonPhilippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Talk that she would be blamed for a weak plunder case against former military comp-troller Carlos Garcia prompt-ed former state auditor Heidi Mendoza to speak out against the prosecutors’ decision to enter into a plea bargain deal with the retired major general.

This was according to former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo, one of those whom Mendoza had consulted before she surfaced to tell the country that there was evi-dence to pin down Garcia.

Her elder sister said Men-doza’s decision to expose corruption in the military was simply living up to the final words of their father.

“Before our father died, the last message that he left to us was: ‘Huwag kayong kakain ng anuman na galing sa na-kaw. Magtiis sa kahirapan at magtiyaga kung anuman ang mayroon sa buhay. (Don’t eat anything that came from theft. Bear poverty and whatever you have),’” said Mendoza’s sister, Gigi de Castro.

“No coercion and any form of harassment can break her will and no material things can tempt her to back out,” De Castro said in a phone interview on Wednesday from the nearby city of Tayabas in Quezon province.

Their father, Agapito Lloce Sr., a retired policeman, died in 1983 from a heart ailment and diabetes.

Mendoza, who led a team

Why Heidi Mendoza came out with all guns blazing

that audited military transac-tions between 2004 and 2006, testified in the plunder case against Garcia. She detailed a transaction involving a P200-million check, of which P50 million was unaccounted for.

Prosecutors earlier said that Mendoza’s testimony had been debunked by military personnel, who testified that the Armed Forces had been able to reconcile the discrep-ancy that the auditor found.

It was Mendoza who made up her mind to come out in the open, but she was not alone when she made that dif-ficult choice, Marcelo said.

Ateneo support group

Marcelo said Mendoza’s husband, a group of friends from Ateneo de Manila University that included Fr. Bert Alejo, and members of nongovernment organizations were with Mendoza when she was weighing the pros and cons of speaking publicly.

The meeting took place at the Ateneo School of Gov-ernance in Makati City last month.

Before the meeting, Mar-celo said he had been regu-larly in touch with Mendoza. He said Mendoza had been giving him words of support because he was speaking out against the plea bargain deal and as a result became a target of criticism.

Scapegoat

Some time last month, Mendoza called Marcelo up to relay what she was told—that there was talk that she would

be among those to be blamed for the weak evidence against Garcia.

Marcelo and former Spe-cial Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio were the others who would be blamed for the weak case. “She told me, ‘what will happen? The public would not know the truth,’” Marcelo said.

Losing ADB job

Marcelo told Mendoza that she would have to decide for herself, since she could lose a very good job at the Asian Development Bank if she speaks up.

But Mendoza told Marcelo that she was having difficulty sleeping over the matter and then called for a meeting with friends.

At the meeting, the group talked about the risks of speaking out against the prosecutors’ stand that the case against Garcia was weak. The group also told her that coming out publicly was a decision that was hers to make alone.

Danger to family

One of the points raised at the meeting was that coming forward would have grave repercussions on Mendoza’s family.

Marcelo said he had pointed out that one of the witnesses in the plunder case against deposed President Joseph Estrada continued to have a guard even 10 years after the case. He said life for the witness was never the same even after the case was

completed.But Mendoza’s resolve to

tell her story apparently out-weighed the risks she could face. “She said, ‘If I don’t come out, it would be the same. I would never feel com-fortable,”’ Marcelo narrated.

Talk with husbandMendoza then took her

husband aside and they talked. Afterward, she came up to the group and said she would speak up. She asked the group to help her with advice, with legal counsel and with secu-rity.

She also gave the go-signal for the airing of the first TV interview that she gave. She had agreed to the interview on the condition that it would not air until she says so.

Clan proud of Heidi

All of Lloce’s seven chil-dren—5 girls and 2 boys—hail from Tayabas at the foot of the mystical Mount Bana-haw. Mendoza is the second to the youngest.

“Our father died with an unblemished record as a policeman. Heidi’s ongoing battle now against graft and corruption mirrors our father’s legacy. The whole clan is proud of her,” De Castro said.

Johnny Glorioso, dzMM news correspondent and long-time resident of Tayabas, re-membered the elder Lloce as a member of the local police force.

“He is one fine example of an honest cop,” Glorioso said. “No wonder Heidi is now showing signs of the character of her late father.”

Lack of sleep

De Castro said she was able to talk with her younger sister on Tuesday evening.

“We all pity her. She’s now frail because of lack of sleep,

tension and all,” she said, her voice trembling.

“She was very apologetic when she told me that all her family members should avoid making phone calls to her. That we should be contented with sending text messages but not so often. She’s really sorry that our lives will all be affected because of her current situation. But we all understand her,” De Castro added.

De Castro said, however, that she once asked Mendoza to stop her battle against influ-ential and moneyed military officials for the safety of her own family but the advice was ignored.

Lots of blessings

De Castro remembered her sister’s response to her plea: “I have already received lots of blessings from the Lord. I could not turn my back on this little task that He assigned to me. I’m just His instrument to uphold the truth. What I have with me are documents, all products of my faithful inves-tigation as a public servant.”

She said her sister, whom she described as courageous, intelligent and principled, reminded her that she was

just obeying their father’s last message in his deathbed.

De Castro said her sister would not accept any form of gifts, not even fruits or gasoline money, and had been reluctant to give her calling card, especially to government officials with graft cases.

ValedictorianMendoza graduated vale-

dictorian in her high school class in a private academy in Tayabas and obtained her college degree at Sacred Heart College in Lucena City.

She left Tayabas after her graduation in the early 1980s and immediately worked at the Commission on Audit. She married a college professor in a Manila university. They have three children, all col-lege students, according to her sister.

Tayabas Vice Mayor Vene-rando Rea said Mendoza was often invited as a guest speak-er at graduation rites in her hometown. He recalled that the last time he heard her give a graduation message was when she urged the graduating class to be honest in all their dealings in life.

Rea said the local govern-ment of Tayabas would adopt a resolution declaring its sup-port for Mendoza.

Heidi Mendoza

asian journal february 11, 2011 digital edition

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