November 15, 2013 1

Donaire winsP4

Mentor charged P5

Universe runner upP21

Pinoy Kali P19

Distracted driver?P22

Vol. XXIII, No. 1 Online: www. manilamail.us November 15, 2013

Oldest FilVet in US passes away at 102ALEXANDRIA, Va. The

oldest known Filipino American World War II veteran living in the United States passed away last November 5, just days after being discharged from a hospice to spend his fi nal days in his home here.

Centenarian Maj. Alberto C. Bacani was the fi rst Filipino veteran recognized by the Sec-retary of the US Department of

‘Manila Mail’ marks 23rd founding anniversaryFAIRFAX, Va. As the Manila

Mail marks another year of its existence, carrying this news-paper has been a test of resolve, commitment and sometimes, just plain physical endurance.

Of the one-dozen Filipino Americans who gathered on Nov. 15, 1990 to give Metro DC’s growing Filipino American com-munity a medium of information

and its own voice in the capital of the greatest nation on earth, only two remain today.

The Mania Mail is the lon-gest existing tabloid-sized fort-nightly English-language Fili-pino American newspaper in the Washington DC metropolitan area.

Aided by a group of volun-teer columnists, reporters and

photographers, the newspaper has increasingly been recognized by “Offi cial Washington” and won accolades from prestigious organizations in the Metro DC region.

The two remaining Manila Mail “holdouts” are Alberto “Bert” Alfaro, former magazine editor, senior political reporter and foreign news editor of the

Manila Chronicle who later became the bureau manager of the Philippine News Agency in Washington D.C. and New York; and Atty. Januario “Warie” Azarcon who is often dubbed as a lawyer-journalist and writes Manila Mail’s widely followed immigration notes.

Both, along with Jojo de la Rosa, wife of Fred dela Rosa,

former labor attaché in the Phil-ippine embassy, worked against all odds to keep the newspaper alive despite the problems that marked its existence since its founding 23 years ago.

With the aid of several volunteers and the support of advertisers, the Manila Mail con-

Continued on page 21

Special to Manila Mail

By Jonathan Melegrito

WASHINGTON D.C. As they have done so many times before, Filipinos and Filipino-Americans across the United States have mobilized for fund drives to support relief efforts in the Philippines after the devasta-tion of super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) on Nov. 8.

The super typhoon killed hundreds, according to the gov-ernment tally, but some local offi cials in hard-hit Samar and Leyte islands say the toll could reach 10,000 (as this paper went

to press, authorities were still

retrieving bodies from remote,

isolated communities).

Here in the Washington,

D.C. metropolitan area, the

Continued on page 22 Centenarian Maj. Alberto C. Bacani

Continued on page 23

Typhoon survivors appeal for food, water, medicine

TACLOBAN CITY (AP) Bloated bodies lay uncollected and uncounted in the streets and desperate survivors pleaded for food, water and medicine as rescue workers took on a daunt-ing task Nov. 11 in the typhoon-battered islands of the Philip-pines.

The hard-hit city of Taclo-ban resembled a garbage dump

from the air, with only a few concrete buildings left standing in the wake of one of the most powerful storms to ever hit land, packing 147-mph winds and whipping up 20-foot walls of seawater that tossed ships inland and swept many out to sea.

“Help. SOS. We need food,” read a message painted by a sur-

Continued on page 12

Survivors seek fl ight out of TaclobanTACLOBAN, Philippines

(AP) Thousands of typhoon sur-vivors swarmed the airport here on Nov. 12 seeking a fl ight out, but only a few hundred made it, leaving behind a shattered, rain-lashed city short of food and water and littered with countless bodies.

Four days after Typhoon Haiyan struck the eastern Phil-ippines, assistance is only just beginning to arrive. Authorities estimated the storm killed 10,000 or more across a vast swath of the country, and displaced around 660,000 others.

Tacloban, a city of about 220,000 people on Leyte island, bore the full force of the winds

and the tsunami-like storm

surges. Most of the city is in ruins, a tangled mess of destroyed

Continued on page 12

Survivors wait for relief goods near airport.

Soldier lifts child as crowd rushes to board C-130s at Tacloban airport for Manila.

Feed the Hungry volunteers man NBC 4 Talkatone Nov 12.

November 15, 201322

November 15, 2013 3

Hong Kong: Pinoy tourists, no; maids, yesHONG KONG, China. This

favorite Filipino destination because of its proximity and bar-gain shops could be a thing of the past after authorities made it tougher to visit, retaliation for Manila’s failure to apologize for a 2010 hostage incident that killed some of its residents.

Lawmakers here voted last Nov. 9 to scrap longstand-ing visa-free access for Filipi-nos visiting the city. However, they decided to scrap another proposal that make life tougher for thousands of Filipino house helps and nannies working there.

Previously, Filipinos travel-ing to Hong Kong for less than 14 days needn’t get a visitor’s visa.

They also voted to pass a non-binding motion by People Power’s Albert Chan Wai-yip calling on the government to impose sanctions on the Phil-ippines for the Manila hostage deaths, the South China Morning Post reported.

Hong Kong Chief Execu-tive Leung Chun-ying earlier warned that he would impose sanctions if Manila failed to meet the demands of the families of the eight Hong Kong citizens killed by dismissed Manila cop Rolando Mendoza and the seven people injured in a botched

rescue attempt during the 2010 Luneta hostage incident.

The demands include an apology by President Aquino, compensation to the families, and the adoption of unspecifi ed “corrective safety measures” by the Philippine government.

Malacañang said the gov-

ernment would keep commu-

nication lines open with Hong

Kong as it urged everyone to

remain calm amid the lawmak-

ers’ vote to impose economic

sanctions on the Philippines.

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November 15, 201344

Donaire stops Armenian via 9th round TKOCORPUS CHRISTI, Tx.

Former world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire proved his mastery over Arme-nian fi ghter Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan in their highly anticipated “grudge match” here last Nov. 9.

They fought for the fi rst time in July 2007. Donaire knocked out the then-unbeaten Arme-nian in the 5th round which fi rst caught the attention of top boxing promoters.

In a 10-round match that served as the featherweight debut for both men, it was the

37-year-old Darchinyan who seized control in the middle rounds. At the end of the 5th

round, he staggered Donaire with a fl urry of punches in the fi nal seconds, and the Filipino

boxer had to be saved by the bell.Donaire returned the favor

on the 9th round when he landed a massive left hook on Darchin-yan that forced him to his knees. The Armenian beat the 10-count but was clearly on wobbly legs. Donaire was awarded a techni-cal knockout victory at the 2:06 mark of the 9th round.

He immediately dedicated the victory to his countrymen in the Philippines, devastated by the super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). “First and foremost, prayers to people in the Phil-ippines who were hit by the

typhoon,” he said. “Please have your prayers for people in the Philippines.”

It was Donaire’s fi rst fi ght since losing to Cuban boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux in April.

It was a sorry loss for Darchinyan who was report-edly leading in two of the three judges’ cards at the time of the stoppage. Donaire improved his record to 32 wins against two losses, and announced after the fi ght that he intends to seek a rematch against Rigondeaux, who handed him his fi rst loss in 11 years.

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Nonito Donaire fl oors Vic Darchinyan in Texas “grudge match”.

Pinay traffi cking victim testifi es in House probeFULLERTON, Ca. Filipina

human traffi cking victim Angela Guanzon told members of the House foreign affairs commit-tee earlier this month that the threat from traffi ckers and abu-sive employers remain prevalent and urged stronger legislation to stem the dangers.

The hearing was held last Nov. 4 at the campus of Califor-nia State University in Fuller-ton by the House foreign affairs committee chaired by Rep. Ed Royce of California. Guanzon was joined by Carissa Phelps, who was forced into sexual slav-ery while living as a runaway on the streets of California.

“I came to the United States on a lawful visa with the prom-ise of a good job,” Guanzon told the panel. “I was so excited to go I did not ask many question. When I got my visa to go to the United States my passport was taken and I was told it would be held for me until I got to the United States.”

“I travelled with about 10 other workers…When I got to the US things were very differ-ent than I thought. I was told I owed $12,000 for my transpor-tation and the visa. I was told I would have to work for 10 years to pay this off. I was then forced to work at a retirement home for

the elderly located in a suburb of

Los Angeles.”

“I worked 18 hour days and

had to sleep on the fl oor in the

hallway. I and my co-worker, Jayson were threatened that if we tried to escape, I would be deported by calling the police and telling them that we stole something from her. This went on for two years,” Guanzon recounted.

“Human traffi cking is today’s slavery,” Congressman Royce declared emphatically.

The lives of over 20 mil-lion people, mostly women and young girls, across the globe have been impacted in a negative way by “the scourge” of human traffi cking, he explained.

“In 2000, the groundbreak-ing Traffi cking Victims Protec-

tion Act was passed. Among its many initiatives, this law created the State Department’s Offi ce to Monitor and Combat Traffi ck-ing in Persons, and instituted the annual “Tier Rankings” of coun-tries around the world,” Royce said.

“The State Department didn’t welcome this focus. The diplomats didn’t want to rock relations with other countries,” but he claimed that as a result of this more than 130 countries have enacted their own anti-traf-fi cking laws. But the solon noted enforcement was still lagging.

Rep. Ed Royce with Angela Guan-zon.

November 15, 2013 5

Pinay mentor charged for ‘slapping’ studentLOUISIANA. A Filipina

teacher in Baton Rouge, La. was allowed to post bail after volun-tarily surrendering to authorities following an alleged assault on a wheelchair bound student ear-lier this month.

Nerelyn Soreta was freed on a $10,000 bond last Nov. 4. She is one of about 300 Filipino teach-ers who were found to be victims of human traffi cking in 2010.

She was reportedly caught in a cell phone video allegedly slapping a nine-year-old special needs student at the Jefferson Terrace Elementary School. The kid’s mother reported the inci-

dent to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s offi ce on Nov. 30.

A sheriff’s offi ce press

release said deputies watched the video allegedly showing Soreta “pushing the child’s face with her hand and striking her several times on the leg.”

Soreta was charged with simple battery of the infi rm and faces six months in prison if con-victed.

East Baton Rouge Parish School System Superintendent Bernard Taylor Jr. said the stu-dent uses a wheelchair and is non-communicative.

“It is not behavior that is condoned, not behavior that is supported and not behavior that is tolerated,” he said.

Soreta’s lawyer Yigal Bander

denied the charges and insisted

her client was innocent.

Soreta is now on administra-

tive leave with pay until further

notice.

Nerelyn Soreta

November 15, 201366

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November 15, 2013 7

November 15, 201388

November 15, 2013 9

30,000 green card holders serving in US militaryWASHINGTON D.C.- On

Veterans Day, the White House

announced that more than 30,000

immigrants (green card holders)

are serving in the US Armed Forces.

The White House said Nov. 11 said the country “cel-ebrates the men and women who have contributed to making our Armed Forces the fi nest the world has ever seen. The success of our military, and indeed, our nation as a whole, is rooted in the dynamism, courage and sacrifi ce demonstrated by generations of immigrants who have answered the call of duty.

Since the birth of our

democracy, immigrants from all corners of the world have fought for American independence and defended our ideals. As of May 2013, more than 30,000 lawful permanent residents were serv-ing in our Armed Forces.

“This Administration rec-ognizes that to selfl essly commit yourself to defending a country that is not yet fully your own is to act beyond the call of duty. Today, we thank our immi-grant veterans for protecting and strengthening their adopted

homeland.”It cited the case of Eliza-

beth “Liz” Perez-Halperin, a Wounded Warrior and White House Champion of Change, is a shining example of the drive immigrants bring to our Armed Forces. Liz’s father joined the U.S. military shortly after immi-grating to the United States from Mexico. He came to this country in search of the American Dream, and compelled by its promise, chose to serve under its fl ag.

Stories like this fuel Presi-dent Obama’s commitment to foreign-born servicemen, women and families. In 2002, then-President Bush issued an Executive Order that allowed for the immediate naturalization eli-gibility for active-duty U.S. mili-tary service members, as well as those who had recently been discharged. Expanding upon the Bush Adminstration’s admi-rable efforts, President Obama has continued to support immi-grants serving in the Armed Forces through U.S. Citizen-ship and Immigration Services (USCIS) initiatives that stream-line procedures and help quali-fi ed individuals navigate our complex immigration system. Since 2002, more than 92,700 men and women have become citizens while wearing the uni-form of the U.S. military.

November 15, 20131010

PH-US military pact talks hit snagMANILA. Philippine Defense Sec-

retary Voltaire Gazmin admitted a pro-posed pact to expand American military presence in the country has hit a snag, delaying a possible accord before the end of the year.

Negotiations began in August and

appeared to proceed smoothly after meet-ings held in alternating fashion in Wash-ington DC and Manila. The agreement would allow larger numbers of US troops to have temporary access to Philippine military camps and pre-position military hardware and supplies in the country.

Gazmin said one key issue involves a US failure to clearly accept Philippine con-trol over and access to temporary Ameri-can facilities to be set up in local camps.

“They can’t say yes or no but what will happen if we won’t have access? Those bases will look like their bases,” Gazmin was quoted in one interview.

Still, he said they are optimistic a solution would be found.

Philippine negotiators have been told to ensure that any agreement would comply with the Philippine Constitution and that the US would not have exclu-sive use of any facility established within

selected Philippine military camps.Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary

Carlos Sorreta explained earlier they had to hew closely to the limitations of the Constitution and current laws on the con-duct of foreign military forces in the Phil-ippines to forego with the need for Senate ratifi cation of the agreement.

No date has been sent for the next meeting.

The Philippines had welcomed the increased US military presence in the country to offset China’s increasingly aggressive conduct in the South China Sea.

US and Philippine offi cials negotiate to allow increased American military access in the Philip-pines.

November 15, 2013 11

Another Pinoy oil worker dies in Gulf WASHINGTON, D.C. The

remains of a Filipino welder who fell from an offshore oil plat-form in the Gulf of Mexico last Nov. 3 has been found and will is being repatriated to his family in the Philippines, the Philippine Embassy said here.

Philippine offi cials identi-fi ed the slain worker as Peter Jorge E. Voces, 38. His body was recovered by divers from the United States Coast Guard at the accident site at around 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 5.

“It is with deep sad-ness that we learn about the loss of our kaba-bayan,” said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones in the Philippines.”

In Chicago, Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim also extended his condolences to Voces’s family and assured them that the Philippine Con-sulate General there will facilitate the repatria-tion of his remains and will make the necessary representations with his employer to secure his benefi ts.

“We will do every-thing possible to bring Mr. Voces home at the soonest possible time,” Consul General Herrera-Lim said.

Both Ambassador Cuisia and Consul Gen-eral Herrera-Lim also expressed the appre-ciation of the Philippine Government to the US Coast Guard Sector New Orleans for spearhead-ing the search and rescue effort for Voces.

Two cutters, two helicopters, two fi xed-wing aircraft and six civilian offshore supply vessels were involved in the search for Voces that was mounted imme-diately after he was reported to have gone overboard on Sunday evening.

An offi cial of Houston-based Talos Energy said Voces was a member of a derrick barge crew that was contracted by its subsidiary, Energy Resource Technology, to dismantle one of its platforms at Vermillion Block 200, located some 55 miles south of Freshwater Bayou in Louisi-ana.

Talos Energy representa-tive David Blackmon said Voces was apparently knocked off the platform by an empty storage tank that fell with him into the waters around 100 feet deep at around 7:30 p.m.

Consul Romulo Israel Jr. said he was informed by the Coast Guard that their divers found Voces’s body pinned in the wreckage in waters just below the platform.

He said Mr. Voces’s remains were brought ashore and turned over to his employer, Offshore Specialty Fabricator LLC, based in Houma, Louisiana.

Embassy Welfare Offi cer Saul de Vries said Voces was a registered overseas worker who was deployed as a welder/fi tter by 88 Aces Maritime Services, a licensed manning company based in Manila.

Voces’s death brings to four the number of Filipinos who died while working in off-shore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Three Filipinos died and three others were seriously injured in the 16 November 2012 explosion at the oil platform they were working on some 154 miles from Sunday’s accident site.

The safety of Filipino offshore oil workers is questioned.

SPECIAL NOTICEFil-Ams aid Yolanda victims

For American Citizens who have relatives in the Philippines, please email: acsinfomanila@state.gov Provide detailed information on the person that you are looking for: Name, City etc. Also provide detailed contact information.

For non-American citizens, the Philippine government has setup a website posting the names of known deceased Real time information will be posted along with a phone number. http://ndrrmc.gov.ph/

November 15, 20131212

vivor in large letters on the rav-aged city’s port, where water lapped at the edge.

There was no one to carry away the dead, which lay rotting along the main road from the air-port to Tacloban, the worst-hit city along the country’s remote eastern seaboard.

At a small naval base, eight swollen corpses including that of a baby were submerged in water brought in by the storm. Offi cers had yet to move them, saying they had no body bags or elec-tricity to preserve them.

Authorities estimated the typhoon killed 10,000 or more people.

However, with shattered communications and transpor-tation links, the fi nal count was likely days away, and presiden-tial spokesman Edwin Lacierda said “we pray” it does not sur-pass 10,000.

“I don’t believe there is a single structure that is not destroyed or severely damaged in some way â ” every single building, every single house,” U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy said after taking a

helicopter fl ight over Tacloban, the largest city in Leyte prov-ince. He spoke on the tarmac at the airport, where two Marine C-130 cargo planes were parked, engines running, unloading sup-plies.

Authorities said at least 9.7 million people in 41 provinces were affected by the typhoon, known as Haiyan elsewhere in Asia but called Yolanda in the Philippines. It was likely the deadliest natural disaster to beset this poor Southeast Asian nation.

“Please tell my family I’m alive,” said Erika Mae Karakot as she stood among a throng of people waiting for aid. “We need water and medicine because a lot of the people we are with are wounded. Some are suffer-ing from diarrhea and dehydra-tion due to shortage of food and water.”

Philippine soldiers were distributing food and water, and assessment teams from the United Nations and other inter-national agencies were seen for the fi rst time Nov. 11. The U.S. military dispatched food, water,

generators and a contingent of Marines to the city, the fi rst out-side help in what will swell into a major international relief mis-sion.

Authorities said they had evacuated some 800,000 people ahead of the typhoon, but many evacuation centers proved to be no protection against the wind and rising water. The Philippine National Red Cross, responsi-ble for warning the region and giving advice, said people were not prepared for a storm surge.

“Imagine America, which was prepared and very rich, still had a lot of challenges at the time of Hurricane Katrina, but what we had was three times more than what they received,” said

“In some cases the devasta-tion has been total,” said Secre-tary to the Cabinet Rene Almen-dras.

In Tacloban, residents stripped malls, shops and homes of food, waterand consumer goods. Offi cials said some of the looting smacked of desperation but in other cases people hauled away TVs, refrigerators, Christ-mas trees and even a treadmill. An Associated Press reporter said he saw about 400 special

forces and soldiers patrolling downtown to guard against fur-ther chaos.

Brig. Gen. Kennedy said Philippine forces were handling security well and U.S. troops were “looking at how to open up roads and land planes and heli-copters” in order to bring in shel-ter, water and other supplies.

Philippine President

Benigno Aquino III declared a “state of national calamity,” allowing the central govern-ment to release emergency funds quicker and impose price con-trols on staple goods. He said the two worst-hit provinces, Leyte and Samar, had witnessed “mas-sive destruction and loss of life” but that elsewhere casualties were low.

Typhoon survivors appeal... from page 1

Father holds kids in front of makeshift hut waiting for aid.

houses, cars and trees. Malls, garages and shops have all been stripped of food and water by hungry residents.

The United Nations said it had had released $25 million in emergency funds and was launching an emergency appeal for money.

Just after dawn Tuesday, two Philippine Air Force C-130s arrived at its destroyed airport along with several commercial and private fl ights. More than 3,000 people who camped out at the building surged onto the tarmac past a broken iron fence to get on the aircraft. Just a dozen soldiers and several police held them back.

Mothers raised their babies high above their heads in the rain, in hopes of being priori-tized. One woman in her 30s lay on a stretcher, shaking uncon-trollably. Only a small number managed to board.

“I was pleading with the soldiers. I was kneeling and beg-ging because I have diabetes,” said Helen Cordial, whose house was destroyed in the storm. “Do they want me to die in this air-port? They are stone hearted.”

Most residents spent the night under pouring rain wher-ever they could in the ruins of destroyed houses, in the open along roadsides and shredded trees. Some slept under tents

brought in by the government or relief groups.

Local doctors said they were desperate for medicines. Beside the ruined airport tower, at a small makeshift clinic with shattered windows, army and air force medics said they had treated around 1,000 people since the typhoon for cuts, bruises, lac-erations, deep wounds.

“It’s overwhelming,” said Air Force Capt. Antonio Tamayo. “We need more medicine. We cannot give anti-tetanus vaccine shots because we have none.”

International aid groups and militaries are rushing assis-tance to the region, but little has arrived. Government offi cials and police and army offi cers have all been caught up in the disaster themselves, hampering

coordination.The USS George Washing-

ton aircraft carrier was expected to arrive off the coast in about two days, according to the Pen-tagon. A similar sized U.S. ship,

and its fl eet of helicopters capa-ble of dropping tons of water daily and evacuating wounded, was credited with saving scores of lives after the 2004 Asian tsu-nami.

Survivors seek flight... from page 1

Obamas saddened by loss of lives, extensive damagesWASHINGTON D.C.- Pres-

ident Obama said in a satement Nov. 10 the US was saddened by the extensive damage done by the super storm and will assist in the Philippine government’s relief and recovery efforts.

“Michelle and I are deeply saddened by the loss of life and extensive damage done by Super Typhoon Yolanda. But I know the incredible resiliency of the Philippine people, and I am confi dent that the spirit of Bayanihan will see you through this tragedy. The United States is already providing signifi cant humanitarian assistance, and we stand ready to further assist the Government’s relief and recov-ery efforts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of

people affected by this devastat-ing storm.”

On Nov. 11, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that “as we commemorate Veterans Day here at home, the State Depart-ment is working with Team Rubicon to deploy a team of incredible, courageous Ameri-can veterans to the Philippines and all the areas damaged by Typhoon Haiyan. Just as they did after Hurricane Sandy, these veterans will be using the skills they learned in uniform to help others recover from this terrible storm.”

The State Department also is cooperating with the Philip-pines Typhoon Disaster Relief Fund established by The mGive Foundation, a U.S. nonprofi t

organization, to coordinate donations via mobile phones to benefi t victims of the typhoon.

Kerry said that since the start of this calamity, the United States has been working closely with our partners in the Philip-pines to provide rapid and effec-tive relief. Our embassies in the Philippines and Palau are in close and constant contact with their partners in local govern-ments to direct aid to the right places. When I spoke with Phil-ippines Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario, I assured him of our full commitment to providing all necessary assistance.

A U.S. disaster assistance response team was among the fi rst international groups to reach Leyte province, one of

the hardest-hit regions. Experts from the U.S. Agency for Inter-national Development are work-ing closely with Philippine agen-cies to evaluate the damage and identify the best ways to help those who have suffered losses from the storm. Within hours, the U.S. embassy in Manila provided substantial fi nancial assistance for health, water and sanitation.

The U.S. government is organizing emergency ship-ments of critically needed mate-rial to provide shelter to the hundreds of thousands of Fili-pinos driven from their homes by this unprecedented typhoon. We are also organizing emer-gency shipments of food and hygiene supplies to thousands

of families. Pentagon person-nel are also deeply involved, providing logistical support to make sure relief gets to the right locations as quickly as possible. Non-governmental organiza-tions, charities and private relief organizations are also on the scene.

“I want to assure the people of the Philippines and the many Americans of Filipino heritage that we are working as hard as possible to provide essential assistance to help the Philippine people and their government recover from this tragedy.” Kerry said.

Filipino and American troops load boxes of food .and water.

Long lines form outside airport to get relief goods being distributed by the military.

November 15, 2013 13

Expat Pinoys around world seek word from kinsNEW YORK (Reuters)- Fili-

pinos from the United States to Asia sought word from loved ones in their homeland and prayed for missing and displaced family after a super typhoon swept through the central Philip-pines killing an estimated 10,000 people.

In Hong Kong, where some 160,000 Filipinos work, most as domestic helpers, there a sense of helplessness amongst the many thousands from the worst-hit Visayas archipelago amid a widespread communications blackout.

“My son and my mum are there and I don’t have any news about them. There is no Internet connection and no telephone connection, it’s all broken,” said Flynn Blancaber, a 30-year-old domestic helper whose home is close to a beach on Panay island in the western Visayas.

“I just don’t know what is happening there.”

Luz Viminda Guzman spent a frantic weekend calling and texting before fi nally getting through to her 33-year-old son from the town of Albuera on the west coast of hard-hit Leyte island, for a one-minute call before the line cut.

“I really cried knowing they’re okay,” said Guzman, a

55-year-old domestic helper, her voice choking with emotion.

“When he said ‘we have no more house’, I said ‘never mind. What’s important is you’re safe. If we don’t have a house we can start again, and what’s important is I can hear your voice and my grandsons are okay’”, Guzman said, her family now living from hand to mouth in a tent beside their gutted home.

Filipino groups in Hong Kong, the vast majority Roman Catholics, have been appeal-ing for cash donations and are

planning counseling sessions and prayer vigils for those with family impacted by Typhoon

Haiyan.In the San Francisco suburb

of Pinole, about 150 Filipino parishioners prayed during mass at Saint Joseph Catholic Church for relatives and friends unaccounted for from the super typhoon, which left more than 600,000 people homeless.

In the New York City bor-ough of Queens, televisions in restaurants, bakeries and other shops along a 15-block thor-oughfare dubbed Little Manila were tuned to news from the Philippines, with residents com-

miserating over frantic efforts to get in touch with missing loved ones.

Asuncion Hipe, a nurs-

ing assistant, said she had been

unable to reach her three sisters

and a nephew in remote Samar

province, where the storm made

its initial landfall and authori-

ties said at least 300 people were

dead.

Expat Filipinos in Boston and Canada pray for the victims of the typhoon .

Photo shows Welcome Tacloban sign while city itself is fl attened by the typhoon.

Hulk of two ships washed ashore mix with debris and survivors in Tacloban.

PH envoy cries during climate summit in PolandWARSAW, Poland - The

devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan cast a gloom over U.N. climate talks that kicked off Nov. 11 as the envoy from the Philip-pines broke down in tears and announced he would fast until

a “meaningful outcome is in sight.”

Delegrate Naderev “Yeb” Sano’s emotional appeal was met with a standing ovation at the start of two-week talks here where more than 190 countries

will try to lay the groundwork for a new pact to fi ght global warming.

Sano’s tears, which he wiped away with a red handker-chief, made other delegates at the COP19 react emotionally as well.

Speaking of the link between extreme weather and climate change that scientists have said is wreaking havoc all over the world, Sano urged members of the summit to take action.

“We can fi x this. We

can stop this madness. Right now, right here,” he told delegates in Warsaw.

Choking on his words, he said he was waiting in agony for news from relatives caught in the massive storm’s path, though he was relieved to hear his brother had sur-vived.

“In the last two days he has been gathering

bodies of the dead with his own two hands,” Sano said.

“In solidarity with my coun-trymen who are struggling to fi nd food back home ... I will now commence a voluntary fasting

for the climate,” he added. “This means I will voluntarily refrain from eating food during this (conference) until a meaningful outcome is in sight.”

U.N. climate chief Chris-tiana Figueres also made refer-ence to the “devastating impact” of the typhoon in her opening speech, and urged delegates to “go that extra mile” in their negotiations.

Naderev Sano, Philippines delegate to the Warsaw climate confer-ence, breaks down in tears talking about the devastation brought upon his country by super typhoon Haiyan. (Reuters)

November 15, 20131414

Nov 9 (Saturday) 6pm-12:00m APODCAA 7th Annual Dinner Dance, Fort Myer Community Center, Arlington, VA. $40. Contact: Romy Valle 240-751-3356 or rgvalle1952@yahoo.com

Continuing through Nov. 24 Joey Manlapaz Art Exhibit, “Cycles, Bikes & Bins.” Exhibi-

tion runs. Gallery Plan B. 1530 Fourteenth St. NW (between P & Q Streets) Washington, DC. Contact: 202-234-2711 or www.galleryplanb.com

Continuing through Nov 30 Nilo Santiago Dream Series Exhibit Aurora Hills Public Library, 735 S 18th St, Arlington VA

Continuing through Nov 30 DAY of the DEAD Show (Rec-yled Art) includes Nilo Santiiago piece, Arlington Central Library, 1015 N Quincy St. Arlington VA

Continuing through Dec 29 Paul Ta edo Photogra-phy, Greenspring Gardens Horticultural Center, 4603 Green Spring Rd. Alexandria, VA 703.642.5173. Meet theArt-ist/Reception on November 3 at 1-3pm. Contact Paul Tanedo at 703.915-4556

Continuing through Jan 23, 2014 (Monday-Thursday) 9am - 10pm, (Friday) 9 am - 6:30 pm. Durant Art Center 27th Anniversary Art Exhibi-tion “Young at Art.” Includes Filipino artist Nilo Santiago. Durant Art Center ,1605 Cam-eron St, Alexandria , VA.

Nov 12 (Tuesday)

6:30 pm Philippine Arts Letters and Media Council (PALM ) with Philippine American Foun-dation for Charities (PAFC) Book Launch of Emelina Galang’s Angel de Luna and the Fifth Glorious Mystery. Young adult fi ction. Philippine Embassy. Contact: Bing Branigin at 703-715-8879

Nov 16 (Satur-day) 2pm – 5pm PAFC “Dr. Jose Rizal Youth Awards,” Romulo Hall, Philippine Embassy, Wash-ington, DC. Contact: Aylene Mafnas 703 868 5660.

Nov 16 (Saturday) 6:00-12:00 midnight Feed the Hungry, Inc. “Handog 2013.” Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel, 5000 Seminary Rd., Alexandria, VA. $75. Music by Swinging DJ. Formal attire. Contact: Lottie Buhain 703.978.2709 or lot197@

aol.comNov 16 (Saturday)

7:30pm. Filipino Community Mass, St. Bernadette Catho-lic Church, 7600 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfi eld, VA 22152, Coordinator: Ed Tiong (703) 403-5624

Nov 23 (Saturday) 6:00pm-11:00pm PNAMWDC Medical Mission Dinner Dance Fund-raising. St. Columba Parish Hall - 7804 Livingston Rd. Oxon Hill, MD 20745. $30. Contact: Alice Andam - (703)216-0671 or pre-sandam@aol.com

Nov 23 (Saturday) 5:30 USTAAA 4th Anniversary Gala &Thanksgiving Masquer-ade Ball.Fairfview Marriott, VA. Prepaid $65, at door $70. Free parking. Contact: Amy Quinto atamysdesign@hotmail.com

Dec 1 (Sunday) PAFC, Phil-ippine Embassy and FOCUS, “Paskong Pinoy.” Features eight FilAm choirs and Allan Chan. American Legion Post 176, 6520 Amherst Avenue, Spring-fi eld, VA 22150. Free, donations encouraged for Yolanda typhoon victims. Contact: Ador Carreon at ador.carreon@aol.com

Dec 7 (Saturday) 6:00 pm to 12:00 midnight. Marinduque-nos of the Capital Area, Inc. (MCA, Inc.) PASKO NATIN 2013 Dinner Dance @ New For-tune Chinese Restaurant, 16515 Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. $50 adults, $40 teens. Contacts: Ruby Solomon (703) 501-0112

Dec.7 (Saturday) 7pm to 12pm. CHSNAF-MWDC Christ-mas Party and Induction of offi cers will be held on from Our Lady of Good Counsel, Vienna,Virginia. Contact - Ruby deLeon 703-307-3198

Dec 7 (Saturday) 5:30pm-12:00mn Mabuhay, Inc. Pasko 2013: Ang Pasko’y Pag-ibig.Sher-aton Washington North Hotel, 4095 Powder Mill Road, Belts-ville, MD 20705

Contact Person: Manny Lopez (301)452-7305

Dec 7 (Saturday) 2:00-6:00p.m., Marinduquenos Asso-ciation of the Capital Area, Inc. (MACA, Inc.) Christmas Party, Plum Gar Community Recreation Center, 19561 Scen-ery Drive, Germantown, MD, 20876. Contact leomonroyo@msn.com for further information.

Dec. 8 (Sunday) 4:00-7:00pm PAFC Pasasalamat/Christmas Party and Election of Board Members & Offi cers.Free. Lincolnia Seniors Center, 4710 N Chambliss St, Alexandria, VA 22312. Elections for mem-bers only. Inquiries regarding PAFC elections may be sent to Elvie Melegrito at elviemele@aol.com. Holiday party open to members and friends of PAFC. Contact: Aylene Mafnas at aylene@mris.com

November 15, 2013 15

November 15, 20131616 Around DC in Pictures

Virginia Governor -elect, Terry McAliffe, with Vida Benavidez far right during the pre-election get together with supporters at DNC offi ce in Tyson’s Corner, McLean, Virginia.

Gabby Riego de Dios, posed infront of his paintings during the IMF/World Bang staff Filipino American Art Exhibit, held at the IMF Atrium last Novem-ber 7. Several area Filipino American artists participated in the week-long exhibit.

L to R: Atty. JT Mallonga, president, Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund., Inc. Johanna Puno Hester, President, Asia Pacifi c Ameri-can Labor Alliance (APALA), and Gregory Cendana, Executive Director, APALA, at the 1st Gala and Awards Night of FALDEF, held in New Jersey, last October 26, 2013.

The Philippine Cultural Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia hosted over 200 guests for a fund raising drive for the victims of the recent typhoons in the Philippines. (From left) Enrico Pobre, Ms. Joey Albert, and Leonard Tengco, Virginia Beach School Board. More fund-raising efforts are being plan next month by newly-elected State Delegate of Virginia Beach, Ron Villanueva.

Filipino Americans in the Metro DC area show they support to the fund raising efforts of the Philippine Nurses Associations of Metro DC area, and the National Federation of Filipino American Association (NaFFAA), at the Immanuel on -the-Hill Church, Alexandria, Virginia, last November 8. Filipino Ameri-can tenor Allan Chan, Jr., Xi Wang, Soprano, and Michael Koon, pianist, gave an outstanding performance to the delight of the crowd.

L to R: Xi Wang, Soprano, Allan Chan Jr., Min. Emil Fernandez, Cul-tural Offi cer, Philippine Embassy, and Bing Branigin, fund raising project offi cer and Board of Gover-nor, NaFFAA. There was a reception after the fund raising benefi t concert for Philippine typhoon victims held at the Immanuel Church on-the-Hill, Alexandria, Virginia, November 8, 2013.

Nita Cacanindin, community leader in Virginia Beach collects donations for the victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines, Yolanda. State Delegate and re-electionist of Virginia Beach, Ron Villanueva, turned his election cel-ebration into a mini-fund-raising event last November 9, at the Philippine Cultural Center. A bigger fund raising event for the Yolanda typhoon victims will be held next Friday, November 15th in Norfolk, Virginia.

(From left) Bing Branigin, Board of Governor, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Rene Calandria, Phil-ippine American Chamber of Com-merce, Minister Emil Fernandez, Philippine Embassy Cultural Offi -cer, and Ador Carreon, Chairman of the board, Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC), at the fi rst fund raising event by the community for the victims of typhoon Yolanda . The concert was held at the Immanuel Church-on-the Hill last November 8. Major televi-sion broadcast network and print media covered the event sponsored by the Philippine Nurses Associa-tion of Metropolitan DC area, and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). PNAMDC will use the money for their annual medical mission in the Philippines. Because of the urgent need for help in the Philip-pines, NaFFFAA will give its share to typhoon victims. Businesses and community leaders not able to attend are now pledging that they will contribute to the NaFFFAA efforts to help the Philippine Red Cross in providing assistance to the affected areas.

Jervin Reyes (center) and his friends performed several songs during the Art Exhibit of Filipino American Artists at the Atrium of the IMF building last November 7, sponsored by the Filipino staff at the IMF-World Bank group.

November 15, 2013 17

November 15, 20131818

Balladeer at Ft. Washington PH CenterBy Dino dela Rosa

Dale Adriatico, the Filipino balladeer, who was very popular in the ‘60s, is having a one night concert on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. at the Philippine Multi-Cul-tural Center in Fort Washington, Md.

As a boy, Dale started his singing career in provincial sing-ing contest, discovering his own ability through his winnings. In his 20s, he was dubbed as The

Reluctant Frank Sinatra of the Philippines (not of his choice). However, the tag brought him to numerous countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Dale was a ‘kilabot’ in the early ‘60s long before Jun Polis-tico, Hajji Alejandro and Marco Sison. He’s a brilliant singer who could play various musi-cal instruments; all without any formal schooling. He was also being billed as the Frank Sinatra sound-alike as was the practice

in those days, except that Dale gave Sinatra’s songs his own fl avor and interpretation.

In 1962, he left for Hong-kong then proceeded to Eng-land after being discovered by a songwriter based in London. His travels around the world took Dale to Asia, Europe, the U.S. and Australia. In Australia, he acquired Australia citizenship in 1971 and topbilled shows at the Motor Club on George Street in Sydney. It was in Australia

that opened a new horizon for him in his involvement in a series of commercials for TV.

Dale was almost 60 when he was summoned by The Lord to walk the path of Godliness. Only then did he become conscious of his purpose, his existence on earth. Finally he is able to iden-tify the miracles in his past. It was then he realized that the artistry that carried through the hurdles in life was a gift; a gift from that carried him through the hurdles

in his life was a gift a gift from

God. Dale learned to look at life

in a different perspective, grate-

ful and thankful for his second

chance and the chance to know

the truth for that Jesus is The

Christ and is real and not a myth

or a mere fi gment of one’s imagi-

nation. For tickets to his show,

call 571-551-9144.

Kimmel of Channel 7 in hot water over slur

CALIFORNIA -

Jimmy Kimmel is in hot

water with critics from

the Chinese and Asian

American slamming him

by allowing a kid to say

we should kill everyone

in China.

On Nov. 9, hundreds

of protesters targeted

ABC Studios in Burbank,

Houston, and Phoenix to

protest the Oct. 16 seg-

ment of “Jimmy Kimmel

Live” where one of the

late night host’s tiniest

guests suggested “the

United States should

repay its $1.3 trillion

debt to China” by killing

Chinese. Both ABC and

Kimmel have since apol-

ogized for the comment,

and are no longer airing

“Kids’ Table.”

ABC said at the

time, “We offer our sin-

cere apology. We would

never purposefully

broadcast anything to

upset the Chinese community, Asian community, anyone of Chinese descent, or any com-munity at large. Our objective is to entertain.” Kimmel added, “I just want to say I am sorry. I apologize. It was certainly not my intent to upset anyone.”

However, Chinese-Ameri-can groups and protesters refuse to accept the apology. ABC Studios has not responded to Yahoo TV’s request for comment regarding the protests.

Jimmy Kimmel

November 15, 2013 19

Pinoy martial arts taught in new schoolCROFTON, Va. A martial

arts school that opened here last month is propagating Filipino fi ghting techniques that are win-ning adherents and rekindling interest on Philippines martial arts beyond boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

The Tryumph Academy of Martial Arts in the Crofton Prin-cess Center was the product of “self actualization” about their Filipino roots, explained twins Alan and Anthony Sanidad.

While they teach various martial arts (Taekwondo, Kick-boxing, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, etc.), Alan said they focus on the three main forms of Filipino martial arts – Arnis, Eskrima and Kali.

“There are just as many

family styles as there are islands in the Philippines,” Alan averred. But he said they follow the Mar-caida Kali style championed by the “Brotherhood of the Blade”.

He said they have been traveling up and down the East Coast, sharing their knowledge with other martial arts schools.

“Our goal is to spread our culture through Kali to Filipi-nos and non-Filipinos alike,” he explained. Their school is home to Kali Master “Kuya” (elder brother) Doug Marcaida.

“Unfortunately Kali is not known to Filipinos in the West and even in the homeland because for many years hidden it was hidden within the families. On top of that many Filipinos

were born into the colonial men-tality that everything outside of the Philippines is better, leav-ing the actual practice of Kali to parks, backyards and base-ments,” Alan added.

Martial arts school in Crofton, Va. promotes Filipino “kali” and other fi ghting techniques.

Fil-Am feted by Fairfax CountyFAIRFAX, Va. Filipino

American Rose Desabilla Armour of Brambleton, Va. was among 62 Fairfax County employees recognized for out-

standing performance at a Nov. 8 awards.

Fairfax is one of the largest counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia, employing more than 550,000 workers. Armour is a business analyst for the Police Department.

Armour was honored for being “regularly tasked with managing large projects for the Police IT Bureau” although proj-ect management is not one of her assigned tasks.

A county employee for six years, Armour is responsible for providing end user administra-tion and support for the Records Management System (RMS),

which involves regularly work-ing with employees from many county agencies. She also serves as the back-up administrator to the TeleStaff time and atten-

dance system, covering this posi-tion while performing her own duties for several months earlier in the year.

“Rose exemplifi es every good quality asked for in an employee,” says Lt. Robert Blak-ley, supervisor of the IT Bureau. “She is so indispensable to our operations that we couldn’t have successfully completed all our projects without her dedication and excellent work.”

Born and raised in Davao, Philippines, Armour graduated with a degree in Management Engineering from Ateneo de Manila University.

Rose Desabilla Armour (holding plaque) is fl anked by (from left) Fairfax County Executive Edward L. Long, Jr., Board Chairman Sharon Bulova and Supervisor Penny Gross. (photo by Jon Melegrito)

‘Paaralang Pinoy’ offers culture lessonsVIENNA, Va. The Paaralang

Pinoy, a Filipino culture and language enrichment program, is opening enrolment for kids Grade 1 through Grade 5.

The school is a project of the Filipino Ministry of Northern Virginia.

Older children are encour-aged to volunteer as “ates” and “kuyas” (big sisters and broth-ers) for community service credit.

The classes will be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel church (8601 Wolftrap Road,

Vienna, Va. 22182).Nov. 24 4:00-6:00 PM - De

Sales Hall - Mamasko tayo 1 (Let’s celebrate Christmas): Parol-making workshop. Chil-dren will learn how to make a parol (star lantern). This activity is jointly sponsored with OLGC. Snacks served. Cost $15 for fi rst parol kit, and $12 for each addi-tional kit.

Dec. 15 3:00-5:30 PM - St. Joseph’s Center, OLGC Mamasko tayo 2 (Let’s celebrate Christmas): Panunuluyan. Children will learn about Pan-

unuluyan, a reenactment of the nativity story often held on Christmas Eve during the Advent Novena of Masses or Simbang Gabi. Snacks served. Children will also watch mem-bers of the Filipino Ministry rehearse for a Panunuluyan, to be featured in a Simbang Gabi at OLGC on Dec. 21, 7:00 p.m. The Dec. 21 event will begin with the Panunuluyan before Mass and end with a salu-salo (reception) at DeSales Hall after Mass. Cost TBA, minimal.

November 15, 20132020

November 15, 2013 21

PH bet dedicates Ms. Universe finish to Yolanda victimsMANILA. It was an emo-

tional win for Miss Philippines Ariella Arida, the only Asian to reach the fi nals, who fi nished 3rd runner up in the Miss Universe 2013 pageant in Moscow, Russia last Nov. 9.

Arida dedicated her victory to her countrymen who were devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan (Philippine name: Yolanda), the world’s most powerful typhoon this year. The death toll is feared to reach the thousands.

Venezuela’s Gabriela Isler won the title, besting 85 other candidates during the corona-tion night held at Crocus City Hall in Moscow which hosted

the 62-year-old pageant for the fi rst time.

Said to have one billion viewers in over 190 countries, the event was announced in the opening minutes to be dedicated to the Philippines and Viet-nam, neighboring countries in the path of destruction of super typhoon Haiyan.

The runners-up, in order, were Spain’s Patricia Rodrí-guez, Ecuador’s Constanza Báez, Arida, and Brazil’s Jakelyne Oliveira.

The Philippines’ bet was notably the only Asian in the Top 5.

Dubbed an early favorite leading up to the fi nals night,

Arida earned a spot in the Top 16 after winning the offi cial online polls.

In the fi nal round of the pageant, Arida was asked by juror Tara Lipinski: “What can be done about the lack of jobs for young people starting their careers around the world?”

Arida’s answer: “For the people who have lack of jobs, I do believe that we people should invest in education and that is my primary advocacy, because we all know that if everyone of us is educated and well aware of what we are doing, we could land into jobs and we could land a good career in the future. Edu-cation is the primary source and

ticket to a better future.”Of the fi ve fi nalists, Arida

was the only candidate who answered in English and without an interpreter.

With her 3rd runner-up fi nish, Arida replicated the suc-cess of Shamcey Supsup, the Philippines’ candidate in the 2011 pageant. Janine Tugonon and Venus Raj fi nished 1st run-ner-up in 2012 and 4th runner-up in 2010, respectively.

The Philippines is still hoping to produce its third Miss Universe winner after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973.

Ariella Arida

tinues to perform the role that it has set out to do in 1990: “to pub-lish an independent and impar-tial newspaper that is beholden to no one except to the public that it serves.”

Twenty three years ago, Bert, the only journalist in the “Gang of 12”, agreed to edit the newspaper provided someone would provide the funds to pay for the printing of the newspa-per.

He said he did not want to edit a newspaper that would fold as many others had done due to lack of funds. That condition was met when the Forex Organiza-tion led by Jimmy Carino and Chit de Jesus agreed to adver-tise in every issue. The revenues would be enough to pay for the initial printing of 2,000 copies of the Manila Mail.

The advertiser also agreed to Alfaro’s condition that there would be editorial indepen-dence. As a veteran journalist, he was aware that advertisers often infl uenced the editorial content of a newspaper.

Not only did Forex abide with these terms; Chit de Jesus volunteered to serve as the com-puter layout artist and Jimmy allowed the Manila Mail to use the facilities of the Forex offi ces

in Alexandria, Virginia. The role of the other members was to help in the distribution and solicita-tion of more advertisements.

After the fi rst issue was launched, the group formed the Salakot Corporation and the newspaper was formally launched at a reception at the National Press Club with the late Philippine Ambassador Pablo Suarez as guest of honor. Because the Manila Mail had no funds for the occasion, the tab was picked up by the Forex Organization.

Two years after its incep-tion, members clashed over how to increase circulation and boost its funds. This resulted in the dis-solution of Salakot.

Not wanting to see the end of the newspaper, Bert, Warie, Jimmy and Chit, and Jojo agreed to continue with the publication. The result was the formation of a new group called Maya Media Inc. This arrangement lasted for more than a decade.

In September, 2008, 18 years after its establishment, Jimmy Carino and Chit de Jesus met with Bert and Warie in a Virginia restaurant to announce the sad news. They said that due to the unfavorable business conditions, Forex was pulling out of Maya Media Inc. This left Bert and

Warie with a tough decision to make.Bert, who had by now been

getting a little stipend for his editorial work and commissions from advertisements, met with Warie to decide whether to con-tinue with the publication.

Again, Bert and Warie felt that even with the little funds left by Maya Media Inc, the adver-tisements would be enough to pay for printing cost. Bert also agreed to dispense with his fee and advertising commission while Warie agreed to cover up for any little defi cit that occurred along the way. They also agreed to form the Manila Mail Com-munications, Inc. with Warie as president and Armando R. Alfaro, Luisa G. Reyes and Jojo dela Rosa as members. Bert remained as editor-in-chief and

chief operating offi cer of the Manila Mail.

Last year, Winona Cueva volunteered to serve as editor and administrator of the Manila Mail online version www.manil-amail.us. The entire issue of the Manila Mail, along with updates of the news, can be accessed through this website.

On August 31, 2013, Bert named veteran TV journal-ist Rodney J. Jaleco as editor-in-chief while he remained as founder and executive editor. Bert continues to assist Rodney and oversees the fi nances of the Manila Mail to ensure that it has enough funds to keep the news-paper growing into the future.

Bert Alfaro, founder-executive editorAtty. Warie Azarcon, president MMCI

Rodney J. Jaleco, editor-in-chief

Group photo taken in last year’s anniversary party hosted by Oscar and Evelyn Bunoan at their residence in Fairfax, Virginia.

Manila Mail marks... from page 1

November 15, 20132222

US report absolves Pinoy oil workersWASHINGTON, D.C. A

United States Department of Interior report has concluded that Filipino oil workers can’t be held liable for a Nov. 16, 2012 explosion at a Gulf of Mexico oil platform that killed three work-ers and seriously injured three more.

The DOI’s Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement instead shifted the onus of responsibility for the tragedy to Texas-based Black Elk Energy, which owned the offshore plat-form, and at least four of its con-tractors.

“We welcome the release of the BSEE report that concluded that the deaths of three Filipino workers and the serious injuries sustained by three other Fili-pino workers were the result of a series of failures on the part of Black Elk Energy and its contrac-tors to create a culture of safety in the work environment,” Ambas-sador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said in a statement.

A copy of the report was given to Cuisia by BSEE Director Brian M. Salerno.

The BSEE said the accident happened because Black Elk

Energy failed to establish an effective culture of safety and communicate risks and precau-tions to its contractors who were, in turn, blamed for failing to follow proper safety precautions.

“We are greatly relieved to learn from the offi cial BSEE investigation report that the Fili-pino workers were not respon-sible for the tragedy, contrary to earlier assertions made by Black Elk Energy President John Hoff-man who had wrongfully attrib-uted the accident to our work-ers,” Cuisia said.

Media reports attributed to

Hoffman had implied that the Filipino workers triggered the explosion and fi re because of their supposed incompetence and lack of English language skills. Cuisia demanded and later got an apology from Hoff-man.

“It had always been our position that our workers could not have been responsible for the accident and that they were actu-ally the victims of a terrible acci-dent that could easily have been prevented,” Cuisia said.

The BSEE report said the explosion was triggered by the

welding work the Filipino work-ers were ordered to perform on a pipeline connected to what they were made to believe were empty storage tanks that appar-ently still contained dangerous vapors.

“The Filipino workers who were on board the ill-fated plat-form all had extensive experi-ence in offshore oil platforms in the Philippines, the Middle East, Europe and other parts of the world,” Ambassador Cuisia said. “And like majority of Fili-pinos, they all speak and under-stand English.”

Napoles a nut too tough to crack even for MiriamMANILA. Even the feisty

Miriam Defensor Santiago could not get alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to spill the beans, prompting a lawmaker implicated in the deed and is now in the United States to declare the charges were all hearsay.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada fl ew to San Francisco earlier this month even as he colleagues spent nearly six hours to grill, cajole or otherwise convince Napoles to give up her accom-plices. She testifi ed for the fi rst time last Nov. 7 before the Senate

blue ribbon committee.Napoles fi rst tried to ask

for an executive session, citing the sensitivity of the issue. But after the committee turned it down, Napoles repeatedly invoked her right against self-incrimination.

“It’s all pure hearsay,” Estrada said in an interview in San Francisco. He is one of three senators whose names have been dragged in the P10 billion “pork barrel scam”.

“I am not guilty. I have done nothing wrong. I did not steal a single centavo sa ating mga

kababayan (from our country-men),” stressed Estrada.

Despite already facing a plunder case, along with Napoles and fellow senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Bong Revilla, Estrada was allowed to travel to the US on November 2, supposedly for a long-scheduled medical trip for his wife.

“We were seeking a second opinion for the medical condition of my wife, Precy, because she discovered a lump on her breast. I was here earlier, four days ago, I submitted all her medical docu-ments and the reason why she

wasn’t able to travel with me together was because my eldest daughter was hospitalized,” he explained.

Estrada stressed he will return to the Philippines to face the charges against him. “As I said, I was born in the Philip-pines. I was raised in the Phil-ippines. I will die in the Philip-pines. In due time, I will prove my critics are wrong.”

Back in Manila, lawmak-ers appeared bent on making Napoles name names, fuel-ing speculations she was being used to go after the adminis-

tration’s political opponents. “Nakakaawa nga po yung mga senador at mga congressmen na nada-drag ang pangalan nila (Poor senators and congressmen abecause their names are being dragged)…” she told the Senate panel.

Even Senator Defensor-Santiago, famous for wilting down uncooperative or evasive witnesses, failed to get Napoles to talk about the scam when she repeatedly invoked her right against self-incrimination to almost every question that the lady senator asked.

Veterans Affairs under the 2009 Filipino Veterans Equity Com-pensation law.

Retired US Army General Antonio Taguba, on behalf of the VA Secretary, presented the fi rst US government Equity check of $15,000 to Bacani on April 8, 2009, during a reception at the Philippine Embassy marking the anniversary of the Bataan Day.

Bacani was born in the Northern Luzon province of Isa-bela on January 14, 1911.

He spent 10 days as a pris-oner of war after allied US and Filipino forces surrendered to the Japanese Imperial Army fol-lowing the fall of Corregidor Island in 1942.

He said he was “dried under the sun facing two machine guns” of the Japanese. He was later honorably discharged from the US Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

Bacani was a school prin-cipal and teacher in the Philip-pines. He retired as a registrar in the University of the East in 1976 before immigrating with his family to the US.

Here, he worked as a librar-ian at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Crystal City, Va. Bacani recalled with pride the EPA division library reading room was named after him when he retired after 34 years of federal service at the age

of 98.Bacani is survived by his

three children, Dr. Robert Bacani, Lyda Miranda, and Milagros Cabagnot; 15 grandchildren; and 31 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Saturnina, and children, Vina Narciso and Jose Alberto Bacani.

He was interred at the Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia, beside his beloved wife Saturnina who passed away last year.

Bacani was an active member of the Washington-based advocacy organization, the American Coalition for Fili-pino Veterans. He regularly lob-bied senators, congress members and American presidents on sev-eral veterans equity bills.

His passing occurred barely

a week before the annual Veter-ans Day celebrations in Wash-ington that he and other Filipino World War II veterans attended in the past.

This year, the Friends of the National World War II Memorial (Friends) and the National Park Service (NPS) paid tribute to the more than 16 million men and women who served with the US armed forces during World War II.

“Veterans Day is the time to recognize our World War II vet-erans to whom we owe an enor-mous debt of gratitude,” said Friends Chairman Retired Army Lieutenant General Claude “Mick” Kicklighter.

“Our World War II veter-ans who served overseas, as well as all those who served on

the home front, literally saved the world and Friends is proud to lead the effort in celebrating them and the spirit of unity of the American people during this pivotal time in our nation’s his-tory,” he stressed.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley gave the keynote address and presented a wreath at the Freedom Wall along with veterans from World War II. O’Malley’s father, Thomas Martin O’Malley, served as a bombardier in the US Army Air Forces in the Pacifi c the-ater during World War II.

Two of the nine surviv-ing World War II Medal of Honor recipients attended the ceremonies: Wilburn K. Ross and George T. Sakato.

Oldest FilVet in US... from page 1

Fil-Am faces prison for ‘distracted driving’SAN DIEGO, Ca. A Filipino

American mother faces up to six years in jail for a car crash that killed one motorist after police say she didn’t apply the break on time.

Ypanto Nicolas, 31, of San Diego, is scheduled for jury trial on December 5 at the Orange County Courthouse.

According to the Philippine News, Nicolas was arrested on January 26, 2012 by the Cali-fornia Highway Patrol and charged with “one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence”. She is out on

a $100,000 bail.According to the Orange

County District Attorney, Nico-las was speeding on I-405 on April 27, 2011. Nicolas is accused of failing to brake or slow down and crashing at approximately 80 miles per hour into the back of a Hyundai sedan, which was just starting to move after being at a full stop in traffi c.

The vehicle was driven by 23-year-old Deanna Mauer, a softball star at San Jose State Uni-versity. After crashing into the victim’s car, Nicolas is accused of losing control of her own vehicle

and also crashing into the center divider. She was transported to a hospital and treated for minor lacerations. The victim was transported to the University of California Irvine Medical Center and pronounced dead as a result of “brain death due to vertebral artery transaction.”

Her lawyer, Eric Lampel, disputed speculations according to a Philippine News report that Nicolas was texting on her cell-phone prior to the collision. He stressed that the collision was an accident.

According to investigators,

the victim’s car was pushed into the car in front of her and then traveled and struck the center divider before coming to a stop facing southbound in the north-bound lanes.

After crashing into the vic-tim’s car, Nicolas is accused of losing control of her own vehicle and also crashing into the center divider. She was transported to a hospital to be treated for minor lacerations. The victim was transported to the University of California Irvine Medical Center and pronounced dead at 6 p.m. that day as a result of “brain

death due to vertebral artery transaction.”

Senior Deputy District Attorney Alison Gyves of the Homicide Unit said it became a criminal act because “There was negligence involved as Ms. Nico-las was not paying attention to what was going on around her. Because of that, we don’t charac-terize it as an accident.”

Lampel said they are pursu-ing information that could show it was not a “distracted driver” situation or a manslaughter case.

Nicolas is a respiratory ther-apist and mother of one child.

November 15, 2013 23

National Federation of Fili-pino Ame rican Associations (NaFFAA) and the Philippine Nurses Association of Metro DC (PNAMDC) committed half the proceeds of a Nov. 8 joint fund-raising concert that was sched-uled two months ago. The other half has been slated to fund the nurses’ medical mission to the Philippines.

The concert held at the Immanuel Church on the Hill in Alexandria, Va., featured local musicians whose performance was motivated by their desire to help. It was especially emotional for Allan Chan Jr., Tenor and lead singer of the evening, because of his personal connection to the devastation that reportedly took thousands of lives.

He is the son of Luluth Pala-cios Chan and Allan Chan Sr. who hail from Tacloban, Leyte, perhaps the hardest hit because of a fi ve-meter high storm surge that simply engulfed the city of 200,000 because it is surrounded on three sides by the sea.

“My father’s hometown was hit very hard, and is completely wiped out,” Chan said. “The little help we can do tonight will go a long way over there.”

In a last minute addition to the repertoire, the singer gave a moving rendition of “Bayan Ko” (My Country).

“It’s a song about freedom from oppression,” he explained to the organizers. “But it may as well be a song about freedom from death and destruction.” The church was fi lled to capacity, with pews packed with people from the community giving gen-erously, on top of the $25 admis-sion fee. Many in the audience raised their hands when asked if they have relatives who were affected by the typhoon. With no direct communications in the hard-hit areas, waiting for word about their loved ones was, to them, the most diffi cult.

At the Philippine Cultural Center in Virginia Beach, Va., local artists also pulled their creative resources together for a fundraising concert on Nov. 9.

A national effort is currently underway to bring together Fili-pino American artists to hold a benefi t concert. Wilma Consul, a Washington DC-based perfor-mance artist and former reporter for National Public Radio, is ini-tiating a “Music Aid for Pinas,” similar to one sponsored by actors and artists here in the US in response to natural calamities.

“It’s Bayanihan time, folks,” Consul said. “Our beloved coun-try is mourning. Let’s mobilize, organize and work.”

Photographer Paul Tanedo, whose works are currently on exhibit at the Garden Springs Park in Alexandria, Va., plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of his framed digital images.

Other community organi-zations, like Feed the Hungry, were already on the ground in the Philippines on Day One implementing emergency assis-tance. “Some of our board mem-bers immediately fl ew to Manila to assist our volunteers,” says Gloria Caoile, a FtH director.

“We have not fi nished our work in Bohol but we are assess-ing what can be done for victims of Yolanda.” Feed the Hungry is also reaching out to Ameri-can corporations, like Schwab, Google and Microsoft to help out. Donors are directed to the FtH website, feedthehungryphil.org, for more information.

“All our efforts will make a difference,” Caoile adds. “We just need to roll up our sleeves and walk the extra mile. Let’s keep the faith and together we will help save lives.”

Rene Calandria, editor of Pinoy Herald, said he is forging a partnership with Worlds Apart One Heart Inc., a humanitar-ian organization, to sponsor a fundraiser on Nov. 17 to benefi t the people of Tacloban and his hometown of Carigara in Leyte.

“In addition to emergency relief like food, shelter and medi-cine, rebuilding their lives will be a long-term concern,” said Calandria, who is also incom-ing President of the Philippine American Chamber of Com-merce. “I’m appealing to every-one in the community to pitch in.”

Ador Carreon, Board Chair-man of the Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC), has also disclosed that proceeds of the Dec. 1 Paskong Pinoy will go to a relief fund.

“Our fundraising efforts, for the most part, have been directed to help the poor and needy in the Philippines,” Carreon said. “Their survival and long-term needs are of utmost concern to us.”

PAFC has already donated $1,000 through the Philippine Red Cross.

Meanwhile, aid organiza-tions based here are joining the growing international effort to help victims of killer typhoon Yolanda even as one United States lawmaker urged his gov-ernment to expand its assistance to a longtime ally.

“Help is urgently needed from the American people to reach those in greatest need in the Philippines,” said World Food Program USA chief execu-tive offi cer Rick Leach.

WFP has mobilized an immediate US$2 million for the response, but will be appeal-ing for more funds as the needs become clearer. As a preliminary measure, 40 metric tons of forti-fi ed biscuits are due to be fl own in from Dubai in the coming days.

“WFP is already mobilizing

to respond to this disaster with critical emergency food relief and stands ready to help families and children impacted by the storm,” he stressed. Donations can be made at www.wfpusa.org or by texting the word AID to 27722 to instantly donate $10.

The local NBC affi liate (Channel 4) is planning to do a phone bank to help its viewers donate for Filipino typhoon vic-tims. The mainstream TV chan-nels here have been providing extensive coverage of the heart-breaking losses in Tacloban City and other equally devastated Philippine communities.

An initial 7 tons of medi-cines and medical supplies worth about $600,000 from the Virginia-based Asia America Ini-tiative (AAI) have arrived in the Philippines in the next 24 hours.

“Severe weather and natural calamities during recent years have challenged the people in the Philippines like no other country in the world,” said AAI President Albert Santoli.

A second shipment of medi-cines is being gathered by the Direct Relief organization and supported by American donors. It is expected to support 30,000 typhoon victims for one month.

“We are honored to have hard-working local partners like the Philippine Red Cross and pri-vate organizations on both sides of the Pacifi c such as One World Institute and IPI Foundation. I respect the courage and perse-verance of the Filipino people of all religions and cultures,” San-toli said.

Rep. Joseph Heck (3rd Dis-trict, Nevada) sent an “urgent” request to Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID),

“While I realize we currently provide considerable assistance to the Philippines, events such as super typhoon Haiyan require the consideration of additional aid,” he wrote.

“In light of the devastation and loss of life, I encourage you to immediately move to provide

emergency disaster assistance to the Republic of the Philippines.”

The diffi culty to commu-nicate with severely damaged areas also raised fears not only among Filipinos here but rela-tives of Americans living in dev-astated areas as well.

For American citizens who have relatives in the Philippines, please email: acsinfomanila@state.gov . Provide detailed information on the person that you are looking for: Name, City etc. Also provide detailed con-tact information.

For non-American citizens, the Philippine government has setup a website posting the names of known deceased Real time information will be posted along with a phone number. http://ndrrmc.gov.ph/

Gawad Kalinga USA (GK USA), through its spokesman Benedict Oliver Dichoso is col-lecting funds to provide 20,000 food packs for the typhoon vic-tims. “A food pack cost $5 and includes water, rice, canned food, and noodles,” Dichoso points out.

“GK Philippines Teams are on the ground now and will dis-tribute the food packs. We are receiving donations at http://gk-usa.org/donations/. Please pass on this information.”

With direct communications virtually non-existent in the days after the storm, social media, like Facebook, has been a useful forum in the community for providing information, comfort, support and synergy in prayer. This digital “bayanihan” (shared workload/burden) effort has always helped Filipinos survive to overcome the aftermaths of storms, earthquakes and violent volcanic eruptions.

“What humbles me is the grace the Filipinos have in deal-ing with what they are given,” says Munam Villorante Good-win of Bethesda, MD.

“I saw a mother who fash-ioned a hammock made of blan-ket for her baby in an evacua-tion center. She is smiling as she

pushed and pulled, lulling her baby to sleep. No whining, no complaining.”

This attitude was appar-ently picked up by CNN, which described in its broadcasts the Filipino people as “unbeliev-ably resilient, long suffering, good natured, uber friendly, loyal, ingenius, and a bunch of survivors. At the end of the day, the Filipinos will just shake off the dirt from their clothes and go about their business… and SMILE. They do not complain much, they will bear as long as they can. Maybe this is why they were given the ‘privilege’ of bearing the burden of the stron-gest typhoon ever recorded. The indomitable spirit at its fi nest.”

While many in the cyber community applauded CNN’s tribute, there were a few who took umbrage. “CNN, don’t tell us who we are,” posted Gem Daus, a University of Maryland professor. “It is not a privilege to not know where your loved ones are.”

Another Filipino Ameri-can professor, Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, added a stinging criti-cism of “industrial capitalist soci-eties that created global warm-ing, and now us poor people have to be models of resilience and piety and faith in order to bear the consequences of your wasteful, destructive lifestyles?”

Another posted: “And they forgot to say ‘noble savages.’”

Given the magnitude of the destruction and the frequency of more storms to come, the Fil-Am community leaders are mindful of the tremendous challenges ahead. “It takes people years to recover from a catastrophe like this and rebuild their lives,” says NaFFAA National Chairman Ed Navarra. “We can only try our best to alleviate a lot of their stress.”

Fil-Ams mobilize for... from page 1

Filipino American tenor Allan Chan after concert benefi tting victims of typhoon Yolanda which devastated his par-ents’ hometown in the Philippines.

November 15, 20132424

On the Content of Native Dances

Native, an adjective, is typ-ical, indigenous, of the Philippines, by the Phil-

ippines, in the Philippines. And nowhere is this adjective more apparent, more emblematic, than in the country’s folk dance. It is in the folk dance that one sees and feels the creator’s love for his birthplace, for the ways of life he has been living, his pas-sion for his works and plays, his surroundings, the affi nity for his deeply-rooted culture.

Take, for example, the most popular “Tinikling,” named after a long-legged bird. It depicts the life in a barrio, and by extension, in an agricultural region of the country. As is with this bird, a farmer hops for life and skips the danger everyday living entails. The dance creator has seen in his lifetime the struggles of a tikling bird to escape the lure of bamboo traps. The movement of the danc-ers’ feet he has choreographed, feet escaping the impact of two bamboo poles clashing, por-trays how life, for him, has been. He has identifi ed himself with the bird, he feels what the bird should feel facing the danger, if the bird should have the feel-ing; he is the dancer in constant watch for the clashing poles, his fear of an ear-splitting sound of two cymbals in a symphony. A Filipino, to him, is a bamboo dancer.

The popularity of this dance, now recognized and appreciated internationally, however, has rested on an audience’s reac-tion every time the dance is per-formed. The appreciation comes when an audience perceives the dance itself as a way of life, charged with feelings and sensi-bilities, and only when the audi-ence succumbs to these feelings and sensibilities, the merging of the audience’s emotions with the virtual life being portrayed, only then does total enjoyment comes. The artistry of the dance and the dancers is well defi ned; when the choreographed movement is without the emotions, the set pattern of steps is reduced to a gymnastic exercise, dead.

Folk dances in the Philip-pines, almost without exception, are variants of the Philippines’ way of life. The steps, the cos-tumes, the stage settings may be different, but the image evoked always is the homogeneity of the people of the islands. The theme is the survival from an imagined crisis, a threatening storm or fl ood to wipe out rice crops and vegetation, the unannounced intruders, or a catastrophic change in one’s environment,

all these come to an end. When they pass, the life continues, the happy gaits and smiles remain.

From Laoag in northern Luzon to the Tawi-Tawi Islands in the south, folk dances, by regions, may be different in external appearances, but they all express an idea the way feel-ings, emotions and other per-sonal sensations come and go, how all these give a Filipino his personal identity, the inner life that makes him what he is, his inside history, and to a greater extent his part of a nation’s cul-ture. The objectifi cation of a sub-jective life is what makes folk dances works of art.

Typical of the artistry exhib-ited is in “Kuratsa,” a fl irtation dance fi rst introduced in Leyte showing the exuberance and gaiety of its inhabitants, or in “Cariniosa,” which literarily means amiable or gracious, expressing the emotion of a maiden yearning for her lover, or better yet, in “La Jota Moncade-nia,” a take from the Spanish Jota and fi rst performed in Moncada, Tarlac, evoking merriment in the combined Spanish and Ilocano dance steps. Equally evocative is in “Itik Itik,” fi rst performed in Surigao, a playful imitation by female dancers of ducks wad-dling and playing in mud pud-dles.

Not to be ignored are “Bina-suan,” “Subli,” “Pandanggo sa Iaw,” “Maglalatik,” and “Palo Palo.”

Dances in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are traditionally mimetic in form and portrays the occu-pations of their inhabitants. In “Laugka-Baluang,” a male dancer mimics an angry monkey in a style that creates an illusion of an ill-tempered monkey that is at once funny and intimidat-ing. “Igal Kussah” a male dancer assumes the illusion of a boar trying to crack a coconut, with unsuccessful result. “Linggisan” a female dancer imitates a bird in fl ight, while “Kabh Kabah” dancers imitate mating but-terfl ies. In “Pagkamun,” a sea mantis is being mimicked, while in “Pangasik,” a dancer simu-lates a mating rooster.

Occupations portrayed are in “Igal Buwan,” torch-bearing male dancers in a ritualized religious event, and in “Tauti,” showing the intricacies of catch-ing a catfi sh.

All these dances would not have come about without the creativity and ingenuity of their creators and the institutions they fostered The Bayanihan Folk Arts Center, now an institution organized under the prodding’s of Helen Benitez of the Philip-pines Women University, has successfully introduced Philip-pine culture to the major cities in the world. The dance troupe not only gained recognition but prizes as well. The Filipinescas, under the Leonor Oroza Goqu-ingco’s guidance, have intro-duced creative innovations and daring dance style to the other-wise traditional forms of danc-ing.

Without the performances of the Baranggay Dance Troupe of the Philippine Normal Col-lege, under the direction of Paz Cielo Belmonte, of “Palakis” and “Balambang,” we, the poten-tial audience, would forever be ignorant of how the natives of Benguet and Kalinga in the Mountain Province live their lives as evoked in their dances. And without the troupe’s per-formances of the “Singkil” and “Silat ,” our knowledge of the Muslims’ way of life and reli-gious rites would forever be in limbo.

These dances, that are native to the Philippines, create an image of personal identity for our enjoyment. We enjoy at seeing ourselves. We thrill at each performance because we share the feelings and emotions evoked by the dance and by the dancers, we feel the threat of danger and the evasion, failures and triumphs, the dawning and setting of the sun, and the for-ever happy aftermath. We feel, we share, we recognize that in watching a performance we see ourselves as participants in the forever moving, evolving, pat-tern of culture and in weaving the threads of the nation’s his-tory.

Target: President AquinoMANILA

If there’s such a thing as a silent siege, it’s what’s being thrown at President Aquino.

The objective: to chip away at his popularity and make worthless his endorsement of Mar Roxas as presidential candidate in 2016.

The drop the other week in Aquino’s poll numbers isn’t coincidental; it’s partly the dirty tricks campaign against him bearing early fruit. Expect the siege to continue.

You can see it in a subtle but sustained fl ow of letters to news-paper editors, taking advantage of every possible peg to put Aquino down. The letters so far have tried to portray the Presi-dent as incompetent and lazy but the more shrill among them fl irt with suggestions of either impeachment or forced resigna-tion.

Some commentators in print and radio have also been on the President’s back, even to the extent of calling him names. Expect the badmouthing to esca-late and be more overt.

Who might be behind this Aquino-bashing?

Mr. Aquino has stepped on a lot of political toes in the three years he’s been in offi ce. He’s put a lot of people in humiliating situations, exposing their past misbehavior to the searing light of the sun for everyone to see. He’s made a lot of people angry. Any one or group among these people currently twisting in the wind could be behind the plot to diminish Mr. Aquino’s standing with the people and erode his popularity.

Aquino-bashers may be motivated either by their own belief that the President is doing a lousy job or by paper that the central bank guarantees as legal tender.

For the fi rst suspects, domestic appreciation for Aqui-no’s efforts sofar is widespread. And abroad, credit rating agen-cies and global business leaders have been giving the Philippines high marks, practically endors-ing Aquino’s governance as the key to the investment-rating upgrades. So the President’s detractors must have other motives.

Having said this, and while praise has been coming his way, the President must further improve the government’s per-

formance, especially in making sure the recent economic growth benefi ts the poor.

His high poll numbers up to this point make him a formidable endorser in 2016. And so those who are nursing their own ambi-tions to get to where PNoy’s desk is currently, and are not likely to be endorsed by him, naturally want to make him a weak or insignifi cant anointer of the next president. They could be behind the moves to make Aquino an ineffectual kingmaker in 2016, or worse a lame duck even before that time.

Aquino’s ace so far is his chart-busting numbers in the surveys. Consistently, the people have given him rave reviews so far, building him an impregnable wall against the manufactured complaints over his performance in offi ce. This has made the task of the Aquino-bashers tough up to this point.

But the dip in the President’s survey numbers recently will give his detractors a glimmer of optimism. They might even toast themselves as doing a good job of whittling down Aquino’s standing among the masses.

No doubt Mr. Aquino’s press handlers are able to dis-cern what’s going on; they don’t have to read the tea leaves to know that their boss is under a subtle but continuing siege. They and their principal should expect the sniping to continue in the coming months and build up to a crescendo in 2015 all the way to 2016.

Of course it’s the essence of democracy to have a robust agora of ideas, an exchange of differing opinions, and a healthy give-and-take in public fora. The president and all public offi cials are open targets for criticism because they are the servants of the people.

But criticism must be fair and based on facts, not on mere conjecture or worse, on fabri-cated insinuations or outright falsehoods. Public discourse must be responsible and honest, and not just name-calling and ad hominem arguments.

We the people must put Aquino on his toes at all times to keep him alert and honest. We must put his feet to the fi re and continue to breathe down his

Continued on page 30

November 15, 2013 25

Backbone

Can an Ombudsman who has a backbone, instead of a wishbone, make a

difference? Read last week’s Court of

Appeals decision that upheld Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales’ order to fi re 10 Navy men. They were implicated in the 1995 death of Ensign Philip Pestano who refused to load hot timber and drugs.

Associate Justice Jose Reyes Jr. wrote 9th division’s decision: Carpio Morales rightly reversed earlier dismissal of charges by previous ombudsmen Aniano Desierto and Merceditas Gutier-rez, it said,. Both had turned a blind eye to the evidence

“Sixteen years and four months”, noted an Inquirer edi-torial January last year.. “That’s how long it has taken the death of ...Pestaño to be recognized for what it has been: cold blooded murder”. Conviction remains a long way off...But it offers a glimmer of hope that closure will grace this case”.

Well, conviction came --- fi nally.

An Ateneo honor student, Pestano graduated from Phil-ippine Military Academy. As “RPS Bacolod City” cargomaster Pestano refused to load 14,000 board feet of illegal logs -- a Sulu governor’s gift to Admiral Pio

Caranza.In September, Pestano was

shot in his cabin as the ship meandered on a bizzare hour-and-a-half trip from Cavite to Roaxs Blvd. Normally that trip takes 25 minutes. Logbook entries disappeared. Sans inves-tigation, the Navy ruled within 24 hours: “Suicide.”

Within four months of Pestaño’s death, comrades dis-appeared in mysterious circum-stances,” the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva found.

P02 Zosimo Villanueva tipped Pestano on drugs stashed in 20 sacks of rice aboard the ship”, then Senator Fred Lim revealed. Villanueva was “lost at sea”--- but his three compan-ions survived. Only a bloodied speedboat was found.

PO3 Fidel Tagaytay was BRP Bacolod City’s radio opera-tor. He vanished when sum-moned to testify. Wife Leonila’s efforts to trace his whereabouts

were brushed off by the claim that Tagaytay was “absent with-out leave”. Nobody in the Navy bothered to look.

Ensign Alvin Farone con-tacted Marissa, Pestaño’s sister, Mariissa saying he wanted “to tell what really happened to Philip.” He died before he could do so.

Then, Lt (Carlito Amoroso (PMA class 1994) moonlighted as close-in security for Admiral Carranza. Amoroso was not a crew member of BRP Bacolod City. Yet, he tagged along on trips from Tawi-Tawi and to Navy HQ…unmanifested. Was he riding shotgun for those con-troversial logs earlier or drugs?

Amoroso became scarce since then. Did he resign? Or has he been tucked into a low-profi le post? The Navy isn’t keen on locating, much less asking him questions. Lim fumed: “To date, as like the others, (Amoroso) got

Immigration NotesBy J.G. Azarcon, Esq.

Approval of petitions

after death of relative

In the past, if the petitioner dies while the visa petition is pending, the benefi ciary

would not be entitled to seek approval of the petition. The law changed with the amendment of Sec. 204 (l) of the Immigration Act in 2009.

Under current law, an alien seeking immigration benefi t through a deceased qualifying relative may obtain approval of a visa petition or adjustment application and refugee/asylee relative petition if the alien meets the following illegibility require-ments:• Resided in the United States when the qualifying relative died;• Continues to reside in the United States on the date of the decision on the pending petition or application;• Is at least one of the following:• the benefi ciary of a pending or approved immediate relative visa petition;

• the benefi ciary of a pending or approved family-based visa peti-tion, including benefi ciary and any derivative benefi ciaries;• any derivative benefi ciary of a pending or approved employ-ment-based visa-petition;• the benefi ciary of appending or approved Form I-730, Refu-gee/Asylee Relative Petition;• an alien admitted as a deriva-tive “T” or “U” nonimmigrant; • or a derivative asylee.

The Immigration Service defi nes “qualifying relative” as an individual who immediately before death, was: the petitioner or principal benefi ciary in a fam-ily-based petition; the principal benefi ciary in an employment-based visa petition; the peti-tioner in a refugee/asylee rela-tive petition; the principal alien admitted as a T or U nonimmi-grant; the principal asylee who was granted asylum.

VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINESNOVEMBER 2013

• FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES First: Unmarried sons/daughters of US citizens Jul 01, 2001Second:A: Spouses/minor children of permanent residents: Sep. 08, 2013B: Unmarried sons/daughters 21 years of age or older of permanent residents Mar. 01, 2003Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens Jan. 08, 1993Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens Apr. 22, 1990

• EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCESFirst: Priority workers CurrentSecond: Professionals holding advanced degrees or persons of exceptional ability CurrentThird: Skilled workers, professionals Dec. 15, 2006Other Workers Dec. 15, 2006Fourth: Certain Religious Workers CurrentFifth: Employment creation/ (Million or half-million dollar investor) Current

Mortgage Process in a nutshell

Applying for a mortgage is a process. For some, it is easy but for others

it is like pulling teeth. It has lots of characteristics wherein one borrower cannot be identi-fi ed with other borrowers. Each situation is unique and a profes-sional analysis is always recom-mended.

Let us talk about the mort-gage process in general. Mort-gage application is like you are in a court. There is a judge, a petitioner, and a lawyer. A case is being presented by the lawyer on behalf of his client and the judge will make the decision. In our mortgage application, it is quite similar. The borrower is the petitioner or the applicant, the lawyer is the loan originator, and the judge is the underwriter. The underwriter is a person des-ignated to make a decision on the loan application. He or she can approve, deny or make a counter offer.

The initial step is to have a conversation with an experi-enced loan offi cer (LO). The LO will assist you in explaining the different programs available. A good LO would ask several questions based on your fi nan-cial situation and overall objec-tive. It is best recommended you provide to your LO all the nec-essary fi nancial documentation and information so the LO could help you make an informed deci-sion.

There are also other avenues to get ideas about mortgage loans and buying a house. Some of the counties and not-for-profi t orga-nizations have instituted pro-grams you can attend especially if you are a fi rst time homebuyer. These home buying seminars are usually free of charge.

Among others, there are three (3) basic things we need to know about securing a loan. These factors are mostly applica-ble to any kind of credit applica-tion. Let us use the acronym CIA to remember easily. The letter C stands for Credit, I stands for Income, and A for Asset. Any lender would like to assess the borrower’s capacity and capabil-ity to repay the loan. That is part of their risk management.

Credit is known to the lender by pulling credit report. Under-writers do not see their borrow-ers. The credit score is one of the

fi rst things they want to know. The higher the credit score, the more chance one would be approved for a loan they want and typically would get a better rate. In today’s environment, creditors have some overlays in their program underwriting that would be very challenging to avail a loan for lower credit score applicants. It is very important one has to protect their credit by paying their bills on time if not ahead of time. It sometimes does not matter how much you owe but how well and diligently you pay your obligation.

Income is also an important factor in getting a loan. Nor-mally, lenders would require for at least 2 years of work history. Income is used to calculate the debt to income ratio (DTI). This is being calculated by dividing the total monthly obligation (includ-ing the mortgage payment) from the monthly income.

The monthly obligation is the minimum payment for your installment loans and/or credit card debts showing on your credit report. More obligations not showing on the report such as child support, alimony and the like are also counted. Other types of income could come from Social Security, Retire-ment, Pensions, Disability, and others. Child support and Ali-mony, if properly documented, are acceptable income as well. Part-time income, overtime, and bonus would help to increase the loan amount approval or could be used as compensating factor. Copy of the pay-stubs and tax returns are proof of income.

Asset would be needed for down payment and to pay clos-ing costs. Your lender would require you to submit your bank statements. These assets should be liquid or available for with-drawal anytime. The funds from your retirement accounts like 401K, Thrift Savings Plan, 403B, etc. can also be used when nec-essary. Down payments could vary on the different types of loan you want to get. The higher the down payment is the lesser amount of loan you need; there-fore, lower monthly payment. There are multiple kinds of loan program. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) would

Continued on page 30Continued on page 30

November 15, 20132626

PANCIT BIHON GUISADO(Rice Noodles Sauté) (Simply Vegetarian)

This is one of the most favor-ite dishes in the Philippines and it is gaining popularity

throughout the world. Pancit is always being served in every party or celebration among Fili-pinos including Filipino-Amer-icans, as we believe it signifi es long life and good luck.

I will demonstrate this dish at WUSA Channel 9 on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 and during that time, will also showcase other popular Filipino dishes and desserts.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:1 pack thin rice noodles

(Bihon - 16 oz.)3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup fi nely chopped onions1 cup thinly sliced button

mushrooms or tree ears2 cups vegetable stock or

water1/2 cup soy sauce (Philip-

pine brand preferred)1 cup julienne carrot

1 cup thinly cut celery (crosswise)

1/2 cup tiny diced tofu (optional)

1/2 pound coarsely chopped Chinese cabbage

1/4 cup snow peas1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Methods:Wet the rice noodles with

cold water, drain excess water and leave it wet for at least 10 minutes (do not soak). When soft, separate the rice noodles with your fi ngers. Set aside.

Heat a wok or large skillet with vegetable oil. Sweat the onions for 2-3 minutes and add the mushrooms, carrots, celery and tofu and sauté for another 2-3 more minutes.

Add 2 cups simmering veg-etable stock or water and mix in the rice noodles while main-taining high heat. Add the cab-bage, while constantly mixing the pancit until all the sauce is absorbed by the rice noodles.

Add the snow peas and sprinkle some black pepper at the last minute of cooking.

Best if served immedi-ately while the pancit is freshly cooked.

Chef’s Tips: This dish can be cooked even in a moment’s notice, as long as the ingredients are prepared ahead of time. The stock or water should be sim-mering ready. Also, pancit can be sautéed with bits of chicken, pork or shrimps, if preferred.

Editor’s Note: Master Chef Evelyn: 100 Most Influential Fili-pina Women in the U.S., 2009, Fili-pina Women’s Network; MHC Most Outstanding Migrant Award in Culinary Arts, 2011; PAFC Dakila Special Achievement Award, 2011; Owner/Chef, Philippine Oriental Market & Deli, Arlington, Virginia; Founder and President of CHEW (Cancer Help – Eat Well) Founda-tion, a 501 (c) (3) public charity formed to help and cook pro-bono for Filipino-Americans who are afflicted with cancer and other serious ill-

nesses; Culinary writer; Member, Les Dames d’Escoffier International, Washington DC Chapter; Member, International Cake Exploration

Society, Member, Culinary Histo-rians of Washington, D.C.; Master Chef, French Cuisine and Patisserie, Le Cordon Bleu, London.

BREAKING THE NEWS

The Captain called the Ser-geant in. “Sarge, I just got a telegram that Private

Jones’ mother died yesterday. Better go tell him and send him in to see me.”

So the Sergeant calls for his morning formation and lines up all the troops. “Listen up, men,” says the Sergeant. “Johnson, report to the mess hall for KP. Smith, report to Personnel to sign some papers. The rest of you men report to the Motor Pool for maintenance. Oh by the way, Jones, your mother died, report to the commander.”

Later that day the Cap-tain called the Sergeant into his offi ce. “Hey, Sarge, that was a pretty cold way to inform Jones his mother died. Couldn’t you be a bit more tactful, next time?”

“Yes, sir,” answered the Sarge.

A few months later, the Captain called the Sergeant in again with, “Sarge, I just got a telegram that Private McGrath’s mother died. You’d better go tell him and send him in to see me. This time be more tactful.”

So the Sergeant calls for his morning formation. “Ok, men, fall in and listen up.” “Every-body with a mother, take two steps forward.”... “Not so fast, McGrath!”

GRADE 3On the fi rst day of Grade 3

class, Kaloy’s math teacher asked the students to count to 50. Many of them did very well, some get-ting as high as 37. But Kaloy did extremely well; he made it to 100 with only 3 mistakes. At home

he told his Dad how well he had done. Dad told him, “That’s because you’re a dela Cruz, son.”

The next day, in English class, the teacher asked stu-dents to recite the alphabet. Some made it to the letter “K” with only one mistake but Kaloy outdid them again. He made it all the way through Z, missing only the letter “M”. That evening he once again brought his Dad up to date and Dad explained to him, “That’s because you’re a dela Cruz, son.”

The next day, the boys were dressing up after Physical Educa-tion. Kaloy noted that, compared to the other boys in his grade, he seemed overly “well-endowed”. This confused him. That night, he asked his Dad, “Dad, they all have little tiny ones, but mine is ten times bigger than theirs. Is that because I’m a dela Cruz?”

“No, son,” explained Dad, “that’s because you’re 18!”

MORALITYDuring a press conference

on morality...Reporter: Sir, how many

women do you believe must a man marry?

President: 16!Reporter: Why?President: Because the priest

says: Four richer, four poorer, four better, four worse. A total of 16.

THE HORSEErap, Joe De V and Fred Lim

are soliciting campaign funds from the Sultan of Brunei. The Sultan has a very intelligent horse, who understands Eng-lish but is lame. Sultan says he

will donate a million dollars to the candidate who can make the horse laugh, cry and run.

Joe says, “Me fi rst.” He puts his face in front of the horse, and starts wiggling his huge ears. The horse enjoys the breeze, but does not laugh. Joe takes out money and waives it in front of the horse while making sad, crying sounds. The horse ignores the money, and refuses to cry.

Joe then slaps the horse’s behind, and starts shouting “Heyaah”. The horse ignores him and refuses to run.

Lim comes up next. He looks at the horse and says, “If you don’t laugh, I’ll kill you!” Horse didn’t laugh. He walks over to the other side and says, “If you don’t cry, I’ll have you salvaged”. Horse didn’t cry. Finally, he stands beside the horse and says, “If you don’t run, I’m gonna cut off your leg.” Horse didn’t run.

Erap comes to the front. He whispers something in the horse’s ear. The horse bucks and laughs so loudly, the Sultan thought it was going to die. Erap whispers again. The horse starts to weep copiously. Finally, Erap whispers again, and the horse takes off running like a shot.

Joe and Fred are amazed. “What did you say to the horse fi rst?” asks Joe.

Erap: I told him I’m the Vice-President of the Philippines.

Fred: And how did you make him cry?

Erap: That I’m going to be the next President of the Philip-pines.

“Why did he run away?”

they both asked.Erap: I told him if he didn’t

start running now, I was going to bring him back to the Philip-pines, and make him a registered Filipino voter.

ORDERIsang gabi pumasok si Kikoy

(bagong salta) sa isang mama-haling restaurant & bar sa Wash-ington, D.C. Tumabi siya sa dala-wang Amerikano na nakaupo sa bar. Hindi malaman ni Kikoy kung ano ang oorderin niya kaya hinintay niyang mauna ang dalawang amerikano. Umorder yung unang Amerikano: Johnny Walker, single. Umorder din yung pangalawang kano: Jack Daniels, single. Si Kikoy naman ang umorder... sabi sa bartender: Francisco Dimaculangan. mar-ried. (Ayos!)

BOBOIsang araw, nag-uusap yung

dalawang mag-kaibigan, si Joey at si Mark.

Joey: Alam mo, Mark, talag-ang napaka-bobo ng boy naming si Pedro.

Mark: Wala iyan! Sinisiguro ko sa iyo, mas bobo yung boy naming si Jose.

Nag-talo silang dalawa.... Joey: O sige, patutunayan

ko sa iyo a. Watch this! Pedro, halika dito!

Pedro: Yes sir! What can I do to you?

Joey: Eto piso, bumili ka ng apat na case ng beer.

Pedro: Yes boss! Coming up! Joey: O Mark, bilib ka na ba

sa kabobohan niyan, piso... bibila siya ng apat na case ng beer.

Mark: Wala pa rin iyan kay Jose, ikaw naman ang manood....Jose, halika dito sandali!

Jose: Yes Sir! Ano po iyon? Mark: Pumunta ka sa opi-

sina ko, tignan mo kung nan-doon ako.

Jose: Yes Sir! Pupunta na po ako!

Mark: O Joey, kita mo naman na mas bobo pa iyan kaysa kay Pedro mo.

Later, nag salubong yung dalawang boy.....

Pedro: Jose, alam mo, ang bobo talaga ng amo kong si Sir Joey....

Jose: Wala iyan....mas bobo si Boss Mark ko.

Pedro: Hinde! Mas bobo si Sir Joey, isipin mo, binigyan ako ng piso para bumili ako ng apat na case ng beer... e alam naman niyang hindi ko kayang buhatin ang mga iyon mag-isa!

Jose: Mas bobo naman si Boss Mark noh! Pinapupunta pa ako sa opisina niya para tignan kung nandoon siye... e may tele-pono naman siya!

November 15, 2013 27

Mabuhay ang Manila Mail!

Wow! The Manila Mail turns 23! Like the oak tree, it is proudly

standing strong and resilient like the bamboo tree. It has weath-ered the test of time and has not missed a single issue. The econ-omy went up, down, up, down but it just went going, going, going, like the popular battery. It has seen fi ve U.S. presidents and about eight Philippine Ambassa-dors in Washington, D.C.

Proudly, this newspaper has had only one Editor-In-Chief since its inception, the esteemed and amiable veteran journal-ist Bert Alfaro. After his recent well-deserved retirement, the baton was handed to an excellent choice, Rodney Jaleco, a reticent but dynamic successor.

I congratulate one and all, the Manila Mail family, for the continued support and great sense of volunteerism to sustain the newspaper’s existence. Like-wise, we extend appreciation to the readers and supporters with whom we share a common goal of giving service to the Filipino American community. I am just happy to be a part of this endeavor by giving a little glim-mer to life through this column, the “Kutitap.” May we have many more Manila Mail anniver-saries to come.

THANKSGIVING DAY I am most thankful that

every year, this day was set apart for rendering thanks for all the goodness that we received. On this particular day, we express our gratitude for all God’s bless-ings, big and small. To follow this pathway, we also express the grace of gratitude to those who, in one way or another, have made our daily life a little easier, happier or better. I believe that that the more we experience the sense of gratitude with sincerity, gratefulness comes natural and easy to express. In fact, we don’t have to wait for the next Thanks-giving Day para magpasalamat sa mga gracia ng Diyos at sa mga taong tumutulong sa atin.

As I recall, my mother instilled in me and my siblings, the wisdom of, “It is better to give than to receive.” She added, “When we give, we forget it and when we receive, we shall not forget.” Thank goodness she did not impart these lessons in life when we were young, oth-erwise, there would have been so many comments of unfair-ness and “whys” to explain. Can anyone imagine how a little child would react if he or she did not receive anything on Christmas? As we get older, however, we get schooled in our mistakes, and learn to focus on what’s lack-ing, missing, inadequate, and

painful. That’s why gratitude is so powerful because we learn to notice what’s right instead of what’s wrong. Like plants, we turn toward, not away, from the light. From my mother, we learned the true meaning of what she taught us, that we are in a better position and is blessed for giving help to less fortunate people and when giving, not to expect anything in return. Pas-alamat tayo sa Diyos at tayo ang tumutulong at hindi ang tinutu-lungan. It is more blessed to give than to receive.

What Else Are We Thankful For?

Oh, so many more things- big and small, tangible and intan-gible. When we focus on what we truly need, as opposed to what we might like or want, life gets much simpler, and it’s much easier to feel grateful. Funny, but what I was thankful for earlier in life was much different from what I am thankful for now. I thought about it and the list turned out to be not that long, in fact, short: food, shelter, family, health, and things meaningful to do. And, I came to a conclu-sion that the rest of the stuffs of life are just wants like acquiring a cinema size television, expen-sive European car, big diamond ring, a fur coat, shopping spree, etc. These are not important any-more.

As we go on with life, our motto becomes “Less is more.” We now want to live in mod-eration, simpler, healthier and restful life. When the children are done with college, stable and living independently and responsibly, it is like winning the jackpot. We now have more time for ourselves, the house is quieter and our needs are less. This is the opportune time to down-size in a number of areas. Surely, this is a real big thing to be thankful for, for parents. Moving on, the saying, “Health is Wealth” is another big thing to pray for and be thankful for. Health conscious and mindful of what we eat now, I read the fi ne prints to know the nutritional values of the food being purchased. Food shopping is an activity that we enjoy much. We do not mind going to three groceries stores in an afternoon to get the all ingredients on my list - especially fi sh, vegetables and fruits. Parallel to cooking, food shopping is pleasurable and therapeutic for me because

we actually experience choos-ing the right ingredients focus-ing on the health values but not splurging beyond our budget. Another activity that we enjoy is going out to have quiet dinner with close friends. With them, our pace is slow and warm as we seize moment of being together.

Here, we are thankful for being able to simplify our life-style.

Aware of the intangible things that we experience in life, we embrace each day and appre-ciate little things that bring satis-faction and happiness that actu-ally comes from small morsels of pleasure. These are not-so-terri-bly-signifi cant everyday activi-ties. Mine would include having my cup of coffee in the morning, watching the news in the TV, watering and “talking” to my beautiful white and lavender orchids by the window. When I get our mails from our mailbox by the driveway, I could not help but take a look at the tiny yellow fl owers of the humble weeds that grew beside the post of the mail-box. The weeds were obscure, but the little fl owers gave some colors to that rather uninterest-ing spot.

So, on Thanksgiving Day, we shall gather around the table laden with food with our family and friends to thank God for the food that we are about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord. At saka marami pa tayong dapat na ipagpasala-mat. We add to give thanks for all the blessings and graces that we received, the gift of life, good health, family and friends and safe daily living.

Meanwhile, savor the juicy the turkey and enjoy the fun with your family and friends. Like last year, we were invited by our wonderful friends, Dr. Rene and Inday Alvir, to celebrate Thanks-giving at their lovely home. They were the perfect hosts and I say, Inday cooked the best Turkey in town, crunchy outside and juicy inside. She made all the side dishes from the scratch and I swear, nothing came from the can. A gourmet cook, she only does it on special occasions like Thanksgiving Day and Christ-mas Day. She especially arranges her home in style during these occasions. There are other cou-ples whom they also invite regu-larly to celebrate said occasions. My husband and I look forward to be with them and join the fun.

The Perfect Storm

This is the hardest article to write. Distractions from the recent Philip-

pine calamity, Super Typhoon Yolanda, made my synapses go haywire. Thoughts germinate but expire from lack of cohe-sion. I was sorely tempted to let the deadline pass and suffer the wrath of the editor-in-chief. But my alter ego shamed me. So this will be very short but alas, not very sweet. My usual sense of humor has deserted me.

The Philippines was recently abused by a long list of nature- and man-made blights. War in Mindanao. Flooding in Luzon. Earthquake in the Visayas. Add to that the continuing saga of hogs and hogettes running wild in the house of horrors. They are enough to make one burrow into a hole and disappear for a while.

But this Super Typhoon Yolanda wreaked devastation of proportion not experienced in written history. Our family is still reeling over sad news from relatives in the hardest hit area of Tacloban. I sincerely hope by the time this issue goes into print, our two remaining relatives who remain unaccounted for are found safe.

Because the Philippines is located within the Pacifi c Ring of Fire, earthquakes and volca-nic eruptions will occur. And its location in Southeast Asia makes it a fi rst target for typhoons. There is not another body of land to blunt the onslaught.

“Run away from water.

Hide from the wind.” This is the mantra I hear from the Weather Channel here in the US. For the victims in Tacloban and the surrounding areas, there was nowhere to run to or hide. The whole area, it turned out, was a disaster pit. Tacloban became the perfect target for this perfect storm.

When the winds and the rains left, the waste and destruc-tion in their wake left a people bereft of food, shelter, and sadly, family. There was anarchy and looting. The locals were hungry, angry, and hopeless. Not only debris littered the land. Decaying bodies were everywhere with no morgues or funeral homes to shelter them. The casualty esti-mates will make this a health issue nightmare very soon and the spread of disease very fast.

Relief was slow and the frustration level quickly reached its peak. The ferocity and magni-tude of Yolanda rendered what-ever previous emergency pre-paredness protocol inoperable. But these are irrational times. No amount of explanation would placate the masses in dire need of even the most basic of neces-sities.

From the President to the lowly volunteer in the trenches, your mettle will be tested. Expect it. Prepare for it. I pray for your safety and pray you fi nd the strength to face this seemingly insurmountable task ahead of you. God bless us all.

Vet meets Sec. Hagel

From left, Eric Lachica, executive director, and Maj. Jesse Baltazar (USAF ret.), of the American Coalition for the Filipino Veterans take up issue of Filipino American veterans when they chat with US Secre-tary of Defense Charles “Chuck” Hagel, at the Veterans Day Break-fast in the White House, November 11, 2013.

November 15, 20132828

I am 23 years old

Boy o’ boy, I can’t believe it. Do you know that the Washington Tsismis is now 23 years old! Yes, 23 and

that during all that time there has been a succession of volunteer Tsismosos who took time out to contribute to this column. Hurrah!!! Congratulations to me and to all those who participated in keeping Tsis-mis alive.

Now it can be told. Among those worthy of acknowledgement through the years are Tsismosas with skirts or pant-suits, Tsismosos with receding hairlines, gray hairs or wrinkled faces and young Tsismosos. Their names are written in disappearing ink, so it’s not possible to reveal them. To all of them, the heartfelt gratitude of Washington Tsismis.

***Where are the USP4GG (US Pinoys

for Good Government) who have sup-ported President Benigno S. Aquino III? The President is now being criticized by more and more major Manila publications which previously supported him.

He is being pilloried for his refusal to divest himself of the controversial Devel-opment Fund which senators and con-gressmen have allegedly used to enrich themselves with the help of Janet Napoles.

The criticism is now targeting even ambassadors like Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. in Washington D.C. Symbolic of the popu-larity of Ambassador Cuisia among Fili-pino Americans who have been following his work was the comments from various individuals and groups who know what the ambassador has been doing for the good of the Philippines and Filipinos in the US.

Political ambassadors who are busi-nessmen are used by developed coun-tries, including the US, because they spent their own money to hold receptions and dinners for top offi cials in the coun-tries where they are posted. The US State department or the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs do not provide career ambassadors with extra money to host similar social affairs.

***Here’s one Tsismoso’s observation

about the Manila newspapers:One newspaper, owned by a Chinese

Filipino, used to be supportive of the Pres-ident. But lately, its pages are replete with critical stories about Aquino. Recently, the owner and columnists, including former political ambassador Roberto Tiglao (appointed by President Gloria Arroyo), have started attacking him.

Tiglao has included Amb. Cuisia as

his target knowing full well that in the foreign service appointments of business-men as ambassadors is par for the course. He knows that the most effective ambas-sadors are those who have the money to hold receptions or dinners with offi cials of the host country in the performance of their duties. Career ambassadors, as well as envoys like Tiglao who had no money to spend, are less effective in major capi-tals because they lack the funds and the prestige to act as the alter ego of the Presi-dent.

Another publication owned by Fili-pino businessmen close to Arroyo but later became pro-Cory and pro-PNoy, is changing its tune…Stories and columns are now criticizing the President.

The Daily Tribune, reportedly owned by former President Joseph Estrada, has been anti-Aquino throughout its exis-tence. Ditto for the Manila Standard Today which was pro-Cory, later pro-Arroyo and now anti-PNoy. The Philip-pine Star is pro-Pork because its owner is Speaker Sonny Belmonte who favors the continuation of Pork.

***Among Filipino politicians, offense is

the best defense. If PNoy is also being tar-geted as top Pork-user, it is because those who have been charged with pocketing it want to defl ect the charges against them. So expect more expose about misuse by Malacanang of billions of pesos in Pork. Other Porkers are charging the whis-tle-blowers in court even if the charges against them are blatantly clear.

***Here’s the latest report about bad

Pinoy behaviors. In a recent gathering that included free food, the organizers failed to predict the number of people who would be present. Thus, there was an acute short-age of food. There was a mad scramble for food. Some cautioned some partici-pants to leave some for the others, but no one listened. There were some attendees who even made “pabalots.”

*** So, in the 23 years of Tsismosos’ exis-

tence, nothing much has changed as far as behavior of some Pinoys are concerned … The only saving grace are the young ones, Pinoys who were born or grew up here in America.

Some bad habits that refuse to die, especially at occasions where free food is served:

- Criticizing the host if the food

Editorial

Time to unite and rememberAs if Filipinos need reminding, the gut-wrenching images of bodies

strewn on the streets of Tacloban City provided another glimpse of nature ran amuck. The calamity spawned by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) dominated world news for days, revealing and dissecting the effects of the most powerful typhoon in over three decades.

The Filipino community in the United States has mobilized quickly to raise funds and support relief efforts for typhoon victims. The offer to help has also come from nations and concerned organiza-tions like, from the US government to groups like the American Red Cross, UNICEF and the Catholic Relief Services, among others.

The Manila Mail, which is celebrating its 23rd anniversary with this issue, stands as one with the dozens of Filipino American organi-zations in the Metro DC region and the rest of the United States that are mounting various initiatives for calamity victims.

This has become a singular moment for Filipinos, wherever they may be and regardless of their economic standing or political per-suasion to move forward shoulder to shoulder, in the cadence of the “bayanihan”, cognizant that it is only in sharing this burden can Fili-pinos rise back from this terrible blow.

This is also an occasion when the tiny corps of volunteer journal-ists manning the Manila Mail can take comfort and satisfaction in their work. Apart from being a voice of the Filipino American com-munity, the Manila Mail can also be a catalyst for action, a conduit for information, a sounding board for ideas on how better we all can help our brethrens in need in the Philippines.

More importantly, the mainstream global media will fi nd another disaster to report but the needs of orphans and widows created by super typhoon Yolanda, or the imperatives of building from the rubble of Tacloban City and other ravaged communities will only grow over time.

It will be left to Filipinos, in America, in the Philippines or any other part of this expansive world, to remember. And for the Manila Mail to remind them should they forget.

Continued on page 30

November 15, 2013 29

Untruth and consequence

In the days leading to the par-tial federal shutdown, the Republican controlled House

of Representatives passed a bill proposing to fully fund the gov-ernment but required postpone-ment of the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act for one year arguing that Obam-acare was not ready for prime time.

Hell bent on launching his legacy legislation, Pres. Obama and the Democrats did not blink. We will not delay Obamacare even if it meant a government shutdown. And that’s what we got, a shutdown and the launch-ing of Obamacare.

The Obamacare rocket ship was about ready to blast-off when Health and Human Ser-vices Secretary Kathleen Sibelius got a mayday call. Houston, we have a problem. The boosters are not working. There is no lift. Sibelius sends a text message to Obama- should we abort? The White House replies- no, just put the engines on neutral and con-sider it part of launch protocol. In the meantime, go to the Amazon website and order a repair kit for the Obamacare rocket ship.

Now we know that Obam-

acare indeed was not ready for prime time. After spending close to $200 Million over three and a half years for a website that was intended to allow interested applicants to enroll in the federal insurance exchange, the system miserably failed. Instead of thou-sands of enrollment expected on opening day, the number was just a magnifi cent six according to media reports.

As is the way in Washing-ton, bureaucratic and political fumbles lead to Congressional hearings. The HHS administra-tor and website contractors were asked to testify. It appears that there was no adequate testing or dry run in a simulated environ-ment and the decision to proceed with the launch was more in keeping with a political sched-ule, oblivious of the gross defi -ciencies in the system.

This was like General Barry Obama tasked with the D-Day invasion of Normandy and

launching the attack without bothering to ensure that his bat-tleships were seaworthy. Hubris or incompetence? It is not for me to say.

Now there are calls to delay the individual mandate in Obam-acare. The business mandate was already unilaterally postponed by the administration. Even some Democratic senators who are up for re-election in red states are now talking about delaying the deadline for enrollment and waiving penalties.

That is not music to the ears of the White House. Any delay would only validate the claim of Republicans that Obamacare is not ready for primetime and it would appear that the House bill proposing to fund the govern-ment and delay Obamacare for a year was the sensible alternative after all.

While the website fi asco con-

The 23 enigma

Novelist William S. Bur-roughs, who was drawn to opiates and political

unrest, was credited with perpet-uating “23 enigma” that connotes good albeit fl eeting fortune. In 1967, he wrote a short story and called it “23 skidoo”, an old American slang that apparently stemmed from a 1900s New York City skyscraper on 23rd Street where men would congregate and watch the swirling winds produced by the structure raise the skirts of women walking by (hence the word, “skidoo” which as you can image was a “big thing” during that era).

However, the “23 enigma” has come to represent “confi r-mation bias” which means we see what we want to see in num-bers. Still, it’s a hefty number – it takes 23 seconds for blood to circulate through the human body; tantrists believe the male sex cycle is 23 days; Alexander the Great was 23 years old when he cut the Gordian Knot and the Knights Templar had 23 grand-masters; the ideal orbit for a sat-ellite is 23,000 miles above the earth; Michael Jordan wore 23 for the Chicago Bulls; US Cav-alry legend George Custer was promoted to general at age 23; Sesame Street’s Bert is a member of the national association of W lovers, which is the 23rd letter of

the alphabet, etc.As a latecomer, we can only

listen to the tales that the “old-timers” tell about how the Manila Mail was born, in a smoke-fi lled backroom, Brandy glass on one hand and a deck of cards on the other; talking about the need for a Filipino newspaper in Wash-ington DC in between raising the ante and the abject surrender of a folded hand. It just “sounds right” for a newspaper to breathe life in a poker game, its fathers a roomful of cronies who believed in the need and soundness of the endeavor.

Joseph Pulitzer was a pen-niless Civil War veteran when he landed a job as a reporter for a German-language daily in St. Louis. William Randolph Hearst persuaded his mining tycoon father to buy him the San Fran-cisco Examiner. They waged a nasty circulation battle but came together in “manufacturing” the Spanish-American War which thrust the United States as a global power player for the fi rst

time. The New York Times was

founded in 1851 (as the New York Daily Times) by one-time Republican National Committee chairman Henry Jarvis Raymond and banker George Jones to pro-mote the conservative cause. The Chicago Tribune, born in 1847, tried to be politically neutral but bashed foreigners and Roman Catholics in its editorials.

Rudolph Murdoch trans-formed journalism into a lucra-tive, global mega-empire.

Whatever the reason, news-papers are created for a purpose and with a clear agenda. The Manila Mail, conceived as an “independent and impartial” journal, has a niche market that it has strived to serve for over two decades. Over the years, other Filipino newspapers in the Metro DC region have come and gone or transformed into other media, but the Manila Mail’s sin-gular vision of offering a credible

Opinion

Continued on page 30

Paul Tañedo : Searching for a Sense of Place

It was Tessa, six-year old daughter of Bobby and Mar-garet Lacson Ecarma, who

cut the ceremonial ribbon to offi cially open Paul Tañedo’s photo exhibit one recent Sunday afternoon at the Green Springs Garden Horticultural Center in Alexandria.

A feast for the senses, Paul

himself describes it.These incredibly beauti-

ful photographs, after all, are images seen through the eyes of a child: The pure innocence, the spontaneity, the tireless energy, the total surrender to the forces of nature, the rhythms of the earth, the whispers among the trees. It’s almost as if Paul’s pho-tographs are suddenly fl owing seamlessly in the graceful move-ments of a child and one can no longer tell the dancer from the dance as she romps outside in the park, doing cartwheels and somersaults. The images, freed from glass and frame, spills over into the yard, mixing in with fall colors at their peak, rustling under a glorious autumn sun.

This time it’s a child that rouses a village. A village that has felt so much pain and loss lately. In every season, there is a time for everything.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.

And a time to put it all together again.

Painted Photographs. Asked what he did differently from last year, Paul initially gives a rather technical answer: “It’s pretty much the same as the last one

except for the look or choices where I mixed in some traditional more subtle images that are not so graphic. The previous show, which had a more contemporary look, had stronger, geometric elements, patterns and color. The fi rst one was infl uenced by my notion of what would be catchy, especially for the many children

who see the images. Except for those elements, this show is like a continuation of the fi rst.”

OK, that’s the photogra-pher/artist simply responding to a question that doesn’t begin to capture the power and magni-tude of the incredible experience of creation.

As one familiar with Paul’s transition from black & white photography to color, I am con-stantly awed as much by the mastery of a very challenging craft as the complete pursuit of a passion that knows no bounds, relentless, fl owing as the song goes, like “rivers to the sky.”

The transition happened, Paul recalls, just walking around his neighborhood in Annan-dale in the winter and spring of 2012, taking pictures of trees and shrubs, leaves and bulbs, fl ow-ers and blades of grass. It was a totally different experience, he remembers then, the evolution from night to day, from dark to light, from anguished faces to vibrant fl owers.

Aptly titled “The Other Side of the Fence,” last year’s photo exhibit was a labor of love one year in the making.

Continued on page 30Continued on page 30

Paul and Susan Tanedo. Photo by Jon Melegrito

November 15, 20133030

sumed the media for weeks now, that’s really not the sole factor in the ultimate success or failure of Obamacare. Technical glitzes can be fi xed in due time. The bigger question is the substance of the law and its impact on the insured and the uninsured. Will the numbers as represented by the administration add up? What happens if there are not enough healthy and paying enrollees to cover the costs of providing ben-efi ts to the subsidized individu-als?

After thousands of people received cancellation notices of their health insurance policies from their insurance companies as a consequence of Obamacare, Pres. Obama has to wiggle out of his categorical promise that “if you like your insurance, you can keep it; if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period!”

He probably is not aware that we are now in a world of video replay because he now claims that what he actually said was that “you could keep your plan if it has not changed since the law was passed.” This reminds me of a famous politician named Bill who is a

master at denial when he said- it depends upon the meaning of “is” when you say “is”.

More and more insured individuals are now coming forward complaining of policy cancellations as a consequence of an HHS rule that if there was a change in the insurance plan after the passage of Obamacare, it will not be “grandfathered” and the new plan must provide the mandated coverage. People are shocked to fi nd out that it will cost them more in pre-mium and deductibles. Because the mandated coverage is one-size-fi ts-all, even menopausal women and men will have to pay for plans that cover mater-nity expenses. Call it what you may, the designers of Obamacare believe that they know better what is good for you.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi tipped her hand when she said- “Let’s pass this law so that we’ll know what’s in it.” Major labor unions that campaigned for its passage are now having buyer’s remorse. They are seek-ing exemptions from Obam-acare. Now we know. Nobody knew what’s in it.

platform to inform and educate, and ventilate views by, about and for Filipinos have remained the same.

Beyond whatever this paper’s “founding fathers” may have discussed as they crafted its charter, the Manila Mail has

grown with the public it aims to serve, the burgeoning Filipino American community. Its long-term prospects are inextricably intertwined to its market niche.

So just like Shakespeare (born and died on April 23) who espoused beauty in the eye of

the beholder, the signifi cance of

turning 23 is in how you see the

Manila Mail. For me, it’s a magi-

cal number, an age that suggests

hard-earned experience married

to a future of promise and poten-

tial.

The 23 enigma... from page 29 Untruth and... from page 29

So, what next?“I’m hoping to somehow

fuse my two genres of work that may become a portrait of myself. How to do that is still a question to me, though i feel confi dent that they will get in a way that’s justifi able to my senses. I’ve been preoccupied with that thought for a ‘big’ show or get together of then and now. Sort of like an evolution. The former (people pictures) were about others and this newer ones are about heal-ing to appease myself of the daily struggle for survival and keeping myself sane. Almost 30 years here in America and I still can’t shed the feeling of being uprooted. I’m constantly search-ing for my place.

But, in a positive way, the struggle keeps me going, build-ing that portrait that is Paul Tañedo. Whatever that is. And yes, I’m confi dent, I got the right compass.”

In struggling for a sense of place, Paul views American cul-ture like a “big sky, the blank canvas that invites you to be what you want to be. That is

something you have to realize and allow yourself to use. The monster is in freeing the mind and letting it soar.

“Realistically, it is more like riding the waves. How good you are at it. There are no real barriers or hindrances to where you want to go. Life is such that there’s no clear, clean, easy path. It does not exist. But it is a given that the road has to have curves and bumps. It makes the jour-ney worth taking. Struggle is a good thing. I feel I’m soaring as I continue to search for meaning, appreciating life and discovering myself. How far and how high it’s going to go? I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter.”

But what matters is his source of energy, inspiration and support to keep on going. “It seems to be a given that I make something positive out of myself,” Paul muses. “It is a mindset. That, I take to heart as my reason for existence. It is a responsibility to the world we live in and especially to those people that love you. I have a strong woman for a mother and

a very honest man for a father. There are very strong women in the family.

That says a lot. It’s that feel-ing you get when you look up to that photograph of that giant tulip jutting towards the blue sky called ‘Great Day.’ It makes you feel small. You have to measure up to those that nurtured you. In gratitude. Though I attended school, I do not have a real edu-cation to lean on. I rely mostly on my instinct for anything in life. I trust and I wing it. I think God equipped me with a decent com-pass inside me. And then I found Susan. An incredibly amazing perfect partner. We didn’t have anything when we came to this country almost 30 years ago. Life was tough but we were mostly happy. We took risks. We love to hold hands and jump in the dark. Then there’s our two daughters, Francesca and Car-mela. All strong women. I’m in a good place. The thought keeps me going.”

Send your comments to jdmelegrito@gmail.com

neck so he knows we’re watch-ing him.

But we cannot just throw accusations at him indiscrimi-

nately and without proof. Unless

we have a personal or paid-for

agenda.

Target: President Aquino... from page 24

only require 3.5% down pay-ment. If you are an eligible vet-eran, a 100% fi nancing could be obtained. Other types of loan would require at least 5% down payment. Some states have down payment assistance for qualifi ed buyers. Appropriate gifts are also acceptable sources of funds for the transaction. Sell-ers are allowed to pay closing costs, if they agree.

There are other factors that are being looked at on each and every application. Yet, credit, income and asset are important

elements in the loan applica-tion. Some borrowers may have the income and asset but if their credit is poor, an approval is very challenging. They may have the necessary credit and asset but with no income, then a loan could not be approved.

If a loan is declined, how-ever, a borrower should not be discouraged to pursue. The more we know the situation, with the guidance of a professional loan offi cer, the better chance one would have to prepare for the next application. Thus, the hope

of buying the dream house will

be a reality.

Until next time.

Ramon M Llamas, NMLS#:

483757, has been in the lending

business for more than 20 years. He

has helped thousands of homeowners

save money in their mortgage needs,

purchase or refinance. Any ques-

tion, please email him at homemort-

gage101@yahoo.com or call his cell

at 703.980.3984.

The joys of home... from page 25

served is not fi rst class- Scrambling to fall in line

ahead of others.- Failing to keep quiet when

the host speaks.- Loading their plates with-

out regard for others.-Talking when their mouths

are full.

***Why is it that Filipino Amer-

ican restaurants are thriving and getting big publicity in New York while those in the greater Washington D.C. area remain incognito and are often made the target of criticisms? Is it because Pinoys in New York are more avante garde than those in DC?

Washington Tsismis... from page 28

Paul Tañedo : Searching... from page 29

off scot-free,”From May to Sept. 1997, the

Senate committees on human rights and national defense examined the Pestano case. Senate Report No 800, written by the late Senate President and former Supreme Court chief jus-tice Marcelo Fernan, concluded: Pestano was bludgeoned, then shot and his body rigged to appear as suicide.

“Identify the persons who participated in the deliberate attempt to make it appear that Pestaño killed himself,” Fernan wrote then Ombudsman Aniano

Desierto…In response, Desierto ordered the Military Ombuds-man: Archive the Pestaño case since evidence is patchy Desi-erto’s record as ombudsman was so tainted that former Sen. Lorenzo

Tañada refused to even address him directly.

Over 15 years have elapsed since death of the victim,the UN noted. Authorities have yet to initiate an independent inves-tigation. No suspect was pros-ecuted, or tried, let alone con-victed, This breached the Inter-national Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights.Like Desierto, Ombuds-

man Merceditas Gutierrez also refused to see Pestano’s parents. But in August, 2007, Gutierrez wrote the UN, saying: the Pes-tano slay, indeed, “merited fur-ther investigation”. She then did nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

“When Gutierrez fi nally acted on Pestaño plea, she dis-missed it”, then Inquirer colum-nist now publisher Raul Pan-galangan wrote “To add sting to the injury, she served her dismissal order on Pestaño’s parents day after they signed the impeachment complaint against her.”

Backbone... from page25

Arrogance wilted into whimpering when, in March 2011, the House of Representa-tives voted to impeach Gutierrez, She became the second offi cial after President Joseph Estrada to be impaled Raps ranged from Gutierrez inaction on scams, “delay in investigation of ensign Philip Pestaño’s death”, to losing 9 out of every 10 cases it

fi led. She was trashed for shoving under the rug charges against Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the First Gentleman in the ZTE roadband scandal.

The Supreme Court dis-missed, on Februarty 2011, Guti-errez bid to block mpeachment. The House impeached her with 212 votes and 46 against ( There were 4 abstentions) Guti-errez bristled at at the “fl imsy” decision, adding she ready to face Senate trial.

Gutierrez crumbled on April 29 and quit…She personally

handed her resignation letter to President Aquino who promptly accepted it…

“We in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi already knew the truth right after news of Pestano’s murder broke” recalled Inquirer col-umnist. Noralyn Mustoffa “The Senate and the UN found the truth after their own investiga-tions.

But their fi ndings amounted to nothing under the admin-istration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It had to take Conchita Carpio-Morales, an appointee of President Aquino, to right some-thing unjust.”

Ramrod-straight Ombuds-man Conchita Carpio Morales made a difference. “Who shall fi nd a valiant woman?” asks the Book of Proverbs. “Far, and from the uttermost coasts is the price of her.”

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