May 16-31, 2014 1

Vol. XXIII, No. 13 Online: www. manilamail.us May 16-31, 2014

Solon honors slain Fil-Am
doctor in House speech
WASHINGTON D.C. The
tributes continued to pour for
slain Filipino American doctor
Jerry Umanos, including from
Ohio Congressman Ben Westrup
who extolled the legacy he left
behind in a speech on the oor of
the US House of Representatives
last May 2.
It is with a heavy heart
that I honor the life of Dr. Jerry
Fil-Am in Silicon
Valley Page 4
Tagle in DC procession
Page 8
Manahan eyes
Congress Page 6
Pacquiao tries hoops
Page 9
Fil-Am is New Zealand
bet Page 22
PH-US war games focus
on non-traditional threat
FORT MAGSAYSAY, Phil-
ippines. Long-time allies United
States and the Philippines are
staging this years Balikatan
joint training exercises in Pala-
wan and Zambales, two prov-
inces that have a coastline that
stretches out to part of the South
China Sea the Philippines is con-
testing with China.
The war games, which
ends May 16, follows last
months visit of President
Obama in Manila and came as
Vietnam confronted China over
its deployment of an offshore
oil rig near the Paracel Islands
which both countries are claim-
ing.
This years Balikatan
focuses on maritime security
and the conduct of exercises will
result in a platform of regional
engagement and development of
military capabilities, advanced
inter-operability, capacity joint
MANILA. The Philippines
has deed Chinas demands it
release 11 of its shermen caught
poaching off the waters of Pala-
wan earlier this month.
The shermen have been
charged with violating Philip-
pine wildlife laws, poaching and
taking endangered species at
the Hasa-hasa Shoal which lies
within the countrys exclusive
economic zone (EEZ).
However, the charges for
two of them who were deter-
mined to be minors were
dropped and they were released,
the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) announced fol-
lowing the ling of charges in a
Palawan court.
China insisted the shermen
were accosted in Chinese waters
and called on Philippine authori-
ties to immediately release them,
as well as their shing boat that
was towed back to Palawan.
We have made clear our
positions and demands on many
occasions. We hope that this inci-
Continued on page 20
Lacson: Half of senators on Napoles pork list
MANILA. The list of law-
makers allegedly involved in
the multibillion-peso pork barrel
scam just got longer after former
Sen. Panlo Lacson implicated
ve more incumbent and former
solons during a late night TV
interview last May 12.
Lacson, in a live interview
on ABS-CBN news program
Bandila, was asked to answer
yes or no to questions made
by newscasts hosts.
He replied yes when
asked if certain ofcials were on
the pork barrel scam lists made
by alleged scam mastermind
Janet Napoles and the govern-
ments star witness Benhur
Luy. Lacson gave afrmative
answers when the names of
Sens. Miriam Defensor-Santiago,
Francis Chiz Escudero, Alan
Peter Cayetano and Gregorio
Gringo Honasan as well as
former Batanes Congressman
and now Budget Secretary Flor-
encio Butch Abad were men-
tioned.
He added that three sena-
tors charged with plunder for
the scam -- Jinggoy Estrada, Juan
Ponce Enrile, and Ramon Bong
Revilla Jr. -- are also on the lists.
Senate President Franklin
Drilon and Blue Ribbon Commit-
tee Chair Teosto TG Guin-
gona III were not in the alleged
list, said Lacson, who currently
serves as Presidential Assistant
for Rehabilitation and Recovery.
He said a total of 21 sena-
tors: 12 incumbent and 9 former
lawmakers are on the pork barrel
scam lists.
Santiago, Abad, and Escu-
dero on immediately denied Lac-
sons allegations.
The ever-feisty and often
rapier-tongued Santiago coun-
tered that Lacson was sched-
uled for a gender change opera-
Continued on page 20
Combined US and Philippine troops stage a mock assault on a Zambales
beach.
Philippine Coast Guard men haul endangered deep-sea turtles taken from
Chinese shermen.
Romeo Umanos, father of slain Dr. Jerry Umanos, is comforted by relatives
at the necrology rites in Chicago.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano
Sen. Gregorio Honasan
Continued on page 21
Continued on page 20
May 16-31, 2014 22
May 16-31, 2014 3
May 16-31, 2014 44
Fil-Am is one of Silicon Valleys women of inuence
LOS ANGELES. A Filipino-
American is leaving her mark
in Americas high-tech industry
after being named as a woman
of inuence by a prestigious
Silicon Valley journal.
Kathrina Miranda was
recently awarded the Silicon
Valley Business Journals 100
Women of Inuence for 2014, an
award given to women who con-
tribute to Silicon Valleys inno-
vation and development.
Miranda is the CEO and
founder of MIMA, a market-
ing outt born out of her two-
bedroom apartment and today
provides support services for
various clients from startups to
nonprots to multinationals.
She currently serves on the
boards of the San Jose Public
Library Foundation, the Bill
Wilson Center, and African
Immigrants Social and Cultural
Services.
After I became pregnant,
I decided to start my own com-
pany to empower my
daughter and spend a lot
time with her. So thats
when I launched MIMA.
It stands for Miranda
International Market-
ing Agency, Miranda
explained.
She got her diploma
in psychology at the San
Francisco State Univer-
sity and earned an MBA
in global business at the
Mills College Graduate
School of Business.
She is no stranger to
striking out on her own.
She revealed her rst job
was at a family-owned
pizza parlor in Oakland
while she was still in
middle school.
Miranda was intro-
duced to Silicon Valley
when she worked as an
MBA intern for a man-
agement consultant rm
there.
She has made it a pri-
ority to give back to the
community by focusing
on non-prot organiza-
tions that especially supports
education for girls and women.
I received a scholarship
from Goldman Sachs. Its called
10,000 Women. In ve years
they were committed to giving
10,000 women management and
business education, that way
they can impact more commu-
nities. And I feel thats exactly
what I did. I started my own
company. I hired the women I
was classmates with and so now
were all giving back. Its part of
our corporate social responsi-
bility to give back. Its a must,
Miranda said.
Shes convinced her drive
to succeed has been motivated
by her Filipino upbringing.
Kathrina Miranda
May 16-31, 2014 5
Bullied Fil-Am teens fight leads to new law
CARSON, California. A
Filipino-American teen is nally
ghting back after being bullied
for most of her school life that
almost drove her to suicide, ral-
lying an entire city to her cause.
Jade Archer is standing
up to school bullies through
an online support group Jade
Against Bullying she started.
When I was 12, I tried
taking my own life because
people told me to kill myself and
I did it. I tried to do it because I
believed them. I felt worthless.
Because thats how they made
me feel and they were never held
liable for that, she revealed.
Her campaign against
school bullies has drawn sup-
port from the City of Carson
which recently voted to outlaw
bullying.
Bullying is not a part of
growing up and it never should
be. No one should ever grow up
feeling like theyre worth noth-
ing because thats what I did. Its
not a fun experience, Archer
said.
The City Council, including
its Filipino vice mayor, voted
unanimously to advance a local
ordinance that makes bullying a
misdemeanor offense.
Government studies suggest
that more than a quarter of chil-
dren are bullied.
Under the proposal, Carson,
which has one of the highest
Filipino concentrations in the
country, would make bullying-
-whether physical, emotional,
and online--a misdemeanor
offense.
The ordinance will now go
through a second reading later
this month and may go into
effect as early as
next month.
It gives us
hope because
Ive been bul-
lied throughout
my life and I
never had any-
thing like this
that helped me,
Archer declared.
While the
coming ordi-
nance is wel-
comed by most,
some doubt
whether it will
be enough. I
am not for bully-
ing thats a fact
but I am for teaching and as far
as this, I dont know if that would
be teaching anything it would be
a slap on the hand then what will
happen next, explained kinder-
garten teacher Primrose Villenas.
Some sought workshops for
parents and teachers to deal with
kids who bully other children in
school.
Several cities throughout the
US have also made anti-bullying
laws that would punish parents
of alleged bullies.
May 16-31, 2014 66
EXCLUSIVE TO MANILA MAIL
Fil-Am aims for Hawaii
seat in US Congress
WASHINGTON D.C. The
passing of American war hero
and statesman Daniel Inouye
in 2012 has cast Hawaii politics
wide open and at least two Fil-
ipino-Americans, including one
of the states rising stars Joey
Manahan are vying for a seat in
the United States House of Rep-
resentatives this November.
Manahan, who had grand
uncle in the Philippine Senate
(1961-67) and whose name
evokes images of achievement
and status, is gunning for the
congressional seat vacated by
Colleen Hanabusa whos moving
up to the US Senate.
Because hes running as a
Democrat, the 33-year-old Mana-
han faces a tough 7-sided ght
for the nomination that includes
fellow Fil-Am Hawaii Senate
President Donna Mercado Kim.
In another Manila Mail
exclusive, Manahan said hes
running to give the millions of
immigrants the same opportuni-
ties that he got and helped push
him to his current position.
When I was nine years old,
my mother and I left the Philip-
pines and traveled to America in
hopes of building a better life,
he said.
While our nation of immi-
grants hail from different coun-
tries, speak different languages,
and have different faiths we all
share one goal, and thats achiev-
ing the American Dream. Im
running for Congress to ensure
every American has the oppor-
tunity to keep this dream alive,
Manahan declared.
Born in Makati, he lost his
father early. His family moved to
the Bay Area where he attended
the Bellarmine College Prep
school. When his mother re-
married in 1991, they re-located
to Hawaii.
I have had invaluable
opportunities: a solid education
from the University of Hawaii,
meaningful work experience,
and the chance to serve my com-
munity. These were the opportu-
nities my mother hoped for when
we left the Philippines. Yet, none
of these experiences would have
been possible without the strong
work ethic instilled in me by
my family, like my grandfather
who studied and worked hard
to become a prominent doctor,
Manahan recounted.
According to his bio-data
he became interested in his Fili-
pino American roots and worked
with Filipino immigrants and
later met Dennis Arakaki, a
member of the Hawaii House of
Representatives who served as a
mentor. That got him into poli-
tics.
Ive represented Hawaii
at the state level where Ive
helped to jumpstart our tourism
economy, pushed to renovate
and reinvigorate local schools
and improved housing for low-
income residents, he said for his
maiden stint in the State House
where he won a seat in 2006 with
just an 11-vote margin.
In 2012, he successfully run
for a seat in the Honolulu City
Council, where he represents the
7th district. He was appointed to
head the parks and customer ser-
vices committee as well as vice
chairman of the transportation
committee. He also worked for
Kim.
Taguba shares insights on
how to stem abuse
SAN FRANCISCO.
Spurred by recent corruption
scandals in the California state
legislature and the upcoming
statewide elections, Filipino
Americans have tapped retired
US Army Maj. Gen. Antonio
Taguba to speak about his
own experiences in stemming
abuses and misconduct.
Taguba, who exposed of-
cial culpability in the torture of
prisoners at Iraqs Abu Ghraib
jail started the discussion by
distributing an ofcial guide on
conduct by government execu-
tives and explaining how even
stricter rules applied in the
military.
The Philippine American
Press Club organized the kapi-
han on Ethics and Politics,
at Golden Gate University last
April 26.
Raymond Buenaventura,
Daly City Councilman, former
mayor, and candidate for
Judge in the San Mateo County
Superior Court, explained that
having to raise money for ones
candidacy places big pressures
on a candidate and increases
the temptation to give in to
donors narrow agendas.
David Chiu echoed the
same frustration and pressure
for so-called pay to play trans-
actions between elected of-
cials and private interests. Chiu
is president of the San Francisco
Board of Supervisors and can-
didate for California State Leg-
islature to represent San Fran-
ciscos 17th Assembly District.
Chiu said the coun-
try needed electoral reforms
including public nancing of
campaigns to eliminate trans-
actional relationships in politics
and stressed the importance of
transparency in government
affairs.
Joey Manahan
Antonio Taguba
May 16-31, 2014 7
May 16-31, 2014 88
Gordon reports Haiyan relief gains
GENEVA, Switzerland.
Although millions of Filipinos
still live under difcult condi-
tions in areas devastated by
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan),
Philippine National Red Cross
(PNRC) Chairman Richard
Gordon told the International
Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) here that Filipinos have
demonstrated their great resil-
ience and many are on the way
to recovery.
Affected communities have
shown remarkable strength and
many are on the road to recov-
ery, said Gordon who is also a
member of the International Fed-
eration of the Red Cross (IFRC)
governing council.
According to the relief
organization, 6,293 people died,
28,689 injured and 1,061 more
listed as missing following the
November 2013 disaster. Nearly
3,000 of the fatalities were recov-
ered by the PNRC, Gordon
reported.
The Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement have cre-
ated a recovery plan that aims
to help 775,000 of the most vul-
nerable people to recover and
improve their resilience to future
disasters.
High levels of pre-existing
poverty are holding people back
and in some areas basic services
have not been re-established,
Gordon said in a press confer-
ence here.
He noted that through the
Red Cross movement they were
able to re-build 166 classrooms,
supplied more than a million
typhoon victims with food items,
blankets, mosquito nets, plastic
mats, jerry cans, kitchen sets,
hygiene kits, tents and tarpau-
lins.
The PNRC helped distrib-
ute about 17 million liters of
potable water processed by 16
water treatment units. Field hos-
pitals and healthcare units were
deployed in Ormoc, Cebu, and
Samar.
Our recovery work will
focus on restoring shelter, liveli-
hoods and access to health care,
to help affected communities
overcome the hardships of the
past six months and become self-
reliant again, he added.
Gordon said their main pri-
ority is to provide about 150,000
core shelter and shelter repair
kits; extend livelihood support
to 50,000 households; provide
skills development training for
1,000 beneciaries; and complete
a hundred community-managed
livelihood projects.
Typhoon Haiyan Emer-
gency appeals have so far raised
$357 million.
We have embarked on
capacity building measures such
as constructing logistical hubs
in key places all throughout the
Philippines, Gordon said, so
we can get to the affected areas
quicker and deploy equipment,
personnel, and supplies swiftly.
He assured that money
entrusted to us by donors will
go to capacity building measures
which will equip the PNRC to
better respond to disasters next
time.
From the other side of the
globe, PNRC Secretary General
Gwen Pang elded questions at
a joint media event by the PNRC,
IFRC and ICRC at the Manila
Hotel.
May 8 marked the sixth
month anniversary of super
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). It
was also World Red Cross Day.
Tagle says Mass, leads
rosary procession in DC
WASHINGTON D.C.
Manila Archbishop Luis Anto-
nio Cardinal Tagle will celebrate
mass at the Cathedral of St. Mat-
thew the Apostle on May 18
and will be followed by a rosary
procession to the Philippine
Embassy.
The Mass will start at 10 in
the morning. The St. Matthew
cathedral is along 1725 Rhode
Island Ave NW, Washington,
DC.
The rosary procession will
also serve as a celebration of
Flores de Mayo and children
were encouraged to either all-
white (participate as angels) or
bring owers that will be offered
to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Volunteers are asked to
contact Margi Paglinawan at
mymaestsro777@yahoo.com .
Mass-goers are also invited
to bring statues of the Blessed
Virgin Mary (must more than 12
inches in height) to participate in
the Flores De Mayo.
Those who are willing can
contribute to a potluck salu-
salo for a luncheon forum with
Cardinal Tagle. Participants may
pose questions to him but only
80 will be allowed in.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle
PNRC Chairman Richard Gordon
May 16-31, 2014 9
With disappointing PPV,
Pacquiao wants to try basketball
MANILA. The Peoples Champ,
boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao appears
bent on pursuing another sport, profes-
sional basketball, where he is set to work
as a playing coach for one of the Philip-
pine Basketball Association (PBA) expan-
sion teams.
Pacquiao revealed his plan in a series
of interviews. He explained that hes
already reached an agreement with Ginia
Domingo of Columbia Autocar Corp., the
local distributor of KIA Motors, to play in
the PBA in October.
This comes in the wake of disap-
pointing pay-per-view numbers for the
April 12 rematch between Pacquiao and
former world champion Timothy Bradley
Jr.
Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum,
who promotes both Pacquiao and Bradley,
told ESPN.com that the ght generated
between 750,000 and 800,000 PPV buys
which he describes as a disappointment.
Arum told ESPN that the absence of
a Mexican or Hispanic opponent hurt the
pay-per-view.
If you had a challenger like, for
example, (Juan Manuel) Marquez, the
ght would do over a million buys, he
explained. Tim is a great ghter, but hes
not Hispanic. We tried everything to ener-
gize the black community, without that
much success.
Pacquiaos imminent shift to bas-
ketball immediately kicked up a contro-
versy because of rules for when players
can take to the oor in the PBA. Pacquiao
for instance will have to go through the
leagues 2014 rookie draft.
Pacquiao, 35, said they are verifying
the rule that exempts a player from the
draft if he joins the team as playing coach.
Pacquiao, who considers former Gine-
bra playing coach Robert Jaworski as one
of his idols, is condent of his coaching
abilities as he once owned the MP Gensan
Warriors in the defunct Liga Pilipinas.
If he makes his debuts in October, he
will not only become the rst professional
boxer ever to play in the PBA, he will also
become the rst active pugilist to coach in
Asias rst play-for-pay league.
Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao on the hard-
court.
May 16-31, 2014 10 10
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US to give work visas to spouses of H-1B workers
WASHINGTON D.C. The
Homeland Security department
will soon start issuing work
visas to the spouses of some for-
eign workers as part of a drive to
retain highly skilled people.
The change, announced last
May 8, will affect the spouses of
people with so-called H-1B visas,
a limited-term working visa that
employees obtain when they are
sponsored by their companies.
As it stands now, their
spouses only get a dependent
H-4 visa which allows them to
live in the US but not to work,
according to an Agence France-
Presse report, adding this often
discouraged foreign families
from settling permanently and
depriving the US of workers
highly skilled in science and
technology.
Under the changes, spouses
of people with H-1B visas who
have applied for permanent
residency green cards can also
apply for permission to work.
The proposals will encour-
age highly skilled, specially
trained individuals to remain in
the United States and continue
to support US businesses and the
growth of the US economy, said
Deputy Secretary of Homeland
Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
The fact is, we must do
more to retain and attract world-
class talent to the United States
and these regulations put us
on a path to doing that, said
US Commerce Secretary Penny
Pritzker.
Silicon Valley welcomed the
news. The US information tech-
nology hub has for years been
pushing for changes in immigra-
tion rules.
By sensibly improving
these rules, we can help ensure
that the most talented foreign
innovators conduct their break-
through research right here at
home, Bruce Mehlamn, head
of the Technology CEO Council
was quoted in the AFP report.
Still, he said these admin-
istrative improvements cannot
substitute for the bipartisan,
common-sense immigration
reforms that Congress alone can
advance.
Pinay nurse
dies of MERS
coronavirus
BACOLOD CITY, Philip-
pines. The family of a 45-year-
old Filipina nurse from Negros
Occidental has conrmed
reports she died of Middle
East Respiratory Syndrome-
Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) at
the King Fahd Medical City in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last May
6.
The nurses husband,
whose name is being withheld,
told a correspondent of the
Philippine Star that the direc-
tor of King Fahd Medical City
had given him the sad news.
The deceased was an
emergency room nurse at the
King Fahd Medical City, one of
the most modern hospitals in
Riyadh.
The husband said his wife
succumbed to renal failure
with very low blood pressure,
symptoms of MERS-CoV.
The husband said he and
his 13-year-old daughter will
not go to Saudi Arabia to avoid
possible contamination of the
virus.
May 16-31, 2014 11
May 16-31, 2014 12 12
May 16-31, 2014 13
US business group warns GOP vs sitting on immigration bill
WASHIGTON D.C. The
president of the inuential
United States Chamber of Com-
merce said Republicans neednt
eld a presidential candidate in
2016 if they cant pass immigra-
tion reform this year.
If the Republicans dont
do it, they shouldnt bother to
run a candidate in 2016, said
Chamber of Commerce Presi-
dent Tom Donohue in what the
website politico.com described
as a joke meant to grab his audi-
ences attention at an infrastruc-
ture investment event here last
May 12.
Think about that. Think
about who the voters are. I just
did that to get everybodys atten-
tion.
GOP elders have tried to
steer the party into supporting
immigration reform as a way to
woo Hispanic voters, who have
increasingly drifted to Demo-
crats over the past two election
cycles. But members, especially
in the House of Representatives
have balked.
Growing Hispanic popula-
tions in Nevada, Texas and else-
where could make those
states more amenable to
Democrats in the future.
The Chamber of
Commerce has tradi-
tionally been a key GOP
ally in past elections and
Donohue, whos spent
months pushing House
Republicans to support
immigration legislation, is
condent they will listen.
National Association
of Manufacturers Presi-
dent Jay Timmons said he
also thought immigration
reform could pass this
year, perhaps in a lame-
duck session.
This is a unied
position of the business
community, Timmons
said.
Reform backers have
focused on the weeks
before the August recess
as a time when the House
could move on immigra-
tion. A bipartisan bill
that included a pathway
to citizenship, increased
border enforcement and
increased levels of legal immi-
gration passed the Senate last
year.
The efforts have largely
been ignored by conservatives
who reject a pathway to citizen-
ship as a form of amnesty and
could hurt employment for US
citizens.
The immigration bill in
question would double the
annual number of guest worker
admissions from roughly 600,000
a year under current law to 1.2
million a year if passed, said
Stephen Miller, spokesman for
reforms critic Sen. Jeff Sessions
of Alabama.
He pointed out that the
immigration reform package
already on the table would triple
the number of lower-skilled
permanent immigrants over the
next decade or from 10 million
to 30 million.
Tom Donohue
May 16-31, 2014 14 14
Fil-Am killed after trying to enter wrong apartment
SAN FRANCISCO. A Fil-
ipino-American man who just
came from a night of drinking
with some friends was shot dead
after he tried to enter what he
thought was his apartment.
Stephen Guillermo, 26, was
returning to his apartment build-
ing along the 900 block of Mis-
sion Street in the South of Market
neighborhood on the early morn-
ing of May 3 apparently got off
the wrong oor.
The authorities said Guill-
ermo tried to enter the door to
what he thought was his apart-
ment.
The man who actually lives
there, 68 year-old Amisi Sudi
Kachepa, allegedly shot him to
death.
Kachepa, who surrendered
to police after the shooting, was
later released pending further
investigation. He has not been
charged.
I believe that he deserves
to be locked up for every-
ones safety and, of course, for
my brothers justice. I say he
deserves to be locked up still, like
I said. What he did wasnt right.
My brother made a mistake. It
shouldnt have ended like that,
Guillermos brother Marc said
in an interview with ABS-CBNs
Balitang America.
Guillermos sister Sher-
maine said the suspect has a bad
reputation in their building.
Most of my neighbors that
have been living there know of
him, but they dont talk to him,
she said. They describe him
as being hostile to others. He
mostly keeps to himself. He has
a short temper when kids run
around. He tells them to stop it.
However, California has a
Castle Doctrine that grants jus-
tication for deadly force inside
ones residence.
The law says that if someone
forces their way into your home
and you have a reasonable fear
of imminent peril of death or
great bodily injury, then you are
justied in using deadly force to
defend yourself.
The Guillermo family has
asked the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors for a full investiga-
tion.
We want justice. We want
this man to explain his actions,
they said.
Fil-Ams killers get life with no parole
REDWOOD CITY, Cali-
fornia. A Sacramento Superior
Court judge sentenced two men
convicted in the 2007 shooting
deaths of Fil-Am Sean Aquita-
nia and his infant son to life in
prison with no chance of parole
last May 2.
Chris Strong and Donald
Ortez-Lucero were found guilty
on March 18 for shooting and
killing the 21-year-old Aquitania
and his 7-month old son Sean
Junior at point-blank-range back
in Sacramento seven years ago.
According to an ABS-CBN
News, both men were found
guilty on two counts of rst
degree murder, as well as one
count each of residential bur-
glary and attempted robbery.
The jury said that Strong
and Ortez-Lucero set out to rob a
drug house in South Sacramento
when Aquitania arrived with his
infant son, to visit a friend who
lived at the residence.
During a struggle with
Aquitania, the jury said Ortez-
Luceros gun went off. The baby
was hit in the head by that bullet.
The investigation revealed
that after realizing his son had
been shot, Aquitania ung him-
self on the gunman before he
was shot and killed.
Lucero and Strong can still
appeal the sentence.
DFA probes diplomat in
Canada nanny trafcking
MANILA. The Department
of Foreign Affairs has opened
a probe on one of its diplomat
accused of human trafcking
involving the exploitation of
her nanny in Canada.
The (foreign affairs)
department takes very seri-
ously any allegations of mis-
conduct of its employees. The
department is conducting an
inquiry into the matter, its
spokesman Charles Jose said in
a statement.
The diplomat, Buenaor
Cruz, was recalled to Manila
even before the Canadian fed-
eral police could le the charges
May 9 for mischief, utter-
ing threats, withholding their
former nannys identication
documents and human trafck-
ing. Her husband Robert Cruz
is included in the charge sheet.
However, Jose said Cruzs
relief from the Philippine
Embassy in Ottawa was part of
normal rotation.
Authorities said the sus-
pects had left the country while
the 26-year-old nanny, who
worked at the couples Ottawa
home between July 2009 and
December 2013 but was not
identied, had been relocated
to a safe location in Canada.
Jose said the Philippine
government was cooperating
fully with the Ottawa police to
the extent dened by interna-
tional law although he com-
plained about its disclosure to
the public.
Stephen Guillermo
May 16-31, 2014 15
FilAm sworn in as White House AAPI commissioner
By Bing C. Branigin
WASHINGTON D.C. -
Billy Dec, a Filipino American
businessman from Chicago was
inducted May 6 as one of the
12 commissioners of the White
House Initiative on Asian Amer-
ican and Pacic Islanders.
Dec, is CEO and Founder of
Rockit Ranch Production Inc. He
owns and operates several res-
taurants and bars in upscale Chi-
cago. Its an honor to be chosen
as one of the White House Com-
missioner on Asian Americans
and Pacic Islanders, he told
the Manila Mail immediately
after the swearing in.
I am really humbled to
represent my community in the
commission and I want to do my
best specially in the business and
economic sector. ,
Last November immedi-
ately after the Haiyan/Yolanda
disaster he donated $45,000.00 to
the victims through the Philip-
pine Consulate in Chicago.
He wants to help more in the
rebuilding and recovery of the
affected areas so he is traveling
directly to Tacloban on the week
of June 12. He will be there for a
few days and to see for himself
the situation on the ground. Dec
will be with USAID and Philip-
pine Red Cross working and
learning with their teams.
There are twelve Asian
American Commissioners rep-
resenting various Asian ethnic-
ity. They will be the eyes and
ears of President Obama of the
AAPI community. The Commis-
sion is charged with working to
improve the quality of life for
AAPIs through increase partici-
pation and access to federal pro-
grams.
The members will advice
Obama on innovative ways to
engage the AAPIs across the
country to improve their health,
education, environment, and
well-being.
2014 AAPI Heritage Month
theme, is I am beyond, led by
the Smithsonian Asian Pacic
American center. The phrase
captures the aspirations of the
American spirit and how Ameri-
cans of Asian pacic Islander
descent have always sought to
excel beyond the challenges that
have limited equal opportunity
in America.
Asian Americans and
Pacic Islanders from across the
country attended other events in
Washington, DC this week.
Some of the events during
this month are the Asian Pacic
American Institute for Congres-
sional Studies (APAICS) 20th
Gala celebrations, Honoring
AAPI Pioneers, also last May 6.
2014 Congressional Sympo-
sium for Asian Pacic Ameri-
can Heritage Month, hosted by
the Congressional Asian Pacic
American Caucus (CAPAC), at
the Visitors center, U.S. Capitol,
May 8.
Other Federal Agencies are
also celebrating APAI month.
FilAm Billy Dec (Center), Commissioner, White House initiative on Asian
Americans and Pacic Islanders, pose for a photo after his swearing-in as
one of the new WHIAAPI, held at the Interior Department last May 6,.Also
in the picture from left is Billys wife Kat, and far right his mother, Mrs.
Celia Bumanglag Dec, originally from Project 7, Quezon City. (Photo by
Bing C. Branigin)
The Advisory Commission, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and
Pacic Islanders are Dr. Tung Nhuyen, (Incoming Chair), Dr. Mary Ann
Young Okada (Incoming Vice-Chair), Dr. N. Nina Ahmad, Michael Byun,
Ravi Chaudhary, Lian Cheun, Billy Dec, Bill Imada, Kathy Ko Chin, Daphne
Kwok, Dee Jay Mailer, Diane Narasaki, Shekar Narasimhan, Maulik Pan-
choly, Linda X. Phan,and Lorna May Ho Randlett. (Photo, Bing Branigin)
May 16-31, 2014 16 16 Around DC in Pictures
Vice President Jejomar Binay (2nd
from left), with Amb. John Maisto
of the US-Philippine Society, Amb.
Jose L. Cuisia, and Ernie Bower
Senior Advisor and Sumitro Chair
for Southeast Asia Studies Center
for Strategic and International
Studies. VP Binay was in Washing-
ton, DC., as guest speaker at the
CSIS Leadership Forum, May 1. He
also paid a courtesy call to mem-
bers of Congress and met with Fili-
pino American community leaders.
(Photo: Bing Branigin)
Capt. Luzviminda A. Camacho (left) is the rst woman ofcer to lead the
peacekeeping mission in Haiti.. She was in Washington D.C. recently to meet
with the Defense Attahe of the Philippine embassy. With her are Bing C.
Branigin and another Philippine navy ofcer (right).
Filipino Americans joined more than 500 Asian Americans and Pacic Islanders at the opening ceremony of AAPI
Heritage Month at the Department of Interior on May 6. From left, outgoing WHIAAPI Commissioner Hector
Vargas, Jojo Maralit, Diosa B. G. Woods, Emil Trinidad, Luis Florendo, Ben de Guzman, Eric Macalma and Steven
Raga. (Photo by Jon Melegrito)
Filipino Americans carvers from Paete Laguna, attracted many visitors at
the Philippine Embassy grounds during the Passport DC open house, held
last May 3. The talented Filipino Americans made fruits and vegetables into
birds, owers, and other gurines to the delight of the visitors. (Photo: Bing
Branigin)
Representing the Filipino American community and the Philippine Embassy at the Commemoration of the 116th
Anniversary of Commodore George Deweys Victory at Manila May on May 1, 1898 are, from left, Rita Gerona
Adkins, Sonny Busa, Military Attache of the Philippines Col. Orlando M. Suarez, Priscilla Tacujan, Kevin and
Maurese Owens. They joined a
wreath laying at Deweys tomb at
the National Cathedrals Bethlehem
Chapel. (Photo by Jon Melegrito)
Filipino American leaders and students were among the dozens of Asian
Americans at the University of Maryland who participated in the closing
ceremony of the Maryland Leadership Institute in College Park on May 7.
From left: AAST Director Janelle Wong, Jude Paul Dizon of the Ofce of
Multicultural Involvement and Advocacy, Katrina Dizon of APALA, Heidi
Hong of the Conference on Asian Pacic American Leadership (CAPAL),
Krystle Canare, a graduating senior from Waldorf, MD. and Emil Trinidad
of KAYA DC. Manila Mail columnist Jon Melegrito was among the panelists
at the campus event. (Photo by Jon Melegrito)
Mujiv Hataman (left), Regional Governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) explains the
Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and transition to a new government at a recent forum sponsored by
the Southeast Asia Studies (SAIS) Philippine Roundtable. Among those looking on are US-Philippine Friendship
Society President John Maisto (second from left) and UP History Professor Bernardita Churchill (left).
U.S. Army Maj. General Antonio Taguba (Ret), fourth from right, hosted a
Military Leadership Luncheon May 6 to honor Pan Pacic American leaders
and mentors, in conjunction with Asian American Pacic Islander Heritage
Month. Attending the event, from left, are Priscilla Tacujan, PALM President
Mitzi Pickard, Marissa Castro-Salvati of Southern California Edison, Fili-
pino World War II veteran Celestino Almeda, Gen. Taguba, Lourdes Neilan
(Special Asst. to the Chief of Naval Operations for Diversity at the Penta-
gon), PAFC Board Chairman Sonny Busa and Joe Montano of the Virginia
Democratic National Committee. (Photo by Jon Melegrito)
May 16-31, 2014 17
May 16-31, 2014 18 18
Obama to schools: Enrol kids of
undocumented immigrants
WASHINGTON D.C. The
Obama administration has
issued new guidelines that bar
school ofcials from discourag-
ing undocumented immigrants
from enrolling in their schools.
Such actions and poli-
cies not only harm innocent
children, they also markedly
weaken our nation ... by leaving
young people unprepared and
ill-equipped to succeed and con-
tribute to what is, in many cases,
the only home they have ever
known, said Attorney General
Eric Holder.
Starting with Arizonas
landmark 2010 law, the nation
saw a wave of state and local
laws cracking down on undocu-
mented immigrants. Some of
those laws required parents of
children to provide additional
documentation to their local
schools establishing the immi-
gration status of the child or the
parents.
Federal ofcials say that
violates both federal law and the
1982 Supreme Court case Plyler
v. Doe, which struck down a
Texas law that allowed school
districts to bar undocumented
immigrants from public schools.
In a letter co-authored by
ofcials at the departments of
Justice and Education, they said
state and local school districts
continue attempting to prevent
undocumented immigrants from
going to school.
Public school districts have
an obligation to enroll students
regardless of immigration status
and without discrimination on
the basis of race, color or national
origin, Holder said.
We will vigilantly enforce
the law to ensure the school-
house door remains open to all,
he stressed,
Holder and Education Sec-
retary Arne Duncan did not
single out any school district
for preventing or discouraging
undocumented immigrants from
enrolling in public schools.
But in Alabama, the state
passed an immigration law that
required parents of students
enrolling for the rst time to
verify their immigration status.
School ofcials said at the time
they were not trying to bar
undocumented immigrants from
their schools but trying to get
reliable data on how much the
state spends educating them.
After a series of lawsuits
from the Department of Justice
and other immigration advocacy
groups, the state agreed to a set-
tlement that barred that section
of the law and several others.
The White House announce-
ment last May 8 included a list
of documentation that can, and
cannot, be used. A state may
allow parents to verify their resi-
dency by showing state-issued
identication card or drivers
license but they cannot require
that. A telephone or utility bill, a
lease or mortgage document, or a
letter from an employer can also
be acceptable documentation,
according to guidelines.
Schools can still request the
Social Security number of stu-
dents for identication purposes
but the federal ofcials stressed
that failure to have a Social Secu-
rity number cannot be used to
prevent a student from enrolling
in the school.
The message here is clear:
let all children who live in your
district enroll in your public
schools, Duncan said.
Asian Americans by the numbers
18.9 million
The estimated number of
U.S. residents in 2012 who were
Asian, either one race or in com-
bination with one or more addi-
tional races.
6.0 million
The Asian alone or in com-
bination population in Califor-
nia in 2012. The state had the
largest Asian population, fol-
lowed by New York (1.7 mil-
lion). The Asian alone popula-
tion represented 56.4 percent of
the total population in Hawaii.
Source:
46.0%
Percentage growth of the
Asian alone or in combination
population between the 2000
and 2010 censuses, which was
more than any other major race
group.
3.6 million
The number of Filipinos,
2nd biggest number of Asians
after Chinese (except Taiwan-
ese) descent in the U.S. in 2012.
$70,644
Median income of house-
holds headed by the Asian
alone population in 2012.
Median household income dif-
fered greatly by Asian group.
For Asian Indians, for example,
the median income in 2012 was
$96,782; for Bangladeshi, it was
$44,293.
3.9 million
The total number of Asians
who voted in 2012 presidential
elections. All in all, 47 percent
of Asians turned out to vote in
2012.
13.0%
The poverty rate for the
Asian alone population in 2012.
15.0%
Percentage of Asian alone
population without health
insurance coverage in 2012.
50.5%
The percentage of the Asian
alone population 25 and older
who had a bachelors degree or
higher level of education. This
compared with 29.1 percent for
all Americans 25 and older.
270,630
The number of the Asian
alone population who were
military veterans in 2012. About
one in three Asian veterans was
65 and older.
49.1%
The proportion of civilian
employed Asian alone popula-
tion 16 and older who worked
in management, business, sci-
ence and arts occupations, such
as nancial managers, engi-
neers, teachers and registered
nurses in 2012.
36.0
Median age of the Asian
alone population in 2012. The
corresponding gure was 37.4
for the population as a whole.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau,
2012 American Community
Survey; 2012 Population Estimates
Pres. Obama says everyone should
be welcome in schools.
May 16-31, 2014 19
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Virginia Beach, VA 23453
Kainan Restaurant
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
Mercy's Restaurant
Norfolk, VA 23518
WHERE YOU CAN PICK UP FREE COPIES OF THE MANILA MAIL
May 16-31, 2014 20 20
tion in a remote clinic in the
United States.
For the record, I never
had dealings with Napoles. The
Napoles list, if unsigned, has no
evidentiary value at all. Lacson
is an attack dog of Enrile. The
Supreme Court has repeatedly
ruled that to allege is not proof.
Where is the evidence, as dened
in the Rules of Court? I am push-
ing to get the list of Benhur Luy.
I understand that the Luy list is
substantiated by documents and
details, she said.
Abad also said he has never
dealt with Napoles.
I have never dealt with
Janet Lim Napoles or any of her
fake NGOs in any way through-
out my career in public ser-
vice: either as representative of
Batanes, as Budget and Manage-
ment Secretary, or as an ofcial
of any other public ofce that has
been entrusted to me he said in
a statement.
Escudero said Napoles was
trying to muddle the pork barrel
scam controversy by making a
supposed list of lawmakers who
allegedly beneted from the
alleged scam. Cayetano echoed
his statement describing the sup-
posed list as Napoles game.
Meanwhile, Sen. JV Ejercito
confessed that he got a tongue-
lashing from his father, former
President and now Manila
Mayor Joseph Estrada, and half-
brother, Senator Jinggoy Estrada,
for signing the Blue Ribbon
Committee report on the pork
barrel scam.
We had another misun-
derstanding and my brother
was mad at me, Ejercito said
in a radio interview he said I
was trying to look good at his
expense.
He was among the 10 sena-
tors who signed the committee
report that recommended the
ling of charges against his half-
brother and Sens. Enrile and
Revilla.
I signed with reservation
because I was not convinced it
was a complete report. It should
tackle the entire pork barrel
scam, including other bogus
non-government organizations
and not just those connected to
Janet Napoles, he said.
By signing, on the other
hand, Ejercito said he just wants
to see the end of the pork barrel
scam and all accused be able to
explain themselves before the
court.
I did not endorse the entire
report, perhaps just partially. As
a lawmaker, I also want to put
an end to the pork scam, he
explained.
But then Ejercito explained
that hes never been close to his
half-brother. Hes always furi-
ous with me, he admitted.
Lacson said Napoles list
must be made public although
he stressed that he could not
attest to its veracity. It should
be Mrs. Napoles who should
make it public, he said.
The Senate Blue Ribbon
Committee has subpoenaed Jus-
tice Secretary Leila de Lima to
produce the list of lawmakers
who allegedly beneted from the
pork barrel scam.
De Lima earlier declined to
disclose the Napoles list ostensi-
bly to verify whether there was
evidence to back up the names
on the list. Investigators are
believed to be cross-checking the
names with the paper trail on the
scam.
President Aquino has con-
rmed that several of his political
allies are on the lists but added
that the two lists do not match.
I think I have seen two and
they dont agree with each other
exactly...Theyre supposed to
have come from Mrs. Napoles,
he told reporters.
Lacson: Half of senators... from page 1
planning and execution, and
demonstrate Philippines and US
relationship in maritime secu-
rity, said Gen. Emmanuel Bau-
tista, Armed Forces of the Philip-
pines (AFP) chief.
Military cooperation with
the US, Bautista stressed, is
important in maintaining sta-
bility in Southeast Asia and Asia
Pacic.
For the rst time, about 100
Australian soldiers joined the
training maneuvers. An Associ-
ated Press report said Australia,
which is the only other country
that has an agreement to partici-
pate in military exercises with
the Philippines, deployed a P-3
Orion long-range patrol plane
for surveillance exercises with
Filipino and US forces.
Although China is never
mentioned, the Asian giant was
obviously in everyones mind.
Ofcially, the exercise was
mainly intended to increase
disaster response for the Philip-
pines, which is subject to regular
natural disasters, tropical storms
and typhoons in particular.
But there is also the implicit
by both armies to help the Phil-
ippines increase its preparedness
for defending Filipino territory.
Remember, while this may
be an exercise the skills you prac-
tice here have real world impli-
cations for the safety and secu-
rity not just of the Philippines
but of the entire region, said US
Ambassador to the Philippines
Philip Goldberg.
Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert
del Rosario said the exercises
would boost the preparedness of
both the US and Philippines to
deal with tensions due to exces-
sive and expansive maritime and
territorial claims and aggres-
sive patterns of behavior, a
thinly veiled reference to Chinas
increasingly assertive behavior
in the region.
On May 9, Chinas foreign
ministry blamed the US for stok-
ing tensions in the disputed
South China Sea, alleging it was
encouraging countries to engage
in dangerous behavior.
China accused Vietnam of
intentionally colliding with its
ships in the South China Sea
after Vietnam asserted that Chi-
nese vessels used water cannon
and rammed eight of its vessels
near an oil rig.
The US has called Chinas
deployment of the rig provoca-
tive and unhelpful to security in
the region, urging restraint on all
sides.
Chinese foreign ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying
repeated that the waters the rig
was operating in, around the
Paracel Islands, were Chinese
territory and that no other coun-
try had the right to interfere.
The Philippines is engaged
in multiple territorial disputes
with China over South China Sea
territories, including the Scar-
borough Shoal and the Second
Thomas Shoal
US Army Maj. Joseph Wein-
burgh of the 3rd squadron 4th
Cavalry said that their Filipino
counterparts have continued to
impress the soldier in him.
I am continued to be
impressed by the Bravo Com-
pany, Weinburgh said after one
simulated attack. We did not
train them, they were just that
good up to this.
He emphasized that the
Balikatan, which he described
as pretty successful, was not
meant to establish their leader-
ship but support for the Filipi-
nos.
Filipino ofcers lead every-
thing, we are here just to support
them, Weinburgh said. This is
the best partnership.
PH-US war games... from page 1
Umanos, the solon said, reveal-
ing that one former staff member
was married to a son of the late
Fil-Am pediatrician. Westrup is
also a doctor.
Umanos was among three
volunteer doctors killed in
Afghanistan last April 24. He
was gunned down by a security
guard as he was walking out of
the Cure International Hospital,
Kabul, where he had stayed as a
volunteer since 2005.
Born in Michigan, he later
settled in Chicago and worked
for the Lawndale Christian
Health Center.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel had
earlier called Umanos an Amer-
ican hero who embodied the
very best of Chicago.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn
described Umanos as a kind-
hearted and seless man who
for years sacriced the comforts
of home to serve those in need
overseas.
When he was gunned
down, Umanos had worked at
the CURE International Hospital
in Kabul, Afghanistan for eight
years, treating young Afghan
patients.
Jerry always wanted to
serve under-served populations
said his widow Jan Schuitema.
Afghanistan was just one of
them. He always had a desire to
be the hands and feet of Christ.
He had a love and commitment
that he expressed for the Afghan
people because of that love for
Christ.
His death came as a shock to
friends and relatives. His father
Romeo, 88, earlier expressed the
wish to the Manila Mail that his
sons good works would not be
forgotten. The elder Umanos
was born in La Union province
and was a General Motors exec-
utive in Detroit. He now lives in
retirement in Florida.
In his privilege speech, Con-
gressman Westrup said Umanos
had a love of and dedication to
the people of Afghanistan that
transcended the typical call to
serve.
Dr. Umanos love for man-
kind regardless of country or
creed or religion is inspiring,
the lawmaker said. While Dr.
Umanos mission is certainly
complete; the effects of his work
in this world will never perish
you made the world a better
place.
Solon honors slain... from page 1
May 16-31, 2014 21
dent can be properly settled as
soon as possible, Chinese For-
eign Ministry spokesperson Hua
Chunying said on May 12.
The Justice Department rec-
ommended a P30,000 bail for
each accused for violation of Sec-
tion 87, and P40,000 each for vio-
lation of Section 97 of the Philip-
pine penal code .
Hasa-Hasa Shoal is located
within the Philippines 340-km
EEZ in the South China Sea, an
area the country calls the West
Philippine Sea but not recog-
nized by China.
A retired general has called
on his nation to punish the
Philippines for standing up to
China.
Former Peoples Liberation
Army (PLA) Major General Luo
Yuan wrote in an online com-
mentary that Beijing should
respond tooth for tooth, eye for
eye, to take further measures.
He said despite Chinas
demands, the Philippine gov-
ernment has refused to release
the shermen and their ship
and even brought them to court.
Perhaps the Philippines simply
did not take our warnings seri-
ously, he said.
He also called for the arrest
or expulsion of a handful of Fili-
pino Marines aboard a grounded
transport ship in an area that
China claims as its own.
We should arrest illegal
invaders (who) occupy our ter-
ritory. [Ayungin Shoal is] not no
mans land, not [a] sanctuary,
but [a] tourist spot. It is our terri-
tory. We have actual jurisdiction
over it, Luo said.
He said China should order
Philippine troops to immediately
leave the shoal. Otherwise, we
will have a variety of means to
clear [the area], Luo warned.
China has stuck to its con-
tention it has indisputable sov-
ereignty over the waters where
the shermen were arrested,
saying it was part of the South
China Sea, where Beijing has
been pressing ownership against
partial claims of the Philippines,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and
Taiwan.
Chinese consular ofcials
sent to Palawan to handle the
case told the local prosecutor
that the detained shermen were
doing their business within Chi-
nese territory.
The DFA earlier said the
case would be best left to run the
course of justice and guaranteed
that it would be handled in a
just, humane and expeditious
manner.
The arrest of the Chinese
shermen is the latest are-up
in increasingly tense disputes
over the resources-rich and stra-
tegically important South China
Sea, along with the reported
encounter between Vietnamese
and Chinese vessels near an oil
rig installed by Beijing at the dis-
puted Paracel Islands.
The dispute dominated the
recently concluded meeting of
the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations in Myanmar, with
the Philippines and Vietnam
pushing for rmer action over an
increasingly aggressive China.
The Philippines is pursu-
ing an arbitration case against
China before the United Nations
in hopes of stopping further
Chinese incursions in the West
Philippine Sea and invalidating
its nine-dash line claim, which
encompasses some 90 percent of
territories in the waters.
China has refused to partici-
pate in the proceedings, asserting
its sovereignty over the waters.
PH defies Chinas... from page 1
Binay bats for tourism push after PH Embassy show
WASHINGTON, D.C. Phil-
ippine Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay
urged the countrys diplomatic
ofcials and Filipinos in the
United States to take advantage
of the goodwill generated by the
recent visit to Manila of Presi-
dent Barack Obama.
Binay hurled the challenge
after the Philippine Embassy
said it drew more than 6,000 visi-
tors when it opened its doors to
the public last May 3 as part of
the annual Passport DC Around
the World Embassy Tour.
Binay noted that the
Embassy, which was participat-
ing in the event for the rst time,
was expecting only 3,000 visitors
but as it turned out a record 6,105
people, mostly Americans and
other nationalities.
More than 50 embassies
joined the event that was enthu-
siastically supported by the Fili-
pino community, which helped
mount dances and martial-arts
exhibitions, and donated Filipino
food, as well.
Jollibee Foods Corp., with its
30 branches in the US, offered its
popular Chickenjoy and peach-
mango pie to guests, while its
sister rm Red Ribbon donated
mamon.
Its the most successful
cultural diplomacy event under-
taken by the Philippines here in
the United States. It was simply
overwhelming, said Cuisia,
who was just recently in Manila
for the state visit of US President
Barack Obama.
Binay said the tourism
department should take advan-
tage of this interest among main-
stream Americans to get more of
them to visit the Philippines.
The Vice President noted
that while Americans are on top
of the list of foreign visitors, with
a total of 642,626 arriving from
the US last year, these are mostly
balikbayans spending their holi-
days in the Philippines.
The men and women of
our Embassy in Washington,
D.C. did a very commendable
job in letting hundreds of Ameri-
cans know why we say its more
fun in the Philippines, the Vice
President said.
We need to do more of this,
we need to be more creative in
attracting more foreign tourists
to visit the Philippines.
This and the tremendous
goodwill generated by the recent
visit of President Obama as well
as the granting of Category 1
status offer opportunities for
exponential growth for Philip-
pine tourism, Binay said.
These opportunities must
be matched by an intensive air-
port rehabilitation and mod-
ernization program as well as
the expansion of existing ight
routes of Philippine carriers and
the opening of new routes to
non-traditional destinations, he
said.
With the recent safety
upgrade by the Federal Avia-
tion Administration, Philippine
Airlines is expected to open new
routes to New York and Chicago
while Cebu Pacic is reportedly
considering ying to Hawaii and
the West Coast.
The Vice President said he
hopes the Department of Tour-
ism could provide additional
support to the Embassy for
next years Around the World
Embassy Tour organized every
year by the District of Columbia
Cultural Tourism Ofce.
The Vice President, at the
same time, thanked the US-Phil-
ippines Society for its efforts in
raising the prole of the Philip-
pines in the US through, among
others, cultural initiatives such
as the performances in New
York and Washington, D.C. of
the Bayanihan Dance Company
and the Madrigal Singers.
He also thanked the US-
Philippines Society for organiz-
ing the After the Storm Concert
benet concert for victims of
Typhoon Yolanda at the Ken-
nedy Center on 15 June.
Among those expected
to take part in the concert are
Broadway artist Lea Salonga,
singer Apl.de.ap and actor Lou
Diamond Phillips.
Metro agency wants to resurrect
Escoltas old glory
MANILA. With the revival
of the Pasig River ferry system,
Metropolitan Manila Develop-
ment Authority (MMDA) Chair-
man Francis Tolentino is now
eyeing the reinvigoration of the
historic Escolta district.
He was to establish an
Escolta Redevelopment Admin-
istration patterned after the suc-
cessful revival of Intramuros.
This proposal is aimed to
remember Escolta not just as a
historical footnote but as part
of the continuing Philippine
economic progress, Tolentino
explained.
Tolentino has met with the
Escolta Heritage Association to
help revive the area as a trans-
port, tourism, business, and culi-
nary heritage hub and to assist
the Manila city government.
According to MMDA, the
idea came about after the reopen-
ing of the Escolta ferry station
which made it more accessible to
the public.
The MMDA has noted
during the rst two weeks of
operation of the Pasig River
Ferry System that Escolta was
the most popular destination of
passengers, and even tourists,
going to Binondo (Chinatown)
and Divisoria.
One of the countrys rst
business capital and home to the
oldest shops and boutiques sell-
ing imported goods from China
and Europe, the street of Escolta
exhibited several ne examples
of European architecture in the
Philippines, rivaling famous
European capitals such as Brus-
sels in Belgium and Madrid in
Spain.
By the late 19th century,
Escolta prospered into a fashion-
able business district hosting the
citys tallest buildings as well as
the Manila Stock Exchange. Sev-
eral movie companies, showbiz
personalities, and legal luminar-
ies started in the area.
Tolentino expressed his
willingness to draft a bill seeking
for the creation of such body to
be endorsed to appropriate Con-
gressional proponents.
Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay speaks before the Center for Strategic & Interna-
tional Studies.
Chef Evelyn S. Bunoan with Greg Mort during her cooking demonstra-
tion and exhibition of Filipino foods on April 26, 2014 at the Morts resi-
dence, followed by a fundraising reception for Olney Farmers and Art-
ists Market. Greg Mort is a leading American Contemporary Artist and
Astronomer; his art work has been exhibited by museums world-wide,
including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Corcoran Gallery
of Art, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the NASA Art
Collection, including the White House.
May 16-31, 2014 22 22 Fan Page
Bello says no room even
for friendship with Kho
MANILA. A spiritually rein-
vigorated Vicky Bello revealed
that shes severed all ties with
one-time lover Hayden Kho,
according to a report on the pep.
ph website.
There is no room even for
friendship, declared the beauty
consultant to the stars.
Bello was interviewed after
returning from a pilgrimage to
the Holy Land. It was like the
rst time I was really able to
connect with Jesus, she told the
showbiz website.
Shes taken a leave from her
various businesses. She is direc-
tor of the Belo Medical Group,
one of the Philippines biggest
cosmetic surgery outts, and
hosts a TV show that dishes out
free beauty tips.
Its hard to kind of put
everything aside, she admitted.
Bello insists she now gets
a natural high from spiritual
awakening. Thats where I
concentrate now, thats what
inspires me.
She is divorced from busi-
nessman Atom Henares and was
at a time engaged to Kho until
his widely publicized sex video
scandal scuttled the relationship
in 2011.
KC Concepcion: Love can wait
NEW YORK. One of
Manilas most eligible bachelor-
ette showbiz celebrity KC Con-
cepcion insists that love is taking
a back seat despite being sighted
with rumored suitor Paulo
Avelino here.
In an interview with Elton
Lugay of The FilAm, a Fil-
ipino-American magazine in
New York, Concepcion main-
tained that Avelino is not yet her
boyfriend.
Im not committing to
anyone right now. I have no
commitments to anyone, she
said. Its not my priority right
now. But it will be soon enough.
Honest naman ako, the people
involved know my state of mind
right now and my limitations.
Concepcion is the daughter
of Philippine Megastar Sharon
Cuneta and one-time matinee
idol Gabby Concepcion. Her last
relationship, with actor-singer
Piolo Pascual, and the very
public break-up that followed
was fodder for Manilas over-
heated rumor mill.
I dont want to be hurt,
its so tiring. Im taking it slow,
talagang very slow. Im very
careful with my heart right now.
Im being good to myself, wel-
coming enough but also putting
limits because I gave too much
before,now its time to take care
of me, she said.
Avelino recently visited
Concepcion in New York, where
she has been staying since Janu-
ary, to belatedly celebrate the
actress birthday last April 7.
However, Concepcion trig-
gered speculation among her
Instagram followers when she
posted a photo of shadows of
two people.
The caption accompanying
the photo quoted from the lyrics
of Barry Manilows Somewhere
Down the Road: Our roads
are gonna cross again. It doesnt
really matter when.
Avelino rst admitted
dating Concepcion last Novem-
ber, weeks after conrming his
separation with actress LJ Reyes,
with whom he has a son.
Concepcion said she will be
doing a lot of traveling to shoot
endorsements and fulll guest-
ing commitments.
Donita puts cooking on
back burner for TV show
MANILA. It looks like
Donita Rose wont be doing
any cooking soon after she was
recently signed up by GMA-7 to
host Basta Every Day Happy.
Rose worked in the United
States after nishing studies at
the Academy for International
Culinary Arts in 2011.
She ew to Las Vegas with
husband Eric Villarama and son
JP to hunt for a cooking job but
that didnt pan out so she quietly
returned to Manila and worked
at Crowne Plaza Manila and
Holiday Inn.
After six months, Donita
returned to the US to work in
an Italian restaurant for three
months and later in a Japanese
restaurant next. She worked the
salad bar and worked as a deli
manager for eight months.
Ive learned a lot working
from the bottom to the way up. I
was able to carry big pots and its
a real privilege for me because I
could say sobrang galing ko na,
sing galing ko na siya, Donita
says, referring to Chef Boy Logro
who is also one of the four morn-
ing show hosts.
Alessandra de Rossi and
Gladys Reyes complete the line-
up.
With projects being strung
up for her, she may have to
hang up the pots and pans in the
meantime.
Pinay is New Zealands
bet in Miss World tilt
AUCKLAND. A Filipina has
won a New Zealand pageant and
will be that nations representa-
tive in the Miss World 2014 con-
test.
Arielle Diane Garciano, a
22-year-old born in New Zea-
land, won the pageant held at
Rendezvous Grand Hotel in
Auckland on April 26, according
to a press report from the Philip-
pine Embassy here.
She has a Filipino father and
an English mother, the embassy
said.
Garciano is the youngest of
four siblings. Her father hails
from the Camotes Island in Cebu.
I am fortunate enough
to have visited the Philippines
three times. I love the Philip-
pines so much; its such a beauti-
ful country, the young Garciano
was quoted in the report.
If I could, I would visit
every year, she added.
With our heartfelt prayers
and best wishes as you embark
on another chapter in your life
to fulll your dreams and as
you carry with you the cheers,
applause and prayers from your
family and all of us from the
Filipino community and people
from New Zealand and the
wider community here, Philip-
pine Ambassador in New Zea-
land Virginia Benavidez wished
the young beauty.
Filipino-American Megan
Young, who has roots in Alex-
andria, Virginia, is the reigning
Miss World, the rst ever Fili-
pina to bag the title.
KC Concepcion
Donita Rose
Arielle Diane Garciano
Hayden Kho and Vicky Bello
May 16-31, 2014 23
SA PULA,
SA PUTI
T
heres an old African
saying, When elephants
dance, the grass gets tram-
pled. Pundits have patroniz-
ingly applied this to the increas-
ing tension between the United
States, China and the Philippines
over the South China Sea. They
have pointed out that our coun-
try, which they regard as puny,
will end up being trampled like
grass.
But theres another way
of looking at it: When the
eagle and the dragon begin to
brandish their talons, the wise
sabungero(cock ghter) should
know where to place his bet.
The parallel drawn by
Noynoy Aquino between Nazi
Germany and China may seem
provocative to some observers
of the South China Sea situa-
tion, but as the US increasingly
confronts China, the Philippines
has only two choices in placing
its bet: Sa pula o sa puti! (On the
red or on the white).
Aquino has made his and
the governments position clear:
Sa puti. With the US.
The United States has begun
to raise the decibel of its disap-
proval of Chinas territory-grab-
bing tactics. Its most direct chal-
lenge so far was hurled by Assis-
tant Secretary of State for East
Asian and Pacic Affairs Daniel
Russel in a recent testimony
before the US Congress.
Said Russel, Any use of
the nine-dash line by China to
claim maritime rights not based
on claimed land features would
be inconsistent with interna-
tional law.
And he threw the challenge:
The international community
would welcome China to clarify
or adjust its nine-dash line claim
to bring it in accordance with the
international law of the sea.
Aquinos analogy between
China and the Nazis, in an inter-
view with the New York Times,
so upset the Chinese that of-
cial mouthpiece Xinhua news
agencydidnt spare the insults:
Philippine President
Benigno S. Aquino III, who has
taken an inammatory approach
while dealing with maritime
disputes with China, has never
been a great candidate for a wise
statesman in the region. But his
latest reported attack against
China, in which he senselessly
compared his northern neigh-
bor to Nazi Germany, exposed
his true colors as an amateurish
politician who was ignorant both
of history and reality.
Thank heavens for having
a president who is largely
unschooled in foreign diplo-
macy, Aquino has given back
insult for insult:
Well, I thank Xinhua
because they are re-afrming the
validity of our position. As the
saying goes, if someone cannot
answer an issue, then he resorts
to name-calling. If you are inten-
tionally insulting me, I thank you
because it shows the Philippine
position is correct.
Compare this Big Bully
response to the Philippines and
Chinas carefully framed rheto-
ric in reacting to Americas direct
challenge. The Chinese foreign
ministry spokesman described
Russels statement as not con-
structive. Adding: We urge
the US to hold a rational and fair
attitude, so as to have a construc-
tive role in the peace and devel-
opment of the region, and not the
opposite.
Thats a whimpering dragon
spewing hot air.
The US has, of course, also
calibrated its increasing involve-
ment in the controversy. Said
Russel: I think it is imperative
that we be clear about what we
mean when the United States
says that we take no position on
competing claims to sovereignty
over disputed land features in
the East China and South China
Seas.
That was the diplomatic
part.
Then came the tough part:
First of all, we do take a strong
position with regard to behavior
in connection with any claims:
we rmly oppose the use of
intimidation, coercion or force to
assert a territorial claim. Second,
we do take a strong position that
maritime claims must accord
with customary international
law.
Obviously, China is not
prepared to insult the US they
way it did the Philippines. Bul-
lies are careful not to touch the
chip on someones shoulder if
the protagonist is capable of hit-
ting back. China likes picking
on small, seemingly defenseless
countries.
Armchair nationalists, closet
China lovers, the faint of heart
and the nave idealists have been
quick to scoff at Aquino for his
bluster, pointing out that this
will further enrage China and
spoil any possibility of coming to
a mutually benecial resolution
of the current territorial contro-
versy.
That, of course, is the height
of naivete.
First of all, those who think
that the Chinese only insulted
Noynoy Aquino should realize
that they spit on our countrys
president and saliva was lib-
erally showered on the entire
country. Secondly, when big
global powersnegotiate with
small countries, a benecial
resolution will always be more
benecial to them.
But then, the armchair
nationalists might ask: Doesnt
that also apply to the United
States? Isnt Americas involve-
ment in the South China Sea
designed for its own self-inter-
est?
Of course.
Anyone who thinks that
Americans will rush to battle for
love and only for love - of Little
Brown Brother is a hopeless
optimist. It is self-interest that is
driving US involvement.
The US has strategic inter-
ests in the South China, described
by experts as the worlds second
busiest sea lane. More than half
of the worlds supertanker traf-
c pass through the regions
waters. Just as important to the
US are the oil, gas and mineral
resources that the area contains,
estimated at up to 70 billion bar-
rels of oil and 900 trillion cubic
feet of natural gas.
It is unthinkable for the US
to allow China to preempt it in
this strategically, economically
and geopolitically important
area.
Will it be more benecial for
the Philippines to have the US as
an ally rather than China? This
question is worth addressing, of
course. But anyone who remem-
bers the horrors of Tiananmen
Square should know the answer
even granting a parallel recol-
lection of the burning of Samar
by Gen. Jacob Howling Wilder-
ness Smith.
One may also ask: Can we
avoid getting involved? Excuse
me, but we are already involved.
Its our territory that China is
eating up.
Another question: Will
America rush to the aid of the
Philippines if China were to
attack it?
Realistically, maybe not if it
were only an attack on our coun-
try even if the mutual defense
treaty might tend to be reas-
suring. Remember that a lot of
Americans may only have heard
about the Philippines due to
Typhoon Haiyan, and many may
think were located in Africa or
the Middle East. That means,
they may not be too eager to send
their young men and women to
die for whatzzisname?
But if Chinas attack were
to clearly jeopardize American
interests, you can be sure that
the US marines will start singing,
From the Halls of Montezuma
to the shores of South China
Sea.
Background Memo
T
empers ared last week
between the Philippines
and Vietnam one side and
China on the other over shing
and oil explorations in contested
waters.
A Philippine maritime and
police boat arrested Filipino
and Chinese shermen for illegal
catch of turtles, some of which
are protected under Philip-
pines laws. They were taken to
Puerto Princesa where charges
will be led. The the state-run
Xinhua news agency said Beijing
demanded immediate release
and called on Manila to . take
no more provocative action.
Off Vietnam, boats from
Hanoi and Beijing faced off
due as China National Off-
shore Oil Corp built an oil rig
close to the Paracel Islands. on
May 2, AP reported. The oil rig
was escorted by a large otilla
of naval; Beijing announced
that no foreign ships would be
allowed within a 3-mile radius of
the $1 billion rig.
Tempers ared this week
between the Philippines and
Vietnam, on one side, and China
on the other,. over shing and
oil explorations within contested
waters.A Philippine maritime
and police boat arrested Filipino
and Chinese shermen for illegal
catch of turtles, some of which
are protected under Philippine
laws. They were taken to Puerto
Princesa where charges will be
led. The state-run Xinhua news
agency said Beijing demanded
immediate release and called on
Manila to . take no more provoc-
ative action,Off Vietnam, boats
from Hanoi and Beijing faced
off as China National Offshore
Oil Corp built an oil rig cloe to
the Paracel Islands. on May 2, AP
reported. The 136 meter oil rig
was escorted by a large otilla
of naval; Beijing announced
that no foreign ships would be
allowed within a 3-mile radius of
the $1 billion rig.
Chinese vessels red water
cannons and rammed Vietnam-
ese ships, injuring several sail-
ors and causing damage to the
vessels,a Hanoi ofcial said.The
oil rigs location is 120 nauti-
cal miles off of Vietnams coast
and within the 200-nautical
mile exclusive economic zone
that Vietnam claims under the
UN Convention on the Law of
the Sea. China claims under its
Nine Dash line over 80 percent
of the area.
Chinas actions are provoc-
ative and unhelpful to the main-
tenance of peace and stability in
the region., US State Depart-
ment spokeswoman Jen Psaki
said. The U.S. has no right to
make irresponsible and unwar-
ranted remarks on Chinas sov-
ereign rights., Beijing snapped
China seems intent on put-
ting down its footprint squarely
in contested waters and force
Hanois hand. It appears a criti-
cal juncture has occurred and
Hanoi is weighing its options,
said Jonathan London, of City
University of Hong Kong.
Hanois back is against the wall,
though Chinas policies which
according to virtually everyone
except China are baseless legally
have brought about this situ-
ation.
These wont be the last
clash. And as we brace for more,
perhaps it may be useful to see
the context in which the inci-
dents occur.
Most Filipinos never heard
of Zhou Yongkang for exam-
ple.. Until seven months ago, he
was one of Chinas most pow-
erful politicians. He doesnt get
a line in ofcial media today
He is presumed victim of the
Orwellian security apparatus he
once controlled, writes. BBC
China editor Carrie Gracie.
Born to a poverty striken
family, he got an engineering
degree, clawed his way.to con-
trol of the vast internal security
apparatus. Financial journal
Caixin traced business interests
which made the Zhous billionar-
ies..
Zhous luck changed when
Xi Jinping took up the Party
leadership and unleashed a,
campaign against corruption --
a war on tigers as well as ies.
Zhou is his chosen tiger This
story is at the core of Chinas
stability and reform momentum,
BBCs Gracie adds . The ght to
bring him down is the politics to
watch.
There are three reasons,
for taking on this tiger, says
political analyst Deng Yuwen:
(a) to consolidate power and
gain respect ( b ) . push for-
ward reform in the teeth of
entrenched ofcials whose .
whose wealth is not clean, and
( c) improve Communist Partys
image.
If [ Xi] tries to ght Zhou to
Continued on page 30
May 16-31, 2014 24 24
Pinoys love shopping
malls
MANILA
S
hopping mall chains here
have gone berserk con-
structing massive marts of
merchandise all over the coun-
try. Metro Manila (and I bet other
urban centers) is suffocating
from too many of these gigantic
expos of clothing and an endless
selection of material items.
The grapevine tells the
Observer that the patriarch of the
largest mall chain in the country
wants to saturate the Philippines
with malls, malls, malls. We hear
that he wants, in Metro Manila at
least, a mall for every distance of
14 kilometers.
Malls dont contribute much
to meaningful economic growth.
All they do is make people,
mostly ordinary people, spend
their money on things they dont
really need.
Unlike factories and manu-
facturing plants, malls dont
spew out products that in turn
create money that can be rein-
vested in other industrial or
manufacturing ventures. All
they do is deplete ordinary peo-
ples meager savings.
Malls create wealth only for
their owners and a few makers
of clothes, shoes and accessories
that are of very little value except
for their cosmetic properties and
appeal.
There are even school tours
of malls, which indicates the
lousy set of values school admin-
istrators have. What does a mall
tour teach schoolchildren?
But whats most deplorable
about malls is how they treat
workers.
Mall staff are hired for six
months, with no basic benets
like medical, leave, insurance or
pension rights. Then theyre let
go after the six months to look
for another job or re-apply with
the same mall.
As a consequence, the lowly
daily-wage workers will have
to get a new clearance from the
National Bureau of Investigation
(something he or she has to do
every six months in order to be
able to apply for new work.) As
a consequence, the newly redun-
dant worker has to spend time
and money not only in looking
for a new job but also in getting
new papers required by prospec-
tive employers.
How can the government
allow this kind of treatment of
workers? How can the secretary
of labor, and of course the Presi-
dent, allow this kind of ordeal
and punishment?
The name of the relevant
cabinet department here is
Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE), not
Department of Employers. It
exists to protect workers, not to
cater to the whims of employers.
And yet it tolerates the kind
of conditions and treatment
lowly workers have to suffer.
And yet it allows work policies
that deprive workers of basic
benets like medical insurance
or leave benets. The wages are
low enough as they are and bad
working conditions add to the
workers woes.
What about the trade
unions? Theyre party to what-
ever policies and conditions exist
in workplaces. How are they
protecting their worker mem-
bers?
And where are the worker
advocates in civil society and
party-list representatives in Con-
gress?
Whos out there to bat for
the workers? Have the voices
of traditional rights groups, like
unions and civil society, gone
mute?
But the biggest disappoint-
ment is DOLE. How can a cabi-
net department that specically
exists to protect workers be
so passive and inutile against
exploitative labor policies and
conditions?
The lowly and underprivi-
leged in this country -- the ones
at the bottom of the totem pole
-- have traditionally been the
least protected among the social
classes. The rich and well-con-
nected get all the attention and
pampering. The poor have no
voice in the national discourse
and there are very few voices
speaking and ghting for them.
The rich and powerful, on the
other hand, get all the perks.
Its the law of humankind:
you have to fend for yourself
or you get trampled on in the
daily rat race. People, especially
the poor, are on their own. The
government and assorted public
Continued on page 30
On Pondering Our Asian Identity
O
nce in a while, sitting in
one corner of a public
library, I would stop
reading, look around me, and
wonder who am I to these other
patrons, their heads bent and
eyes glued to the printed words,
and if in one click of a watch
they break their acts and glance
at me and my physical makeup,
wouldnt they be thinking the
same, wondering who am I to
them?
I am certain that in their
minds I came from that other
part of the globe where my iden-
tity, geographically and cultur-
ally, is undeniably Asian. Born
and bred in the Philippines and
living here in McLean, in north-
ern Virginia for the past forty
years, am I Asian enough to be
categorized as such? Where is
Asia and who are the Asians?
My emotions on the notion
of Asia and Asians have been
affected by the turmoil now hap-
pening in Ukraine and the iden-
tity crisis now confronting the 28
members of the European Union.
Ukraine, whose political lead-
ers have expressed their desires
to join the European Union, is
now ghting for survival as a
sovereign nation, separate and
apart from the belligerent claims
asserted by Russia that peoples
living in areas whose language is
predominantly Russian are and
must be parts of Russia regard-
less of geographical boundar-
ies. Ukrainians who speak their
native language, once the coun-
try is accepted to the European
Union, will they be Europeans
enough to be called as such?
What about the Latvians and
the Romanians, whose respec-
tive countries are now members
of the Union? And more speci-
cally, what about the Turkish,
whose country for years has been
lobbying for Union membership,
will they be Europeans also?
My notes on the World History
course I took in College show
that France President Charles
de Gaulle envisioned a federa-
tion of state-nations, in Europe,
comprising the areas from the
Atlantic to the Urals, which
never came about. Years later,
such vision was forever negated
by the eminent historian Albert
Toynbees remark that Russia is
not Europe.
On the other hand, the 7,107
islands comprising the Philip-
pines are parts of Asia and the
Filipinos are Asians by places of
birth, a destiny brought about,
perhaps, by the arrival of Magel-
lan in 1521 or by the defeat of
the Spanish Armada on May 1,
1898 ending more than 300 years
of Spanish claim to the islands.
But geographical location, as it
affects the Philippines, is a topic
for debate and should be given
thorough analysis, for the notion
of Asian in terms of civiliza-
tion, countrys location on the
map, and culture can be as com-
plicated as the languages used,
the peoples physical makeups,
and religious beliefs. Asian is
a ready-made and a lazy mans
answer to any question pertain-
ing to birthplace.
By geographic location,
Asia is set off by mapmakers
from the boundaries of Europe
by a line running along the Ural
Mountains through the Caspian
and Black Seas ending into the
Mediterranean Sea. From there
the Suez Canal runs into the Red
Sea and together they set off Asia
from the African continent. To
the east, Asia ends in a chain of
islands in the Pacic Ocean. So,
the Filipinos born and living in
this part of Asia, are they (we)
Asians enough to be called as
such?
By location, the Philippines
is denitely in Southeast Asia,
But there was a time, by the
dictum of the U.S. Department of
State, the Philippines was in the
Far East and China was in the
Near East. These categories were
popularly accepted then years
ago that Far Eastern University
and University of the East, both
in Manila, were so named.
The idea or a notion of
Asian was born of an urgent
need to counter dangers con-
fronting the countries in the area
which were gradually becoming
dened and identied. This idea,
as envisioned, is to bring about
a system of economic and politi-
cal integration in the context of a
combined defense. The erstwhile
Southeast Asia Treaty Organiza-
tion (SEATO), a military alliance
among Australia, France, New
Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines,
Thailand, Great Britain and the
United States signed in 1954 was
directed against China and the
then Soviet Union.
The bitter experiences suf-
fered by the Philippines and its
inhabitants during the Second
World War and the attendant
deaths and destructions wrought
by the Japanese forces in the pur-
suit of the policy of Greater
East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
are still embedded in collective
memories.
The existing Association
of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) was organized in 1967
by Indonesia, Malaysia, Phil-
ippines, Singapore, and Thai-
land, and lately, added Brunei
Darusalam, to foster closer eco-
nomic, political, social, and cul-
tural cooperation among mem-
bers, and to speak in one voice
on international issues. In the
Summit of 1992, the heads of
member states agreed to foster
defense cooperation. This is for
defense; what about in other
areas of concerns?
There are many countries
in Asia which are delineated by
statutory boundaries, varying
degrees of civilization, history,
languages, social values and
ways of life, religious beliefs, and
personal relationships. Except
for geographic location, there
is no common thread running
through the peoples in these
areas. The notion of Asian then
must not be taken as the total
sum of diversity in history and
political makeup but in the shar-
ing of ideas, tools, and innova-
tions in areas of trade and other
marketing ventures, and de-
nitely, in the context of a sense of
shared political, economic, and
religious values.
To a Filipino accepting the
notion of Asian does not mean
total regards for homogeneity.
Europeans gave up on the idea
of a single constitution, sym-
bols, hymns, and mottos. If and
when countries in Asia pursues a
policy of common identication
with countries similarly situated
geographically homogeneity can
come only after a long process
involving common language,
culture, tax burden, citizenship
rights and duties, single national
image with its own symbols and
rituals, education policy, and
media system.
Filipinos, however, neigh-
borly in many ways would rather
be by themselves. After all, they
are born of a culture distinct and
separate from anywhere else in
the globe.
May 16-31, 2014 25
Our self-healing power
I
n spite of all the powerful
inventions of man, includ-
ing the super computers and
other state-of-the-art electronic
devices, they have not come
close to matching the amazing
super human body. Even the
production of these man-made
machines cannot compare with
the wonderful miracle of cre-
ation itself, from fertilization
in the womb to the actual birth
of the child, to the progressive
growth of all components and
softwares and the escalation in
the sophistication of their versa-
tile abilities and functions as they
mature. After they are manufac-
tured, machines are limited to
their standard specs and narrow
options, if any, and do not regen-
erate and repair themselves to
the mind-boggling degree the
human body does on its own,
naturally.
From the moment the sperm
penetrates and fertilizes the
ovum, cell divisions continue
until all the tissues and organs
are formed up to the delivery
of the newborn. Throughout
those stages of development, cell
repairs and regeneration are con-
stantly taking place. As a matter
of fact, the same self-healing
takes place everyday in all of us
until we die. That is the marvel-
ous intrinsic power of healing
our human body has.
Bodily auto-response
When we sustain a cut, the
body reacts by constricting the
blood vessel to control the bleed-
ing. The blood also automatically
thickens to promote clotting. The
white blood cells accumulate at
the injured site and secrete lyso-
some to break down and digest
dead cells and the macrophages
engulf the debris and get rid of
them, cleaning the area for new
cell formation as part of the heal-
ing process. To soothe the pain,
the bodys built-in pharmacy
releases morphine-like substance
to reduce the hurt and provide
mild sedation. All these happen
spontaneously, simultaneously,
and efciently, under normal
and healthy situation. This is
how powerful and wonderful
the human body is.
However, if the individual
has abused his body with inac-
tivity, unhealthy diet, smoking,
excess alcoholic intake, unman-
aged stress, and poor hygiene,
then the DNA of this person
has sustained some damage and
his/her immune system has
been weakened and the bodys
defense system is lower as a
result. Compared to a healthier
body, this one will have a lower
resistance, heal poorly, and be
at a higher risk for infection and
other potential complications. As
such, this person is generally also
more susceptible to have dis-
eases like high blood pressure,
diabetes, heart attack, stroke,
cancer, and even Alzheimers.
Round the clock cell
vigilance
When a person develops
any form of illness, including
cancer, the normal response of
the body is to defend itself from
the attacker or invader. Every
second, the body is in constant
alert for anything that will alter
its normalcy.
When we are dehydrated or
famished, our brain sends appro-
Immigration Notes
By: J. G. Azarcon, Esq.
Children of
US citizens
born abroad
C
hildren born outside the
United States may be con-
ferred US citizenship by
way of an application for a cer-
ticate of citizenship led by a
US citizen parent. The following
conditions must be satised:
1. At least one parent is a cit-
izen of the US, by birth or natu-
ralization.
2. The child is physically
present in the US pursuant to a
lawful admission.
3. The child is under the age
of 18 years and in the legal cus-
tody of the citizen parent.
4. If the citizen parent is an
adoptive parent of the child, the
child was adopted by the citizen
parent before the child reached
the age of 16 years.
5. If the citizen parent has
not been physically present in the
US or its outlying possessions for
a period or periods totaling not
less than ve years, at least two
of which were after attaining the
age of 14 years-
a. The child is residing per-
manently in the US with the citi-
zen parent, pursuant to a lawful
admission for permanent resi-
dence, or
b. A citizen parent of the
citizen parent (grandparent) has
been physically present in the US
or its outlying possessions for a
period or periods totaling not
less than ve years, at least two
of which were after attaining the
age of 14 years.
Naturalized Filipino-Amer-
icans who have adopted minor
children may therefore confer
immediate US citizenship to
their beneciaries if the above
conditions are satised.
VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINES
MAY 2014
FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First: Unmarried sons/daughters
of US citizens Feb. 01, 2002
Second:
A: Spouses/minor children of
permanent residents: Sep. 08, 2013
B: Unmarried sons/daughters 21 years
of age or older of permanent residents Jun 22, 2003
Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens Mar. 01, 1993
Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens Nov. 01, 1990
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority workers Current
Second: Professionals holding advanced
degrees or persons of exceptional ability Current
Third: Skilled workers, professionals Nov. 01, 2007
Other Workers Nov. 01, 2007
Fourth:
Certain Religious Workers Current
Fifth: Employment creation/
(Million or half-million dollar investor) Current
Continued on page 30
How Do Celebrities
Quit Smoking?
By Hannah Simmons
W
hat does Matt Damon,
Drew Barrymore,
Ben Afeck, Charlize
Theron, and Ellen DeGeneras
all have in common? They quit
smoking using hypnotherapy.
Celebrities have discovered the
effective results of hypnotherapy
and have used it to conquer their
own smoking habits.
When hypnotherapy is men-
tioned as a way to quit smoking,
it is often met with skepticism.
However, due to numerous
scientic studies and hypno-
therapy becoming a legitimate
and increasingly popular form
of quitting smoking, it has been
proven to have a higher success
rate in achieving your smoke-
free life than conventional stop
smoking aids such as nicotine
replacement therapy like the
nicotine patch or electronic ciga-
rettes.
Researchers at the Univer-
sity of Iowa combined more than
600 studies of smoking cessa-
tion programs involving 72,000
people from North America and
Europe. Hypnosis was found to
be over 3 times more effective
than nicotine replacement ther-
apy and 15 times more effective
than quitting cold turkey.
A comparison study of
smoking cessation treatments
was conducted by North Shore
Medical Center and Massachu-
setts General Hospital. 26 weeks
after discharge, 50% of patients
who received hypnotherapy
exclusively were non-smokers
compared to the 25% of patients
who didnt and only 16% of
patients who used nicotine
replacement therapy alone.
Types of Addiction
Smoking addiction if a com-
bination of two types of addic-
tion. Theres the physical addic-
tion, then there is the mental,
or psychological addiction.
Although nicotine addiction is
considered one of the strongest
addictions, even more addictive
than cocaine, the good news is
that the physical side of things
doesnt last very long. In fact,
some believe that you will lose
the physical cravings for nicotine
in as little as 3 days.
The real struggle for smok-
ers is overcoming the mental
addiction. The smoker has essen-
tially trained their subconscious
mind to make smoking an auto-
matic behavior. These are the
habits and rituals that a smoker
has developed over the years
such as smoking when they
wake up, just before they go to
sleep, after they eat, when they
drive, when they drink coffee or
alcohol, and so on.
*How Hypnotherapy Helps
You Quit*
So what will hypnotherapy
do? Rather than just treating
the physical urges that are part
of your smoking habit, hypno-
therapy targets the subconscious
drive behind the addiction, and
breaks the positive associations
with cigarettes that the mind
has formed. This is replaced by
an empowering, smoke-free
erspective the hypnotist offers
through verbal suggestions that
deem smoking as something
undesirable or unnecessary
to do. Gradually, these sugges-
tions take hold and diminishthe
smokers impulse to smoke. Fur-
thermore, hypnotherapy is con-
sidered
to be a far more safe and
natural method to quit smoking
with and is non-habit forming.
This cannot be said about most
of the stop smoking aids we cur-
rently have on the market.
But going to a hypnotist can
be expensive. As much as $200
per one hour session, and requir-
ing as many as 5 sessions for the
entire treatment.
If youre a celebrity like the
ones mentioned earlier, then this
isnt a problem. But can the aver-
age smoker afford to go to a hyp-
notherapist?
Well, that question is left to
the individual, but consider that
a pack a day smoker will spend
in excess of $2000 a year on ciga-
rettes, not even including the
increased cost of life and health
insurance, and doesnt include
the drastic cut in your ability to
earn.
Modern Health Central has
worked out a special promotion
for our readers so you too can try
hypnotherapy to quit smoking
for free. Its a stop smoking hyp-
nothearpy session on CD that
you can use as you need. This is
a limited time offer, so be sure to
take advantage now.
May 16-31, 2014 26 26
EVELYNS TAMALES
R
ecently, I was craving for
tamales so I just bought
some from a grocery
store. However, I was quite dis-
appointed with the avor and
its saltiness. Thus, I ended up
making my own tamales based
on childhood memory of when
my mother used to make them
for the family.
I know that making this
recipe is an adventure in itself
but the result is surprisingly deli-
cious. It can also be cooked with-
out meat. Traditionally, tamales
can be served as part of the main
meal or as a snack.
Yields approx. 16 tamales.
Ingredients:
2 pieces cooked chicken
breasts or boneless chicken
thighs, shredded
1 large Spanish onion, nely
chopped
hot sauce (optional)
4 cups all-purpose our or
corn meal our, divided into 2
portions
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
into 2 portions
8-10 cups chicken stock,
divided into 2 portions
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon sliced hot
pepper (optional)
6 hardboiled eggs, sliced
into 8 pieces each
salt and pepper to taste
What you need: Steamer
and banana leaves - cleaned and
warmed over heat until soft and
pliable.
Methods:
Saut the onions until trans-
parent. Add the chicken and
season with salt and pepper.
(Spice it up with hot sauce, if
preferred.)
Over medium heat, in a
large non-stick skillet, mix the
rst 2 cups of our, sugar, salt
and pepper then toast until light
golden. Add 4 cups chicken
stock until blended and has
formed into a soft dough, called
masa. Add more stock if needed.
Transfer to a platter and set
aside.
Wash and dry the skillet.
Toast the remaining portions
of our until light golden, then
add the paprika, sugar, salt and
pepper. Continue toasting for
a couple more minutes to blend
in all the ingredients. Pour
in the other 4 cups of chicken
stock and mix until you have
a soft dough with an even red
color. Add more stock if needed.
(Add slices of chili pepper if you
wish.) Transfer to a platter and
set aside.
Lay a pre-cut banana leaf
(approximate width of 8 inches)
and put 2 scoops of red masa
onto the leaf. Add a few pieces
of chicken and a slice of boiled
egg. Fold in equal portion of
white masa. Fold the banana
leaves crease side to cover the
masa then fold sides in or tie
with banana leaf strings.
After folding all the masas,
cook in a covered steamer for
about half an hour. After that
time, check one of them to see if
it is cooked by letting cool for 5
minutes and unrolling in a plate.
If it is still not done, cook for a
few more minutes or until the
tamales are just pliable.
Chefs Tips:
A really good chicken
stock is the basis of a great tast-
ing tamales. The stock can be
cooked well ahead of time and
kept frozen or chilled for later
use. To make the stock, bring to
a quick boil the backbones of the
chicken with skin on; because it
is easier to remove when cooked.
Throw away the rst boil water,
remove the skin, and rinse the
chicken. Boil for the second time
and save the stock by straining
into a deep bowl. Discard the
bones and save the meat if pre-
ferred. Chill the stock until the
fat stays on the surface. Skim
and discard the fat. Save and/or
freeze the stock for other recipes.
Editors Note about Master
Chef Evelyn: 100 Most Influential
Filipina Women in the U.S., 2009,
Filipina Womens Network; MHC
Most Outstanding Migrant Award
in Culinary Arts, 2011; PAFC
Dakila Special Achievement Award,
2011; Owner/Chef, Philippine Ori-
ental Market & Deli, Arlington,
Virginia; Founder and President of
CHEW (Cancer Help Eat Well)
Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) public
charity formed to help and cook pro-
bono for Filipino-Americans who
are afflicted with cancer and other
serious illnesses; Culinary writer;
Member, Les Dames dEscoffier
International, Washington DC
Chapter; Member, International
Cake Exploration Society, Member,
Culinary Historians of Washington,
D.C.; Master Chef, French Cuisine
and Patisserie, Le Cordon Bleu,
London.
AGE DIFFERENCE
A
professor of mathemat-
ics sent a fax to his wife.
It read:
Dear wife... You must real-
ize that you are 48 years old and
I have certain needs which you
are no longer able to satisfy. I
am otherwise happy with you as
a wife, and I sincerely hope you
will not be hurt or offended to
learn that by the time you read
this letter, I will be at the Marriott
Hotel with my 18-year-old teach-
ing assistant. Ill be home before
midnight. - Your Husband
When he arrived at the hotel,
there was a faxed letter waiting
for him that read as follows:
Dear husband... You must
also realize that you are 50 years
old, and by the time you read
this, I will be at the Holiday Inn
with our 18-year-old newspaper
boy. Being the brilliant math-
ematician that you are, you can
easily appreciate the fact that 18
goes into 54 a lot more times than
54 goes into 18. Dont wait up.
CHEMICALS
Prof: What is the chemical
symbol of Barium?
Student: Ba
Prof: What about the chemi-
cal symbol of Sodium? Student:
Na
Prof: What happens when
you combine one atom of Ba & 2
atoms of Na?
Student: You get BaNaNa.
CYBER TALK
A little boy asks his father:
Daddy, how was I born?
The father answers: Well,
son, I guess one day you will
need to nd out anyway!
Your Mom and I rst got
together in a chat room. Then I
set up a date via e-mail with her
and we met at a cyber-cafe. We
sneaked into a secluded room,
where your mother agreed to a
download from my hard drive.
As soon as I was ready to upload,
we discovered that neither one
of us had used a rewall, and
since it was too late to hit the
delete button, nine months later
a blessed little Pop-Up appeared
and said: Youve Got Male!
LONGEVITY
Married men live longer
than single men do, but married
men are a lot more willing to die.
SURROGATE
The dela Cruz couple were
unable to conceive children and
decided to use a surrogate father
to start their family. On the day
the proxy father was to arrive,
Mr. dela Cruz kissed his wife
goodbye and said, Well, Im off
now. The man should be here
soon.
Half an hour later, just by
chance, a door-to-door baby
photographer happened to ring
the doorbell, hoping to make a
sale. Good morning, Maam,
he said, Ive come to...
Oh, no need to explain,
Mrs. dela Cruz cut in, embar-
rassed, Ive been expecting
you.
Have you really? said
the photographer. Well, thats
good. Did you know babies are
my specialty?
Well thats what my hus-
band and I had hoped. Please
come in and have a seat!
After a moment she asked,
blushing, Well, where do we
start?
Leave everything to me. I
usually try two in the bathtub,
one on the couch, and perhaps
a couple on the bed. And some-
times the living room oor is fun.
You can really spread out there.
Bathtub, living room oor?
No wonder it didnt work out for
Carding and me!
Well, Maam, none of us
can guarantee a good one every
time. But if we try several differ-
ent positions and I shoot from six
or seven angles, Im sure youll
be pleased with the results.
My, thats a lot!, gasped
Mrs. dela Cruz.
Maam, in my line of work
a man has to take his time. Id
love to be in and out in ve min-
utes, but Im sure youd be dis-
appointed with that.
Dont I know it, said Mrs.
dela Cruz quietly.
The photographer opened
his briefcase and pulled out a
portfolio of his baby pictures.
This was done on the top of a
bus, he said.
Oh, my God! Mrs. dela
Cruz exclaimed, grasping at her
throat.
And these twins turned out
exceptionally well - when you
consider their mother was so dif-
cult to work with.
She was difcult? asked
Mrs. dela Cruz.
Yes, Im afraid so. I nally
had to take her to the park to get
the job done right. People were
crowding around four and ve
deep to get a good look.
Four and ve deep? said
Mrs. dela Cruz, her eyes wide
with amazement.
Yes, the photographer
replied. And for more than
three hours, too. The mother was
constantly squealing and yelling
- I could hardly concentrate, and
when darkness approached I had
to rush my shots. Finally, when
the squirrels began nibbling on
my equipment, I just had to pack
it all in.
Mrs. dela Cruz leaned for-
ward. Do you mean they actu-
ally chewed on your, uh... equip-
ment?
Its true, Maam, yes.. Well,
if youre ready, Ill set-up my
tripod and we can get to work
right away.
Tripod?
Oh yes, Maam. I need to
use a tripod to rest my Canon on.
Its much too big to be held in the
hand very long.
At that, Mrs. dela Cruz
fainted.
HULA
Nagpahula ang mag-ina kay
Madam Auring....
Madam Auring: Bukas
mamamatay ang anak mo sa
apoy at bato.
Mag-ina: Naku, anak!
Umuwi na tayo at mag-ingat na
lang hanggang makalipas ang
bukas.
Kinabukasan. Galit na galit
Continued on page 30
May 16-31, 2014 27
Mother: The
Heart of the
Home
T
he mother is the heart of
the home as the father is
its structure. On Moth-
ers Day, we honor the special
woman in our life and celebrate
the very special gift of a mothers
love. Mother has always been
a generic term synonymous with
love, devotion, and sacrice.
Theres always been something
reverent about them who give
us life and love. She is regarded
with high esteem and respect
, placed on a pedestal, with the
awesome thought of what she
went through bringing us out
to this world, carrying us in
her womb for nine months, the
pains and labors she felt before
our birth and nally , the hard
to describe experience of the
actual delivery. Yes, it is actually
hard to explain it if one did not
undergo the experience. Only a
mother would. Amazingly true,
but with Gods grace, moth-
ers eventually forget the pains
of the delivery process as they
go on with life. I can truthfully
say that before the birth of each
of my four children, I did not
remember the exact intensity of
the discomforts, labor and pains
I felt during the actual moments
of delivery. So every time, it was
like the rst and I truly believe
that God made me forget the pre-
vious experience and like other
mothers, we forget again, but
the experience is replaced by the
feeling of joy and deep exhilara-
tion of the birth of the baby.
Mothers love, over the
years, remains like an inner re
within us throughout the whole
life, warming, comforting and
consoling. A mothers arms are
made of tenderness and sweet
sleep blesses her child who leis
therein. The mother who was
awake in the middle of the night
feeding her baby is again awake
twenty some years later, waiting
to hear her child is back safely
home again. Through all these
years she has fed and clothed
and inspired her child; they have
celebrated holidays and birth-
days together with their families.
She is most forgiving and patient
to her growing children.
Mothers are Heroes
After giving birth to us,
her children, she nurtured our
minds and bodies, heightened
our spirit in times good and bad,
and permeated our souls with
unconditional love. In having
us they surrendered part of their
well being, but gave it freely and
without hesitation. They were
teachers, who by their actions
introduced us to the world and
all its kind and sometimes harsh
realities. They showed us how
to be strong, how to live, how to
treat others, and how to survive.
As heroes traverse their
paths, they are in a constant
search for knowledge, their
vision guiding them to places
and situations theyve never
before encountered. Our moth-
ers are graced with the wisdom
of the ages, of all the mothers
who came before them. They
gave us the gift of insight, and
the ability to dream higher than
they ever dared. In doing so, they
will forever remain our heroes.
Every year during my birth-
day, I am always reminded of
my own mother. I thank her for
giving me life, my upbringing,
my well being, education, guid-
ance and the words of wisdom
that she instilled in me which
I still carry on with me to these
days. There were lessons in
encouragement and belief and
study in perseverance. I bring to
mind the stories she has told, and
the mannerisms and characteris-
tics that are uniquely hers. I nd
that many of her words are still
relevant to the present genera-
tion, so in turn, I passed them on
to my own children. The greatest
thank you I can offer is to share
with my children and others the
best of what she taught me. I
consider this as a most wonder-
ful way of honoring her. I am
grateful for all that she had given
to me and my family.
My Children Honored Me
As the saying goes, The
only permanent thing in this
world is change holds true. In
our family, we can no longer
keep the tradition of having
our children come home for
Mothers Day and Thanksgiving
Day, too. Since a few years ago,
we celebrated these events with
incomplete attendance. The rea-
sons were varied which we have
fully understood. Living inde-
pendently, two of them have
settled in far away states because
of warm weather preference and
work related reasons. But Christ-
mas time is the most important
event that they make sure to
come home. It is Christmas cel-
ebration, homecoming reunion
and family bonding. Two of my
children have residences in Flor-
ida and Arizona (warm weather
states) and the other two are
locally situated.
So, my two children in the
area treated me so nicely, like
what other children do with their
mothers with love. This time, we
all preferred to celebrate it at
home unlike in the past years
when my children made reser-
vations at restaurants. They sur-
prised me with the dishes that
were different from the past cel-
ebrations that were mostly Asian
foods. This time, the main dishes
were Jambalaya from a Louisiana
recipe and Pulled Pork Barbecue,
a recipe from North Carolina.
They were so tasty and delicious
specially the Jambalaya with lots
of fat sausages, bacon and jumbo
shrimps. These were prepared
by the anc of my daughter
Rissa, Bruce, who is not a chef
but could cook. We were teas-
ing Rissa that she is not the only
chef in the family now. The huge
salad bowl of fresh Romaine let-
tuce, strawberries, kiwi and blue-
berries with poppy seed dressing
was colorful, very refreshing and
appetizing was brought by my
other daughter, Rowena. There
were other side dishes and des-
serts of Buckeye chocolate petit
fours and cake. Ricky who left
for Arizona and who is tempo-
rarily staying with us, promised
that there will be another treat
for me when he comes back. My
youngest daughter, Rochela,
called from Florida called to
greet me and told me to expect
in the mail, like in the past, a
Mothers Day card with a sur-
prise gift. I like the material gifts
they gave me like a certicate for
scalp and whole body massage,
a pair of Dr. Scholls step-in (the
2nd pair given to me because of
its comfort for the feet), shop-
ping money gift for things I like
to buy. I appreciated these gifts
which were chosen for my physi-
cal comfort. Being a sentimental-
ist, I appreciated very much a
beautiful copy of a 5x7 photo of
the four of them. I will surely get
an equally nice picture frame to
be hung at a prominent wall in
our home where I can see them
every day. I know where right
away- at the wall of my kitchen
breakfast nook, where I sat most
of time. Meaningful to me were
the Mothers Day card with per-
sonal notes that they wrote.
Please let me share some of
them with you:
Mother- Everyone knows
that mother is another word for
love, but to me, mother means
even more- it means support
and encouragement, Patience
and wisdom, holding close until
just the right time to let go. The
older I grow, the more Ive come
To Paris and Back
M
others Day this year
was a sunny spring
day. The grand-twins
were sick and our three older
grandsons had busy schedules
so we decided to postpone our
celebration for the following
weekend.
I will take you to Paris!
Well bring Balou, Mitch said.
When? How? I did quick calcu-
lations and concluded it wasnt
possible. Time and budget did
not permit such a rash decision.
Balou skipped with joy when he
heard his name. He must have
sensed my excitement and he
loved car-rides.
Paris, Virginia. Why?
What did you think? He said
with an amused smile. Mitch
was going to grant me my wish
for a leisurely drive to the Vir-
ginia countryside.
I remember the last time we
saw Paris (France). Her heart
was too warm and her skies were
gay blue. It was in the middle of
August and the weather went
from sizzling hot, to hotter and
even hotter still. Our hotel room
had no air conditioning. The bed
smelled and had non-existent
springs. It caved in each time we
slumbered and would trap us in
the middle. But we were there
for our 25th wedding anniver-
sary and we were not going to be
defeated by such trivialities. And
it was what tted our budget.
Besides I should have researched
the accommodations better.
The Virginia version is
tucked away in the rolling hills
of the bucolic countryside, beside
young vineyards. It did have an
Eiffel Tower. There. You see it?
Mitch pointed at a structure that
rose above the tall trees. I had to
laugh. It was a communications
tower. Hah, I bet the purists in
the area fought tooth and nail
to keep that from getting built, I
thought to myself. I was too lazy
to say anything out loud.
When we left that morning
I hurried through my morn-
ing routine. I brushed my teeth,
slathered sunblock on my face
and neck, and donned shorts and
an orange tank top with a less
than modest neckline. Are you
ready? Mitch looked at my get
up. Yes! I assured him. I was
condent I could hide behind the
wall of anonymity. Surely no one
we knew lived in western Vir-
ginia.
On the way back home we
detoured through Middleburg, a
town known for its horsey polo
set. We grabbed take-out sand-
wiches from the supermarket
there. It was Mothers Day so
we were surrounded by a well-
turned out crowd. We ate in the
car, conscious of our drab attire.
We were half-way home,
stopped at a stop light on a busy
intersection of Route 50 when
we heard three beeps. The ABS
(Anti-Lock Brake System) light
was lit on the dashboard. The
car stalled. Mitch restarted the
engine with the hopes that he
could safely coast the car to the
nearest service station. A Seven-
Eleven was a few meters away.
But he could not budge the gears
from park.
Honks blared from all direc-
tions. Cars whizzed from either
side of us, with irritation clearly
written on every drivers face.
We felt helpless and vulnerable
and it wasnt pretty.
I looked at my husbands
pale face. His concern and worry
mirrored my own. I could feel
panic and desperation but I
forced myself to keep quiet. He
didnt need an hysterical woman
beside him. A man alighted from
a car to our right and offered to
help push us to safety. But the
gears were locked and the car
wouldnt move. He leaned over,
shed his smart phone from his
pocket and searched for a quick
solution from the internet. None
was found.
Help came when an off-duty
Loudoun sheriff spotted us and
alerted oncoming trafc by the
ashing lights on his car. I could
nally breathe. Balou was intimi-
dated by the size of his pecs and
his biceps but even his impres-
sive muscles couldnt dislodge
the locked gears. He radioed for
back up and left when it arrived.
Mitch, Balou, and I rushed
to the corner where a large bill-
board advertised new homes. At
least we were comfortable in the
shade and safe from accidental
collisions while waiting for the
tow truck to arrive. I regretted
my attire then. I was quite aware
of how racy I looked but I tried
to take comfort in the thought no
one knew I was a grandmother
of ve.
I told Mitch it is time to go
back to Paris. Maybe the third
time visit to a Paris, @Anywhere
Continued on page 30 Continued on page 30
May 16-31, 2014 28 28
Fountain of Youth
A
re you one of the thousands, nay
millions, who dread the spectre
of growing old? Of suffering from
illnesses like alzheimers and other debili-
tating diseases?
Theres hope in the horizon.
Scientists have long noted that as
man grows old, he loses most of the genes
that he possessed while he was a teenager.
Now, they have found a way to rejuvenate
the old. They have discovered that trans-
fusing blood from the young could restore
most of the power of an old man. The bad
news for those who need it now is that
its not avilable yet. They said it will take
years before it can be used. The reason:
it was tested only among young and old
mice. It will take more years before the
procedure can be tested on humans.
But for many Pinoys back home,
there is nothing new in this discovery.
Many old men and women marry young
girls or boys because they believe that by
process of osmosis, the youthful power
will be transmitted to them.
***
As if to thumb down its nose on the
scores of Filipino American and Philip-
pine leaders who have been pressing
for the past six months for the grant of
Temporary Protected Status to undocu-
mented Filipinos in the United States, the
DEpartment of Homeland Secruty for the
upteennth time recently extended TPS to
more tan 51,000 Haitians. Earlier, it also
extended TPS to thousands of El Salva-
doreans in the US.
TPS was granted to Haitians after
the catastrophic earthquake that struck
Haiti in 2010. The extension is good for an
additional 18 months and can be renewed
again.
Approximately 51,000 TPS Haiti ben-
eciaries are expected to le for re-regis-
tration.
***
Warning to Pacquiaos future foes
Floyd Mayweather or anybody who
wants to wrest the titles from the Philip-
pines boxing superstar, Manny Pacquiao
should ban the mother of Pacquiao from
being present.
The reson is that Mrs. Dionisia Pac-
quiao has an amulet or something like a
magic wand to stop Mannys opponent.
She used this during the Pacqiao-Bradley
ght April 12 at the MGM Grand in La
Vegas. TV and news photographs took
shots of Mrs. Pacquiao pointed her amu-
lets at the direction of the ring (see photo
attahed).
Bradley claimed he lost because he
pulled a calf muscle early on in the bout.
A news report said viewers pinned
down another culprit in his loss: Mannys
mother, Dionisia Pacquiao.
The HBO cameras caught a clip
of Mama Pacquiao - a devoted Catholic
-with a rosary in her hand, making ges-
tures towards the ring while seemingly
chanting. Naturally, social network posts
started swirling with rumors that Mama
Pacquiao put a hex of some sort on Brad-
ley, which caused him to lose the ght.
After the ght, Dionisia was on the
ring embracing Bradley who was also
profuse in his praise for Pacquiao.
***
One of the editors passed this all
important announcements that have been
published in a Florida newspaper titled
ads for seniors. Florida is Gods waiting
room.* The Villages Florida newspaper.
(Who says seniors dont have a sense of
humor?)*
FOXY LADY :
Sexy, fashion-conscious blue-haired
beauty,
80s, slim, 54 (used to be 56),
Searching for sharp-looking, sharp-
dressing companion.
Matching white shoes and belt a plus.
> ------------------------------------------
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT :
Recent widow who has just buried
fourth husband, Looking for someone to
round out a six-unit plot. Dizziness,
fainting, shortness of breath not a
problem.
> ------------------------------------------
SERENITY NOW :
I am into solitude, long walks, sun-
rises, the ocean, yoga and
meditation. If you are the silent type,
lets get together,
take our hearing aids out and enjoy
quiet times.
> ----------------------------------------
WINNING SMILE :
Editorial
Big deal about Asian American
Month
In June 1977 Congress passed a bill setting aside the rst 10 days
of May as Asian-Pacic Heritage Week, signed by President Jimmy
Carter the following year; President George H.W. Bush extended the
celebration to the whole month of May in 1990.
Subsequent occupants of the White House added their own touch,
reminding the nation about the contributions and growing role of
Asian Americans and Pacic Islanders (AAPIs) in shaping Americas
future.
It is an occasion to ponder their history, celebrate their achieve-
ments and acknowledge the sacrices in blood, sweat and tears that
has lifted Asian Americans to their present status.
Earlier this month, law students at the University of California,
Davis, asked the California Supreme Court to grant, posthumously, a
license to practice law to one Hong Yeng Chang, an immigrant from
China.
In 1890, the California Supreme Court turned down Changs
application, citing the federal Chinese Exclusion Act that barred Chi-
nese natives from obtaining US citizenship.
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court admitted George
Vashon to the practice of law. The same court denied Vashons appli-
cation in 1847 because he was black. In 2001, the state of Washing-
ton Supreme Court admitted Takuji Yamashita after he was denied a
license in 1902 because of his Japanese ancestry.
In 1946, the US Congress stripped recognition for thousands of
Filipinos, who fought under the American ag and its eld com-
manders during World War II.
Asian Americans represent today the fastest growing segment of
the US population. They have the highest educational attainment and
median household income of any racial demographic. They are pres-
ent in virtually every eld of endeavor, something that could become
even more evident when a slew of huge TV sitcoms are unveiled in
later summer or fall according to showbiz mags.
It is afrmation perhaps of how deeply Asian Americans are
embedded in Americas consciousness. Its still a big deal for us,
but wouldnt it be more astounding when we get to the day it isnt
any more?
Manila Times
Continued on page 30
May 16-31, 2014 29
Monica
again?
S
peaking before a Demo-
cratic audience in Colum-
bia, South Carolina, Vice
President Joe Biden touted the
economic gains under the Obama
administration and bemoaned
that the economic realities for
the middle class families are
diminishing and that the average
middle class families are nding
it hard to make it economically.
So tell me, Joe, what economic
gains are you talking about if the
middle class do not feel like there
are more dollars in their pockets
to pay for rising gas?
Get ready to be confused
further. God old Joe further said
that the crack in the middle class
economic security did not begin
during the administration of
Pres. George W. Bush but rather
earlier in the later part of the Bill
Clinton administration. Biden
must be pointing to the fact that
America went into a recession as
Pres. Clinton was wrapping up
his term when the dot com boom
became a dot com bust.
I got it, Joe. The Obama-
Biden brand is marketable, while
the Clinton brand is contami-
nated. The rst shot in the Joe
Biden vs. Hillary Clinton battle
for the Democratic presidential
nomination was just red.
***
As the nomination of former
First Lady Hillary Clinton for
standard bearer of the Demo-
cratic Party looms, a character
in her bad dream that doesnt
seem to go away is back in the
scene. Monica Lewinsky wrote
an article for Vanity Fair retelling
the saga of the CommanderIn-
Chief and the Intern.
Monica says that the scan-
dal ruined her employment
prospects. It must be because all
the wives of CEOs lobbied to do
away with jobs that can be per-
formed under the bosss desk.
Many of the voters today
were not old enough to have had
any interest in following Bill and
Monicas escapades in the mid
nineties. They will just have to
rely on what they can get from
the internet to see whether or
not there was something in past
that has bearing on the presiden-
tial aspirations of Sen. Hillary
Clinton. If they input the words
Lewinsky and Bill Clinton, they
will likely come up with words
like swallow, the verb not the
bird, blue dress and the slippery
meaning of the word is.
Observers are not of the
same mind as to whether or
not the reappearance of Monica
Lewinsky is positive or nega-
tive for the prospects of Hillarys
presidential nomination. Some
say that Lewinsky is doing Hill-
ary a favor by admitting that the
mutual titillation was all con-
sensual, meaning that the Com-
mander In Chief did not force
himself on the young intern, that
he was not a sexual predator.
The other view is that Monica
also brings into the picture other
names like Paula Jones, Kathleen
Wiley and Gennifer Flowers. So
when the Democrats shout about
the alleged war on women by
Wages of
EDCA
S
ubic Bay is reportedly
abuzz with new activity.
Developed as a tourist des-
tination after the United States
was forced to vacate it in 1991,
its become one of the key eco-
nomic engines in the countrys
main island of Luzon with its
beach resorts, bars and restau-
rants; it has a casino as well as a
shipyard.
The frenzy can be traced
directly to the EDCA, or the
Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement that was signed last
April 28, on the eve of President
Obamas visit to Manila.
The momentous 12-11 Phil-
ippine Senate vote to reject the
US bases treaty in September
1991 was actually preceded by
the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo
that devastated large tracts of
Central Luzon including most
of Clark Air Base and parts of
Subic. Buried deep in lahar and
volcanic ash, the US Air Force
abandoned Clark and the US
Navy scaled down operations
at Subic, especially the runway
at Cubi Point where planes from
its aircraft carriers would park
while theyre at port. The Ameri-
can militarys departure from the
Philippines was thus both an act
of God and man.
And now it appears theres
again the conuence of natural
and man-made events that have
drawn the US military back to
its old haunts, and for the Philip-
pines to have a change of heart
and welcoming it.
An increasingly belliger-
ent China which has already
gobbled up chunks of the South
China Sea that have been owned
and exploited for centuries by
her less powerful neighbors has
raised concern in the Philippines,
aggravated by the realization she
was powerless to stop it.
Then last November, one
of the most powerful storms to
hit land struck Eastern Visayas,
leaving over 6,000 dead and
millions homeless. The US was
among the rst to respond to
the urgent call for help, sending
ships, planes and badly needed
supplies that dramatized the
advantages of having America
close by in times of emergencies.
US negotiators have always
eyed Subic while they were
negotiating EDCA, better known
perhaps for its proviso allow-
ing more American troops to
rotate in the Philippines.
An old friend and colleague
in Manila, Reuters Manny
Mogato pointed out early on that
the EDCA is less about troop
rotation as it is with access and
pre-positioning.
Roberto Garcia, the chair-
man of the Subic Bay Metro-
politan Administration (SBMA)
has revealed that the defense
department is set to embark on
a building binge in and outside
Subic. The Philippine Air Force
is beeng up the Cubi airstrip
and the Philippine Navy is
reportedly laying the ground-
work for expanding piers and
warehouses.
SBMA and US ofcials are
ironing out the construction
details, Garcia added.
The EDCA stipulates that all
facilities to be used by American
forces have to be owned by the
Philippines, and any structures
they may construct should even-
tually revert to the Philippine
Opinion
Continued on page 30
Month of May
M
ay is Asian American
Pacic Islander (AAPI)
Heritage Month, pro-
claimed by the President of the
United States as a time to reect
on the many ways the AAPI com-
munity draws strength from
the diversity of its many distinct
cultures each with vibrant his-
tories and unique perspectives to
bring to our national life.
For Filipino Americans,
the May celebration was off to
an auspicious start (some may
actually call it inauspicious) at
the tomb of Commodore George
Dewey inside the National
Cathedral, where a commem-
oration of his naval victory
reminded us of the historic open-
ing of US-Philippine relations
116 years ago. Steady waves of
Filipino immigrants to America
is due in large measure to that
special relationship forged by
both countries. Today, there are
nearly 4 million of us here in the
greatest nation on earth. Many of
us now call America our home.
But what if history turned
out differently? What if Dewey
chose not to betray Emilio Agui-
naldo and allowed instead the
Philippine liberation movement
to take its own course? Agui-
naldos Katipuneros were actu-
ally on the verge of defeating
the Spanish colonizers until the
U.S. decided to subjugate the
islands. What if the US acted
like an honorable gentleman and
hailed instead the birth of a free
nation and left us alone? After
all, President Manuel L. Quezon
preferred a country run like
hell by Filipinos than a country
run like heaven by the Ameri-
cans, because however bad a
Filipino government might be, it
can always be improved. Had
Quezon prevailed, there wont
be a special relationship, and
therefore no real reason for mass
migration to the US. But this is
all speculation, of course.
This much we know: rather
than surrender to an inferior
race (indios), the Spaniards
staged a mock battle in Manila
Bay, losing to the Americans as
planned. In the Treaty of Paris,
the U.S. paid Spain $10,000 to
acquire the Philippines (which
amounts to $1 per Filipino head
as the population of the country
then was about 10,000). Betrayed
by what they thought were
American liberators, Filipi-
nos had no choice but to ght a
bloody war of independence for
three years.
These two colonial periods
have been facetiously described
as 300 years in a convent, 100
years in Hollywood.
Fast forward to 2014. Fili-
pino Americans today may be
less nationalistic about the
Motherland. But the sentimental
attachments and a sense of our
own history and heritage remain
strong as ever.
We are proud of Philip-
pine history that dates back long
before the colonizers came, a
history of indigenous communi-
ties (Barangays) that had a sem-
blance of civilization and a spirit
of resistance and struggle in its
aspirations for nationhood.
We are proud of our history
as Filipinos in America. President
Obama, in his proclamation, rec-
ognized the Filipino farm work-
ers who helped build Americas
agribusiness. These same work-
ers, believing in Americas values
of fairness and human dignity,
rose against plantation owners to
demand better wages and living
conditions, a struggle that led to
Filipino and Mexican workers
forging a united stand against
exploitation. The historic grape
strike of the 1960s demonstrated
what collective action can do. Fil-
ipino workers, infused with their
ancestors spirit of rebellion and
resistance, helped build Ameri-
cas labor movement, afrming
that a people united will never
be defeated.
So, thats what we celebrate
during Asian American and
Pacic Islander Heritage Month:
our vibrant histories and
unique perspectives as a people
who came to Americas shores as
early as the 1500s, with waves
of immigrants populating Amer-
icas towns and cities in greater
numbers after the U.S. granted
independence in 1946, reaching
their peak in the 1960s and 1970s
with the passage of landmark
immigration reform.
We are the people who
have helped build, defend and
strengthen the American nation
as doctors and nurses, teachers
and entrepreneurs, artists and
activists, care givers and hotel
workers, soldiers and leaders of
government.
Send your comments to
jdmelegrito@gmail.com Continued on page 30
May 16-31, 2014 30 30
Republicans, the GOP can coun-
ter that the biggest slayer of them
all in the war on women is none
other than the Democratic idol
Bill Clinton.
***
Eleven Chinese shermen
were apprehended last week by
Philippine authorities for illegal
shing in the Spratlys islands off
the coast of Palawan. Found in
their vessel were more than ve
hundred sea turtles of which 300
were already dead. The turtles
are protected species in the Phil-
ippines.
The Chinese Embassy in
Manila contends that the sher-
men were in Chinese territory.
Both the Philippines and the
Peoples Republic of China claim
ownership of the islands. The
Philippine authorities are now
processing the poachers for trial.
Just last week, China and
Vietnam engaged each other in
a naval test of wills when Viet-
namese naval vessels tried to
challenge the building of an oil
rig in waters also claimed by
Vietnam. The better equipped
Chinese rammed a Vietnamese
vessel to demonstrate that might
is right.
What the Chinese did to the
Vietnamese, they could easily
do to the Filipinos. Force or just
the threat of force now over-
rules diplomacy. Ask the Rus-
sians how they pocketed Crimea
and how they pushed Eastern
Ukraine to the tipping point.
The Philippines can only
lean on historical allies for help.
The Enhanced Defense Coopera-
tion Agreement recently inked
by the Philippine and US panels
should at least give second
thoughts to the Chinese and
hopefully deter naked aggres-
sion. The only problem is will
the Chinese nd the words of
the American president credible
after he repeatedly threatened
the Russians with consequences
and delivered little and drew a
red line in Syria only to forget
about it? The Agreement is only
as strong as the backbone of the
Commander In Chief imple-
menting it.
***
Golf tidbits: Mr. T has found
his bearings and is still hot. King
Arthur is coasting. My godfather
did not play in my foursome, so
I missed my presents. The man
from El Salvador is set to go full
cylinders. Juliets Romeo is long
but short on collections. Don
Alex was marked absent. Sud-
denly it rained. All bets canceled.
military. The agreement has a
10-year life span and can be
extended.
One ironic twist of all these
is that the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) will be using
part of the modernization funds
allocated by Congress to build
or expand its bases, including
one in Subic that the Philippines
has never used for military pur-
pose until now, so the US can use
them.
Money that was intended
to buy new combat planes and
ships for the Philippine military
will go instead to infrastructure
for use by the new US combat
planes and ships, obviously
offering a strangely circuitous
way of strengthening the coun-
trys defense against foreign
aggressors.
There is of course an
assumption the US will defend
its long-time treaty ally although
there is also lingering doubt
what it would do if that aggres-
sor turns out to be China.
The other AFP camps that
the US could use are those at
Oyster Bay and Brookes Point
in Palawan (which could boost
security for the countrys off-
shore oil elds) and Batanes that
for the longest time, the Philip-
pine Navy could visit only half
the year because it doesnt have
enough big ships to handle the
huge swells (it lost one of its
destroyers there during a storm
in 1964).
The Philippines could thus
become one huge American
supply depot. Despite President
Obamas declarations America
was not out to contain China,
EDCA evidently provides the US
the cork to plug the Asian giant
against forging deeper into the
Pacic Ocean.
There is of course a huge
room for debate about the strate-
gic pros and cons of EDCA and
Americas real designs for the
Philippines. But for Subic and
the other military towns of the
Philippines, there is both dread
and excitement.
New construction means
more business, more jobs. An
estimated 4 million American
soldiers rotated through Subic
while it was in US hands (attrib-
uted in part to the Vietnam War),
a knowledge thats left mer-
chants in a tizzy but also roused
activists whove witnessed the
kind of damage that could bring.
Wages of EDCA... from page 29 Monica again?... from page 29
ofcials go through the motions
defending the poor but thats
just sop for the tired soul to keep
unrest under control, its empty
noise and therefore meaningless.
In this country where being
religious is a big thing, there are
too many people out there who
are exploited and have to ght
tooth and nail daily just to sur-
vive. Sometimes even mere sur-
vival is an elusive quest.
It becomes an even more
lonely and futile battle when
theres no one there to protect
and ght for them. And its
worse when those who are there
ofcially to ght for them and
their rights dont lift a nger
to preserve and enhance those
basic rights.
Pinoys love shopping... from page 24
ang ina, pinuntahan niya ang
manghuhula.
Sabi ng ina: Sabi mo mama-
matay ang anak ko sa apoy at
bato, kaya iniwasan namin ang
lahat na iyon. Eh, bakit nasagas-
aan siya?
Madam Auring: Humi-
nahon ka, puntahan natin ang
lugar ng aksidente.
Pinuntahan nga nila.
Madam Auring: Sabi ko na
nga ba at mamamatay siya sa
apoy at bato, eh.
Ina: Ano? Nakikita mo bang
nasagasaan siya, tapos sasabihin
mong apoy at bato?
Madam Auring: Tingnan
mo nga ang gulong na nakasa-
gasa... ayan, o: FIRESTONE!
EGGS
Waitress: How do you want
your eggs done, Sirs?
American: I want my eggs
fried.
Japanese: I want it boiled.
Pinoy: Ala eh! Sa kin,
hawakan mo na lang, masarap
na yaan!
the death, Zhou will take him
and the Party to the bottom,
he adds. They will die together.
Xi has to leave Zhou a stake in
keeping the Party aoat. Thats
what theyre ghting over now.
This makes sense, BBC
Gracie adds. Chinas one party
political cycle vests no electoral
mandate.. Taking out a rival with
a corruption trial clears space for
ones own people and policies.
priate impulses to make us feel
thirsty or hungry. When there
is anything wrong, our body
sends us warnings, some sooner,
some later. All the cells, the
building block of our body, are
in constant vigilance and state
of readiness 24/7 to do what is
needed to maintain health. Like
our heart, these cells are working
non-stop, even more so while we
are asleep, repairing and regen-
erating new cells to manage the
daily wear and tear in our body,
and producing anti-oxidants to
neutralize harmful free-radicals.
Homeostasis: body
equilibrium
The main goal of our bodily
system to maintain the normal
equilibrium, normal homeosta-
sis, where there is natural bal-
ance within us. Any external
or even internal force that is
negative is met with a vigorous
positive counterforce, aimed
at equalizing and maintaining
homeostasis. Dis-ease develops
when this balance is severely off.
The success of our natural
defense system also depends on
the degree or dose of the insult.
In infection, this depends on
the severity of the viral, bacte-
rial, fungal, or parasitic inva-
sion. If it is mild enough for our
body resistance to ght, then our
behavior alone, without medica-
tions, can thwart the infection.
Unbeknownst to us, this self-
healing is happening to us every
second of our life. We normally
have countless germs all over us.
We are teeming with germs
One of the dirtiest sources of
germs is paper money and coins.
Before you acquire any of these,
they have passed through thou-
sands of hands, most of them
dirty and contaminated, as all
Our self-healing... from page 25
would be a charm. Paris, France
in 2000 was a budget disaster.
Paris, Virginia nearly caused us
our lives. The next Paris trip will
be different because I will hold
him to his promise of staying at
the Ritz.
Active grandmother with
original teeth seeking a dedi-
cated ossier to share rare steaks,
corn on the cob and caramel
candy.
> ----------------------------------
BEATLES OR STONES ?
I still like to rock, still like to
cruise in my Camaro on Satur-
day nights and still like to play
the guitar.
If you were a groovy chick,
or are now a groovy hen, lets get
together and listen to my eight-
track tapes.
> -----------------------------------
MEMORIES :
I can usually remember
Monday through Thursday.
If you can remember Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, lets put
our two heads together.
> -----------------------------------
*MINT CONDITION :
Male, 1932 model, high
mileage, good condition, some
hair, many new parts including
hip, knee, cornea, valves.
Isnt in running condition,
but walks well.
Washington Tisimis... from page 28
To Paris and Back... from page 27
Background Memo... from page 23
Age Difference... from page 26
to understand how lucky Ive
been to have you as a mother
and how grateful Ill always be
for all the ways you shared your
love with me. I heard stories
from my peers or friends about
their childhood and I cant help
but compare mine. You and Dad
did not shower us with expen-
sive gifts and material things,
but experiences that I will never
forget for the rest of my life. How
lucky we are with what we have.
My Mothers Love Believe
in me love; Always there for
me love; Knows me better than
anyone love; and The Kind of
love that makes me feel grateful
and lucky to have you for my
Mother.
Thank You- Thank you very
much for loving me and teach-
ing me all the aspects of life that
I am able to take those wisdom
and apply them in my day to day
challenges; Thank you for being
my Mommy; Happy Mothers
Day to one wonderful Mama!
A Message from a Mother to
Other Mothers
Though Mothers Day has
already passed a few days ago, it
is never too late to send you this
message relevant to our day: We
all share our deep and sincere
Thank You to our children for
appreciating the seless love,
nurturing cares and uplifting
support that we have given them
as we brought them up. We all
know that our love and concerns
for them will never stop and that
we are blind to their age and
status in life. We are here when
needed. HAPPY MOTHERS
DAY TO ONE AND ALL!
Mother: The Heart of... from page 27
hands are. Unfortunately, some
people do not even wash their
hands after using the toilet. Our
hands, our entire skin surface, for
that matter, have bugs on them
at any given time, except when
we wash them properly, and the
number is lessened. When we do
not wash them regularly (at least
8 times in a normal day), the
germs multiply.
In public places, we touch
door knobs, hand rails, posts,
tables and chairs, and almost
anything else, which are all
teeming with bacteria.
May 16-31, 2014 31
May 16-31, 2014 32 32