PHiliPPiNe NeWS - Hawaii-Filipino Chronicle
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HAWAII-FILIPINO NEWS<br />
City Imposes New<br />
Building Permit<br />
Fee<br />
6<br />
PHILIPPINE NEWS<br />
Noy Signs<br />
Universal Health<br />
Care Bill Into Law<br />
12<br />
JUNE 29, 2013<br />
H a w a i i ’ s O n l y w e e k l y F i l i p i n O - a m e r i c a n n e w s p a p e r<br />
RemembeRing Ruth PfeiffeR<br />
and heR Legacy<br />
by Belinda A. Aquino, Ph.D.<br />
KnightS oF rizAl holD<br />
AwArD gAlA, inStAll<br />
new oFFicerS<br />
▲ Jose P. Rizal Award recipient Dr. Amy Agbayani (row 1, 5th from left)<br />
poses with members of the Knights of Rizal-<strong>Hawaii</strong> Chapter<br />
Ruth Pfeiffer (far right) at a <strong>Filipino</strong> community event with (from left) Bea Ramos-Razon, former Consul Eva<br />
Betita, Dr. Belinda Aquino and Dr. Matthew Santamaria.<br />
If you have known someone for 50 years—call it a lifetime—it can<br />
be difficult to know where to begin the bittersweet remembrance of<br />
things past.<br />
I had known Ruth<br />
Imperial Pfeiffer, who<br />
passed on recently,<br />
since the early 1960s<br />
when I first came to<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong> as an East-<br />
West Center grantee to<br />
pursue graduate studies<br />
in political science<br />
at the University of<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>-Manoa. She<br />
was a lecturer at the<br />
m u s i c d e p a r t m e n t ,<br />
where her husband,<br />
Professor William (Bill)<br />
Pfeiffer was the faculty<br />
CANDID PERSPECTIVES<br />
Remembering<br />
Aguinaldo, The<br />
Father of <strong>Filipino</strong><br />
Freedom<br />
3<br />
LEGAL NOTES<br />
member who specialized in<br />
<strong>Filipino</strong> folk and indigenous<br />
music. Ruth finished a second<br />
master’s degree in<br />
music education at UH to<br />
add to her first one from<br />
the Theological Seminary<br />
School in Sacred Music in<br />
New York City, where she<br />
majored in organ and<br />
choral conducting.<br />
The Pfeiffers’ beautiful<br />
home in Manoa became<br />
the hub of East-West Center<br />
grantees in the 60s,<br />
mostly from the arts. I believe<br />
this was where I first<br />
met Ricardo Trimillos, a fellow<br />
grantee majoring in ethnomusicology,<br />
who became<br />
a lifelong friend after we<br />
both joined the UH faculty<br />
many years later.<br />
The Pfeiffer household<br />
was rich in music and arts<br />
talk on a broad range of<br />
genres with Ruth playing<br />
mostly classical music and<br />
Visayan songs, which made<br />
many of us nostalgic for the<br />
Philippines. Their three<br />
(continued on page 4)<br />
13<br />
Immigration<br />
Reform Needed<br />
to Address<br />
Nursing Shortage<br />
In celebration of the 152nd birth anniversary of the<br />
Philippines foremost national hero, Dr. Jose P.<br />
Rizal, the Knights of Rizal-<strong>Hawaii</strong> Chapter held<br />
the 3rd Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award for Peace and Social<br />
Justice Gala on June 23, 2013 at the <strong>Filipino</strong> Comby<br />
Serafin Colmenares Jr.<br />
DFA: Sex-For-Fly<br />
AllegAtion vS Dole<br />
oFFiciAl conFirmeD<br />
by Louis Bacani<br />
MANILA, Philippines<br />
- Department<br />
of<br />
Foreign Affairs (DFA)<br />
Secretary Albert Del<br />
Rosario said on Monday<br />
that "certain alleg<br />
a t i o n s " o f t h e<br />
sex-for-fly scheme<br />
victimizing distressed<br />
Overseas <strong>Filipino</strong><br />
Wo r k e r s ( O F W s )<br />
(continued on page 11)<br />
HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE<br />
94-356 WAIPAHU DEPOT RD., 2ND FLR.<br />
WAIPAHU, HI 96797<br />
(continued on page 7)<br />
A job applicant for abroad
2 News Edition JUne 29, 2013<br />
editorial<br />
School Bullying Is A Serious Issue<br />
We’ve all read high profile stories of teens committing suicide sensitivity and desires for vengeance well after incidences of bullying<br />
took place.<br />
because of high school bullying. Even more devastating are<br />
examples of students such as Eric Harris and Dyland Klebold<br />
who committed mass murders of classmates<br />
New Attitude towArds school BullyiNg<br />
at Columbine High School because they<br />
The good news is, just as the movement to<br />
claim to have been repeatedly bullied. In fact,<br />
change workplace behavior, laws are also now<br />
close to 90 percent of school shootings are directly<br />
beginning to ensure that schools are safer and<br />
linked to some form of bullying.<br />
students better protected from harassment,<br />
A Wisconsin community came up with an interesting<br />
which is a big step forward from the days when<br />
law that attempts to prevent school<br />
school bullying was deemed unavoidable.<br />
bullying before it turns into a potentially serious<br />
President Barack Obama denounced school<br />
problem. In Monona, a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin,<br />
bullying, saying “as a nation we’re founded on<br />
an ordinance was adopted to allow po-<br />
the belief that all of us are equal and each of us<br />
lice to cite the parents of chronic school bullies.<br />
deserves the freedom to pursue our own version<br />
If parents are notified in writing that their child is<br />
of happiness.” His message came in the wake<br />
bullying and that child continues to harass other<br />
of several recent suicides by young people who<br />
children within 90 days from being notified, the<br />
were bullied for being gay. Aside from sexual orientation,<br />
parents can be fined $114 in municipal court.<br />
a student’s color, disability, religion, na-<br />
Monona’s chief of police said while that law is in<br />
tional origin and race have been reasons for<br />
the books, there is a lot of discretion to allow<br />
being bullied.<br />
parents to work on the problem without being<br />
fined.<br />
hAwAii ANd BullyiNg<br />
This ordinance may sound drastic to some, even misplacing <strong>Hawaii</strong> law prohibits harassment by any students in the public<br />
blame onto parents who may have little control over their children. school system during school hours, on school premises, or during<br />
But with the escalation of violence at schools, could placing more department-supervised activities on or off school property.<br />
accountability onto parents help to correct this problem that often In a <strong>Hawaii</strong> Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students reported a significant<br />
times end up with drastic consequences?<br />
degree of violence and vulnerability. The study found that<br />
For the most part, initiatives aimed at curbing school bullying 58 percent of <strong>Hawaii</strong> middle school and 44 percent of high school<br />
have been via public service announcements, school handouts students said that someone tried to hurt them verbally while on<br />
and discussions on the topic covering the basic do’s and don’ts. school property during the past 12 months. Nearly 15 percent said<br />
Despite recent campaigns to stop school bullying, which in years they have been harassed more than once in the past 12 months because<br />
past have been viewed as a normal rite of passage, statistics show<br />
someone thought they were gay or lesbian.<br />
that bullying is still very prevalent. Education alone just hasn’t The <strong>Hawaii</strong> State 2011 legislature passed H.B. No. 688 “Bullying”<br />
been working.<br />
that requires the Board of Education (BOE) to monitor compli-<br />
The American Psychological Association says 70 percent of ance with the Department of Education rules covering bullying,<br />
middle school and high school students experience bullying in cyber-bullying, or harassment. The anti-bullying law defines “bullying”<br />
school. Five to 15 percent of students are constantly bullied. The<br />
as any written, verbal, graphic, physical act that cause mental<br />
effects of this conduct can be serious. Some short-term effects include<br />
or physical harm to other students. It also includes cyber-bullying.<br />
depression, anxiety, anger, drop in school performance, ex-<br />
The bill also directs the BOE to develop a procedure for students<br />
cessive stress and a general feeling that life is out of control. and parents to confidentially report to school officials incidents of<br />
Reported long-term problems from those who have been bullied bullying and cyber-bullying. It calls for schools to develop a formal<br />
say they experienced feelings of insecurity, lack of trust, extreme investigation process and disciplinary procedures.<br />
(continued on page 3)<br />
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Charlie Y. SONIDO, M.D.<br />
Publisher and Executive Editor<br />
Chona A.<br />
MONTESINES-SONIDO<br />
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Columnists<br />
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Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.<br />
Charlie Sonido, M.D.<br />
Emmanuel S. Tipon,Esq.<br />
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Sylvia Yuen, Ph.D.<br />
NEWS EDITION<br />
Contributing Writers<br />
Belinda Aquino, Ph.D., Clement Bautista, Teresita<br />
Bernales, Ed.D., Jorge Camara, M.D., Serafin<br />
Colmenares, Jr., Ph.D., Linda Dela Cruz, Fiedes<br />
Doctor, Danny de Gracia II, M.A., Carolyn Weygan-<br />
Hildebrand, Amelia Jacang, M.D., Caroline Julian,<br />
Maita Milallos, Paul Melvin Palalay, M.D., Glenn<br />
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Philippine Correspondent<br />
Greg Garcia<br />
Photography<br />
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or in part is prohibited without written permission from the management. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
JUne 29, 2013<br />
by emil GUillermO<br />
June 12 came on a Tuesday<br />
this month, so many<br />
of us outside the Philippines<br />
weren’t all that free to<br />
celebrate the true <strong>Filipino</strong> Independence<br />
Day. It was just<br />
too inconvenient considering<br />
our wage slave bosses and<br />
modern colonial obligations<br />
(irony of ironies). Besides,<br />
we’re Americans, right?<br />
That didn’t stop many of<br />
us from celebrating the<br />
weekend after, maybe even<br />
incorporating Father’s Day.<br />
So let’s hope you didn’t just<br />
fixate on the party, and that<br />
you also paused to remember<br />
the real father of <strong>Filipino</strong><br />
freedom, Emilio Aguinaldo.<br />
He’s the reason you<br />
should forget that fake independence<br />
day our American<br />
CaNdid PerSPeCtiVeS<br />
News Edition 3<br />
Remembering Aguinaldo, The Father<br />
of <strong>Filipino</strong> Freedom<br />
colonizers gave the Philippines<br />
to match U.S. history.<br />
July 4th? That’s not <strong>Filipino</strong><br />
independence. That’s U.S.<br />
Colonial Failure Day.<br />
No, June 12 is the special<br />
day for <strong>Filipino</strong>s everywhere,<br />
the real moment<br />
when <strong>Filipino</strong>s stuck it in the<br />
eye of all the colonials.<br />
<strong>Filipino</strong>s broke out of<br />
their shell of passivity and<br />
essentially went amok.<br />
And all it took was<br />
Aguinaldo.<br />
His Philippine Revolution<br />
actually began in 1896<br />
against Spain. Those of us<br />
with Spanish last names<br />
and Catholicism in the heart<br />
bear the stamp of that colonial<br />
rule. But the revolution<br />
against Spain failed, and<br />
Aguinaldo went into exile in<br />
Hong Kong.<br />
The Philippines would<br />
still eventually be a backdrop<br />
for more war, and that’s<br />
the strange twist of fate<br />
here.<br />
When the U.S. defeated<br />
the Spanish in Manila Bay, it<br />
set up Act II for Aguinaldo.<br />
Allowed back into the country,<br />
Aguinaldo declared independence<br />
from Spain June<br />
12, 1898.<br />
But Spain, which lost to<br />
the U.S. didn’t recognize it.<br />
And neither did the new<br />
boss, the U.S. government.<br />
And that’s the basis for the<br />
U.S.-Philippine war. If history<br />
is said to be written by<br />
the winners, there’s something<br />
to be said about a war<br />
America won—but doesn’t<br />
care to crow about.<br />
When the memory only<br />
produces shame and regret,<br />
you can understand why.<br />
Also known as the<br />
Philippine Insurrection, it’s a<br />
reminder of a time when<br />
America’s dreams of imperial<br />
greatness got in the way<br />
of its democratic values.<br />
But Aguinaldo’s declaration<br />
and his<br />
fighting spirit<br />
is the reason the war is<br />
worth remembering at all.<br />
The new war began<br />
February 4, 1899. The first<br />
shots came in a Manila suburb,<br />
when American soldiers<br />
shot at “the goo-goos,” perhaps<br />
the least offensive<br />
term used for the <strong>Filipino</strong>s,<br />
and indicative of the racist<br />
tone in the war.<br />
Insurrection doesn’t<br />
begin to describe the fullfledged<br />
war that lasted three<br />
years with more than<br />
100,000 Americans involved.<br />
Depending on the<br />
accounts you read, the <strong>Filipino</strong><br />
civilian death toll<br />
ranged from 250,000 to as<br />
high as 1 million casualties<br />
from disease or starvation.<br />
The war was an American<br />
betrayal. The nationalists,<br />
under Aguinaldo, fully<br />
expected to run the first independent<br />
republic in Asia.<br />
But that promise was<br />
broken when the McKinley<br />
administration sought the<br />
Philippines as a colony and<br />
tapped into a new patriotic<br />
fervor for American Imperialism.<br />
Historians believe<br />
McKinley instigated the war<br />
to gain support in Congress<br />
to ratify the Treaty of Paris.<br />
That's when the U.S. dealt<br />
with Spain directly, cutting<br />
out the new Philippine leadership.<br />
Instead of becoming<br />
the independent country it<br />
had hoped for, Spain sold<br />
the Philippines to the U.S.<br />
for $20 million. Aguinaldo<br />
went from president to insurrectionist,<br />
just like that.<br />
It fueled the fight inside<br />
Aguinaldo and the nationalists<br />
for years to come. And it<br />
it all came after that simple<br />
declaration of independence<br />
on June 12.<br />
emil guillermo is an awardwinning<br />
journalist who writes for the<br />
Asian American Legal Defense and<br />
Education Fund.<br />
T w i t t e r @ e m i l a m o k . V i s i t<br />
www.amok.com<br />
editorial<br />
(cont. from page 2; SCHOOL... )<br />
whAt cAN Be doNe<br />
Laws alone, or ordinances as<br />
the one in Wisconsin which holds<br />
parents accountable, cannot<br />
change students’ behavior. There<br />
needs to be a cultural movement<br />
against school bullying as what<br />
occurred over time in changing<br />
the workplace for the better. Both<br />
parents and children must do<br />
their part; and school administrators<br />
and teachers should not turn<br />
a blind eye when they see improper,<br />
harassing behavior.<br />
For students experiencing repeated<br />
bullying, one of the best<br />
ways to stop the harassment is<br />
to have a journal noting every<br />
single instance of bullying, then<br />
present that journal to a teacher,<br />
counselor or even the principal.<br />
It’s challenging enough for<br />
students to excel academically.<br />
Bullying distracts from learning<br />
and it’s about time that society<br />
takes the issue a lot more seriously.<br />
After all, bullying and hate<br />
crimes are now against the law<br />
in many parts of the country.
4 News Edition<br />
HeadliNeS<br />
JUne 29, 2013<br />
(cont. from page 1; REMEMBERING ... )<br />
boys—Gerardo (Jard), Paul<br />
and John—were always<br />
there romping about and<br />
probably wondering why<br />
there were so many people<br />
around. It was an idyllic atmosphere<br />
set against the<br />
majestic Manoa mountain<br />
scenery.<br />
IN THE BEGINNING<br />
Ruth Imperial, affectionately<br />
called “Inday Ruth,”<br />
was music to one’s ears<br />
even if she was just engaged<br />
in ordinary conversation.<br />
She was a child prodigy<br />
who began playing the<br />
piano at age five. Her DNA<br />
must have been wired with<br />
music when she was born.<br />
As she grew up in Dumaguete<br />
in the Eastern<br />
Visayas region, music was<br />
not just a passing interest. It<br />
became her passion for life.<br />
When she entered Silliman<br />
University to doublemajor<br />
in music and English,<br />
she was already a household<br />
word in the community.<br />
She was the pianist for Sunday<br />
School services on<br />
campus and would play the<br />
organ for the worship service<br />
at church. Much of her<br />
early life revolved around<br />
her major role as an accompanist<br />
for vocalists, instrumentalists,<br />
violinists and<br />
other performers.<br />
In time, Ruth became<br />
the leading light of Silliman’s<br />
musical ensemble, which<br />
evolved into a university tradition.<br />
A group known as<br />
“Campus Choristers” was<br />
born, which brought the<br />
community together through<br />
the power of music via concerts<br />
and other musical performances.<br />
The impressive<br />
list of her colleagues in this<br />
pioneer musical tradition included<br />
another talented<br />
artist, Priscilla Magdamo,<br />
and Elmo Makil, a famous<br />
baritone, among others.<br />
In 1952, William Roger<br />
Pfeiffer went to Silliman to<br />
pursue his research interest<br />
in Philippine music. He had<br />
previously studied and<br />
taught at the Chicago Musical<br />
College in Illinois and at<br />
the Westminster Choir College<br />
in Princeton, New Jersey.<br />
He was also an<br />
experienced choir conductor<br />
and baritone soloist with<br />
Westminster Choir.<br />
At Silliman, Bill was responsible<br />
for overseeing the<br />
consolidation and expansion<br />
of the School of Music<br />
as a world-class institution.<br />
Under his leadership, the<br />
school undertook an extensive<br />
study and field research<br />
in the Visayan region, collecting<br />
sound recordings,<br />
which later got published as<br />
“Songs of the Visayas.”<br />
Bill was an accomplished<br />
scholar-researcher<br />
having done similar field<br />
work during his college days<br />
at the Appalachian Highlands<br />
in America. He<br />
Ruth Imperial Pfeiffer<br />
brought with him to Silliman<br />
his appreciation and knowledge<br />
of folk music as a<br />
composer. He encouraged<br />
field research among his<br />
graduate students to collect<br />
recordings of various “musics”<br />
from the different regions.<br />
And because he was<br />
also an experienced broadcast<br />
journalist, he connected<br />
the University Music<br />
School with the larger community<br />
in Dumaguete<br />
through DYSR.<br />
To cut a fascinating long<br />
story short, love entered the<br />
musical arena and Ruth’s<br />
and Bill’s lives came together<br />
at Silliman. Recalls<br />
the Pfeiffer middle son Paul:<br />
“The life stories of Bill and<br />
Ruth Pfeiffer are intertwined<br />
with the history of music in<br />
which they each accomplished<br />
much over the<br />
course of their musical career.”<br />
It was a perfect match.<br />
In the mid-60s, Bill received<br />
a master’s degree in<br />
ethnomusicology based on<br />
his extensive research on<br />
Manobo songs in Mindanao.<br />
His book “Indigenous Folk<br />
and Modern <strong>Filipino</strong> Music”<br />
is a classic piece of empirical<br />
research in the field, which is<br />
still being used as the definitive<br />
reference until today.<br />
RUTH’S CAREER TAkES OFF<br />
After getting married,<br />
Ruth and Bill settled down in<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>. Combining raising<br />
three boys with her career<br />
as a musical artist was not<br />
easy, but she was determined<br />
to succeed in both<br />
endeavors. In 1970, she organized<br />
a choral group in<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>, which would eventually<br />
become the Silangan<br />
Singers—but more of this<br />
later.<br />
Because Ruth was becoming<br />
famous for her musical<br />
and artistic talents, she<br />
received several grants to<br />
present musical performances<br />
or organize music<br />
programs internationally. In<br />
1976, for instance, Silliman<br />
University President Quintin<br />
Doromal invited her back to<br />
assume the directorship of<br />
the School of Music and<br />
Fine Arts. It was a great opportunity<br />
to pursue her career<br />
and to give back<br />
much-needed service to her<br />
alma mater in the field of<br />
music.<br />
With her remarkable vision<br />
and work ethic, she<br />
worked incessantly to maintain<br />
the highest standards of<br />
music training for her students<br />
at the school. She became<br />
a pro-active cultural<br />
leader in the university community<br />
and beyond. The<br />
Young Singers in Silliman<br />
under her direction garnered<br />
top honors in many competitions,<br />
including the NAMCYA<br />
National Choral Competition<br />
in the Philippines.<br />
Back in Silliman in the<br />
late 70s and 80s, Ruth<br />
taught and strengthened the<br />
school’s music program to<br />
world-class standards. She<br />
later said to Arlie Tagayuna,<br />
who became a member of<br />
the Silangan Singers, which<br />
was formally organized in<br />
1984: “I wanted to have a<br />
choir that sings songs composed<br />
by other people—be<br />
it folk, movie or indigenous<br />
music, so that audiences will<br />
not just see and hear “Dahil<br />
Sa Iyo” (Because of You) as<br />
the only <strong>Filipino</strong> song. This<br />
emphasis on indigenous or<br />
folk music is what I’ve always<br />
wanted and the one I<br />
stuck to.”<br />
BACk IN HAWAII<br />
Bill’s passing in 1983<br />
was a great loss to Ruth and<br />
her growing family not only<br />
personally but professionally.<br />
Now she was on her<br />
own but Bill had mentored<br />
and guided her well and she<br />
was well-prepared to face<br />
life without him. Back in<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>, she picked up<br />
where she left off for a whole<br />
decade and formed Silangan<br />
Singers in 1984, which<br />
will be her enduring legacy<br />
to the world.<br />
Her Manoa home once<br />
more became a center of<br />
gravity, this time with accomplished<br />
and aspiring singers<br />
who rehearsed rigorously<br />
under her steady direction.<br />
Rehearsals were later held<br />
at the First United Methodist<br />
Church on Beretania Street.<br />
Arlie Tagayuna, now a doctoral<br />
student at UH in sociology,<br />
recalls: “This time her<br />
initiative was to start a new<br />
chorale group with a new<br />
musical repertoire.... She did<br />
further research on arrangements/compilations<br />
of various<br />
musical pieces from the<br />
different regions in the<br />
Visayas and Mindanao when<br />
she was in the Philippines.”<br />
On top of her rigorous<br />
rehearsal schedules as<br />
chorale conductor, Ruth performed<br />
at Philippine Independence<br />
Day, <strong>Filipino</strong><br />
Center inauguration, Araw<br />
ng Kagitingan, <strong>Filipino</strong> Fiesta<br />
and other <strong>Filipino</strong> community<br />
functions. She was<br />
always so gracious and accommodating<br />
and never<br />
had the “prima donna” demeanor<br />
that we often see in<br />
famous artistic personalities.<br />
She remained the organist<br />
for the First United<br />
Methodist Church and the<br />
Bernie Pauahi Bishop Memorial<br />
Church at Kamehameha<br />
Schools.<br />
She also performed with<br />
the Honolulu Symphony and<br />
the <strong>Hawaii</strong> Opera Theatre.<br />
She was an accompanist for<br />
visiting musical artists from<br />
the Philippines like Eleanor<br />
Calves, Noel Velasco and<br />
Redentor Romero.<br />
The famous composer<br />
Angel Pena, who was a performer<br />
for the Honolulu<br />
Symphony, always trusted<br />
and valued Ruth as a colleague<br />
in the profession.<br />
Irma Pena, Angel’s daughter<br />
who has worked in <strong>Hawaii</strong><br />
as a language instructor, remembers<br />
with fondness<br />
Ruth’s friendship with her father<br />
for more than 40 years.<br />
(continued on page 5)
JUne 29, 2013<br />
HeadliNeS<br />
News Edition 5<br />
(cont. from page 4; REMEMBERING ... )<br />
Irma says: “I always looked<br />
forward to my conversations<br />
with Ruth, who played during<br />
my wedding at Newman<br />
Center.”<br />
She continues: “My dad<br />
Angel requested Ruth when<br />
she was in the Philippines to<br />
bring back a copy of some<br />
‘melodic’ lines from Bill Pfeiffer's<br />
Manobo research, Ruth<br />
immediately complied.”<br />
Angel Pena used it for a<br />
new composition he was<br />
doing at the time. “True to<br />
her word,” Irma further reminisces,<br />
“Ruth delivered the<br />
piece that my dad had requested<br />
and later used for<br />
his ‘Symphonic Variations<br />
on Two Manobo Themes.’<br />
Such thoughtfulness I will<br />
never forget. She is one of<br />
the sincerest, most gracious<br />
persons I have ever known.”<br />
As if she did have<br />
enough on her plate, Ruth<br />
ventured into academia and<br />
became a lecturer and later<br />
associate professor at Leeward<br />
Community College<br />
where she taught Philippine<br />
music and related courses<br />
for many years. She was<br />
one of the pioneers in Philippine<br />
Studies at LCC, which<br />
is patterned after the earlier<br />
Philippine Studies Program<br />
(later Center) at the Manoa<br />
flagship campus.<br />
Even after she retired in<br />
2009, she continued with<br />
her multifarious activities related<br />
to her profession as a<br />
music educator and artist.<br />
Even when she was not<br />
feeling well, she continued<br />
to entertain at her home.<br />
Ric Trimillos, who became<br />
a professor of ethnomusicology<br />
at UH and chair<br />
of the Asian Studies Program,<br />
considered Ruth not<br />
only in professional terms as<br />
a colleague in the world of<br />
music but also as a “great<br />
friend who did so much for<br />
so many.”<br />
A n o t h e r a c c o l a d e<br />
comes from family friend Eva<br />
Rose Washburn-Repollo,<br />
who teaches communication<br />
at Chaminade University.<br />
She says: “Tita Ruth loved to<br />
listen to stories about what is<br />
to come in our lives. She<br />
would sit at the head of the<br />
table in her Manoa house<br />
and just listen. She was al-<br />
ways excited with what we<br />
were doing and came to support<br />
us when we needed it.<br />
As her friend and as someone<br />
who had been through<br />
high school with her boys<br />
Jard, Paul and John, I felt so<br />
blessed to have had a space<br />
in her home where I could sit<br />
in warm welcome. Like the<br />
great accompanist that she<br />
was, she heard our song and<br />
played along, and now her<br />
guidance goes on.”<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
During my last visit with<br />
Ruth after she came out of<br />
the hospital, she was looking<br />
as vibrant and cheerful<br />
as ever. Her appetite was<br />
good and as usual, we<br />
talked about the good old<br />
times and how lucky I was<br />
to have been a permanent<br />
guest in her lovely home on<br />
several occasions in the<br />
past. I kidded her that I<br />
should have applied as a<br />
boarder in some room in<br />
the big house.<br />
After the usual banter<br />
and before I left, I commented<br />
on how well she<br />
was looking and how<br />
quickly she seemed to have<br />
bounced back from illness.<br />
“It has been a beautiful life<br />
for you, Ruth,” I murmured<br />
as I hugged her goodbye. I<br />
had a somewhat eerie feeling<br />
that I might not see her<br />
again. You know, that kind<br />
of premonition.<br />
“A beautiful life,” I<br />
mused as I walked down<br />
the stretch of road by her<br />
house to wait for my ride.<br />
“And a beautiful soul. A life<br />
with not only beauty but<br />
also talent, sensitivity,<br />
courage and hope.” As<br />
these things raced through<br />
my mind, I braced myself to<br />
what seemed inevitable to<br />
life, no matter how beautiful.<br />
And now she has gone<br />
to another realm. Maybe<br />
more beautiful than what<br />
she had inhabited in life.<br />
Her children are grown<br />
and thriving in their respective<br />
careers—Jard in local<br />
business, Paul an internationally-famous<br />
painter and<br />
artist based in New York,<br />
and John as a fashion and<br />
art consultant with Victoria’s<br />
Secret, also based in New<br />
York. Bill and Ruth are undoubtedly<br />
cheering them on<br />
in heaven.<br />
Ruth’s grandchildren<br />
Jessice, Kawi and Ella<br />
Ruth, will carry on the mantle<br />
of the original Ruth emb<br />
o d y i n g l i f e - a ff i r m i n g<br />
values of faith, hope, compassion,<br />
understanding and<br />
appreciation of beauty in<br />
the world, and communicating<br />
these to future generations<br />
through art and<br />
culture as she always did in<br />
life.<br />
(DR. AQUINO, Emeritus Professor<br />
at the UH-Manoa and founding Director<br />
of the Center for Philippine<br />
Studies, is a lifelong friend of the<br />
Pfeiffer family and knew Ruth up<br />
close).
6 News Edition HaWaii-FiliPiNo <strong>NeWS</strong><br />
THE UNIvERSITY OF THE<br />
EAST ASSOCIATION OF<br />
AMERICA recently formed<br />
a <strong>Hawaii</strong> chapter in preparation<br />
for its coming global reunion<br />
to be held in <strong>Hawaii</strong> in<br />
2015.<br />
Governor Neil Abercrombie<br />
held a swearing-in<br />
ceremony for the <strong>Hawaii</strong><br />
chapter’s officers and board<br />
members. The occasion<br />
marked the first time<br />
that the governor initiated<br />
installation cerem<br />
o n i e s i n h i s<br />
chambers.<br />
Founding officers<br />
include President Baybee<br />
Hufana-Ablan;<br />
Vice-President Alfonso<br />
S. Sabangan; Secretary<br />
Felice T. Guillermo;<br />
Treasurer Ernie T. Yadao;<br />
Auditor Amadao Sam Quemado;<br />
Business Manager<br />
Joe C. Lim; P.R.O. Mito<br />
Ablan; and Board of Directors<br />
members Atty.<br />
Mar S. Apuya, Felipe<br />
“Jun” Abinsay Jr., Dr. Marina<br />
Badua, Dr. Erlinda<br />
Cachola, Dr. Amelia Jacang,<br />
Fidel A. Hufana,<br />
Joe G. Quebuyen and<br />
Saturnino L. Ulep.<br />
The newly-formed org<br />
a n i z a t i o n s t a r t e d i t s<br />
JUne 29, 2013<br />
Univ of the East Assn of America Forms <strong>Hawaii</strong> Chapter<br />
City Imposes New<br />
Building Permit Fee<br />
THE CITY’S DEPART-<br />
MENT OF PLANNING<br />
AND PERMITTING (DPP)<br />
began collecting plan review<br />
fees on certain building<br />
permit applications<br />
effective June 17, 2013, in<br />
an effort to reduce the number<br />
of permits that are submitted<br />
for approval but not<br />
picked up or paid for.<br />
Honolulu Mayor Kirk<br />
Caldwell recently signed<br />
into law Bill 15, which<br />
amends the City’s permit<br />
fee schedule and allows<br />
DPP to charge a plan review<br />
fee of 20 percent of<br />
the total building permit fee<br />
at the time the permit application<br />
is submitted. The<br />
new fee is the first increase<br />
in 10 years.<br />
The plan review fee is in<br />
addition to the building permit<br />
fee and covers building,<br />
electrical and plumbing<br />
building permits. The new<br />
law exempts applications<br />
for fences, retaining walls,<br />
driveways and swimming<br />
pools. City officials sought<br />
the new fee to reduce the<br />
number of permit applications<br />
reviewed and approved<br />
by DPP staff but not<br />
picked up by applicants.<br />
Since 1999, DPP has<br />
processed 2,591 commercial<br />
and residential permits<br />
that were never picked up<br />
by the applicant and therefore<br />
account for more than<br />
$2.6 million in unpaid fees.<br />
In addition to the plan<br />
review fee, the ordinance<br />
raises fees for select zoning<br />
permits.<br />
For more information on<br />
the new fee schedule, visit<br />
DPP’s website at www.honoluludpp.org.<br />
Founding members of UE Assocation of America-<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong> Chapter pose with Gov. Neil Abercrombie<br />
A NEW CAMP HAS<br />
LAUNCHED this summer<br />
on the Big Island for students<br />
entering grades 9<br />
through 12 with a passion<br />
for science.<br />
Science Camps of<br />
America has taken learning<br />
outdoors and offering firsthand<br />
experience environments<br />
that range from<br />
beaches to rainforests to<br />
volcanoes to snow-covered<br />
mountaintops.<br />
“The idea is to get teens<br />
outside and into the field to<br />
truly explore science,” says<br />
Michael Richards, camp<br />
founder and executive director.<br />
“We have one of nature’s<br />
greatest laboratories<br />
in our backyard.”<br />
A local entrepreneur<br />
from Kaneohe, Richards<br />
sold his software business<br />
in 2010 and came up with<br />
the idea to start a fun and<br />
educational science camp.<br />
He teamed with geology<br />
teacher Dr. Floyd McCoy to<br />
create a curriculum. McCoy<br />
is a highly-regarded scientist<br />
and educator who has<br />
appeared on specials for<br />
National Geographic, the<br />
BBC, TLC, NBC and Discovery<br />
channels.<br />
The pair chose the Big<br />
Island to launch Science<br />
Camps of America because<br />
of its incredibly diverse<br />
environment, climate<br />
and geology.<br />
“One day we might be<br />
examining lava flows, the<br />
next we might be helping<br />
reforest former ranch land<br />
and the next we might be<br />
stargazing from Mauna<br />
Kea,” Richards says.<br />
fundraising projects to help<br />
sustain expenses for the upcoming<br />
global reunion. Over<br />
1,000 alumni from UE<br />
Philippines and the mainland<br />
are expected to attend.<br />
All UE alumni are encouraged<br />
to contact any of the<br />
officers mentioned above<br />
regarding their membership.<br />
For further information,<br />
please call 723-1473.<br />
New Local Science Camp for Teens<br />
Launches This Summer<br />
The first science summer<br />
camp session, Land<br />
and Sea, was launched<br />
June 22 and extends until<br />
July 1. It will give campers<br />
the chance to examine volcanoes,<br />
geology, beaches,<br />
reefs and the ocean. They<br />
will also visit Kilauea—the<br />
most active volcano in the<br />
world—and explore marine<br />
life by the water and hike<br />
through the mountains.<br />
The second session,<br />
Air and Space, will be held<br />
July 1-10 and expose<br />
campers to topics including<br />
the atmosphere, weather<br />
systems, climate change<br />
and the innovative technologies<br />
that address the<br />
ever-changing world.<br />
Campers will visit Mauna<br />
Loa and Mauna Kea—<br />
home to 13 telescopes<br />
which are some of the<br />
world’s largest. Campers<br />
will gain a better understanding<br />
of climate change<br />
and the solutions to address<br />
this issue, including<br />
seeing alternate energy<br />
development in action.<br />
Floyd says that young<br />
people need to be “science-smart”<br />
because their<br />
future depends on it.<br />
“Over the coming<br />
decades, today’s young<br />
people will make decisions<br />
about how we deal with the<br />
issues of climate change,<br />
rising seas, a longer-living<br />
population, food, water and<br />
energy supply and much<br />
more,” he says. “We need<br />
citizens who, although they<br />
may not be scientists, have<br />
enough of a science education<br />
to make wise decisions<br />
as they determine<br />
the policies and leaders<br />
that will shape the future.”<br />
Participants will gain<br />
the ability to see and understand<br />
their surroundings<br />
in a new and exciting<br />
way. Their experience will<br />
create a strong foundation<br />
of understanding of the<br />
basic systems of the environment.<br />
“Attending camp has so<br />
many benefits for the intangibles<br />
that are so critical<br />
today like leadership, confidence,<br />
teamwork, never<br />
giving up, helping others<br />
and expanding one’s horizons,”<br />
Floyd says. “These<br />
are what are called 21st<br />
century skills. And of<br />
course, there will be opportunities<br />
to make new<br />
friends, explore new places<br />
and have a lot of fun.”<br />
The camp home base<br />
will be at the Pahala Plantation<br />
Cottages in Ka’u.<br />
Campers in both sessions<br />
will also learn about<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>an history and culture<br />
and Polynesian voyaging.<br />
The cost is $2,395 per<br />
session with room for up to<br />
36 campers per session.<br />
The Science Camps of<br />
America Scholarship Fund<br />
is offering three full and<br />
multiple partial scholarships<br />
on a financial need<br />
basis for each session.<br />
To learn more about<br />
Science Camps of America,<br />
visit www.Science-<br />
CampsAmerica.com.
JUne 29, 2013<br />
by atty. emmanuel<br />
samonte tipOn<br />
Who says aliens not<br />
lawfully in the<br />
United States<br />
should be given amnesty<br />
because there is no relief<br />
available for them if they<br />
are placed in deportation?<br />
There is relief available<br />
but it is very difficult to meet<br />
its requirements – probably<br />
even more difficult than attaining<br />
salvation.<br />
Here are the requirements<br />
as prescribed by<br />
Section 240A(b) of the Immigration<br />
and Nationality<br />
Act [8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)]:<br />
The Attorney General (or<br />
his designee, the Immigration<br />
Judge) may cancel removal<br />
of, and adjust to the<br />
status of an alien lawfully<br />
admitted for permanent residence,<br />
an alien who is inadmissible<br />
or deportable<br />
from the United States if the<br />
alien:<br />
(1) has been physically<br />
present in the United States<br />
for a continuous period of<br />
not less than 10 years immediately<br />
preceding the<br />
date of such application;<br />
(2) has been a person<br />
of good moral character<br />
during such period;<br />
(3) has not been convicted<br />
of an offense under §<br />
212(a)(2), 237(a)(2), or<br />
237(a)(3), subject to paragraph<br />
(5) of the Act; and<br />
(4) establishes that removal<br />
would result in ex-<br />
HeadliNeS<br />
(cont. from page 1; KNIGHTS... )<br />
munity Center (FilCom). At<br />
the same time, the newlyelected<br />
officers of the chapter<br />
were installed.<br />
The Order of the Knights<br />
of Rizal is an international<br />
fraternal organization that<br />
was established in 1922 in<br />
Manila and subsequently<br />
chartered by law under Republic<br />
Act 646. Its purpose is<br />
Cancellation of Removal for<br />
Nonpermanent Residents of U.S.<br />
ceptional and extremely unusual<br />
hardship to the alien's<br />
spouse, parent, or child,<br />
who is a citizen of the<br />
United States or an alien<br />
lawfully admitted for permanent<br />
residence.<br />
The term “exceptional<br />
and extremely unusual<br />
hardship” is not defined by<br />
the statute. Hence it is left<br />
to immigration judges, the<br />
Board of Immigration Appeals<br />
(BIA), and the courts<br />
to figure it out. According to<br />
one court, Congress intended<br />
to narrow the scope<br />
of persons eligible for relief<br />
when it added the word “exceptional”<br />
to the former<br />
standard “extremely unusual<br />
hardship.” The alien<br />
needs to show more than<br />
extreme hardship but does<br />
not have to show that the<br />
hardship would be unconscionable.<br />
Only a few aliens<br />
have met this test.<br />
In Matter of Recinas, 23<br />
I&N Dec. 467 (BIA 2002),<br />
the BIA found that the alien,<br />
a single mother who had no<br />
immediate family remaining<br />
in Mexico, provided the sole<br />
support for her six children,<br />
and had limited financial resources,<br />
established eligibility<br />
for cancellation of<br />
removal under § 240A(b)<br />
because she demonstrated<br />
that her United States citizen<br />
children, who were 12,<br />
11, 8, and 5 years old,<br />
would suffer exceptional<br />
and extremely unusual<br />
hardship upon her removal<br />
to her native country. The<br />
factors considered in assessing<br />
the hardship to the<br />
alien’s children included the<br />
heavy burden imposed on<br />
to spread the ideals and<br />
teachings of Dr. Jose P.<br />
Rizal, national hero of the<br />
Philippines, especially<br />
among the youth who Rizal<br />
considers as the “fair hope<br />
of the Fatherland.”<br />
Buoyed by its lofty universal<br />
principles, the Order<br />
has spread throughout the<br />
Philippines and to other<br />
countries. Presently, there<br />
iMMiGratioN GUide<br />
the alien to provide the sole<br />
financial and familial support<br />
for her six children if<br />
she were deported to Mexico,<br />
the lack of any family in<br />
her native country, the children’s<br />
unfamiliarity with the<br />
Spanish language, and the<br />
unavailability of an alternative<br />
means of immigrating<br />
to this country.<br />
Economic hardship or<br />
difficulty in finding work in<br />
the alien’s native country is<br />
generally not sufficient to<br />
meet the standard.<br />
Hardship to the alien is<br />
generally not a factor, although<br />
it may be considered<br />
to the extent that it<br />
may affect the potential<br />
level of hardship of a qualifying<br />
relative. Hardship to a<br />
son or daughter over 21<br />
years of age is not considered,<br />
since they no longer<br />
meet the definition of a<br />
“child”.<br />
(5) The period of the<br />
alien’s continuous residence<br />
has not been terminated<br />
under the "stop time"<br />
rule of INA § 240A(d). The<br />
alien’s continuous residence<br />
is interrupted when<br />
the alien commits a criminal<br />
offense or a Notice to Appear<br />
is served on the alien,<br />
whichever is earlier.<br />
The Attorney General<br />
may grant only 4,000 adjustment<br />
of status applications<br />
per year for persons<br />
granted cancellation of removal.<br />
The 12 million aliens<br />
unlawfully in the U.S. will<br />
wait for hundreds of years<br />
for adjustment of status, assuming<br />
they qualify for cancellation<br />
of removal.<br />
COMMENT: A person<br />
are chapters in the U.S.,<br />
Canada, Australia, the Middle<br />
East, Britain, Spain, Germany,<br />
Belgium, Czech<br />
Republic, and parts of Asia,<br />
with a membership of more<br />
than 10,000. Members include<br />
government officials,<br />
businessmen, academics,<br />
doctors, literary men, engineers,<br />
students, artists, etc.<br />
(continued on page 10)<br />
(or soul) does not have to<br />
prove to St. Peter that the<br />
person’s qualifying relatives<br />
will suffer “exceptional and<br />
extremely unusual hardship”<br />
if such person will not be admitted<br />
to Heaven. A person<br />
has only to establish that he<br />
believes in God, has done<br />
good deeds, and has asked<br />
for forgiveness, expressed<br />
regret, and suffered remorse<br />
for any sins. Thus it is<br />
easier for a reformed sinner<br />
to enter the Kingdom of<br />
Heaven than for an alien<br />
who is otherwise clean from<br />
News Edition<br />
7<br />
entering or remaining in the<br />
United States.<br />
Atty. tipoN has a Master of<br />
Laws degree from Yale Law School<br />
and a Bachelor of Laws degree<br />
from the University of the Philippines.<br />
Office: 800 Bethel St., Suite<br />
402, Honolulu, HI 96813. Tel.<br />
(808) 225-2645. E-Mail: filamlaw@yahoo.com.<br />
Websites:<br />
www.MilitaryandCriminalLaw.co<br />
m, and www.ImmigrationServicesUSA.com.<br />
Listen to the most witty,<br />
interesting, and informative radio<br />
program in <strong>Hawaii</strong> on KNDI at<br />
1270, AM dial every Thursday at<br />
7:30 a.m., rebroadcast at<br />
www.iluko.com.
8 News Edition PiCtorialS<br />
JUne 29, 2013<br />
ArAw ng KAlAyAAn CelebrAtion<br />
by carlOta HUFana-aDer<br />
The Philippine Consulate General of Honolulu, together with the <strong>Filipino</strong><br />
community, celebrated the 115th Anniversary of the Declaration of<br />
Philippine Independence last June 12, 2013. At the same token, the<br />
gallery of the Alay sa Sakada Lanai, which displays memorabilia and pictorials<br />
of the early sakadas, <strong>Filipino</strong>-American veterans, the late U.S. Sen.<br />
Daniel Inouye and former Gov. Ben Cayetano, was open to public. Consul<br />
General Julius Torres, Edmund Aczon, Geronimo “Toy” Arre of the Knights<br />
of Columbus and Fil-Am veterans assisted in the cutting of the ribbon.<br />
Consul Roberto Bernardo read the following message from Philippine<br />
President Benigno S. Aquino III: “Today, our people remain united in independence.<br />
May you ignite the patriotism and bayanihan spirit in your<br />
hearts, as together we build and fortify the structures on which<br />
our nation is built. May this event be an opportunity to promote<br />
our cultural heritage and uphold the Philippines’ revived distinction in this<br />
globalized, multicultural milieu.”<br />
Vice Consul Joyleen Santos read the following message from Secretary<br />
Albert Del Rosario from the Department of Foreign Affairs: “We call on<br />
all <strong>Filipino</strong>s to join in our country’s march towards economic development<br />
and social progress. By investing in the Philippines and engaging in entrepreneurship,<br />
overseas <strong>Filipino</strong> workers can be more powerful drivers of<br />
growth. Our collective effort will eventually transform overseas employment<br />
from a necessary means of survival to a real economic choice.”<br />
Consul General Julius Torres thanked attendees for participating in the<br />
Independence Day celebration which included a flag ceremony, singing of<br />
the national anthem and a delicious merienda.▪
JUNE 29, 2013<br />
News Edition<br />
9<br />
PHILIPPINE NEWS<br />
Japan To Take Phl's Side in South China Sea Dispute<br />
by Camille DIOLA and Alexis ROMERO/<br />
Thursday, June 27, 2013<br />
M A N I L A , P h i l i p p i n e s -<br />
JApAnese deFense mini<br />
s t e r i t s u n o r i o n -<br />
o d e r A o n T h u r s d a y<br />
assured the Philippines that<br />
Japan will be on its side in defending<br />
disputed territories in<br />
the South China Sea.<br />
Onodera, who is in a twoday<br />
visit in Manila, told Department<br />
of National Defense<br />
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in<br />
a courtesy call that Japan will<br />
cooperate to resolve the sea<br />
row with China.<br />
"We agreed that we will<br />
further cooperate in terms of<br />
defense of remote islands as<br />
well as the defense of territory,<br />
or territorial sea as well<br />
as protection of maritime interest<br />
... We will cooperate<br />
with the Philippine side in this<br />
matter," Onodera said.<br />
The Japanese official<br />
said that both countries are<br />
facing "common concerns" as<br />
China feuds with different<br />
states over territorial claims in<br />
overlapping waters.<br />
" I a l s o s a i d t h a t<br />
Japan(ese) side is very concerned<br />
that this kind of situation<br />
in South China Sea (as<br />
it) could affect the situation in<br />
East China Sea," he said.<br />
Onodera also said that<br />
peaceful means over military<br />
might should remain paramount<br />
and that the rule of law<br />
must be considered in seeking<br />
arbitration.<br />
"I would like to emphasize<br />
here that the current situation<br />
should not be changed with<br />
use of force ... I think this the<br />
concept that is agreed upon<br />
in international communities<br />
these days," he said.<br />
Likewise, Onodera<br />
lauded the Philippines' action<br />
in seeking arbitration to resolve<br />
the matter.<br />
“I have also learned<br />
about the Philippines’ efforts<br />
for the United Nations (UN)<br />
arbitration process in the principle<br />
that the Philippine side<br />
seeks to solve this problem<br />
based on the rule of law.<br />
Japan side is totally supporting<br />
these kinds of efforts,” he<br />
said.<br />
He added that Japan's<br />
priority, meanwhile, is to keep<br />
and protect its own territorial<br />
space in sea or air more than<br />
to get involved in international<br />
matters.<br />
Onodera visited U.S.<br />
naval base at Subic Bay before<br />
meeting with Gazmin,<br />
while Japanese Prime Minister<br />
Shinzo Abe intends to visit<br />
the country in July.<br />
Japan claims that China<br />
had intruded into the<br />
Senkaku Islands, which<br />
China calls Diaoyu Islands.<br />
The Philippines for its<br />
part, accuses China of intruding<br />
into various areas that are<br />
within its exclusive economic<br />
zone<br />
Chinese intruders have<br />
strengthened their presence<br />
in the Panatag (Scarborough)<br />
Shoal off Zambales and<br />
Ayungin Shoal off Palawan.<br />
MANILA, Philippines - A FilipinA<br />
hAs been nAmed<br />
one of New York City’s best<br />
teachers.<br />
Marietta Geraldino, geometry<br />
teacher in 10th and 11th<br />
grades at the Fredrick Douglas<br />
Academy II in Manhattan,<br />
was one of the 11 teachers<br />
who received the “Big Apple<br />
Award” last June 12.<br />
On its website, the NYC<br />
education department said<br />
the award was meant to recognize<br />
the top teachers<br />
in public schools<br />
across the city.<br />
“Marietta is able to<br />
deconstruct the most<br />
complex mathematical<br />
concepts and make<br />
them palpable to even the<br />
most resistant students,” the<br />
website quoted Geraldino’s<br />
principal as saying.<br />
Geraldino has been<br />
teaching for 24 years – nine<br />
in New York and 15 years in<br />
the Philippines.<br />
“During her 24 years of<br />
teaching, she has constantly<br />
searched for ways to grow as<br />
They have also built<br />
structures in the Mischief<br />
Reef or Panganiban Reef,<br />
which is about 70 nautical<br />
miles from Palawan and Subi<br />
Reef, an islet 12 nautical<br />
miles southwest of Pag-asa<br />
Island in the same province.<br />
The Philippines has been<br />
advocating a multilateral<br />
rules-based approach to settle<br />
the West Philippine Sea<br />
Pinay Among Best Teachers in<br />
New York<br />
by Helen FLORES<br />
Wednesday, June 26, 2013<br />
(continued on page 11)<br />
an educator and<br />
seeks out professional<br />
development<br />
opportunities to improve<br />
her practice,”<br />
the website added.<br />
Geraldino was<br />
chosen from the more than<br />
2,000 nominees submitted by<br />
students, teachers, schools<br />
and families.<br />
Aside from the Big Apple<br />
trophy, the winners received<br />
$3,500 each and classroom<br />
grants. They were also<br />
named Big Apple ambassadors<br />
for school year 2013-<br />
2014. (www.philstar.com)<br />
Geraldino<br />
▪
10 News Edition HeadliNeS<br />
JUne 29, 2013<br />
(cont. from page 7; KNIGHTS... )<br />
The <strong>Hawaii</strong> Chapter was established<br />
in 1971. Among its past comm<br />
a n d e r s a n d m e m b e r s a r e<br />
distinguished members of the community,<br />
<strong>Filipino</strong>s as well as non-<strong>Filipino</strong>s.<br />
The chapter’s successful<br />
projects include: the erection of the<br />
Rizal Statue at FilCom,<br />
passage of a City Council<br />
resolution naming part of<br />
College Walk as Dr. Jose<br />
P. Rizal Square, the roving<br />
Rizal exhibit, the Alay kay<br />
Rizal Dramafest at UH,<br />
the annual Rizal Youth<br />
Leadership Institute, the<br />
Annual Dr. Jose P. Rizal<br />
Award for Peace and Social<br />
Justice, and the annual<br />
Rizal birth and death<br />
anniversary celebrations. Last year,<br />
the chapter hosted the 4th USA Regional<br />
Assembly and Conference in<br />
September 2012.<br />
dr. Jose p. rizAl AwArd<br />
The Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award for<br />
Peace and Social Justice is given annually<br />
by the Knights of Rizal-<strong>Hawaii</strong><br />
Chapter to a person who exemplifies<br />
Rizal’s life and teachings of the<br />
Philippines foremost national hero.<br />
Rizal was a polymath and excelled in<br />
many fields. He is known for his literary<br />
works, keen scientific mind, devotion<br />
to an educated citizenry, vision<br />
of an ideal community, but most of<br />
all, his dedication to and struggle for<br />
freedom and equality. For his love of<br />
country, he paid the ultimate sacrifice.<br />
The Rizal Award is open to all nationalities<br />
residing in <strong>Hawaii</strong>, male<br />
and female. The candidate must be<br />
nominated by at least three reputable<br />
civic, professional or community organizations,<br />
and must submit a nomination<br />
form detailing his/her<br />
accomplishments, the impact of said<br />
achievements on the community,<br />
and how such achievements promote<br />
the ideals and teachings of Dr.<br />
Jose P. Rizal. The nominee must<br />
show exceptional leadership,<br />
achievement, service and advocacy<br />
in the promotion of change through<br />
peaceful means, intercultural understanding,<br />
social justice, and democratic<br />
principles.<br />
Our previous awardees were Dr.<br />
Belinda Aquino and Dr. Jorge Camara.<br />
This year, the awardee is Dr.<br />
Amefil (Amy) Agbayani, Director of<br />
Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity<br />
(SEED) at the University of<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>-Manoa. Dr. Agbayani is a<br />
well-known advocate for civil rights<br />
and social justice in <strong>Hawaii</strong>. She<br />
Dr. Amy Agbayani │Photo : Tim LLENA<br />
spearheaded advocacy efforts that<br />
resulted in systems changes to lift<br />
the aspirations of <strong>Filipino</strong>s and other<br />
vulnerable communities in <strong>Hawaii</strong>.<br />
An active proponent of immigrant<br />
and language access rights, she<br />
was one of the founders of the<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong> Civil Rights Commission,<br />
serving as its first chair.<br />
Agbayani mobilized<br />
and spearheaded academic<br />
and community<br />
stakeholders to initiate<br />
landmark studies on education<br />
disparities at UH-<br />
Manoa for Native<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>ans and <strong>Filipino</strong>s in<br />
recruitment, retention, faculty<br />
selection problems,<br />
and community service<br />
barriers, resulting in the institutionalization<br />
of a UH system-wide Diversity<br />
Initiative to bridge the gap<br />
between higher education and marginalized<br />
communities. She cofounded<br />
Operation Manong, a public<br />
school-based tutorial program serving<br />
immigrant students. Now called<br />
the Office of Multi-Cultural Student<br />
Services, this program fosters ally<br />
building through respect and interest<br />
in learning from one another’s multicultural<br />
heritage, history, and struggles<br />
in order to develop a deep<br />
sense of purpose and strong values<br />
for peaceful civil engagement, social<br />
justice, equity, and opportunities to<br />
reach one’s potential for the greater<br />
good through socially responsible<br />
collaboration. With the help of lawmakers,<br />
community leaders and<br />
other stakeholders, she was able to<br />
build an infrastructure to preserve,<br />
promote and perpetuate Philippine<br />
languages, Philippine studies, <strong>Filipino</strong>-American<br />
history, culture, arts<br />
and more.<br />
As SEED Director, Agbayani institutionalized<br />
and enacted educational<br />
reform that benefitted<br />
generations following the <strong>Filipino</strong> Diaspora<br />
in 1906 and uplifted all of<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>’s diverse people up to the<br />
present. She oversees more than 14<br />
programs and over 50 full time professionals<br />
to address education disparities<br />
as a social justice issue.<br />
Through SEED, she forged a legacy<br />
of championing talented and passionate<br />
professionals from diverse<br />
backgrounds, who themselves overcame<br />
adversity to achieve academic<br />
credentials in higher education. Agbayani<br />
is also a champion of<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong>’s working poor. She supported<br />
initiatives to empower vulnerable<br />
workers through labor equity<br />
education, leadership training, union<br />
organizing and community partner-<br />
(continued on page 11)
JUne 29, 2013<br />
HeadliNeS<br />
News Edition 11<br />
(cont. from page 10; KNIGHTS... )<br />
ships. Active in electoral politics,<br />
Agbayani believes that<br />
electing and appointing public<br />
officials is critical since<br />
they are responsible for<br />
making crucial decisions<br />
that affect society.<br />
Among the positions<br />
that Agbayani has held are<br />
the following: board member<br />
of the East-West Center<br />
Alumni Association, member<br />
of the American Civil<br />
Liberties Union, president of<br />
the <strong>Filipino</strong> Community<br />
Center, chair of the <strong>Hawaii</strong><br />
Civil Rights Commission,<br />
member of the <strong>Hawaii</strong> Democratic<br />
Party National Committee,<br />
co-chair of the<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong> Friends of Civil<br />
Rights, chair of the <strong>Hawaii</strong><br />
Judicial Selection Committee,<br />
board member of the<br />
<strong>Hawaii</strong> Women’s Political<br />
Caucus, vice chair of the<br />
National Federation of <strong>Filipino</strong><br />
American Associations<br />
Region 12, and member of<br />
the Quality of Life Alliance.<br />
She has also received the<br />
following awards: East-West<br />
Center Outstanding Alumni<br />
Award, <strong>Hawaii</strong>’s Women<br />
Lawyers Distinguished<br />
Service Award, Honolulu<br />
YMCA Outstanding<br />
Achievement Award, Honpa<br />
Hongwanji 5 Living Treasures<br />
Award, Na Loio Keeper<br />
of the Flame Award, University<br />
of <strong>Hawaii</strong> Distinguished<br />
Alumni Award, and University<br />
of the Philippines Distinguished<br />
Alumni Award. She<br />
obtained her bachelor’s degree<br />
from the University of<br />
the Philippines and her<br />
master’s and Ph.D. degrees<br />
in political science from UH-<br />
Manoa.<br />
iNstAllAtioN of officers<br />
The event also included<br />
the installation of the new<br />
set of officers of the chapter<br />
who will serve for the next<br />
two years. The new chapter<br />
commander is Sir Dr. Arnold<br />
Villafuerte, KCR, director of<br />
the Bilingual Health Program<br />
and the Easy Access<br />
Program of the State Department<br />
of Health. The immediate<br />
past commander is<br />
Sir Dr. Raymund Liongson,<br />
KGOR.<br />
The other chapter officers<br />
are: Sir Felipe Tan,<br />
deputy commander; Sir Darwin<br />
Arellano, chancellor; Sir<br />
Randy Cortez, pursuivant;<br />
Sir Allan Alvarez, deputy<br />
pursuivant; Sir Florante<br />
Pumaras, exchequer; Sir<br />
Ryan Fernandez, deputy<br />
exchequer; Sir Danny Villaruz,<br />
auditor; Sir Clement<br />
Bautista, archivist; Sir<br />
Richard Ancog, chaplain;<br />
and trustees Sir Serafin Colmenares<br />
Jr., Sir Geminiano<br />
Arre, Sir Tony Sagayadoro,<br />
Sir Benjamin Sanchez, and<br />
Sir Raymund Liongson.<br />
The installing officer was<br />
Sir Serafin Colmenares Jr.,<br />
KGOR, Western USA Area<br />
Commander. The guest<br />
speaker was Sir Julius Torres,<br />
Consul General of the<br />
Philippines, who is also a<br />
member of the Knights of<br />
Rizal.<br />
(cont. from page 1; DFA... )<br />
DFA Sec. Albert Del Rosario<br />
have been "confirmed."<br />
"Certain allegations<br />
were confirmed and this<br />
was accomplished by the<br />
t h r e e w i t n e s s e s f r o m<br />
Riyadh (in Saudi Arabia)<br />
coming forward and providing<br />
us their testimony," Del<br />
Rosario said at a televised<br />
press briefing on Monday.<br />
He said those confirmed<br />
were allegations of sexual<br />
harassment, molestation,<br />
and abuse of authority.<br />
"However, until such<br />
time as other people are<br />
able to come forward, all<br />
other allegations will remain<br />
as allegations to be further<br />
investigated," Del Rosario<br />
said.<br />
While they are "looking<br />
at various alleged offenders,"<br />
Del Rosario said the<br />
confirmed accusations involved<br />
an official of the Department<br />
of Labor and Employment<br />
(DOLE) who<br />
reportedly molested a distressed<br />
OFW in exchange<br />
of repatriation.<br />
The embattled official<br />
has been recalled as of<br />
Monday and will be investigated<br />
once he arrives in the<br />
Philippines.<br />
The DFA is looking at<br />
the filing of graft and corruption<br />
cases against those<br />
proven guilty, according to<br />
Del Rosario.<br />
The official assured that<br />
they will investigate all of<br />
those who have been involved<br />
in the allegations. He<br />
also urged other victims and<br />
witnesses to surface.<br />
Last week, Akbayan<br />
Party-list Rep. Walden Bello<br />
disclosed that three labor officials<br />
in the Middle East are<br />
allegedly involved in pimping<br />
distressed OFWs in exchange<br />
for a ticket back to<br />
the Philippines.<br />
At least four female<br />
OFWs have since surfaced,<br />
claiming that they were<br />
forced to do sexual activities<br />
with labor officers in Riyadh,<br />
Saudi Arabia and were also<br />
offered to foreign nationals.<br />
One of the accused,<br />
labor attaché to Jordan<br />
Mario Antonio, has denied<br />
t h e a l l e g a t i o n s .<br />
(www.philstar.com)<br />
ADVertiSe now AnD See How<br />
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<strong>PHiliPPiNe</strong> <strong>NeWS</strong><br />
(cont. from page 9; JAPAN.. )<br />
dispute. It has also<br />
China, however, insists<br />
that the row be addressed<br />
through direct bilateral negotiations.<br />
A report from the newspaper<br />
The Japan Times said<br />
the meeting between Onodera<br />
and Gazmin was<br />
meant “to keep China in<br />
check.”<br />
The report also quoted an<br />
unnamed source as saying<br />
that Onodera and Gazmin<br />
would work out a “coordinated<br />
response” toward<br />
China.<br />
Onodera clarified that<br />
their security efforts are not<br />
directed against a specific<br />
country.<br />
“The Japanese govern-<br />
ment is not aiming at protecting<br />
from any specific nation<br />
but our stance is that we keep<br />
out territorial space, territorial<br />
air and sea space well-protected.<br />
This should be done<br />
according to the rule of law,”<br />
he said.<br />
Last January, the Philippines<br />
challenged China’s territorial<br />
claim to most of the<br />
West Philippine Sea before<br />
an international tribunal of the<br />
UN.<br />
China claims almost the<br />
entire West Philippine Sea<br />
and the East Sea. The area,<br />
delineated by a so-called<br />
nine-dash line, covers more<br />
than 100 islets, atolls and<br />
reefs.<br />
The Philippines believes<br />
China’s nine-dash line, which<br />
outlined its claims over most<br />
of the sea, is illegal. China’s<br />
claims also overlap with<br />
those of the Philippines,<br />
Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei and<br />
Vietnam. (www.philstar.com)
12 News Edition HealtH & FaMilY <strong>NeWS</strong><br />
JUne 29, 2013<br />
Dan Brown’s Novel Is A Writing on<br />
f<br />
the Wall<br />
teacHaBle mOments by Jose clarO<br />
Pres. Noynoy Aquino<br />
This won’t be about Dan<br />
Brown vs. Francis Tolentino.<br />
This is about<br />
our understanding of literature<br />
as revealed by what<br />
seems a public approval of<br />
a fake letter, which the anti-<br />
Tolentino fans made viral<br />
over social media. The letter<br />
was an uncreative argument<br />
by referring to a disclaimer<br />
stating: “This book is a work<br />
of fiction. Names, characters,<br />
places, and incidents<br />
are products of the author’s<br />
imagination or are used fictitiously.<br />
Any resemblance to<br />
actual events or locales or<br />
persons, living or dead is<br />
entirely coincidental.”<br />
By that disclaimer, people<br />
have dismissed Chairman<br />
Tolentino’s reaction as<br />
nonsensical. By that disclaimer,<br />
people have come<br />
to believe that there is really<br />
no need to react negatively<br />
over the portrayal of Manila.<br />
This deserves another<br />
reading.<br />
Presumably, everyone<br />
should know that a disclaimer<br />
is a figment of imaginative<br />
work created not by<br />
writers but lawyers. These<br />
words were skillfully crafted<br />
to prevent anyone from<br />
suing an author for libel. But<br />
in reality, every literary work<br />
is based on reality. Nothing<br />
is purely imaginative or<br />
purely fictional and most are<br />
rarely coincidental.<br />
Literature is a mirror of<br />
human experiences. It cannot<br />
be a mirror if the text<br />
doesn’t reflect an image of<br />
reality. Even the most absurd<br />
sci-fi plots depend on<br />
the reality of human emotion<br />
and conflict to keep the<br />
piece credible and the<br />
reader engaged.<br />
More importantly, the element<br />
of setting in literature<br />
is one particular element<br />
that depends a lot on our<br />
shared perception of a specific<br />
place or time. An author’s<br />
choice of setting<br />
enables the reader to relate<br />
to the details in the fictional<br />
story and feel the appropriate<br />
emotions necessary for<br />
the author to unravel his/her<br />
theme. The choice of setting<br />
depends less on imagination<br />
and more on an accurate<br />
perception of what<br />
others think is reality.<br />
Which is why we have to<br />
thank Chairman Tolentino for<br />
his reply letter. It started this<br />
exchange, this debate, this<br />
conversation that ultimately<br />
revealed the most important<br />
reason as to why Metro<br />
Manila has deteriorated to its<br />
hellish condition. From the<br />
tweets and Facebook posts<br />
of many of those who countered<br />
Tolentino, we are given<br />
a picture of citizens who<br />
don’t give a damn if their<br />
home is compared to hell.<br />
Would you allow a director to<br />
use your house as a scene<br />
for other people to visualize<br />
what hell is like? Would you<br />
not feel reviled if the director<br />
described the ugliness that is<br />
your house as a perfect<br />
image for inferno? But then,<br />
maybe that is the problem.<br />
Not everyone thinks Metro<br />
Manila is their home. Perhaps,<br />
many of us are just<br />
transients waiting for an opportunity<br />
to leave Metro<br />
Manila. And that is perhaps<br />
why we’re okay with other<br />
people calling it hell.<br />
But we should also thank<br />
Dan Brown. His novel is a<br />
writing on the wall. We have<br />
been weighed and are found<br />
wanting. If we are honest<br />
enough and if we care<br />
enough for our home, we<br />
should be angry at ourselves<br />
for not doing anything as we<br />
saw Metro Manila become<br />
dirtier and smellier by the<br />
day. It was our own apathy<br />
that destroyed by neglect a<br />
once beautiful city.<br />
Metro Manila is not a<br />
damned city. Instead of investing<br />
our energies in writing<br />
negative posts about<br />
Brown or Tolentino, why not<br />
channel our energy to restoring<br />
Manila’s old glory? That<br />
is what Carlos Celdran and<br />
Ivan Man Dy are doing by<br />
educating <strong>Filipino</strong>s through<br />
their old Manila walks. That<br />
is what Gina Lopez is doing<br />
by trying to save the Pasig<br />
River. They are among the<br />
few that have not given up<br />
on Metro Manila.<br />
In the end, the worst response<br />
is to dismiss what<br />
has been written about<br />
Manila as merely fictional.<br />
My Philo teacher kept reminding<br />
us in class that fiction<br />
is a lie that leads to the<br />
truth. The power to be awakened<br />
by the truth contained<br />
in fiction will enable us to<br />
face reality and transform a<br />
condemnation into a wakeup<br />
call for social redemption.<br />
A really great author,<br />
Graham Greene wrote in<br />
The End of the Affair, “A<br />
story has no beginning or<br />
end: Arbitrarily, one chooses<br />
that moment of experience<br />
from which to look back or<br />
from which to look ahead.”<br />
It’s time for us to forget what<br />
we have done to Metro<br />
Manila and start looking<br />
ahead to see what we could<br />
s t i l l m a k e o u t o f i t .<br />
(www.philstar.com)<br />
<strong>PHiliPPiNe</strong> <strong>NeWS</strong><br />
Noy Signs Universal Health Care Bill Into Law<br />
by paolo rOmerO /<br />
Saturday, June 22, 2013<br />
MANILA, Philippines -<br />
P R E S I D E N T A Q U I N O<br />
SIGNED ON WEDNES-<br />
DAY a law granting health<br />
insurance for <strong>Filipino</strong>s<br />
funded through proceeds<br />
from sin taxes.<br />
Bacolod City Rep. Anthony<br />
Golez, one of the<br />
principal authors, said yesterday<br />
Republic Act 10606,<br />
the Universal Health Care<br />
Act, will ensure that all <strong>Filipino</strong>s,<br />
especially the poorest<br />
of the poor, will get<br />
health insurance coverage<br />
from the Philippine Health<br />
Insurance Corp. (Phil-<br />
Health).<br />
“I firmly believe<br />
in the benefits<br />
that this<br />
law will bring to<br />
<strong>Filipino</strong>s and in<br />
achieving universal<br />
health<br />
care for <strong>Filipino</strong>s,”<br />
he said.<br />
“I am glad<br />
that President<br />
Noynoy finally signed it into<br />
law, and I am mighty glad<br />
and proud to have been<br />
part of the legislative<br />
process in crafting one of<br />
the more important pieces<br />
of legislation at this point in<br />
time in our country’s history.”<br />
The law is a consolidation<br />
of over 50 bills from<br />
Rep. Anthony Golez<br />
the House of Representatives<br />
and the Senate to<br />
amend RA 7875 of 1995<br />
creating the<br />
P h i l H e a l t h ,<br />
Golez said.<br />
It mandates<br />
a n a t i o n a l<br />
h e a l t h i n s u r -<br />
ance program<br />
(NHIP) as the<br />
means for the<br />
healthy to help<br />
pay for the care<br />
of the sick and for those<br />
who can afford medical<br />
care to subsidize those<br />
who cannot.<br />
It shall be compulsory<br />
in all provinces, cities and<br />
municipalities, notwiths<br />
t a n d i n g t h e e x i s t i n g<br />
health insurance programs<br />
of local government units.<br />
(www.philstar.com)
JUne 29, 2013<br />
by reuben s.<br />
seGUritan<br />
The nursing profession is<br />
one of the fastest growing<br />
careers in the United<br />
States. The number of employed<br />
registered nurses is<br />
expected to grow 26% from<br />
2010 to 2020, making it the<br />
top occupation in terms of job<br />
growth. Licensed practical<br />
nurses and licensed vocational<br />
nurses are expected to<br />
increase 22%. Even during<br />
the economic downturn,<br />
182,000 RNs were employed.<br />
The high demand for<br />
nurses and healthcare workers<br />
in general can be attributed<br />
to the growing and aging<br />
population. By 2025, there<br />
will have been 50 million<br />
more Americans than there<br />
were in 2006, and every day<br />
for the next twenty years<br />
10,000 Americans will reach<br />
65 years. By year 2020, four<br />
out of every ten patient visits<br />
will be by baby boomers.<br />
Because of the aging<br />
baby boom generation, the<br />
demand for healthcare will<br />
continue to grow at a high<br />
rate, so much so that by 2030<br />
the U.S. is projected to have<br />
a shortage of more than<br />
900,000 nurses. The Affordable<br />
Care Act law will further<br />
raise the demand as the law<br />
expands insurance coverage<br />
to more than 30 million Americans<br />
by 2014.<br />
The increase in nursing<br />
leGal NoteS<br />
Immigration Reform Needed to<br />
Address Nursing Shortage<br />
school enrolment is at best<br />
only modest and far from sufficient<br />
to meet the demand. In<br />
2011, the increase was only a<br />
little over 5%. At the same<br />
time, however, the average<br />
age of nurses has gone up<br />
and more and more nurses<br />
are nearing retirement age. It<br />
is predicted that nurses over<br />
50 years old will soon comprise<br />
about a quarter of the<br />
entire RN population.<br />
Given the magnitude of<br />
the shortfall and the imminence<br />
of the surge in demand,<br />
domestic measures<br />
will no longer be sufficient to<br />
avert the shortage. Immigration<br />
rules that have been in<br />
place specifically to restrict<br />
the entry of foreign-educated<br />
nurses must be changed in<br />
order to ensure that patient<br />
care is not compromised.<br />
MaiNlaNd <strong>NeWS</strong><br />
Where to Invest In An Uncertain<br />
Market<br />
by assOciateD press<br />
NEW YORK — THE INvESTMENT<br />
LANDSCAPE<br />
can be a scary place.<br />
This year’s stock market<br />
surge has stalled and the<br />
market is too choppy to provide<br />
any sort of reassurance.<br />
Savings accounts earn practically<br />
nothing. Bonds, a traditional<br />
haven, seem like a<br />
poor choice because interest<br />
rates are likely to go up. The<br />
stocks people invest in for<br />
safe, steady income, like utilities<br />
and health care, aren’t<br />
as cheap as they used to be.<br />
The Associated Press<br />
asked experts where they’re<br />
putting their money in these<br />
uncertain times. Their suggestions<br />
are opinions, and<br />
you should do your own research<br />
before making any<br />
decisions.<br />
Anton Bayer, CEO of Up<br />
Capital Management in Granite<br />
Bay, California.<br />
His idea: Floating-rate<br />
and shorter-term bonds Pay<br />
attention, because this one is<br />
a little complicated.<br />
The Federal Reserve has<br />
been buying $85 billion worth<br />
of government bonds each<br />
month to try to make longterm<br />
loans cheaper and stimulate<br />
the economy. As long<br />
as the Fed is propping up demand<br />
for bonds, the Treasury<br />
doesn’t have to worry too<br />
much about enticing buyers<br />
and can pay out low interest<br />
rates on them. If the Fed pulls<br />
back on its bond-buying<br />
spree — something that Fed<br />
chairman Ben Bernanke has<br />
said could happen soon —<br />
then the interest rate on<br />
bonds will go up.<br />
That’s bad for people who<br />
already hold the Treasury<br />
bonds. Here’s why: Most<br />
Treasury bonds pay out a<br />
fixed rate. If you own a 10-<br />
year Treasury note that pays<br />
2 percent interest, and rates<br />
go up to three percent, you’re<br />
still going to get paid two percent.<br />
That means you’re<br />
missing out on investing in a<br />
higher-paying bond. It also<br />
means that the underlying<br />
value of your bond is going to<br />
go down: No one wants to<br />
buy a bond with a 2 percent<br />
yield in a 3 percent yield market.<br />
You can get all your<br />
money back if you wait until<br />
the bond matures, but that<br />
will take 10 years.<br />
Bayer recommends floating-rate<br />
bonds, because the<br />
interest rates they pay<br />
change along with the Fed’s<br />
interest rate. Be careful,<br />
though, because floating-rate<br />
bonds are often issued by<br />
riskier companies.<br />
Bayer also recommends<br />
fixed-rate bonds with shorter<br />
durations. If you own a bond<br />
paying a fixed interest rate,<br />
and then interest rates rise,<br />
it’s better to be able to get<br />
your money back in one year<br />
instead of 10. Keep in mind<br />
that the shorter-term Treasury<br />
bonds will pay much<br />
lower rates: A 10-year Treasury<br />
note is paying about 2.1<br />
percent. A one-year Treasury<br />
note is paying 0.1 percent.<br />
Bayer says that investors<br />
who were used to the higher<br />
interest rates of previous<br />
decades will have to retool<br />
their investing strategies.<br />
“That’s the biggest mistake<br />
that investors are making<br />
right now,” Bayer says.<br />
“What worked for the past<br />
decade is not going to work<br />
now.”<br />
Blake Howells, portfolio<br />
manager and analyst at<br />
Becker Capital Management<br />
(continued on page 14)<br />
News Edition<br />
13<br />
For instance, most RNs<br />
do not qualify for the H-1B<br />
visa for “specialty occupations”<br />
because employers<br />
generally do not require a<br />
bachelor’s degree for the position.<br />
To be eligible for H-1B<br />
classification, an RN would<br />
have to be in a supervisory or<br />
very specialized position.<br />
The limited number of immigrant<br />
visas and long waiting<br />
times have also<br />
contributed to the deficit of<br />
qualified nurses. Most foreign<br />
nurses are eligible for classification<br />
under the employment-based<br />
third preference<br />
(EB-3) category for skilled<br />
workers. However, under EB-<br />
3 an employer would have to<br />
wait between five to more<br />
than ten years before a visa<br />
becomes available to its<br />
sponsored nurse.<br />
The visa retrogression<br />
has undeniably hampered<br />
the recruitment of much<br />
needed healthcare workers<br />
from foreign countries, including<br />
the Philippines. For<br />
the past six years since the<br />
retrogression began, thousands<br />
of qualified nurses<br />
have simply been waiting for<br />
their priority dates to reach<br />
the cut-off for visa availability<br />
under the EB-3 category.<br />
Unsurprisingly, not all of<br />
them end up pursuing their<br />
visa application. Some of<br />
them have simply been discouraged<br />
by the delay, while<br />
some are lured by equally<br />
promising professional opportunities<br />
in other countries.<br />
The U.S. therefore<br />
loses the benefit of their<br />
skills and talent.<br />
While immigration rules<br />
remain restrictive and recruitment<br />
of foreign nurses is<br />
sought to be kept at a minimum,<br />
patients face increasingly<br />
longer wait times in<br />
understaffed hospitals or are<br />
placed in the care of overworked<br />
nurses. Urgent action<br />
in reforming immigration law<br />
is needed to ensure that the<br />
health of millions of Americans<br />
is not endangered.<br />
reuBeN s. seguritAN has been<br />
practicing law for over 30 years. For<br />
further information, you may call him at<br />
(212) 695 5281 or log on to his website<br />
at www.seguritan.com
14 News Edition <strong>PHiliPPiNe</strong> laNGUaGe<br />
daYaSadaS<br />
by pacita c. salUDes<br />
Rinambakan ti SAN<br />
NICOLANEOS USA iti<br />
maikapito nga anibersaryona<br />
ken kappili nga<br />
opisyalesna nga<br />
agserbi iti tawen 2013 -<br />
2015. Naaramid idi Junio<br />
14 iti Pacific Beach Hotel<br />
Grand Ballroom.<br />
Adu dagiti opisyales ti<br />
Gobierno a kadua ni Gobernador<br />
Abercrombie a timmabuno.<br />
Da senador Will<br />
Espero, Joey Manahan,<br />
Rep. Romy Cachola, Consul<br />
General Julius Torres,<br />
ken dadduma pay. Kasta<br />
met kadagiti nagdonar<br />
kadagiti pammadayaw ti<br />
reyna iti daytoy a rabii. Ti<br />
corona-ni Sen. Will Espero,<br />
Ti setro-da Chita Gonzales<br />
ken Edgar Santiago Jr., ti<br />
Tropeo da Mr. ken Mrs. Lito<br />
Alcantara, Banda-da Jenalyn<br />
Ramos ken Walter<br />
Maikapito Nga Anibersaryo Ti San<br />
Nicolaneos U. S. A.<br />
Ken Panagsapata Dagiti Opisyales<br />
Madamba, ti bouquet -da<br />
Valerie Acebedo ken Alain<br />
Pacis.<br />
Ni Flor Martinez ti nangi<br />
turong ti Programa ket ti<br />
nalaing nga ubing nga isu ti<br />
reyna iti daytoy a rabii ti<br />
nangkanta ti National anthem<br />
ni Reyna Deija Santiago<br />
Laya ti Lupang<br />
Hinirang ken ni Rossi Patton<br />
ti nangbendision ni Felipe<br />
Cabana.<br />
Welcome Adress ni<br />
Cesar Bonilla ti nalatak nga<br />
anunciador ti KPHI - PINOY<br />
SUNRISE ken bise president<br />
ti organisasion. Ni<br />
Councilman Joey Manahan<br />
nga isu ti nangiyam-ammo<br />
ti Guest Speaker ni Gov.<br />
Neil Abercrombie a namangsapata<br />
kadagiti<br />
kabarbaro nga opisyales Ti<br />
PRESIDENTE ni - Nalatak<br />
a John H. De Los Santos,<br />
BISE PRESIDENTE -<br />
Cesar Bonilla, SEKRE-<br />
TARIA - Biatriz Santiago,<br />
KATULOGAN A SEKRE-<br />
TARIA - Wilhelmina Ibay,<br />
TRESRORERA - Liza Mamuad,<br />
KATULOGAN A<br />
TRESORERA - Emelita<br />
Guillermo, AUDITOR -Warlita<br />
Baltazar, KATULON-<br />
GAN NGA AUDITOR - Gina<br />
Lardizabal, DAGITI PRESS<br />
RELATION OFFICERS -<br />
Lydia Kamiya, Rosemarie<br />
Aquino, Victoria Caraang,<br />
BOARD OF DIRECTORS -<br />
Fely Burigsay, Letty Tesoro,<br />
Teddy Reyes, Cresente<br />
Guillermo, Rodolfo Ibay,<br />
Lee Kamiya, Steven Riban,<br />
SGT-AT-ARMS - Jose Baltazar,<br />
Hermie Tesoro, Joe<br />
Dumayag, Edgar Santiago,<br />
ADVISERS: Estrella<br />
Cariaga, Joey Manahan -<br />
City Councilor, LEGAL AD-<br />
VISER – Ben Martin E SQ.<br />
Dagitoy dagiti kabbarbaro<br />
nga opisyales babaen ti<br />
Panangidaulo ti Presidente<br />
mainanama a rumong<br />
rungbo ti San Nicolaneos<br />
of <strong>Hawaii</strong> Kasta met ti pammatalded<br />
ken panangdayaw<br />
ti Consul<br />
General Julius Torres.<br />
Ti coronation ti QUEEN<br />
INFANTIL AGPAAY DEI-<br />
JAH LAYA mainanama a<br />
nakalalagip ta damo pay<br />
nga adda reyna INFANTIL ti<br />
kommonidad, a binilangatan<br />
ni Sen Will Espero, a<br />
babaen ti Speechna<br />
nasayaat a medida ti rusat<br />
ti organisasion. Kalpasan ti<br />
panagrikkep ti Sekretaria ti<br />
Ita Ta Nasapapay<br />
JUne 29, 2013<br />
naunday a programa nagtuloy<br />
ti salsala dagiti amin a<br />
dimmar-ay. Nangted pay ti<br />
naka lalagip iti dayta a rabii<br />
ti pannakaala dagiti amin a<br />
dimmar-ay iti pakalaglagipanda<br />
a ladawan babaen ti<br />
kaadda ti OPISYAL A PHO-<br />
TOGRAPHER Iti dayta a<br />
rabii.<br />
Katibker dagiti ramramay<br />
Agsukay iti daga inka mulaan<br />
Dika agsulit agitukitka naimbag a gagem<br />
Usarem ta panawen, bigat aldaw malem<br />
Agmulaka tapno adda apitem<br />
Linaon ‘ta utek iganaganmo tapno di nakuriteg<br />
Nainsiriban a pampanunot inka aramaten<br />
Pangpasagneb natikag a pakinakem<br />
Adda iti kinaregtam ti talingengen<br />
Kinadalus ta puso ti mangpasimbeng<br />
Partuat tai sip ti manglapped tubeng<br />
No adda agblag palapalen ida ti isem<br />
Agmulaka latta dimo sardayan<br />
Aglabas ti aldaw dagitanto ti pagapitam<br />
Agdildilpatto dagiti di nagtigtignay<br />
Matada nakamulagat, eppes a panawe, itattapay<br />
Agmulaka latta dika denggen ublag<br />
Namaraymay, natikagman daga a pagirukitam<br />
Ala latta, amangan ta nasagsagneb ti matamaam<br />
Gasanggasat adda agbunga adda met saan<br />
Salukagmo addanto latta masupapakan<br />
MaiNlaNd <strong>NeWS</strong><br />
(cont. from page 13; WHERE .. )<br />
in Portland, Oregon<br />
His idea: Big-name tech<br />
companies, regional banks<br />
Howells likes Microsoft and<br />
Apple, but not necessarily for<br />
their best-known products.<br />
He likes Microsoft not for<br />
the Windows operating system,<br />
which has garnered<br />
mixed reviews, but for the<br />
servers it sells “that make big<br />
companies and big data farms<br />
run.” He likes Apple not for the<br />
iPhone and iPad — after all,<br />
the company’s stock is down<br />
19 percent this year and it’s<br />
largely because people are<br />
worried that Apple can’t keep<br />
churning out blockbuster<br />
gadgets — but because of the<br />
iOS operating system. He<br />
thinks it will help Apple keep<br />
customers who won’t want to<br />
go through the hassle of<br />
switching all the information<br />
on their iPhones and iPads to<br />
another system. “That gives it<br />
a little bit more sticking power<br />
than a BlackBerry or a Nokia,”<br />
Howells says.<br />
He likes certain regional<br />
banks, like Pittsburgh-based<br />
PNC Financial Services<br />
Group and Minneapolisbased<br />
US Bancorp, crediting<br />
their plain-vanilla businesses<br />
of making loans and accepting<br />
deposits. He says they’re<br />
“in much better shape than<br />
they were at the start of the<br />
downturn,” before the 2008 financial<br />
crisis. But he’s iffy on<br />
the megabanks, even if some<br />
are selling at prices much<br />
lower than before the financial<br />
crisis. (www.philstar.com)
JUne 29, 2013<br />
21St univerSity oF Sto. tomAS meDicAl<br />
Alumni ASSociAtion in AmericA (uStmAAA)<br />
grAnD reunion AnD meDicAl convention ●<br />
June 26-30, 2013, ● Hilton <strong>Hawaii</strong>an Village Waikiki Beach<br />
Resort ● Contact: (248) 626-2878 or 808-680-0558<br />
uFch mS. teen hAwAii FiliPinA ScholArShiP<br />
CoMMUNitY CaleNdar<br />
ON JUNE 19, 2013, FILIPINOS IN<br />
SAN FRANCISCO, led by the National<br />
Alliance for <strong>Filipino</strong> Concerns<br />
(NAFCON), banded together to<br />
form a “<strong>Filipino</strong> Immigrant Rights<br />
Task Force” to educate and organize<br />
<strong>Filipino</strong>-Americans around the<br />
issue of “genuine comprehensive<br />
immigration reform.”<br />
Numbering over 50 <strong>Filipino</strong>s<br />
from all over San Francisco, the<br />
task force united after three<br />
months of planning community forums,<br />
multi-media projects and<br />
mass-actions. These projects aim<br />
to capture the attention of congressional<br />
representatives and<br />
the public with stories that tell the<br />
triumphs and struggles of undocumented<br />
<strong>Filipino</strong>s in the U.S.<br />
“Our goal is to show the government<br />
and all of America<br />
that undocumented<br />
people in this country<br />
deserve dignity and justice,”<br />
says said Harold<br />
Butanas, an undocumented<br />
worker and a<br />
member of Migrante<br />
Northern California. “Immigration<br />
reform should be about protecting<br />
our rights and keeping our families<br />
together instead of treating us like<br />
criminals. It should not be a crime<br />
to find work to support yourself<br />
and your family.”<br />
Butanas came to the U.S. in<br />
2007 as a high-skilled welder and<br />
became a victim of human trafficking.<br />
Promised a three-year contract<br />
and a salary of $22 per hour, Butanas<br />
and 67 other <strong>Filipino</strong>s<br />
PAgeAnt ● SunDAy ● June 30, 2013, 6 PM ● Ala Moana<br />
Hotel ● Contact: Jenny Quezon at quezonj001@hawaii.rr.com<br />
59th AnnuAl inStAllAtion oF oFFicerS &<br />
BoArD oF DirectorS, FiliPino chAmBer oF<br />
commerce oF hi ● SAturDAy ● July 20, 2013, 6 PM<br />
● Tapa Ballroom, Hilton, <strong>Hawaii</strong>an Village ● Contact: Bernadette<br />
Fajardo (342-8090)<br />
MaiNlaNd <strong>NeWS</strong><br />
<strong>Filipino</strong>s in San Francisco Form Immigrant<br />
Rights Task Force<br />
worked for two months<br />
before the company<br />
dropped them from the<br />
payroll. In addition, they<br />
were paid only $18 per<br />
hour.<br />
Following Butanas’<br />
testimony, the task force<br />
discussed NAFCON’s<br />
“Principles and Demands<br />
on Genuine Comprehensive Immigration<br />
Reform,” which articulates<br />
the need to address issues of<br />
“Forced Migration” and other demands<br />
including legalization for all<br />
undocumented, ending deportations,<br />
reunification of families and<br />
an end to human trafficking.<br />
“No immigration reform is genuine<br />
unless it includes all the<br />
pieces in NAFCON’s principles and<br />
demands,” says Jun Cruz, the alliance’s<br />
public information officer.<br />
New Study Shows Asian-Americans Face<br />
Significant Housing Discrimination<br />
ASIAN-AMERICAN HOME-<br />
BUYERS AND RENTERS face<br />
discrimination and adverse<br />
treatment as or more often than<br />
other communities of color when<br />
seeking a home, according to a<br />
new study by the U.S. Department<br />
of Housing and Urban Development<br />
(HUD) and The<br />
Urban Institute.<br />
Entitled “Housing Discrimination<br />
against Racial and Ethnic<br />
Minorities 2012,” the study<br />
shows that discrimination is still<br />
widely prevalent in major metropolitan<br />
real estate markets<br />
across the country. Most alarmingly,<br />
the types and methods of<br />
discrimination uncovered by this<br />
study are generally undetectable<br />
by the home seekers themselves.<br />
“Discrimination continues to<br />
be a systemic problem in the<br />
housing industry, especially for<br />
communities of color,” says Lisa<br />
Hasegawa, Executive Director<br />
of the National Coalition for<br />
Asian Pacific American Community<br />
Development. “Housing discrimination<br />
significantly impacts<br />
educational and economic opportunities.<br />
We still have further<br />
to go as a nation to safeguard<br />
the civil liberties guaranteed to<br />
all Americans under the Fair<br />
Housing Act.”<br />
Key highlights from the report<br />
include:<br />
• On average, Asian-American<br />
homebuyers are told about<br />
15.5 percent less homes and<br />
are shown 18.8 percent less<br />
homes than non-Hispanic<br />
White buyers. Similarly,<br />
prospective Asian American<br />
renters are told about 9.8<br />
percent less homes and are<br />
shown 6.6 percent less units.<br />
• Minority home seekers<br />
whose ethnicity is more<br />
readily identifiable (according<br />
to name, physical appearance<br />
or accent, for<br />
example) are significantly<br />
more likely to be denied an<br />
appointment than minorities<br />
perceived to be white.<br />
• Asian renters are more likely<br />
than a decade ago to be<br />
shown fewer units, while<br />
trends for black and Hispanic<br />
renters seem to be improving.<br />
One anecdote shared by researchers<br />
included an Asian-<br />
American woman who was<br />
shown only one apartment and a<br />
white borrower of comparable<br />
qualifications who was shown<br />
that same apartment as well as<br />
News Edition<br />
ClASSiFieD AD<br />
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tAgAlog linguiStS who are also fluent in<br />
Maguindanao and/or Maranao. Please send us your<br />
resume and salary requirements if interested at<br />
jobs@valbin.org<br />
15<br />
bUSineSS DireCtory<br />
For more information on the <strong>Filipino</strong> Immigrant<br />
Rights Task Force, email Cruz at:<br />
jun@filipinocc.org.<br />
three additional units. While victims of this<br />
type of discrimination are often unaware of<br />
the unequal treatment, it clearly increases<br />
the length and cost of a home search, constrains<br />
opportunities and limits choices.<br />
The report concludes that fair housing<br />
enforcement alone is insufficient and calls<br />
for a multipronged strategy to encourage<br />
diverse neighborhoods and to equalize the<br />
quality of services, resources and amenities<br />
in minority neighborhoods.<br />
HaWaii-FiliPiNo <strong>NeWS</strong><br />
Philippine Naval Ship to Visit<br />
Honolulu<br />
THE PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GEN-<br />
ERAL OF HONOLULU has announced<br />
that the Philippine Navy’s<br />
newest ship, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz,<br />
is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on<br />
July 12, 2013.<br />
The ship was named after Commodore<br />
Ramon “Monching” Alcaraz, a World War II hero who commanded<br />
one of the Philippines Offshore Patrol’s Q-boat which shot down three Japanese<br />
aircraft. He and his crew were later captured and imprisoned as POWs by<br />
the Japanese. Alcaraz later retired in 1966 and died on June 25, 2009.<br />
Formerly the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz can<br />
travel at speeds of up to 28 knots and is armed with a 76 mm gun and two Mk<br />
38 mod 2 gun systems. Its acquisition maintains the momentum of the Armed<br />
Forces of the Philippines’ modernization program. The ship will also serve as<br />
a laboratory for maritime security training for the Philippine Navy.<br />
The BRP Ramon Alcaraz will leave Honolulu on July 15, 2013. Consulate<br />
officials encourage the <strong>Filipino</strong> community to attend the arrival and send-off<br />
ceremonies.
16<br />
News Edition<br />
JUne 29, 2013