OCIE Dec 10-16, 2010

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Volume 17 - No. 51 • 2 Sections— 20 Pages

DECEMBER 10-16, 2010

Palace willing to issue DATELINE USA new EO on truth body

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Filipinos sue hospital for discrimination

Group claims being singled out for English only rule A GROUP of 52 former and current Filipino-American hospital employees filed a lawsuit against their employer, Delano Regional Medical Center in California for discrimination and harassment on the basis of national origin.

The complaint was filed in the United States District Court, Eastern District of California last December 7, 2010.The action was filed against Central California Foundation for Health/ Delano Regional Medical Center and Delano Health Associates, Inc. (collectively referred to as “DRMC” or “Defendants”). The employees are represented by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.

The complaint states that DRMC discriminated against its Filipino-American employees because of their national origin and subjected the Filipino-AmeriPAGE A3

by

DELON PORCALLA Philstar.com

MANILA—Malacañang is willing to amend its executive order (EO) creating the Truth Commission or issue another one with an expanded scope to include previous presidents.

“We can include Aguinaldo in the EO if they (SC justices) want to,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Eduardo de Mesa told ABS-CBN anchors Ted Failon and Pinky Webb over dzMM radio. De Mesa was referring to Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the country’s first president who was blamed by some historians for ordering the murder of

his revolutionary rival Andres Bonifacio.

EO No. 1 created the five-member Truth Commission headed by former chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. Voting 10-5, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday declared EO 1 unconstitutional. The Palace said it would appeal the decision.

“The main objective here is for the commission to start the investigation the soonest. Otherwise, the twoyear timetable will be wasted,” De Mesa said, adding that the commission has until December 2012 to finish its work.

“It was not as harsh as we expected. At least they

Donaire sends message to Montiel

acknowledged that the executive department has the power to create commissions,” he said, referring to the SC ruling.

“The only problem is that they didn’t want it to be limited to just one particular administration,” he pointed out.

De Mesa clarified that the Truth Commission’s task is not to single out former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but to uncover the truth behind anomalies under her administration.

For Sen. Francis Escudero, an ally of President Aquino, changing the term “past administration” in the EO to the plural form may make the EO more acceptable to the SC. “If it will be amended, based on the decision, all they have to do is add ‘s’ to the phrase ‘past administration’ so that it won’t be class legislation,” Escudero said.

Escudero also cautioned President Aquino’s legal team against issuing sweeping statements against the SC. “While I also personally disagree with the decision of the court in striking down the creation of the Truth Commission, I don’t think it is right to brand the decision as political in a sweeping manner because statements such as these affect the vote of each justice, disregarding their individual opinion,” he said.

Escudero, the Senate representative to the Judicial and Bar Council, said branding the SC ruling politically motivated was uncalled for.

“As officers of the court and members of the official legal team, more respect should be accorded to the High Tribunal whether the decision penned is favorable or not to any party,” he said.

“I hope the President’s legal team will be more circumspect when issuing statements or personal opinions that may undermine some entities who actually did their job right, like in the case of this EO No. 1 decision,” he added.

Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz had called the decision a payment of gratitude to Mrs. Arroyo.

Fourteen of the 15 justices were Arroyo-appointees.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima called the SC ruling a political decision.

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ANAHEIM—Leading up to his title eliminator match, Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire Jr. said it was important for him to make a statement to Bantamweight Champion Fernando Montiel and last Saturday, he did just that at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

The Filipino Flash scored three PAROLS. Filipino children stay outside a makeshift store that sells Christmas lanterns in suburban Manilaon Wednesday Dec. 8. Christmas is one knockdowns to defeat former bantamof the most festive seasons in the Philippines, Asia’s largest Roman Catholic nation, with Filipinos lighting up their homes with bright and colorfu lanterns and preparing weeks in advance for big family reunions.

AP photo weight champion Vladamir Sidorenko of Ukraine to win the vacant WBC Continental Americas bantamweight title AS HOUSE PASSES DREAM ACT and solidified his part in a future match with the WBC and WBO bantamweight

by JOSEPH L. PERALTA champion Montiel in February.

AJPress Montiel is fighting on December 11 SACRAMENTO—The Honorable Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye was sworn in as the first hurdle as Senate Majority leader Harry

by DYMPHNA CALICA-LA PUTT and expects to win that bout easily. minority and Filipino Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court in mid-day ceremoAJPress Reid tries to get the 60 votes needed to PAGE A3 nies at the Rotunda of the State Capitol on December 3.

LAWMAKERS in the US House of Rep- advance its passage before Congress lame Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye, who wore her judicial robes over a silver blouse and resentatives passed late Wednesday night duck session adjourns. dark slacks, took her oath as the 28th California Supreme Court Chief Justice before a bill granting undocumented students in “As a group, we have the numbers to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as her family and her predecessor, Chief Justice the country a path to citizenship. motivate our senate representatives. We Ronald George, looked on.

Already, a Filipino-American commu- can call, fax and email them,” Rozita Lee It was only a few months ago that Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye was nominated by nity leader has urged members of the told Asian Journal in an interview. the Governor to the post and was later confirmed by a three-member panel of the community to call their state representaShe added, “Let us also read and eduCalifornia Commission on Judicial Appointments. In the last November elections, Can- tives and push them to vote in favor of the cate ourselves about it because people til-Sakauye received 4,764,829 yes votes from California voters that sealed the post for Development, Relief, and Education for have misconceptions about the proposed the Sacramento native.

Minors (DREAM) Act. law.”

In her brief speech, Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye told the couple of hundred people, This is because the bill, to be discussed Lee—the national vice chair of the PAGE A4 PAGE A3 in Senate on Dec. 16, still faces a tough AJPress photo by Joe Cobilla

First Filipino CA SC Chief Justice sworn in

Balikbayan from NY claims P741M grand lotto prize

by PERSEUS

ECHEMINADA Philstar.com

MANILA—The suspense is over.

A 60-year-old balikbayan from New York City showed up at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in Pasay City and claimed the P741,176,323.20 (app. $16.8 million) jackpot of the 6/55 Grand Lotto on-line lottery draw last Nov 29, ending wild speculations on who the lone winner was.

Jose Ferdinand Rojas II, PCSO general manager, told The Star that the winner was with his family and was shopping at the Royal Duty Free at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in Olongapo City when he decided to buy five lotto tickets using the lucky pick system, wherein the computer picks the number combination for the bettor.

The lotto outlet owned by Necitas Garcia that is located inside the Royal Duty Free at the SBMA sold the ticket with the winning number combination 11-16-42-47-31-37.

“He has been a lotto fan in the US,” he said.

Rojas said the winner, who is married and a devout Catholic, plans to donate a portion of his winnings to charity and his relatives in the Philippines, and put the rest of the jackpot in the bank.

The lucky winner of the biggest lotto jackpot since the PCSO launched the on-line lottery in 1995 said he would return to the US and retire there.

He will return to the Philippines after one year and retire here and live on the interest of his huge bank account.

Several men carrying handheld radios escorted PAGE A4

Fil-Ams urged to push for its support in Senate

FASO featured in Daft Punk music video and Dazed Magazine THE Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO) was recently featured in the music video of Daft Punk, a popular French electronic music duo. Consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and was met with continued success in the years following. They are credited with producing songs that were considered essential in the French house scene and have released three studio albums along with remix and PAGE A4

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From the Front Page

Palace willing to issue new...

PAGE A1 “Our legal officials should conduct themselves in a more diplomatic way when faced with odds in the exercise of their duties,” Escudero said.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, Aquino’s colleague in the Liberal Party, rebuffed the SC’s explanation of the “equal protection” clause in the Constitution.

“Going after the Arroyo administration does not mean it’s not

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giving equal protection to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: It is the crimes that her administration committed that the commission will run after, not who she is,” Pangilinan said.

“Mrs. Arroyo’s equal protection under the law will come when she is summoned to face the court and answer charges against her.

And it will be so granted, without argument, despite the crimes she is facing. In the meantime, let us give equal protection to the vic-

tims of systemic corruption,” he said.

He also reminded the SC that the people elected Aquino on the basis of his anti-corruption platform.

“That it formed the Truth Commission to go after the perpetrators of corruption in the administration that preceded it simply means it is following this mandate. The anger and backlash against corruption were simply in reaction to this past administration’s misdeeds,” Pangilinan added.

Davide hopeful Meanwhile, Davide said he hopes the SC would reexamine EO 1 and reverse its ruling against the controversial directive.

“I hope and pray that the Supreme Court will reexamine its position and grant the motion. In short, the war against graft and corruption has not been lost. The decision of the SC is not an obstacle. It should even inspire truth seekers and warriors against graft and corruption to do more and more,” Davide said in a speech before the United Nations Development Program Forum.

He stressed that EO 1 “without any doubt whatsoever does not suffer from any constitutional ambiguity or infirmity.”

Davide likened the SC ruling on EO 1 to the Sept.11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

“I am almost tempted to say that by way of similarity and impact the US has this 9/11. The Philippines now has its 12/7. The first rekindled the spirit of patriotism of Americans and strengthened the resolve to fight terrorism,” Davide said. “The second will unite decent Filipinos to strengthen the resolve to eradicate graft and corruption and to condemn, and to condemn any attempt to stop the government from seeking and finding the truth of reported large-scale graft and corruption committed during the previous administration and demanding accountability for those responsible.”

Even before its latest legal setback, the Aquino administration had already moved to strengthen its legal team, with the appointment in November of Magdangal Elma—part of his late mother’s legal team—as Presidential Assistant for Special Concerns with the rank of secretary. Elma had also chaired the Presidential Commission on Good Government during the Estrada administration.

12/9/10 5:13:07 PM

From The Front Page

(213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Filipinos sue hospital for...

PAGE A1 can workers to severe and pervasive workplace harassment. DRMC prohibited Filipino-American employees from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages under a broad-reaching, English-only policy. DRMC singled out only Filipino-American employees in enforcing the policy.

Among all their employees of various ethnicities, defendants required only Filipino-American employees to attend mandatory meetings with management. During these meetings, DRMC management told the Filipino-American employees that they were prohibited from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages at the workplace.

DRMC reprimanded them, threatened to monitor them with audio surveillance and threatened to discipline and suspend employees who will be caught speaking Tagalog. Defendants also encouraged other employees to report Filipino-American employees to supervisors, which created tension and hostility among employees. FilipinoAmerican employees were monitored, chastised and threatened by supervisors and other co-workers who constantly told them to speak English.

During the press conference held at the APALC office in Los Angeles December 7, two of the plaintiffs, Wilma Lamug and Elnora Cayme, spoke about the unfair treatment they received from DRMC management.

“DRMC’s actions made us feel humiliated, isolated, and unvalued as employees. Many of us, including myself, had worked hard for DRMC for ten or twenty years. Despite our loyalty and years of service, we were shocked that DRMC singled out Filipino-American workers and blatantly discriminated against us,” said Plaintiff Wilma Lamug, a Licensed Vocational Nurse at DRMC for more than ten years.

Elnora Cayme, a licensed vocational nurse and respiratory therapist who has worked for DRMC for 27 years, said amid tears, “I have lived in Delano since I immigrated to the States in 1978 with my parents and siblings. DRMC is our community hospital. A majority of the hospital’s staff was made up of Filipino health care professionals. I don’t know why they treated us so unjustly, even if we were all so loyal and devoted to our jobs.”

“DRMC enforced an overly restrictive and draconian English-only policy against only its Filipino-American employees that cannot be justified by a business necessity. As a result, DRMC created a workplace environment that was hostile towards its Filipino-American employees and unfortunately increased tensions between Filipino and nonFilipino employees,” said Julie A. Su, Litigation Director at APALC. APALC, on behalf of the employees, is moving to intervene in a lawsuit that was filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on August 18, 2010. The EEOC’s lawsuit alleges that DRMC’s acts of national origin discrimination and harassment violate federal law (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964).

APALC’s complaint alleges that DRMC violated federal law as well as California state law, specifically California ’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent future discrimination, as well as financial compensation from defendants for the employees.

According to EEOC, the hospital prohibited Filipino staff from speaking Tagalog while allowing non-Filipino employees to speak other languages, such as Spanish. “Employers must ensure that company policies are applied equally,” said Anna Park, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Los Angeles Dustrict Office. “Targeting workers of a particular national origin is not only illegal, it also erodes company morale – pitting groups against one another.”

Wilma Lamug said other Filipino-Americans who are victims of discrimination should not be afraid to speak up. “Don’t keep your mouth shut. Seek help like we did,” Lamug said. Elnora Cayme added, “Huwag kayong matakot o mahiya (Don’t be afraid or embarrassed.)

Speak up for your rights.”

“An employer like DRMC with a diverse clientele should view an employee’s ability to speak another language as an asset, not a disadvantage. It is reprehensible that our clients were singled out for enforcement of the English only policy and harassed. Employers need to know that this type of discrimination and harassment on the basis of national origin is illegal,” said Carmina Ocampo , a staff attorney at APALC. “We hope this case encourages other immigrant workers to do as these workers did, and stand up publicly and demand their rights.” (Cynthia de Castro/AJPress)

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OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 10-16, 2010

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First Filipina CA SC Chief...

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who crammed in the rotunda, that she is aware of the brilliant legacy left by departing Chief Justice Ron George and how he has, through his incredible performance, imparted the California judicial system with the finest reputation in the world.

Describing the Herculean task ahead of her, she said: “I am fully aware of the monumental, indescribable challenge ahead of me. I also am aware that I am prepared to happily dedicate myself to this task.”

Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye revealed that being sworn in at the rotunda of the State Capitol had incredible meaning to her for a number of reasons.

“The first reason is personal. My family, my aunt and uncles and my in-laws were all born near or in Sacramento. We live only a few blocks from here and sometimes, after church, my mother would bring us here to Capitol Park and it never dawned on us to enter the building. We were happy to be near it. And now, here we are, inside, sitting in the front row.

“Personally, also, my dear friends who I see out here. Throughout the years we have been mirrors for one other and we have been the bulb for one another. You’ve kept me sane, and you’ve made me laugh, and I skip than I’ll need more than years to come.

“Professionally, it’s important to be in the Capitol because, my colleagues – my Superior Court colleagues, my brethren in the Court of Appeals, and also my future brethren in the Supreme Court as well as my colleagues from the Bar – can be here. And I call my professional brethren my day family,” Justice Cantil-Sakauye related.

The Chief Justice gave special mention to her most recent day family, the Third District Court of Appeal, for having “graciously shared their experience, statutory interpretations with their views, arch, how to cook spam, law. We’ve had those discussions, and I am a better jurist for it. So I guess I should say to you, Third, that I think I have you to blame for this.”

“I think that it is the convergence of these three groups of people in my life that gives me great strength,” Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye surmised. “I will bring with me to this task the strength of my family, the kindness and humor of my friends, and the wisdom and experience of my friends and colleagues.”

Before ending her speech, the

Chief Justice thanked her parents, in-laws and her husband, Mark Sakauye.

Earlier, Governor Schwarzenegger received thunderous applause when he began his remarks saying, “today is a historic and proud day for California. In just a few moments, I will have the honor of swearing in the first Filipino chief justice in the history of California.”

Schwarzenegger told the audience that the departure of Chief Justice Ron George left monstrous shoes to be filled, and he searched for someone with strong experience and unimpeachable integrity, and someone who possesses a firm respect for the Constitution and an unwavering commitment to justice which led him to Tani Cantil-Sakauye.

“I could not have found a more capable and qualified nominee,” Gov. Schwarzenegger said after saying that the new Chief Justice is a living, breathing example of the American dream and an inspiring example for young boys and girls, as she put herself through college by waiting on tables.

The Governor then went on to congratulate and thank the family of Justice Cantil-Sakauye for “having raised this wonderful person right here” (referring to the newlyelected Chief Justice).”

Gov. Schwarzenegger also congratulated Ron George for “the extraordinary job he has done for the Golden State,” and told the audience that he had the deepest respect and admiration for George.

He commended George for having led the California Supreme Court the last 14 years -- issuing decisions on a variety of issues, including property and criminal law, civil rights, marriage and equality, as well as being a fierce advocate for the courts by tirelessly looking for more money and resources for the California court system.

“Ron, on behalf of all Californians, I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you for the extraordinary job you have done,” the Governor said, which was met by wild applause from the audience.

Retiring Chief Justice Ron George, for his part, issued his congratulations to both Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye and Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Saying that the new Chief Justice’s story was compelling, George revealed that Tani possesses a unique blend of skills to carry out the duties as the next Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, which is the largest judicial

NEW CHIEF JUSTICE OF CALIFORNIA. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger congratulates newly-sworn in California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye at the rotunda of the State Capitol on December 3, 2010. Looking on are Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye’s family members and retiring Chief Justice Ronald George.

AJPress photo by Joseph Peralta

system in the United States.

“Her experience as a judge, prosecutor, deputy legal affairs secretary and deputy legislative secretary will serve her in good stead. This means she has served in all three branches of government which will help her as the new Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court,” Chief Justice George said.

George also congratulated the Governor for having taken the task of judicial appointments to heart.

“You are unequaled in terms of diversity,” George revealed, refer-

ring to the California bench appointments made by Gov. Schwarzenegger. “You have appointed many women to the bench, in fact, more than any of your predecessors.”

“Now there is a majority of women in the California Supreme Court more than any point in its history,” George added. “We are all to be congratulated on our good fortune.”

Chief Justice Tani CantilSakauye begins her term on January 3, 2011. Her term will end in 2020.

Donaire sends message...

PAGE A1 “I’m coming for you,” said Donaire referring to Montiel. “This is for the people. This is what they want to see and this is what I want. I wanted to make a statement and I did.”

Donaire’s performance certainly was a statement.

Donaire moved up from the flyweight where he has reigned to the bantamweight division and in his first bout at 118 pounds, the Filipino Flash dominated.

Donaire, co-headlining Top Rank’s In Harm’s Way card, towered over the smaller Sidorenko, a former bantamweight champion and Olympics medalist, and used his tremendous reach to gain an advantage early.

In the middle of the first round, Donaire stunned Sidorenko with a two-punch combination and displayed great power by constantly punching through the Ukrainian’s blocks. With about eight seconds remaining, Donaire landed an overhand right, scoring the first of his knockdowns against Sidorenko.

Donaire scored at will. The Filipino Flash scored another knockdown in the third round. This time he landed a perfectly timed left hook to the head just as Sidorenko was angling for an inside position.

By the fourth round, Sidorenko’s face was battered and bruised.

Donaire finished off Sidorenko with a clean two-punch combination to the head. Sidorenko took a knee and did not continue.

“I give Sidorenko credit, he’s a great boxer,” said Donaire. “But I knew this fight was over the moment he signed that contract. I’m so motivated in fighting against Montiel and I know that if I train hard and prepare no one can beat me.”

Next up Montiel Montiel of Mexico is currently rated the No. 7 best pound-forpound boxer in the world. The 31-year-old Mexican is no slouch and Donaire knows he has a tough task ahead of him.

But Donaire said he’s waited for a chance to face him for several months so he’s not going to take that opportunity for granted.

Donaire said Montiel better be ready for February.

“I know I’m going to train my hardest and I’m going to do my best so he better be ready,” said Donaire. (Joseph Pimentel/AJPress)

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DECEMBER 10-16, 2010 • OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL

FRom The Front Page

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Fil-Ams urged to push...

PAGE A1 National Federation of FilipinoAmerican Associations (NaFFAA) and Presidential advisory commissioner on Asian and Pacific Islanders- said Filipinos should let their voice be heard on the issue.

“The Filipino-American community is a viable group. We matter now and our leaders know that,” she said.

It is believed the Filipino-American vote in Nevada helped Sen. Reid win the neck and neck race against his Republican foe in the November mid-term election. The victory enabled the Democrat senator to retain his position as Senate majority leader.

As majority leader, Reid remained in charge of the Senate’s legislative calendar. He has tried to have the DREAM Act passed last September as part of the Defense bill. But this was shot down by Republicans. The senator has since committed to make it a priority in Congress lame-duck session.

But even with Sen. Reid’s tireless support of the bill, prospects for its passage remain dim given the lack of interest from Congressional members.

Democrats face an uphill climb to gather the 60 votes needed over opposition by most Republicans

and a handful of their own members, an AP report stated.

Nonetheless, President Obama had already praised House leaders “for taking the historic first step of passing the DREAM Act” with a bipartisan vote last Wednesday, Dec. 8.

“This vote is not only the right thing to do for a group of talented young people who seek to serve a country they know as their own by continuing their education or serving in the military, but it is the right thing for the United States of America,” the president said in a statement.

“This vote is a vitally important step to doing what the American people expect their policymakers to do: work together to address the nation’s most pressing problems. The DREAM Act corrects one of the most egregious flaws of a badly broken immigration system,” he added.

The President noted he commends the House “moving past the tired sound bites and false debates that have pushed immigration rhetoric into the extremes for far too long.”

“The DREAM Act is not amnesty. It’s about accountability, and about tapping into a pool of talent we’ve already invested in.

FASO featured in Daft...

Balikbayan from NY...

live albums, and the Tron: Legacy soundtrack.

Wes Olson, the producer of the music teaser video, said that one of his assistants referred FASO to him when they were looking for an orchestra to join Daft Punk in the video and the film shoot for Dazed & Confused Magazine.

“I got in touch with some members of the orchestra and the meeting went well so we decided to get them for the filming,’ said Olson.

Dazed & Confused is a British-style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and is published monthly, covering topics that include music, fashion, film, art and literature. Throughout the 1990s, the magazine’s influence grew as its format evolved and the reputations of those it had championed early in their careers blossomed.

The December edition of Dazed celebrates radical visions for the future, with a world exclusive feature with Daft Punk in Los Angeles as they unveil their soundtrack for the 3D sci-fi blockbuster TRON: Legacy.

The issue of the magazine comes with specially inserted glasses in order to see the spectacular 3D shoot by photographer Sharif Hamza and styled by senior menswear editor Robbie Spencer. The photos show several members of FASO in the background.

“The magazine supposedly hit newsstands on Nov. 19.... at least in Europe..... not sure if it’s quite out here yet.... but check the newsstands! The one on Cahuenga and Hollywood Blvd (or is it Sunset Blvd?) is a good candidate to find it, or also Centerfolds on Fairfax just north of Melrose. It could possibly take another week or so before it’s out in the US though. But spread the word around,” said Olson. (AJPress)

the winner to the PCSO. As a policy the identies of lotto winners are kept secret for security reasons.

The Star spotted Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo near the room where the winner was waiting for his check.

A PCSO official said that the presence of Robredo was just a coincidence.

The winner and his escorts, for security and confidentiality purposes, had told PSCO security guards that they wanted to visit PCSO chair Margie Juico or the general manager.

The visitors were told to get security passes but when they reached the chairman’s office, the winner revealed that he would claim the jackpot.

“It took only an hour and the winner got the jackpot prize intact,” Rojas said The lotto jackpot was finally released after a nationwide frenzy over the Grand Lotto jackpot.

Juico said the lotto jackpot generated total sales of P4.1 billion (app. $93.1 million) in 86 draws.

She said 30 percent of lotto sales are used for medical and health services of indigent patients nationwide, including hospitalization assistance, medical/dental missions and ambulance donations, among other charity concerns.

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The bill gives qualified immigrants conditional status for six years, during which he or she will be required to either serve two years in the US military or complete at least two years in a 4-year degree program. After the conditional status, the person can apply for US citizenship.

Earlier this week, the White House in a series of telephone conference calls in an effort to inform the public about the piece of legislation and at the same time, sway Congress into approving it.

“We believe prospects for the DREAM Act should be good if we move past politics and look at what is good for the country,” Cecilia Muñoz, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs said in a Dec. 7 telephone conference call.

Approval of the DREAM Act in the current lame-duck session of Congress is seen as the last chance for the bill to be made into law.

Next year, Republicans will take control of the House and get a stronger minority in the Senate, virtually ending an opportunity to pass a measure that would grant millions of undocumented youth a chance to be US citizens.

“I strongly urge the US Senate to also pass the DREAM Act so that I can sign it into law as soon as possible,” President Obama said in his statement.

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OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 10-16, 2010

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Dateline Philippines Ampatuan patriarch offered P50M bribe to jail warden–DILG chief

by Abigail

Kwok Inquirer.net

MANILA—A P50-million bribery attempt was allegedly made by the Ampatuan patriarch to the warden of a local jail in exchange for his release and that of the other suspects of the massacre in Maguindanao, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo disclosed.

The bribery attempt on Chief Inspector Emerlito Moral was made several weeks before the November 23 anniversary of the killings, Robredo told Inquirer.net.

“The warden was just passing by the cell of the elder Ampatuan when the latter made a hint if the warden can help them,” Robredo said. “’O baka pwede mo naman kaming tulungan’ [Maybe you could help us],’” Robredo quoted the elder Ampatuan as saying.

Ampatuan Sr. allegedly told the warden of the Quezon City Jail-Annex in Bicutan, Taguig that he would be given an initial P10 million as down payment and the rest of the P40 million to be given

after they have escaped.

“It’s an offer to help them escape,” Robredo said.

Jail Director Rosendo Dial said Moral was relieved on his request last November 11 and was replaced by one Captain Tolentino.

This was not the first time that members of the Ampatuan clan attempted to escape. Robredo said that because of this, security has been tightened at the Quezon City jail and regular rotations of wardens were being implemented.

“Jail wardens were rotated very frequently to avoid familiarity with the accused,” Robredo said.

Meanwhile, the National Press Club expressed alarm over the bribery attempt and called on other jail officials to “resist the temptation.”

“We encourage others to immediately report similar incidents where cash was being dangled in exchange for the suspects’ freedom. Admittedly, the Ampatuan family’s enormous wealth and plundered money could already be changing hands, or could have already changed hands, as we speak,” the NPC said in a statement.

ANIMAL CIRCUS. Animal rights activists protest outside the Bureau of Animal Industry in Quezon City. They are demanding that the bureau withdraw a permit it granted to an international animal circus act that features dolphins and lions at the Araneta Center in Cubao.

Inquirer.net photo

Aquino to media: I will ‘hide and hide’ my romantic life

by Christine

O. Avendaño

Inquirer.net

MANILA—Apart from a love life perhaps, the country’s most popular bachelor has expressed his wish to media this Christmas to lay off his romantic pursuits.

At the Christmas party of Palace reporters on Wednesday night, the President said he has been looking forward to a good working relationship with the media.

“It’s been very educational working with all of you and I hope next year to be able to give you what you need earlier than later,” he told reporters. He was referring to a late press briefing that night to issue his statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to junk a Palace order that created a Truth Commission to investigate the corruption scandals of former President Macapagal Arroyo.

The Christmas party had already started when reporters had to scramble to the press briefing room when finally President Aquino showed up to make his nationwide address on his position on the controversial high court ruling.

In his Christmas message later to reporters, President Aquino asked the media to forgive him

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if he had any shortcomings, reminding them that it was Christmas time after all.

And if the media had its share of shortcomings as well, the President assured he had “let go of it, just like my hair.’’

President Aquino said he was “confident’’ that he would have “more good news’’ to say to the media next year and hoped it would “see print in the light of the day.’’

“I wish you the best for the coming year. Hopefully we could all grow, and really learn from each other more in the service of the Filipino,’’ he told reporters.

But President Aquino also asked for the nth time for the media to stop reporting on his love life as he promised that media would be the first to know if ever.

“But if you don’t leave me alone, I guarantee your pursuit won’t amount to anything,’’ he said.

Before he made that declaration though, President Aquino was good enough to take part in a game “Pinoy Henyo,’’ which was popularized in a popular television game show.

The game involved two players where one player would guess a word (written on paper and

flashed to his teammate and the audience) by first asking questions from his teammate, who in turn could only respond with a “yes, no or maybe.’’

Partnering with Business Mirror’s Mia Gonzalez, who is president of the Malacañang Press Corps, President Aquino agreed to be the one to respond to the queries to be made by Gonzalez.

Reporters and Palace officials squealed with cheers and laughter when the President was shown the paper that Gonzalez would guess (placed on a headband she wore) and which he would help her to guess. It read “Shalani,’’ in reference to his erstwhile girlfriend Shalani Soledad.

Initially, the President, who was clearly amused, asked if there was another word that Gonzalez could guess, but then agreed to play on.

It took only two seconds for Gonzalez to guess the word, which brought laughter to President Aquino and reporters.

Had Mr. Aquino pressed on for another word to play on, there were only two choices left—Kris Aquino (his celebrity sister) and Liz Uy (his erstwhile love interest).

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OPINION

The cause of charity SRI Mulyani Indrawati, World Bank (WB)’s managing director, personally visited the country’s urban poor community recently in Pasay City; going doorto-door in the homes of the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program of the government also known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) which was initiated during the Arroyo administration.

The WB, known to be one of the biggest supporters of the CCT program, approved $405 million worth of loan last Dec. 2009, in which $320million was alloted for the CCT cash subsidies. Under the CCT, the families receive cash aids on the condition that the parents will continue to send their children to school and put them on regular immunizations and checkups.

According to an article posted on WB’s website, one CCT beneficiary, Josephine Manuel, said that the cash aid has been “a great help” for buying the school supplies her children needs. She also said that the school supplies also motivates her children to do well in school. Like Josephine, most mothers in Pasay said that the cash aid was spent mostly on their children’s food, vitamins, and medicines.

Speaking in behalf of WB, Indrawati said after meeting President Aquino last Dec. 6 that the confidence that the Filipino people bestowed upon the latter has opened up a chain of opportunities; among which are the CCT, the public-private partnership (PPP), and the infrastructure programs.

However, despite its intent of alleviating poverty by

focusing on the welfare of children, the overall budget of P21billion ($481.8million) alloted to CCT for its expansion next year has caused some eyebrows to rise—especially some social welfare groups—implying that the program risks other pro-poor programs.

Social Watch Philippines (SWP), an international network of citizen’s organizations aimed at eradicating poverty and its causes, recently called out to the Congress who will approve the 2011 national budget next week, to reconsider realigning the “lump sums” alloted for projects that “do not reflect a comprehensive solution to poverty.”

SWP’s lead convenor, Leonor Magtolis Briones, said in a report from the Manila Bulletin that that the government “slashed the budget for the Indigents’ Program under the Philippine Health Insurance Program by 33 percent. The out-of-school youth only gets one percent of the Department of Education (DepEd) budget. The slash in the housing budget from P11 billion to P5.6 billion means more homeless families and informal settlers. There are about four million families suffering from hunger and yet, they reduced the budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) from P41 billion to P37 billion.”

Likewise, Prof. Marivic Raquiza of the National College of Public Administration and Governance of the University of the Philippines (UP_NCPAG) said that the “CCT only addresses issues on maternal and child mortality and on keeping children in school for five years.”

President Aquino, meanwhile, expressed his con-

FEATURES

EDITORIAL

Inquirer.net photo

cern and has called on the concerned groups who might want to suggest on improving the delivery of the CCT program that includes its guideposts and the targets it must achieve.

As it is voluntary, charity should be freely given

without any conditions and naturally does not choose no person, no time, nor place. It is not measured by how big or how little is shared, but is recognized on how much is willing to be given wholeheartedly without any feeling of regret. (AJPress)

Obama’s deal with Republicans: Weakness or pragmatism?

AFTER more than two years of debate, bickering and speculation, the question on what to do with the controversial Bush tax cuts has been addressed in Washington. President Obama has just struck a deal with Republicans to lay down bipartisan framework to extend tax cuts to all Americans for two more years, including the top 2% who are the richest of billionaires.

This was his battlecry—repeated over and over again—when he was running for President in 2008: Repeal the Bush tax Cuts for the Rich!

But as Obama himself said, when he announced the compromise, he had to give some to win some.

While he would have wanted the rich to pay the same tax rate during the Clinton years to help reduce the deficit while giving tax break to the middle class to stimulate the economy, not reaching a compromise with the Republicans would remove the lifeline support for more than two million unemployed Americans whose jobless benefits are set to expire next month.

“In exchange for a temporary extension of the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans,” Obama announced, “ we will be able to protect key tax cuts for working families—the Earned Income Tax Credit that helps families climb out of poverty; the Child Tax Credit that makes sure families don’t see their taxes jump up to $1,000 for every child; and the American Opportunity Tax Credit that ensures over 8 million students and their families don’t suddenly see the cost of college shooting up.”

Obama reminded his colleagues, particularly the liberal Democrats who were disappointed about this deal, “The American people did not send us

here to fight symbolic battles and about bringing our deficit down, win symbolic victories,” President The Fil-Am as I engage in a conversation Obama said. “They sent us here to with the American people about Perspective solve problems.” the hard choices we’re going to Republicans praised Obama for have to make to secure our fureaching out in compromise, but ture and our children’s future many Democrats called this “cavand our grandchildren’s future, ing in” to so called “Republican it will become apparent that we tantrums” as “a sign of weakness GEL SANTOS-RELOS cannot afford to extend those in our Commander-in-Chief.” They tax cuts any longer,” Obama resaid he should have “drawn the line in the sand” assured those who fear this may pave the way for and stood up for what he promised the American the Republicans to make these tax cuts for the rich people during the campaign. permanent, especially with the GOP in control of Republicans have maintained they would have the house in the next two years. much wanted to make the Bush tax cuts for all While the moderates look at this move of Obama Americans permanent, as this policy will give the as a gesture of “reaching out to Republicans” a rich and the small businesses the resources to in- signal for the GOP to work with him in issues like vest more in the economy that will help provide the passing of the DREAM Act , or the Comprejobs to jobless Americans. They have always ar- hensive Immigration Reform Law, or bills that gued that raising the taxes for anybody during a protect the environment, many Democrats do not recession will kill jobs and hurt the ailing economy share the same optimism. Republicans, they say, even more. have vowed to make ousting Obama out of office Democrats counter argue that such “trickling in 2012 as their top priority and there is no way down” of wealth does not work. The Bush tax cuts they think they will work with Obama now. The have not stimulated the economy, but instead, have Commander-in-Chief, they say, has just yielded his dug us deeper into debt and deficit after having power to the Republicans. surplus during the Clinton years. They accuse the President Obama promised that under his PresiRepublicans about being hypocritical about want- dency, there will no longer be” blue states” or “red ing to reduce our trillion-dollar deficit because this states,” and that we will be the United States of deal, they say, would mean we would have to bor- America. While the Republicans may have labeled row money from China adding further to our bal- him the most leftist polarizing President in history, looning deficit, only to give welfare to the rich.

Obama’s own partymates, ironically, have accused “But these tax cuts will expire in two years. him of betraying the ideals of the Democratic Party And I’m confident that as we make tough choices by giving in to the Republicans’ demands. As he

moves to the Center, Obama has apparently created more enemies than friends in this divided political world.

In one CNN panel discussion on Parks and Spitzer, Obama was described as making bipartsanship his end rather than his means to get things done in Washington. Crtitics say if Obama does not want to be a Jimmy Carter, he needs to be more like FDR—decisive, strong, combatant in making sure he achieves what he believes will be good for the country. Of course, we know that doing this, as evidenced by his fight on the health care insurance reform, he had been called by the conservatives as a dictator who shoves his socialist agenda down peoples’ throat.

This divisive and fiery debate will continue, and we will be hearing more toxic remarks from the right and the left. The US deficit will also continue to grow. As America finds its way out of the pits, one thing is for sure—Americans who are about to lose their homes or have feared of not having the means to feed their family as their jobless benefits expire next month have found a new lifeline in this deal with the Republicans. Obama’s “weakness” or “compromise?’ Caving in, or realistic pragmatic governance? It depends what side you are in, or whether you have a check coming in the mail next month. *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com,facebook.com/gelrelos, twitter. com/gelsantosrelos.

Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water

Street Talk GREG B. MACABENTA I KNOW this is a subject matter that the Department of Tourism and its ad agency, Campaigns & Grey, would rather not keep in the fire, but Ijust feel that the piranha syndrome has gotten in the way of creating a good campaign for Philippine tourism.

Once somebody revealed that the graphic design used in the Pilipinas Kay Ganda campaign was copied from a Polish tourism layout, everyone and his uncle began tearing away at the hapless DOT and its ad agency with comments ranging from the incisive to the insulting, and from the reasonable to the ridiculous, pretty much like a horde of that nasty fish with razor sharp teeth.

What has muddled the situation is the fact that some folks can’t tell the difference between a graphic design and a campaign theme. Many of them happen to be newspaper columnists and media commentators.

One columnist called Pilipinas Kay Ganda an “insipid” slogan ostensibly because the design was copied from a Polish design.

Duh. So,what does the design have to do with the theme statement?

Besides, if Pilipinas Kay Ganda is insipid, what about “Amazing Thailand? If the Thai campaign were not so successful, would it be insipid too?

I think the issue of the theme statement (or the slogan, as everyone wants to call it) and the graphic design should be addressed separately. The fact that the design was copied doesn’t necessarily make the concept of Pilipinas Kay Ganda or Pilipinas, the Beautiful unacceptable.

To disregard it as a concept because of the copied visualization is like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Pilipinas Kay Ganda should be evaluated on its own merits, detached from the embarrassing graphic design. There must hundreds of way to visualize that theme statement.

In fact, it reminds me of that nice campaign created by Philippine Airlines decades ago, “The beauty of the Philippines—shining through” (by my friends, Manny Gutierrez, then advertising manager of PAL, and Tom Banguis, president of the ad agency, Aviacom), Unfortunately, too many peo-

ple have already joined the piranha throng and ripped the Pilipinas Kay Ganda campaign apart.

And those involved have already stiffened their defense of or attacks against the concept. Amor propio has set it. It’s not likely that they will graciously back out of their self-righteous positions and concede that there is a lot of merit in the theme, even if it means chopping off the heads of thecopycat graphics designer and creative director.

It hasn’t helped that Yoly Ong, chair of Campaigns & Grey, lashed back at her critics by singling some of them out for a vicious counter-attack, using the folks-who-live-in-glass-housesshouldn’t-throw- stones tactic.

It’s sad, because Yoly and Greg Garcia, former who felt alluded to in her column, Pilipinas Kay Ganda, are two of the finest creative people in Philippine advertising.

Greg is former chairman and creative director of Hemisphere Leo Burnett in Manila, But I think that Greg is right about the use of the Polish design by Campaigns being indefensible.

What’s even more indefensible, however, is the way the DOT apologists tried to lamely rationalize the blatant lift-off. They

should simply have admitted the stark similarity and profusely apologized, head hung, tail between their legs, red-faced and all.

Undersecretary Enteng Romano was right in owning up to the mess and resigning. Nothing more need be said about it. Calling his act “heroic” is a stretch.

He just did the right thing, after admitting to doing the wrong thing, For sure, it’s not easy to do - being caught with your pants down and taking responsibility. Ask the US State Department and, indeed, the Obama administration and the officials on the front lines of American foreign relations, in the face of the Wikileaks Pandora’s box.

But, the harsh truth is, if this were not a world of hypocrites, we’d be hearing the nastiest things diplomats say about each other under their breath, while mouthing the most elegant language. And we’d be seeing the fangs behind the charming smiles. At least, the Koreans, from North and South, don’t have to pretend that they like each other.

I have a feeling, the person who discovered that the Campaigns & Grey design had been

copied from a Polish campaign was probably doing “research” himself (or herself), perhaps in search of “inspiration” for an advertising campaign.

In fact, I’m willing to bet that most graphics designers and copywriters have been similarly “inspired” by other people’s works. That’s why they publish those thick art directors’ books to which ad agencies subscribe, and why Harry Wayne McMahan of Advertising Age used to show the “100 best commercials” to the ad industry. To “inspire.”

What makes the Pilipinas Kay Ganda case “indefensible,” as Greg Garcia put it, is in the way the Polish design was so closely copied, whoever did it probably thought he (or she) could get away with it. That was no longer inspiration. That was just plain laziness.

Unfortunately for copycats, in this era of super Internet search engines, there’s hardly a great creative piece that hasn’t been encoded and, therefore, liable to be unearthed by a determined researcher (or intending copycat or plagiarist).

But, having said all of that, I frankly believe that Yoly is right about the Pilipinas Kay Ganda theme being on target. I’m say-

ing this, not simply on the basis of the agency’s consumer feedback, but based on my own experience and perceptions as an overseas Pinoy.

Believe me, you appreciate the beauty of the Philippines so much more if you view our country from far away and in the context of other places. I distinctly recall traveling through some countries once (I won’t name them for obvious reasons) and then flying back to Manila and being amazed at how beautiful—really beautiful—Filipinos were, in comparison, especially our women.

Of course, so much more ought to be done to support the Pilipinas Kay Ganda claim. And a budget of one hundred million pesos, quite frankly, will not buy very much time and space in the highly competitive international tourism marketing environment.

But it’s a start. And if enough efforts were exerted to harness the true believers among us overseas Pinoys, we can echo that statement and bring the message to our friends, neighbors, officemates and intending travelers wherever we live in the world.

Believe me, it’s true. Ang Pilipinas, tunay na kay ganda. (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

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Palace elated over Aquino’s high approval ratings

by Christine

O. Avendaño

Inquirer.net

MANILA—Malacañang is elated over the high approval ratings of President Aquino and his Cabinet and said this showed they continued to enjoy the trust of the people and that their “efforts are being seen as fulfilling the President’s pledge to fight corrup-

tion and reduce poverty.”

“While there have been naysayers, the survey is an indication that the President and the public are in harmony as to national goals and the way to pursue reforms needed,’’ presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement issued on Monday.

Results of a survey con-

ducted by Pulse Asia from October 20 to 29 showed Aquino having a high approval rating of 79 percent. Two other officials enjoyed majority approval ratings. These were Vice President Jejomar Binay with an approval rating of 78 percent and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile with 61 percent.

Cuisia named envoy to US MANILA—Former Central Bank governor Jose Cuisia Jr. is the country’s new ambassador to the United States.

Cuisia told The Star to replace outgoing Ambassador Willy Gaa. “I’m excited about it,” said Cuisia, who served during the administration of the President’s mother.

Friends of the newly appointed envoy said he accepted the post because “he wants to serve.”

Cuisia was Central Bank governor and chairman of the Monetary Board from 1990 to 1993, and concurrently chairman of thr Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.

Prior to that, he was administrator and CEO of the Social Security System and chairman of Union Bank of the Philippines.

He is most associated with Philam Life, which he served as president and CEO for many years.

In September 2005, Cuisia was honored as the Insurance Personality of the Year at the 9th Asia Insurance Industry Awards in Singapore, the only Filipino to receive the award, which is given by two of the most prestigious industry publications, the Singapore-based Asia Insurance Review and the London-based The Review Worldwide Reinsurance.

He was cited for his exceptional leadership of Philam Life and for significant reforms in the insurance industry. (Philstar.com) Jose Cuisia Jr.

Lacson will be arrested soon - Robredo

by Cecile

Suerte Philstar.com

Felipe

MANILA—Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo assured the people that the arrest of fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson is only a matter of time.

“I’m confident that sooner or later he will be arrested,” said Robredo.

Although there is a need for the immediate arrest of Lacson, Robredo said Lacson is not a security threat despite being a senator and a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Robredo said Lacson is facing double murder charges for the killing of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

“His case is confined to a family, this should be treated as an ordinary crime,” he pointed out.

He said the government should not telegraph its plans concerning Lacson, as this might help

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him elude arrest.

Robredo cited as an example the case of Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who was finally arrested by elements of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) when there was no information about the manhunt against him.

“When we talk about the manhunt, he (Lacson) will be more careful and will surely anticipate the operations of government forces,” he explained.

Robredo also justified his decision to reject the proposal to offer reward money for any information leading to the arrest of Lacson, who has been in hiding since early this year before a Manila judge could issue a warrant of arrest for the senator.

Meantime, the Dacer family and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) started a campaign to raise P2 million for a reward fund for the arrest of Lacson.

12/9/10 3:23:38 PM

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Dateline Philippines

DECEMBER 10-16, 2010 • OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL

Aquino slams SC decision

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Don’t stand in my way, he warns ‘blind, deaf’

by Norman

Bordadora, Marlon Ramos, Nikko Dizon Inquirer.net

MANILA—President Benigno Aquino III, reacting sharply to a Supreme Court rebuke, slammed “those pretending” to be deaf and blind, and warned he would not allow them to get in the way of his campaign against corruption.

In a nationally televised address, Mr. Aquino said that he would persist until damage to Filipinos had been rectified, declaring that

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“while I am here, I wouldn’t allow that Filipinos would be oppressed.”

The Arroyo administration, he said, is not like other past regimes and should not be treated as such, reacting to the court’s 10-5 ruling that former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s rights are guaranteed against the Constitution’s equal

protection clause.

“How can we treat an administration that served for almost two terms the same? If you are an administration that went beyond what is expected under the law, then you are indeed different from the rest,” the President said minutes after getting a copy of the court decision whose salient points were announced by a spokesperson.

“I ask those who are pretending to be blind and passing themselves off as deaf, please don’t stand in the way of my task,” Mr. Aquino said.

Asked what he planned to do next, he said that it seemed to him that the next best step was to amend the executive order creating the Philippine Truth Commission.

He said he would not allow Arroyo to become “untouchable” because that would be a sad day for Filipinos.

Thank you gift Solicitor General Anselmo Cadiz earlier denounced the decision as nothing more than “a payment of gratitude” by justices appointed

by Arroyo.

Visibly upset, he called on the magistrates to put behind them the Filipino trait of pasasalamat for the “future of our nation… children and grandchildren.”

“The justices are just humans who value relationships… and gratitude. But I’m asking them to rise above this because our accountability is to the people, not just to one person,” Cadiz said at a news conference.

The solicitor general said the court ruling was consistent with the tribunal’s past decisions, which seemed to “protect” Arroyo from corruption charges during her nine-year tenure in Malacañang.

“This is a sad day for the country because the Supreme Court prevented President Aquino from pursuing his promise to the people that he would prosecute the corruption committed by the past administration,” he said.

Abuses protected Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said in a one-page statement titled, Equal protection is protecting the many from abuses of the few, that the court ruling was a “setback in the campaign against graft and corruption.”

“The investments of the past administration in the Office of the Ombudsman and the high court

LET IT SNOW? Government officials did not expect this level of attention from some 50,000 people but when the snow turned out to be light soap suds floating over Baguio City’s Session Road, they had to deal with a few angry parents who carried disappointed children.

Inquirer.net photo

are now paying off, as present executive actions to correct injustices and abuses of the past regime and to punish the perpetrators are frustrated at every turn, not for lack of effort on the part of the present administration, but because of wise institutional investments of the past regime,” she said.

Equal protection “The voting by the members of the court on political questions, namely, on actions of the Aquino administration against the past administration, readily shows that the lines which now divide decision-making in the court are principally political and no longer doctrinal,” she said.

De Lima stressed that “equal protection applies within a class, not between a few who stole and abused, and the many from whom they stole and whom they abused.”

She noted that while the Constitution prevents the appointment of Supreme Court justices by only one Chief Executive, a “loophole” in the Constitution “prevailed” that enabled Arroyo to pack the high tribunal with her appointees.

This included the position of the Chief Justice “despite the ban on appointments, itself also declared legal along the same familiar lines of voting which have now become only too familiar,” she said.

“This is the evil which the Constitution intended to avoid, but which now appears to be rearing

its head at the cost of frustrating the administration of justice on the abuses of the past,” De Lima said.

Right is right Asked for comment, Chief Justice Renato Corona told reporters, “You read the decision and then you tell me if it’s political or not.”

He said he was not hurt by criticisms, saying “personal feelings do not matter” in his job.

Asked if he could give an assurance that the tribunal had become an Arroyo rubber stamp, Corona said: “The only assurance I can give is that right is right and wrong is wrong and right will always be right and wrong will always be wrong.”

Defiant truth commission members, in a two-hour emergency meeting in Malacañang, Wednesday vowed to carry out their mandate.

“This gave us greater courage and determination to pursue our goal,” said former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., the commission chair.

Pointing out that the solicitor general was appealing the court ruling, Davide said the panel would continue to exist until a final decision was handed down.

‘Everyone’s wondering’ Davide said he did not see any infirmity or ambiguity in Mr. Aquino’s Executive Order No. 1 and lamented that the decision might have destroyed a very important pillar of the Aquino administration

in the fight against graft and corruption.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and Solicitor General Cadiz attended the meeting which agreed to file a motion for reconsideration of the court ruling.

In the meeting, Medina said he and other commissioners expressed surprise with the manner by which the high tribunal made public its decision.

Medina said he and other commissioners were wondering why the Supreme Court decided to leak the decision even before a ruling could be written.

“Everyone’s wondering,” he said. “This is one issue which answer only the Supreme Court knows.”

Political court Cebu Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Meinrado Paredes said the decision showed that the high tribunal had become a “political Supreme Court.”

“We have to defend the institution,” Paredes said, “because it is the last bulwark of democracy,” adding that “it was like they were covering the truth.”

“Maybe, it’s payback time for the justices of the Supreme Court who were appointed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” Paredes said.

“It’s possible they will reprimand me but I have to explain. I cannot suppress my own right by not also telling the truth and giving my honest opinion.”

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Truth Body not only after Arroyo MANILA—President Benigno Aquino III defended the creation of the Truth Commission and said that he was not singling out his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He emphasized he will pursue solving cases involving officials in the Arroyo administration before his six-year term ends.

The Truth Commission is not focused on a single person only,” Aquino said in Filipino as he addressed the whole nation in a televised news conference at Malacanang Palace on Dec. 8 at around 6:45 pm.

Aquino said he received the decision at exactly 5:47 pm on Dec. 8 and admitted he needed more time to study the documents, together with his team of legal consultants.

On Dec. 7 the Supreme Court, which the reporters kept on referring to as an “Arroyo court”, ruled out that the Truth Commission was unconstitutional because it targeted one person, among other reasons.

In the same speech, though he repeatedly did not single out Arroyo, the President cited cases linked to her administration like the “Hello Garci scandal”, “NBN-ZTE deal” and the “fertilizer scam,”which he said is like a movie series with parts 1, 2 and 3.

Though not naming an actual case, Aquino also cited a midnight deal that originally cost the government P981 million but because his administration was able to intervene and made revisions on time, the budget was reduced to P600 million.

Aquino emphasized the Truth Commission would give Arroyo and others allegedly involved in the said scams to clear their names.

“Am trying to be neutral about it [high court decision] but let’s start on what actually happened on the cases involved,” Aquino said.

He added his office will file for a motion for reconsideration regarding the Truth Commission.

Listen to Aquino’s full statement in the attached radio clip from Radyo Inquirer. (Inquirer.net)

Supreme Court official denies instigating protest by judges

by Edu

Punay Philstar.com

MANILA—official of the Supreme Court (SC) denied any involvement in the protest action by judges last Dec. 6, even as the magistrates vowed to continue their protest against alleged cuts in the proposed budget of the judiciary for next year.

SC spokesman Jose Midas Marquez denied reports attributed to highly-placed sources in Malacañang that he orchestrated the “silent protest” of judges to wear black armbands and shirts when they started their week at work.

“I honestly don’t know what they are talking about,” Marquez said.

Marquez refused to comment further, saying he does not want to dignify the accusation.

Philippine Judges Association (PJA) president and Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Antonio Eugenio Jr. said the executive committee of their group had a meeting and agreed to continue with their “Black Monday protest.”

This means judges would continue wearing black shirts and armbands every Monday during flag-raising ceremonies in their respective judicial regions.

“A fund run for justice is being organized and after Christmas break, a summit for all judges in Manila,” Eugenio said.

Marquez reacted to the allegations made by sources in Malacañang that he was in touch with Deputy Administrator Raul Villan-

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ueva and Eugenio for the judges’ protest action against the cut in judiciary’s proposed P27.1-billion budget for next year. The government has submitted to Congress a budget of P14.3 billion for the judiciary.

Eugenio confirmed this claim of the SC official.

“This is a collective action of three associations of lower court judges. The Supreme Court has nothing to do with it,” he stressed, although the SC said it is keeping its appeal for the approval of the proposed P27.1-billion budget for next year.

He said it is important for the SC to fund its key programs and also to fund salaries and allowances of trial court judges and employees to ensure rightful dispensation of justice in all cases.

Ma. Victoria Gleoresty Guerra, the acting chief of the SC’s public information office, refused to comment when asked if the SC would consider imposing sanctions on judges who joined the protest.

Guerra, however, clarified that the action cannot be considered as a “judicial revolt.”

“They remained in their stations, and their work was not disrupted so it’s not a judicial revolt,” she stressed.

The SC issued a strongly worded statement last September, warning of a possible “judicial revolt” over cuts in its budget for next year.

The SC said there is a limit in the performance of justices, judges and personnel of the judiciary

of their sworn duty to decide cases expeditiously and dispense justice fairly despite insufficient appropriations from national coffers in the past four years.

The SC had admitted—probably for the first time—that its courts have been “under intense pressure” and have been “steadily weakened” by the lack of sufficient funding from government.

This problem in funding is expected to continue up to next year when the judiciary stands to receive a measly 0.78 percent of the national budget.

Marquez earlier said judges and justices have not been receiving their full wages and allowances from 2007 up to now.

Apart from this, the SC lamented how it continues not to act on dilapidated courtrooms, citing for instance the Manila trial courts, the old dilapidated building of the Ombudsman, and the antiquated condemned structure of the GSIS due to lack of a hall of justice in the capital.

The SC also revealed that budget problems in the judiciary extend even to retired judges and justices.

Marquez had explained that the cuts in the proposed budget of the judiciary would impact on the judiciary’s personnel services, fund for retirees, health allowances for workers and capital outlay.

He was earlier set to meet with Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. to discuss the budget cut proposal but the meeting has yet to push through.

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News Briefs Non-EU workers reduced by UK Non-European Union (EU) workers—that include Filipinos—without job offers might find it hard to secure a working visa by 2011 due to the recent statement released by the British Embassy that the number of non-EU workers will be cut due to planned immigration changes that includes the reduction of net migration.

UK Home Secretary Theresa May of the British Embassy recently released a statement reducing the number of issued visas from 13,000 to 1,000 skilled non-EU migrants without job offers under an immigration program called the Tier 1, while an increase of 7,000 to 20,700 visas will be issued to non-EU migrants who fall under the program of Tier 2.

According to the UK Embassy, the Tier 1 program currently entitles non-EU migrants to work and live in the UK for two years and apply for an extension of three years thereafter; while the Tier 2 are for those migrants who are offered a position before coming to the UK and can work and live there within three to five years.

A report from Manila Bulletin said that the 2.2 million migrants in the UK was twice the population of Birmingham alone over the past administration that led to the tightening of the economic routes.

Multimillionaire still unknown - PCSO The winner of the P741.1 million (app. $17 million) from the recently drawn 6/55 Grand Lotto last Nov. 29 is still mystery according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

PCSO publicity and advertising manager, Manny Garcia said in an interview with The Star that as of December 6, the winner of the grand lotto still has not claimed his or her prize at the PCSO office in Pasay City.

Should the jackpot prize remain to be unclaimed after a year, it will be added to PCSO’s charity fund instead.

Mandatory tree planting for students seen The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) plans to make tree planting compulsory to students with Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija as a the first area for the project.

The planned mandatory tree planting will involve college students who are currently taking up the National Service Training Program (NSTP) and may even include the elementary students according to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje.

Paje also said that DENR will supply seedlings to students, eyeing one student to take care of each seedling and use vegetable matter or animal waste as fertilizer. The planting efforts of the students will be compensated by the DENR by providing the students school supplies.

Escudero addresses high OFW placement fees To help Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are mostly in debt even before they get deployed due to high fees set by some recruitment agencies, Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero recently filed Senate Bill No. 2601 or the Fair Placement Fees for OFWs Act of 2010 that ensures OFWs to get a fair deal in the recruitment process.

The bill, which is yet to be approved by the Committee on Labor and Employment, also prohibits the collection of placement fee higher than the placement fee fixed and determined by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA); collecting placement fee before job availability; not issuing receipts for any fee collected from the OFW; not returning the placement fee when deployment does not materialize; demanding an OFW to issue post dated checks to guarantee payment of placement fee; and forcing an OFW to borrow money only from designated persons or lending institutions.

Should the bill be passed, violators will be punished by six years imprisonment or sanctioned P100,000 ($2,294) to P500,000 ($11,574) or both.

Tourists expected to flock toBaguio this Christmas season Baguio City is expecting many tourists to visit this month because of the city’s cool weather and different Christmas attractions that is seen to generate an income of P375million (app. $8.6million) from foreign and local tourists alike.

According to Baguio City’s local website, activities such as the Parol on Wheels, wherein one can witness attractive and uniquely-lighted parols as it is displayed via a parade at the town proper; and boat-rowing in the Burnham Lake is one of the many sought-after Yuletide activities expected to draw tourists every month of December.

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FUTURE FORWARD IN PINOY 3D ANIMATION AND CINEMA

‘RPG Metanoia’ reflects the modern world of Filipino kids and gaming

by JULIE MATIENZO AJPress

P

INOY animators will surely make their kababayans proud in the first ever full-length 3D animation in the Philippines, RPG Metanoia.

RPG Metanoia not only boasts as one of Star Cinema’s official entry to the upcoming Metro Manila Film Festival, but most important, the world class 3D film prides itself of being rated “A” by the Cinema Evaluation Board as well as having an all-Filipino production from the director, Louie Suarez, to the 26 animators, and the dubbers which stars the voice of Zaijan Jaranilla and many other big stars.

A timely film that reflects the modern world of Filipino kids today, RPG Metanoia taps on the popularity of the Massively multi-player online role playing games (MMORPGs).

The story revolves around Nico (Zaijan), a typical kid who is hooked into playing the MMORPG game called the Metanoia as influenced by his father (voice of Aga Muhlach) who is a web-content developer based in Dubai.

When Nico plays Metanoia, he engages himself into his daring vagabond avatar named Zero. It is in playing Zero that Nico finds his inner bravado which he never gets to show in real life to the other boys that bully him in his neighborhood.

Together with his friends, Bryan (Jairus Aquino), Bobby (Aaron Junatas), Mark (Basty Alcances), and May (Mika dela Cruz), Nico will battle out evil forces that will test their courage and camaraderie in the world of Metanoia.

Like Nico, his friends also spend most of their time in front of the computer playing Metanoia with their respective characters with different powers.

Bryan, the leader of the group and Nico’s best friend, is the spiritistturned-monster hunter Mang Ernie whose weapons include an extradimensional hat and a deflecting device which disguises itself as an umbrella. Bobby “the geek,” controls the character Sumpak, the weapon smith who carries with him a back pack loaded with ammunitions. Mark is the “vain and ego-centric” boy who always wants to get the attention of the girls, thus choosing to play the avatar Ahdonis--a folk hero with a tattoo on his chest that gives him invulnerability. May is the “dream girl” who gives off the tough impression and plays the character of C4SS4NDR4, the beast master with the ability to create an energy shield to form an armor.

RPG Metanoia is one of the most anticipated movies in the coming MMFF because of its fresh and world-class appeal especially to kids and teenagers. From the trailers alone, it has gained praises from anime fans on Youtube.

Meanwhile, the director of RPG Metanoia, Louie Suarez remained unfazed by critics’ comments last December 5 during the sneak peek of RPG Metanoia saying in an interview with PEP that the effort that the production team has alloted in the project is what will ultimately matter.

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The director also believes that the Filipino audience has matured a lot to appreciate an animated movie like RPG Metanoia. He also assured everyone that the production team gave their “one hundred percent” as they make the film that took five years of meticulous hard work.

Meanwhile, for Zaijan, dubbing the character of a lead character of an animated movie is dream come true being a game fanatic as well.

“Masaya kasi nanonood lang ako pero ngayong nag du-dubbing na ako at ako na yung bida dun sa cartoon (I was happy [dubbing] to think that before I only get to watch [animated films] but now I dub the lead character of a cartoon),” Zaijan said in an interview with Sunstar.

The film also stars the voices of Eugene Domingo playing as Nico’s mother; Vhong Navarro who lends his voice as Cel, the owner of the shop called the Bombshelter; Ketchup Eusebio as Andrew and Igiboy Flores as David.

A film by Ambient media in partnership with Star Cinema and Zaijan Jaranilla and Aga Muhlach Thaumatrope, RPG Matanoia is also about “finding the hero within” according to Suarez.

RPG Metanoia will be shown in local theaters on December 25, 2010.

Jairus Aquino, Aaron Junatas, Zaijan Jaranilla, Mika dela Cruz and Basty Alcances

Eugene Domingo and Mika dela Cruz

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Barrister’s Corner

Reinstating a deceased petitioner’s family based petition

It is very common for beneficiaries of family based petition to wait many years before their petition’s priority date becomes current. This is usually the case with US Citizen parent petitions to adult son or daughter. This is also common among petition’s between Siblings. What happens when the Petitioner dies? Are all those years of waiting wasted? Not quite.

Normally, the Petition is automatically revoked once the Petitioner dies.

However, all is not lost by the death of the Petitioner. The beneficiary has a couple of options depending on whether they are inside the US or outside the US. The beneficiary may either avail of the new INA 204(l)if the beneficiary is inside the US at the time the petitioner’s death and continues to reside inside the US. Alternatively, if the beneficiary is outside the US, beneficiary may seek to reinstate the petition based on humanitarian grounds. The DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) may exercise discretion “for humanitarian reasons” to reinstate the petition and to allow the Affidavit of Support requirements to be satisfied by the qualifying I-864 of a souse, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, grandparent,

Atty. Kenneth Ursua Reyes

4

or grandchild or legal guardian of the beneficiary, as long as the petition was “approved” prior to the Petitioner’s death.

DHS discretion does not mean “guaranteed” approval. The case will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Some of the factors that the DHS may consider are 1) disruption of an established family unit; 2) hardship to US citizens or lawful permanent residents; 3) beneficiary is elderly or in poor health; 4) beneficiary has had lengthy residence in the US; 4) beneficiary has no home to go to; 5)undue delay by USCIS or consular officer in processing petition and visa; 6) and Beneficiary has strong family ties in the United States.

The beneficiary must be prepared to show proof of the original I-130 that was filed, proof of I-130 approval, a copy of the Petitioner’s death certificate, proof of substitute sponsor’s relationship to the beneficiary, and meet all the I-864 requirements. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@aol.com; Website kenreyeslaw.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

Verizon Wireless launches the world’s largest 4G Lte wireless network on Dec. 5 Laptop users benefit first from fastest and most advanced wireless network, Arriving in 38 major metropolitan areas with new value-priced 4G data plans

BASKING RIDGE, NJ—Verizon Wireless announced recently it is turning on the world’s first largescale 4G LTE network on Sunday, Dec. 5. Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network will be the fastest and most advanced 4G network in America. Laptop users will be the first to take advantage of the 4G LTE network with speeds up to 10 times faster than the company’s 3G network.

With the launch, Verizon Wireless is also offering new valuepriced 4G LTE Mobile Broadband data plans starting at $50 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance, as well as two new 4G LTE USB modems, the LG VL600 and Pantech UML290.

Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless, said, “Beginning Sunday, Verizon Wireless is making the best

network even better. Our initial 4G LTE launch gives customers access to the fastest and most advanced mobile network in America and immediately reaches more than one-third of all Americans, right where they live. That’s just the start. We will quickly expand 4G LTE, and by 2013 will reach the existing Verizon Wireless 3G coverage area.”

Road warriors using laptops will immediately benefit from Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network with superfast connectivity that’s up to 10 times faster than the company’s current 3G network. The company expects 4G LTE average data rates in real-world, loaded network environments to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.

Mead continued, “We are building our 4G LTE network with the same commitment to performance and reliability for which we have long been recognized. Our commitment to superior network performance, combined with broad 4G coverage areas and the strong value of our data plans make 4G LTE Mobile Broadband the best choice for laptop users.”

4G LTE Mobile Broadband Data Plans, Devices and Coverage Areas Verizon Wireless customers can choose from two 4G LTE Mobile Broadband data plans: $50 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance or $80 monthly access for 10 GB monthly allowance, both with $10/GB overage. For laptop connectivity, two 4G LTE USB modems are available at

What relief is available for misrepresentation of material fact?

Question: Is Mario qualified for the waiver?

Answer: To avail of this waiver Mario must: 1. Have a parent or son or daughter who is Lawful Permanent Resident or US citizen. In this case Atty. Crispin Lozano he has his father who is a US citizen.

2. Mario must be otherwise Question: Mario was petitioned admissible at the time of

by Jose, his father who is a Lawful admission except for the fraud Permanent Resident in 1985. His or misrepresentation. In this case father became a US citizen in 1993.

Mario must have no criminal Mario got married to Linda in 1988. records that will disqualify him.

Mario and Linda have a child born Question: What is the purpose of in 1989 named Cindy. In 1991, Mario this waiver? was interviewed at the US Embassy, Answer: The purpose of this Manila for an immigrant visa. He waiver is maintain unity of families declared that he was single and has by forestalling deportation where no child. Based on this declaration he it would break up family composed was given a visa and entered the US in part of US citizens or lawful in 1992. Mario married Linda again permanent residents. in 1993 and filed an immigrant visa Question: What will happen if the petition for his wife and daughter. waiver is granted to Mario?

The petition was denied because the Answer: This waiver is USCIS discovered his prior marriage discretionary to the Immigration to Linda in 1988 and committed a Judge. If granted the waiver cures misrepresentation of material fact the defect in the immigrant visa by not disclosing his marriage to of Mario allowing him to become Linda in 1988 and the existence of a lawful permanent resident as his daughter. Mario received a Notice of the date he was admitted as to Appear to the Immigration Court. permanent resident in 1991.

What is Mario’s immigration status?

Note: This is not a legal advice.

Answer: Mario committed Immigration news a fraud or misrepresentation of The USCIS may check your material fact in obtaining a visa at personal information on Facebook. the US Embassy. By entering the US The Ninth Circuit Court decided without disclosing his marriage and that the death of US citizen parent children is again a misrepresentation will not be a hindrance to seek to the US Immigration Officer. These waiver of misrepresentation. two acts of misrepresentation made On March 17, 2010 we received Mario inadmissible and deportable. an approval in Immigration Court Question: What is the relief of adjustment of status for a available to Mario? conditional residence whose status Answer: Mario may request the was terminated before. When a immigration court for a waiver of conditional residence is terminated the misrepresentation. the USCIS will refer the alien to

removal proceedings.

On January 5, 2010, we received an approval in Immigration Court of an adjustment of status based on good faith marriage despite an age difference of 18 years.

On Dec. 7, 2009, our client Ms. E was approved for a waiver of misrepresentation in the Immigration Court. In another case, on October 29, 2009, our request for waiver of misrepresentation for entering as single but actually married for our client Mr. D in Fresno, CA was approved by the Immigration Judge.

Tips of the week Petitioner’s death is not a problem if the beneficiary is in the US when the petitioner died and at the time of adjustment of status.

Abused spouse of US citizen or permanent residents can self petition even if there is a problem with their passport and entry documents.

Income tax filing is required in the proposed legalization.

Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) can be used for filing tax returns and is required before bank accounts can be opened. It is also needed by employers to charge to expense payment for contractual job. Our office assists clients in obtaining ITIN. ***

launch: the LG VL600 and the Pantech UML290, each $99.99 after $50 rebate with a new two-year agreement. Both USB modems provide backward-compatibility with Verizon Wireless’ 3G network.

If laptop users travel outside of a 4G LTE coverage area, they will automatically stay connected on the company’s 3G network.

The two modems harness the power of the company’s 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network to help enterprise, business and government customers make their workforces more productive,

areas and in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast – at both airports within the launch areas plus airports in other key cities. Street level coverage area maps will be available online on Dec. 5. Customers can go to www. verizonwireless.com/4Glte to check if their addresses will be in the initial 4G LTE coverage area.

Spectrum and Network Partners By leveraging its 700 MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the United States, Verizon Wireless Continued on Page 5

Homeowner’s Highlights

providing super-fast laptop connectivity. Both modems are available at launch in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, online at www.verizonwireless. com and through the company’s business sales channels. Additional laptop modems from a variety of partners are expected to be available in the coming weeks.

The company expects consumer-oriented handsets will be available by mid-2011.

Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network is initially launching in 38 major metropolitan

Crispin Caday Lozano is an active member of the State Bar of California and he specializes in immigration law. His offices are located at 17057 Bellflower Blvd. Suite 205, Bellflower, CA 90706 and 1290 B Street, Suite 205, Hayward, California 94541 and at 777 N. First St., Suite 333, San Jose, CA 95112. You can contact him at telephone (562) 461-1355 and (510) 538-7188.

(Advertising Supplement)

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5 Long awaited hotel at Valley View Casino is now open

VALLEY CENTER—Valley View Casino cut the ribbon and opened the doors to its new luxury boutique hotel this morning for its eager guests.

The upscale adults-only casino hotel offers gaming enthusiasts the thrill of Las Vegas with the added advantages of superior guest service, Certified Loose slots, Southern California’s best buffet and six other delicious restaurants, all with the convenience of being an easy drive from anywhere in Southern California.

“Our guests often tell San Pasqual Casino Development Group Board of Directors including Bruce Howard, Joe Navarro and us that they love our casino 50TH BIRTHDAY. To celebrate his 50th birthday on December 10, Melvin Ramos is shown with friends and family at Ten Ten Restaurant in Chairman Allen Lawson cut the ribbon and welcome eagerly awaiting guests to the new hotel.

Anaheim, California. Shown in photo are the Gopez family, Bertolome family, and Hilda and Garland Goson.

Photo by Joe Cobilla so much they never want to leave—and now they can stay in our beautiful hotel!” said Bruce Howard, and the separate living room features a secgeneral manager at Valley View Casino & ond 52” TV, fold out sofa bed, coffee table, Hotel. “Not only do we offer San Diego’s only sitting table, personal refrigerator, coffee Certified Loose slots, the best table games, maker and microwave, free wireless hi-speed amazing restaurants, live entertainment and internet access and more. The bathrooms also first-class guest service, but now with our new feature imported marble and granite floors LOS ANGELES—Kapampangans and friends will parols which give Pampanga the additional monicker of hotel our guests are able to extend their enand countertops, dual vanity mirrors and sepacelebrate the 439th anniversary and foundation day of being the Parol capital of the Philippines. tertainment experience and spend the night rate enclosed shower and bathtub. the Province of Pampanga on December 11, from 10am Pampanga until today is known as the culinary art in a gorgeous, comfortable hotel room so the Valley View Casino & Hotel includes excitat the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in capital of the Philippines; known for its mouth-watering fun never has to end!” ing perks that make every hotel stay special. A Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California. food entrees, among them betute, tucino, burung asan Surrounded by breathtaking views of complimentary poolside breakfast is included Pampanga was among the earliest settlements of at talangka, boboto (tamales) and “sisig” which was the the picturesque Palomar Mountain range, daily for hotel guests, and the rooms come the Spaniards because of its proximity to the City of favorite among the Kapampangans’“lutong-bahay” the hotel features 96 Deluxe Rooms and 12 stocked with complimentary bottled water.

Manila. One among its cities, Angeles City, was the site of former President Ferdinand Marcos. Press record Luxury Suites. Deluxe Rooms feature 520 Additionally, Valley View Casino & Hotel does of the first Philippine Independence Day celebration showed the former president will not pass Angeles City square feet of comfort and stunning views not charge any taxes or resort frees, and overafter General Emilio Aguinaldo’s proclamation in Cavite. without first stopping to his favorite “sisig” carinderia. from every room, as well as luxurious platform night valet and garage parking is always free.

This fourth year Los Angeles celebration gives Celebrated worldwide by Kapampangans and beds dressed with 300 thread count sheets “Today is a huge milestone for Valley View another chance for Kapampangans and devotees to join related organizations, the Los Angeles celebration and plush bedding, a spacious sitting area, Casino and the San Pasqual Tribe,” said Joe the public in praying the Rosary honoring the Virgen will be highlighted by cultural programs, culinary a 42” HD TV, imported marble and granite Navarro, president/CEO of the San Pasqual de los Remedios, Patroness of Pampanga. Manangs arts and display of parols. There will be a serving of floors and countertops in the bathroom, dual Development Group, Inc., the tribe’s gamand prayer leaders from Pampanga and other prayer Kapampangan-style foods and mini entertainment vanity mirrors, separate enclosed shower and ing corporation. “We have been waiting to communities are invited to join the praying of the program. Raffle will be held on the same day and bathtub and more. open our hotel doors and raise the bar on the Rosary in native Kapampangan. on-the-spot holders of winning stubs will be given the The Luxury Suites truly live up to their Southern California casino hotel experience A concelebrated mass by Fr. Rodel Balagtas, Pastor prizes during the celebration. Invited choir ensemble name with 1,050 square feet of living space. for a very long time!” of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.will follow, will sing Christmas Carols and serenade the guests and The floor-to-ceiling windows provide specFor more information about Valley View with floral offerings to the Virgen de los Remedios. Mrs. attendees during the day. tacular panoramic views of the surrounding Casino & Hotel or to book your reservation, Nymia Cucueco will serve as the hermana mayor in This year’s celebration is led by Rodel and Shirley mountains and valleys. The bedroom features visit ValleyViewCasino.com or call (760) 291charge of the Rosary and the Mass participants. Over-all Lumanog, Josie Borja and Chuck Phillips, Mike and a plush platform king bed and a 52” HD TV, 5500.

(Advertising Supplement) coordinator of the church activities is Mr. Vidal Aguas.

Nymia Cucueco, Ruby Beth Paguinto and Larry “Placer” The courtyard of the Church will be decorated with Pelayo. (LGPelayo).

Kapampangans celebrate 439th anniversary of Pampanga

PASCPA Annual Christmas Party on Dec. 18 It’s that time of year—Christmas is almost here. PASCPA cordially invites you to their Annual Christmas Party on Saturday, December 18 starting from 4pm at 4515 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041.

Let’s all come together and celebrate. Bring all your loved ones and friends. Entrace fee is $15 per person, all kids come FREE! See you all there!

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Verizon Wireless...

From Page 4 is capable of quickly deploying a high-quality wireless broadband network with excellent coverage.

Verizon Wireless’ primary 4G LTE network vendors, Ericsson and AlcatelLucent, are providing the underlying infrastructure for the 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network.

Visit for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.

(Advertising Supplement)

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Simbang Gabi Phil Consulate The Catholic Fellowship of Young Filipino Professionals cordially invites friends, families and followers of Simbang Gabi to join the Filipino-American young professionals of the Tri-State area and the Philippine Consulate General New York as they celebrate their annual nine-evening ‘Simbang Gabi’ masses at Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center located at 556 Fifth Avenue New York, New York. The Masses will be held from 2:30pm - 5pm and 630pm - 9pm.

DECEMBER 11

8th Annual San Francisco Parol Lantern Festival A must-see event during the holiday season, the San Francisco Annual Parol Lantern Festival and Parade begins with a series of parol lantern-making workshops held at the Bayanihan Community Center (1010 Mission St. on 6th Street), every Friday night from 5:30pm to 8pm and in other community centers. The parol-making workshop is open to the public. The parols made during these workshops are then displayed during our anticipated parade & festival held in Yerba Buena Lane, Jessie Square and St. Patrick’s Church. For more information contact Parol Festival at (415) 348-8042, email parolsf@gmail.com or visit www.bayanihancc.org.

Celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Pampanga Day Celebration) In the essence of celebrating Pampanga’s remarkable history and rich culture, a mass will be held in honor of Pampanga’s Patroness,the Virgen de los Remedios, on December 11 at 10am at the Immaculate Heart of Mary 4950 Santa Monica Blvd., LA 90032. The mass will also be the highlight of the event. Members of the Filipino-American community are invited. For inquiries and details, please call Rodel at (818) 424-8882 or Larry (323) 356-6065.

Voices of Worship All are invited to attend the Voices of Worship (VOW) dinner concert on Dec. 11 at the River of Praise Tabernacle, Bayonne, NJ from 7-9pm. Songs will be rendered by Ellen San Miguel, Kats Alvir, Samuel Sonsona, Ptr. Allan Del Mar, and Ptr. Chyril Nicose. All proceeds will go to Missions and Church fund. For more info contact Ptr. Chryil Nicose (917) 575-6282; Ptr. Allan Del Mar (551) 221-0903; and Sam Sonsona (201) 456-6082.

3rd Simbang Gabi at Mater Dolorosa Everyone is invited to attend the 3rd Annual Commissioning Mass and Parol Lighting Ceremony at the Mater Dolorosa Church, 307 Willow Ave., South San Francisco, CA 94080 on Dec. 11. Event starts at 9:30am and the Commissioning Mass at 1:30pm. For more information contact to contact Ms. Nellie Hizon at nelliehizon@yahoo.com or Estele Oloresisimo at estele_o@ yahoo.com.

Pasko sa Carson The CONFAA and the Philippine Independence Day Foundation will hold the Christmas celebration, Pasko sa Carson, on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7pm at the church hall of the St. Philomena Catholic Church on Main St. between 220th and Carson St. Admission is free. Those who will come to the holiday concert are encouraged to bring unwrapped Christmas toys for the poor children in the Philippines. For more info, call Joe at (310) 549-3111 or Fe at (310) 513-1030.

STBA Christmas Party The Sto. Tomas Batangas Association of Southern California will celebrate their Christmas Party (poltluck) at Alex & Fe Dorado’s house in Chino Hills on Saturday, December 11, 2010 from 12nn - 7pm. For directions and other information, please call Willie Manacsa (818) 3413472, Alex & Fe Dorado (909) 896-1980, Myrna Jaurigue (909) 247-4944, Ofie Villanueva (626) 383-4152, Rosie Sancianco (909)519-6626, Nemia Ventura (626)912-2642, Josie Malaiba (909) 374-3251, Dolly Hernandez (626) 735-1222, Ric Malaiba (562) 692-7363 or Jojo Espiritu at (626) 964-4560.

DECEMBER 12

UPPAGC Christmas event The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Chicago (UPAAGC) will hold its traditional Christmas event on December 12, 2010 at 700 South Barrington Rd, Streamwood, Illinois 60107. Visit upaagc.org for more details or contact Grace Avellana Villamora, President UPAAGC at (773) 973-4260 or president@upaagc.org.

Philippine Chamber Rondalla of NJ The Philippine Chamber Rondall of NJ would be holding a Celebratory concert at St. Peter’s College’s Roy Irving Theatre, 2641 Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07306. Please order your tickets now by contacting (908) 359-3297 or (732) 207-3284. General admission is $15 ($20 at the door). For children aged 10 and younger-$5. Feel free to call us for additional information.

DECEMBER 10-16, 2010 www.asianjournal.com

DiamonD HonDa of GlenDale Building lasting partnerships by offering the perfect car Buying a car can be so confusing especially when one does not know how to determine a good buy from a bad one. With many car dealers around, one may think that getting the perfect car will be easy—only to be disappointed because it was harder than imagined with every car dealer claiming that they offer the best among the lot, a potential buyer is left boggled on who to turn to in search for the perfect car. Sad to say, most car dealers today are more interested in the person’s money and does not focus on what a customer is looking for.

At Diamond Honda of glendale, however, trust among buyers and long-term customer relationships are considered to be the main goals of the business as it shows in its quality service and a hundred percent customer satisfaction. This is the vision of Mr. Tanai Hassoun, the general manager of Diamond Honda of glendale; Mr. Hassoun stresses that the main objective of the company does not lie on making a sale alone, but rather on serving the community and showing them that Honda of glendale cares for them and that it is worthy of its customer’s trust and loyalty.

Mr. Hassoun appreciates loyalty and harmony above anything else. As a person who has accumulated an experience of 26 years in the car dealership business, he says he has met people from different walks of life and that he considers Fil-Am customers as very kind-hearted people and ideal to do business with.

That is why, he also considers Filipino staff like Filipino Sales Consultants Miko Cardenas, John Rodis and Tito Adriosula to be included in the Diamond Honda of glendale because of the Pinoys’ strong, committed, and skilled quality that attracts more customers in the coming years.

The Diamond Honda of glendale, with its accommodating

UBSCI Christmas Party

staff, offers a wider array of brand-new and certified preowned cars where customers can choose from.

“Our team will make sure that your car shopping experience will be enjoyable,” Mr. Hassoun assures. in line with building long -term partnerships with its customers, Mr. Cardenas, who has been in the car business for eight years, believes that providing a fair deal to customers and assess issues that have to do with the vehicle in a timely manner so as to avoid conflict and build stronger partnerships.

For years, the financial staff at Diamond Honda of glendale has offered expert advice for those in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Silvelake, Echo Park, Alhambra, north Hollywood, seeking an affordable Honda car loan or lease. its service doesn’t just stop there. Los Angeles customers can come in and take advantage of its knowledgeable Honda car repair technicians and a fullystocked inventory of Honda auto parts.

The best-sellers at Diamond Honda of glendale are Honda Accord, two cars which are known for its practicality and dependability—qualities which also best describes the Parts and Services department of Diamond Honda of glendale.

A car onlooker can also take

a test drive! All that he or she has to do is to ask the sales staff to help him find that new Honda or quality used car that he has long been searching for.

Diamond Honda of glendale is located at 138 S. glendale Ave., glendale, CA 91205.

Parts and Services are open from Mondays to Saturdays, 9am-6pm and Sales are open from Mondays to Sundays, 9am-9pm. For more information, visit their website at http://diamondhondaofglendale.com or call (818) 2448674 for Parts and Services or (626) 354-5513 for John Rodis or (818) 468-3497 for Tito Adriosula.

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United Pangasinanes of America, Inc. Annual Christmas Dance You are invited to please join us celebrate the Christmas Annual dance on December 12, 2010 (Sunday) at Grosvenor Hotel, 380 South Airport Boulevard , Burlingame, CA from 3pm to 8pm. Music will be provided by DJ Nolly Yamzon and food will be served. Donation is $35. For tickets and reservations, please call Edna M. Roxas at (650) 296-1659, Violeta Abad at (415) 3371891 or Ernie Abalos at (415) 533-8391.

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Recognizing excellence through diversities

The United Batangueños of Southern California will hold its Annual Christmas Party at the Mayflower Restaurant - 679 N Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 on Sunday, December 12, 2010 from 6 - 11pm. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. www.midnightmotionband.com For other details, please call Eric Villafranca (323) 224-8764, Nora Jusi (213) 3246985, Romy Elepano romyelepano@yahoo.com, Willie Manacsa (818) 341-3472, Cely Anuran (805) 530-2836, Liling Emnace (213) 483-6146, Zenny Zoleta 909) 732-9589 or Rose Pascua at (323) 382-1124.

SCV Filipino Ministry Choir’s ‘A Night Of Christmas Carols’ The SCV Filipino Ministry Choir performed magnificently during the OLPH Thanksgiving Concert and commendations echoed all throughout the evening. Here’s your chance once again to experience their musical gift. Join them on Dec. 12, 2010 starting at 5pm, for an evening of Christmas Carols, and let them fill your hearts with the Holiday Spirit! So mark your calendar and don’t miss out on this glorious musical journey! Admission is Free and donation will be appreciated. For further information, please call Roy Remigio at (661) 310-4549.

DECEMBER 15

Simbang Gabi at the Cathedral The whole Filipino community is invited to attend the traditional Archdiocesan Simbang Gabi at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Dec. 15 at 6:30pm. For any questions, you may get in touch with Ms. Cora Aragon Soriano (213) 999-1993.

DECEMBER 17

6th Annual Parol Parade and Contest All are invited to watch the 6th Annual Parol Parade on Dec. 17 at 5:30pm. The parade route will start from the Manila Terrace Social Hall 2328 W. Temple St., Los Angeles CA, 90026. It will then proceed from Temple St to Carondolet St to Council St to Park View St to Beverly Blvd To Rampart to Benton Way and will end at the Center of Hope at Temple St. For more information contact Erlinda Lim (213) 924-4048 or Leo Pandac at (213) 810-0279.

AFAA Christmas Party The Association of Filipino American Accountants (AFAA) New York chapter will hold its annual Christmas party at the Astoria World Manor, Astoria, Queens on December 17 starting at 7pm. Dinner $50 per person. For more information please contact Neva Fajardo, AFAA NY Secretary (718) 275 1422.

Filipino Film Festival Mark December 17 on your calendars for the Filipino Film Festival happening at the Portland Community College Cascade Campus (Terrel Hall 122) at 3am-6am. For inquiries and reservations email cinemalayan2010@gmail.com.

DECEMBER 18

FASO at the Monrovia Public Library Holiday and classical sounds from the Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra at the Monrovia Public Library – 321 S. Myrtle Ave. Monrovia, CA 91016. Admission is free! Violin and Guitar Duo from 2pm–3pm at the library lobby, Clarinet Quartet from 3pm–4pm and Flute Ensemble from 4pm–4:45pm at the Library Community Room. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Monrovia Public Library.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com OC RED CARPET DEC 10 w-ads.indd 6

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HOPPING for a new car is just like looking for a friend in a room full of strangers. Everyone seems okay from afar, but when one tries to get to know another person, it becomes hard when that person does not feel naturally at ease talking to a stranger. Likewise, in looking for the perfect car, one goes for comfort and the feeling of familiarity. Same goes in looking for the perfect car dealer. One needs someone who can understand and effectively assess an excited car onlooker.

One company who understands the concept of familiarity and recognizes diversity as a reason for success is Longo Toyota, where the team of men and women reflect today’s Southern Califonia with its rich blend of cultures, races and languages.

Longo Toyota’s more than 550 diversified employees represent 21 countries and speak 30 languages and dialects that favors Pinoys in the area for they even have staff who speak Tagalog, Kapampangan, Ilokano and Bisayan.

The Longo Toyota boasts of a remarkable sales team and are highly skilled and talented Filipinos namely Mel Castelo, Butch Gabutina, Raymond Perez, and Cesar Macalino—all willing to serve customers with great service. These guys never fail to make sure that their customers get the service they deserve, especially when it comes to their kababayans. It is no wonder a record number of Filipino residents in California have visited Longo Toyota for their car needs, including service, parts, and repairs.

Longo Toyota, an affiliate of Penske Motor Group, commits itself to full customer satisfac-

tion and spontaneous guest relations making it the number one Toyota dealer in the US for 42 consecutive years from 19662007 based on TMS total new retail vehicle sales.

Currently, Longo Toyota’s inventory of Toyota vehicles with over 25 mpg EPA rating is the largest in the USA and also has the largest scion inventory.

They have the latest and most sought-after Toyota models including Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Camry Solara, Corolla, Highlander Hybrid, Matrix, Prius, RAV4 and Yaris. Longo Toyota also knows the value of your hard-earned money and offers a Value Zone where fully functional used vehicles under $10,000 are available. Also, a 0% financing on approved Tier 1, 2 and 3 credit with Toyota Financial Services are available for 11 different new Toyota models.

With world-class amenities to offer guests a world-class experience anytime they visit, Longo Toyota offers Starbucks cafe inside the dealership. Its Starbucks offers a variety of coffee specialties as well as teas, juices and an assortment

of pastries for one to enjoy while waiting for the vehicle to be serviced or while a customer looks at the huge selection of new and pre-owned vehicles; an onsite Subway sandwich restaurant offers a variety of healthy sandwiches, salads, and wraps, as well as chips, cookies and drinks.

Longo Toyota also offers a business center, wireless internet access, courtesy shuttle (within 15 miles for sevice guests, excluding Sundays) and an Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) office located in their showroom, open 9am to 9pm for insurance services.

With all these great amenities and services Longo Toyota is surely the best place in picking the right car for a person who enjoys the diversity and uniqueness of life! Visit their office at 3534 North Peck Road, El Monte, CA; their Sales office is open Sundays, from 830am-9pm; Saturdays, from 8am-10pm; and Mondays thru Fridays, from 8am-10pm. You may also call them at 800-617-4516 or log on to www.longotoyota.com for more information.

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