asian journal apr 24 2009

Quality Assurance

(Continued on page 4)

Warning: The California Department of Real Estate has not examined this offering, including but not limited to the condition of title, the status of blanket liens of the project (if any), arrangements to assure project completion, escrow practices, control over project management, racially discriminatory practice (if any), terms, conditions, and price of the offer, control over annual assessments (if any), or the availability of water services, utilities, or improvements. It may be advisable for you to consult an attorney or other knowledgeable professional who is familiar with real estate and development law in the country where this subdivision is situated.

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(Continued on page 11) (Continued on page 5)

PHILPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- BUREAU of Im-migration (BI) Commissioner Marcelino Libanan yesterday said that foreigners availing of the job generation visa issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) are now exempt from securing reentry and exit per-mits whenever they enter and exit the country.

This, according to Libanan, is provided for under a new memorandum circular amend-ing the rules and regulations for the issuance of special visa for employment generation (SVEG) foreign businessmen employing 10 or more Filipi-nos.

He explained that SVEG holders need not secure spe-cial return certificates or exit clearances before traveling abroad, provided their names are not in the bureau’s hold departure list, blacklist or watch list.

Too, the said circular ex-panded the types or classes of foreigners who may qualify

No reentry, exit permits for aliens with job visa - BI

Children in Boracay beach, Malay, Aklan play around in the algae covered white sands of the premier tourist destination of the Philip-pines where local officials fails to heed the call of President Gloria Arroyo to clean up the beaches of this green algae prevalent during this summer season. The local officials has been charging P50 for enviromental fees per tourist who the enter the famous beach yet fails to clean up the green mess. There are about a million tourist entering Boracay every year. PINOY GONZALES/ PNS

Asked why I seem to be very much involved with

Filipinos, my cryptic reply was that be-cause Filipinos are my kind of people,

and they never cease to surprise and amuse me in many

different ways. I would not say “they

“Kill the light, Gupi!”Filipinos and their Carabao

English can be fun*

are a source of cheap enter tainment. But there have been times... By Riz A. OadezVoices and Images

Page 6

A 27-year-old Filipino worker who grew up near the slums of Cavite has been named a “CNN Hero” as part of the news network’s program honoring ordinary people accomplishing ex-traordinary feats around the world.

Efren Peñaflorida Jr., who organized Dynamic Teen Co. as a teenager to bring education to unschooled and neglected street children, was featured on CNN’s Larry King Live last Friday, March 5.

Born to Efren Sr., a tricycle driver, and Lucila Geronimo, a housewife, Peñaflorida grew up near the city’s open dump, where he played and swam near the garbage.

Although he was harassed and threatened by gangs that terrorized his school, Pena-florida realized early on that many less fortunate children didn’t have his opportunity to go to school.

At 16, he recruited three high school friends to go to the slums on Saturdays to teach younger kids. The group, which began as a

CNN honors Filipino as modern day hero

Efren Peñaflorida Jr.,

club to keep students from joining gangs and notorious fraternities that were thriv-ing on campus, has become a 10,000-strong volunteer force that has tutored some 1,500 children from the slums.

Peñaflorida teaches at a private school in Cavite City and still accompanies vol-unteers to the slums every Saturday.

Peñaflorida is the third of about 32 CNN Heroes to be unveiled this year.

A blue ribbon panel will

By Ayo Gunting

Discovering Di-polog City for the first time is a lot like receiving a bottle of the city’s renowned Spanish-style Sar-dines, but there is actually more to this bustling city bounded by verdant rolling hills

There’s More to Dipolog than Sardines!

Dakak Sunset

Dipolog Landmark

and the blue Sulu Sea than what meets the eye.

With rich fishing areas off its shores, Dipolog City is famous for the abundance of its marine resources and nowhere is that God-given blessing more readily ap-

parent than in the Central Market. Located just right off the center of the city’s main street, the market place teems with an endless sup-ply of the day’s catch of shrimps, prawns, crabs, yel-lowfin tuna, shellfish, clams

and oysters. Sea-soned participants to this everyday showcase know that reasonable prices are almost always guaranteed.

The market also teems with the har-vest from the land as well, with fruits


Scratch the News: Filipino Americans in Our Midst by journalist Cristina DC Pastor is a collection of stories and articles exploring the complex and varied culture inhabited and created by the Filipino American community. Published by Inkwater Press, the collection begins with the story of Carl and Clarence Aguirre, a pair of twins conjoined at the head, and concludes with a set of profiles on Fili-pino Americans serv-ing in the New York Police Department.

New book celebrates Filipinos in America

These stories frame the collection, in which Pastor examines everything from a filmmaker debuting at the Tribeca film festival to an AIDS activist, and from the plight of a mail-order bride to the miraculous recovery a teenage girl involved in a violent car accident.

While the collection cel-

ebrates ordinary citizens at the center of extraordinary stories, some prominent individuals are also featured. For example, Pastor writes about Michelle Malkin, best-selling author of Invasion: How America Still Wel-comes Terrorists, Criminals, and Other Foreign Menaces

April 24 - 30, 2009

Msgr. Gutierrez EntertainmentCSI (Christ’s Story

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Miles BeauchampRachel, Dingdong

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PHILIPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- STAY cool. Relax.

This is the advice of 20 base-lines bill proponent, Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco, to China which scored the Philippine Congress for ratifying the bill defining Philippine territory.

Cuenco, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the Chinese government should let the International Court of Justice resolve the issue on the ownership of the group of islands instead of protesting.

“We deplore the show of out-burst by certain officials of the Chinese government concern-ing the claim of the Philippine government over the Kalayaan Group of Islands (KIG) and the Scarborough Shoal,” Cuenco said in an interview.

He stressed that the govern-ment will neither be deterred nor dissuaded from pursuing its legitimate claim over the dis-puted islands.

The Arroyo government should not allow “even a square inch” to be taken away from the na-tional territory, Sen. Mar Roxas

They’re ours — solons

said.Roxas said that in declaring

Scarborough Shoal and KIG as a “regime of islands under the Republic of the Philippines,” the country does not give up its claim over the contested terri-tories but recognizes that other countries are also staking a claim over th ese territories.

”We should do what we need to do to protect our territory. We should not surrender our claim only out of fear that China, Vietnam, Malaysia or any other country will retaliate,” he said.

Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco

PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE-- IN an ironic turn of events, a member of the House committee on dangerous drugs yeste rday so-licited suggestions from one of the so-called Alabang Boys suspects on how to strengthen the fight against illegal drugs who accused officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) of acting like gods during operations because of their too much power.

Parañaque Rep. Eduardo Zialcita said Richard Brodett can propose suggestions to help the government in its drug campaign, especially during the buy-bust operations.

“I believe a buy-bust operation is good for the campaign against drugs, it’s a problem of how it’s executed,” said Brodett who at-tended the hearing yesterday along with fellow suspects Jorge Joseph and Joseph Tecson.

Brodett, who maintained that he was allegedly beaten and un-justly arrested last September, said PDEA operatives should always be accompanied by other enforcers like the National Bureau of Inves-tigation (NBI) during anti-drug raids so that there will be witnesses on how they treat the suspects.

Alabang Boy slams PDEA“They seem to conduct them-

selves as gods. They can just go around and with laws like this they can apprehend anyone and detain them with no bail -- especially the poor who have no way of defend-ing themselves,” Brodett said.

Brodett based his statement on wide powers of PDEA after reading Republic Act (RA) No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002 since he was arrested.

“Maybe we could ask them to coordinate or execute the buy-bust with another branch of the gov-ernment -- let’s say the NBI -- or require a barangay official to be there. Just not to have the whole operation carried out solely by the PDEA. Maybe we can have another party there to witness (the opera-tion),” Brodett said.

PHILIPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- NO to hybrid system or partial automation of elections in 2010.

Thus said Press Secretary Cerge Remonde as he stressed that President Gloria

Macapagal-Arroy o is com-mitted to full automation in next year’s national elections.

In a bid to douse off doubts by Catholic hierarchy notably the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) over the motive for the hybrid system when election is fast closing in, Remonde said that full automation is a commitment of President Arroyo in the 2010 elections.

Remonde urged Congress to pass the necessary law to ensure

2010 polls full automation urgedthat the Commission on Elec-tions will be able to implement it.

The Palace official said that the poll automation is a priority program of President Arroyo.

The Comelec has asked from Congress about P11.3 billion for the implementation of the full automation.

The PPCRV questioned the motive behind the great push among solons for a hybrid sys-tem in the coming elections.

PPCRV’s Henrietta de Villa said that the hybrid system would only cause confusion, pointing out on the need for the passage of the budget for full automation before April this year to afford the Comelec lead time in gearing for the elections.

Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comApril 24 - 30, 2009

like marang, durian, rambutan, lanzones and mangosteen abundant in the months of August to October, while other popular pasalubong staples such as mangoes and pa-paya available all year round.

With a lifestyle that flows as free as the sea-bound wind that rustles its many trees, Dipolog is the perfect escape from the worries

There’s More to Dipolog than Sardines!

US Ambassador to the Philippines Christy Kenney (3rd from left) smiles as she listens to wonderful work experiences narrated by a Teletech call center agent (L) in Iloilo City while touring the huge american owned facility at the top of the SM Mall in Mandurrio, Iloilo City. With Ambassador Kenney are US Commercial Attache Patrick Wall (2nd from left), Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas (R), Teletech COO Richard Bledsoe (4th from left), Teletech Director Alex Flores and other officials. PINOY GONZALES/ PNS

PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE -- THE World Wide Fund (WWF) disclosed yesterday that one of the w orld’s rarest sharks was caught along the eastern coast of Donsol, Sorsogon by fishermen trawling for mackerel.

But the rare shark, identified by Florida Museum of Natural History

Rare shark caught in Sorsogon

Megamouth shark that was caught in Sorsogon

as the megamouth shark, was butch-ered and cooked “kinunot-style” (shark sautéed in coconut milk) a local delicacy of the Bicol Region, Elson Aca, Donsol Project Manager

for WWF-Philippines, said. Aca added that local fishermen

claimed that a similar shark was caught and eaten in the same area about three decades back.

Records showed that the rare catch took place last March 30. The rare shark was then brought to nearby Dancalan village for assessment and

later on was identified as a “mega-mouth shark”.

Local fishermen said the me-gamouth shark was caught in the

waters of Burias isle last March 30.Aca said the Megamouth mea-

sured to some four meters and weighed 500 kilograms. He added that facial scars indicated a struggle with the fishers’ gill-nets while stomach contents revealed it was feeding on shrimp larvae.

The megamouth shark (scientific name Megachasma pelagios) is named for its big mouth measuring almost a meter-wide and lined with a brilliant silver band to attract deep water planktons, jellyfish and small fishes it feeds on.

It was said that the rare shark is a poor swimmer which ranges sporadically throughout the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Males average four meters while females -- which give birth to live young -- grow to five meters.

Aca said it is one of the rarest sharks, with just 40 recorded en-counters worldwide since its discov-ery in 1976 at Oahu, Hawaii.

So different was it from other sharks that it necessitated the cre-ation of an entirely new family and genus and prompting the scientific community to hail it as the 20th century’s most significant marine find-rivaling the re-discovery of the “coelacanth” in 1938 of the coast of Africa.

Dipolog Sinulog Festival

(Continued from page 1)

of big city life. Here, one is within walking distance from the market and the city’s famous boulevard which offers a jogging experience unlike any other. The cool, relaxing seaside vistas are only crowned by the magnificent sight of the beauti-ful sunset, yet another everyday treat in this city of surprises.

The onset of night however does not find that the wonders of Dipolog have retreated with the afternoon light. On the seaside boulevard itself, street food such as barbecue, balbacua and fish balls are laid for sale until the early dawn. It is this social “food court” that acts as a great leveler since one finds people from all walks of life eating side by side in small tables that dot the far end of the espla-nade. Referred to by the locals as “McDo,” after the popular Pinoy slang for the omniscient American fastfood chain, the Dipolog version of “McDo” rather means “mag duko-duko,” a Cebuano term which describes one who bends low to choose which to order from the dimly-lit barbecue grills.

After eating, one might be pleasantly surprised to discover that there is life after five too in Dipolog, contrary to what one may expect from its quaint provincial

setting. Bars, karaoke joints, some ballroom dancing and a quiet drink while listening to good music are all in store for would-be night hawks.

The art lover will never be a stranger here too. The art scene is alive and active in Dipolog in the Goodtimes Café. Set against a rus-tic setting where artists converge to unwind or to paint or simply to talk

art amongst a gallery of the works of Dipolog’s finest artists, the ambi-ence itself makes it a place to visit even for mere artists-to-be.

If traveling around the city is cause to build up an appetite yet again, one need not worry. Truly, no one never really stops eating in Dipolog, since with the tempta-tion to eat present at every street corner and hidden nook, the urge is never that too far away to satisfy. From fine dining to fast food joints, coffee shops and pastry shops, hole in the wall snack counters, carinde-rias, name it, Dipolog has it, such that to go hungry in this city of a thousand and one treats would be only a self-inflict-ed punishment.

Dakak sunset

A special treat for any first-time visitor to this lovely city would be an array of sea foods, Dipolog’s own version of the lechon and luscious fresh fruits laid out in a grand buffet while one enjoys a cruise along the placid waters of the Dipolog River. Pass-ing through verdant foliage of large trees and green fields, the cruise

Dakak Beach

takes the guests to the old town site of Dipolog, where a replica of the old Subanen village now stands. Entertainment courtesy of Dipolog’s finest singers makes the cruise doubly memorable.

During the last six years, business has been booming in this idyllic city by the sea, a contributing factor to its tremendous economic growth. Add this to the fact of a rising num-ber of tourists willing to sample Dipolog’s unique charms for the first time and plans to expand the city’s present infrastructure and tourist capacity must surely be in place. Good thing the denizens of this rising metropolis are up to the task: a new mall, so far the largest in the city, is set to open this year, new hotels, pension houses, small inns and more are being constructed to address the growing influx of visitors to Dipolog’s fair shores.

The city is also fast becoming the new convention destination in this part of Mindanao. In August of this year, the Mindanao Business Conference will be held in Dipolog, attracting five hundred delegates and guests, including high profile personalities like ambassadors and business tycoons. In October, the Jaycees will likewise hold their national convention here and before the year ends other national orga-nizations and civic groups would have scheduled their own conven-tions in the city too.

However, the rising popularity of the choice of Dipolog as a con-vention and vacation destination shouldn’t be that surprising. After all, it is but an hour’s flight away from Manila and Cebu, the Queen City of the South, is just thirty min-utes by plane. Ships, ferries and fast crafts ply the Dipolog-Dumaguete-Bohol and Cebu route several times

a day. Plus, one can also travel by bus all over Mindanao from Dipolog.

The city’s beauteous wiles hardly stop within the confines of its streets and boundaries. Visitors should not pass up the chance to make a quick tour of the twin falls in Sungkilaw, barely an hour away from the city proper or enjoy a short trek in the forest of Cogon Eco Park, thirty minutes into the suburbs of the city. Beach lovers can just hop into a motorized banca and go island hopping while watch-ing the dolphins along the way to some white sand beaches or go deep sea fishing - all these in just a few hours in between business meetings or conferences.

As it is with all things, a good way to end a memorable Dipolog visit is to go back to one’s roots through a heritage tour which includes a visit to Dipolog’s Holy Rosary Cathedral and Jose Rizal’s place of exile in historic Dapitan.

Dipolog beckons, so next time you plan an out of town trip, consider Dipolog and discover the wonders that await every visitor to this peaceful city of simple and happy people. You will experience a different high when you mix with the locals and allow yourself to just be part of the flow of everyday life.


by G. Tagudin - Silverio

In Perspective

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

What get’s you out of bed in the morning? Sometimes we need

to remind ourselves to look at a given crisis or an opportu-nity within a larger framework and beyond passing circum-stances. Although life seems to be filled with drudgery at times, we can look back and see how far one has traveled and discover that a step we thought to be inconsequential seems to be the pivotal to our life choice.

For instance, I for one could say that if I had followed in my mother’s footsteps as a nurse, the paths my husband and I took would never have crossed and the idea of setting up a newspa-per known as the Asian Journal would not have come about. If I had not worked as an intern at a small publishing house to fulfill a school requirement, I would not have found the right man. Even the small missteps can bring about a lesson that would prove valuable down the road. Life is not perfect but it is filled with purpose that one can choose to bring to fruition or pass up.

What is your purpose? For my mother, purpose was finding something to complete regard-less of how small it may be and devoting her life to the family while holding down a career. Mine was raising children with strong values and a sense of purpose. On the side, I tried out careers in banking and high tech until I realized that, like all things, these too were passing as these industries imploded in the last two decades.

Oftentimes one wondered

Finding purpose after a triple-bypass surgery

about the purpose of life as the work environment posed chal-lenges to one’s values when the fortunes of these industries declined. For women trapped in a sexist culture the pressure was even more so. It was hard to just walk away. The virtue of the working mom was extolled putting more pressure on women as a new “supermom” mental-ity defined a mindset that made careers on par with motherhood. I too was a part of the fleeting delusion. On one occasion, I had missed a child’s graduation because of a work deadline ar-riving at the ceremony after my husband told me that my daugh-ter had won an award. It was the last straw for the supermom myth in my mind.

The pressure to perform and tough it out to achieve success is so ingrained in society that too many are led astray by feeling they have failed somehow if something beyond their control throws off their plans and their egos out of kilter. We see too many women choosing to end a life to save a career or keep a lifestyle when it should be the other way around. Others are shamed to depression because of the taboos within a given sub-culture. A few men and women choose simply to end it all be-cause they have bought into the lie that material success defines happiness.

What possible advice can you give to people who are uprooted by one crisis after another? Do you know of anyone who could use your understanding and empathy? Claim your purpose in life. Your wisdom and acts of kindness is true wealth. Share it.

A vivacious and fit-looking relative who survived a triple heart bypass shares an email that sums up her own sentiments as she looks back on her own life. We can all learn from her. Here is the advice she is passing on to others:

Motivational Messages

Every day should be a good day and you should live it like it’s your last.

Some people live a life of anger, frustration, pain, jealousy, and/or dishonesty, but all of these things will come to pass when your time here is over. Just take a moment to think.

We will not be on this earth forever.

One day, we will not have to worry about going to work or how we will make payment to our loan.

We will not have to worry where our next meal will come from, or how we can buy a house or a car.

At anytime, God could take us off of this earth, so you should appreciate today and not worry about tomorrow, for nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.

When you wake up each morn-ing, thank the Lord for waking you up...

When you lie down to sleep at night, thank the Lord for another day.

If you have a job, thank the Lord for your place of employ-ment. Ask that he may bless you in everything that you do. Ask him to give you the knowledge and the wisdom to do your job. If you don’t have a job, thank him anyway.

Ask him to direct you to the job that is right for you. When you are eating breakfast, lunch or dinner, say a prayer. Thank the Lord for providing food and nourishment to your body.

If you are healthy, thank the Lord for the health and strength in your body. If you aren’t, thank him anyway for life, and ask him to heal your body.

So the next time that you get mad, think twice.

The next time you complain about something at your job, think twice. The next time you

say you wish you had steak in-stead of chicken, think twice.

Be thankful for what you have, and the life that God has given you.

Pray and ask the Lord for guid-ance. Be sincere, as God knows whether or not we mean it from the heart.

Help those in need as a gift from your heart, and not so you can get a pat on the back.

Put forth the extra effort in everything that you do. Go after what you want in life, and do whatever it takes to achieve your goals.

No matter how perfect you think you are, there is always room for improvement, and an opportunity for you to do better.

If you are depressed, don’t cry, just hold your head up and the Lord will help you through. Pray and ask the Lord to deliver you from your state of depres-sion. Whatever it is that you are depressed about, God will take that pain from you heart. It may not be at that moment, or that next hour, or maybe not even the next day, but He WILL do it if you just believe in Him...

God may not show up when YOU want Him to, but he’s ALWAYS right on time. God will not give us more than we can bear.

Sometimes he will present us with issues that will test our faith, but you have to be strong enough to believe that God will do exactly what he says.

The message for today is to praise the Lord, have faith in the Lord, give thanks to the Lord, and live every day like it is your last.

Theoretically speaking, if the Lord never does anything else for us, other than wake us up each day, put food in our mouths and clothes on our backs, we should thank him anyway.

He died so that we could have life on this earth.

As the Bible says in Psalms

118:24 -- This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

118:1 and 29 -- Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good; For his love endures forever.

for the SVEG, an indefinite visa which the government introduced to generate employment opportuni-ties for Filipinos. The new rules provide that foreigners who have invested in a particular enterprise or business can avail of the SVEG for every 10 Filipino workers employed in the company.

Foreigners exercising managerial functions and who have the power to hire, dismiss or promote employees in a particular company or enterprise can apply for the SVEG if they are nominated or endorsed by their en-tity, meaning if a company employs 30 Filipino workers, three of its for-eign investors or business executives may each avail of the SVEG.

According to Libanan, the rules

No reentry, exit permits for aliens with job visa - BI

(Continued from page 1) were amended following queries from the different foreign chambers and other business groups that have expressed interest in the SVEG.

The SVEG shall be issued to a for-eigner with an interest in a company or entity that employs at least 10 full-time and regular Filipino work-ers either for managerial, executive, professional, technical, skilled, or unskilled positions.

The applicant for the said visa should certify that he or she main-tains a lawful immigration status in the Philippines; is engaged in a viable and sustainable business; ex-ercises managerial acts with author-ity to employ, promote and dismiss employees and evinces a genuine intention to indefinitely remain in the country.


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Quiapo Memories

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

by Simeon G. Silverio Jr.

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PHILIPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- That’s the principle Manny Pacquiao vows to adopt once training camp for his May 2 showdown with the ‘Hitman’ from Manchester begins next week at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.

The world pound-for-pound fighter made the assurance shortly after departing for Lon-don early Friday morning for

Manny will have no one but Hatton on his mind

the promotional tour of the fight between two of boxing’s biggest punchers today.

“Once I report for training camp at the Wild Card gym under my very capable trainer Freddie Roach, my sole focus will be training,” said Pacquiao shortly before boarding the Ca-thay Pacific flight that will take him to the English capital.

“I will be eating, breathing and

Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao

living Ricky Hatton from the day I start my training camp,” said the pride of General Santos City.

Pacquiao8 0s entourage is con-

sists of Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez, close adviser Michael Konz and legal counsel Jing Ga-cal. The group will have a brief stopover in Hong Kong before proceeding to London where Top Rank Promotion head Bob Arum and Roach will join them on their way to Manchester.

The tour for the 12-round title fight set at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada kicks off at the Great Hall of the Trafford Centre in Manchester, home to the Hattons.

Pacquiao said he doesn’t mind getting a hostile reception in his first ever visit to London, where Hatton is immensely popular as the queen herself.

“I know that I will enjoy every minute of my brief stay there as I have heard a lot of great things about England, its notable people, its amazing culture and its proud history,” said Pacquiao in his pre-departure statement.

Following the fan rally Sat-urday (UK time), Pacquiao and Hatton will reportedly engage in a friendly darts competition the following day, before facing the London media in a press confer-ence on Monday.

Then it’s off to the US for both fighters where a similar promo tional tour will be held in the cit-ies of Las Vegas, New York and San Francisco.

The start of the rigorous eight-month training begins by next week.

Pacquiao has great respect for the 30-year old Hatton, a former light-welterweight and welter-weight champion of the world, whom the Filipino described as one of the ‘world’s most exciting fighters.’

“Hatton is a very dangerous opponent as I have seen most of his high-caliber fights on video and you cannot take somebody like him lightly,” said Pacquiao.

Up against an opponent who like him, is still at the peak of his career, the Filipino southpaw vowed to even train hard than the way he did against Oscar De La Hoya, whom he demolished in eight rounds during their wel-terweight fight last December in Las Vegas.

“This is going to be a big chal-lenge for me. This early, I am confident in saying that I will train harder for Hatton and I won’t be surprised if I end up in a much better shape than when I fought the legendary Oscar De La Hoya last December.” Pac-quiao added.

to Our Shores. Malkin wrote her book in the wake of September 11th. Outspoken and irreverent, Malkin publishes a widely syn-dicated newspaper column and is a regular guest on shows such as

New book celebrates Filipinos in America(Continued from page 1) 20/20, Hannity and Colmes, and

The O’Reilly Factor.Other well-known Filipinos

who appear in Scratch the News include Gene Marcial, stock columnist for Business Week and one of the most influential

people on Wall Street, and Major General Antonio Taguba, who penned the confidential memo detailing the abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Pastor highlights the accomplish-ments of all her subjects, but is careful also to create a fuller pic-ture for the reader. Taguba, for example, is not simply the author of the Abu Ghraib memo, but is also the son of a World War II POW, a caring and generous family man, and a close friend to some of the victims of the September 11th attacks.

“Scratch the news,” writes Pas-tor, “and chances are a Filipino is wedged somewhere between the folds…” Indeed, the stories in this collection explore not simply the news, but American culture as a whole. Pastor’s clean, precise prose engages the reader and creates a sense of continuity between the wide-ranging stories.

Scratch the News by Cristina DC Pastor is available from Ink-water Press, as well as local and on-line retailers for $18.95.

Sim Silverio is on vacation. His column will resume next week.


Perspectives

ASIAN JOURNALThe fi rst Asian-Filipino weekly in Southern California

An award-winning newspaper, it is San Diego’s most widely circulated Asian-Filipino newpaper!

In Pursuit of Excellence

Ashley SilverioAssistant Editor

Eugenio “Ego” Osin, (1946 - 1994)Joe Cabrera, (1924 - 1996)

The Asian Journal is published weekly and distributed in all Asian communties in San Diego County. Publication date is every Friday of the month. Advertising deadline is Thursday prior to publication date at 5 p.m. For advertising rates, rate cards, or information, call (619) 474-0588. Subscription by mail is available for $50 per year (56 issues). The Asian Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs but welcomes submissions. Entire content is © 2008 copyrighted material by Asian Journal. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced without specifi c permission from the publisher.

Genevieve SilverioManaging Editor

Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.Publisher & Editor

Miles BeauchampAssociate Editor

Santi SilverioAssociate Publisher

At Large...

Read Miles Beauchamp’s previous articles by visiting our web-site at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Miles Beauchamp

by Riz A. Oades

Voices & Images

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

Ever go to a store of one sort or another, or look online for a product, buy something, and then when you got it home and unpacked it a piece of paper fell out? You know that piece of paper; it usually says something like Inspected by followed by either a name or number. Of course you have, we all have.

My question is this: just who are these people? Now I realize that sounds simplistic, but think about it. Have you ever met

Quality AssuranceJust who are all these people who assure the

quality of the products we buy?someone who said that his or her job was dishes inspector? Under their name on their business card, does it read Inspector 47? Nope, me either.

This all came about because at work today I opened a new fi le cabinet and a small piece of paper fell out. The paper read: QUALITY ASSURANCE NOTICE. Underneath that was The quality of this product was inspected with care by: Under that was a line with the name of

a man typed in. Finally, There was this: Please include this notice with any correspondence concerning this product.

Is a job at risk?

So let us say that there was a problem with your new fi le cabinet (there wasn’t with mine, it was fi ne). You bought it, took it to wherever you needed it, removed it from the box and got ready to put fi les into this quality fi le cabinet.

All of a sudden, as you opened a drawer, you realized that the tracks that hold the fi les were all missing. The cabinet looked good, the drawers all opened quietly, but there was no was to hang your hanging folders. So, what do you do?

Of course, you start looking around for something that gives information on how to con-tact the company because you already know that the store’s policy on damaged or missing product pieces is to have you contact the manufacturer. They love passing the buck. They usually charge you more for the convenience of buying it there but that’s where the convenience ends. You fi nd that on the back of the cabinet, something that says it was made with (pick your term) pride, excellence, the cus-tomer in mind, etc, etc. There is a phone number there and you decide to use it. Good luck with that.

Who do you call? Sure you call the manufacturer, but then what? Do you complain to the innocent person who answers the phone? Do you ask for a supervisor? A manager? The president of the company who, by gosh, should be there taking calls like these?

Nope, you decide to ask to speak to the inspector, the person who, with his or her own hands and eyes, inspected your fi ling cabinet.

Now, tell me. Does this person really exist? Is she or he re-ally there? Does this person stand on the assembly line, day after day and inspect? Probably yes. There has to be inspectors, right? These inspectors have names, right? So there is a very

good chance that the person who inspected your cabinet is there right now, still inspecting away. Snicker.

Here is what I want to know. If something gets by an inspec-tor does that inspector get in trouble? Is this person’s job at risk? Does the company count how many problem calls they receive? Of course. And then they know who let those prob-lems slip by. Have you ever met someone who was fi red as a quality assurance inspector? Me, either.

What makes a good inspec-tor?

Are there special things that make an inspector good at the job? Could a robot do an inspector’s job? Maybe, maybe not. But right now, while some things are inspected by computer or robot, many others simply cannot be. I would imagine that the inspector of my fi le cabinet was a human, simply because something was left out of it. You know how we humans are.

But have you ever noticed that all these “Inspected by” notices are not really in the right places? Sure, pants or shirts or even TVs are good things to have inspected, but the things that I want inspected are, I think, much more important. For instance, who is inspecting the ice cream at 31 Flavors? I’ve never had a bad ice cream there – that inspector must be doing a good job. Now this is a job I could re-ally sink my teeth into (sorry, but I couldn’t resist).

Who is inspecting paper clips and toothbrushes? Who is look-ing after the socks, or even more important, who is inspecting underwear?

Here’s something else, who is inspecting all the bags of char-coal that gets sold over the warm summer months? What would happen if someone got a bad bag of charcoal and took it to the family picnic? Would it burn too fast or not at all? Have you even once thought about this? I didn’t think so. And yet there we blindly go on sunny weekends, buying bag after bag of the stuff ever-confi dant that our burgers,

steaks and fi sh will cook up just fi ne.

Who inspects sugar? More than that, who inspects artifi cial sweetener? Sure, it might look pure and all, but how could you be sure of how it tasted if you didn’t test the occasional batch of it? And wouldn’t that get old after awhile?

I know an inspector we re-ally need, a fi lm and TV show inspector. Not one inspecting for

nudity or violence, but someone inspecting for quality. Actually, never mind. If we had a fi lm and TV quality inspector there wouldn’t be very much at all to watch.

Here is a fi nal thought on the subject (I promise): Who inspects the Inspected by notice included with the product? And where was that notice? Can it ever stop? Well yes, actually, it can stop. It can stop right here.

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

journalusa.com

You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.

My sources are unreliable, but their information is fascinating. -Ashleigh Brilliant

I have CDO. It’s like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, only in alphabetical order like it should be. - Spike Donner from Rumi-nations

The best defense against logic is ignorance.

Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the fi rst to discover your mistakes. - Antisthenes

Pound for pound, the amoeba is the most vicious animal on earth.

When people tell you how young you look, they are also telling you how oldyou are. -Cary Grant

People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it fi rst. -David H. Comins

I’m going to live forever, or die trying! -- Spider Robinson

Nearly all men can stand ad-versity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. -Abraham Lincoln

Thoughts of famous people

Asked why I seem to be very much in-volved with Filipi-

nos, my cryptic reply was that be cause Filipinos are my kind of people, and they never cease to surprise and amuse me in many different ways. I would not say “they are a source of cheap enter-tainment. But there have been times...

“How’s that?” my good friend Ramon Reyes insisted. This dialogue occurred at his place in Penasquitos when Ramon and his wife. Lulu, treated us — the Asian Journal-Puso bas ketball players — to a sumptuous lunch after the game Saturday, June 30th at the Sundevils arena, Mt. Carmel High.

“Well,” I said, “Filipinos are the most heterogeneous group in the world.” They are a people of many faces, with Chinese culture as a base. Some 90 millions of them are scattered all over 7,107 islands, divided into regions, and speak-ing around 87 different major dialects — 111 linguistic groups if you want to be exact These dia-lects are distinct from each other, so distinct that even neighboring provinces have dif ferent meanings for similar words.

For example, the word ibon that means “bird” to the Tagalog-speaking Filipinos, means “egg”

“Kill the light, Gupi!”Filipinos and their Carabao

English can be fun*to the Kapampangan in central Luzon. Another word is “wala,” which means “there is none” to a Tagalog, but to the Pangalatoks of Pangasinan it means “there is.” A nice Tagalog lady slapped a Bisayan guy who complimented her nice “hair” by using a Bisayan term, “bulbol.” “Hair”, you know, in Bisayan is called “bulbol.”

There are several other ex amples that make conversation in the Phil-ippine dialects quite in teresting and amusing, some times even ticklishly embarrass ing.

The Filipino English

The Philippines is the third largest English-speaking nation in the world. While this country has its own national language called Filipino, English remains the language of instruction in high schools and colleges and is almost universally understood.

Filipinos generally speak good English and are proud of it. At times, however, they speak it with distinct regional accents -- Ilocano, Tagalog, Pampango, Bisayan — depending on what part of the archipelago the person comes from. The staccato rhythm is quite noticeable in each case. There is, of course, the peculiar in tonation and irregularities in the use of the vowels and consonants brought about by the interference of the use of their dialects.

There are also the grammatical er-rors committed by the Filipinos. They sometimes misuse their she’s and he’s because in their native language there is no such distinc-tion in gender. Hence, it is not unusual that one hears a Filipino refers to Mrs. Santos as he or to Mr. Mendoza as she.

The pressure of Tagalog grammatical structures has been a source of errors when speaking in English. Rosalinda Morales, who taught in the Peace Corps Volun-teer Program in Hawaii, gave the following illustrations:

“I don’t like him also.” Hindi ko rin siya gusto (1 don’t like him either);

“I go there already everyday.” Pumpunta na ako doon araw-araw (I go there everyday);

‘Yes, I’m not going.” O’o, hindi ako pupunta (No, I’m not going).

Many Filipinos also commit errors in tenses when they speak in English. It is not uncommon to hear, for example, statements like, “I am going to Family Loom-pya every day.”

In Tagalog, there is only one form for the present and progres-sive form of the verb. One says, “Pumapasok ako araw-araw sa lungga (I go to the cave every-day)” or “Pumapasok na ako sa Gamblers Anonymous ngayon (I go to Gamblers Anonymous now).”

Sex Among Filipinos

Sex for Filipinos is a touchy sub-ject of conversation. It is not openly

discussed, especially in a mixed crowd. They [topics re lated to sex] should be talked about with refi nement and only indirectly,” wrote T.D. Andres, a Far Eastern University alumnus and author of Understanding the Filipino.

The words “pregnancy” and “pregnant” are generally avoided in favor” of the non-for mal ways of expressing that con dition: “on the way” or “on the family way” and “expecting”. In Tagalog itself, it is much better to say nagdadalang tao (literally, car rying a person) rather than buntis (“pregnant”). In English, it is preferable to use the formal words, but many Filipinos believe that they are not polite — a little bit “vulgar”.

“Making love” which means the sexual act is believed by the Filipinos to be more harmless than courting or wooing. “When a Filipino says that he ‘slept late’, according to Andres, “he general-ly means that he stayed up late or went to bed late.”

Misuse of a Tagalog word asawa (“wife”) can get a non-Tagalog suitor into serious trouble with the girl’s family. Having decided to marry Maria, Boni de Leon (not his real name) asked her father — Mang Kulas” “Puede po bang asawahin ang inyong anak? (literally, ‘Is it alright to ‘screw’ your daughter?’

“What?” exclaimed the enraged Mang Kulas. Noticing some unin-tended mistake was committed, the scared suitor promptly trans-lated what he said in English —

“Could I ask for the hands of your daughter?” The youngster’s fast reaction luckily saved his skin that day.

The Comedians

When Antonio Villegas, a Ta-galog poet was mayor of Manila, he decided to introduce what he called authentic Tagalog words. He noted that the word used for “chair” in the vernacular is “silla” which is basically a Spanish term. He said that from then on, “chair” would be called “salumpu-wit” in Tagalog. It created quite a controversy and triggered a lot of jokes since “salumpuwit” literally means “ass catcher”.

The unique character of the Ta-galog language, in fact, had been the source of entertainment for many people. When the Filipino comedy team of Tugak and Pugak, the Filipino version of Mutt and Jeff, were performing at the Manila Grand Opera House during the six-ties, one of their acts went this way:

Pugak: “If you’re really smart, can you repeat the syllable “ba” four times and still be under stood?”

Tugak: (scratching his head and muttering) “Ba-ba-ba-ba. I can’t, how?”

Pugak: (Narrating a scenario) “Supposing there’s a guy asking a woman: ‘Hey Mrs., Is your hus-band upstairs?’ The woman will say: ‘Yes!’ And the guy will ask her: ‘Bababa ba?’ (Will he go downstairs?)

Something Funny Comes Out in Translation

Filipinos tend to translate Ta-galog idiom, word for word, to Eng-lish that makes Filipino English “strange.” Although usually done in jest, one would say to a friend, “It seems you’re ready for your funeral” (nakapam-burol, “dressed for your funeral”). An observer would not under stand that what the Filipino meant was that the friend ap peared “dressed to kill.”

In a different context, a Fili-pino may credit the promo tion of a fellow employee to his having “oiled” (linangisan) his boss — that is, he “buttered him up.”

Asked what the time is, the Filipino apologetically replies that “His watch is dead” or patay ang relos, i.e.,” his watch has stopped.”

A Filipino would ask his son or a friend to* “Open the light” (buk-san mo ang ilaw) meaning “turn on the light” or to ‘kill the light” (patayin mo ang ilaw), which means “Turn the light off.”

Social Greetings

Certain social greetings in Filipino when taken literally lead to misunderstanding. The Fili-pino’s usual^ question of

“Where are you going?” (Saan ang

punta mo?) to an American friend he meets will be very annoying or “nosey” if the American does not understand that it is simply the Filipino equivalent for the Eng-lish “hi” or “hello”.

Another source of misunder-standing is the expres sion “I’ll see you.” A Filipino couldn’t understand why an American girl who promised to see him never did or stood him up. “Ill see you” for Americans means- “Goodbye”. In other words, the American never did break a promise. There wasn’t any made—you tanga1.

An American guest who is complimented by a Filipino as “homely” (meaning “ugly”) should not feel insulted. No malice was intended. The Filipino simply means that “she is very much dedicated to her family and usually stays at home.”

“I Know” Expression

In a somewhat different con text, let me tell you one incident in a cross-cultural situation.

Some years back, I chastised a high school employee when she didn’t show up at work, especial-ly when I reminded her the night before. Her immediately reply was “I know.” Needless to say, I was “pissed off.” Politely and slowly, I asked again, “If you knew, why didn’t you come?” She gave me exactly the same answer — “I know.” I must confess it took sometime to fi gure out mat such a phrase is simply an expression. All it meant was that she knew what I was saying. But it was not a confi rmation of a fact.

Beware Of Filipino “Yes”

Americans and critics of Filipino behavior are oftentimes startled why a Filipino did not make the appointment when he said “yes”. And he did not even bother to call to cancel the ap-pointment.

A Filipino will say “yes” when:

- He does not know;- He wants to impress;- He is annoyed;’- He wants to end the conversa-

tion;- He half-understood the instruc-

tion of what is being said;- He is not sure of himself;- He thinks he knows better

than the one speaking to him. The Filipino in this situation simply “does not think it right to say he couldn’t make it.” He doesn’t want “to hurt someone’s feeling.”

‘I’ll Try To Come” Can Ruin Your Evening

There is a certain “strange” Filipino behavior, which is closely tied up with his speech. This comes from the differences be-tween the structures and idioms of the English and the Filipino



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It wasn’t that long ago when most of us were wondering how some of the people we knew were able to afford it. Their total monthly income was almost the same as yours and yet they seemed to be fi nancially ahead. You kept asking yourselves why you still reside in the old house of the old neighborhood. How could a janitor and technician couple get qualifi ed for a million dollar home loan?

So now you know. Some of them worked plenty of over-time hours a week to make more money. Others just lied on their loan applications with the help of their real estate agents and loan offi cers. While some couples moved in to their nice but overpriced mansions, oth-ers purchased rental properties. Everybody was expecting huge equity build-up in 2 or 3 years. Then, luxury cars were rolling out of car dealerships like hot cakes to accentuate their newly found fi nancial status. They thought they knew the housing market. It was a gamble that most of them lost.

The troubled housing market was a big wake-up call for the risk takers and the wannabes. There was not enough income to cover mortgage payments and property taxes. People can only work so much without killing themselves or ending their mar-ried lives. Savings were gone and the retirement funds dried out. The stress level keep build-ing up and it is time for reality check. For a few, their health is also on the line and it is time to make a real big decision. Is the beautiful but overpriced mansion worth dying for?

A few couples are still clinging

So Now You knowto their dream houses. The hefty down payment has long banished and most of the neighbors in the exclusive street have moved out. It must be so painful to know that the new neighbor who just moved in paid only half of the asking price 3 years ago. Will you keep paying the big monthly mortgage payment or just pack and leave like the others?

It is not easy to let go of some-thing you dearly love. You may have worked so hard to fi nally reside in a house of your dream. The location is great and the view from the backyard is spec-tacular. How could you leave something that beautiful? If you let go of your dream house, would there be a chance to have another one in the future? Are you still young or strong enough to recoup your losses? What would your friends say? What would your co-workers com-ments behind your back? Again, it’s only you who can make that tough and fi nal decision. Do you really care what other would say?

For those of us who did noth-ing during those crazy years, life goes on naturally. There was no excitement and might even be boring but still thankful that we are not in a fi nancial mess. Most of the big dreamers and risk tak-ers can only wish they’re back to their old simple lives.

Well, in some ways people realized that dreams do come true but, sometimes it could end up in a nightmare. You can learn from your mistake and fi x what was broken. If it’s beyond repair, maybe it is time to swallow the pride and then switch to survival mode. Get a fresh start and move on.


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After

After

E-mails from the desert

Read Ed Gamboa’s previous articles by visiting our website at www.asianjournalusa.com and http://emailsfromthedesert.blogspot.com

by Dr. Ed Gamboa

On May 17, 2009, in the campus of the University of

Notre Dame, my wife and I will be seated at the Joyce Center among thousands of students, faculty, parents and alumni, listening to the President of the United States address the graduat-ing class of 2009.

Our daughter, Lauren Marie, would have received her diploma by then. However, two decades

Obama, Notre Dame and the Culture of Life

earlier, if President Obama’s “culture of death” philosophy had won over Notre Dame’s Catholic “culture of life” theol-ogy, our daughter would never have graduated. Simply because she would never have been born!

In 1987, we found out that my wife Lucie was pregnant. Previ-ously, she had suffered a few miscarriages. I was a surgical fellow at the University of Cali-fornia San Diego at the time and we sought the help of pediatri-cians at the university medical center. Well-respected professors

in pediatrics and genetics recom-mended an amniocentesis. They felt that it was important to know if Lucie was carrying a defective embryo, and therefore at risk for yet another miscarriage.

We both were troubled. What if the amniocentesis confirmed the worse – that the fetu s was defective? The answer from the experts was straightforward: a therapeutic abortion. Why carry a risky pregnancy to term, which would likely end in spontaneous abortion anyway? And if the fe-tus survived, did we really want to raise a retarded baby, who would be a burden to carry for the duration of his or her unpro-ductive life?

Our medical colleagues could not even understand why we were reluctant to have Lucie undergo an amniocentesis. What was there to think about?

Lucie as a pediatrician and I as a surgeon were familiar with the medical science on which the experts based their recom-mendations. We were also practicing Catholics and aware of the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion and

the protection of human life.If we proceeded with an am-

niocentesis, there would be the minor risk of an induced abor-tion. If the study confirmed that the fetus was normal and healthy, that would be great news. How-ever, if the fetus were shown to be defective, would we then have it aborted?

We thought long and hard. We prayed about it. The medical arguments for amniocentesis and potential abortion were compel-ling. The Catholic and ethical considerations were convincing. Even if the baby turned out to be physically disabled or mentally retarded, we ultimately decided that we would accept God’s gift of life in gratitude, even if the future did not look too bright.

To this day, we are glad we made the decision to “kee p the baby”. The pregnancy went smoothly and Lucie delivered a bouncing, robust, and healthy baby girl. We have four children and that baby is our only girl. What a bundle of joy she is!

Lauren Marie graduated in the top of her class in grade school and high school. She has been in the Dean’s List at the University of Notre Dame. Far from being the burden that medical experts had feared, she has been the jewel in our eyes and a delightful gift to our lives.

Yet, had we followed the promptings of the “culture of death” rather than the “culture of life”, we wonder what our lives would have been without her.

It is estimated that over three thousand abortions occur in the United States every day. The ma-jority are not the rape or incest cases that pro-choice or pro-abortion advocates, the liberal media and Planned Parenthood are so concerned about. Most abortions are the result of lack of information regarding viable alternatives to abortion, such as adoption. Many are based on un-founded fears – will the baby be defective? How can I financially support the baby? How much of a burden will the baby be? What will my parents think? What will the future be like?

The controversy surrounding President Obama’s commence-ment address at Notre Dame, from my viewpoint, is not so

much about the university’s traditional invitation to a sitting president, which dates back to President Dwight Eisenhower. Rather, it is about Notre Dame’s awarding the President an honor-ary doctor of law degree. How in the world can the foremost Catholic University in the world justify conferring such an honor on a politician whose major policies to date have trampled on Catholic ethics and principles?

As an Illinois state legisla-tor, Barack Obama person-ally worked to block legislation banning the killing of disabled newborns that survived botched abortions. In the US Senate, the senator from Chicago was in-volved in fundraising to continue the practice of partial-birth abor-tion (an obstetrical technique to deliver a live infant except for the head which, in utero, is incised and suctioned result-ing in death). As a presidential candidate, Obama promised the passage of the Freedom of Choice Act that would eliminate all existing regulations from the practice of abortion.

In the President’s first 100 days, he has issued executive orders facilitating the funding of international abortion agen-cies and for stem cell research utilizing human embryos. Presi-dent Barack Obama disregards scientific data that confirm the

embryo’s human characteristics or the developing consensus that adult stem cells offer a viable therapeutic and ethical alterna-tive to embryonic stem cells.

At present, President Obama is preparing the federal government to eliminate conscience protec-tions from physicians and from clinics and hospitals morally op-posed to carrying out abortions. Furthermore, he has appointed to the White House and key federal agencies bureaucrats and lawyers recommended by extremist abor-tion advocacy groups.

Freedom of speech is guaran-teed by the constitution of the United States and the President should be allowed to speak his piece at Notre Dame. However, his record speaks for itself and should be more than sufficient to persuade the University of Notre Dame not to confer an honorary degree which exemplifies its re-cipient as the embodiment of the Catholic values of the University of Notre Dame and the ethical and moral aspirations of its stu-dents, graduates, and alumni.

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

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

Phil - Am Law 101

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Antonio has worked all his life. He started as a car salesman in the defunct Northern Motors at the corner of United Nations Avenue and San Marcelino Street in Manila. At night, he enrolled at the nearby Araullo High School to study automotive mechanics. Once he felt confident enough, he applied for the position of assistant mechanic in Northern Motors. He was eager and industrious, so in due time he became a service advisor. The pay was better than what he was receiving as a salesman. When the company closed, Antonio was able to land a job as security personnel in the Central Bank, with a little help from his cousin Roger who convinced the company doctor to let Antonio pass the medical exam despite his elevated blood pressure. It was a coveted job. Although the pay was not that high, it came with many benefits and the assurance of stability.

As the saying goes, a good man succeeds wherever he goes. Antonio worked his shifts conscientiously and maintained good relations with his peers and superiors. During his off days, he helped them with their car problems. His good deeds did not go unnoticed. He rose from the ranks and became a security officer. Now, the Central Bank has a huge fleet of vehicles, including com-pany cars and armored trucks, most of which are American made. His training in Northern Motors, the lo-cal assembler and distributor of GM, made Antonio very knowledgeable about these vehicles. He was regu-larly consulted by the mechanics. Soon, the bank manager in charge of motorpool retired. Antonio was the obvious choice to replace him. He served that position for several years until his recent retirement.

Antonio has a brother and a sister in California whom he has not seen for decades. They have long asked him to go to America on vacation but Antonio always begged off because he did not want to spend

Extending Your USA Vacationtime away from his work and fam-ily. In fact, he applied for a tourist visa only before his retirement. His brother, a rich man who owns a big farm in Oxnard, has sent him a round trip plane ticket and offered to shoulder all his expenses. This time, Antonio could not refuse. For the first time in his life, Antonio left the Philippines. It has been almost two months now since Antonio arrived but he has spent most of his time in Oxnard. He and his brother were planning to tour the U.S. together but his brother got sick and Antonio has to stay with him most of the time. The doctors say that it will not be for two more months before they can travel to see his cousin Roger in Las Vegas, and other close relatives in Arizona, Florida, and New York, as well as the other tourist spots. There are just so many places to go to and he wants to cover everything during this trip. After all, he has worked all his life and now he wants to really enjoy it. But the immigra-tion officer at the port of entry gave him only six months, the usual maximum. He now wants to know how he can extend his stay and make the most of his vacation.

Every visitor who enters the United States is issued a Form I-94 (or Form I-94W) which indicates the duration he is allowed to remain here. This is different from the B-1/B-2 visa that the US Embassy issues to you in your home country. The visa may be good for 10 years, but that does not mean that you can stay for 10 years in the United States. It only means that you can board the aircraft into the United States at anytime during the 10-year period. In the same breadth, your visa may be expiring 3 months from entering the United States, but it does not mean that you can stay for only 3 months in the United States. Your allowed period of stay for that particular trip is determined by the immigration officer at the port of entry. Usually, the maximum is 6 months.

But the U.S. government under-stands that, sometimes, plans change which compels you to stay longer. For this reason, visitors are allowed to extend their visit subject to the following eligibility requirements imposed by the USCIS:

You were lawfully admitted into the United States as a nonimmi-grant.

You have not committed any act that makes you ineligible to receive an immigration benefit.

There is no other factor that requires you to depart the United States prior to extending status (for example, a USCIS officer may determine that you should obtain a new visa prior extending your status); and

You submit an application for an extension of stay before the expira-tion date on your Form I-94. (There are certain very limited circumstanc-es under which USCIS will excuse a late submission.)

Your passport must be valid for your entire requested period of stay in the United States.

An extension of stay is not automatic. The USCIS will look at your situation, your status, and the reasons you want to extend your stay. You should also be able to prove that you have the financial ability to sustain your extended stay. For instance, if you apply for exten-sion shortly upon arrival, the USCIS might suspect that your intention was not just to visit, but to look for an employer or a spouse. Generally, six months is more than enough for a visit, unless plans change that require you to stay longer. On the other hand, it is vital that you file the extension before your Form I-94 lapses. Otherwise, you become “out of status.” If you fall out of status, you cannot extend your stay, except in certain limited circumstances be-yond your control (such as personal or family emergency). Besides, if you overstay, it will have a negative impact on your tourist visa or your ability to obtain other immigration benefits.

We mentioned that you should avoid filing the extension shortly upon arrival. Some say that it should be at least after 3 months from arriv-al. But there is a problem here. Ac-cording to the USCIS, the usual pro-cessing time is 3 months. So, if your Form I-94 is good for 6 months, that leaves the USCIS with barely enough time to decide, assuming that it can decide in 3 months. So what happens if the USCIS fails to act on your extension before your Form I-94 expires? If you get ap-proved and you receive the decision before the extended duration lapses,

then there is no problem. Accord-ing to the USCIS, while waiting for the decision, you remain in lawful status up to a period of 240 days. Our understanding of this is that you cannot be removed (deported) while waiting for the decision.

The problem is in case of denial. The USCIS says that “if your appli-cation for extension is denied after your previously approved stay has expired and you are still in the Unit-ed States, you will be considered “out of status” as of the date your original period of stay expired.” Let us illustrate. For instance, your Form I-94 lapsed on March 31, 2009. You filed an extension on January 31, 2009. You cannot be removed while waiting for the USCIS decision for a period of 240 days from January 31, 2009, or until September 30, 2009 because you re-main in lawful status. If the USCIS still fails to decide by October 1, 2009, you are already out of status. If the USCIS decides to extend your stay by 6 months, then you can stay until September 30, 2009. However, if the USCIS decides to deny the ex-

tension, you will be considered out of status as of March 31, 2009, the date when your Form I-94 lapsed. Since you have overstayed, your B-1/B-2 becomes void.

It seems that the best course of action to take is to file the exten-sion the moment you have reason to anticipate that your allowed stay will not be enough and to leave before your Form I-94 lapses if there is no decision yet. For instance, in Antonio’s case, he can file the extension now (although he has been here for only 2 months) since the reason for the extension (his brother’s sickness) already ex-ists and can be proved by medical certificate. That will give the USCIS four months to decide his case before his Form I-94 expires. We think Antonio has a good chance. Aside from having a good reason, he is also financially able to finance his extended stay. He has received a tidy amount in retirement. He also maintains economic and family ties in the Philippines, with his wife and only son waiting for his return. In any case, if the USCIS still fails to

decide before his Form I-94 expires, Antonio should leave and just come back some other time. His wealthy brother will not mind spending again since this trip, after all, got derailed because of him.

Atty. Rogelio Karagdag, Jr. is licensed to practice law in both California and the Philippines. He practices immigration law in San Diego and has continuously been a trial and appellate attorney in the Philippines since 1989. He travels between San Diego and Manila. His office address is located at 16486 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite 228, San Diego, CA 92128. He also holds office in National City inside the S&S Travel Agency at 2409 E. Plaza Blvd. Please call (858)348-7475 & (619) 475-3262 for your free consul-tation. We also encourage readers to write us questions about both U.S. immigration and Philippine laws to be future topics in this column. Our email is [email protected]. Articles written in this column are not legal advice but are intended as general, non-specific legal information.


JOB GENERATION. Lambunao, Iloilo Mayor Raynor Gonzales a former PNP General check the work of a municipal garment em-ployee under his garments program and increasing employment in the once 3rd class town now declared a 1st class municipality after one and a half year of his leadership. JAN LAROSA/ PNS

PHILIPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- Chip Tsao has apolo-gized for his column calling the Philippines a “nation of ser-vants.”

Reports 20 from the Philip-pine Consulate General in Hong Kong said the columnist, in an interview aired at ATV the other night, expressed apologies for his article.

“I realized that I had crossed the line… I now offer my public apology,” Tsao said.

On Monday, the publishers and editors of HK Magazine also apologized for the politically incorrect column it published on March 27.

The Philippine Consulate Gen-eral, reports said, accepted the apologies made by the colum-nist, editors and the publisher.

However, House Deputy Mi-nority Leader Roilo Golez and Rep. Antonio Cuenco did not accept the apology.

“I am not accepting his apol-ogy and I would like just one round in the ring with him. I will forget but will not forgive,” Golez, a boxing champion in the United States Naval Academy for four consecutive years, said.

Golez said Tsao insulted the Philippines and he should stop

Tsao says sorry

Chip Tsao

making “sweet talk” to Filipinos by defining servants as “good.”

The solon earlier urged Filipi-nos to boycott Hong Kong and Hong Kong products f or them to realize that Filipinos are great contributors to their economy and tourism.

Cuenco also urged the Filipino community in Hong Kong to file a libel case against the colum-nist.

“I think he was forced to apolo-gize. We should teach him a lesson,” he said.

Despite an apology, the Fili-pino community in Hong Kong will continue its plan of stag-ing a major protest in the Hong Kong’s central district to con-demn Tsao’s statement.

PHILIPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- INDEPENDENT Sena-tor Richard J. Gordon recently insisted that he has personal and institutional responsibility to secure a safe and immediate release of his two colleagues at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), made the assertion after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro branded the senator’s efforts for the safe rescue of two remaining ICRC workers as “destructive attempts.”

“The words used by Secretary (Gilberto) Teodoro to describe our efforts to help save the lives of the hostages in Sulu are care-less and unfortunate,” he said in an official statement.

“The lives on the line belong to the Red Cross. I have a personal and institutional responsibility to do everything I can to secure the safe return of the hostages,” he added, referring to Swiss An-dreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni.

Both Notter and Vagni remain in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf since their abduction on Jan. 15. Their woman colleague, Mary Jean Lacaba, had been released safely last Thursday night.

According to Gordon, the grav-ity of his reservation over the government policy or the mili-tary action in dealing with the ICRC kidnapping is borne out of his fears that Notter and Vagni may be placed in even greater peril.

“If I have expressed concern

Richard J. Gordon

Gordon: I’m responsible for hostages

about government and military policy or action in Sulu, it is because of the danger they, both the military and the Abu Sayyaf, pose to the lives of the hostag-es,” he said.

Gordon, also a governing board member of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said he should not be faulted if the group holding Notter and Vagni has been calling him up.

“The hostage-takers talk to us, not to Mr. Teodoro or the com-manders there. I will not cut off communication with them just to avoid being described as a meddler. At this point, talk is a lifeline in this extremely danger-ous situation,” he said.

PHILIPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- THE country’s econom-ic growth is expected to slow to 1.9 percent this year, in=2 0what would be its worst performance since the Asian financial crisis more than a decade ago, the World Bank said yester-day.

The World Bank projection compares to forecasts of 2.5 percent by the Asian Develop-ment Bank and 3.5 per-cent by the International Monetary Fund.

“Growth in 2009 would likely slow to 1.9 percent,” the World Bank said in its East Asia report. It would be the slowest growth performance by Manila since 1998, when the economy con-

RP growth to dip to 1.9 percent - WBtracted by 0.6 percent.

The government’s own forecast is for 4.4 percent growth in gross domestic product, down from 4.6 percent last year and 7.2 percent expansion in 2007 -- the highest rate in 30 years.

Manila says it plans to achieve the 4.4 percent rate through massive government spending to take up the slack of reduced economic activity.

The World Bank said domestic demand, boosted by strong remittances since 2001 of the Philippines’ 8.5 million-strong overseas workforce, “has been the most important growth driver for the economy.”

It added: “A key downside risk lies on how vulnerable remittance inflows are to the=2 0global recession.”

The report said Manila’s “eco-nomic resiliency plan,” which

the lender says is equivalent to 4.1 percent of GDP, would have “limited” impact with a “rapidly deteriorating tax effort” a key concern.


Work Visas/Green Cards thru Employment• Family Visas• Student, Trainee, Tourist, Investors, Visas • Reinstatement of Petition • Deportation Defense• International Adoption• Appeals, Motions to Reopen/Reconsider• Battered/Abused Spouse• I-601 Waivers (Hardship)• Consular Support in Manila• Experienced Criminal Defense Attorneys are also avail• able in our office.

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*Susan Perez is a licensed attorney both in the State of California and the Philippines. She has eighteen (18) years of combined experience in both jurisdictions in the areas of Immigration, Family, Appellate, Juvenile Dependency, Civil, Criminal, Labor, Contracts, Tax, and Business Law. She is also admitted to practice before the Ninth Circuit of the Court of Appeals, and the District Courts of Southern California and Central District of California. She is a Certifi ed Public Accountant and pursuing Master’s of Law at the University of San Diego.

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Atty. Susan V. Perez

San Diego NewsBy VIÑA PHELPS

SAN DIEGO, Calif - The San Diego Majestic Lions Club, District 4L6, held its annual election of officers recently with Pete Lustria having been unani-mously reelected for the position of president.

The incoming set of officers include: Ludette Palero, 1st vice president; Myrna Psillas, 2nd vice president; Nario S. Idos, 3rd vice president; Priscilla Garrovillas, secretary; Mariquita Ridgeway, treasurer; Trinidad Lustria, lion tamer; Carmen Labaco, tail twister.

Lions who will serve in the club’s two-year Board of Di-rectors are Stephanie Psillas, Ceferina Ruiz, M.D; Nario Idos, Josie Robles, Jay Ruiz, M.B.A. while members of the one year Board of Directors include Letty Ancho, Boodgie Arce, Letty Cacpal, Melba Cunanan, Carmen Labaco, Marie White.

The San Diego Majestic Lions Club, District 4L6 annual elections

The club’s Membership Com-mittee this year consists of Rose San Pedro, R.N, chairperson; Napoleon White, senior member, and Ludette Palero, junior mem-ber. Priscilla Garrovillas will serve as Club Administrator.

With “We Serve” as an inspir-ing and guiding force, this club will hold a Medical Mission to the Philippines on January 2010, and proceeds from a fundraiser to the Valley View Casino on May 30th will help finance the mission. Dr. Cef Ruiz who heads the Medical Mission Com-mittee has announced that the Majestic Lions Club is eagerly seeking participation and sup-port of interested parties from the Filipino-American commu-nity inside and out of San Diego County.

For questions or further information, contact persons are Pressy Garrovillas, (619) 829-6358 and Viña Phelps, (619) 263-9714.

San Diego, CA -- Through funding made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has allocated funding for commu-nity health centers for Increased Demand for Services (IDS).

In total, ten (10) Council of Community Clinics (CCC)-mem-ber community health centers in San Diego, Imperial and River-side counties received a total of approximately $6.7 million in IDS funding.

The recently enacted ARRA bill was designed to create jobs, restore economic growth, and

Ten Health Center Members of the Council of Community Clinics Receive a total of

$6.7 Million in Grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

strengthen America’s middle class through measures that modernize the nation’s infrastruc-ture, enhance America’s energy independence, expand educa-tional opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.

According to Gary Rotto, Director of Health Policy for the CCC, the previous administration identified community clinics as a key component of the U.S. health care system and with the goal of increasing the number of clinics and patients served across the country through its Health Center Initiative. The National As-sociation of Community Health

Centers (NACHC) expanded this initiative with the launch of the Access for All program. Access for All seeks to increase the num-ber of patients served at com-munity clinics by 75 percent and to double the number of clinics across the country.

“The members of the Council of Community Clinics are com-mitted to doing their part to meet these goals,” said Rotto. “Lo-cally, the County’s Healthcare Safety Net Study noted that the county would require an addition-al 21 new clinics by 2025 based on population growth.”

IDS funding will result in saving approximately 30 exist-

ing jobs and producing nearly 90 additional jobs in the region. Based on recently compiled data from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, the $6.7 million investment in the clinics will result in $40.2 million of economic activity.

“This funding comes at a cru-cial time for the CCC’s member community health centers,” said the organization’s CEO Stephen O’Kane. “With the constant turmoil over the state budget and cutbacks to health care, this IDS federal funding serves as an important short-term bridge to help us carry out our mission to

serve as the safety net for essen-tial health services in San Diego, Riverside and Imperial Coun-ties.”

IDS funding will enable com-munity health centers to increase services and receive supplemen-tal payments for the spike in the uninsured, and also to create em-ployment opportunities in under-served communities. All commu-nity health centers throughout the nation received across-the-board disbursement for IDS. Additional monies were distributed to health centers based on their number of patients served annually and their number of uninsured patients.

then select the top 10 CNN Heroes before the public selects the “CNN Hero of the Year” by voting at the CNN Heroes site (www.CNN.com/Heroes).

At a year-end gala, CNN will honor the 10 heroes and reveal the “CNN Hero of the Year,” who will receive $100,000.

In its second year in 2008, CNN Heroes received nearly 4,000 sub-missions from 75 countries.

From Good News Balita

CNN honors Filipino as modern day hero



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PNS -- MEGAN Young is part of Starstruck Batch 2 but she has since moved to ABS-CBN under Star Magic. Her role as Marcella, the younger sister of Ruffa Guti-errez, in “Betty La Fea” made her a familiar face on primetime. “When people see me in public now, they call me Marcella, even in school,” she says. “It makes me feel good as it means nag-mamarka naman pala sa viewers ang role ko.”

Some writers tell her at the party organized by Star Magic’s Rikka Dylim that she now has a better career than the winners in StarStruck 2 as she’s in a hit primetime show. “Hoy, friends ko sila. But I’m glad I moved to ABS kasi wala naman akong ginagawa noon sa kabila.”

She’s also told that she should join the Bb.. Pilipinas as her tall dusky beauty will surely be a hit there. “Maybe next year. I’ve just turned 19 lang naman on February 27 so puwede pa ako sumali. But I have to work out muna to make sure I’m in tiptop shape before I join.”

What did she do on her birth-day? “I was taping so this week-end, I will just go to my lola who’s based in Subic and host a party there for my friends.”

PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE -- AFTER her stint with ABS-CBN 2, Ara Mina is back to her former home studio GMA7. She is given a meaty part in “Totoy Bato” as Robin Padilla’s first wife and is the villain-ess in the Sine Novela presentation “Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin” which features the love team of Aljur Abrenica and Kris Bernal. Many are asking how it feels to be a Kapuso once again.

“Definitely, I didn’t feel awkward because before I moved to ABS then, I asked permission from GMA and they allowed me.. During that time, I wanted to try other things but I knew that eventually, I will still go back to GMA,” she states.

According to the sexy actress, there is no bad blood between her and the Kapamilya network that’s why she’s with GMA once again.

“In fairness to ABS, they took care of me when I was with them. In fact, they also made an offer to me: one prime time show and one daytime. But I already accepted GMA’s offer and I’m thankful that their come-back projects for me are meaty.”

Interestingly, she’s playing the third party to Kris and Aljur in “Da-pat Ka Bang Mahalin.” As Glacilda, she’s the more matured woman

No bad blood with Ara Mina

PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE -- RACHEL Alejandro and Dingdong Avanzado last performed in a back-to-back concert 14 years ago. “We did some shows in the U.S. with my wife (Jessa Zaragoza) but this is the first time na kaming dalawa lang ni Rachel ang magso-show,” says Dingdong.

They were officially on for three years, 1992 to 1995. It came to a point that Dingdong introduced Rachel to his parents and they talked of marriage. “Pero hindi nangyari,” says Rachel. “We were both so young and that was the time na we’re both so busy. Na-release ang first albums namin and we have one hit song after another. So pareho

Rachel, Dingdong ‘reconcile’

Rachel Alejandro

Ara Mina

Megan willing to go sexy

Megan Young

Her younger sister, Lauren, has a ka-love team, AJ Perez, and they’re now paired in “Under-age”. “Oo nga, buti pa siya, may ka-love team..” Does she approve of Lauren and AJ being paired together? “Oo naman. Sabi ko nga sa sister ko, dapat, may kissing scene na sila in ‘Underage’.”

Would she be willing to go sexy in a movie? “Why not? Basta artistic. Nag-two piece bikini na nga ako in ‘Betty La Fea’ a few nights ago.” Who’d she like to do a love scene with? “Jericho Rosales and Sam Milby. Basta sila, puwedeng-puwede.”

kaming mas nag-focus muna on our booming careers then.”

But as a result of their breakup, they were able to compose a beauti-ful song, “Paalam Na,” which became a big hit. “I wrote her a letter saying goodbye, then she re-wrote some parts at naging lyrics ng ‘Paalam Na’,” says Dingdong.

Any regrets that they didn’t make it down the aisle? “Siguro it just wasn’t really meant to be,” says Ra-chel. “I realize nga, especially now when I see how happy he is with Jessa, na sila talaga ang magkatapat. They also have a beautiful daughter, Jayda.”

Did Dingdong ask the permis-sion first of Jessa before agreeing

to do a show with Rachel, “Music & Lyrics,” to be held tomorrow at MetroBar on West Ave. at 9:30 p.m. “It’s our managers, Girlie Rodis for her and Arnold Vegafria for me, who thought of this. Arnold first talked to Jessa then she told me about it, so una pa siyang nakaalam kaysa sa akin.”

How come Jessa is lenient with him when it comes to Rachel but not when it comes to another ex of his, Rufa Mae Quinto? It’s Rachel who answered: “Kasi, pinagsabay mo raw sila,” “No, that’s not true,” says Dingdong.

But Rufa Mae said she was surprised when all of a sudden, she found out he’s already on with Jessa. “Well, that’s her side of the story. Ayoko nang pag-usapan ‘yan kasi mabubuksan na naman ‘yan e nananahimik na nga ang lahat. Basta even before I met Jessa, she already knows where we stand in our rela-tionship. Si Rachel naman, okay sila ni Jessa as Rachel came way, way ahead before Jessa’s time. Basta,

just watch our show at MetroBar and we’ll be singing the best known hits of the 80s and 90s.”

who’s obsessed with a younger man. Initial reports say that she’ll have kissing scenes with Aljur.

“That’s why during our initial pictorial, I told him not to get con-scious with it. Direk Maryo (J. delos Reyes) even suggested that it would be better if Aljur, Kris (Bernal, the show’s female lead) and me be given some bonding moments first before shooting said scenes.”

What can she say about the two

junior stars?“Well, I can see their dedication

to their job. For one, they are very cooperative. They are doing their best to come up with an exciting program they are aware that GMA’s afternoon soaps do very well, ratings-wise.”

Many are toying with the idea

that since she’s a Kapuso again why not make her return to her show “Bubble Gang.”

““There’s no denying that I miss the show. I was a regular there for many years. Who knows, right? It’ll be great if it happens. I hope so,” Ara ends with a smile.


Spiritual Life

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

by Msgr. Fernando G. Gutierrez

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Joke of the Week: Fred was in the hospital, near death, so the family sent for his pastor. As the pastor stood beside the bed, Fred’s frail condition grew worse, and he motioned frantical-ly for something to write on. The pastor lovingly handed him a pen and a piece of paper, and Fred used his last ounce of strength to scribble a note. Then he died. The pastor thought it best not to look at the note just then, so slipped it into his jacket pocket. Several days later, at the funeral, the pastor delivered the eulogy. He realized that he was wearing the same jacket that he’d worn the day Fred died. “You know,” he said, “old Fred handed me a

note just before he died. I haven’t read it, but knowing Fred, I’m sure there’s a word of inspiration there for us all.” He unfolded the note and read aloud, “You’re standing on my oxygen tube.”

Scriptures: First Reading: Acts 3: 13-15; 17-19. The Lucan au-thor of Acts emphasizes Christ’s paschal mystery (life, death and resurrection) as the fulfi llment of God’s plan of salvation. As the preaching of Peter begins with what Scriptures say about Israel and its rejection of Jesus, it likewise ends with what the Scriptures say about Jesus as the fulfi llment of the Old Testament prophecies. Second Reading: John 2: 1-5. The author wants

to refute the Gnostic teaching that knowledge alone (“we know him”) of the resurrection or of God assures a Gnostic believer of salvation. Knowledge of God separates the Gnostic believer from the ignorant or the imper-fect. Because of this knowledge, a Gnostic believes that he is dis-pensed from observing the moral law and he doesn’t need the grace of the resurrection or the forgiveness of their sins. Gospel: Luke 24: 35-48. Fr. Raymond E. Brown considered that at the beginning of this resurrection event the Lucan author had an apologetic intent to refute those who rejected the resurrection and to correct the Christian Gnostics and Docetists who claimed that there is no bodily element in Jesus’ death on the cross. Thus, the Lucan gospel gives more emphasis on the physicality of the Lord’s post-Resurrection apparition: his hands and feet are visibly marked and he showed the disciples that he could share food with them.

Refl ections: Salvation had started right after the fall of the fi rst parents, went on with the call of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, continued with the pro-nouncements of the prophets, and reached its apex in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus. In the Lucan view the Scripture is an essential factor in grasping the full mean-ing of Christ’s passion, death, resurrection, the purpose of God, the Church’s mission, and the demand on Christians for conver-sion and evangelization.

The Resurrection of the Lord is not only a historical event worthy of one’s profession of faith. This event is also a faith experience that transforms the life of the modern man. It is imperative to understand the Scriptures in order to comprehend the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. It is important to understand too that because of the resurrection, it is equally imperative to un-dergo conversion and to witness to the resurrection. Briefl y, Fr. Brown said, “Luke’s Christian readers could have found much of their Christian life laid out for them by the risen Jesus.” For a Christian not to undergo a

metanoia (conversion), and not to witness to it is to deny the risen Lord. A true Christian does not only profess his faith in the Risen Lord, he also leads a way of life that witnesses to the truth of his own resurrection.

She loves the son: a wealthy man lost his wife when his only child was very young. A housekeeper came to work in the house, and to take care of the boy. The boy died tragi-cally at twenty years of age. The old man was without kith or kin, and he died of a broken heart some years later. He had no heir to his enormous estate, nor could one be found. Neither was there a will, so the whole property passed to the state. In due course there was an auction to dispose of the personal effects of the mansion. The old house-keeper attended the auction, not because she could buy anything but her grief was too strong to keep her away. There was only one thing in the whole collec-tion that attracted her attention. It was the photo of the son. She had loved him as her own. No one wanted the picture and her few pence were enough to buy it. She brought it home, and pro-ceeded to take it from the frame. When she opened the back of the frame some papers fell out. They looked important, so she brought them to a lawyer. The lawyer looked at her and laughed saying, “You sure have landed

on your feet this time. The old gentleman has left all his estates and all his money to the person who loves his son enough to buy the picture.”

Quotation of the Week: “Out of the grave of our depleted ef-forts, the Lord gives fresh vision, insight, and answers we had not conceived of before. Easter

happens again. For resurrection living there is resurrection power. This is Easter every hour, not a temporary fi x, but an intravenous feeding of love and hope from Christ’s heart to ours. This is living! This is enjoying God!” Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie.

Novena to Saint Jude

Oh Holy St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue, rich in miracles, near Kingsman of Jesus Christ and faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need. To you I have recoursed from the depth of my heart and humbly beg, to whom God has given special great power, to come to my assistance in my present, in return I promised to make your name known and cause to be invoke. ( Say 3 Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glorys for nine consecutive days, publication must be promised.) St. Jude, pray for us all who invoke your aid. (This novena has never been known to fail.

Maria & Nigel, BO

PersonalPrayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit thou make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confi rm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my love ones in your perpetual glory, Amen. A Person must pray this 3 con-secutive days without stating one’s wish will be granted no matter how difficult may be. Promise to publish this soon as your favor has been granted.

Maria & Nigel, BO

BalintatawRead Virginia Ferrer’s previous articles by visiting our website

at www.asianjournalusa.com

by Virginia H. Ferrer

Ikaw Kaibigan (Part 1)Ano na kaya ang buhay ko kung wala ka kaibigandito sa tabi sa sandali ng mga pangngailanganisa kang bulaklak siyang kawangis mo sa kagandahanpalaging nagbibigay kulay sa tunay na kahulugan.

Sa anumang oras mga kamay mo’y laging nakabukasnakahandang sumalo kung sakaling ako ay bumagsakat katulad ng tarangkahan sa tuwina ay nabukasat nakalaan akong papasukin sa anumang oras.

Mayroong mga sandaling ako’y iyong pinapahangasa angking mong talino tunay mo akong napapamanghasa malaking matang kuwago ano ang iyong panamawalang iba kundi talino at kagandahang biyaya.

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During one of our most recent visits to Las Vegas, I was asleep in our hotel room when I was awoken in the middle of the night by a very nice conversation between two distinct voices -- one in English and the other answering in our native dialect, Pangasinan. I clearly heard the voices say, “Honey, please check if the dryer is done.” And the other voice replied, “Antomay imbagam, Honey?” (Translation: “What did you say, Honey?”)

I immediately checked to see if the other couple in our room, Ni-nong Ben and Ninang Ped Guarin, were still awake so I could encour-age them to go back to sleep. To my amazement, both were sound asleep; however, their intermittent conversations continued during the night. For me, I could see the love they shared for each other even in their sleep. It was really an amaz-ing experience.

Ninong Ben’s generosity was also unequaled. Two years ago, Rose Vidal and I, together with our hubbies, helped Ninong Ben surprise Ninang Ped on her 75th birthday. To show his apprecia-tion, he wanted to take all of us to Celine Dion’s show in Las Vegas. For some time, we politely declined his repeated requests, but he was a very convincing man. Finally, after more than a year of this back and forth, Ninong Ben’s persistence finally paid off. And, honestly, how could we resist especially when the treat was on him?! So last Novem-ber, he took us to see two shows in Las Vegas, headlined by Celine Dion. In addition to his generosity, one of Ninong Ben’s most impor-tant traits was that he was genu-inely friendly to everyone. He was

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, surely I can’t look that old. Well... You’ll love this one.

The story goes like this........I was sitting in the waiting room

for the my first appointment with a new dentist I noticed his DDS Di-ploma, which bore his full name.

Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy, with the same name, had been in my high school years some 30-odd years ago.

Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then? Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought.

This balding, grey-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeht, I asked him if he had attended Fairview High School.

Yes, yes, I did. I’m a bulldog. He gleamed with pride.

‘When did you graduate?’ I asked. He answered, ‘In 1975. Why do you ask?’

You were in my class! I Eclaimed.He looked at me closely. Then,

that ugly, bald, wrinkled, fat ass, gray haired, decrepit son-of-a-bitch

Old Classmate asked.

What did you teached?

Stolen cock

Speaking of a hen house, this one’s from Ed Umali.

The priest in a small village loved his chickens that he kept in the coop behind the church.

One Sunday morning before mass, he went to feed the birds and dis-covered that the cock was missing.

He knew about the cock fights in the village, so he decided to ques-tion his parishioners in church. Dur-ing the mass, he asked his congrega-tion, “Has anybody got a cock?”

All the men stood up.“No, no, that wasn’t what I meant.

Has anybody seen a cock?”All the women stood up.“No, no, that wasn’t what I meant

either. Has anybody seen a cock that doesn’t belong to them?”

Half the women stood up!“No, no, no, that wasn’t what I

meant. What I really really mean is, has anybody seen MY cock?”

Sixteen altar boys, two priests and a goat stood up.

A Tribute to My Ninong Bena one-of-a-kind gentleman.

My Ninong Ben passed away last January 2nd at 4:15 a.m. I was informed by Atchi Flora just an hour after he died. The news of his passing overwhelmed me, causing my tears to flow freely. I asked myself how this could be happening because I was not yet able to catch up with him after he arrived from his Australian cruise. My husband, Rudy, and I had also just returned from an east coast trip. And as soon as we arrived, we immediately started attending the “Simbang Gabi” Masses at our Parish. I was so exhausted after all of these activities that I even forgot to call them on their wedding an-niversary on December 22. This is one of my regrets. I told myself “sayang,” I should have tried to at least call him despite my hectic schedule.

Ninong Ben was born on June 21, 1929, in Songkoy, Calasiao, Pangasinan. He was the young-est among seven siblings born to Jose Guarin and Adriana Untalan, a farm caretaker and a housekeeper, respectively. His determination to pursue a career motivated him to enroll at Far Eastern University and majored in Accounting, but the call of duty was so strong that he decided to forego his studies and, instead, joined the US Navy in July 1953. Before he left, his mind, heart, and whole being was already caught by a very beautiful neighbor, the former Ped de Vera, a Home Economics teacher. He didn’t court her directly, but before he left, he told her one thing, “I hope you’re still Miss de Vera when I come back.” It took him two years to come back for his beloved Ped, and the words he told her when he was about to go home

were, “I’m coming home to marry you.” That’s another trait that set Ninong Ben apart from others -- he was a man of his word. The couple finally got married on December 22, 1955. They were later blessed with three children -- Sam, who was born in the Philippines, and Cindy and Gigi, who were born in the US.

A very industrious husband and father, Ninong Ben took part-time jobs just to provide his wife and children with more comfort. He

often left for work in the morning while his children were still sleep-ing and came home at night when the children were again asleep for the evening. His saving grace was that he knew his children were in good hands with their mom, and they understood why he was often absent. But on any of his children’s birthdays or special occasions, he made sure he was there to celebrate with them.

My Ninong Ben and Ninang Ped (Continued on page 17)

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

journalusa.com


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

asianjournalusa.com

by J’Son

National City (4/20/09)- Ka-lusugan Community Services (KCS) special 3-year program on Healthy Eating Campaign (HEC) which started sometime in 2007 suppos-edly only in the vicinity of National City’s supermarkets, groceries, bakeries and restaurants, which later were expanded on special request by Asian and Filipino owners of several groceries and restaurants in neigh-boring areas who volunteered to be part of HEC program, has propor-tionately progressed beyond expec-tation of KCS founder Dr. Riz Oades and co-founder Dr. Ofelia Dirige.

In the last April general meeting of HEC, at the Fil-Am Wellness Center, Dr. Dirige was quoted, saying, “I would like to personally and sincere-ly thank all the Advisory Committee Members and the Advocate Staff Members and all who helped in one way or the other to do an extraor-dinary effort to conduct a massive campaign on healthy eating based on Kalusugan’s guidelines.”

Kudos to all concerned community volunteers and frontline workers who diligently helped for the over-all success of this once for a lifetime worthy project of Kalusugan, namely: Aurora Cudal, Chris Feraro, Boodgie Arce, Marissa Acierto, Willy and Prosie Batac, Luz Mercer, Beth Dalindin, Al Villamora, Demy Din, Rudy Liporda, Veronica Papa, Femie Cupit, Charlotte Fajardo, Dennis Michael-Broussard, Mary Grace Sadile, Fe Rivero, Pressy Garrovillas, June Lao, Rikky and Rebecca Reclosado and Angie Tan.

As of this writing, it was learned that leading National City super-markets and restaurants concerned with healthy food intake for its consumers, patrons and suppliers participated in this campaign, like; Seafood City, Manila Seafood, Gol-dilocks, Villa Manila, Pinoy Fiesta, J&C Pinoy Mart, R&B Cuisine and several other not mentioned in this meeting.

How far has KCS/HEC Program progressed?

In a recent survey jointly conduct-ed by Kalusugan/HEC, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart As-sociation and Champion for Change: Network for Healthy California,

disclosed that the HEC campaign triggered a big boost on the aware-ness in healthy food consciousness not only in the residents of National City but other neighboring cities, too, including fast food chains, retailers, suppliers and other related businesses.

Highlights of the progress re-ports composing three groups of HEC Advocates are Grocery Tours, Evaluation of Restaurants and Stores and HEC Extravaganza. Group I led by Boodgie Arce and Demy Din with Aurora Cudal had a well attended healthy food sampling to customers of J&C Pinoy Mart last April 15.2009. Group II led by Marissa Acierto and Fe Rivero with Dr. Dirige on the other hand, will hold another healthy food tasting approved by HEC at Seafood City on Aril 21, 2009 and April 29, 2009 at Manila Seafood. While, Group III led by Willie Batac and Angie Tan also with Dr. Dirige will be conduct-ing another healthy food tasting at

the R&B Cuisine on May 9, 2009.HEC has already presented 2 con-

secutive extravaganzas, first, was in April 2, 2007 with the theme, “Taste of Healthy Filipino Cuisine,” the second, was in July 19, 2008, also with the same theme. This year will be on August 15, 2009, plans are on the verge of completion but organiz-ers are saying that this year is and ultimate presentation, not only about tasting healthy Filipino cuisine, but a real fiesta extravaganza being the culmination of the 3-year period. It is anticipated that this year will be highlighting noted Chefs in San Diego and multi regional cultural representations and displays of Filipino dishes, handicrafts, arts and culture, including native songs and dances.

For more information, please visit Kalusugan/Fil-Am Wellness Center 1419 E. 8th Street, National City, CA 91950 or call (619) 477-3391, log-in, www.webkalusugan.org.

A Tribute to My Ninong Ben(Continued from page 16)played a major role in the found-ing of the Dagupan City Club of San Diego. They were one of the pillars of this prestigious organiza-tion. Ninong Ben expertly served on different administrations as an auditor, assistant auditor, board of director, adviser, and peace officer. Over the last few years, Ninang Ped was one of the reminder callers for DCCSD, but she relinquished the duties to Ninong Ben because he really enjoyed talking to people. Another trait that I admired about him was that he was people-orient-ed. His dedication to this club was really exceptional. He was one of our current board of directors when he was summoned by our Creator. He will always be remembered as a good man with a very beautiful and genuine heart, people-oriented, cheerful, man of one word, charita-

ble, a good dancer, and most of all, a man who had the most uncondi-tional love for his family, especially his wife.

Truly, he was every inch a Gentleman. He will be missed by all, his family, relatives, friends, extended families but, of course, he won’t be forgotten.

Ninong Ben is survived by his loving wife Ped, son Sam, and daughter-in-law Regina, daugh-ter Cindy and son-in-law Albert, daughter Gigi and son-in-law Ryan, and his precious grandchildren, Matthew, Christopher, Catrina, Christi, Devon and Nico.

Ladies and gentlemen, for the last time, let’s give this Great Man, Ben Guarin, a standing ovation for his extraordinary accomplishment in life!!!!

Beloved Ninong, go in peace; sleep with the Lord.

Until we meet again!


How do you spell relief? H-U-M-O-R. This, according to Darren La Croix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, is based on the Minnifield Principle of Humor, which states that you cannot be stressed or angry when you are laughing. When you laugh, all the tension leaves your body. Stress and laughter are two emotions that simply cannot occur in the human body at the same time.

I agree with this principle whole-heartedly. Times are getting really tough nowadays, so to relieve all the stress we are experiencing, let’s laugh!

For your enjoyment, I have here some humorous little stories on several topics that will tickle your funny bone. These humorous stories, which are jokes really, are not mine. They have been around for ages.

Memory Loss

While at work, John tied a string around his finger to remind him later of something he wanted to do. After dinner, he noticed the string, but could not remember what he wanted to do. He decided that if he sat long enough, he would remember. At around 1:00 in the morning, he did remember. He wanted to go to bed early!

An elderly man went to see his doctor. “Doctor, you must help me. I can’t remember anything for more than a few minutes. It’s driving me crazy!” The doc-tor asked gently, “How long has this been going on?” The patient answered, “How long has WHAT been going on?”

Climbing out of his car, a man said to his family, “Well, we finally found a parking spot. Does anybody remember why we are here?”

An aging professor said to some of his colleagues at the luncheon table. “One time recently, I

When Times AreTough … Laugh!dreamed I was lecturing to my class. I woke up with a start, and by heaven, I was!”

“I have brought a frog,” the professor told his class in zoology. “It is fresh from the pond, so we might study its outer appearance, and then dissect it.” He care-fully opened the package he was carrying, and inside was a neatly prepared sandwich. The good professor looked at it with aston-ishment, “This is odd. I distinctly

remember eating my lunch!”

On Speakers and Speeches

Upon entering a room in a hotel where a Presidential primary was scheduled, a woman recognized a Presidential candidate pacing up and down. She asked what he was doing, and he said, “I am going to deliver a speech.” She asked, “Sir, do you usually get very nervous before addressing a large audi-ence? He said, “No, I never get nervous.” “In that case,” demand-ed the lady, “what are you doing in the ladies room?”

A speaker, who has been talking for more than two hours, said to his audience: “I’m sorry I spoke so long. I don’t have my watch with me.” One member of the audience said, “Yeah, but there’s a calendar right there in front of you!”

“I have discontinued long talks on account of my throat,” the speaker said. “Several people have threatened to cut it if I don’t

make this short.”When a sudden storm blew up

at sea, a young woman, leaning against the ship’s rail lost her bal-ance and fell overboard. Immedi-ately, another passenger plunged into the waves beside her, and held her up until a lifeboat rescued them. To everyone’s surprise, the hero was the oldest man in the voyage, an octogenarian. That evening, he was honored with a party. “Speech, speech,” the pas-sengers cried. The old man rose slowly, and looked around at the enthusiastic gathering. He said, “There’s just one thing I’d like to say – who pushed me?”

A minister announced to his congregation that the topic for next week’s sermon would be “honesty.” In preparation for the message, he asked his con-gregation to read the Wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs 32. The next Sunday, the minister began by asking how many have read the assigned Scripture. Several hands flashed into the air. The minister

said, “Just as I thought. There is no 32nd chapter in the Book of Proverbs. That’s why my topic today is “honesty.”

From the Mouth Of BabesA stranger entered an apartment

building and asked a boy stand-ing in the lobby, “Can you tell me where Mr. Smith lives?” They boy said, “yes, sir. I’ll show you where he lives.” Six flights up, the boy pointed out Mr. Smith’s room. The man pounded on the door repeatedly, and when there was no response, he commented, “He’s not here.” “Oh, no, sir, “replied the boy, “Mr. Smith was down-stairs waiting in the lobby.”

A small boy debunked the talk about a painless dentist in his neighborhood. They boy said, “He is not painless! He put his finger in my mouth and I bit it, and he yelled just like anybody else!”

A salesman called a prospective customer the other day, and the phone was answered by what was obviously a small boy. “Is your mother or father home?” the sales-

man asked. The boy said “no.” “Well, is there anyone else there I can speak to?” the salesman asked. “My sister,” the boy said, “but I can’t lift her out of the play pen.”

When the teacher asked her class to write out one of the Ten Com-mandments, one boy wrote: The fifth commandment is: “Humor thy father and thy mother.”

Willy, age 8, came to his father one morning and asked, “Daddy, where did I come from?” Willy’s dad felt a sinking sensation in his stomach, because as a modern parent, he realized that a question like that deserved a full and honest answer. So he sat Willy down for an hour and a half and indoc-trinated him on the facts of life. Willy listened with fascination, and when it was over, the father asked, “Son, does that answer your question?’ “No,” said Willy, “it doesn’t. Our neighbor Johnny came from Cincinnati. I still don’t know where I came from.”

Light &Shadows

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

by Zena Sultana Babao


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Filipinos and their Carabao English

can be fun*

The tri-venture of Turner Construction Company, PCL Construction Services, Inc., and FCI Constructors (Turner Partnership Team) seeks submissions to select a Third Party Outreach Consultant. It is understood that this consultant should provide leadership and experience in outreach efforts that are required by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority for the SDIA Terminal Development Program (TDP) Outreach Program and preferably have that experience within the local market. The outreach consultant will assist with implementation of the program’s contracting opportunities.

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languages. Hence, when a Filipino says “I’ll try to come,” it usually means one of three things:

-1 can’t come but I don’t want to hurt your feelings by saying “No.”

- I’d like to, but I’m not sure you really want me to come. Please insist that I do.

-I’ll probably meet you but I’ll not say “yes.” Something might prevent me from coming.


So when you invite a Filipino to a party or any occasion, repeat the invitation a second or third time to be sure he understands that you’re really serious and not just a pabalat bunga (literally, “skin of the fruit, i.e., insincere, casual). Use a little persuasion to change the vague “I’ll try” or a “reluctant yes” to an “apologetic no”.

Filipinos are warm and friendly people. They have a fi ne sense of humor. They smile and joke a lot for laughter spices their lives. It helps them cope with a routine and boring existence. It can be “a kind of psychological therapy” for them in a time of dif-fi culties, problems and crises.

We would like our readers to contribute insights and amusing anecdotes regarding the use of Filipino language, so that we can prepare a sequel to this article.

________________

*The above article is a reprint. The 8th of a series article of In Search of the Good Life: Staying Upwind in High School will con-tinue in the next issue.-- Riz

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PNS -- AFTER selling more than 10,000 copies, Lorna To-lentino’s Wings Of the Soul al-bum has turned gold. Annabelle Regalado-Borja of Star Records proudly announced this during the presscon of the album. This means that LT’s inpirational al-bum would be benefitting cancer patients from the industry via her Rudy Fernandez Cancer Founda-tion and Pinky Tobiano’s Pinky Cares Foundation. Miss L.T. also said that she would be more than happy if Malacañang would give recognition to her late husband. Senator Bong Revilla has given her a certificate20during Daboy’s last birthday and has said that he, along with his other senator bud-dies are pushing to have Daboy named a national artist. Miss L.T. however, saidthat with an award or not, she’d be thankful anyway.

PNS -- ONE question which was asked again Gretchen Barretto during the launch of her second album titled “Complicated” is how much she is worth. Would she rank among the 20 richest celebri-ties in showbiz?

In her interview with “The Buzz,” Gretchen answered the question with one word only: priceless.

Admittedly, she finds the question a very sensitive one and would rather not comment. Talking about money matters says Gretchen makes her uncomfort-able.

“Let us put it this way. Ang mga bagay na ako mismo ang nagpun-dar like my own house na naipa-tayo ko when I was 19 ay hindi ko ikahihiyang ipagyabang. Pero sa mga bagay na hindi ko pinaghi-rapan at ibinigay sa akin eh wala akong karapatang ipagyabang ang mga ito. I consider them as blessings,”she declares.

Gretchen rendered some cuts from the “Complica-ted” album like “The Trouble” with “Hello is Goodbye,” Ready To “Take a Chance Again” and “Looking Through the Eyes of Love” despite having a hoarse voice.

Is Gretchen contented on just being a recording artist? Has she

PNS -- AFTER the drama-fan-tasy, “Lobo” opposite Piolo Pas-cual, Angel Locsin will be seen next in the remake of the popular Koreanovela, “Only You” at ABS-CBN 2. Here, Sam Milby will be her leading man.

“Just the thought of working again with Sam excites me,” she says. “Remember, he was my partner in my very first Maalaala

Gretchen one of the richest in showbiz?

no desire of doing a movie or a teleserye?

“I’d love to make a comeback full-length film but the main problem is we cannot find the right movie vehicle for me. Appearing in a teleserye is fine but I find it difficult to do tapings three times a week. I enjoy singing especially the songs that are close to my heart. I look forward to having a concert and I prefer to start with an intimate venue like the Teat-rino.”

Gretchen is an incurable ro-mantic as she shares her intimate thoughts via the backliner notes:

“My dearest groom to be, our music has captured life at its fin-est, our precious moments can wither my darkest shame. Our love is born to us who dare to love shall live forever.

“For the way your eyes sparkle when you look at me, for the golden smile that greets me, for the warm embrace that tells me all will be well, for the constant laughter that drives my fears away, for telling me you’ll take the good and not so good times and

Gretchen Barretto

Rudy Fernandez as national artist

Rudy Fernandez

During the presscon, Tirso Cruz III was also present and even sang a song which is included in the album. Project wise, he told me that he would be playing the part of Sam Milby’s father in the Philippine Version of Only you.

Luis geting used to being ‘Separated from Angel’

Angel Locsin and Luis Manzano

Mo Kaya episode. I find him a very effective dramatic actor. I admire his por trayals in both “Maging Sino Ka Man” and “Diyosa.”

Her latest starrer is a light romance. Many are asking if she and Sam will be able to tickle the viewers’ fancy.

“I know,” she exclaims. “It’s the challenge actually. Only

You’s success will greatly depend on our chemistry.”

Because of her role in the show as a Filipina chef working in a Korean res-taurant, Angel got inspired to learn how to prepare Korean dishes.

“Actually,

it’s something new for me,” says Angel. “I’ve read that most of their dishes are healthy because they mix a lot of veggies. At least, it’ll be different from what I regularly take like Italian, Thai, Japanese, and of course, Filipino menus.”

Interestingly, the pretty star has plans of enrolling in a culinary school anytime soon.

“Yes, but it’s not because of my character in the story or that I have dreams of becoming a professional chef someday,” Angel explains. “It’s my per-sonal choice. Unknown to some, Iya (Villania) and I have agreed that we’ll enter a formal cooking school before getting married. That way, we won’t find it hard to prepare food for our future families.”

She will tape some of the key scene s in Korea for three weeks. What’s her arrangement with beau, Luis Manzano?

“Well, he’s getting used to the situation,” explains Angel. “In fact, when we were talking over the phone a few nights ago, he told me: You’ll leave me once again. But I told him it is work and he understood.

“Before, it would take me a longer time to explain about our hectic schedules. But this time, it seems easier. Maybe, it can be attributed to his present project, A Mother’s Story. It’s his film opposite his mom, Batangas Governor Vilma Santos and John Lloyd Cruz. He’ll fly to New York this April for their shoot-ing. At least, both of us will be busy.”

that you’ll love me anyway. For choosing to focus on my strength, for songs you sing to me.

I live for the moment when we will finally say---I do.”

We need not tell you the person Gretchen is talking about. Maybe in her next album, they will show their love via a duet?

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10th

asian journal apr 24 2009

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