Bong in Virginia

Celebrating 60 years of the Peace Corps: building the “foundation of freedom, condition for peace”

2021-10-18T15:25:00.002-04:00

The Philippine Embassy led an online information drive on the achievements of 60 years of the United States Peace Corps in the Philippines.

Ambassador Brenda Brown Schoonover, who was part of the first Peace Corps Class in the Philippine program, spoke about her experience along with guest alumni Rebecca Scarbrough and Michael Walsh.

Peace Corps Philippines’ Acting Director of Programming and Training Ambet Yangco and PCAFPD scholar Hannah Catiis also spoke during the event.

The first Peace Corps volunteers, 128-strong, arrived in the Philippines in October 1961, working as teachers in the countrysides. More than 9,300 American Peace Corps volunteers served in the Philippines in the past six decades.

The volunteers who all had knowledge and skills direly needed in the country, especially in remote rural areas, trained Filipinos to protect coral reefs and marine sanctuaries, help farmers improve crop yields, spur economic development in poor communities, and help children and families facing difficulties.

They lived with host families and many became deeply rooted in the communities they served.

In celebration of the Peace Corps and Filipino American History Month, the Philippine Embassy premiered the webinar, “Forward for Peace” on October 15 thru the Embassy’s official Facebook page, @PHinUSA.

The event, part of the year-long commemoration of the 75 years of US-Philippine diplomatic relations, offered a venue for past Peace Corps volunteers to talk about their personal journey and experiences; as well as for representatives from the Peace Corps Philippines and the Peace Corps Alumni Foundation for Philippine Development (PCAFPD) to share the program’s mission and impact to aspiring future volunteers.

“I am thankful that the American people have been so interested in helping the Philippines and that the Peace Corps has enabled such volunteers to immerse themselves in our society,” Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez said in his address.

There is no doubt that the continued success of the Peace Corps Program, which was started by a great American President John F. Kennedy, is anchored on the passion and dedication of your members and volunteers who continue to make a life-changing impact at the grassroots level during and beyond their tours of service,” he added.

The life of the Peace Corps volunteer, Pres. Kennedy said at the organization’s founding “will not be easy” but “will be rich and satisfying.”

“For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps, who works in a foreign land, will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace,” he declared.

Patrick Realiza, Chair of the Peace and Security Committee for the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA) moderated the event.

Ex-Subic volunteer recalls “adventure of a lifetime” 30 years ago

2021-10-04T14:56:00.007-04:00

Jay Gatchalian heard from a friend that Richard Gordon, then the mayor of Olongapo City would be talking at the George Washington University. He’d been following news about Mt. Pinatubo and the vote to kick out US military bases in the 1990s, so he was curious.

The afternoon would prove momentous for the young University of Virginia student - drawing him back to the Philippines for an adventure of a lifetime, joining about a dozen other college-age Fil-Am who volunteered to be Gordon’s cadres.

Jay’s eyes still light up recounting that episode. He admitted he was listless, shifting majors at UVa to his parent’s consternation who urged him to pick one and stick with it.

“I wanted to get out of school,” Jay said, adding he scrounged around for money to buy a plane ticket to Manila. “I came because he inspired us to go to Subic. He showed how we can make it happen.”

After a year in the Philippines, he returned to Virginia grounded, sure of the future he wanted. He said he saw the best and worst in the Philippines.

Subic naval base was as large as Singapore in acreage, the key American logistics hub during their war in Vietnam (1959-1973) and R&R destination. In September 1991, the Philippine Senate voted to junk the Military Bases Agreement, effectively evicting the US from its largest overseas air and naval bases.

But just months earlier, Mt. Pinatubo - a volcano that lay dormant for centuries - erupted, blanketing both Subic and Clark bases in feet of mud and volcanic debris. The double whammy prompted the US to call it quits, mounting an evacuation that makes Kabul look like child’s play in terms of the numbers of Americans who had to be moved Stateside.

Subic Base, cannibalized and buried in lahar, still held vast value and resources. Manila didn’t have a contingency plan, so it was left to Olongapo City Mayor Gordon. His plan rested on the patriotism, commitment and imagination of about 10,000 Olongapo residents who agreed to invest in Subic upfront - cleaning, repairing and restoring, pulling it up from the dead on the promise of future jobs.

This was when Jay and the other Fil-Am recruits came in. They were bright-eyed 20-somethings who’d taken sabbaticals from colleges across the US and in the Philippines - lured by the tale of Gordon’s large army of unpaid volunteers, a vision of grassroots development and the opportunity to be part of that seeming miracle.

Jay was born in Manila but moved to Virginia when he was in sixth-grade. He was one of four UVa undergrads and another from Virginia Tech who decided to take a year off to follow “The Boss” - as they called Gordon - working as executive assistants and getting to work on “real projects”.

When Fedex founder and CEO Frederick Smith met the Filipino mayor in Memphis, TN, he was surprised to see the young faces sitting in the high-stakes conference. “They are my assistants,” Mr. Gordon introduced them, making a point of mentioning Ivy League backgrounds.

In another instance, they were bundled up for a meeting in Hongkong. It turns out Mr. Gordon was making a pitch to Walt Disney, that was then hunting for a location for their Asia Disneyland.

“Subic has an airport. We had the land, the roads,” Jay narrated, “so we were competitive but they always had China in mind.”

“I believed they met with us to raise their bargaining chips with China, because they could say, see we have other offers,” Jay recalls amusedly.

When they accompanied Mr. Gordon to New York, they found their way to a large conference room, Jay recalls, that had a table filled with goodies that he sheepishly confessed he started stuffing into his pockets. A gentleman sauntered in, engaging him in light banter that ended with him professing admiration with the firm they were talking to, and the man matter-of-factly wishing Jay might join the firm in the future. He would later learn he had swapped small talk with Michael Bloomberg who of course owned the company they were meeting with.

But working in Subic wasn’t always positive. As a Gordon staffer, there was a time when a reporter sought him out for an interview, Jay remembers. As the scribe finished questioning, he asked for money. He recalls being recoiled by the ask. “Well,” the reporter said, “your story is not coming out”.

Jay said his year in Subic provided him an education he could never get in any university. “I was 21 and eager to make a difference,” he declared. He said he’d endorse any program for young Fil-Ams to get involved in “real projects” in the Philippines instead of acting as simple observers.

The group still keeps tabs with each other, the last time when they joined a Zoom call to wish the now-Sen. Gordon, in isolation after getting the Covid 19 virus, a 76th happy birthday last August.

He said some of them decided to stay in the Philippines. Like him, Anna “Trish” Bantug-Herrera returned after two years in Subic, where she honed skills in economic development, including microfinance, mobile technologies, rural and agricultural finance, and reproductive health and family planning - experiences that’s proven invaluable to what she does today.

Trish is an Associate Director of Asia Foundation in Washington D.C.

As for Jay Gatchalian, he decided to take up Michael Bloomberg’s invitation.

Photos (top) Jay Gatchalian and Olongapo City Mayor Richard Gordon Sr. with Subic volunteers; (bottom) Subic Bay sunset during our last vacation in 2019

Masked & dancing, MHC brings back People’s Ball to recognize outstanding Fil-Ams

2021-10-03T10:12:00.005-04:00

After a year’s hiatus, the Migrant Heritage Commission’s People’s Ball is back, none the less for wear from the deadly Covid 19 pandemic as it recognized the contributions of Fil-Am groups and individuals in the Metro DC region.

The party drew a good-sized post-pandemic crowd - a vaccination card or negative test result was required at the entrance. Live music alternated with disc jocks that kept people on their feet.

The highlight though remained to be the awards.

Receiving community service awards were: the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition for helping engage the Fil-Am community for disaster relief from Typhoon Haiyan to Covid Food Aid for the Philippines;

Baltimore-based Mabuhay Inc’s Romero Paredes Cobo, the Ilocano Society of America’s Rebecca “Ruby” Lopez, Malou Cadacio of the United Federation of Filipino-American Educators, Roy Torres of the Alexandria Asian American Lions Club;

Lorna Vasquez Kivlehan of the Fil-Am Association of Stafford, Jojo and Ednora for their work with the MHC Dance Ensemble and Fil-Am Ministry of St. Michael; the Culpeper Filipino American Community, the Family Alliance Veterans Care; and

Arnis exponents Walter, Wesley and Lexi Crisostomo of Ultima Eskrima-Pinakatay Arnis Sigidas.

Posthumous awards for outstanding community service were given to US Navy veteran Celso Santos Antonio of the Ilocano Society of America, and Leonora “Nora” Mendoza of the Philippine Nurses Association of Metro Washington.

Ofelia Valentos and Wilmer Acebron of the Filipino Global Market (Falls Church, Va. and Oxon Hill, Md.) received the outstanding migrant award in business.

Gift of Life awards were given to cancer survivor and advocate Nita Mortensen, nurse Elena Odonzo, and entrepreneur and philantrhropist Edward Penaflor Logan.

Medical assistant Maricar Salazar Galsim, teachers Olga Moon and Leila Rodulfa; nurses Rannie and Ruth Abo, and Raymundo and Jocelyn Akiatan received the Assistance to Nationals community service award.

Philippine Labor Attache Angela Trinidad was handed the “Kaakibat Award”.

Special awards were also given to Yvonne Inventor Taneza, 2019-21 Mrs. Heritage Philippines and the reigning title holder, Melanie Dua, as well as Roxanne Hodzic as 2021 Miss Pre-Teen Heritage Philippines.

2012 ISA Miss Teen Philippines-America Iana Kozelsky, World Champion of Performing Arts Dave Valeriano and journalist Kristina Maralit shared emcee duties for the night.

Entertainment also provided by the MHC Dance Ensemble and FAASVA Carinosas.

Fil-Ams celebrate contributions and their place in America

2021-10-01T10:42:00.004-04:00

West to East, from sea to shining sea, the United States marks Filipino American History Month the whole of October - kicking off this weekend with an exhibit on the historic USS Hornet in Alameda, Ca. and this year’s staging of the long-running Filipino festival in Virginia Beach, Va.

Locally, the Migrant Heritage Commission’s People’s Ball is coming back after a year’s hiatus because of the Covid 19 pandemic. The Ball - which also marks 75 years of US-Philippine diplomatic relations will be held at the Marriott Fairview Hotel in Falls Church, Va.

The US Congress passed in 2009 a resolution recognizing October as Filipino American History Month. The month coincides with the first landing of Filipinos - conscripted to crew the Spanish galleon Senora de Buena Esperanza - in what is now Morro Bay, California on Oct. 18, 1587.

Various Fil-Am organizations across the US usually mark the event with exhibits and lectures to raise awareness of the Filipino contributions to America, as well as concerts, foodfests and parties.

The USS Hornet Museum in partnership with the Bataan Legacy Historical Society, the Friends & Family of Nisei Veterans and the USS Telesforo Trinidad Campaign are opening an exhibit this weekend (Oct. 3) to kick off Fil-Am celebrations.

The month-long exhibit will focus on “120 Years of Loyal & Faithful Service by Filipinos in the US Navy.” It will chronicle the role of Filipinos in the US Navy fron 1901 when President William McKinley created the Insular Force until 1992 when the enlistment program ended by which time Filipinos became the largest foreign-born recruits in the US Navy.

The exhibit also features Telesforo Trinidad, the first Filipino sailor who received the Medal of Honor in 1915. There is now a Fil-Am community campaign to have one of the new US Navy ships named in his honor.

The USS Hornet saw action during World War II in the Philippines.

On the East, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer will preside over a day-long Filipino festival at Mount Trashmore tomorrow (Oct. 2) that will feature a beauty pageant and a lot of dancing.

Virginia Beach has the highest Filipino population in Hampton Roads region and is home to the Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia in Kempsville.

Chicago comedian Erick Esteban and hip-hop artists S.N.R.G. (Some Never Really Get) from Northern Virginia are among the featured artists.

Buko Resto-Bar food truck will serve Filipino street food. Bambu and Maria & Isabel’s will offer desserts. There will also be a lumpia (eggroll) eating contest.

Filipinos complete special operations training, PH defense attache speaks to graduates

2021-09-28T16:17:00.005-04:00

Students from the Philippines completed recently a course at the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School at John C. Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi.

NAVSCIATTS Cmdr. Don Speights and Philippine Defense Attache Capt. Salvador Henry Quinto (PN) served as hosts and addressed the 49 graduates from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Guyana, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

In his address, Capt. Quinto stressed the development of the modern soldier. “There are some realities we need to face,” he explained, “Gone are the days that men and women turned into soldiers and sailors by the mere display of sheer strength and their willingness to fight.”

“While most of us joined the service driven by a spectrum of reasons - like patriotism, bloodlines, career, rewards, dreams or even adventure…Today’s military now needs dedicated professionals, responsible experts, and men and women with various skill sets and competencies,” Capt. Quinto averred.

Cmdr. Speights stressed that strengthening global relations and building partner capacity will continue to be a priority for him and his staff.

“While the forefront of our shared global struggle over the past year has focused on Covid-19, we realize global challenges that threaten the security of all our nations and existed prior to the pandemic such as terrorism, illicit drug networks, human trafficking, organized crime, and great power competition,” he explained.

“We must not forget, regardless of our situations and where we are from, we can only counter these challenges by working together. Your service and continued dedication to your countries and international partnerships will no doubt ensure our success against these shared global challenges.”

NAVSCIATTS, which was originally formed as a US Coast Guard mobile training team in 1961 in Rodman, Panama, trains for foreign special operations, combat support, and combat service support.

This semester, students received training in six of the command’s 10 formal courses of instruction, including diesel and outboard motor maintenance, tactical communications, welding and applied repairs, coastal patrol, and UAS (unmanned aircraft) planning and operations.

“Warfare of this new century requires membership in a profession that shares organic unity and consciousness in various disciplines that make us special and distinct apart from the ordinary men,” Capt. Quinto said.

Since 1963, more than 13,000 international security force professionals from 123 countries have trained with NAVSCIATTS.

Photos courtesy of NAVSCIATTS

Forgotten history: Fil-Am scholar wants to tell story of Filipina nurses in Bataan and Corregidor

2021-09-28T16:16:00.002-04:00

The Fil-Am scholar who fleshed out the saga of over 1,200 European Jews fleeing Nazi Germany and found a haven in the Philippines in the late 1930s has her eyes set on the largely untold heroism of Filipino nurses during the battles of Bataan and Corregidor.

Dr. Sharon Delmendo, book author, Fulbright scholar, English professor at St. John Fisher College and history detective discussed the tale of the nurses during a recent talk in the home of Sonny and Ceres Busa in Virginia.

She revealed her efforts to dive into records at the MacArthur archives in Norfolk, Va.

“The contributions of Filipina nurses in Bataan are a shamefully neglected chapter of history,” Dr. Delmendo wrote.

“There are so many Filipina nurses serving all over the world today – and still neglected— I think this is a timely subject,” she averred.

Her first book history “The Star-Entangled Banner: One Hundred Years of America in the Philippines" (Rutgers University Press, 2004) unearthed the story of “Manilaners” - German Jews who found safe harbor in the Philippine capital in World War II.

Her trail-blazing research led to documentaries and movies, including a biopic on Philippine Commonwealth Pres. Manuel L. Quezon that revolved around the rescue of the Jews.

Existing literature focus on the “Angels of Bataan” or the “Battling Belles of Bataan” - US Army and US Navy nurses who were caught by the outbreak of the Pacific War in the Philippines.

There is scant reporting about the presence, much less experiences of Filipina nurses in Bataan and Corregidor.

The most compelling evidence perhaps is a letter from Capt. Josephine Nesbit, Assistant Chief of Nurse in Manila when the war broke out, listing the names of Filipina nurses assigned to Army hospitals in Bataan and Corregidor. They were brought by the Japanese to the University of Sto. Tomas, where their American counterparts were also detained for much of the war.

“These Filipina nurses unquestionably served loyally and efficiently and perhaps you may be able to them some deserved recognition,” the Surgeon General, Maj. Gen. Norman Kirk wrote Gen. Douglas MacArthur in August 1945.

Dr. Delmendo is ready to take the cudgels and fulfill Gen. Kirk’s wish for the Filipina nurses, largely forgotten.

She believes the achievements of the war-time Filipina nurses paved the way for the acceptance of their modern-day successors in America. Since 1960, more than 150,000 Filipina nurses have found work in the US.

Lorenzana bats for MDT review to help PH face China threat

2021-09-08T15:34:00.005-04:00

The Philippines wants its 70-year-old defense pact with the United States to recognize threats from China’s “hybrid warfare” in the South China Sea - that didn’t exist in the 1950s - and which now pose a danger to the Philippines, the US and the rest of its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, Philippine Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana said in a forum here this morning.

In a virtual conference sponsored by the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington D.C., Mr. Lorenzana pointed to growing menace from China. He pointed to the de facto annexation of Scarborough Shoal, only about a hundred miles off the coast the country’s main island of Luzon.

When the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) was signed Aug. 30, 1951, the US still had its air and naval bases at Clark, Pampanga and Subic, Zambales. Both were closed after the Philippine Senate rejected 12-11 on Sept. 16, 1991 a proposed treaty that would have extended a Marcos-era lease to keep the bases.

The MDT also made the Philippines one of only two US treaty allies in the region. For a time, Southeast Asian security revolved around the US security umbrella especially during the bipolar Cold War where the Soviet Union was perceived as the primary threat. The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) patterned after Western Europe’s NATO, relied heavily on the deterrence of American bases in the Philippines.

The MDT binds the Philippines and US to come to each other’s aid if either is attacked. Questions have revolved around Article V that defines the meaning of an attack and its purpose, specifying an attack on a “metropolitan area by both parties or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.”

Mr. Lorenzana said, however, that the Philippines wants a review of the MDT to crystallize both nations’ positions on three areas:

-Clarification of US commitments amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, including the “possible expulsion of Filipino troops” in Kalayaan Island or from remote outposts such as those aboard the BRP Sierra Madre that was grounded on Ayungin Shoal in 1999.

-Inter-operability of US and Philippine assets to confront state-sanctioned intimidation and other hostile activities like those from China’s “hybrid warfare”. It has sent out hundreds of boats at a time and shooed away fishermen from neighboring economic zones. They’ve also enforced an air defense identification zone (ADIZ), warning off passing planes.

-Modernization of the Philippine military. The US has to move away from providing “Vietnam-era” armaments, Mr. Lorenzana urged, and support their efforts to acquire advanced weapons to build an adequate deterrent.

While the Philippines has benefitted from the MDT, said Mr. Lorenzana, it was never enough to let the Philippines stand on its own two feet.

He stressed it was time for the Philippines to “stop outsourcing our national defense to the US”. The defense chief pointed out that if the US really wants to make the Philippines a steady, reliable partner in confronting China, it will have to help make the Philippines strong enough to face the bully.

Mr. Lorenzana is scheduled to hold talks with counterpart Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on Friday.

Fil-Ams turn out in “fellowship” with an old friend

2021-09-07T06:35:00.002-04:00

For a soldier who’s had numerous deployments throughout a storied career, Delfin Lorenzana, the 72-year-old Philippine Secretary of National Defense might count Washington D.C. as a second home, and tonight his friends came in full force to welcome him at the National Harbor in Maryland.

He came game for the event, billed as a “fellowship” and spent as much time “kodakan” (which was a LOT) as he was answering questions that ranged from the communist insurgency (talk about forever wars) to the Marawi siege to speculations of a run for the Philippine Senate.

He confessed that there’s only one race he’s dreaming of - a final run in the Marine Corps marathon, the gruelling 26-mile foot race that runs through D.C. and Virginia that he’s finished nine times, “before my knees run out”.

“I’ve toyed with the idea,” he finally conceded, intimating that Pres. Rodrigo Duterte had asked him to try a Senate run. He said “no” after asking his wife - who’s had to forsake the bliss of retirement twice before, when he accepted the US posting and later as defense chief - and after surveying the field.

Over 20 years in Washington as defense attache then special envoy on veterans affairs enabled him to cultivate deep contacts in the Pentagon, State Department and Capitol Hill.

His work lobbying for recognition for Filipino World War II veterans led to the passage of the $265 million Filipino Veterans Equity Fund in 2009 and paved the way for the grant of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2015. That frequently placed him in close touch with key lawmakers from both chambers and both political parties. Few Philippine officials can match this familiarity with intricacies of the American legislative and military apparatus.

Seated at far end of the presidential table was 94-year-old Rey Cabacar, a US Navy veteran who served on a PT Boat in World War II and later on a minesweeper during the Korean War. After retiring, he opened a barber shop in Oxon Hill, a Filipino enclave in Maryland, not far from here.

Gen. Lorenzana recalled how he would drop by for a haircut and Mr. Cabacar would refuse to charge him. They knew each other because Mr. Cabacar was one of the stalwarts for Filipino veterans recognition on Capitol Hill.

The defense chief, like most of the militarymen at the Philippine Embassy, were habitues at Arsenio “Tito Al” Alpapara’s “karaoke bar.” The former Constabulary major had built from scratch the most successful distribution network of Filipino food products in the Metro DC area, supplying everything from M.Y. San Skyflakes to longganisa to his trademark Tito Al’s Chicharon.

The karaoke chamber was built in a corner of his Oxon Hill warehouse. Tito Al took his music as seriously as his business and found a kindred spirit in the likes of Gen. Lorenzana.

But on one of his earlier sorties at Tito Al’s, he ran afoul of another Maryland institution -Judge David Valderrama, the first-ever Filipino American to win elective office in the US Mainland. He held the 26th District seat in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1991 to 2003, a post currently held by his daughter Kris.

With his deep baritone, Judge Valderrama has been known to belt a Frank Sinatra ballad with gusto. So when Gen. Lorenzana started singing “My Way”, he got a quick rebuke from the Judge because everyone knew that while he was around that was “his” song.

The wealth of anecdotes about Gen. Lorenzana is testament to the friendships he’s built over many years. To many Fil-Ams in Metro D.C. he’s one of them.

He is scheduled to speak about the South China Sea dispute before the Center for Strategic & International Studies on Wednesday and meet with US Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin on Friday where aides say they will discuss ways to improve the US-PH Mutual Defense Treaty that turned 70 years old last Aug. 30.

U-S NAMES PH N-G-O CHIEF AS ONE OF CHAMPIONS IN CAMPAIGN VS HUMAN TRAFFICKING

2013-06-17T18:42:00.001-04:00

Former Labor Undersecretary and migrant worker rights activist Susan “Toots” Ople is being honored this week by the State Department for her work in fighting trafficking in persons (TIP).

Every year, the State Department fetes individuals around the world who’ve devoted their lives to the fight against human trafficking. They work often in great peril to protect victims, punish offenders and raise awareness of criminal human trafficking activities.

Ople is the youngest daughter of former Senate President, longtime Labor Secretary and journalist Blas Ople. She heads the labor advocacy organization named after him, writes for the tabloid Tempo and the Panorama weekend magazine, has a radio program on dwIZ station and serves as consultant for the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Manila.

She has been deeply involved in various campaigns to stop human trafficking and abuses by illegal recruiters, including the creation of an OFW Re-integration Council and improving the labor justice system in the Philippines (e.g., Ople has tirelessly denounced contractualization practices in the country that she views as one of the chief impediments against improving the lives of Filipino workers).

She finished grade school at St. Theresa’s College in Quezon City, secondary education at Sandusky High School in Michigan, and the University of Sto. Thomas where she earned a Communication Arts degree in 1984. She took post-graduate studies at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The

Philippines

barely missed US sanctions for her seeming ambivalence to the problem of human trafficking. Two years ago, the country was removed from the Tier 2 watch list, after teetering on the verge of being demoted anew to Tier 3 where the US government would have been legally bound to stop giving aid to the Philippines.

Although the TIP campaign is described as gaining impetus, especially after President Aquino signed a law (RA 10364) last February to stiffen penalties and offer better protection for victims of human trafficking, the problem remains serious.

The Philippines, the 2012 State Department report said, “does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking” but acknowledged “it is making significant efforts to do so.”

Vice President Jejomar Binay, former chairman of the Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking (IACAT) which is credited with helping to turn the tide, blamed poverty, ignorance and crime as chief culprits of the TIP crisis in the Philippines. The country, he added, remains a source, destination and transit point of human trafficking.

“Men, women and children continue to be subjected to forced labor in factories, construction sites, fishing vessels, agricultural plantations, mines, quarries, and private homes, where many trafficked women and girls suffer sexual abuse, rape and physical violence,” Binay said recently.

The State Department’s decision to honor Ople apparently recognizes the growing role of non-government organizations (NGOs) in combating TIP. The Blas Ople Policy Center is one of the key civic groups that have been able to mount a global campaign while overcoming the domestic political, economic and religious barriers which usually make a nationally coordinated drive difficult.

At least 5 of the 29 TIP-related convictions reported last year were the result of cases filed or prosecuted by NGOs, the State Department noted. It also lamented the alleged lack of understanding of the country’s anti-trafficking labor network among “many judges, prosecutors, social service workers and law enforcement officials – a significant impediment to successful prosecutions.”

Meanwhile, the government has tightened the watch against recruitment agencies, seaports and airports to physically block movement of potential victims, but Ople is lobbying to push the war closer to the frontline. “What’s said is we rely on immigration as the last sentinel when it should be on the prevention side, in the barangays (where it starts),” she explained in one TV interview.

Despite the recent impressive economic strides, she believes many Filipinos – most of them the poorest of the poor, women and children – will remain vulnerable to traffickers. “Even if we say the economy is growing,” Ople averred, “The time it takes to cascade all these gains is so slow. Then you have these sweet-talking recruiters. All they need is the promise of a better life.”

OAKLAND FIL-AM, BAGUIO LASS GET DIPLOMAS FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA AT ANNAPOLIS RITES

2013-05-30T18:45:00.000-04:00

Two Filipinas, born on either side of the Pacific, were among this year’s graduates of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., getting the rare honor of receiving their diplomas from President Obama, the American Command-in-Chief himself.

Christine Layug shakes hand of President Obama at US Naval Academy graduation rites in Annapolis, Md.

Christine Joy Jiao Layug of Oakland, Ca. was one of several Filipino-American graduates, shining a light perhaps on one remarkable facet of the Filipinos’ long-running affinity with the US Navy. Joining the Navy has become a generational rite for many Filipinos – Christine Joy, for instance, has 10 uncles either actively serving or retired from the US Navy – not counting her father Roy and maternal grandfather (now both retired).

On the other hand, Chinna Louise Eulogio Salio was the only Filipino graduate in Annapolis Class 2013. Born in landlocked Mountain Province and studying to be a nurse, it was almost inevitable she would be drawn to nearby Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City but she too was pulled by the lure of the sea, choosing to go to Annapolis (where incidentally, her younger brother Kendrick is now a sophomore and when he graduates, they will become the first Filipino sister-brother alumni from the US Naval Academy).

Ever since President William McKinley signed an executive order in 1901 authorizing the recruitment of 500 Filipinos in the US Navy, it has been career pursued by Filipinos ever since. Aside from the stability and relative prosperity it offers, the US Navy also provided a gateway for thousands of immigrant families, fueling the growth of the large Fil-Am communities from San Diego, Ca. to Penscaola, Fl. to Norfolk, Va.

The US Navy still casts a long shadow in the Philippines, where its presence is largely seen as the country’s chief deterrent against the aggression and bullying of its more militarily powerful neighbors.

Although she already an ROTC scholarship, Layug said she chose to go to Annapolis because “no other university or college in the US gives the unique training, discipline and academic and physical challenges.” Her mom says Christine Joy has been dreaming of going to Annapolis since high school, likely drawing inspiration from her father and all the other relatives who served in the US Navy.

She was in the Dean’s list and graduated with honors in her Major – Applied Mathematics – eliciting little surprise when she opted for a sub-specialty in Operations Analysis. She’s also part of Catholic Daughters organization in the USNA campus, where she’s a cantor and according to one of the group’s leaders “had the voice of an angel.”

As may be typical of a Filipino “Navy family”, her graduation from the Academy last week was a great source of pride, perhaps made special because she got her diploma from her Commander-in-Chief himself. Her grandmothers – Emily Jiao and Gloria Layug led a tiny army of aunts, uncles and cousins who witnessed the event.

Layug’s next stop is basic flight school in Pensacola, Fl. but she also has ticket via a Burke Scholarship to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Ca. She sees a long and illustrious career in the US Navy, predicting she’ll be staying beyond the minimum 5 years after graduating from the Academy.

Chinna Salio was featured in an Associated Press story on women at the US Naval Academy (this photo was published in the Los Angeles Times)

Salio is the eldest in a brood of six. She was pursuing a nursing degree at the Benguet State University when she veered sharply to the PMA, passing the entrance examinations in 2008. On her sophomore year, she took the competitive tests for the US military service academies and became one of three who made it through (the others graduated last week from West Point and the US Air Force Academy in Colorado).

She is a champion marksman in her class, showing off her medals during a brief vacation at PMA earlier this year.

Salio has been an achiever for most of her life. She was a scholar at the Philippine Science High School (Cordillera campus). She proudly reveals that her younger brother Kendrick, whose passion includes sailing, is now a sophomore in Annapolis and his twin Kenneth is studying aircraft engineering in Canada.

After the graduation rites at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (which pays homage to famous naval and Marine battles including several in the Philippines), Salio was commissioned as an Ensign in the Philippine Navy by Capt. Elson Aguilar, the concurrent Defense and Naval attaché in Washington DC.

Salio is already on her way home to the Philippines where a warm welcome awaits her both at Navy Headquarters and from family in Baguio City. She wants to be a surface warfare officer because that’s where she sees she can put all the lessons learned from the world’s most advanced navy to good use.

Though their paths now diverge, each joining a navy that can’t be more polar apart, Layug and Salio bring a common denominator other than their roots – the drive to serve, to leave their mark and in the cusp of a long voyage, hope and the unshakeable excitement of the future beckoning.

PINAY TEACHER VIES FOR TOP DC TEACHER LEADERSHIP POST

2013-05-24T17:42:00.000-04:00

Times are changing, says Washington DC special education teacher Marisol Angala, adding that the diversity that’s fueled much of the growth in places like the nation’s capital should be reflected in their workers unions as well.

Angala, a University of the Philippines-trained teacher at the Jefferson Academy Middle School for the past decade, has been outspoken and passionate about finding better ways to educate America’s school children. It’s driven her to an unprecedented campaign for the presidency of the 4,000-strong Washington Teachers Union (WTU).

She is one of hundreds of Filipino teachers – the vanguard of a foreign recruiting binge by US public schools – who were lured by the promise of better pay and a slice of the “American dream”.

They filled an acute teacher shortage especially in tough, troubled inner city schools that struggled to meet standards imposed by the Bush-era No Child Left Behind Act. The Filipino mentors can be found virtually everywhere in America, from top-tier East Coast academies to sparse Indian reservations in the New Mexico desert.

“Times have changed,” Angala declared, “and public education has evolved.”

She wants to steer WTU towards her vision of the future. “There’s a battle being waged right now,” Angala averred, “It’s not about unions standing up for teachers; it’s about teachers standing up for themselves through their unions.”

“There are so many things happening right now at the local and national level which lead to frustration, anger and all those are harmful not only to the teachers but also to the children whose lives we continue to influence daily,” she said, adding that “when I empower, encourage and inspire teachers to do their best for the kids, I am impacting the lives of more than just the students in my classroom.”

Angala is a familiar face in the education protest scene of DC (something she attributes to years at UP where she says she learned stand up for what’s right). She was WTU’s vice president for special education from 2007-2010, a member of the Asian & Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), the Teacher Leaders Network and the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators.

She is board certified as an exceptional needs specialist and was named Outstanding Special Education Teacher (2008-2009) by the National Association for Special Education Teachers (NASET). She also has two blogs – “Digital Anthology” is the online extension of her classroom and “Teacher Sol” where she tackles education-related issues, including the plight of Filipino mentors in Maryland.

She says the “prospects are both exciting and frightening” as she cobbled a multicultural and multi-generational ticket which, she vowed, would bring "real" changes in the WTU. “We have exceptional candidates in our slate (4 of them are also Filipinos), who carry the promise of being real game-changers because of our diversity, problem solving skills and courage to speak on behalf of our teachers and students,” she explained.

They are pressing for an “objective and fair evaluation system and due process aligned with that system.” She sees the inordinate emphasis on high-stakes tests and the lack of support and resources to teachers as the biggest problems bedeviling the DC Public School system today.

“We should now be thinking how we can change our traditional practices to better reflect the tasks assigned to our schools, teachers and students,” she said, stressing that “teachers should be treated as partners in reforms.”

Her “platform” includes providing more resources to DC public school teachers, lower class sizes especially for schools in poverty-stricken communities, and building respect for teachers.

Unions, she added, are “only as good as their members. I believe we need to set higher expectations and standards for ourselves so we can inspire our students and encourage them to do what it takes to be successful in life. We need to take control of our actions and not sit by as others define effective teaching for us.”

If Angala sounds like she’s gearing for a fight, that’s probably because she’s been there before. A tireless advocate of change, she was part of the WTU panel that negotiated a “progressive” teachers’ contract which led to a 15 caseload limit for special education teachers, among other concessions.

She promised to “rebuild our teacher’s union and make great things happen” as WTU president. The ballots have been mailed out and should be back in the Post Office by June 7.

Her feisty attitude is stark contrast to the publicity that Filipino teachers have received lately – as hapless victims of illegal recruitment, from Prince George’s county in Maryland to the Baton Rouge parish in Louisiana. Angala offers the contrasting image of a fighter ready to pounce on behalf of her fellow teachers and perhaps more importantly, for the school kids.

DIPOLOG LAD WHO DREAMED OF FLYING, SOARS AT U-S AIR FORCE ACADEMY

2013-05-21T17:26:00.001-04:00

Growing up on the fringes of the Dipolog city airport, Theodore Karl Quijano was bitten early by the lure of flight and that has taken him all the way to Colorado, where he graduates next week from the US Air Force Academy.

With the cost of college proving too much of a burden on his family, Quijano decided to apply at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City, and later saw the opportunity to fulfill his childhood dream by competing for a slot in the USAFA.

“I grew up right next to the airport,” he revealed. “I saw planes land and take off every day and the sight made me dream to be able to fly those aircraft one day.”

He not only learned to fly, he soared in the Academy, achieving feats that should make Filipinos proud – he was given command of Cadet Squadron 10 last Fall after being assigned as Cadet Wing Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, said to be one of the highest positions in the Academy managing over 4,000 people, during the Summer. A year earlier, he was also made Superintendent of CS-10.

“God, family and country – it was clear to me that I was doing this for them, not for myself,” Quijano averred. “I wanted to work for something bigger than myself. This made me stand out in the Academy and drove others to have the same outlook.”

As part of the graduating class of 2013, he marches with honors at Falcon Field next Wednesday. He belongs to the Superintendent’s (overall excellence) and Dean’s (academic excellence) list. Quijano will also receive the Outstanding Basic Cadet Award from the Academy’s Commandant for finishing 1^st in the class of 1,300 cadets for military excellence.

In addition he will get his Parachutist Badge, Space Wings (for completing the space operations program that taught him, among others, how to operate satellites), Glider Pilot Wings and the Powered Flight Wings.

Quijano ranked 2^nd in athletics for his batch and is the only Filipino cadet (out of 15 who preceded him in the USAFA since 1956) to get a perfect physical fitness score in the Academy’s 500 Club.

The eldest in a brood of seven, he learned early on the challenges of being a leader in the family. “My father inspired me with stories about successful people both in the military and corporate worlds, and how I should work to be just like them when I grew up and help send my siblings to school.”

“But most of all I learned from my parents the value of living with honor, integrity and service to others,” Quijano said.

He spent three years at the University of the Philippines (UP) campus in Diliman, Quezon City but the expenses were taking a toll on the family finances, Quijano explained, so he grabbed the opportunity to enter the PMA where he not only got a free education, he also got a modest stipend and the guarantee of a good job after graduation.

He later took the tests to qualify for the United States Service Academies – one of the most rigorous examinations that allows only the brightest and strongest candidates from all over Southeast Asia to join West Point (Army), Annapolis (Navy and Marines) and the Air Force Academy (the Philippines used to have yearly slots reserved in these schools until the US closed its military bases in the country).

Life in USAFA wasn’t easy, Quijano conceded. There wasn’t much difference in training concept with PMA, he added, but it still took a heavy mental, physical and emotional toll partly because he was so far from home and family.

“I couldn’t let my American counterparts look me down; that’s why I strived to be better at everything I do every single day – whether it’s military, athletics or academics. It just so happened I excelled militarily and athletically. I had the right attitude which PMA equipped me with and it helped me get through the difficult times,” Quijano explained.

After the graduation ceremonies, the foreign cadets are usually ushered to a separate ceremony where they will get their officer’s commission from their respective countries. The Philippine Air Force’s DC-based military attaché, Col. Arnel Duco is expected to swear him in as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the PAF.

“I intend to serve my country to the utmost of my abilities,” Quijano stressed. “I will use what I learned here to be an asset for change and innovation in the military. I will do what I can at my level to hopefully affect the bigger system.”

It’s been a long journey for the young man whose dreams were built watching the planes fly in and out of the runway close to their home. So, near the end of four years of study and toil, the newly-minted Philippine Air Force officer declared his most ardent wish, “I hope to fly the Philippine’s aircraft soon.”

PH ENVOY BLASTS CHINA ANEW ON SEA SPAT BUT IS MUM ON TAIWAN

2013-05-20T18:14:00.001-04:00

The country’s top envoy in Washington DC appeared to shift the focus of maritime spats with neighbors from the Philippine’s northern frontier back to the west where a large Chinese fishing fleet was headed to the disputed Spratly islands.

“Over the past two years, the whole world has seen the increase in belligerent activity in the waters in our part of the world, particularly in the areas in and around the West Philippine Sea,” Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia told the annual meeting of the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads last Friday.

His press release over the weekend made no mention of the more immediate conflict with Taiwan which has stopped hiring Filipino workers, cut trade ties and carried out a much-publicized saber-rattling naval exercise after the Philippine Coast Guard killed a Taiwanese fishermen in waters they both claim as part of their territory.

“When another country stations its boats on a shoal that is a mere 120 miles from our mainland and more than 400 miles from theirs, the Philippine cannot just keep quiet,” he stressed. Adding to his China tirade, Cuisia said “When another country declares that it owns about 75 percent of what the Philippines owns as exclusive economic zone, we are duty bound to stand up and protect it.”

The BRP Ramon Alcaraz begins sea trials off the Carolina coast before making the long voyage home next month.

The part of the Balintang Channel where the shooting of the Taiwanese fishing boat occurred is claimed by both the Philippines and Taiwan as part of their exclusive economic zones. Efforts to define that maritime border and possibly craft a joint use agreement have been stymied by the Manila’s “one China policy” where it only recognizes the government in Beijing.

The United States has expressed concern over the May 9 flare-up and called on both sides to lower the tension. The Philippines and Taiwan are longstanding American allies, crucial to its long-term designs to reign in China and ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea through which, Cuisia pointed out, $1.3 trillion-worth of US products flow through yearly.

Some officials here say the Philippines is eager to put the crisis with Taiwan behind them and focus on the South China Sea where China has actually, and in some instances, virtually occupied Philippine territory. They have built permanent structures on Mischief Reef just 130 miles off Palawan and last year, cordoned off Scarborough Shoal which lies 120 miles off Zambales in the main Luzon Island.

Two Chinese spy ships have reportedly dropped anchor last week about 6 miles west off the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Shoal, near Mischief Reef.

The Philippines has hauled China to a United Nations tribunal on the laws of the sea to have the latter’s claim, the so-called 9-dash-9, declared as invalid. China alleges that ancient maps assigned her ownership over virtually the entire South China Sea.

The Philippines has sought and received military assistance from the US, a treaty ally with which it has a mutual defence pact. “We are look at opportunities for assistance in training, capacity building and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Cuisia averred.

As part of President Obama’s pivot to Asia, the US is stepping up its military presence in the region, including more frequent US Navy visits to the Philippines. Although Cuisia emphasized the American “rebalance” in Asia also entailed intensified economic and trade ties, there is no mistaking the security bias towards containing a militarily resurgent China and shielding America’s allies against her growing belligerence.

As if to emphasize that dimension of PH-US relations, Cuisia visited the USS Wasp, the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship which is being prepared to accommodate the US Marines variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Aircraft. He was able to speak with the ship’s Filipino-American crew members during the brief visit.

PHILIPPINE ARMY’S ‘WANTED GENERAL’ GETS LEGION OF HONOR, HANGS THE UNIFORM

2013-05-13T17:48:00.000-04:00

Who would think that the general, who once had an “arrest warrant” put out by communist insurgents, could also be a “sorbetes magnate” who last week was given one of the highest decorations a grateful country can give as he closed here in Washington DC a storied military career?

Maj. Gen. Cesar Badong Yano was the country’s defense attaché since 2011 and is credited with working with the Pentagon for the procurement and delivery of two badly-needed high-endurance patrol ships for the Philippine Navy as the Philippine military shifted focus on external defense and the country’s vast maritime borders.

He officially ended that stint and retired from military service – after 34 years, 4 months and 9 days – on his birthday last May 10.

The citation for the Philippine Legion of Honor Award extolled his “eminently meritorious and valuable services” enhancing diplomatic and security relations with the United States as well as Canada.

The citation said Yano provided the Department of National Defense and Armed Forces of the Philippines “vital information that served as basis in the decision making of government policy makers…relentlessly engaged Washington DC-based security experts and think-tanks to discuss security implications to the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region and submitted numerous reports very relevant to the present security dynamics in the regional and global arena…”

Under his watch, the Philippine Navy procured two Hamilton-class weather high-endurance cutters (WHECs) that were re-christened the BRP Gregorio del Pilar (currently the PN flagship) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz. A Philippine Air Force C-130 “Hercules” cargo plane was also successfully overhauled in Mojave, Ca. and the AFP itself got $2.8 million-worth of new weapons and various military supplies.

But Yano already had a distinguished career even before he arrived in Washington DC. A native of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, he received his commission from the Philippine Military Academy in 1980.

He is the flipside of a deeply respected tandem in the Philippine Army – his elder brother Alexander (PMA Class ‘76) was a former Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces (2008-09). When we first interviewed him after taking over the Washington DC post, the younger Yano said he decided to join the military so he could watch his brother’s back. And in a Facebook post of his awarding and retirement ceremonies at the Philippine Embassy last week, his “Kuya” was among the first to greet him, welcoming him to the “retired ranks”. It would appear the siblings still keep an eye out for each other.

The younger Yano cut his proverbial teeth leading a reconnaissance platoon with the 1^st Infantry “Tabak” Division in Sulu.

He was a team leader at the Presidential Security Command – which strongman Ferdinand Marcos transformed into his Praetorian Guards – during the People Power uprising that eventually led to his ouster and midnight-hour escape to Hawaii in 1986. Though the popular revolt was relatively peaceful, it severely tested the Filipino soldiers’ professionalism and patriotism; Yano stressed that to this day, he is proud he never disobeyed orders yet upheld civilian supremacy and democracy.

He led an army intelligence team in Southern Luzon, served as assistant chief of staff for civil military operations and spokesman for the 4^th Infantry Division in Northern Mindanao. He got his first command, the 29^th Infantry Battalion, in 1999.

His field assignments were book-ended by a detail as military aide to then Senate President Ernesto Maceda in 1997 and headquarters duties at General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo and the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio from 2000 to 2004 and later as the military’s chief liaison with Congress in 2010.

By 2005, Yano was back in the field, serving as chief of staff of the 7^th Infantry Division and later the Northern Luzon Command, both based at Fort Magsaysay in Cabanatuan City.

Two years later he was given command of the 302^nd Brigade which had combat battalions operating in the islands of Cebu, Bohol and eastern half of Negros, and appeared to have done such a good job against the New People’s Army (NPA) that they issued a “warrant of arrest” against him and six other army field commanders.

And as he swaps dress suit and combat fatigues with more lively civilian attire, another facet of the man has emerged. It turns out he’s also a “sorbetes magnate” of sorts – he owns a large fleet of ice cream carts – those innocuous, colorful, street-bound push carts that are as much as part of most Filipinos’ childhood as bubblegum or “patintero”.

Nothing perhaps conjures up happy childhood memories faster than “dirty ice cream”, slowly dripping down a sugar cone under the summer sun. They’re refreshing and cheap, but the income Yano made from his “sorbetes” carts helped send his children to Ateneo and LaSalle which he couldn’t have afforded on an honest general’s pay.

If there were qualities that I thought would explain his life’s many successes, it would be his sincerity, humility and keen eye for opportunities. The first piece I posted about him on the internet in 2011 received so many hits I was sure he had a fan’s club back home. I realized then Cesar Yano leaves lasting friendships because he never gets tired of creating new ones and this has made him a “wanted man” wherever he goes and in whatever endeavor he decides to do.

MAIDEN FIESTA DRAWS OUT FIL-AMS OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA

2013-04-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

The nascent Filipino community in the Virginia heartland celebrated a coming-out-party of sorts when it organized their first fiesta at the Richmond Convention Center last Saturday (April 27).

“We don’t know how big we are,” said Rudy Bolipata, a long-time Richmond resident. “But when we have gatherings, we notice there are always a lot of new faces.” He said community leaders cooked up the Filipino Fiesta not only to showcase the Filipino’s rich cultural heritage but also partly to gauge just how large they are. And from the fiesta’s smashing success, they obviously were large enough.

The last Census suggests there are fewer than a thousand Filipinos in Richmond, the seat of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and its adjacent counties. About an hour-and-a-half’s drive from Washington DC, this old and historic city lies between the large, rapidly-growing Filipino-American communities in the national capital region and the Tidewater region which includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News, among others.

“Dati isang association lang kami,” Bolipata explained, “ngayon mayrun na ibang lumulutang.”

From parishes and neighborhoods, Filipinos are slowly showing their collective clout. Perhaps evidence of this was last weekend’s Filipino Fiesta that was attended by Fil-Am Congressman Bobby Scott (3^rd Dist., Va.) and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and former Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe who will be battling for the Governor’s post in November (Cuccinelli dropped by in the morning and McAuliffe arrived shortly after his Republican rival left, according to Bolipata).

Some might be surprised that there’s been a Filipino American Association of Central Virginia (FAACV) since 1972. Romy Hernandez, another longtime Richmond resident, said one of the most active Filipino organizations here is from the Our Lady of Lourdes parish which will be holding its 8^th annual Filipino festival this August.

One of those parishioners is University of the Philippines-trained educator Eddie Ilarde who volunteers to teach folk dances to 2^nd generation Fil-Ams here. A math teacher by profession, he says he’s just one of about 200 Filipino teachers in Richmond and nearby Chesterfield, Petersburg and Hanover.

“You bring whatever you have and you share it,” he explained of the Kultura Pilipino, a Fil-Am cultural ensemble that includes both young Fil-Ams and their non-Filipino friends who’ve been enamored by the regal “Singkil” or the lively “Maglalatik”.

“Mga ka-klase ng mga anak namin,” Ilarde explained of their recruits, “Kapag nakikita kami mag-practice they want to join because the dances are very challenging and we encourage them to come.”

There are others helping him with the teaching, Ilarde says, some former members of the world-renown Mabuhay and Bayanihan troupes who’ve settled in the region.

“We have a relatively young community,” Bolipata averred. “We have (Filipino) teachers, nurses and IT professionals who work for companies here. We have doctors – there are 14 of them in Petersburg. Maraming lumilitaw because of mixed marriages – you can see them now but not before.”

Some Filipinos from other parts of the country have decided to settle there. “Mas tahimik dito kumpara sa ibang lugar,” he added.

Among them is Vellie Dietrich Hall, a successful businesswoman and political activist from Butuan City, who with husband Harry sold their house in Springfield (Northern Virginia) and moved to the outskirts of Farmville (no, not the Facebook app, it’s actually the seat of Prince Edward county, west of Metro Richmond).

A longtime Republican stalwart, she’s been part of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s board of advisers since 2010. She recently opened Vellie’s Boutique and Specialty Gift Shop at Diamond Hill in Lynchburg, at the foothills of the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. Diamond Hill is a retreat facility that offers bed and breakfast style lodging “where Southern hospitality and Asian elegance meet”.

“Sigurado next year this is going to be bigger,” Bolipata enthused, telling no one in particular that the cavernous Richmond Convention Center might be too small for the Fil-Am community’s next fiesta. “The first is always the most crucial, how you start and make it happen. With this group, you can expect it to be bigger and better.”

ASIAN AMERICANS SEE PROPOSED SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL AS ‘WORK IN PROGRESS’

2013-04-19T18:29:00.000-04:00

Key leaders in the Asian American community emphasized the need for more dialogue as various groups tried to digest proposed immigration reforms presented on Capitol Hill.

The “Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013” (S.744) is encouraging, they said, but is also a “work in progress” that needed to be more inclusive.

“Our particular concerns are related to the changes in the family-based immigration system that will prevent families from reuniting with important loved ones; promoting business interests should not come at the expense of families,” said DC-based National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), an advocacy group for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community.

“The Senate proposal could prove a watershed moment in the history of US immigration by bringing millions of people out of the shadows,” said Alison Parker, US program director for New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Still the group is worried the bill would expand criminal prosecutions for crossing the country’s southern border. “These prosecutions fail to target genuine threats to public safety or national security and impose tremendous human and financial costs,” he explained, adding “Prosecutions should not be expanded without careful consideration of whether they meet their purported goals.

“We are encouraged that the Senate bill removes barriers for elders to get their citizenship,” said Doua Thor, executive director of the Southeast Asia Resource Center, but expressed disappointment “that in a country where we value fairness and justice, legal permanent residence who have made a mistake in the past are not given a 2^nd chance after they have already paid their debt to society”.

Mee Moua, president of the Asian American Justice Center, described the proposed bill “a substantial step in the right direction toward fixing our broken immigration system and solid starting point for addressing the current backlog” but also added, “We are deeply concerned about the elimination of visa categories pertaining to siblings and married adult children over the age of 30.”

Son Ah Yun, executive director of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, said that while they were buoyed by the “roadmap to citizenship” for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, “the road to citizenship is long and arduous with arbitrary triggers that may thwart the path to citizenship for hardworking, aspiring Americans.”

Fil-Am Gregory Cendana, executive director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, stressed the need for the bill to address the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and trans-nationals to ensure “they are not left in the shadows” after pointing out that 1 out of 10 aspiring citizens is Asian American, and 6 out of 10 H1-B (highly skilled workers) visa holders are from Asia.

Meanwhile, another Fil-Am community leader, lawyer Arnedo Valera of the Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC), lauded provisions to place undocumented aliens on a registered provisional status, granting them authorization to work and travel while waiting for their green card.

“The new provision will stop deportations and removal of non-serious criminal offenders,” Valera, an immigration lawyer, explained. He also supported the proposed creation of the “W” visa category for unskilled or semi-skilled workers that could directly boost an “invisible” segment of Filipinos in America who work as caregivers, babysitters and general housekeepers.

But he vowed to lobby for the retention of the family preference for siblings and all family-based petitions. “We are now seeing a clear and united attempt to a practical solution to the broken immigration system where border security and the legalization of immigrants are both addressed,” Valera averred.

About a third of all family-based visas go to those seeking to reunite with Asian American families but about 1.8 million more are trapped in a massive backlog that could last up to 20 years in the case of Filipinos waiting for their green cards.

PROPOSED IMMIGRATION BILL HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE TO LOVE (OR HATE)

2013-04-18T17:43:00.001-04:00

After the defeat of gun reforms, Congress now tackles the proposed comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) bill. The draft is a mixed bag of good (passage of the DREAM Act) and bad (elimination of visas for siblings and married children of US citizens) but it still has to run the gauntlet of law-making in a deeply-divided Congress.

Here is what we see as “good news”:

*DREAMers – young undocumented immigrants brought here by relatives – will be able to obtain green cards in 5 years and citizenship immediately thereafter.

*The estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants who arrived here before Dec. 31, 2011 can legalize their stay by registering as “provisional immigrants” (after paying a $1,000 fine, back taxes, remain unemployed and pass a criminal background check) and could receive a green card after 10 years and apply for citizenship 3 years after that.

*Eliminates the backlog for family and employment-based visas (relatives of US citizens in the Philippines have the longest waiting period – in some cases over 20 years – next only to those from Mexico).

*Opens more employment opportunities in the US – especially for engineers and computer programmers (other fields include farm and construction workers) – where employers with large numbers of foreign workers will be required to pay higher salaries and fees.

And now the “bad news”:

*Eliminates visa categories for brothers and sisters of US citizens as well as married sons and daughters for US citizens who are 31 years or older, beginning 18 months after the law is enacted.

*Links border security improvements to the legalization of undocumented aliens under the Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) mechanism – the Department of Homeland Security must show Congress how it will secure the border with Mexico and certify when it is fully operational; full implementation of e-Verify; and capability to electronically track everyone who leaves the country.

Also, no immigrants in RPI status can apply for green cards until all people in the queue for family- or employment-based green cards when the law is enacted have been dealt with.

The proposed CIR bill also contains certain new provisions, among them:

*Merit-based visa. This new visa category will kick in 5 years after the law is enacted and awards points to individuals based on their education, employment, length of stay in the US and other considerations. A maximum of 250,000 visas will be made available for this. Initially, it will prioritize employment-based visas pending for 3 years and family-based petitions pending for 5 years. Between 2015 and 2021, a fixed percentage of those visas will be reserved for those who have employment- or family-based petitions pending on and after the law is enacted.

*Expand the V visa to allow individuals with an approved family petition to live in the US and allow certain family members to visit the US for up to 60 days a year.

*Creates a new visa category for foreign entrepreneurs who want to start a business in the US.

*Creates the new W guest-worker visa for low-skilled jobs that they can use from one employer to another (gives them 60 days to hunt for a job). Their dependents are also eligible to get work permits.

*Employees will have the ability to “lock” their social security number under e-Verify so it cannot be used until they need to apply again for employment.

This proposed CIR bill, crafted by a bipartisan group – the so-called Gang of Eight – of Democratic and Republican senators has something for everyone to either love or hate, depending I guess on where you stand.

After presenting the plan to President Obama this morning, Sen. Chuck Schumer, who along with former GOP presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain is spearheading the CIR effort, pointed out that “No one’s going to get everything they want in a bill. But if we meet in the middle, we can do a lot of good for America.”

“This bill is clearly a compromise, and no one will get everything they wanted, including me,” McCain added.

Fil-Am groups joined a massive protest on Capitol Hill last week, focusing on provisions eliminating visas for siblings and married children of US citizens. Judge David Valderrama, the 1^st Fil-Am elected to a state legislature, said eliminating family visas “undermine our cherished values of family unit. America benefits when immigrant families come together. They work hard, pay taxes, buy homes and start job-creating businesses.”

I-M-F LAUDS PH ECONOMIC GAINS BUT SAYS IT HASN’T TRICKLED DOWN TO NEEDY PINOYS

2013-04-18T17:27:00.000-04:00

The IMF announced this morning the results of Article IV consultations (concluded last March 29) with the Philippines – and while they expressed satisfaction with the country’s impressive economic gains, they noted it’s not trickling down to Filipinos who need them the most.

It’s Spring in Washington DC and as surely as the blooming of delicate cherry blossoms, the world’s top financial managers are making their yearly pilgrimage to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund this week.

The Fund’s executive directors “commended the authorities’ prudent policies which have delivered strong macroeconomic outcomes and set the stage for favorable economic prospects for the near term.”

They commended the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for its “proactive” exercise of financial oversight powers, closing regulatory gaps, combating money laundering, expanding the tax base and improving collections and broadly fostering improved business climate.

“Efforts to improve tax administration and compliance, broaden the tax base, and reduce exemptions will be necessary to generate budgetary space for infrastructure and social spending. Recent increases in alcohol and tobacco excises are welcome steps in this direction,” the IMF board said in the statement.

They noted the “buoyant” financial and real estate markets as equity prices and bank credit rising while short-term T-bill rates are falling.

“The Philippine economy shrugged off weakness abroad to grow by more than 6 ½ percent while preserving internal and external stability,” they observed. “This reflected strong consumption and investment, fueled by exceptionally low interest rates and sustained remittances as well as continued export product diversification.”

Still, the Fund’s top executives said, “benefits have not permeated the broader population. Unemployment is around 6 ¾ percent – high from a regional perspective – and the poverty rate remains stubbornly elevated”.

Celia Reyes and Aubrey Tabuga of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, writing for the East Asia Forum, explained that much of the economic growth is happening far from where the poor are – the rural farming communities that have been deteriorating. “The nature of growth must be inclusive,” they stressed, “with the poor participating and benefitting from growth.”

“The weak investment climate of poor infrastructure, limited competition due to tight restrictions on foreign investment and concentrated ownership, and continued red tape and corruption are seen as contributing factors,” the board said.

They called for further reforms to create more jobs through increased investments, improving infrastructure and enhancing governance. “Directors agreed that the expanded coverage of public health care, conditional cash transfers, and longer compulsory schooling would help meet immediate basic needs and support a more productive workforce,” they said.

The Social Weather Station (SWS) estimated that over 29 percent or about 8 million Filipinos were jobless in 2012. The government’s National Statistics Office (NSO) pegs it at about 7 percent or about 3 million relying on a different set of metrics.

To boost private investment, the Fund’s directors urged Philippine leaders to “relax limits on foreign ownership, execute public-private partnerships in a transparent manner, and strengthen the medium-term fiscal framework.”

They also warned the Philippines about the risks from “global uncertainties, volatile capital inflows, banks’ increasing exposure to some sectors, and the possibility of stretched asset prices.”

The Fund “stressed the importance of continued prudent policy implementation and stepped up reforms to bolster resilience, sustain high growth and reduce poverty.”

The IMF anticipates economic expansion to taper from 6.6 percent last year to about 6 percent this year.

DIASPORA ENGAGEMENT: FIL-AM MDs STRUGGLE FOR RELEVANCE IN THE ‘OLD COUNTRY’

2013-04-16T17:56:00.001-04:00

We got this “breaking news” from Dr. Jimmy Montero this morning – the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) is mounting a 3-year project to build a one-stop portal for “diaspora engagement” by overseas Filipinos.

CFO chief Imelda “Mely” Nicolas was responding to a spirited email chain among Filipino American physicians in the United States. Though they say it many different ways, they feel the Philippine government is not doing enough to tap the immense talent pool of millions of overseas Filipinos – most of whom have acquired skills and experience – not to mention the material resources – since they left the country but are unavailable or in short supply back home.

“We seem to be more welcome in other countries than our ‘motherland’,” Dr. Domingo Alvear lamented. “Our generation is very loyal to the Philippines and we will continue to help regardless of how we are perceived. Our life span is short and if the Philippines do not recognize and use our talents, they lose,” he added.

“Don’t you think it is time for action,” Chicago-based Dr. Cesar Co asked. “We are all getting older. Most of us are developing age-related issues. The Government of our Mother Country has failed to tap an enormous work force of retired Filipino doctors, nurses and health care providers worldwide.”

“First generation immigrants (like many Fil-Am doctors and nurses) are more likely than those farther removed to be actively engaged with their countries of origin; many have close family members there, own property, and follow social and political events closely,” explained Susanna Groves, an associate policy analyst of the DC-based Migrant Policy Institute (MPI).

Dr. Alvear said he’s been doing medical missions in the Philippines for the past 5 years and feels he’s only got 2 more years left for the rigors of frequent travel and volunteer work.

“Many of us only ask for acceptance by our colleagues back home. We are not competitors. Our desire is to serve,” stressed Dr. Co. He said many volunteers are brought to tears seeing the enormity of the needs and the lack of equipment and resources to meet them.

Dr. Conrad Zapanta, an otolaryngologist from Harrisonburg, Va. said he’s been joining medical missions in Ifugao since 1989. “We are not supported by any organization and we pay our own way,” he revealed, “although I retired last year, I will continue to organize and lead surgical medical missions to the Philippines, the land of my birth.”

Health Secretary Enrique Ona will be holding a dialogue with these doctors and health care professionals in Washington DC this Wednesday.

“The ultimate solution,” Dr. Montero surmised, “is a government initiative to create a sub-Cabinet level agency to act as a clearing house/sounding board, whose only job description is to facilitate the process of expatriates giving back to their motherland.”

Hence, he welcomed CFO’s proposed “Balinkbayan” project.

The importance of diaspora engagement has been recognized by the US, which has the largest diaspora community in the world. Diaspora members living in the US sent nearly $52 billion in remittances in 2011, according to the World Bank. Filipinos were the 4^th biggest senders of dollars back home, next to India, China and Mexico.

“In addition to sending remittances, US-based diaspora members make investments, establish or support businesses, make charitable contributions, volunteer, support political parties, campaign for human rights and good governance, promote post-conflict reconciliation and (in countries where such activities are permitted to non-residents) vote and run for office in their countries of heritage,” Groves explained.

Dovelyn Agunias, also with the MPI and now based in Manila, dissected the various agencies created for diaspora engagement in Asian countries, including the Philippines. She noted that the government has created, aside from CFO which is directly under the Office of the President, “sub-ministry level special offices” in the Departments of Labor and Foreign Affairs.

The country’s Health Department still has to ink a memo of agreement to join the “Balinkbayan” project (it already includes the Departments of Trade, Science, Agriculture, Environment & Natural Resources, Agrarian Reform and Tourism), Nicolas intimated.

Agunias noted that limited resources made it difficult to fully assess the impact of diaspora institutions. She identified two key elements – understanding disaporas’ needs and potential; and creating institutions that are trusted and embraced by diaspora members.

Attaining these goals, she added, can be aided by inviting diaspora involvement in setting agendas but should also be careful against “creating a privileged insider group of diaspora partners.”

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has begun working with diaspora organizations to promote diaspora engagement. They are funding collaborations with the Diaspora Networks Alliance (DNA) that “focuses on creative mechanisms through which diaspora communities can contribute to growth in their countries of origin or heritage” in the fields of diaspora philanthropy, volunteer corps, direct investment, capital markets, tourism and nostalgic trade, and advocacy and diplomacy.

Nicolas indicated they will formally unveil “Balinkbayan” on June 12, the Philippine Independence Day.

FILIPINO WORLD WAR II VETERANS ‘FAIRNESS ACT’ GETS ANOTHER CHANCE IN U-S CONGRESS

2013-04-13T09:03:00.000-04:00

The Asian American bloc in the United States House of Representatives led the filing of a bill to restore benefits to Filipino World War II veterans amid their protest over a key hurdle that has blocked many of them from receiving their share of an “equity compensation” fund.

Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) re-filed the “Filipino Veterans Fairness Act” last April 9, the 71^st anniversary (not 70^th as I erroneously wrote in a previous post) of the Fall of Bataan.

But for some, that’s not enough as the clock keeps ticking on their grievances.

“We have waited and waited for action from President Obama,” complained 95-year-old Celestino Almeda, spokesman for the American Coalition of Filipino Veterans (ACFV), at a wreath-laying ceremony at the World War II National Memorial in Washington DC.

“It has been six months since Obama formed the inter-agency working group to solve our Filipino veterans’ recognition problems. It seems they are not working together. Nothing has happened,” he rued.

Almeda is only one of thousands of Filipino veterans here and in the Philippines whose claims (lump sum payments worth $15,000 for Filipino veterans who are now US citizens and $9,000 for non-citizens) were rejected because of the requirement for multiple, collaborative evidence of their service during World War II.

To be eligible, current rule says they had to be in the “Missouri List” – 80 percent of its original records for the period 1912-1960 were burned in a fire in 1973. The proposed “Filipino Veterans Fairness Act” mandates the Department of Veterans Affairs to take into account alternative military documentation.

“A promise made must be a promise kept,” Rep. Jackie Speier (14^th Dist., CA) said (she 1^st sponsored the bill in 2011).

“I am frankly embarrassed that we are still having this debate more than a half-century after Filipino veterans helped us win World War II. At the time, 66 countries supported the

United States

and all but one country’s soldiers received full veterans’ benefits,” she added, calling the Filipino veterans’ struggle as a “moral issue”.

“Filipino veterans defended our country with bravery, just like their American counterparts, and they deserve the status and benefits that they were promised over 65 years ago…we must act now and fulfill our promises while we still have time,” chimed Rep. Judy Chu (27th Dist., CA and CAPAC chairperson).

“Time is running out for Congress to fully recognize the service of the over 250,000 Filipinos who answered President Roosevelt’s call to defend democracy in the Pacific region during World War II. They fought valiantly along American forces and deserve to be treated as U.S. veterans with full benefits,” said Rep. Mike Honda (17th Dist., CA and CAPAC Chair Emeritus).

Said Guam Rep. And CAPAC vice chairperson Madeleine Bordallo, “On the anniversary of Bataan Day, we remember all those who lost their lives in the Fall of Bataan during World War II, including the Americans and Filipinos who fought side by side…As we reflect on this demonstration of the enduring friendship between the United States and the Philippines, we also take note that Filipino veterans have not received the benefits promised to them.”

“Filipino veterans who fought in World War II are American veterans and deserve to be treated fairly,” declared Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii.

(Our thanks to Consul Elmer Cato of the Philippine Embassy and Eric Lachica of the ACFV for these photos of the 71st Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) commemorating the Fall of Bataan at the World War II National Monument in Washington D.C. April 9, 2013)

“It is unacceptable for our country to deny them these benefits for their service. I call on my colleagues in Congress to join me in moving swiftly to pass this legislation so that we can finally fulfill the promise of equal rights for thousands of veterans across the country, and fully honor the men and women who served our country so bravely in a time of war.”

The other lawmakers who have committed support for the “Filipino Veterans Fairness Act” include Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (2nd Dist, HI), Barbara Lee (13th Dist., CA), Adam Schiff (28th Dist., CA), Eric Swalwell (15th Dist. CA) and American Samoa Rep. Eni Faleomavaega.

The ACFV said it has asked Pres. Obama to issue an executive order to the US Army to update their policies which the group asserts, unfairly excluded from their official 1948 roster the names of thousands of Filipino veterans who served with the US Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

They noted this change could be needed for their efforts to lobby Congress for passage of a bill that would grant visas to about 20,000 adult sons and daughters of Filipino-American World War II veterans that may also hinge on the US Army certification.

FIL-AMS MARCH IN AND OUT OF CONGRESS FOR IMMIGRATION REFORMS

2013-04-11T18:20:00.000-04:00

Thousands of immigration rights protesters converged on Capitol Hill yesterday (April 10) including Filipino Americans urging lawmakers to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would help re-unite families and provide a path to citizenship for about 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Judge David Valderrama, the first Fil-Am to be elected to a US state legislature (Maryland House of Delegates 1991-2003), led a delegation that met with staff members of Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski. “We should not eliminate family visas in exchange for more high-skilled foreign workers,” he told them.

“That would undermine our cherished values of family unit,” Valderrama stressed, “

America

benefits when immigrant families come together. They work hard, pay taxes, buy homes and start job-creating businesses.”

(Photos courtesy of my good friend Bing Branigin who probably enjoyed the first streak of good Spring weather as much as the opportunity to push a worthy advocacy)

Various reports speculated that the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group of senators crafting the outlines of an immigration reform bill, was ready to present its proposals this week (the timetable appears to have been moved back to next week as Congress works on gun reforms). They allegedly included a ploy to swap certain family-based visa categories for an expansion of employment-based visa categories.

The Asian-American community has been spearheading the opposition to such a move.

“This issue directly affects our families and our communities,” declared Ed Navarra, chairman of the umbrella National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).

Jon Melegrito wrote in an email they were guarding against political maneuvering during the debates that could compromise the intent of immigration reforms. “That’s why we are lobbying fervently now to put pressure on Congress to preserve family visas and prevent their elimination entirely,” he averred.

“Let’s take this opportunity to engage our political leaders and let them know how much we care about reuniting families,” Navarra added.

Members of the Fil-Am Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) donned T-shirts that bore their message – “all human beings are legal” or “America is powered by immigrants”.

Yesterday’s rally was easily one of the largest immigration reform mobilizations in Washington, with participants coming from virtually every corner of the US. Organizers said tens of thousands of protesters from 30 states converged on the West Lawn of the US Congress to peacefully air their calls for action on immigration reform.

They were joined by sympathizers outside the capital, including Mexican immigrant Salvador Zamora who with about 20 others launched a hunger strike in Nevada to press for immigration reforms. He staged another hunger strike in 2011 that lasted 70 days. In New York, another group serenaded Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democratic member of the “Gang of Eight”.

Immigration reform has gained impetus following last year’s elections, where both Democrats and Republicans have acknowledged the growing influence of Hispanic voters.

But the significant Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) presence in yesterday’s mobilization was intended to remind legislators that immigration reform was not solely a Latino issue.

“This reform is very critical to Asian Americans,” said Mee Moua, president of the Asian American Justice Center. “One out of every 11 undocumented immigrants is Asian, one out of every 10 DREAMer is Asian,” she revealed.

PH HEALTH CHIEF TO MEET FIL-AM DOCS TO TALK MEDICARE PORTABILITY, RH BILL & ‘ADOPTING’ PH HOSPITALS

2013-04-09T17:41:00.000-04:00

Philippine Health Secretary Enrique Ona is visiting DC next week and will dialogue with Fil-Am physicians on various issues, including his views on US Medicare portability and a proposal for Fil-Ams to “adopt” some provincial hospitals back home.

Dr. Johnny Montero, who helped arrange the meeting, noted that Ona is a “mutual friend and colleague” (he completed his hospital residency in Brooklyn, NY in the mid-1960s and became a Fellow at the Lahey Clinic in Boston, MA. and St. Claire Hospital in New York City in the late 60s.). He has medical licenses from both the Philippines and Massachusetts, USA.

The “pulong-pulong” with Dr. Ona has been scheduled from 4 to 5:30 in the afternoon next Wednesday (April 17) at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy along Massachusetts Ave. NW (best to wait for the official announcement from the Embassy on the final schedule).

Dr. Hernan Reyes, a former president of the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America, said Ona also wanted to brief Fil-Am doctors on the current state of health care delivery in the Philippines, especially in depressed communities, the controversial Reproductive Health Law (which the Supreme Court placed on hold) as well as the landmark tobacco and alcohol excise tax bill, and implementation of the universal health insurance program that reportedly has 25 million beneficiaries today.

“Regardless of our politics, they are definitely worthwhile to support and I hope many more our Fil-Am physician colleagues including leaders of various Fil-Am organizations will support these programs,” Reyes said.

A native of Pagadian City (Zamboanga del Sur), he joined the Aquino Cabinet over two years ago.

While huge strides have been achieved – especially on universal health care – various groups have expressed concern that the Aquino administration has not been investing enough in health. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which prepares regular “country score cards”, noted that health expenditures in the Philippines represented only about a third of the median, and there were also gaps in spending for children’s health and immunization rates.

Although the 2012 health budget posted a nearly P10 billion (about $240 million) increase to P42.7 billion (about $1.04 billion) compared to the previous year, this was barely enough to cope with increased population and inflation, according to Dr. Geneve Rivera, secretary general of the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD).

They warned that the viability of PhilHealth – the universal health insurance program – could be seriously jeopardized if public hospitals are understaffed and under-funded. About 40 percent of the 1,800 hospitals in the Philippines are state owned or operated; half of all hospital beds are in government hospitals.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that countries devote at least 5 percent of GDP to health spending (in the US, it’s close to 18 percent, China 5.1 percent, Malaysia 4.4 percent, Myanmar 2 percent) which translates to about P440 billion (about $107 billion). The World Bank says that between 2008 and 2012 the Philippines spent the equivalent of 3.6 percent of GDP for health.

Every year, scores of Fil-Am health care practitioners travel back to the Philippines, spending their own money to provide free medical services for poor Filipinos. Occasionally they bring along used but still relatively advanced medical equipment that are donated to public hospitals.

The outline of the proposed adopt-a-hospital program was reportedly discussed earlier in Chicago and Ona is eager to implement it for Philippine hospitals.

Montero indicated that also attending next week’s meeting are proponents of the Medicare portability program who want the White House and US Congress to allow retired Fil-Ams to use their Medicare benefits in the Philippines.

ARE FILIPINO WWII VETERANS PAYING THE PRICE FOR DOUBTS IN U-S POST-WAR RECORDS?

2013-04-08T19:09:00.000-04:00

The United States Army said that even under the best conditions recognizing Filipino guerillas at the end of World War II proved difficult, raising doubts about the accuracy of their records, and aging veterans here and in the Philippines appear to be paying the price for it today.

The Philippines and US mark the 70^th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan tomorrow (April 9). It is remembered as the “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor) as 76,000 Filipino and American soldiers shared both the ignominy of defeat as well as the horrors of the 90-mile Death March.

But many were able to escape, melt into the mountains and launch one of the most potent guerilla campaigns in the Pacific War.

Today, thousands of aging Filipino World War II veterans are still fighting to get the benefits that were deprived by the 1946 Rescission Act. Many claims for benefits under the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) fund have been rejected because the US can’t or will not authenticate their service during World War II.

Last year, President Obama authorized the previously classified report “US Army Recognition of Philippine Guerillas” to be made public in the hopes those Filipino WWII veterans will find some document that could help them qualify for the benefit.

I’m not sure how helpful the report is for Filipino veterans – some advocates attest to it – but it offers an interesting snapshot of the US-run Philippine Commonwealth at the end of World War II.

After repeated acts of valor, members of the Philippine Scout, USAFFE forces and guerillas who fought under US military command for most of World War II settled back to a life in a nation devastated by conflict and years of brutal occupation.

Leaders from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Gen. Douglas MacArthur promised to rebuild the country and pay back the heroic exploits of Filipino fighters. But much of that turned out to be hollow.

The

began the process of recognizing Filipino guerillas but faced immense challenges. “Under the most favorable reception the granting of guerilla recognition to deserving Filipinos would have been extremely difficult to accomplish,” the report admitted.

They were hobbled by insufficient manpower, the post-war politics leading up to the granting of Philippine independence in 1946, and corruption so insidious the report suggested some guerilla organizations acted more like the Mafia.

American officers were under significant pressure from repeated deadlines and suspicion that erstwhile Japanese collaborators had managed to get their names in the guerilla roster they were trying to build.

This was compounded by the fog of war. Most collaborators served with the Kempeitai, the Japanese equivalent of the German SS. But sometimes personal animosities and tactical exigencies bred disasters as when a suspected supporter of the Hukbalahap – perhaps the fiercest anti-Japanese fighting unit in Luzon – betrayed Lt. Col. Claude Thorp, allegedly because they refused to be placed under US military command.

“Throughout the rest of the Occupation a state of warfare existed between the Huks and the USAFFE guerillas with the Huks attempting to expand and the USAFFE guerillas attempting to contain them in Pampanga.” Thorp was captured on his way to negotiate a truce with Huk commanders and was executed by the Japanese in October 1942.

“As benefits flowed, the desire to receive such benefits prompted hundreds of thousands of Filipinos to seek recognition as guerillas. An additional reason for desiring recognition…was to cloak collaborationist activities. On the surface, the fact of recognition was prime facie evidence of loyalty to the Commonwealth and the United States and would be difficult to overcome in the People’s Court.”

“Highly placed” Filipinos in the government or the Philippine Army – former guerillas or not – “sought to use their personal positions to influence the recognition of personal friends or potentially politically powerful guerilla organizations.”

The Americans became so concerned with leaks that they allowed critical manpower shortages to fester rather than recruit additional Filipinos to fill the vacancies.

“In all fairness to these (Filipino) employees, the majority of whom were extremely loyal and devoted to their duties, it should be pointed out and not underemphasized that certain guerilla units have employed ruthless means in obtaining their ends and may have forced some employees to furnish the information desired under threat of violence to themselves or to their families.”

The report said some tried to bribe officers “ranging into hundreds of thousands of pesos, by extending such commercial advantages as lumber or mining concessions…furnishing investigating officers with their own homes, automobiles and women, or by throwing huge parties.”

When they couldn’t get what they wanted with honey, some tried intimidation. It became so serious the report said “many direct and indirect threats” were made against American officers and personnel.

And the alleged attempts to defraud were not limited to Filipinos.

“A number of former American military and naval officers who had served with guerillas or had been connected with them during the course of the Occupation and Liberation, now engaged in private business in the Philippines, have consistently submitted recommendations in favor of their own guerillas. In some cases, these recommendations have not been questioned…In other cases, certain individuals have consistently submitted recommendations which were later determined to have been not based upon facts.”

“In spite of all care exercised a few units slipped through and received recognition.” Still by the time the process was completed, only about 10 percent of the nearly 1.3 million claims filed were actually approved.

All this appear to cast a question about the propriety of rejecting the claims of Filipino veterans on the ground that their names can’t be found in these “official” records.

AGENCY RESPONDS TO FIL-AM MISSIONERS’ COMPLAINT BUT QUESTIONS LINGER

2013-04-05T18:03:00.000-04:00

The Commission for Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has shared – through Fil-Am veterans advocate and community leader Eric Lachica – the results of their investigation following a blog article we posted earlier this week “Fil-Am medical missioners question PRC fees for absent licenses”.

Evelyn Duriman, CFO medical mission coordinator, wrote this report for Eric, which we are posting “in toto”.

“I wish to inform you that upon checking with Ms. Sarah Ducat of the International Affairs Division (IAD) of the Professional Regulation Commission, Dr. Simeon Sevandal and three other members of the Philippine Medical Association in Chicago (PMA in Chicago), applied for renewal of their Philippine licenses under Category F or Foreign Professionals under Presidential Decree No. 541 ‘Allowing Former Filipino Professionals to Practice their Respective Profession in the Philippines’.

“Under Category F, applicants are required to submit to the Registration and Licensing Division of the PRC the following documents along with the required renewal fees and other charges:

“Passport showing name, picture, citizenship and date of entry in the Philippines which must be within six (6) months before the filing of the application for renewal;

“Original and photocopy of the previously issued Professional Identification Card;

“Duly authenticated original and photocopy of the License/Certificate of Registration/Permit in the adopted country; and

“Four (4) Passport size ID pictures.

“I was also informed by Ms. Ducat that while Dr. Sevandal and other members of the PMA in Chicago have been issued Special Temporary Permits (STP) for them to be able to conduct their scheduled medical mission to Surigao City, their licenses were not renewed due to the non-submission of some required documents, i.e. passports and the proof of the date of entry in the Philippines.

“In order for the PRC to process and eventually release their licenses, kindly advise them to submit said documents.

“For further clarifications on the PRC licenses and STP, they may also directly communicate with the International Affairs Division of the PRC (copied to us) with the following contact details:

“Atty. Teresita Manzala, Chairperson, Professional Regulation Commission, P. Paredes St., Sampaloc, Manila. Attention: International Affairs Division. Tel. No. (02)310-0019. E-mail: prc.iad@gmail.com

“Best regards, Evelyn Duriman, Project Management Division, Commission on Filipinos Overseas”

We thank Eric and CFO’s Mely Nicolas for looking into the Fil-Am medical missioners’ complaint.

In his report to Health Department Asst. Sec. Madeleine Valera, Dr. Sevandal had alluded to the apparent confusion from new rules being enforced by the PRC on volunteer Fil-Am doctors rendering free clinics for indigent Filipinos back home.

“I applied for license renewal in 2011 for the Vigan (Ilocos Sur) mission and applied again for this mission, costing me $160 yet I did not get my license due to the requirement just promulgated by the PRC that I should be a citizen,” Dr. Sevandal said.

“They did not refund me the amount I paid,” he added and revealed that three other doctors who accompanied him in a medical mission in Surigao City last January reported the same experience.

Ms. Duriman’s account did not explain why the PRC failed to refund the license fees paid by Dr. Sevandal for 2011 and 2012 or why this was never fully explained to him.

One Fil-Am engineer said he wanted to renew his civil engineering license (as required by the new PRC rules) so he can volunteer his skills building school buildings in the Philippines but discovered the test isn’t offered online. That meant he had to take it when he visits the country, with no guarantee when he can work out his license renewal.

The Fil-Am professionals we’ve talked to say they understand (but not necessarily agree with) the rationale behind the PRC rules, that they’re meant to deter malpractice. But they lament that the government appeared woefully unprepared to carry out the mandate it’s imposed on itself.

A-P-I-A PROTEST SET VS CAPITOL HILL PLAN TO STOP SOME FAMILY IMMIGRANTS

2013-04-04T17:55:00.000-04:00

Asian Americans are gearing up for a large immigration reform rally on Capitol Hill next week that will focus opposition on an alleged plan by lawmakers to eliminate family-based visa petitions by US citizens.

Various Fil-Am groups are already mobilizing for the rally scheduled on the West Lawn of US Capitol building from 3-6 PM on Wednesday, April 10.

Two groups – the umbrella National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA) and Washington-based Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) are urging Filipinos to come out strong for the mass action organized by the Asian American Justice Center, among others.

Anxiety is sweeping the Asian American community because they place heavy premium on the ability to bring relatives to the US. A recent study by the Migrant Policy Institute (MPI) showed over 4 million people have approved petitions for legal permanent residence – mostly from family-based visa categories – but can’t come over because their priority dates have not become current.

Next to natives of Mexico, Filipinos have the longest waiting time that in some categories stretches to over 20 years. The MPI estimates that based on current quota levels and assuming there are no new petitions filed, it will take the government 19 years to clear this backlog.

Some conservative senators now apparently believe the way to solve the backlog is stopping certain family petitions by American citizens altogether.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, part of the so-called Gang of Eight bipartisan group crafting a proposed immigration reform bill in the Senate said “green cards” should be reserved for the “nuclear family”.

“This is not a family court we’re dealing with here. We’re dealing about an economic need,” he was quoted by the Associated Press. Some say this could eliminate visa categories for adult and married sons and daughters as well as siblings of American citizens.

In California, Asian American groups gathered in Los Angeles’“Filipinotown” to press demands Congress strengthen family reunification as part of a comprehensive immigration reform deal.

“The immigrant community has made it clear that they want Congress to act on immigration reform now,” said Stewart Kwoh, executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

“Our community calls on Congress to protect and affirm family unity in immigration reform legislation. Brothers, sister and adult married children are our family members and must continue to have a path to family reunification,” he stressed.

“We need immigration reform that reunites immigrant families, including LGBT families for the long-term social and economic vitality of our nation,” declared Rep. Judy Chu (27^th Dist, CA).

“Family is a cornerstone American value and our nation will be stronger if family unity is protected and strengthened in immigration reform legislation,” she argued.

“We have a historic opportunity to finally address the broken immigration system. For decades waiting has become synonymous with the word immigration to many Filipino families,” said Cynthia Buiza of the Filipino Migrant Center.

“Any immigration reform will not be complete without maintaining the integrity of the family immigration system. Let us put an end to the injustice of waiting,” she exhorted.

Advocates say Graham’s proposal would run counter to the fundamental premise of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which prioritized families as well as skilled labor in extending residency.

They also see this as further proof that some lawmakers still don’t get why immigration reform is so important for many Americans.