President Obama's health reform effort recently received a significant boost when a coalition of healthcare stakeholders gathered at the White House and agreed to work together with the president to cut healthcare costs by $2 trillion over the next ten years.
That's an impressive feat, particularly in our current hyper-partisan environment. But if President Obama hopes to make good on his promise to deliver health reform this year, the recent gathering must not be his last attempt to achieve consensus among the many parties working for health reform.
http://tinyurl.com/knhp2n
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Pardoned overseas worker in Kuwait arrives in Manila
MANILA (June 30) -- Filipina overseas worker in Kuwait May Vecina arrived this morning in Manila less than a month after the Emir of Kuwait granted her an Amiri pardon.
Vecina arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 8:45 a.m. via Qatar Airways. She was accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Ricardo Endaya and welcomed by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Carmelita Dimzon.
http://tinyurl.com/narq7h
Vecina arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 8:45 a.m. via Qatar Airways. She was accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Ricardo Endaya and welcomed by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Carmelita Dimzon.
http://tinyurl.com/narq7h
New York City Council Declares Bayanihan Day
NEW YORK CITY (June 30) – The New York City Council has issued a proclamation declaring June 21 this year and every third Sunday of June thereafter as Bayanihan Day.
The proclamation was presented to the Filipino community by City Council Member John Liu at the Bayanihan Cultural Festival held at the Hart Playground in Woodside, NY, on June 21.
http://tinyurl.com/lky6vv
The proclamation was presented to the Filipino community by City Council Member John Liu at the Bayanihan Cultural Festival held at the Hart Playground in Woodside, NY, on June 21.
http://tinyurl.com/lky6vv
Gary V Holds Concert in Beijing
BEIJING (June 30) -- Philippine pop icon Gary Valenciano wowed his audience in a two-hour long concert called "Rhythms of Love and Friendship" at the Star Live Music Hall in Beijing on June 28 as part of the celebration of the 34th anniversary of Philippines-China diplomatic relations.
The Philippines and China established diplomatic ties on 9 June 1975.
http://tinyurl.com/nnx3ja
The Philippines and China established diplomatic ties on 9 June 1975.
http://tinyurl.com/nnx3ja
Whoever It Was That Abducted Fil Am Rights Victim Commtted A Crime Says U.S. Congressman Moran
CHICAGO (June 30) – Filipino American Melissa Roxas has found a powerful ally in a Democrat member of the United States House of Representatives.
The lawyer of Roxas, who was abducted and tortured by whom she believes were Philippine military, disclosed Saturday (June 28) that Rep. James Moran of the 8th District of Virginia “has raised a howl over Melissa’s abduction and torture.”
http://tinyurl.com/kwudfx
Blank checks
A geography of 7,016 fractured islands, even at low tide, has pay-offs. It offers insights into how potentials for 21st century advance is sapped by 19th century misrule. Mactan Island is an example.
Cross one of two bridges, spanning the narrow Mactan channel from Cebu. And you’re in Lapu-Lapu city -- a burg of 292,530 people, the flawed 2007 census claims.
Natives bushwhacked the explorer Ferdinand Magellan here in 1521. Today, Lapu-Lapu hosts 142 factories in economic zones. Watches, computers, etc. account for 9 percent of our exports. Over 40 thousand workers shove daytime population density to 3,581 persons per square kilometer. One out of four have college degrees.
http://tinyurl.com/nhnbt7
Cross one of two bridges, spanning the narrow Mactan channel from Cebu. And you’re in Lapu-Lapu city -- a burg of 292,530 people, the flawed 2007 census claims.
Natives bushwhacked the explorer Ferdinand Magellan here in 1521. Today, Lapu-Lapu hosts 142 factories in economic zones. Watches, computers, etc. account for 9 percent of our exports. Over 40 thousand workers shove daytime population density to 3,581 persons per square kilometer. One out of four have college degrees.
http://tinyurl.com/nhnbt7
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Challenge for Chiz
I was in Naga City over the weekend to witness the inauguration of the Naga City Governance Institute, which is an initiative by the local government of Naga City to promote best practices in local governance all over the Bicol Region.
http://tinyurl.com/kund5b
As we all know, Naga City under the leadership of Mayor Jesse Robredo for the past 18 years has been transformed from a 3rd class city in the 1980s to the queen city of the Bicol Region today.
http://tinyurl.com/kund5b
RP factory output in April plummets
MANILA (June 25) -- Factory output declined for the sixth straight month in April at a faster rate, the National Statistics Office reported.
http://tinyurl.com/mmnqav
The sense of 60 million adult Americans: time for immigration reform is now
SAN DIEGO (June 25) - America's first and largest ethnic media collaboration is breaking new ground in advocating for the passage of an immigration law that would reunite families and end abuses resulting from what it calls "a broken system of raids and roundups" of immigrants.
The New America Media, which groups more than 2,500 ethnic news organizations across the United States, also seeks to expunge the phrase "illegal or undocumented immigrants" from the current debate.
http://tinyurl.com/nnryxs
A call to cut U.S. military aid to the Philippines launched
NEW YORK (June 25) -- Amidst the heightening controversy in Washington over the disclosure of CIA memos detailing the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" under the Bush administration, Filipinos across the United States are marking June 26th, deemed by the United Nations as an International Day in Support of Torture Victims, with intensified calls to Congress to cut the amount of US military aid to the Philippines.
http://tinyurl.com/nbehne
The Race for Control
Reality in the Philippines is so dark that writing about the good news, which I have tried to do with greater resolve in the last few years, can be daunting. It is less the content of good news that is challenging, it is more writing them and blocking the incessant temptation to focus on the more sensational bad news. When one really wants to see the good in the other, the good in society, there are more than enough people and developments that truly lift the spirit. The discipline required, though, is to resist being devoured by the ugliness of politics, corruption and poverty.
http://tinyurl.com/n2h4h7
UN Pays Tribute to RP Peacekeepers in Liberia
NEW YORK (June 25) — The United Nations recently paid tribute to Filipino peacekeepers serving in Liberia, awarding them medals not only for upholding the UN values of integrity, professionalism and respect for the people and communities they serve but also for their contribution to peace and stability in that country.
http://tinyurl.com/kocb8r
RP Columnist Doubts GMA Will Declare Martial Law
CHICAGO (June 25) – Conrado S. de Quiros, an award-winning author and newspaper columnist, believes that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo may want to extend her power beyond 2010 by declaring a state of emergency but not martial law.
Unlike Ferdinand Marcos, De Quiros, popular columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, believes Mrs. Arroyo “does not enjoy that kind of loyalty or awe from the generals. Her hold on them is transactional, not inspirational; fragile, not cast in cement. She unleashes the full might of the military the way Marcos did during martial law, it will devour her.”
http://tinyurl.com/nj37hy
Jersey City to celebrate Philippine-American Friendship Day
JERSEY CITY (June 25)– Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy and the Division of Cultural Affairs present the 19th Annual Philippine-American Friendship Day Parade & Festival on Sunday, June 28th, 2009. This year’s festivities will start in Downtown, Jersey City at 8:00 a.m. with a mass at St. Bridget’s Church, 370 Montgomery Street. The parade will kick off at 10:45 a.m. and will make its way downtown to Exchange Place with the festival to follow.
http://tinyurl.com/l996j6
Monday, June 22, 2009
Playing Our Song?
"They just lie there / And they die there”. Nat King Cole crooned that line, from the 1950 song “Mona Lisa”, into Grammy’s Hall of Fame. Here, that line describes cases crammed in a semi- paralyzed Ombudsman.
“Deeper than politics, and larger than individuals, are institutions,” cautions Philippine Human Development Report 2009.. “(They) structure human interactions, (specially where) “fundamental change is needed, but has not occurred.”
http://tinyurl.com/ll5hqw
Filipino-Canadians Hold 12th Roots, Rhymes & Resistance event
VANCOUVER (June 22) -- In a vibrant display of dance, live music, hip hop, poetry and politics by Filipino youth, the auditorium of Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School was once again transformed into a venue of artistic expression and social commentary on Friday May 29, 2009 during "Root Down, Rise Up: the 12th Annual Roots, Rhymes & Resistance."
http://tinyurl.com/muqorp
DOJ files criminal charges vs. Sulpicio Lines VP, captain
MANILA (June 22) -- After a year the M/V Princess of the Stars capsized in the stormy seas off Sibuyan Island, killing hundreds of people, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has finally filed criminal charges with the Manila City Regional Trial Court.
Charged with reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide were Sulpicio Lines first vice president Edgar Go and the ship's captain Florencio Marion. The Department of Justice recommended P320,000 bail for each of the two accused.
Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said an investigation on other people linked to the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars, which was carrying 800 passengers and crew when it capsized in the evening of June 21, 2008 at the height of typhoon "Frank", which battered central Philippines.
http://tinyurl.com/labj3qFilAm World Hip-Hop DJ to be Honored June 25
NEW YORK (June 22) -- The Hip-Hop Association and the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs of the New York University will pay tribute to Kuttin Kandi, world Hip-Hop dj champion and incoming chair of Gabnet of the Mariposa Alliance. In a reception called Womanhood Passage Reception, on June 25, 2009, at the NYU Kimmel Center, Chair-elect Kuttin Kandi will be honored for her pioneering work as a woman in the Hip-Hop music revolution.
http://tinyurl.com/kwbv7l
Solons warns of 'midnight deals' on privatization of government assets
MANILA (June 21) -- Sen. Manuel Villar Jr, through his Nacionalista Party, has urged the Department of Finance (DOF) to suspend any eleventh-hour plans to privatrize residual government assets, saying these are better left the next administration to act on.
"Our sense is, it would be better for government asset privatization managers to avoid potentially controversial last-minute disposals," said NP spokesperson and former Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla.
http://tinyurl.com/lphyl5
"Our sense is, it would be better for government asset privatization managers to avoid potentially controversial last-minute disposals," said NP spokesperson and former Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla.
http://tinyurl.com/lphyl5
Former RP AFP General's wife and two sons released on bail bond
CHICAGO (June 21) -- Ian Carl Depakakibo and his brother Juan Paulo Depakakibo were released June 18 after posting $1-M bond each, according to court records obtained by this reporter.
On the other hand, their mother, Clarita Depakakibo Garcia has also been released and was placed under house arrest after posting $20,000 cash bond.
Magistrate Judge Edward M. Chen of the United States District of Northern California ordered the release of Ian Carl, 30, and his brother, Juan Paulo, 27, after a bond hearing Thursday.
http://tinyurl.com/n3nvkm
On the other hand, their mother, Clarita Depakakibo Garcia has also been released and was placed under house arrest after posting $20,000 cash bond.
Magistrate Judge Edward M. Chen of the United States District of Northern California ordered the release of Ian Carl, 30, and his brother, Juan Paulo, 27, after a bond hearing Thursday.
http://tinyurl.com/n3nvkm
No 'residual immunity' for former RP Ambassador to the UN
CHICAGO (June 21) -- “Employment of a domestic worker whose duties are limited to fulfilling the personal household needs of a diplomat and his family is a private act that is not ‘performed on behalf of or immutable to the sending State’ even when the provisions of those services for the diplomat happens to occur inside the premises that house the diplomatic mission.”
Citing a previous precedent, Judge Victor Marrero of the United States District Court of Southern New York denied Tuesday (June 16) the motion of former Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Liboon Baja and his wife, Norma, to dismiss the complaint against them and quash the service of process for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
http://tinyurl.com/l2hdpc
Citing a previous precedent, Judge Victor Marrero of the United States District Court of Southern New York denied Tuesday (June 16) the motion of former Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Liboon Baja and his wife, Norma, to dismiss the complaint against them and quash the service of process for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
http://tinyurl.com/l2hdpc
KC Concepcion's anti-hunger advocacy gets credit from Mindanao solons
COTABATO (June 22) -- Lawmakers from Mindanao have credited young celebrity Kristina Cassandra "KC" Concepcion for her exemplary humanitarian work as the country’s ambassador against hunger.
"We applaud KC for her outstanding efforts to raise public awareness here and abroad of the need for effective solutions to the growing humanitarian needs of Mindanao," Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Taliño-Meñdoza said.
"The people of Cotabato and the whole of Mindanao are highly grateful to KC for using her sway as a celebrity to help address widespread hunger and the conflict-induced dislodgment of people," Taliño-Mendoza said.
http://tinyurl.com/mcs4ss
"We applaud KC for her outstanding efforts to raise public awareness here and abroad of the need for effective solutions to the growing humanitarian needs of Mindanao," Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Taliño-Meñdoza said.
"The people of Cotabato and the whole of Mindanao are highly grateful to KC for using her sway as a celebrity to help address widespread hunger and the conflict-induced dislodgment of people," Taliño-Mendoza said.
http://tinyurl.com/mcs4ss
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Mancao's Fathers' Day Gift
CHICAGO (June 21) – On this Father’s Day, Sunday, Cezar O. Mancao is one happy camper.
Through his lawyer, Arnedo S. Valera, Mancao said, "maligaya ako at kapiling ko si Maricar at ang aking mga anak, aking mga magulang, kapatid at mga kaibigan. Ako ay nakahanda pa ring maglingkod sa ating bayan kung kinakailangan." (I am happy to be with my Maricar and our children, my parents, siblings and friends. And I am still ready to return to serve the public if needed.”)
http://tinyurl.com/nfdbry
Through his lawyer, Arnedo S. Valera, Mancao said, "maligaya ako at kapiling ko si Maricar at ang aking mga anak, aking mga magulang, kapatid at mga kaibigan. Ako ay nakahanda pa ring maglingkod sa ating bayan kung kinakailangan." (I am happy to be with my Maricar and our children, my parents, siblings and friends. And I am still ready to return to serve the public if needed.”)
http://tinyurl.com/nfdbry
Friday, June 19, 2009
BWAA honors Pacquiao with a second "Fighter of the Year" award
NEW YORK (June 18) -- In an event considered as "The Academy Awards of Boxing", Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao received another feat from the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) on Friday June 12 during BWAA's 84th Annual Award Dinner.
For the second time in his boxing career, he was honored with the BWAA's Edward J. Neil "Fighter of the Year Award for 2008" at the Capitale at 130 Bowery in Manhattan. Pacquiao was also bestowed with the Neil award in 2006.
http://tinyurl.com/m6b76m
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Overseas absentee voters' registrants break 100,000 mark
MANILA (June 18) -- Nearly two months before registration of overseas absentee voters closes, the Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reports that more than a hundred thousand Filipinos overseas have registered with various diplomatic posts.
http://tinyurl.com/n2lso8
http://tinyurl.com/n2lso8
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Goosed in the Garden State
In December 2005, the headline in the Star-Ledger read “Jersey declares war on Canada Geese: Plan could slash flocks 60 percent.” New Jersey’s largest circulation newspaper reported on “a new federal proposal” intended to reduce the state’s Canada goose population by 57,000 birds over a decade.
“New Jersey has an extreme problem: more Canada geese per square kilometer than any state in the nation.” Back then “anti-geese actions required a difficult-to-obtain federal permit.”
http://tinyurl.com/m87xlg
Teach Your Children Well
Financial illiteracy has become an epidemic. According to a recent report from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, more than 40 percent of Americans grade themselves a C, D or F on their knowledge of personal finance issues.
This illiteracy most often manifests itself in over-spending and under-saving. The average American household with at least one credit card has nearly $11,000 in credit-card debt. And the average worker saves just four cents of every dollar she earns.
http://tinyurl.com/ndew6z
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Exit fees waived for Filipino dual citizens
WASHINGTON, DC (June 17) -- Filipino dual citizens departing the Philippines after a visit no longer need to pay exit fees, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) has ruled.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Willy C. Gaa welcomed this decision of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration to waive the collection of exit fees from departing passengers who are holders of Filipino identification certificates even if they are using foreign passports.
http://tinyurl.com/lg94ae
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Willy C. Gaa welcomed this decision of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration to waive the collection of exit fees from departing passengers who are holders of Filipino identification certificates even if they are using foreign passports.
http://tinyurl.com/lg94ae
Filipino mother hopeful of a U.S. Congress seat
ALAMO, CA (June 16) -- A wife, a mother and Commissioner on the City of Danville's Planning Commission has announced her candidacy for California's Congressional 10th District, which is soon to be vacated by Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher.Tiffany Attwood, a Democrat, is a wife to Francis Attwood and mother of a three-year-old daughter. Attwood's rich heritage as a second generation Filipino and a second generation Latina, adds a particular spice to the family life. She faces the everyday challenges of holding down two jobs and balancing a family life to make ends meet.
http://tinyurl.com/mzaaex
RP's association of human rights lawyers to host region conference
HANOI (June 16) -- The Philippines will host the Fifth Conference of Lawyers in the Asia and the Pacific (COLAP V) on September 18 to 19, 2010, the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) has announced.
The theme of the event in Manila is "Human Rights, Development and the International Economic Crisis". Expected to attend are more than 200 hundred lawyers and jurists from the region such as Japan, the Asean member-countries Vietnam and Korea; the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the South Asian countries India and Pakistan. One of the main issues that will be discussed during the conference is the human rights situation in the Philippines including the killings of judges and lawyers.
http://tinyurl.com/l73deg
The theme of the event in Manila is "Human Rights, Development and the International Economic Crisis". Expected to attend are more than 200 hundred lawyers and jurists from the region such as Japan, the Asean member-countries Vietnam and Korea; the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the South Asian countries India and Pakistan. One of the main issues that will be discussed during the conference is the human rights situation in the Philippines including the killings of judges and lawyers.
http://tinyurl.com/l73deg
Monday, June 15, 2009
Gabnet/MA-AL Launches D4D Campaign
LOS ANGELES (June 15) -- Recalling the overthrow of the Spanish colonian and feudal yoke over the Philippine territory, society and governance 111 years ago, Gabnet of the Mariposa Alliance has issued a statement calling for the eradication of the remnant feudal paradigm within which marriage operates in the archipelago.
http://tinyurl.com/kwjpoq
Thresholds
Charter change is not “the threshold at which all other hopes begin.” Life is. Nor is an overhauled constitution the most telling indicator of advance -- or setback. Life expectancy is.
Filipinos with the longest life spans are in La Union, says Philippine Human Development Report 2008/ 2009. “On average those born in 2006 in La Union are expected to live 74.6 years”, like Ecuadorians.
http://tinyurl.com/mkhldl
Grand champion solo vocalist topbills concert for a cause
MANILA (June 15) -- Reymond Sajor, Grand Champion Solo Vocalist at the 2007 World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), lends his powerful pipes to attract additional World Vision sponsors for poor Filipino children getting ready for the new school year.
http://tinyurl.com/np3nqe
Renowned Filipino artist to lead community mural-painting
NEW YORK (June 15) – During the First Annual Bayanihan Cultural Festival slated to be held June 21 in Elmhurst, Queens, Filipino Americans will have the chance to participate in a community mural-painting project.
Award-winning Filipino artist Eliseo Art Silva, who has painted more than 60 murals all over the United States and the Philippines, will lead in rendering the giant wall painting depicting the Filipino American life and the issues confronting the community in New York City
http://tinyurl.com/kqs4y3
Award-winning Filipino artist Eliseo Art Silva, who has painted more than 60 murals all over the United States and the Philippines, will lead in rendering the giant wall painting depicting the Filipino American life and the issues confronting the community in New York City
http://tinyurl.com/kqs4y3
Welcome to Post Office Health Care
America’s health-care system has problems — all traceable to government intervention — but it could be worse. And if the so-called reform emerging in Congress is enacted, it will be worse.
The nub of the plan is that everyone must have health insurance and that all but the smallest employers should provide it. If someone doesn’t have coverage, he’ll be penalized. Low-income people would be subsidized. Government would determine what’s covered, which would set off a lobbying frenzy by providers of “indispensable” services and products. (This goes on in the states.) So people will have coverage they might not want. Insurers could not deny coverage or charge higher premiums to people already ill.
http://tinyurl.com/mynr45
Revelation launches debut album Amor y Sueo
MANILA (June 13) -- Revelation, 2007 World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) multi-medallist and Zamboanga’s Pride, officially launched their debut album Amor y Sueño (Chabacano phrase for Love and Dream) Friday night, June 5, at Ratsky’s Tomas Morato in Quezon City. The album is released through Zone 7 of Candid Records Philippines. Revelation is comprised of Zamboangueño siblings Jimboy Calisang (vocalist/keyboardist), Shalmai Calisang (vocalist), Nuel Calisang (bassist) and Isaac Calisang (drummer). Although they all started performing in a gospel choir at a young age, the Calisang siblings grew up with different musical tastes. Collaborating on an album with all original works was indeed very challenging, but it was worth all the effort -- Amor y Sueño showcases the fusion of pop, jazz, R&B, classical and Chabacano musical influences of the band members.
Produced by veteran album producers Arnold Jallores and Marlon Silva, Amor y Sueño’s carrier track is the very pop and bouncy Ikaw written by Jimboy, Shalmai, Marlon and Andrew Guevarra. The single has been enjoying heavy daily airplay on top radio stations 90.7 Love Radio, 101.1 Yes FM and 93.9 IFM for three weeks now.
Each song in the 12-track album is written based on personal relationships and recollections of the band members. Shalmai, for instance, wrote Daddy’s Girl for her sister who passed away and was a personal favorite of her father. Jimboy penned Peace for Our Motherland about twelve years ago as a hymn to Zamboanga. It was performed as an original competition piece ten years after at WCOPA in Hollywood, USA. Isaac, on the other hand, finished Ignore a few hours after his break up with his girlfriend.
Other original ditties in the album are titled Baby Come Home, Amor, Baby I Love You, No More, Kaibigan, Meant As One, Hymn to the Sea, and Sueño.
Classically trained Jimboy stresses, “We wanted to apply equal treatment among the instrumentalists in the band. In the track Hymn to the Sea, for example, the bass player hogs the spotlight. He doesn’t just provide reverb for the band’s technical sound all the time.”
Prior to joining WCOPA, Revelation was awarded the Orgullo de Zamboanga (Pride of Zamboanga) in 2006.
Honorable Mayor Celso Lobregat has all praises for the band, “The band’s songs Amor and Sueño help reintroduce the Chabacano, a Spanish derivate language, to more people beyond Zamboanga. Singing Chabacano songs is a way of not only preserving but also strengthening the Chabacano language and culture.
Revelation joins the roster of mainstream musicians that include Buddy Zabala of Eraserheads/The Dawn and Bossa Nova Queen Sitti Navarro who also hail from Zamboanga. http://tinyurl.com/l8rjy6
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Democracy and Independence
Independence is not granted, it is won. From dependence to independence is not only a journey, it is a struggle - a struggle that must be won.
Today, Filipinos celebrate their Independence Day. It is an occasion that government units sometimes celebrate. Most people do not, however, and they have good reason not to. Independence among Filipinos is a rarity. It is there for a few but remains a fantasy for the many.
http://tinyurl.com/m55hdk
Obama's Supreme Choice
President Barrack Obama’s choice of Judge Sonia Sotomayor was a supreme choice. I say this not for all the conventional reasons one would expect. Before I explain my position, let me establish a few facts that will give you the context for it. First, a president is entitled to have his nominees confirmed, unless a disqualifying issue is discovered. Disagreeing with a person on abortion, gay rights, or affirmative action is not a disqualifying issue. Non-payment of taxes, lying under oath, or not renewing one’s law license, etc. is.
http://tinyurl.com/n66t99
Redeeming comparisons
Suppose this province were a country unto itself. How would this “province-imagined-country” stack up if compared with actual nations in what really matters: better lives of its citizens?.
Metro Manilans would find themselves wedged between Lebanese and Peruvians, says “Philippine Human Development Report 2008/2009.”( That ranking ) is “higher than Thailand but lower than Turkey”.
http://tinyurl.com/lfc33s
Metro Manilans would find themselves wedged between Lebanese and Peruvians, says “Philippine Human Development Report 2008/2009.”( That ranking ) is “higher than Thailand but lower than Turkey”.
http://tinyurl.com/lfc33s
Friday, June 12, 2009
Lavarro's journey to politics cut short; urges supporters to keep the faith
JERSEY CITY (June 12) -- After succeeding in the May 12 elections and managing to force his 66-year-old opponent to a run-off, Rolando Lavarro Jr.’s journey to become the first elected Filipino American in Jersey City was cut short Tuesday evening, June 9, shortly after polling places closed.
The mood of an enthusiastic crowd that crammed Lavarro’s campaign headquarters on Cator Avenue turned to a restrained emotion on election night while votes were being canvassed. As poll results were reported and posted on a tally-sheet by the wall, reality hit home. At a count of 1,736 votes for Sottolano against Lavarro’s 1,306, supporters became visibly disappointed and heart-broken.
http://tinyurl.com/m6y8lo
Thursday, June 11, 2009
"Right Names"
“How can we restore order under the heavens?” And Chinese sages would reply: “Call things by their right names.”
Constitutional scholar Joaquin Bernas did just that. House Resolution 1109 is a public declaration to commit a crime, he snapped. When congressmen keel-haul the constitution, by shutting out the senators, felony begins.
http://tinyurl.com/nlexpf
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Filipinos in Hanoi, Vietnam hold twin events
HANOI (June 10) -- In cooperation with the Filipino community, the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi, observed National Heritage Month and the 111th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence with two events that showcased distinct elements of Philippine culture, particularly the Santacruzan, Filipino music, and the indigenous dance Pangalay.
http://tinyurl.com/l4mvkw
RP products top seller in Israel's International Festival
HERZLIYA (June 10) – In an International Festival at the Interdisciplinary College (IDC) held in this city on Monday, June 8, Philippine products turned out the top seller. The Philippines was among the 20 participating countries in the festival aimed at providing foreign students at IDC the opportunity to showcase food items, drinks and crafts.
http://tinyurl.com/nof7vu
A Mother's Unflagging Hope for A Son's Freedom
SAN DIEGO (June 10) - After waiting for seventeen years and spending almost six million dollars in pursuit of the truth, Philippine-born Lourdes M. Dubria is not about to call it quits.
Her faith is immeasurable, her resolve firm and unbreakable.
http://tinyurl.com/m33xsa
Her faith is immeasurable, her resolve firm and unbreakable.
http://tinyurl.com/m33xsa
Physical and Occupational Therapists May Only Need Bachelors Degree
Christmas came early for thousands of foreign physical therapists and occupational therapists seeking to practice their profession in the U.S. In what is viewed as a response to recent appeals of denial decisions issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding H-1B visa petitions wherein prospective beneficiary physical therapists held only a foreign bachelors degree in their area of practice, USCIS recently issued clear guidance on the correct adjudication procedures in such cases.
http://tinyurl.com/klpwq6
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Filipino Film Festival opens June 11 in New York City
NEW YORK CITY (June 6) -- An IndioBravo Film Festival featuring about 10 films showcasing the boldest and most internationally acclaimed works by Filipino filmmakers in recent years will be held in New York City, June 11-14, 2009.
The festival's opening night will take place on Thursday, June 11, 7:15 p.m. at the Museum of Modern Art on 11 West 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
http://tinyurl.com/mrnm5v
Filipino Film Festival opens June 11 in New York City
NEW YORK CITY (June 6) -- An IndioBravo Film Festival featuring about 10 films showcasing the boldest and most internationally acclaimed works by Filipino filmmakers in recent years will be held in New York City, June 11-14, 2009. http://tinyurl.com/mrnm5v
Monday, June 8, 2009
Whipping Boy
“God is the most popular scapegoat for our sins,” Mark Twain once cracked. But in this country, as House Resolution 1109 shows, our “leaders” made the Constitution a “whipping boy” for even neuroses.
1109 authorizes congressmen to anoint themselves as a constituent assembly (con-ass). Rewriting the constitution, they claim, would heal our ills: from ZTE broadband and fertilizer style scams to salvaging. A new charter will usher in a “land of milk and honey”.
http://tinyurl.com/ma5ash
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Congressman, CAPAC Announce Key Component of Comprehensive Immigration Reform
WASHINGTON D.C. (June 6) – Rep. Michael Honda, Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), introduced the Reuniting Families Act, H.R. 2709, which presented a key component of comprehensive immigration reform: family reunification. The legislation ends lengthy separations of loved ones, promotes family stability, and fosters the economic growth that immigrant families have provided throughout our history.
http://tinyurl.com/p6d736
Rizal Park becomes a reality in Australia
NEW SOUTH WALES (June 7) -- After waiting for 20 years, a Rizal Park in Australia, situated in 2.2-hectare property in the city of Campbelltown, New South Wales, will be developed, Consul General Eva G. Betita announced.
In a report report to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo, Betita said the property used be an empty reserve owned by the city government that was being preserved for future use.
http://tinyurl.com/ogdj7d
In a report report to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo, Betita said the property used be an empty reserve owned by the city government that was being preserved for future use.
http://tinyurl.com/ogdj7d
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Philippines' text power promote consumer welfare and social change
LOS ANGELES (June 6) -- Filipinos' text and cellphone power earned raves at the Beyond Broadcast 2009 conference on June 3-5 at the University of Southern California-Annenberg School for Communication in this city, with conference participants applauding Filipinos' use of mobile phones for promoting consumer welfare and social change.
http://tinyurl.com/oy3xgg
Friday, June 5, 2009
Concert Review: Sharon Cuneta's Megablast of a Show: Megathirty Tour 2009
NEWARK (June 5) -- In the pulsating rhythms and beats and wild reactions from the enthusiastic crowd at the recently concluded MEGATHIRTY TOUR 2009 concert held last Sunday, May 31, at the NJPAC Prudential Hall in Newark, Sharon Cuneta discovers many of the things that hold dear to her heart like the chance to be able to showcase and share the Filipino music with her “kababayans” who have been years away from home and how much they “thirst” and craved for anything and everything associated to her thirty years in the business… and, much to her surprise, that her fans are very much informed and well abreast with what’s going on with her life.
http://tinyurl.com/pb9xzt
Filipinos Welcome RP Independence Day Celebration in Queens
WOODSIDE, NY (June 5) -- Following the commemoration of the 111th Philippine Independence Day in Manhattan, Filipinos in New York City, especially those in Queens, said they are happy a community-wide celebration of Philippine Independence Day will also be held in Queens for the first time.
“It is about time the Filipino community come together in Queens since this is where most of us (Filipinos) live,” said Peter Arvin Jabido, who lives in Woodside. “I don’t have to travel far, since I only have to walk a few blocks.”
http://tinyurl.com/pjkmsa
Quandary
“When reforms do not transform, what do we do?” We’re up to our gills with aborted reforms. Are our options boxed into picking between Barrabas or Barrabas? Or scrambling for a visa?
Sociologist Gelia T Castillo led with this reform-transform dilemma in her address at the launch of Philippine Human Development Report.” PHDR today is a key reference on complex issues. The 2008/2009 edition focuses on institutions and politics – and impact on daily life..
http://tinyurl.com/pog5mw
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Full Steam Ahead for the 111th Anniversary Commemoration of Philippine Independence
The commemoration of the 111th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence this year is also the 20th year the Filipino communities of the US Northeast are celebrating this historic annual event. This year’s Philippine Independence Day Parade and Street Fair/Cultural Show on Sunday, June 7, 2009. starts off with flag raising in front of the Philippine Center (556 Fifth Avenue) at 9:00 am and immediately followed by the Independence Mass at the Kalayaan Hall.
The Philippine Independence Day parade kicks off at 12:01 pm on 41st Street and Madison Avenue heading south.
Leading the 2009 Independence Day Parade will be Independence Day Parade Grand Marshal Dr.. Teofila Malanum Santos and her family. Special guest dignitaries are Vice President of the Philippines Noli de Castro and Senator Manny Villar. They will be joined by PIDCI 2009 President Gerry M. Austria, the Honorable Consul General of the Philippines, Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong, and the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, Ambassador Hilario Davide, Jr. His Honor, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other honored guests have also been invited to join the Parade.
Over 100 organizations and businesses, 14 floats, 7 marching/ethno-cultural bands have signed up to participate in the parade.
Channel 2 CBS News reporter Hazel Sanchez and Channel 7 Eyewitness News reporter Nina Pineda will be joined by Ogie Afable as parade emcees on the reviewing stand located on 29th/30th Street on Madison Avenue.
The Diwa Ng Kalayaan 2009 (Spirit of Independence) Monica Castillo Meares. and her court: Miss Filipino American Renee Nicole Lago, Hiyas ng Pilipinas Janette Gomez, Bituin ng Luzon Loriella Reyes, Bituin ng Visayas Alexandra Uy, Bituin ng Mindanao Demellen Faith Cuerda, and Lakambini ng PIDCI Natasha Abella., will be presented as the finale of the parade.
http://tinyurl.com/ohkx6p
Testing Obama's Anti-Torture Doctrine
President Barack Obama has been trying to separate himself from his predecessor, President George W. Bush, to keep up with his campaign promise for change.
Shouldn’t Mr. Obama now review, if not make a clean break, from Mr. Bush's designation of the Philippines as a “major non-NATO ally” under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the designation is not working for the interest of either country?
http://tinyurl.com/pauysu
Curing the Healthcare Maladies in the Stimulus Package
As a psychiatrist, I've observed that people generally make bad decisions when they're rushed and in crisis. Politicians, unfortunately, often fail to recognize this aspect of human nature.
Clearly, we are in an economic crisis, which makes me immediately fearful of politicians' proposed cures.
http://tinyurl.com/pydp75
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Gags From The Past
Move over Madame President and First Gentleman Mike. A photo of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and wife Rep. Monica Prieto-Teodoro of Tarlac, on their website, is captioned: “The Next First Couple?”. Is the future here now?
http://tinyurl.com/oazxdb
The Inevitability of Parental Choice
A year ago, the nation's largest newspaper wrote in an editorial that it was time to "move beyond vouchers" in the debate over America's educational future.
Although it did not reject any particular solution outright, the paper's recommendation at the time was that America focus its energy and attention on less controversial education reforms. In other words, it was a victory for those who have spent years – and expended untold taxpayer resources – in an effort to demonize parental choice and its supporters.
http://tinyurl.com/pkct3j
Filipino Seaman on Board Crashed Air France Plane
PARIS (June 3) -– A Filipino seafarer was among the 228 listed passengers of Air France Flight 447 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on the evening of May 31 (Brasilia time).
The Filipino was identified as Arden Jugueta, a seafarer whose vessel docked in Rio de Janeiro and who was to take a connecting flight from Paris to Manila.
http://tinyurl.com/r96ulf
FilAm candidate is endorsed by One Jersey City; gears up for run-off election June 9
JERSEY CITY (June 3) -- Facing a run-off election on June 9, Rolando R. Lavarro,Jr., a Filipino American Ward A candidate for a Jersey City Council seat, received an endorsement from Dan Levin and the 2009 One Jersey City team of council candidates composed of Andrew Hubsch, Emilio DeLia, Norrice Raymaker, and Doug Salters.
http://tinyurl.com/q8k57a
AFAR, party list hopeful to represent migrants and overseas Filipino workers
NEW JERSEY (June 2) -- In preparation for the 2010 Philippine national elections, a New Jersey-based international organization of migrants and overseas Filipino workers, has taken the initial step to get involved.
Dr. Epimaco Densing, Jr., World President of the Association for Filipinos Abroad and Relatives (AFAR) said the organization has petitioned the Philippines' Commission on Elections (ComElec) to register AFAR as a Party List. Densing said the Comelec may hear the petition in November.
http://tinyurl.com/pgmvwe
Mancao Due in Manila Thursday, June 4
CHICAGO (June 2) – Cezar Ochoco Mancao II, the former Philippine police officer, who was accused in the conspiracy to kill Filipino publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and Dacer’s driver, Emmanuel Corbito, will be arriving on Thursday, June 4, in Manila at 6 a.m. (Manila time), according to his lawyer, Arnedo S. Valera.
Valera said Mancao is currently detained at the Santa Ana County jail in the suburb of Los Angeles, California. Mancao is going to take the Philippine Airlines Flight No. PR 102, leaving Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday (June 2) at 10 p.m. (June 3, Wednesday 2 p.m. Manila Time) and arriving in Manila on Thursday, June 4, at 6 a.m.
http://tinyurl.com/rdfkej
Valera said Mancao is currently detained at the Santa Ana County jail in the suburb of Los Angeles, California. Mancao is going to take the Philippine Airlines Flight No. PR 102, leaving Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday (June 2) at 10 p.m. (June 3, Wednesday 2 p.m. Manila Time) and arriving in Manila on Thursday, June 4, at 6 a.m.
http://tinyurl.com/rdfkej
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Filipino Couple To Get 215 Years, $10-M Fine for Hiring Illegal Aliens
CHICAGO (June 1) – A Filipino couple, who owned a health care agency, will be facing a maximum of 215 years in prison and a fine of $10,750,000 or “twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offenses, which ever is greatest” after changing their plea from not guilty to “guilty to Count 1 of the indictment” for allegedly knowingly hiring the services of illegal aliens, mostly from the Philippines.
http://tinyurl.com/pylvxu
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