Sunday, April 4, 2010
THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
SOME THOUGHTS OF HOPE AND RANDOM GOOD NEWS
THIS EASTER WEEK AND SPRING SEASON
“An unexamined life is not worth living for” -- Socrates
Today is Palm Sunday 2004, a beautiful spring day in Southern California. I love this Spring season simply because many trees and plants including those in my “farmyard” that lost their leaves last Fall started to show off their green luscious leaves again; various flowers start to bloom attracting birds, butterflies and many living creatures that contribute to the cycle of earthly life. All these wonders of nature unfold their magnificence as if responding to a magic wand of an Invisible Director before our naked eyes as they continue the healthy balance of life around us. God’s work is a miracle every day, which is unfortunately taken for granted by millions of people especially those in many metropolitan areas.
I did not realize until about two decades ago that I would enjoy nature this much considering that I hated farm work because of the demanding physical work from sunrise to sunset during my growing up years in the farming village in Pangasinan. Now, farm work or gardening has become a priceless hobby, an effective but inexpensive therapy for businessman’s stressful life in the city. Today is another awesome weekend that helps me enjoy the day despite the chaotic or depressing news in many parts of the world, including the political circus in the Philippines.
Palm Sunday, a great holiday of our Church, is the beginning of the Passion of Jesus Christ. To all Christians, the Lenten Season gives timely reason to pause and reflect on the Passion of Christ to have some personal retreat (from a topsy-turvy world) for reflection to infuse some meaning to our lives. The worldly acclaimed Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opened on the first day of Lent on Ash Wednesday in the United States indeed has not only fueled some heated controversy but also prompted many people to examine or meditate what is truly important in their lives. Christians who have seen it, like this writer with his entire family, are reminded that world is indeed an imperfect one since the beginning of time as we ardently hope that there is another more peaceful world in the afterlife. To us believers and followers of Christ, the promise of our redemption that is fully paid by Christ suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate reward that all Christians hope for.
* * * *
From my perspective in America, there are also many good things happening in our world despite the gloom and doom prediction fueled by heated political campaigns and the pessimistic news that we continue to read in the papers or see on TV. To augment some pounds of optimism for my STAR readers this Easter Week, let me share some good news and developments emanating from America:
* As the U.S. economy continues to contract, and some jobs are lost due to globalization (outsourced abroad like in India, China, Malaysia and Singapore and also Philippines) families are adjusting by living together to share expenses. Due to spiraling costs of living especially in housing in California, many families are opting to just add a room or two so that family members can come back for economic reasons. The median price of a house in Orange County now is almost half a million dollars. A rent for one bedroom apartment is already over $1,l00 dollars before other expenses like utilities, food and transportation. The upside of this dramatic increase in housing costs is that families are again beginning live closer as a family, probably living happier and hopefully longer too.
* More children of many Filipino American families now, compared a generation ago , are now much more interested to learn about their Filipino culture and even enrolled to learn how to speak the Filipino language. There is now an increased demand for Philippine Studies and Culture. I read that even the University of Hawaii has some very unique subject, Ilocano Dialect, Culture and Values!
Another phenomenon is the continued growth and vibrancy of our Catholic Covenant Community City on the Hill (COH), an affiliate of Ligaya ng Panginoon and Couples for Christ in the Philippines, is attributed to the Singles Group of Young Adults whose Music Ministry has added much needed energy to the entire COH community. Christian songs in Tagalog are often sung more often now. Furthermore, the popular singing group from the Philippines, Bukas Palad, is arriving to perform in a concert here in Southern California on May lst because of our COH Single Group. This promises to be a special treat to many Filipinos in Southern California.
• In the media, especially in broadcast journalism, the beauty and talent several Filipino women are also being noticed. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, two beautiful ladies appear almost daily in prime time TV. They are Denise Dador of ABC Channel 7, whose parents are from Cebu, and Maria Quiban who was born in Hawaii of Ilocano parents (like the former Miss Universe the former Miss Baraquio) who is a regular at Fox Channel Eleven. The Asian American Journalists Association (www.aaja.org) also had a National President several years ago, Ms. Camia, and the LA local chapter has two members of the board, namely: Richard Fruto, a Philippine born who has a journalism degree before becoming a lawyer, is the treasurer and my own daughter, Donna Karen Delfin, is now the secretary. The National Executive Director, Rene Astudillo, is also a Filipino. And there are more Filipino American personalities in other cities and states.
• In the health care field, the presence and importance of Filipino doctors and nurses are very obvious. It is said that no hospital in the US, especially in California, will survive without the Filipino doctors and especially the nurses! Thousands are also working as private caretakers of many elderly or disabled Americans. Even the celebrity, Christopher Reeves is reported to have some Filipino nurses in his employ. These private caregivers who go to the American homes are the fastest growing but seemingly invisible occupation of many Filipinos many of them have college degrees. Caregiving might be a lowly and non-glamorous job but many Filipinos do not mind because the salaries are very good. I know a family (both parents and one daughter) as they are my tax and real estate clients, made over $100,000 last year just being caregivers!
• In U.S. politics, although the Filipinos are still way behind the other Asian groups like the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, we are slowly adding some names to the roster of elected officials. In Carson, California, after the shameful exit of Mayor Pete Fajardo and Councilman Manny Ontal (both Filipino Americans) l due to corrupt practices, another Filipino, Elito Santarina, a teacher who hails from Nueva Ecija, won a Council seat last year. He tried to run for Mayor this year but he did not make during his first try, but I predict that as his name becomes more recognized, he will be the next Filipino American mayor. In the City of Walnut, the mayor is also a Filipino by the name of Antonio Cartagena. In the City of Milpitas, CA the mayor is a certain Mr. Esteves (originally from Pangasinan) who succeeded another Filipino American mayor, Henry Manayan, who unfortunately did not win the March 2nd primary to have been the first Filipino American member of the California State Assembly. In the City of Daly City, Mr. Guingona is also the mayor. A lawyer-friend David Valderrama, (a fluent orator in both English and Tagalog from Laguna) is the first and only Filipino American elected delegate to the Maryland Assembly. And in the Cerritos ABC Unified School District, 3 of the 7 members of the Board of Education are Filipinos: Cecy Groom, Mark Pulido and Armin Reyes. The City Finance Manager is also a Filipina CPA-friend of mine who is a fellow Rotarian, Becky Lingad. With an estimated 3,000,000 Filipinos in America, of course, there should be more in politics and government… but slowly and gradually, our numbers will also increase with time.
• In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, among the Asians or foreign-born entertainers, the Filipinos are most likely the most popular group… Martin Nievera had a long-standing show at the New Orleans Hotel & Casino and just recently Regine Velasquez also had a successful show.. The Society of Seven has also appeared there many times in the past. The popular American Idol show had two Filipina contestants who are now among the semi finalists…. Coincidentally, our visiting Rotarian guests from Japan acknowledged, during our welcome dinner last night upon learning that I was originally from the Philippines when I was introduced as the President Elect of our Cerritos Rotary Club, that there are many entertainers in hotels are working in Tokyo and in Osaka where we will be going next on May 22 for the Rotary International Convention. Indeed the talents and popularity of the Filipinos in the entertainment field is now a worldwide phenomenon !
• The brotherhood of men is also evident in our Rotary Clubs worldwide. Through our Rotary Avenue of International Service, our Rotary Club of Cerritos and our sister club in Gifu, Japan are donating a couple thousand dollars to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club, Quezon City to help them in their Loving Village affordable housing project for the poor in joint project with the Couples for Christ. During this forthcoming 2004-2005 Rotary Centennial Year, we have also committed to help our sister club of Makati Bel Air Rotary Club in their Gawad Kalinga Poverty alleviation program project. We plan to hand them a few thousand dollar check when we visit them in June this year.
• It is also very heartwarming to learn that many overseas Filipinos also are getting more involved in lending a hand to many Filipinos in the Philippines even in a small but positive way. For almost a year now, dozens of overseas Filipinos especially from the United States have formed a ProgressiveTimes Action Group (visit www.ptag.org website) and without much fun fare or publicity are now involved in sending some dozen Sagip Bata scholars in different schools coordinated by our Filipino PTAG volunteers. We have also sent some needed books to some places like the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal, and in San Pablo City in Laguna and to Pangasinan and also in Bacolod. Dozens are also volunteering to assist with the Namfrel volunteers in monitoring a clean and honest election.
As the founder of this PTAG, I am very pleased of the response of many volunteers and the growing benefactors of PTAG. We have now some presence in San Pablo City because of Gigi Fellizar and MeAnn Pineda-Gonzales, in Cainta and Taytay because of Austri Basinillo and Faith Malazarte and Mario Firme, in Hagonoy Bulacan, because of Paddy Padilla, in Marbel-Koronadal City because of Jing Ureta and also in Pangasinan because of Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and yours truly. And soon we will have the Payatas Resettlement Project in Palawan because of Fred Antonio and Celia Ruiz Tomlinson and their recruited volunteers.
This coming school year, we believe that we will have more beneficiaries as we have more volunteers and benefactors. Our vision and our ultimate dream is to have a PTAG chapter in every barangay in the Philippines to serve as a an effective and graft-free conduit between pre-selected beneficiaries in the Philippines and the Overseas Filipinos and their friends who are able and willing to assist improve the quality of life of many economically challenged Filipinos by motivating and teaching them the how-to-fish mentality and not just through dole-outs which many Overseas Filipino dependents have been accustomed to.
With such an ambitious programs of PTAG --- in addition to hundreds of other organizations doing parallel work for the Philippines ---- there is great hope that the Philippines will change for the better! But we still need more people to lend a hand to make this social and charitable work expand larger, faster and wider. Any one interested, please email this writer or simply join us at: ProgressiveTimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and visit our website at: www.ptag.org.
With that, I wish all you, my STAR readers, A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER WEEK!
----- 30 ----
E-mail writer at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Visit: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
Friday, February 19, 2010
MANNY VILLAR'S LENTEN JOURNEY TO DAMASCUS, OPSS TO MALACANANG PALACE
The Metamorphosis
By
Ernie D. Delfin
MANNY VILLAR’S LENTEN JOURNEY TO DAMASCUS,
OPS TO MALACANANG PALACE
(while Benigno “NoyNoy” Aguino III just awakened
from his deep slumber since his mother’s funeral)
From where I stand somewhere in Southern California, I am having fun while gazing over the political landscape as I am critically analyzing, dissecting and discerning over the complex political circus that is now happening in my benighted land of my birth, to borrow my former professor Lito Banayo’s adjective . This is one man’s soliloquy disguising as a political satire , written at the beginning of Lent 2010, about 80 days before the May 10th election, to provide some amusing political entertainment.
At the outset, a disclaimer: I cannot vote in the Philippine election nor do I personally know the top two candidates, and more so the others. I only knew them from what I read and hear (from online, magazines, online newspapers and the internet and YouTube) and also from informal discourse with politically-minded friends. Whoever wins the election (praying that there is NO failure of election) will have a very insignificant impact on my life, socially, economically or financially simply because our business and livelihood do not depend on the Philippine environment but rather on the realities of America’s business climate. I am just as concerned as anybody else as I am still a Filipino who happens to live in another land.
Now, on my lead topic.
Every body has read about the gargantuan political expenditures of Mr. Manny Villar (not spelled MONEY) from his own independent wealth in having his name recognized by all voters, especially the WoWoWee crowd (the show that “exploits the poor people”) that go to this shallow but popular show to win something without any labor except to fall in line and get a ticket , and if lucky enough to be a recipient of dole outs from big businesses marketing their products or wealthy people like Manny Villar. (This WoWoWee mindset or phenomenon deserves another commentary, another column).
* * *
Dreaming and assuming to be Manny Villar for a few minutes, I felt that I am just stricken – like Saul --- by an invisible lightning on my way to Damascus… ops Malacanang. I just made a timely, if not remorseful, decision not only to spend my wealth in my political campaigns but an inexplicable but profound heavenly voice told me to rather spend most of my wealth to make 1,000 more Manny Villars inside the Philippines. This silent voice advised me to invest more in the countryside, so the rural and poor people know that I am serious on my way to the Presidential Palace, after the term of GMA. my ‘secret’ supporter and ally for the years to come. After all, all that Gloria who wants is more MONEY (and protection), while I, Manny, want more GLORY.
Once I become the president of this archipelago of a nation, I can make more money by buying agricultural lands like where my friend Joc-Joc Bolante in Capiz, and converting them into residential zones and asked my party mates to invest their pork with me. But I will also be very generous to those who support me. I intend to become both a Robin Hood and a benevolent dictator. I am convinced that the money that Manny makes makes, makes more money that Manny really does not need, but to provide as an opium to my own brand of Ali Baba followers, like my friend Gloria successfully did the last nine years.
To decrease potential opponents I will build healthy coalition$ by hiring some of my opponents and a few unemployed politicians, to tap their talents and expertise and even arrogance, like Gordon who can be in my cabinet. Gibo can be the head of the AirForceAcademy, Bayani as an engineer can head the Dept of Public Works. Perlas to be in the Dept of Agriculture. Jamby ,the tomboyish senator, can be my partner to expand the Maritime Industry, to build more ships for fishing as well as transportation between our islands. Combining our wealth, this Villar-Madrigal Industry is a done deal, to lure back all the DH s to work in this rediscovered industry.
Erap can be tapped, while he is still coherent somewhat and can still enjoy his drink, to become the official “wine taster” of the Republic as my administration must also embark the wine making industry in the Philippines, especially in Mindanao and in the Cordilleras. It will take time, however, to think where the others can help me, if at all. I will extract from all my appointed government officials their “beginning balance sheet: how much they own and owe” as of July 1, 2010, and every year, we must audit them that under my command… I will not allow anyone to be richer than me. Nor do I want that in six years of my Administration, any of my appointees will be richer than Gloria Arroyo or his very “talented” investment savvy son, Mikey, who made fortune only after marriage compounded a thousand times by being the son of a shameless, evil mother, as described by her former cabinet members.
Right away, I will re-align millions of education budget to construct and establish my MONEY aka ENTREPRENEURIAL COLLEGES for groups of 5 towns or less to teach how a “poor” boy from places like Tondo sell fish and then go to a private school, take up Business and MBA degree and then become one of the richest men in the Philippines in just one generation , which cannot be equaled even by the Ayalas, Sorianos or the Zobels. I can teach teachers to teach how I became mega-wealthy by simply selling fish in every town that capitalized my real estate developments without using my political powers as a Speaker and Senate president. My innocence in the allegation of unethical behaviors is already explained to many naïve journalists who went along with me in the circuitous and zigzagging journey along C-5, that is also explained in my website. Those who accused me of impropriety and corruption are just “inggit” (jealous) of my wealth! They refuse to “read my lips” that I am not guilty!
I believe in teaching the poor people “how to fish.” To the good fishermen, I will give them loans to build or buy a boat, so they can employ other poor people to fish with them… With the over supply of fish to be eaten domestically, I will partner with the Koreans or Chinese or Japanese or any of our Asian neighbors to can our catch and export them rather than importing them.
I will also lure back the supermaids to come back by creating jobs for them in the countryside, to become P.T. (Punas Tae) Pinays to their own young children and tend to their aging parents in their own backyard in the Philippines. I will give great incentives to the thousands of caregivers who will come back to the country and who can bring with them their aging patients and bosses, to take care of them in the Philippines, instead . This can be arranged government to government especially the countries of Japan, the United States and Canada where there is a serious shortage of nursing and caregivers.
I will also create an ASaP (Alay Sa Pilipinas) program to have the 10% of the 8-9 Million Filipinos, especially those belonging to the baby boomers generation, like me, those who are about to retired or have been retired to give back to the country of their birth. After they achieved some degree of success in the foreign land, many successful doctors, engineers, CPAs and businessmen have acquired and been conditioned to a better economic system where merits are rewarded more than affinity or pakikisama or the cumpadre system. With the full support of my administration, these balik –talinong Pinoys can be my priceless and effective partners as they will spearhead and create a new paradigm and a better environment for all to share and enjoy. These SCORE (Service Core Of Retired Expatriates) can be new breed of heroes, and not just the super maids, in our New Philippines!
There is too much to do, that I may not be able to finish it only in six years. I am now getting stressed out just thinking how to make this nation great again! Can the people who are now making more MONEY in Manny’s administration start a nationwide referendum to extend the term of a moneyed President another 6 year term?
Then, I woke up from this fantastic dream!
* * * *
On a serious note, there are so many factors to consider in choosing the “best” leader that the country needs to lead the Philippines to progress. Let me advance some leadership CRITERIA, that can somewhat measure the qualitative attributes of a better leader, based on our educated perception, if not factual knowledge. Although I cannot vote, I am optimistic that I can “dictate” (I mean recommend) to my relatives who still receive pecuniary, spelled dollar$$$$, considerations from me, to vote according to my invented criteria.
Let me share my scoring between Aquino and Villar with my readers, done this Ash Wednesday 2010, the beginning of Lent. It is still incomplete and will change again as soon as I am done with more research in some equally important areas, especially in Social Justice issues. However, the intelligent readers will somehow get the “drift” to challenge them to have their own criteria and not just vote for a candidate based on their self-serving advertisements.
C R I T E R I A MAXIMUM POINTS AQUINO VILLAR
A. INTEGRITY/CHARACTER 25 24 11
B. COMPETENCY 25 12 23
(Executive, Entrepreneurial
Experience)
C. DECISIVENESSS/INTELLIGENCE 10 6 8
(Decision making experience)
D. TEAM (COALITION) BUILDING 10 6 8
E. CHARISMA / COMMUNICATION
SKILLS 10 8 6
F. WORK ETHIC (industriousness) 10 7 8
Sub Total 90 63 64
G. SOCIAL JUSTICE PLATFORM 10 ?? ??
(Example: level of support
to empowering the poor like
the Gawad Kalinga Movement) ____ ____ ____
TOTAL 100 ?? ??
====== ====== ======
(NOTA BENE: I will update this CRITERIA every month or so, and will then publish it in my
“THE METAMORPHOSIS BLOG :
http://ed-metamorphosis.blogspot.com
--------- 3 0 --------
Email this writer at: ernie.delfin@gmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
By
Ernie D. Delfin
MANNY VILLAR’S LENTEN JOURNEY TO DAMASCUS,
OPS TO MALACANANG PALACE
(while Benigno “NoyNoy” Aguino III just awakened
from his deep slumber since his mother’s funeral)
From where I stand somewhere in Southern California, I am having fun while gazing over the political landscape as I am critically analyzing, dissecting and discerning over the complex political circus that is now happening in my benighted land of my birth, to borrow my former professor Lito Banayo’s adjective . This is one man’s soliloquy disguising as a political satire , written at the beginning of Lent 2010, about 80 days before the May 10th election, to provide some amusing political entertainment.
At the outset, a disclaimer: I cannot vote in the Philippine election nor do I personally know the top two candidates, and more so the others. I only knew them from what I read and hear (from online, magazines, online newspapers and the internet and YouTube) and also from informal discourse with politically-minded friends. Whoever wins the election (praying that there is NO failure of election) will have a very insignificant impact on my life, socially, economically or financially simply because our business and livelihood do not depend on the Philippine environment but rather on the realities of America’s business climate. I am just as concerned as anybody else as I am still a Filipino who happens to live in another land.
Now, on my lead topic.
Every body has read about the gargantuan political expenditures of Mr. Manny Villar (not spelled MONEY) from his own independent wealth in having his name recognized by all voters, especially the WoWoWee crowd (the show that “exploits the poor people”) that go to this shallow but popular show to win something without any labor except to fall in line and get a ticket , and if lucky enough to be a recipient of dole outs from big businesses marketing their products or wealthy people like Manny Villar. (This WoWoWee mindset or phenomenon deserves another commentary, another column).
* * *
Dreaming and assuming to be Manny Villar for a few minutes, I felt that I am just stricken – like Saul --- by an invisible lightning on my way to Damascus… ops Malacanang. I just made a timely, if not remorseful, decision not only to spend my wealth in my political campaigns but an inexplicable but profound heavenly voice told me to rather spend most of my wealth to make 1,000 more Manny Villars inside the Philippines. This silent voice advised me to invest more in the countryside, so the rural and poor people know that I am serious on my way to the Presidential Palace, after the term of GMA. my ‘secret’ supporter and ally for the years to come. After all, all that Gloria who wants is more MONEY (and protection), while I, Manny, want more GLORY.
Once I become the president of this archipelago of a nation, I can make more money by buying agricultural lands like where my friend Joc-Joc Bolante in Capiz, and converting them into residential zones and asked my party mates to invest their pork with me. But I will also be very generous to those who support me. I intend to become both a Robin Hood and a benevolent dictator. I am convinced that the money that Manny makes makes, makes more money that Manny really does not need, but to provide as an opium to my own brand of Ali Baba followers, like my friend Gloria successfully did the last nine years.
To decrease potential opponents I will build healthy coalition$ by hiring some of my opponents and a few unemployed politicians, to tap their talents and expertise and even arrogance, like Gordon who can be in my cabinet. Gibo can be the head of the AirForceAcademy, Bayani as an engineer can head the Dept of Public Works. Perlas to be in the Dept of Agriculture. Jamby ,the tomboyish senator, can be my partner to expand the Maritime Industry, to build more ships for fishing as well as transportation between our islands. Combining our wealth, this Villar-Madrigal Industry is a done deal, to lure back all the DH s to work in this rediscovered industry.
Erap can be tapped, while he is still coherent somewhat and can still enjoy his drink, to become the official “wine taster” of the Republic as my administration must also embark the wine making industry in the Philippines, especially in Mindanao and in the Cordilleras. It will take time, however, to think where the others can help me, if at all. I will extract from all my appointed government officials their “beginning balance sheet: how much they own and owe” as of July 1, 2010, and every year, we must audit them that under my command… I will not allow anyone to be richer than me. Nor do I want that in six years of my Administration, any of my appointees will be richer than Gloria Arroyo or his very “talented” investment savvy son, Mikey, who made fortune only after marriage compounded a thousand times by being the son of a shameless, evil mother, as described by her former cabinet members.
Right away, I will re-align millions of education budget to construct and establish my MONEY aka ENTREPRENEURIAL COLLEGES for groups of 5 towns or less to teach how a “poor” boy from places like Tondo sell fish and then go to a private school, take up Business and MBA degree and then become one of the richest men in the Philippines in just one generation , which cannot be equaled even by the Ayalas, Sorianos or the Zobels. I can teach teachers to teach how I became mega-wealthy by simply selling fish in every town that capitalized my real estate developments without using my political powers as a Speaker and Senate president. My innocence in the allegation of unethical behaviors is already explained to many naïve journalists who went along with me in the circuitous and zigzagging journey along C-5, that is also explained in my website. Those who accused me of impropriety and corruption are just “inggit” (jealous) of my wealth! They refuse to “read my lips” that I am not guilty!
I believe in teaching the poor people “how to fish.” To the good fishermen, I will give them loans to build or buy a boat, so they can employ other poor people to fish with them… With the over supply of fish to be eaten domestically, I will partner with the Koreans or Chinese or Japanese or any of our Asian neighbors to can our catch and export them rather than importing them.
I will also lure back the supermaids to come back by creating jobs for them in the countryside, to become P.T. (Punas Tae) Pinays to their own young children and tend to their aging parents in their own backyard in the Philippines. I will give great incentives to the thousands of caregivers who will come back to the country and who can bring with them their aging patients and bosses, to take care of them in the Philippines, instead . This can be arranged government to government especially the countries of Japan, the United States and Canada where there is a serious shortage of nursing and caregivers.
I will also create an ASaP (Alay Sa Pilipinas) program to have the 10% of the 8-9 Million Filipinos, especially those belonging to the baby boomers generation, like me, those who are about to retired or have been retired to give back to the country of their birth. After they achieved some degree of success in the foreign land, many successful doctors, engineers, CPAs and businessmen have acquired and been conditioned to a better economic system where merits are rewarded more than affinity or pakikisama or the cumpadre system. With the full support of my administration, these balik –talinong Pinoys can be my priceless and effective partners as they will spearhead and create a new paradigm and a better environment for all to share and enjoy. These SCORE (Service Core Of Retired Expatriates) can be new breed of heroes, and not just the super maids, in our New Philippines!
There is too much to do, that I may not be able to finish it only in six years. I am now getting stressed out just thinking how to make this nation great again! Can the people who are now making more MONEY in Manny’s administration start a nationwide referendum to extend the term of a moneyed President another 6 year term?
Then, I woke up from this fantastic dream!
* * * *
On a serious note, there are so many factors to consider in choosing the “best” leader that the country needs to lead the Philippines to progress. Let me advance some leadership CRITERIA, that can somewhat measure the qualitative attributes of a better leader, based on our educated perception, if not factual knowledge. Although I cannot vote, I am optimistic that I can “dictate” (I mean recommend) to my relatives who still receive pecuniary, spelled dollar$$$$, considerations from me, to vote according to my invented criteria.
Let me share my scoring between Aquino and Villar with my readers, done this Ash Wednesday 2010, the beginning of Lent. It is still incomplete and will change again as soon as I am done with more research in some equally important areas, especially in Social Justice issues. However, the intelligent readers will somehow get the “drift” to challenge them to have their own criteria and not just vote for a candidate based on their self-serving advertisements.
C R I T E R I A MAXIMUM POINTS AQUINO VILLAR
A. INTEGRITY/CHARACTER 25 24 11
B. COMPETENCY 25 12 23
(Executive, Entrepreneurial
Experience)
C. DECISIVENESSS/INTELLIGENCE 10 6 8
(Decision making experience)
D. TEAM (COALITION) BUILDING 10 6 8
E. CHARISMA / COMMUNICATION
SKILLS 10 8 6
F. WORK ETHIC (industriousness) 10 7 8
Sub Total 90 63 64
G. SOCIAL JUSTICE PLATFORM 10 ?? ??
(Example: level of support
to empowering the poor like
the Gawad Kalinga Movement) ____ ____ ____
TOTAL 100 ?? ??
====== ====== ======
(NOTA BENE: I will update this CRITERIA every month or so, and will then publish it in my
“THE METAMORPHOSIS BLOG :
http://ed-metamorphosis.blogspot.com
--------- 3 0 --------
Email this writer at: ernie.delfin@gmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com
Monday, February 15, 2010
4TH OF JULY: U.S. INDEPENDENCE DAY AND THE PHILIPPINE-USA FRIENDSHIP DAY
A VOICE FROM AMERICA
By Ernie D. Delfin
4TH OF JULY: U.S. INDEPENDENCE DAY AND THE PHILIPPINE-USA FRIENDSHIP DAY
Happy Independence Day to all in the U.S.A! To all Filipinos and Americans everywhere, I also greet all of you a Happy and Harmonious Friendship Day! May we be able to celebrate this Fourth of July the way it was envisioned, forever!
With the continued Iraqi conflict where the United States is still very much involved, Independence Day and Memorial Day (celebrated on the last Monday of May) have become the most notable holidays in America. Fourth of July used to be the Philippines’ Independence Day until it was changed to June 12th by former president Diosdado Macapagal, the father of the incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was just re-elected for a full six-year term as Philippine president. Since the early 1960’s, Fourth of July is known as the Philippine-American Friendship Day (should it not be Phil – U S A Friendship Day instead?) .
Having been in America for about thirty years, I have witnessed how Americans celebrate Independence Day. There is indeed a greater sense of civic and community involvement in this country where a lot of non-governmental agencies are very much involved in countless community celebrations. Unlike in the Philippines, over here celebrations are community events that are done with minimal government funds as non-governmental organizations and business organizations are quite involved. Government employees also participate but they are not normally required to participate in parades. Our sense of volunteerism and civic involvement involvement, like those of the Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis, Lions, Optimists and many others are very common in almost all towns or cities. For instance, our own Chamber of Commerce in Orange County for many years has been sponsoring very successful Fourth of July Carnival on a three-day weekend where businesses and non-governmental agencies have their own booths to advertise or showcase their products and/or services. The fair also served as a major fundraising for many organizations, which the entire community supports by attending at least one day. For a couple of years, my family had also participated by having a Filipino booth selling our famous “pancit” and barbecue. Great profits but very back breaking job, so we no longer do it as there are many other ways to make better money in this greatest free enterprise country in the world!
* * * *
How do Filipinos in America spend their Fourth of July holidays?
As it is summer vacation for most students, families plan their vacation and visit friends in other states or cities or become “balikbayans” (going home) to the Philippines. In Southern California, considered as the most popular destination is Las Vegas, derisively called ‘Lost Wages’ as it is only a 4 to 5 hour drive by car or an hour by plane from Los Angeles. Asians, including Filipinos, are often stereotyped as people who love to gamble. Casinos have long noticed that and have tremendously exploited it by offering the Asian games they love to play such as: pai gow, domino-type games or even mahjong and the dice.
Another popular destinations are San Francisco, about 7-8 hour drive north of Los Angeles, the Yosemite National Park about 4 hour north of Los Angeles, or San Diego just two hours south, Sacramento, the state capital is also about 7 hours north of LA and to Reno, Nevada for another two hours from Sacramento by car.
Families who do not want to drive, however, often have just picnics in local parks or simply hold a family gathering with some friends in a backyard barbecue. Many nationalities especially Americans “admire” Filipinos as a people who lavishly love food and parties. There seems to be no meeting or gathering without too much food for everyone. Filipinos always prepare twice as much food than necessary as it is a family “embarrassment” to be running out of food, especially when Americans or out of town guests are present. More often than not, guests especially the relatives must bring home some of the leftover foods. So take home food (balot) is always a norm in many Filipino parties here in the United States.
After eating, a lot of Filipino families would have also card games, like pusoy, tong its or madjong that could even last till the following in the morning. Of course, beer, wine or hard liquor are also served with abundance. Independence Day celebration will not be complete, however, without the elaborate fireworks and many cities sponsored them in designated parks beginning at dusk. Many cities have banned their residents to do their own fireworks in their homes or streets for the risk of fire and bodily dismemberment. So if we Filipinos would like to watch fireworks we just drive to nearby parks designated by the city government or any authorized non profit organization like a Chamber of Commerce or a Rotary Club.
That’s normally how we Filipino Americans normally spend our Fourth of July, but unfortunately oftentimes without even mentioning that it is also day to celebrate this so-called Philippine and America Friendship Day as changed by Pres. Dadong Macapagal.
* * *
Regarding this widely unnoticed Phil-Am Friendship day, I have some relevant suggestions for the Philippine government. I believe that this Phil-American Friendship Day was substituted as a “consuelo de bobo” (my educated guess) to be able to continue a Fourth of July celebration, but it appears that it is not working as it was intended. In the USA, it is dramatically overshadowed by the gaiety and lavishness of the greatest American holiday, their own Independence Day. May I respectfully suggest, then, to Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo, to move this Filipino American Friendship Day to another date but in CONSULTATION with her friend in the White House, Pres. George “Dubya” Bush. And this must be done before the November election as there is that 50-50 chance that Mr. Bush might not be reelected because of the continuing unpopularity of the Iraqi War and the economy that is still not fully recovered from the effects of 911. Changing the date will give us Filipinos and our American friends a better day to properly celebrate and for both governments to effectively market the importance of a better relationship between both countries . As this proposal need not cost the Philippine government a lot of pesos, it must be done sooner rather than later.
* * * *
I was in the Philippines for over two weeks recently with four fellow American Rotarians, Chet & Frances Swart and Sharun & Paul Carlson, from Cerritos, California, after attending the Rotary International Convention in Osaka, Japan and a week side trip to Beijing and Shanghai, and I happened to watch on TV the proceedings of the Philippines Independence Day celebration held at the Rizal Park (the traditional place of such a celebration) where it rained during the height of the staged presentation) and it was quite obvious that majority of the participants, those marching as well as many presenters were from the government sectors led my Cabinet secretaries. I can just surmise that their department heads required them to attend and/or participate.
I was in Pangasinan that weekend, and I observed that most towns did not have any Independence Day celebration. Without the televised Rizal Park Celebration where President Macapagal Arroyo spoke and lambasted the opposition for the ongoing (then) Canvassing of Election Certificates, many people probably did not even realize that it was the Philippines’ Independence Day. Puzzled why there was no big celebrations in the towns, I asked a few residents and was told that it would cost a lot of money and time away from their livelihoods to indulge in such festivities. It’s sad but true. Then it dawned on me, as I remember Americans rationalizing many things in their lives: “That’s economy, stupid!”
* * * *
Speaking of Filipino and American Friendship relations, I would like to share some of our experiences with my close friends and fellow Rotarians from Cerritos, California who visited the Philippines for the first time as guests of our sister club, the Rotary Club of Cerritos. We started our month-long trip to Japan and visited several cities namely Gifu, Kyoto and Osaka where the national discipline of the people is quite evident as the cities we visited are quite clean and you cannot see rubbish just around the streets. Bikes in front of houses have no locks, either. We have also observed in visiting some schools that students are grouped as teams to clean their bathrooms and classrooms on a rotation basis which is not practiced in the USA as it might be considered as “child abuse or against anti-child labor” (pun intended). With a personal experience, I now have high respects for the Japanese people by the return of my digital expensive digital camera which I accidentally left on a bullet train from Gifu to Kyoto. An hour or so after I discovered that I left it, I reported the matter to our Japanese American travel agent who happened to be with us, and she said “Do not worry” it will be back in our hotel…. I honestly did not believe her as it has been two days and it was not back to me yet. Then on the third day, it arrived in my hotel sent by the train company! Everybody in my Rotary Group was astounded as it would not possibly have come back if I left it in the Philippines or even in the United States.
Then, in Beijing, which is now “opened” for tourist to share in the tourism dollars, we were able to see the Forbidden City and the famous Tianamen Square. A lot of domestic tourists are also going to see their historical sites and we were all amazed with the rich history of the Chinese emperors who built their legendary palaces. For some daring ones, we also have climbed the Great Wall of China. Reading Chinese history in high school or college was different. Seeing that it really existed made me a believer the richness of their history and civilization.
The New Shanghai is a city that Metro Manila could emulate. The Airport is modern and more efficient than many in the U.S. and of course the Manila International Airport. As China is just beginning to learn and act as “Western” capitalists, the trade and commerce, especially in the service arena, is still not at par with North America. But they are fast catching up. Buildings and the metropolitan areas can be compared with that of any major US city. Many American companies, from McDonalds to Microsoft have discovered an entry to the vast Chinese market via progressive cities like Shanghai. With massive industrialization, traffic, pollution and rising costs of living, especially condos in the cities, are starting to up too. The price that people pay for modernization of a city!
After two weeks in Japan and China, we arrived in the Manila. The first thing my American friends noticed was the terrible traffic… but I told them at least “Enjoy the ride you will be not be hurt as our drivers are experts” as they are gradually conditioned themselves with the local environment.
We were brought by our sister club, the Rotary Club of Makati Bel-Air to their Gawad Kalinga housing project for the homeless in Mandaluyong and we observed the obvious poverty of the residents there. Another day, we were also brought to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club housing project in East Silangan where l00 houses were built that cost only $1,000 dollars per house. Our Rotary Club donated two thousand dollars to build a couple. And also contributed $4,000 dollars to the housing and community projects of the Makati Bel Air Rotary Clubs. Yes, two days trip to the economically challenged segment of Philippine population touched our hearts and made us want to do more this Centennial year.
But despite of these heart-moving poverty on display, our American friends did enjoy the unique and distinct hospitality of the Filipino people. With ready smiles and always taking the extra mile in serving, our Rotarian hosts have brought us to Corregidor, to Tagaytay and also to Villa Escudero in Laguna. And again the food that became the center of most of our meetings!
The succinct comments of our past president of our Rotary Club of Cerritos, Atty/CPA Chet Swart summarized their sentiments “The time we spent in Manila was very encouraging from the stand point of the help that the two Rotary Clubs’ projects we visited were a light to the way that the poor people be helped to better their lives. The fact that they were required to put their “sweat equity” and that they got title to their homes was an example of the type of self help that is needed to give HOPE and encouragement to themselves.”
He added, “If only the middle class can be expanded, more jobs would be available. It would seem that the extremes of very rich and very poor must be broken. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea have come being down and now to being very prosperous, WHY CANT THE PHILIPPINES DO IT?”
True friends tell you what they believe in, whether you agree or not. I know Chet and his wife Frances as well as Sharun and Paul Carlson, two past presidents of our Rotary Club of Cerritos, who were with us in Manila, and I respect their opinions and I agree with them l00%. To resonate Chet’s comments: “If our Asian neighbors can do it, why can’t the Philippines do it? “
Go figure.
--------- 3 0 -------
Email columnist at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or cerritosrcprez2005@yahoo.com
Websites: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
Join us at: ProgressivetimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
By Ernie D. Delfin
4TH OF JULY: U.S. INDEPENDENCE DAY AND THE PHILIPPINE-USA FRIENDSHIP DAY
Happy Independence Day to all in the U.S.A! To all Filipinos and Americans everywhere, I also greet all of you a Happy and Harmonious Friendship Day! May we be able to celebrate this Fourth of July the way it was envisioned, forever!
With the continued Iraqi conflict where the United States is still very much involved, Independence Day and Memorial Day (celebrated on the last Monday of May) have become the most notable holidays in America. Fourth of July used to be the Philippines’ Independence Day until it was changed to June 12th by former president Diosdado Macapagal, the father of the incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was just re-elected for a full six-year term as Philippine president. Since the early 1960’s, Fourth of July is known as the Philippine-American Friendship Day (should it not be Phil – U S A Friendship Day instead?) .
Having been in America for about thirty years, I have witnessed how Americans celebrate Independence Day. There is indeed a greater sense of civic and community involvement in this country where a lot of non-governmental agencies are very much involved in countless community celebrations. Unlike in the Philippines, over here celebrations are community events that are done with minimal government funds as non-governmental organizations and business organizations are quite involved. Government employees also participate but they are not normally required to participate in parades. Our sense of volunteerism and civic involvement involvement, like those of the Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis, Lions, Optimists and many others are very common in almost all towns or cities. For instance, our own Chamber of Commerce in Orange County for many years has been sponsoring very successful Fourth of July Carnival on a three-day weekend where businesses and non-governmental agencies have their own booths to advertise or showcase their products and/or services. The fair also served as a major fundraising for many organizations, which the entire community supports by attending at least one day. For a couple of years, my family had also participated by having a Filipino booth selling our famous “pancit” and barbecue. Great profits but very back breaking job, so we no longer do it as there are many other ways to make better money in this greatest free enterprise country in the world!
* * * *
How do Filipinos in America spend their Fourth of July holidays?
As it is summer vacation for most students, families plan their vacation and visit friends in other states or cities or become “balikbayans” (going home) to the Philippines. In Southern California, considered as the most popular destination is Las Vegas, derisively called ‘Lost Wages’ as it is only a 4 to 5 hour drive by car or an hour by plane from Los Angeles. Asians, including Filipinos, are often stereotyped as people who love to gamble. Casinos have long noticed that and have tremendously exploited it by offering the Asian games they love to play such as: pai gow, domino-type games or even mahjong and the dice.
Another popular destinations are San Francisco, about 7-8 hour drive north of Los Angeles, the Yosemite National Park about 4 hour north of Los Angeles, or San Diego just two hours south, Sacramento, the state capital is also about 7 hours north of LA and to Reno, Nevada for another two hours from Sacramento by car.
Families who do not want to drive, however, often have just picnics in local parks or simply hold a family gathering with some friends in a backyard barbecue. Many nationalities especially Americans “admire” Filipinos as a people who lavishly love food and parties. There seems to be no meeting or gathering without too much food for everyone. Filipinos always prepare twice as much food than necessary as it is a family “embarrassment” to be running out of food, especially when Americans or out of town guests are present. More often than not, guests especially the relatives must bring home some of the leftover foods. So take home food (balot) is always a norm in many Filipino parties here in the United States.
After eating, a lot of Filipino families would have also card games, like pusoy, tong its or madjong that could even last till the following in the morning. Of course, beer, wine or hard liquor are also served with abundance. Independence Day celebration will not be complete, however, without the elaborate fireworks and many cities sponsored them in designated parks beginning at dusk. Many cities have banned their residents to do their own fireworks in their homes or streets for the risk of fire and bodily dismemberment. So if we Filipinos would like to watch fireworks we just drive to nearby parks designated by the city government or any authorized non profit organization like a Chamber of Commerce or a Rotary Club.
That’s normally how we Filipino Americans normally spend our Fourth of July, but unfortunately oftentimes without even mentioning that it is also day to celebrate this so-called Philippine and America Friendship Day as changed by Pres. Dadong Macapagal.
* * *
Regarding this widely unnoticed Phil-Am Friendship day, I have some relevant suggestions for the Philippine government. I believe that this Phil-American Friendship Day was substituted as a “consuelo de bobo” (my educated guess) to be able to continue a Fourth of July celebration, but it appears that it is not working as it was intended. In the USA, it is dramatically overshadowed by the gaiety and lavishness of the greatest American holiday, their own Independence Day. May I respectfully suggest, then, to Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo, to move this Filipino American Friendship Day to another date but in CONSULTATION with her friend in the White House, Pres. George “Dubya” Bush. And this must be done before the November election as there is that 50-50 chance that Mr. Bush might not be reelected because of the continuing unpopularity of the Iraqi War and the economy that is still not fully recovered from the effects of 911. Changing the date will give us Filipinos and our American friends a better day to properly celebrate and for both governments to effectively market the importance of a better relationship between both countries . As this proposal need not cost the Philippine government a lot of pesos, it must be done sooner rather than later.
* * * *
I was in the Philippines for over two weeks recently with four fellow American Rotarians, Chet & Frances Swart and Sharun & Paul Carlson, from Cerritos, California, after attending the Rotary International Convention in Osaka, Japan and a week side trip to Beijing and Shanghai, and I happened to watch on TV the proceedings of the Philippines Independence Day celebration held at the Rizal Park (the traditional place of such a celebration) where it rained during the height of the staged presentation) and it was quite obvious that majority of the participants, those marching as well as many presenters were from the government sectors led my Cabinet secretaries. I can just surmise that their department heads required them to attend and/or participate.
I was in Pangasinan that weekend, and I observed that most towns did not have any Independence Day celebration. Without the televised Rizal Park Celebration where President Macapagal Arroyo spoke and lambasted the opposition for the ongoing (then) Canvassing of Election Certificates, many people probably did not even realize that it was the Philippines’ Independence Day. Puzzled why there was no big celebrations in the towns, I asked a few residents and was told that it would cost a lot of money and time away from their livelihoods to indulge in such festivities. It’s sad but true. Then it dawned on me, as I remember Americans rationalizing many things in their lives: “That’s economy, stupid!”
* * * *
Speaking of Filipino and American Friendship relations, I would like to share some of our experiences with my close friends and fellow Rotarians from Cerritos, California who visited the Philippines for the first time as guests of our sister club, the Rotary Club of Cerritos. We started our month-long trip to Japan and visited several cities namely Gifu, Kyoto and Osaka where the national discipline of the people is quite evident as the cities we visited are quite clean and you cannot see rubbish just around the streets. Bikes in front of houses have no locks, either. We have also observed in visiting some schools that students are grouped as teams to clean their bathrooms and classrooms on a rotation basis which is not practiced in the USA as it might be considered as “child abuse or against anti-child labor” (pun intended). With a personal experience, I now have high respects for the Japanese people by the return of my digital expensive digital camera which I accidentally left on a bullet train from Gifu to Kyoto. An hour or so after I discovered that I left it, I reported the matter to our Japanese American travel agent who happened to be with us, and she said “Do not worry” it will be back in our hotel…. I honestly did not believe her as it has been two days and it was not back to me yet. Then on the third day, it arrived in my hotel sent by the train company! Everybody in my Rotary Group was astounded as it would not possibly have come back if I left it in the Philippines or even in the United States.
Then, in Beijing, which is now “opened” for tourist to share in the tourism dollars, we were able to see the Forbidden City and the famous Tianamen Square. A lot of domestic tourists are also going to see their historical sites and we were all amazed with the rich history of the Chinese emperors who built their legendary palaces. For some daring ones, we also have climbed the Great Wall of China. Reading Chinese history in high school or college was different. Seeing that it really existed made me a believer the richness of their history and civilization.
The New Shanghai is a city that Metro Manila could emulate. The Airport is modern and more efficient than many in the U.S. and of course the Manila International Airport. As China is just beginning to learn and act as “Western” capitalists, the trade and commerce, especially in the service arena, is still not at par with North America. But they are fast catching up. Buildings and the metropolitan areas can be compared with that of any major US city. Many American companies, from McDonalds to Microsoft have discovered an entry to the vast Chinese market via progressive cities like Shanghai. With massive industrialization, traffic, pollution and rising costs of living, especially condos in the cities, are starting to up too. The price that people pay for modernization of a city!
After two weeks in Japan and China, we arrived in the Manila. The first thing my American friends noticed was the terrible traffic… but I told them at least “Enjoy the ride you will be not be hurt as our drivers are experts” as they are gradually conditioned themselves with the local environment.
We were brought by our sister club, the Rotary Club of Makati Bel-Air to their Gawad Kalinga housing project for the homeless in Mandaluyong and we observed the obvious poverty of the residents there. Another day, we were also brought to the Loyola Heights Rotary Club housing project in East Silangan where l00 houses were built that cost only $1,000 dollars per house. Our Rotary Club donated two thousand dollars to build a couple. And also contributed $4,000 dollars to the housing and community projects of the Makati Bel Air Rotary Clubs. Yes, two days trip to the economically challenged segment of Philippine population touched our hearts and made us want to do more this Centennial year.
But despite of these heart-moving poverty on display, our American friends did enjoy the unique and distinct hospitality of the Filipino people. With ready smiles and always taking the extra mile in serving, our Rotarian hosts have brought us to Corregidor, to Tagaytay and also to Villa Escudero in Laguna. And again the food that became the center of most of our meetings!
The succinct comments of our past president of our Rotary Club of Cerritos, Atty/CPA Chet Swart summarized their sentiments “The time we spent in Manila was very encouraging from the stand point of the help that the two Rotary Clubs’ projects we visited were a light to the way that the poor people be helped to better their lives. The fact that they were required to put their “sweat equity” and that they got title to their homes was an example of the type of self help that is needed to give HOPE and encouragement to themselves.”
He added, “If only the middle class can be expanded, more jobs would be available. It would seem that the extremes of very rich and very poor must be broken. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea have come being down and now to being very prosperous, WHY CANT THE PHILIPPINES DO IT?”
True friends tell you what they believe in, whether you agree or not. I know Chet and his wife Frances as well as Sharun and Paul Carlson, two past presidents of our Rotary Club of Cerritos, who were with us in Manila, and I respect their opinions and I agree with them l00%. To resonate Chet’s comments: “If our Asian neighbors can do it, why can’t the Philippines do it? “
Go figure.
--------- 3 0 -------
Email columnist at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or cerritosrcprez2005@yahoo.com
Websites: www.katipunan-usa.org and www.ptag.org
Join us at: ProgressivetimesAction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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