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(Continued on page 14)
FILIPINO
AND CULTURE:
 Is language that important in our efforts to build an ethnic identity?
(Continued on page 14)(Continued on page 4)
 By Des Ferriols January 07, 2009 Philstar 
London-based Fitch Rat-ings has maintained its stableoutlook for the Philippines,saying the country is “rea-sonably healthy” despite thetumult in the global economy.Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi-nas Governor Amando Tet-angco said the outlook indi-
cated Fitch’s condence in the
Philippines’ ability to weather the global slowdown or evenrecession in the country’smajor trading partners.A stable outlook meansthat the Philippines stays at itscurrent credit ratings until thenext Fitch review.In a television interview,Fitch managing director James McCormack said thePhilippines, China and Indo-nesia are the only countriesthat are not in Fitch Ratings’negative watch.Speaking at the weekly
Fitch Ratings retains ‘stable’ outlook for RP
 Eastwood farewell to 2008
- People watch as reworks mark 
the end of 2008 at Eastwood, Quezon City last New Year’s Eve. PhilStar photo by FERNAN NEBRES 
 A man, covered with recracker powder, works ina recracker factory in Bocaue, Bulacan. Authori
-
ties are discouraging people from using recrackers
during New Year celebrations because of possibleaccidents that can result in serious injuries, destruc-tion of property and even death. PhilStar photo by ERNIE PEÑAREDONDO
ROSES &THORNSBy AlejandroR. RocesJanuary 06,2009Philstar In a Tao-ist text dat-ing from themid-800s thediscovery of gunpowder was detailed:“Some haveheated together sulfur, realgar and saltpeter with honey;smoke and
ames result,
Gunpowder and the New Year
so that their hands and faceshave been burnt, and eventhe whole house wherethey were working burneddown.” Interestingly, theTaoist monks who discov-ered gunpowder were actu-
 By Mayen Jaymalin
 Philstar 
Two more tourist spots inthe country have been includ-ed in the list of the world’s best travel destinations.The Department of Tour-ism (DOT) yesterday reportedthat scuba diving experts haveincluded Malapascua and Apo
Willie Revillamegot the biggest thrillin his hosting lifewhen US Ambas-sador to the Philip- pines Kristie Ken-ney dropped by as‘special guest’ of theABS-CBN noontimeshow Wowowee.‘She arrived onehour before show-
Willie’s ‘shiningmoment’ in Wowowee
time,’ Willie told Funfare, ‘and she told me that her staff at theUS Embassy are avid followers of my show,’ just like Filipinosabroad tuned in to TFC (The Filipino Channel).‘The ambassador was very gracious,’ added Willie whogamely requested her to swing and sway to the show’s themesong.She obliged with pleasure, much to the amusement of Willieand his co-hosts (among them Pokwang, in white). ‘She had alot of fun,” said Willie, addressing Ambassador Kenney, ‘Thank you, Ma’am, for dropping by.’ -
 PhilStar.
Snapshot of Philippine Life
 Hundreds of cops to be deployed for Black Nazarene festivities
-The
 Feast of the Black Nazarene is celebrated today, January 9 at the Quiapo District in Manila, Philippines. Photo shows devotees of the Black Naza
-
rene from different parts of Metro Manila brought their replicas of the ven
-
erated image during the procession . PhilStar photo by Jonjon Vicencio
Candice Y. Cerezo
I will never forget EdwardFabish; he made me rich.I never thought things wouldturn out this way. Eightyears ago, I was working asa stenographer at the Manila
Prosecutors’ Ofce in
City Hall.When I left my job, my bosses –all prosecutors,my colleagues, and fellowstenographers never thoughtI would take the job of acaregiver. They said I was
not the type. An ofcemate
warned me not to take the job of caring for the elderly because I might becomeintellectually obtuse. Theylearned three years after Iset foot in the United Statesof America that I became amillionaire.
 See page 8
Filipino Overseas Foreign Workers Stories:
Caregiver, millionaire
By
Ashley Silverio
Managing Editor 
The San DiegoAsian Journal
Murdered with sev-enty members of his parish during wartime,Father Francisco is notyet a saint. Still, manyspeak of his miracles,including Rose andBen Hinahon, theowners of Hong KongBoutique. The Hi-nahons want to sharetheir personal testimo-nials about how Father Francisco has touchedtheir lives.
See page 2
Father Francisco Truong Buu Diep
Devotees spread the word on miraclesattributed to martyred Vietnamese priest,praying for his eventual sainthood
2 more RP sitesamong 100 topdive spots
Father Francisco Truong Buu Diep devotees
 Ben and Rose Hinahon and their friend Francis Rivera Burga poseinfront of Father Francisco’s shrine inside the Hinahon’s Hong Kong 
 Boutique in National City. Members of the public are invited to get  prayer materials for free at Hong Kong Boutique’s store in asking  petitions through the intercession of martyred Vietnamese priest.
January 9 - 15, 2009
Msgr. Gutierrez
Entertainment
 Martin & Pops:You can never tell 
 Identity Defnes
 Mission
Riz A. Oades
By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.
 Publisher & Editor 
The San DiegoAsian Journal
If there is a person that canaptly be called “the son of a bitch”, which in Pilipino, issynonymous to the phrase,“the son of a whore” (“
anak 
ng puta
”), it would beTikboy. Tikboy was one of Eric’s playmates on PlateriasStreet where Eric lived withhis family on the second
oor of his father’s printing
 business in the Quiapo,Manila, Philippines in 1957.Eric was ten years old then.
See page 5
Quiapo Memories
Tikboy
Quiapo street scenes
 
Page 2January 9 - 15, 2009 Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com
T
he store shelves of Hong Kong Bou-tique are replete withimages of prosperity and
spiritual signicance: Jesus
Christ, Buddha, El Santo
 Niño, and the lucky cat.But tucked among theserecognizable gures is the
small portrait of an Asian priest, with a gentle, steady
look. He is Father Fran
-
Father Francisco Truong Buu Diep
Devotees spread the word onmiracles attributed to martyred Vietnamese priest, praying for hiseventual sainthood
 by Ashley Silverio
On the move
 Read Ashley Silverio’s previous articles by visit-ing our website at 
www.asianjournalusa.com
cisco Truong Buu Diep, aVietnamese Catholic martyr of growing renown.
Murdered with seventy
members of his parish dur 
-
ing wartime, Father Franciscois not yet a saint. Still, manyspeak of his miracles, includ
-ing Rose and Ben Hinahon, theowners of Hong Kong Bou-
tique. The Hinahons want to
share their personal testimoni-
als about how Father Franciscohas touched their lives. Freeinformation cards about thelife and miracles of Father Francisco are now available at
Hong Kong Boutique, next to
Seafood City in National City.Father Francois Xavier Truong Buu Diep was born onJanuary 1, 1897 in Vietnam.
His mother died when he was
still a child and he traveledwith his father to Cambodia.
As a young adult, he entered
the seminary and then estab
-lished parishes throughout Viet-
nam and Cambodia. In 1945,war broke out in Vietnam andhe was advised by a superior toleave his parish for a safer loca
-
tion. Father Francisco refused,saying, “I will live with theock and if necessary, I willdie with them.” The follow
-
ing year on March 12
th
, Father Francisco and seventy of his parishioners were captured andkilled.
Ten years ago
Ben and Rose Hinahon rstwent to Father Francisco’s
shrine ten years ago in Ca Mau,
located on the southern tip of Vietnam. Ben is from Olongapo
City in the Philippines while
his wife, Rose is from Vietnam.The couple met and fell in love
in Vietnam when Rose was in
her early twenties. Ben was acontract worker there at thattime. After they got married,they settled in Olongapo City
where they raised their four 
daughters. Rose speaks uentTagalog and is often mistakenfor a Filipina. In fact, she has
spent more time in the Philip- pines than in her native Viet-
nam. They later migrated toSan Diego, California and put
up their Hong Kong Boutique
 business.Traveling by car and by boatfor hours, the couple was sur 
-
 prised when they rst arrived atthe shrine. Father Francisco’s
remains were housed in an
old, two story building with anon-descript façade, bettingan ofce building rather thana holy place. There were norestrooms. Still, thousands of  pilgrims came from all over 
Vietnam, after hearing of the
miraculous healing of fellowvisitors.Rose prayed to Father Fran
-
cisco at Ca Mau. Moved bythe humble surroundings, she
 promised to return and help re-
store his nal resting place. Inreturn, she asked for guidanceand miracles.
Ten years later
Ten years passed. Ben andRose dedicated long hours totheir business in National City.
Their family grew through
weddings and births. But then,difcult times set in. Preoc
-
cupied about the future, Rose prayed to Father Francisco atthe altar dedicated to him inher home. She reiterated her 
 promise to return to Vietnam
and asked him to show her howto overcome her troubles.
At one point, she was at a
dead end. She was encounter 
-
ing several problems that shecould think of no other solu
-
Father Francisco Truong BuuDiego, a martyred priest fromVietnam, has been gaining a lot of devotees because of the miraclesattributed to him. Many peopleclaim that their petitions have been
granted when they prayed for him to
intercede in their behalf in seekingGod’s favors. These devotees arenow telling people about Father Francisco’s miracles and martyr 
-
dom. They hope that more miracles by him may occur that would resultto his eventual sainthood. If youwant to seek God’s favor, please pray the following. If your favor has been granted, please let us know.Thank you.
Prayer
Dear Lord, Dear Father 
You are the greatest saint within.The all-powerful savior. Pleasehear my prayers and help meovercome the hardships that I nowendure.(Please say hardships or peti-tions)Thank you, Lord.
Biography of FatherFrancisco Truong Buu Diep
Father Francisco Truong BuuDiep was born on January 1, 1897and was baptized on February 2,1897 at Con-Phuoc Parish, An Gi
-
ang Province in Vietnam. In 1904,
when he was seven years old, his
mother passed away. He followedhis father to Bactantang, Cambodia.In 1909, he entered Cu Lao Gieng
Seminary then the Phnompen
Seminary in Cambodia. In 1924,
he was ordained into priesthood in
Phonmpen, Cambodia. From 1924to 1927, he was a reverend of Ho-
Tru Parish, a Vietnamese mission
in Kandal, Cambodia. He taught atthe seminary in Cu-Lao-Gieng from1927 to 1929. In March 1930, he became the pastor of Sac-Tay- Par 
-
ish. Father Diep helped establishother parishes including Ba-Doc,Cam-Do, An-Hai, Chi-Chi, KhucTreo, Ding-Go and Rach-Ran.Between 1945 and 1946, the war years, havoc and disarray forced people to evacuate to safer areas.Father Diep’s superior had orderedhim to evacuate and only returnwhen thing settled. But he refusedand said: “I will live with the ock and if necessary will die with them.I shall not abandon them.”On March 12, 1946, he was cap
-
tured along with 70 parishioners of Tac-Say and imprisoned. He foughtand died in place for the people
that were imprisoned together with
him.He was buried in a catacomb of the Khuc-Treo Church. In 1969,
his remains were moved to the Tao-
Sau Church. He served 16 yeas as pastor.“A good Shepherd sacriced hislife for the ock,” Father FranciscoTruong Buu Diep had indeed fol
-
lowed the word of the Lord, He hadoffered his life to God and sacricedfor his ock.When his tormentors were aboutto kill all of them, he offered hislife and asked his captors to let hisock go. He was beheaded and his body was thrown away in an undis
-
closed area.Some of the miracles people be
-
lieve he had performed are:1) He was believed to have led people to the discovery of his body.2) When people did not have theconstruction materials to build a proper shrine for him, constructions
materials were delivered, allegedly
ordered and paid for a person bear 
-
ing Father Francisco’s image.
Thousands of people troop to his
shrine on March 12 to pray for andask him to intercede in their behalf in seeking God’s favors.If you want more informationor help spread the word on Father Francisco, please call Rose Hina
-
hon of Hongkong Boutique beside
Seafood City in National City at
telephone number (619) 336-2456.
Send your petitions to God throughFather Francisco Truong Buu Diejo
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(Continued on page 11)
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 Rose Hinahon in front of her shrine for Father Francisco inside her Hong  Kong Boutique store beside Seafood City in National City.
 
Page 3 Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.comJanuary 9 - 15, 2009
Vendors of noisemakers in Divisoria, Manila try out their wares to enticebuyers. PhilStar photo by JONJON VICENCIO
 ROSES & THORNS  By Alejandro R. Roces
Tomorrow, December 28, is theFeast of the Holy Innocents. Manyof us may well know that this dayis especially dedicated to honor thememory of the innocent childrenkilled because of Herod’s fear aboutthe birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Asnarrated in the Holy Bible, Herod,the King of Judea, got alarmed atthe prospect of the “new born king”taking over his rule, so he orderedthe massacre of all boys, two yearsold and below, in Bethlehem and itsvicinity. Since the sixth century, theChurch has venerated the memoryof these children killed becausethey gave testimony to the Messiah“not by words but by their blood”.
These children were the rst martyrs
and they literally died in the place of Christ.Today, it is the street children whorepresent the Holy Innocents of our times. It is saddening to know thateven with this so-called “progress anddevelopment”, children continue to
The HolyInnocentsof our times
 become victims of poverty, violenceand abuse, albeit in many differentforms. There are approximately over 100 million street children worldwide.Here in the Philippines, street chil-
dren are fast becoming a signicant
 problem. We do not have the lateststatistics, but according to a 1998report, there were already an estimat-ed 1.5 million street children at thattime. According to the Departmentof Social Welfare and Development(DSWD), this number increases by6,365 annually. Everyday, these chil-dren are faced with numerous kinds of cruelty and exploitation. Their parents push them at a young age to helpearn income for the family. It is notsurprising therefore that, aside from,or among the streetchildren, there arereportedly 20,000 child prostitutes, 4million child laborers with 2.4 millionworking under hazardous conditions.As if this is not enough, we learn of children being kidnapped or evensold by their impoverished parentsand their organs extracted and sold inillegal markets abroad. In the south,minors are being recruited and trainedas soldiers by communist and extrem-ist groups.For this reason, we have longadvocated that the Feast of the Holy
Innocents be ofcially dedicated to
the street children and other disadvan-taged youth. We are happy to note thatPresident Gloria Macapagal-Arroyohas breathed life to this advocacy.On December 28, 2006, Malaca-ñang released Proclamation No.
1207, ofcially declaring December 
28 as a “Special Day dedicated tostreet children and other abandoned,orphaned, abused and marginalizedyouth”. What’s important, however, ishow the occasion is celebrated. Lastyear, to commemorate the occasion’s
rst year, some government agen
-cies launched different programsgeared towards making possible “aconvergence of cooperativism andsynergized cultural initiatives for vulnerable groups”. The proclama-tion further stated that “focusing ontheir needs, conditions and celebrat-ing their capacity to social transfor-mation and achievement would beinspiring to forge broader communityand national support for advancingtheir welfare”. We commend theefforts of certain government agen-cies like the Department of SocialWelfare and Development (DSWD),the Department of Labor (DOLE) andnon-government organizations like theCouncil for the Welfare of Children,Bantay Bata Foundation, the Virla-nie Foundation and the Don BoscoStreetchildren Program, to namea few, in monitoring the plight of these young victims and giving them protection and help. But because thestatistics are increasing, these ongoingefforts seem inadequate to completelyremove the children from the streets,hazardous working circumstances,from exploitation, abuse and violence.We hope that with the initiativeshown by these groups, more orga-nizations and local government unitswill follow suit and launch their own programs that will further the cause of these street children. We, in our ownindividual capacities and resources,can also help contribute in helpingone or two or more street children become more responsible and proudmembers of society. Like the HolyInnocents who proved the Messiah’sexistence with their lives, this time, letus give testimony to His existence inour hearts by doing everything we canto help these poor children.
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