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 Seeing clearly
(Continued on page 10)
Warning: The California Department of Real Estate has not examined this offering, including but not limited to the condition of title, the status of blanket liens of the project (if any), arrangements to assure project completion, escrow practices, control over project management, racially discriminatory practice (if any), terms,conditions, and price of the offer, control over annual assessments (if any), or the availability of water services, utilities, or improvements. It may be advisable for you to consult an attorney or other knowledgeable professional who is familiar with real estate and development law in the country where this subdivision is situated.
 Attend the free presentations of the affordable but luxurious housing developments in the Philippines!Presented in San Diego, Hemet and TemeculaJune 2009. Call 619-474-0588 for reservations.
 Presidio at Britany Bay,near Laguna de Bay, Sucat, Paranaque, Makati and Taguig areas
Call for Schedules of Presentations forSAN DIEGOTEMECULAHEMETORANGE COUNTY
Call (619) 474-0588 for brochures and reservations
 Luxurious single familyhomes beside Alabang 
For brochures and other info, call 619-474-0588.
 Single family homes in Antipolo; Bacoor, Imus and Dasmarinas, Cavite; Sta. Rosaand Cabuyao Laguna; and Las Pinas
Baguio and La Union Beach properties.
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PHILIPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- THE recruitmentindustry yesterday challengedthe =2 0education sector toevaluate their current courseofferings amidst the millionsof unemployable collegegraduates who are joining thelabor force each year.Recruitment consultantLito B. Soriano said thatthere is a serious gap in theeducation system that persistsin having curricula that areunsuitable to provide their graduates with the possibilityof employment.Of the 1,000,000 collegegraduates annually, only5-10% are employed in jobsconsistent to their course, only
30-40% will nd any employ
-ment. The vast majority of graduates will remain unem- ployed. Tens of thousands(possibly two-three hundredthousand) nurses and other medically-trained personswho do not qualify for OFW positions due to lack of hospi-tal ward and practical experi-ence, will have no jobs. Manynurses end up paying for a job in a desperate attempt toget the necessary ward ex- perience. There is close to400,000 licensed nurses whoare not gainfully employedand there is an estimated
Recruiters to schools: Revamp courses
 A sh vendor in Boracay market tries to convince a local tourist to buy his marlin sh during this Easter season where prices of  shes and other marine food products are sold at top price in the premier tourist destination of the Philippines. PINOY GONZALES/  PNS 
It was literally Earth’sdarkest hour – but the 7107islands of the Philippinesshone the brightest.When the clock struck 8:30 on Saturday night, the28th of March, over 15 mil-lion Fili- pinos in650 major cities andtownsswitchedoff lightsfor 60minutesto join theworld incelebrat-ing EarthHour – aninitiativeof WWF, the Department of Energy, Green Army Net-work and SWITCH move-ment. Organizers are jubilantat the sheer scale and successof the movement nationwide.Boosting the effort is broad corporate support,led by sponsorships fromPhilips, First Gen Corp.,Pilipinas Shell, MalampayaJoint Venture Partners (ShellExploration, Chevron andPNOC), Energy Develop-ment Corporation, Meralco,Ayala Land and the SMSupermalls.The nation edged out all
RP shines brightest inEarth’s darkest hour
other countries for the mostnumber of participatingcities and towns, trailed byGreece with 484 and Austra-lia with 309 - proving thatFilipinos can rise up to thechallenge of climate change. Na-tionallandmarkssuch asManila’sRizalShrine,Pasig’sPeoplePower ShrineandCebu’sMarceloFernanBridge plunged into symbol-
ic darkness. Malls, ofces
and communities from thenorthern fringes of Luzonto the southern tip of Mind-anao sent to world leaders aunited call for decisive ac-tion on climate change.Preliminary reports indi-cate that 611MWh of power was saved during the black-out – equivalent to shutting
down a dozen coal-red
 power plants for 60 minutes.386MWh was saved in Lu-zon, 150MWh in Mindanaoand 75MWh in the Visayas.
(Continued on page 3)
“
H
istorians loveto piece together anarrative of whathappened,” ThomasSugrue writes, “astory often invisibleeven to those wholived it.”This narrative isan aspect of thelife experienceof Rosel AquinoZobel, which isautobiographical
IN SEARCH OF THE GOOD LIFE:
Postwar Family Journeyto Urban Slum
in character and associated with the discipline of history. It is based not just on interviews but in lifedocument. In some ways, this writer tries to give avoice to the marginalized and otherwise inarticulatesectors of Filipino society.By
Riz A. Oades
See page 6
It was August 25,2008. By then, Ericwas an old man of 61 years, visiting hisold neighborhood of Quiapo, in the down-town area of Manilafrom abroad. Hewas standing in themiddle of the streetwhile he envisioned
himself fty years
ago as a young boyof eleven, skating onthe right sidewalk as
Quiapo Memories
 A Titanic Moment
his neighbors and parents who had long passed away, greeted him just like Rose being welcomed by the victims in the Titanic tragedy.By
Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.
 Publisher & Editor 
The San Diego Asian JournalSee page 5
Spend holidaysexploring 7,107 islands
Camiguin
With morethan 30 declaredholidays in 2009,the Department of Tourism is entic-ing Filipinos tosee the beauty of the country duringthese importantvacation breaks,and start planningthem early.
Camiguin
“We urge our countrymento explore the 7,107 islandsthey haven’t seen or wouldlike to revisit. We have the beaches, mountains, coun-tryside, heritage sites, caves,rivers, food trips, urbanverve– almost everythinga traveler would want toexperience, the Philippineshas it. We advise people to book ahead to get the bestand affordable tour packagesand promotional fares,” saidAce Durano, Secretary of Tourism.A surge in tourism meansmore jobs, and increasedspending would also help lo-cal businesses.Durano has likewise ad-
vised DoT’s regional ofces
to heighten their prepared-
(Continued on page 3)
April 17 - 23, 2009
Msgr. Gutierrez
Entertainment
 Rejoice because weare loved and forgiven.
Miles Beauchamp
‘UNDERAGE’ stars prefer Maricel 
 
Page 2 April 17 - 23, 2009 Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com
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PHILIPPINE NEWS SER-VICE -- COMMISSION onHuman Rights chairman Leilade Lima was shocked after watching the video of the sup- posed shootout between QuezonCity policemen and alleged car thieves, prompting her to wonder if police operations in the pastwere “real shootouts.”“This is very disturbing, unset-tling and appalling,” she said.“We condemn this action, it vio-lated a very basic human ri ght.”The video presented by ABS-CBN showed policemen in plain
clothes armed with assault riesring at the suspects at point
 blank range. The incident oc-curred Tuesday.Police claimed there was a car 
chase and a reght, and that
those killed were members of anotorious gang of thieves.The video footage showedthe vehicle, which had alreadystopped, with two suspects insideand another sprawled on theground. All appeared motionless.Policemen could then be seen
running toward the car and ring
straight at the suspects.“There was no clear resistanceor provocation seen already. Itwould appear that the confronta-tion was already over,” she said.“There was already no activityamong the alleged car thieves,as far as the camera could see.There was no immediate threatand yet they still used excessiveforce.”De Lima said the operationcould be a case of excessive and blatant violation of operationalguidelines.“Dapat i-disable lang at didapat patayin, wala nang laban,wala nang resistance, the manwas already immobilized,” shenoted.The CHR chief created a teamto investigate the shooting in Ba-rangay Piyahan that killed threeof the suspects, who were foundarmed with caliber .45 pistolsand .38 revolvers“This is very disturbing andhighly questionable in our view- point,” de Lima said.The Quezon City Police Dis-trict however insisted that therewas a shootout.“The PNP and the QCPD will
CHR slams cops in QC ‘shootout’
never tolerate rub-outs or anyhuman rights violations.” QCPDdirector Chief Supt. MagtanggolGatdula saidGatdula disarmed the police-men involved in the incident buthe refused to identify them.The QCPD also formed its own
fact-nding committee headed
 by Senior Supt. Elmo San Diego,deputy director for administra-tion and Senior Supt. FedericoLaciste, deputy director for op-erations in coordination with theCHR to ensure transparency.Gatdula assured those impli-cated in the mess of due process.He stressed that policemen are briefed not to be careless espe-cially when suspects are armed.“When suspects pose extremedanger to the life and safety of the law enforcers, the necessaryforce can be applied under the provisions of Police OperationalProcedures,” he pointed out.Philippine National Policechief Director General Jesus A.Verzosa and National Capital Re-
gion Police Ofce chief Director 
Leopoldo N. Bataoil also orderedan investigation as both said the police “will never tolerate ruboutor any human rights violatio ns.”Bataoil said they will look into the “judgment call” of 
the policeman who red at the
suspects. Police are claiming thatthe suspects inside the vehiclestill posed imminent danger when they were shot.“We will examine their judg-ment calls if indeed their actionsare acceptable under the circum-stances. When suspects poseextreme danger to life and safetyof our law enforcers, appropriateresponse is necessary but under the provisions of the POP,” hemaintained.Last December, 17 people werekilled in a shoot-out between police and an alleged criminalgang in Manila.Aside from 10 suspects, four civilians including an eight-year-old girl and her father died,along with two security guardsand a policeman.The CHR recommended charg-
es be led against the police
involved in that shooting, but asyet no one has been charged.(Fr. Shay’s columns are published in The Manila Times,in publications in Ireland, theUK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)http://www.preda.org/archives/2009/r09040801.htmlThere have been many con-cerned people from aroundthe world who expressed their anguish, shock, and are deeplyangry at the injustice committedagainst the children and youthof Davao city and elsewhere thathas been revealed by the Philip- pine Commission on HumanRights (CHR). The courageouschairperson of the commis-sion, Leila De Lima, who ledthe public enquiry last week said the majority of victims arevery young, mostly youth, ter-ribly poor, semi-illiterate streetchildren. Few if any had beenarrested, charged and foundguilty of any crime. Their living presence is the embarrassingevidence of gross social inequal-ity and injustice.The chairperson of the CHR calls this “selective vigilantism”,it is not the rich and wealthy
drug pushers, trafckers, deal
-ers, and powerful criminals thatare assassinated but hundreds of the throwaway children. “I sharethe view that no big-time crimi-nals, like drug lords or rich drug pushers and drug users, appear among the victims of the so-called “Davao Death Squad”, DeLima told journalists.Even when the skulls and bones of women and children we
dug up near a police ring range,
as earlier reported in this col-umn, there was little or no civicresponse or alarm. The commu-nity believed wrongly, that theywere safer because of the DavaoDeath Squad and so the atrocitiescontinued. Perhaps they weretoo frightened to take a stand for human rights, the dignity of thehuman person and the right tolife, our Christian duty.Fear can be the poison of thehuman spirit but there are thosein Davao City who are braveand courageous and took a standagainst the Death Squad. Somehave been killed. When I wascharged with libel by Mayor De
How I was Saved fromthe Davao Death Squad
Guzman in 1999 because I hadcalled on good-hearted defend-ers of human rights around theworld to speak out and writeto him to end the killings, heclaimed that I blamed him for the killings.When I was to be arraigned
 before the court, I ew in to
Davao city expecting the worst, ashooter on a motor bike could to be waiting for me. As I steppedout of the airport, what a shock awaited me, there was a group of 
fty or more street children wait
-ing with banners, home-madedrums and welcome placards.They burst into a cheering noisymob of well wishers and sur-rounded me with a protectiveshied of their own bodies. Noshooter was going to get me.They expected me to be shot,it is what happened to many of their friends and their courageand dedication brought a lumpto my throat. They escorted me,led by the brave Davao HumanRights Workers, to the car park where several hired jeepnieswere waiting and I was whiskedoff to the safety of the MaryknollFather’s house.When I stood in the courtroomwaiting to be arraigned, theMayor send a message to thecourt to say he was withdraw-ing the charges and would busyhimself caring for the citizens.The case was dropped with much jubilation from the supporters.The Davao Diocesan SocialAction directors had listened tothe mounting concern of the trueChristians and persuaded theMayor, who was coming up for reelection, to drop the case. Thatwas my dangerous brush withthe Davao Death Squad. Monthslater, the Department of Justicedecided positively on my petitionto dismiss the charges. It was toolate to be of any help other thanto prove I was innocent and thatthere was no evidence that I hadlibeled the mayor.It just shows how important itis for us to take a stand for themost important thing there is -the dignity and rights of everyhuman person no matter how poor and powerless they are.Jesus taught us that. “Blessed arethe poor, the Kingdom of God isfor them”, that’s why the politi-cians arrested Jesus, torturedand executed him like a criminalwithout a fair trial. That’s whyhe is risen and alive today - toinspire us to take a stand for thedowntrodden and lift them up toa new life.
 
Page 3 Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com April 17 - 23, 2009
 ZamboangaCaramoan, Camarines Sur 
ness, especially during the peak seasons.
Zamboanga
“We also urge our partners – hotels, resorts, spas, tour opera-
Spend holidaysexploring 7,107 islands
(Continued from page 1)
tors, and transportation stake-holders, – to create more options
and exible packages. We have
a very broad range of optionsto offer the most picky tourist.Group tours will also be big as we all know thatFilipinos love to travelwith their families andfriends,” said DuranoOn the particular sitesthat the agency is pro-moting, Eduardo Jarque,Jr., Undersecretaryfor Tourism Planningand Promotions, saidthat although Boracay,Palawan, Davao, Cebu,Bohol, Vigan, Baguio,and Manila are the country’s topspots, the agency is similarlyadvocating discovery of unex- plored sites.Siquijor, Camiguin, Quezon,Zamboanga del Sur and del Norte, Camsur, Batangas, Mind-oro, Dumaguete, Leyte and Ne-gros also have pristine beachesthat can rival Boracay, while oldheritage sites are not exclusiveto Vigan, as Iloilo, Bacolod, andLaguna, which have their owncentury-old architectural mar-vels. Trekkers may consider themountains of Sagada, Cavite,Bataan, Bulacan, MountainProvince, Romblon, Batanes,and Marinduque, among others,said Jarque.
Camarines Sur
Among the more recent products of DoT is birdwatch-ing, where one discovers exoticspecies of birds through power-ful lenses. “In other parts of theworld, birdwatch-ing is an expensiveleisure pursuit,taken up mostly byfamous personali-ties. Here we haveover 200 endemicspecies of birdswithin our view, we
should be the rst
to discover our ownnational treasures,”Jarque said.The Palace hasdeclared the follow-ing as regular andspecial non-working holidays for 2009:* Araw ng Kagitingan - April4-6, Saturday - Monday* Holy Week - April 9-12,Thursday - Sunday* Labor Day - May 1-3, Friday- Sunday* Independence Day - June 12-14, Friday - Sunday* Ninoy Aquino Day - August21-23, Friday - Sunday* National Heroes’ Day - Au-gust 29-31, Saturday - Monday* All Saints’ Day - October 31-November 2, Saturday -Monday* Bonifacio Day - November 28-30, Saturday - Monday* Christmas Eve - December 24-27, Thursday - Sunday* New Year’s Eve/Rizal Day -December 30, 2009-Jan 3, 2010,Wednesday to SundayBy
Cecil Morella
Rickety old jeeps barrelthrough a dry northern Philip- pines riverbed, setting off a duststorm that coats the visitors bouncing around on the back seat.
RP promotes deadly volcanoes to tourists
Mayon Volcano
The landscape around MountPinatubo is evolving again 16years after a gigantic volcaniceruption killed more than 1,500 people and sent a cloud of ashinto the atmosphere coolingworld temperatures for years.
The ne sand deposited by the
1991 eruption over the surround-ing countryside is being kickedup by sport utilities driven by ad-venture tourists coming to swimor ride kayaks on Pinatubo’slarge, mildly acidic crater lake.“We have to appreciate the factthat our country has many vol-canoes,” said Perla de los Reyesof the government’s volcanologyand seismology institute. “Theyare beautiful attractions.”Of the 300 volcanos scatteredthroughout this Southeast Asianarchipelago, 22 are active while
27 are classied as “potentially
active”.
Fascination
Despite the danger the gov-ernment is looking at ways of turning these dormant monstersinto money-spinning touristdrawcards.“People are fascinated by the phenomenon of volcanic erup-tions,” said Francois Dominique
de Larouziere, scientic director 
of Vulcania, a volcano park thathas drawn some 2.45 million paying visitors a year since itsopening in 2002 on an extinctvolcano in the remote Auvergneregion of central France.By contrast, total annual touristarrivals in the Philippines havenever passed the three millionmark.De los Reyes said people goout of their way to see the impactof eruptions.During last year’s deadly erup-tions of the Mayon volcano 340kilometers southeast of Manila
tourists ocked to the area to
catch a glimpse of the eruptions.Mayon, with a perfect conereminiscent of Japan’s MountFuji, rises 2,420 meters above
emerald rice elds near the city
of Legaspi.A deadly eruption in 1814 buried some 1,200 people alivein the village of Cagsawa. Allthat remains today is the church belfry.“Volcanos show how dynamicor dangerous they can be, and people appreciate it,” De losReyes said, adding that theunique shapes of land formationscaused by volcanic eruptionsthemselves also draw people in.In addition “geothermal le-sions” including hot springs,fumeroles and fuming ventscaused by melting rock couldalso serve as “interactive” attrac-tions that generate income fromspas or campsites.Pinatubo and Taal, a volcano inManila’s southern suburbs thatsits on a large lake, is attract-ing major developers who have
lled the surrounding ridges
with vacation homes and fancyrestaurants.But Iraya, Kanlaon, Bulusan,Banahaw, Hibok–Hibok, Isarogand Kalatungan, to name a few,are physically remote and inac-cessible.Apo, the country’s highest peak and a potentially activevolcano on the southern islandof Mindanao, is visited mainly by mountain climbers who hikeup the 2,938–meter summit and back over three or more days.“Volcanoes do not erupt everyday,” said Teresa Mundita Lim,head of the government’s pro-tected areas and wildlife bureau,one of the agencies involved inthe project.Efforts to bring in touristdollars must not result in the in-troduction of “invasive species,”disturb native wildlife, or resultin the destruction or collectionof plant and animal species, Limsaid.The government vetoed a planned spa resort near the Taalcrater in July and ordered theSouth Korean developer to re-store excavated areas at its ownexpense, saying the project ranafoul of environmental restric-tions.Lim said many of the country’svolcanoes contain some of theworld’s most diverse plant andanimal life.“Biological diversity is part of the attraction,” she said.From Good News Pilipinas
The gure does not include non-
grid connected regions which relyon generators for power.Based on last year’s 80MWh to-tal savings, Earth Hour 2009 is atleast ten times more massive andeffective – and is now the largestenvironmental action in Philippinehistory.On a global scale, the next actis Copenhagen in December 2009where countries of the world willconverge to solidify the commit-ments of nations to addressingclimate change preparing to signa covenant in Kyoto by 2012. Astime runs out, the largest emitterswill decide the vast reductions ingreenhouse gases that will shapethe future of our species.Developing countries like thePhilippines will demand support inadapting to the escalating impactsof a climate changing as the highconcentrations of carbon in theatmosphere begin to take its toll.The inaugural Earth Hour in2007 involved just two million people in one city – Sydney inAustralia. Some 53 million in371 cities in 35 countries took up the rallying cry in 2008. Thisyear’s overwhelming participation
reects growing global concern
over climate change an the inabil-ity of the world so far to craft aneffective global response. Orga-nizers hoped for the participationof at least 1000 cities and townsworldwide.At least 3943 communities from88 countries across 25 time zonesheeded this year’s call. Again, aheartfelt thank you to everyone
who pitched in to nd light amidst
the darkness.(Story courtesy of NaderevSaño, Earth Hour National Direc-tor and Gregg Yan Information
Ofcer of WWF-Philippines)
RP shines brightest inEarth’s darkest hour
(Continued from page 1)
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