(Continued on page 2)(Continued on page 2)

Ryan Cayabyab and his singers.

The Gawad KalingaExperience

“I saw the beneﬁciaries of GK very happy with strong positive attitudes in life,” one advocate said. “I felt guiltyknowing that I was ready to give up when I lost my boy-friend whomI only knew for ayear, while the poor have known pov-erty all their lives.”

–

By Simeon G. Silverio, Jr.

Publisher & Editor

San Diego Asian JournalSee page 5

An activist walks on the islands of the relief map of the Philippinesin Rizal Park after placing a mini streamer calling for a P3,000 in-crease in the pay of government workers. JONJON VICENCIO

By Jess Diaz Philstar, November 7, 2008

The victory of severalDemocratic candidates for senator and congressmanaugurs well for the proposedFilipino Veterans Equity Act pending in the US Congress,Muntinlupa Rep. RozzanoRuﬁno Biazon said yesterday.He told the Serye Cafénews forum in Quezon Cityhe believes that the bill wouldhave a smoother sailing in theincoming US Congress than ithad in the previous one.“The victory of severalsenatorial and congressionalcandidates of President-electBarack Obama is good newsfor our war veterans,” he said.Biazon was part of a Housedelegation that accompaniedPresident Arroyo on her tripto Washington this year. TheHouse team lobbied withAmerican lawmakers for the passage of the veterans’ equity bill.Mrs. Arroyo herself did

Smooth sailing seen for Pinoy war vets bill after Dems victory

Philstar, November 6, 2008

There were no bells, andno fanfare, exactly the wayshe wanted it. Luli Arroyo,the most private among themembers of the First Fam-ily, married John Aloysius“Luigi”Bernasyester-day in asimple and privateceremonyat the Par-ish of Inang LagingSaklolo, at5p.m. inTagaytayCity.Only26 people – members of the bride’s and groom’sfamilies – were present atthe ceremony. Luli’s broth-ers Mikey and Datu couldn’tmake it due to prior ofﬁcialcommitments, when toldthe wedding date and thatit could not be divulged.The ceremony was ofﬁci-ated by Fr. Joaquin Bernas,the groom’s uncle, and Fr.Danny Huang, the groom’sschoolmate at Xavier School

Luli Arroyo wedsinvestment banker

who was the former pro-vincial of the Jesuits in thePhilippines, but has just been appointed assistant for Asia of the Jesuit director. Asimple dinner reception washeld at the parish after theceremony.

The

couplechoseonlytwospon-sors:Mr.VicentePobleteandMrs.AngelesQuim-son.Luliand Lu-igi have been a couple for four years.Luigi had proposed last Sep-tember during a surﬁng tripto Siargao, and rumors werethick about their impendingmarriage. But the couplehas consistently refused togive any comment, with Lulimaintaining that “I never talk about my personal life.My personal life has never been open to media.”

(Continued on page 2)

By Eva Visperas Philstar

DAGUPAN CITY – Some-one had better come up with aturban-shaped helmet, since

Turban-cladriders needhelmets, too

(Continued on page 10)

Marikina used to beknown as a quiet town at theEastern borders of MetroManila. It was in the 1990’s

when the

local gov-ernmentinitiateda major makeover and this pictur-esquemunicipal-ity meta-morphosedinto anindustrial-ized city pulsingwith life.First to undergo a faceliftwas the murky river which is

Experience Marikina at its

ﬁnest through Marquinton

GARDEN TERRACES

Building façade of Marquinton GardenTerraces, Toledo Tower

now a sparkling landmark of the city’s remarkable trans-formation. Clean, crisp wa-ters serve as a tranquil back-groundto thecharmingMarikinaRiver Park whereresidentssafely ridetheir bicy-cles, takea leisurelywalk andeven have picnics theold-fash-ioned way.Touted as the country’s

(Continued on page 9)

Underlying the enthusiasm of these young participants was asense of urgency. Many peoplefelt saddled with insurmountabledebt, carbon footprints, globalwarming, and wars abroad. Wecame of age in a prosperouscountry, but in adulthood wouldwe just watch it decline? Wouldthe path of our lives mirror aquick rise and prolonged fall? If the future really belonged to us,it was time that we weighed in.By

Ashley Silverio

Assistant Editor

San Diego Asian Journal

See page 8

What Barack Obama’s victory means to mygeneration

REDWOOD CITY, CA,November 6, 2008

– Fol-lowing the huge box-ofﬁcesuccess of “For The FirstTime”, Star Cinema contin-ues its parade of 15

anni-versary offerings with

MyOnly U

, a Vhong Navarro-Toni Gonzaga starrer, whichABS-CBN International’sStary Starry Store will bringto the U.S. theaters this No-vember.

My Only U

reportedlymade P11 million just on itsopening day in the Philip- pines. Directed by popular director Cathy Garcia-Moli-na of “A Very Special Love”,fame, the ﬁlm reunitesVhong Navarro and Toni

“My Only U” to screen in 4U.S. cities this November

Much awaited romantic dramedy to be shown in San Diego on November 14-20 at the Horton Plaza

Gonzaga. They last starredthree years ago in the block- buster horror comedy, “D’Anothers”. TheySan Diego, California - Itwas a disappointing electionfor Filipino-American candi-dates. Ditas Yamane and Fi-deles Ungab lost in their bidfor a National City Councilseat while Mitz Lee failed towin re-election as trustee of the San Diego School Board.Scott Vinson, husband of Fil-ipina American business andcommunity leader Carmelita“CL” Vinson also lost in his bid for seat 4 in the Chula

Filipino American candidates lose in lastelection; Voter coalition to be formed

(Continued on page 17)

From top left, clockwise: Scott Vinson, Ditas Yamane, Mitz Lee & Fideles Ungab.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with daughter Luli.

November 7 -13, 2008

Msgr. Gutierrez

Genny Silverio

Entertainment

A new day for politics

Jolina celebrates birthdaywith less fortunate kids

The Person:God’s Building

Page 2November 7 -13, 2008 Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

By Ding Cervantes Philstar

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca,Ramon Magsaysay awardee for government service, and other lo-

cal ofﬁcials who have formed the

group Kaya Natin! have called onPampanga folk to reject the moveto recall Gov. Eddie Panlilio fromhis post.This, as the recall initiative seemsto have triggered a war of signa-tures.As of noon yesterday, Panlilio’ssupporters who launched an onlinesignature campaign (ipetitions.com)had already garnered 1,228 digitalsignatures. Among the signatories

identiﬁed themselves as Solita Col-

las-Monsod and Susan A. Roces.On the other hand, Rosve Hen-son, president of the Kapanalig atKambilan ning Memalen Pampanga(Kambilan) which launched the re-call move last week, said his grouphas started its signature drive in allof Pampanga’s 21 towns.While Henson could not say howmany have already signed their re-call petition, he said that from their original 5,000 members last week,they have issued 1,000 more identi-

ﬁcation cards for new signatories.

“Each of these members has beenasked to gather as many signa-tures as they can, but we are doingthis very carefully so that all the

requirements of the Commission on

Elections will be complied with,”he said.In a statement, Padaca’s groupsaid, “We believe that this at-tempt to recall him is politicallymotivated and would only serve to

beneﬁt the vested interests of a few

politicians in Pampanga.”The group described itself as a“movement for genuine change andethical leadership.”“We urge the people of Pampanganot to support the recall initiative.We ask the Kapampangans to giveGov. Panlilio a chance to fullyserve his term and continue the re-forms that he has begun,” it added.One Harvey Keh, a supporter of

Padaca’s group urgesPampanga folk: Rejectrecall-Panlilio move

Panlilio, started the digital signa-ture drive against the recall moveon the Internet.His e-mail is being passed on byPanlilio’s supporters to solicit moresignatures not only from Pampanga but also from other parts of thecountry and apparently, even fromFilipinos abroad.Addressing “fellow Filipinos” inhis e-mail, Keh said the recall movewas “started by people closely

afﬁliated with Lilia Pineda, the

gubernatorial candidate that Gov.Panlilio defeated and wife of al-leged jueteng lord Bong Pineda.”“If you will recall, just lastmonth, Gov. Panlilio courageously

ﬁled plunder charges against Bong

Pineda for his alleged involvementin jueteng operations and payoffs inPampanga. If they succeed in doingthis, we can expect that Pampangawill once again go back to the dark ages of patronage politics that hasled to the propagation of graft. Wecannot just sit back, relax and allowa good and upright Filipino leader to fail. We cannot allow evil toultimately prevail.”“We cannot allow Gov. EddiePanlilio to be recalled,” he added,urging Filipinos to sign up in support of Panlilio at ipetitions.com/ petition/supportgovpanlilio.“While we are aware that thereare escalating problems in Pam- panga such as the continuing

conﬂict between Gov. Panlilio and

the Provincial Board, the unre-solved issue on the striking Balasquarry workers and the calls for theresignation of the current provincialadministrator, among others, we be-lieve that a genuine effort to resolve

them will be more beneﬁcial to

the Kapampangans than a politicalexercise that will further polarizeand divide the community,” Kaya Natin! said in its statement.It further said: “We also recognizethat there are members of the civilsociety, church groups, business or-ganizations and supporters of Gov.Panlilio that have expressed disap- pointment with his performanceduring the past year.”“Thus, while we continue tosupport Gov. Panlilio’s crusade to promote good governance in his province, we also believe that heshould listen to the voices of thesegroups and work at immediatelyaddressing and resolving thesegrowing concerns in order for himto become a more effective gover-nor,” it added. Noting that “reforms do not comeeasy” and “require continuing en-gagements between the provincialleadership and the other stakehold-ers in the locality,” Kaya Natin!said, “We do believe that giventime, Gov. Panlilio’s initiatives willultimately result in better deliveryof basic services to his constitu-ents.”“We ask all Kapampangans to be patient with Gov. Panlilio becausewe believe that despite the currentsituation, he is at the moment stillthe best person who can govern the province in an effective and ethicalmanner,” it said.It added: “Should there be a need,the members of Kaya Natin! arewilling to help organize and/or facilitate a dialogue between Gov.Panlilio and disgruntled members of the civil society, businessgroups, people’s organizations andhis former supporters in Pam- panga.”Apart from Padaca, the signato-ries to the Kaya Natin! statement

included Naga City Mayor Jesse

Robredo, Ifugao Gov. Teddy Bagui-

lat Jr., and San Isidro, Nueva EcijaMayor Sonia Lorenzo.

Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca

some lobbying work at a dinner withUS congressmen.The US Senate has approved themeasure, which got stuck in theHouse of Representatives becauseseveral American congressmenwanted to limit its coverage and the

beneﬁts for Filipino veterans.

One proposal is to have the proposed law apply only to Filipino

Smooth sailing seenfor Pinoy war vets billafter Dems victory

(Continued from page 1)

no one – not even motorcycle-ridingIndian nationals who wear the head-dress – is exempted from the “NoHelmet, No Riding” ordinance to be passed in this city soon.Robert Erfe-Mejia, chief of the

city’s public order and safety ofﬁce,

related to The STAR yesterdayhow an Indian national, who was

at Mejia’s ofﬁce to settle a trafﬁc

violation, told Mejia that people likehim who wear turbans are exemptedfrom wearing helmets.But Mejia said he was not awareof such an exemption and asked hisguest to show him a copy of thisorder – if it exists – so that he couldinform local lawmakers about it.Mejia said the intention of the proposed ordinance as envisioned

by Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. is toshow to all that while Dagupan City

is a “friendly city it is also a safety-conscious place.”“While we encourage investorsto come in, we would like also toencourage our people and our visi-tors to observe safety at all times,”he said.Indian nationals living in thecountry number in the thousandsand are very entrepreneurial, oftenengaged in the business of selling

household wares and ﬁxtures, in-

cluding umbrellas, blankets, electricfans and mats. Buyers are allowedto pay in installments.They also offer “instant loans” paid on installment on a daily basis,and they personally make the roundsof the residences to collect the pay-ments.

Last Tuesday, a public hearing

on the proposal was held at the citycouncil and was attended by 12active motorcycle riding associa-tions and 11 motorcycle dealers inthe city who strongly endorsed the proposed ordinance.Mejia said the proposed localordinance seeks to impose tougher penalties on violators who do notwear safety helmets as a way of strengthening the national law to prevent serious head injuries in roadaccidents involving motorcycles.Once approved, billboards will be placed around entry points in thecity to inform motorists and visitorsabout this ordinance.

Currently, motorcycle riders who

do not wear helmets are left in the

hands of agents of the Land Trans- portation Ofﬁce.

Turban-cladriders needhelmets, too

(Continued from page 1)

The groom is a former investment banker, working with Bear Sterns

International and Bankers Trust Co.

He is the son of lawyer AntonioBernas, and was for a time a director at the Ayala Foundation.

Luli, the second of the FirstCouple’s three children, works with

the WWF or Worldwide Fund for Nature. She is a passionate scubadiver and environmentalist. She wasamong the top in the foreign serviceexaminations years ago but did not pursue a diplomatic career becauseof her mother’s position. – IsaacBelmonte

Luli wedsinvestmentbanker

(Continued from page 1)

veterans living in the US.Biazon said Democrats in both theUS Senate and House supported theveterans’ equity measure.“In fact, both Senators Obama and

John McCain voted for its approval.

It was with the Republicans in the

House that we had difﬁculty getting

support for the bill’s approval,” hesaid.“But with the Democrats increas-ing their numbers in both chambers

of the US Congress in last Tuesday’s

election, I am hoping this measurewill soon be approved,” he said.As for US policy toward the Phil-ippines, Biazon and Rep. Teodoro

Casiño of the party-list group Bayan

Muna predicted that there would beno substantial changes.By and large, American securityand economic interests remain thesame despite changes in the US

leadership, Casiño said.

“These interests transcend admin-istrations,” he said.However, because Democrats aregenerally more concerned about hu-

man rights than Republicans, Casiño

said he hoped the Obama leadershipwould lift the terrorist tag the UShas put on the New People’s Army.“This tag has stalled the peace process here. Its lifting would helprevive such process,” he added.

Meanwhile, Albay Gov. Joey Sal-

ceda said he does not see a changein US policy toward the Philippinesunder the leadership of President-elect Obama.But Salceda, who is also Mrs.Arroyo’s economic adviser, said heexpects the new administration tomake the US take the lead in tack-ling global climate change. –

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HUMMING IN MY UNIVERSE By Jim Paredes Philstar To dream the impossible dream

To ﬁght the unbeatable foeTo bear the unbearable sorrowTo run where the brave dare not go. — The Impossible Dream, from themusical The Man From La Manchaby Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion

It’s been 25 years since Ninoycame home and was murdered onthe tarmac. It is almost 50 years agothat a political party called Philip- pine Party for Progress ran in anational election and was clobbered.I still remember the people involved — the late Senators Raul Manglapusand Manny Manahan, a Gaston fromBacolod and a few other good menwho vowed to clean up the govern-ment and make the country moveforward. I remember PPP well sincemy mother and a few other peopleshe knew believed in it and activelysupported it. It was also one of theearliest disappointments in politicsthat I can recall.We have seen others of this re-formist mold run in other elections,Brother Eddie Villanueva being oneof them. During the last senatorialrace, we also heard from a groupof people who called themselvesKapatiran and who, like their prede-cessors, did not even come close to being considered electable by muchof the electorate.The usual take of most people onsuch idealistic endeavors is that ide-alism is not enough. One needs the

wherewithal to ﬁght the rulers who

fool the electorate with guns, goonsand gold, which they also stolefrom the electorate. In other words,one needs the same things that theenemy has in order to win.

The idealists’ quest

The other day, a relative wastalking about a very prominent businessman who claimed to haveno qualms — whatsoever — aboutdoing what is needed to close adeal. The businessman, myrelative said, was actually bragging about it. He isimmensely successful andunderstandably so. He isdriven and is not about tolet something like an inner voice or a conscience standin the way of his further accumulation of wealth, power and prestige, even if it means killing or hurting people in the process.

I ﬁnd it hard to imagine

myself in such a man’sshoes. Logic tells me that,yes, I can “understand”what drives him, and that there aresuch people and that these things dohappen, but I cannot empathize withit. I can probably intellectualize theconcept of being compassionatetowards him becausehe is a sentient being, but the feeling partthat is supposed to gowith it does not easilyfollow. Perhaps I amnot as enlightened as Ishould be.My brother Gabbysays the reason whywe are the way we areis because we all carryour own unique moralDNA. Perhaps. I am,after all, the son of myfather and mother.I have always been a naturalconstituent of so-called idealisticcauses. I can even say I can’t help it.Some causes, when you hear aboutthem, just feel right and must besupported. I have given a lot of timeand effort and spent many resourcesto advance causes like OPM, the en-vironment, human rights, the resto-ration of democracy, clean elections,education, electing good people into

ofﬁce and the like. Last Sunday,

though I was tempted to sleep late,I spent the morning judging a sing-ing contest sponsored by GawadKalinga, a movement I believe inand support. In the evening, I spokeat a rally, also for GK. Somehow,doing what my inner voice dictates

afﬁrms something big and beautiful

inside me.I notice, though, that I do notalways heed that inner voice. Some-times I choose to ignore it because Iam tired or burned out. Many of us,in the name of being realistic, liveour lives being numb and indif-ferent, the better to avoid the painof not following what seems to beright. And I see a massive denial or,at the very least, a compromisingof our beliefs and ideals when wediscuss national issues or are near-ing an election.How many of us have chosen notto vote for the candidates we really believed in because we thoughtthey would not win? How many of us have voted for people we do nottrust because we are being “practi-cal?” How many of us have refusedthe call to mass action even if weknew it was the right thing to do?And how many of us have foundfault in the Don Quixotes in our midst by imputing imagined evilmotives on them, or jeering them for their futile efforts, and predictingthat they will fail?And sure enough, when enough people wish it, it does come true.And once again, our cynicism is af-

ﬁrmed. It’s as if we have lost the ca-

pacity to believe that the right thing

has a ﬁghting chance, or is worthﬁghting for. And yet, when we look

at the enemies of what we really believe and stand for with all their resources, we ask in true amazementand fear, “How can they fail?”At my age, I have set aside manythings I used to believe in blindly,and have awakened to a less fairy-tale-like reality. No more SantaClauses, for sure. But this realitythat I have stumbled into is, thank-fully, not a cynical one. It is a realitythat still allows so-called miracles to pull the rug out from under evil andinstill goodness in the real world.I still believe that as human be-ings, we can fashion a sustainableway of life that will support every-one on the planet. I still believe inthe innate goodness of people. Asa Filipino, I believe we can rescindthe ominous socio-political contract

we ﬁnd ourselves in and awaken to

the greatness that we can be.At this time in our national lifewhen every institution — govern-ment, the military, the religious,showbiz, teachers, professionalsand the elite — has lost credibilityand cannot be fully trusted to dothe right thing, what are we to do?Where can we turn to for guidance?What we are going through isnot exclusive to Filipinos. It is alsooccurring in many countries. In theUnited States, the once unthinkableidea of a black man making as much political headway as Barack Obamais already happening. Put yourself in Zimbabwe where a dictator likeRobert Mugabe seems to hold allthe cards and is bent on lording itover everyone. What is left of theopposition to use against him exceptthe burning passion to institute theideals of democracy, no matter theodds? Or take Aung San Suu Kyi,the democratically elected leader of Burma who has been imprisoned inher home by the military for most of the past decade. Idealism is all shehas, and it may not seem like a lot.But judging by how the dramaticturns of history have gone, her ide-alism may still prove to be enoughto overturn the situation. David slewGoliath. The Berlin Wall, which noone could imagine would collapseduring his or her lifetime, has van-ished. Our EDSA I toppled 20 yearsof plunder and dictatorship. Japanand many other nations massively

(Continued on page 10)