AUGUST 16, 2025
COMMENTARY wisHing sleePless nigHTs uPon our governmenT leaders
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS reverse CulTure sHoCk: our unexPeCTed reTurn To THe PHiliPPines
OPEN FORUM sun Could Be sTarTing To seT on Hawaii’s PermiTTing ProBlems
BOOK REVIEW
Two Books To CeleBraTe augusT’s PHl language week
The AI revolution is not coming. It’s here. Workers are anxious and confused while some are confident and optimistic. Whether we are welcoming of AI and embrace it or reject it in the workplace, it doesn’t matter because AI is the future. Individuals can choose to enhance their skills and capabilities by leveraging AI tools and AI agents, or risk falling behind in a rapidly evolving landscape.
A recent survey of nearly 3,000 business leaders around the world, conducted by HR software platform Workday, found:
*91% of global executives are actively scaling up their AI initiatives.
*74% of executives use AI for more than 25% of their work.
*82% of HR leaders believe AI is essential to their company’s success.
Why do executives and business owners believe AI integration is essential for their companies? In our system of capitalism, technology has historically given us a competitive edge over our competitors. And AI is that latest revolutionary technology to make certain tasks exponentially more productive and efficient. That translates to cost savings and additional profit.
Unfortunately, capitalism also often reveals that some workers are no longer needed, which is a main concern about AI for many employees.
For now, at this stage of AI, although AI can significantly enhance efficiency, this does not necessarily imply that employees have no value to add or should be dismissed. However, there are credible AI experts who predict there will come a time when advances in AI could lead to mass unemployment and human work obsolescence. Statistics and theories of such a futuristic scenario of human displacement are easily available. Just ask an AI chatbot to find them.
The application of AI is happening everywhere. Here’s one example of how AI can improve one area of work, HR Management. AI will increasingly be able to do the boring routine tasks in HR like processing benefits and working on payroll. Then that frees up HR to do more meaningful responsibilities of improving employees’ relations, development, and addressing employees’ needs.
At the same time, if you are an employee in HR solely responsible for processing benefits and payroll, there might be other additional responsibilities the company might want to give you as such routine, administrative tasks become easier and faster to complete.
This is just one workplace example in one industry. Companies, mostly large ones for now, in almost every industry – finance, banking, manufacturing, retail, transportation, insurance, law, healthcare, publishing – are looking at AI, automation and robotics to increase efficiency.
Glass half full, half empty
AI could be viewed as a glass half full or glass half empty. In a glass half full perspective, clearly AI will bring about efficiency like never seen before. Humans will always be needed and maintain agency. AI will not completely replace jobs but just change the nature of work. AI is a tool to enhance human capabilities and their unlimited potential.
Glass half empty perspective: AI will lead to substantial job losses and hurt the economy and widen income inequality. Human obsolescence in many areas will be psychologically and emotionally damaging to millions. Workers
The advent of computers and smartphones were huge technological game changers. But some experts say artificial intelligence (AI) has perhaps greater transformative potential. Tech guru and founder of DeepLearning AI, Andrew Ng, likened AI’s impact to that of electricity, “Just as electricity transformed almost everything 100 years ago, today I actually have a hard time thinking of an industry that I don’t think AI will transform in the next several years.” For our cover story this issue, associate editor Edwin Quinabo looks into how AI is changing the workplace. The AI revolution is already in Hawaii. Indeed job recruiters listed in May 2025 over a hundred AI jobs in our state. Find out what the top AI jobs are and how we can better prepare for the changes.
Publisher & Executive Editor
Charlie Y. Sonido, M.D.
Publisher & Managing Editor
Chona A. Montesines-Sonido
Associate Editors
Edwin QuinaboDennis Galolo
Contributing Editor
Belinda Aquino, Ph.D.
Design Junggoi Peralta
Photography
Tim Llena
Administrative Assistant
Lilia Capalad
Editorial & Production Assistant
Jim Bea Sampaga
Columnists
Carlota Hufana Ader
Rose Cruz Churma
Elpidio R. Estioko
It’s been two years since the Lahaina wildfires which caused widespread destruction. In this issue, Lance Abut contributes “Lahaina Fire Survivors Urges County of Maui to Address Survivors’ Urgent Financial Needs Amid Rising Rent, Calls for Accountability to Community.” Lahaina Filipino Fire Survivors Association (LFFSA) Steering Committee member Chamille Serrano describes the aftermath of the fire, “We were homeless for three months after the fire. When we did finally get housing, it was a two-hour drive to come to Kahana and two hours to go home, so we never saw the sun.” Our Maui and Filipino community are still in need of housing and other urgent matters we hope will not go ignored. Find out in the article what some of them are.
Did you know Filipino/Tagalog and Ilokano are offered as college courses at the University of Hawaii system? Did you know there are other Philippine languages besides these spoken in Hawaii like Cebuano? In this issue HFC columnist Rose Cruz Churma gives us two book reviews, one in Cebuano and the other in English: 1) Ang Pasko sa Balay ni Lola Sepha (Christmas in the House of Grandma Sepha) is subtitled as a “Visayan Counting Book” and 2) Ang Kabakhawan Gabantay sa Atong Banay (The Mangroves Protect Our Homes).
For our readers who’ve been keeping abreast with HFC columnist Seneca Moraleda-Puguan – from her time in South Korea and Switzerland – Seneca is back in the Philippines. In her article, “Reverse Culture Shock: Our Unexpected Return to The Philippines,” she describes the re-acculturation that often diasporic Filipinos experience when going back to their home country.
Lastly, we have two articles on politics by two former Hawaii state senators. HFC columnist Will Espero contributes “Trump’s Immigration Policy, Economic News, and The Epstein Files.” Espero describes Trump ICE campaign, “It’s as if Trump is at war with brown skinned immigrants. This is so wrong and unacceptable.” Our second article is by HFC columnist Gary Hooser who submitted an evocative article “Wishing Sleepless Nights Upon Our Government Leaders.” We hope you enjoy these and our other columns and news.
Thank you for supporting the HFC. Visit our website thefilipinochronicle.com to get your free e-copy of each issue. Until the next issue, Aloha and Mabuhay!
might be more efficient, but employers will only require more work. It’s the same reason why new hires often get chastised by their veteran coworkers in the company for being too efficient. Humans are not ready for such a powerful tool in AI. We lack ethics and fairness. Worker exploitation will be rampant.
Any one or all of these scenarios mentioned above could be true with AI in the workplace. As individual
(continue on page 3)
Willie Espero
Emil Guillermo
Gary Hooser
Arcelita Imasa, M.D.
Seneca Moraleda-Puguan
J.P. Orias
Charlie Sonido, M.D.
Emmanuel S. Tipon, Esq.
Contributing Writers
Clement Bautista
Edna Bautista, Ed.D.
Teresita Bernales, Ed.D.
Sheryll Bonilla, Esq.
Dr. Dylan Bothamley
Serafin Colmenares Jr., Ph.D.
Linda Dela Cruz
Carolyn Weygan-Hildebrand
Amelia Jacang, M.D.
Caroline Julian
Max Levin
Raymond Ll. Liongson, Ph.D.
Federico Magdalena, Ph.D.
Matthew Mettias
Maita Millalos
Paul Melvin Palalay, M.D.
Renelaine Bontol-Pfister
Seneca Moraleda-Puguan
Jay Valdez, Psy.D.
Amado Yoro
Philippine Correspondent:
Greg Garcia
Neighbor Island Correspondents:
Big Island (Hilo and Kona)
Grace LarsonDitas Udani
Kauai
Millicent Wellington
Maui
Christine Sabado
Big Island Distributors
Grace LarsonDitas Udani
Kauai Distributors
Amylou Aguinaldo
Nestor Aguinaldo
Maui Distributors
Cecille PirosRey Piros
Molokai Distributor
Maria Watanabe
Oahu Distributors
Yoshimasa Kaneko
Shalimar / Jonathan Pagulayan
Advertising / Marketing Director
Chona A. Montesines-Sonido
Account Executives
Carlota Hufana Ader
JP Orias
Five more additional congressional seats carved in gerrymandering to favor Republicans in Texas could be the difference for Republicans to maintain their congressional majority in the 2026 midterms. The stakes are high which could put Democrats out of power for another two years and potentially risk a sequel to Trump’s horrific “Big Beautiful Bill.”
Democrats accuse President Donald Trump of influencing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw Texas congressional map of the state that would boost the party’s chances of gaining “five” more seats. Redistricting happens every 10 years, but it’s only been five years -- the midway mark – which fueled further suspicion, “why now?” President Donald Trump stated that Republicans are “entitled to five more seats” in Texas during a recent interview.
Democrats believe Trump is looking to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats flipped the House at the midpoint and stalled his agenda from advancing through Congress. This time around he wants Republican-led states to redraw their congressional districts to ensure the GOP remains in power in 2026.
Trump influenced or not, by the time this editorial is published, it’s most likely that the state-majority at the Texas legislature and Republican governor would have approved this measure. As of press time, Texas state democrats
(The Good, Bad ....from page 2)
are out of Texas denying the quorum needed to hold a vote on the new map. In the Texas House of Representatives, two-thirds of its 150 members must be present to reach a quorum. But Gov Abbott has vowed to call special sessions repeatedly to address redistricting issues, saying that Democrats will not be able to wait out the push to redraw congressional lines.
Republican majority states like Ohio and Florida have already floated plans to also redraw district lines to favor Republicans. To counter the red usurpation of power, Democrat-majority states have been forced to counter. Democratic leadership in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, and Illinois said they’re ready to redistrict and counter-balance any potential red-state gains through super-gerrymandering.
The huge development is what’s unfolding in California, the congressional delegate rich state with leadership announcing they also plan to respond to Texas’ gerrymandering. The cascade effect could ultimately work against Gov Abbott’s plan to hand over to Trump and congressional Republicans a majority.
California Gov Gavin Newsom indicated that California would redraw its congressional lines to ensure more Democratic representation if Texas tilts its map to the right. Newsom said that California could call a special session to consider these changes. He stressed the need for fairness in the redistricting process as a way to protect democracy.
entrepreneurs, companies, bosses and workers navigate through this new work environment, there will be varying outcomes depending on how much AI is integrated as well as the moral character of their companies’ upper management and CEO.
AI experts say there could come a time when a one-man, two-man entrepreneurial operation with their multiple AI agents could be outputting work equivalent to a traditionally small-to-medium size company making millions of dollars a year.
AI experts also warn that at the extreme end when AI reaches superintelligence and would outperform humans at every cognitive task, there are unknown risks to humanity itself.
Physicist Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant scientists in modern history, said the emergence of artificial intelligence could be the “worst event in the history of our civilization.”
He said, “Success in creating effective
Newsom said, “In response to the existential realities that we’re now facing …. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California. It’s cause and effect, triggered on the basis of what occurs or doesn’t occur in Texas.”
Partisan political redistricting (racial redistricting is illegal) or gerrymandering is not new but this unexpected move by Texas must be met with at least equal representation in blue states.
Democrats would be committing political suicide by not acting and “staying on the high road” –which at this point is a lofty ideal. What Texas is doing is nothing short of a power grab (endorsed by Trump) that could hurt the entire country in terms of damaging the integrity and fairness in our democratic processes.
Democrats point to North Carolina’s sudden redistricting before the last midterm elections that gained three additional Republican congressional seats which could have been the difference between having a House Speaker Mike Johnson or House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, and the difference between Trump getting his Big Beautiful Bill passed or rejected.
Clearly, allowing one side to subvert fairness as in the last midterm must not go unanswered. Reasoning that years-long legal challenges and public pressure over illegal voter suppression are no longer enough to keep up with the GOP’s power trip, Democrats are now saying.
AI, could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst. We just don’t know. So, we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and side-lined, or conceivably destroyed by it.”
Already causes for alarm are deepfakes -- fabricated images, videos or audio recordings designed to appear convincingly real, manipulating reality by replacing faces in videos or altering voices. Deepfakes are increasingly becoming realistic that it’s often difficult to decipher what is real or not. Deepfakes have been used during elections to undermine our democracy. Audio deepfakes are used in fraudulent telemarketing.
The transition into the world of AI will be rough for millions. Baby boomers and Gen X could be more resistant to change. Then there are Gen Z teenagers already making money off AI. We must prepare as best we can. It’s clearly a brave new world.
Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul said New York is prepared to draw up new maps in her state. “All’s fair in love and war. This is a war. We are at war,” she said. “And that’s why the gloves are off, and I say, ‘Bring it on.’ Americans don’t want a system that’s stacked against them. They believe in fairness, it’s fundamental,” she added. Hochul’s office is exploring to disband the independent redistricting commission through a constitutional amendment in response to Texas’ efforts.
It’s a shame that political partisanship has gotten to this state where bipartisan redistricting will most likely be a practice of the past, at least as long as Trump is in office. Some idealists look at the Democrats’ plans to engage in tit-for-tat as a race to the bottom and it will further erode American democracy.
But a better way to look at it is that the Democratic response to Texas’ cheating the system is preserving democracy as long as Democrats will do exactly as Republicans do, no more or no less.
As the political dynamics change, Democrats must consider both defensive strategies and proactive measures to ensure fair elections in the midterms. They must find a right balance to maintain their anti-gerrymandering reforms as what they’ve been doing but at the same time respond to the realities of blatant rigging of a system like what’s playing out in Texas.
By Edwin Quinabo
The AI revolution is here, rapidly transforming the U.S. job market. New jobs, workforce AI integration and upskilling are all underway. ResumeBuilder.com polled 1,000 business leaders who either use or plan to use ChatGPT. It found that nearly half of their companies have implemented the chatbot. And roughly half of them say ChatGPT has already replaced workers at their companies.
“There is a lot of excitement regarding the use of ChatGPT,” ResumeBuilder.com’s chief career advisor Stacie Haller says in a statement. “Since this new technology is just ramping up in the workplace, workers need to surely be thinking of how it may affect the responsibilities of their current job. The results of this survey show that employers are looking to streamline some job responsibilities using ChatGPT.”
ChatGPT is a conversational AI chatbot developed by Open AI. It’s only one AI tool. AI is a broad field that encompasses various applications aimed at creating intelligent machines capable of performing tasks that traditionally require human intelligence. AI technologies analyze data, learn from user behavior, automate tasks.
Some popular uses of AI: digital assistance like Siri, recommendation systems like AI used by Netflix, fraud detection AI algorithms, autonomous vehicles, facial recognition like Apple’s Face ID, language translation like Google Translate, medical diagnosis AI, chatbots, spam filtering, art tools like Midjourney and AI used with automation and robotics.
Geoffrey Hinton, known as the godfather of AI, warned that AI could eventually surpass humans at virtually everything, raising the risk of mass job loss. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs worldwide. At the same time, the World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts that 170 million new jobs could emerge as a result of AI and technological advancements.
Others focus less on AI jobs being lost, but the need for workers to learn new skills. Hadi Partovi, Founder and CEO of Code.org, said during a session on Education Meets AI, “When people think about losses due to AI, the risk isn’t people losing their job to AI. “It’s losing their job to somebody else who knows how to use AI. That is going to be a much greater displacement.”
He elaborated, “It’s not that the worker gets replaced by just a robot or a machine in most cases, especially for desk jobs, it’s that some better educated or more modernly educated worker can do that job because he can be twice as productive or three times as productive.”
Sixty percent will have tasks significantly modified by AI; 39% of key job skills in the U.S. are expected to change by 2030; 66% of all tasks in 2030 will still require human skills or a human-technology combination; and 59% of workers will require upskilling or reskilling by 2030. Twenty million U.S. workers are expected to retrain in new careers or AI use in the next three years. AI and machine learning skills are increasingly fundamental, not just for tech workers but for all professionals. Lifelong learning and upskilling are now a top priority for 75% of U.S. employers.
Where AI is now, how fast is it progressing, what scope will AI have
Nvidia is one of the pioneering companies advancing AI. Jensen Huang, Nvidia CEO, compared AI’s current phase to the mobile explosion. “We are at the iPhone moment of AI,” saying at this moment AI is mainstream, transformative and accelerating.
How fast is it progressing? “The pace of progress in artificial intelligence (I’m not referring to narrow AI) is incredibly fast. Unless you have direct exposure to groups like Deepmind, you have no idea how fast—it is growing at a pace close to exponential,” said Elon Musk, whose company xAI launched Grok-3 AI chatbot.
How transformative will AI be? British-American computer scientist, tech entrepreneur and founder of DeepLearning AI, Andrew Ng, likened AI’s impact to the advent of electricity, “Just as electricity transformed almost everything 100 years ago, today I actually have a hard time thinking of an industry that I don’t think AI will transform in the next several years.”
According to Pew Research Center, 32% of U.S. workers fear their job will be replaced by AI or similar technology by 2025. Statistics show jobs have already been lost to AI. In May 2023, 3,900 U.S. job losses were directly linked to AI, making it the seventh-largest eliminator of jobs that month. Nearly 14% of U.S. workers report having lost their job to a robot or AI-driven automation. Since 2000, automation has resulted in 1.7 million U.S. manufacturing jobs lost.
Marjorie Cadiz, Kapolei, bank teller, has seen automation’s impact on banking over the past two decades. “I’ve seen our bank tellers work force shrink because over time our customers increasingly relied on bank machines. It’s scary to think how AI will affect bank tellers. We have several loan officers, one for mortgages and others for car and personal loans. I suspect AI will make loan compliance of laws and application process easier. I fear that department will also see reduction. Jobs will be lost not just in our industry but so many others. It’s sad.” (continue on page 5)
According to DATATAS, the jobs most vulnerable to AI include: 1. Manufacturing and production workers, 2. Transportation and logistics professionals, 3. Customer service representatives, 4. Data entry and administrative roles, 5.
Hawaii’s
AI is being adopted across various sectors in Hawaii. Yolanda Lau, founding board member, Hawaii Center for AI, participated in a session called “The Future of Work.” She said of the future of AI, “AI will be incorporated into everything and that will accelerate the rate of change. AI will enable computer vision, enable robotics, hopefully solve climate change faster, improve synthetic biology and quantum computing.”
Hawaii Center for AI holds regular workshops as well as an incubator program. Lau said of AI’s opportunities, “AI is creating massive opportunity for anyone. Any one of you can start a business overnight – one that would have probably taken a team of people six months or more to launch, you can do in one weekend. And that’s going to change everything. I frankly wonder if my kids are going to go to college.”
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has launched two new graduate-level programs to prepare students and working professionals for high-demand careers in AI and data science: 1) Graduate Certificate (GCERT) in Applied Computing: Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Track, and 2) Professional Master’s in Computer Science (PMCS) Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Track.
“Our goal is to make computing education more accessible, especially for those who need flexibility to upskill, or may have never seen themselves in this field before,” said De-
Retail salespersons, 6. Financial and accounting professionals, 7. Healthcare professionals, 8. Legal professionals. Telemarketers, credit analysts, interpreters, passenger attendants cashiers and call center agents’ jobs are also at high risk.
partment of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) Chair and Professor Guylaine Poisson. “These programs respond directly to the growing demand for tech-literate professionals in Hawaiʻi and beyond.”
The University of Hawaii also has a research center: The Hawai’i AI Initiative focuses on machine learning and AI technologies, providing opportunities for interdisciplinary research and innovation.
In state government, Ed Sniffen of the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, describes the use of massive amounts of data to improve traffic. “We had to transition from being reactive to being proactive, but we can’t be proactive with all that data, no matter how many people we hire. So, we use AI as a filter, making sure we can get all that data into an AI system where we can consume it and make decisions. We had to train our AI platforms to ensure they helped us act before an incident or accident, to prevent it.”
To students, Sniffen said “they should learn to use AI “because when you come to the workforce, I’m going to expect that you’d be using that tool for us as well.”
Chase Conching, principal and creative director of Library Creative, a Honolulu aio Digital company, participated in a Hawaii Business Magazine discussion on AI. At Library Creative, they’ve been using AI tools, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to kickstart their creative process. Library Creative is a brand and design agency. (
“By automating tasks, we’re able to focus on things that are of higher value to us while building things for our clients. We are helping to build things like customer service chatbots and data projects – first and foremost doing things responsibly, equitably and ethically. That includes things like data privacy for our financial or healthcare clients and making sure we have humans on both ends who double check the responses that these AI language models are producing,” Conching said.
Indeed job recruiters listed in May 2025, 129 AI jobs in Hawaii. Some positions listed were software engineer (AI focus), engagement manager, instructor AI Professional Program, AI engineer, data scientist. Salaries ranged from $68K-160K. Nationally, LinkedIn looked at millions of jobs based on user information from 2022 to 2025 and found the top two jobs were artificial intelligence engineer and artificial intelligence consultation.
TRG
Datacenters ranked AI-related job positions based on their demand and attractiveness, using search interest, job openings and average salaries as key metrics. It found the top 10 hottest AI jobs of 2025.
1. Machine Learning Engineer has the highest average annual salary of $161,800. The position has 16,000 job openings and draws 44,000 monthly searches.
2. Computer Vision Engineer yields an average annual salary of $127,500, it has 2,100 monthly searches. It leads the job market with the
“When people think about losses due to AI, the risk isn’t people losing their job to AI, it’s losing their job to somebody else who knows how to use AI. That is going to be a much greater displacement. It’s not that the worker gets replaced by just a robot or a machine in most cases, especially for desk jobs, it’s that some better educated or more modernly educated worker can do that job because he can be twice as productive or three times as productive.”
– Hadi Partovi Founder and CEO of Code.org
most job openings at 36,000.
3. Robotics Engineer (AI Focus) offers an average annual salary of $119,100. The analysts describe the job as having incredible popularity, with 54,600 monthly searches—more than any other AI role. According to the analysts, this position is vital in building automated systems that power industries like manufacturing and logistics.
4. Deep Learning Specialist has 19,000 job openings and an average salary of $153,000. It has a total of 1,043 monthly searches, this role stands as one of the highest-paying AI positions.
5. Natural Language Processing (NLP Engineer) has 6,000 job openings and a competitive average annual salary of $156,000. Earning a total of 1,400 monthly searches, this position shows strong market demand.
6. AI Research Engineer offers an average annual salary of $122,000 and 2,000 job openings. With only 680 monthly searches, the analysts cite that, although smaller in scale, this role is critical for driving the future of AI, focusing on cutting-edge advancements that shape the industry.
7. Data Scientist (AI Applications) has 10,700 monthly searches. With 5,000 openings and a
$123,100 average annual salary, analysts describe this versatile role as continuing to play a crucial part in helping companies make data-driven decisions across a variety of sectors.
8. Generative AI Engineer has 210 monthly searches. The analysts say it’s a rapidly emerging field. They add that, despite its niche focus, this role commands a strong average annual salary of $150,000 and has 3,000 openings.
9. AI Product Manager falls has 6,900 monthly searches. The analysts evaluate it as having both technical knowledge and strategic vision to bring AI tools to market. It has 1,000 job openings, an average annual salary of $141,000.
Cloud AI Engineer rounds out the top ten with 890 monthly searches, 5,000 openings and an average salary of $128,000.
Cadiz’ concern over AI goes beyond her own potential job loss and possible changes to the banking industry. “I’m also worried about our Filipino community. Many of us work in the service industry as customer service reps, cashiers, sales or in jobs as
By Gary Hooser
We need elected leaders who cannot sleep at night.
Those who lead our government should be individuals who cannot “un-see” the injustice that permeates our so-called modern civilization.
We need servant leaders who toss and turn throughout the night as they think about what they can and must do to make things better.
A palpable urgency of the moment, with the absolute certainty that together we can build a better tomorrow, must dominate the thoughts and actions of those who sit at the top.
We need leadership at all levels who see the people in our community living on sidewalks, under bridges, and in their cars, and the crying, starving,
and dying children of Gaza, every day.
We need policymakers and government administrators who are unable to look away from the degradation of our water, our food, and our oceans and who are totally committed to making our world a better place.
Now. Today. At this very moment.
“After the midterms…”
“During the next regular session…:
“Once the budget allows for it…”
Any language of delay or denial is simply unacceptable.
Imagine if our Governor, our mayors, state legislators, and county council members each stood up and publicly condemned Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for the horrific ongoing killing of 40,000-60,000 Palestinians, with nearly a
(COVER STORY: The AI ....from page 5)
office administrators, accounting clerks for example. These are all projected to be dramatically hit by the AI revolution. I’m also worried about newly graduated college students getting jobs. That’s already a challenge. Reports say many entry-level white-collar jobs typically occupied by fresh graduates will be replaced by AI,” Cadiz said.
Socorro Painter, Livermore, California, retired chemist, also is worried that many people will lose their jobs when AI becomes fully developed. She admits that AI can be efficient. “In my research for my blog, AI sometimes gives a more comprehensive response than the other choices.”
Painter also recognizes the inevitability of AI and that preparation is needed. “We need to train more workers who will be able to work with artificial intelligence. They have to be taught at a younger age so they
third of the dead under the age of 18.
Yes, of course, HAMAS mus
The United States funds this genocide.
The U.S. is the largest provider of weapons and has more troops stationed in more bases, and in more countries, than any other nation on the planet.
Imagine if our government leaders had the courage and resolve to shrink the budget and physical footprint of the U.S. Military, here at home and overseas.
Imagine our local state and county government leaders standing up to ICE… and passing local laws that prohibit law enforcement from hiding behind masks, and requiring due process.
Imagine further if our political leaders made a commitment to not wait until the next election cycle — or the next regular legis-
will be able to deal with the changes going on in the world.”
With billions of dollars being poured into AI development most economists and industry leaders believe there’s no turning back from AI. Google, Meta, Microsoft are only some of the biggest companies investing heavily in AI. Global private AI investment is up reaching a record high of 44.5% growth in 2024 at $252.3 billion. U.S. private AI investment hit $109.1 billion in 2024.
Presidential candidate Andrew Yang first popularized the idea of the need for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) – regular, unconditional cash payments to all citizens similar to COVID-19 stimulus checks, but ongoing – to
lative session — or the next anything
Imagine if they started now and didn’t stop until our community and planet turned the corner.
That’s the leadership we need and deserve, right now.
Anyone presently holding public office who’s unable to make that commitment and/or does not feel in their heart the urgency of the moment must be replaced in 2026 or sooner if there are legal, moral, and ethical methods to do so.
The good news: We, the people, have the power to make this happen.
If we’re asking our political leaders for a total commitment, it’s only right that we offer the same.
This means individual and collective action. It means calling and emailing our political leaders at all levels and demanding they take action NOW.
Of course, those in power will likely tell us, “There’s no money.” Our
deal with the inevitable massive job losses from AI, automation and robotics. At the time, Musk backed Yang’s idea. Musk suggested that providing UBI will be necessary to bridge the gap as traditional jobs become obsolete.
Since then, other leaders have spoken in favor of UBI to enable the flow of money into an economy which could otherwise suffer a meltdown. Altman, CEO of OpenAI, also believes in the necessity of UBI as automation and AI progress. Both Musk and Altman emphasize the importance of financial stability in an AI-dominated world.
A potential change to labor in the future with AI in full swing is the shortening of the work week. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates weighed in on a possible three-day work week, “If you zoom out, the purpose of life is not just to do jobs. So,
response should be “BS.”
We live in a time and place of great abundance. The wealth that surrounds us should go where it is most needed and most deserved — to support our planet and our people.
We must get rid of our own personal excuses as well. To win, we must show up.
We must attend those public hearings. Hold signs at the protest rallies. Submit testimony. Actively support the campaigns of new candidates. Donate money when we can.
Run for election ourselves if we can’t find others to step up.
Dr. King said it best: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
So, let’s do this. Let’s grab hold of that arc and pull it towards justice with everything we’ve got… and then let’s pull some more.
GARY HOOSER is a former Hawaiʻi State Senator and Majority Leader.
if you eventually get a society where you only have to work three days a week or something, that’s probably OK if the machines can make all the food and the stuff and we don’t have to work as hard.”
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase predicts people might work 3 ½ days a week due to advancements in technology. He says AI will eliminate jobs, but it will also enhance productivity and efficiency, potentially improving worklife balance.
Painter says she supports both UBI and a shorter work week. “I can see how workers will be able to work a threeday work week in the future. I think it is fair if workers’ output produces more or about the same in less time.” On UBI, “I will support UBI if that will help keep the flow of the economy. I hope we don’t have to resort to that,” Painter adds.
Cadiz is skeptical about both UBI and a possible shorter work week because of AI. “Look at the people coming up with these scenarios, people pushing AI on us. It looks like propaganda so that Americans will support AI. It sounds nice to have both UBI and to work less days should AI allow for it. But I haven’t seen our market system – our economic culture of incessant profit-grabbing -- to show any such signs of altruism, even if they are beneficial for society. If anything, with AI’s efficiency, employers will be demanding more from workers. If anything, our government should be safeguarding us against the potential dangers and exploitation of AI. We should be looking into new workers’ rights as AI advances. We shouldn’t be so gullible into thinking of all the benefits of AI without the potential harm.
By Atty. Emmanuel S. Tipon
The Philippine Supreme Court unanimously ruled on July 25, 2025 that the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte transmitted by the House of Representatives based upon the fourth impeachment complaint is barred by the one-year rule under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Philippine Constitution. Duterte vs House of Representatives, G.R. No. 278353; Torreon vs House of Representatives, G.R. No. 278359.
There were four impeachment complaints against Duterte.
The first three were filed on December 2, 2024, December 4, 2024, and December 19, 2024. The fourth was filed on February 5, 2025.
The first three impeachment complaints were filed pursuant to Article XI, Section 3(2) of the Philippine Constitution which allows private citizens, upon a resolution or endorsement by any member of the House of Representatives, to file a verified complaint for impeachment against an impeachable officer.
However, the House of Representatives did not act on them nor refer them to the Speaker of the House until February 5, 2025, when the House Secretary transmitted them to House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
On the same day, February 5, 2025, which was the final session of Congress, the members of the House were reportedly summoned to a caucus without being informed of its purpose.
During the caucus, members of the House filed another impeachment complaint against Duterte (fourth impeachment complaint) pursuant to Article XI, Section 3(4) of the Philippine Constitution.
A total of 215 out of 306 members of the House signed the fourth impeachment complaint, which exceeded the constitutional threshold of one-third votes of all members of the House.
At 4:47 p.m. on February 5, 2025, the House Secretary transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate even without a plenary vote. However, no formal action was taken by the Senate.
The Senate adjourned until June 2, 2025.
Senate President Francis Escudero said that the Senate cannot convene as an impeachment court during the congressional recess, as these were transmitted by the House only in the late afternoon of February 5, 2025.
On February 18, 2025, two separate Petitions for Certiorari and Prohibition were filed with the Philippine Supreme Court by Sara Duterte and by a group of lawyers led by Israelito P. Torreon, challenging the constitutionality of the fourth impeachment complaint.
On June 10, 2025, the Senate convened as an impeachment court. It voted to return the impeachment complaint to the House to clarify the lawfulness of how the Articles of Impeachment were constituted.
On June 11, 2025, Vice President Duterte received the Articles of Impeachment and the writ of summons issued by the Senate.
On June 17, 2025, Vice President Duterte filed her Answer, maintaining that the impeachment complaint should be declared void ab initio for violating the one-year ban under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court held that the Constitution grants it the power to determine whether or not there
has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch of government, even of its co-equal branches, pursuant to Article VIII, Section 1, Paragraph 2.
The Court said that there is an actual case or controversy between the parties and that the issues are ripe for the Court’s determination.
The Court said that questions on impeachment proceedings are justiciable, especially when they involve the determination of the metes and bounds of constitutional powers conferred on political bodies or when there is an allegation of violation of fundamental rights.
In taking cognizance of this case, the Court does not assert dominance over its co-equal bodies but merely interprets strict provisions of the Constitution, over which derives all sovereign will.
The Court said that Duterte has clear legal standing because, as the respondent of the impeachment complaint, she will sustain direct injury, that is, removal from office.
The Torreon petition filed by the lawyers also has standing as taxpayers, preventing the waste of public funds if the proceedings continue.
The Court further held that these cases are ripe for judicial determination, and the constitutionality question was raised at the earliest possible opportunity.
The Court also held that there was no violation of the hierarchy doctrine, which bars litigants from bypassing lower courts, be-
cause the case fell within the exceptions, such as that there are genuine issues of constitutionality and of transcendental importance where fundamental constitutional rights are imminently threatened.
The Court concluded that:
First, the due process clause applies to the impeachment process;
Second, all issues involving impeachment are subject to judicial review;
Third, since the 19th Congress terminated, the first three impeachment complaints became unacted upon, and since they were archived, they were effectively terminated and dismissed;
Fourth, there are different modes of initiating the Articles of Impeachment, and the one-year bar is reckoned from the time an impeachment complaint is dismissed or becomes no longer viable;
Fifth, Article XI, Section 3(4) of the Constitution is subject to the due process requirement which require that
(1) the draft Articles of Impeachment should be accompanied by evidence,
(2) the evidence should be sufficient to prove the charges,
(3) the draft of the Articles of impeachment and evidence should be made available to all members of the House,
(4) the respondent should have an opportunity to be heard,
(5) a reasonable period of time must be given to members of the House to reach an independent decision,
(6) the charges must be for impeachable acts or omissions during the current term of the impeachable officer,
(7) to accord the opportunity to be heard requires providing a copy of the articles and evidence to the respondent, and the comment of the respondent must be made available to all members of the House, not only one-third.
The Court concluded that the first three impeachment complaints remained unacted upon and archived by the 19th Congress before its adjournment, and they were effectively dismissed.
The fourth Article of Impeachment is barred by the one-year rule under Article XI, Section 3(5), and is also constitutionally infirm and therefore null and void ab initio.
Therefore, the Senate did not acquire jurisdiction to constitute itself into an impeachment court. New impeachment complaints against the respondent, if any, may only be commenced no earlier than February 6, 2026. The Decision is immediately executory.
SAMONTE TIPON was a Fulbright and Smith-Mundt scholar to Yale Law School where he obtained a Master of Laws degree specializing in Constitutional Law. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines. He placed third in the 1955 bar examinations. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, New York, and the Philippines. He practices federal law, with emphasis on immigration law and appellate federal criminal defense. He was the Dean and a Professor of Law of the College of Law, Northwestern University, Philippines. He has written law books and legal articles for the world’s most prestigious legal publisher and writes columns for newspapers. He wrote the annotations and case notes to the Immigration and Nationality Act published by The Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co. and Bancroft Whitney Co. He wrote the best-seller “Winning by Knowing Your Election Laws.” Listen to The Tipon Report which he co-hosts with his son Attorney Emmanuel “Noel” Tipon. They talk about immigration law, criminal law, court-martial defense, politics, and current events. It is considered the most witty, interesting, and useful radio show in Hawaii. KNDI 1270 AM band every Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Atty. Tipon was born in Laoag City, Philippines. Cell Phone (808) 225-2645. E-Mail: filamlaw@yahoo.com. Website: https://www.tiponimmigrationguide.com.
By Will Espero
The Trump train continues. It’s a wild and crazy ride as Trump and the Congressional Republicans provide billions of dollars to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to go after undocumented migrants and immigrants.
It’s as if Trump is at war with brown skinned immigrants. This is so wrong and unacceptable.
ICE was supposed to target criminals from other countries or people who committed crimes in the USA. Unfortunately, reality has shown Trump going after students, parents, green card holders, people with temporary status, and other law-abiding immigrants or workers who have no criminal record.
The insanity is hurting our economy and hurting American businesses. All the news clips and social media posts I see are filled with brown families being abused by ICE.
The majority of workers I’ve noticed are people of color. Families are being torn apart, and breadwinners are being detained and/or deported because of Trump’s impractical war against immigrants.
Many see ICE like the
Gestapo in Nazi Germany during WWII. Their lack of compassion and thuglike tactics have triggered communities to respond against ICE, and it’s been great to see neighbors and friends protecting their loved ones from Trump’s thuggery.
A network of advocates, protestors, and community protectors has formed, and this unity across the nation must remain strong and be proactive to counter Trump’s bad policies and madness. Power to the people. Brown lives matter.
But what about white immigrants or caucasians who might be breaking the law?
They could be Russians, Irish, British, South Africans, or Germans for all we know. None seems to be garnering the attention that Hispanics and Latinos are experiencing.
My point is that it appears like an inflated budget for ICE gives Trump his thugs with guns to intimidate people and cause trouble in blue states or sanctuary cities.
One of the biggest areas affected is agriculture, as we all know. If one buys food at the grocery store, one will see price increases because of Trump’s policies.
Fruits and vegetables are not being picked due to no workers. Agricultural workers are staying away
from the fields because of ICE. News reports show fruits and vegetables rotting on the vine because no one is available for harvest, so the price of food goes up. All due to Trump.
Donald Trump’s failed tariff war is also to blame for higher prices. Higher tariffs mean we consumers will pay more. It’s that simple, and we have Trump to thank for less buying power.
Trump thinks he’s hurting other countries, but he’s actually sinking our own economy and making life worse for many Americans.
Candidate Trump said he would lower inflation, but that hasn’t happened; a broken campaign promise. It seems like he’s working to put more money in his family’s pockets versus helping working-class families.
Trump cryptocurrency, membership fees for Trump clubs, Trump coins, Trump watches, stock market shenanigans, and events at Trump properties
are some of the ways the Trump family has profited.
In the meantime, inflation and high housing costs hurt low-income and blue-collar families as the Trump machine prospers. It’s disgusting. The appearance of conflicts of interest and corruption is nauseating.
Some countries and allies are negotiating without the USA and working on their own trade deals.
Trump has alienated so many people and countries, and they are avoiding Trump and the USA as much as possible. It’s a sad state of affairs created by Trump, and our country is no longer the beacon of hope and opportunity.
Tourism to the United States is down because of Trump, and some are calling for the World Cup soccer tournament this year in the USA to be moved to Canada because of Trump’s policy on immigration. So much concern and uncertainty brought about by Trump.
On another note, the Epstein files must be released by the Trump administration as soon as possible. Candidate Trump campaigned on releasing the Epstein files, and the MAGA base supported and still supports the idea.
Trump, however, appears to be doing whatever he can to delay the release of the Epstein files or only release certain information
and files.
This is also unacceptable because Trump is protecting pedophiles, people who abuse children. The public wants to know the truth, and if individuals are identified publicly, so be it. We have a right to know who these perverts and molesters are.
Jeffrey Epstein, Trump’s very good friend at one point, supposedly committed suicide. His girlfriend and co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, is in prison for their sexual crimes and her involvement.
Circumstances around Epstein and the files are certainly controversial and contentious, and the desire for the truth has publicly exploded.
People in the Epstein files should be afraid, and the individuals who participated in these crimes against children should be exposed. Republicans or Democrats. Wealthy or not. Men or women. Celebrities or regular folks.
The world community wants to know, and Donald Trump and his team are the only obstacles to the truth. Is the Trump presidency at stake? Only time will tell.
WILL ESPERO retired from the Hawaii legislature after serving 19 years in the state House of Representatives and State Senate. He is currently a novelist, poet, and supporter of the arts. Lingering Thoughts provides a glimpse of his perspective on current events and issues
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and 17 of her Senate colleagues introduced legislation that would require employers, upon the request of the employee, to provide at least two hours of paid leave in order to vote in federal elections.
The allotted time is to be used to vote at a polling place, return a mail-in ballot, or take time for other
voting-related activities.
Over 154 million people voted in the 2024 presidential election, but that number only made up 65% of the registered voting-age Americans. Research shows that many eligible voters still fail to exercise their right to vote because of the inability to request time off from work.
The Time Off to Vote Act directly addresses this
issue by providing eligible voters with allotted paid time off from work to go out and vote.
“Voting is a fundamental right and every eligible voter in this country deserves to be able to participate in our democracy,” said Senator Hirono.
“As we continue working to protect voting rights, this legislation will help to expand voter participation,
particularly in underrepresented communities. I’m proud to lead my colleagues in introducing the Time Off to Vote Act, to empower eligible voters and ensure they can make their voices heard.”
This legislation is co-sponsored in the Senate by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gal-
lego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (DOR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“There is nothing more fundamental or essential to our democracy than the right to vote. No one should
By Emil Guillermo
Ijust finished a run of my comic monologues in Canada, and I just had my August 15 show at the Edmonton Fringe.
A few weeks ago, when I came back to California for a few days, it was the moment of truth. Would I be hassled at the border? Would I be let back into the US?
I was in customs at the airport in Vancouver, and an officer, an Asian woman, asked me for my passport.
She saw I was born in the US and a beneficiary of birthright citizenship because of the 14th Amendment. It took all of two seconds.
“Thank you,” she said, handing me back my passport and my faith in the Constitution and Rule of Law.
And that was that.
I actually feared an encounter at the next stop, SFO, but once the plane landed, there was nothing left to do.
I asked the airline officials at the gate. “Yeah, we have a reciprocal agreement with Canada,” the official said. “You entered the US in Vancouver.”
I was overcome by a sense of relief.
Anyone traveling to a foreign country and back this summer has this fear. And it’s all because of the capricious way our laws are honored or dishonored.
Ask Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Deported wrongly to a Salvadoran prison by the US, which tried to cover up that fact. Trump’s Justice Department official, Emil Bove, the man behind the cover-up, has now been rewarded with a seat on the second-highest court in the land.
I’m trying to get Bove kicked out of the Emil club. Recently at SFO, there was news of a Korean American held by ICE after returning from a wedding in South Korea.
You’ll recall it was Wong Kim Ark in 1898, a Chinese American from San Francisco, returning from China, and refused re-entry. But the law was on his side. He won. It was that case that reinforced the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship.
And now here we are, 154 years later, fearing that this law that has withstood the test of time will no longer protect our free travel.
This is the high anxiety of living in these Trump times.
It’s irrational because the nation’s leader is irrational and likely to go after people on a whim. And with Congress and SCOTUS beholden to him, there is nothing he can’t do to anyone in the US.
He’s redefining everything.
Trump has transformed the swamp into the Trump Crud – our cruel and unusual democracy.
It brings about this sense of fear that we never had to think about. Now we have to carry our proof of citizenship, our passport, at all times.
A lawyer friend of mine told me a week ago he had no problem re-entering America from Canada. But, as he put it, “That’s because I look Amer-i-KUHN.”
He’s white. Beyond suspicion, unlike those of us who aren’t white and possibly faking it?
That’s the state of our democracy today. It’s America on ICE.
It’s the reason we have to fight for it.
‘South Park’ is our savior
Canada, where I’m doing my one-man show on how I deal with the current state of America, was a great experience. Especially Winnipeg, where the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) has Jim Agapito doing a nationwide show on Filipino Canadians. In Winnipeg, Filipinos
are the main anchors on CBC radio, and Marjorie Dowhos hosted me on her noon program.
Filipino Canadians came to my fringe show, including Ryle Mutya, who saw the show, liked it enough to invite her parents, a set of Filipinos who come with unique names and nicknames.
Jezreel, the dad is “Boyet.” From Batangas. Mom is Delvie, who goes by “Day,” from Manila. Both are in their early 60s, and were a delight to meet.
What separated these Filipino Canadians from Filipino Americans I know? Timing.
That’s it. Like comedy. It’s all about timing.
Most Winnipeg Filipinos (the Winnipinos, I call them, or the Fillipeggers, which do you prefer?) came to work in Canada’s garment industry. A few were nurses.
They were all so different compared to my dad, who came to America in the 1920s. Most Fil Canadians arrived in the 1980s and 2000s.
But they picked a place where the winters can get to -45 degrees F with wind chill.
Sounds cold enough to be anti-Filipino. But it’s not. Ninety-one thousand Filipinos are in Winnipeg, the most by percentage in Canada. The place is a magnet for Filipinos.
And they laughed at all my jokes.
One audience member asked me if I saw the new “South Park?” And at the time, I didn’t.
But it may be the milestone in the first year of this
second term that allows people to speak about, as well as laugh at, the truth.
It was in 2018 when a New York Times op-ed written by a one-time satirist said that’s it, now was not the time for Trump jokes. That essay set the tone for a new era of earnestness in how to deal with Trump.
It’s been a failure.
”South Park” and its season 27 debut have turned it around with a satirical onslaught that cuts down Trump to size and will make you laugh out loud.
It’s that salaciously on target.
Now, why were Stephen Colbert and “South Park,” both part of the Paramount+ family, treated so differently?
”South Park” gets to display a nude AI image of Trump and show the Emperor really has no clothes.
Meanwhile, Colbert is canned as part of a $16 million deal that Paramount+ made to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump. It also greased the way for a merger between Paramount+ and Skydance.
The sacrifice of Colbert was that little something extra to show allegiance to Trump and get the merger done.
You can call it a payoff. Some may say it’s a bribe. Ethics is in the eye of the beholder.
Trump has none.
So, Colbert, who is real and was said to have cost Paramount+ money, gets dumped.
‘South Park” is a cartoon. And Paramount+ just paid $1.5 billion to its creators for rights to the show.
Too bad for Colbert. He may have been too human to protect.
Was “South Park” considered art, and therefore ok? I think that $1.5 billion investment had something to do with it, too. You protect the assets. Colbert was considered expendable.
Not good for Colbert,
but he’ll be back, I trust. He’s kind and moral---and deserved better.
In the meantime, the “South Park” Trump takedown in season 27 will continue, and if that first episode is any indication, democracy and free speech have rediscovered their mojo.
People who fight autocrats know this is the key –ribald attacks, the more salacious the better, get their goats. Can you get more salacious than Trump in bed with Satan? Talk about dealing with the devil. This was classic satire and will encourage more.
The 2018 “no time for Trump humor” NY Times op-ed was wrong.
We have to laugh at this stuff now. “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone may have helped liberate us from the chaotic chains of Trump.
As a stage performer, whose next show is at the Edmonton Fringe starting Aug. 15, I’m fired up, because this, I believe.
By laughing at Trump, we’ll overcome where we’re at and find our way back to the freedoms that make us love America.
You laugh at the truth, speak out about it, and take action.
That’s the effect of good satire. “South Park” is a milestone of freedom. The second episode of season 27 on Comedy Central is almost as good. It goes after ICE and HHS leader Kristi Noem, who gets exposed for being the dog-killing, Trump Cabinet official who thinks she’s a Spice Girl.
With Trump, there’s no shortage of material.
Take note. Satire and freedom of speech are making a comeback. “South Park” helps us deal with the sad truth of the current state of America. May the laughter wake us up to stop our slide into authoritarianism.
EMIL GUILLERMO is a journalist and commentator. His talk show is on www.amok. com.
By Elpidio R. Estioko
In a casual yet memorable conversation a few weeks ago, my friend Augusto “Don” Orozco, Information Officer of the Church of Christ, told me that Guam officials recognized their church’s role in community development in the island communities, leading to a proclamation recognizing the Church’s commitment and its positive contributions to the residents.
Declared as a COVID Hero in 2020 at the height of the epidemic that struck the island of Hawaii, the proclamation coincided with the Church’s 111th anniversary, Orozco explained.
So, in celebration of the 111th anniversary of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ), government officials of Guam formally declared July 27, 2025, as Iglesia Ni Cristo Day.
The Ufisinan I Maga’haga (Office of the Governor) proclaimed it on July 18, 2025, Orozco mentioned.
Guam Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero signed the official proclamation (Proclamation No. 2025-71) recognizing the
Iglesia Ni Cristo’s ongoing outreach programs and positive contribution to the island communities.
Cognizant of the Church’s role, Governor Guerrero said:
“We are very appreciative of the commitment of your Church. We certainly welcome the friendship and the relationship of the church in our community. Because these missions improve our families’ lives and make Guam a better place to live.”
In behalf of the Church, Brother Joven Sepillo, Jr., Supervising Minister of the Church’s Ecclesiastical District of Micronesia, and fellow ministers of the Church witnessed the signing. Lieutenant Governor Joshua Franquez “Francis” Tenorio was also present during the occasion.
Brother Joven, speaking for the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), expressed his sincere gratitude for the proclamation.
to adhere to social distancing guidelines by migrating services online and distributing educational materials to keep them home for now until we can return to places of worship.”
Since news of the pandemic first broke out and regulations were set by the government, Governor Guerrero said:
“The Church of Christ remains committed being a positive influence to our community, and not only by teaching our fellow members in the Christ to be good, but most importantly to teach them to be God-fearing and to be responsible contributors to the growth and the progress of our communities here in the island of Hawaii,” he said.
With the proclamation, INC renewed its continued role of reaching out to islanders and serving them the best they can.
Orozco, who sent me the release, said:
“The Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) is a Christian religion in more than 165 countries and territories. It is composed of members from more than 150 different ethnicities and nationalities.”
The INC in Guam is under the jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical District of Micronesia under the supervision of Brother Joven Sepillo, Jr.
In 2020, during the height of COVID-19, Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, during her daily COVID-19 press briefing on April 17, announced that INC was a COVID Hero. She said:
“For today’s COVID Hero, I want to acknowledge the Iglesia Ni Cristo Church. Earlier this month, after contact tracing, Public Health officials identified and named Iglesia Ni Cristo church for a cluster among its faithful. Despite being identified as a cluster site for the virus, Iglesia Ni Cristo Church stepped up and worked in tandem with Public Health to identify close contacts, get them tested, and contain the spread. The Iglesia Ni Cristo continues
health concerns, mostly of its ministers and members, but also helps in mobilizing volunteers for the Church’s medical missions.
Together with the Social Services Office, it conducts free medical-dental missions, blood donations drive, health seminars, and other related campaigns.
“…the Church of Christ has complied immediately and cooperated with all government actions… immediately, INC mobilized its officers in the Church to inform the brethren that they need to follow.”
This response has been consistent across the nations of the Pacific islands. After the recent discovery of Covid-19 positive cases among Church members, Northern Mariana Islands’ Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation CEO Esther L. Muna in Saipan stated in a report with KUAM: INC remains cooperative with the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services as well as the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation regarding any information they require to ensure the health of its members and all citizens.
I concur with Orozco saying that the said proclamation solidifies INC’s continuing role in serving the communities in the island and will serve as a reminder for INC to continue helping the communities in the island of Guam and neighboring communities.
Concerned with the welfare not only of its members but also of society in general, the INC undertakes programs and projects in its various fields of endeavor, which are guided by and at the same time promote Christian values.
The Care for Humanity (Lingap sa Mamamayan) outreach program has provided immediate assistance to multitudes of people, from calamity victims to indigents and indigenous peoples, and all others who are in need.
More importantly, Orozco interjected, the New Era Hospital in the Philippines not only caters to the
Also, the New Era University offers basic to post-graduate programs in its various campuses throughout the Philippines. It also promotes the Alternative Learning Systems program for out-of-school youths, and offers a free Summer Pre-Kindergarten Program.
Another interesting aspect of INC is that resettlement communities commonly consist of housing units, livelihood sites, and a house of worship.
The first one, Barrio Maligaya in Laur, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, was developed to provide refuge for victims of religious persecution. Barangay Bagong Buhay, in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, was established for displaced survivors of the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991. Sitio New Era in Barangay Langit, Alangalang, Leyte was established for the benefit of the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda).
Proper and safe shelters are provided for the Church’s volunteer workers, and even to their widows and children. Some of these are the housing projects in the vicinity of the Church’s Central Office in Quezon City; in Rodriguez, Rizal; Dasmariñas, Cavite; and Tagaytay City, Cavite. INC is definitely at the helm of the community where they serve. They can’t ignore helping because they belong to the community, a continuing commitment they have been giving to their constituents and their neighbors.
Maraming salamat INC! Mabuhay!
ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and a multi-awarded journalist here in the US. For feedbacks, comments… please email the author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com
By Seneca Moraleda-Puguan
Hello there, Philippines!
As soon as we stepped out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, we were greeted by the familiar chaos: traffic, the humid air, and the endless buzz of Manila streets.
It’s the same scene every time we come home for vacation. It usually feels exciting. But this time, it felt... different.
The heat, the traffic, the unpredictability. They’re not just temporary nuisances anymore. This isn’t a short visit.
This time, we’re staying. For how long, we don’t know yet - but it will be at least half a year.
After living in South Korea for more than a decade and then spending nearly two years in Switzerland, we had gotten used to the convenience, safety, and orderliness of life in two first-world countries.
Now, we’re back to the kind of life my husband and I once knew as children - and for the first time, our
children are experiencing it, too.
Callie and Yohan, who are used to punctual trains and buses, now find themselves hailing tricycles and jeepneys at the roadside.
They’re adjusting from the cool winters and crisp air to the sticky, humid heat that soaks them in sweat.
My son Yohan’s prayer one night made me smile and pause. He prayed, “Jesus, as we sleep tonight, please protect us from ants, mosquitoes, spiders, lizards, rats and monsters.”
Yes, our children have become more cautious of bugs and critters: things they didn’t get to encounter much in Switzerland (except for ticks and silverfish).
We’ve had to get used to the traffic jams, the unpredictability of service, and long waits, especially at the bank. In fact, when we tried to open a local bank account, we waited for over three hours. It was frustrating.
And crossing the streets in Manila (even in Nueva
Vizcaya) feels like navigating a war zone.
On our way back to the hotel after visiting the Mall of Asia, we were about to cross at a pedestrian lane when a jeepney suddenly turned left, almost hitting my daughter, so I had to scream.
Just a few days after arriving, we already had a scary experience.
In Switzerland, cars slow down at every crosswalk where children feel safe and parents feel secure. There, pedestrians are a priority. Here in the Philippines, jeepneys, buses, and tricycles rule the road. We had to teach this to our children.
To say it’s been a major adjustment is an under-
statement.
There were days I found myself ranting, complaining, and even asking God why He brought us back.
But I knew I had to make a decision: either stay bitter or let go of the frustrations, because we want to enjoy this time in the country.
Coming from Switzerland, one of the most expensive countries in the world, we were pleasantly amazed by the affordability here. Dining out with the whole family in the Philippines costs about the same as one meal for one person in Switzerland.
We’re able to buy things we previously had to deny ourselves, and it feels good to say “yes” to our kids more often. They’re thrilled by all the new sights and experiences, and by simply being surrounded by more “yeses.”
Coming home has been bittersweet.
We love being with family and friends, savoring the food, and enjoying the lower cost of living, but we also miss the structure,
the cool weather, and the convenience of Swiss life.
This season is full of uncertainty. We still feel foreign in our own land. But we believe this chapter is meaningful. It’s a chance to show our children their roots, to help them appreciate the life they had, and to grow in empathy.
They’re seeing beggars in the streets. They’re hearing real stories from Grab drivers about daily struggles. We hope these experiences shape their hearts to be generous, compassionate, and grounded.
We look forward to going back to Europe. But for now, we choose to be fully here: to let our children experience Filipino culture and be surrounded by family and friends, and to deepen our love for our country, despite our frustrations and disappointments with the system.
We will choose to enjoy this new season and make the most of it.
Pilipinas, kumusta ka? Ang tagal nating ‘di nagkita. Tara! Gumawa tayo ng mga magagandang alaala.
By Lance Abut
On the eve of the two-year mark since the 2023 fires, the Lahaina Filipino Fire Survivors Association (LFFSA) and supporters called on the County of Maui to be accountable to the communities that keep its economy running.
Organizers say that two years later, working families in Lahaina remain forgotten in the recovery. People are juggling multiple jobs, paying upwards of $3,000 a month for rent, and living in crowded hotel rooms
when all they want is to return to their homes.
LFFSA Steering Committee member and bank worker, Chamille Serrano, tearfully recalled the tragedy that happened almost two years ago.
“My grandson was two months old the day of the fire. We were homeless for three months after the fire…When we did finally get housing, it was a two-hour drive to come to Kahana and two hours to go home, so we never saw the sun,” she said.
While the County of Maui has outlined pro-
grams for homeowners, community organizations maintain that rental assistance is still a major need.
“It’s hard for me to pay $1,200 a month in rent with all of my other bills,” shared LFFSA Member and retired County worker, Alfred
Dasugo. “I’m still looking for help in paying my rent. I’m waiting and waiting.”
LFFSA and community advocates pointed to other disaster-impacted areas like New Jersey and Texas to show that the County can still adjust its
CDBG-DR Action Plan to meet the actual needs of Lahaina’s fire survivors, and encouraged stakeholders to make an earnest effort to hear out the concerns of community members.
In addition to demanding rental assistance, the LFFSA is calling for a Community Advisory Board, a clear process for updating the Action Plan with public input, and transparent information about recovery programs for renters & homeowners before FEMA assistance ends in February 2026.
By Rose Cruz Churma
August is the Philippines’ Buwan ng Wika. It is imperative to assess the impact of Philippine languages in the Filipino Diaspora, especially in the context of Hawaii.
Not so long ago, the Hawaii public library system’s children’s librarian inquired about children’s literature from the Philippines.
Some library patrons with young children wanted picture books for their preschoolers written in the children’s native language, or the language of their ancestors who came from the Philippines.
“What language would that be?” I asked. She looked at me blankly. “What do you mean, are there several languages we’re dealing with here?” she asked, a bit bewildered.
I explained that most of the bilingual children’s literature that is in the KB&T inventory is in Tagalog/Filipino and English.
The designated national language of the Philippines is Filipino, which is based on the Tagalog language; hence, I use both terms to describe it. Most of the books available for purchase use Tagalog/Filipino.
However, there are young parents of Ilokano ancestry who prefer to familiarize their children with the language of their grandparents, in Ilokano.
The majority of Filipinos who migrated to Hawai’i are from the Ilocos region. Procuring the books in the preferred language of the patrons is crucial if their intent is for their children to retain their culture and maintain ties with their extended families.
Aside from Tagalog and Ilokano, another Philippine language spoken here in Hawai’i is Cebuano, one of the languages from the Visayas—a cluster of islands in central Philippines.
Filipino/Tagalog and Ilokano are offered as college courses at the University of Hawaii system, but not Cebuano. However, informal classes in this Visayan language are offered at the United Visayan Hall located in Waipahu.
Two bilingual books in Cebuano and English are available for purchase via Amazon: Ang Pasko sa Balay ni Lola Sepha (Christmas in the House of Grandma Sepha) and Ang Kabakhawan Gabantay sa Atong Banay (The Mangroves Protect Our Homes), written by Eva Rose B. Washburn-Repollo, a professor of communications at Chaminade University of Honolulu.
Ang Pasko sa Balay ni Lola Sepha (Christmas in
the House of Grandma Sepha) is subtitled as a “Visayan Counting Book” since the thrust is to familiarize children with the Cebuano numbers, from one to ten.
The book is in the form of a letter to Madi, who lives outside the country, from her two cousins, JoPearl and Fil, who live with their Lola Sepha.
Ang Kabakhawan Gabantay sa Atong Banay (The Mangroves Protect Our Homes) promotes the preservation of the oceans for future generations.
The book describes how mangroves protect the islands they surround from strong winds and big waves.
The author, who was born and raised on the island of Negros in the Philippines, encourages environmental conservation efforts by protecting the hundreds of hectares of mangroves surrounding the islands.
Dr. Eva Rose B. Washburn-Repollo, the author of both books, is a professor at Chaminade University of Honolulu, where she teaches intercultural communication.
She is the director of the Cebuano Language and Culture Program under the Fulbright-Hays Grant of 2022.
In that capacity she produced the book Pamalandong (meditations) which was a compilation of Cebuano-English creative lesson plans designed for grade K to 12 classroom standards. These publications focus on immigrant and multilingual issues dedicated to amplifying diverse voices.
Both books were illustrated by Ionone Bangcas, a self-described free spirit and multi-disciplinary artist who runs his own video production outfit, SPI-Media Works, producing and directing commercials for broadcast television.
Animation is his other passion, so he and a friend set up BouncingBall, Inc., a 2D animation studio based in Cebu City, Philippines. He currently maintains a private music studio in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental.
The books are available for purchase at Amazon. com. Children’s bilingual books in other Philippine
languages (Tagalog & Ilokano), combined with their English translations, are also available via this online bookstore.
It would be wonderful to have bilingual books authored by local writers and illustrators represented in our public library system.
However, the public library system has a very limited budget for books available on Amazon.com, or other small independent book distributors, preferring to source their book purchases from a large book distribution company on the US Continent who can select, annotate, and catalog books for all branches at lower costs.
The centralized sourcing is an efficient way of acquiring books, however, this implies that the branches have similar demographics, that book patrons in one have similar book reading needs as the other, which we all know is not the case.
But as shown by the children’s librarian mentioned earlier, who was responsive to the needs of the system’s patrons, the only way to have the representation of our languages is to speak up and request access to these books.
ROSE CRUZ CHURMA established Kalamansi Books & Things three decades ago. It has evolved from a mail-order bookstore into an online advocacy with the intent of helping global Pinoys discover their heritage by promoting books of value from the Philippines and those written by Filipinos in the Diaspora. We can be reached at kalamansibooks@gmail.com.
The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, together with the Filipino Community Center and the Knights of Rizal, staged a successful final round of Palarong Pinoy 2025 last July 26 at the Consulate grounds.
Six teams competed in five traditional games – sipa, patintero, tumbang preso, dama, and sungka.
These teams qualified for the finals after placing in the top ranks during the preliminary round of Palaro at the Filipino Community Center last June 29. Approximately 100 attendees, including families, friends, enthusiastic supporters, event volunteers, first aid providers, and community members, gathered for the palaro.
The Brigham Young University (BYU) Team and Solesisters Team 1 faced off in a final match of patintero to determine the champion.
The BYU Team emerged victorious and was declared the Palarong Pinoy 2025 Champion.
In his remarks, Consul General Arman R. Talbo expressed his gratitude to the organizers, participants, and supporters
who made time to join the friendly competition.
Palarong Pinoy brought out the community spirit of Filipinos in Hawaii, and underscored the value of working together in pursuit of our common goals.
The event was made possible with the support of the community partners including the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Hawaiʻi, O’ahu Filipino Commu-
nity Council, Congress of Visayan Organizations, Ramar Foods, Visionary Views LLC, East West Marketing, Philippine Celebrations Coordinating Committee of Hawaiʻi, the United Filipino Council of Hawaiʻi, Philippine Nurses Association of Hawaii, Hawaiʻi Heart Associates, GMA Pinoy TV, Ms. Novie Flores, Linglingay Dance Troupe, and Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy.
By Keli‘i Akina
Ask anyone about trying to get a government permit in Hawaii, and it will seem like delays are about as certain as scoring a sunny day at the beach.
This year, the state Legislature actually did something about that. And thanks in part to community pressure for change, the governor signed two key bills into law that could help fix this situation.
First, there’s SB66, which could wind up being one of the most important bills approved in 2025.
Scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026, this permitting “shot clock” bill directs the counties to implement a process by which permit applicants seeking to build a house can become eligible to receive an expedited permit
if the county doesn’t render a decision within 60 days.
Under the expedited process, such applicants who have submitted a complete application — including necessary historical or environmental paperwork — will be able to obtain certification from a qualified architect or engineer and then begin construction after a five-day verification period.
Compared to our current state of affairs, that new procedure could feel like sorcery.
But after all the work the Legislature put into passing this bill, such a welcome change was almost not to be.
Before Gov. Josh Green ultimately signed it, he alarmingly announced his intent to veto it, expressing concern that it
could shortcut necessary historic review.
Thankfully, hundreds of community members reached out to him in support of the measure, calling attention to the fact that existing statutory protections for historic properties would remain in place, and ultimately, he did sign it.
Speaking of historic properties, the Legislature also passed SB15, which is another bill that Gov. Green had said he was going to veto, but then later signed.
Effective immediately, SB15 has added to the state’s definition of “historic property” that a structure must “meet the criteria for being entered into the
Hawaii register of historic places” in addition to being at least 50 years old.
Previously, the law simply read that all properties at least 50 years old were required to go through historic review to obtain a permit, with limited exceptions.
Perhaps more important than narrowing the definition of “historic property,” the bill excludes from review by the State Historic Preservation Division areas that are known to have a “low density of historic, cultural or archaeological resources” or that have already had substantial excavation without discovering historic properties.
Together, SB66 and SB15 have great potential to reduce permitting delays for homebuilding across the state.
In Honolulu alone, the average wait time to receive a permit from the Department of Planning and Permitting during the
first quarter of this year was 465 days, not counting same-day permits, which generally apply to solar panels and other low-risk work.
That means someone hoping to build a new home could spend more than a year paying for temporary lodging while watching the cost of materials and labor gradually increase.
So, assuming these bills are properly implemented, the passage of SB66 and SB15 represents a huge win for bringing down costs and speeding up construction to help to grow Hawaii’s housing stock.
But still more could be done to reform Hawaii’s morass of regulations that have stunted homebuilding for decades. Let’s hope next year’s Legislature continues to prioritize housing reform.
KELI‘I AKINA is president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
Filipino literature is about to make its grandest entrance yet on the global stage.
The Philippines is set to become the Guest of Honor at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest and most influential publishing event in the world.
“Books are not merely tools for learning; they are vessels of memory, imagination, and identity. They document our stories, express our values, and create a bridge between generations and across geographies,” Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Secretary Dante “Klink” Ang II said in an episode of The Chairman’s Report.
Charisse Aquino-Tugade of the National Book Development Board (NBDB) explained the significance of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest and most prestigious trade fair for
books and intellectual property rights.
“In the Frankfurt Book Fair, it’s quite different. It’s a rights-selling fair, meaning different authors and publishers from different countries bring their products to the marketplace... and they sell the rights to different territories,” Aquino-Tugade said.
Highlighting the gravity of the country’s participation, Aquino-Tugade shared:
“After Indonesia, about 10 years ago, was Guest of Honor, we would only be the second Southeast Asian country to be bestowed this great honor... We’re never front and center. And now is really the time we’re given the opportunity where there will be more space for us and our narratives in the different languages that we speak.”
The Philippine pa-
vilion will span 2,000 square meters, showcasing a beautiful exhibition of the greatness of the Filipinos through literature and culture. According to Aquino-Tugade, the delegation will include more than 120 creatives, authors, illustrators, and editors, plus 50 publishing houses.
Key collaborators include the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, which will lead the cultural programming, while NBDB will take charge of literary curation.
“We, as the Philippine government, hold that space and we invite everyone to take part in sharing their voice, their unique voice,” Aquino-Tugade affirmed.
Beyond Frankfurt, Aquino-Tugade also gave insight into the growing national impact of the Book Nook, an NBDB-initiated community-based reading program.
anywhere... So we wanted to create spaces that were easy for people to enter... Book Nooks are spaces filled with Filipino-authored books. And it could be any space... where we fill it up with Filipino-authored books,” Aquino-Tugade shared.
These spaces double as cultural hubs.
“We teach art, we teach mommies how to read, we teach children everything, acting, so that they can just get into the space and be comfortable... and pick up a book as well,” she added.
Tugade shared that the project now includes about 1,200 titles, which are regionally tailored to reflect local languages and cultures.
“By next year, I think we’re putting another 20 up. So by 2028, we’re looking at about 160, 170 Book Nooks,” she noted.
The impact is also felt globally, with Book Nooks already established in Korea and Michigan.
“We realized that there are not enough Filipino books
“We, of course, have a diaspora because there are so many Filipinos; one in six of our population lives and works abroad. So you want to be able to cater to them as well.”
Secretary Ang, recog-
(MAINLAND NEWS: Hirono ....from page 8)
have to choose between their paycheck or their vote, which is why this legislation removes barriers preventing people from casting their vote,” said Senator Blumenthal.
“The Time Off to Vote Act makes voting more accessible and empowers Americans to exercise their right to participate in our democratic processes and make their voices heard.”
The Time Off to Vote Act is endorsed by several organizations, such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) and Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote).
“We are glad to see the reintroduction of the Time Off to Vote Act. Taking time off to vote shouldn’t be a privilege; it should be a guaranteed right. This is especially important for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities, who are becoming the fastest-growing electorate in the
nizing the potential of the program to serve Filipino communities overseas, raised the possibility of collaboration between the NBDB and the CFO’s network of 34 Philippine Schools Overseas.
He expressed his support by offering to facilitate partnerships, stating the CFO’s ongoing efforts to bridge the diaspora with programs that promote Filipino identity and culture abroad.
This strategic partnership could further strengthen the NBDB’s goals, which Aquino-Tugade emphasized:
“So the communities, actually, once you set up a Book Nook, kids are not only reading, and families are not only reading, but they’re also taking part in the creation, where they start creating their own stories. And that’s what we want, for people to start creating their own, in their own voice.”
With the global spotlight shining on Philippine literature in Frankfurt and cultural access expanding across local and international communities through the Book Nook initiative, the NBDB and CFO reaffirm their shared commitment to uplifting Filipino stories, wherever they are read, written, or imagined.
country,” said AAJC president and executive director John C. Yang.
“Guaranteeing paid time off is a critical step toward ensuring no one is forced to choose between their paychecks and their right to vote. This legislation helps to empower all Americans to fully participate in our democracy and strengthens the political voice of communities that have been marginalized for far too long.”
Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been a long-time champion of voting rights legislation and protections. Last Congress, she joined her colleagues on National Voter Registration Day in introducing a resolution recognizing September as “National Voting Rights Month.”
The full text of the Time Off to Vote Act is available here: https:// www.hirono.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2025_time_off_to_vote_ act.pdf.
LET’S ZUMBA | FilCom Center | Consuelo Courtyart, FilCom Center, 94428 Mokuola St, Waipahu | Every Monday at 6:15pm | Need to unwind in movement and dance after a long workday? Join the community as we Zumba through the evening. For more information, visit https://filcom.org/ communityprograms.
BALLROOM DANCE LESSONS | FilCom Center | Consuelo Courtyart, FilCom Center, 94-428 Mokuola St, Waipahu |
Every Tuesday at 6:30pm | Calling all beginners to advanced ballroom dancers. No experience necessary. For more information, visit https:// filcom.org/communityprograms.
MADE IN HAWAII FESTIVAL
| Hawaiian Airlines, Made in Hawaii Festival, Hawaii Food Industry Association | August 15-17, from 10am to 5pm | Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu | Buy Hawaii, for Hawaii. Shop and browse hundreds of vendor
booths from the state’s most talented local artisans. Enjoy live award-winning music and performances, watch cooking demonstrations and meet with some of the island’s most talented fashion designers. Visit instagram.com/madeinhi/ for more information.
OHANA MEDICAL MISSION MASQUERADE BALL, “RIZAL THEME” | FilCom Center, Association | Saturday, October 12, 2025, From 6 pm - 9 pm | Contact JP Orias at jporias808@aol. com for more information.
By Randy Lawrence Tancontian
Ayear after I was born, my parents separated. My brother and I were left in the care of relatives here in the Philippines.
Thankfully, the relatives we stayed with had some Christian background. They would sometimes bring us to church, Bible studies, and Sunday school.
Though I didn’t fully understand it back then, God used those moments to plant a seed in my heart that would later point me to Jesus.
But growing up without my parents and a stable home environment left a deep wound in me.
I didn’t have a role model to look up to, and I didn’t feel emotionally safe. I carried a lot of questions in my heart—questions I didn’t know how to process.
I remember wondering, “Why wasn’t I born into a complete family?” “What did I do to deserve this?”
That pain followed me for years, and over time, I began to resent my parents. I was angry at them for what happened to our family. I was hurt by their absence.
Even though I didn’t show it on the outside, inside, I felt abandoned, forgotten, and unwanted.
Because of that pain, I started looking for love, attention, and worth in all the wrong places. I got into unhealthy relationships and friendships.
I even became a bully to feel some sense of power or control—it reached a point where I even bullied my own brother.
But what truly con-
sumed me was my addiction to pornography and sexual immorality. I used it to escape the loneliness, anger, and confusion.
Instead of facing the deep pain within, I turned to distractions—numbing myself with temporary pleasures just to feel something other than emptiness.
Beyond these distractions, I didn’t care about my future. I was indifferent toward school and had no direction in life. I was lost, without purpose, merely surviving—not living.
I filled my days with entertainment, games, and social media—anything to avoid facing the truth.
I knew about God and Jesus. I had heard of His love, His power, and His salvation.
But I didn’t live according to His will. I believed in Him, but I didn’t live for Him. My faith was distant, not personal. And so, I continued living in darkness.
Then, during the pandemic, everything changed.
One Sunday, I tuned in to an online service from Christ’s Commission Fellowship. I don’t remember the exact message, but I will never forget the moment. It felt like God was speaking directly to me through the preaching. His Word pierced my heart.
I felt God’s conviction and love in a way I never had before. It was as if He was saying, “This is for you. It’s time to stop running. Come home to Me.”
In that moment, I surrendered my life to Christ. I prayed, “Lord, I don’t want to live this way anymore. I’m tired of the pain, the distractions, the sin. Use
my life for something that matters.”
From that point on, God began to change me from the inside out. One of the first things He placed in my heart was a desire to pray. I began seeking Him daily—not out of obligation, but out of a hunger to know Him more.
I started praying a bold prayer: “Lord, make my life useful to You. Help me disciple the next generation. Help me to walk in Your purpose.”
One of the most important steps I took after surrendering to Christ was choosing to forgive my parents.
For so many years, I carried bitterness and resentment toward them, blaming them for the brokenness in our family. But Jesus taught me that forgiveness wasn’t just for them—it was for my own healing.
So, I reached out to them. I reconciled. I forgave them for the pain I had carried for so long. In doing that, God freed my heart, and I experienced a peace I had never known before.
Only then was I able to thank God for my broken family, because if my circumstances had been different, I don’t think I would
have ever developed a hunger and desire for God’s love the way I did.
And by God’s grace, I also had the chance to share the gospel with my dad. I told him about the transformation in my life and how Jesus was the one who healed me.
It was a powerful moment—one I never imagined would happen. But through that, God showed me that He’s using my life, even in the relationships that once felt impossible to restore.
I’m about to graduate this year—a milestone I never thought I would reach.
I remember a time when I didn’t care about school or my future. But here I am, standing in the middle of His grace. I also now have a corporate job, an opportunity I know only God could have opened.
On top of that, God, in His overflowing love, gave me a heart for the youth. I’m now discipling students—Christ-committed followers who are also discipling others.
I’m serving in ministry. I’m walking on purpose. I no longer feel lost or directionless. I have peace, clarity, and joy in my heart—all because of Jesus.
He truly answered my prayer to “use my life for something that matters.” And by aligning me with His will, He allowed me to walk in purpose.
He didn’t just take away my sin—He gave me a brand-new heart. He took my brokenness, shame, and pain, and turned them into something beautiful.
Jesus healed wounds I carried for years and gave me a mission to share His love with others.
So, if you’re reading this and carrying wounds from your family—if you’re angry, confused, or tired of pretending to be okay—I want to encourage you with this: Jesus sees you.
And He hasn’t given up on your story. Just like a masterpiece, He’s still painting it.
If you surrender your life to Him, He will transform you, just like He did for me. There’s no sin too great, no pain too deep, that Jesus cannot heal and redeem.
RANDY LA WRENCE TANCONTIAN is a work in progress and a product of God’s grace. He encapsulates his testimony and the hope he now lives with Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
