FEATURE Is tHE PHIlIPPInEs rEady for a fIlIPIno amErIcan us ambassador In manIla?
HAWAII WORKERS CORNER tHE aftErmatH of tHE 2023 mauI WIldfIrEs yEars latEr
CANDID PERSPECTIVES on fatHEr’s day WEEkEnd a PoEm for my dad, tHE manonG, a Golf trIumPH, and tHE PEoPlE say “no kInGs” as trumP sHoWs HIs WarEs
BIBLE REFLECTIONS God, In EvEry HEartbEat
The last significant comprehensive immigration reform was enacted in 1986 with the Immigration Reform and Control Act. In it, included were provisions for legalization of some undocumented immigrants. It’s high time that such provisions be re-examined and debated.
It’s cynical and partly true that comprehensive immigration reform hasn’t been seriously debated for decades for political reasons: Republicans run on xenophobia each election and benefit from fearmongering; and Democrats never place immigration as a top priority because it’s a tough sell and they’d rather concentrate on more popular policies.
But it’s also true that significant comprehensive reform is bogged in quicksand because as a nation Americans cannot agree on the many dimensions, complexities and nuances of immigration. Most Americans will agree that there must be border security, but whatever happens after that in the way of undocumented immigrants, there’s no clear consensus.
What happened in Los Angeles is a perfect example of how our thoughts on the undocumented vary from region to region. The law is clear about deportation. President Donald Trump didn’t make it up. But each administration has approached it differently as to how that law will be enforced, how it will be prioritized. It is true that the law calls for deportation of illegals -- but the law doesn’t say there must be roundups everywhere and that millions must be found and deported.
In Los Angeles where almost a million of its residents are undocumented, where the undocumented have been accepted as a part of the city’s cultural, economic and historical fabric, where they are valuable contributors to society – the undocumented population has been a feature that works well for that community, irrespective of what immigration law states. Of course, that community would prefer, the undocumented to be as it has always been prior to Trump 2.0.
Some Los Angelenos can even make an argument that why should other communities like white rural America (main proponents of mass deportation) -- that have zero exposure to undocumented populations -- dictate to us how we treat our undocumented in our community?
To Los Angelenos, especially to the Latino community, the ICE raids is looked upon as not just federal oppression and overreach but also racism. When you see videos on social media of ICE in California racial profiling brown people at gas stations, asking brown people driving on streets to pull over to question their legal status, watching ICE go into restaurants, churches, schools – it’s not difficult to imagine why Los Angelinos and other communities in California have had enough. It does appear what is happening to be excessive policing.
Mass deportation in the way of sweeping raids and ICE harassing individuals on the street who look to be undocumented is as how many California politicians are calling it – terrorizing and chaotic. The frequency and expansive operation to meet some internal Homeland Security quota – as much as 3,000 a day, over one million a year – suggests that we can expect more terror and chaos.
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LPublisher & Executive Editor
ast week in Los Angeles was a dramatic, passionate, heart-breaking and triumphant time in American history that saw a community stand up against what they believe to be an assault on their community. To Los Angelinos, their undocumented is worth protesting for as the governor, mayor, California politicians from the congressional, state and county levels stood in solidarity in their support for their immigrant population. For our cover story, associate editor Edwin Quinabo recaps the turn of events in LA sparked by ICE raids, the reverberation it caused across the country that morphed into an anti-ICE resistance movement. Read what prominent California Filipino politicians had to say about the LA raids. Our local Filipino community and an immigrant advocacy group also chime in on ICE’s tactics, mass deportation, and possible solutions like amnesty and a path to citizenship going forward.
A separate event but also historical moment in American history, last Saturday a nation rose as millions of people took to the streets in a first ever No Kings Day. HFC columnist Emil Guillermo wrote in his article on the event, “That’s why No Kings Day last weekend rang true for all those who love democracy but hate the creeping authoritarianism in America under Trump.”
Interestingly, the epicenter of the LA raids and riots has taken place in the district of Filipina Los Angeles Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who was just recently installed into office. HFC columnist Elpidio Estioko contributes, “First 100 Days of Freshman Pinay LA City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.”
HFC columnist Dr. Arcelita Imasa contributes an important update on Maui in her article, “The Aftermath of the 2023 Maui Wildfires Years Later.” She writes, “Overwhelmingly, Lahaina Filipino fire survivors identified housing as their main concern in realizing a just and equitable wildfire recovery. Survivors expressed that the combination of a lack of available rental units and high rental costs has made it difficult to stay in Lahaina.”
HFC columnist Rose Cruz Churma contributes “Is the Philippines Ready for a Filipino American Ambassador to the US Embassy in Manila?” a feature on Anthony Donahue, the leading contender for that office. Donahue is a graduate of Harvard Medical School, a CFO of a multi-million-dollar company, a former U.S. Navy SEAL. These are just some of the qualifications he brings to the post if selected.
Lastly, we have a fascinating story, “God, In Every Heartbeat,” by HFC contributor Bermie Dizon. In 2007, Gabriela Guzman received a heart transplant. But the story didn’t end there. About a year later, Gabriela reached out to the family of her donor, a young person whose death gave her life. What transpired after is truly heart-warming. Read what happens next, as well as 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. For your advertising needs, contact us at: filipinochronicle@gmail.com. Until the next issue, Aloha and Mabuhay!
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
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
President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB) is looking uglier by the day to select groups as features of the bill become more known. Not widely discussed, there is a provision in OBBB that could impact our Filipino community in the way of money remittances. Proposed Section 4475 of the OBBB seeks to impose a new excise tax of 3.5% on international money transfers (or money remittances) conducted by “non-citizens.” Prior to this proposal, the U.S. did not collect taxes on international money transfers. The new tax means less money will go to the recipients in foreign countries and add to the U.S. coffers.
That dollar amount could be negligible for infrequent remittances, but a tax of 3.5% could mean a world of difference to poor families who rely on every dollar sent to survive. Money remittances is a longstanding tradition in the Filipino community for both immigrants and citizens. We’ve all sent money remittances to the Philippines on occasion to assist family members with basic needs like education and healthcare or just as a gift during the holiday season.
For Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the U.S. money remittances go toward sustaining their spouse and children’s daily living, to pay for their home, food, future. Experts say to low-income immigrant families who depend heavily on sending money back home, this tax can create a significant financial burden. For many, even a small
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Politicizing ICE
Like Trump’s flipflopping on tariffs, the wishy-washy president is doing the same with mass deportation. Following the mass protests nationwide last week, Trump seemingly alarmed and open to concessions announced at a White House press briefing that he would create a new executive order to put a pause on select undocumented migrants, those who work on farms and hospitality. In that presser, he talked about illegal farmers’ valuable and irreplaceable contributions.
Then just this week, the Department of Homeland Security told staff that it was reversing guidance issued last week by Trump that agents were not to conduct immigration raids at farms and hotels.
additional cost will matter. For example, if an OFW sends $1,000 monthly through a personal U.S. bank account to family, with the proposed tax, the OFW now has to pay an additional $35 per month, costing an additional $420 a year. That’s a considerable amount for a tax burden that was never there.
It is these OFWs who will be most impacted by this provision, as many of them could be taxed multiple times, by way of income tax and remittances. The provision will be a tax for remittance senders who are green card holders, foreign students, temporary residents like OFWs and others, and lawful permanent residents.
When you look at who’s being targeted (all non-US citizens) it’s clear that this bill is an anti-immigrant provision meant to discourage illegal foreign workers coming into the U.S. and in fact one piece of Trump’s overall arsenal of anti-immigrant weaponry. It discourages illegal immigration by imposing a financial disincentive on sending money abroad without legal status.
Not only will this provision hurt Filipinos supporting their families abroad, but it could also hurt the money remittance industry which could force smaller companies to add larger fees just to survive that ultimately shrinks further the amount of money sent over.
Agents must continue conducting immigration raids at agricultural businesses and hotels.
On top of that, the President called for ICE to expand deportation efforts in Democratic cities and “do all in their power” to achieve mass deportations. “ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this TRUTH, to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History,” the president posted on Truth Social.
Trump’s flipflopping on mass deportation is cavalier and with no rhyme or reason. It’s also sadistic to be giving and taking away hope – pause on deportation – in this case for farmers and hotel workers.
The remittance transfer provider (RTP) or the entity facilitating the transfer will be responsible for collecting the tax from the sender and pay that tax to the IRS. This exposes the RTPs to penalties for failure to properly report and remit.
Financial institutions will need to work with the US Treasury to become a qualified remittance transfer provider. Qualified institutions would then be required to automatically deduct the tax from any amount exceeding $15 transferred internationally, unless the sender can prove their citizenship. The tax involves additional paperwork and diminished privacy.
To avoid the tax, this could push some senders toward informal, unregulated black market transfer methods which channels can be risky, less transparent and increase the likelihood of fraud.
On top of added personal hardship, this tax can lead to the reduction of money flowing into countries like the Philippines, India, China, Mexico -- the biggest remittance countries. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), personal remittances from overseas Filipinos hit a record-high in 2024 at over USD38 billion. The United States is the biggest source of cash remittances to the Philippines. BSP reports OFWs and their families have been an important market for many goods and services in the economy, including big-ticket items such as homes, vehicles, pri-
It appears to be like a game for the president and him not fully understanding the weight of his decisions, their impact on real people and real lives about to be uprooted and families torn apart.
While enforcement of immigration laws is necessary – almost universally accepted by most Americans – we cannot ignore the fear and anxiety some communities and families are feeling. We must strive to seek common good, balance and fairness. Even though deportation of undocumented is the law of the land, history shows how laws are not necessarily for the common good as revealed over time, and certainly not a one-sizefit-all. What’s good for a community in rural white America isn’t
vate school education and investments. Remittances are major contributors to the Philippines overall GDP and could harm their overall economy, expert say.
For now, there are loopholes
The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the tax will generate for the U.S. government just $26 billion over the next 10 years. The Tax Foundation says the bottom line: this is a small tax base with a big compliance burden. Its primary impact will be far more paperwork, not more revenue. Business transfers via corporate or LLC accounts are exempt. A potential problem would be for businesses with international operations or supply chains. Many of those business transactions will need to prove they are non-remittance in nature. Creating a detailed accounting of these transactions is a waste of everyone’s time.
The Tax Foundation also says there are ways (besides black-market channels) to avoid the 3.5% tax like sending cash through packages or through digital assets such as cryptocurrency. The most convenient and obvious choice is to simply have an American citizen to wire money on these non-citizens’ behalf to avoid paying the tax.
It’s clear these major loopholes are purposefully not closed. This sends a tacit acknowledgement that foreign workers contribute positively to the U.S. economy. These Republicans (crafters of the provision) know that and really want foreign workers in the U.S., but not those coming in illegally.
always good for a metropolis like in this case Los Angeles.
No person of goodwill and good conscious can see what’s happening to undocumented migrants, those whose “only” crime is illegal entry, and ignore this social problem. It’s more than understandable, arguably a moral imperative even, that Americans have taken to the streets by the tens of thousands in protesting ICE’s tactics. But such protests must be peaceful.
As an immigrant community, we should also look to immigration enforcement with a soft heart, remembering our own motivations for coming to the United States. In this we will find, it’s not very different from those who are here illegally.
By Edwin Quinabo
ICE’s mass arrest of suspected undocumented migrants at workplaces and sending in the military into Los Angeles proved to be a lightning rod that set off national revolt.
It began in LA’s Fashion District after ICE raided multiple businesses suspected of employing undocumented immigrants. These raids were typical of others happening in communities across the country. But in Los Angeles, a sanctuary city with about 900,000 undocumented, these raids felt like a direct attack on Los Angelinos. About 1.8 million residents in California are undocumented, according to Pew Research Center.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was “deeply angered” after the raids, elaborating that “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this,” she said in a statement.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (CA) boasts his state’s immigrant population is linked to their success, “California is the most diverse state in the country, with the most immigrants in the country. We also have the largest economy in the country, the 4th largest of any country in the world. This is not despite our hard-working immigrants – as laborers, as consumers and as innovators – but because of them. They deserve better than to live in fear of being disappeared, detained or deported without due process by the Trump administration.”
The anti-ICE uprising in LA escalated as President Donald Trump mobilized up to 4,000 National Guard service members and activated 700 Marines to join the National Guard troops, a military presence that local officials deem unnecessary. Trump’s order is the first time since 1965 that a president has deployed a state’s National Guard without a re-
quest from the state’s governor.
“The number one job of the government is to protect the people. Protect their safety and their property,” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who agreed with Trump’s directive. “And if that’s not being done by local and state authorities, then the feds have to step in. I think it’s appropriate.,” he said.
Protests against ICE’s tactics spread like wildfire across other cities with large immigrant populations in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. Outcry not only happened in blue metropolises, but in other places like Oxnard, Louisville, Baltimore, Raleigh, Columbus, Dallas, Portland, El Paso, Meridan, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Kansas City.
Community leader and Honolulu attorney Sergio Alcubilla stated that Trump’s deployment of federalized National Guard troops in response to protests was unnecessary and inflammatory. “It undermines our core democratic principles that our military will not be politicized.”
Alcubilla, a naturalized citizen originally from the Philippines, says he respects the men and women who serve in ICE, however “the current politicization of the agency to serve an agenda from the far-right Project 2025 blueprint goes against the very ethos of this country as a land of immigrants,” he said. “Instead of focusing on keeping criminal elements out of the country and enforcing immigration laws through our legal system, ICE is being misused to simply fulfill [quota] numbers for political purposes.”
The Trump administration aims to detain 3,000 migrants a day, over one million a year. Just days prior to the LA raids, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor Stephen Miller, pressured agents to make more ar-
rests, even directing agents to go to Home Depot where undocumented migrants go to find work. Miller’s directive seems to have led to the immigration sweeps in Los Angeles as ICE agents searched for illegal migrants at a Home Depot on Wilshire Blvd. Mark, Waipahu, who’ve requested anonymity, said “Trump is doing what people voted for. It looks to be and maybe it is unfair, even cruel, but how else is ICE supposed to deport millions of illegal aliens? If a company hires illegal workers like at a sweatshop in Los Angeles, it makes sense to target that company. You have people protesting on the streets, but you also have many Americans at home thinking Trump is doing a good job on immigration.”
Filipinos on social media like Filipinosinthe6ix reflected a mix of opinions on ICE and mass deportation from condemnation of excessive enforcement to applauding Trump’s ICE crackdowns.
Todd Gloria, San Diego’s first Filipino American mayor, said the raids at popular South Park eateries create fear instead of security. Just one week prior to the LA raids of June 6, heavily armed and masked ICE agents stormed two popular South Park restaurants in San Diego and arrested four suspected undocumented. The incident sparked pro(continue on page 5)
tests from community members and local officials.
Filipino American Rachelle Arizmendi, former Sierra Madre, CA mayor, expressed fear that these raids are not only happening in big cities but small towns.
Fil-Am Kenneth Mejia, LA City Controller called the raids “cruel” and expressed concern over the strain on city resources and the importance of accountability under sanctuary-city ordinances.
LA councilmember Ysabel Jurado, the first Filipino American elected to the Los Angeles City Council has been an ad-
Trump’s approval rating taking a hit on immigration
A Quinnipiac University poll published on June 11, specific to Trump’s handing of immigration, found Trump’s disapproval rating at 54%, up 11%, and an approval rating of 43%. On Trump’s handling of deportations, his disapproval rating climbed by 16% at 56% and approval of 40%. Trump’s overall approval rating dropped to 38%, the lowest percentage of his second of two non-consecutive presidential terms. Trump’s greatest political strength has always been immigration until now.
Politicos say the combination of Trump’s dismal polling and the national protest on ICE is pressuring the president to rethink his immigration agenda. That pressure mounted as Trump announced after the protests during a White House press conference, he plans to make some changes to the ongoing ICE raids. Trump admitted that his administration’s immigration crackdown is causing some serious issues.
“Our farmers are being hurt badly,” he said, pointing out that some undocumented workers have been
vocate for immigrant rights for years. She is the daughter of undocumented parents. The district she represents covers a large part of where the LA protests and riots have been happening. She said of ICE’s raids, “The footage speaks for itself. This is cruelty disguised as policy.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta who along with Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued Trump for federalizing the National Guard without the governor’s consent. AG Bonta, the highest-ranking public official of Filipino ancestry in California, has spoken out against the ICE raids, calling them “unlawful” and “disrespectful.”
“I condemn the arrest and detention of Aunty Lynn, the recent attacks on the immigrant communities of Los Angeles and the harassment and detention done by ICE to the Filipino J-1 visa teachers. What ICE is doing is creating fears and violently attacking our migrants. ICE only serves to tear families apart. We must instead call on our State and federal officials to invest in programs that provide crucial legal support when families face detention and deportation. We should also support pathways to legal status and work authorization.”
– Dr. Arcelita Imasa Aiea, a dual U.S. and Philippines citizen working in their fields for over 20 years. “They’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be great,” he added, signaling an urgent policy shift. He promised a new executive order is coming “pretty soon” to use “common sense” and protect workers in farming and hospitality. “We can’t take farmers and take all their people and send them back,” he said.
Richard Asuncion, Pearl City, a first generation American whose parents immigrated from Ilocos, Philippines believes what happened in LA is a seminal moment.
“The national protests shook Trump. I think he realizes that his mass deportation will be met with community outrage from here on if changes do not happen. His plan to pause ICE raids at farms and hotels is a start. But Americans should not let up in pressuring him until he officially implements that change. Everyone knows how he changes his mind, sometimes by the day.”
Alcubilla stated there is no question that the U.S. national immigration policy needs reimagination.
“As previous administrations have shown, improvements that respect and maintain human digni(
ty can be done while still following the rule of law and due process,” he said. Alcubilla cites President Barack Obama’s administration as an example. “Obama removed millions of undocumented immigrants, but it also provided a pathway through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for children that were brought into the country as undocumented immigrants.”
The Department of Homeland Security records show there are 350,000 unauthorized Filipino migrants residing in the U.S. as of 2022. The U.S. Census Bureau in the same year registers 4.1 million Filipino Americans in the U.S. Combine the two figures: about 8.5% of Filipinos in the U.S. are undocumented.
While the number of undocumented Filipinos detained or deported by ICE is unknown, there’s increased awareness. There have been two high profile cases involving ICE and Filipinos. In a first case that received national attention, Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old U.S. lawful permanent resident and University of Washington lab technician, was arrested at the Seattle airport after a trip to her native Phil-
ippines in late February because of a conviction of a nonviolent offense that happened in 2000. She has been in the U.S. for over 50 years and was set for deportation but was released from ICE custody after three months. A judge ruled she is not deportable.
Outside the detention facility, Dixon thanked a crowd of supporters and spoke about her experience and the conditions in the facility. “It was horrific; it was awful, it is crowded -- super crowded, they release maybe nine, bring back seven, release one, they bring three,” she said, according to local NBC affiliate King 5.
A second case did not involve arrest but aroused anger over ICE’s treatment of legal immigrants and their sloppy investigation.
On May 6, ICE detained a group of international teachers from the Philippines at their residence in Maui. The international teachers are employed through the U.S. Department of State’s J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program and were legal to teach in the U.S. ICE agents were looking for one individual male who reportedly previously stayed in the house where the teachers lived. That individual was not there but the teachers were detained, had their names
run through a check, many of them were only half dressed. One of the teachers said, “The whole situation was really overwhelming and traumatic for all of us.”
Hawaii State Teacher Association President Osa Tui said, “There was no public apology for the harm that was done. As we’ve seen across the country and now here in our communities, our government is not doing their homework and doing sloppy work, which jeopardizes lives and the well-being of those who live here.”
Dr. Arcelita Imasa, Aiea, a dual U.S. and Philippines citizen, condemns the arrest and detention of Aunty Lynn, the recent attacks on the immigrant communities of Los Angeles and the harassment and detention done by ICE to the Filipino J-1 visa teachers. “What ICE is doing is creating fears and violently attacking our migrants. ICE only serves to tear families apart. We must instead call on our State and federal officials to invest in programs that provide crucial legal support when families face detention and deportation. We should also support pathways to legal status and work authorization,” said Dr. Imasa.
By Martina Agunoy
he U.S. pays Elon Musk $8 million per day. That’s $2.92 billion per year. Not one dollar of that was slashed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
TThen Elon Musk awarded himself a $400 million contract to sell his Cybertrucks to the State Department. That makes his revenue from the U.S. Treasury $3.320 billion.
Now Trump’s budget bill includes $25 billion to start his Golden Dome project, with Elon Musk’s SpaceX as a lead bidder.
Elon Musk didn’t cut a single dollar from his own profiteering from the U.S. Treasury.
The self-promoter who takes over $3 billion of our tax dollars literally held a chainsaw and told the U.S. they don’t need all the federal services that government employees provide, all the soft power the U.S. wields in the world through its USAID program, or all the grants and funds that support universities and schools and other services in our country.
U.S. farmers grow more food than we can eat as a nation, and the USAID program pays the farmers for this, then sends the food
to starving countries to promote goodwill.
When Musk stopped the aid (via Marco Rubio), China stepped in and acquired soft power in regions that used to feel goodwill toward the U.S.
By the end of February 2025 alone, Elon Musk – an unelected campaign contributor, with his team of coders – fired about 222,000 federal workers:
• Postal Service, 10,000 jobs
• Treasury, 76 jobs
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration – the weather people, more than 1,000 additional after the initial cuts
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, around 200
• Half of the Department of Education
• 20% of NASA
• Up to half of the IRS
• 1,000 of the National Park Service
• 300 from the Environmental Protection Agency
• Over 1,300 Veterans Affairs workers
• Up to half of the Department of Housing and Development, about 4,000
• Department of Agriculture, thousands
• Less than 700 Department of Energy
Now there’s the massive harm caused by 1 in 25 persons losing their health insurance under the TrumpMusk budget.
One in 25. That’s Medicare for you seniors, Obamacare for the middle class, and Medicaid for the poorest.
All so one greedy Tesla man can be paid over $3 billion a year from our tax dollars.
The Republicans can deny all they want that senior citizens’ Medicare isn’t in the bill, but it is.
Medicare by name is not in Trump’s deficit exploding bill, but by the safety formulas inherent in the federal budget, his billionaires’ tax cuts will trigger cuts to Medicare.
Health insurance pays for healthcare in hospitals and nursing homes. About 70% of nursing home care is paid by Medicaid.
For all Hawaii’s caregivers out there who take
care of patients and are paid by Medicaid, what does that mean?
That patients have to go back to being cared for at home by one adult child who is working and will be overwhelmed by or unable to handle the responsibility?
For hospitals that rely on Medicaid to pay for services rendered to the poor or on the ACA for services provided to the middle class, does that mean more emergency room visits because patients can’t pay for less urgent care?
Then there’s a matter of life and death boarding an airplane. Elon Musk and his coders fired 400 FAA maintenance workers, the staff responsible for keeping the air traffic safety equipment running.
Since April 2025, at least four outages, two of them lasting for 90 seconds, occurred at the busy Newark, New Jersey Airport, leaving air traffic controllers unable to see or communicate with airplanes.
The situation is so dangerous that United Airlines cut 35 daily round-trip flights, about 10% of its operations at Newark. United accounts for 75% of Newark’s traffic.
Around 36 crashes and near-collisions have happened since January 29, 2025.
Around Trump’s inauguration, Elon Musk demanded that Michael Whitaker, the head of the FAA, resign after the FAA proposed $633,009 in fines for safety violations against Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Trump replaced Whitaker with Sean Duffy, the husband of one of Trump’s favorite Fox News hosts, who has no aviation or transportation experience at all, a guy who was once a contestant on “The Real World”.
The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility for the budget, not an unelected campaign donor.
It’s up to Congress to listen to the recommendations of the U.S. Government Accountability Office and prepare a budget that can shave off inefficiencies.
Each year, this federal agency makes more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on its High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations.
It’s not up to a foreigner who is a naturalized citizen, unelected, unvetted, with no security clearance, who has massive conflicts of interest, and has zero understanding of our government except how to profit from it, to make those cuts.
The State of Hawaiʻi Department of Human Resources Development (DHRD) will deliver job opportunities through direct recruitment on Maui.
The Maui State Office Building in Wailuku will host a special recruitment event on Thursday, July 10, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The one-day recruitment event will showcase more than 300 state job openings across Maui County, while offering a special rapid-hiring event for Office
Assistant III and Office Assistant IV positions.
Applicants interested in the rapid-hiring interviews must apply online at jobs. hawaii.gov/careers prior to the recruiting event.
The online application is open starting today, June 12, through Monday, June 23 at 11:59 p.m. HST.
Qualified applicants will be invited to schedule an interview during the event.
Participating agencies recruiting for Office Assistant positions include the Department of the Attorney
General, the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Other state departments will also attend to recruit for various positions across different fields.
“This job fair reflects our commitment to building a strong, community-based workforce across Maui County,” said DHRD Director Brenna Hashimoto.
For more information, visit jobs.hawaii.gov/careers.
By Atty. Emmanuel S. Tipon
What’s going on here? Supreme Court votes unanimously? It is as rare as an April shower, unless one is driving on the Pali Highway from Honolulu to Kailua.
The Ohio Department of Youth Services operates the State’s juvenile correctional system. In 2004, the agency hired petitioner Marlean Ames, a heterosexual (a person who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to people of the other sex; straight is the colloquial term) woman, to serve as an executive secretary. Ames was eventually promoted to program administrator.
In 2019, Ames applied for a newly created management position in the agency’s Office of Quality and Improvement. Although the agency interviewed her for the position, it ultimately hired a different candidate—a lesbian (woman who experiences sexual and romantic attraction to other women) woman—to fill the role.
A few days after Ames interviewed for the management position, her supervisors removed her from her role as program administrator. She accepted a demotion to the secretarial role she had held when she first joined the agency—a move that resulted in a significant pay cut. The agency then hired a gay man to fill the vacant program-administrator position.
Ames subsequently filed this lawsuit against the agency under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleging that she was denied the management promotion and demoted because of her sexual orientation.
Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Under Title VII precedents, a plaintiff may make out a prima facie case of disparate treatment by showing “that she applied for an available position for which she was qualified, but was rejected under circumstances which give rise to an inference of unlawful discrimination.”
The case of McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U. S. 792 (1973) establishes the traditional framework for evaluating disparate-treatment claims that rest on circumstantial evidence. At the first step of that framework, the plaintiff must make a prima facie showing that the defendant acted with a discriminatory motive.
The District Court concluded that Ames had failed to make that showing because she had not presented evidence of “background circumstances” suggesting that the agency was the rare employer who discriminates against members of a majority group.
The District Court held that without that evidence, plaintiffs who are members of majority groups—including heterosexual plaintiffs, like Ames—could not discharge their evidentiary burden at the first step of the McDonnell Douglas inquiry.
The question in this case is whether, to satisfy that prima facie burden, a plaintiff who is a member of a majority group must also show “background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.”
The Sixth Circuit affirmed, holding that Ames had failed to meet her prima facie burden because she had not shown “background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.”
The court reasoned that Ames, as a straight woman, was required to make this showing “in addition to the usual ones for establishing a prima facie case.”
And it explained that plaintiffs can typically satisfy this burden by presenting “evidence that a member of the relevant minority group (here, gay people) made the employment decision at issue, or with statistical evidence showing a pattern of discrimination... against members of the majority g
The panel concluded that the agency was entitled to summary judgment because Ames had failed to present either type of evidence.
The Supreme Court reversed by a unanimous vote, holding that this additional “background circumstances” requirement is not consistent with Title VII’s text or case law construing the statute. The court vacated the judgment and remanded for application of the proper prima facie standard.
A plaintiff “may succeed [under the McDonnell Douglas framework] either directly by persuading the
court that a discriminatory reason more likely motivated the employer or indirectly by showing that the employer’s proffered explanation is unworthy of credence.”
For most plaintiffs, the first step of the McDonnell Douglas framework—the prima facie burden—is “not onerous.”
A plaintiff may satisfy it simply by presenting evidence “that she applied for an available position for which she was qualified, but was rejected under circumstances which give rise to an inference of unlawful discrimination.”
But, under Sixth Circuit precedent, plaintiffs who are members of a majority group bear an additional burden at step one: They must also establish “background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.”
The Sixth Circuit’s “background circumstances” rule cannot be squared with the text of Title VII or the Supreme Court longstanding precedents.
As a textual matter, Title VII’s disparate-treatment provision draws no distinctions between majority-group plaintiffs and minority-group plaintiffs.
Rather, the provision makes it unlawful “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” 42 U. S. C. §2000e–2(a)(1).
The “law’s focus on individuals rather than groups [is] anything but academic.” By establishing
the same protections for every “individual”—without regard to that individual’s membership in a minority or majority group—Congress left no room for courts to impose special requirements on majority-group plaintiffs alone.
The standard for proving disparate treatment under Title VII does not vary based on whether or not the plaintiff is a member of a majority group.
The “background circumstances” rule flouts that basic principle. Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, No. 23-1039, June 5, 2025, U.S. Supreme Court, per Justice Jackson.
ATTY. EM MANUEL 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.
While you may have heard of cataracts, did you know that 5% of people over the age of 40 are impacted by the eye condition, and 45% are diagnosed over the age of 70?
The eye condition, a clouding of the eye’s natural lens that can cause blurred or dimmed vision, can severely impact your vision and quality of life.
Age is not the only factor. Other groups can also be especially vulnerable to cataracts, including women, smokers, diabetics, and those who are excessively
One of the immigrant advocacy groups that helped to raise awareness and secure Dixon’s release is the Tanggol Migrante Network. Kami Yamamoto, the Interim Executive Director of Hawaiʻi Workers Center, a part of Tanggol Migrante Network, told the Chronicle that the group was established around the time of the November 2024 presidential election because they anticipated the attack on migrants under a Trump presidency.
“Since then, we have worked with Filipino and
exposed to harsh UV sun rays.
“For Cataract Awareness Month this June, and as we head into bright summer months, we want to encourage our kupuna and their families to take precautions to protect and monitor their eyes,” says Dr. Steven Rhee, D.O., of Hawaiian Eye Center. “Cataracts can develop over many years, so it is important to stay vigilant for you and your loved ones.”
Early detection and prevention are key to keeping your vision safe as you age. Hawaiian Eye Center recommends the following:
non-Filipino migrant advocacy groups to take up the issues of the most vulnerable of our kababayan, those who are without status or in more precarious situations,” she said. “We encourage the Filipino community to reach out to the Tanggol Migrante network if they know of any Filipinos in distresswhether they are victims of wage theft, trafficking, or detained by ICE. We have a network of service providers, attorneys, organizers, and more who can support and help navigate through processes such as obtaining Assistance to Nationals (ATN) from the Philippine government, a service that should be availed of by all Filipino nationals.”
Consul General Arman Talbo of the Philippines Consulate General in Honolulu told the Chronicle that as part of its assistance to nationals (ATN) functions, the Consulate issues consular documents, including travel documents for those who need one to leave Hawaii. “We monitor cases and conduct welfare checks to ensure that the rights and
Protect Your Eyes from UV Rays: Wear sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays and use a wide-brimmed hat outdoors to reduce direct sunlight exposure.
Maintain a Healthy
Diet: Eat a diet rich in antioxidants, especially vitamins C and E, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Good foods include leafy greens, carrots, citrus fruits, berries, nuts,
welfare of those in detention are protected and upheld. We also liaise with the Department of Foreign Affairs, and coordinate with the families of the affected Filipino national.”
A surprise to some, Yamamoto said what Tanggol has been seeing so far is ICE detaining or harassing Filipinos who are here legally with green cards, J-1 visas. “So, we challenge the idea that it’s only those who are here illegally encountering problems.”
The Consulate General in Honolulu has confirmed there have been incidents of Filipino green card holders deported to the Philippines and that all cases monitored by the Consulate had prior court convictions. The Consulate said it affirms its commitment to extend the necessary assistance to Filipino nationals under its jurisdiction.
The ACLU of Hawai‘i (“ACLU-HI”) submitted letters addressed to all county police chiefs, mayors, and councilmembers asking them to protect Hawaii residents by reject-
and fish high in omega-3s.
Don’t Smoke: Smoking significantly increases the risk of cataracts. Quitting can reduce this risk over time.
Manage Health Conditions: Control diabetes and high blood pressure, as both increase the risk of cataracts. Regular medical checkups can help identify and manage these conditions early.
Limit Alcohol Consumption: Excessive alcohol intake is associated with a higher risk of cataract formation.
Get Regular Eye Exams: Routine exams help detect cataracts and other eye conditions early. Early detection can lead to bet-
ing any agreements where local personnel and resources would be used for immigration enforcement purposes. Nathan Lee, ACLU-HI Policy Fellow, said “Our public officials and officers should not spend limited resources supporting an immigration agenda that disrespects the due process rights of Hawaii residents and has created a culture of fear and distrust.”
A foreign student living legally in Honolulu in transition of obtaining legal permanent residency, who requested to remain anonymous, believes that the system needs to change to allow for undocumented individuals to safely establish their status without fear of reprisal or persecution, or with great financial and personal risk. “Many undocumented immigrants have established ties in their communities, have no criminal records and pay thousands in taxes every year. The undocumented should be allowed to stay and instead of allocating resources for their violent pursuit, detainment and deportation, the federal
ter management and outcomes.
Be Cautious with Medications: Long-term use of corticosteroids (like prednisone) can increase the risk of cataracts. Use them only as prescribed. Avoid Eye Injuries: Use protective eyewear during activities like sports, construction, or working with chemicals.
As we observe Cataract Awareness Month this month, Hawaiian Eye Center is dedicated to raising awareness about cataracts, providing eye exams and protective eye gear for our Ohana, and receiving quality eye care, at any age. To learn more, visit: www.hawaiianeye.com.
government would do well to invest instead into helping them thrive by removing obstacles to obtaining legal status.”
Alcubilla said, “we should be talking about the positive contributions that undocumented immigrants continue to make to this country in the taxes that they pay, the goods and services they consume, and the back-breaking jobs they fulfill.”
“People power is the people’s defense,” Yamamoto said. “As we saw with the detainment of Aunty Lynn, there is immense pressure against stakeholders such as elected officials and public servants when they know that the community is watching and when we assert our rights to due process and government accountability. As migrants to this country, we have a moral responsibility to dispel the negative narrative about Filipinos and other migrants as criminals. We know personally through our own experiences that immigrants come to the U.S. to seek better opportunities for themselves and their families.”
By Emil Guillermo
For a guy like me, who loved to play golf with my pals during my days in Hawaii, the topper for Father’s Day weekend was seeing J.J. Spaun sink that giant-sized 64-foot, 5-inch putt to win the U.S. Open – a tournament Donald Trump couldn’t even dream of competing in.
Fans yelled “USA, USA, USA,” as the slightly pudgy (but all muscle, yeah) 5-foot-8-inch, slightly bearded Spaun hugged his caddy and shed a tear.
An American? No doubt. LA raised, father European, with a mother who is Mexican and Filipino.
You can’t get more American than J.J. Spaun winning the U.S. Open.
America needed to see that after a week when the Trump administration forgot what it means to be an American.
Trump’s draconian ICE raids on workplaces spawned protests in LA that made the president federalize the National Guard without consulting California’s governor.
Then he brought in 700 Marines in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.
Then he held a birthday parade to honor the Army and his own might. Sound like Marcos Lite?
On my screen, Trump stood watching his military toys on parade in DC.
Behind him on his left was his co-conspirator in the Florida documents case, his closest Asian American ally from Guam, Walt Nauta.
The retired Navy valet turned Trump body man could have been every Filipino Asian American Trump supporter. His loyalty to Trump is greater than
his loyalty to our nation.
Made me wonder what if that case had gone to trial? With the election win, the case conveniently went away for Trump and Nauta.
Now, Trump has used his power to shape an America to his liking. He’s monetized the presidency so America works well for him. Just not all that well for so many Americans.
That’s why No Kings Day last weekend rang true for all those who love democracy but hate the creeping authoritarianism in America under Trump.
In a hopeful sign, there were millions of people who assembled in cities large and small from coast to coast. They were people who care about basic American values like free speech and non-violent protest.
That’s was the real show that weekend, that American democracy is still intact and going strong.
The No Kings patriots of June 14, Flag Day, sent the world a message.
Now, if only we had a suitable leader who doesn’t see his military as pawns.
It was the Army’s 250th birthday, important, sure, but a marching/tank show like the kind they do in North Korea, China, and Russia? For Trump, it was a different kind of “Me TOO” moment.
The world’s leading democracy is supposed to be above all that. This style of parade is only for those who like to play with toy tanks and marching Boy Barbies, GI Joes.
Maybe Trump wanted it for his 79th birthday to test all those he’s forced to genuflect at the mere mention of his name.
Hard to tell if the “birthday parade/show of force” was intended to send a chill among protestors here, or to show the world that Trump is a man with a big, big military.
It’s all about inducing fear to get what you want.
On Saturday, June 14, began shockingly with the assassination of the Speaker of the Minnesota legislature and her husband, and the near-fatal shooting of another state legislator and his spouse.
The suspect got away initially, but left a manifesto that led police to say the shootings were politically motivated. It was an assassination on a local level.
But this is America now, where public discourse has degenerated into power plays ending with deadly shows of force, not logic or consensus.
And who has poisoned the politics so much that
suspects like the one in Minnesota feel enabled?
The Minnesota deaths were a reminder of how America has changed in the Trump era. When the president does unlawful things and makes prosecutors come after him in a court of law, he serves as a model for public lawlessness.
By late June 15, the violence of Saturday came back to bookend the weekend.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, also known as “Afa,” was named as the protester who was shot at a No Kings protest in Salt Lake.
Loo, a Samoan who appeared in season 17 of “Project Runway” as a fashion designer, was allegedly shot by Arturo Roberto Gamboa, 24, who was seen by a witness as acting as a “peacekeeping” volunteer.
Gamboa, arrested on suspicion of murder, was at the protest with an AR-15.
This is the kind of mentality you get in America when Jan. 6 insurrectionists are convicted, only to be pardoned by Trump for their “act of love.” What message does that send to the public?
How can Trump not feel some responsibility for Loo’s death?
And if you think the domestic picture is rocky,
the global picture is also worse than ever. The war in Ukraine started by Trump’s Russian friends has not ended on day one.
The global trade war that Trump started with his beloved tariffs continues. And now Israel and Iran are fighting a new forever war. And Trump wants to broker the peace?
Remember: Trump’s the one who pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal years ago because he saw it as Obama’s deal.
Now, if he negotiates, he’ll be glad to get the deal he walked away from. Meanwhile, allies are left questioning where America stands on anything.
The woes of a master deal maker who is not a master deal maker. If I were Trump, I’d listen hard to the message of the No Kings protestors.
But for me, the great coincidence of June 14th is how it’s also the day my father died, 47 years ago, just before Father’s Day.
Willie Guillermo’s story is as American Filipino as it gets, the story of the first big group of Filipinos to the U.S. in the 1920s, the so-called “manongs.”
I turned the essay I first wrote, and read when I was the host of “All Things Considered” in 1989. Here is the 2025 version as a poem.
My Father’s Day by Emil Guillermo ©2025 all rights reserved.
The historical black and white picture shows a Filipino man holding a box of vegetables and fruit.
The Box, has a label
(continue
By Elpidio R. Estioko
ost politicians in the city council who won their seats for the first time devote their time to observing and acquainting themselves in council proceedings in silence.
Well, not with Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, the first ever Filipino American elected in the Los Angeles City Council.
Jurado is actively doing her job as a freshman legislator during her first 100 days and lately, by positively endorsing and advocating three key projects for the city.
Last June 6, in a press statement sent to this writer, it stated that:
“Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, the only openly queer LA City Councilmember, kicked off the LA City Council Pride Presentation. This year’s theme is Building Collective Power Through Community, as the city uplifts its local organizations that support the queer community. The councilmember honored the city-wide queer organizations: Latino Equity Alliance, REACH LA, and Los
Angeles LGBT Legal Services Center with individual district honorees.”
The event was held at Los Angeles City Hall, John E. Ferraro Chambers, 200 N. Spring St, Los Angeles, California.
Moreover, after a series of stops in various parts of Council District 14 and nearly 200 attendees, the Budget Listening Tour she led enlisted the help of City Controller Kenneth Mejia and Chair of the Budget & Finance Committee Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky to help demystify the process and inform Jurado’s priorities.
Recently, Jurado voted to adopt the 25-26 City Budget, culminating a nearly two-month-long community engagement process that started with her Budget Listening Tour.
“Throughout this process, I’ve brought my constituents along the way to ensure my vote reflects their priorities,” said Jurado.
“While this budget reflects tough choices and is far from perfect, it shows a willingness to face our structural challenges headon, setting a path for a more just, equitable, and inclusive Los Angeles.”
As a result of her advocacy crusades, the adopted
budget included several of those priorities she has been advocating such as: Retaining as much funding as possible for city services that contribute to public safety including graffiti removal and street lighting repair; Preserving funding for key workforce development programs such as the Day Laborer Centers.; and Restoring 38 critical planning positions to implement the DTLA 2040 Plan and develop the Boyle Heights Community Plan.
In a separate statement sent to this writer, it said:
“Councilmember Jurado will continue to actively explore opportunities and creative solutions to fund her priorities that were not included in the final budget, including the Benjamin Franklin Library and public restrooms.”
Additionally, Jurado reached a community agreement on the 710 corridor zoning.
In another press statement sent by her office, the statement read:
“The City Council approved a motion memorializing an agreement reached with community members regarding 710 corridor zoning. This agreement is a result of a community consensus determined through a series of meetings led by Councilmember Jurado’s office. The zoning adopted by the motion will allow for the 710 corridors to continue with the existing single-family, low-density
multi-family, and low-scale commercial characteristics of the neighborhood while allowing property owners to pull basic building permits not allowed under previous designations.”
Jurado said: “This agreement is an example of community-led development and co-governance in action. I’m grateful for the El Sereno community’s willingness to work with my team to restore trust and communication lost in previous administrations.”
This long-awaited motion allows property owners to make renovations and expansions that have been delayed for decades due to improper zoning.
Jorge Garcia, of the El Sereno Historical Society, said:
“The 710 Caltrans homes have been an issue in the community for decades. The fate of the homes was in limbo for years, especially after the 710 extension was defeated. Our hope was for current residents to be able to buy the homes they have been living in.
Councilmember Jurado and her staff took the time to listen to the community’s concerns and actually worked to find a common ground.”
El Sereno Resident, Hugo Garcia, spoke about the collaboration process:
“I believe the Councilmember and her staffunlike her predecessor - responded to the community’s concerns in a very transparent and inclusive manner. Councilmember Jurado met with our committee three times and was very forthright and responsive.”
The new zoning will apply to approximately 300 parcels in the pathway of the 710 North Extension Freeway.
Jurado has achieved tangible results during her first 100 days in office. This was her commitment
on Election night: Bringing back basic city services to the region which was among her first order of business.
Jurado, who represents the 14th District, has introduced motions calling on city agencies to look into the district’s unreliable street lights and the closure of a Boyle Heights library plagued by construction delays.
While these reports are forthcoming, Jurado has touted these actions as “just getting started.”
“Good things take time, and they take even longer at City Hall,” Jurado told Boyle Heights Beat in a statement.
Jurado is an American tenants’ rights lawyer and politician who ran for the Los Angeles City Council in 2024 and defeated incumbent Kevin de León, becoming the first person of Filipino descent elected to the City Council.
She was born and raised in Highland Park, Los Angeles, to Carlo Jurado and Jocelyn Jurado. She has one brother, Raphael. Her grandmother, Irene Jurado, was a lawyer in Iligan, Philippines, serving as lead counsel for The Evening Post.
At age 17, Jurado became a mother and co-parented with her aunt while working. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Juris Doctor. She then pursued a career as a housing rights attorney, where she focused on defending workers facing wage theft and representing tenants in eviction cases.
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
My emotions have been tumultuous lately, not just because of the stress of child-rearing or the hormonal imbalances that come with aging, but because of the righteous indignation swelling inside my heart for the injustices I witness daily.
From senseless wars to the unfair treatment of migrants and asylum seekers, from the oppression of tyrants to the seeming victory of injustice… it all weighs heavily on me.
There are moments when I want to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to what’s happening beyond my own little world, to focus solely on motherhood and raising my family, because that, in itself, is already overwhelming.
But I can’t.
I think of the countless mothers like me who are
separated from their children, of children losing parents to war, of international students and researchers like my husband whose futures remain uncertain, and of the many suffering under oppressive regimes.
No matter how much I want to be unbothered, I am deeply affected by all that is happening around me.
My Filipino mother, though an American citizen, is not immune to prejudice because of her skin color.
My husband is a scientist whose work depends on funding from institutions, including government bodies, whose priorities can be so uncertain.
And my heart cannot be hardened against the plight of brothers and sisters who face attacks and harassment from those who ought to show mercy and grace.
In the midst of my
questions about why unrighteousness and injustice seem to prevail, I find encouragement in the stories of the Bible.
These stories remind me that while suffering is real and pervasive in this broken world, we can take heart because the One True King and Ruler has already overcome it all and He reigns supreme.
Time and again, the Bible shows how evil, prideful leaders who exalt themselves are eventually humbled, punished, and removed from power.
The people of Israel were freed from the op-
By Gary Hooser
With the active support of the United States, Israel has attacked Iran. Iran has naturally responded with retaliatory attacks.
The whole mess could go nuclear.
State legislators in Minnesota are being gunned down in their homes.
Across the continent, other elected government leaders are being wrestled to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested for having the audacity to speak out on behalf of the people who elected them.
Mass police/ICE actions are happening daily in Los Angeles.
The U.S. Marine Corps is preparing to take action against U.S. citizens.
People are being taken from their homes by ICE in the dark of night, grabbed at schools, outside courtrooms, and on the streets,
across the country.
The U.S. Treasury is being pillaged. Public resources are being moved from healthcare, food for those in need, parks, education – indeed, from just about every public institution you can think of – to the accounts of those at the very top.
Anyone who’s paying any attention whatsoever — anybody who cares anything at all about our collective community — knows without a doubt that we need serious, positive, immediate change.
Whether you’re following right-wing news channels, left-wing podcasts, or corporate/centrist mass media, you’ll see and hear the same madness.
The information is delivered via different filters, but it’s madness nonetheless.
Unless they are stopped, President Trump, Vice-President Vance, Defense Secre-
pressive Pharaoh of Egypt through Moses.
Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty king of Babylon, was humbled by God’s hand - his pride brought him low, and he was driven to live among wild animals.
Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s successor, who blasphemed God and exalted himself against the Lord of Heaven, was judged by the famous “writing on the wall” and met his end.
These are just a few examples of many biblical leaders who remind us that those who exalt themselves will be humbled.
Psalm 37:35–36 says:
“I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.”
Isaiah 14:5-6 proclaims:
“The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the
scepter of rulers, that struck down the peoples with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations with relentless persecution.”
These verses assure us that wicked rulers will not endure forever.
So when the news fills me with anger toward selfish, corrupt, cruel, and oppressive leaders, I breathe deeply and remind myself: justice will come.
These things will pass.
A righteous and just God reigns over all, compassionate to the broken, a Father to the fatherless, a Shepherd to the lost, and a Provider for the poor and homeless.
He alone is King of kings, Ruler of all nations. And I cling to His promise that one day, upon His return, pain, suffering, and oppression will be no more.
Until then, I will endure. I will hope. I will keep on praying for the nations.
tary Hegseth, and their entire cabal will continue dragging us into an authoritarian abyss. They live for opportunities to prove how strong and bad they are. They are control freaks who love it when people fear them.
At the slightest provocation, real or imagined, they’ll push down on that LAUNCH button. Then, there’s no turning back.
Where are the adults in the room? Where are those who’ll listen, build coalitions, and come up with solutions based on real facts and solid information?
Enough already with ketamine, testosterone, “big body” posturing and warrior ethos.
Rational, civil, values-based adult conversation is desperately needed in Washington, D.C., and around the world.
Our planet needs more
of the “truth and reconciliation” ethos espoused by Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa. Mandela spent 27 years in prison, emerged to negotiate the end of apartheid, brought peace to his racially divided country, and led the fight for human rights around the world.
If we’re to move our planet towards an era of peace, justice, and true prosperity for all, we need to somehow rid ourselves of the bullying, bad-boy, toughguy, warrior ethos flaunted daily by Hegseth, his boss in the White House, and their friends.
How do we get there?
The task at hand seems insurmountable, but doing nothing -- just giving them the keys -- is not an option. There are no easy answers or textbook solutions, but it starts with thinking globally, acting locally, showing up, and non-cooperation.
Showing up sends several messages, loud and
clear: We’re not afraid. We’re not going to cooperate. We’re not willing to look away and pretend we don’t see the insanity on display EVERYWHERE, every single day.
We’re all in this together. We can, and we MUST, stop this madness.
But we gotta show up --
On the streets, holding signs in towns and cities everywhere.
At public meetings, government hearings, and community town halls.
In letters to the editor, on social media, in email to government leaders.
Trust me on this: Show up. You’ll feel better.
When a majority of us join together, show up, speak out, and refuse to cooperate, the madness will stop.
“¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”
The people united will never be defeated.
GARY HOOSER is a former Hawaiʻi State Senator and Majority Leader.
By
This book is a memoir and business self-improvement book penned by Eddie himself, and the fifth book that he has written and published to date.
The book consists of two parts.
Part I, titled “The Eddie Flores, Jr. Story,” is his 14-chapter memoir that traces his roots in Hong Kong, the son of a Filipino musician father and a Hawaii-born Chinese mother.
Most of the chapters in the memoir focus on how L&L Hawaiian Barbecue evolved from a purchase he made in 1976 as a gift to his mother and how it expanded to a chain of over 238 stores in 15 states in the USA and two other countries.
In the second part, titled “So You Want to Be a Franchisee,” Eddie shares his views on how to be a successful franchisee.
L&L restaurants have grown to become the leading Hawai’i-based restaurant franchise and have held the number one position in the Entrepreneur Magazine for Asian food franchises for many years.
This is due in part to the high satisfaction rating it has received from its franchisees. For one, L&L restaurants have the lowest costs for royalty and marketing fees. The L&L office staff treats the franchisees as family members—a spill-over of the aloha spirit that pervades this Hawai’i-based chain.
As Eddie himself says in the book:
“As a franchisee owner, you become part of the L&L ‘ohana. Families in Hawai’i take good care of each other and every person. Many of our franchisees describe the feeling of
being part of the L&L fam ily as their top reason to be part of the L&L restau rants.”
Eddie credits L&L’s franchisees as the real am bassadors who spread the aloha spirit—and the “big boss” who pays their salaries. It is not surprising that the restaurant chain has also been the conduit for many immigrants in making the American dream come true.
Eddie and his business partner, Johnson Kam, of the L&L chain, note that “…we are happy to see many of our immigrant franchisees making the American dream happen, just like us.”
Eddie’s immigration story, as excerpted from this book, is one of the narratives in an anthology called “From Memory to Meaning,” where he shares his roots and notes that his Filipino grandfather moved to Hong Kong with his family from Manila to play in a band at nightclubs.
Eddie explained that his grandfather was probably one of the very first overseas workers from the Philippines. He had four sons and four daughters who were musical. He explained:
“My grandfather and his oldest son played bass while my dad and his other two brothers played the drums. None of them knew how to read music and had only a sixth-grade education. Ten years ago, I finally met my Filipino aunt and cousins in the Philippines.”
His Chinese mother was born in Hawai’i, but she went back to China when she was a young girl. She could have brought her family to the USA earlier, but his parents had no money. He adds:
“My Chinese grandfather visited us in 1959 and decided to pay for our boat fares. Since my dad couldn’t find a job, I was sent to live with my uncle, along with my oldest sister, in San Francisco for two and a half years.”
Eddie admits that he has a very short attention span and repeated a grade four times. A certified C student, he still managed to graduate from college and earn a master’s degree. He also flunked English 101 at the University of Hawai‘i, although that didn’t stop him from writing and publishing five books.
Nowadays, he keeps the four report cards that show that he flunked and keeps them side by side with the 100% score from a Federal Civil Service test he took (where he competed with adults as a high school kid) as a memento.
“It keeps me grounded,” he explains.
In 1991, he decided to make a change and be active in the Filipino community by joining the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawai’i.
“I was surprised that I was accepted immediately into the group. They only joked occasionally that I am part-Chinese and that I was tight with money,” he recalled.
It became his advoca-
cy to be of service to the Filipino community by working tirelessly as a part of the Filipino Chamber.
“It was through service that I earned their respect as a community activist and businessman,” he explained, so that when Lito Alcantra was president of the Filipino Chamber in 1993, he asked Roland Casamina and Eddie to start a team to build the Filipino center.
“Roland and I knew that building the center would be almost impossible. However, the Filipino community wanted it. We felt that the center would bring pride to the Filipino community,” he explained.
He considers building the Filipino Community Center as one of the most time-consuming and difficult projects that he has ever worked on.
But he confesses that, “It is my pride and joy. It took almost 10 years of hard work, commitment, and luck to make that dream come true.”
He has told friends many times that building the Filipino Community Center was a bigger accomplishment for him than growing L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.
“This work allowed me to become very close to the Filipino community. It gave me the opportunity to know where my roots are from, and to understand Filipino culture,” he says.
Those who have attended any of Eddie’s continuing education classes in real estate will recall his rollicking anecdotes and tall stories, and jokes.
There is a chapter in his book titled “Hana Hou,” which is a compilation of his escapades as an emerg-
ing entrepreneur. This series of anecdotes is also a source of information on what it was to live in Hawai’i during the heady post-statehood days.
In one anecdote where he describes his experiences as a young manager trainee at Bank of Hawai’i, he recalls being mentored by a tough lady executive, the first woman vice president of the bank, Madelyn Dunham, whose grandson would visit her at her office. That grandson would be the country’s 44th president, Barack Obama.
In another anecdote, he recalls the time he gave a speech at Malacanang Palace when he received the Presidential Award for an Outstanding Overseas Filipino.
The president then was Joseph Estrada, who was seated next to him at the presidential table. Eddie usually starts his speeches with a joke to break the ice.
The joke he chose to share was about the time he bought L&L Drive Inn for his mother (which is true) and then fired her (which was made up as a joke). Nobody laughed, and it made him speechless for 30 seconds.
Visibly shaken, he went back to his seat and was congratulated by the president “for giving a great speech.” And then the president asked Eddie if he really fired his mother! It was a hideous experience he never forgot. Lesson learned: know your audience.
He recalls the first prime rib that he ever tasted. He was 20 years old and working as a waiter at South Sea Restaurant, which was part of the Spencecliff chain, whose owners were the brothers Spencer and Clifton.
One night when Eddie was on duty, Clifton and his wife came in for dinner. The chef prepared the best
By Rose Cruz Churma
he Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, through its publisher, Chona Montesino Sonido, recently endorsed Anthony Donahue to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines.
TIn the letter of endorsement to the White House, she notes:
“His leadership background in military special operations, finance, and non-profit industries is essential to advance and protect American interests in the Philippines.”
Donahue is the leading contender for this critical position, which is not surprising. His resume is impressive.
A recent graduate of Harvard Medical School studying global health delivery (graduating with a 4.0 GPA), he is currently the CFO of a $55-million eCommerce conglomerate, Wylde, Inc., based in Ramona, California.
He also received a postgraduate diploma in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, where he took courses in international law, trade & finance, and politics, and completed a study on the evolving strategic posture of military diplomacy.
Since May 2023, he has been a reservist Pararescueman (TSgt E-6) with the U.S Air Force while taking his postgraduate courses.
“I’ve always been very curious, exploring the fringes so that I may calibrate my internal compass and better navigate the world. Being a PJ reservist while conducting my 5-year academic journey to the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School allowed me to test academic theory against military “working class” pragmatism–a true education,” Donahue reflected.
He also volunteers as the
U.S. military liaison for the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics.
Through this position, he’s been able to reach out to over 30,000 veterans for the purpose of prioritizing quality care through medical research.
Donahue credits his interest in medical research and healthcare to his experience as a U.S. Navy SEAL and as a pararescueman with the U.S. Air Force. He believes that combat medicine and the ensuing logistical protocols that determine definitive care were integral to his leadership development.
He cites the time when he served as Deputy Commander of Naval Special Warfare Forces in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) when he witnessed a correlation between morale and health security for both the local populace and Philippine Security Forces.
In 2011, the Task Force that Donahue led partnered with its Philippine counterpart and rescued dozens of injured troops. This joint venture was lauded as a moral victory and the evolution of the Task Force’s mission that altered his comprehension of foreign policy success.
He considers his deployment to ARMM as a watershed experience. “My great-grandfather was a Philippine Scout for the U.S. Army in 1901 and fought in the area I would eventually deploy to,” he explained.
Donahue’s 145-person team was tasked to foster local support for the Philippine government while ostracizing violent extremist organizations in the region. As Deputy Commander, he participated in over 200 engagements with local stakeholders, national NGOs, and political leaders.
These engagements would guide his $15 million per quarter allocation to
complete 110 humanitarian operations, as well as the building of roadways and medical clinics in the area.
He had many memorable incidents that occurred during his deployment to the ARMM.
“We repatriated two Filipino-Americans who were being held hostage for months on Basilan,” Donahue shared.
“During one operation, I was able to rendezvous with the Mark V SOC on my stand-up paddleboard. Then there was the daily mission of working with the locals, speaking Tagalog, and “politicking,” all while exploring my roots. It was a special deployment for me.”
Growing up, he heard stories of his great-grandfather involved in combat in Muslim Mindanao in the early 20th century.
“It was surreal to think that perhaps I was operating on territory that my great-grandfather was operating on 100 years earlier,” he said.
Donahue believes that this holistic investment in multi-generational and sustainable projects created economic stability as well as provided the needed healthcare.
“This served as a catalyst to how I would approach national defense for the rest of my career,” he reflected.
While Donahue’s knowledge of the culture and language of the Philippines influenced his deployment to the ARMM, his fluency in colloquial Arabic led to multiple Middle East
deployments since his graduation from Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, where he majored in International Studies with a minor in Arabic.
His more than 20 years of technical and leadership experience in the U.S. military’s special operations provided him with the experience that honed his skills in critical thinking and in building high-performance teams.
A third-generation military brat, Donahue was born in a military hospital on Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska in the dead of winter.
“We lived in an unheated trailer outside the base. My father was an enlisted recruit at E-1, so we made do in keeping me warm by wrapping me up in blankets and using a box for a crib,” he said.
His Irish-American dad and his Filipina mom were “penpals” initially, introduced by his mom’s sister, who had married an American serviceman. Eventually, after his dad made several visits to Manila, his parents tied the knot in the Philippines.
“My lolo, Dominador Jaymalin, assisted my mom, Rebecca (Jaymalin) Donahue, in raising me from the age of four until I was nine. My dad was in the US Air Force at the time and traveled often for work, so my lolo lived with us and was a formidable male role model for me,” Donahue recalled.
“My lolo was a very proud man. He raised me on the tenets of utility and pragmatism. My mom, who moved to the US at the age of 28, and my lolo spoke Tagalog in the house. And both encouraged me to be “astig” and respectful in manners and dress.”
His grandparents moved to the US specifically to help their two daughters with their young families. His lola stayed with his aunt’s family while his lolo stayed with them.
“My mother also instilled
a veneration of the Filipino culture in me during my upbringing. She enrolled me in Filipino martial arts and was a Filipino folkdance instructor at multiple Fil-Am organizations. I performed Filipino folk dances such as the maglalatik and itik-itik from grade school until I joined the military,” he shared.
Donahue added that when he goes home, his mom still makes him champorado for breakfast with a side of tuyo
As a US Navy SEAL, he was stationed in Hawaii. “I could surf at the North Shore then, but I won’t do that now,” he chuckled.
He confessed that he tried to surf at all the islands he visited, and wondered if there were good surfing spots in the Philippines close to Manila.
“I’ve been to the Philippines multiple times as a young boy, accompanying my mom on visits to her home in the Binondo-Tondo area, or relatives in Novaliches and Batangas. My lolo even let me handle firecrackers at a young age,” Donahue recalled, smiling at the memory.
“But what I worry about is how my young daughter, Amaya, would fare in a rarefied environment, where a yaya would tie her shoes,” he paused.
“But I guess, my wife Candy will make sure she stays grounded, and maybe absorb the culture and learn Tagalog, if I’m given this opportunity to serve.”
It was mid-afternoon when we finished the interview.
“I kept a surfboard in my rental car—one last surfing session before we return home tomorrow,” he confessed.
The idea of hitting the warm waters of the Pacific, this body of water that links Hawaii with the Philippines, seemed to energize him.
It would seem like the position of U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines was tailor-made to fit him.
By Dr. Arcelita Imasa
Are the needs of Filipino fire survivors in Lahaina being met in the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires? – Reader
Dear Reader,
Almost two full years after the wildfires devastated Lahaina in August 2023, many Lahaina Filipinos are struggling to make ends meet and continue living in Lahaina.
Starting life from the ashes has not been easy for immigrants and migrants like the Filipino community. Navigating disaster recovery has been a challenge for many.
Over 40% of Lahaina’s pre-fire population identifies as Filipino, yet many Filipinos have been left behind in Lahaina’s ongoing wildfire recovery due to a lack of language access and affordable housing.
Many Lahaina Filipinos lived in multi-generational setups or informal rentals, causing complications in acquiring housing assistance through programs like FEMA.
As an organization focused on building collective power in directly impacted communities, the Hawaiʻi Workers Center conducted one-on-one conversations with Lahaina Filipino fire survivors to identify the most pressing challenges facing the community and build collective power around fighting them.
Overwhelmingly, Lahaina Filipino fire survivors identified housing as their main concern in realizing a just and equitable wildfire recovery.
Survivors expressed that the combination of a lack of available rental units and high rental costs has made it difficult to stay in Lahaina.
Many survivors have moved to other areas of Maui, off-island to other
(CANDID PERSPECTIVES: On Father’s Day ....from page 9) depicting the fields, with a name draped over it all proclaiming RIPON, a town in the Central Valley.
That was not my father. Another Filipino. But you know what they say.
My dad—from Laoag— was Born under the American flag, in a colonized Philippines, The first colony of the imperial U.S.
My dad was not A citizen, but still an American.
Legally undocumented. A “national” they called him, A euphemism indicating he was
Owned by the U.S.
like a slave but no chains, chains were in his head.
islands in Hawaiʻi, or back home to the Philippines as a result of the scarcity.
With these priorities in mind, Lahaina Filipino fire survivors have united to fight for rental assistance, affordable and long-term housing, community-led decisions, and survivor representation in recovery planning through the Lahaina Filipino Fire Survivors Association.
As Maui prepares to implement its Community Development Block Grants Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds, the LFFSA sees these as the best policies to address the most crucial needs of Lahaina’s Filipino fire survivors, and all survivors.
On May 27, 2025, Lahaina Filipino fire survivors and community members gathered to celebrate the official launch of LFFSA at the Maui County Office of Recovery.
LFFSA, an initiative of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center, is a formalized grassroots organization for these
He must have come from the depths if America was his best option
During the depression, 1928.
One of 30,000 Filipinos, a Man to woman ratio of 14-1. It was a labor force, not a family force.
If things were normal, maybe he would have started a family in a year Or two. 1930?
But then I’d be 95 right now.
Not pretty. Not normal. Anti-miscegenation laws prevented Intermarriage.
Taking white jobs was bad enough.
But not white women. Others went to the valley to work
But not dad
Who stayed in San Fran-
directly impacted worker leaders to work together, unite, and find ways to recover from the disaster.
The launch highlighted the ongoing needs of Filipinos in Lahaina, and fire survivors expressed fear about what comes next after the FEMA assistance ends in February 2026.
Dominguilio Tupinio Jr., a worker at the Lahaina Royal Hotel, shared about how the lack of affordable housing on Maui underscores the need for rental assistance and urged the government to take action.
He shared:
“Thirty to 40% of our combined income goes to rent. If we pay all our bills, like mortgage for car, bank loan, insurance, car, life, medical & dental, and tuition fees for my daughter, it will not be enough. And what about those we are supporting back [in the Philippines] that we were supporting regularly before the fire?”
The LFFSA members encourage all those im-
cisco to cook, lived with other Filipino men 6,7,8 to a room. America was still better than the Philippines.
That’s Even if Filipino men dancing with white women Caused
Riots in Stockton, Lynchings in Lodi
A shooting death in Watsonville.
Got so bad, Filipinos were asked to self-deport. Some went back. The majority stuck it out here.
After nearly 30 years, my father met a rare Filipina, and I was born.
We never talked much, dad and I.
I was too American. He was too Filipino.
I went to the Pop Warner banquet by myself.
I was MVP. Running back.
pacted by the fires to come together to share their experiences rather than to just struggle on their own silently.
The association will continue to advocate to provide all fire survivors, both renters and homeowners, with clear and transparent information about recovery programs and assistance.
To learn more about the full list of just and equitable recovery demands from the Lahaina Filipino Fire Survivors Association (LFFSA), visit bit.ly/lffsa-petition.
For any questions about LFFSA or if you are a Lahaina fire survivor, email hiworkerscenter@ gmail.com or call (808) 743-1031.
Sincerely, Hawai’i Workers Center
Dr. ARCELITA IMASA is a practicing family physician and the secretary of the Hawaii Workers Center’s Executive Committee of the Board. She grew up in the Philippines before migrating to Hawaii with her family more than a decade ago.
Just not an MVP son.
It was only when I went east to college that I learned the history. After graduation, my father and I went
To see the Giants play. He took me once to see Willie Mays. Now Vida Blue made us cheer.
The Giants won, And we went home with pennant fever. “They will go all the way now,” Dad said. But they didn’t. And he didn’t.
Hours after the game, he passed. A happy day in an imperfect life.
He died on Flag Day June 14.
If he were alive today, he’d think that big parade In Washington, DC was for him.
Maybe it was.
My Dad, once a colonized Filipino, so proud to be an American, Of course, an American in its purest form: freedom, equality, and no kings.
That memory always makes it a Happy Father’s Day for me.
This year, we take the bitter with the sweet. J.J. Spaun’s win assured it was a victory day for diversity. Ah Loo’s death reminds us not to let up on the fight for social justice.
EMIL GUILLERMO is a journalist and commentator. His talk show is on www.amok. com.
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 Indus try
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.
COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR | FilCom Center, Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights | FilCom Center, 94-428 Mokuola St, Waipahu | | June 25, from 5 to 7pm | Get immigration and citizenship guidance and avail of free assistance in filling out applications for Medicare/Medicaid, and other community resources! Register here: https://forms.gle/R8MEwNG2JThX5oKG7.
KAPIHAN SA FILCOM | FilCom Center | FilCom Center, 94-428 Mokuola St, Waipahu | | June 27 from 4 to 5:30pm | Join the monthly stakeholder consultation where the Center discuss issues relevant to their stakeholders over coffee and ube pandesal.
In 2007, Gabriela Guzman was facing the fight of her life. Years of heart failure had weakened her body. Every breath was a struggle.
Her only hope was a heart transplant—and then, on October 31, 2007, at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, the miracle came.
The transplant was a success. A new heart now beats inside her.
But the story didn’t end there.
About a year later, Gabriela reached out to the family of her donor, a young person whose death gave her life.
She wrote a letter filled with gratitude, which began a beautiful and enduring relationship with the donor’s mother. They’ve since become like family, bonded by a heartbeat that once belonged to one and
now lives on in another.
This story stirs something deep in me. Not only because of its humanity, but because it echoes the very heartbeat of the Gospel.
God speaks through the prophet Ezekiel:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
Jesus didn’t just come to make us better. He came to make us new. We weren’t just weak—we were spiritually dead. Yet He chose to lay down His life, to stop His own heartbeat, so that ours could begin again.
When I think of Gabriela, whose life continues because someone else gave theirs, I’m reminded of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial love.
But there’s one key
(BOOK REVIEW: Franchising ....from page 12)
prime rib for them.
Eddie recalls, “When they were done, I took the leftover food back to the kitchen. I cut a piece and ate it… and I hid the rest of the prime rib from the waiters.”
He had a scrumptious dinner the next day and shared some with his dog, Sammy.
There are two appendi-
ces to the book.
Appendix I is a brief history of how a Korean immigrant, Robert Lee, Sr., started a new venture called L&L Dairy. How it ended up as L&L Drive Inn and how Eddie purchased it for his mother is a novel in itself.
Appendix II is devoted to the evolution of the L&L menu. He explains why
difference: Jesus gave His heart, knowing exactly who He was dying for. Me. You. And not just to save our lives, but to make His life beat in us.
To love through us. To live with us. Every moment. Every breath. Every heartbeat!
Gabriela lives with a
he chose to re-name the US mainland restaurants as L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and discard the “plate lunch” term, which evolved from the plantation days.
One of the photos used in this appendix was a photo of former president Corazon Aquino eating a L&L Hawaiian barbecue meal.
The photos used in the
new heart she didn’t earn. So do I. And the most fitting response is what she has done: express thanks.
Stay connected to the Giver. And live a life worthy of the gift.
So today, I pause and listen. Beneath the noise of my day, I hear a rhythm deep in me.
publication further enliven the text, which in itself is free-flowing and easy to read.
I must admit, I approached reading the book with hesitation since Eddie is known as a pro at promotion in all its forms.
But I ended up enjoying the book and laughing out loud in the middle of the night while I read it.
And it’s not mine—it’s His. Beating in me. Loving through me. Whispering, “You are alive because I live in you.”
Reflection Questions:
1. What areas of your life feel like they need a heart transplant?
2. How can you express daily gratitude to Jesus for the new heart he’s given you?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the gift of a new heart—one filled with Your life and love. I didn’t earn it. But You gave it freely, through the cross. Let my life be a daily thankyou letter. Help me live in a way that reflects Your heartbeat in me. Amen.
BERMIE DIZON is a retired pastor of Grace Communion International (GCI), Glendora, CA and a former writer for USA Tribune for nine years. He is also the author of the book “God, In Every Step” which is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other outlets.
We can’t wait for the next book!
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.
