Hawaii Filipino Chronicle - January 23, 2021

JANUARY 23, 2021  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  1

JANUARY 23, 2021

CANDID PERSPECTIVES

Filipinos Know Why Trump’s Inciting A Mob Is Impeachable NEWS FEATURE

Martin Luther King’s Impact in Hawaii

HEALTHLINE

January Is Glaucoma Awareness Month

BOOK REVIEW

Bamboo Whispers — Poetry of the Mangyans

2 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  JANUARY 23, 2021

EDITORIAL

Trump, His Enablers, and Insurrectionists Must Be Held Accountable With A Heavy Hand of Justice for Capitol Siege

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he shameful, bloody attack of the People’s House, our nation Capitol must be called for what it was – a coup, an insurrection incited by President Donald Trump and his enablers, and executed by his radical supporters, right-wing fringe elements.

And why? Insurrectionists believed in the big lie that the 2020 presidential election was wrought with fraud, contrary to all facts and evidence.

We have the who and why. But the what is even more compelling that a seditious act was committed. What did they do?

• Disrupt and attempt to prevent the certification of the Electoral College • Seek out to harm elected officials: Vice President Mike Pence (chants of hang Pence) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (ample audio recordings of violent threats to her); both of whom are the number one and two successors to the presidency • Assaulted law enforcement, and killed one officer • Trespassed, looted, and destroyed property Make no mistake the Capitol siege could have ended far worse, and potentially have resulted in a massacre of our entire leadership. Repeat: our nation’s entire leadership could have been wiped out.

This is the gravity of what occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, a day that will be forever be seared in the memories of those who lived to witness it, be written in history books and taught to our children, their children, and succeeding generations.

What else will be taught?

That Trump was held accountable for the insurrection via an impeachment (his second one). We shall see later, if he is convicted by the US Senate, which would bar him from running for any public office.

The Senate should move to convict even if it is for one reason alone – to remove this dangerous threat to our country so that he can no longer harness destruction ever again. Trump needs to be constraint in a constitutional straight jacket.

Accountability Before Moving Forward Any lawmaker in good conscious should not turn this into a bipartisan issue and not use the excuse of some false greater good to unite the people, to heal and to move forward. The question begs: where were Republicans when Trump was tearing our nation apart with divisive policies and rhetoric? Why the sudden urgency for unity and national cohesion? Four years have passed and many sectors of society were at the receiving end of hate, discrimination, and violence.

Immigrant communities were targeted and killed in El Paso, TX because of dangerous, divisive anti-immigrant rhetoric. Asian communities were targeted with violence because of Trump’s Wu Han virus rhetoric. Black athletes who protested by taking a knee were demonized for protesting policing violence on their community. BLM protestors were beaten on the streets in their calls for justice. Children were being separated from their parents and placed in separate detention centers for days, weeks, months – an act of inhumanity that roused anger cross-sectionally among both sides of the political spectrum.

Where were you, then? And why weren’t you calling for

(continue on page 3)

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

egendary journalist Christiane Amanpour has been talking about the need for modern journalism to be more truthful, than neutral. The idea behind this is that being neutral could at times lead to false equivalency. In the past four years covering the Trump administration that belted out lie after lie, the media had no choice but to take a stand and deliver truth, even if it meant appearing to some, as being one-sided, not neutral. In the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol, once again, we are tasked to report on the truth, however ugly it is, and refrain from presenting two-sides or a false equivalency that somehow these rioters had any claims to legitimacy for their horrific actions.

For our cover story this issue, associate editor Edwin Quinabo captures in detail the events that unfolded on that historic insurrection on the US Capitol, the “People’s” House. He also explores the question of accountability. Of who? Trump and perhaps his allies as well, who have all leading up to the insurrection, fostered an ecosystem of lies, hate and right-wing ideology. Since Trump was elected, his torching of norms -- in this latest case of not accepting a peaceful transition of power -- was bound to have a reckoning, a consequence of deadly proportion. The Capitol siege resulted in five deaths, and potentially could have been a massacre of our nation’s top leaders. Also covered in the story was the US House’s swift condemnation of Trump’s role in the insurrection by the execution of a second Articles of Impeachment against Trump. Both Hawaii Congressmen Ed Case and freshman Kai Kahele voted to impeach the President. A trial in the Senate to convict is upcoming. Trump is now out of office, but a conviction would bar him from running for any public office again. Members in our community share their thoughts on the riot and on the end of Trump’s term. What’s left is damage control of how the nation must squash radicalism. The FBI is now calling terrorism as the number one threat in the US. On the same subject, HFC columnist Emil Guillermo contributes “Filipinos Know Why Trump’s Inciting A Mob Is Impeachable.” His article expands on mob violence in the life story of Fermin Tobera, circa 1930s, who was murdered by a white mob after he danced with white women at a dance hall.

Emil refers to the Capitol insurrectionists as the “White Mob,” and elaborates, “make no mistake, Filipino Americans know the wrath of the White Mob.” Also in this issue, HFC contributor Rose Cruz Churma writes a Book Review “Bamboo Whispers — Poetry of the Mangyans.” This book is a compilation of 100 ambahan (literally, ambahan means song) pieces grouped in 10 chapters.

Each ambahan is shown in Mangyan script and translated in Tagalog, English and Spanish— and illustrated with a black and white photograph.

We also have an opinion article “How to Rescue Hawaii’s Economy Without Raising Taxes” contributed by Keli’i Akina in our Open Forum section. On the lighter side, read what Filipinos say in our Chronicle Pulse question “What Makes You Happy – Love, Money or Good Health?”

Be sure to read our other columns and news. If you haven’t yet tried our Crossword Puzzle, get those brain synapses sparking and have a shot at it. Many of our readers find it challenging but fun.

Lastly, I’m glad to report that our website has been getting more visitors. Please let your family and friends who don’t have easy access to our newspaper at outlets to visit our website. If you happen to miss an issue, our website archives back issues. Thank you for your continued support. Until next issue, warmest Aloha and Mabuhay!

Publisher & Executive Editor Charlie Y. Sonido, M.D.

Publisher & Managing Editor

Chona A. Montesines-Sonido

Associate Editors

Edwin QuinaboDennis Galolo

Contributing Editor

Belinda Aquino, Ph.D.

Design

Junggoi Peralta

Photography Tim Llena

Administrative Assistant Lilia Capalad Shalimar Pagulayan

Editorial Assistant Jim Bea Sampaga

Columnists

Carlota Hufana Ader Elpidio R. Estioko Emil Guillermo Melissa Martin, Ph.D. J.P. Orias Pacita Saludes Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq. Charlie Sonido, M.D. Emmanuel S. Tipon, Esq.

Contributing Writers

Clement Bautista Edna Bautista, Ed.D. Teresita Bernales, Ed.D. Sheryll Bonilla, Esq. Rose Churma Serafin Colmenares Jr., Ph.D. Linda Dela Cruz Carolyn Weygan-Hildebrand Amelia Jacang, M.D. Caroline Julian Raymond Ll. Liongson, Ph.D. Federico Magdalena, Ph.D. Matthew Mettias Maita Milallos Paul Melvin Palalay, M.D. Renelaine Bontol-Pfister Seneca Moraleda-Puguan Mark Lester Ranchez Jay Valdez, Psy.D. Glenn Wakai Amado Yoro

Philippine Correspondent: Greg Garcia

Neighbor Island Correspondents: Big Island (Hilo and Kona) Grace LarsonDitas Udani Kauai Millicent Wellington Maui Christine Sabado Big Island Distributors Grace LarsonDitas Udani Kauai Distributors Amylou Aguinaldo Nestor Aguinaldo Maui Distributors

Cecille PirosRey Piros Molokai Distributor Maria Watanabe Oahu Distributors Yoshimasa Kaneko Jonathan Pagulayan

Advertising / Marketing Director Chona A. Montesines-Sonido

Account Executives Carlota Hufana Ader JP Orias

JANUARY 23, 2021  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  3

EDITORIAL

We’re Tired of COVID-19, But Staggering New Infections Should Be Warning to Keep Safeguards and Get Vaccinated

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nother article on COVID-19 – ah, heard it all, tired of hearing about it, many Americans might say. COVID fatigue is now an understatement; people just don’t seem to care enough, anymore. Hardly anyone is talking about it as last year, especially since vaccines are already available.

To many journalists, too, writing about the pandemic is exhausting.

But here is the raw truth, the pandemic is far from over in the US and ignoring COVID, engaging in risky behavior and travelling have proven to be catastrophic of late. The Christmas and New Year’s celebrations spiked COVID to staggering numbers.

In the last, two-and-a-half months, contraction of COVID accounts for a whopping 60 percent of all cases since the deadly virus touched ground in the US last late January.

As of January 18, 2021 the US has 24,073,555 million cases and a staggering 398,977 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

In California where many Hawaii locals have family is experiencing a frightening outbreak. It is the only state to surpass the 3 million mark.

Los Angeles is now the nation’s new COVID epicenter with a grim 1 million total cases in that county alone.

Hospitals are in a overcapacity crisis. Patients are being treated in hallways.

The numbers of infections and deaths to COVID placed in the context by the minute perhaps is more terrifying.

In LA County, 10 people on average test positive for the coronavirus every minute.

Every six minutes, someone dies from COVID-19, reports LA county public health.

Why Hawaii residents should be concerned. Of all the states, California is most frequently visited among Hawaii locals. California residents are also among the top visitors to Hawaii.

COVID cases are rising in nearly ever state and deaths are consistently topping 4,000 a day, that’s about 120,000 deaths a month.

In Hawaii, the number of new cases in the past 14 days is 2,232, averaging about 130 new cases a day, according to Hawaii’s Health Department.

Trump, His Enablers...from page 2)

healing and unity, then?

Before any progress can take place there has to be accountability. Anything short of that is really political preservation.

And accountability must be exacted not just onto Trump to bear, but those who voted against the certification of the Electoral College, the likes of Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. These “bad” actors must be either asked to resign or, at the very least, censured.

Why? If there were no lawmakers agreeing to do Trump’s bidding in Congress by rejecting the certification, there would have been no protest to begin with, no storming of the Capitol, and no deaths.

Right-wing Radicals and their False Grievance The writing of history will be a greater stain of shame when future generations learn about the treasonous groups that were aligned with this disgraced, twice-impeached President.

Capitol insurrectionists included white supremacists, QAnon (conspiracy theorists), the Proud Boys (thugs), and arguably most dangerous among them, militia groups -- people who epitomize entitlement.

There were no legitimate grievance here.

COVID-19 Variants, Higher Risks By now most are aware of two COVID variants, the UK origin and South African origin. Back to California, the UK origin is already said to be spreading there.

Both variants are known to have higher rates of contraction by 50 to 70% from the original strain. At this time, researchers say there is no evidence that either variant causes more severe illness or increased risk of death.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the UK variant will become the dominant strain in US by March 2021. Already it is found in 30 percent of states. This means higher rates of contractions are expected even as the winter surge is projected to subside.

And there is yet another

variant emerging in Brazil, a third variant that researchers say looks closer to the South African variant.

The good news is that all variants to date are believed to be controlled by current vaccines available. But the bad news, researchers say, the longer in duration and more widespread COVID-19 and its variants are, the greater chances for further mutations to occur that could possibly require new forms of vaccination not yet created.

Should that happen, the current projections of returning to normalcy at the end of this year with existing vaccinations could be extended to who knows how long.

Latest Update on Biden’s COVID-19 plan To assist with the rollout problems states are encountering, President Joe Biden is proposing to more than double the nation’s current investment in vaccination to $20 billion that will also go toward better partnering with states and counties to create vaccination sites.

Biden plans to invoke the Defense Production Act (something Trump refused to do) that will help to boost vaccine and A protestor was caught on film saying that they supply had no choice but to take matters into their own hands launch a new that day. He said the Supreme Court would not help 100,000-perthem, the states were not helping them, the courts were not helping them. They had no choice.

Imagine if other groups with far more legitimate grievances had that mentality of entitlement and criminal audacity to do what these rioters did.

Who are they? Our Black, Brown and immigrant communities, the LGBTQ community, the families whose loved ones were murdered by gun violence, the women who were denied the right to vote or have control of their own bodies -- the truly disenfranchised groups who for generations (emphasize here generations) were denied justice by the courts and legislatures over and over again.

Compare these Americans struggle to the entitled rioters who feel they were disenfranchised by last year’s election on false premises. An example must be made. Rioters must be convicted and charged. The President must be convicted in the Senate.

Radicalism must not be normalized. The President chose his own destiny when he decided not to act on a peaceful transition of power as every president had done before him.

son public health force to assist with deployment.

Have Patience, Continue Safe Practices, Get Vaccinated It will take teamwork, community awareness and cooperation for all of us to find our way out of the woods.

Public health officials say a typical profile of new COVID-19 cases is someone who underestimated the possibility of getting the virus, have grown tired of COVID safeguards, and engaged in riskier behavior they wouldn’t have in the early days of the pandemic, such as traveling and attending gatherings.

The staggering spike is a result of behavioral practices; most likely attributed to impatience and a false sense of security over available vaccines before actually getting vaccinated. The general public must remember that 90%plus immunity to the virus only kicks in after days from receiving the second shot for either of the available vaccines. Millions of Americans haven’t even received their first shots.

Especially as new variants of COVID-19 spread, it’s even more imperative that we all practice safeguards. And when the vaccine becomes available to you, you should get vaccinated.

4 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  JANUARY 23, 2021

COVER STORY

Jan. 6 – The Day Our Nation Capitol Fell To American Radicalism

By Edwin Quinabo

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an. 6, 2021, will go down as one of the darkest days in US history as Trump supporters stormed and breached the US Capitol to protest the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

It’s being called a coup, an insurrection that resulted in five deaths, and could have potentially ended in a massacre of the nation’s top leaders from both chambers of Congress, including the top three presidential line of succession: Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate President pro tempore Chuck Grassley.

The insurrection was a catastrophic failure in security as lawmakers were forced to hide in undisclosed underground locations; while above them, intruders ran amok through the sacred Post-Insurrection and groups responsible Since the insurrection, 25,000 National guard troops, fully armed have been patrolling the Capitol grounds and perimeter in preparation for the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden. Extra fencing have been erected and razor wires placed atop them in key high security areas. Parked military trucks act as barricades to block off cars have been placed all along seven blocks near the Capitol.

Over a hundred arrests have been made; and the FBI has issued dire warnings of possible violence at Capitols throughout all 50 states.

Gov. David Ige said state sheriffs are working with the Honolulu Police Department to protect Hawaii and the State Capitol if necessary.

Who are the main groups that stormed the Capitol? According to the FBI, among the rioters were right-wing elements, white supremacists, QAnon, Proud Boys, militia and other fringe groups.

Besides the radicals present were Trump’s most trust-

halls of the People’s House, ransacked offices and destroyed property.

The fiasco was a cautionary tale of unpreparedness on the security side; but also of what dangerous rhetoric can lead to.

Mobs threw journalists to the ground, stole and destroyed their equipment, battled Capitol security forces with metal pipes, flag poles and forcefully snaked their way up as barriers one by one were run over. Insurrectionists with more villainous intentions had heavy duty zip ties intended for hostage-taking. Two pipe bombs were found nearby.

“Hang Mike Pence,” the rioters roared.

Obscenities reverberated at Speaker Pelosi -- the ugliness of the audio caught on

worthy base, White, male, Republican and Christian supporters.

Hawaii resident Nicholas Ochs who founded Proud Boys Hawaii also took part in the Capitol siege. He was arrested on touch down at the Inouye International Airport in Honolulu and charged with trespassing at the US Capitol.

Ochs ran for state House of Representatives as a Republican in last year’s election.

His opponent who beat Ochs, state Rep. Adrian Tam, said, “It does not surprise me.

This is a person who has made offensive remarks about the Jewish community, women, the LGBT community, immigrants, Muslims, you name it, he’s made fun of it.”

Is Trump to blame?

The US Attorney Michael Sherwin investigating the Capitol siege said Trump may be a part of his investigation.

A possible criminal case could be launched against the president if evidence requires it.

Prior to the Capitol riot, Trump led a “Save America” event near the National Mall,

spurring supporters to go to the Capitol. In a 70-minute address, he exhorted them to march on Congress.

Trump said, “We won this election, and we won it by a landslide. We will stop the steal. We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen. If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore.

We are going to the Capitol.”

Critics of the president said that rally whipped the mob into a frenzy.

Political analysts, historians and media pundits said Jan. 6 could be seen as a buildup of tension and division over years.

Timothy Snyder, a historian, professor of history at Yale University, fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, says the riot at the U.S. Capitol was “completely and utterly predictable” given President Trump’s record of stoking extremism and undermining democratic institutions.

“The American republic is hanging by a thread because the president of the United

camera, almost matched the ugliness captured on film.

In the front of the Capitol, insurrectionists constructed a make shift gallows with a hanging noose. The gallows, clearly references the French Revolution when leaders were beheaded; the hanging noose, is a grotesque symbol of the hanging of American slaves.

States has sought to use violence to stay in power and essentially to overthrow our constitutional system,” says Snyder.

Patricio Abinales, professor at the University of Hawaii, said “Trump should be made to answer for this act of terrorism. Not only did he encourage them [rioters] in that speech [on Jan. 6], he also had been repeatedly protesting in Twitter that the election was stolen. His statements were chiliastic and reminded me of how the Ayatollahs of Iran ‘inspired’ their supporters to sacrifice themselves in the Iran-Iraq War. In a country where 8 out of 10 Americans believe angels exist, and 22% believe that American politics is all conspiracies, Trump had no problem getting a fired-up following. The terrorist attack on the US Capitol will go down as the biggest and most successful con job of a celebrated bunko.”

Impeachment If the Capitol siege was a reckoning of vitriol and lies, so was Trump’s second im-

peachment, a reckoning of justice and truth.

House Democrats and 10 Republicans moved to impeach Trump less than a week from the Capitol attack. In a vote of 232-197, the House voted to charge Trump with “inciting violence against the government of the United States” for his role in encouraging the insurrections who stormed the US Capitol.

Trump is the only president ever in the US to be impeached twice. The impeachment moves to the US Senate for a trial that could, if Trump is convicted, bar him from ever holding political office.

Both Hawaii Congressmen Ed Case and Kai Kahele voted to impeach Trump.

In freshman Congressman Kahele’s first floor speech at the Hill, he said Trump violated his oath of office by inciting a “deadly insurrection.

Our sacred oaths are hollow without accountability.”

Case said the president “gravely endangered the security of the United States and the institutions of government.” (continue on page 5)

JANUARY 23, 2021  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  5

COVER STORY (HFC’s Biggest....from page 4)

Sen. Mazie Hirono on her Twitter account said prior to impeachment, “I join Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in calling for Donald Trump’s immediate removal from office. If the House votes to impeach him, I’d welcome the chance to vote for his conviction a second time.”

Sen. Brian Schatz said in a statement “The article of impeachment approved by the House of Representatives lays out what we have all witnessed over the last few months – President Trump lied repeatedly about the results of a free and fair election, attempted to cheat by pressuring election officials, and incited an insurrection that resulted in a violent attack on the US Capitol and the deaths of five Americans.”

Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, formerly a Hawaii resident and a leading Asian American Pacific Island (AAPI) lawmaker also called for Trump’s removal.

California Congressman Ted Liu, also an AAPI lawmaker, was one of three congressmen who drafted the second Articles of Impeachment. He said of impeachment, “This is not partisan, it’s about America.”

New York Congresswoman Grace Meng and AAPI lawmaker blamed Trump for inciting chaos, violence, and the destruction at the US Capitol.

Accountability Professor Abinales agrees with impeachment. “The American system is a system of laws. Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection, and to counter this illegal and undemocratic act, the government should use all available legal weapons in its possession,” he said.

Pearl City resident Kelly Pascual says she’s not a very political person but was angry over the attack at the Capitol. “What Trump did by his words and false claims that he lost the election is lead his supporters to attack another branch of our government.

“He had his own vice pres-

ident there. But I don’t think it mattered to Trump. He only cares about himself. I’m glad he was impeached. He should also be criminally charged.

And the family of the officer who died in the riot deserves justice, too. They should sue Trump in civil court,” said Pascual.

She adds, “Trump didn’t do all the inciting alone.

These lawmakers who contested the certification of the election are in part to blame.

If lawmakers didn’t agree to contest the results then there would have been no protest to begin with.”

After the insurrection, lawmakers reconvened to vote on the certification where they left off. Led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Montana’s Josh Hawley, a total of seven senators voted against certification. One hundred twenty one Republicans rejected the Arizona certification and 138 Republicans rejected the Pennsylvania certification.

The Senate and House majorities are mulling over possible censure of the lawmakers who voted against certification.

Some Democrat lawmakers accused Trump of giving oxygen to radicals and say Republicans who stood by him were enablers. They say calling for unity or to tone down the rhetoric now without accepting responsibility or accountability is hypocritical.

Where were these same Republicans the past four years when Trump was dividing the country? – is a common question, Democrats are asking.

Pascual said if Republicans are now saying they want unity and to move forward, then “make the right bipartisan move to convict in the Senate.

This is a first step to bringing the country together.”

Lynn, who chooses to remain anonymous, is a Republican and frequent church-goer. She says she doesn’t condone the violence that happened, but still thinks Trump was “good for our country.”

“Many of us who support Trump think he wasn’t treated fairly since he got elected.

I still think he won in some of those close races,” said Lynn.

Evangelical Christians have been Trump’s most ardent supporters. Eight in 10 Evangelicals voted for Trump in 2020; they comprised 23% of the entire electorate in 2020.

Survey on Capitol Siege Lynn is not alone for her continued support of Trump even after the insurrection.

A new survey by YouGov found that 45% of Republican voters backed the attack on the Capitol, while 43% said they “strongly or somewhat” opposed the protestors’ behavior.

An overwhelming 96% of Democrats said they strongly opposed the actions of proTrump supporters; and 67% of independents said they opposed it.

Republicans going forward Prior to the Capitol siege, many Conservative Republicans had already left the GOP. Prominent conservatives like George Will and the Lincoln Project group.

NYT Tom Friedman suggested that anti-Trump Conservatives would do better to form a new third party that would, in essence, render impotent the current dominance of Trump radicals in the GOP. This new party would only need a few members. For example, in the Senate, just a handful of them could caucus with Democrats on few issues and stifle any Trump camp initiative.

While Liz Cheney, third-Tanking House Republican, is not at this point willing to abandon the GOP. She, along with nine other House Republicans voted to impeach Trump, signaling growing discontent with the party under Trump’s leadership.

“A violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.

Everything that followed was

“The article of impeachment approved by the House of Representatives today lays out what we have all witnessed over the last few months – President Trump lied repeatedly about the results of a free and fair election, attempted to cheat by pressuring election officials, and incited an insurrection that resulted in a violent attack on the US Capitol and the deaths of five Americans.”

— U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz his doing. None of this would have happened without the President,” said Cheney.

Right-wing Media, Corporate Rresponsibility Nothing happens in a vacuum and it’s becoming clearer how the 30-some years of right-wing media (primarily Fox News) has helped to build up radicalism in the US with half-truths and outright lies.

This hasn’t been more revealing in the past five years in their defense of Trump, media analysts say.

It has been described that the recent insurrection is like the pain the nation has been feeling in their chest, but ignored that warning year after year. Then suddenly a heart attack happens (the violent coup at the Capitol) and now is the time to act.

Recognizing the powerful influence of right wing media and social media can have, Amazon, Apple and Google removed the new ultra-conservative app Parler from its cloud hosting and web service.

Parler has become the alternative social media platform for Trump supporters and rightwing elements. It has been said Parler is the social media haven where lies and disinformation have been spreading like the non-evidenced based lie that the 2020 presidential election was wrought with fraud. This is why corporate Tech giants pulled the plug on Parler, as a preventative measure against future right-wing violence.

JP Morgan and Citibank, long-identified as the power centers and trend setters of

Wall Street, have decided to stop PAC donations to those who voted to overturn the election. Following their lead, the finance firm Stripe announced they will no longer process payments for Trump campaign website.

Marriott says it will ban all donations to the 147 Republicans led by Cruz, Hawley and Kevin McCarthy who voted against the certification of the Electoral College. Morgan Stanley and Dow will do the same.

Ford, CVS, Target and Exxon Mobil are said to be reviewing all their future donations to the Trump Republicans caucus.

Microsoft, Facebook, BP, Deloitte, VISA, Coca-Cola are pulling the plug on all political contributions temporarily.

Corporate newspaper giant Houston Chronicle has called on Sen. Cruz to resign.

Former Honolulu resident now Marketing graduate student in New York, Meghan Arreola says she’s pleased with the moves corporate America is taking.

“It’s important that corporate America sends the message that they will not tolerate insurrection and the breaking down of the rule of law.

“If we are to have a country based on democratic principles and our current free market system, corporations need to do their part to preserve our way of life. The assault on the Capitol and the dangerous radicalism we see growing are too much for corporations to sit down and idly watch,” said Arreola. (continue on page 6)

6 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  JANUARY 23, 2021

OPEN FORUM

How to Rescue Hawaii’s Economy Without Raising Taxes

by Keli‘i Akina

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ov. David Ige has penciled out a budget built on billions of dollars of debt and possibly higher taxes, with high hopes that a federal bailout will save the day. But while he’s waiting to see if the federal money spigots open, we should be looking for ways to revive the economy now, without relying on Uncle Sam to clean up after us — and without raising taxes.

Clearly, there is no easy way to deal with the economic depression caused by the nearly year-long coronavirus lockdowns but trying to extract more taxes from Hawaii’s already struggling residents shouldn’t be an option. Even the governor said recently, “The last thing we want to do is raise taxes during an economic downturn.” Whether he was sincere is another issue, especially since his budget suggests differently.

To his credit, the governor has found places to reduce spending. But more needs to be done. Even before the COVID-19 depression, Hawaii’s budget was headed

for a fiscal cliff. Now more than ever, we need to reduce state spending, roll back regulations and possibly impose a tax freeze. This would spur all sorts of productive economic activity, which in turn would generate tax revenues the state so badly needs to put its house in order.

For the first time in history, Hawaii is borrowing to balance its budget. Of course, that’s a misleading way of using the word “balance.” It’s like telling people you’ve balanced your household budget because you’re planning to put the utilities bill on your credit card. You haven’t really “balanced” anything. You’ve just put the problem off for another, more expensive day.

Unfortunately, that same kind of wishful thinking is evident throughout the governor’s new budget. Look at the estimated state revenues for fiscal 2023 to 2027 and you’ll find about $1 billion worth of “other revenues” spread out over that period. What revenues?

Where are they coming from?

The governor’s team won’t explain what these “other revenues” are supposed to be or identify their source. Since it’s unlikely that we’ll discover a money tree on the Capitol grounds, the source of these

“other revenues” inevitably will be Hawaii’s taxpayers.

Already, whispers of a coming tax hike are creating more stress and worry for local businesses and residents.

A substantial automatic hike in the unemployment tax is already scheduled for this year, and even if delayed will be a burden for years to come.

In addition, there is the increased debt that will occur if payments are deferred to the state’s Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF), which pays health benefits to Hawaii’s 115,000 active and retired government employees and their dependents. The most recent estimate is that skipping those payments for the next five years would cost Hawaii taxpayers an extra $8 billion.

Our best options under such circumstances are,

again, to tighten our spending belts and loosen the binds on productive economic activity.

For example, to trim the state budget we could shift some government functions to the private sector, eliminate subsidies to favored industries such as tourism, and delay indefinitely large projects likely to be a financial drain, such as the new Aloha Stadium.

To foster economic productivity and prosperity, we need to reduce economic regulations that restrict employment, limit competition, discourage investment, obstruct new housing and in many

other ways deny Hawaii residents the opportunity to pursue their dreams and prosper.

Our leaders simply must focus on ways to make Hawaii more attractive to entrepreneurs, businesses and workers, which they can do by increasing economic freedom.

Let people get back to work so they can once again be productive, and thereby generate the taxes needed to help our policymakers bring our state budget back into line.

These are things we can do — without raising taxes — to rebuild our economy on something more concrete than just wishes and hopes.

KELI‘I AKINA, PH.D., is president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, an independent nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to increasing opportunity and prosperity through individual liberty, economic freedom and accountable government.

(COVER STORY : Jan. 6....from page 5)

She adds, “Our country needs to come together. But first, those who have done damage should be held accountable. It’s not a two-sided situation. Those who’ve helped to incite insurrection should never receive a dime of PAC money from corporations ever, and not just for a few months.”

Right-wing violence in the future Since Trump took office, right-wing violence against people of color and religious minorities have escalated in the US. While Trump is leaving office, the siege of the Capitol leaves people uneasy that right-wing violence could persist.

“I worry that if my Filipina daughter ends up going to college in a part of the mainland where right-wing and fascist groups exist, she could easily be targeted for her skin color. But I am not just worried about the US. Right-wing violence has become pervasive even in Asia, including the Philippines where a President [Rodrigo Duterte] thinks that he is the law and can do

anything to anyone who is not rich, including ordering their execution, and get away with it,” said Abinales.

On Trump’s departure Pascual said she is relieved that the Trump era is over. “I just hope the Senate moves to convict on impeachment so he can never hold office again.”

Lynn wants more of Trump. “He’s been a leader for Christians. Many of us want to see him running in 2024.”

Arreola said “With Trump gone, I hope racial tensions will get better. As a minority student even at a university where the general population tends to be more enlightened and educated, the atmosphere Trump created in this country sometimes can get to your head. At times you think, ‘I wonder if he or she supports Trump, and what impressions that student might have of me.’ We shouldn’t have to be worrying about these kinds of things [racism] in the 21st century. We’re better than this. But with Trump being rejected for a second term, I

think we are all feeling more at ease.”

Abinales said “It’s about time [his presidency is over].

The fellow is an ignoramus (knows nothing about global politics.) He’s a couch potato rather than an administrator.

He spent more time watching cable television and posting on Twitter than governing; refusing even to read the daily intelligence briefing. He’s a misogynist, or what we Filipinos call manyakis, and a racist. I cannot think of any other American president - including even the promoter of native American massacres, Andrew Jackson - comparable to Trump.

“And as someone concerned that over 200 career diplomats who were experts on Asia had left the State Department since 2016, thereby allowing rival powers like China to take the lead in promoting regional cooperation,’ I am hoping that his departure will afford the US a chance to recover its place in Asian regional politics. That said, I am not optimistic that it will be able to do this within one presidential term.”

JANUARY 23, 2021  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  7

WHAT’S UP, ATTORNEY?

Incitement, Like Beauty, Is in the Eye of the Beholder

By Atty. Emmanuel S. Tipon

“B

eauty is in the eye of the beh o l d e r, ” Margaret Wolfe Hungersummarizing

ford wrote, Plato.

“Every idea is an incitement. It offers itself for belief and if believed it is acted on unless some other belief outweighs it, or some failure of energy stifles the movement at its birth. The only difference between the expression of an opinion and an incitement in the narrower sense is the speaker’s enthusiasm for the result. Eloquence may set fire to reason. But whatever may be thought of the redundant discourse before us it had no chance of starting a present conflagration.”

Dissenting Opinion by Justice Holmes in Gitlow v. New York, 268 U.S. 652 (1925) “A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.” Towne v.

Eisner, 245 U.S. 418 (1918) Opinion by Justice Holmes.

Impeachment Charges Against President Trump On Jan. 13, 2021, the House of Representatives approved a Resolution Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, alleging that Donald John Trump “engaged in high Crimes and Misdemeanors by inciting violence against the Government of the United States” He “addressed a crowd at the Ellipse in Washington, DC. There, he reiterated false claims that ‘‘we won this election, and we won it by a landslide.” He also willfully made statements that, in context, encouraged—and foreseeably resulted in—lawless action at the Capitol, such as: “if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a

country anymore.”

“Thus incited by President Trump, members of the crowd he had addressed, in an attempt to, among other objectives, interfere with the Joint Session’s solemn constitutional duty to certify the results of the 2020 Presidential election, unlawfully breached and vandalized the Capitol, injured and killed law enforcement personnel, menaced Members of Congress, the Vice President, and Congressional personnel, and engaged in other violent, deadly, destructive, and seditious acts.”

Incitement of Insurrection Is A Federal Criminal Offense The United States Code provides: “Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” 18 U.S. Code § 2383.

The term “incite” an “insurrection” is not defined in the U.S. Code. However, the term “incite a riot” is. It could provide an insight as to what constitutes “incite”. The Code states that “to incite a riot”, or “to organize, promote, encourage, participate in, or carry on a riot”, includes, but is not limited to, urging or instigating other persons to riot, but shall not be deemed to mean the mere oral or written (1) advocacy of ideas or (2) expression of belief, not involving advocacy of any act or acts of violence or assertion of the rightness of, or the right to commit, any such act or acts.” U.S. Code § 2102(b).

When you do a Google search, incitement means “the action of provoking unlawful behavior or urging someone to behave unlawfully.”

The term “insurrection” means a “rebellion of citizens or subjects of a country against its government.”

Elements of Incitement of Insurrection The elements of incitement of

insurrection are: (1) The accused must have a criminal intent to commit the crime of incitement of insurrection.

(2) The accused must have urged or instigated other persons.

(3) The urging or instigation by the accused must be for the purpose of making the other persons rebel against the government.

What Did President Trump Actually Say? President Trump at a Save America rally in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 said: “Our brightest days are before us, our greatest achievements still wait. I think one of our great achievements will be election security because nobody until I came along, had any idea how corrupt our elections were. And again, most people would stand there at 9:00 in the evening and say, “I want to thank you very much,” and they go off to some other life, but I said, “Something’s wrong here.

Something’s really wrong.

Can’t have happened.” And

we fight. We fight like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

“We’re going walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women. We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.

“We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated, lawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

I saw on television President Trump delivering that speech. The above transcript faithfully records what he said.

Did Trump’s Words ‘Incite” A Person to Commit “Insurrection”?

It does not appear that President Trump had a criminal intent to “incite” an “insurrec-

tion.

It is not apparent that he “incited” other persons to commit “insurrection.” Are you “incited” to commit insurrection by President Trump saying, “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” Excited?

Maybe. As for me, it takes more than words to get me excited.

The Articles of Impeachment took President Trump’s words out of context. It did not allege that President Trump said in the same breath as “fight” that “everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

Why did not the Articles allege that? Because the words “peacefully” negate “incitement.” A person cannot “incite” another to commit insurrection “peacefully.”

President Trump’s words “had no chance of starting a present conflagration.” See Dissenting Opinion by Justice Holmes in Gitlow v. New York, 268 U.S. 652 (1925). “[T]he character of every (continue on page 14)

8 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  JANUARY 23, 2021

JANUARY 23, 2021  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  9

MAINLAND NEWS

Inauguration Day: Biden and Harris Takes Office

O

n Jan. 20, former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris have been inaugurated as the President and Vice President of the United States.

The Inauguration Day usually draws large crowds to Washington D.C. to witness the historic event. With the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened National Guard presence due to the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill attack, the National Mall was filled with an art display of nearly 200,000 American flags representing the thousands of people who can’t attend the inauguration.

Only a small crowd was allowed during the ceremony which includes former Presidents Barack Obama, George Bush and Bill Clinton, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Senator Bernie Sanders to name a few. Outgoing Vice President Mike Pence

President Joe Biden and Vice-president Kamala Harris took their oath of office last January 20, 2021

also attended the ceremony, however, outgoing President Donald Trump was not present.

“Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy,” said Joe Biden during his inauguration speech.

Hawaii Senator Ed Case says it was “a day of mixed emotions.”

“Sadness that deep division and polarization had driven us to celebrate our traditions behind fences, barbed wire and troops. But ultimately profound appre-

ciation, respect and pride in our country, our institutions and our democracy....” Case wrote in a press release.

“Inaugurations are new beginnings, and that of President Biden and Vice President Harris is uniquely so. We cannot squander this one and, with mutual effort, we won’t.”

Just a few hours after his inauguration, Biden already signed multiple executive orders, memorandums and proclamations to dismantle Trump administration policies. Here’s a short rundown of the executive orders Biden signed:

COVID-19 Pandemic.

Biden signed his first executive order, “100 Days Masking Challenge,” urging everyone to wear masks for 100 days and requiring its use on all federal property.

He also signed an executive order assigning an official COVID-19 response coordinator to “aggressively” prepare the nation’s response to the pandemic and restoring the global health security and biohealth group at the National Security Council. He will also reconnect with the World Health Organization after the Trump administration withdrew the US’ membership.

Immigration. The new president signed an executive order calling on Congress to create legislation providing a permanent status and a pathway to citizenship for immigrants. He also ended the “Muslin-ban” which banned travel to the US from predominantly Muslim and African countries. Biden has

also halted the construction of Trump’s border wall.

Race and LGBT Equality. Biden revoked Trump’s executive order limiting federal agencies to hold diversity and inclusion training. The order also ensures that everyone will have an equal access to federal government resources, benefits and services.

Climate Change. Biden signed a letter to re-enter the U.S. in the Paris climate accords, a coalition of 200 countries working towards a planet with less fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.

Economy. With the pandemic greatly affecting our economy, Biden has extended the federal moratorium on evictions. He also asked agencies to extend moratorium on foreclosures and federally-granted mortgages.

All extensions will run until end of March. Biden is also planning to pause the federal student loan interest and principal payment until end of September. 

10 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  JANUARY 23, 2021

AS I SEE IT

Was The Trump-Inspired Mob Labeled As “America Under Siege” A Reality Show?

By Elpidio R. Estioko

I

was reminded of a reality movie Under Siege starring Steven Seagal while watching the television on Jan. 6 when President Donald Trump-inspired supporters were staging a riot in the Capitol while Congress was in session.

I thought it was a reality show (just like Trump’s The Apprentice) where his unknown supporters were rampaging in the halls of Congress under his direction I was wrong! It was real!

No less than our president is directing the siege and inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol and seize power. That is outrageous! Is this the kind of president we have? Why can’t he just accept the reality that he lost and pave the way for a peaceful transition? He is insane and no longer capa-

ble of leading the country. In fact, he really is a mad leader and no longer capable of discharging his functions as the president of the United States.

“US Capitol Hill Siege: An armed and angry mob of Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill and clashed with police on Wednesday as Congress convened to validate Joe Biden’s presidential win,” The Indian Express wrote The paper narrated: “US President Donald Trump’s relentless efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 election took a dangerous turn Wednesday, when an armed and angry mob of his supporters stormed Capitol Hill and clashed with police just as Congress convened to validate Joe Biden’s presidential win.”

The violence led to five deaths, including a police officer who died in line of duty!

“The pro-Trump protestors,” The Indian Express said, “breached barricades and advanced into the halls of the Capitol building, smashing windows and brawled with police officers in what is widely being considered one of the worst security breaches in US history. The pandemonium appears to have deepened the divide within the Republican Party, with several leaders pointing a finger at Trump for inciting violence by urging his supporters to reject the results of the presidential election.”

The paper further described the incident as “A raucous group of demonstrators — many of whom were

waving ‘Trump 2020’ flags and wearing T-shirts and hats with the president’s signature ‘Keep America Great’ tagline printed — entered the second-floor lobby of the building right outside the Senate chamber, the doors of which were being guarded by law enforcement officials. The mob managed to get past the guards and enter the Senate chamber, where just moments earlier the election results were being certified.”

This is outrageous! It is heartbreaking to see protesters roam through the halls freely, breaking windows, some even entering and looting the offices used by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers. I saw on television their anger and rage in perpetuating havoc in the Capitol.

Take this out! The Trump supporters even stopped to take photographs and film themselves as they made their way around the building. What a blatant display of arrogance and indiscretion on their part!

Videos show people breaking windows and pushing past barricades to forcefully enter rooms and offices in the Capitol. What a barbarous scene!

The New York Times also described it as a deadly siege… and a restive crowd encouraged by President Trump set the stage for the unthinkable. The crowd is acting in response to Trump’s instructions to storm the lawmakers place of work.

According to Jason Andrew for The New York Times, “President Trump’s call at a rally that day for the

crowd to march on the nearby Capitol was surely a spark that helped ignite the deadly riots that left five dead — including a policeman and a woman who stormed the building — injured dozens of others and damaged the country’s reputation for carrying out peaceful transfers of power. But the tinder for the blaze had been gathering for months, with every tweet that the election had been stolen, every refusal by Republican lawmakers to recognize Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the next president, every dog-whistle call that emboldened white supremacist groups to violently strike.”

In and outside the Congress building was chaos and confusion. When the rioters breached the Capitol, reports said Republican Senator Kevin Cramer from North Dakota uttered a quick prayer as he and the other senators made their way out of the chamber to the basement because the rioters were closing in.

This led Congress to impeach Trump, for the second time, due to incitement of insurrection with 10 GOP representatives led by Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, the third ranking House leader, siding with the Democrats.

With this, a source believes that “impeachment will help rid Trump from the GOP” so he can never run to office again. Trump became the only US president who was impeached twice!

In the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the husband of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao who resigned from the cabinet as a result of the riot, believed “Trump committed impeachable offenses.” Senate deliberations, however, will start after Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021.

The Justice Department said it would not rule out pursuing charges against President Trump for his possible role in inciting the mob that

marched to the Capitol, overwhelmed officers, smashed windows and ransacked the Hall of Congress including the rostrum of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“We are looking at all factors, not only the people who went into the building,” Michael Sherwin, the U.S. attorney in Washington, told reporters.

After a tumultuous rally staged by President Donald Trump’s loyalists, the delayed Electoral College joint proceedings confirmed former Vice President Joe Biden as the 46th president of the US despite attempts by a dozen of GOP senators and more than a hundred GOP congressmen to thwart the results of the election.

Prior to this, two Democrats from Georgia flipped the balance of power by winning the two Senate seats. Rev. Raphael Warnock won over GOP incumbent senator Kelly Loeffler while John Ossoff won over GOP incumbent David Perdue. The Democrats will have control of the Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie (50 Democrats and 50 Republicans) as the presiding officer.

Georgia says enough is enough! After almost 20 years of Republican dominance in the state of Georgia, the Jan. 5 run-off election for two Senate seats shifted the balance of power to the Democrats when Rev. Warnock and Ossoff won over their incumbent opponents.

This is also a victory for the American people that solidifies the age-old concept that democracy is alive in the United States of America!

Mr. Trump, your time is up… it is time for you to leave the White House. “You’re fired!” ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and an award-winning journalist here in the U.S. For feedbacks, comments… please email the author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com).

JANUARY 23, 2021  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  11

CANDID PERSPECTIVES

Filipinos Know Why Trump’s Inciting A Mob Is Impeachable

By Emil Guillermo

A

s House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began the impeachment debate on Jan. 13, she quoted Abraham Lincoln, “We cannot escape history.”

Still, Republicans tried in vain to escape truth, justice, and the Constitution, as they attempted to defend the indefensible, Donald J. Trump.

If you have any doubts about impeaching the brand-conscious president with a use-by expiry date of Jan 20, 2021, just remember all the images you’ve seen of the Capitol mob riot and insurrection that he incited on Jan. 6.

Me? As I watched the debate, I kept thinking of Fermin Tobera. He’s not a Filipino member of Congress. There are no full Filipino members of Congress. We don’t have one of those yet.

Tobera has a place in American history–proof that Asian Americans, especially Filipinos, know the tyranny of white mob violence.

We’ve been on the racists’ radar since policymakers brought up the first Chinese Exclusion Acts, followed by similar policies toward migrants from other Asian nations, such as the Filipinos from America’s first colony, the Philippines.

By the 1920s and ‘30s, nearly 40,000 Filipinos came to California seeking opportunity. But their arrival prompted welcome signs that said, “No Filipinos allowed.” It was Jim Crow, Asian American-style.

Politicians fomented hate and inspired white mobs that didn’t like Filipinos taking jobs and consorting with white women.

It brought on riots in California cities, most notably Watsonville, where for five days in January 1930, 500

white men took to the streets to attack and beat up Filipinos in their way.

Fermin Tobera was just 22, when after a night dancing with white women in a Watsonville dance hall, a white mob shot up the bunkhouse where he lived, killing Tobera from a bullet to the heart. It was on January 22, 1930.

The murder made news around the world, as Tobera’s body was flown back to the Philippines for a public burial.

Make no mistake, Filipino Americans know the wrath of the White Mob. We also know the tragedy.

No one was held accountable for the death of Fermin Tobera.

On January 6, 2012, Congress and all America saw the power of the White Mob, and the violence was incited by the president.

That’s what the impeachment debate was about. The president turned us against ourselves. He incited an insurrectionist act.

The White Power Rio Trump has been banned from Twitter, but not me.

When I saw January 6 begin to unfold, I tweeted: “This is the ‘white power’ movement of Trump on full display. Built on lies, the “normal’ GOP has no control. Sadly, it’s the new third party of America.”

If the rioters had been BLM protesters, we’d have seen way more than six dead.

Yes, the double standard is real. But the racist motivation from Jan. 6 goes deeper than last summer.

We need to acknowledge that the riot wasn’t simply a protest whipped up by Trump’s false claims that the

election was stolen.

The mob was composed by people—the majority of whom are white and, on the margins, who were enabled politically by Trump. They were always there. They just had not been legitimized or given a voice until they were dubbed the “Trump base.”

They are conspiracy theorists, gun nuts, and white supremacists. They are as right-wing as they are white.

They are the Klan without the hoods. All of them lurking since Timothy McVeigh’s bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City. It was domestic terrorism known by our intelligence community yet ignored and normalized

by Trump.

For the last four years, Trump and his base have been each other’s raison d’etre.

Trump is nothing without them.

They are nothing without him.

And when the Republican Party abandoned principles and became synonymous with Trump, that’s when our truth-challenged political environment began.

On Jan. 6, 2021, the base showed us they will do anything for Trump. Even when the ask is based on lies.

They were coming for Congress this time. But based on their hatred of the “other,” their target could easily have been any of us.

The Trumpists see themselves aggrieved in a country that is demographically changing. These riotous whites feel they are losing out to immigrants. And Trump is their hero, who will stand up to all BIPOC–Blacks, Indigenous, People of Color–with

racist and xenophobic policies.

Just look at all the Confederate flags, symbols of white supremacy, along with other neo-Nazi signs of white nationalism scattered through the Capitol building. These domestic terrorists engaged in mob violence. Why the debate?

Filipino Americans should not be deluded. There’d be no debate if it were us.

Impeachment? It is the right thing.

The Ongoing History And now Donald John Trump, the man who never really wanted to be president, makes history as the first president to be impeached twice.

As Trump himself would say, it is a new level of political disgrace the likes of which our country has never seen.

It’s a new low for the highest office in the land. What will people in the future ask those of us who lived through it? Was it really that bad?

Yeah. It was.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell reportedly said he won’t call the Senate back until after Jan.19. It means a Democratic Senate will preside over an impeach-

ment trial, where McConnell could lead 17 Republicans to vote to convict and permanently disqualify Trump from seeking office again.

For now, democracy survives, with 232 voting to impeach with 10 Republican defectors. But 197 Republicans voted to stay loyal.

It’s a victory where no one cheers, not when DC has more troops sleeping in the Capitol just in case rioting Trumpers plan other attacks on our democracy.

Before the close of business, Trump, banned from Twitter, released a video. “I want to be very clear,” he read off the Teleprompter.

“I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week. Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country, no place in our movement.”

But he’s president, with blood on his hands. After all the lies and tumult, can we believe anything Trump says?

Without contrition for his lies, Trump’s words are empty.

He’s not unimpeachable, just impeachable. Doubly so. EMIL​ GUILLERMO​ is a veteran journalist and commentator. He was a member of the Honolulu Advertiser editorial board. Listen to him on Apple Podcasts. Twitter @ emilamok.

12 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  JANUARY 23, 2021

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

Dream Again

By Seneca Moraleda-Puguan

A

t the start of every year, instead of New Year’s Resolution, our family would list down our faith goals or the things we’re believing for different aspects of our lives that particular year – personal, family, career, health, ministry, etc. In 2020, we had a lot of plans and goals listed but many did not come to pass because of the global pandemic.

Nevertheless, we still had a lot of things to be grateful for.

This 2021, we started the new year remembering God’s grace and faithfulness to us in the past year and laying down our hopes and goals for the year ahead of us. It was quite challenging because of the many questions in our heads caused by the tragic events of the year that was.

Can we believe for great things this year? Can we dream again?

We realized that we need not look at our circumstances nor our own abilities as we embark on this new season of our lives and look forward to the future. We were reminded to fix our eyes once again to the Author and Perfecter of our faith, the Lover of our souls, and the only One certain in the midst of all uncertainties. As we began to do so, we were able to write down our goals with confidence. We started to dream again.

We cannot comprehend what lies ahead, we don’t even have any idea when this pandemic will end. When will we see our families and friends face to face again? When can we breathe freely when we go outside? When can we step on the airport or freely travel again? So many questions with unclear answers.

But we don’t need to have

all the answers, we just needed these truths to hold onto to bravely and confidently face the future that is seemingly dark but yet full of hope.

God is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. In a world full of change and uncertainty, He remains unshaken, reliable and constant. Because He doesn’t change, he can be trusted with our lives and with our future. If our lives are anchored in Him, we have a firm foundation.

God is sovereign. He is in control, even if our circumstances don’t make sense. His purposes will prevail there-

fore we can have hope.

God is kind and good.

All the time. In the midst of our troubled times, His goodness cannot be discounted.

His mercies are always new.

His grace always sufficient.

He showers us with His loving kindness, though we are underserving, unfaithful and full of fear and doubts toward Him. He overflows with kindness. Indeed, all the time He is good.

Maybe you’re reading this and you’re afraid to dream and believe again because 2020 had taken so much from you. It stole your hope and shattered your dreams. It

is my prayer that you take a small step of faith by getting a piece of paper and begin to write down your goals and hopes for this year.

Dream again. Believe again. Pray again. As you do so, let the unchanging, sovereign, good and kind God breathe hope into your life, assure you of the great promises that He has for you, and remind you that He holds your world in His hands. You see, He restores broken dreams.

He makes all things new.

May the lyrics of this song

by Seth and Rachel Enos encourage you to Dream Again.

“Hope in Me. Let My soul speak the peace you need. For I will never leave you, I will always lead you. Step with Me from where we walk, the deserts bloom with life and a future where purpose is defined. So dream again, dream again, dream again…

2020 was a grace-filled year for us but this 2021, I am in faith will surely be an awesome one! Go ahead, dream again!

HEALTHLINE

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month

T

he American Academy of Ophthalmology has named January Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States and often has no noticeable symptoms in its early stages.

When glaucoma is present, vision loss progresses at such a gradual rate that peo-

ple affected by the condition are often unaware of it until their sight has already been compromised.

During Glaucoma Awareness Month, the American Academy of Ophthalmology advises the public that the best defense against developing glaucoma-related blindness is to maintain a routinely comprehensive eye exams.

Dr. Steven Rhee of Hawaiian Eye Center explains,

“Glaucoma is caused by an increase in eye pressure, known as intraocular pressure, due to either an overproduction of fluid in the eye or blockage in the drainage area where the cornea and iris meet. Those

with normal eye pressure can also develop glaucoma and it’s believed to be caused by poor blood flow to the optic nerve.”

Symptoms of glaucoma normally go unnoticed until the disease has progressed significantly. Gradual loss of peripheral vision is a common symptom of open-angle glaucoma.

Another type of glaucoma called angle closure glaucoma has more abrupt symptoms such as severe eye pain, headache, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, seeing halos around lights and red eyes.

Those most at risk of developing glaucoma include those: • Aged 40 and over • Of Hispanic, Asian or African-American descent or with a family history of the disease • Diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension • Who have had an eye injury or eye surgery • With extreme nearsight-

edness (myopia) • Taking steroid medications for an extended period of time Most risk factors are not preventable, and the optic nerve is unable to regenerate.

However, glaucoma can be successfully controlled with an early diagnosis and treatment to slow down or stop further damage. Treatment ranges from eye drops to laser surgery and microsurgery, which helps to lower eye pressure.

Those 40 and over should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam every two to three years from an eye care professional to check for glaucoma and other eye diseases. People mostly likely to develop glaucoma should get an eye exam once a year, including those 40 and over and those with other risk factors.

Visit your eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam to prevent any signs of glaucoma.

JANUARY 23, 2021  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  13

CHRONICLE PULSE

What Makes You Happy – Love, Money or Good Health?

A

lmost one year since the world went on lockdown due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s difficult DR. CELIA LAMKIN Saipan to reflect on the life we all had in 2020. Money is tight due to businesses closing down and people losing their jobs. Maintaining a good health is a costly and difficult priority when the threat of COVID-19 is everywhere.

It’s hard to love and find happiness in a life full of uncertainties that is 2020. But for this issue’s Chronicle Pulse, we asked our readers to share what makes them happy despite the challenges the year 2020 has brought.

“Good health makes me happy. I chose to become a medical doctor to help people achieve good health.

Helping people to reach this goal makes me happy.

Happiness is a choice. Happiness and good health go hand-in-hand, and scientific studies have shown that happiness can lead to healthy lifestyle, healthier heart, stronger immune system and ultimately, a longer life.”

RENELAINE PFISTER Aiea

MARY ANN GALOLO Honolulu

“As a health care worker, I’m aware of the importance of good health. However, as a human being I believe we derive happiness from love.”

“Love! When I feel loved, my health is good and when my health is good, I am able to work and earn money.”

PAUL VENTURA ESTIOKO Mililani “Good health is the true barometer of happiness.

Since happiness is truly subjective, something more tangible and objective such as the health factor of a person can be seen as the physical manifestation of health itself. It’s hard to find someone who is genuinely happy with a grocery list of complications and comorbidities; therefore, good health is what I personally strive for to be happy and is something I make sure my loved ones do as well.”

ROSE ESTIOKO RASAY Mililani “What makes me happy is good health. When you take care of yourself, you are able to care for others physically, emotionally and financially. Having good health for me means I am able to live life with an open mind and an open heart because there is so much to look forward to even during a pandemic.”

HAWAII FILIPINO NEWS

Hawaii’s Nursing Homes Manage COVID-19 Better lacked a one-week supply of than Mainland Counterparts PPE, compared to the nation-

H

awaii’s Nursing Homes had the lowest rate of deaths, resident and staff COVID-19 cases in the four weeks ending Dec. 20, 2020, according to AARP’s Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard.

Hawaii has below the national average at 26.8 percent in nursing staff shortages, compared to the national average, which is said to help in keeping rates of deaths lower.

About 4.9 percent of Hawai`i’s nursing homes reported COVID-19 cases, compared to an average of 58.1 percent of nursing homes with COVID-19 resident outbreaks nationwide from Nov. 23 to Dec. 20. About 17.1 percent of Hawai`i nursing homes re-

ported staff cases compared to a national average of 87% of nursing homes with staff infections “It’s encouraging that the hard work here in Hawai`i to keep COVID-19 out of nursing homes is paying off. We applaud the efforts of staff and administrators to protect our most vulnerable kupuna.

Vaccinations now going on in nursing homes should further reduce the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks,” said Keali`i Lopez, AARP Hawai`i state director. “We also continue our call for more transparency about COVID-19 cases in all longterm care facilities, including reporting the number of vaccinations given to all long-term care facility residents and staff,

and the percentages of staff and residents taking the vaccine.”

An area that needs improvement is in personal protective equipment. About 26.8 percent of nursing homes in Hawai`i reported that they

al average of 18.1 percent.

AARP recommends to protect kupuna in long-term care facilities regular testing, having adequate staffing, oversight and access to in-person formal advocates,

and providing supplemental staff wages and benefits, among others.

The AARP COVID-19 Nursing Home Dashboard analyzes federally reported data in four-week periods going back to June 1, 2020. Earlier this year, AARP fought for public reporting of nursing home COVID-19 cases and deaths. 

14 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  JANUARY 23, 2021

BOOK REVIEW

Bamboo Whispers — Poetry of the Mangyans

By Rose Cruz Churma

AMBAHAN 141 — in Mangyan script

T

he eight ethno-linguistic tribes in Mindoro—an island south of the Luzon in the Philippines, are collectively known as Mangyans. The Mangyans are part of the 14 million Indigenous Peoples (IP) in the Philippines, who are grouped into over 100 tribes with distinct cultural identities. Among the ethnic art of the katutubo – the Filipino term for its indigenous people, the ambahan is the most important legacy of the Hanunuo-Mangyans of Mindoro. There are over 20,000 ambahan pieces collected by the Dutch anthropologist Antoon Postma who started collecting and translating the ambahan pieces since the 1960s, which are now preserved and kept at the Mangyan Heritage Center and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Literally, ambahan means song. Postma defines it as “a set of impressions, with a measured rhyme of seven syllables, having rhyming end syllables, vocalized as a chant…recited for the purpose of verbalizing in a metaphorical way certain human situations…” In a social setting, the ambahan is a

(Tagalog version) Palay kong Kasignayan ihasik sa giliran Bukas sa ‘ting palayan may ibong manunukal discourse between a speaker and responder in the presence of an audience—akin to a long poetic debate.

This book is a compilation of 100 ambahan pieces grouped in 10 chapters beginning with «Birth and Childhood» for Chapter 1 to «Sickness and Death» in Chapter 10—in essence covering a person’s life cycle.

Each ambahan is shown in Mangyan script and translated in Tagalog, English and Spanish—and illustrated with a black and white photograph.

Each featured ambahan has two pages. A photograph on the left even-numbered page faces the text on the right-hand page and consists of the following formats: the Mangyan script followed by its Tagalog, English and

Spanish translations. Shown below is an example of an ambahan that reflects the shared communal values that sustained the Mangyan society of centuries—the shared stewardship of the land.

The book’s epilogue documents the thoughts of a Hanunuo Mangyan elder who makes a plea to the younger generation to protect and be proud of their heritage. His fears that their culture may disappear are not unfounded because the Philippines’ indigenous people share two major challenges. Their

ancestral lands are being usurped, their culture is misunderstood and the katutubo are treated as second class citizens. For the katutubo, land is life—and their lives are deeply rooted in the land.

As noted by Ewald Dinter of the Mangyan Mission—“A hyphen in the word agri-culture provides a better understanding of the connection between land and human dignity, with culture being the union for the two to flourish.

This book is clearly a labor of love! Editor Lolita Delgado Fansler wrote in her

(English Version) This rice called Kasignaya I’ll sow at the edge of fiel tomorrow it will be fille with birds coming in to fee (Spanish version) El arroz Kaasignayan lo sembrare en el borde manana estara lleno de pajaros comiendo preface that this book “is an outcome of an unconscious communal effort of many selfless people who contributed their expertise to a project that ignited their souls.”

Every page of the book reflects love and care—and for this, we are grateful. It gives us hope: our Filipino culture will prevail no matter how long or how far we’ve left the home country. ROSE CRUZ CHURMA is a former President of the FilCom Center. She is also the co-owner of Kalamansi Books and Things, an online bookstore promoting works by Filipino Americans. For inquiries, email her at kalamansibook@gmail.com.

(WHAT’S UP, ATTORNEY?: Incitement....from page 7)

as “fight” that “everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

Why did not the Articles allege that? Because the words “peacefully” negate “incitement.” A person cannot “incite” another to commit insurrection “peacefully.”

President Trump’s words “had no chance of starting a present conflagration.” See Dissenting Opinion by Justice Holmes in Gitlow v. New York, 268 U.S. 652 (1925). “[T]he character of every act depends upon the circumstances in which it is done.

The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic.*** The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a

clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent. It is a question of proximity and degree.” Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47 (1919). “[T]he constitutional guarantees of free speech and free press do not permit a State to forbid or proscribe advocacy of the use of force or of law violation except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.” “the mere abstract teaching . . . of the moral propriety or even moral necessity for a resort to force and violence, is not the same as preparing a group for violent action and steeling it to such action.” Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444, 447 (1969).

President Trump’s words did not “create a clear and

present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent” nor did they have the effect of “inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.” ATTY. TIPON has a Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines. His current practice focuses on immigration law and appellate criminal defense. He has written books and legal articles for the world’s largest law book publishing company and writes legal articles for newspapers.

Listen to The Tipon Report which he co-hosts with son Noel, the senior partner of the Bilecki & Tipon Law Firm. 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 served as a U.S. Immigration Officer. He co-authored the best-seller “Immigration Law Service, 1st ed.,” an 8-volume practice guide for immigration officers and lawyers. Atty.

Tipon was born in Laoag City, Philippines. Tel. (808) 800-7856. Cell Phone (808) 225-2645. E-Mail: filamlaw@yahoo.com. Websites: https:// www.tiponlaw.com.

JANUARY 23, 2021  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  15

COMMUNITY CALENDAR JANUARY BAYANIHAN FOOD DISTRIBUTION | Binhi at Ani Filipino Community Center in Kahului (780 Onehee Avenue | January 23, 2021 (Saturday) | For more information contact Melen Agcolicol at 808.205.7981, or via email to melencopy@gmail.com.

PINOY FOOD STORIES: EVOLUTION OF PHIL- - 5:30PM) and February 13 to March 13, 2021 (SatIPPINE CUISINE | The Mama Sita Foundation; urdays, 9:00 - 11:30AM) | A free online short course University of Hawaii at Manoa Center for Phil- hosted on Zoom. Link will be sent 48 hours before the ippine Studies; Consulate General in Honolulu session day. Contact Pia Arboleda, pca62@hawaii.edu | February 12 to March 12, 2021 (Fridays, 3:00 and/or mkpsauhm@gmail.com for more details.

NEWS FEATURE

Martin Luther King’s Impact in Hawaii

By Jim Bea Sampaga

O

n Monday Jan. 18, the nation celebrated the life and legacy of civil-rights activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King peacefully and nonviolently protested against racial discrimination and it garnered national attention in 1955. In 1963, he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of hundreds and thousands of people at the peaceful March on Washington, D.C. In 1964, 35-year-old King was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. Earlier that same year, he visited the University of Hawaii at Manoa to deliver a speech on “Progress Toward Desegregration” to students, faculty, staff and the community during the University’s Civil Rights Week.

According to a University of Hawaii News article, “about 10,000 listeners jammed the seats in the outdoor amphitheater, filling the grass

Simeon Acoba Jr.

in the center and spilling over on to the lawn outside the wall.

“Moral means to achieve moral ends,” King said during his speech at UH Manoa.

Engaging The Local Community “It was Associated Students of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (ASUH) senator Simeon Acoba Jr. who initiated the historic event,” writes Cassie Ordonio in a Ka Leo article, UH Manoa’s student publication.

A former Hawaii Supreme Court judge, Acoba lead the stu-

dent committee during the Civil Rights Movement. They organized UH Manoa’s “Civil Rights Week” event that brought four speakers to Hawaii — James Farmer, John Ali, William Simmons and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

With the success of “Civil Rights Week,” then 20-year-old Acoba, who majored in political science, received the first annual Liberty Bell Award from the Hawaii State Bar Association.

Acoba told Ordonio that he used to post letters around UH with text saying, “You should be supporting these efforts, not turning them down.”

In the UH News article, Acoba recalled: “We were gratified that the speakers’ impact expanded beyond campus, as many public officials, the editors of the two major newspapers, labor unions, the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce, churches and many others were engaged.”

Police brutality on Black

CROSSWORD

by Carlito Lalicon

Americans sparked the Black Live Matter movement last year.

Dubbed BLM, the movement demands accountability for the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many Black Americans that lost their lives to police brutality.

Acoba told Ka Leo that “the current events are disappointing.” It’s somewhat disappointing that 50 years later, with the Black Lives Matter movement,” Acoba told Ka Leo. “This whole effort to bring equal treatment still needs to be worked on in the United States.”  (Sagot sa Krosword Blg. 1 | January 9, 2021)

CLASSIFIED ADS

No. 1

ACROSS

36. Piece of vegetable or

meat deep fried in a batter 1. Beast of burden

flavored with spices 6. Common conjunction 38. Stored energy 9. Eagerness 40. Drooping of the upper 14. Winged eyelid caused by muscle 15. Loose sleeveless outer

paralysis and weakness

garment made from aba 41. Some held in custody

cloth worn by Arabs 42. Auld Lang Syne 16. Noncommittal answer 17. Ticket to a place and back 43. Basic unit of money in Moldova

(usually over the same 44. Art subject route) 45. Wrote, drew or traced 20. Oceanic

with chalk 21. Conjunctivitis 49. Acute and highly 58. Cheating 22. Lacking vigor

contagious viral disease 60. Alignment 24. Clash

marked by distinct red 61. “Fantasy Island” 28. Knight’s title

spots followed by a rash prop 29. Atlantic fish 53. Built 62. Young buck in the 33. Antiquarian

DOWN

1. Food fish 2. African flower 3. Handle roughly 4. Europe’s highest volcano 5. Pigeon’s perch 6. Bulbous plants 7. Japanese sash 8. Someone who performs rap music 9. Nitrogen compound 10. Torture device 11. Dam

12. Comply with 13. Network of intersecting blood vessels 18. End 19. Bolivian export 23. Stronghold 24. Mawkish 25. Early 26. Cast member 27. Plural of “this” 29. Coil of yarn 30. Any structure that resembles a horn in

CAREGIVER NEEDED FOR IMMEDIATE JOB

third year 63. Make happy 64. Assent 65. Lyric poem

49. Quiet shape (anatomy) 50. Carbon compound 31. Exhorted 51. Fishing, perhaps 32. Check casher 52. Fast-moving card 34. Black cuckoo game 35. The “I” in T.G.I.F. 54. Hoof sound 36. Darling 55. Novice 37. Carrier to Tokyo 39. Cancer of the blood 56. Barely managed, with “out” 43. Finally 57. Drop 45. Copy 59. Behold 46. That girl 47. Chapter in history 48. Crowded (Solution will be on the next issue of the Chronicle)

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JANUARY 23, 2021