Hawaii Filipino Chronicle - February 3, 2024

FEBRUARY 3, 2024  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  1

FEBRUARY 3, 2024

OPEN FORUM

Blackouts Cast Doubt on Renewable Energy Mandates

CANDID PERSPECTIVES

Haley’s Role Now? Baiting Donald Trump

HAWAII-FILIPINO NEWS

Filipino Chamber To Launch Its International Programs in the First Quarter of 2024

LINGERING THOUGHTS

The Aftermath of the Maui Wildfire

2 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  FEBRUARY 3, 2024

EDITORIAL

Kudos to the Governor and Lawmakers for Prioritizing Affordable Housing and Rentals, Now It’s Time to Act

FROM THE PUBLISHER

B

etween 2012 and 2022, Hawaii only produced about 4,000 units of affordable housing units per year on average while reports show that the state needed to build 10,000 units a year to meet demand. Ka Lei Momi Redevelopment Project calls for the construction of more than 10,000 additional units (90% will serve households making at or below 120% AMI) across nine properties in the state. This is only one area among others that the state is working on to add more affordable units to int was encouraging to hear Gov. Josh Green place crease housing for low- and middle-income residents. a high priority in dealing with Hawaii’s housing For our cover story this issue, associate editor Edwin Quinashortage (affordable housing and rentals) during bo reports on other proposals to improve the state’s housing and his State of the State address to a joint session of rental crisis brought to the Hawaii legislature this session. One the Hawaii State Legislature. Many voters in the landmark proposal is the House Hawaii’s Ohana plan that Gov last election cycle, including many in our Filipino Josh Green tells the Chronicle will encourage short-term rentcommunity, have mentioned the affordable housing short- al or vacation rental owners from around the world to sell their properties “back to Hawaii families.” Besides Hawaii’s Demage as a top issue they wanted government to work on.

The Governor’s words were bold and that of a reformer. ocratic Party’s proposals, the cover story reports on Hawaii’s “Today we need new ideas, new solutions and bold action Republican leaderships’ plans to ameliorate this long-standing rooted in our shared values once again. Business as usual housing crunch crisis, some of which are bold and aggressive. won’t work anymore. There is simply too much on the line We also get feedback from some in our Filipino community who support measures to transition short-term rentals and vacation to accept the status quo,” he said.

And some of the initiatives Green outlined that he wants rentals to long-term rentals that will benefit residents. We’ll keep State lawmakers to take on this legislative session match you posted throughout this legislative session on what transpires.

Besides Housing projects, the Governor talked extensively the bold and innovative tenor of that address. on the ongoing recovery efforts for Maui in his State of the State Green reiterated in his address what he mentioned upon address. HFC columnist Will Espero, a former state senator, exhis election on election night in 2022. He said, “Housing pounds on this in his article “The Aftermath of the Maui Wildremains the administration’s top priority,” referring to the fire.” He writes, “Funding, the economic climate, legal issues supplemental budget for fiscal year 2025 that includes $373 and lawsuits, and government leadership will determine the pace million for infrastructure and housing projects. of things to come. Governor Green has already taken a hard, firm Clearly, as the legislative session rolls out lawmakers position on short-term rentals versus long-term rentals, and this will review the details and challenge and possibly shut is good as more Maui homes are needed immediately.” down some of the Governor’s legislative package, but his Relatedly, in this issue we also have news on a bipartisan vision of tackling our housing shortage head on – which is bill introduced by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz a crisis in the eyes of many – seem to be supported over- that aims to improve evacuation routes in light of the Lahaina whelmingly in this initial stage. wildfires that had residents scrambling to find limited evacuation In a Forbes article this month, experts estimate a house routes which were heavily clogged and prevented victims from priced at $850,000 at today’s interest rate would translate escaping and seeking shelter more quickly.

Continuing our early coverage on election 2024 from previous to an average monthly mortgage payment of $5,004. The issues, we have three election-related articles. HFC columnists same article lists Hawaii at number one in the nation for Emil Guillermo and Elpidio Estioko zero in on the two presidential home prices.

The Honolulu Board of Realtors in its December 2023 candidates remaining in the Republican Party’s primary, Donald statistics has median sales price for a single-family home at Trump and Nikki Haley. Florida governor Ron DeSantis dropped $996,500 and for a condo-townhouse at $510,000. Unless out of the race. Emil said of Haley, who is Asian American, as long Hawaii residents have a massive downpayment, many real- as she keeps running, “she baits Trump into showing us exactly why he’d be a terrible choice for the GOP and for America. That istically are not in the market to buy any time soon, which is, if 91 felony counts, four indictments, two impeachments, and is why pressure is mounting on local government to act on being found liable for sexual assault aren’t enough presidential curbing rental prices. resume killers.” Our third election article is addressed in our secThe Governor’s House Hawaii’s Ohana Plan is a short- ond editorial on the issue of term limits in Congress as a possible term plan that could have immediate impact to bring in means to rehabilitate Congress’ dysfunction. more rental inventory into the overall rental market, and In Hawaii Filipino News, HFC columnist Rose Cruz Churthus, potentially affect rental prices. The House Hawaii’s ma writes about the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii’s Ohana plan will provide tax amnesty to any owner of a recent launch of its international programs in support of the orgashort-term rental (STR) who chooses to sell their property nization’s mission to strengthen links with the Philippines. to an owner-occupier family or to someone who turns the In HFC columnist Arcelita Imasa M.D.’s column, she writes home into a long-term rental for a local family. Under the about Workers Compensation. It is the start of a series on this plan, the seller will be exempted from capital gains taxes, important subject, beginning here with Workers Compensation conveyance taxes, and general excise taxes. The plan be- claims and what the law permits. We hope you enjoy these stories and our other columns and news. gins this fall and lasts for two years.

Lastly, I’d like to wish all our readers an early Happy ValWith interest rates hovering around 7-8%, acting to staentine’s Day, one that’s full of memories to last a lifetime. A bilize rental pricing is a smart plan in the immediate future.

The Governor and Hawaii’s Democratic majority have reminder, for your convenience, our website has the latest and multiple other measures to address housing affordability. archived issues of our newspaper. Get your free e-copy at www.

Hawaii’s Republican leadership also revealed their hous- thefilipinochronicle.com. Thank you for supporting the Hawaii ing bills that on surface appears far bolder and aggressive, Filipino Chronicle. Until the next issue, Aloha and Mabuhay!

I

(continue on page 3)

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

Editorial & Production Assistant Jim Bea Sampaga

Columnists

Carlota Hufana Ader Rose Cruz Churma Elpidio R. Estioko Willie Espero Perry Diaz Emil Guillermo 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. 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 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 Shalimar / Jonathan Pagulayan

Advertising / Marketing Director Chona A. Montesines-Sonido

Account Executives Carlota Hufana Ader JP Orias

FEBRUARY 3, 2024  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  3

EDITORIAL

This Election, Pushing for Term Limits in Congress Could Be What’s Needed to End Years of Dysfunction

S

enator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was elected in 2022 and like all U.S. Senators he will get a six-year term. Fetterman ran a tight race against his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz, a TV celebrity doctor with marquee name recognition. Fetterman appealed to progressives in the state, self-identified as a progressive, and raised tons of money from out-of-state progressive individuals and organizations. Fast forward to today, Fetterman disavows that he is a progressive, even mocking progressive groups.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

But Fetterman can do this because he will have six very long years to raise money from powerful special interest groups, carve out a new constituency, and leave his “progressive” past in the fog.

To get an idea of the power of incumbency, 97% of incumbents get reelected in the U.S. Senate. In the last election cycle, 100% of Senate incumbents on the ballot got reelected.

The lesson here is that a six-year term is too long to hold senators accountable.

And it’s painfully unjust when a senator like Fetterman

ran on false pretenses then did a classic bait-and-switch with potentially no repercussions as his incumbency status most likely will entrench him in office by the time his next election comes around.

Term limits This awesome political power that incumbents wield brings attention to a much-needed reform to our election process in Congress – that senators and representatives should have a mandatory restriction on how long they serve in the Senate and House.

Congress is where the most important decisions in our country are made, where conceivably unlimited amount of spending (only Congress can incur debt) occur, and where most of our tax dollars go. American citizens are better served with term limits to prevent any one elected individual from amassing too much power over years and often decades.

It’s known that elected officials at Congress spend an exorbitant amount of time raising money, cozying up with special interest groups, holding their own fundraising events and attending others.

With term limits, politicians can spend less time politick-

ing and more time on policy. It’s highly unlikely that elected officials in Congress are adequately studying the issues and reading these thousand-page bills that come before them or spending adequate time working with their constituents. Term limits enable politicians to focus on the work rather than their next election.

Excessive power opens the door to corruption as we’ve recently seen with Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, are accused of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for the senator’s influence, according to the newly unsealed federal indictment.

And the Menendez corruption charge is not isolated but one among many examples of corruption committed by both Democratic and Republican members of Con-

gress spanning decades.

The argument against term limits saying that each election is actually a term limit is simply naive when big money and networks of big lobbyists are involved solidifying the incumbent advantage.

Without term limits as it is now, we see not just cases of individual corruption but arguably a system of corruption where powerful lobbyists and their anointed donor recipient promote the status quo. Why else do you think hardly anything gets done and we see lobbyists donating to both sides of the political spectrum? Why else do you see big lobbyists repeatedly working against any attempts at passing term limits legislation?

Both Republican and Democrat legislators in the past have introduced term limits bills but each attempt has failed in part because it’s a hard sell to get lawmakers to limit their own power. The permanent political class in Washington is against term limits because they enjoy their permanency.

the 1990s when Reupblicans made term limits as one of its top platforms in their then Republican Contract with America. That’s arguably the last serious attempt at limiting congressional members’ terms.

It’s time that a new campaign on this issue is resurrected because Congress is dysfunctional and unresponsive to grassroots America both on the Democratic and Republican sides.

Republicans and Democrats rarely agree on issues but when it comes to term limits, there is vast support.

An August 2023 Pew Research Center survey found a whopping 87% of Americans say they support congressional term limits. That’s truly an astounding percentage given today’s extreme partisan politics.

The bottom line is Congress is one of if not the most unpopular institutions and we need to shake up the permanency class in Congress, reboot, refresh that institution.

Implementing term limits is the kind of quake to change the status quo.

It’s an election year and Listen to your constituents! voters should be asking their Enacting term limits has representatives in Congress if been a widely popular idea they would support term limfor decades. Remember in its legislation.

(EDITORIAL: Kudos.....from page 2)

including a proposal that would ban individuals and businesses from buying residential real estate in Hawaii.

Sen. Brenton Awa’s bill that bans certain foreign entities from purchasing or acquiring an interest in Hawaii agricultural lands is sound and fair, as well as beneficial to the islands in the long-term. Kudos to him, and hopefully, this legislation gets bipartisan milage this session.

What was also encouraging in Green’s address is the State’s efforts working in coordination with the Federal government to offer

recovery relief to Maui resihouse those displaced dents. To our fellow Hawaii by the fires. residents on Maui, many of 3) There are 27,000 shortwhom are our fellow Filipiterm rental units on nos, you are not forgotten.

Maui alone. The GoverClearly, your housing shortnor said, “if we can dedage situation is far more uricate just 10% of these gent and dire. homes to displaced LaA few updates on Maui’s haina families — we recovery efforts: can house them all. We will cover the fair mar1) The Governor has set ket value of each rental aside up to $600 million for two years, and proin the budget for recovvide a property tax exery costs that will conemption for 18 months tinue into 2027. to those who participate.

2) There is a Maui Interim If not enough partners Housing Plan — a $500 step forward to join us million initiative to creas we approach March ate a pool of more than 1st, I will be forced to 3,000 housing units for declare a moratorium on at least 18 months to

all short-term rentals in West Maui, until we find enough housing for the displaced families.”

4) In addition to $250 million for hotels and rental assistance to individuals, FEMA is currently in the process of leasing 1,500 units to house survivors, and is planning and designing, two housing sites on Maui to house up to 500 additional families — totaling an additional $450 million.

Emphasizing the urgency of acting on our housing crisis

It’s worth sending a message and reminder here to elected officials that a majority of the people in our state want action on the shortage of affordable housing (including rentals). As the Governor mentioned, it’s a crisis that not only affects low-income families but middle-class residents who earn too much to qualify for subsidized public housing but earn too little to afford to buy or rent in the current housing market.

We look forward to lawmakers passing the multiple bills to address our state’s affordable housing crisis.

4 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  FEBRUARY 3, 2024

COVER STORY

As Filipinos Grapple with High Rent, What Is the State Planning This Legislative Session ists as short-term vacation rentals that take up rental inventory -- which could or decades outside investment go to locals -- and serves a second whamin Hawaii’s real estate has my by driving up rental prices.

Gov. Josh Green said in his 2024 been met with mixed feelings.

To some locals, they say U.S. State of the State Address. “Our state is mainland and international such a desirable destination, and such investors’ sweeping in, paying for real a profitable investment for many, that estate at overvalued prices is the source people from around the world have purchased property to hold as investments of the high housing market prices.

Like other desirable cities in the U.S., or rent as short-term rentals to visitors Hawaii has people from around the world — making on average four times what wanting a piece of paradise – mainland they would if the property was simply retirees tired of the cold and choosing rented to a local family.”

Gov. Green told the Hawaii FilipiHawaii to defrost permanently or of late the growing population of remote work- no Chronicle, “Right now, 52% of all ers (which trend is here to stay experts short-term rentals (STRs) in Hawaii are say) settling in Hawaii as the perfect re- owned by non-state residents, and 27% of STR owners own 20 or more units. mote-work-and-living destination.

While homes increasingly become So, if just 10% of these owners took unaffordable for a greater number of part in the House Hawaii Ohana plan, locals, Hawaii’s natural beauty, white the program could provide housing for sandy beaches, verdant green mountains thousands of local families.” and kind, aloha-spirited people have kept most locals put and instead they How prevalent are STRs? According to the Hawaii Appleseed are opting to rent even at prices they can Center for Law and Economic Justice, barely afford.

Locals and new locals coming togeth- there are about 23,000 short-term vaer in a limited space have produced the cation rentals statewide. That includes perfect storm for a rental crunch where 9,000 short-term vacation rentals on low supply is lopsided by high demand, Maui and at least 3,000 STRs on Oahu.

Before the City and County of Honoand the result is a hefty rental tag.

Close to 200,000 are renter house- lulu started cracking down on illegal vacation rentals in 2019, estimates on the holds in the state. number of short-term rentals on Oahu The problem of short-term vacation rent- ranged between 10,000 and 14,000.

Gov Green said, “I will sign into law als Most locals born here embrace new lo- any bill the Legislature sends me that cals who contribute to Hawaii’s unique- will help move short-term rentals and vacant investment properties owned ness and diversity.

But where the welcome mat is pulled by nonresidents into our local housing under, some locals say, is when investors market — to increase supply and bring buy multiple properties to rent to tour- down prices for our families.” He adds,

By Edwin Quinabo

F

House Hawaii’s Ohana Plan The Governor has given state lawmakers almost 340 bills to work on this legislative session. Several of them are geared to address the rental housing crunch.

One proposed legislation is the “House Hawaii’s Oha-

na” plan that the Governor says encourages short-term rental or vacation rental owners from around the world to sell their properties “back to Hawaii families.”

The Governor told the Chronicle that the House Hawaii Ohana plan is in response

to the statewide housing crisis which – even before the Maui wildfires – represented one of the largest economic challenges facing Hawaii residents.

How does it work? Green explains, “The House Hawaii’s Ohana plan will provide

“I’m humbly calling on my colleagues here at the Legislature to help us by implementing new policies and reforms which will return our housing units to the long-term rental market for our people.”

A 2023 UHERO report found, “Fewer than one-third of households in Hawaii can afford the typical local home.

A household earning the state median income can no longer afford the state’s median priced condominium, let alone a single-family home. High prices and high mortgage interest rates mean that homeownership has become out of reach for a larger share of residents.

Over the past two years, the share of households in the state who can afford mortgage payments on the median single-family home has fallen from 44% to 30%, meaning fewer than one in three households can afford the typical single-family home. Fewer than half of households can afford the median condominium.”

The same report found that Hawaii residents suffered from having the highest housing costs in the nation and that housing is also the single biggest household expense for local families.

tax amnesty to any owner of a short-term rental (STR) who chooses to sell their property to an owner-occupier family or to someone who turns the home into a long-term rental for a local family. Under the plan, the seller will be exempted from capital gains

taxes, conveyance taxes, and general excise taxes.” The plan begins this fall and lasts for two years.

The sale under the House Hawaii’s Ohana plan must go to a buyer who will immediately use the property as their (continue on page 5)

FEBRUARY 3, 2024  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  5

COVER STORY (As Filipinos.....from page 4)

primary residence for at least two years.

The proposed one-time tax amnesty program is for qualified owners who convert an eligible property to a longterm rental through a twoyear written resident lease agreement.

State Rep. Sean Quinlan, chair of the House Tourism Committee, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he believes Green’s short-term rental tax amnesty and exemption proposal can be part of alleviating Hawaii’s chronic shortage of housing for residents.

“I love the amnesty bill,” said Quinlan (D, Waialua-Haleiwa-Punaluu). “I think it’s a really important part of bringing people in, and our goal as a society should be to convert every single short-term rental into a long-term rental.”

Green said the housing crisis is affecting not only low-income families but also middle-class residents who earn too much to qualify for help, but too little to afford to buy or rent in the current housing market. He said the supplemental budget for fiscal year 2025 that places a huge emphasis on infrastructure and housing “remains his administration’s top statewide priority.”

Current regulations on STRs On Oahu, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed Bill 47 in April 2022 which made it illegal to rent out vacation rentals for less than 90 days.

Bill 47 also limited vacation rentals to resort areas such as Ko Olina, Turtle Bay, Mākaha and parts of Waikīkī.

Gov Green said in October 2022, a federal judge struck down the 90-day requirement, allowing vacation rental owners to rent out their properties for 30 days or more.

In response to the Maui wildfires, the City and County temporarily suspended its 30-day minimum for STRs in August but later reinstated the 30-day minimum.

On Maui County, shortterm rental homes with permits are allowed to operate.

Owners must apply and re-

ceive approval from the Maui County Planning Department.

Most of these STRs operate in resort districts. But under a new law passed by Maui lawmakers in January 2022, the county stopped issuing new applications for vacation rentals.

Hawaii County lawmakers adopted Bill 108 in November 2018, which limited the operation of short-term vacation rentals to resort and commercial districts.

The Governor said on Kauai, the short-term rental of an apartment, a room in a home, or an entire house for less than 180 days to a visitor is not permitted. STRs also need to operate in a Visitor Designation Area determined by the county.

Cost of rent in Hawaii in the framework of other expenses According to Forbes in a new 2024 analysis, Hawaii nabbed the top spot for the state with the highest rental expenses, averaging a total monthly cost of $2,423.

This cost has gone up from the time a University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) report that showed the average monthly rent at $2,100 in 2021.

The pressure of rent is compounded when considering Hawaii also has the highest income taxes in the nation, as well as Hawaii claiming the top spot as the most expensive state in terms of cost of living, the same report found. In Hawaii the total average annual expenditure is $55,491.

Additionally, residents of the Aloha State have the lowest amount of disposable income available annually ($5,929).

Forbes found Hawaii is ranked number one in the nation for home prices, with a staggering median price of $837,324. The Honolulu Board of Realtors has the median price even higher in its December 2023 statistics: median sales price for a single-family home is $996,500 and for a condo-townhouse at $510,000.

The current mortgage rate is at 7-8%, the highest mort-

gage rates in over two decades, which means would-be homeowners are waiting out the housing market and turning to renting until rates and home prices cool off.

To buy or rent in the current market? Michael Yoshino of Locations Hawaii put it this way, “Yes, buying right now will give you a higher monthly mortgage payment due to high interest rates, but on the flip side, you could potentially get the house you want without having to bid against 20 others. In the alternative, money will be cheaper when interest rates are lower and this will lower your monthly payment, but home prices will likely rise, and you should be prepared to compete with multiple offers. The only way prices will dramatically come down is if inventory grows and piles up. Will this happen?” The answer is it’s a wait-and-see situation.

With Forbes estimating an average monthly mortgage payment of $5,004 for a home priced around $850,000 with only 10-20% downpayment, many Hawaii residents realistically are not in the market to buy any time soon, which is why pressure is mounting on local government to act on curbing rental prices.

Struggle to pay rent Venus Delos Santos, a west Oahu resident who owns long-term rental properties, said she has been coming across situations with tenants having difficulty making rent.

“A couple of my tenants are on government assistance, and they have a hard life despite a roof over their heads.

One has not paid rent in a couple months, and we are going through an eviction process.

Out-of-state landowners, who rent out their units in Hawaii [for the short-term] are driving the cost-of-living so high, they’re making it hard also for local business owners [local landlords with long-term tenants]. At least we put the money back into the economy. Out-of-state landlords take out money from Hawaii.”

Delos Santos said she does not own short-term or vacation rentals. “Out-of-state

“A couple of my tenants are on government assistance, and they have a hard life despite a roof over their heads. One has not paid rent in a couple months, and we are going through an eviction process. Out-ofstate landowners, who rent out their units in Hawaii [for the short-term] are driving the cost-of-living so high, they’re making it hard also for local business owners [local landlords with long-term tenants]. At least we put the money back into the economy.

Out-of-state landlords take out money from Hawaii. Out-of-state landlords who rent out their properties in Hawaii should be taxed at a higher amount to make it challenging for them, even deter them, because they put locals at a disadvantage in a state already too expensive to live in. It’s respect for the land.

As with fishing, you only take what you eat.

You don’t throw out your net, catch tons of fish and not care about the environmental implications of that catch.”

– Venus Delos Santos,

a west Oahu resident who owns long-term rental property landlords who rent out their properties in Hawaii should be taxed at a higher amount to make it challenging for them, even deter them, because they put locals at a disadvantage in a state already too expensive to live in. Out-of-state landlords are one of the many reasons why Hawaii is so expensive, on top of an affordable housing shortage. It’s respect for the land. As with fishing, you only take what you eat.

You don’t throw out your net, catch tons of fish and not care about the environmental implications of that catch. Commercial fishermen do it all the time. If you think about what they do as a whole industry, wouldn’t you think there would be depletion issues, even damage to sea life?”

Teresita Bernales, Kailua, said “non-state residents owning 52% of short-term rentals have a huge negative impact on Hawaii’s rental market.

These non-resident owners are driven by the return on their investment (ROI), because Hawaii is a world class tourist destination. When property owners opt for short term rentals catering to tour-

ists it reduces the housing supply available for long term residents, increasing demand and driving up rental prices for locals looking for long term rentals. This phenomenon is also a concern in other states that are tourist destinations like New York, Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, etc.”

Bernales believes driving factors of high rent are limited land availability, high demand for housing, the high cost of living, and high cost of shipping of construction materials to the islands.

She echoes what financial experts say that ideally 30% of gross monthly income should be allocated for housing (mortgage or rent). Prior to buying a home with her husband, she rented for two years. “As a two-wage earning household, the cost of rent back then did not have a significant change in our lifestyle and choices. However, family or individual financial situations vary, and other factors like location, other debt obligations and personal financial priorities can influence what one will be able to pay for (continue on page 6)

6 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  FEBRUARY 3, 2024

OPEN FORUM

Blackouts Cast Doubt on Renewable Energy Mandates

By Joe Kent

H

awaii’s rolling blackouts on Jan. 8 gave residents a lot of time to wonder whether this could become a regular occurrence on the state’s journey to reach 100% renewable energy by the year 2045.

It appears Hawaii lawmakers might have been a little too ambitious when they decided in 2015 to become the first state in the nation to set that audacious policy goal.

Now, almost 10 years later, with rolling blackouts possibly looming in our future, state lawmakers probably should reconsider their original conversion timetable — if not ask

whether the 100% renewable energy goal is feasible at all.

There are many reasons to think that it isn’t — especially in Hawaii.

In fact, Hawaiian Electric blamed reduced solar and wind power as a partial cause of the blackouts, along with several of its fossil-fuel generators being down for maintenance and two others, each over 70 years old, experiencing operating problems.

Making matters worse, HECO couldn’t draw power from the AES coal plant since the state forced that to close in September 2022 — even though it had been in operation for only 30 years, which is young by coal plant standards.

The AES coal plant supplied 180 megawatts of electricity that could have helped prevent or at least mitigate the rolling blackouts.

Basically, HECO simply ran short on Jan. 8 of so-called firm power, which the U.S. Energy Information Administration defines as “power or power-producing capacity intended to be available at all times during the period covered by a guaranteed commitment to deliver, even under adverse conditions.”

Solar and wind turbines are generally not considered to be firm power since sometimes the sun doesn’t shine and the winds don’t blow.

To be fair, Hawaiian Electric had a rolling blackout episode several years before the coal plant was shuttered. But the difference now is that Oahu relies on twice as much renew-

able energy today as it did in 2015 — 987 megawatts versus 470 megawatts, respectively — meaning Oahu’s electrical grid is becoming more vulnerable to cloudy skies and calm winds.

That, in turn, means that as the state ramps up its share of renewable sources, residents might be checking the weather to see whether they might be eating dinner by candlelight.

A supposed solution to this problem is to use renewable biofuels, such as those derived from agricultural products. But they aren’t cheap. In fact, they are 70% to 130% more expensive than fossil fuels, which would translate into higher energy costs for Hawaii consumers who already are paying triple for their power compared to consumers on the mainland.

Large batteries won’t help much either, since they also

cy of the housing crisis.

In July 2023, Green signed the First Emergency Proclamation (EP) Relating Housing to accelerate the safe construction of thousands of critically needed, public, low-income, affordable, workforce, and market-rate housing units for sale and rent.

The EP was renewed in September 2023 – and again in October 2023, December 2023 and January 2024 -- to focus on the development of affordable housing units in Hawaiʻi. Gov Green said the EP does this by: • Prioritizing affordable housing development projects where new additional units will serve primarily those at or below 140% of the area median income (AMI); • Allowing more flexibility in zoning and other county-level building requirements to prioritize adaptive reuse and mixed-use communities; • Establishing the “Build Beyond Barriers” Working Group (BBB), which draws together members from key state and county agencies involved in housing development, community stakeholders,

and subject area experts to identify where projects are stuck and to seek solutions to expedite the development of affordable housing; Amending processes under Section 201H-38, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (HRS), relating to expedited processes for state affordable housing development to shorten approval times; Expediting procurement, which adds costly delays to state and county projects, and; Allowing more flexibility for hiring critical staff in agencies or contractors to implement and regulate the housing development process to fill over 300 identified vacancies in state and county housing and regulatory agencies.

rely increasingly on finicky renewable sources that might fail under “adverse conditions” — which is what happened on Jan. 8.

All of which is to say, our lawmakers need to get serious about whether their quest to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2045 is in the best interest of Hawaii.

At the very least, they should be asking whether the end date should be pushed off sometime further into the future, perhaps after other states have dealt with the more novel issues involved in reaching the 100% goal.

Or maybe they could just abandon Hawaii’s energy mandates altogether, which might be the best way to allow flexibility and choice while keeping our electric bills low and home and office lights on. JOE KENT is the executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

(COVER STORY: As Filipinos....from page 5)

rent. It is important to develop a financial plan. People living on a tight budget or on a very low income will have a hard time setting aside money for rent,” Bernales said.

Ronald, who agreed to share his financial situation, but not his complete name, said, “I bring in about $3,300 a month. I pay $500 for a room in a house I share with my parents. It’s too expensive if I were to rent outside so I am sacrificing my privacy and saving each month for a large downpayment on an apartment to buy. I will be 30 this year and can’t help but feel I am behind when I see family and friends my age living on

the mainland and are property owners. But I understand this is the price I am paying to live in paradise. Some days I feel it’s all worth the wait. Some days I feel like moving to the mainland to get that immediate jumpstart in homeownership. We shall see how much longer I can handle this situation.”

State plans on improving affordable housing Hawaiʻi’s chronic housing crisis has been exacerbated in recent years by the lack of new construction of affordable housing units.

Between 2012 and 2022, Hawaiʻi only produced about 4,000 units per year on average while reports show that the state needed to build 10,000 units a year to meet demand.

Gov Green has established five data-driven priorities to build more affordable housing for local residents.

They include: 1) Expanding affordable housing inventory; 2) Maintaining existing affordable units; 3) Offering more housing support to local residents; 4) Coordinating and modernizing Hawaiʻi’s housing development process; and 5) Communicating the urgen-

•

•

•

In July 2023, the state Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority (HPHA) unveiled its Ka Lei Momi Redevelopment Project which calls for the construction of more than 10,000 additional units across nine properties in the state.

The project aims to transform existing low-density public housing properties into mod-

ern, mixed-income and transit-oriented communities.

Of the 10,000 additional units that will be created under the Ka Lei Momi Redevelopment Project, Green said 90% will serve households making at or below 120% AMI. These housing projects will add affordable units in high-opportunity areas to increase housing for low- and middle-income residents and invest in underserved communities.

Bernales mentions some of the solutions she would like the government to do more -- a few are areas the state is working on mentioned above. Other areas not mentioned that Bernales supports are rent control measures and the exploration of community land trusts model - that helps to retain control over land and housing prices, ensuring long term affordability for residents.

Ronald said, “If more is not done to solve the housing and rental situation, we will see millennials and Gen X leaving, which is sad because that means more Hawaii families will be separated. Voters prioritized affordable housing [including rent] in the last election so lawmakers should be giving this issue top priority.”

FEBRUARY 3, 2024  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  7

CANDID PERSPECTIVES

Haley’s Role Now? Baiting Donald Trump

By Emil Guillermo

N

ikki Haley, the lone Asian American, and lone woman, left running for president on the Republican side, isn’t quitting the race yet, despite an 11-point loss in New Hampshire.

Instead, she may be doing the country a big public service. As long as Haley keeps running, she baits Trump into showing us exactly why he’d be a terrible choice for the GOP and for America. That is, if 91 felony counts, four indictments, two impeachments, and being found liable for sexual assault aren’t enough presidential resume killers.

For a conventional win, Haley’s best shot moving forward is to dress up as if she were a modern Statue of Lib-

erty and tell her fellow Republicans, “Give me your college educated, your moderates.”

They’re the ones who overwhelmingly voted for Haley in New Hampshire.

By the way, The New York Times asked recently this question: Since when did immigration become so polarizing? Have they heard about the Chinese Exclusion Act? How about the Immigration Act of 1924? How about the efforts to exclude Filipinos by self-deportation? The American blind spot is Asian American history.

For now, Haley is the immigrant daughter who appeals to the rational GOP and moderates. According to media exit polling, independents went 5839 for Haley over Trump; college grads were 56-42.

Furthermore, the exit polls say if Trump wins, 84% of Haley supporters will be dissatisfied. It suggests they won’t be “nose clip voters,” hold-

Nikki Haley

ing their nose as they vote for Trump.

They might be able to win if they were joined by enough chronic non-participants who see this existential moment in American democracy important enough to actually turn out to vote.

Admittedly, it’s an outside chance.

Consider that a sighting of Halley’s Comet, which is visible to earthlings every 79 years or so, is more likely than a Haley presidency.

Still, it’s worth a shot to

remind us all once again the worst qualities of Trump.

On primary night, Trump acted like Haley was some walking-dead-zombie. “Even Ron came in second and he left,” said Trump to his followers in New Hampshire. “She came in third and she’s still hanging around.”

Trump couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t just quit.

“I find in life you can’t let people get away with bulls**t,” Trump said, who described watching Haley’s acknowledgment that he won, and then watched her say, “The race is far from over.”

Trump seemed angry and in disbelief at his post-campaign speech.

“And when I watched her in that fancy dress, probably wasn’t so fancy, I said what is she doing? We won,” Trump said. “Who the hell was the imposter that went up on the stage before and claimed a victory? She did very poorly, actually. She had to win…then

she failed badly.”

Both candidates made revealing speeches to end the New Hampshire primary.

Trump, of course, started his off with a lie. “If you remember, we won in 2016, and if you want to play it straight, we also won in 2020,” Trump said, repeating the “Big Lie” as his election-denier fans cheered.

As we all know, Biden beat Trump by a 4.5% popular vote margin, and by 74 votes in the electoral college.

To say Trump won in 2020 is the lie that still motivates Trump voters, almost as much as racial animus.

Just before the vote this week, Trump made race the polarizing issue in New Hampshire by purposefully bungling Haley’s South Asian name, calling her “Nikki Nimrada Haley.”

There was no apology for greenlighting this kind of racial transgression for his MAGA base to emulate. (continue on page 12)

8 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  FEBRUARY 3, 2024

BOOK REVIEW

SOME PEOPLE NEED KILLING— A Memoir of Murder in my Country

By Rose Cruz Churma

R

odrigo Duterte took office as President of the Republic of the Philippines in 2016. The former president generally speaks extemporaneously, unwilling to read from prepared remarks. At the beginning of the book one of his quotes is inscribed: “What I want to do is instill fear” when he was still the mayor of Davao, a city in southern Philippines.

In one speech, he promises to “kill people” and uses the word “kill” in his speeches 1,254 times—based on the database of transcripts from his speeches from June 2016 to June 2017 — in just a year. The total number during his presidency is likely higher.

From the beginning of the Duterte era, it became the author’s role to document the people killed in this supposed war on drugs. She was a field correspondent for Rappler, the online newspaper founded by Nobel Peace Prize awardee Maria Ressa.

She was one of the reporters covering the results of Duterte’s pledge to “destroy anyone—without charge or trial—whom he or the police or any of a number of vigilantes suspected of taking or selling drugs.”

The author describes it best when she says, “This is a book about the dead and the people who are left behind.”

But it is also her personal story written in her own voice as she struggled through her

fears and the paranoia she developed from covering these EJKs (extra-judicial killings), and a presidency that condoned—even encouraged—state-sanctioned massacres.

The last sentence in the book’s prologue haunted me when she wrote—“…I am a citizen of a nation I cannot

HAWAII-FILIPINO NEWS

Filipino American Novelist to Serve As Inouye Chair at University of Hawaii at Manoa

F

ilipino American a series of free pubGina Apostol will lic events. be serving this “Having Gina spring semester resiApostol here... prodency at the Universivides us with an opty of Hawaii at Manoa portunity to honor (UHM) as the Dan and the legacy of Dan Maggie Inouye Distinand Maggie Inouye guished Chair in Demoand to showcase cratic Ideals. how the creative arts Established in 2005 both respond to and by the UH Board of shape the civil and Regents, the program civic spheres,” said Gina Apostol brings prominent scholPeter Arnade, dean ars, artists and public intellectuals of the UHM College of Arts, Lanto Hawaii to share their life expe- guages and Letters. riences and foster public discourse Apostol wrote five novels inregarding democratic ideals and cluding Insurrecto and La Tercera. civic engagement.

Her work appeared in The New The award-winning author will York Times, Los Angeles Review teach a semester-long American of Books, and The Washington studies graduate research seminar Post. She also received the Rome on “Narration and Nation.” More- Prize, the PEN/Open Book Award, over, Apostol will meet with stu- and two Philippine National Book dents, faculty and the community in Awards.

recognize as my own. The thousands who died were killed with the permission of my people. I am writing this book because I refuse to offer mine.”

It is so difficult to wrap around my head the fact that despite these acts of brutality especially to the most vulnerable, Duterte’s popularity remained high, catapulting his daughter and political heir to the second-highest office of the nation.

This book is a memoir as well as a report of what happened in the past. It tries to explain the origins of autocratic rule and Filipinos’ preference for leaders with a “strong-man” persona. In reading the book, one can gauge the cynicism of the voters, and the opportunism of the politicians that rule

them.

The subject matter is dark and depressing. I had to stop so many times just to process objectively what I was reading. As you read it you wonder, is this my country of birth? What have we devolved into?

Her writing style—short, clear sentences describe in searing detail the poverty, corruption and cruelty of those in power. It is able to capture the killings and their aftermath in a very matterof-fact way, but the rage is there, lurking among the commas and translations of new words coined during this era: “salvage,” “neutralize,” “encounter,”—the more euphemistic synonym for “kill.”

The author, Patricia (continue on page 10)

FEBRUARY 3, 2024  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  9

(continue on page 9)

10 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2024

AS I SEE IT

From 14, Now Down to Two: Haley Vs Trump

By Elpidio R. Estioko

T

he whole world is watching.

Former president Donald Trump is making an unorthodox comeback to the White House and his former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is giving him an unexpected challenge to the presidency.

After placing a poor third in the Iowa caucus, Haley, who is also a former South Carolina governor remained optimistic and decided to remain in the race despite placing behind Florida governor Ron DeSantis who placed second. Trump won the Iowa majority.

With the unexpected move of DeSantis, Nikki Haley is even more energized, even with De Santis endorsing Trump, and she began her sharp attacks on Trump leading into South Carolina and Nevada.

Suddenly, the issues of immigration, economy, peace and order, Roe vs Wade, etc. were temporarily overtaken by the issues of mental health, performance, “generational change” and age which were seldom raised when there were 14 of them running for the presidency.

Now, Nikki Haley is hammering her attacks on

Donald Trump on these issues as she tries to court the state’s independent voters and that of DeSantis’ supporters as she kept on mentioning “generational change” in her campaign.

Haley is casting her candidacy as a “better choice” for a nation gearing towards a possible rematch between Trump, 77, and Joe Biden, 81, suggesting that this time, is the time for a younger generation to run the government. Haley is a Generation Xer while Trump and Biden are Baby Boomers.

Haley, who turned 52 recently, asked during a CNN town hall in Henniker, New Hampshire: “Do we really want to have two 80-yearolds running for president when we’ve got a country in disarray and a world on fire?”

She is now openly seeking confrontation with her former boss after months of indirect calls for “generational change” and competency tests for older politicians.

Rallying support in her home state of South Carolina, Nikki Haley labeled herself as a new Republican leader who can bring strong foreign policy experience to the table and more stability in the system than Donald Trump, who remains the frontrunner of the 2024 GOP presidential field.

She is hoping her expe-

rience and programs in foreign relations will propel her to the White House.

Haley said to a crowd at the University of South Carolina Beaufort gym, “I believe President Trump was the right president at the right time…I was proud to serve America in his administration, and I agree with a lot of his policies. But the truth is that, rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him.”

While many pundits have piled on criticisms of Haley for her Civil War Slavery “gaffe,” the reality is Republican voters are unlikely to punish her considering the overall party’s stance on subjects like “critical race theory.”

In my previous column, I wrote that there was a chance to dislodge Trump as the GOP nominee if all the other presidential candidates could coalesce and support one candidate, either Haley or DeSantis (at that time). Now that DeSantis is out, maybe, if they can support her, then Trump won’t be the GOP nominee.

However, the situation has changed. When DeSantis withdrew, he endorsed Trump. Before this, Florida Sen. Mark Rubio, a former presidential candidate too,

endorsed Trump and South Carolina Senator Rick Scott, who dropped out from the race ahead of DeSantis, endorsed Trump. Will these endorsements change the political landscape and spoil the chance for Haley to be the nominee?

Well, the way it’s going on in New Hampshire, Haley is leading Trump by 20 to 30% and in South Carolina too. So, there seems to be no effect as far as the endorsements are concerned.

Political analysts say the reason the three former presidential candidates endorsed Trump was that they want to be Trump’s vice president as they believe Trump will be the GOP standard bearer.

What if Haley loses to Trump, will she accept a vice presidency offer from him? As a politician, maybe yes! But, as a principled professional, maybe not!

The fight is still a long way to go! Come November, many things will still happen like Trump being convicted of the so many legal cases brought against him, both criminal and civil.

Even just one conviction will mean a huge disaster in the chances of Trump winning the presidency. The voters, for sure, don’t want a convicted person as their president.

Throughout his campaign, Trump kept saying he was innocent and he did nothing wrong, but if he is convicted, this will defeat his arguments and will serve as a big blow to his campaign.

If that happens, what will be his next campaign strategy?

Knowing Trump, of course, he can and will always appeal the decision to the highest court, but the damage has been done! The people and the voters will look at him as a convict and nothing more.

So, will age matter during the 2024 presidential elections?

The verdict? It will be up to the people, the voters to make it happen!

resa’s College in Quezon City before enrolling in UP Diliman’s College of Mass Communication.

She was first published as a youth columnist by The Philippine Star. She had her start in television journalism as a production assistant for ABS-CBN and went on to produce a number of programs and documentaries,

including the groundbreaking narrative series, Storyline.

In October 2023, her first book was published, Some People Need Killing, which The New Yorker calls a journalistic masterpiece.

This book is worth reading—if at all to make us think—but also act: what can we do to ensure that

state-sanctioned killings never happen again?

Nikki Haley vs. Donald Trump

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

(BOOK REVIEW: Some People....from page 8)

Evangelista, is a trauma journalist and former investigative reporter for Rappler.

Her work has earned a number of local and international accolades, especially for her reporting on the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan and Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

She first gained international attention when she won the 2004 Best Speaker

award in the International Public Speaking Competition conducted by the English-Speaking Union (ESU) in London. At that time, she was an eighteen-year-old college student. The title of her piece was “Blonde and Blue Eyes, The Filipino Diaspora.”

She received her high school diploma from St. The-

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.

FEBRUARY 3, 2024  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  11

LINGERING THOUGHTS

The Aftermath of the Maui Wildfire our lawmaker’s attention.

The matter of how to proceed from here and rebuild Lahaina will be, at times, very controversial and

By Will Espero contentious in my opinion.

I suspect the cost to rehe Hawaii Leg- build will be in the billions islature has and be shared by the state convened, and government, the federal govmany issues will ernment, the county governonce again be ment, insurance companies, discussed and and the private sector.

Several wealthy celebdebated in the big square building on Beretania Street. rities like The Rock, Oprah Many of the bills from Winfrey, and Jeff Bezos have the last session are still already pledged to help and alive for consideration, and assist, and their charity will a plethora of new bills have certainly be welcomed. In been introduced by your the end, government funded by our tax dollars will likelawmakers.

Issues such as education, ly pay for the majority of the economic development and rebuild and recovery.

What, when, and how jobs, homelessness, affordable housing, cost of living will be debated as many peoin Hawaii, public safety and ple have multiple points of crime, transportation and view. Government must conmobility, healthcare, and duct open and transparent tourism will always be on meetings and hearings, and the needs and wants of the the table.

A slew of new issues and local West Maui community ideas will also be presented must be taken into considerfor possible legislation, and ation at every step.

The voices of the resithe island of Maui is certainly on all the legislators’ dents of the homes and businesses lost must be heard minds.

The Maui wildfire will and listened to. I believe a be high on the list of prior- fully recovered Lahaina will ities as government leaders take at least 20 years to comevaluate the situation and try plete and maybe many more to make certain a calamity years thereafter.

Funding, the economof this magnitude never hapic climate, legal issues and pens again.

Prevention will be an im- lawsuits, and government portant discussion as reports leadership will determine have surfaced that more the pace of things to come. could have been done by Governor Green has already the government prior to the taken a hard, firm position wildfire. One Maui County on short-term rentals versus report after a previous Maui long-term rentals, and this is wildfire did warn officials good as more Maui homes that much work needed to be are needed immediately.

Second investment done to prevent future fires.

The actions or inaction homes owned by locals and of Maui County government non-Hawaii residents can officials should certainly be help with the lack of housing reviewed and investigated issues.

The governor and our by our lawmakers. Water use decisions, weed, and land lawmakers also seemed management, emergency re- poised to pass a one-time sponse issues, communica- $25 per visitor climate imtion amongst government of- pact fee which is expected ficials, electrical issues, and to raise $68 million per year, clean-up efforts are some of and some of these funds are the items that should garner expected to go to wildfire

T

mitigation and Lahaina’s recovery.

Talk of raising the transient accommodations tax or hotel room tax has come up, but the tourism industry appears to be against this thought.

Unfortunately, a few residents may want to relocate and leave Lahaina or Maui, and these individuals and families must not have government red tape, government indecision, or poor leadership hamper or delay their decisions.

This is a deeply personal and private matter, and the government must do everything it can to assist in a smooth, stressless transition.

Of course, this is easier said than done, but residents must know government is the helper and not the impediment or obstacle.

If someone does want to sell their residential lot or property, I hope the government can expedite the process and assist in the transaction.

Protections against scammers and conmen must be in place.

For those who want to

stay and rebuild, patience will be needed. Because of the magnitude of the destruction, it will take time to slowly move forward. It can and will be done, but we all know how the pace of government can be.

The good news is a landfill in Maui has been chosen for waste and debris, and the clean-up efforts are progressing forward. Some are not happy with the choice, but these are the hard decisions our government leaders must make after careful thought and community input.

Because of the deaths, devastation, and emotions

involved, the recent Maui wildfire incident is a sensitive and touchy matter.

The clean-up, rebuilding, and recovery will not happen overnight, and there will be anger, indignation, disgust, and annoyance targeted at those involved in the renaissance of Lahaina.

For the government officials involved during and after the fire, please understand what and who was lost during this tragic and horrific disaster.

Accountability and responsibility are important matters that must be addressed, and the public expects nothing short of truth, openness, and transparent conversations to follow. WILL ESPERO rretired from the Hawaii legislature after serving 19 years in the state House of Representatives and state Senate.

He is currently a novelist, poet, and supporter of the arts. Lingering Thoughts provides a glimpse of his perspective on current events and issues.

12 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2024

HAWAII-FILIPINO NEWS

Filipino Chamber to Launch its International Programs in the First Quarter of 2024

By Rose Cruz Churma

T

he Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii president, Susie Berardy recently announced the launch of the Filipino chambers’ international programs in support of the organization’s mission to strengthen links with the Philippines.

The annual Trade Mission, now in its 31st year, will be held from February 13 to 24 and will visit Sorsogon, San Pedro in Laguna, Candon and Vigan in Ilocos Sur, Angeles City and Manila.

Each destination will involve meeting with the delegation’s counterparts and pursuing mutually beneficial agreements that accelerate

the economic growth of the Philippines and Hawaii.

The primary goal of this delegation is to increase the exchange of goods and services between the two jurisdictions especially in the export-import of food products, gift items and home/ personal accessories.

Another is the facilitation and recruitment of workforce for the healthcare and visitor industries, as well as teachers for Hawaii’s public schools.

Aligned with these goals, panel discussions are being planned in each of the locations to encourage dialogue, collaboration, and networking.

The mission will conclude with the delegation hosting an Aloha Night at the Philippine Internation-

al Convention Center on February 22 attended by chamber counterparts from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the host country’s export marketing bureau chief.

Late last year, Hawai’i Governor Josh Green invited the governors of the five sister provinces of Hawai’i to convene in Honolulu.

As part of Hawaii’s initiative to expand its international Sister-State programs, a Sister-Province Business Symposium will be held on March 13, Wednesday in Honolulu, and delegations from the provinces of Ilocos Sur, Cebu, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte and Isabel are expected to attend.

The first to confirm attendance is Governor Mat-

thew Marcos Manotoc, who will also deliver the symposium’s keynote address.

The Ilocos Norte delegation is expected to hold business-to-business dialogues with counterparts during their brief visit to Hawaii.

Four-panel discussions will be held during the symposium, which will also be accessible via Zoom to allow interested parties to participate.

The themes are workforce development and recruitment, economic exchange of goods and services, public-private partnerships in infrastructure development, sustainability and use of renewable energy sources, and tourism.

For inquiries regarding

and mentioned how Scott was appointed by Haley to be senator but endorsed Trump.

Trump then said to Scott, “You must really hate her?”

Scott, the African American senator who ran and failed in a presidential run based on positivity, tried to stay positive even here.

“I just love you,” said a tense Scott as the crowd cheered. (Perhaps it was his Marianne Williamson impression?)

ready was found liable for sexually assaulting Carroll. This was merely a trial to determine the damages, and justice was served. $83 million? Trump’s losses are just beginning, and this is just the civil case. The criminal trials are coming up.

This is the man Republicans want to be their president.

Half the U.S. population is female. And a master misogynist is the best the GOP can do?

Whenever I asked Filipino Republicans since 2016 if they were still for Trump after he had exposed himself as a failed moral leader, the answer I got was always the same.

“Well, he’s better than Hillary,” they all said.

In 2024, there’s still such a visceral hate for Hillary, and women, among the Trump base that it’s hard not to see all that misogyny transfer to Haley.

the details of the two events, please contact Melody Calisay, Chair of the 31st Trade Mission at melodycalisay@ gmail.com; Randy Cortez, Chair of the Business Symposium at cortez.randy87@ gmail.com; and Rosemarie Mendoza at rmendozahi808@ gmail.com, Executive Director of the Hawaii Philippines Business Economic Council who has been assisting implement the two events.

(CANDID PERSPECTIVES: Haley’s Role....from page 7)

At his victory celebration, Trump showed how he believes he’s inoculated himself from charges of racism.

He surrounded himself on the stage not by white MAGA politicians but by his new dark surrogates. Behind Trump was the glib Vivek Ramaswamy and the South Carolina Senator Tim Scott flashing a broad

toothy smile.

Trump even let Ramaswamy give a cheerleader-like rah-rah speech. “What we saw tonight is America First defeating America last,” said the former candidate for the Republican nomination turned attack dog for Trump.

More embarrassing was when Trump brought up Scott

Trump misogyny So we have at least a few more weeks of this, or at least until the rich capitalists like the Kochs who are funding Haley’s campaign realize they’re just burning money.

It leaves us with the misogynists’ dream battle. Trump v. Haley, mano y mano.

Trump was recently jolted into reality by a New York jury that ordered him to pay $83 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.

Trump was in court in attempt to disrupt justice, but his antics only showed what a bully he was toward Carroll, an 80-year-old woman. Trump al-

election,” Haley said.

But in another line, Haley was just about as bad as Trump on all the other -isms.

“A Trump nomination is a Biden win, and a Kamala Harris presidency,” Haley said in a single line that invokes ageism, racism, and sexism.

Haley may yet make it to Super Tuesday. But in that last quip about a Harris presidency, she does raise a historical possibility in the future.

Two women of Asian Indian descent battling each other to be president of the United States? It could happen. A Haley-Harris cage match? That would be a real test of diversity in a post-MAGA America.

Haley surprisingly isn’t doing well in South Carolina.

So, keep your eye on Nevada as the next state to watch. It’s more diverse than any state so far, with large numbers of Filipinos.

That makes Nevada a real test not just for Haley, but also for Trump.

Haley’s -ism If Trump deals in racism and sexism, Haley is taking up EMIL GUILLERMO is a jourageism.

“The first party to retire its nalist and commentator. His talk 80-year-old candidate is going show is on www.amok.com. to be the party that wins this

FEBRUARY 3, 2024  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  13

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

Entering Our Promised Land

By Seneca Moraleda-Puguan

“L

ately, I’ve had a thousand closing doors that made me have to trust You even more. Gotta just wait, gotta have faith, He’s got something good in store. And every no means You’ve got a better yes, every “not now” gets me closer to its best. Believe and You’ll be leading me to somewhere I’ll be blessed.

Every no means You’ve got a better yes.”

As I listened to this song

by Christian YouTube singer Travis Clark, tears couldn’t help but fall from my eyes.

This song hits home so much, it pierced my heart.

My family just went through a season of so many closed doors and dozens of “Nos and Not Nows.” So, when God finally opened a door, it was just a time of rejoicing because we knew that it was indeed God’s best.

After almost a decade in South Korea, we are now in Fribourg, Switzerland. This is the land God has called us to conquer in this season of our lives.

It’s a small French-speaking Swiss canton, medieval-looking but definitely beautiful. Our family had to endure long anxious waits and faith-testing situations to be able to come here, but they were all worth it.

During our season of waiting and uncertainty, many people have been standing and believing with us that God had already prepared everything for us as we enter a new season and a new nation.

Even before entering Switzerland, we have been witnessing God’s hand moving on our behalf.

These are our testimonies that prove that God breaks down walls, parts oceans, fights our battles and is faithful to His promises.

Visa My husband, JM, was supposed to start working on the 1st of December, 2023.

However, due to the delay in issuing his work authorization, the University decided to move the start of his contract to the 15th of January.

This was an advantage for us as it gave us enough time to clear our house and bid farewell to the people we love. He received his visa on the 11th of December.

As for the family reunification visa for me and our two children, we were told to wait for 8 to 12 weeks, but we could call them on the first week of January to follow up.

As a leap of faith, we already booked four one-way tickets from Seoul to Zurich via Qatar Airways on the day JM received his visa. We were expecting to fly on the 10th of January, 2024, the cheapest flight we found. It was a big risk, but we were hopeful that we would fly together as one unit.

I have read many accounts on social media about dependents and family members of expats (from non-EU countries) working in Switzerland having to wait for months to receive their visas.

We were so anxious because we knew the possibility of the head of our family flying ahead and the three of us being left behind in South Korea was very high. But we just trusted God’s sovereignty and perfect timing.

We were in faith but at the same time prepared for whatever will happen. We rallied people to pray with us. On the 3rd of January, before calling the Swiss Embassy in South Korea, we prayed together with tears in our eyes, asking God to grant us favor.

We received an answer: our application was still pending. Our hearts broke but we just continued what we needed to do: keep praying that we will fly as one unit and trust God. Some of our friends already offered their place to stay in case we have to stay.

We were preparing our hearts.

have to pay a lot to rebook our flight. Isn’t God amazing?

On the 8th of January, Monday, two days before our flight, we took another step of faith. That morning, our daughter Callie prayed, “Our hearts will be filled with joy today.”

We called the Swiss Embassy one more time and just checked. On the other line, the lady said, “Oh, it’s approved.

It was approved last Friday!”

We received our miracle! We received our visa in just one month. JM’s voice cracked as tears fell while he said thank you to the lady.

Without taking a bath and all, we went to the embassy right away to submit our passports.

It usually takes four to five days for the visa to be released but God really has gone before us because we were told to pick up our passports on Wednesday, just three days. Oh, God truly answers prayers. Our hearts were indeed filled with joy!

Flight Our flight was originally on Wednesday, January 10 at 12:15am. However, we had to rebook our flight to Thursday, January 11 at 12:15am as we were scheduled to pick up our passports Wednesday morning.

Amazingly, we only paid less than $200 for the fare difference. Had it been two days more, we would have been paying a thousand dollars because the Friday flight was already expensive.

We claimed our passport on Wednesday morning and that evening, we went straight to the airport. We didn’t even

Housing Expats going to Switzerland for work usually stay in temporary housing facilities such as an Airbnb because there are a lot of requirements to be able to rent an apartment including a permit, pay slips, proof that we have no debt and such.

We have read a lot of horror stories from expats having a difficult time securing a place to stay. We were really praying for God to provide us with good accommodation near my husband’s workplace, but the cheapest ones are those that are outside the city.

A few days before our flight, we were already searching for places to stay for a few months. The cheapest and nearest Airbnb we found would cost us around 2800 Swiss francs or US$3,200 for just one month.

Yes, Switzerland is indeed one of the most expensive countries in the world.

We were already negotiating with the host and getting ready to book because we had no choice but a Filipino

friend of mine who lives in Zurich called me to tell me that they found an apartment in Fribourg and they already booked an appointment with the landlord.

So, we flew to Zurich with no housing booked, just a few days of stay in my friend’s house, praying that the owner of the apartment would let us stay in her place. Just an hour upon our arrival in Zurich, JM (still jetlagged) and my friend traveled two hours to Fribourg to check the apartment.

It has three rooms, an amazing view of the city, three supermarkets just walking distance away, and a primary school just five minutes away.

The bus stop is very near, and it is only 30 minutes away by bus from JM’s university.

The rent? Expensive but reasonable. The price includes heating and water, we only have to cover electricity.

And by God’s favor, the very kind landlady offered her nice home to us without requiring a lot of documents: just the work contract and the rest of the documents were to follow.

And God didn’t stop there, the owner, a diplomat for the Swiss Embassy in France, asked us to pay for the rent and the deposit on the day of my husband’s salary! This doesn’t happen to anyone.

It’s only by God’s divine intervention and supernatural favor. We got to save a (continue on page 15)

14 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2024

HAWAII WORKERS CORNER

The Importance of Workers’ Compensation – Part 1

By Arcelita Imasa, M.D.

C

– Reader

an you please explain about Workers’ Compensation claims for work injuries?

Dear Reader, There were 5,486 workers in the U.S. who died in 2022 from job-related accidents. That meant a worker died every 96 minutes.

In 2020, 340 workers in the U.S. died each day from hazardous work conditions. An estimated 120,000 workers died that year from occupational diseases.

In Hawai’i, there were 2,800 injury and illness cases were reported in 2022 for state and county workers; private sector employers reported 10,500 work injuries and 1,700 work-related illnesses in 2022 (U.S. Bureau

of Labor Statistics; AFLCIO’s Death on the Job—the Toll of Neglect, 2022).

But what happens to injured workers when injured and disabled from working and do not paid?

Most Hawaii workers know little about Hawaii’s Workers’ Compensation Law, Chapter 386, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS).

The purpose of the law is to provide immediate, humanitarian relief to the victim of a work injury or illness. The Hawaii law was enacted in 1915 and has been amended several times since. There is no federal law mandating compensation for workers’ injuries. Only state law affords any compensation opportunity.

Before the law was passed, an injured worker could only seek compensation for a work injury or illness by going to court to sue an employer.

This also meant one needed to hire and pay for a lawyer. This was expensive and time-consuming, and

most workers lacked the resources to retain an attorney or pay court fees.

And the employer usually had the advantage of having more money, legal help, and influence. To discredit a claim, an employer needed only to show the worker’s negligence contributed to the injury, or show that the worker knew the job was risky and had assumed the risk when hired.

A third defense was to show that a fellow worker caused the injury. State workers’ compensation laws, pushed by labor unions, eliminated many of these employer defenses and made the humane treatment of injured workers the priority.

The employer may still seek to show that the injury or illness is not related to the employee’s work.

Since states had different laws and sympathetic juries of workers could award varying and sometimes steep payments for injuries and illnesses, employers eventually favored having a uni-

form system of compensation enacted which limited the amount of payments to injured workers and the length of workers’ leave.

These laws made workers’ compensation payments the exclusive remedy. Injured workers could not go to court to sue an employer unless it can be shown that the employer was grossly or criminally negligent.

One key provision of the workers’ compensation law is that the worker’s claim of injury is presumed to be true and it’s up to the employer to disprove it.

In this way, an injured worker can receive immediate, humane relief and treatment and not have to wait weeks or months for a claim to be paid and treatment provided.

This provision is called the “presumption clause,” and without it, the law would be undermined and workers harmed since claims could drag out for months or years.

There have been attempts in the past by some employers

to eliminate this clause. Still, fortunately, these efforts have been defeated, thanks to the efforts of unions and advocates for injured workers.

Enforcement of job safety and health has often been lax, and there are not enough inspections of job sites and sufficient fines for employers who jeopardize workers’ safety and health.

The fine for causing a worker’s death ranges only from $10,000 to $38,000.

Stronger legislation and stiffer penalties are needed to reduce injuries and deaths at work.

In the next issue’s column, we will be explaining about Workers’ Compensation. In the meantime, if you need assistance, contact your union representative or reach out to the Hawaii Workers Center phone number (503) 967-5377 or (503)WORKERS for advice.

Sincerely, Hawaii 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.

MAINLAND NEWS

Dr. Connie Mariano to be Awarded at The Council of Young Filipinx Americans in Medicine National Conference

T

he Council of Yo u n g F i l i p i n x Americans in Medicine (CYFAM) will be honoring Dr. Eleanor Concepcion “Connie” Mariano with the Legacy Award at the upcoming CYFAM Annual Conference on February 17-18 at the James West Alumni Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Legacy Award celebrates individuals who demonstrate exceptional skill and dedication in their medical practice, mentorship, advocacy and leadership.

According to CYFAM, the award recipient “embod-

ies the spirit of excellence, inspiring future generations of Filipino American medical professionals to make a lasting mark on the healthcare landscape.”

Mariano is the first Filipino American in U.S. history to become a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy. She is also the first military woman to be appointed as White House Physician to the President.

CYFAM acknowledges Mariano’s illustrious career and journey as a great inspiration for future Filipino American generations in the medical field.

At the CYFAM conference, Mariano will share

Dr. Connie Mariano

her keynote address and valuable insights to the next generation of medical professionals and leaders.

The conference theme is “Pamana sa Kinabukasan (Gift to the Future): The Filipinx Legacy as Seeds of the Future.”

Aside from Mariano’s keynote address, the program includes the following: • Research Symposium featuring scholarly work my Filipinx researches • Mentorship and networking opportunities with fellow medical professionals • Workshops on growth and legacy of the community • Exhibitor Showcase to highlight organizations and community resources • Cultural dance performances celebrating Philippine heritage From seasoned medical

professionals and newcomers in their medical fields, to organizations promoting health in the Filipino American community, the CYFAM conference is open to all.

For more information regarding registration and conference schedule, visit www. cyfam.org/2024-conference.

CYFAM is a national organization dedicated to empowering young Filipinx American physicians and trainees. Its mission is to promote leadership development, reinforce the education pipeline, and address structural inequities in health through advocacy, scholarship, and community partnership.

FEBRUARY 3, 2024  HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE  15

COMMUNITY CALENDAR LET’S ZUMBA | Filipino Community Center | Every Monday starting January 8, 2024 at 6:15pm | FilCom Center, Consuelo Courtyard, 94-428 Mokuola Street, Waipahu | Need to unwind in movement and dance after a long workday? Join the community as we Zumba through the evening.

Only $5 per class. Proceeds go to support these program-types for FilCom Center.

NATURALIZATION CLINIC, U.S. IMMIGRATION COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM | FilCom Center, NOHA Immigration | February 3, 2024 at 10pm to noon

| Flores Ballroom, FilCom Center, 94-428 Mokuola Street, Waipahu | Learn about the steps, eligibility requirements and process to become a Naturalized U.S. citizen. The free event will offer resources to prepare form N-400 and also an Immigration Scam Awareness seminar.

FLORES DE MAYO & FILIPINO FIESTA | FilCom Center, Filipino Jaycees of Honolulu | May 4, 2024 | FilCom Center, 94-428 Mokuola Street, Waipahu | The community is urged to save the date for this year’s celebration of Filipino culture and heritage! To stay up to date with new information, visit

filcom.org./2024filipinofiesta.

31ST ANNUAL PISTAHAN PARADE AND FESTIVAL | August 10-11, 2024 | Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, CA | The Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) of the rich tapestry of cultures and ethnic communities of the San Francisco Bay Area through its promotion of Filipino American art, music, film, dance, cuisine, history, and more. FAAE celebrates its ancestral heritage and contemporary traditions, broadening awareness and deepening the understanding of Filipino history, achievements, and culture.

DATELINE: LAS VEGAS

Ti Ayat ken Sakripisio Iti Labes Ti Nasudi a Kari –Part 1

By Amado I. Yoro

P

aset ti panagbiagko dagiti napateg a bambanag a napukawko iti Hawaii a nabukelko iti kinasiak kabayatan nga addaak sadiay iti aganay a limapulo ket dua [52] a tawen.

Nakail-ilala la unay kaniak gapu ta isuda ti nangrugiak, isuda ti namagbalin a pakabuklan a paset ti kinataok, propesion, trabaho ken iti komunidad.

Dagiti nadumaduma a gunglo wenno organisasion a pasetnak iti panagbangon, pananginaw, panangplano, panangiturong ken liderato babaen iti panagtalek dagiti kakadua a community oriented leaders, a nangirugi, nangigannuat kadagiti napateg a proyekto a pagimbagan iti kaaduan a kameng ken para iti sabali a tao.

Dagitoy a grupo sibiko, propesional, regional, provincial, community service, humanitarian ket pakaibilangan ti Lions Club International, .GUMIL Hawaii.

GUMIL Oahu, Timpuyog, Oahu Filipino Community Council, United Filipino Council of Hawaii, Order of Knights of Rizal, Annak Ti Sinait Iti Hawaii, Vigan Association of Hawaii & Associates, Honolulu Fil-Am Lions Club; Hawaii Fil-Am Media Council, Laoag City Circle, DWCLCAAH, Tri Media Council, Leeward Oahu Lions Club, Hawaii Lions Club, District 50; Filipino Fiesta, Sinait Alumni Association of Hawaii,

Ewa Neighborhood Board, Friends of Ewa, Ilocos Sur International Association and Foundation, ken dadduma pay.

Tagipatgek amin dagiti innak pannakipulapol kadagiti adu a gagayyem, ken dagiti padak a volunteers kadagiti nadumaduma a programa, proyekto ti organisasion katimbeng met ti nasarakak iti Las Vegas, iti ibilangko itan a baro a daga, baro a komunidad, baro a taeng.

Adda ditoy ti kapatgan iti biagko, iti biagmi nga agassawa ti kakaisuna nga anakmi ken ti dumakdakkel a kameng ti pamiliana.

Isu ngata ti gasatko ken kaibatogak iti panagalla-allak.

Panagkallautang.

Kayat man ken saan, makikuykuyog ti adu nga utang.

Utang a naimbag a nakem, utang pinansial.

Pannakayadayo iti lugar a nakairuaman, ti man daga a nakayanakak. Maysaak a tawataw, wenno bayanggudaw. Addaan met iti bukod nga arapaap ken sirmata iti biag.

Iti sangkakunak: siak ti mayarig iti sasos, wenno umang, wenno upa nga agbirok iti kamangan.

Ita iti kastoy a kasasaadko, masubliak man ketdi dagiti luglugar a nagalla-allatiwak.

No adda mapanawak, adda mapukawko.

No sadino ti pakaisadsadak, adda met mabirokak.

Idi pumanawak idiay Tapao, Mayo 1966. Anaknak ti talon. Ordinario ngem nadayaw a kaamaan.

Awan ti aniaman a balonko.

Saanko a binalon ti pungan ken ulesko. Saanko nga intugot ti iddak a papag a naaramid iti nakayasan a kawayan. Awan balonko nga ikamen.

Idi addaak iti siudad ti Pasay ken iti Manila, kaskasdi nga awan ti ikamen, pungan ken ulesko.

Nakipagyanak iti barongbarong iti igid iti agararek-ek a narugit a waig, ken iti sidiran ti sementerio iti La Loma Chinese Cemetery Tambunting, Binondo, Manila.

Nagtrabahoak a kas sulnit iti nagan a Genaro Guzman, Php 3.50 tunggal aldaw. Agkali iti tanem, agaramid, agsemento iti panteon. Turkiado a tarong, naimasen. Adda patis wenno bugguong, umanayen.

Iti kaaddak iti Laoag City, [1966-1970] kaskasdi nga awan ti nalamuyot a kama a nagiddaak. Daan a rikep ti tawa a naaramid iti kapis ken nagsusukot a karkarton ken ules ken moskitero.

Ditaak a nangkunnot kas iti panagkunnot ti maladaga iti suso ti inana.

Kunnotek, sisipek ti anag ti napateg nga adal ket iti Divine Word College of Laoag a nangileppasak iti Bachelor degree, History Major.

Idi napanak iti Hawaii, awan doliarko. Kaaduan nga inutang dagiti ginastomi nga aggaama.

Kaaduan a paw-it dagiti naglaon iti maletak. Adda pindang a pusit wenno laki.

Dinaing. Napagango nga

ik-iket ken aragan [seaweeds]. Adda bawang.

Bulong ti tabako. Mabalin a tallo paris laeng ti aruatek.

Iti Hawaii ti nangrugiak a nangbangon ken nangbukel iti kinaasinok.

Nangrugiak iti nababa a kita ti trabaho iti plantasion ti kaunasan. Ultimo a Utility Field Work $2.10 per ora. Agikay-o ti daga, Agmula ti pulapula.

Agsabidong. Agpadanum,

ground flow, and drip irrigation. Bodegero. Naum-umsi ken nakatkatawaan.

Dayta la kanon ti kabaelak a trabaho,maysaak a degree holder. Naileppasko ti kolehio.

Naigamerak iti komunidad. Aganay a limapulo ket dua a tawen a naipulapolak iti komunidad. Kas nadakamatko iti pakauna, ibilangko nga adda pasetko iti komunidad iti Hawaii iti adu a banag a saanko a malipatan.

(PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: Entering....from page 13)

huge amount of money and we were given enough time to pay. God really has gone before us. He used people to prepare everything for us.

As for the furniture in the house (two mattresses, dining table and sofa) someone leaving Switzerland sold everything at a very cheap price. They were all quite new and all from Ikea and we just got them for $600.

Praise God for very helpful friends, a very kind landlady and for cheap Facebook marketplace bargain.

I still have so many sto-

H E L P

ries of God’s miracles, favors and interventions but this page wouldn’t suffice to contain them all. All I can testify is that He is indeed good and faithful.

What He says, He will fulfill. When He leads and directs us to a place unknown to us, He goes before us. He prepares the way, He provides everything that we need, and He delivers.

What God did for us, He will do it for you!

This is just the beginning of the great things God has in store for our family in the land where He has called us. Come journey with us! 

W A N T E D

Cabinet / millwork person. No exp. Fully paid med, drug, vis, den, vac, holiday. Pay negotiable.

Call 808 671-6133

H E L P W A N T E D Part time • To package candies

Call (808) 226-3790

FEBRUARY 3, 2024