CANDID PERSPECTIVES RAcISM AND OuR HISTORY
HAWAII-FILIPINO
AS I SEE IT FILIpINO EDucATORS IN THE MAINLAND
BOOK REVIEW
EVEN THE RAINBOW HAS A BODY— DISTINcT ARTISTIc LEgAcIES
Kudos to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) for their selection of Dr. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum to be their new interim dean. Her selection is well-deserved, well-merited. For our Filipino community, her selection is particularly inspiring to many of us because our community is underrepresented among 1) medical doctors; and 2) top level administration and faculty in higher education.
In this light, Dr. Buenconsejo is a trailblazer on both accounts, and she is truly a role model for many of our youth intending to pursue medicine as well as for those currently in medical school.
Many within the university have expressed confidence in Dr. Buenconsejo during this transition period because of her decades of experience at JABSOM in practically all facets from research, teaching and top-level administration (details in this issue’s cover story).
What our youth can draw inspiration from is Dr. Buenconsejo’s journey to be where she is at today. At a very young age she was a well-balanced student in both academics and activities like student council. In college she worked hard and had family support. She was inspired by medicine at a very young age from her uncle who was a physician.
Many doctors will tell you that they’ve been inspired to pursue medicine and have been preparing for the profession at a very early age.
As most already know the journey to becoming a medical doctor is long and arduous. Breaking down the number of years required: four years to complete an undergraduate degree, four years of medical school, 3-7 years to finish a residency program, and some will go that optional extra mile to finish a fellowship that takes 1-3 years. In total, on average it is about 14 years of college and training.
And when you consider the high cost of higher education, that’s an additional weighted commitment. Over the past decade, medical school costs have risen roughly 20%. With tuition, fees, and health insurance, four years of medical school can cost students roughly $155,000-$250,000, according to bestcolleges.com.
On top of years of commitment and the financial debt incurred, there are many life issues that must be in place that will afford a medical student stability, focus, and continuous drive to complete the entire process – that is very daunting, to say the least.
On the flipside, the rewards of being a doctor are priceless: you save lives, you heal people and therefore bring security and comfort to their entire family. On the financial end, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay of a doctor is greater than or equal to $208,000 a year. In some states, there are programs that will pay off a doctor’s student loan by a certain amount in exchange for a commitment to work in that state. This is increasingly becoming common, and it helps medically underserved communities by drawing in doctors or keeping them in place.
But the hard work it took for schooling and training doesn’t end. Many physicians will tell you, it’s immensely rewarding, but challenging.
The job growth rate (2020-30) for doctors is 3%, which experts say is low. This reflects on the national shortage of physicians. Within medicine, some areas have even lower growth rates: obstetricians and gynecologists (0% in the same time period), surgeons (-1%), internists, general (2%), peditricians (-2%),
One of our main missions since we’ve started the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle (HFC) is to feature some of our community’s role models. It’s been encouraging that our community have made inroads in almost every sector in society. In some areas there’s still room for improvement, for example, representation in faculty and top administration positions in higher education, specifically at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
For our cover story this issue, we’re pleased to have interviewed Dr. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum who as of this month is the interim dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) following the retirement of Dr. Jerris Hedges. Dr. Buenconsejo-Lum will serve as interim dean until a permanent dean is selected, expected to be by the end of this year. Buenconsejo-Lum said she is also applying for that position as well. She has extensive experience in practically all facets at the university as a high-level administrator, teacher and researcher. She grew up in Wahiawa-Mililani and has an interesting story of hard work and inspiration from her family that have helped her reach her goals. At Stanford University where she completed her pre-med work, she also worked as a manager of the school dorm’s student food service and worked at the medical school. She came back to Hawaii for medical school and her residency training. For our youth considering being a doctor, she has sound advice in the article. Congratulations, Dr. Buenconsejo-Lum. We wish you much success.
Speaking of trailblazing, our Asian community will be pleased that President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Julie Su to serve as Secretary of Labor. If confirmed, Su will be the first Cabinet member of the Biden administration of Asian ancestry.
HFC columnist Emil Guillermo contributes an article on historical racism of Asian Americans. He also mentions contrasting opinions by two neuroscientists on the effects that racism can have. Guillermo will be doing a show (“Emil Amok: Lost NPR Host) in New York City at Under St. Marks Theater. See information in his column.
HFC columnist Elpidio Estioko, an educator based in California, contributes for his column “Filipino Educators in the Mainland,” which has an angle specific to Philippine educators making a transition to teach in the U.S. We also have a review of a fascinating book by HFC contributor Rose Churma, a book of essays on Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who have put the arts at the center of their existence and made it their life’s mission to help others achieve their goals in different artistic fields.
Lastly, our international correspondent, HFC columnist Seneca Moraleda-Puguan writes about the devastating earthquake that rocked parts of Turkey and Syria. Her article is called MIRACLES AMIDST TRAGEDY. We hope you enjoy these articles and our other columns and news.
Thank you for supporting the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle. Until next issue,warmest Aloha and Mabuhay!
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according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The actual factors for the shortage in part have to do with the challenges stated above, but also the large number of retiring doctors are not being replaced. There are deterrents such as the complexities of modern medicine requiring large overhead, compliance with regulations for reimbursements, and to practice medicine (for those who want to get into private practice, which used to be a major incentive) now requires far larger capital and entrepreneurial acumen. In addition to all those factors, the shortage is also related to increased demand: 1) there is a larger senior population (graying of the Baby Boomers), as well as 2) larger overall population with increased access to medical
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It was joyous news to hear for Filipinos around the globe when the Philippine women’s football (in the U.S. called soccer) team clinched an automatic berth to the 2023 FIFA World Cup that will take place this July in Australia and New Zealand. It will be the first time for the Philippines to compete in the World Cup; and history has already been cemented independent of the team’s FIFA WC’s performance.
The automatic bid came in January when team Philippines beat Chinese Taipei in a thrilling penalties shootout, 4-3. See YouTube video for that historic victory.
You don’t need to be a football-soccer sports fan to comprehend how significant it is to earn a spot in football’s most prestigious international tournament. Like the Olympics – arguably even trumping that sporting event – FIFA World Cup that also takes place every four years has become a source of national and ethnic pride. The aura, prestige and buzz surrounding the World Cup is well beyond the sport itself.
Countries just qualifying to compete at this sport’s biggest stage is similar to when an actor is nominated for the Oscars (just getting nominated is a high honor), but it’s grander because millions of people worldwide are invested in it as fans and watching the FIFA World Cup.
treatment due to the Affordable Care Act.
Among the priorities besides preparing students to be the best doctors, supporting research and managing systems-budgeting, deans at medical schools (and JABSOM is no different) must work with government, the medical community and community-at-large, to build partnerships to meet the needs of our state in the area of public health.
And dealing with the physician shortage is among the highest concerns in pub-
Late December last year in the men’s FIFA World Cup football-soccer, Argentina defeated defending champion France in 4-3. Record-breaking numbers across multiple media markets were reported. For example, in Japan, the group game between Japan and Costa Rica in Nov. 27 drew an average audience of 36.37 million viewers. It’s expected that the women’s FIFA WC games will also be record-breaking as the sport is increasingly drawing new fans.
Show your support, show up in person if possible Filipinos around the globe from Manila to Manhattan, from Laoag to Los Angeles, Makati to Milan, Riyadh to Rome, and of course, Honolulu, we encourage you to show your support by attending FIFA 2023. Much of the glamor surrounding the FIFA tourney besides the athletes themselves are the fans in attendance. Show your pride for your country, for your ancestral homeland.
Each country invited to this prestigious tournament normally is well represented and has an army of passionate fans. Filipinos cannot disappoint in this aspect and must represent in massive numbers.
We don’t know how huge the Filipino crowd will be since this is their first FIFA World Cup appearance. But if social media is an indicator, support is swelling for this
lic health in our state at the moment.Retired JABSOM
Dean Jerris Hedges and partners in government have set in place increased scholarships, increased the number of students and residency programs, established a successful repayment program, increased the number of locals to JABSOM (which is designed to help keep graduating med students on the islands to practice medicine)
– all of these are among some initiatives that will alleviate the pressures of our state’s physician shortage.
These initiatives must be continued and be expanded by JABSOM and the State if we
team among our community. The brackets have already been determined and the Philippines is in Group A, along with European powerhouse Norway (former World Cup champion and former World Cup runner-up). Co-host New Zealand is also in Group A and will have a home crowd advantage. Not to mention that their neighboring country and co-host Australia will most likely be routing for New Zealand as well, which makes it even more crucial that Filipinos show up in person to rally in swarming numbers for our team. Switzerland is the other team in Group A. Two of the top teams in each group (there are eight groups) move on to the next round.
Sports at the international level is a form of public relations for a country. The better a country does in sports, often this reflects on a country’s progression. It can show how well financially a country is doing and its ability to support sports programs and their athletes by way of both private and public funds.
Sports as an industry for athletes are additional opportunities for their residents to make a prosperous living. There’s no better example of this than in the U.S. where there are American football, basketball, baseball and other
are serious about dealing with the physician shortage.
We are encouraged that Dr. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum has been an insider-collaborator-leader at JABSOM all these years who already is aware of this urgency and have been working on ongoing solutions.
It bodes well for our community if the permanent dean to be selected at JABSOM already has a deep and thorough understanding of what our local community’s needs are besides being a top-rated academic. We trust the process and are already encouraged by Dr. Bueconsejo-Lum being selected as interim dean.
professional leagues.
The main sports league in the Philippines is basketball. It’s a money-maker not just for their professional athletes but for corporate sponsors, business-related sports collectibles and food vendors at arenas. Sports medicine, media, ticket sellers, construction, equipment manufacturers are only a few ways professional sports bolster a country’s economy. Professional sports is big business, big entertainment, and not just about people playing a game.
At the international level, the Philippines is making advances. For example, in the last 2020 Olympics, the Philippines finally won its first Gold medal and also won their most medals. In the past they’ve garnered five silver medals and eight bronze medals.
But the clearest example of international sports success for a Filipino was the amazing career of Manny Pacquiao, the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing. He has won twelve major world titles. He’s also the first boxer ever to become a four-decade world champion, winning world championships across the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. Pacquiao is regarded by boxing experts as among the best ever in the sport.
Uniting Filipinos globally and instilling pride
Pacquiao’s incredible career brought Filipinos around the globe together, gave younger Filipinos a sense of ethnic pride. His story of overcoming poverty, of living in the streets as a youth to attaining almost mythical boxing triumphs, was appealing to both Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, worldwide.
The reality is by nature people love winning. And through sports, there’s that fantasy of winning vicariously through the athletes we love and can identify with.
Filipinos around the world are hungry for another Pacquiao-like moment in international sports. We’re ready to have one of our own compete at the highest level to bring pride for our people, nation and ancestral country. This is perhaps why there is building excitement over the Philippine women football team.
To the coaches and players of the Philippine women football team, we are all behind you. Soar high and dig deep, give it your all. Congratulations are already due for earning an automatic berth to the World Cup.
We also hope that Philippine-based corporations and the government will do all they can to support the team not just leading into this year’s World Cup, but also in building the program into the future.
Deans at medical schools today must navigate their institutions through arguably the most dynamic times in medicine and public health. Traditional concerns like budgeting distribution of resources and preparing students to be the best doctors possible are still central priorities.
But there’s also rapid cutting-edge technologies to be integrated in instruction, the case for expanding scholarships in light of skyrocketing educational costs. They must examine: how can research and patient care meet demands of the post-COVID-19 era and deal with threats of potentially new viruses.
Specific to Hawaii, how can the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) lead the state to tackle the shortage of physicians?
Medical schools are not just instructional institutions in their own bubble. For public universities in particular and in JABSOM’s case being the only medical school in the state, they are a part of the fabric of their local communities; while at the same time, must be national and global in hustling to access competitive federal grants and pursue groundbreaking research if they aim to be a top medical school.
There’s also new attention being placed on diversity at medical schools nationwide to reflect the changing demographics of the country, something that has been placed in the backburner or given zero consideration for decades.
In Hawaii, boosting minorities like Filipino and Native Hawaiian representation is a no-brainer to meet the needs of patients in Hawaii’s diverse communities. Cultural sensitivity
makes for relatable and effective doctors in Hawaii, some local doctors say.
The point person to meet some of these traditional and new challenges is Dr. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum, the new interim dean of JABSOM as of this month, following the retirement of Dr. Jerris Hedges who served in that position for 15 years.
Buenconsejo-Lum will serve as interim dean until a permanent dean is named which is expected to be by the end of this year. The medical school will launch a national search for its new dean and Buenconsejo-Lum told the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle she will be applying for that position as well.
The dean is the medical school’s chief executive officer and the chief of academic officer. Dr. Buenconsejo-Lum said, “We have a strong team of associate deans, directors, and their teams who have helped strengthen JABSOM to where it is today in the mission areas of education, research and discovery, clinical healing, and community partnerships and engagement.”
Where is JABSOM today? Solid footing and among the best.
JABSOM is #23 in Best Medical Schools: Primary care and #74 in Best Medical Schools: Research, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 ranking. JABSOM has been nationally ranked in the top 25 consistently, retired dean Hedges said. There are 154 medical schools in the U.S. offering an MD program.
Buenconsejo-Lum said “the dean is also part of the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa leadership team. The dean works with the provost and other deans and directors in health and health sciences to help ensure that UH Mānoa
and UH can help improve the overall health of the people of our state.
“As interim dean, I have the privilege of leading this team, as everything that JABSOM does is for the benefit of the people of Hawai’i and the Asia-Pacific region,” she said. Her lifelong goal is to serve her community and rural areas through her leadership at JABSOM.
Last year Buenconsejo-Lum got a boost to help her be an effective leader in her new position by being selected to the Association of American Medical College’s Council of Deans (COD) Fellowship Program, colloquially known as “the dean of school.” She was one of six (out of 28 national applicants) selected.
“Dr. Buenconsejo-Lum is well versed with JABSOM’s operations, and I am confident that she will successfully guide JABSOM during this period of transition until a permanent dean can be hired,” said UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno.
When asked what her leadership style is, she said “as a servant leader who values inclusivity, collaboration, constant learning and improvement, and ensuring that all members of the JABSOM ‘ohana’ feel empowered to do their best.” (continue
(Dr. Lee....from page 4) Over
JABSOM
If the criterion for selecting the interim dean is finding an insider knowledgeable in practically all aspects of JABSOM, Buenconsejo-Lum fits the bill.
For starters she is an alumni of JABSOM herself and completed her residency training with the University of University of Hawai’i Family Medicine Residency Program. She also received fellowship training with Faculty Development, at JABSOM.
She has a trifecta background at JABSOM as a teacher, researcher and administrator. Additionally, her experience goes beyond academia with a working background as a family physician in Hawaii. As a researcher, she’s well published and has been a principal investigator.
Prior to her new position as interim dean, she was JABSOM’s associate dean for academic affairs and director of graduate medical education.
For the last six years, she has been a member of the dean’s executive management team and was involved in all major strategic initiatives, with budget and policy issues, not only within the medical school and UH Mānoa, but also in partnership with the state’s health systems, and Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense partners.
Buenconsejo-Lum has also worked to ensure JABSOM’s medical educational programs remain accredited and has prepared medical student and residency/fellowship graduates for the rapidly changing healthcare environment, which she says includes approaching care delivery through a more holistic, system-wide and teambased approach.
For the three years she’s also been overseeing all of the educational programs.
This year Dr. Buenconsejo-Lum was awarded the
UH Board of Regents Willard Wilson Distinguished Service Award, in part for her efforts leading the school and state through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the threat of COVID-19 in March 2020, Buenconsejo-Lum has taken on a vital role as a trusted advisor and leader working directly with executives in multiple areas within UH and the COVID-19 Health & Well-Being Working Group. She served as one of the primary university liaisons to the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health and the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency. She has guided institutional leaders on decisions regarding post-pandemic planning, including school reopenings. To this day, Buenconsejo-Lum is one of the COVID-19 lead advisors for UH and JABSOM.
When asked what are some of the post-pandemic plans JABSOM is working on with the state and health community in dealing with COVID-19 and prevention response for possible future pandemics -- she said, JABSOM scientists continue to discover why and how postacute sequelae of COVID (or “long-COVID”) affect some individuals more than others, which will help identify possible treatments to prevent some of the worst side effects.
“Additionally, many who
worked with Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino communities during the pandemic continue this critical work to help ensure these communities have knowledge, tools, and resources to deal with future public health emergencies.”
Besides COVID-19, JABSOM is playing a leading role helping to address other public health concerns such as the state’s physician shortage.
Under Dean Hedges’ leadership, JABSOM has been working to increase the number of students at the school. Currently there are 77 medical students enrolled at JABSOM; and more than 225 participate in JABSOM’s Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residency and fellowship programs.
Expanding Hawaii’s medical school and post-graduate residency programs are ideal solutions, but the impacts wouldn’t kick in for another seven to 10 years, experts say.
The long-term goal is to train 100 students and have medical school branches on all islands. The challenge is that these goals are expensive. More faculty would be needed to teach additional students.
There is data to support
“My family instilled the work ethic and values that inspired me to pursue medicine. Growing up around my ‘uncle doctor’s’ office, I found it pretty special that he had formed bonds with and cared for many generations of families from Wahiawā and surrounding areas. I also shadowed or worked for other physicians in Wahiawā, who taught me always to keep the needs of patients and families at the core. My family has always valued education, working hard, and improving situations for the next generation. That is why my paternal grandparents decided to come to the United States in 1928. I am so fortunate to have been encouraged and guided by family and many teachers and mentors, starting at Wahiawā Elementary, Wheeler Intermediate, and Leilehua High School.”
the idea that increasing student numbers at JABSOM would most likely lead to more physicians practicing in Hawaii.
Hedges said more than 80% of physicians who graduate from both JABSOM and its residency programs tend to stay in Hawaii to practice—that is one of the highest retention rates in the country.
Buenconsejo-Lum said JABSOM is involved in many efforts in synchrony with others across the state to help address this issue.
“We partner with many high schools to provide exposure and, in some cases, help educate and mentor students interested in medicine or an-
other health career. These are called pathway programs.
“Our `Imi Ho`ōla post-baccalaureate program celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Many of the `Imi Ho`ōla completers have Filipino ancestry, as Filipinos are considered underrepresented in medicine. Over several years, we have also increased our class size to accept 77 medical students yearly. Eighty-five (85) percent of our students are Hawai’i residents, and 16% of the current second-year class identify as Filipino. Additionally, at least one-third of medical students spend some time training on neighbor islands,” Buenconsejo-Lum said.
(continue on page 6)
Chinese exclusion to Filipino colonialism to the incarceration of Japanese Americans, it’s amazing what we’ve survived as a community.
By Emil Guillermomil Amok: Lost NPR Host…,” the oneman show
I’m doing at Under St. Marks Theater in New York City now (head to https://www.frigid.nyc/ event/6897:338/ for tickets), wasn’t really intended as a history show. But it has turned into that.
I talk about how Filipino Americans continue to overcome the cloud of being descendants of the Philippines, America’s First Colony. After being one of 13 original colonies, I guess America just felt the need to have a colony of its own in order to feel its own oppressive power.
As I prepared for my show looking at history, it’s incredible how much crap a group AAPIs have had to endure. If you look throughout Asian American history, from the
(
She said Dean Hedges worked very hard to increase scholarships so that JABSOM students can graduate with less educational debt - this also helps to keep them in Hawai’i after their training is complete. Once someone completes medical school, they complete additional training in their chosen specialty area (also known as a residency program).
“We currently have 19 residency and fellowship specialty programs in Hawai’i and are working to increase portions of their training on neighbor islands, where the physician need is greatest. We also have a successful loan repayment program which, in exchange for working in an underserved area in the State for two years, pays off up to $50,000 of student loans.
“We also work close-
And those Filipinos in Hawaii know that the state has a rich indigenous history and how it transformed into the 50th state. It is a history that is almost equal parts pride and shame.
So it’s so frustrating to see how things keep coming up in our history as responses to us as Asian Americans.
That’s historical racism for you. In fact, if you think it’s taken a toll on your brain, you’re right.
Richard Sima, a neuroscientist and science journalist in the Washington Post, writes:
“Experiences of racial discrimination are consistently linked with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use and PTSD, as well as physical ailments such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Black Americans, for instance, are about twice as likely as White Americans to develop dementia.”
Sima says over the long term, racism accelerates aging
ly with our health system partners and others to attract Hawai’i-born and raised physicians back to home by creating excellent learning and work environments that embrace teaching the next generation of health providers,”
Buenconsejo-Lum said.
The interim dean said, “JABSOM, as part of the fabric of Hawai’i, has many strategic priorities to help achieve the vision of ALOHA or Attaining Lasting Optimal Health for All. Our top priority is to train excellent physicians, biomedical scientists, and allied health workers (in medical laboratory technology and speech-language pathology) to care for the peoples of Hawai’i and the Pacific.”
She said JABSOM was founded to provide an opportunity for medical education
the problem. The self-doubt leads to “individual invalidation” and the struggle over self-worth.
And either we think about it, get vigilant, and struggle to overcome it. Or we get crushed by it, run out of resources and can’t regulate the constancy of racism in our everyday experience.
and degrades the parts of the brain that deal with emotion and cognition.
“This is not an effect of race,” Nathaniel Harnett, a neuroscientist at McLean Hospital and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, told Sima. “It is an effect of the burdens we place on racial groups.”
The problems really kick in personally when the trauma we experience from race is invalidated or questioned by society.
How many times do people tell you, “That’s not racism” or “It’s in your head” or “You’re imagining things.”
Chance are you’re not imagining things. But that’s
previously not available to residents of Hawai’i and other Pacific nations. JABSOM is one of the nation’s most culturally and ethnically diverse schools. “We strive to be a Native Hawaiian place of learning – meaning that we embrace and teach values core to the indigenous peoples of Hawai’i, work in partnerships with all facets of society, and have the responsibility and privilege to act with respect, fairness, and in harmony to achieve healthy communities and people.
Buenconsejo-Lum grew up in Wahiawā and Mililani. Her parents, Gervacio “Harvey” Buenconsejo and Fay Molina, were both teachers at Leilehua High School. Her father’s parents, Lino and Leonarda Buenconsejo, arrived from Baler in Central Luzon in 1928 and worked as a bar-
reports indicating the Japanese Americans on the west coast represented no threat, more than 120,000 were forcibly rounded up and incarcerated in camps.
Seventy percent were American citizens. You thought that mattered? Not when your blood was Asian.
I choose to do my one-man show about being Filipino in America. It’s not therapy. But it’s entertaining.
Get tickets: https://www. frigid.nyc/event/6897:338/
The Presidents Day holiday this year, Feb. 20, was a time to remember how damning a single action like a presidential order can be.
For Asian Americans, is there anything more damning than Executive Order 9066?
It was specific to Japanese Americans, but it is the justification for taking action against all of us whenever any executive damn well pleases.
Executive Order 9066 was signed into law on February 19, 1942, by FDR.
Despite two intelligence
ber and a seamstress, respectively.
Her maternal grandmother, Ellen Wee, was born in Kona to emigrants from what is now North Korea, raised in Wahiawā, and taught in Wailuku, Maui, where she met her husband, Manuel Molina.
Buenconsejo-Lum said her maternal grandfather and his family arrived from Casares, Malaga, Spain, in the early 1900s and worked for Maui Pineapple Company in Keahua, Maui.
Her great uncle Timothy Wee was a general practice physician in Wahiawā.
“My family instilled the work ethic and values that inspired me to pursue medicine. Growing up around my ‘uncle doctor’s’ office, I found it pretty special that he had formed bonds with and cared for many generations of families from Wahiawā and surrounding areas. I also shadowed or
When it comes to policy, immigration remains a hot-button issue as it has since the first Asians came to the U.S. And even though immigration reform at this point appears politically dormant, the Biden Administration has had a plan ready to go that includes a real path to citizenship for 11 million people, relief for DACA recipients, more work visas, and increased family reunification efforts. There’s also a move to strike the word “alien” and replace it with “non-citizen.”
Let’s not forget: the guiding phrase of America has always been “we the people,” not “we the citizens.”
Will we ever see it passed into law in our current divided government? Unlikely, but there’s a better chance under a Biden presidency.
What about the South
(continue on page 13)
worked for other physicians in Wahiawā, who taught me always to keep the needs of patients and families at the core.”
She said her leadership journey started at Wahiawā Elementary School, in student council, and as a Junior Police Officer and has continued since then. Her favorite non-class was student council, followed in close second by band. “I was blessed to be given the opportunity to serve in the Central O’ahu district, Hawai’i State Student Councils, and other state committees.
“I had the chance to learn from government officials and work to address many issues facing public school students and families, including poverty, safety, and the need for better school-based health services, including STD and HIV prevention.”
President Biden has shown compassion for students who borrowed heavily to finance their higher education by announcing that the federal government will forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans. Aug. 25, 2022. About 26 million borrowers have reportedly applied for the loan relief.
But does the President have the power?
And is it fair to the students who (a) borrowed money for higher education and have paid their loans, or (b) never borrowed money for their higher education, or (c) did not seek higher education but borrowed money to finance a business?
These issues are now before the Supreme Court in
Biden v. Nebraska, No. 22506, which was argued on February 28, 2023.
The Secretary of Education, in carrying out the President’s directive, announced that the government would discharge the balance of a borrower’s loan up to $10,000 for people earning less than $125,000 per year, or $250,000 per household, and $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants for low-income families.
The Executive Department invoked the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003 that was enacted after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, providing debt relief for the brave men and women fighting the war on terror. Pub. Law No. 108-76.
The Act authorizes the Secretary to “waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the
student financial assistance programs under title IV of the [Higher Education Act of 1965] as the Secretary deems necessary in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency to provide the waivers or modifications authorized.”
The authorized waivers or modifications are for “affected individuals.” Affected individuals are those serving in the military or the National Guard; living or working in an area declared a “disaster area” in connection with a national emergency; or suffering “direct economic hardship as a direct result of”, a war, military operation, or national emergency.
The Act does not say anything about loan forgiveness.
The Executive claims that the COVID-19 pandemic is a national emergency that justifies the loan-forgiveness program. As they say in Tagalog “palusot”.
But the States say that if Congress wanted the HEROES
Act to empower the Secretary to cancel student-loan debt, it needed to do so clearly. But it failed to do so.
Furthermore, the pandemic is over.
The States challenging that action claim that the Secretary’s act is ultra vires and adds to the federal deficit – between $400 and $519 billion out of the $1.6 trillion student debt currently owed. The States claim that they have compelling interests in objecting to the violation of the separation of powers. They claim that no law permits the President to cancel student loan debts and that the President has no inherent constitutional authority to forgive student debt. Accordingly, the loan-forgiveness program is illegal.
The States claim that the Executive’s pandemic argument is merely a pretext. The President previously claimed that the loan forgiveness program is a fulfillment of a “campaign commitment” –
motivated by the belief that “the cost of borrowing for college” imposes “a lifelong burden that deprives” borrowers of the chance to build “a middle-class life.”
Chief Justice Roberts and a majority of the Justices seemed skeptical of the President’s plan to wipe out student debt, the Chief saying that “that’s something for Congress to Act on.”
The Supreme Court decision, expected in June, has far-reaching consequences more than just student loan forgiveness. If Biden wins, it will alter the balance of power among the three branches of government. It will be an unbridled license for the Executive to do whatever he wants, with or without a law to support him.
During the oral argument, Chief Justice Roberts and other conservative justices addressed “the fairness argu-
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The last five months of 2022 coincided with my first five months serving as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines – an exciting time marked by nonstop engagements that strengthened our ironclad relationship as friends, partners, and allies.
Only three weeks after I presented my credentials to newly elected President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Philippines. Numerous other high-level exchanges between our two countries followed. President Marcos met with President Biden in New York in September. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III met with DND Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino Jr. twice soon thereafter, in Hawaii and in Cambodia.
Many other senior U.S. officials met Philippine leaders from government, business, and
civil society in 2022, including a 28-company trade mission from the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, a Congressional delegation led by Senator Ed Markey, multiple State Department officials, the Secretary of the Navy, and a constellation of Generals and Admirals from the U.S. military. These visits culminated with Vice President Kamala Harris’s historic trip to the Philippines in November, when, in addition to meeting with President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte, she became the most senior U.S. official ever to visit Palawan.
In my 37 years as a diplomat, I have never seen this level of bilateral engagement in such a short period of time. It is a testament to the significance of our relationship. And if what we see on the calendar for the new year is any indicator, our ties will continue to flourish in 2023.
All of us at the U.S. Embassy are committed to strengthening the U.S.-Philippine relationship, a cornerstone of the Biden
administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. We are excited that the Philippines became a founding partner in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, and we look forward to expanding our collaboration during the U.S. APEC host year. This week, the U.S. Embassy will highlight the rich U.S.-Philippine economic partnership during the fifth Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF), the U.S. government’s premier annual regional event to promote trade, investment, and economic cooperation. The United States is the largest market for Philippine goods and services in the world, and the IPBF will highlight the Philippines’ role as an essential economic partner in multiple sectors. We are honored by the
many Filipino leaders from government and the private sector who will join us for this event.
Later this month, officials from the U.S. State and Defense departments will lead a senior U.S. interagency delegation to the annual U.S.-Philippine Bilateral Strategic Dialogue. The delegation will meet with representatives from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and National Defense, and other Philippine government partners to strategize about ways to advance cooperation in multiple fields, including energy and food security, defense, support for the judiciary, protecting the environment, and enhancing people-to-people ties.
In April, the U.S. and Phil-
ippine militaries will begin Exercise Balikatan 23, the largest joint military exercise in the history of our Alliance. Our forces will work shoulder-to-shoulder on shared operations and tactics on land, at sea, and in the air. Philippine and U.S. forces will also conduct multiple humanitarian and civic assistance projects during the exercise, including school renovations and health engagements with local communities. Balikatan 23 will highlight the ironclad U.S.-Philippine Alliance as a source of strength and stability for our peoples and others in the Indo-Pacific.
2023 will also be a year to celebrate a milestone in bilateral ties: the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright program in the Philippines, and of people-to-people exchanges between our countries. Fulbright Philippines is the oldest continuously operating Fulbright program in the world. The program was the first in a rich array of exchanges with the Philippines, including the International Visitors Leadership Program, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, and (continue on page 15)
While Filipino teachers and educators had a hard time getting into the educational system as teachers here in the US as new immigrants, some were lucky and enjoyed their teaching jobs through merit and experience.
Their experience in the Philippines, which was seldom considered for new immigrant applicants, propelled them into getting US teaching jobs which became a dilemma for new teacher-applicants considering that most school administrators look for local experience in graduates from the applicants in the hiring process.
Former Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Dean Roman Dannug, Ph.D., a resident of Northern California said:
“Yes, I got a teaching job at the Concord College of Nursing. I went to credentialing, got a very good rate per hour, and class size was 25 pax maximum which was great.”
Moreover, Dr. Dannug said he followed school rules. “I strictly followed a school-approved subject syllabus, high technology/multi media-driven instruction, and observed a criteria-based grading system that allows a very small percentage of teacher’s discretion… practically everything is measurable based on documented class performance, impressive faculty development program for professional growth, and excellent extension program to support increased enrollment,” he explained.
In his teaching experience, he was surprised that his white school director approached him to talk to him privately.
The director advised that students and colleagues should address me inside the campus as Dr. Dannug, since “we all earned a professional title that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary” emphasizing that the “title requires some great responsibility in both teacher behavior, delivery and performance inside the program,” he said.
When asked about his experience with an American class, he said, “Managing classes that were full of actual diverse racial and cultural backgrounds became more fulfilling with a profound understanding of ‘unity in dver-
sity’ and full dedication to professional responsibilities - two very important traits for Filipino-American educators to remain effective agents of change, powerful voices against racism/discrimination and genuine advocates of equal opportunity for all!
“Overall, my close to 3 years college teaching experience in the US was exceedingly great.”
Hellie Mateo taught English for 26 years with the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) in Sunnyvale -- in all of its five high schools.
She said: “I got my Single Subject (Secondary) Teaching Credential through San Jose State University. My experience as an educator was for the most part very productive and satisfactory due to my supportive supervisors and professional colleagues.”
Moreover, she emphasized having a good support system in the educational system.
“We have a Teachers’ Union which supported its members in negotiating for pay increases and better working conditions. Our school district is also one of the few in the Bay Area that paid really well due to its geographic location and socioeconomic demographics,” she explained.
“We got a raise on top of the salary increases almost every year based on left-over money from district funds, so I never thought about switching to a different district. The students are very diverse which made teaching both challenging as well as fulfilling as an educator. I retired in June 2022 after 26 years with the FUHSD.”
Mateo taught English Language Development (ELD) and
Global Literature at Fremont High School. During those years, she had a chance to work with students with special needs thereby redirecting her career toward special education.
She spent a few years helping build the Transition Program at the school district, at the same time helping recent high school graduates and other young adults prepare for employment by teaching work skills.
Additionally, she developed and conducted a training program for the district’s job coaches - enabling them to better support their students with disabilities at their jobs.
Outside of the classroom, she was actively involved in the city of Milpitas as a Library and Education Commissioner. She loves to travel, read books, try different world cuisines, sing, and spend quality time with her children and grandchildren!
Maria Ibarra, on the other hand, was a public school teacher in the Philippines before immigrating to the US.
“Teaching in the US is way different compared to the Philippines in many aspects,” she said.
“Credentials need to be evaluated by an accredited agency. Screening is rigid. You can’t get that job security right away if you haven’t been teaching for more than 5 years in this country. When the budget is cut, you’re the first one to go.”
Ibarra further commented: “Compared in the Philippines, if you pass your three-month probationary period, you’re good to stay unless you committed something against the set policies or regulations. Parents and students in our country have a high regard for teachers since the administration has your back while in this place [in the US] the admin is leaning more towards the parents.”
Ibarra also noticed a difference in the students.
“Most of the students here seem not that serious about their studies since they don’t get a lot of support from their parents compared to the Phil-
ippine students whose minds were instilled with the idea that education is very important in their lives,” she said.
“The only thing in this place that we missed out on in our country is the availability of resources for both teachers and students. Teaching and learning materials are easily acquired or provided.”
Jacqueline Curiale was not a teacher in the Philippines, but she found herself teaching in the US.
“I was not a teacher in the Philippines. I was a Parole and Probation Officer for several years under the Department of Justice working in my province of Bulacan,” Curiale said.
“It’s my first year of teaching here in the Bay Area, California in a public technical school for young adults called Job Corps. Education in the US is not perfect and has its own issues, but I must say that students here are very fortunate to have the opportunity of obtaining career technical education and other assistance free of charge through this government program.”
Curiale further said: “When I first arrived in the US, I immediately started working for the same establishment/ school as a part-time employee. Then I worked my way through various departments being promoted until I took the job of a Career Technical Instructor teaching Office Admin class.”
Before joining her family in the US, Curiale studied in Manila.
“I had my Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Science from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila and then went to the University of the East (UE) and Arellano Law Foundation for some law units years ago,” she explained.
“I recently completed the required credentialing classes online through the University of San Diego’s Continued Education Program in CA and am about to clear my credentials with Los Angeles County Office of Education this month. Growing up in the Philippines,
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Bill 56 aims to reduce the Department of Planning and Permitting’s (DPP) permit backlog and it’s now moving ahead with unanimous support at the Honolulu City Council’s Zoning Committee meeting on March 1.
Honolulu City Councilmember Andria Tupola introduced Bill 56 as part of a legislation package to streamline DPP. This partic-
ular measure targets permit requirements tied to obsolete valuations in order to account for inflation.
“Seventy-five percent of permits stuck in the backlog are residential permits. We need to do all we can to help local residents be able to do basic home repairs while preserving the health and safety of the permitting process,” said Tupola.
Kanekawaiola Lindseyment”. Loan forgiveness punishes those students who did not go to college or paid off their loan by working hard.
Roberts said: Suppose there are two high school graduates, neither of whom could afford to go to college. One obtained a loan to attend college, the other took out a loan to start a lawn care business. At the end of 4 years the college educated person will do significantly better financially than the person who did not go to college. And then the government tells the college educated person that you do not have to pay your loan. But leaves the
both my parents were public high school teachers for 20 years, and I didn’t realize then that I will be crossing similar career path as they did, but I am enjoying it and am truly grateful for this profession.”
As for my experience as a first year immigrant, I started teaching at De Anza College that considered my experience in the Philippines.
She said, “As for my experience as a first-year immigrant, I started teaching at De Anza College that considered my experience in the Philippines.
“I was an Assistant Professor 1V at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) then taught journalism and mass communication at the College of Languages and Mass Communications (CLMC) and a special lecturer in three other colleges and universities (Institute of Mass Communications, UP-Diliman; PR Department, Arellano University as department chair where I started the Bachelor of Science in Public Relations (BSPR) course; and the Graduate School of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.)
“I taught Reading, ESL and English Writing at De Anza College for 10 years until my retirement. For five years, I taught at Axia College, University of Phoenix, as a regular online faculty teaching communication and business writing.
“I also had a brief stint with the San Jose State University (SJSU) where I
of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii said: “Bill 56 will help alleviate long permit processing
lawn care person stuck with his debt.
ATTY. TIPON was a Fulbright and SmithMundt scholar to Yale Law School where he obtained a Master of Laws degree specializing in Constitutional Law. He has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, New York, and the Philippines. He practices federal law, with emphasis on immigration law and appellate federal criminal defense. He was the Dean and a Professor of Law of the College of Law, Northwestern University, Philippines. He has written law books and legal articles for the world’s most prestigious legal publisher
taught essay writing. I have a master’s degree in Mass Communications from the PUP Graduate School, in addition to my bachelor’s degree from the University of the Philippines (UP-Diliman).
“At present, I am still teaching (this is my 22nd year of teaching) at the high school department of San Jose Job Corps Center, one of 125 federally funded programs of the Department of Labor in the country for marginalized adult learners ranging from 16 to 24 years old.
“I passed the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST), an entry credentialing requirement for new teachers; went through getting a US equivalency of my college degrees in the Philippines by an accredited educational institution; and getting a multiple-subject/adult education credential to be able to teach.”
For those who want to teach in the US, if you are not a graduate of any course here in the US, you don’t need to go to college and earn a degree. Just work for your US equivalency; take the CBEST for California applicants; and get your teaching credentials, whether a single-subject, multiple-subject or adult education credentials. Well, a trade credential for trade instructors.
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.
times by reducing the number of projects that must go through the City and County of Honolulu’s Department
and w rites columns for newspapers. He wrote the best-seller “Winning by Knowing Your Election Laws.” Listen to The Tipon Report which he co-hosts with his son Attorney Emmanuel “Noel” Tipon. They talk about immigration law, criminal law, court-martial defense, and current events.
of Planning and Permitting (DPP). Furthermore, it will allow minor modifications to existing permitted projects without triggering a requirement for another permit.”
During the March 1 meeting, there were a few more changes to the measure and DPP is willing to incorporate the changes. The next hearing for Bill 56 will be on March 15 at the Honolulu City Council.
It is considered the most witty, interesting, and useful radio show in Hawaii. KNDI 1270 AM band every Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Atty. Tipon was born in Laoag City, Philippines. Cell Phone (808) 2252645. E-Mail: filamlaw@yahoo.com. Website: https://www.tiponlaw.com.
President Joe Biden announced Feb. 28 his nomination of Julie Su to serve as Secretary of the Department of Labor. Currently, Su is serving as the deputy labor secretary while labor secretary Marty Walsh is planning to leave his post in March.
“It is my honor to nominate Julie Su to be our country’s next Secretary of Labor. Julie has spent her life fighting to make sure that everyone has a fair shot, that no community is overlooked, and that no worker is left behind,”
Biden said in a press release.
“Over several decades, Julie has led the largest state labor department in the nation, cracked down on wage theft, fought to protect trafficked workers, increased the minimum wage, created good-paying, high-quality jobs, and established and enforced workplace safety standards.”
Su was the former labor secretary of California where she worked closely with unions and employers.
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By Rose Churma
This book is a compilation of essays on Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who have put the arts at the center of their existence and made it their life’s mission to help others achieve their goals in different artistic fields.
It attempts to share the stories of exceptional individuals who took the extra mile to show their commitment to the arts against all odds.
The book consists of six chapters, with each chapter featuring individuals in various fields of art—from theater and film to art and design, with most of the featured artists falling under Chapter 3— Music.
In the first chapter, one of the artists featured is Ted Benito, considered a cultural visionary.
He is credited with bringing the manongs’ story into the theater and raising awareness of the sacrifices of Filipinos in America from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Ted’s vision for The Romance of Magno Rubio was to expose the audience to a
(COVER STORY: Dr. Lee.....from page 6)
Buenconsejo said “I had to buckle down at Stanford University where I was a pre-med student with so many others who were smarter than I was.”
She recalls many nights not getting sleep. “[It was] a bad idea, now that I have learned better.”
She helped pay for her schooling by working as a manager of the school dorm’s student-run food service and worked at the medical school.
“I didn’t have time to do research or become very involved with other activities besides the Hawai’i Club. However, there were so many opportunities at Stanford to learn different subjects that helped shape my interests and make me more well-rounded.”
different experience and subject matter.
The play ran for six weeks at the Ford Theater in Hollywood where over 1,600 people saw it in its English, Tagalog and Spanish versions.
This was the first time that Filipinos came in droves to see the play—since Filipinos were never “identified as lovers of theater or the performing arts.”
In Chapter 2—Photography, the artist Hydee Ursolino-Abrahan stands out as one who takes photographs with a “perfect triangulation of emotion, timing and moment,” where can capture the emotional peak of the moment. In each shot, she attempts to tell a story without the use of words.
There were 15 artists featured in the chapter on Music, and the most visible, or most known is Ryan Cayabyab who is associated with the history of OPM or Original Pilipino Music. He is credited with developing 23 film scores, 15 OPM songs and several albums.
In addition, he is the author of 11 musicals and produced albums for artists such as Smokey Mountain, a singing group consisting of teenaged performers back in the 90s—
She said when she returned home to JABSOM in 1990, the problem-based learning curriculum fit her learning style – “so while the content was challenging, medical school didn’t feel like a struggle because of the tremendous support by the faculty and my fellow students. I was in the first recruited class of Family Medicine residents in 1994, with four of my classmates from JABSOM and two who have made Hawai`i their home.”
She recalls, “back then, there were no restrictions on duty hours, so I was pretty tired and grumpy. However, because Wahiawā General Hospital was our home-base hospital and the clinic was in Mililani, I was supported by family. I felt I had come full
restaurants in 2016. Purple Yam, which has a minimalist interior design uses touches of bamboo throughout the restaurant, complementing its Filipino-inspired food.
In the field of literary arts, the writer NVM Gonzales is one of two artists featured in Chapter 5.
When asked the question: “How do you write”? He answered, “Write like a lover, but edit like a serial killer.”
such as Geneva Cruz, Lea Salonga and Julio Iglesias.
He also had a television show for years called Ryan Ryan Musikahan which garnered various awards. Despite his staggering output, he makes time to teach young people, going around the country and giving workshops in songwriting.
Chapter 4 is devoted to the culinary arts and Chef Romy Dorotan is one of the culinary artists featured. Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa used to own Cendrillon located in SoHo in New York.
Eventually, the owners closed the restaurant and opened Purple Yam in Brooklyn, which was named one of Michelin’s Best 133 New York
circle, as I was born at that hospital and grew up in the community.
“I joined the faculty of JABSOM in 1997 because I felt I could significantly impact the community’s health by training the next generation of physicians and family medicine physicians.”
When asked about being the first dean of JABSOM having Filipino ancestry, what does this trailblazing role mean to her? Dr. Buenconsejo-Lum said, “My family has always valued education, working hard, and improving situations for the next generation. That is why my paternal grandparents decided to come to the United States in 1928. I am so fortunate to have been encouraged and guided by family and many teachers and
The land area around the museum is planted with vegetables that are served in Sabel Cafe located within the museum. He also grows his own coffee, raises ducks and chickens and has created a haven that integrates art and nature.
The author, who was his student during his days in the US describes him as “an 83-year-old literary icon who has written 14 books and has significantly influenced the lives of Fil-Am youth in their search of identity.”
A distinguished scholar, NVM Gonzalez is one of the central figures of Philippine literature. His works have been translated into several languages and are recognized internationally.
Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, also known as BenCab, is one of the featured artists in Chapter 6—Art & Design.
He has built a museum in Baguio to house his eclectic collection of indigenous art. He also advocates for the preservation of the Cordilleras and the environment.
mentors, starting at Wahiawā Elementary, Wheeler Intermediate, and Leilehua High School.”
Buenconsejo-Lum said those with interest in science, teaching, and helping others, medicine is a great career to explore. Unfortunately, many students feel the cost of higher education and the time it takes to become a doctor is unaffordable.
“I would say that college and higher education are increasingly more affordable to those families with financial need. Many scholarships are available to those who work hard, have a passion for what they are doing, and are clear
The author, Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, writes feature stories and a weekly column for Asian Journal and is also a contributor for Balikbayan Magazine. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of the Philippines and a law degree from Whittier College of Law in California.
An interesting collection of interviews, the anthology provides a window to the minds and hearts of artists of Filipino ancestry.
It is a timely book about artists and the processes they adapt in creating their art. It is also a testimonial to the creative spirit of the Filipino.
ROSE CRUZ CHURMA established Kalamansi Books & Things three decades ago. It has evolved from a mail-order bookstore into an on-line 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.
on why they want to pursue a career in medicine.”
She said you will need to do well in high school and college - especially in math, English, and science and ensure you develop great study habits and time management skills.
“It is also important to be well-rounded and participate in activities that make you a better human being and allow you to learn how to deal well with stress. We need intelligent and skilled physicians who live a life of compassion and service and advocate for optimal health as a human right so that everyone can achieve their dreams and maximum potential regardless of their life circumstances,” Buenconsejo-Lum said.
“Help me! Help me!”
Juliva Benlingan, 33, shouted with all her heart for the rescuers to hear her.
She was in the house of her employer when a 7.8 earthquake magnitude earthquake hit some parts of Turkey and Syria in early February. Her shouts couldn’t be heard so she tried to bang a metal she was able to hold onto against the material stuck on her head.
Her employer already thought that she was dead but her family in the Philippines continued to pray for a miracle. Their prayers were answered.
After 60 hours of being under the rubble, she was miraculously saved by the hardworking rescuers. She had bruises on her face and legs. She was dehydrated but she was alive.
Her story was just one of the many miraculous survival accounts in earthquake-stricken Turkey and Syria. Countless children
Asian American Nikki Haley, who announced a presidential run for 2024? She’s so anti-immigrant MAGA focused, I wouldn’t trust her to do the right thing for the AAPI community.
But Biden from day one of his presidency has never forgotten the plight of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. And not just in the past, but in the present.
In light of the thousands of anti-Asian transgressions of hate, from minor to major, during the pandemic, it takes a special president to remind the nation that AAPIs are Americans too. Few would bother. The former president before Biden chose to fan the flames.
When you think about what presidents can do for a community, Biden has done more for us as a group specifically than any president I can think of.
were found alive after several days of being buried, bringing joy and hope to those who are working hard day and night to search for survivors.
A 17-year-old Aleyna Ölmez was found 248 hours after and an 8-year-old Rigit was pulled from a collapsed building 52 hours after. Indeed, their survival is nothing short of a miracle. Not only did they endure the heavy weight of the wreckage above them but the lack of food and water plus the dreadfully cold winter spell.
But unfortunately, there are more lifeless bodies being retrieved compared to those being found alive.
According to reports, the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria now stands at more than 47,000. The number keeps growing. This number includes two Filipinas, one of them died with her three children.
The epicenter of the powerful earthquake was near the cities where millions of Syrian refugees reside. This disaster has added more misery along the border, an area ravaged by civil war and beset
Of course, the bar was set low, when FDR on Feb. 19, 1942, signed Executive Order 9066.
I’m still somewhat stunned that a bigger deal wasn’t made about that on the news recently. It wasn’t in the lead block when I caught CNN. It wasn’t on the news websites I frequent. But then again, what happened in 1942 isn’t news. It’s history.
But significant, nevertheless. This is the act that gives all Asian Americans, not just Japanese Americans, moral high ground.
You can’t sweep forced incarceration under a rug.
Although if you didn’t hear about it during the anniversary, maybe that is what’s happening.
So think about E.O. 9066 for what it was. More than just a signing day, but the first day of a long stretch of history
by conflict and refugee crisis. Millions of people there have already been relying on humanitarian aid even before the earthquake struck. I can only imagine the struggle and suffering of the people there, especially the children.
While all these were happening, I was enjoying my time with my family in the Philippines for a vacation. Little did I know that many were already fighting for their lives, many families have lost their homes and loved ones, and two nations, already struggling have been inflicted with further suffering.
When I found out about the news two weeks after it happened, I was convicted and heartbroken. I immediately, albeit delayed, uttered prayers of comfort, help and peace upon those who are affected.
that impacted Asian American lives for every day of the incarceration.
Because if we don’t honor and understand it, then we will most assuredly and tragically get another chance to experience it when the ghost of E.O. 9066 gets renewed in the present day.
Can’t happen again?
In the present geopolitical times, we’ve already seen anti-Muslim political moves. Who’s the next enemy and from what origins? There is a precedent. It will only seem palatable again if we don’t realize we must constantly stand up against it.
That’s just the way it goes.
We never seem to learn fast enough to avoid the repetition of history.
manitarian aid to those affected.
Let us continue to pray for the families who have lost their homes and loved ones. Let us give encouragement and comfort to our Turkish and Syrian friends.
The stories of miracles surely bring encouragement but my heart grieves terribly for those parents who have lost their children, and children who have lost their parents.
It may have been a month since the tragedy struck (and there are still a number of aftershocks that continue to cause anxiety and fear among the people of Turkey and Syria) but the recovery will take years and the healing of broken hearts may take forever.
The earthquake didn’t just destroy buildings and houses, it tore away families, ravaged souls, broke countless hearts and changed lives forever.
But let us not allow the story to end this way. Let us show the people of Turkey and Syria that they are not alone in their suffering. May they realize that the world empathizes with them.
We can send help by giving to organizations such as World Vision that give hu-
Let us continue to cheer on the government and the rescuers who are doing the best they can to rescue and retrieve.
Kudos to the mighty men and women, both local and international, who are laying down their lives to give support to the victims in every way.
May we be a source of miracle, hope and light that the people of Turkey and Syria badly need at this time.
The world will continue to face tragedies and disasters. In fact, recently, Tajikistan was also hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
Fortunately, no casualties have been reported. But in the midst of all these, there will be glimmers of hope and stories of miracles.
Just as Juliva shouted help with all her heart and her prayer has been heard, we can trust that there is a God who hears and rescues us.
He also uses us to be the help that someone needs. May we see the miracles, big and small, amidst the tragedies of life.
en, dakami nga agiburburnay iti bennal ti unas nga agbalin a basi. Aglebbek iti bunga ti samak, ukis ti kariskis, aggelgel ti nagango a bulong ti samak a rekado ti aramidenmi a basi.
Bigat malem a kiwarenmi dagiti bennal a nagyan iti burnay. Ket no lumneden dagiti rekado a lumansad iti tukot ti burnay, basin. No mapagbayag bassit, tay kunadan nga uming-ingel umim-imas.
Kunada pay a kaimasan a basi ti adda parana. Taog dita iti sabot ti niog. Naimas a balon iti pagraepan no kasdiay a maikarga iti bayengyeng a naaramid manipud iti nabaneg a kawayan.
Dengngep ti lamiis ken pagpapudot ket naturturedka la ngaruden, lumaingka pay nga agraep. Ditaak talon ken bnagkag a nagubing ken nagbarito.
Iti aganayen 52 a tawenko iti ballasiw ti taaw, siak pay la
“Wdaydi agsidsida ti saluyot ken rabong. Adda bugguongna ken adda pay patis ken asinna tapno kompleto latta ti rekado a kas met iti kompleto, awan kurangko nga Ilokano
Kalpasan ti sangapulo ket innem tawen itan a saanak nga agtrabaho, adda latta dagiti umay kaniak nga agpaitarus kadagiti polieto ken pakdaar iti publiko.
Iti nanumo a panangipapanko, ti pagsasaok nga Ilokano ti nangidur-as kaniak kadagiti naglasatak a trabaho.
- Nagpaayak a Union Organizer, Laborers’ International Union of North America [LIUNA] Local 368 Hawaii Chapter as Union Representative
- Datiak nga Employment Consultant, Dept of Labor & Industrial Relations/ Workforce Development Division, Oahu Work Link 2000-2005
- Datiak nga Employment Specialist, DLIR 19952000
- Nagpaayak a Personnel Di-
rector, Helemano Plantation 1991-1994
Paset ti trabahok ti pannakaipataray ti inaldaw nga operasion ti kompania. Preliminary interview, interview proper, hire and fire, disciplinary action kadagiti medio nadungos nga empleado. Agipablaak no ania dagiti trabaho a silulukat iti kompania. Mangtaming kadagiti benepisio dagiti empleado a pakairamanan ti insurance, health and medical coverage, dadduma pay.
Datiak a Housing & Safety Coordinator, Employee Rela-
tions Dept, Oahu Sugar 19841990
- Did relocation, sales, interview, job placement,
- Administer test on Apprenticeship Program, DLIR/Union
- Conduct workshops on How to Go for Job Interview, write resume, job search and labor market information.
- Attended various employment work related seminar/ workshops
- Survey Interviewer, Media/ Communication East-West Center
- Field utility worker, irrigator, drip irrigator, warehouse, stock, inventory, driver/delivery, laboratory & timekeeper clerk, personnel clerk, Oahu Sugar, Disco Mart, Mid-Town Radio
Appointment/s:
Gapu ti Bannawag, immaktibo met ti Ilocos Surian Assn of Hawaii gapu iti it-itedna a gundaway a maipablaak ti AGSURATAK latta iti salaysay maipapan iti Filipino Community Center, Philippine Cultural Foundation of Hawaii, dagiti Parents of the Year, dagiti mutia ken Salip dagiti mimisis. ***
Adda dagiti gundaway a makasarakak iti kailokanuan iti tianggi a paggatangan, ne, dakayo gayam, kunada. Uray iti trabahok kas Employment Consultant iti Dept of Labor and Industrial Relations, State of Hawaii, ne, dakayo gayam ti nabayagen a basbasaenmi ti sursuratenna, kuna dagiti makakita kaniak, aglalo kadagiti Ilokano a sangsangpet no kasdiay a makasarangmi ida babaen man iti job interview wenno iti Job Search, Job Placement, Resume Writing wenno Worker Profiling Workshop a linawas nga aramidenmi a nayon ti serbisio ken programa iti Oahu Worklinks [OWL] tapno maammuanda dagiti nadumaduma a programa ti Employment Business.
Gapu iti kina-Ilokanok, ammok a napateg ti pagsasao nga Ilokano ta nairamanak a maysa kadagiti kameng ti Rapid Response Team iti Work-
force Development Division iti State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations. Trabahomi ti mapan mangtulong kadagiti maikkat iti trabahoda no adda dagiti saklawen ti Reduction In Force [RIF] wenno marikpan a kompania.[company closure]
No dadduma pay, maawaganak nga agipatarus no adda dagiti Ilokano a kasarita dagiti adda iti Unemployment ta agaplikarda iti Insurance Claim, dagiti napukawan iti trabaho gapu iti lay-off, wenno disclocated workers dagiti nagserra a kompania.
Akuek, iti kina-Ilokanok ti nangyasideg kaniak kadagiti nadumaduma a grupo, tao ken propesional, politiko ken adda iti ranggo iti gobierno. Babaen iti kolumko a Pitik ken Karasakas iti Bannawag Hawaii Bureau, Inc., Postmark: Hawaii, ken Ditoy Hawaii, naisurat dagiti nadumaduma a kadaraan iti ania man nga agpang ti gimong a yanda, ket maibilang ni naggobernador Benjamin Jerome Cayetano, Ambassador Minerva Falcon, Consul General Rolando Gregorio, Pedro Chan, ken dagiti mutia ken reyna dagiti organisasion. Ni Young magician Gerald Rojo II, the Sanchez Sisters singers, dagiti sakada, dagiti Outstanding Business Men and Women, iti Filipino Chamber of Commerce, ken adu pay.
Makipartisiparak latta iti Gumil International Conference 2002 KEN 2006, 2009, 2012
Idi naangay ti umuna a komperensia ti Gumil nga inesponsoran ti Gumil Oahu idi Nobiembre 2002, intedmi met ti panawen gapu ti pateg dagiti kakabsat a mannurat, delegado, ken ti proyekto ti gunglo a naminsan met nga indauluanmi. Yawatmi ti kablaaw kadagiti kakabsat iti Gumil Oahu. Kasta man met laengen idi Setiembre 2006.
Gumil Hawaii
Tunggal Setiembre, saanko met a maliwayan ti makiseminar iti Gumil Hawaii. Mairana pay no daddu-
LET’S ZUMBA | Filipino Community Center | Every Monday starting January 9, 2023 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.
COVID-19 & FLU FREE VACCINATION | Filcom Cares | Feb. 16, Mar. 16, Apr. 20, May 18 and Jun 15 from 10am to 12pm | Filipino Community Center, 94-428 Mokuola St., Waipahu | FilCom Cares is inviting the community to get jabbed in the upcoming free
vaccination drive. Flu vaccines and COVID-19 shots are available for free to the community. Just bring your photo ID, medical insurance card (if any), and your vaccination card. For more information, call FilCom Cares at 808-369-5380.
AARP TECHNOLOGY TIPS | AARP Hawaii, Senior Planet Organization | Every Friday from February 10 to March 10, 12-1pm | Online classes | Kupuna can learn more about technology such as Smart TVs, smart watches, virtual payments and even Spotify in this free webinars. To register, visit events.aarp.org/HITech.
THE 27TH ANNUAL HONOLULU FESTIVAL | The Honolulu Festival
The Senate Ways and Means Committee passed the Senate Bill 801 on Feb. 22. The bill aims to establish a new tax credit that could incentivize local businesses to provide more internship opportunities to high school students.
With the increase in internship opportunities, it will prepare the Hawaii workforce for diverse careers and support programs that will ease the challenges in the workforce.
“This bill is mutually beneficial for students and employers alike. Boosting opportunities in students’ fields of study will create thousands of new positions that some students might not be able to find otherwise,” said Sherry Menor-McNamara, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.
ma nga adda dagiti kakabsat a mannurat iti Filipinas kas kada Appo Jose Bragado, Dr. Crispina Bragado, Peter La Julian ken ni Mrs. Estelita La Julian, Severino Pablo. Maipapan iti panagsurat iti Daniw, salaysay, damag wenno biyograpia, wenno sarita ti maited kadakami ni Mrs. Pacita Saludes a pakiseminarmi.
Gumil Oahu Literary Workshop
Itay la Setiembre 22, 2007,
She also spent 17 years as a civil rights lawyer. One of her most notable cases was representing 72 Thai garment workers who were trafficked into the US and forced to work behind bared wires and under armed guard.
“Throughout her career, Deputy Secretary Su has been a strong and effective champion for working people, fighting to combat wage theft, cre-
“Simultaneously, it provides small businesses with smart, driven people who are ready and willing to work. The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii firmly believes that this tax credit is an investment in our future.”
SB801 is hoping to establish the internship income tax credit for employers and qualified interns beginning taxable year December 31, 2023. Moreover in order to quality, the internships must fulfill the requirements set by the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii work-based learning programs.
“SB801 will enable more students to access quality work-based learning opportunities, such as internships in skilled fields including healthcare, IT, and air travel,” said David Sun-Miyashiro, Executive Director of HawaiiKid-
naangay ti Literary Seminar Workshop iti Philippine Consulate General.
Ditoy a nagsarita dagiti kakabsat iti Gumil Filipinas
Oahu Filipino Community Council 2001 idi pinili ti Oahu Filipino Council of Hawaii ti Gumil Oahu a kas TOP 10 UNIT ORGANIZATION: leadership, participation, ongoing projects, iti dagup iti aganay a 77 units. Napili pay
ate jobs and ensure workers are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” said Senator Mazie Hirono.
“When confirmed, Deputy Secretary Su will be the first AAPI Cabinet-level Secretary in the Biden Administration, bringing critical diversity and lived experience to DOL and this Administration. President Biden has shown his continued confi-
ti GO a TOP 3 ORGANIZATION iti kategoria iti Culture and Arts – 2001. Napili toy numok a kas VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR 2001-2003. Nadutokanak a Chairman iti Filipino Sakada Centennial Celebration AdHoc Committee.
United Filipino Council of Hawaii
2000 idi pinilinak ti UFCH kas Progress Award iti kategoria iti Media kenCom-
dence in Deputy Secretary Su and I look forward to voting to confirm her as quickly as possible so she can continue building on this Administration’s record of standing with working people and ensuring no community is left behind.”
Su is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School.
Foundation | March 10-12, 2023 | Hawaii Convention Center, Kalakaua Avenue | The three-day event will highlight cultures from Hawaii and the Asia-Pacific region such as the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Tahiti and many more. Admission to the events is free. For the full event schedule, visit honolulufestival.com.
‘Aloha for the Youth’ Golf Tournament | Knights of Rizal-Aloha Chapter | March 24, 2023 | Pearl Country Club in Pearl City | Proceeds from the golf tournament fundraiser will benefit the youth programs of the Knights of Rizal-Aloha Chapter, specifically its annual Rizal Youth Leadership Institute. For those interested, please reach out to Jun Suela at (808) 228-0665 or Gino Soqueña at (808) 393-1807.
sCAN, a local non-profit that champions an education system that supports the community.
“These experiences give students the chance to learn on-the-job and gain experience that will make them stand out high-paying for job opportunities in the future and help employers across Hawaii recruit and grow their own workforce by providing mentorship and training for their next generation of workers.”
The bill will how go to the House Chamber for additional committee hearings. To follow updates on the bill, visit https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billnumber=801&billtype=SB.
munication.. Partisipasion ken agtultuloy a kinaaktibo iti panagsurat ken iti media ta patiek a kangrunaan a nagbatayanda. Adda ngamin programak iti KNDI Radio a managan iti “AMADO YORO AT YOUR SERVICE” 1990-1994 [kas tuloy daydi programak iti KISA Radio idi 1979-1981 a Community Affairs Program” Public service ken community service dagitoy a programa.
many other programs. Thousands of Filipinos and Americans have benefitted from these exchanges and brought those benefits back to their communities. We are also excited to welcome Peace Corps volunteers back to the Philippines this year.
Every day, the U.S. Embassy team and I strive to channel the positive momentum in U.S.-Philippine relations to advance our shared priorities.
Malaksid a nagpaayak pay a kas Publicity Committee, babaen iti administrasion ni Pete Ramos iti dua daras, Maggie Domingo iti namindua a daras,[1990=92’1996-98] namindua met iti administrasion ni Don Alvarez,[1998-2000;]. Dwayne Bueno [2001-2003] nagpaayak pay a Membership Committee iti administrasion ni Bert Ugalino [1986-88] iti dua a daras. Scholarship Committee iti administrasion ni Cisco Ugale.[1984-86]
The economic, political, security, and cultural efforts highlighted above represent just a fraction of what we expect to do in 2023. The work we do together with our Filipino friends, partners, and allies is important: the U.S.-Philippine relationship is central to ensuring an Indo-Pacific region that is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient.
I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in 2023 and beyond. (www.philstar.com)
