SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 WHAT’S UP, ATTORNEY? Fiancee Visa Vs. spousal Visa –Which is Better? CANDID PERSPECTIVES transparency is Killing Fpotus BOOK REVIEW a la carte: Food or Fiction? AS I SEE IT up to When Will daca students Keep on dreaM-ing?
Publisher & Managing Editor
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Some startling stats: four firms control 85% of all beef, 66% of all pork, and 54% of all poultry.
What a lack of competition means
There is the illusion of choice with many brands for food items, but they’re essentially owned by at times one or two companies.Specific to today’s environment of skyrocketing food costs, while some of the known and common drivers could in fact be partial legitimate reasons to raise prices, the question must be asked how is it then that these mega monopolistic companies
2 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 EDITORIAL
A family of four in Hawaii can expect to spend an estimated annual food cost average of $14,042 in 2022.
Besides those typical market drivers drilled into the minds of consumers – that gives the impression that nothing can be done and that the situation is just the free market playing out -- there is a deeper structural problem as to why food prices are at their current levels. What? Industry consolidation or market concentration of the food industry. There’s simply not enough competition in the food production industry to bring about competitive prices.
Chona A. Montesines-Sonido Associate Editors Edwin QuinaboDennis Galolo
F E
Photography
designed to funnel money into the hands of corporate shareholders and executives while exploiting farmers and workers and deceiving consumers about choice, abundance and efficiency,” said Amanda Starbuck, policy analyst at Food & Water Watch.
For our cover story this issue, HFC associate editor does a com prehensive look at the food price situation in Hawaii and nationally. To begin, our state due to shipping costs, tops the nation in annual cost of food by a large margin. See by how much in the article which is loaded with statistics, including how Hawaii’s restaurants are far ing and owners necessary price adjustments just to keep afloat. We then read about how some of our locals are making personal adjust ments to their budgets and lifestyles, as well as helpful tips they share on how to shave off dollars by smart-shopping. Using coupons from apps and signing up for grocery stores loyalty program are common tips. But there are many others that the average shopper hasn’t really thought to do. The cover story then delves deeper into 1) why econo mists think food prices are rising so high and 2) could Hawaii’s bol stering of local agriculture and livestock farming contribute to low ering food costs (and under what conditions this could be possible). The article closes by covering the Jones Act as a potential solution to bring down Hawaii’s food costs and if and when food prices could finally begin to drop.
Carlota Hufana Ader Elpidio R. Estioko Perry Diaz Emil MelissaGuillermoMartin, Ph.D. Seneca Moraleda-Puguan J.P. ReubenPacitaOriasSaludesS.Seguritan, Esq. Charlie Sonido, M.D. Emmanuel S. Tipon, Esq. Contributing Writers Clement Bautista Edna Bautista, Ed.D. Teresita Bernales, Ed.D. Sheryll Bonilla, Esq. Rose SerafinChurmaColmenares Jr., Ph.D. Linda Dela Cruz Carolyn Weygan-Hildebrand Amelia Jacang, M.D. Caroline RaymondJulianLl.Liongson, Ph.D. Federico Magdalena, Ph.D. Matthew Mettias Maita Milallos Paul Melvin Palalay, M.D. Renelaine Bontol-Pfister Seneca Moraleda-Puguan Mark Lester Ranchez Jay Valdez, Psy.D. Glenn AmadoWakaiYoro Philippine Correspondent: Greg Garcia Neighbor Island Correspondents: Big Island (Hilo and Kona) Grace LarsonDitas Udani Kauai Millicent Wellington Maui Christine Sabado Big Island Distributors Grace LarsonDitas Udani Kauai Distributors Amylou Aguinaldo Nestor Aguinaldo Maui Distributors Cecille PirosRey Piros Molokai Distributor Maria Watanabe Oahu Distributors Yoshimasa Kaneko Pamela Shalimar/GonsalvesJonathan Pagulayan Advertising / Marketing Director Chona A. Montesines-Sonido Account Executives Carlota Hufana Ader JP Orias (continue on page 3)
Speaking of food, HFC contributor Rose Cruz Churma submits “A La Carte: Food and Fiction” in her Book Review this issue. In it, she discusses Filipinos special relationship with food and the book’s stories and recipes of Filipino cuisine. She writes, “My choice of sto ries is based on the accompanying recipe of my favorite dish, which in this case is ‘Binagoongang Baboy’ which is sautéed pork in ba goong alamang (salted shrimp paste).” Also we have two informative legal articles: HFC columnist Atty. Emmanuel S. Tipon’s ”Fiancee Visa vs. Spousal Visa – Which is Better?” and HFC contributor Atty. Sheryl Bonilla’s “After the Di vorce – Child Support.” HFC columnist Emil Guillermo writes “Transparency is Kill ing FPOTUS,” an article on former President Donald Trump’s lat est scandal in which he took sensitive government documents to his Florida residence that prompted federal agents to search the property and seize those highly classified files. The consequences of such ac tion (taking and mishandling such documents) could be criminal. At the very least, we’re seeing how politically explosive it is and how potentially detrimental this scandal could have in squashing a possi ble Trump rerun for the presidency.
Industry Consolidation/Market Concentration
We’ve also been told that it would take time, no one knows how long, before food prices will stabilize and perhaps go down. Then there are other economists who believe today’s food prices will remain at current levels.
ood is the second largest household budget for Amer icans, behind paying for rent or mortgage. With the rising cost of food, millions of Americans are feeling the pinch and hurting financially. Hawaii residents are feeling extra financial strain and pressure as our cost of food remains the highest in the nation.
And these megacompanies are spending millions in lobby ing ($175 million spent during the 2020 election cycle alone) fighting against anti-trust bills and to protect their interests. To day, the top four corporations control more than 60% of the U.S. market for coffee, cookies, beer, and bread. In beef processing, baby food, pasta, and soda the top four companies control more than 80% of the U.S. market. 93% of the sodas we drink are owned by just three companies; and 73% of all cereals are also owned by three companies.
Contributing Editor Belinda Aquino, Ph.D. Design Junggoi Peralta
Want Food to Be More Affordable? Support Fair Competition that Would Bring Down Prices
Higher levels of concentration give businesses more power to set prices and increase the likelihood of price-fixing or mar ket manipulation.“It’sasystem
arlier this year we did a cover story on inflation’s impact specific to the rising cost of rent and how that is placing tremendous financial pres sure on local residents. We know that rent and mortgage are the highest expenses of a household. The second is the ex pense we pay for food. And like inflation’s pangs on housing costs, we are finding the skyrocketing price of food is causing hardship, struggle for average and middle-class families; and to the low-incomed, reaching a crisis-level with some resorting to desperate means, including turning to Foodbanks or SNAP.
On average we are paying well over $2,500 more annually than Massachusetts, the state with the second highest grocery prices, and a whopping $6,000 more annually than Kentucky, the state with the least expensive food prices.
Columnists
We’ve all heard of the typical drivers of today’s rising food costs that have led to a 11% spike from the previous year. Cer tain food items have risen by larger percentages, e.g. pork cost 14% more than a year ago and beef up by 20%. First fuel was cited as a primary reason for the hikes. Fuel prices have gone down; but food prices haven’t. Then there are other explana tions -- pandemic, bottleneck food supply chains, supply-de mand, labor turnover, war and energy price hikes, China’s slow recovery – all of them potentially legitimate contributors to ris ing food prices. Some are more true than others.
In every part of the food production process from the farm to packing there is monopolization (some call it oligopolistic). Any serious economist knows of the increasing market concen tration of the food industry. The data is there that shows monop olization exists. Alarming stats
Publisher & Executive Editor Charlie Y. Sonido, M.D.
Tim Llena Administrative Assistant Lilia Capalad Editorial & Production Assistant Jim Bea Sampaga
Lastly, in what used to be a very popular headline issue -- the fate of DACA and immigration reform -- HFC columnist Elpidio R. Estioko contributes “Up to When Will DACA Students Keep on DREAM-ing?” It’s actually been 21 years now since the DREAM Act was proposed which would have enabled DACA (Deferred Ac tion for Childhood Arrival) students to stay in the country with a hope of eventually transitioning to permanent resident status. Unfortunate ly their limbo-status continues with no real movement developing. Be sure to read our other interesting columns and news. Thank you for supporting Hawaii’s most read Filipino newspa per. Until next issue, Aloha and Mabuhay!
Let’s remember the obvi ous: food is a basic necessity and it cannot and should not reach a point to where a few mega monopolies and billion aires are excessively profiting at the expense of marginalized and middle class families, and particularly seniors ability to put a basic meal on the table.
J
SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 3
On Filipino-ness, Identity and Filipinos Supporting Each Other in the Global Community
It’s worth noting that Fil ipino-ness also has a degree of ownership and could at times be a source of tension among all three groups, Filipino-Ameri cans, immigrants and Philippine residents. An innocuous case in point, but a precise example, is the degree to which Easter Sun day was criticized in the Philip pines for its cultural inauthen ticity. Clearly it was a comedy genre and not meant to be aca demic by any stretch. But the degree to which the movie was panned speaks to something much deeper going on, a kind of cultural appropri ation among Filipinos in the Philippines onto Filipino-Amer icans. In real life (unrelated to the movie), this is an actual phe nomenon, of not being Filipino enough. And that tension sours further when Filipino-Ameri cans fire back with criticisms that something or someone is too Filipino. In both cases, when we resort to such tribalism we are only hurting ourselves and our community.Intherare opportunities that our culture, our Filipino-ness (at whatever degree or level of authenticity) is presented to the world (like in this rare movie), the last thing we would want to show is bickering, division, crab mentality. Let’s all celebrate our Filipino-ness and support each other and the projects we have. This is how we thrive as one global Filipino community.
o Koy’s Easter Sun day was finally re leased in the Philip pines the last week of August. Like in the U.S., it was received with mixed reviews: from Filipinos saying they were unable to stomach the boredom and left the theater before the movie finished; to some calling the movie a run of shallow cli ches and stereotypes; to some criticizing the authenticity of the little Tagalog spoken, how the Santo Nino was desecrated and of the misrepresentation of Easter. Of course, there also were Filipinos who loved the movie, but say they loved it not for its relatable Filipino-ness scenes, but that it was a whole some family Generally,movie.the Philippine audience were harsher and more critical of Easter Sunday than Filipino-Americans. Not entire ly unexpected, and here is why. First off, this is not a mov ie review or defense of Easter Sunday. But an editorial on Fil ipino-ness, what it could mean from the perspective of Filipi no-Americans, Filipino immi grants and Philippine-locals. In an interview with GMA stringer Janet Nepales, Jo Koy, a first generation Filipino-Amer ican, said the movie aimed to break the stigma of racism. “It’s everything. This is like a chance for us to give a voice, get to be seen. We’re not invisible anymore or pretend to be invisible. This is the fight we get to wave high and not only is it a win for Filipinos, but a win for everybody.” For Filipino Americans Koy’s explanation here was spot on and is the true essence of why the community in the U.S. found this movie to be signifi cant. Many Filipino Americans grew up and experienced racism solely because of being Filipino, for our ethnicity. While in the Philippines there are other forms of prejudices and discrimination – economic, color, regional, to a far lesser degree ethnical ly with Chinese or indigenous populations – most Filipinos in the mother country do not know what it feels like to be an eth nic minority in a racially plural society, to experience racism, or as Koy said, to be made to feel invisible as a people. U.S. born Filipinos (first gen eration) sense of Filipino-ness of ten follows a linear model: one of embrace and comfort for our cul ture in our formative and pre-teen years, then transitions to one of alienation and self-loathing (mild to severe), and ultimately could be looked upon as a kind of vic tory in acceptance and pride, even ethnic activism. Unfortunate ly there are also some who get bogged down and frozen in the second phase, who outright reject their ancestral heritage entirely. Filipino-ness (our inherited culture from the mother land) is a conscious choice, an effort to preserve and maintain for Filipi no-Americans and Filipino im migrants in the U.S. Without the second part (effort), through the generations it is lost. This is why a movie like Easter Sunday speaks to the heart for Filipino-Amer icans because it represents our unique story, our own personal acceptance, celebration and com mitment to choose our cultural identity that we’ve Filipino-Americansinherited.sense of Filipino-ness perhaps is not as authentic as our ancestors, but that’s evolutionary even within the Philippines itself. In the Philippines, being Filipino comes naturally, and without much thought. Certain ly there are Western influences that Filipino youths and young adults will perhaps adopt and prefer. But that’s “foreign” cul ture second to the Philippines dominant mainstream culture, which is always identified as the majority, and the fusion of what it is collectively: indigenous, Asian, Spanish, Chinese and Western.Clearly alienation also ex ists in the Philippines– separa tion by viewpoints, ideas, pol itics, religion, old ways, new ways, urban, rural, etc. – but that has more to do with human construct and man’s natural ten dency to find separation, which is true even for communities worldwide with an almost 100% homogenous society racially. But to a Filipino in the Phil ippines, they’re almost never made to feel invisible or unwel comed for being Filipino.
In other words, before someone knows that you are a doctor or a mechanic, you are automati cally stereotyped as a person of color, a person of wherever you are thought to originate from.
EDITORIAL
Perhaps Filipino-Ameri can immigrants – those who’ve lived in both the Philippines and the U.S. for a considerable time – have the fullest and deepest understanding of what it means to be a Filipino. And arguably, appreciate their Filipino-ness most, relative to native-born Filipino-Americans and Filipi nos in the mother land. Why? Because Filipi no-American immigrants have lived out both worlds – from au tomatically by birthright feeling that you belong as a Filipino (re gardless of whatever socio-eco nomic class you are) as it were in the Philippines; to being in a completely different environment where you had to work at belong ing through assimilation, learning another language while still main taining your Filipino-ness. In Eas ter Sunday, this was represented by Joe Valencia’s (Koy’s) mother, played by Lydia Gaston. are raking in record profits. A recent report by Oxfam In ternational has found that 62 new “food billionaires” were created during the pandemic. Food and agribusiness billion aires reportedly raised their collective wealth by 42% in the past two years The Biden Administra tion allege foul play and argue that industry consolidation, especially in meat process ing, helps a handful of cor porations profit off inflation expectations by raising prices even further. Acton The Federal Trade Com mission requested that Walmart, Kroger, Kraft, and Tyson, among others, hand over information in an inves tigation into price hikes and food shortages. The Biden ad ministration rolled out a plan to boost meatpacking competi tion. Last year President Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy. But we all know executive actions could be overturned by the next president and real sweeping reforms must be tak en by Congress in order for policy to stick. But bills ban ning new mega-mergers and factory farms lack bipartisan support.Congress needs to look into antitrust enforcement and needs to bring back merger (Want Food....from page 2) standards that deem market concentration past a certain point to be harmful. Clear ly this is the case for today’s exorbitant food prices. There needs to be stronger fair com petition rules to level the play ing field. This would chal lenge the current structure in the food industry and give opportunities for new compe tition to enter the market.
Even if Filipino-Americans and Filipino immigrants want ed to completely blend in, in many communities across the U.S. that is not a choice per say, because of our physical appear ance, for good or bad. And our physical appearance alone could at times pose a challenge to ma neuver through social barriers.
Pangs of food inflation, affecting cross section of population Seniors in general be cause of their fixed incomes, are more susceptible to the fi nancial pressures of inflation. Teresita Bernales, Ed.D., Kailua, said “we are in a dif ferent and difficult situation. My husband and I are retired and on fixed income. Food prices have been going up and yet our income is the same. We are running on deficit each time new price increases with rising Charitablecosts.food pantries like Hawaii Foodbank said the number of people it’s serv ing has gone up in the last six months. In the last month, it experienced a 15% increase.
A family of four in Hawaii can expect to spend an estimated annual food cost average of $14,042 in 2022, the highest amount among states. Compare that to number two Massa chusetts – a substantial drop off – at $11,674, or last place Kentucky, $8,527. EPI also lists a Hawaii typical family’s income at $97,813 (above the national average of $80,069).
University of Hawaii Economic Research Organi zation (UHERO) estimates that in March, the Urban Ha waii (Honolulu) Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 7.5% higher than it was one year ago.Honolulu last saw an el evated inflation rate of 6.0% briefly in mid-2006, but oth erwise inflation has not been over 7.5% since 1991.
Hawaii Foodbank said their estimate of food from meats, poultry, fish and eggs since the pandemic have risen by 30% (rice alone up by 15%). Ron Iwamoto, Pearl City, estimates he is shouldering about 10% more on food. Like many in Hawaii, he says: “Food prices going up on its own wouldn’t be that bad. But when you’re looking at rising costs of just about everything, it begins to hurt. And sudden ly, I think like most locals,
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists food costs as the second biggest (next to hous ing) portion of household incomes in Honolulu; and it shows food prices have increased by 11% from last year. Some of the breakdown of rising costs in clude: cereal and bakery products were up 14% while meat, poultry, fish and eggs rose 12%. Dairy prices were up over 10%, while both produce and beverages were up 7%.
Common reasons Hawaii restaurants are raising prices: 1) food prices have gone up for them, 2) they need to pay their work ers more, 3) utilities have gone up, and 4) they don’t want to go out of business.
Overall inflation in Hawaii, Proportion of income spent on excess inflation
EPI lists Hawaii’s SNAP (formerly called food stamps) recipients at 11.8% (lower than the national average of 12.1%).
Mark (last name withheld), Kunia, 24, recent graduate from the University of Ha waii, is thinking about enrolling in Hawaii’s SNAP program. Mark lives with his parents and sister and collectively, he believes, they probably would not qualify for SNAP. But as a newbie to the workforce, he thinks he might qualify. (Hawaii SNAP Eligibility Informa tion - Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2022, Net Income and Asset requirement: 1 person $2470 / month, 2 people $3340 / month, 3 peo ple $4210 / month, 4 people $5080 / month) “I don’t have a problem with anyone making use of SNAP. But I’m not sure if it’s for me because no one in my family has ever got assistance in this way. The cost of food, though, has gone up really high. My mother, retired, does the cooking for the family. She also shops for groceries. My sister and I give her more money for our monthly house food budget. But it’s not just rising food costs. Our utilities have gone up too. I’m trying to save money. This is why I’m still at home, to be able to get a good nest of money before I go out on my own. It’s frustrating, not being able to save as much. “For me, my situation is about saving less. I imagine others like single parents, whose situation are far more dire, are really struggling with inflation and affording ba sics like food. Now I am cutting back on my spending. I used to eat out for lunch but now I pack home lunches. It’s rare for me to go out to restaurants now. Even restaurants are charging more too,” Mark said. According to the Food Gurus Hawaii Restaurant Index restaurants raised menu prices as much as 24% during this year’s L firstInquarter.thefirst quarter restaurants custom er sales grew by a robust 21% (from 2021), but in the second quarter increased by 3%. The dramatic drop in foot traffic and sales at restaurants between the first two quarters this year showed customers are affected by restaurant price hikes, which is why in the second quarter of 2022, Hawaii restaurants raised prices by 1%. On Oahu, the first half of the year saw an average of 5% increase of customers from 2021, showing modest improvement from the pandemic highpoint. Experts believe if it weren’t for rising food prices, restaurants would be performing better.
“The recent surge stands in stark contrast to the in flation experience of recent years: between 2017 and 2020, Honolulu inflation av eraged just 1.9%. If we take 1.9% to be the typical infla tion rate for Honolulu, then the additional 5.6% inflation for the year ending in March can be thought of as ‘excess inflation,’” wrote UHERO’s Daniela Bond-Smith, Steven Bond-Smith and Carl Bon ham.UHERO pointed out to the varying impact on infla tion based off income-earners in Hawaii. It found expen diture shares vary a lot by income quintile. The low est income households, in the first quintile, earned less than $38,800 in 2020. These households spent 48% of their total expenditures on hous ing and household utilities. In contrast, the highest quintile earned more than $163,600, allocated only 32% of their hit the grocery shelves. Food costs have increased at least 10% for the past 12 months. This is certainly affecting our monthly budget in a very sig nificantWhileway.”many seniors strug gle with managed care of their finances during the inflation crunch, other seniors are in crisis-levelLudivinasituations.Domingo 83, told Hawaii News Now, that she goes to the church (Wally House at St. Elizabeth’s Epis copal Church in Kalihi) for a meal. “I’m here to get the food bank because my Social Security is not enough for me every month,” Domingo said, a retiree from Hawaii’s hotel industry. Domingo said her only income cannot keep up (continue on page 5) total spending to housing and household utilities. This shows lower incomed earn ers are spending more of their income by percentage than higher income earners.
Hawaii Food Prices Rank First in the Nation, Tips on Savings
4 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 COVER STORY by Edwin Quinabo ike families across the U.S., Hawaii is feeling the pinch when it comes to skyrocketing food pric es. And relative to mainlanders, Hawaii locals could be experi encing the most severe strain on their food budget according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) that places Hawaii at the top in the nation for food costs.
Mainstream economists cite various reasons for the rise in price of food. Some be lieve the global market is still in pandemic recovery mode; that every part of the food sup ply chain – production, pro cessing and retail – is catch ing up. Besides bottleneck supply chain, economists cite supply-demand issues, labor turnover.Experts also believe the war in Ukraine aggravated pandemic recovery by causing energy prices to soar as many Western countries sanctioned Russian oil and gas. Although gas prices have been going down for about a month now, there is expected lag time for other adjustments in the glob al market, experts say. While the pandemic is mostly controlled in the West, China’s current surge of COVID-19 has slowed down recovery. As China is the world’s largest exporter of goods, China’s lockdowns are putting additional strain on the global supply chain. Economists describe these conditions – pandemic, bottle neck food supply chains, sup ply-demand, labor turnover, war and energy price hikes, China’s slow recovery – all as having contributed to the per fect storm for high inflation and rising cost of food. Monopolization of the food industry, systemic driver of high cost Then there are other econ omists who look to market concentration or monopolies as systemic culprits driving up foodRobertprices.Reich, UC Califor nia Berkeley professor, econ omist, attorney and author, said, “Just four firms control 85% of all beef, 66% of all pork, and 54% of all poultry. This degree of monopoliza tion is hurting farmers — and you.“Monopolists control nearly every part of the food production process, from sell ing feed to farmers, to pack aging the meat and poultry for supermarkets. Half of all chicken farmers report having just one or two processors to sell “Farmersto. are essentially forced to buy from and sell to monopolies at whatever price the corporation wants – often taking on crushing debt to do so. They are trapped in longterm binding contracts, with no way out but losing their livelihood altogether,” said Reich.He adds, “in 1980, 62 cents of every dollar con sumers spent on beef went to ranchers. Today, only 37 cents do. Most of the profits are going into the pockets of the monopolists. And here’s the kicker: Even though farm ers are getting squeezed, the ag monopo lists are also charging you higher pric es. During the pandem ic, beef pric es rose nearly 16% — and the four big gest beef com panies’ profits rose more than 300 beefofmitting—antcently,prices.powermonopolyarecorporations“Thesepercent.usingtheirtofixJustrebeefgiJBSsettledwithoutadguilt,course—aprice-fix and the same is true in the food industry. Food monopo lies have undue influence over what farmers grow and how much they are paid. Weak enforcement of regulation and unconstrained mergers and acquisitions have led to the rise of food monopolies. Gov ernment intervention and help are needed when the situation endangers food security. We (continue on page 9)
Drivers of higher food prices
— roBert reich UC California Berkeley professor, economist, attorney and author we’re all looking at food price tags when Hawaiishopping.”isthemost ex pensive state for energy in the nation (in 2021), with the highest average monthly electricity bill, according to a report by Finder.com. The average monthly energy bill in Hawaii is $321, or $3,856 a year, according to the plat form’sJosephanalysis.Kent, Punchbowl, said his family’s monthly gro cery bill has gone up by 1015%. But some grocery items, like milk, have gone up by 25%. He’s noticed milk used to be $5.99 a gallon at Safe way, and now it’s $7.49. Savings tips Consumer Reports com piled a few tactics from ex perts to shave dollars off your shopping bill. 1) Find alternative pro tein sources. Amy Keating, RD, a registered dietitian who oversees Consumer Reports’ food testing, said beans and other legumes remain a good nutrition bet. She said dried beans, peas, and lentils prices have gone up 10.5%, com pared to most animal proteins that have risen by 19.3%. She says eggs are inexpensive protein alternatives. 2) Frequent low-cost grocers.3)Go with store brands. Consumer Reports finds store-brand foods and bever ages, they can cost 20 to 25% less than name brands of the same4)product.Usea cash-back cred it card.5)
SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 5 COVER STORY (Hawaii Food....from page 4)
Use your freezer right. Freezing large quanti ties of sale and seasonal food could save the average family of four $2,000 per year. Kent says his family plans their family dinners according to what’s on sale for the week. He recommends using store coupons that can be found on apps (besides cut out cou pons). He’s found Costco and Sam’s Club helpful for bulk buying.As for shopping tips, Bernales recommends using reward cards, signing up for loyalty programs and avoid ing impulse buying by mak ing a shopping list. She says farmers markets are great for fresh produce.
“Just four firms control 85% of all beef, 66% of all pork, and 54% of all poultry. This degree of monopolization is hurting farmers — and you. Monopolists control nearly every part of the food production process, from selling feed to farmers, to packaging the meat and poultry for supermarkets. Half of all chicken farmers report having just one or two processors to sell to. in 1980, 62 cents of every dollar consumers spent on beef went to ranchers. Today, only 37 cents do. Most of the profits are going into the pockets of the monopolists. And here’s the kicker: Even though farmers are getting squeezed, the ag monopolists are also charging you higher prices. These corporations are using their monopoly power to fix prices. Just recently, beef giant JBS settled — without admitting guilt, of course — a beef price-fixing case for $52.5 million. Monopolization is happening across the food sector. In corn, soybeans, dairy, pesticides, and farm machinery. The result is the same: lower pay to farmers, bigger profits for the monopolists, higher prices for you.”
ing case for $52.5 million. Monopolization is happening across the food sector. In corn, soybeans, dairy, pesticides, and farm machinery. The re sult is the same: lower pay to farmers, bigger profits for the monopolists, higher prices for you,” Reich Bernalessaid.agrees with some of the economic experts. “Monopoly in all areas of do ing business drives prices up
Bernales has tips on sav ings outside of grocery shop ping. She said trying out canning and food preserva tion methods such as making your own salted eggs, mak ing apple sauce, pickling cu cumbers. She recommends making a broth or stock from chicken, meat, fish and excess vegetables like carrots, onions and celery for making sauces and Assoups.for eating at restau rants, both Kent and Bernales say they’ve cut back on the number of times they eat out. “We used to eat out 3-4 times a week and due to the pandemic and inflation we have limited eating out for the last three years. If we do (very rarely), we look for a restau rant with outdoor seating or we do take-out. No weekend outings now or socializing over food with friends,” Ber nales said.
6 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 CANDID PERSPECTIVES
EMIL GUILLERMO is a jour nalist and commentator. He writes a column for the Inquirer’s North American Bureau. He talks about this column and other matters on “Emil Amok’s Takeout,” my mi cro-talk show. Live @2p Pacific. Livestream on Facebook; my You Tube channel; and Twitter. Catch the recordings on www.amok.com.
Hard to understand why FPOTUS would personal ly house top-secret materials in unsecure circumstances at Mar-a-Lago. For souvenirs? His first response was the extreme tack of claiming po litical persecution. It’s political victimhood!Hey,wait, isn’t that what people say Asian Americans and other BIPOC folks do? No, FPOTUS is not like us. He understands victimizing oth ers. But being the victim? Not FPOTUS.He’salso taken to blaming another F-word, the FBI! Of course, the FBI agents were just doing their job, and in a lowkey way after discussions to obtain the documents began in 2021, then were brought up again in 2022, reports say. And a search warrant was required only after certain documents appear to have been omitted the first-time documents were handedDon’tover.blame the FBI. But that seems to be the preferred tack of the Republican Party, which can’t seem to quit its loving embrace of FPOTUS. “The FBI raid of President Trump is a complete abuse and overreach of its authority,” said House member Elise Stefanik (R-NY). Overreach? The pa perwork was signed by a judge. Others like Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) just tried to raise doubt even to suggest that documents may have been planted. Plantbased documents by meat-eater FPOTUS? Doubt it. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) called the FBI tyrants. Sen Rick Scott (R-Fla.) went even further. “The way the federal government has gone, it’s like what we thought about the Gestapo, people like that, that just go after people.” No, Sen. Scott, our FBI H isn’t like the official secret po lice of Nazi Germany. This is the desperate Re publican Party trying to defend their FPOTUS, who earlier this month, in a deposition with the New York Attorney General, pleaded the Fifth more than 400 Insteadtimes. of choosing Amer ica, the GOP has chosen FPO TUS, and that is not good for America.Already one FBI office drew the attention of a Jan. 6 insurrectionist, who was re cently gunned down in a stand off in Ohio. It may not be the last if insurrectionists see any thing FPOTUS says as a call to arms.We may be coming up to Jan. 6 the Sequel. And all be cause the FPOTUS in question can’t show anything but a dis graceful love of self. Certainly, there’s no love of country. And now that the redact ed document released recent ly shows nothing to exoner ate or give FPOTUS any kind of innocence narrative. Just politics? No, there are real documents he had no right to possess. They only add to the weight around his neck that a crime was committed. One can easily downplay it all as insignificant. But FPO TUS possessed documents that among other things, contained the names of people who had cooperated with the U.S. These people gave information to the U.S. and would be jailed or killed if their identities were known. It’s serious business. And it no longer concerns Trump, who isn’t president for life but is now a mere private citizen. This is not normal in the pres idential history of our country ever. We shouldn’t begin now. If you are a Filipino who has stayed loyal to FPOTUS and were just waiting for an optimal time to jump off the Trump train, now would be that time.
FPOTUS Donald Trump
By Emil Guillermo
Transparency is Killing FPOTUS awaii knew what to do when our de mocracy seemed in crisis.People vot ed in free and fair elections. Candidates won and lost. They accepted their fate. There were no reported election deniers. It was both affirmation and confirmation that our system still works. It just doesn’t work for crybaby would-be tyrants. We are now entering an era when the greatest threat to our democracy is one FPOTUS. ThatFPOTUS?was the description on the affidavit attached to that historic search warrant on the property of The Former Presi dent of the United States, a.k.a. FPOTUS.Butwhy stop at one F when there’s a foultitude of F-words. (That’s French for “lots” or “oodles.”) But there’s also: “Falsify ing.” “Failed.” “Funky” even works metaphorically in a most foul way. All of them come to mind. Add your favorite adjec tival “F” word. Just not “Fili pino.”We’ve never seen this in U.S. history. A figurehead of the world’s greatest democracy becoming the target of a search warrant. And it’s all official and legit. One that’s signed off by a judge who believes there is probable cause that a crime has been committed by a for mer president of the United States.Jimmy Carter is an FPO TUS, but you know we’re not talking about him. Car ter builds houses, not federal criminal cases that make him a threat to our country. And now that a redacted affidavit has been unsealed— something that FPOTUS said he wanted—things do not look good for EvenFPOTUS.witharedacted affi davit released recently, there’s nothing positive for FPOTUS in the new document. Yes, there’s a lot of black ink cover ing the facts, but there’s enough that still adds up to probable cause that a federal crime was committed by FPOTUS. And he wants a second in augural? More likely he’ll get a federal indictment. We aren’t talking about the kind of “high crimes and mis demeanors” political crime that Congress has used twice al ready in the impeachment pro cess against him. We’re talking about real crimes in the U.S. code that normal people get thrown in jail for. Like the oddly named Reality Winner, a former NSA contractor who got prison time for leaking a single theprison.upand“mishandling”besort,yourinthey’reaneedkinddocuments,ofmostfoundonagetionspotentialhapsbiggestchargestheseriousnessmedia.documentclassifiedtotheThat’stheofpossiblehere,theoneperinvolvingviolaoftheEspiAct.Ifyouarewiththetopsecretgovernmentthethatyoutoopeninsaferoom,andsittingabasementatFloridarethatcouldconsideredgetsomeoneto10yearsinThenthere’spossibilityofobstructionofjusticecharges that could fetch up to 20 years. And as the topper, there’s the possible charge of destruc tion or mutilation of federal re cords, which could potentially disqualify a person from ever holding public Essentially,office.
FPOTUS would have to understand that a realistic run again for pres ident in 2024 has practically been made moot. Unless Re publicans really want to vote for an indicted candidate.
SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 7
Similarities The filing fee for a fiancee visa petition and a spousal visa petition is the same - $535.00. A number of lawyers charge the same fee for either kind of petition – around $2,000. The ultimate objective is the same –to bring your sweetheart to the U.S. with the hope that you will live happily ever after. Differences Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiance(e), is used for a fi ancee visa petition, while Form I-130, Petition for Alien Rela tive, is used for a spousal visa petition, together with a Form I-130A to be filed by the alien spouse.Afiancee visa petition is for a nonimmigrant visa, while a spousal visa petition is for an immigrantBackgroundvisa. checks are less stringent for a nonimmigrant visa than for an immigrant visa. Only a U.S. citizen can file a fiancee visa petition, while a U.S. citizen or lawful perma nent resident can file an immi grant visa petition. Only the petitioner can file an affidavit of support for a fian cee, hence his income must be sufficient to support himself and his fiancee, while the petitioner and a co-sponsor (if the petition er’s income is insufficient) can file an affidavit of support for a spouse.The fiancé visa petitioner and the fiancee must have seen each other in person within the last two years before filing the Form I-129F. There is no such requirement for filing Form I-130.The fiancé visa petitioner and the fiancee must establish that they have a bona fide fi ancé-fiancee relationship but they are not required to submit proof of sexual relations, cohab itation, and possession of joint documents. On the other hand, the spouses must establish that they have a bona fide marriage which entails more proof in cluding consummation of mar riage, cohabitation, the submis sion of documents in their joint names such as bank accounts, rental agreements, insurance policies with the other as bene ficiary,Theetc.fiancee beneficiary must write a declaration stating that such fiancee will marry the petitioner within 90 days af ter her admission to the United States. No such declaration is required of a spouse. The fiancé visa petition er has 90 days to live with and observe the fiancee and deter mine if they are compatible and they can live together as husband and wife. As one wit remarked, “you do not buy a car without a test drive, not even a Rolls Royce.” If the petition er does not like the fiancee, he can buy her a one way ticket and send her back home with out marrying her. In the case
Fiancee Visa vs. Spousal Visa –Which is Better?
By Atty. Emmanuel S. Tipon
“I (continue on page 15)
s the affidavit of Monica Lewinsky saying that ‘there is absolutely no sex of any kind in any manner, shape or form, with President Clinton’ true or false?,” President Bill Clinton was asked during a grand jury investigation of his alleged sex ual misconduct in office. “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is”, re plied Clinton. I liked Clinton. Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced me to him during a fund raiser in San Francisco when he first ran for President. “This is Al Tipon, you both went to Yale.” I had contributed to his Paula Jones defense fund because I did not believe that he dropped his pants when Paula Jones entered the hotel room where he was waiting for her. No Yale man drops his pants at the mere sight of a woman – and she was not evenClintonpretty. was reputed to be a womanizer. There is nothing wrong with that if the wom en like it and you do not force yourself upon them. What made me unlike him was his deny ing it - in a philosophical way. If a woman has given you sex ual pleasure – whether via the conventional way or unconven tional way, it is an insult to the woman to deny that you had no sexual relationship. I do not like lying. Lying down – yes. But not lying.Inthe field of immigration, the question has been asked so many times: Which is better –to file a fiancee visa petition for your sweetheart who is living abroad or go abroad, marry your sweetheart there, and then come back to the U.S. and file a spou sal visaOurpetition.answer is: It depends on what the meaning of the word “better” is. No, no, no. We are not try ing to ape Clinton. What do you really mean by “better”? Do you mean “cheaper,” or “faster,” or something else? Every one has his or her own concept of “bet ter”.
WHAT’S UP, ATTORNEY?
8 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2022
SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 9 COVER STORY need an emphasis to promote and help small businesses, lo cal farmers, and food co-ops as well as more public fund ing to boost sustainable food systems to take root.”
on page
(Hawaii Food....from page 5)
Bolstering Hawaii agriculture and farming Since Hawaii’s food secu rity vulnerability was exposed during the pandemic, there is renewed political will to make a serious effort at bolstering Hawaii’s ability to produce sufficient amount of food, at least far more than what is currentlyWhereproduced.doesHawaii stand on imports and locally grown food? Estimates have Hawaii importing between 80-90% of food.According to the State of Hawaii’s Office of Plan ning Department of Business Economic Development & Tourism and the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii is self-sufficient in some vege table and fruit crops but has become less self-sufficient in eggs, milk, livestock, hogs and Inpigs.the 1970s, Hawaii was self-sufficient in eggs and milk with 240 eggs farms and 120 milk operations. Today there are about 100 egg farms and only two dairies. Live stock and hog and pig produc tion have also declined since the 1970s.More than half the fish consumed in Hawaii is caught locally. Hawaii farmers grow a majority of the cabbage, to matoes, cucumbers. Papaya is so plentiful that it’s one of the State’s top agricultural ex ports. Does local grown mean more affordable? Would a larger local agri cultural and livestock farming help with keeping prices low er? Experts believe that large ly depends on economic prin ciples of supply and demand, scale of production, cost of production. First, locally grown food would not have to be shipped which saves on shipping costs. But that alone doesn’t guarantee cheaper prices. Second, the high cost of production in Hawaii often means that local products are more expensive than import ed ones. But if production costs can go down (with bet ter technologically advanced equipment for farming, bet ter irrigation systems and in frastructure) and farmers get the support they need from the state to establish the right scale of production of certain goods (meaning enough is produced to be price competi tive), then costs could eventu ally go Locallydown. produced milk and eggs cost higher because there are too few local dairy farms. Inversely, because some vegetables and fruits are more plentiful, some locally grown vegetables and fruits (commonly found at Farmers markets) tend to be cheaper. There are Specialtyexceptions.fooditems pro duced locally are also pricier for the same reason milk and eggs are. Unique items and items where there are short ages in supply, as an econom ic principle, tend to be more expensive. Increasing supply (ag boost, livestock farming) and having the right amount of demand could in theory
lower select food items. Experts believe improve ments in price and availability can be made on certain food products if grown locally un der certain conditions of pro duction cost and scale, but staple foods -- like wheat and rice (carbohydrates) — that make up the bulk of Hawaii people’s diets, these items would be difficult to produce because of a lack of land base in the state. So even if there were smaller farms producing them in the future, it could contribute to food security on the islands, but it wouldn’t be at the right scale for their products to be cheaper than imported wheat or rice. Bernales said, “Having lo cal grown food for local con sumption has been a perennial topic to bolster agri-business in Hawaii but there has not been a significant rise in pro duction, consumption and rev enue for farmers. People tend to eat and consume what is familiar to them. For the Fili pino community, we like a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, the prices right now are high. If there are more harvests, prices should come down but they are not. Bringing back livestock farming will bene fit producers and consumers alike.” Jones Act Kent said lawmakers should make it less expensive to import food products, such as by urging reform of expen sive shipping regulations such as the federal Jones Act and many state maritime regula tions as well. The Jones Act requires that all vessels carrying goods between two U.S. points be American-built, -owned, -crewed and -flagged. It is be lieved by some that the Jones Act increases the cost of ship ping to Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico that rely on im ports by restricting the num ber of vessels that can legal ly deliver goods. Lifting the Jones Act would allow more vessels to enter Hawaii. Proponents of the Jones Act cite protecting jobs in American shipbuilding and better control that every con sumable item is shipped on (continue 10)
Builders say, the process needs to be streamlined to make it easier for small construction companies versus big construction projects.
The BOSS Survey and 808 Poll asked 396 Hawai‘i business leaders and 444 members of the public.
on page 12) (COVER STORY: Hawaii Food....from page 9)
(continue on page 14)
DPP says it is suffering from a 30% vacancy rate. The 2023 City Budget includes filling 80 vacancies plus hiring 80 new people, so the city hopes to fill 160 positions at DPP within the next 3 Councilmemberyears.Tupola said she will put forth a few initiatives to ac celerate and streamline the permitting process and wait times, including en couraging the administration to expe dite the release of federal funds for new software.
City Council Andria Tupola requested an investigation and service report (RISR) from the Department of Planning and Permit ting to solidly determine application volumes and quantify any permit backlog.Tupola said, “Too many housing projects are stuck in the permitting process.” She added, “There may be some potential long-term solutions such as hiring more workers or up grading software, but we need more immediate remedies.”
ACA (Deferred Action for Child hood Arrivals) students, other wise known as Dreamers, have been dreaming to qualify for conditional permanent resident status since the DREAM Act of 2001 for 21 years now! Until when will they keep on dreaming? Will there be a green light at the end of the tun nel? Or will it be a perennial dream for Underthem?the DREAM Act, also known as the Develop ment, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, students who came to the U.S. at age 15 or younger at least five years be fore the date of the bill’s enact ment and who have maintained good moral character since en tering the U.S. would qualify for conditional permanent res ident status upon acceptance to college, graduation from a U.S. highUntilschool.now, however, this didn’t happen because the Act was never passed by the Senate, although it already passed Con gress. It must pass both cham bers before it will be forwarded to the President for signature to become a law. With the latest develop ments of Wyoming representa tive Liz Cheney losing to former president Donald Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman in the primary and other GOP candidates endorsed by Trump gaining momentum towards a possible takeover of Congress, will these be signals of the death of the DREAM Act? Remember, GOP has been opposed to the act ever since and kept on blocking its passage both in the Lower House and in the Senate. So, if they will be dom inating Congress, will this be the demise of the DREAM Act?
On May 11, 2011, the latest version of the DREAM Act was introduced in the Senate (S. 952) by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 32 fellow senators, and in the House of Representatives (H.R. 1842) by Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (RFL), and Lucille Roybal-Allard. If passed, the DREAM Act would enact two major chang es in current law: It will permit certain immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. to apply for temporary legal status. Eventually, they will obtain per manent legal status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if they go to college or serve in the U.S. military; and the DREAM Act would eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition with out regard to immigration status. You will notice that the DREAM Act has a path to legal residency for Dreamers. They would qualify for conditional permanent resident status upon acceptance to college, gradua tion from a U.S. high school, or being awarded a GED in the U.S. However, if they had com mitted crimes, were a securi ty risk, or were inadmissible or removable on certain other grounds, they won’t qualify. Under the Senate bill, qualify ing students must be under age 35, whereas under the House bill they must be under age 32. As benefits, students with conditional permanent resi dent status would be able to work, drive, go to school, and otherwise participate normally in day-to-day activities on the same terms as other Americans. The only exception is that gen
When will food prices drop? There’s no clear consensus among economists and think tanks as to when food prices will go down. There is some consensus that the Federal Re serve’s interest rate hikes could slow down the economy enough to lower inflation. This would have almost have an immediate impact on some indus tries like real estate and car sales. But it could take longer for food.
Alan Blinder, professor of econom ics and public affairs at Princeton and former vice chairman of the Fed, sug gest that inflation will not last for years. (continue
As a result, millions of un documented immigrant Dream ers live in the United States without legal status. The prob lem lies in the issue of a pathway to lawful status and eventually becoming citizens as provided for in the DREAM Act. Its most recent version was approved by the House of Representatives on March 18, 2021, and sent to the Senate for Accordingapproval.tothe Nation al Immigration Law Center, on May 2021, the Dream Act is bi partisan legislation that address es the tragedy of young peo ple who grew up in the United States and have graduated from our high schools, but whose fu tures are derailed by current im migration laws. They derive their immi gration status solely from their parents, and if their parents are undocumented or in immigra tion limbo, they don’t have the mechanism to obtain legal res idency, even if they have lived most of their lives in the U.S. The DREAM Act would provide such a mechanism for those who can meet certain conditions.
Amongentirely.both executive leaders and the general public, there is wide sup port for either scrapping or modifying the Jones Act.
DPP is in Hot Seat for Permits Backlog and Long Wait Time, More Staffing and Possible Software Update in the Work
ByDElpidio R. Estioko
HAWAII-FILIPINO NEWS
Opinion on the Jones Act: in Ha waii Business Magazine’s July 30, 2022 issue, the results of its most recent “BOSS Survey and 808 Poll” showed business executive/leader’s responses to the ‘scrapped entirely’ and ‘modified’ options of the Jones Act combined totaled 89% in 2022 as compared to 82% in 2020 an increase of 7 points with the greatest increase of 8 points in favor of modification.
The general public’s responses to the ‘scrapped entirely’ and ‘modified’ options to the Jones Act totaled 87% in 2022 as compared to 85% in 2020 an increase of 2 points with the greatest increase of 5 points in favor of scrap ping
10 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 AS I SEE IT
O utdated software and low staffing are said to be two reasons why Honolulu’s City Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) are experiencing backlog in permits that have some businesses and homeowners wait ing three times longer on average, than other states for residential and commercial building projects to get a greenHonolululight.
Up to When Will DACA Students Keep on DREAM-ing?
schedule. They say eliminating the Jones Act would allow foreign-built ships to operate in our domestic trade and rewards countries like China, at the expense of U.S. busi nesses and jobs. And that timely de livery wouldn’t be as effective with foreign operated vessels. Stevedores often complain that they are wrongfully blamed for the high cost of shipping goods. They say whether the Jones Act is lifted in Hawaii or not, their job remains the same. Rather, some say it is the punitive tax and regulatory policies that burden the American operator when compared to foreign “flag of convenience” shipowners that af fect prices.Onthe mainland, the Jones Act is said to spare infrastructure of highways and roads on the conti nent from deterioration with exces sive ground transportation. Deliv ery by shipping is also believed to save on fuel and pollution.
DPP’ said there are 3,499 applica tions in the initial processing or prescreen phase, 4,780 permits in Plans Review with DPP plan examiners, and 1,113 permits approved and wait ing to be picked up by the applicants.
Trump said in a statement that “a large group” of FBI agents was searching his Mar-aLago home, accusing the bureau of prosecutorial misconduct and suggesting the raid was politi cally motivated to prevent him from running for president in 2024.Then, Attorney General Merrick Garland dropped a nu clear bomb! Omigosh! Garland claimed that some of the classi fied documents were of the “nu clear” type. Suddenly, the whole game changed. The FBI started searching for classified material about nuclear weapons. Citing sources familiar with the investigation, The Wash ington Post reported that gov ernment officials were deeply concerned that the nuclear doc uments believed to be stored at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence could fall into the wrong hands. Separately, the New York Times reported the documents were related to some of the most highly classified U.S. programs, and that officials feared they were vulnerable to being stolen from Trump’s home by foreign adversaries.
The Washington Post said their sources did not give details about the nuclear documents, such as whether they involved U.S. weapons or those of for eignSensitivecountries.information about U.S. nuclear weapons is usually restricted to a small number of government officials, noting that material about U.S. weapons could be an intelligence coup for adversaries, and that other nations could see classified U.S. information about their nuclear programs as a threat. A Justice Department source told the Washington Post that top-secret intel like nuclear in formation would cause law en forcement to quickly want to recover any sensitive documents that are harmful to U.S. security. “If that is true, it would suggest that material residing unlawfully at Mar-a-Lago may have been classified at the high est classification level,” said the former head of the Justice De partment’s counterintelligence section. Stunning development In a stunning new devel opment, the FBI seized 11 top-secret documents from Mar-a-Lago, some of which could cause damage to U.S. national security.
The FBI is currently inves tigating allegations that Trump violated the Espionage Act and other laws related to national security. Among the materials retrieved were classified docu ments, including some marked “top secret” that were only meant to be viewed at secure government facilities.
ByOPerryDiaz (continue on page 13)
n August 8, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant on former President Donald Mar-a-LagoTrump’shome in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Espionage Act of 1917 was established during World War I—protecting the spread of sensitive information that could harm the country or otherwise give an advantage to others. Three sections of Title 18 of the United States Code are listed on the search warrant. Section 793 covers the unlawful reten tion of defense-related informa tion that could harm the United States or aid a foreign adversary. Section 1519 covers de stroying or concealing docu ments to obstruct government investigations or administra tive proceedings. Section 2071 covers the unlawful removal of government records. Violat ing the Espionage Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federalAccordingprison. to the Washington Post, allies of Trump, alarmed and shocked by the details in the unsealed search warrant, are starting to distance themselves and “go dark.” Nobody wants to be associated with any potential criminal act, particularly when it involves national security. Some Trump allies insist that a potential Espionage Act investi gation would only strengthen his standing in a 2024 Republican presidential primary. GOP strat egists claim that he’d be unbeat able in a Republican primary. However, it’s not clear at this point whether he’d win the presidency in 2024, particularly if he would be indicted for vio lating the Espionage Act. Trump claimed that he had a “standing order” to declassify documents. But to declassify documents, there is an “elabo rate documented process for de
SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 11 PERRYSCOPE
Act of Betrayal
Nuclear documents
The story paired with the recipe assaults the senses in another way but in a similar fashion as a spicy green man go—it shocks and lingers. The narrative describes mem ories that were triggered by the death of a beloved mango tree.My choice of stories is based on the accompanying recipe of my favorite dish, which in this case is “Bina goongang Baboy” which is sautéed pork in bagoong ala mang (salted shrimp paste).
Since 1992, Hawaii’s Plan tation Village Museum has been preserving and sharing the cultural legacy of the state’s sugar plantation workers.Located in the heart of Waipahu, the Plantation Vil lage invites the community to celebrate the museum’s 30th anniversary on September 10 from 9am to 2pm. Visitors are encouraged to explore the outdoor plantation houses and buildings to learn more about the ethnic groups that lived on the plantations in earlyThe1900s.anniversary celebra tion will feature festive music and dance performances by Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, Por tuguese, Japanese, Okinawan, Korean and Filipino groups. A Chinese lion dance will also grace the Moreover,celebration.volunteers will help visitors with their gene alogy search. Food and drinks will also be available at the event. Event admission and parking will be free. For more information and update, follow Hawaii’s Plan tation Village on Facebook lage.facebook.com/plantationvilat
On the book’s back cov er, Isagani Cruz of the Philip pine Star concludes that “… it is not so much who writes as what is written that makes this book a must-read.” I agree. This anthology is a 25-item banquet of food, facts, fiction, and fantasy. En joy!
12 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 BOOK REVIEWHAWAII-FILIPINO NEWS A La Carte: Food and Fiction
One of the stories that caught my attention was Mar garita Marfori’s Mango Sea sons, her recollection of one special summer when an old mango tree was cut down.
The book was formatted like a menu with categories like appetizers, salads, soup, main dish to dessert (and items in between to create a full meal) with the stories falling under the appropriate sections.
(COVER STORY: Hawaii Food....from page 10)
By Rose Cruz Churma ries reflect the soul and culture of people. So does food, so we thought that combining stories and recipes in one book would reveal Filipino culture in a uniqueWhenmanner…”theeditors publi cized the search for submis sions for this book, they re ceived serious stories on food and eating that bring back memories of families and friends and their complex re lationships. The selected sto ries came from authors liv ing in the Philippines, as well as the US, Singapore, Austra lia, France and Germany. The 25 stories in this col lection are preceded by relat ed recipes of Filipino cuisine.
The accompanying recipe is called “Green Mango Rel ish”, or the pickled mango of my youth where unripe man goes are cut into pieces and soaked in vinegar generously spiked with siling labuyo, salt and vinegar.
The accompanying sto ry is by Brian Ascalon Roley who teaches at Miami Uni versity of Ohio. In Memo ry is his recollection of his Filipina mother and Cau casian father in a California summer camp in the ‘70s, his youthful experience of blatant racism and his parents’ reac tion to Theit.third story is by Ed gar Poma entitled Despera ta, named after the narrator’s mother, an immigrant Ilo cana living in Manoa Valley. Its setting is in Honolulu and is liberally sprinkled with pidgin terms and very rich in local color (although at times seemingly forced and con trived).This story is paired with the recipe for “Cascaron”—a favorite dessert or snack pop ularized by Hawaii’s Filipi nos. The premise of the story is interesting: a young NYC firefighter retrieves the letter written by the head of a pub lishing house in the World Trade Center’s rubble. In the letter, he gives the go-ahead to publish a novel written by an aspiring nov elist. The novel is an ode to the writer’s mom, Desperata. Years later the firefighter vis its Honolulu at the invitation of the young writer. At the end of the story, the visiting firefighter utters these unforgettable words: “I don’t think it’s enough for you guys to honor your moms by writ ing ‘bout her…—you gotta see her every chance you get while you still can and you gotta hold her in your arms.”
F
“One day, hopefully soon, food and energy prices will level off and the supply chain problems will dissipate,” Binder writes in a recent Wall Street Jour nal op-ed. When that happens, says Binder, ”...inflation will fall as quickly and dramatical ly as it rose. We’ve seen it hap pen Forbesbefore.”Advisor notes that key food commodity prices, including wheat, corn and soybean, have decreased from their recent highs. Wheat prices, in particular, are down 253% since mid-June of this year. But the question then is when will these lowered pric es in trade trickle down to av eragePaulconsumers.Hughes, chief agri cultural economist and direc tor of research at S&P Global Commodity Insights, notes the Federal Reserve’s recent interest rate hikes have played a role in the decline by cool ing demand—but it doesn’t mean consumers can expect to see lower prices at the gro cery store next week. “There is a lag effect between commodity prices and the impact the consumer sees,” says Hughes. “It will take a while for that to all fun nel through to the consumer.” In the meantime, Hawaii residents must work with stretching their budget as far as possible with a combina tion of smart shopping, ac cessing resources and doing with less.
ROSE CRUZ CHURMA estab lished a career in architecture 40 years ago, specializing in judicial facilities planning. As a retired ar chitect, she now has the time to do the things she always wanted to do: read books and write about them, as well as encourage others to write. ilipinos have a special relation ship with food. There is no gath ering, event or meeting (even the ones via Zoom) that ex cludes the sharing of food.
When someone comes to visit, the first thing we ask is “Kumain ka na ba?” And, if the visit falls during meal times, we are quick to create another space at the dining table.We also have difficulty throwing away food. It is a common ritual in my house hold for me to inspect plas tic containers that clutter the refrigerator. We let mold ac cumulate first before we can dump it down the drain. I also have difficulty us ing food as a cosmetic. No, I can’t waste a good creamy av ocado on my face or squeeze a ripe kalamansi to condition my hair.We view food as sacred. Food is life. It can’t be treated withThisdisrespect.anthology is unique, in the sense that it combines food recipes with fiction whose main thrust is on food. The author, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, writes in her intro duction: “We believe that sto Hawaii’s Plantation Village to Celebrate 30th Anniversary
“an average South Korean child’s life revolves around edu cation as pressure to succeed ac ademically is deeply ingrained in South Koreans from an ear ly age. Students are faced with immense pressure to succeed academically from their par ents, teachers, peers and society. This is largely a result of a soci ety that has entrenched a great amount of importance on high er education, with those lack ing formal university education often facing social prejudice as well as significant life-long consequences such as a stagnant and lower socioeconomic status, diminishing marriage prospects, and low possibilities of securing a respectable white collar and professional career path.” It also added, “many South Korean parents hold high edu cational expectations for their children, emphasize academ ic achievement and actively monitor in their children’s ac ademic progress by ensuring that their children receive top grades in school to have the potential to go on to enroll in the nation’s most prestigious universities.”Thisis the very reason why we have chosen to home school our children: to allow them to play and make the most of their childhood. We curated our homeschooling schedule in a way that they have a lot of free, unstructured play and a lot of book reading and nature walks. When I look at them, I am amazed at how creative and imaginative they are. I notice that they learn a lot while playing.
Giuliani said Trump will “raid every one of Biden’s houses” if the former president wins the 2024 presi dentialNow,election.that’s politicizing the issue. What has Biden got to do with Trump’s problems? Why can’t Guiliani stop all this non sense? Wasn’t it enough that he lost his license to practice law in New York? Et tu Brutus? Other than the ever-loyal Guiliani, nobody seems to stand by Trump in his hour of need. At this very moment, he needs a loyal friend, which seems to be in scarce supply nowadays.
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SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 13
By Seneca Moraleda-Puguan would like to speak to the adults who are raising playChildrenchildren.havetorightnow. Later is too late. It’s too late after getting into the universi ty, after getting a job, and after getting married. Playing with marbles, tag, Red Rover, double dutch, later is too late. In a life full of anxiety, it’ll be late to find the only way to happiness. First, children must play now. Second, children must be healthy now. Third, children must be happy now.” These were the words of Bang Gu-Ppong from episode 9 of the Korean Drama Series, ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ which has gained popularity among Kdrama fans. He was a Children’sCommander-in-Chiefself-confessedoftheLiberationClub whose goal is to free children from the evils of society’s schools, academies and parents. He brought twelve elemen tary school children from the academy owned by his moth er to the mountain and played fun games with them. He was charged with kidnapping and Attorney Woo’s team was tasked to defend him. The drama may have been fictional, but it acknowledges and confronts the kind of educa tion the Korean society has. Children as young as sec ond or third graders take extra classes until late at night and go to study cafes so they can catch up with their peers. They go to English academies and take dif ferent musical and sports classes even during Childrenweekends.inKorea are sub ject to extreme pressure even at a very young age to keep up with a strongly competitive and performance-oriented society. No wonder, South Korea holds the record for the highest sui cide rates among the youth com pared to other OECD countries. Watching this episode broke and touched our hearts at the same time. Living in South Korea, we witness the pressures parents and children face when it comes to Accordingeducation.toWikipedia,
The Importance of Play
Experts say that play im proves the physical, social, cog nitive and emotional well-being of children and young people. Through play, they learn about themselves and the world. They also develop skills they need for study, work and relationships such as confidence and indepen dence, curiosity and self-esteem. We value academic excel lence, but it is not what we deem the most important. We want chil dren who love learning, and who have godly character and convic tion more than high grades. My husband and I believe that they are not defined by how much they know but by who they are in their Maker. They are loved and accepted, not because they are smart or are excelling in school, but because simply they are ourAndchildren.asaparent, I agree with Bang Gu-Ppong saying children must play now, children must be healthy now and children must be happy now. Later is too late! “I classification,” which can take months.But
But the most dangerous are those who were purportedly loyal to him like family members. I’m not kidding. Sometimes betrayal comes from those closest to you. Remember “Et tu Brutus?” And you, Brutus? That’s where the word brute originated from – someone who betrays a friend. This brings to mind Trump’s advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, whom he once re ferred to as “his star.” Well, not anymore.Itall began when Trump and Kushner became business partners in their real estate business and Kushner ended up marrying Trump’s daughter Ivanka. Trump took Kushner under his wings, giving him several high-profile assign ments that included overseeing the construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, strategiz ing an end to the Israeli-Pales tinian conflict, and overhauling the GOPKushnerplatform.became the presi dent’s right-hand man and, ac cording to The Washington Post, was known to defend him in the early days of Donald’s political career. Kushner even kept his own cancer diagnosis a secret to not distract Trump from import ant trade talks with China. But since President Trump left office in January 2021, shortly after the January 6 in surrection at the U.S. Capitol, Kushner has distanced himself from politics and reportedly said he wants a “sim pler relationship” with his fatherin-law, according to the New York Times Recently, he and his wife Ivanka testified against her fa ther regarding the January 6 attack, driving a wedge deeper between Donald and his daughter and sonin-law. (continue
Trump’s latest defense is: Everyone ends up having to bring home his or her work from time to time. But Trump is no longer in office – he’s re tired. He had no business han dling top-secret documents. A lawyer for Trump said that all investigations into Trump would stop if he were to announce he wouldn’t run for president in Meanwhile,2024.Rudy
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
The DACA program and the DREAM Act have similar goals of protecting Dreamers, with a slight difference. The goal of the DREAM Act is to give Dreamers permanent legal status and a pathway to citizen ship. On the other hand, DACA only offers “deferred action” that recipients have to renew every two years, a government decision not to start removal proceedings (commonly called “deportation”) against someone on humanitarian grounds. So, what is the future of the DREAM Act? We can’t be certain what the future holds for Dreamers. The most recent version of the DREAM Act was introduced in Congress in March 2021 called the “Amer ican Dream and Promise Act of 2021,” passed the House of Representatives but has not gone up for a Senate vote yet.
Art school or music lessons or other school or extracurricular activities all cost money. The child support is there to prevent the children from being deprived of things they would have if the parents were married. So the hardest task in child support is a tough one –to shift thinking of one’s own finances toward the benefit of the children.Manyparents just don’t want to shift to a lower standard of living and aren’t consider ing the impact it has on their children, and tell themselves “that’s the custodial parent’s re sponsibility, not mine.” Toward this, many years ago each state began to develop formulas for calculating mini mum child support. I’m consis tently shocked at how fathers on the mainland get away with not paying much child support on the grounds that they must pay a couple thousand a year for airfare for visitation. This leaves their children impoverished because there’s just not enough money for the costs in raising children, and worse, not enough to have them live in a safe area or with out having to share a home with others. I’m surprised at the courts that order this and even more that the fathers are not caring more for their own offspring.Ofall the child support guidelines I’ve seen from oth er states, I think Hawaii has the best one. Ours is one to two pages long, depending on the custody arrangement. We take both parents’ gross incomes from all sources – the pre-tax amounts – and put that in at the top. We write in the number of children being sup ported just under that, and at the bottom, we enter the amount that each parent pays for child care and health insurance. The worksheet is comput erized and uses tables for stan dard of living, and does the calculation for a reasonable amount of child support based on each parent’s earnings. I still really appreciate all the effort of our Hawaii Judi ciary and the lawyers who vol unteered, to make a fair, easy to use child support guidelines worksheet (CSGW). Kudos to our Family Court for this CSGW.Ireally believe our Hawaii Family Court is just the best of all the states, for their care for the best interests of the children as the primary concern, and the CSGW they developed to keep children from being impover ished – to the extent possible given the circumstances – after a divorce.Fromthe decree up through the end of the support obliga tion, the child support can be modified in two situations –every three years (for natural increases in cost of living) or when one parent has a signifi cant change of 10% in income in either direction. Sometimes health insurance premiums or childcare expenses increase way past the original numbers. Sometimes parents get huge pay raises. Situations change. To change the child sup port amount in court, there’s two ways – hire a lawyer or do it yourself. Parents can go
Kids may want to play sports and there’s not just participa tion fees, but also uniforms and – especially if they play baseball or football – the every week potlucks for the team.
14 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 LEGAL NOTES by Sheryll Bonilla, Esq. (AS I SEE IT: Up to When....from page 10) providing their own financial aid to these Dreamersstudents.areundocument ed immigrants who were born abroad but brought to the United States as children, by their parents without lawful entry, the children then grow up in the United States without legal status. That’s where the Dreamer story began.
In 2012, as a stop-gap-mea sure, the Obama Administration created the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” program, called “DACA” for short.
DACA allowed Dreamers to obtain renewable two-year work permits and to qualify for federal student loans. To apply for DACA, Dreamers need to satisfy certain eligibility re quirements with proof includ ing things like a high school diploma, and evidence of mil itary service where applicable, amongTheothers.DACA program has al lowed over 700,000 young un documented immigrants to live and work lawfully in the United States without fear of deporta tion However,daily. in 2017, the Trump administration ordered the Department of Homeland Security to end the DACA pro gram. Fortunately, in June 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration used improper procedure in ending the DACA program, providing some relief for Dreamers.
Joe Biden was Vice President when President Obama creat ed the DACA program in 2012. During his presidential campaign, Biden promised many times to protect DACA and Dreamers. On his inauguration day as president, Biden expressed his support for legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and tempo rary protected status (TPS) for other undocumented immigrants. President Biden has promised to sign the DREAM Act into law once Congress approves it. It’s up to Congress now whether the DREAM Act be comes a law. In the meantime, Dreamers can apply for DACA to obtain a renewable two-year workIfpermit.youcan’t afford attor ney’s fees and don’t want to handle your DACA case alone, the nonprofit ImmigrationHelp. org may be able to help. If you are eligible, you can use Immi grationHelp.org to prepare your DACA forms for free. Click “Get Started” to see if Immigra tionHelp.org can help you. Until when will the Dream ers keep on dreaming? As I See It, they will never stop dream ing until they will be granted the green card contained in the DREAM Act! ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and a multi-awarded journalist here in the US. For feedbacks, com ments… please email the author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com.
After the Divorce – Child Support erally, they would not be able to travel abroad for lengthy periods (they have limited durations) and they would not be eligible for Pell Grants or certain other federal financial aid grants. They would, however, be eligible for federal work-study and student loans, and states would not be restricted from (continue on page 15)
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The car needs to be in good working condition to get the kids to school or to their activ ities, and that takes gas and car insurance, too. Every parent has had the time where the kids just wake up and have grown overnight and no longer fit their clothes or their shoes so they have to go shopping right after school.
hen I was a young law yer a cou ple decades ago, the sis ter of a col lege friend told me she only got $150 a month in child support and that’s why she had to live with their parents. I asked her why she didn’t go back to ask for an increase all those years while raising her son. She said it was too much hassle. That’s unfortunately true. Many people think of child support as “she’ll just buy clothes or go out with her friends, so I’m not going to give her money.” The court’s way of think ing of support is – does that child have a safe place to live, one that’s habitable and in safe environments? The higher the child support, the more financ es the custodial parent must afford rent in a neighborhood away from drugs or crime. The rent for a suitable shelter in a decent area is the prime con cern in a child support issue. There are also parents who say “well, I’ll go buy the clothes for the child” or “I have to pay the costs of flying them to and from the mainland” as for why they don’t want to pay childThesupport.expenses for raising children are not that simple as any parent knows. Prescrip tions and doctor appointments, even if $10 a pop, can add up.
(PERRYSCOPE: Acts of....from page 13) (LEGAL NOTES: After ....from page 14) to the Judiciary website, under the self-help tab, get the Fam ily Court drop-down for the island they live on, and print the “Motion for Post-Decree Relief”Theyform.need to submit an updated Asset and Debt State ment, Income & Expense Statement, and Child Support Guidelines worksheet, and paystubs and/or tax returns as evidence of income. The CSGW has to be searched separately, but the court at the hearing has its own CSGW. The non-court way is to contact the Child Support En forcement Agency (CSEA) and ask for a recalculation. That’s free. The parents still need to submit an updated Asset and Debt Statement, and Income & Expense Statement and pay stubs for at least two months. After the hearing, the CSEA will enter the order in court for the parents and the order will become part of the divorce file. As children, their needs change, and as parents work longer, their income also changes with raises and bo nuses, or even lay-offs or job change reductions. Child sup port can be modified to reflect these changes. This article is for informational purposes only and is not to be con structed as offering legal advice. Please consult an attorney for your individual situation. The author is not responsible for a reader’s reli ance on the information contained here.
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ATTY. TIPON was a Fulbright and Smith-Mundt scholar to Yale Law School where he obtained a Master of Laws degree special izing in Constitutional Law. He has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philip pines. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, New York, and the Philippines. He practices federal law, with empha sis on immigration law and appel late federal criminal defense. He was the Dean and a Professor of Law of the College of Law, North western University, Philippines. He has written law books and le gal articles for the world’s most prestigious legal publisher and w rites columns for newspapers. He wrote the best-seller “Winning by Knowing Your Election Laws.”
(WHAT’S UP, ATTORNEY?: Fiancee
LANGUAGE
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The spouse must also do that if she arrived in the U.S. within two years after their marriage abroad, but if the spouse arrived after two years following their marriage abroad, the spouse does not have to file Form I-751.A Filipino said that he had been told by a non-Filipino lawyer that filing a spousal visa petition is better because the spouse can work immediately upon arrival while the fiancee cannot, because she has to ap ply for adjustment of status. Sin verguenza. Walang hiya. Are you petitioning for someone for the purpose of making that someone work? Why, can’t you support yourself and that some one you brought to the U.S.? One day an Ilocano came to the office with an attractive younger woman whom he in troduced as his wife. “What do you do?” I asked her. “Oh I just stay at home, I don’t work,” she replied. “Why not?” I asked. “You ask my husband,” she said. So I asked her husband and he replied. “Why should I make my wife work. I can support her. As you can see, she is beautiful. If she goes to work, some playboy might see her, court her, and take her away. I will have lost my investment.”
WHICH IS BETTER?
SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 15
* The information provided in this article is not legal advice. Publica tion of this information is not in tended to create, and receipt by you does not constitute, an attorney-cli ent relationship. Visa
According to four people familiar with the matter, in the week following Election Day in early November of that year, Kushner took charge of oversee ing the development of plans to keep Trump in office. Kushner repeatedly met with Trump and other high-ranking aides to Trump to discuss and map out possible strategies for multi-pronged le gal battles and a scorched-earth messaging war against the vic torious Biden campaign. The mole Then he decided to bail out when things went awfully nas ty. He withdrew from the battle – which was getting bloody –and started washing his hands. In a final act of betrayal, Kushner and Ivanka testified against Trump before the Jan uary 6th Subcommittee, which makes one wonder: Was Kushner the mole in side Mar-a-Lago who provided the FBI with information about the safe and other top-secret documents hidden at Mar-aLago?
Apo Dios a nailangitan. Agyamanta. Ita manen magnata kadagiti nawatiwat pay a panagdaliasat. Dayta ti bullalayaw; adda dita ti namnama adda dita ti ayat; adda dita ti kinatibker adda dita ti bileg ti pammati ken kararag.
So, which is better? You be the judge, based on what is your concept of “better”. Whatever you do, remember that marriage is “for better or for worse.” It has been said that “mahirap ang nag-iisa, pero mas mahirap kung may asawa ka na masa ma.” (“It is difficult to be alone, but it is more difficult if you have a wife who is bad.”).
dda bullalayaw ita nga agsapa Cielo Alma Ditoy laud ti balay. Ita nga irubuatta manen iti sabali nga addang a kasilpo ti anges.
COMMUNITY
Ti Dana Iti Sirok Ti Bullalayaw ILOKO By Amado I. Yoro
Listen to The Tipon Report which he co-hosts with his son Attorney Emmanuel “Noel” Tipon. They talk about immigration law, crimi nal law, court-martial defense, and current events. It is considered the most witty, interesting, and use ful radio show in Hawaii. KNDI 1270 AM band every Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Atty. Tipon was born in Laoag City, Philippines. Cell Phone (808) 225-2645. E-Mail: filamlaw@yahoo.com. Website: https://www.tiponlaw.com.
Moreover, Kushner recently praised President Biden, saying he thought Biden was making a “smart diplomatic move.” Initially, Kushner helped Trump cling to power. He was involved with Trump’s scheme to overturn President Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election.
Hawaii’s Plantation Village | September 10, 2022 from 9am to 2pm | 94-695 Waipahu Street | Celebrate the cultural legacy of the Hawaii’s sugar plantation workers. Free admission and parking. Email Director Evelyn Ahlo at hpvwaipahu96797@ gmail.com for more details HAWAII TRIENNIAL 2022 | Hawaii State Art Museum | Until December 3, 2022 | 250 South Hotel St Second Floor, Honolulu | Even though the HT22 even of ficially closed on May 8, Hawaii State Art Mu seum will be keeping their HT22 exhibit on display until December 2022. View the unique ex hibits showcasing the fluid concept of Pacific Centu ry interweaving themes of history, place and identity. Entrance is free.
of a spousal visa petitioner, he does not have that 90-day test drive period. If he cannot get along with his spouse, he has to divorce her, thereby incurring more expenses. The unfortu nate alien spouse, if a Filipino and goes back to the Philippines will still be considered married to the petitioner because there is no divorce in the Philippines. She cannot remarry in the Phil ippines. She would have to file a petition for recognition of the foreign divorce – another ex pense. Or she could look for a U.S. citizen fiancé who could petition for her.
First Friday of the month until December 2022, 4-10pm | Aloha Sta dium | Enjoy a night with Hawaii’s best enter tainments, family fun activities and over 50 food, craft and retails vendors. Tickets starts at $15 for ages 12 and older. For more information, contact (808) 533-9016.
CALENDARPHILIPPINE
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The fiancee beneficiary, af ter marrying the petitioner in the U.S., should file a Form I-485, Application to Register Perma nent Residence or Adjust Status, in order to convert her nonim migrant status to permanent resident status and get a green card. The spouse does not need to do that. She is arriving as an immigrant and is given a green card shortly after arrival. The fiancee beneficiary who obtains a green card must file a Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Resi dence, within the 90-day period before the green card expires.
Adda wayawaya dagiti gundaway a sagrapen ti anges ti biag. Agyamanta dakkel a panagyaman ta limmabasta manen iti maysa a natalna a rabii iti sallukob ken Aywan ni
PERRY DIAZ is a writer, colum nist and journalist who has been published in more than a dozen Fil ipino newspapers in five countries.
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