Ted Regencia Reports

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2010-04-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

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Letters from Chicago

2009-10-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

45th Chicago International Film Festival puts spotlight on 2 Filipino directors

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Celebrating the 45th year since its founding, the Chicago International Film Festival shines its spotlight on two independent films from the Philippines.

Cinemalaya Special Jury Prize winner, The Rapture of Fe (Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe) was selected for the After Dark Program, while the gay-themed, The Thank You Girls was picked for the World Cinema and OUTragegous categories.

"Chicago is a great global society. We live in a great immigrant community and we are very diverse. It [festival] represents the whole world," Chicago Mayor Richard Daley Jr., said during the opening night, where he also welcomed actress Uma Thurman, the Career Achievement Award recipient. Thurman also came for the premiere of her new movie, Motherhood.

Film festival founder Michael Kutza praised the participation of young Filipino filmmakers at the festival, the oldest in North America. "We have two great movies at the festival. One terribly, terribly dramatic ghost story, and the drag film which is a riot," he said.

A the same interview, Kutza recalled how he helped former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos organize the Manila International Film Festival.

Kutza stayed in Manila for two years, including the time that the controversial Manila Film Center was built. "I love her [Imelda]. She's fun. We had a lot of fun with Marcos, the family and everybody. We brought a lot of stars and directors there," he said.

"I love the Philippines. I've been there in some amazing monsoon, so I'll never forget that," Kutza added.

At the international premiere of Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe, the film's executive producer Alem Ang, dedicated the work to the typhoons victims in the Philippines.

"The film is a testament to the Filipino people's resiliency," Ang said during a short presentation.

In an earlier interview Ang said that they wanted to present a "world-class" film that does not only center on poverty. "There's so much more about Filipino culture that needs to be discussed. So we thought of adding a new element to our story about battered women, which is Philippine folklore," Ang explained.

"We're very, very excited when we received the news," Ang recalled after hearing from the Chicago Film Festival committee. The next stop for the Alvin Yapan-directed film is Egypt for the Cairo Film Festival.

Meanwhile, The Thank You Girls, a story about drag beauty pageant contestants, had its Chicago premiere Monday, October 12. The Visayan-language film is directed by Charliebebs Gohetia, and backed by Brooklyn Park Pictures.

The festival runs until October 8 to 22, and will feature an estimated 91 films from around the globe. An Oscar buzz is already swirling around its festival centerpiece, Precious, a story of a 16-year old African American girl who defied the odds of poverty and personal tragedies. The film is backed by Chicago-based Oprah Winfrey.

The Chinese box-office hit, Red Cliff was featured in the Gala Presentation, attended by Director John Woo.

Last year, the eventual Oscar Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire, premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival. Earlier this year, Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds was also featured at its Summer Gala.

Published in the Chicagoist online magazine 06/29/09

2009-06-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Out of the window

Green Man!

Letters from Chicago

2009-06-24T03:56:00.000-07:00

Some of the best things in life are still for free, like a full rendition of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 by the Grant Park Orchestra, at Frank Gehry's iconic Pritzker Pavilion. Welcome to Chicago, where winter is characteristically brutish, and summer's infinitely rewarding, particularly to those who endured it's yearly cold blast.

Last Saturday was one of those hard-earned and much-deserved days of recreation. The sun was up and the afternoon air cool, just perfect to cap the official end of spring, and hail the beginning of summer, which was almost thwarted by a fierce thunderstorm the night before. It was unthinkable to stay indoors. Everyone was out, from die-hard Cubs fans who congregated at Wrigley to the Boriqueños for the Puerto Rican Day parade. And so we packed our picnic bag, took the "L" train and headed downtown.

Unlike many cosmopolitan areas, this city of three million people, puts premium on its public space. Parks are sacred grounds, and malls are anathema. So while Chicago boasts of a magnificent skyline, it also has an excellent and expansive greens that the whole population can enjoy. It was the industrialist Montgomery Ward who first led the fight to keep the lakefront free from obstruction. And so it has been since 1836.

At the heart of it all is Millennium Park, an over-priced but ultimately priceless piece of real estate that's becoming a draw to both locals and tourists. Situated right next to Lake Michigan, it is home to Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, a.k.a The Bean, a sculpture that has managed to capture the hearts of the art cognoscenti and the masses alike. It's interactive nature is sure to make even an adult feel like a kid again. A week ago the infinitely youthful Ellen Degeneres even made a stop there, putting a stamp of approval to it's must-see status. The Crown Fountain by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa is also another hit. It's almost entertaining enough to just sit and people-watch. And if you have a camera, practice your lessons in apperture and shutter speed.

The entertainment we were there for on that particular afternoon, was Grant Park Orchestra's summer-long music festival. Appropriately enough, it was being played at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, a masterpiece by the world-renowed Gehry that opened in 2004. Echoing the sound of Rachmaninoff's concerto, the Pritzker Pavilion soars into the sky like an undulating clouds of steel. Every Chicagoan who has been there can attest to its massive size and its exclamatory impact. The open-air music shell is further enhanced by a trellis-like network that encompasses the Great Lawn, and carries the high-tech sound system, which makes it possible for the entire audience to hear the same quality "indoor" sound as those seated in the front row.

We found ourselves in the middle of the lawn, in the sea of wine-sipping, biscuit-munching concert-goers. Our picnic mat was half too small for four people, my mom included. But we still managed to leave enough space to spread our own nourishment. All that was left to do was to listen to the music.

I've been to a few of these concerts before, and they never grow old. I'm not even schooled enough in the classics. All I know is that it's soothing to the ears. It took a little convincing for some of my folks to come along with me. Now they are already planning for the next picnic.

It must have been Carlos Kalmar's animated movement that provoked their interest. Or his frizzy hair that moves mightily as he takes on his principal conductor's role. But the music he created with the 100-people strong orchestra and Christopher Bell's Grant Park Chorus surely made an impression on them. This year marks the twelveth time that Kalmar appeared on stage at the festival, and his tenth as principal conductor. A native of Montivideo, Uruguay, Kalmar also led the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra and Stuttgart Philharmonic. Concert pianist Jon Kimura Parker gave justice to Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, with a heart-pounding finale that moved the crowd to a standing ovation. After the intermission, Michael Torke had his World Premiere of Plans, an equally powerful work that highlighted the voices of lyric soprano, Jonita Lattimore and tenor Bryan Griffin.

For a $4.50 per person train ride, it was certainly worth the trip. And much more.

For the same ride, a visit to the venerable Art Institute of Chicago can be had. During summer, Thursdays and Fridays are for free from 5 to 9 pm. But more than the tag price, the opportunity to admire great works of art is priceless. My personal favorite is Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. Grant Wood's American Gothic is also housed here, as well as Monets, Picassos and Giacomettis.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the museum also opened its new Modern Wing, an architectural marvel by Renzo Piano. The building alone deserves so much admiration, with its very clean lines, its open and bright interiors, and its location that offers you a fresh and majestic view of the city. Willem de Kooning's Excavation has found a home here, as well as Jackson Pollock's The Key. Not to be missed is Charles Ray's Hinoki sculpture, an enormous piece of a tree trunk, and Lucian Freud's Sunny Morning. So far, I have visited twice, and this Friday I am coming back for more.

On a summer like this, it's hard not to fall in love with Chicago.

Photo Featured in the Chicagoist website

2009-04-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

Published in the online magazine Chicagoist

Photo published in the Chicago Public Radio website

2009-04-12T00:52:00.001-07:00

Photo published in the Chicago Public Radio website

Photo published in the Gapers Block

2009-04-12T00:48:00.001-07:00

Photo published in the online magazine, Gapers Block

PHOTOS FEATURED ON CNN iReport

2009-01-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

Exclusive Interview: Leon Depres on meeting Trotsky, Rivera and Kahlo

2009-01-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Chicago's venerable alderman (retired) from Hyde Park, 101-year old Leon Depres, also known as "the conscience of the city" recalls his 1937 meeting with Leon Trotsky in Mexico, which led to his introduction to Diego Rivera and wife, Frida Kahlo. Rivera painted a portrait of Depres' wife, Marian. That painting now hangs at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago.

Journalism in the time of Joe the Plumber

2009-01-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

By Ted Regencia

The other day, I watched with concern, as the nightly news carried a story on Election 2008 everyman, Joe the Plumber, becoming a foreign correspondent in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. I became more troubled when I read online that Joe, whose real name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, wanted the media "abolished" from the war zone. "I liked back in World War I and World War II, when you'd go to the theater and you'd see your troops on the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for them," the Washington Post quoted him as saying. He went on to accuse reporters of not being "patriotic" for reporting the war.

The spectacle surrounding the Ohio native's trip to Israel, highlights the perils of citizen journalism going out of control. Instead of covering the news, Wurzelbacher became the newsmaker, advocating an overtly biased opinion of the conflict. By confusing his celebrity status with his message, he undermined the essence of serious journalism: The delivery of objective, informed and balanced news. What's most alarming is, he actually believes that he's reporting the "real story."

In today's free-for-all media environment, the role of professional journalists as gatekeepers of information has become even more critical. The dominance of 24-hour cable news and the Internet, allows information to travel the world in an instant. And the widespread use of personalized gadgets, only ensures mass transmission while spawning self-proclaimed reporters. But the responsibility to guarantee that, that information is factual and fair, fundamentally rests on the professional journalists.

Cut-throat competition and ratings game, however, caused the media establishment to put its guard down, and shrink from its sacred duty of safeguarding the accuracy of the news. The race to make it first, has compromised the need to make it right. Thus giving critics some ammunition to accuse them, of being no different from fly-by-night blogs and partisan online muggers.

Take the case of CNN. Last October 2008, it reported that Apple CEO Steve Jobs suffered a heart attack, causing a temporary drop of the company's stock price. The report was based on a posting on its innovative citizen journalist section, iReport. It turned out to be a hoax and was quickly yanked out. But not before doing some damage. CNN could have avoided the gaffe, by verifying the story with the source and cross-checking it with an Apple spokesman.

Notwithstanding the incident, citizen journalists are here to stay. It's a phenomenon that points to an empowered society, that refuses to take things sitting down. Indeed, it has transformed the meaning of democracy and press freedom. The challenge for professional journalists is to find a balance between advocating active public engagement, and preserving the sanctity of objective reporting in the service of the general public.

This new dynamics between professional and citizen journalists is still evolving, and if carried out right, could produce enormous benefits for greater public good. In cases of public corruption, citizen journalists can help expose dishonest politicians and bureaucrats. They can call attention to the government's inability to deliver basic services. Even prevent or solve crimes. They can also provide fresh and compelling first-person perspective of events, that might have been missed by the media, such as the Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the Sichuan earthquake in China.

Leading up to the November 4 polls, I had the chance to attend a forum on new media at Northwestern University. During the discussion, I asked the panelists about their thoughts on the issue of citizen journalism.

Ben Goldberger of Huffingtonpost.com, raised an important point by citing the story of Mayhill Fowler, an Obama supporter and contributor of the website's citizen journalism section, Off The Bus. Fowler broke the controversial "they cling to guns or religion" statement, which almost derailed Obama's candidacy. "She's not a reporter in any traditional sense. She's certainly won't be taking the place of many reporters...but she did break legitimate news, and it was the sort of news that has affected the campaign cycle," Goldberger said, underscoring the value of citizen journalists to serious journalism.

Meanwhile, Peter Slevin of Washington Post and Tom Bevans of Realclearpolitics.com, said that "heavy-lifting" in journalism are still carried out by professional journalists. Vivian Vahlberg, managing director of Northwestern's Media Management Center, added that according to their studies, readers still "very much value what journalists did, far more than other sources."

While Vahlberg's findings may be reassuring, it also serves as a stark reminder that in this era of Joe the Plumbers, the professional journalists ultimately bear the responsibility of guarding the truth. In order to do that, they must possess the spirit of enterprise, inquisitiveness, hard work, and above all, the highest standard of fairness and objectivity.

Photo Featured on Chicagoist

2008-12-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

Published in the Chicagoist

Election 2008

2008-11-05T05:42:00.000-08:00

How I met Barack Obama

Also published in the Inquirer.net's Global Nation Section

Text and videos by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Pressed against the steel railings, I struggled to keep myself from being completely crushed by the delirious crowd, all wanting to shake the hands of their idol. It was past 11 pm in Des Moines last January, and Barack Obama had just finished delivering his speech following a decisive victory in the Iowa Caucus that would propel him to the Democratic nomination.

Anxious not to miss a single moment, I feverishly clicked on my camera, now completely aimed on the subject who was inching closer and closer to me. All of a sudden, I hear Secret Service agents barking orders to people, "show your hands; show your hands." It was part of the security measure to protect the candidate.

I had to clear my hands too. The next thing I knew, I was face-to-face with the would-be American president. He extended his right hand to me and flashed a toothy smile. All I could say was, "Thank You" as he I shook his rather skinny hand and looked him in the eye. Thank you? What was I thinking?

Published in the ChicagoTribune.com

In fact, it was an improvement from the last time. In 2005, I had a chance to meet the freshman Illinois senator for the first time, when he campaigned for a Filipino-American candidate for village board in a Chicago suburb. I was completely tongue-tied. And I am the kind who rarely gets star-struck.

Nevertheless, both encounters were very memorable to me, because let's face it, meeting Obama was pretty unlikely for me. I'm from an obscure barrio called Dap-dap in a small town in northwestern Mindanao. That's about 9,000 miles and a Pacific Ocean away from Chicago. But there I was, a greenhorn journalist savoring a snapshot of history. I, who used to walk the few kilometers of dirt road to and from my elementary school, now working as a reporter in the big city.

I would also end up covering Obama's announcement to seek the presidency on a very very cold February morning in 2007, in Springfield, capital of Illinois and political home base of Abraham Lincoln. A couple of months after, I also covered Obama's Super Tuesday rally here in Chicago, his adopted hometown. But I would not get as close to him as when I was in Iowa.

In 2004, I interviewed Senator Obama by phone. He was only a state senator at that time, running for his current seat in the US Senate. But at that point, he had already achieved national prominence after delivering a powerful speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

"It was a great honor to be able to speak to the nation. I am very flattered," Obama told me.

During the same interview, Obama also said that despite his left-leaning, pro-choice politics, he has a lot in common with the more conservative Filipino-American voters.

"I always believe that labels don't mean a lot to most people. You just have to show them that they can trust you to fight for the things that they care about, such as the delivery of healthcare, good education for their children, and creation of jobs," he said.

"Ultimately, what the average guy on the street cares about is, how to pay the bills, save for his kid's college education. That's what really matters to voters," Obama added.

"I also believe that people should be rewarded for their hard work and I know that Filipinos are hard-working people," he said. As a young man who grew up in Hawaii, Obama also said that he had good memories of his encounters with many Filipinos there.

On immigration, Obama expressed his support for proposals that would give long-time undocumented residents a "path to citizenship". "Obviously after 9/11, there were changes that we have to impose to secure our borders. At the same time, we have to recognize that the United States is a country of immigrants. The continuing influx of new immigrants, the new energy and ideas that they bring, that's what make this country even more dynamic," he said.

One other thing that struck me was his honesty. When I asked him how he could help Filipino veterans of the World War II, he readily admitted that he was "not familiar" with the issue. It was a refreshing answer because politicians usually tell people what they want to hear, and say anything even if they know nothing.

Obama was quick to add: "But this I can say, any man or woman who served his or her country must be properly honored and cared for."

He followed through on that promise when he came to Washington D.C., by supporting $221 million worth of benefits for the Filipino veterans. Voting on the bill, he said, "for far too long, these heroes have been denied benefits they are owed."

At the time of that interview, the political world was already buzzing about Obama as a "future presidential candidate" and I asked him about that. He replied, "It is not something I take seriously. At this point, I am working to win this Senate contest and serve all the people of the State of Illinois."

How amazing that after four short years, essentially a sprint for an American politician, Obama is now on the brink of taking his place in the annals of history, as the first African American president. And I'm here to witness it unfold.

Election 2008

2008-11-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Virginina: Key to Obama's Victory

By Ted Regencia

The storied Commonwealth of Virginia was the epicenter of the most intense fights between Abraham Lincoln's Union Army and the audacious Confederates during the Civil War of 1861 to 1865. Stonewall Jackson made his name here, and General Robert E. Lee saw his army surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant in Appomatox. From Shenandoah Valley to the trenches of Chesapeake and the Potomac, history was written in blood.

On the 4th day of November 2008, the Old Dominion, seat of the Confederacy, hotbed of late 1960s school busing and integration, and now ground zero of the 2008 battle for the White House, could once again play a defining moment in history, by electing the first African American president.

Cognizant of its historical significance, and mindful of the electoral college equation, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will put an exclamation point to his 21-month old quest for the Oval Office, by closing out his campaign in Virginia. On the night of November 3, he will hold a rally in Prince William County, and is expected to attract as many as 100,000 people. Summoning the troops in the heavily-Democratic Northern Virginia, the Illinois senator hopes to drive up voter turnout to record numbers, and then deliver the state to the Democratic column for the first time in 44 years.

It's a very, very tall order. Virginia last voted Democratic in 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson, a true-blue Southerner, scored a landslide against Senator Barry Goldwater. Incidentally, Goldwater hails from Arizona, and until his retirement in 1987, held the Senate seat of the current Republican presidential candidate, Senator John McCain. Since then, Virginia has been reliably Republican, due in part to the Grand Old Party's Southern Strategy, as perfected by President Richard Nixon in 1968 and 1972. Neither President Jimmy Carter, nor Vice President Al Gore, both Southerners, could carry the state. Not even the Bubba candidate, Bill Clinton could do it, in the rout of Bob Dole in 1996.

In 2000 and 2004, President George W. Bush carried Virginia with a margin of eight percentage points against Gore and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry respectively. That cemented the conventional wisdom that Virginia will remain a bulwark of the Republican Party in the elections to come.

To be sure, Virginia will remain a conservative to moderate state, making it a natural fit for Republicans. But shifting winds during this current electoral season have created a perfect storm for change. Should that happen, ABC News analyst and former Bush 43 pollster Matthew Dowd predicted Obama to win.

Economy
Top concern is the economy. Virginians have a reputation as fiscal conservatives, and the current financial meltdown, said to be the worst since the Depression of the 1930s does not sit well with them.

In the year 2001, Bush inherited a budget surplus of $128 billion. In 2009, the deficit is projected at $482 billion, according to a CNN report. That's before the crash of the stock market, and the passage of the $750 billion Wall Street bailout plan that has enraged voters across the spectrum.

Home foreclosures are on the rise. In Richmond, once the capital of the Confederacy, a local newspaper reported that home foreclosures have tripled in the third quarter of 2008, from the year-earlier period. In Prince George, even as home sales surged, the median sale price of single-family houses plunged 41 percent in the past year, according to an October 17 article in the Washington Post.

It doesn't help that people are losing jobs, albeit not as bad as other states. According to Forbes magazine, Virginia's unemployment rate for September 2008 was 4.2 percent, up 1.2 percent from a year ago, and the highest since 1996. Inflation, however, remains low mitigating a harsher effect on the overall economic health of the state.

According to analysts and historians, the incumbent party always loses the White House during an election period "a definable economic downturn." The elder President Bush learned that the hard way in 1992. According to Cybercast News Service, only once since 1876 has the party in the White House managed to retain the presidency during such period. That year, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes succeeded President Ulysses S. Grant in a race against Democrat Samuel Jones Tilden. But that was only because Hayes, who was tied with Tilden in the electoral college, was backed by a Republican Congress, which broke the tie in favor of their partymate.

That precedent is bad news for McCain.

War in Iraq
Yet, the former Vietnam POW and war hero remains a formidable figure particularly within Virginia's large military population. His strong support for the war in Iraq still reverberates among the war hawks. His independent streak also enamored him to the troops. But among younger military families, who are bearing the brunt of a prolonged Iraqi occupation, Obama is reported to be making some in-roads. It remains to be seen how many votes can Obama chip away from that block.

The economic turmoil have also "marginalized" McCain's clear edge on national security and the war, said veteran conservative columnist George Will, who himself excoriated the Arizona senator for picking up Sarah Palin as vice president, and for being erratic at the height of the stock market plunge.

But one group expected to be loyal to McCain are conservative evangelicals as well as pro-life and pro-Second Amendment voters in the Appalachian region and other rural areas. They include a handful of Hillary Clinton supporters, who will never vote for an African American.

Flushed with overwhelming cash and an outpouring enthusiasm, Obama is unfazed by that reality, choosing instead to go on a full-court press offensive.

All politics is local
Since he launched the general election campaign in Bristow, at the heart of Prince William Country, he has already visited Virginia at least a dozen times, not typical for a Democrat. On Tuesday, October 28 for instance, Obama ventured into George W. Bush territory of Harrisonburg, which voted 57 percent for the current White House resident. The idea is to minimize losses there, while racking up huge margins in the reliable Democratic counties to maintain a lead.

Harrisonburg's Daily New Register wrote: "Should Mr. Obama meet with more success in the Valley than expected, he will have proven that Virginia is a truly 'purple' state and that the Commonwealth’s Republican era, vis-à-vis federal elections at least, may well be ending."

It's also a clear manifestation that the former community organizer understands the credo, "All politics is local."

Demographics
More than that, Obama may be helped by the changing demographics. To push him over to the finish line, Obama will have to rely heavily on counties such as Fairfax and Prince George. Here, red is turning purple, with a population explosion of young families, college-educated professionals, and D.C.-type voters.

Indications of a movement in the demographics first surfaced in 2002, when Democrat Mark Warner was elected governor. Then in 2006, Jim Webb knocked down a popular Republican incumbent George Allen. On the same year Lt. Governor Tim Kaine succeeded the very popular Warner as governor. Now, Warner is running for senator against another former governor, James Gilmore. Mark Warner is expected to win that race to replace retiring Senator John Warner (not related), and his presence in the ballot could also help Obama.

Groundgame
But even that may not be enough for Obama, a Virgnia outsider whose politics is left of Kaine and Warner, even Webb.

Enter the ground game.

Taking advantage of the prolonged primary process, Obama built an army of volunteers and expanded his effort to register new voters. That greatly benefited him. He resoundingly defeated Hillary there.

After clinching enough delegates for the nomination, he immediately transitioned to the general election. By the time September came, Obama has already opened 41 offices across the state: An overwhelming effort to secure the state's 13 electoral votes.

The strategy paid off handsomely in voter registration.

The Times-Dispatch reported that for the first time, more than 5 million Virginians are registered to vote, with a total net gain of 436,000.

The same report said that nearly 40 percent of the newly registered voters are under 25, and overall, 53 percent of the newly registered voters are female. Both constituencies lean heavily for Obama. Many of them are also from the urban areas and college towns like Williamsburg, home of the College of William and Mary.

Meanwhile, in predominantly African American areas of Petersburg and Richmond, registration also increased dramatically.

Race factor
This dramatic increase in young voters and African Americans could blunt any residual bias against a Black candidate.

Indeed race remains an influential factor in Virginia. Just ask the first African-American Governor L. Douglas Wilder. In the 1989 race for governor, Wilder was leading by double-digit points. Exit polls also showed the same trend. But when the votes were cast, he only won by 6,000 margin, or less than one percentage point.

Obama himself learned it the hard way in New Hampshire, when Hillary came from behind to defeat him. This despite media predictions and polling data showing an Obama win.

Twenty years after Wilder's successful run, only the final result on the night of November 4th, can validate or invalidate that Wilder effect on Obama's candidacy.

In one interview, Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist, predicted a 2 percent dip in white support for a black candidate on Election Day - not enough, he said, to tilt victory to McCain nationally or in Virginia.

As of November 2, the newspaper Virginia-Pilot reported that a survey among 625 likely voters showed a 47-44 advantage for Obama, with 9 percent undecided and a plus or minus 4 percentage points margin of error. That's a red flag for Obama who still struggles mightily to cross the 50% mark in some polling.

Obama will win by a whisker
Since Wilder's nail-biter victory, Virginia has become more diverse. When Wilder ran, 77 percent of Virginia residents were white. Today, that number is 73 percent. In 1989, voters in Northern Virginia accounted for 22 percent of the electorate. Today, Northern Virginia voters make up about 30 percent, and they have been increasingly siding with Democrats, the Washington Post reporter.

"It's a much better state for Obama," Robert Lang, a demographer at the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, was quoted as saying in the same article. "Had Wilder been running the same race, he would have won by a much bigger margin."

This year is no ordinary year. While Barack Obama may have put to good use his charisma to attract new voters, he will most certainly drive up votes for his opponent as well, by virtue of his color. Still, he has shown steadiness and discipline beyond his years, thus making voters comfortable of him. In the final analysis, when all votes are counted, Virginia will once again claim its title as "Mother of Presidents" by electing him over John McCain.

FRONTLINE: BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION

2008-10-14T20:09:00.001-07:00

FRONTLINE represents the best not only in public television, but TV as a whole.

Dela Hoya-Pacquiao in Chicago

2008-10-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

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Photos and Chicago video clips by Ted Regencia

Election 2008 and New Media

2008-10-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ben Goldberger, Chicago Bureau Chief of the Huffington Post talks about the relationship between the media and citizen journalists in an era of instant communication. Goldberger was one of the panelists of the conference, "Election 2008: New Voters, New Media, New Engagement" hosted by Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and the new Center for Civic Engagement, last October 2. (Video by Ted Regencia)

Op-Ed: Obama and the Fil-Ams

2008-08-08T03:40:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama and the re-education of Fil-Am voters

Text and photos by Ted Regencia
Also published in the Inquirer.net's Global Nation Section
and Destin de l'Afrique

Chicago, IL -- At the height of the US presidential primaries that pitted Chicago's very own Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, one Filipino American social butterfly emphatically said, "Ay, ayaw ko kay Obama! Baka yung White House magiging Black House (Oh, I don't want Obama! The White House might turn into a Black House)."

It's a sentiment not so few of Chicago's Filipino Americans feel towards their very own senator, who is an African-American. Now that he is the Democratic nominee for president, a historic achievement for a black candidate, the antagonism has only intensified.

It all started when Obama won the Iowa caucus on January 3. Shortly after, an online group of Filipinos received a forwarded email attacking Obama's "Muslim upbringing."

The email asked, "Are you aware that Obama's middle name is Mohammed (It's actually Hussein, which means "the handsome one" in Arabic). Strip away his nice looks, the big smile and smooth talk and what do you get?"

It warned that Obama is "possibly a covert worshiper of the Muslim faith, even today." "This guy desires to rule over America while his loyalty is totally vested in a Black Africa," it added.

Witch-hunt
The smear provoked a sharp response from Chicago-based Filipino publisher and editor, Mariano Santos, who described it as "worse than witch-hunt."

"People who started this fear-mongering are more dangerous than their black propaganda. Filipinos had lived through this dark age, when they can not even rent a house in a white neighborhood, or date a white American without being in danger of lynching. Now these pathetic Pinoys are circulating this email like they are scions of the Ku Klux Klan," he said referring to the white supremacist group, KKK.

"These rumor mongers have only prejudice and lies to peddle. They are the danger to true American way of life," Santos said while castigating the source, a Filipino American and devout Catholic.

The online message turned out to be just an initial assault of the candidate. A second version of the email immediately followed. This time, it accuses Obama of having "a black Muslim" father "a white atheist" mother, and "a radical Muslim" Indonesian step-father.

"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's presidential candidacy. The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level," it warned.

Curiously, the attacks were not based on Obama's liberal policy positions, like his support of abortion rights and civil unions for gay couples. Or even his Iraq withdrawal plan. Rather, it was an in-your-face attack of his race, and his "Muslim links."

Reports of Obama's Muslim upbringing, however, have been repeatedly debunked by international news organizations like CNN and New York Times.

Americans of the Muslim faith also assailed the malicious implication that being a Muslim automatically equates to being unpatriotic, or worse, a supporter of terrorists.

Truths and untruths
By March, as the odds of an Obama nomination increased, the voices of opposition within the Filipino community became even louder.

A former president of the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago taunted the Chicago-based publication, PINOY Newsmagazine, by e-mailing altered pictures with the heading, "If Obama wins." One image shows the Kentucky Fried Chicken logo with Colonel Sanders wearing a turban. Another photo shows the iconic McDonald's sign changed to McHammed's.

The Chicago alumni president of a very reputable Catholic university in Manila chimed-in by forwarding a message with the subject entitled, "Interesting: Barack H. Obama, 50 Lies and Counting." Asked by one of the recipients, who is he recommending for president, his loaded reply was, "The one who tells the TRUTH." When confronted, he feigned innocence by saying, that he was only trying to pass the information around.

Yet another personality, who was crowned Mrs. Philippines in Chicago, was more direct. Santos, the newspaper publisher, recalled that after writing about Senator Obama, he was confronted in public by the said individual who claimed "in loud and emotional outburst" that Obama is an "evil man." That same community leader also heads the Philippine Lions Club of Chicago.

The onslaught of racially-charged denunciations continued by the start of Spring.

On the 40th Death Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. last April, for instance, this reporter invited a friend to watch a one-act play honoring the legacy of the foremost civil rights leader. Out of nowhere, a pointed rejection came: "Those blacks are parasites" followed by an Obama-bashing comment.

Another friend, a graduate of the Philippines' oldest university, could not hide his disdain of Obama either. As a healthcare practitioner, he said that he had encountered a number of African-American patients. He said that they are "lazy" and dependent on government dole-outs. He concluded that a win by Obama will only perpetuate the black's sense of victimhood.

Suspicions and mistrusts towards the African American community run deep, and the Filipino community is not immune to those false impressions.

For one, many Filipino immigrants have limited understanding of the very violent black experience in America. As Filipinos migrate to America, many bring with them, some deep-seated prejudice against people of darker color, in itself a product of colonial mentality that dictates that everything white is superior.

Even religious upbringing may have unwittingly played a role in forming these pre-conceived notions about color. In church, black always represents sin and bad omen. A wild child in the family is called a "black sheep."

Racial and economic disparity
It's not always the fault of Filipinos migrants to have brought with them these views from the motherland. Many are hard-working, decent and God-fearing individuals who only have the best interest of their families and community in their hearts. But, as they become part of a multi-cultural and pluralistic society like the United States, it is also necessary for them to understand the new dynamics of the whole community, including the important issue of race. Ignorance of that can create misinformed if not bigoted views.

A deep economic disparity, however, generally prevents Filipino Americans from interacting with their African American brothers and sisters. An estimated 60 percent of Filipino Americans have income over $50,000 a year, allowing them to live in middle-class and upper middle-class neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, majority of blacks who suffered many decades of racial discrimination remains disproportionately stuck in the lowest income level, pushing many of them to live in urban ghettos. Many become unemployed for long periods and get involved in various crimes.

Absent those physical bonds, the opportunity to have a healthy social integration and interaction between the African American and Filipino American communities is vastly limited. The only exposure many Filipinos may have of blacks is when they appear in the news about gang shootings and drug arrests, and that only exacerbates the already dysfunctional view towards the black community. The recent spike in murder rate in Chicago, which is naturally getting intense media attention, only highlight those existing unease.

It's not unusual to hear comments by Filipinos like, "They're lazy! "How come we've managed to improve our way of life here in America, when we are only here for five, ten year?" "These blacks have been here in America their whole life, and they're still poor." While maybe true, comments such as those, are myopic and ill-informed. It does not take into account the long history of slavery and racial discrimination. It also misses the fact that a significant number of African Americans have climbed up the economic scale by sheer hard work, just like many others.

Indeed, even here in the Windy City, home of well-loved African Americans like the entertainment titan Oprah Winfrey and sports legend Michael Jordan, racial understanding still has a long way to go.

And that's the fragile scenario, where all these political dramas about Senator Obama are being played. As the new face of politics, the Hawaii-born and Harvard-educated politician has become "a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."

As CNN political commentator Donna Brazile said, "Race is one of the most difficult issues to navigate in presidential politics especially when often the race card is played. So it all depends if the race card is play and whether or not barack obama will be able to navigate that. Bottom of the deck."

In this 2008 presidential derby, the challenge for the Filipino American voters is to avoid being dealt with those race cards, as they decide on their choice for president. A vote for Republican candidate Senator John McCain, should not be a vote against Senator Obama's skin color. Rather it should be about what the Arizona senator stands for on critical issues at that matter. Let it be about the debate on the economy and national security, and never about who does and doesn't look "All-American."

It was not too long ago when Filipinos from all over the world were up in arms over the perceived racist treatment of Filipino doctors by the popular US television show, "Desperate Housewives." And rightly so, for indeed Filipino doctors are of the highest caliber.

Locally in Chicago, Pinoys slammed the department store H&M for the racist slur directed at a Filipino-American customer Frannie Richards, who is a nurse and a U.S. Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt.

There was also the brouhaha over the identification by a local television station, of a crime suspect as "Filipino." The protesters argued that by calling the suspect by his country of origin, it stigmatized the whole Filipino community. The station would later apologize, while the suspect was convicted.

Filipino Americans cannot claim to be victims of racism, while turning a blind eye on its own prejudice towards the black community and the candidacy of Barack Obama.

The larger point is, Filipino Americans cannot allow the stain of racism smudge its image as a model community. It must confront it head-on and condemn it with full force. So when history is written, we will not be sidelined with a footnote as a bunch of racist minority.

Fil-Ams for Obama

2008-07-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

Published in the Global Nation Section of Inquirer.net

Presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Sen. Barack Obama
with one of his campaign aides, Filipino American Mario Bonifacio.
(Photo courtesy of Mario Bonifacio)

Exclusive Interview: Fil-Am Army captain hits the trail for Obama

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL – As an army captain assigned in Iraq, Mario Bonifacio experienced the war firsthand. Now, he is in a different battlefield helping Barack Obama get elected president of the United States.

“This is an extremely historic event and I am very proud to be a part of it,” Bonifacio said, referring to the Illinois senator's candidacy.

Bonifacio is the Regional Field Director of the Obama campaign for the state of New Jersey. He is one of the very few Filipino-Americans with an inside look at the campaign from its early stage. Recently, the campaign also recruited Charmaine Manansala as director of the Asian American Pacific Islanders voter outreach program.

During Obama’s crucial primary campaign in North Carolina, Bonifacio was in the trenches, mobilizing voters as Obama’s regional Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) coordinator. The effort paid off with a decisive 14-point victory in the Tar Heel State, cementing Obama's delegate lead.

On June 3, Obama officially clinched the Democratic nomination, becoming the first African-American major party presidential candidate in the nation’s history.

“It felt very good,” Bonifacio said of Obama’s victory. He said that despite the intense fight between Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, which dragged on for months, the contest was good for the party.

“It was encouraging for the campaign because it included a lot more people in the nominating process,” he said.

Bonifacio expressed confidence that Clinton supporters will embrace Obama’s candidacy, saying that “people are really hungry for change.”

“I think people recognize the very serious issues that we face in this election, and I think that it will override any sort of feelings” people had during the primaries, he said.

Political awakening
The California native was not always this political. As the eldest son of an accountant and an engineer, he is good with numbers. In college, he steered clear of politics, instead taking up economics at the University of California at Berkeley.

“I really never had any inclination towards politics, although I always voted,” Bonifacio said.

Half-way through his major, 9/11 happened and it altered the course of his career and outlook in life. The terrorist attack prompted him to sign-up for the ROTC.

"My parents have always been grateful for the opportunities they've had in America, and I'm grateful to them in turn. They've worked hard to be able to buy a home, raise four kids and send us to college."

Bonifacio's mother, Marilen, is a native of Manila, while his father, Oscar, is from San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. The Bonifacio family now resides in Orange County, California. His two younger brothers, Jordan and Michael, attend school, while his younger sister, Lauren, lives and works nearby in Los Angeles.

Bonifacio said that joining the military at a time of crisis was his way of expressing his gratitude to the country that welcomed his immigrant parents.

After graduation, he formally joined the Army, and eventually rose up the ranks to become an army captain.

Mario Bonifacio in full military gear poses with his family.
(Photo courtesy of Mario Bonifacio)

The view from Iraq
In 2006, at the height of violence in Iraq, he was deployed there. He served as a trainer and liaison to the Iraqi Army, a dangerous assignment, given the fact that he had to interact with former soldiers of Saddam Hussein.

Along the way, he had to fend off hostile fire and evade roadside bombings. Luckily, he wrapped up his tour of duty and returned unscathed.

But it was in Iraq that Bonifacio first realized how decisions in Washington D.C. impacted the execution of the war on terror.

“I came to realize and believe that politicians really affect how I lived my life,” while fighting in Iraq, he said. He cited the deep disconnect between Washington and what was happening in Iraq during his time there.

“I thought that we really needed a better leadership.”

Signing-up for Obama
As soon as he finished his active duty, he began to explore political activism. As a military man, he was a natural fit for Senator John McCain, now the presumptive Republican nominee, who is a decorated Vietnam War hero. Instead, he signed up for the Obama camp on June 4, 2007.

“I never joined the Obama campaign to be against anything,” he stressed. He said that he admired Obama’s support of the GI Bill, and most of all, his position in ending the war in Iraq.

It all began in Iowa
After a short stay in Chicago, where the Obama headquarters is located, Bonifacio was dispatched to Iowa, where the first-in-the-nation caucus was held.

In the dead of Winter of 2007, when “Obama was 20 percent behind in the polls,” Bonifacio put to good use the skills he learned in the military. As a field organizer, he knocked on doors and registered new voters.

Bonifacio credited his military experience for instilling in him the value of discipline, adaptability and leadership, skills that were very useful in his first political work.

“I easily adapted to the early morning wake-up calls and long hours of work,” he said.

At the Hawkeye State, he engaged college students, veterans, farmers, and housewives.

“We kept on talking about Senator Obama and pushing the message. We had a chance to talk to people, and they asked us questions. And after taking a long and fair look at the candidate, they came on board” Bonifacio explained.

He also pointed out that the small Filipino community in Iowa was very receptive of Obama's candidacy.

As a then 27-year old veteran of the Iraq War, Bonifacio was also an authoritative face in reaching out to the veterans population in Iowa.

On January 3, Obama won Iowa, a state with a 97 percent white population, catapulting him into front of the pack. On the night Obama delivered his victory speech and declared, "We are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come" Bonifacio was in the crowd cheering and savoring the victory.

Bonifacio also played a supporting role when Obama made a very strong showing on the night of Super Duper Tuesday. Leading the the February 5 multi-state contest, Bonifacio was assigned at the Chicago headquarters helping coordinate strategy for the campaign's Latino outreach.

During both occasions, Bonifacio witnessed the event in person and he would only describe it as "powerful."

Skepticism
As the campaign enters the general election phase, Bonifacio directly addressed the prevailing skepticism among the Filipino American community towards Obama. He urged them to study the policy differences between Obama and McCain.

"Once they listen to him explain his policies, they will come around," he said, adding that issues such as immigration, healthcare and education, that are important to the Filipino American voters are top priorities of an Obama administration.

As the very first African American nominee for a major party, Obama also faces questions about his race. Bonifacio admitted that even within his extended Filipino family, there were many doubters, especially those who belong to the older generation. But after seeing him reap the fruits of success as a new political operative, "now, they are all supporters of Senator Obama," Bonifacio proudly said.

FINC at the 2008 Chicago Gay Pride

2008-06-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Inquirer.net Global Nation Section

Also featured on GMA News and Ambibo.com

Filipino contingent shines at the Chicago Gay Pride Parade

Text, Photos and Videos by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- For the first time in the 39-year history of the Chicago Gay Pride Parade, a contingent of Filipinos joined in the festivities Sunday, June 29, capping their trailblazing participation with a victory in the Best Organization Float category.

An estimated 450,000 people -- 25,000 more than last year, according to reports -- gave the Filipinos and Friends in Chicago (FINC) and other parade participants a wild and frenzied welcome. FINC is an organization of young Filipino professionals in the Windy City.

"We really want to highlight the rich and colorful culture of the Philippines, and make known to the world that as Filipinos, we are proud to be a part of the Chicago community," Oliver Cutamora, a founding member said.

FINC's street performance, a fusion of native Filipino dances and modern rhythms, conceptualized by professional choreographers Mike Vallente and Chip Payos, sent the crowd into loud cheers.

Featured on CNN.com's iReport Section

As the performers entertain the crowd, other FINC members distributed pink beads, while an advance party carried the group banner, the American and Philippines flags, and the rainbow-colored flag of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community.

An intermittent rain and a minor accident stalled the parade for nearly an hour, but the revelers stayed put in solidarity with the performers.

The parade featured scores of floats decked in colorful designs. Hundreds of organizations also participated, including Lambda Legal, a national civil-rights group and Lake View East Chamber of Commerce, which shares the same award with FINC.

Recognizing the political force of Chicagoland's gay community, political leaders such as Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and North Shore Congressman Jan Schakowsky also marched. Schakowsky is hinted as Senator Barack Obama's replacement, should he win the presidency in November 2008, also marched. Obama himself did not show up, but a group of supporters distributed leaflets and stickers promoting his candidacy.

But not all who showed up were in support of the event. A group of evangelical Christians rallied at the southwest corner of Clark and Belmont to condemn the parade. But their group was drowned-out by a bigger group of counter-protesters. Later, they moved to Diversey to resume their protest.

The theme of this year's march "Live, Love, Be Proud" took on a greater significance with the legalization of same-sex marriage in California. Expanding on the theme, hundreds carried placards calling for equal treatment of all people.

Serving as grand marshal was Eric Alva, a gay rights advocate and ex-marine from Texas. Alva is calling on the government to allow gays to serve openly in the military.

Other major cities such as San Francisco, Toronto in Canada, Mumbai in India and Brno in Prague also held their parade last Sunday. The event commemorates the bloody riot in New York City in 1968 that sparked the gay rights movement.

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky chats with FINC organizer Oliver Cutamora.

From the Mountain Province to the Windy City

2008-06-19T23:57:00.000-07:00

Pacquiao's foe David Diaz trains with Fil-Am from Mountain Province

WBC Lightweight boxing champion David Diaz during workout.

David's sparring partner: Diamond Gut-oman Baier, a 31-year old native of Mountain Province.

Text, Photos and Video by Ted Regencia PINOY Newsmagazine

Chicago, IL -- As he prepares for his biggest fight against the Philippines' Manny Pacquiao on June 28, lightweight champion David Diaz now spars with a Filipino-American southpaw.

Diaz has enlisted the help of Diamond Gut-oman Baier, a 31-year old native of Bontoc, Mountain Province, as one of his three sparring partners, all lefties.

Diamond, as he is popularly known in Chicago's boxing community, is an amateur boxer and trains with the Chicago Boxing Club. He is also an entrepreneur and long-time resident of the Chicago's South Side. At the age of 10, Diamond moved to Chicago after he was adopted by his aunt. He took his last name Baier, from his German-American uncle.

"I hope he doesn't get in trouble," Diaz jokingly quipped after revealing Diamond's name. "We didn't just get him because he's Filipino. We got him because his style is similar to Manny's. He is fast, he's pretty strong and he's from around the area," Diaz said.

On Thursday, June 19 as Diaz held court with the Chicago media, Diamond kept a low-profile staying at the back of the Jabb Boxing Gym, where the press conference took place.

David Diaz is being interviewed by a Chicago journalist.

In an exclusive interview with this reporter, Diamond said that he has been boxing for six years. In 2004, he met David through his coach, who encouraged him to watch the Olympian shadow-box.

"I learned a lot from David. It's a small world, years later, here I am helping him out for his championship fight," Diamond said in a soft-spoken voice that belies his hard-hitting punches.

"This is going to be a great fight," Diamond predicted of the match between the two boxing champions, Diaz and Pacquiao. "For all the boxing fans out there, I hope they'll get a chance to see it."

He also offered some analysis about the sports, particularly on the advantages of lefty boxers like him, saying that "they are just awkward to fight." "Most people who are right-handed usually fight right-handed fighters. So, when you fight someone who is left-handed, you're thrown-off just because of all the angles."

What makes the fight between Diaz and Pacquiao interesting is that both are lefties, Diamond pointed out. "This will be a great fight. I can't wait to see it."

While Diamond was not picked by virtue of his birth as a Filipino, he said he is proud of his Mountain Province ancestry.

"I'm always gonna be Filipino. Absolutely" Diamond said adding that he still loves to eat adobo, pancit and lumpia. Last year, he returned to the Philippines to attend the funeral of his mother, and will visit anew in September.

Diaz's two other sparring partners are Oscar Leon of Colombia and Ivan Popcea of Mexico. He is being trained by Bob Arum and promoted by Top Rank.

Just a little more than a week before his fight at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Diaz said as of June 18, he weighs 137 lbs., two pounds above the lightweight division that he is fighting.

Asked whether there's still some part of his training that he needs to work on, Diaz said that "like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, it's all coming together." "What we need is conditioning, so we need to work on that conditioning until the couple of days before the fight. And then from there, see what happens."

As to his psychological readiness, the Chicago-born pugilist said that "he doesn't think about it too much." "I just go with the flow and see where it takes me. If the day of the fight, I have to do something, then I'll do it. Other than that, just go forward man."

David Diaz with his father, Anselmo a native of Mexico. David is the youngest of nine children.

David Diaz: Chicago Cubs' "Pitcher for a Day"

2008-06-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

Text, Photos and Video by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- If only for a few hours, boxing was not the center of his attention, as WBC lightweight titleholder David Diaz watched his favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs play at the historic Wrigley Field on Tuesday, June 10.

Not only did he watch the game, he threw the ceremonial pitch, an honor reserved for celebrities and presidents. As the announcer called Diaz to the mound, a crowd of more than 40,000 cheered the hometown's top boxing champion.

GMA television was the only Filipino media company allowed at Wrigley Field to cover Diaz.

"I'm going to try and see if I can make it to the plate. If in fact I can make it to the plate, I'd be happy," Diaz said just before the start of the game.

And in what could be a good sign for Diaz, the Cubs delivered the necessary "hooks and jabs" to beat the visiting Atlanta Braves, 10-5.

The Chicago pugilist is only a few days removed from his biggest bout, and it looks like he has also ramped up his training.

"It's great. It's doing good. We are in good condition. We're doing already pretty good rounds and working hard to try to stay in good shape," Diaz said. As part of his training he runs 6 miles near his Northwest Side home.

He said he is ready to keep his title from being snatched by famed Filipino fighter, Manny Pacquiao, who now holds three world titles.

"I think [our chance] is great. I'm gonna be fighting a smart fight, an intelligent fight. I'll try to out-point him and beat him. Let's see what we can do," Diaz said.

"Train hard buddy, because we are gonna have a good time," Diaz said, directly addressing Pacquiao.

Diaz, however, hesitated to predict the possibility of him knocking out Pacquiao, who is also a lefty.

"I don't know if I can knock him out. But I feel comfortable and confident that I will do a good fight," Diaz said.

My dad, my hero
As Diaz talked about his upcoming fight, he quickly pivoted the discussion towards the role of his parents in his career.

"My dad is my hero. He didn't even go to kindergarten, didn't finish first grade and he was still there able to support and provide a roof for his kids. If he can do that, I can do anything as well," Diaz said. "I am very proud of my mom and my dad. I'm fortunate to be their son," he added.

Diaz's father, Anselmo is from the state of Guerrero in Mexico. He came to the US in the 1950s and toiling in the fields of Sacramento, California. He later moved to Chicago and later had to opportunity to work for R.S. Owens, maker of Oscar statues for the Academy Awards.

Meanwhile, Basilisa, David's mother is from Acatlan, another remote part of Mexico. Not too long ago, his mother faced some health-related problems. For five years, she was on dialysis until she finally got a kidney transplant. She also suffered a heart attack after the transplant, complicating further the challenges Diaz had to face. As the youngest of nine children, the responsibility fell on him to take care of his ailing mother.

Asked how they feel about his upcoming fight, David said that both his parents "are comfortable. They feel happy. They know the type, the line of work I am in, so we got to roll with it."

10-year old FilAm breaks own Guinness world record

2008-05-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

Steven Purugganan to star in new McDonald's commercial

Steven Purugganan displays his cup stacking skills.

Text and Photos by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- He has no mutant powers, but with his skills he can give the comic super-hero, Speed, a run for his money.

Ten-year old Steven Purugganan smashed his own Guiness Book world record last April, to keep his title as the fastest cup stacker. The fifth-grader from Massachusetts made his mark during the 2008 World Sports Stacking Championships in Denver, Colorado.

Steven set a record-breaking 6.21 seconds in the "Cycle Stack" category, a solid improvement from his previous world record of 7.23 seconds, which he set only last October 2007 in New York. He beat over a thousand competitors to claim the grand prize. Prior to the Denver championship, he already broke his original record twice, in February (6.65 seconds) and March (6.52 seconds).

Steven also holds two other world records in the "3-6-3" (2.34 seconds) and "3-3-3" (1.86 seconds) individual categories. The numbers refer to the pieces of cups involved in the routine. "Cycle Stack" is a more complicated combination using 12 cups.

Asked by this reporter whether he feels pressure now that he is the champion, Steven sheepishly said, "Not really because my time is really fast and not many people can get that time."

Sports stacking, or more popularly known as cup stacking, is a fairly new phenomenon. The game was believed to have started in the 1980s during summer camps. But it was only in 2001 when organizers formed the World Sport Stacking Association, that the game was elevated to a competitive level.

To play the game, each competitor is required to stack and unstack specially designed plastic cups in pre-determined sequences. The fastest competitor wins. Contestants can work with a team or compete individually.

Celebrity Status
Even before this latest record, Steven was already launched into the spotlight when he was featured last January in the NBC prime-time special, "Guinness Book of World Records: Top 100". He was ranked No. 72 as the most fascinating world record-holder.

After setting his newest record, he was featured anew on TV, appearing on ESPN's "Top 9 Play of the Day" segment. In his town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts where his family resides after moving from Chicago, Steven is being treated like a mini-celebrity, and sought after by different media organizations.

Recently, local politicians from Massachusetts welcomed him to the State House to witness his stacking prowess, according to CBS station WBZ-TV in Boston.

It was only in late 2006, when Steven and his older brothers Andrew and Brian learned about cup stacking, while watching ESPN. Sensing their interest of the game, their mother Victoria bought them a cup stacking set for $30.

Only 18 months after, the Purugganan household headed by their father, Dan, had a certified champion in their midst. "It was well worth it [$30]," Steven's mom jokingly quipped in a radio interview.

Steven trains every day for one hour. He also devotes time for his studies, as well as other extra-curricular activities like baseball, soccer, basketball and golf.

Steven with mom Victoria, grandpa Ding and grandma Lourdes.

Deal with McDonald's

Because of his achievements, the fast-food giant McDonald's offered Steven to star in a new television commercial, which will run in the US.

Last May 15, accompanied by his mom, Victoria, Steven flew in from Boston to Chicago to shoot the commercial. The McDonald's headquarters is based in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates.

"They knew of Steven's world record because of the website and his YouTube videos. They contacted people out in Denver and asked, 'Do you think Steven would be interested to coming over to Chicago for a McDonald's commercial," a visibly excited Mrs. Purugganan recounted. "They called me and we said, yes!"

"I was excited because I also knew it's my hometown, so I was thinking that we can visit all our best friends and cousins," Steven said. "I'm just excited to shoot my first commercial."

Steven's family from the maternal side are from Manila. His father, Dan was born in the US but grew up in Manila.

The television commercial will be aired in July or August. Steven's mom said she hopes it will boost awareness of the game.

This is the sixth year the World Sport Stacking Association has sanctioned the World Sport Stacking Championships.

Pinoys mob Pacquiao in Chicago

2008-05-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

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Text, Photos and Video by Ted Regencia
Article also published on GMANews.TV

Chicago, IL -- Nobody can fire up a crowd of Filipinos in Chicago more than boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. Not even Chicago's very own senator and presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

Manny Pacquiao face-to-face with David Diaz in Chicago.

On his first visit to the Windy City on Wednesday, May 21, the WBC super featherweight champion sent his Filipino fans into a frenzy as they warmly welcomed their hometown hero during a chilly noontime pep rally.

Pacquiao is in a multi-city tour to promote his June 28 fight against another champion, WBC lightweight titleholder David Diaz. He is also in a chase to become the first ever Filipino and Asian to hold four titles in four divisions.

"Thank you to all Filipinos, my countrymen," Pacquiao said, as his fans of about two hundred, interrupted him with roaring cheers. "It's very nice to be here in Chicago. It is my first time to be here and I am surprised by your warm welcome."

Chicago Sun-Times Assistant sports editor Roman Modrowski interviews Manny Pacquiao.

Earlier, at a news conference, Pacquiao vowed to "give a good fight for the honor of our country, in the name of Jesus Christ." He said that he is making progress with his training, adding that he currently has four sparring partners.

One of the earliest fans who greeted Pacquiao in Chicago was pharmacy technician, Rey Ramos, originally from Davao City. He wore a specially-designed "Pacman" headgear in honor of his hero.

"I had to miss work today in order to see Manny in person, and welcome him to Chicago," Ramos said. "I'm really a huge fan. I'm from Chicago, but everytime Manny has a fight, we always go to Las Vegas."

Pacquiao poses with his Chicago fans.

Another Chicagoan Steve Ravino, originally of Roxas City, could not wait for the rally to meet Pacquaio. He sneaked into the press conference held at a restaurant, and managed to have his photo taken with the boxing sensation from General Santos City.

A number of Filipino office workers in the downtown Chicago area also spent their lunch break, cheering for Pacquiao.

One of the most prominent Pacquiao fans who showed up was former North Cotabato governor, now Vice Governor Manny Pinol.

Pinol, who is in the US to visit a family member, said that he is "very proud" of Pacquiao's achievements.

"I'm proud because Manny has this character of not forgetting the people who were able to help him in the past," said Pinol, one of the earliest personalities who supported Pacquaio as a young boxer. "One thing I appreciate about Manny is his ability to remember people who helped him along the way. And this is a virtue that we seldom see today."

Of his upcoming fight, Pinol said that it could reveal "a lot of unknowns" about Pacquaio as a fighter. "I would like to see him fight a lefty. I'd like to know how Manny would take the body-punching of Diaz."

Team Diaz
Chicago native, David Diaz was not to be outdone, bringing with him his family including his mother and father and a band of supporters some wearing specialized "Team Diaz" vests and jackets.

"It's gonna be an all-out war between Manny and myself. Manny is a straightforward fighter as I am, and we're both going to go at it. But the only thing that's going to happen there is I am going to win the fight," Diaz said. "We're going to bring back the belt to Chicago."

"Hopefully the Filipino people out there can forgive for that, but I can't allow it [Pacquaio victory]," he said. "We've been in this situation before. This is not a strange territory for me. We've been the underdog, but we've managed to somehow, someway come out with a victory and I don't see why we can't do it on June 28. May the best man win, and I believe that man's is going to be me."

Meanwhile, boxing promoter Bob Arum lavished his praise of Pacquiao saying he is a "consummate fighter" and a "great professional" He also called Diaz "a real gentleman."

"It's gonna be one of the most exciting fights that we've seen: Two guys who do nothing, but keep punching. Manny is the faster guy. David is the bigger and stronger guy, so it's gonna be one of the classic fights of our time."

Last year, Diaz, 31, (34-1-1, 17 KOs), successfully defended his title by defeating another Mexican star Erik Morales, whom Pacquiao also defeated in the past.

Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs) currently holds four world titles, including the World Boxing Council super featherweight belt.

Pacquiao fans crowd around the boxing champion, asking for an autograph.

(Please check back for videos of the press conference and rally)

Details on Pacquiao visit to Chicago out

2008-05-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- In an effort to rally his Filipino supporters in Chicago, reigning WBC super featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao will breeze through the Windy City on May 21, and assert his presence at the home turf of WBC lightweight champion David Diaz.

Pacquiao and Diaz will host a media roundtable luncheon at Lalo's Restaurant at 10:30 AM, to be followed by a public pep rally at the Federal Plaza. They will drum-up support for their world title fight, according to Bernie Bahrmasel of Double B. Publicity, Inc. This was also confirmed by Ace Freeman of FightFan.com.

It will be Pacquiao's first visit to Chicago, according to Bahrmasel, who handles the publicity of the fight.

Bahrmasel urged the Filipino fans of Pacquiao in Chicago to show their support and join the rally.

Lalo's Restaurant is located at 500 N Lasalle St, Chicago. The Federal Plaza sits next to the Klucynski Federal Building in the corner of Adams and Dearborn in downtown Chicago.

In an exclusive interview last May 4, Diaz said he and Pacquaio are "made for each other."

"I think we're going to give a great and exciting fight for the public. This is what the fight is all about, to make the public happy and the fans happy," Diaz said.

Last year, Diaz, 31, (34-1-1, 17 KOs), successfully defended his title by defeating another Mexican star Erik Morales, whom Pacquiao also defeated in the past.

Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs) currently holds four world titles, including the World Boxing Council super featherweight belt.

Photo Featured on NowPublic

2008-05-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

NowPublic is a participatory news network of citizen journalists.
It's been acknowledged by TIME Magazine as one of the Top 50 Websites in 2007.

From the Archive: Obama campaign manager David Axelrod

2008-05-13T01:54:00.000-07:00

David Axelrod meets the horde of press people, to give an informal briefing on the night of the Iowa Caucus, when it looked like his candidate, Sen. Barack Obama will prevail in the Hawkeye State, ahead of John Edwards and Hillary Clinton. (Video by Ted Regencia)

From the Archive: Obama prevails in Iowa

2008-05-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Obama, Huckabee win Iowa on message of change
Original story by Ted Regencia here. (With cameraman Victor Grumo)

David Diaz Interview on GMA 24 Oras

2008-05-10T15:47:00.001-07:00

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David Diaz interview on GMA 24 Oras 05/09/08

Photo featured on Gapers Block and Chicagoist

2008-05-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Mayo Parade on May 4, 2008
Cermak and Damen in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood
Featured on Gapers Block on 5/7/08

Original Photo posted on Flickr can be found here.

Also published in Chicagoist, "the most popular local blog in the Windy City...dedicated to documenting the Second City and all its quirks."

Manny Pacquiao coming to Chicago, May 21

2008-05-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Manny to meet Diaz, fans in downtown Chicago
World Champion David Diaz gets ready for June 28 match in Vegas

Web Exclusive
May 5, 2008

Text, Photos and Video by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao is coming to Chicago on May 21 to promote his upcoming fight in Las Vegas against World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion David Diaz.

This was revealed by Bernie Bahrmasel of Double B. Publicity, Inc., which handles the publicity of the June 28 match at the world's gambling capital.

"It will be Manny Pacquiao's first visit here in Chicago," Bahrmasel said.

He said the "meet and greet" will be at the Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago. Additional details of the event will be announced at a later date.

Chicago is the hometown of Mexican American fighter Diaz. He was born and raised in the Humboldt Park area, and also trains here.
Last Sunday, May 4, Diaz was at the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago to lead the annual Cinco de Mayo parade, an event celebrating Mexican heritage and pride. A substantial part of the Chicago population is of Mexican ancestry.

In an interview before the parade, Diaz revealed little about his training, but added that he is looking forward to his bout with the top Filipino boxer.

"We are both made for each other, and I think we're going to give a great and exciting fight for the public. This is what the fight is all about, to make the public happy and the fans happy," Diaz told this reporter.

Asked how he would match up with Pacquiao, who defeated a number of his Mexican compatriots, Diaz refused to make a prediction.

"Let's just wait and see how the fight goes. I'm not a big prediction guy. I just don't believe in that. We should be humble, and we both are humble fighters," Diaz explained. "We like to prove ourselves in the ring."

Diaz was quick to add that he hopes to give a good fight and keep his title from being snatched by the 29-year old fighter from General Santos City in Mindanao.

Last year, Diaz, 31, (34-1-1, 17 KOs), successfully defended his title by defeating another Mexican star Erik Morales, whom Pacquiao also defeated in the past.

Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs) currently holds four world titles, including the World Boxing Council super featherweight belt.

Not all Filipinos are rooting Pacquiao. Diaz revealed that he has some Filipino friends in Chicago who want him to win.

"I've got a bunch of Filipino friends. Fortunately for me, they're going to be rooting for me. They're like, 'we know you, you're our buddy', so I feel fortunate and happy about that," he said with a grin.

At the start of the parade route, Diaz was beaming with pride as he greeted and pose for pictures with his fans. He was accompanied by his wife, Tanya and son David Jr. Another son, Elias was not present.

Of his being chosen as the parade's grand marshal, Diaz said: "It's beautiful, because I've always claimed that my heritage, even though I was born here in the US, is Mexican. My life, my upbringing has been Mexican. For them to honor me to lead the parade, you can't get higher than that."

Diaz, who started training as a boxer at age eight, also thanked his family for supporting his career saying, "without them, my achievements that I have done would not have been possible." "So I thank them from the bottom of my heart, so may God bless them always," he added.

As the parade rolled on, tens of thousands of parade spectators cheered "Viva Mexico" and "Viva Diaz" to the delight of Diaz and his family, aboard a top-down sports car.

Meanwhile, Bahrmasel said tickets are still available for the June 28 fight at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas , Nevada.

Tickets are sold at "face value." For information, call Bernie Bahrmasel at 773-592-2986.

Fil-Am in Politics

2008-05-05T18:54:00.001-07:00

Pinay lawyer wins primary, eyes history in Illinois Assembly

PINOY Newsmagazine/
Philippine News
February 2008

Text, Photos and Video by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- A top Filipino-American real estate lawyer is eyeing history in Illinois, as she makes a run for a seat in the State Assembly.

Aurora Abella-Austriaco, ran unopposed during the Democratic Primary, garnering 9,875 votes, almost double the votes of the 16-year Republican incumbent she's facing in the November 4 general election.

Austriaco still faces an uphill battle since her district has been under Republican control for 118 years. But she expressed confidence that she will prevail, citing a "shift in demographics" and the voter's appetite for "change."

If elected, Austriaco will be the first ever Asian American state representative in Illinois, also known as the Land of Lincoln, for being the hometown of the Civil War-era President Abraham Lincoln. She will represent a district, which includes the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, where former first lady and New York Senator Hillary Clinton grew up.

One major hurdle for Austriaco is to appeal to the predominantly white and conservative constituency in her district.

"If you look at my sixteen years that I have done public service, it cuts across every organization, every racial boundary. I have represented mainstream organizations, and I have not had any problem. The fact that I am Asian, that has never been questioned in these leadership positions," she said in a recent interview.

Austriaco is the immediate past president of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association. Recently, she was elected secretary of the 22,000-strong Chicago Bar Association.

Austriaco said her heritage adds value to her brand of leadership. "I think the fact that I am a Filipino-American, obviously relates to the fact that, that is my heritage and I am very proud of it."

The Manila-born mother of two, vows to prioritize legislation promoting affordable healthcare, access to human services, education and strong family values.

"We are such a community of strong family values that we really value children, because they are our future leaders. We want to provide them good education," she stressed.

Austriaco also vowed "to work both aisles" in the Democratic-Republican divide at the assembly "to effect change." "I am engaged and I am always there, really connected to the community. Whatever organization I'm involved in, I am always there. I am not an absent leader," she added.

As a long-time real estate lawyer, she also vows to pass laws protecting those affected by the on-going real-estate and sub-prime mortgage mess.

"Foreclosure is a very real problem. We have lots of people that have been victims of foreclosure," she lamented. She said her leadership experience in the 22,000-strong Chicago Bar Association would help her craft legislation to fix the problem.

A member of the Maine Township Democratic Organization, Austriaco's candidacy has been endorsed by that group as well as by the Illinois AFL-CIO and Democratic leaders including Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. She is also backed by the Chicago chapter of the Asian American Action Fund and the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago.

Three years ago when she ran as a Trustee of the Maine Township, US Senator Barack Obama personally campaigned for her.

Austriaco is married to Dr. Jerome Austriaco and they have two daughters, Danielle and Isabelle.

As a teenager and freshman student at Miriam College, she along with her sisters came to Chicago to join her parents here. "I can't forget that day that we actually left, because on our way to the airport, was when [Ninoy] Aquino was assassinated," Austriaco said as she recollects that "life-changing" moment in her life.

Crime and Punishment

2008-05-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

Feds hunt int'l drug ring fugitive
PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
January 2008

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Federal authorities are in hot pursuit of an international drug ring member who may have fled to the Philippines.

This following a massive drug bust, which netted more than a dozen arrests, including a top member of Filipino gang in Chicago.

Carlo Panadero, 36, formerly of suburban Des Plaines, is now considered a fugitive and is "believed to be in the Philippines", the Department of Justice Northern District of Illinois said.

While refusing "to further discuss the case", Assistant US Attorney Randall Samborn indicated in a separate interview last December 14, that his office could decide to release a photograph of Panadero to help in his capture.

Panadero, and 20 other defendants, are charged with "conspiracy to possess and distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and more than 500 grams of mixtures containing methamphetamine and quantities of Ecstasy or MDMA."

Specifically, Panadero aka "Chito" and "Ted", "a citizen of the Philippines and a lawful permanent US resident," is accused of being involved in the sale and delivery of 10,000 Ecstasy pills and marijuana, to undercover federal agents, between December 2003 and February 2004.

Panadero�s 27-year old brother, Carlos Jr. or "CJ", who is in federal custody, is also charged for helping in the negotiation of the drug sale. According to authorities, Carlos Jr. introduced the undercover agents to his brother and another suspect.

The operation, conducted by federal and local Chicago authorities, was the culmination of a four-year investigation into an international drug-trafficking network, authorities said.

The investigation originated from the DuPage County Sheriff's Department in 2003. Authorities first traced the origin of drug shipment to Canada. The drug shipment would then arrive in Chicago and distributed "by two separate crews with connections in Chinatown and with the Latin Kings street gang."

"This case demonstrates that law enforcement agencies won't just stop at county or international borders in their pursuit of international drug-trafficking organizations that invade our communities," the highly-respected US Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald declared. Fitzgerald was responsible in putting former Illinois Governor George Ryan to jail. He also prosecuted the CIA leak investigation.

Another suspect in custody is Ivan Myint, 38, formerly of Gurnee, who is charged separately in a pending federal case, the 150-page affidavit said. Myint is described as a member "Flip City Kings", the so-called Filipino-based faction of the Latin Kings street gang in Chicago.

Two years ago, Myint was also arrested and charged with a federal narcotics offense. With the assistance of his brother, Michael, who is also being charged, he reportedly fled to Mexico. Michael also reportedly stored 16,000 Ecstasy pills at his residence and later delivered them to another undercover agent. Michael also allegedly stored drug ledgers for his brother, Ivan.

Still, another suspect is Melvin Dumanlang, who reportedly acted as a lookout during a drug delivery. He also reportedly smuggled into the US drug samples from Canada.

At least 10 of the alleged co-conspirators appeared in court last December 6.

If convicted, each faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life without parole and fines up to $4 million.

2008 Presidential Elections

2008-05-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Obama, Huckabee win Iowa on message of change

PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News/Inquirer.net
January 2008

Text, Photos and Videos by Ted Regencia

Des Moines, IA -- For one night on January 3, the midwest state of Iowa became the epicenter of American politics, as voters participated in the traditional caucus, catapulting Senator Barack Obama and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to the top of the Democratic and Republican race for the White House.

Running on the message of change, Obama and Huckabee wrest Iowa from their better-known and well-financed rivals, such as New York Senator Hillary Clinton and multi-millionaire former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney. The first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucus, a rudimentary process of securing votes by hours of debate, deliberation, even horse-trading, and eventually show of hands, could create momentum for both candidates as they move the next states.

"They said, our sights were set too high. They said, this country was too divided, too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do," said Obama, who made history by becoming the first African American to ever win Iowa, a state that is 96 percent white.

"We are one nation, we are one people, and our time for change has come," added the junior US senator from Illinois, to rousing applause by supporters who packed downtown Des Moines' HyVee Hall.

Obama's Filipino-American supporters, a very rare sight in this state of vast farmlands, were visibly thrilled to witness a son of a Kenyan migrant, claim victory.

"I think it is just [an] amazing part of history. I think we are sending him off to the other states with great energy, and to show the rest of the United States that this is what we need and this is what we want," said Joy Esposito, a Filipino American native of San Diego and ten-year resident of Des Moines. Esposito's parents were born in Hawaii to Filipino immigrants.

"We are so happy to do this in Iowa," added Esposito. It was her second time to caucus and her first as a precinct captain for Obama. Esposito related how Obama's grassroots organization worked, knocking on doors and talking to friends and neighbors, by phone and over coffee, to discuss the merits of his candidacy.

As the votes were counted in Esposito's precinct, four of the eight voters who showed up eventually sided with Obama. Of the record-breaking 200,000 plus who voted Democratic, Obama got 38 percent of the votes, John Edwards got 30 percent and Clinton, 29 percent. About 100,000, many Christian Evangelicals, voted Republican, boosting Huckabee, a Baptist minister.

Another Obama supporter, Cherry Welch, a native of Butuan City, Philippines also expressed her excitement for being part of the caucus.

"I am really excited, and I think he can make a big change for our country, and we are ready for him," Welch, who is married to an Iowan, said. The 25-year resident of Iowa said Obama also won in her precinct. "It's a historic moment for Iowa," she quipped. Obama also won in her precinct.

Clinton's third place finish was particularly disappointing to her better-organized Filipino-American supporters here. Several gatherings had been organized by the community for the former first lady, a long-time supporter of the Filipino veterans issue. In one of their recent meetings, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, an early endorser of Clinton, showed up. LA has a significant Filipino population. National leaders in the Filipino community, such as Irene Natividad, Maria Luisa Haley and Janelle Cabrera also travelled to Iowa, as part of Clinton's outreach to the Asian community here.

In Chicago, a five and a half-hour drive east of Des Moines, Filipino American leaders, many affiliated with the local chapter of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), were openly supporting Clinton. They also travelled to next-door state of Iowa to volunteer and convince other Filipinos to vote for Hillary, a native of Illinois. While many NaFFAA officers volunteered for Clinton in their personal capacity, the organization DID NOT endorse any candidate.

At the Filipino Store in Des Moines, owners Dwight Roberts and wife Benilda's excitement for Hillary Clinton was apparent. Just hours before the caucus, Benilda, a native of Talibon, Bohol, a first-time caucus participant said she is supporting Clinton, "because she is a strong advocate on immigration." "She will help reunite Filipino families, and she is very supportive the veterans," she added. The Roberts' eight-year old daughter, Kimberly, also volunteered in the Kids for Hillary in Iowa, making posters and countdown signs, and attending rallies. The couple caucused in Indianola, Iowa.

The on-slaught of support for Obama, however, was too much for Clinton to overcome. Among 18 to 29 year-old voters, Obama secured over 50 percent of the votes, to Clinton's 10 percent. Among women, expected to be the natural base for Clinton, she was also defeated by Obama, 35 to 30 percent. Many Independents and Republicans also caucused Democratic, so they can vote for Obama.

Los Angeles Councilman Eric Garcetti, who represents the historic Filipino Town, said of Obama: "This is a phenomenal victory. I think this represents a point in our history that we will look back on and say, this is when the country began to be unified again and began to move in a direction that America deserves."

Garcetti, who flew in to Iowa to campaign for Obama, said he is "the natural candidate" for Filipino American voters because "he shares the experience of so many Filipino families." "He is somebody who understands the struggles that Filipino families, and families of color go through. He is the natural candidate for the Filipino community, not because simply of his background, but also because of his ideals."

Several caucuses and primaries are scheduled after Iowa, including New Hampshire on January 8. Major states such as California and Illinois are set to hold it's primary on February 5, the so-called "Super Duper Tuesday."

Filipino Achiever

2008-05-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

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Filipino journalist bags Global Media Award

PINOY Newsmagazine/
Philippine News
January 2008

Text, Photos and Video in Washington D.C. by Ted Regencia

Washington, D.C. -- A disturbing look on sex, media and children and a separate story on population explosion and its effects on the environment, won Philippine television reporter Melclaire Sy Delfin the 2007 Global Media Award from the Washington-based Population Institute (PI).

Delfin, of television network GMA 7 and its US affiliate GMA Pinoy TV, was cited for Best Individual Reporting for her articles "The Forbidden Games Filipino Children Play" and "When Wells Run Dry: A Tragedy Looming Large."

The lone Asian awardee shared the stage with a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, a radio show host from the African country of Cameroon, and nine other recipients, during a ceremony, December 5, at the Rayburn House of Representatives Office Building in the US capital.

"Being a journalist, my goal is always to provide accurate and complete information. So that my countrymen, the Filipinos, can make the right choices for themselves and for the country," Delfin said in a short remark after receiving the award.

"I am definitely honored by this award, especially that it comes from a very respected international organization," she said in a separate interview.

Former director of the Philippine Press Institute, now Washington-based executive of Global Media Ventures, Adlai Amor was also at the ceremony to congratulate Delfin.

"I am delighted that [she] won this award. It shows that Filipino journalists have what it takes to compete in the international stage. I hope other journalists will follow her path and will continue to make us Filipinos proud throughout the world," Amor said.

The Media and Family Planning
Coincidentally, a Filipino professor from the John Hopkins University was guest speaker at the event. Jose G. Rimon II, senior deputy director of the university's Bloomberg School of Public Health, stressed the crucial role of media in educating the populace about population control.

Using scientific findings, he pointed out that mass media is the most "cost effective" way of reaching its target audience, even as he stressed the important role of government in promoting reproductive health issues.

In the case of the Philippines, Rimon urged the government to do more to promote family planning. He said that despite economic growth the country now enjoys, poverty still persists because the economy cannot keep up with an even faster population growth.

Rimon said that while the Philippines share the same economic growth as neighboring Thailand and Vietnam, it has 18 million more people.

"The Philippines would never progress as long as their is no political will to address this issue. We have been left behind by most of our Asian neighbors. At one time we have been compared to Thailand, and they have surpassed us. And we were being compared to Vietnam, and Vietnam has surpassed us in this area. What else is there to compare," he said.

Despite the strong opposition of the highly-influential Catholic church to numerous family-planning methods, Rimon believes there's a way to find "common ground" to work together

"From my experience, if you talk to individual priests in the parish level, they do understand the issue. But sometimes they have to toe the line. But there's a lot of progressive thinking even within the Catholic church. It's not monolithic in this particular issue, so probably you just need to find a way so that some kind of common ground is found, and which politically everybody can work together," he said.

Private corporations and non-government organizations must also do more to encourage responsible family planning, Rimon added.

Population explosion
In the two articles Delfin wrote, she showed exactly how unrestrained population explosion affected the populace, as described by Rimon in his statistics.

In the story "The Forbidden Games Filipino Children Play," Delfin delves on "the shocking sexual precocity of Filipino children."

Because of lack of proper sex education, limited parental supervision due to poverty and family size, combined with continuous bombardment of images on television, the Internet and magazines, children have become exposed to risky sexual behaviors as told by the article.

Delfin reported how she witnessed children living in an impoverished area in Manila, simulating sexual acts.

"Most often, it is a taboo talking about it (sex) with children in many Filipino families. This leads children to explore it on their own, thinking it's just another game," Delfin wrote earlier in explaining her story to the Population Institute's Media Awards Committee, headed by a respected Indian journalist, Rahul Singh.

Meanwhile, Delfin's other piece, "When Wells Dry: A Tragedy Looming Large" looks at dwindling of natural resources amidst population growth and increased pollution and contamination.

The Population Institute, which handed out the award, is an international, educational, non-profit organization that seeks to voluntarily reduce excessive population growth, through universal access to family planning information, education and services.

While based in Washington D.C., it does not accept funding from the US government. Established in 1969, the Institute has members in 172. It is headed by Dr. Lawrence Smith Jr, president.

Investing in the Philippines

2008-05-05T18:22:00.001-07:00

RP firm poised to sign deal with Chicago architectural outfit

PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
December 2007

Text and Photo by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- A Chicago-based architectural company is poised to sign a deal that would allow Filipino architects to produce designs for their projects, Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) Executive Director Celeste Ilagan said.

"We are very positive that this trip will result to a number of contracts for this company in Chicago. This is one of the most productive legs of the trip," Ilagan said in an exclusive interview. Details of the deal remain sealed until the contract is finalized.

Ilagan was in Chicago for an investment mission promoting the Philippines as a location for Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled services. While here, she also spoke at the "Bayanihan Sa Amerika" conference hosted by the Philippine Consulate last October 27 at the Sheraton Gateway Suites.

"Architectural and engineering design is among the areas, where we think the Filipinos will be able to serve the requirements of the US," Ilagan said.

At least four meetings with large design firms here in Chicago were held, and the companies have become "very interested with the value proposition of the Philippines", Ilagan added. "This one company that's with me in this delegation is very positive, and they are looking forward to coming back soon."

In the Philippines, IT-related industries including design as well as animation have thrived with expected 30 to 35 percent annual increase, and is projected to become a $12-billion industry by 2010.

Citing the success of luring the biggest call centers to the Philippines, Ilagan said that getting the first deal with an architectural firm in Chicago, "starts the ball rolling for the Philippines." Chicago is recognized as a pioneer in modern architectural design and home to the many highly-respected architectural firms.

As part of their sales pitch, Ilagan highlighted the availability of highly-trained Filipino architects who will do the work for Chicago-based firms.

"Simple drawings for example are done in the Philippines by architects, while here, probably they are [done by] draftsmen," Ilagan said. "The added benefit to that is, because they are architects, they know the whole system and sometimes they are even able to suggest modifications that will improve the design given to them by their clients."

In terms of skills, Ilagan said that Filipino architects are at par with their American counterparts. "Our workers are even more qualified because they are architects, they are registered and they are licensed. So they add more value to the work...so the work being done is accurate and the turnaround is efficient," she added.

To convince these companies, Ilagan also needed to "sell the country" as the ideal place for investment.

"To the investors, there is a wide range of opportunities to explore in the Philippines. From manufacturing to service-oriented activities. And it is not just taking our word for it, we invite them to visit because there are certain things that they hear about the Philippines, which are negative. But when they come to the Philippines, their perception of the country will totally change," Ilagan said.

One advantage is the availability of an educated, English-speaking manpower. She pointed out that the Philippines has a 35-million strong labor force, with 400,000 graduates every year including 85,000 in the field of IT, computer science and engineering.

Operating in the Philippines is also cost-efficient, with rental of business space at a minimum price, Ilagan said, while citing multi-year tax incentives and tax holidays given to large-scale investors.

Another advantage is the existence of broadband Internet connection that would enable companies to communicate efficiently, she said. She pointed out that companies such as HSBC, Dell computer company and the largest American call center Convergy's have relied on this IT infrastructure and connectivity. Convergy's, for example, now employs 11,000 in seven centers in Manila, Ilagan said.

As this developed, Philippine Trade Representative to Chicago Glenn Penaranda gave assurance that investors can operate in the Philippines free of red-tape and bureaucratic delays.

"We will not tolerate graft and corruption," Penaranda said during his presentation, to applause from delegates of the conference.

He offered the services of the Department of Trade and Industry, as a "one-stop action center" that would address the needs of investors, and guide them through the governmental processes before they can operate their business.

Penaranda also advised small and medium-scale investors, including Chicago-based Filipinos who are considering to invest in their hometowns to contact his office and ask about the "One Town, One Product" program, to maximize the productivity of their investments.

2008 Presidential Elections

2008-05-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

NaFFAA's Loida stumps

for Hillary in Windy City
PINOY Newsmagazine/
Philippine News
December 2007

Text and Photos By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL — “As a woman, I am calling all the women of America to rise up. We rise up this time, and get the first woman president elected to the White House,” Loida Nicolas-Lewis, former president of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) declared.

Lewis made the assertion in a one-on-one interview, before she spoke to an assembly of Chicago-based Filipino American supporters of New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who gathered in Chicago last November 20, to show their support for the presidential bid of the former First Lady.

While Clinton operatives try to play down the role of gender in the campaign trail, Lewis took the issue head-on saying, “America is still very sexist. There’s a lot of baggage in the American psyche, and one of them is the gender issue.”

Lewis even highlighted Hillary’s experience as wife of former President Bill Clinton. She said Hillary showed her “real strength” when she stuck with her husband during “the lowest, most scandalous, most painful part of their marriage life.”

“For me in a very personal way, that is really the yardstick by which I say, she can be president, because there are certain things that she sticks by,” Lewis added.

Lewis is a long-time supporter, contributor, and bundler for Hillary. In 1999, when Hillary was preparing to run for the Senate in New York, Lewis raised money and gathered other contributors in the Asian-American community.

She recalled that in 1999, she introduced Hillary before the NaFFAA national convention in New York City as “the future president of that United States.” “That was 1999, I predicted that already. From the very beginning, I have been there,” Lewis said.

Now, Lewis, a multi-millionaire lawyer and businesswoman, works as the chairman of the Asian Americans for Hillary in the state of New York.

“Every fundraising, I would bring 20 Filipinos, 40 Filipinos. And we are very visible. I want to show to her that she has a strong support in the Filipino community. Every fundraising in New York, there’s always a contingency of Filipinos. She’s been very appreciative of that,” Lewis stressed.

Hillary has strong ties to the Windy City. She was born in Chicago and raised in the nearby north suburb of Park Ridge. But the state of Illinois, including Chicago has become an “Obama country” since Barack Obama, the junior freshman senator declared his presidential ambition. Obama won a landslide in 2004.

Obama’s candidacy has changed the dynamics of the Democratic primary, giving front-runner Clinton a run for her money. But at least in the race to form a group of Filipino-American volunteers in Chicago, Hillary is now leading.

During her talk, Lewis admitted that she first hesitated to campaign here, in deference to her Filipino friends rooting for Obama. Eventually, she decided to make her pitch, saying Clinton is “the best candidate” and that she understands the issues important to the Filipino community.

“Hillary knows about the Filipino veterans from way back. Ever since, she has seen the injustice done to our Filipino World War II veterans,” Lewis said. “During her six years as senator of New York, every time the bill is introduced, she is a sponsor. She would always meet with us when we visit Congress.”

While Clinton is being criticized as a flip-flopper on the issue of immigration, she is in the best position to fix the broken system, Lewis pointed out.

“On one hand, she is right. We have to strengthen our laws, so that we don’t have invariably this problem of having illegals. But those who are here already in the United States, she is for amnesty. We have to recognize that they are here. That they are earning, they are contributing taxes. That’s one very important issue,” Lewis said.

Organized and hosted by Hillary-convert and community leader, Marlon Pecson, the pre-dominantly female crowd responded to Lewis message with enthusiasm, cheering her on as she delivered her pep talk. Later, Jelly Carandang, a Filipino American commissioner in the Village of Skokie, signed up volunteers to help in the Iowa Caucus on January 3.

Pecson, the host of the event said that he also believes Clinton is the most experienced and most winnable candidate in the race.

Couples for Christ Rift

2008-05-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

Couples for Christ in the US splits up

PINOY Newsmagazine/GMANews.TV/Inquirer.net
August 2007

Text and Photos by Ted Regencia

CHICAGO, IL—In a struggle often described in biblical terms, the Couples For Christ (CfC), one of the biggest Catholic lay organizations in the Philippines, with membership in 160 countries, announced that it has split into two, with the larger segment remaining as CfC.

“It is with a heavy heart that I relay to you the Joint Statement of Frank Padilla and the CfC International Council declaring the split,” Ricky Cuenca, CfC USA Country Coordinator, said in a letter to CfC members in the US.

This developed as Cuenca urged dissenters “to stop all these negative emails, accusations and personal attacks on certain leaders and all other conduct unworthy of Christian leaders.
Like Joshua, today we crossed the river Jordan under the continuing guidance of the Lord,” Cuenca told the members of CfC. “Just like most of you, I had agonized and struggled with the conflict within CfC.”

Until the release of the letter dated August 16, the internal dissension was kept under wraps and discussed in hushed tones by the CfC members, including those in the Chicago area.

Under Padilla’s leadership, the splinter group will be known as Restoration Movement. It is also referred to as the “Easter Group.”

Padilla, a son of the late senator Ambrosio Padilla, is a founding members of CfC, established in the Philippines in 1981. After 26 years of service, he resigned last February as member of the seven-man CfC International Council, the governing body of the entire organization. He reportedly quit in protest against the CfC concentrating much of its resources on Gawad Kalinga (GK).

Padilla also questioned the legitimacy of the newly elected council, before officially leaving CfC last August 1.

Cuenca quickly re-aligned the CfC-USA Council, replacing those loyal to Padilla, who was overseeing the entire North America region until his resignation. Joe Duran was named national director.

In Chicago, Cuenca named Norman Canete to represent the Midwest in the CfC-USA Council. Canete will now face the task of keeping most of the members from further dissension, as erstwhile head Manny Hermano sided with Padilla in the dispute.

Cuenca himself admitted that he agonized over his decision to stay with CfC. “Just like many of you, I had suffered in pain and agony, seeking hope for reconciliation,” he said. “My direct, actual and personal experiences with both sides before, during and after the elections in Manila have also led me to this decision.”

But even Cuenca and Duran's leadership has now been questioned by the CfC-USA Council members they just replaced. That council, headed by Acting National Director Nani Almanza, insisted that they remain the legitimate governing body in the US.

"By Joe Duran and Ricky Cuenca's action, they have effectively brought the Philippine problem to the US," Almanza said. Six members of the Almanza-led council have refused to acknowledge the present CFC International Council, leading to their replacement.

Two Kingdoms
In his response to the announcement, Vincent Pineda, a member of CfC with his wife Tess, sounded resigned to the break-up.

“As in the Old Testament, the house of Israel was divided into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, so it is now with Couples For Christ,” Pineda said. “Who among us is with the House of Israel or the House of Judah doesn’t matter. Though the House of Israel was divided, both Kingdoms remained people of God - - brothers and sisters to one another.”

Cracks in the CfC leadership first surfaced when Padilla, along with two other CfC council members resigned in February. The resignation left four council members to administer the CfC until the June 22 election.

According to sources in the CfC-USA, before Padilla’s resignation, he and his allies questioned CfC’s emphasis on GK, which is accused of working with “anti-life corporations” as well as other religious groups like the Mormons. Padilla’s group reportedly viewed it as a distraction from the CFC goal of recruitment of more members.

One e-mail message circulating in different CfC online groups asked: “Are we building God’s Kingdom (GK) villages? [Or] are we building instead altars for foreign gods of some GK partners: wives of Solomon (Anti Life Corporations)?”

Because of GK (Gawad Kalinga housing for the poor project), the CfC "is veering away from the vision-mission and guiding Catholic principles of CfC." GK is also accused of "overstressing social action at the expense of evangelization, catechesis and spirituality."

In response, British national and GK volunteer Dylan Wilk wrote: “Compared to what some say about GK not bringing people to Christ, the areas where we see great numbers of people being evangelized to CfC are actually in the GK communities themselves.”

“If you visit any GK site, you will most likely see row after row of houses, most of which have CfC stickers on the doors. So far I have not seen that in any subdivision,” said Wilk, a millionaire businessman who donated his millions to GK. He is based in the Philippines and is married to the daughter of former GK head, Tony Meloto. Meloto himself resigned as GK head in an apparent move to diffuse tension within CfC. He remains a GK volunteer.

“Our CfC members and leaders have been living in their subdivisions for many years but have not succeeded in the massive evangelization of their neighbors that GK has done in the sites,” Wilk pointed out.

As one of the “seven pillars,” GK is under the supervision of CfC. GK promotes “discipleship of Christ” by helping the poor and providing them livelihood and decent shelter. The program has earned international recognition, as well as accolades for Meloto, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award and the the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s 2007 Person of the Year. However, GK also earned scorn as it was accused of overshadowing the work of CfC.

Meloto remained silent throughout the whole saga, even as his son-in-law Wilk continues to emphasize that it is through GK that “people see the Gospel being lived out (so) that they join CfC.”

“It is not the house, if you listen to the testimony of almost any beneficiary, they will tell you that what changed them was the great love shown by their CfC caretaker team on a daily basis,” Wilk wrote. “If every CfC member did this, we would already have seen GK777 fulfilled and 100,000s of new members in CFC. That would be ‘the power of we’ - God working through us as a Christian community.”

Final breakup
Meanwhile, internal strife continued to brew even as the June 22 election of the CfC International Council in Manila was concluded.

At issue was Padilla’s group wish for the remaining four members of the council not to seek re-election. It insisted the four were “part of the conflict,” and have “lost their moral ascendancy to govern…being unable to resolve things in the Lord.”

Padilla’s group stood firm that the newly elected council, which counts the original four as members, “does not have the mandate to govern.” It added that because of the council’s “disrespect to the bishops,” the CfC risks official Church recognition, including from the Vatican.

“The Council does not have the blessings of the Church, and so does not have the blessings of God,” the statement “in behalf of Frank Padilla,” said.

“In fact, the Council is the prime cause of our present difficulty with the Church hierarchy. The Council has endangered our relationship with our shepherds, and has threatened our very mission for Christ.”

This dispute eventually led to the breakup, when Padilla’s Restoration Movement formally announced separation from CfC in his July 30 and August 1 letters.

In an apparent last-ditch maneuver, however, Padilla reportedly tried to register his new group under the name CfC-Family Ministry with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission. That application was denied by the SEC, however.

Meanwhile Cuenca, as head of the U.S. delegation, said the development “gives a clear mandate for Couples for Christ USA to move on.” He added, “Although saddened by the Joint Statement of the split and its impact on the community, it may on the other hand be the best solution for greater transformation of the two groups, as a house divided will also have difficulty moving forward.”

Cuenca also defended the seven-man international council as “capable leaders, honed in the CfC culture and values. True to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, they are united, of one heart and of one mind.” He urged the members to “remain and stay within Couples for Christ.”

“Amidst the apparent confusion, do not worry. For while there is a universe of truths, with each side taking its own slice or portion of the truth, God knows the whole truth,” he said.

In Lipa City, Archbishop Ramon Arguelles issued a memorandum to all priests under his diocese. "The Archdiocese of Lipa recognizes only the one and original CfC; no other CfC groups, with other qualifications, may do apostolate in the Archdiocese," Arguelles said. "All GK projects within the Archdiocese will remain one of the seven pillars of the CfC," he added.

Brown's Chicken tragedy

2008-05-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Killer of two Pinoy teens gets life in prison
PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
August 2007

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL – Fourteen years after the grisly Brown’s Chicken massacre, which claimed the lives of two Filipino teenagers and five other victims, justice was served on Juan Luna.

Cook County Criminal Court Judge Vincent Gaughan on August 8, sentenced Luna, 33, to life in prison without parole.

Earlier, one of the jurors voted against the imposition of capital punishment against the convict. A unanimous vote is required to impose death penalty. That decision by the jury automatically requires the judge to impose the lesser sentence of life in prison.

Retiring Cook County State’s Attorney Richard Devine, the lead prosecutor, said he is gratified to hear that Luna “will spend the rest of his life in prison.”

“But we have to remember that there are victims who aren’t with us anymore,” Devine was quoted by Chicago Sun-Times as saying.

Luna’s lawyers are expected to file an appeal. But one of his defense attorneys, Clarence Burch said his client is “pretty settled in with the idea that he will be serving the rest of his life in jail, unless we prevail in the appeal.”

Luna sealed his fate on January 8, 1993, when he and an accomplice James Degorski robbed a Brown’s Chicken restaurant in the northwestern Chicago suburb of Palatine. Both were then high school students at the nearby Fremd High School.

What followed was a killing spree, one of the grisliest in Cook County history.

Luna and Degorski killed the two owners and five employees execution style. Aside from shooting the victims, they also reportedly used a knife from the restaurant to slice the owner's throats and stab the victims. They also used a mop to clean up the crime scene and poke the victims to make sure they were really dead.

The killers then split $1,900 taken from the restaurant. Later they reportedly got high on drugs and even bragged to their girlfriends that the killed seven people.

Police later recovered five bodies stuffed in a walk-in cooler and two more bodies in a freezer.

Two of the victims were Filipino teenagers Michael Castro, 16 and Rico Solis, 17, part-time cashiers and schoolmates of the killers. According to investigators both were singled out for particularly brutal treatment. Castro, a sprightly young guy and an honor student was shot seven times in the head, face and chest and stabbed in the abdomen. Solis, who was born in the Philippines, was also shot a number of times.

It took nine years, a tip from a friend of one of the suspects’ girlfriend, and a DNA match from partially-eaten chicken dinner at the crime scene, for police to get a big break from the cold case.

Luna, who was described to have violent streaks early on, had been questioned by police years earlier, but it did not lead to an arrest.

Finally, in 2002 the tipster came forward with the lead, and the arrests were made bolstered by the DNA match. Luna also made a taped confession following the arrest. He later recanted his statement claiming that it was coerced.

It took another five years to hold the trial in downtown Chicago with no less than the top Cook County prosecutor leading the case.

Last May, Luna, now married with one son, was found guilty of seven counts of first-degree murder. At the sentencing phase of the trial, however, one member of the jury voted against death penalty.

Notably, a few of the victims’ family members, including that of Castro sided with that juror.

"A kill for a kill, blood for blood, is not the right answer," Mary Jane Crow, sister of Michael Castro told reporters. "A crime, yes, has been committed. But revenge and justice are two different things."

A family member of another victim differed. "I do believe in the death penalty," said Diane Clayton, the mother of victim Marcus Nellsen. "I think that's what he [Luna] deserves.”

For now, the families of the victims only have partial closure. Degorski, the co-accused, is still in prison awaiting a separate trial. Hearing will start in early 2008.

Fil-Am seeks to topple top Chicago alderman

2008-05-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

Dolar moves closer to making history in Chicago

PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
March 2007

Text and Photo by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- A Filipino American community leader moves closer to making history in Chicago.

Naisy Dolar captured 28.3 percent of the votes in the city's 50th ward during the February 27 local elections, forcing the 34-year incumbent Bernard Stone into a run-off on April 17.

"We are a step closer to a whole new ward," declared Dolar to a cheering crowd of supporters on election night. "It's time for a change."

According to local election rules, a candidate needs 50 percent plus one of the total votes cast to be declared the winner. Absent a simple majority, the top two vote-getters will go into a second phase of balloting.

Stone got 48.3 percent of the votes, giving him an advantage in the race. As the 34-year incumbent and the city's vice mayor, he remains tough to beat. Stone, who is turning 80 this years, is also identified as a strong and long-time ally of the powerful Mayor Richard Daley, who just won re-election with an overwhelming majority.

A Dolar campaign insider, however, pointed out that 51.7 percent of the ward's voters did not support Stone's re-election bid, giving Dolar a window of opportunity for a come-from-behind victory. Still it remains an uphill battle.

"We have ignited the voters," said Dolar as she tried to inject optimism in her campaign. "We've got tenacity, we've got guts and fire and we will never give up."

Now, Dolar's task is to make her call for change resonate among the majority of voters in her ward. She also needs to convince the supporters of her two other opponents, David Brewer and Salman Aftab, to return to the polls and switch their allegiance to her. And with her decision to stay positive during the campaign, she may have secured enough goodwill to win their support.

To boost her effort to knock-off Stone, Dolar also needs to raise enough campaign cash.

In her appearance at the 24th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration last March 3, Dolar made that pitch to the largest gathering of Asian Americans in Chicago, while highlighting the need for the Asian Americans to be represented in the City Council.

In all of these, Dolar's grassroots campaign found an ally in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, two major dailies who endorsed her.

"It's rare for a first time candidate to sweep the endorsement of two major newspapers of the third largest city in the US," Dolar said in an exclusive interview. "It sends a strong message that the people believe in me as a new kind of leader. I am honored. It's awesome."

In backing the neophyte candidate the Tribune said, "She has a broad platform for improving her city and her community, and she's an energetic political newcomer. Dolar is endorsed."

The Tribune added that Stone "seems to have lost some of the drive for the job." "His opponents argue it's time for a change, and they're right," it added.

Calling her "energetic", rival publication Sun-Times declared, "The time is right for Naisy Dolar to become the first Asian-American alderman -- and, at 34, the Council's youngest member."

Asked what kind of leadership style she wants to bring to the city council, Dolar said, "I want to have a model ward, where people have a say as to how to better address the issues of the community. I will not be afraid to put the people's interests first."

On the week the endorsements were released, Dolar's leadership potential was already put to a test when a triple-murder case took place in her area, also known as West Rogers Park. A recent Christian refugee from Iran hacked his wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law to death.

"When I heard about it, I immediately checked with our [police] commanders," said Dolar, whose husband Ben is a Chicago police officer. "I feel extreme sympathy to the family."

She added the incident highlights "the need to address domestic violence" in her multi-ethnic community. "Many people deal with it, but do not talk about it. It's another example of why there is a need to bring in city resources to my ward to educate people."

Other legislative priorities include business development in her multi-ethnic community, as well as education, health and peace and order.

Obama eyes U.S. presidency

2008-05-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Filipino-Americans warm up to Obama's bid

PINOY Newsmagazine/
Inquirer.net/Philippines News
March 2007

Text and Photos by Ted Regencia

Springfield, IL -- US Senator Barack Obama formally kicked off his bid for president on February 10, preaching his message of hope and transformation to a crowd of 17,000 supporters.

“Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation,” he told his visibly jubilant audience who braved the near-zero temperature outside the Old State Capitol, just to witness what one observer dubbed “history in the making.”

Obama began his speech by saying, “praise and honor to God,” then he channeled the legacy of former President Abraham Lincoln, who like the senator served in the Illinois state legislature in Springfield before moving on to the White House.

“In the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America,” he declared to the cheering crowd.

Obama, a Democrat, cast himself as the heir of the Republican Lincoln, offering his brand of leadership in a time of war. It was during Lincoln’s presidency when the Civil War broke, followed by the freeing of African-American slaves, an historic event not lost in Obama’s address.

Balance between substance and inspiration
Among the throng of supporters who heard the call to action of the first African-American to run for the U.S. presidency were the young Filipino Americans like Justin Cajindos and Julien Abrea Baburka, both history and political science majors at the nearby University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

“It was a fantastic delivery, and I think that he made the right balance between substance and lofty inspiration,” said Cajindos of Hickory Hills, Illinois. His parents hail from Baguio City and Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya.

Cajindos said he has been “a long-time supporter” of Obama, first when he ran for the US Senate in 2004. In 2005, he worked as an intern in Obama’s office in Washington D.C.

Baburka added: “He comes from the diverse culture and he is also very charismatic, qualities that we are yearning for.” Baburka’s mother is a native of Southern Leyte in the Philippines.

Reporters from various Filipino-American media companies were also present to record the event for the Filipino readers and television viewers across the US. They traveled three hours south from Chicago, joining an estimated 530 other journalists covering the event from the US and around the world.

In Chicago Atty. Vanessa Vergara of the Filipino Civil Rights Advocates said “there isn't a formal, organized Fil-Am effort quite yet.” But Vergara and her lawyer husband have been supporting Obama ever since he was an Illinois state legislator, representing Chicago’s South Side. Last Sunday, February 11, Vergara attended a fundraiser for the senator.

Another Filipino American expected to work for Obama’s election is Atty. Aurora Abella-Austriaco, the first female and minority president of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers’ Association, an organization of more than 1,200 real estate attorneys throughout Illinois.

Obama and Austriaco, who was named one of Today’s Chicago Woman’s “100 Women Making a Difference” in 1997 and 2000, are on first-name basis. Obama personally campaigned for Austriaco when she latter ran, unsuccessfully, for a seat as Maine Township Trustee. Austriaco lives in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, hometown of Obama’s chief rival Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

As old as JFK
At the Springfield announcement, Obama also tried to dispel criticism that he lacks experience, "I know that I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change."

On the most controversial issue of the day, he urged “an end to this war in Iraq.” “I opposed this war from the start. I thought it was a tragic mistake,” he added, proposing to “bring our combat troops home by March of 2008.”

He also proposed a universal health care for all Americans and an end to dependence on foreign oil.

In a speech full of symbolism, he sought a page from former President John F. Kennedy’s playbook, talking about "a new generation” of leadership. Kennedy was Obama’s age when he won the presidency.

“Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done. Today we are called once more — and it is time for our generation to answer that call.”

He also made reference to the most prominent figure of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he quoted from the Prophet Amos, “Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said “it’s not a surprise” that Obama delivered an “extraordinary” speech. “He’s the embodiment of the diversity of this country and he has that unique ability to energize people. He has mass appeal,” Madigan said.

Not all are ready to join the movement dubbed by the media as Obama-mania, however. While enjoying a late afternoon lunch at a nearby pizza inn, a World War II veteran who fought in Europe, said he has “mixed feelings” about this candidate.

Earlier as Obama started his speech, a small crowd of anti-abortion protesters carrying signs "Life Yes, Obama No" shouted their disapproval of his candidacy. Volunteers manning the security prevented them from entering the rally grounds that was blocked by railings, but they managed to get the attention of the media.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged African-American woman, who refused to be identified, expressed her concern about his safety. “It would be nice to have an African-American president, but I am afraid that if he will get too far, they will hurt him,” she said, adding that a lot of people feel threatened by Obama’s rise to power.

Close-up on the candidate
Obama, 45, was born in Hawaii. His father was a black from Kenya and his mother, a white from Kansas. As a kid, he lived with his mother, Indonesian step-father, and half-sister in Jakarta before moving back to Hawaii, where he was raised by in white household by his grandparents.

After high school, he studied for two years at Occidental College near Los Angeles, California, before transferring to Columbia University in New York, where he majored in International Affairs.

After graduation, he moved to Chicago and worked as a community organizer in the city's South Side, receiving $13,000 a year. He later graduated from Harvard Law School, where he served as the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review. After law school, he returned to Chicago, where he met his wife Michelle.

In 1996, he ran for the Illinois Senate where he served for four terms. He worked to reform the death penalty system and helped enact new ethics legislation.

In 2000, he challenged another African-American, Congressman Bobby Rush. He lost that election, but later earned Rush’s backing to run for president.

In 2004, Obama launched his Senate campaign, which many political observers thought was not winnable. After clinching the nomination later that year, he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic Party convention, catapulting him to national prominence and his eventual run for president.

Immigration Reform

2008-05-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Filipino Americans join massive immigration rally

PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
June 2006

Text and Photo by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Despite the chilly weather and a threat of rain, about 40 Filipinos marched through the streets of Chicago on May 1 to show solidarity in the call for immigration reform.
The Filipino and Filipino American marchers, representing organizations such as the Committee on Pilipino Issues, Fellowship of Filipino Migrants (FFM) and Gabriela USA waved Philippine and United States flag, while chanting immigration reform slogans.

By police estimates, 400,000 people, predominantly from Chicago’s Latino population, joined the march.

The Filipino marchers assembled as early as 10 a.m. at Union Park in the city’s Westside, but only started to inch forward at around 12 noon. They finally reached Grant Park, the venue of the rally, at around 4 p.m.

Young FilAms sympathetic to the immigration cause also joined in, individually. Bryce Lusterio of Chicago came, bringing with him a large Philippine flag. Manuel Dinawanao and Arnold Margate, Chicago healthcare workers, originally from Dipolog, a city in northwestern Mindanao also showed up to register their support.

Others who did not join the march went directly to Grant Park. Aquilino “Pong” Javier, president of the National Association of Filipino-American United Methodists, got off early from work in downtown Chicago, to be with the Filipino group. Artist and writer Lani Montreal, who teaches at the City Colleges of Chicago, also came to see the day-long rally.

Immigration reform leaders Meanwhile, two emerging, young Filipino American leaders, Lawrence Benito and Marissa Graciosa of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) were fully engaged in keeping the whole march organized and peaceful. Benito is director of ICIRR’s Newcomer Initiatives, while Graciosa is the organization’s Immigrant Democracy Project coordinator.

While waiting for the arrival of the marchers, which came in waves, speakers led the crowd of a few thousands, in chanting in Spanish: "Si Se Puede" or in English, "It can be done."

Parents came with their children, many of them still in strollers, to witness the event. Teenagers came with their classmates, while office workers joined their colleagues to be at the venue.

Clearly outnumbered, the Filipino and Filipino American marchers made their presence known through the flags and an oversized red and blue banner of the Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment. A member of Gabriela USA was garbed in a malong, a multi-functional garment worn by Maranao natives of Mindanao, with a megaphone on-hand.

Conspicuously absent were representatives from major Filipino organizations in Chicago such as the Filipino American Council for Greater Chicago, Philippine Week Committee, Philippine Indepen-dence Week Committee and the Council of Presidents. According to the organizers of the Filipino contingent, they sent invitations to the organizations. None of them showed up.

Among the speakers was Cardinal Francis George of the Chicago Archdiocese. In his blessing to the rallyists, Cardinal George said that the issue is not only about immigration, but also human rights as a whole. He called on political leaders to step up and pass a "comprehensive immigration reform legislation."

The rally ended peacefully at about 6 p.m. with no single incident of police arrest.

Unlike many undocumented Latinos who showed up at the march, Filipino individuals in the same circumstance, who may benefit from the reforms in immigration, also stayed home.

Nerissa Nabua of FFM said, the “next challenge” would be to “reach out” to the acknowledged leaders of these individuals.

As part of that its outreach program, FFM invited a respected Chicago immigration lawyer to talk to a group of out-of-status Filipinos and their supporters, following a community prayer for immigration reform, held May 6, at St. Henry church in Chicago.

Nabua said it is important that Filipinos be more proactive in the immigration reform efforts. But she added, “education and values formation” must also be imparted to them, for them to understand the issue first.

Community organizing In a separate interview, Benito said that he did not see a major backlash against immigration reform following the massive rally. On the contrary, more and more individuals and organizaitons are “finding their voices...and wanting it to be heard.”

“The rally in fact puts us on the frontpage, forcing the political leadership to consider the immigration reform as one of the most pressing issues of the day,” Benito said.

Benito also said that ICIRR will also continue to reach out to Filipino organizations to make them aware of the many benefits immigration reform will bring to their families, including a faster family-reunification process.

ICIRR is now working with the Catholic Campaign to reach out to Filipino organizations particularly in the suburb, the Cook, DuPage and Lake Counties.

Immigration Reform

2008-05-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Filipino groups brace for May 1 immigration rally
Arrest of Pinoy healthcare workers brings anxiety

PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
May 2006

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Preparations are in high gear in the Filipino community for the May 1 immigration reform rally, Nerissa Nabua, of the Fellowship of Filipino Migrants (FFM) said.

As this developed, PINOY has learned that dozens of Filipino healthcare workers, were arrested and detained by immigration agents in Wisconsin.

According to a close relative of two of the detainees, the arrests were conducted third week of April, following a tip by a disgruntled individual, who also happens to be a Filipino.

The two arrestees, originally from a city in southern Philippines, were released April 25, after posting a $7,000 bond, raised by relatives and friends in Chicago. The fate of the other arrested Filipinos remain unknown.

The source, who asked not to be identified, described her relatives as being “in-shock” following the arrest and week-long detention.

Time for action
“Harassments" like this, should stir the Filipino community into action, said Nabua of FFM, a founding member of the Alliance of Filipino Americans to Protect Immigrants’ Rights (AFAPIR).

AFAPIR is leading a group of Filipinos to join in the May 1 rally, which organizers hope will attract as many as 500,000 people.

Last April 26, leaders of the group met to finalize their rally preparations. For the event, the AFAPIR delegation will wear uniform shirts and carry United States and Philippine flags, Nabua said. They will also bring whistles and play drums “Sinulog-style” to bring attention to their call for immigration reform.

Nabua is urging Filipino leaders from various organizations in Chicago, to join forces with AFAPIR in demanding for immigration reform.

She also urged individuals to join the rally, even as she conceded that many kababayans may be reluctant to show up and march, for fear of detention. Kababayans (countrymen) like Jun of Skokie, who quit his job as a sailor and jumped ship, to become a caregiver here; or Nesita of Chicago, who traded her job as a high school science teacher in Mindanao, for a healthcare position.

“We are sensitive to their concerns” Nabua said, as she hastened to add that those who can must join.

Close to home
Others like Andy (not his real name), a Niles-based artist, photojournalist, and blogger, is heeding the call of AFAPIR. Andy, from the Visayan-speaking region of the Philippines, is organizing his friends to join in the march.

“It’s time for us to be heard. This rally could be a historic moment,” Andy said.

For Andy and his friends, many of whom are also his townmates , the immigration issue hit close to home, following the arrest of their two townmates mentioned above.

The two were not the original target of the immigration agents, PINOY has learned. However, when the agents, who showed up at the house they co-rented, were unable to find their target, they turned to the two and demanded to see their immigrantion documents. When they could not present them, they were detained.

Report of the arrest spread like wildfire, sending a chilling effect especially among the migrant Filipino community in Chicago. Still, the same community quietly raised funds through personal appeal and “text brigades” to get their townmates out of detention.

Inhumane
Meanwhile, Nabua branded as “un-American, inhumane and un-democratic,” the bill passed by the US House.

The House version of the immigration bill seeks to deport all undocumented immigrants and brand as criminals those who help them.

Nabua and AFAPIR are backing the US Senate version of the originally sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

“It’s a comprehensive bill that gives undocumented immigrants a long-term path to citizenship,” Nabua said. “This is a very progressive bill.”

Solid supporter
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), is one of the staunchest supporter of the Senate immigration measure.

At a rally, April 1 in Chicago, Durbin, Assistant Minority Leader, urged Congress and President Bush to take a leadership role in the immigration issue.

In a speech to mostly Latino audience, Durbin said he supports “fair and tough immigration laws” while recalling the immigrant experience of his parents, who left Eastern Europe to come to America.

Durbin, recently cited by TIME Magazine as an outstanding lawmaker, said that he opposes amnesty for undocumented immigrants, but “believes people who work hard, contribute to our economy should have the opportunity to earn legal status.” Immigration laws, he said, should not “unfairly target our immigrant population.”

DREAM Act
During the same event, Durbin was honored by high school, college, and graduate students for his support of the DREAM Act, which allow states to provide in-state college tuition to undocumented students who grew up in the US, and would also provide a path for students to earn legal permanent residency.

One of the stories highlighted in the rally is that of Diana Mora, a top student, born in Mexico but was raised in Chicago. Diana graduated from a Chicago area high school with a GPA of 4.4. Although she was accepted to Northwestern University, she was denied access to financial aid, due to her immigration status.

There are also young and bright Filipino students in Chicago, who are facing the same ordeal, said Lawrence Benito, director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said. Benito, a Filipino American said that none of them wanted to tell their story to the public because “they are afraid.”

Flight 541 air mishap in the Philippines

2008-05-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

Chicago court to hear Air Philippines lawsuit
PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
April 2006

By Ted Regencia

CHICAGO, IL — Family members of the victims of Air Philippines Flight 541 disaster, cleared a legal hurdle after a Chicago appeals court recently allowed their lawsuit to be heard through the courts here.

The First District Illinois Appellate Court affirmed Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kathy A. Flanagan’s earlier ruling, that the case against Illinois-based AAR Aircraft & Engine Group, which leased the ill-fated Boeing 737-200 to Air Philippines, must be tried in Illinois.

In connection with this development, PINOY Newsmagazine has learned that North Cotabato Manny Piñol, who lost three of his relatives in the accident, is arriving in Chicago on April 20 to personally meet with the legal team handling the case.

While in Chicago, Gov. Piñol will also appear in court and secure from Judge Flanagan a letter formally requesting the Philippine government to release the flight data recorder of the plane, which is a crucial piece of evidence of the accident.

Meanwhile, in a statement, lawyer Donald J. Nolan said: “We are now moving forward with the fight for justice for the victims of this tragic crash.” Nolan, a personal injury and wrongful death
litigator, is representing the families of 54 of the victims. He did not mention any amount of monetary compensation being sought by the families.

Flight 541, from Manila to Davao, crashed into a hill near Davao City on April 19, 2000, killing all 131 passengers and crew, including Gov. Piñol's sister-in-law, a niece and a nephew.

Nolan asserts that AAR should be held liable for the crash, for “carelessly leasing a defective plane way past its prime” to Air Philippines. “As a result over a hundred people died a horrible death.”

Nolan also said he “strongly believes” that the case should be tried in Illinois, because the defendants are based here.

AAR bought the 20-year old Boeing 737 aircraft in 1998, from Southwest Airlines. In 1999, AAR leased the plane to Air Philippines. AAR then sold it to another Illinois-based company, Fleet Business Credit’s Capital Leasing division, who then held the lease responsibilities. Fleet is named co-defendant.

PINOY contacted Chris Mason, a spokesman of AAR but he refused to comment saying, “It is the company’s policy not to comment on an on-going litigation.” Mason then referred this reporter to defense counsel, Gary Westerberg of Lord Bissel and Brook LLP. Westerberg, however, did not return the call.

Earlier, the defendants asked Judge Flanagan to transfer the hearing of the case to a court in the Philippines for convenience. Flanagan rejected their argument, leading the defendants to appeal the ruling.

However, the Appellate Court rejected the defendant’s motion, saying, it can only overrule Flanagan’s decision if it is proven that she “abused” her discretion.

The lawsuit further claims that the aircraft was delivered to Air Philippines without key records on safety and maintenance. It also accuses Air Philippines of hiring unqualified flight crews.

Nolan also claimed that the crash probe was halted “when the aircraft wreckage was buried and concrete poured over it shortly after the tragedy.” He said it should have been AAR’s responsibility to preserve all pieces of the aircraft wreckage.

Catholic Sex Abuse Controversy

2008-05-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

Dead Filipino Priest Named in Chicago Sex Abuse
PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
April 2006

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- In an effort to stem an ongoing abuse controversy, the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago released on March 21 the result of an investigation, which named 55 diocesan priests who are facing "substantiated allegations" of abuse.

One of them is now deceased Filipino priest Fr. Albert Tanghal

The names of the priests are listed in the archdiocese's website www.archidiocese-chgo.org. Details of the allegations, which date as far back as 1950, were not made public.

At the Tuesday press conference, Francis Cardinal George endured sharp questions by the media, and offered his apology, "for the tragedy of allowing children to be in the presence of a priest against whom a current accusation of sexual abuse had been made." "I am most truly sorry," the cardinal said on TV.

Fr. Tanghal, who was ordained in 1991, was last known to have served St. John Vianney Parish, located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Northlake, and which has a significant number of Filipino churchgoers.

In December of 2003, while on vacation in the Philippines, Fr. Tanghal, then 50, was killed by suspected robbers, who reportedly ransacked his house in Quezon City. According to news reports, the priest had numerous stab wounds in his chest and other parts of the body.

It was not clear when the allegation against Fr. Tanghal first surfaced. But based on the statement issued by the archdiocese, he was able to respond to the charge. Deceased priests "who did not have the opportunity to respond to an allegation before they died" were not included on the list.

"An allegation is deemed to be substantiated if there is reasonable cause to believe that abuse occurred," the report said. However, it clarified that the list is "not a legal judgment" of the case.

Apart from the deceased priests who are on the list, the other priests have either resigned or have been removed from ministry.

The abuse controversy in the Chicago Archdiocese only resurfaced last January 2006, when one of its members, Rev. Daniel McCormack was arrested and charged of sexual misconduct against minors studying at a Catholic school.

Critics have accused the Chicago Cardinal of downplaying the series of decades-old allegations against McCormack, and failing to investigate and report the accusations to proper authorities. They have also called for his resignation.

Meanwhile, Defenbaugh and Associates, the outside auditors hired by Cardinal George to conduct the investigation, concluded that the archdiocese had substandard record-keeping procedures of documents related to abuse cases, thus allowing accused priests of carrying alleged abuses.

In the specific case of McCormack, the auditors said archdiocese employees were in violation of the Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, when they failed to investigate or report the case. Most significantly, there was no documentation of the more recent accusations against him.

Special Feature

2008-05-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

13-year old Fil-Am performs at the Lyric Opera

PINOY Newsmagazine
March 2006

Text and Photo by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- At eight, he knows his checkmates, gambits and rooks. At 10, he was already crunching numbers and competing in Math Olympiads. At 13, he still rides his scooter like other boys his age, battles dragons, and explores treacherous dungeons in many an online games. He’s also a certified performer at the world-renowned Chicago Lyric Opera.

Robert Keith is the first of two children of Dr. Annabelle Santos and Atty. Keith Volgman. Robert’s mom, who hails from Marikina, happens to be the cardiologist of Oprah Winfrey, while his dad is President and CEO of Northpoint Capital. Robert has a sister, 9-year old Caroline. With that kind of kinfolks, it’s painless to reckon that excellence runs in the blood.

This March, Robert will once again display one of his many talents, as he takes the stage and performs in the operatic fare, Carmen. He will be singing alongside top opera sensation Denyce Graves, Vincenzo La Scola and another Filipino-American, Tenor Rodell Rosel, who was profiled by PINOY Newsmagazine last year.

During the late part of 2005, young actor Robert, who by virtue of his looks and a 5’7” build could give Haley Joel Osment a run for his money, debuted the role of a kid-soldier at the Lyric. He sat down with PINOY and discussed what it is like to be 13 and be so full of promise.
Full of energy
Well, not really sat down. When we first met, Robert was an image of full-throttle energy, deftly maneuvering his scooter along the concrete pavement in front of their expansive home, in the affluent neighborhood of Lincoln Park in Chicago. While unmistakably privileged, there was no hint of self-importance or haughtiness with this kid, who was plainly dressed in a loose shirt and baggy pants. Later, in the middle of the interview, he would alternately run around or even hang like a gymnast on the door jam. Rest assured, notwithstanding the show of acrobatic vitality, he managed to answer our questions thoughtfully.

Robert disclosed that his stint with the Lyric Opera happened by a twist of fate. He was auditioning for a spot with the Chicago Children’s Choir when the offer was made. It so happened that the choir director also works for the historic opera house. Impressed by the quality of Robert’s voice, the director offered him a role in Bizet’s Carmen, which many critics say is the most famous of all operas in the world.

Excited and proud
Being a long-time patron of Lyric Opera, the Volgman household was thrilled to no end. We first learned of Robert’s performance from his visibly excited mom, Dr. Annabelle Volgman, in an interview late summer of last year.

“We’ve been going to the Lyric Opera for many years now, and to learn that Robert is performing there is very exciting,” Dr. Volgman said.

Growing in high culture, Robert also developed interest in the opera, perhaps not typical of an 8th-grader. Matched with his natural talent in singing, a skill that his mom jokingly admitted she does not have, Robert took the challenge, opening the door, and might we add, raising the curtain for his introduction to a very lofty stage.

While not a major role, Robert’s part is no less vital. More so, it opens a new possibility for this young Filipino American, should he decide to be a Don Giovanni, or the Venetian general Othello at the Lyrics’ future productions.

“It’s pretty exciting to be onstage in front of all those thousands of people watching you,” Robert said. “And I don’t usually get nervous during the performances,” he added.

As for his cool demeanor, it must be his training at Latin School of Chicago that brings about composure and confidence, minus the behavior of self-importance. Yes, Robert goes to the same school where U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, Senator Adlai Stevenson and former first lady Nancy Reagan graduated.

Well-rounded experience
But it’s not all work for Robert, and with all that serious stuff he is doing, he doesn’t look or act nerdy at all. Outside the academic confines, Robert also involves himself in sports activities such as tennis and cross-country. He has since given up competitive chess, but he still exercises his brain cells a lot with a dose of Sudoku, the latest craze in numbers game. Speaking of numbers, he is one not to shrink when confronted with algorithms and Matrix. He is a Math olympian after all. Only last February 4, Robert went to the University of Illinois at Chicago to participate in the regional MATHCOUNTS competition.

Robert also plays the violin. During the interview, this fiddler showed us some moves, while his sister Caroline tinkered with the piano. To top it off, Robert also knows his World of Warcraft, an interactive game on the Internet.

“And I do a lot of singing,” he added. Who knows, if you give him a magic microphone and a karaoke songbook, he could even belt out a mean version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”, after all he has Filipino genes running in his blood.

The 2005 Chicago Marathon

2008-05-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Running to win, running for Gawad Kalinga
PINOY Newsmagazine
November 2005

Text and Photo by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- By the time No. 32940 crossed the finish line of the 2005 Chicago Marathon last October 9, she had clocked more than seven hours of running time -- well behind female winner Deena Kastor's two hours, 21 minutes, and 25 seconds. She had also raised enough money to build one more decent shelter for a poor family in the Philippines -- a triumph far greater than conquering the 26.2-mile course.

No. 32940 is Sally Adraneda of Romeoville, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Sally and husband, Esok were part of Gawad Kalinga (GK) 777 Hero's Run, a project thought up after last year's flood disaster in northern Luzon that displaced 40,000 families. Gawad Kalinga means "to give care".

"Running the marathon was very tough. It was more challenging than giving birth," the middle-aged Mrs. Andraneda laughingly recalled her experience, three days after the marathon. "I exhausted all my energy." Husband Esok posted a slightly better time of 6:06:34.

"It was really a challenge for me and I was ready to give up," she said. "What really motivated me was the thought that if I would finish the race, I would be able to raise some money to build a house for a poor family in the Philippines."

Each GK runner pledged to solicit at least a thousand dollars and sponsor a home for a displaced family. As of October 16,the group has raised $16,000, according to Art Divinagracia.

There were 27 GK runners out of the 40,000 participants from 125 countries. Together, they tackled the relatively flat course, winding through city streets within visible distance from Chicago landmarks like the Millennium Park, Wrigley Field, Sears Tower, and Chinatown.

Along the route, an estimated one million people cheered, holding signs encouraging the runners to never give up. Donna Reyes led a group of Couples For Christ members and their families to support GK's "running heroes."

Challenge, pain
Mile 16 proved to be a challenge for Mrs. Adraneda. With 10.2 miles more to go, her legs were already "giving up" forcing her to stop from running. "Luckily" she never developed any blisters on her feet. Determined to finish, she did a brisk walk instead.

Twice, on the 20th and 25th mile, Mrs. Adraneda decided to quit, asking a city utility vehicle and then a police car, to drive her to the finish line. "They both refused and probably it was a blessing," she said. Art Divinagracia, her running partner, also constantly reminded her not to give up.

At the finish line, Mrs. Adraneda was greeted by a marathon official, who awarded her a medal.

"I cried at the finish line. I was so exhausted and I had pain all over my body. My husband and children had to carry me to our car." Still, she called the experience "rewarding and fulfilling."

Meaningful run
Among the GK runners, Steve Medrano, originally from Ilocos, was the first to finish at four hours and 21 minutes. Rino Sioson, from Novaliches, Quezon City, who was on his fourth Chicago Marathon, clocked five hours and 15 minutes.

"It's meaningful, because we're doing this for our poor kababayans," Sioson said. "It's a victory not only for myself."

GK 777 Hero’s Run was headed by Manny Doctor, a veteran of the Chicago Marathon. Doctor also acted as the head coach of the team.

Other GK runners were: Angelo Banaria, Patrick Cusak, Matt Funouits, Monchito Trinidad, Marvin Martin, Lloyd Fojas, Maricris Dizon, Jurdylene Zarate, Erik Valdez, Mark Augustine, Heather McPhee, Jonathan Wittig, Lisa Reite, Julia Staff, Brian Gilmore, Gerry Balbin, Charissa Balbin, Anthony del Rosario, Ramil Borja, Jeff Abad and Jhoanne Sy.

Individual runners
There were also individual Filipino runners at the race. Frank Baltazar, came all the way from Fort Polk, the largest military installation in Louisiana, to join his first marathon.

Baltazar, a captain in the US Marines,already had two tours of duty in Afghanistan. He was a company commander of Operation Anaconda.

“I dedicate this run to the fallen US soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, especially the 85 soldiers from the state of Illinois,” said Baltazar, who was greeted by his wife Audrey after the race. The couple are expecting their second child.

Christine de Leon, another participant came from Michigan. Three friends, John Edwin Revilla, JC Briones and Raymond Punzalan from Skokie, Illinois, also joined in.

Very memorable
The marathon was most "memorable" for the GK Heroes and the Adraneda couple. And by running the race, they proved once again proved their commitment to GK 777. GK 777 aims to build 700,000 homes, in 7,000 communities in seven years in the Philippines.

In 2003, Esok, who hails from Samal, Bataan, and Sally, of Batac, Ilocos Norte, sold their million-dollar home in Darien, Illinois, and used the proceeds to build 50 homes for the poor in GK Village in Orani, Bataan. They plan to finance another community in Samal, Esok's hometown.

In 2004, they also donated their Mercedes E320 and raffled it off during the Illinois GK launch. Proceeds of the Benz raffle also funded the GK project in Bataan.

At the post-marathon “victory party” for GK, the runners expressed a sense of fulfillment for running the marathon. They also vowed to “practice more” for next year.•

Katrina devastation in the Gulf Coast

2008-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

KATRINA DISPLACES THOUSANDS OF FIL-AMS
ConGen, Pinoy groups send help
PINOY Newsmagazine
October 2005

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- As thousands of Filipino families from the Gulf region start to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives following the devastation by Katrina, Philippine Consul General to Chicago Blesila Cabrera dispatched a team to Baton Rouge, capital of Louisiana, to help victims and coordinate relief operation.

In an exclusive interview, Vice Consul Roberto Bernardo said that Cabrera hast sent Consul Patrick Hilado, Finance Officer Jaime Bilar, and Consular Official Victor Sarmiento, “to monitor the developments on the ground.” The officials were directed to check evacuation centers for Filipino victims. Louisiana and Mississippi are under Cabrera’s jurisdiction.

“We are closely monitoring the situation, and we are doing whatever we can to assist Filipinos victimized by Katrina,” said Bernardo, designated consular spokesman on the Katrina effort.

According to Bernardo, there are 6,800 residents of Filipino ancestry in Louisiana and 3,845 in Mississippi. There were no Filipino casualties.

The consulate is not directly soliciting financial help, Bernardo said. To help their affected kababayans, he appealed to individuals and organizations to donate to the American Red Cross. “They can also course their donations through us, and we will deliver them to the Red Cross.”

Lost identity
Meanwhile, Bernardo promised full consular assistance to victims who may have lost their Philippine passports to Katrina. “We will look at any proof of identity and check it with our records. Secondary evidence such as state ID, driver’s license and immigration card are also acceptable. If you need to travel to the Philippines right away, we will also find solution to that.”

In the absence of documentary proof, an applicant can also sign an affidavit vouching his or her identity, the vice consul said. “You will be put under oath. However, if we find out that you gave false information, we can invalidate your passport.”

Heavy floods
Due to heavy flooding, the Consulate General was unable to coordinate its effort from New Orleans, where Cielo Martinez, the Philippine’s honorary consul general to Louisiana holds office. The Martinez family was also displaced by the hurricane.

“I’m crushed,” Martinez said in an interview from her temporary residence in Las Vegas.

She recalled how her family escaped from the rising floodwaters that inundated “The Big Easy”. How she remembered it sounded anything but easy.

“We left on the night of August 29. There was no electricity, so it was pitch-dark. Then we drove our car for three days because we couldn’t find a place to stay. All hotels were full of evacuees. On the third day, the Martinezes finally found shelter at the residence of Dr. Rafael Castro, a family friend, from the Chicago suburb of Frankfort, 900 miles from New Orleans.

While other Gulf Coast residents have already returned to their locals and surveyed the devastation, New Orleans folks are still barred from their flooded city. For families like the Martinezes, it’s a long way to go before they return to the city they call home for 17 years.

“We had a lot of near misses before. During hurricanes, we had to evacuate but within two days we’re back,” said Martinez. “We thought it would be the same, so we only brought a few provisions.”

But they were wrong. Although the eye of the storm missed the center of New Orleans, it still packed enough punch to batter the city. “We were at the third floor of the Lakeside Hospital and it was vibrating,” Martinez said in a tired voice. “I was very scared.” Her husband, Dr. Roberto Martinez was on-duty, so the rest of the family had to join him at the medical facility.
The morning of August 29, things started to unravel: Power was down, communication was disrupted, and the flooding started. Patients were airlifted and the hospital started to ration food and water. Late afternoon, the Martinezes had to flee. They ended up in Chicago two days after. "My husband is taking it really hard. I have to be strong for him."

As full-time honorary consul, Martinez is the Philippine Embassy and Chicago Consulate General’s point person in the Gulf region. But in a twist of fate, her family became a part of the statistics of victims.

Martinez’s office located at the 21st floor of the World Trade Center in New Orleans was generally spared by Katrina and documents are intact. However, electric power is still down and mandatory evacuation is still up, preventing the office from functioning.

Other Filipino families like that of Prof. Adlai De Pano of the University of New Orleans evacuated before the storm hit. They ended up in Texas where majority of the Filipino families fled.

Financial, medical help
As this developed, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Midwest Region, which includes Chicago, pledged to send a medical team through the Red Cross. It will be headed by Dr. Vicky Navarra, president of the Philippine American Medical Missions Foundation of Michigan. The team is now ready and only waiting for deployment.

In the national level, NaFFAA Chairman Loida Nicolas Lewis personally donated $10,000 to the relief effort. The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. also donated another $10,000.

In Houston, Texas, NaFFAA southwest region chair, Atty. Arlene Machetta told PINOY Monthly that the Filipino community there rallied to help the more than 160 families.

“It’s been a huge challenge, but thank God for the outpouring of support from the vibrant Filipino community here in Texas,” Machetta said.

A Chicago-based Filipino non-profit organization, Heart Cross is also organizing a fund raising drive. Dr. Rufino Crisostomo, Jr., founder and president, said the money will go to the United Methodist Committee on Relief and the American Red Cross.

“Every penny collected will provide food and essential services to the thousands of displaced survivors in the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, home of the first Filipino settlers in America,” Dr. Crisostomo said.

Lost everything
Elsewhere in Gulfport, Mississippi, home of the late Bataan Death March survivor Gregorio Melegrito and his wife Herminia Tabamo, the scene of devastation was also evident.

Mr. Jon Melegrito, son of the late World War II veteran, said that it took days before he could contact his step-mother. “She can only call out from a phone in Home Depot because her home and cell phones don’t work. Still no water and electricity in her area and her house was partly damaged so she's trying to get it repaired, with the help of a neighbor, who is also Filipino,” he said in an email from his residence in Maryland.

“The church that she goes to, attended mostly by Filipino immigrants, was completely washed away. A church employee, a Filipino who lives in the parsonage, lost everything.”•

Fil-Am is top White House chef

2008-05-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

Filipino community welcomes
appointment of Chef Comerford
PINOY Newsmagazine
September 2005

By Ted Regencia

Like the whole Filipino community in the United States, the small but distinguised set of Filipino American chefs heartily welcomed the historic appointment of 42-year old Cristeta Comerford as the first female executive chef of the White House.

“It is such an exciting news and we gladly receive it with so much sense of pride,” Fil-Am Chef Larry Banares said in an exclusive interview. Banares, also known as Chef Larry is a popular television and radio personality in San Diego.

There are at least 300 chefs of Filipino background working in hotels and restaurants across the US.

With the appointment as top chef of President George W. Bush, Chef Comerford will also join the very exclusive group of culinarians known as Club de Chefs des Chefs or "Chefs of The Heads of State,” according to Chef Larry. Numbering around 30 members, this elite group consists of head chefs to Kings, Presidents and Princes.

“Yet another great accomplishment for Chef Cris,” Chef Larry declared, while pointing out that Comerford also made history by becoming the first representative of a minority group to hold the post, which is usually held by European male chefs.

Chef Larry, the first ever Filipino American member of the US team to the World Culinary Olympics and four-time gold medal winner, credited Comerford’s talent in the kitchen, hard work and discipline for landing the job. Of Comerford being a person of color, he said that in fact “it is an advantage” saying that the mainstream American market is “embracing culinary diversity.” “We have an advantage now and we are also getting more exposed,” said this TV personality, who traces his roots from the province of Ilo-ilo.

More praises
Chef Carlito Jocson, a top executive of the California-based restaurant chain Yard House, agreed with Chef Larry’s assessment.

“We are so open to all flavors as compared to 10 or 15 years ago,” Jocson said, even as he added that competition is also tougher.

“The appointment of Chef Comerford is truly great. The act is a great representation of America,” the Baguio-born, California-raised restaurateur said.

“Women make tremendous chefs. Despite the pressure in the kitchen, they accomplish their work with so much finesse” Jocson added, in praising Comerford for her achievement leading the kitchen staff of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the official residence of US Presidents.

Meanwhile, Loida Nicolas Lewis, national chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) declared “This is truly a great honor for all Filipinos and Filipino Americans,”

Lewis, a billionaire Wall Street investor, said Comerford’s appointment is further confirmation of “the excellent contributions Filipino Americans are making to U.S. society.”

Humble beginnings
Comerford came from a humble beginning. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, she was born Cristeta Gomez Pasia on October 27, 1962 to Honesto, an assistant principal in a public elementary school in Manila, and Erlinda, a homemaker.

Comerford finished elementary at Padre Gomez Elementary School in Sta. Cruz, Manila, and secondary at the Manila Science High School.

During those years, Comerford's mother did most of the cooking for the family, said her eldest brother Dan Pasia, an environmental activist. He said that Comerford's interest in cooking only became evident when she entered the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, in 1971 as a food technology major.

Pasia said his sister had a sweet tooth and loved the local confectionery Chocnut. He also described her as a lively girl who was always smiling.

"She never seemed to have any problems, even though our family was not that rich," he said.
Comerford also appears to have been a low-key student. Some food technology professors said they did not remember having her as a student.

Comerford had three leaves of absence during her stay at UP, all of them for "traveling purposes." She never came back to finish her course after her last leave in academic year 1983-1984 at the UP College of Home Economics. But she was able to complete 84 units, sufficient for her to be considered a UP alumnus.

Comerford moved to the US to join her parents. She honed her cooking skills and managed to become chef in different hotels and at prestigious restaurants in Vienna, Austria and in Washington, D.C. before getting the job of assistant chef at the White House kitchen in 1995. (With reporting from Inquirer.net)•

Exclusive interview: Fil-Am Police DistrictCommander Charles Dulay

2008-05-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Dulay is Chicago’s first top Fil-Am cop
PINOY Newsmagazine
September 2005

By Ted Regencia

CHICAGO, IL -- In an unprecedented development for the Filipino American community in Chicago, one of its own has been designated by Chicago Police Superintendent Philip J. Cline as district commander.

Charles “Chuck” Dulay officially took over his post as head of District 17 covering Albany Park, last July 1, capping 37 years of service in the Chicago police force, and making history for the Filipino American community in the Chicagoland.

Dulay is the second officer of Asian-American background to head a district.Commander Gary Yamashiroya heads Chicago’s 23rd District.

Recently, the Asian American Law Enforcement Association headed by another Filipino American police officer, Audie Manaois feted Dulay for his promotion.

Manaois praised Dulay saying “a lot of us have always looked up to him. He is a model and father figure to many of us in the service.” “He is also very knowledgeable in the operations of the Chicago police department. And knowing that he is a Filipino American, it’s a good feeling,” he added.

Throughout his career spanning almost four decades, Dulay has been assigned and re-assigned to different Chicago districts. Along the way, he picked up awards, recognitions and promotions in the 14,000-strong police force. As a top cop, his name also surfaced in a few highly-publicized police stories such as the 2001 homicide case near the location of MTV Real World Chicago and the 1997 cop-to-cop racial complaint case.

Dulay’s promotion, however, reaffirmed the Chicago Police hierarchy’s trust in his leadership, friends and colleagues said.

Retired Lt. John A. Laskey, a long-time colleague attested to Dulay’s record as “a fearless detective, and a good one too.” "I am glad he got this promotion. It’s long overdue for him," Laskey added.

“He’s relentless and he put up a good file with high conviction rate. Also he earned the respect of judges and attorneys. Indeed, this is a well-deserved promotion," he said.

While the life of a police officer is “tough on the family” as Laskey described it, Dulay managed to keep his family intact. His wife, Dianne and son John were on hand to witness the reception in honor of Commander Dulay. Another child, Jennifer was out of town.

“He’s a good man,” wife Dianne beamed during the reception.

Solid career
Dulay himself was beaming with pride, adding that he “hopes to live up to the expectations” of the Filipino American community and all Chicagoans at large.

“I’m proud to represent this community,” Dulay said. “ It’s a wonderful way for me to finish my career. I’ve been around for a long time and I will be around for a few more years in the service.”

On his new assignment, Dulay said that it is a “relatively low-crime area” and he “will do the best I can that it will stay that way. We hope to continue the good work of my predecessor.”

Dulay traces his paternal roots to Binmaley, Pangasinan, the hometown of his father, Juan Rayos Dulay, who came to the United States in 1925 at the age of 19.•

Exclusive Interview: A Holocaust survivor's escape to Manila

2008-05-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Escape to Manila: How 1,200 Jewish refugees eluded Hitler's death camp
PINOY Newsmagazine
March 2005

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Unbeknownst to many Filipinos and the world, the Philippines played a small but noteworthy role in saving over a thousand Jews from Adolf Hitler's death camps in Europe, in the years leading to World War II.

Despite the distance, religious and political barries, the Philippines rose to the occasion and showed its humanity by providing sanctuary to an oppressed people from Europe.

That important but obscure part of history, tucked away for decades by fading memories, could have been completely forgotten if not for a young eyewitness who lived to tell the tale. His name is Frank Ephraim of Chevy Chase Maryland. He is the author of the book, Escape to Manila.

"I always wanted to tell the story how we survived, and relate to the whole world how the Filipinos welcomed us with open arms," the 73-year old Ephraim said in an exclusive interview.

From Germany to Manila
It was 1939, the Nazis were at the height of its power in Germany and anti-Jewish sentiment was in full swing in Europe.

Ephraim recalled how as a young boy he was verbally abused and taunted by fellow Germans in the streets of Berlin, where he was born. At that time, the schools were segregated and he and his fellow Jewish schoolchildren were isolated by the government.

Sensing early enough, that the intense bigotry was making a dangerous turn, Ephraim's parents decided it was time to escape from their homeland and seek safer haven elsewhere.

The Ephraims, however, had limited option. Most of the world was turning its back on Jewish refugees. Even the United States government, in one instance, turned away a boat full of Jewish refugees, who had to return to Europe and eventually die in the hands of Hitler's army.

The Epharims were one of the few who escaped and survived. Ephraim's grandmother and uncle languished in Hitler's death camp in Poland. By the end of World War II, six million or about 72 percent of the Jewish population in Europe were exterminated.

How the Ephraims ended up in Manila was almost an unlikely story.

The Frieder brothers
By stroke of circumstance, four American brothers of Jewish origin were running a cigar factory in the Philippines. Heeding the call to duty, Philip, Alex, Morris and Herbert Frieder of Cincinnati, Ohio worked quietly to help the refugees.

The Frieders established a Jewish Refugee Committee, and with the help of their friends, including the US High Commissioner of the Philippines Paul V. McNutt and President Manuel Luis Quezon, they secured passports and visas for mostly German and Austrian Jews.

The Ephraim couple and their son, Frank were one of the lucky few to receive their visas. Their journey to the unknown began in earnest.

The evasive trip took the Ephraims from Berlin to Genoa, Italy where they boarded the ship Victoria. According to Frank, the ship was also filled with Jewish refugees headed for Shanghai in China, which took around 17,000 refugees. From Italy, the boat sailed to China, and continued its trip to Manila, arriving their on March 16, 1939.

"The Frieder brothers were just ordinary Jewish businessmen, but they went out of their way to save lives," Ephraim was quoted as saying in published interviews. "No one made them do it. They just did what they thought was right."

Documents dug by researches would later reveal that the Frieders had hope to bring as many as 10,000 refugees in Manila. But World War II intervened with their plans.

Life in Manila
It took some time for the Ephraims and other Jewish families to get settled in Manila. Eventually they blended in thanks in large part to the locals who embraced their presence.

Ephraim fondly recalled his childhood in Manila, his trips to the wet market, the jeepney rides and afternoons playing with friends by Manila Bay, along Roxas Boulevard.

For a few years, Ephraim studied at De La Salle University, while his father and mother worked as a salesman and secretary respectively.

Ephraim also said that they "freely worshipped" at their synagogue in the Malate district of Manila, where they also lived.

Japanese invasion
Then another nightmare took place when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. The Ephraims witnessed another horrific event in history, including the destruction of Manila at the conclusion of World War II.

But like the Nazi campaign in Europe, the Ephraims also survived the Japanese ordeal.

By telling his story, Ephraim said, he wants to honor the Frieder brothers, Commissioner McNutt, President Quezon and the Filipino people, for their "valiant efforts" in saving them. He also wanted to remind the world, not to repeat the terrible and painful part of history.

Exclusive Interview: Olympian Natalie Coughlin

2008-05-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

An Olympic moment with Fil-Am swimmer Natalie Coughlin

PINOY Newsmagazine
October 2004

By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Good things come to those who wait. But for Olympian Natalie Anne Aguillion Coughlin (pronounced COG-lin), winning five medals in Athens was more than just a waiting game. It required “very hard work”, determination and lots of grit to confront her misfortunes.

For this 21-year old Filipino-American swimming sensation, the path (or should we say the watercourse?) from her native Vallejo, California to the world stage, was like swimming against strong currents. But swim against all odds she did, on her way to collecting two golds, two silvers and a bronze in the recently-concluded Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

“The reality (of being an Olympic champion) hasn’t sunk in yet,” Natalie coyly admits, in an exclusive telephone interview. “I have yet to step back and really absorb everything that happened,” she said, adding that she has been very busy keeping up with overflowing requests for media interviews and school, which started soon after the Olympics. With five Olympic medals, it sure would take some time for her to absorb “reality.”

Sydney 2000
Her splash to the world stage was meant to take place in Sydney four years ago, but in early 1999, the then swimming prodigy tore her shoulder muscles due to intense practice, thus slowing down training.

“I was working very very hard. I wanted to be the best. But the intense training backfired,” Natalie recalled.

And backfire it did. She failed to make it to the 2000 US Olympic squad.

The 17-year old Natalie, then a freshman scholar at University of California in Berkeley, was “devastated.” “It was a terrible time for me. I was frustrated. I wanted to quit.”

Wanting to keep her university scholarship, Natalie persevered. And with the help of her coach, Teri McKeever, she was in fighting form again. Natalie credits McKeever for formulating a unique program for her, that would keep her in shape without straining her shoulders too much.

Not long after, she was setting new records again and collecting gold medals in international swimming events. In 2002, she set a new world record in her “best” event, the 100-meter backstroke, posting 59.58 seconds. It was the first time for a woman to break the 1-minute barrier. The record remains up to this day.

Another disappointment
Then, in 2003 at the World Championships in Barcelona, Natalie suffered another setback when she was hit by a viral infection. She finished 22nd in the backstroke, and lagged behind her closest world rivals in other events.

Later, she would tell The Australian newspaper that the incident was a blessing in disguise as “it took a lot of pressure off the Olympic year.”

Hello Athens
But Natalie was not about to give up on another Olympic moment. As a kid, she “dreamt of competing in the Olympics." Athens opened that opportunity for her to fulfill that dream.

Natalie did not only turn that dream into reality, she did it five times over, becoming only the sixth American woman to win five medals in a single Olympics.

“It was a bit tough because of high expectations. I have to deal with a lot of pressure,” she said. “But later, I just told myself that I’m going out there and do it for myself.” Developing camaraderie with her equally-famous teammates such as Jenny Thompson and Amanda Beard also helped ease the tension.

With her feat, Natalie’s name now sits alongside swimmers Dara Torres and Shirley Babashoff, gymnasts Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Miller and track star Marion Jones. No U.S. woman has ever won more than six medals in one games. How’s that for a first-time Olympian?

Family: A constant
Throughout her bumpy ride to Olympic stardom, Natalie referred to her parents, Jim and Zenny, her sister, and her extended Filipino family in California for their constant support.

“I have such a huge extended Filipino family. And you could just imagine when all of us get together,” Natalie said. “And yes, they are very proud of me.”

While talking about her family, Natalie could not help but mention, with a chuckle, her lola’s home-cooked lumpia [fried meat roll]. “She makes the best lumpia and I can always tell when it’s not my grandma who prepares it.” Natalie’s grandmother hails from the province of Cavite in the Philippines.

Sports Broadcasting
At present, Natalie is finishing her psychology degree at Berkeley. After graduation, she hopes to work as a sports broadcaster. Recently, she did broadcasting work for Fox Sports. She will also continue her training in the pool, paid for by her sponsor, Speedo.

Yes, Natalie is far from being finished. She hopes to compete again in Beijing in 2008. By that time, she will only be 25 years old and at the peak of her physical form.

To aspiring young Fil-Am athletes, Natalie has this to say: "Do it not because you are being forced to. It is important that you love and enjoy what you are doing. Then work hard to excel in it."

Exclusive Interview: Fil-Am cooks for Oprah

2008-05-03T02:17:00.001-07:00

This Filipino chef cooks for Oprah
PINOY Newsmagazine/Philippine News
October 2005

Text and Photo by Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- "I am not financially well-off, but I am rich in experience. So I want to give something back to our less fortunate countrymen," Chicago-based Filipino American chef Ron Bilaro says, speaking of his trip to the Philippines this November to help raise funds for the Gawad Kalinga (GK) project for the poor.

For the event, Ron will travel to Manila with his mentor Art Smith, private chef to Oprah Winfrey. Ron also cooks for the entertainment mogul as sous-chef to Smith. Smith, who has his own children's foundation, Common Threads, was inspired to team up with Ron, and visit the Philippines after learning of the latter's charity work.

After the White House has named Filipino American Cristeta Pasia Comerford as its executive chef, a sense of kinship among Pinoy chefs in the U.S.has been established.

One of those who emerged from anonymity is Ron Bilaro. He invited this reporter to his hip residence located near the heart of Wicker Park's yuppie village. Ron's digs, which offers a stunning view of the Chicago skyline, is surrounded by upscale restaurants, which he visits often to try out new tastes.

Chicago's FilAm community learned of Ron's high-flying culinary stint after Sharon Cuneta introduced him to the audience during her hit concert last May.

At his own stage -- the kitchen that is -- Ron has been earning raves from his well-heeled clients, which includes an old rich family and an international hotelier. As a personal chef to Chicago's corporate families, he whips up culinary concoctions that are delicious to the taste as
they are delightful to the sight. At the recently concluded Chicago Air Show, Ron was busy cooking for a corporate family whose guests include television producers and reporters.

In one of those private parties, he caught the fancy of author and celebrity chef Art Smith, who happens to be the private chef of Oprah. From there, the two forged a working relationship, such that whenever Art Smith needs some assistance, he calls on Ron.

Ron's Oprah gigs started in earnest. During Oprah's grand 50th birthday celebration, he flew from Chicago to Montecito, Californiato join a few more chefs in creating a menu worthy of the grand dame of American entertainment.

Since his fortuitous meeting with Art Smith, Ron has his share of "Oprah moments." However, he is prudent enough to protect his client's privacy. He only goes as far as describing her as "a wonderful person and very down-to-earth." She likes crispy quesadillas, and has not tried bagoong or kare-kare just yet.

The kid from Pasig
Despite his feat, Ron has remained grounded. During our first encounter after Sharon's concert, I asked if he still speaks Filipino and he quipped: "Gusto mo, tutula pa ako." (If you like I can even re- cite to you a Filipino poem.)

"What's nice with chef Ron, wherever he goes he's always proud to say he's a Filipino. And he knows, as a chef, he can contribute something worthwhile to his fellow humans," Panjee Gonzalez, the former Mrs. Gabby Lopez, was once quoted as saying.

Bilaro was born in Pasig to Rafael and Josefina Bilaro. His parents are now based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has one brother.

Ron finished high school at the Pasig Catholic College and went on to study at Letran and Maryknoll College (now Miriam). At the age of 19, he and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he lived for many years. He later joined United Airlines as a flight attendant, and ended up in the Windy City where the company is based. Ron loves to travel so working in the airline
business was a logical move. Still, his heart was yearning for something else.

"While working as a flight attendant, I always found myself in the galley plating food for first class and business class passengers. I told myself, 'I can do better than this,'" Ron recalled. "Becoming a chef was something that I always wanted to do."

"The 9/11 tragedy changed the dynamics of my career. Immediately, I decided to stop flying and went back to school to be a chef," he said. He enrolled at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago under Le Cordon Bleu. He graduated at the top of his class, after enduring many
penny-pinching months.

"Right before graduation, I got a break when a corporate family hired me to cook for them," he said.

To further boost his stock, he apprenticed as pastry chef at Rhapsody and trained under Chef Gene Kato. Being a pastry chef is something Ron really relishes because he enjoys the intricacy of preparing baked goods and creating chocolate desserts.

Eat healthy
Ron is putting together a cookbook and is only waiting for "the right time" to publish it. The book contains a line-up of cuisine that Ron has done for his top clients and a section on Philippine dishes.

I asked him why Pinoy cuisine has not quite captured the mainstream American market. He conceded that food presentation is still inadequate; even as he hastened to point out that the taste is as good as other ethnic fare. Ron was proud to say that he is experimenting on Filipino dishes like deep roast and desserts like jackfruit, introducing them to his mostly Western clients. He, however, admitted that many Filipino dishes are rich in fats and high in cholesterol, thus limiting his picks as his patrons "prefer or demand healthy food."

For Filipino families, how then can they enjoy the typical Filipino cuisine without sacrificing their diet? He said, they should learn how to "eat in portions" if they cannot give up altogether cholesterol-packed Pinoy meals.

"We also have this habit of eating too fast. That's not advisable. One should take time to enjoy the food. Eat lean meat instead, more fish, vegetables, fruits and other food with high fiber. The more colorful it is, the healthier," he said. "And get a lot of exercise." Now take that
from this gym-buffed chef.

Beyond his evident love for food, however, is Ron's passion "to help the less privileged back home." Last May, he learned about GK and its humanitarian activities. At once, Ron pledged his support to GK executive director Tony Meloto, and GK Chicago regional director Esok Adraneda.

While the Couples For Christ's GK project is focused on building houses for poor families through GK 777, other supplemental projects are carried out such as livelihood creation. That's where Ron wants to share his resources and ideas, by teaching food vendors to improve their trade and prepare dishes to draw more customers and generate bigger income.

Aside from GK, Ron has been involved with the Karangalan (Honor) Foundation, another Manila-based initiative, which promotes social change through positive values, such as initiative and social entrepreneurship.

That volunteer work earned him praises in Manila, and landed him television interviews including the ABS-CBN show, Private Conversations with Boy Abunda.

"I really wanted to help and inspire families to earn a decent living and be self-sufficient," he said.

Exclusive Interview: Fil-Am Cardiologist of Oprah Winfrey

2008-05-03T02:01:00.001-07:00

Heart-to-heart with Oprah’s cardiologist

PINOY Newsmagazine/
Inquirer.net/Philippine News
October 2005

Text and Photo By Ted Regencia

CHICAGO, IL – Because of “poor diet,” many Filipinos are vulnerable to heart disease, the number one killer in the United States.

Take that valuable words of caution from Dr. Annabelle Santos Volgman, one of the top cardiologists in the country. Volgman is the director of the Electrocardiography Services at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She also happens to be the cardiologist of TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

In an exclusive interview, the Marikina-born, New York-raised, medical practitioner laid out the scientific facts and enumerated crucial life-saving measures to protect one’s heart.

"Eighty percent of strokes and heart attacks are preventable,” Volgman declared. “And if more people knew that it's in their hands to prevent them, I think they will change their lifestyle."

For Filipino families, that change of lifestyle starts in the kitchen.

In her words, "Filipinos have terrible diet" because of food rich in cholesterol and salt. Cholesterol blocks the arteries and restricts normal blood flow in the body, while high concentration of salt induces high-blood pressure: A life-threatening, if not a killer combination.

"Avoid them altogether if you really want to avoid heart attacks and strokes,” she said.

For lechon-loving, Chinese buffet-raiding Filipino folks, that piece of advice may be hard to take. Sounds like an equivalent to solitary confinement or deportation. Volgman herself admitted that because it is a deeply-ingrained habit, that has become part of the culture, eating deliciously greasy and salty Filipino food is so hard to give up.

“But that is a choice that people have to make," she said.

Five major factors
Volgman said there are five major factors contributing to heart disease: Family history, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.

As in any other ethnic groups, those factors above may be present within the Filipino community; but because of the Filipino eating habits, the level of risk moves a notch higher. Other contributing factors include stress, obesity and lack of exercise.

"In order to prevent heart disease, you have to have a change in lifestyle,” she stressed.

Another essential part of that change is exercise. She said walking for, say, 30 minutes every day makes a lot of difference. Volgman practices what she preaches.

See a doctor
"If you cannot change your lifestyle, you need to see a physician who can put you on the right medication," Volgman said. "If they go to a doctor to check their cholesterol and blood pressure; and listen to their doctor to take medication or to decrease their salt
intake, it would make a huge difference. It will save their lives."

While heart attacks remain the number one killer in America, the actual number of cases has declined.

"People are much more aware of how to prevent them. There are also less cigarette smokers, although it remains a big problem," she said.

"There are also excellent medications. So a lot more people are having less heart attacks, because they are taking medications." However, she noted, that healthcare is also becoming expensive. And research is also becoming very expensive. On the bright side, she said, "we wouldn't be able to save a lot of lives if we hadn't done these research studies."

Listening to Dr. Volgman, it's apparent that medicine is her passion.

Solid academic background
As a young girl growing up in Marikina, she has always wanted to be a doctor. Moving to the U.S. at the age of 11 paved the way to achieving her dream.

Since elementary, Anabelle excelled in the academics. “I got the right genes from my mother, Purificacion, and father, Raymundo,” she proudly declared.

In 1984, she graduated from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.

“I remember when I went to New York. We lived in Washington Heights and we were passing by Columbia. I told my dad, ‘I like that place. I want to go there. And I did’.”

Following her graduation, then Dr. Santos had her medical training at the University of Chicago
Hospitals and Clinics for Internal Medicine Residency. For her Cardiology Fellowship Training, she went to Northwestern University Memorial Hospital. She eventually ended up at Rush University, where she also serves in the faculty as a professor in medicine.

While at Rush, she landed a very high profile patient, when a fellow Columbia University graduate, Elena Campbell, a gynecologist at Northwestern University Hospital referred to her, Oprah Winfrey.

“She was having some pre-menopausal palpitations and she was very concerned, so her gynecologist referred her to me,” Dr. Volgman said. That meeting was highly publicized by the mega-entertainer in her magazine O.

“She's an incredible woman. But it was also difficult because I have to remove the fact that she's this huge personality and just focus on the person,” Volgman recalled her first meeting with the superstar. “I think my office was more excited, while I’m the one with all the pressure and the stress.”

"She's doing all the right things and she work outs a lot," Volgman said of Oprah, declaring her as "very healthy."

Family first
Despite her level of achievement, Volgman remains unaffected by all the attention and the awards she gained through her profession. To her, her family remains the "first priority."

The doctor is married to Keith A. Volgman, a Chicago-based lawyer, and they have two children
Robert, 13 and Caroline, 9. Son Robert is part of the cast of "Carmen" at the Lyric Opera. The family lives in the upscale neighborhood of Lincoln Park in Chicago.

"My family always comes first," she said.

Exclusive Interview: Fil-Am White House Aide Susan Ralston

2008-05-03T00:31:00.000-07:00

A View from the West Wing
Pilipinas Magazine 2.0

By Ted Regencia

Washington, D.C. -- September 11, 2001, 6 a.m. The rest of United States was still in deep slumber while the other half of the world was getting ready for bed. But a few select men and women tasked to help run the most powerful country in the world, were already up and running in Washington D.C. By now the White House was buzzing with politics and policy, a daily staple there.

In one corner at the second floor of the West Wing, Fil-Am and Chicago native Susan Bonzon Ralston, was gearing up for the day’s events, sifting through the many documents piling up on her desk. That day, Ralston’s boss senior political aide Karl Rove was traveling with President Bush to Florida. Except for the president’s trip and First Lady Laura Bush’s appearance in Capitol Hill, that clear mid-summer day was expected to be just another ho-hum 24 hours for “Bush 43” West Wingers. Nothing prepared them for the approaching disaster that would turn their world upside down.

At around 8:45 a.m., hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC). Minutes later, the tragedy was flashed on TV screens. Ralston, her monitor tuned-in to Fox, was one of the firsts to witness it. Immediately, she alerted Rove by phone, giving him a blow-by-blow account of the air mishap. Ralston, however, observed how strange the circumstances behind the incident were. As she continues to chat with Rove, a second hijacked airliner struck the South Tower. Right there and then, she knew it was no coincidence. America was under siege.

All hell broke loose.

“This could not be real,” Ralston recalled as telling a colleague. But it was a real West Wing moment not even an NBC series of the same name can closely approximate. Suddenly she was tossed into the eye of the storm. In one blink, this mid-level Filipino American in the White House became a reluctant eyewitness to the unfolding of history.

Rove Deputy
As one of the deputies of Rove, arguably the closest and most influential aide to Bush, Ralston is assigned to coordinate public events involving the POTUS (President Of The United States). She is also involved with the long-term strategy and planning of Bush’s schedule and travels, including one the president made to the Philippines recently.

As a close and trusted aide to Rove, Ralston is designated of late, as a White House liaison to the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign, a first for a Filipino. It is “not unusual” then that she confers with senior government officials on a regular basis. But on that fateful day of September, her role took on a more profound significance.

As soon as it was determined that the twin incidents in New York were perpetrated by terrorists, then New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New York Governor George Pataki scrambled to get on the phone with the president. They quickly made contact with Ralston’s office, which maintains a secure and direct line to Rove and President Bush. During these very tense moments, Ralston managed to keep her cool as she helped orchestrate the powwow between the highest officials of the land.

Even as she was fulfilling her responsibility to her country, Ralston also made sure she’s in constant communication with her family: Her mom and dad in Wilmette, Illinois and her husband at their Woodridge residence, 30 miles from D.C. “My husband, while anxious, assured me that I would be out of harm's way. New York is a safe distance from Washington.” Little did they know that at that very instance two more planes were barreling towards the capital, ready to hit its targets.

D.C. Under Siege
Indeed, at 9:43 a.m., one of the planes carrying 58 passengers and six crew members crashed into the Pentagon killing another 125 personnel inside the fortress of the Defense Department, just a few miles away from the presidential residence. It was now very clear: Nobody was safe anymore. With one more plane still unaccounted for and with reports saying that it was headed for the White House or the Capitol, the Secret Service concluded it’s time to evacuate.

The Secret Service first rushed Vice President Dick Cheney into a secured underground facility into the belly of the White House, while the rest including Ralston were hastily ushered into the mess hall, which is below ground level. “It was a very eerie scene. Everyone was very silent and tense,” Ralston said. And it was not the end of it. Only a little later, they were ordered out of the White House compound. “We were told to run as fast as we could.”

Outside, everything became even more incomprehensible. “It was total chaos.” Like many, Ralston was cut off from the world. Phone lines were not working. Cell phones were jammed. Rumors spread that the Capitol was on fire and that Camp David, the president’s summer and weekend hideaway was under attack. All Ralston could hear are the sonic booms and the whizzing of fighter jets searching for hostile crafts. It was Independence Day: The Movie minus the extraterrestrial invaders. The fog of war has descended over D.C.

It was only much later, when Ralston re-established communication with Rove who was in an undisclosed location with President Bush. She also learned of the horrifying collapse of the Twin Towers in New York, which killed thousands of innocent civilians, and the crash of a fourth plane in Pennsylvania.

As bedlam ensued, Ralston found herself wading through the crowd. She and hundreds of others were stuck near a bridge connecting D.C. and Virginia. Since she carpooled that morning, she was left with no choice but to do some hitchhiking. Albeit exhausted, Ralston realized on her walk home how the event transformed people. Complete strangers approached each other and even offered help. One motorist drove up to her and gave her a ride to the other side of the bridge, where she was reunited with her husband. She made it home at 2:30 p.m. Amidst the demonstration of hate and terror, some “rare” and beautiful things happened along the way that day, Ralston recalled.

Later in the afternoon, the president returned to the White House to address the country and the world.

Chicago native
In an interview last Fall, I asked her if her 9/11 experience two years ago made her wish she was doing something else instead of working at the White House. This Fil-Am pride’s reply was, it only strengthened her "resolve" to serve her country even better. Now this daughter of two Filipino doctors from Quezon City in Metro Manila is ruling her West Wing desk, thirteen to fourteen hours a day, Monday to Friday, and on-call on weekends.

It’s not all work though, for this summa cum laude graduate of Chicago’s Loyola University. On weekends, away from the political chit-chat and Bush-bashing in Washington D.C., she manages to do some round of golf and running with her husband. Or reading at home. This homebody’s latest read is the controversial, The Da Vinci Code, a book, which re-examines the role of Mary Magdalene in the life of Jesus Christ.

So what makes this Asian woman stand out in her world populated by Republicans? Determination and hard work. That she is a brilliant head-turner doesn’t harm. Ralston also credits her Filipino character – being warm and hospitable – as part of her charm. On her trip to Manila to coordinate Bush’s state visit, she also wowed her kababayans with her confidence and wit that landed her on the front-page of the widely-circulated national daily, Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Still, the question begs to be asked, why Republican? And why George W. Bush, the favorite target of anti-Iraq War opponents? To the first, she highlighted the Grand Old Party’s “conservative and family-oriented policies”, its anti-tax plank, its health care plan, its pro-life stance and its emphasis on “ownership society.” However, the Republican’s stand on one important issue dear to Filipinos, immigration, remains iffy at best. On the issue of Bush’s cowboy tendencies in dealing with world problems, Ralston said, “you don’t have to agree with every policy” the president makes, even as she emphasized that he is “a decisive president,” a man “full of integrity” and “down to earth.”

Ralston is equally protective of her boss Karl Rove’s reputation. On the claim that Karl Rove is the “real brain” of the second Bush White House, she said, “the president is a strong leader and he makes his own decisions. Karl is there to provide good advice. They are good friends.” “Karl is always portrayed as Machiavellian, but he is not all that.”

But whatever politics, an individual has, Ralston stressed, serving the public is an honorable profession. She encouraged young people from the minority population, especially Filipino-Americans to consider government as a career path. “We don’t have a lot of Asian people in politics. So go out and study government and politics, ” Susan Bonzon-Ralston.

2004 Republican Convention Coverage

2008-05-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Fil-Am voice remains in the sidelines

PINOY Newsmagazine
November 2004 Issue

Text and Photos by Ted Regencia

New York, NY -- As the Republican Party nominates President George W. Bush for a second term, issues being advocated by Filipino-Americans remain in the sidelines, with the attention focus on terrorism, national security, the economy and health reforms.

In his acceptance speech September 2 at the Madison Square Garden, President Bush made no mention of immigration, one of the major concerns of Filipino-American voters. This, even as he aggressively courts the largest immigrant group, the Hispanics, with specific and targeted proposals.

The immigration issue aside, the Filipino-American community's other major concern: Full recognition of Filipino American World War II veterans, was also unheard of at the convention floor.

Further complicating efforts to advance its causes is the almost absent representation of the Filipino-American community in the Grand Old Party's (GOP) convention delegates. Of the 2,509 delegates, only 104 or two percent are Asians with an undetermined number of Filipino Americans. This despite statistics showing the 2-million plus Filipino American community is the second largest Asian group in the US.

It should be noted, however, that this year, minorities make up 17 percent of total delegates as compared to 10 percent in 2000. "(This is) the most diverse group of delegates in our party's history," Republican National Chairman Ed Gillespie said in the GOP website.

Two Fil-Ams
Of the few Filipino American delegates, PINOY interviewed two, and both did not mention immigration or equity for Fil-Am veterans as among their top concerns.

Filipino American Mark Ellis, one of the delegates from the state of Maine, said it's Mr. Bush's stand "on tax cuts and the economy" that he was most passionate to hear about. Ellis, a computer expert, was born in the Philippines.

The 43-year old Ellis from Augusta, Maine played a major role in the Republican Party as one of the 110-member platform-writing team. He was involved in the aspects of the platform that dealt with terrorism and homeland security.

Another Filipino American delegate from Hawaii, Vivian Welsh Aiona, stressed homeland security, education and family values, as among her concerns. Aiona was not disappointed when Bush addressed her three concerns during his acceptance speech.

"This is my first time to attend a Republican National Convention and I am really very excited. My kids are also very excited," added Aiona, wife of Hawaii Lt. Gov. James Aiona and mother to Makana, Ohulani, Kulia and Kaimilani. She traces her roots in Cebu, the province and birthplace of her mother.

When pressed on her stand on immigration and undocumented immigrants, Aiona said "immigration laws need to be fixed" and that she favors faster process of "family reunification.�" She did not elaborate.

Thorny issue
Meanwhile, Susan Fischer, a Republican delegate from Texas told PINOY that undocumented immigrants should be sent back to their respective countries.

Nancy Acevedo, a Florida delegate of Hispanic descent was more conciliatory. She said Republican leaders in Congress need to "fix the problem", given the reality that thousands cross the US border from Latin American every year.

When asked what problems in immigration need fixing, Acevedo said that it is up to the legislators to determine it.

Immigration is a thorny issue for both the Republican and the Democratic Party. According to published reports, a slight majority of Republican delegates, 52%, think legal immigration into the US should be kept at its present level. A similar number of Democratic delegates said so in July. But Republican delegates are more likely than their Democratic counterparts to want decreased immigration: by a two-to-one margin, Republican delegates say immigration level should be decreased, while the Democratic delegates said immigration should be increased by 23% to 14%.

Nationally, voters of both parties want to see decreased legal immigration, with 53% of Republican voters and 48% of Democratic voters saying so.

Pinoy New Yorkers
While Republican faithfuls carried on with their four-day affair inside Madison Square Garden, life went on in the streets of New York.

At Union Square, Anita, a middle-aged caregiver from the Philippine island of Cebu, and long-time resident of Queens, was enjoying her late lunch while people-watching.

Asked about the upcoming presidential elections, Anita casually commented in her native Cebuano that Bush "would probably win re-election, because the wife of John Kerry (Teresa Heinz-Kerry) does not look like a first lady."

Anita would also relate her "harrowing" experience during 9/11 when she had to walk for five hours to get home; and the 2003 Blackout, when she was trapped in the subway.

At the other side of Union Square, Stephanie Valera, a Fil-Am graduate of New York University, was busy chatting with her friends. They have just witnessed an open-air exhibit dubbed Eyes Wide Open featuring hundreds of combat boots representing the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq. One pair of boots was labelled: Spec. Solomon Bangayan, Vermont. Bangayan, originally of Sudipen, La Union, Philippines was killed in Iraq last January 2, 2004.

"He is universally hated here," Valera said, never mincing her words in criticizing President Bush and his decision to go to war in Iraq.

Earlier, another Filipina, artist June Pascal, formerly of Quezon City, chanced upon this reporter at Station 96 of the R subway. The conversation immediately turned to politics, with her expressing her "disgust" towards the Republicans. "I hate them. I hate them. That's why I am moving out of here," she she before announcing that she is moving to the Dominican Republic.

Still, another Filpino-American from Vigan, Ilocos Sur said he "does not want to get involved in or comment about politics."

Fifth Avenue corporate office workers David and Jade Zapanta, on the other hand, were taking the temporary Republican onslaught in New York with calm demeanor. Both are supporting Bush's opponent, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

Bush ahead among Pinoys
Filipino American supporters of Kerry, however, may be disappointed to learn of the survey showing majority of their kababayans (countrymen) are voting for Bush.

According to the New California Media, which conducted the survey for the Republican Tarrance Group and the Democratic Bendixen & Associates, 56 percent of Filipino Americans back President Bush.

Overall the nationwide poll of 1,004 Asian Pacific and Islander Americans "likely to vote" on November 2, shows Kerry leading Bush 43-36. Filipino Americans composed 19 percent of the total polled.

The NCM poll projects 2.9 million Asian Americans, out of the estimated 3.5 million registered voters, will go out and vote in November.

Obama will face off with his Republican opponent Alan Keyes in the November 2, 2004 election. Many polls suggest he will win by a large margin.

Obama, a law graduate of Harvard University and the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, rose to national prominence after delivering a speech July 27 at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

"It was a great honor to be able to speak to the nation. I am very flattered," Obama said of his moment at the podium.

Of his natural charm, Obama attributed his multi-ethnic background as a great influence for his ability to embrace different cultures and respect people.

Obama also related how he first became a community organizer in the Southside of Chicago, a civil rights lawyer and coordinator of Project Vote, which helped elect President Bill Clinton in 1992, and his experience as a state senator.

Even before his election to the US Senate, people across the US and more especially the media, are already talking about his presidential prospects. They suggest that he could be the first African-American to become president of the US.

But Barack Obama only has this to say: "It is not something I take seriously. At this point, I am working to win this Senate contest and serve all the people of the State of Illinois."

Exclusive Interview: Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama

2008-03-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

Obama reaches out to Filipino-American voters

PINOY Newsmagazine
September 2004

Text and Photo By Ted Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Discounting not a single vote in his historic bid for a seat in the United States Senate, State Senator Barack Obama reached out to the Filipino-American community in Illinois, and extended to them his "message of hope."

In an exclusive telephone interview with this reporter, Obama highlighted his progressive immigration policy, which seeks to give a "path to citizenship" to long-time undocumented residents. This, provided that they "obeyed the laws of the United States and paid the proper taxes."

"Obviously after 9/11, there were changes that we had to impose to secure our borders. At the same time, we have to recognize that the United States is a country of immigrants. The continuing influx of new immigrants, the new energy and ideas that they bring, that's what makes this country even more dynamic," Obama said.

Obama said that he also wants to "speed up the immigration process", allowing families who are now based in the U.S. to bring their loved ones here.

Liberal ideas
While acknowledging that many Filipino-American voters do not agree with his liberal views on social issues such as abortion and gay marriage, Obama pointed out that many of the issues that he is fighting for could directly benefit them and their children.

"I always believe that labels don't mean a lot to most people. You just have to show to them that they can trust you to fight for the things that they care about such as the delivery of healthcare, good education for their children, and creation of jobs," he said.

"Ultimately, what the average guy on the street cares about is, how to pay the bills, save for his kid's college education. That's what really matters to voters," Obama added.

"I also believe that people should be rewarded for their hard work and I know that Filipinos are hard-working people," he said, noting that he personally knows of a Filipina who once served as a nanny to a relative.

As a young man who grew up in Hawaii, Obama also said he had good memories of his encounters with many Filipinos there.

Veterans issue
On the veterans issue, Obama admitted that he is "not familiar" with the events that led to the Recission Act of 1946, which stripped Filipino World War II veterans of their full benefits as active US servicemen.

"But this I can say: Any man or woman who serve his or her country must be properly honored and cared," he stated.

As a Commonwealth nation from 1934 to 1946, the Philippines' Armed Forces were under the jurisdiction of the United States. It was then US President Franklin Roosevelt who ordered the Filipino soldiers to fight, alongside Americans, the invading Japanese forces.

Face-off with Keyes
Obama will face off with his Republican opponent Alan Keyes in the November 2, 2004 election. Many polls suggest he will win by a large margin.

Obama, a law graduate of Harvard University and the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, rose to national prominence after delivering a speech July 27 at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

"It was a great honor to be able to speak to the nation. I am very flattered," Obama said of his moment at the podium.

Of his natural charm, Obama attributed his multi-ethnic background as a great influence for his ability to embrace different cultures and respect people.

Obama also related how he first became a community organizer in the Southside of Chicago, a civil rights lawyer and coordinator of Project Vote, which helped elect President Bill Clinton in 1992, and his experience as a state senator.

Even before his election to the US Senate, people across the US and more especially the media, are already talking about his presidential prospects. They suggest that he could be the first African-American to become president of the US.

But Barack Obama only has this to say: "It is not something I take seriously. At this point, I am working to win this Senate contest and serve all the people of the State of Illinois."

World's largest aquarium features treasures of Apo Island

2008-03-29T01:28:00.000-07:00

Island in the Philippines is star of Shedd Aquarium's multi-million project
PINOY Newsmagazine
May 2003

By Ted Regencia

After eight long years of planning, research and construction, the world's largest aquarium located in Chicago solidified its status, as its unveils a new gigantic wing featuring the marine treasures of Apo Island in Negros Oriental, Philippines.

On April 15, Shedd Aquarium officially opened Wild Reef, a $47-million underwater habitat teeming with sharks, corals, eels, rays and even lobsters.

The permanent exhibit is a recreation of Apo Island's coral reef ecosystem, dubbed by serious diving enthusiasts as one of the best diving spots in the world.

"Wild Reef is Chicago history in the making, and it's one of the most exciting things to happen at Shedd," Shedd President and CEO Ted Beattie declared.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley extolled the project as a "great example of cooperation" between the community and the Chicago business institutions supporting the project. He also hailed Shedd for its effort to raise awareness in protecting the environment.

Meanwhile, Philippine Consul General to Chicago Emelinda Lee Pineda dubbed the project as a "great pride" to the 180,000 Filipino Americans in Chicago, and the rest of the Filipino community in the US and the Philippines.

Sharks and corals
Playing the leading role in the exhibit are the 25 to 30 sharks. Visitors are ushered 20 feet underground to experience a diver's eye-view of these predators - from Japanese wobbegongs to blacktip and whitetip reef sharks - showing off their style and stealth inside the 400,000 gallon tank.

"Sharks are the most efficient killers in the ocean," explained Bert Vescolani, Shedd's Vice President for aquarium collections and education. However, he noted, these predators are often misunderstood, thus leading to their unabated slaughter. With the new exhibit, Shedd hopes to educate visitors and highlight the need to protect the sharks, Vescolani stressed.

As visitors enjoy the spectacle, they will also hear the simulated sea waves crashing against the huge boulders re-created as close to the original in Apo Island.

Sharing the sharks' billing are the corals. These corals are patterned after Apo's rich and diverse marine environment. Much of the display, however, comes from Shedd's own propagation program. With each passing year, these corals are expected to thrive in a "competitive reef ecosystem" much like that of the Apo marine sanctuary.

Conservation
Beyond the spectacle and the entertainment value of the exhibit, Shedd hopes to bring about a positive change through education and conservation.

For instance, the exhibits call attention to the destructive fishing practices like blast fishing that kills corals and the wildlife that lives in them. Shedd officials stress that raising awareness about the need to conserve coral reefs and its entire ecosystem is a "critical mission" of the project.

Since the day Shedd Aquarium opened its doors 73 years ago, it has been educating its visitors about the environment, and the many ways to protect and conserve it. The Wild Reef exhibit amplifies this thrust. Through the exhibit, visitors will learn more about "the circle of life" and the crucial role of the community in protecting the environment.

Where it all started
It all started in the island of Apo, a 72-hectare volcanic rock located just south of Dumaguete, capital city of Negros Oriental in the Philippines.

Alarmed by the improper practices of fishermen there, scientists led by Standford University-educated biologist, Dr. Angel Alcala the community to adopt new fishing techniques. With the help of world-renowned marine biologists from Silliman Univesity, island residents who depend on the sea for livelihood started a coral reef conservation program in 1978.

The community initially resisted the idea. By working with the residents, however, Alcala eventually convinced them, and the community gradually embraced the concept as they continue to see improvements in their catch. Eventually, they organized themselves to police the marine sanctuary and protect the area from outsiders.

Today, the island is already a protected sanctuary. Its success did not go unnoticed. Professional and amateur divers from around the word raved about Apo Reef, saying it easily rivals Tubbataha Reef in Palawan, and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

For his role in the sustainable development of Apo and other outstanding environment achievements, Dr. Alcala was awarded the 1992 Ramon Magsaysay Award and Chicago Field Museum's 1994 Founders' Council Award. In December 1997, Apo was aptly rewarded when the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research cited the community as the "Best Managed Reef."

More than the material reward, residents are basking with pride for their efforts even as they are living a simple and unsophisticated lifestyle. They are also enjoying abundant and steady harvest.

It was in the 1990s when experts from Shedd Aquarium took notice of the highly successful project. Bert Vescolani explained that throughout their study in the Philippines, Apo stood out. Vescolani, and a colleague Bryan Schuetze, traveled to the island and both attested to the islanders' warm hospitality and the magnificence of its marine sanctuary.

Following intense discussion with Silliman University scientists, and the community, Shedd experts recommended Apo as a model of its Wild Reef project. And the rest is history.

Special Report: Healthcare in America and the Filipino caregivers

2008-03-29T00:47:00.000-07:00

U.S. health care crisis fuels Pinoys' American dream

Special to abs-cbnNEWS.com
September 02, 2002

By Ted A. Regencia

Chicago, IL -- Lisa, 25, is a computer engineer from Mindanao. Desperate for a job, she left the Philippines for the United States in 1999. Three years of hard work and loneliness have paid off. She now drives her own car and leads a comfortable life in a Chicago suburb.

DJ, Lisa's cousin, is also an engineer. Lured by the promise of pay in greenbacks, he gave up his 10-year-old job in Makati to pursue his American dream. As a reward, he was able to finance the repair of his parents' house in their provincial hometown, send money to his relatives and save enough for his and his wife's first born that is due in November.

Lisa and DJ are making money not because they are engineers. Both are caregivers, a job they never imagined doing while they were still in college back in the Philippines.

"I was confronted with reality. There was no engineering job waiting for me in the United States, so I grabbed at every opportunity that was available," Lisa said. "The chance to work as a caregiver came, so I grabbed it."

A crisis in the American health care system opened a window of opportunity to many Filipinos.

Over the past 10 years, the United States has been facing a shortage of trained professionals who can take care of the sick and the elderly. At least 125,000 caregivers are needed all over the United States. So serious is the situation that the shortage of personnel has been partly blamed for 24 percent of hospital errors that kill or injure patients.

Officials warned that if the current trend continues, the U.S. would face a shortage of half a million nurses by 2020. With an estimated 16 million aging Americans needing long-term care by 2030, the problem is expected to escalate.

American nurses have shied away from the health care profession despite the high pay. Enrollment in U.S. nursing schools dropped by 13 % between 1995 and 1999, reports said.

The situation is not getting any better. In California, for instance, around 20 % of more than 200,000 nursing jobs are vacant. The states of Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas are also facing the same problem.

Underscoring the urgency to solve the shortage, U.S. President George W. Bush signed a bill giving incentives to Americans who train and work as caregivers.

Due to the shortage, health care industry executives are forced to adopt "unconventional" recruitment methods. People who do not have the experience but who are willing to do the "dirty job" have been recruited from various countries, especially the Philippines. People like Lisa and DJ.

Health care is a multibillion-dollar American industry. In 1995 alone, spending for long-term care for the elderly reached almost $91 billion, according to a 1998 U.S. Senate report.

A regular caregiver, who takes care of one patient either in a hospital or at home, can earn at least $3,000 a month. The compensation is hard to refuse. A lot of Filipinos -- teachers and bankers, among them -- opted to change gears and work as caregivers in the past years.

"Had I remained a seaman, I would have been one rank away from becoming a captain," said Jun, who used to work in an oceangoing freighter. "But look at me now, I am steering the wheelchair of an old American."

Filipino nurses are lucky. Hospitals and nursing homes across the U.S. are scurrying to get Filipinos. Competing hospitals even resort to pirating Filipino nurses, offering them as much as $15,000 as sign-in bonus, housing and even subsidized education for their children.

Recruiters travel to the Philippines to sign up nurses and nursing aids. These day, Manila dailies are full of advertisements promising perks for Filipino nurses who decide to work in the U.S. Ironically, the recruitment emptied many local hospitals, shifting the shortage of nurses to the Philippines.

"They want to get us because Filipinos are really dependable and hard-working," said Joy, a certified nurse from Iligan City who is waiting for her papers that would certify her as an immigrant.

"Filipinos are sought after because of their fluency in English and their standard of education. We are also very compassionate to our patients and we don't complain a lot," Joy said.

Lisa, DJ and Jun, however, are not nurses. But even as they are not capable of carrying out various medical procedures, they provide competent help by giving patients a bath, feeding them and changing their diapers.

When patients require someone to stay with them at home, caregivers are assigned because there are not enough nurses. People like Lisa, DJ and Jun are required to undergo a four- to five-week training before they can become certified nursing assistants.

"Here in the U.S., if you only work hard you would earn enough," Lisa said. However, she admitted that is not easy to work as a caregiver with the verbal, and even physical, abuses she suffers from patients.

"It's really hard and sometimes it is degrading," she said. "If I already earn enough, I am definitely going home. Even if I'd be eating camote and bagoong, at least I will be home with my family."

For now, however, Lisa is staying in the United States, "working my butt off" for more money to be sent home to the Philippines.