CBS TV Channel 2 cameras were recently in front the Jose Rizal Heritage Center (Rizal Center) at 1332 Irving Park Road in Chicago filming the network’s investigative reporter, Pam Zekman, doing a story on a caregiver who allegedly bilked her aged patient of well over $500,000.

Zekman called it “one of the worst cases ever handled by the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office — the case of a man suffering from severe dementia.”

The Pinay involved in the case is Carmelita Pasamba, a certified nurse assistant who was hired to take care of Marshall Davies who was told by his doctor that he needed a full-time caretaker when he was discharged at St. Joseph Hospital in 2008.

Assistant public guardian James Burton said that his office is now trying to recover the money “stolen” from the 93-year old man.  He said, “Mr. Davies was extremely vulnerable…And so he was the perfect prey.”

It is indeed a disturbing case that has caused a negative ripple effect on the integrity of our medical professionals and to the reputation of the Filipino American community.

What has happened in the past two and a half years?  It is basically stated in the case which is docketed for a hearing in a Cook County court on April 26, and was summarized in the CBS report which follows:

First,  Pasamba brought Davies to the Filipino American Council to get legal help from Alfonso Bascos, a council board member and attorney who has offices there.

The Public Guardian’s office says Bascos prepared a new will and trust agreement for Davies giving $20,000 to various social service agencies affiliated with the Filipino American Council (FACC) and giving Pasamba and her family a total of $175,000 upon Davies’ death.

Bascos also prepared a power of attorney giving Pasamba authority to handle Davies’ financial affairs, including making withdrawals and writing checks from Davies’ bank account.

Records obtained by the Public Guardian’s Office show Pasamba used Davies’ money to make a $10,000 down payment on a new $50,000 Mercedes. She also wrote checks for thousands of dollars to pay for her daughter’s tuition and to finance her son’s dance studio.

Her sister, Jocelyn Baker, also worked as caretaker for Davies. Over and above her caretaker salary, she got more than $20,000 she used to remodel her apartment and buy furnishings.

And after Carmelita Pasamba helped Davies sell his condo for $189,000, she gave herself a $50,000 “bonus” from the proceeds, Burton says. She also withdrew $50,000 from his bank account on three other occasions.

“I call it theft — that’s what it is,” Burton says. “We tend to be jaded sometimes because we see this type of stuff all the time, but this one takes the cake…Essentially Mr. Davies was their own personal ATM machine.”

The Public Guardian’s Office is planning to sue everyone involved in this case to try and get back some of Davies’ retirement money.

This brings us back to why the CBS cameras are at Rizal Center.

The Filipino American Council of Chicago, which allegedly was the recipient of $20,000 from Mr. Davies, owns and manages Rizal Center where it holds offices and its activities since its acquisition of the building in 1974.  Mr. Bascos had been its president for two non-consecutive terms to a total of eight years. He conducts his legal practice there in exchange for his “pro bono” legal work he is doing for the FACC.

The FAAC, which used to be the most powerful  Filipino federation in the Chicago area, has lost most of its influence in the affairs of the greater Filipino American community. Many attribute its dwindling membership generally to petty politics and particularly to Mr. Bascos whose critics call him “untrustworthy” and “power hungry.”

During the marking of the martyrdom of the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, last December 30, one of the pioneers of the FACC, Eliodore “Ely” Faypon, in his speech before the members of the Knights of Rizal, lambasted the FACC leadership  for their exclusionary attitude and lack of vision which he claimed to be primarily the reason for the sad state of the organization.

There is no indication that the FACC is distancing itself with Mr. Bascos or if the amount involved will be returned to Mr. Davies.  (PINOY tried to solicit the comment of its president Rene Abella but we did get any up to the time we went to press.)

Next month brings to a conclusion the sesquicentennial celebration of Dr. Jose Rizal’s birthday.  The ideals and noble dreams of the Philippine National Hero certainly are pushed under the dark clouds of this tragic case where the “memorial building” named after him became the prop of the CBS investigative report.

The leaders of the FACC should recalibrate the group’s moral compass.  They have to shore up the eroding moral foundation of this 50-year old federation, if it must be true to its original goals. If the leaders do not have the moral courage to do the right thing—the least they can do is to drop the name of Dr. Jose Rizal from the FACC building as we wind down our celebration of the National Hero’s 150th birthday.
***
(On the matter of the Davies Case–Pam Zekman warns:  To prevent this from happening to you or a loved one, experts say you should hire an attorney who specializes in estate planning and make your wishes for your care and finances known in writing. And always hire caretakers from licensed agencies.

The Illinois Department of Aging has more information on the warning signs of financial exploitation of a senior on its website.

To report a possible case of elder financial abuse, you can also call the agency’s hotline: 1 (866) 800-1409.

In Cook County, you can call the Cook County Public Guardian’s office at (312) 603-0800.) •

By Mariano Santos

The 2012 elections shift to high gear this month with the Super Tuesday primaries being held March 6 and Illinois’ own primary happening on March 20. What is at stake for the Filipino Americans in these events?

Plenty—if only we’re  aware of it.  It is common knowledge that many Filipino Americans chose to be bystanders when it comes to this particular civic duty –that of participating in the electoral processes.  Their lackadaisical attitude stems from the lack of political consciousness.

The importance of being a registered voter who casts his vote regularly cannot be overemphasized. The right of suffrage is one of the enduring  pillars of a sound democratic system. The quality of leadership in our elected officials ultimately lies in the hands of a vigilant citizenry.

Filipino Americans often boast of their growing numbers.  But the fact that many do not bother to register and vote makes it doubly sad for ourselves and for this adopted country of ours. We also boast that most of us are in the middle class category in this nation’s economic strata. That means we are a rich source of taxes—the income needed to make the government functional.

Thus, if that great number of our community members chooses to forego its valuable right to vote, we also give up the essential right to participate in electing officials who are strong leaders as well as fiscally responsible and responsive to the needs of their constituents.

In Illinois, for instance, Filipino Americans are struggling to elect candidates above the village level—this despite the fact that this state ranks third in the largest number of Filipino Americans—next only to Hawaii and California—two states that elected outstanding leaders of Filipino ancestry to high government positions.

Of course, political power of a community starts with massive voter registration and casting votes on election day.  It also involves active participation in town hall meetings, helping in political campaigns, donating time, money and talents to elect qualified candidates—yes– even making oneself available to run in elections.

In matters of important issues that directly affect our particular ethnic group—the more is the importance of the above-mentioned activities.

Take the move to allot equitable benefits to our aging Filipino American veterans who fought in World War II under the American flag. A dedicated few spent almost two decades to have the US government recognize the service of these soldiers.  Even then it was just a paltry amount of benefits that piggy-backed in President Obama’s Omnibus Bill in early 2008 that we were able to get as a concession for our war heroes.

Those who worked hard for this initiative greatly attribute the protracted fight and the small victory to the sad reality that Filipino Americans are not organized as a powerful voting bloc. Nearly 30 years ago when then Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne was asked why she seemingly ignored the Filipino Americans in her campaign—she snappily replied that Filipinos do not vote. Not much progress has been done on this problem since then.

Again, in the last two years, concerned individuals in our community are in the thick of a letter-writing campaign to members of the US Congress in support of “Save Our Industries.”  The bill is a limited trade agreement wherein the US exports top-of-the-line textile to the Philippines where Filipino workers will use it to make apparels to be exported back to the US. The end users will be shoppers in places like the Magnificent Mile along North Michigan Ave.

It is a win-win arrangement.  Jobs will be saved here as well as in the Philippines where thousands of workers were laid off because of unfair trade practices of countries like China.  But the “Save Act” bill did not go beyond committee hearings. In Illinois, some 5000 letters of petition were sent to US legislators but only won three congressmen promising support for the bill.

Despite the frustration on the failure of the “Save Our Industries Act” to pass in US Congress, well-intentioned Filipino Americans again venture to start another ambitious campaign—“The Medicare Portability Act.”   Its aim is to make Medicare available to US workers who retire in the Philippines.
Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam) is slated to introduce the bill in the current session of Congress. Aside from these two bills, there is another move to have US Congress honor the Filipino Americans who served in World War II with a Congressional Medal of Honor.  Then there is also the Dream Act –that would permit brilliant students who are undocumented to stay in the US as legal residents.

All these initiatives have substantial benefits not only for our particular community but also to this nation as well.  As argued by the proponent of the “Medicare Portability Bill”—cost of medical treatment in the Philippines is far less than it is here.

On the “Save Act”—who doesn’t want to save or even create jobs in this economic downturn?  “Dream Act” will provide brilliant and innovative minds for the US labor pool for this country to remain competitive and productive.

Why is it so easy for US elected leaders to put our concerns on the back-burner?

But at the end of the day, the question should be posed to us, instead—what have you given to make you worthy of the US leaders’ support?   We can argue, the answer is a lot.  We brought our expertise.  We paid our taxes.

But we need also to offer the answer that we also gave what is expected of us as dutiful citizens of the United States of America. The answer is a simple as –we took time to register and vote—as one caring community.  If we achieved that, that will be a fount of our strength in negotiating concession for our concerns. In other words—it’s all about give and take.

Editor’s note: This is the editorial of the premier issue of PINOY published in February 2000. We are reprinting it on our 12th anniversary as a covenant with our readers and to the commitment for what PINOY stands for.

The decision to come out with another publication is greeted with considerable enthusiasm by people who truly believe the community deserves a press forum that truly reflects the aspirations and concerns of our growing community.

There are some who cast doubts on the long-term survival of this kind of publication. They seem to say: Embrace pocketbook journalism if you want to be around longer. Charge thousands for your stories without disclosing it properly to the reading public. (In short be pimps and prostitutes and pass yourselves as journalists?)

Is that really the smart way? If it is, why not just be pimps and prostitutes. The money is easier and better.

But then some like to play games. Power play. The fourth estate, as the press is sometimes called, has a vital role in a democracy. The press has power. Others see this as a pass to con people. They take it as a license to steal and to defraud the unsuspecting public.

PINOY takes the challenge to change things for the better. It is our great respect for the members of our community that prods us to take the risk of conducting this business the correct way. We owe it to them. The bringing of vital information should be attuned to the broader and important needs of our growing community.

PINOY believes in the ability of our people to bring out their collective excellence so their work and their involvement benefit the many, especially those still in need. PINOY takes on that added dimension of harnessing our rich cultural and religious heritage so it can be useful in building a bright future for ourselves and for our children.

The press must be a vital tool in bringing out the truth. PINOY wants to be a light that will illuminate the dark path of narrow self-interest and to make us effective people in all our involvement.

As our commitment to our readers and to the community, PINOY shares its mission statement to all of you:

PINOY subscribes to the commitment that its work of bringing the news to its readers is a public trust;

PINOY will be guided by integrity, accountability and fairness in performing its basic task which are to inform, to entertain and to advocate changes for the common good of the community.

PINOY will serve as a vehicle in the empowerment of the Filipino-American community so its members will get a fair share in the political process, economic pursuits, religious practices, cultural and educational upliftment, sporting events, and in the delivery of social services;

PINOY will seek to showcase the best in the Filipino-American community to inspire the rest of the community specifically the young and the underprivileged through a journalism that is not only interesting and engaging but also responsible;

PINOY envisions itself as a partner in the goal of building a productive and outstanding community in this nation of immigrants.

To all of these we commit ourselves.

If P-Noy is anchoring his move against Corona on his crusade against corruption, the people will support him. But if he is seen as simply using politicians against a Chief Justice, he will lose the high ground…”
Impeachment is a process provided by the Constitution to remove Presidents and Chief Justices. When an impeachment happens, there is disruption, the kind that triggers dramatic and unexpected change.  (This) situation is bringing us towards drastic change. Nothing less can reverse the endemic corruption and massive poverty afflicting the Philippines.

The impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona is a welcome development. It affirms that co-equal heads can both be vulnerable to impeachment. Even the bid to impeach P-Noy by a lawyer known to be a Marcos loyalist can remind us that there are crucial unresolved issues concerning that dictatorship and the effort to extract justice for its victims. Corona is seen as a puppet of Gloria Arroyo just as Lozano is to the Marcoses. It is good to see where lines are drawn, where Filipinos can choose to be with or against.

Even more welcome is the first show of support by judges and court employees for Corona. We have paid so much attention to the corruption in the executive and the Legislative over the decades that the corruption in the Judiciary has been put in the back burner. Yet, the view of many Filipinos, if not most, is that the justice system, meaning judges and justices, including the Supreme Court, are themselves badly tainted.

Change can now be focused on the Judiciary as well. That makes all three branches truly co-equal when change can target all of them – especially on the issue of corruption or its promotion and protection. (This) offers an opening for change that is rare.

Constitutions do not determine what is right and wrong, human conscience does. Laws cater to what people believe is right and deter what people believe is wrong. Constitutions spring from the aspirations of citizens for security, for justice, for a bright future. What is constitutional cannot veer away from the common good as expressed by the people themselves.

The weakness of the Constitution of the Philippines, all versions of it, is that the majority of Filipinos have never read it, were not party to its formation, and cannot possibly understand the letter of its provisions. The strength of a democracy, however, is not in its Constitution. It is in the value system that is most acceptable or inspiring to the people if such is reflected in the Constitution.

More than laws, it is values that are most relevant to members of a society. It is values that determine daily behavior, and values that dictate collective standards.  From these values are formed the ethics of work, the ethics of business, the ethics of professions.

What is beautiful about impeachment is that it is a political process as much, or even more, as it is a legal one as well. Being political gives Filipinos a chance to participate. If it were just legal, how can citizens get involved? I remember that an impeachment trail was going on and affected Filipinos so much that they took to the streets when they thought that numbers would be more important than what was true, what was fair. Impeachment can lead to people power if it is abused.

Corona can be removed if the impeachment process finds enough senators voting that way. But so can P-Noy.  Estrada was impeached by a Congress where he had the majority in support of him.  People power is the ultimate arbiter, not the Supreme Court. In the cases of Marcos and Estrada, the Supreme Court was not the source of change, just a bystander to it. Its greatest participation was its Chief Justice swearing in the new president.

The impeachment of Corona will focus on his character, on his integrity, on his subservience to Gloria Arroyo. In his fighting speech on (Dec 14), Corona claimed P-Noy wanted to appoint his own Chief Justice “na hawak niya sa liig.” He did not mention that the opposition to his appointment was based on law governing midnight appointments. Trying to justify why a law can be subverted to accommodate his appointment is more difficult than to accuse P-Noy of being partisan. Corona will have to do better because that glaring accommodation will be a central public focus.

It will do Corona good to prepare to justify the Supreme Court’s decision to protect one of their own who was accused of plagiarism and could not find a valid reason for such dishonesty except to claim he meant no malice. Who is more dishonest, the thief or the court which declares him innocent of theft because he meant no malice?

And Corona will have to contend with the distrust of Filipinos for Gloria Arroyo whom he is being accused of protecting more than the Constitution. Gloria Arroyo is not just unpopular; she is suspected or judged to be a liar, a thief and a cheat.  This judgment has been reflected in surveys over several years and could possibly be the strongest reason why Filipinos voted for a candidate who, in their eyes, will not lie, will not steal, will not cheat.

On the other hand, P-Noy must run to the people, to his “boss,” and not depend at all on the superior numbers of the Liberal Party and its allies in Congress. If P-Noy is anchoring his move against Corona on his crusade against corruption, the people will support him. But if he is seen as simply using politicians against a Chief Justice, he will lose the high ground and it will devolve simply to numbers more than nobility.

There is no Constitutional crisis, only a moral and ethical one. Impeachment is a purging process, and there is so much need for it. Most nations became one and strong because they went through and survived great conflict. This may be our moment.  •

Editor/Publisher

There was a time in the early ’80s when, having lived through a decade of authoritarian rule, Filipinos began to accept the possibility of remaining under the Marcos dictatorship for a long time. Many liked the sense of security that a controlled environment offered. Others who understood the system and felt violated by it fled abroad or went underground. Those who, for a variety of reasons, chose to stay yet opposed the system waged a struggle not only against the dictatorship but also against pessimism and helplessness.

In 1983, the brazen assassination of Ninoy Aquino rekindled the fire that freedom-loving Filipinos thought they had lost.  Ninoy’s funeral gave them the opportunity to come together and quietly manifest their outrage. They drew courage from each other’s presence, not quite knowing where their anger would take them, or how it would end. But, there was no doubt in their minds that from that day on, they were no longer isolated individuals deterred by fear but citizens of a nation creating its own destiny.  This is how Edsa people power was born.

In the beginning there was neither a unified command nor a coherent vision that could pull the diverse elements together to form a stable and enduring protest organization. Social movements were something new. The language of party formations defined the horizon of revolutionary politics.  The sudden explosion of popular zeal energized the Left and what remained of the political parties, and their first instinct was to appropriate this amorphous force and give it an agenda before it fizzled out. They could not. Movements have their own reason for being, and the best way to disable them is to instrumentalize them by harnessing their power to an existing program of action.

Their strength precisely lies in their open-endedness, in their ability to invent new models of action, in their capacity for self-reflection.  Their audacity rests in the knowledge that they have nothing to lose, and no momentum to sustain. If interest wanes, someone else is bound to come up with something different at the right moment. That is why movements are seldom grim, they are usually festive, and the people who join them have a lot of fun fighting the enemy.

These thoughts have come rushing back to me as I ponder the novel series of protest actions that have rocked the United States for a month now. Collectively referred to as the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, these marches and sit-ins lay the blame for America’s economic woes on the government’s abdication of its regulatory responsibilities to Wall Street’s FIRE—in Michael Hudson’s words, the bosses of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. These highly paid moguls, says the movement, have destroyed America because of their greed.  They took advantage of the growth-inducing deregulation programs that were put in place in the 1980s, maneuvering through the loopholes to create new ways of making money, and preying upon the unexamined needs and consumerist instincts of the average American.  When these robbers in pinstripe suits found themselves in trouble, it was the government itself that bailed them out, arguing that to allow them to fail would spell a bigger systemic disaster.

In contrast, the government stood by almost passively as ordinary Americans saw their lifetime savings evaporate before their eyes at the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. Many lost their homes because even as their take-home pay stagnated, their mortgage payments rose beyond imagination. Unable to comprehend the workings of a financial system that seemed to have a life of its own, they were made to think they had only themselves to blame for their misfortunes. Now they’re learning there is another side to that story that has to be told. Clearly, the movement has tapped into a vast reservoir of public discontent and resentment that has been searching for a narrative.  More important, Wall Street’s warriors are making Americans think that their country has to undergo a fundamental structural shift if it is to get out of the rut.

As expected, “Occupy Wall Street” is being criticized for having no clear purpose and for offering no plausible solutions to the problems and policies it is attacking. But, if that is a weakness, how come the movement is growing and spreading globally? America’s political and economic elites were initially dismissive of the movement’s prospects. But, seeing how it was producing echoes everywhere, they began to mock it. Now they’re desperately trying to engage it on issues in such a way that the debate is technocratized and effectively taken out of the realm of public discourse.

But, at the level of the average American, the questions are quite simple. First, what led to this crisis and who should be held accountable? Second, what is to be done, and is the government doing enough to arrest the worsening unemployment and the looming inflation that is expected with the rapid loss in value of the US dollar?  As the debate unfolds, Americans find themselves going through different levels of self-examination. I’m in the United States as I write this, learning immensely from long conversations with Filipinos who came to this country to partake of the American dream.

My hunch is that the American dream began to fail when the US political system became so mesmerized by the financial system’s limitless capacity to create wealth that it felt unworthy to restrain it. Washington had foolishly allowed itself to be annexed by Wall Street. Now, Americans want their government back.•

Publisher/Editor

President Aquino was somewhat lionized by US President Obama when the two met on Sept. 19 in New York for the summit of heads of states who attended the Open Government Partnership. The purpose of this conference is for world leaders to get committed to a covenant to promote transparency, accountability and integrity in governing their respective constituents.

The absence of such commitment leads to massive corruption, militarism and eventual poverty for many nations including the Philippines.  President Aquino got the spotlight because of his much repeated pledge to eradicate corruption.

PNoy got a lot of good press including a front page color photo on the Wall Street Journal.  In fact the Philippines was pretty much in the news last month but not really because of PNoy.  It was “Lolong” who hogged the news.

“Lolong” is the name given by the fishermen in Agusan del Sur ( named after a legendary crocodile hunter) to the “biggest crocodile” ever captured on Sept. 3. (See page 14 for related story.) Even representatives from the Guinness Book of Record and the National Geographic Magazine are joining those who are paying to see “Lolong”—this crocodile really got it made.

But unfortunately for Lolong, “buwayas” like him have been stigmatized by Filipinos who associated them with the greed and graft that their government officials are known for.  It is of course unfair for the real reptiles because they only swallow what they can chew. The “buwayas” in Philippine government have insatiable appetite.

They cheat, they murder, and they perpetuate themselves in power and morph into bloody dynasties. A combination of the “folk Catholicism” and American liberal democracy allowed these politicians to become today’s feudal warlords.  How many Arroyos, Estradas, Cojuangcos, Angaras, Marcoses, Escuderos or even Aquinos—to name only a few– in the seats of power back home?

“Kamaganaks, Inc.” is well and alive and is doing great in politics, in businesses and other institutions. The same can’t be said about the other 99 percent of the Philippine population. Those who are in power will dictate the culture of the present, will write their version of history and will try to own the future.

Open Government Partnership should also entail a truthful retelling of the past. Trite as it may sound now, Santayana’s admonition  is relevant as ever. To paraphrase, let us learn the lessons of history so we do not repeat the tragic mistakes of the past.

This is the third year that Filipino Americans are celebrating October as their History Month. This event provides a forum where we can interpret our history in the light of the struggle waged by our people in the past to achieve dignity for Filipinos as they find their noble place in the family of free nations.

Let’s open the history book on the pages of Philippine and US relations. Revisionist historians revisited the early encounter of the Filipino leaders with representatives of the US government at the turn of the 19th century.

In April of 1898, The US Consul General in Singapore, Spencer Pratt, had convinced Gen Emilio Aguinaldo and his fellow exiles to return to Manila aboard the USS Olympia, the flag ship of Commodore George Dewey’s fleet, anchored then in Hong Kong.  Pratt and Dewey convinced the exiled leaders of the Philippine Revolution to buy American weapons and to resume their armed revolt against the Spaniards.

They assured Aguinaldo that the US was not to colonize the Philippines and that they would support their struggle for independence.  The Brain of the Revolution, Apolonario Mabini, was not trustful of the Americans, telling Aguinaldo that the Americans had every good reason to take over their  country from Spain.  Aguinaldo prevailed because of the assurances of Consul Pratt that the US did not take over Cuba from Spain despite Cuba’s proximity to the US mainland.

Americans like Henry Cabot Lodge, Teddy Roosevelt  and publisher Randolph Hearst wanted the Philippines as a jumping stone to the rich market of Asia. Later,  a US commission reported that the country was rich with natural resources needed for the US factories.  The US President of that time, William McKinley, was also convinced by his fellow Methodists that the pagan Filipinos were ripe for evangelization.

The Filipino Revolutionaries defeated the Spaniards but on the eve of their march to claim their victory in Manila, the American troops stopped them.  Soon the Filipinos were at war with the Americans. A conservative estimate of the Filipino casualties of that unknown war was put at 350,000 but other historians included civilians who died in the strategic hamletting and came out with a larger estimate–600,000.

(John Sayles’ film “Amigo” was set in this turbulent period of Philippine-American History.)

In March of 1902, Aguinaldo was captured.  The Americanization of the Filipinos formally began. The economic backwardness of the Philippines was traced for its failure to develop a stage of industrialization.  Philippines was a dumping ground for excess US goods.  Its cultural identity got bastardized and unity among the people became elusive. The dictum that each nation’s foreign policy is to first look after its own interests escaped the minds of the Filipino leaders.

Open Government Partnership should include an initiative to allow developing nations to truly maintain their sovereignty and their cultural, economic and political independence.  History is a rich learning ground to achieve that. •

PINOY Editor/Publisher

Physicians, nurses, medical technicians and therapists… these are the professionals who composed the bulk of the second wave of Filipino immigrants to the United States.  There was a time when the mainstream population practically saluted our community because of the quality of caring they received from our medical professionals.

Then came the few unethical doctors who flaunted their ill-gotten wealth even when they were being written-up by the media as fraudulent billers who sucked up funds intended for public medical programs that were designed to provide equitable and quality health care to the public.

These abuses were committed by an unscrupulous few whose greed not only contaminated the water but forced government regulators to practically dry up the source of funding for these public health programs. These made it difficult later for every medical practitioner to eke out a decent medical practice. Suddenly, it became tough to make a living as a doctor.

It is just plain common sense for those involved then to do what is right to earn a respectable income commiserates to the services rendered.  But greed trumped up ethics. The bad elements barbecued the proverbial goose that laid the golden eggs to satisfy their appetite to get rich overnight.

It was not too long ago that this dark phenomenon happened. Yet, true enough most of us have both short memory and seem to be incapable of learning from past mistakes. The present home health care industry, which is said to be majority-controlled by Filipino Americans, is fast gaining unsavory reputations.

Raids are being conducted by federal authorities and names of Filipino Americans are making the blacklist. It was reported that close to $30 billion are lost to fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. It is a great shame to report that some Filipino Americans are implicated in these dark schemes.

While the underlying goals of the government in these public medical program is to provide equitable and affordable health services to the public, these noble goals are dashed out by the public outrage caused by reports of corruption and abuses by some of those who tapped into the system.

For the people get sick, get old and need more medical attention, this made home health care a lucrative alternative to hospital care.  What was designed to cut cost is now getting to be more expensive because of illegal practices by many in the business.

There are plentiful reports of kickbacks and bribery used to win more patients in their respective pipeline. There are reports of widespread over-billing and unnecessary treatments.  There are incidents of unlicensed and unauthorized personnel doing the works of licensed professionals.

It is not surprising to hear then that many home health care offices are closing because owners are facing criminal charges and are being told to refund the government  money which they illegally claimed as payment for services.

While generally we should encourage members of the community to be entrepreneurial and to create employment by putting up businesses—we also strongly encourage ethical and professional practices that bring good business sense, pride and honor to all of us in the community.

It is not uncommon to see some home health owners showing-off ill-gotten wealth and living it up with suburban McMansions and driving around luxurious European cars. These unfortunate displays might elicit momentary wows but is it worth it if the long-term cost is an ignominious time in prison or a shameful deportation?

It is good that owners of home health care businesses have now organized into an association.  Many of them are doing their work efficiently and ethically that won them numerous and worthy accolades from recognized watch groups of your industry.

These upright owners should impart their laudable business practices to fellow members of their professional group. They are needed as models if everyone in their group should benefit the long-term gain of staying in business.

Members of the greater community—who are beyond our ethnic group—will welcome such development. We are challenged by a tight economy which cries for quality but affordable health care. The demand for such services grows everyday due to the aging baby boomers.  The health care industry can remain lucrative and viable.  It is all up to those presently engaged in this industry to make it so by doing things correctly.

This can be achieved by taking the initiative in investing in continuing education—of learning the rules and regulations and also by tightly monitoring the care that your nurses, therapists, CNAs and other professionals provide to your patients.

Another serious consequence of an abused Medicare and Medicaid system is giving a potent ammunition for the conservative elements of the political body to severely limit the if not totally eliminate these programs which are designed to help the marginalized US residents who are struggling to get decent health care.

Thus, a healthy industry such as yours will sustain you and our community for a much longer time than if you do things haphazardly and fraudulently. •

PINOY Editor/Publisher

Filipino Americans in Illinois have seen how erring public officials were held accountable for their wrong doings. Since 1971, four governors in the Land of Lincoln had been sentenced to serve time in prison. The latest, Rod Blagojavich, claimed he did not receive any money for the crimes he was convicted for. The governor he replaced, George Ryan, by all indication, did not enrich himself either yet he is still in jail.

US congressman from Chicago’s northwest side, Dan Rostenkowski, who was chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was sent to jail for using his office postage for personal campaign.  Another popular US congressman, Mel Reynolds, from the city’s south side did time for engaging a minor in a sexual liaison.

Not even a minor infraction in the US is exempted as far as the scale of justice is concerned. The police power behind the law is put into play.  While Americans occasionally get disillusioned with their public officials, citizens put forward the clear message to politicians—voters elect you to serve as their steward.  As their chosen leaders, they are expected to use their power for the welfare of the citizenry. Abuse of that privilege can be the short cut to the penitentiary.

Back in our homeland, most of our public servants get easily corrupted the moment they are bestowed with political power. The cumulative plunder of our politicians and government bureaucrats has impoverished a people who have long put their faith in the democratic process. The patience of the Filipinos is like that of God’s best saint. They hope for the best in one election after another. Compared to thieving Filipino politicians, convicted felons—Governors Blagojevich, Ryan, Dan Walker and Otto Kerner—certainly come out like amateurs.

That brings us to the complaints being lodged against former President Gloria M. Arroyo who was succeeded last year by incumbent President Benigno C. Aquino III. Arroyo served a ten-year term—the longest since Ferdinand E. Marcos was toppled from his dictatorship in 1986. Arroyo took over the disgraced Joseph Estrada after he took leave of the highest office in February 2001. Arroyo left no stone unturned in the presidential campaign of 2004 in her desire to grab an additional six years.

Now that she is reduced to a position of a congressperson from her home province of Pampanga, the allegation that the P728 million fertilizer funds illegally diverted to her political campaign is getting close to being a case wherein she can actually be indicted. Add to that to the song being sung by jailbird, Zaldy Ampatuan, the former Maguindanao governor accused of the massacre of journalists and his political opponents.
Ampatuan has signified his willingness to be a state witness against his father and brother who are his accused in the 2009 mass murder in his province. He also implicated Arroyo as one who had directed the military and her election commissioner (“Hello Garci!”) to rig the election in her favor in Mindanao—not only in 2004 but also in the senatorial elections of 2008. It seems that if there were honest elections; the Filipinos could have been spared of another six years of corruption under the Arroyo presidency.

Betting on the promise of P-Noy that he will fight corruption in order to get rid of the poverty that grips the Philippine for a very long time now, the Filipinos are anxiously waiting if the allegations of massive frauds in the 2005 and 2008 election, the bribery in the NBN-ZTN broadband deal with Chinese firms and the misuse of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes and Philippine Games and Amusements Corporation funds, and lately the revelations that overpricing of purchases by the National Food Corporation and National Police Commission in 2008-2010 resulted in huge debts for the government–will ever be investigated and produce actual convictions. Reports had long been pointing to former President Arroyo as the ring leader of these enormous misdeeds during her regime.

As usual, there are influential leaders who are quick to call an end to all these demands for full inquiries to find the culprits.  They cry that the country should “move on.” This is the compelling reason why then President Arroyo was quick to grant full pardon to her predecessor Erap Estrada after he was found guilty of plunder by the highest court. It is a signal that it was business as usual. “Let us not tattle-tale on each other’s shenanigans.” Feathering one’s nest with the people’s money while one is in power is taken in as a “given” when one wins an election back home. “To hell with the people!” seems to be the politicians’ mantra.

After one full year in office, President Aquino recently gave his State of the Nation Address. But those who committed crimes of corruption, by and large, remain unpunished; thus, graft and corruption persists back home. As a consequence, poverty thrives as it never did before.
However, Filipinos who were driven out of the Philippines by such bleak prospects find glimmers of hope for their homeland. In their adopted countries, Filipino exiles discover the traits that make their new land progressive, rich and respectable. Laws are followed.  People perform their civic duties.

Jose Rizal, who had traveled a lot in his lifetime, admired the industrious Americans, the nationalistic Japanese, the enterprising Chinese, the disciplined Englishmen, and the analytical and cultured Germans. He communicated his thoughts on these matters in his writings so we can learn lessons that make a nation great.
The Filipinos abroad see these positive qualities in people they interact with.  The Filipino Americans, for instance, experience that the liberal democratic system is working in the US where they work and live now. Ironically, it is the same system that is in place back home—and yet it failed there miserably.

The world has shrunk because of modern communication. Filipinos should be able to pass on the information on what does it take to make the system work for the Philippines especially on social conditions that cry for positive changes.

What is it in Filipino Americans’ Facebooks or tweets that will help bring those changes?  When one sees that depressing news on the State of the Nation on TFC, will we equip ourselves with the will to do positive actions to bring home solutions to deal with our homeland’s longtime problems? •

By Mariano Santos

Publisher/Editor
For 15 years, the Philippines celebrated its Independence Day on July 4th.  It was on that day in 1946 that the United States granted its colony of 47 years its political independence. In fact, up to the late 1960s, the third Thursday of November was also a Thanksgiving holiday back home. That’s only a part of how deep is the American influence in the Philippines.

The resurgence of strong nationalist sentiments in the sixties paved the way for then Philippine President Diosdado P. Macapagal to make changes.  June 12, 1898 became the day Filipinos mark their Independence Day. That historic date was when Gen. Emilio F. Aguinaldo proclaimed the First Philippine Republic at his mansion in Kawit, Cavite.

Meanwhile, July 4th was designated back home as Philippine American Friendship Day. There are no fireworks displays, parades or picnics as we do have here.  But this year, perhaps there should. If there is a time to evoke the spirit of this day, it is in 2011.

Two of the practical reasons are, first, the need for the immediate passage of the “Save Our Industries Act” in the United States Congress.  Second, it is the mounting international tension in Southeast Asia involving the Peoples Republic of China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan over territorial claims on islands in western waters of the Philippines. More of this second reason later.

Filipino Americans play a direct and crucial role in the effort to the passage of a trade treaty that will reinvigorate the moribund US textile and the Philippine apparel industries. Hundreds of thousands of jobs both here and back home will be recovered if this trade act is passed. It is envisioned as an innovative win-win legislation.  This is not the usual foreign aid dole out that gets the ire of conservative elements in this country.

The treaty will let high quality US textile be exported to the Philippines.  Filipino workers in turn will make top-end apparels to be exported to the US.  Both ways, the movement of goods is tax-free. Many name-brand companies have already committed to import these Philippine garments which they have been doing already—only not on the scale needed to employ more jobs in both countries.

The textile and apparel industries have been subjected to a highly competitive pressure in the global market.  Many laborers had been laid off exacerbating the already highly problematic labor market in the US and in the Philippines. Filipino households headed by women workers were the most negatively impacted. Here in the US, jobs have to be created to bring the Americans out of a long punishing recession.

Filipino Americans have that patriotic duty to support the passage of this bill by lobbying their respective US congressmen and senators to co-sponsor or vote for the bill.  Writing your legislators and urging them to do so is integral part of our democratic process.  It is a shining example of participatory government. This exercise will make our adopted country and our homeland strong. It will also affirm the true essence of the friendship that binds our two nations.

The second issue that put a spotlight on the US-Philippine relation is evoking the existing mutual defense treaty created in the early years of Philippine independence from the US.  In view of the incidents that give proof to the incursion of China in the territorial waters of the Philippines, no less than the US Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton and the US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas gave their assurances that the US will come to the aid of the Philippines if there will be a violation of the Philippine sovereignty.

China does not hide its desire to occupy these islands including the Spratly Islands near Palawan—which are rich with minerals including oil. The Philippines had long made it known that the Spratlys are within the territorial boundary of the country as defined by international law.  The islands are thousand of nautical miles away from China’s boundaries.

Few Philippine legislators cautioned the Aquino Administration not to provoke China into a confrontation. True, the Philippines is ill-equipped to defend the islands if push comes to shove. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario briefed US State Secretary Clinton on these latest developments and was able to get assurances that the US will not shy away from helping its long-time ally.

Chinese officials are quick to discount accusations that China is ready to invade the Philippines.  They said China has never invaded any country.  That disclaimer has a familiar ring to it. History tells us that same statements were uttered by Admiral George Dewey in 1898 to Filipino patriots like Emilio Aguinaldo when the US needed the Filipino revolutionaries to defeat the Spanish colonizers.  A year later, after the Filipinos declared their independence, the Americans sent their troops and ventured into their first colonial war in Asia.

Just like China today, the US was then emerging as a world economic power—itching to expand its market. So the reality is that friendship among nations is only as strong as their respective self interest.  The Save Our Industries Act fits that bill. The benefits are mutual.

The Mutual Defense Act—well, it surely can be invoked successfully—if enough interest satisfies the situation. Otherwise, the Filipino leaders should be cautiously optimistic. Remember, the US Congress should have happily gone along with President Obama’s participation with NATO in its “humanitarian mission” in Libya last March.  But President Obama was rebuked in this congressional resolution. No US interest is in jeopardy in Libya, so the congresspersons said.

So let us work on the passage of the “Save Our Industries Act.”  It works on mutual interest.  On the Spratly Case?  Perhaps if an assurance that US oil and mineral companies is granted by the Philippine government  that they get the right of first refusal in exploiting the islands’ riches, then the Philippine Navy can be relieved of its high anxiety of patrolling the area alone in its only and ancient battleship.

So it goes with friendship among nations. The Philippines will benefit well if it absorbs that lesson in foreign policy. Happy 4th of July! •

The great part of Dr. Rizal’s relevance to the lives of Filipinos is, ironically, the fact that the social problems that our hero had fought for in his lifetime are tragically still plaguing our homeland today.

The violation of human rights, the iniquity between the ruling class and the majority of the masses, the medieval practice of the Christian faith, the corruption in the government and its bureaucracy and those controlling economic production are just as bad now, if not worse, more than 114 years after Dr. Rizal had sacrificed his life for his country.

We owe it to ourselves as Filipinos to revisit the writings of Dr. Rizal and try to gain an understanding of his ideals and hope for the Philippines.  Dr. Rizal is a great gift of God to us, if we are to see it in a Christian perspective. But Dr. Rizal may be like a precious gift left unopened in the closet of our lackadaisical minds.

Participating in the events being held this year is a good way to open our hearts and minds to the dreams of Rizal for a progressive and enlightened Filipino nation.  Reading and understanding his works will be another way for us to reach the goal of a truly free and independent Philippines.

Meanwhile, here is a reprinted portion of an article on Dr. Rizal that will start us on our journey to know more about our National Hero.
—
Why Rizal is the National Hero
By Ambeth R. Ocampo

In June 1892 Rizal left two sealed letters with a Portuguese friend “to be opened and published after my death.”  In these letters Rizal explained to his family and his countrymen that he was returning to the Philippines to show by example that Filipinos knew how to die for principles.

This is the letter he wanted us to read, a letter that will illustrate to anti-Rizal advocates why Rizal is our national hero:
The step that I have taken, or am about to take, is undoubtedly very risky, and it is unnecessary to say that I have pondered on it a great deal. I know that everyone is opposed to it but I realize also that no one knows what goes on in my heart.  I cannot live knowing that many are suffering unjust persecution because of me; I cannot live seeing my brothers [hermanos] and their large families persecuted like criminals.  I prefer to face death and gladly give my life to free so many innocent persons from this unjust persecution.

I know that, at present, the future of my country gravitates in part around me; that with my death, many would rejoice, and that, consequently, many are longing for my end.  But what am I to do?   I have duties of conscience above all else; I have moral obligations toward the families who suffer, toward my aged parents whose sights pierce my heart; I know that I alone, even my death, can make them happy by returning them to their country and the tranquility of their home.  My parents are all that I have, but my country has many sons still who can take it to advantage.

Moreover, I wish to show those who deny us patriotism that we know how to die for our duty and for our convictions.  What matters death if one dies for what one loves, for one’s country and for those whom he loves?

If I know that I were the only pillar of Philippine politics and if I were convinced that my country men were going to make use of my services, perhaps I would hesitate to take this step, but there are still others who can take my place, who can take my place to advantage.  Furthermore, there are those who find me superfluous and in no need of my services, thus they reduce me to inaction.

I have always loved my poor country and I am sure that I shall love her until my last moment.  Perhaps some people will be unjust to me: well, my future, my life, my joys, everything, I have sacrificed for love of her.  Whatever my fate may be, I shall die blessing my country and wishing her the dawn of her redemption. (Originally published in The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12/31/89) •