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 “Anong” Santos

Publisher/Editor

A real estate broker once joked about a lawyer who got his real estate license.  “Why did he?,” asked his fellow brokers.  “So he can mess up his own deal!,” came the answer.

Of course there are even several books of jokes about lawyers.  Sharks, it was said, are not happy about those  jokes—because they feel insulted being compared  with lawyers.  Sharks won’t sue because they don’t like using the services of lawyers.

Be that as it may, lawyers are very much in the topics of many a conversation in the community in the recent days.

People were going out of their way to get a copy of the last edition of PINOY. The reason?  They wanted to read a brief community news item about a Filipino American lawyer who was sentenced to two years in jail for participating in marriage scams involving undocumented immigrants.

Some  dinner ball conversations focused on the resident attorney of the Filipino American Council of Chicago (FACC) at the Jose Rizal Heritage Center.  Speculation swirled around how much the FACC will put up again in legal defense cost now that the Cook County Public Guardian office plans to sue everyone involved in the alleged scam to separate a 92-year old man from his lifetime savings.

The Filipino American attorney who served for eight years as president of the FACC and now serves as a member of its board and as a legal adviser for the 50-year old federation got the FACC in a very sticky situation when he included three of the service groups affiliated with the organization as recipients of $5000 each in the event of the death of the man whose will and trust he helped changed.

He got a modest fee for his lawyering but the Public Guardian smelled something rotten in the way the man’s  Filipina American caregiver helped herself and her family with the man’s money.  The government is suing to recover no less than $500,000.  The news made ABS-CBN  Balitang America, the CBS Channel 2 TV News and our hardworking reporter, Joseph Lariosa going over voluminous court transcripts at the Richard J. Daley Court House in the Loop.

FACC is still smarting from the hefty amount of legal fees it coughed up to settle the court suit from disgruntled former council members who felt short-shrifted by the group identified with their legal adviser.

(The Global Nation of the Inquirer. Net also carried a report which we reprinted in our community news section.  It is also the subject of our editorial on page 5.)

Impeachment Lawyers

The immigration lawyer mentioned earlier is contrite enough to plead guilty and is to pay a $10,000 penalty.  He will be in a minimum security prison for the next two years.  I am sure he found it not a smart gesture to stand-in as a sponsor or a witness to arranged marriages.

After all, he claimed to be an immigration expert. Any Pinoy fresh off the boat knows that fixed-marriages are illegal.  But then some lawyers think they can always outsmart the law.  Some think they have OJ Simpson for a client—you know, getting away with murder, literally.

Let us not also forget that the telenovelas were put to the back burner all because of the lawyers back home battling for the attention of TV cameras in the Impeachment Trial of Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona. What could had been a summary dismissal for a public official not worthy of the public trust, the trial is now being milked by almost everyone to his personal  political advantage.  You guessed it right, most of those involved are lawyers.

***
Democratic Nominee

Jessica Arong O'Brien

But it is not all bad news for our lawyers in the community.  In 2008, PINOY carried a feature article on Jessica Arong-O’Brien after she received that year’s Cook County States Attorney Asian Pacific American Community Service Award.

She is back in the news recently after she won the Democratic Primary to fill in the vacancy in the Cook County Circuit Court vacated by Judge Henry Simmons.  That made her the first elected Filipino American nominee for a judicial position in Illinois.

Ms. Arong-O’Brien  was born and raised in Cebu City. Before she launched her legal career, she finished her culinary arts degrees in London and Switzerland.  She made a name in the food industry.  At one point she was the manager of about 1000 workers.

In 1998, she took up law at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.  She earned her Master of Laws degree in Employee benefits in 2002. She is an outstanding member of the Illinois, Chicago,  Asian-American and Filipino American Bar Associations.

Her election is a culmination of a brilliant public sector judicial career.  She is presently the  acting chief counsel for the Illinois Lottery.  Ms. O’Brien is married to Brendan A. O’Brien, a law partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP. They have three daughters.

That is not the only good news in our community legal circle.
***
Good news for Asian American Pacific Heritage Month

Lorna Schofield

As we go to press , we received the news of President Barack Obama nominating a Filipino American lawyer to serve as a Federal District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York.  A nice gesture from the US President on the occasion of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month of May.  Here is the scoop from Erin Pangilinan, the KAYA National Communications Director in LA.(erin@kayagrassroots.org)  Another first for our national community.•

By Mariano “Anong” Santos

Publisher/Editor

Again, the Philippine Senate is on an extended break. That means the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona will be put on hold until May 8.

Meanwhile, a recent survey revealed that only about 14 per cent of the Filipinos trust him as compared to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s 71 per cent. Sen. Enrile, who chairs the impeachment trial, had cautioned that Justice Corona should not be judged based on surveys. He recalled the public opinion during Jesus Christ’s own trial before Pontius Pilate. Corona as Christ?

That comparison is fallacious at the least.  In the age of information, the people have a solid basis to form their bad opinion of their top justice.  The mass media is particularly very thorough in digging out the pertinent information overlooked by a less than competent prosecution team.

The exclusive Inquirer interview with Mrs. Corona’s niece, Anna Basa of Nevada, regarding the highly anomalous  transaction done by the Coronas in behalf of Basa Guidote Corporation  is so damning that any moral ground  left for Justice Corona to stand on has completely been eroded.

Then came the on-line reports of real estate holdings in Roseville, California and Tampa, Florida under name of Renato C. Corona—which were initially disowned by the accused (101%!) only to be recanted –now saying that it was his daughter Charina who bought the Roseville property at about the same time she supposedly had bought the disputed Bellagio condo.

In another survey of 2000 college students, 70 per cent of them want Renato Corona to resign from the Supreme Court.  We need not wait for May 8 for a resumption of his trial. Our nation has suffered enough of this unworthy public servant.  Filipinos  should demand for his resignation now.

Isagani Yambot and Human Rights

The issue of human rights, more than anything else, drew me into journalism.  I came to Chicago in 1970 to become a better architect.  Besides, mparents were worried on my increasing involvement as an activist during those years of ferment in the Philippines.

It did not take long before I was helping Pedronio Ramos, the Harvard Neiman Fellow, who became the founding editor of “The Philippines Times.” The bi-weekly  did business in an office at the Chicago Loop starting in the Fall of 1971.  It was a perfect place for me after work.  I did drafting in various architectural firms during regular hours and in the evening I got  hands-on lessons on newspapering–from  editorial cartooning, layout to news writing from Ped.

I was not paid for my work.  But my compensation was my being an instrument in keeping a free flow of news from our homeland. It was my way of serving the cause of restoring democratic rights for Filipinos who were forced to live under the martial law rule of Ferdinand Marcos. The Times became the newspaper of record—especially of news censored under the dictatorship.

In 1999, I left the publication where I contributed commentaries. After 28 years of being a community journalist in Chicago, I was ready to take it easy. Travel the world, I always thought.  That was wishful thinking.  Before I can say “Bon Voyage”—my journalistic career became more expansive.

I was greatly encouraged by my mentor—Sen. Jovito R. Salonga—to put up PINOY.  He was then the publisher of “Kilosbayan” which I was supporting financially through my Homeland Realty ad appearing in that magazine.

Sen. Salonga accompanied me to the Philippine Daily Inquirer offices in Makati. He introduced me to Isagani Yambot, the Inquirer publisher.  “Anong Santos here is a Methodist like you,” I remember him telling Mr. Yambot.

Mr. Yambot readily accommodated the request of Ka Jovy to give me the permission to use Inquirer articles. Ka Jovy told me that I should do good because “you are bringing some of the best writers in PINOY.”

Mr. Yambot was a very ethical practitioner of the craft.  At one time I brought him a balikbayan box full of hardcovers about journalism—authors  like  Katherine Graham, Walter Cronkite, Bob Woodward, George Wills, James Reston and David Halberstam. As Ka Jovy was the witness, he smilingly told me that he will turn them over to the Inquirer library.

At another occasion, I accompanied Senator Salonga who delivered a manifesto of the Kilosbayan movement for publication in the Inquirer.  Being the week of the Lunar New Year, I thought I would bring a bottle of a top quality brandy as gift for Mr. Yambot.  Again, he told me that he is turning it over to the office of the owner of the Inquirer.

Mr. Yambot has taught me the rules of the game–on how to maintain journalistic integrity. It is small wonder why his untimely death early last month had jolted not only his colleagues at the Inquirer but his fellow journalists all over the world as well. It is also very inspiring to know that he was an ardent human rights advocate –the same reason that diverted me early on to journalism.

One of the touching tributes to the man was from one of his top columnists, Conrado de Quiros. Many of those who eulogized Mr. Yambot talked about his commitment to the welfare of his fellow journalists. The following is an excerpt from March 7th column of Conrad de Quiros:

Gani Yambot was nothing if not civilized.

I used to see him in the Cultural Center of the Philippines and elsewhere on the occasions that I got to catch a bit of opera and classical music there. It was unfailing. I wish I could say that he used to see me on the occasions that he did, but I know he did it far more resolutely than me. He loved classical music, and jazz on the side (I’d see him too in jazz fests), and went for it with a passion. It was all of a piece with his general fineness: an eye for the text, an ear for the music.

But that was not the true mark of his civilization. I used to see him too on occasion in forums that dealt with the protection of journalists. I never realized the depth of his passion for it until we held that vigil for the more than 30 journalists that perished in the Maguindanao massacre. It was toward Christmas, we huddled at the steps of the Inquirer office, flickering candles in hand. One by one we took turns making our anger and reprehension known to the world.

When Gani’s turn came, he barely went past a few sentences before he was overcome by emotion. He choked on his words as he tried to describe the horror of the deed. The height of his empathy made it impossible to go on, the depth of his commiseration made it impossible to go on. He stopped, and it was quiet for a while but for the sighing of the wind and the tinkling of distant caroling. Then he summoned his resources and soldiered on. It was a very brief talk he made. It was the best anyone said that night.

Gani Yambot was nothing if not civilized. •

By Mariano A. Santos

Publisher/Editor

By the middle of March, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will start  his 14-year sentence for trying to make hay out of the vacated seat of then US Illinois Junior Senator Barack Obama. Part of Blago’s defense was that he did not actually receive any money. But his intention to get something out of his power to appoint Obama’s replacement was enough to get himself impeached then he was subsequently convicted–and soon he will be in jail for the next 14 years.

He will join his predecessor, George Ryan in the slammer–the ailing former Republican Gov. who tacitly allowed political fundraising inside the Illinois Secretary of State offices which he then headed before he was elected governor.

For that he was convicted, too. Despite his age and bad health and the cancer of his now-departed wife–he stays in jail for another five years.

Also from Illinois was the former Chairman (Dan Rostenkowski) of the US Congress powerful Ways and Means Committee– who was also jailed for using his office postage stamps in mailing his personal campaign newsletters.

I arrived in Chicago in 1970, just in time for the conviction of Former Governor Otto Kerner for accepting bribes. Not long after that, former Governor Dan Walker was also sentenced to prison for bank fraud—a crime that happened as a bank president—a job he held after he served as governor. Thanks to these “disgraced” political leaders, Illinois is now known as the most corrupt State in the Union.  That reputation was accorded to Chicago as well.

* * *

Corona Must Go
I share these political tib-bits in relation to what is going on in the Philippine Senate trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.       Petty crimes compared with the charges slapped on Justice Corona.

We get awed in the way his defense lawyers split-hair with the letter of the law. We predict even the acquittal of this pathetic head of our justice system because of the lawyers’ savvy..

Never mind the lack of moral standing of the man who is the leader of our justice system.  Instead, many of us admire the “abilidad” of Corona and his legal defenders.  There are even 600,000 members of “Iglesia Ni Cristo” who clogged the streets of Manila to show support for Corona who is one of their own.  They are full of threats against President Noynoy Aquino for putting to trial INC officials who betrayed the trust of the people. Just exactly is the understanding of the INC leaders with what is written in the Bible?

Has the gift of the democratic processes morphed into a curse that has left us in the depths of our miserable undoings?  Will there be enough Filipinos willing to stand for what is right and just?

As we go to press at the end of February, the prosecution correctly made a decision to wind up its case against Corona. What they presented is enough to remove him from the highest judicial position.

Corona does not have an iota of reason to stay further. But by all indication he will do anything to hold on. So let the democratic process run its course. The senators and the defense attorneys got their moments. Now it is time  to wrap this tragic case up and Filipinos should move on as a nation.

The Philippine Senators have a role to extricate us from this abyss. Let us pray fervently to God, that they will. We have to raise the bar for those who serve our people. It is a measure of how determined we are in seeing redemption for our impoverished country.

The senators should convict now. Let us resolve the more important cases. Cleaning up graft and corruption is a great task. Let us finish the job. Put GMA on trial.

On page of this issue, we are running a commentary of Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban who was appointed in 2005 by then President Gloria M. Arroyo to head the highest tribunal of the Philippines. This article originally appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.  Justice Panganiban cited various legal cases about Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SALN) of various government officials who were convicted because of false filings.  What has been presented in his Senate trial about his SALN,  Justice Corona could have spared himself of embarrassment by just resigning. One wish, he could have just done a little reading from the Court’s library.  As it is now, so much resources was wasted on his trial.  If convicted, the people should recoup court expense from this shameless public official. After all he has enough real estate to take care of that.

The Contraceptives Controversy
There is a controversy going on that was precipitated by the Obama Administration stand that all employers including Catholic institutions should buy insurance for their workers including contraception which the Catholic Church regard as evil.

Republican presidentiables and Protestant fundamentalists joined Catholic Bishops in calling President Obama a threat to religious liberty.  But is he?

From the conservative “Chicago Tribune” is a commentary of Steve Chapman, a regular columnist and member of the paper’s editorial board on this subject .  Here is his article that appeared on Feb. 23, 2012.•

President Obama’s defense of religion

By Steve Chapman

Chicago Tribune special

The president has gotten deserved criticism for trying to force Catholic colleges and hospitals to buy insurance coverage for something they regard as evil: birth control. But that’s only part of the story. (On Feb. 10, President Obama reversed himself on this issue. Editor)  In other realms, believers have found a Barack Obama and his Justice Department to be staunch allies.

Catholic bishops, evangelical pastors and Republican presidential candidates have been decrying the Obama administration’s war on religious liberty. Amid all the uproar, it’s easy to overlook something equally important: the administration’s many battles for religious liberty.

The most conspicuous surprise involves government rules for faith-based organizations that get federal funding for social services.President George W. Bush issued an executive order allowing such groups to hire only people who share their faith — exempting them from the usual ban on religious discrimination. Liberal critics accused him of underwriting “theocracy” and “faith-based coercion.”

One of the opponents was Obama. In his presidential campaign, he said his view was simple: “If you get a federal grant, you can’t use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them — or against the people you hire — on the basis of their religion.”
But it hasn’t worked out that way. Obama has left Bush’s rule in place, infuriating many groups that expected a reversal.

They have repeatedly pressed him to bar these groups from using religious criteria in deciding whom to hire and whom to serve. Last year, the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination wrote the White House complaining that “we have seen no forward movement on this issue.”

That’s not the sentiment at the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, which includes such perennial Obama critics as theU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Focus on the Family and the Southern Baptist Convention. It has taken the uncharacteristic step of siding with the administration.

“We commend your steadfast preservation of federal policies that protect the freedom of religious organizations to consider religion in making employment decisions,” it informed Obama last year. “Mr. President, your appreciation for the good that religious organizations contribute on a daily basis to our society is evident.”

In this instance, Obama may be accused of ignoring the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which forbids government support of religion. But if so, it’s because he has given too much deference to religious freedom rather than too little.

His commitment is also on display in defending churches against municipal governments that would prefer to do without them. Under federal law, houses of worship are assured equitable treatment in land-use decisions. But mayors and community groups often tell churches to go to the devil.

When that happens, they often find themselves at odds with the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. Last year, it forced the town of Schodack, N.Y., to retreat after it barred an evangelical church from renting space in a commercial area where nonreligious meetings were allowed.

It filed a brief in support of a Hasidic Jewish congregation’s lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, which had forbidden it to hold services in a private home. A federal court ordered the city to back off.

False Witness

The administration has also intervened in cases where prisoners are denied religious literature. After a South Carolina sheriff prohibited inmates from getting devotional materials and other publications in the mail, the Justice Department sued. In the end, the county agreed to let inmates receive Bibles, Torahs, Qurans and related fare.

In doing all this, the administration isn’t simply doing the politically appealing thing. Anything but. Those who endorse letting faith-based groups have a free hand in hiring are mostly religious conservatives who wouldn’t vote for Obama if he resurrected the dead.

The congregations victimized by zoning regulations are too small to matter. Prison inmates generally can’t vote. There is no detectable political gain in anything Obama is doing here.

University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock criticized the contraceptive mandate and opposed the administration in a Supreme Court case involving a teacher fired by a religious school. But he praises its efforts to help churches and prison inmates. And on the faith-based hiring issue, he says, Obama has actually been “kind of heroic.”

The president’s detractors may continue to portray him as a secular fanatic with, as Rick Santorum claims, an “overt hostility to faith in America.” Before they do, though, they might want to remember the Ten Commandments — especially the one about bearing false witness.

Steve Chapman is a member of the Tribune’s editorial board and blogs at chicagotribune.com/chapman.  Email:  schapman@tribune.com or Twitter @SteveChapman13

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.  •

TIME Magazine’s annual selection of the Person(s) of the Year is a valued journalistic tradition since it started in 1927 when 25-year old Charles Lindbergh was named its first “Man of the Year.”

In 1986, President Corazon C. Aquino became the first and only Filipino, so far, to be selected. It was the year she was voted by the electorate to replace Ferdinand E. Marcos who fled to Hawaii at the heel of the First People Power uprising.

This year, TIME picked “The Protesters” as its Persons of the Year. These honorees encompassed the people in various Middle Eastern countries who became street parliamentarians and demanded direct participation in selecting their leaders. It also included those who joined the “Occupy Wall Street Movement” and the “Tea Party” members who claimed to represent the 99% of the US population who demanded equity in the wealth distribution.

It was similar to the EDSA uprising of the Filipinos that ended a dictatorship 25 years ago and inspired many more countries –notably Eastern European nations under the Soviet Union–to do the same. Poland, Romania and others won their democratic struggles then as it is now in the Middle East.

Presidents Barack Obama and Benigno Aquino III during the conference for Integrity in Government in New York last year.

President Benigno C. Aquino III, son of Cory Aquino,  also made the TIME cover  if only in its Asia edition. Nonetheless, PNoy finally has taken the role of a transformative leader during the past year. He finally walked his talk of ending massive graft and corruption by starting to dismantle the pillars that held this disastrous institution that sucked the blood out of Filipinos. This problem made the Philippines the sick man of Asia.

PNoy is also courageously leading the move to pass the RH bill, an effort vigorously being opposed by feudalistic leaders of the dominant Roman Catholic Church.

On Oct. 31, 2011, the United Nations symbolically declared a Filipino baby girl born that day as the 7 billionth living person on Earth.  The Philippines reached the 94 million population level—with the majority living below poverty level –squeezed in crowded and polluted urban areas.

PNoy’s crusade for integrity in governance also got the Philippines recognition internationally.  No less than US President Obama sought PNoy to personally laud the Philippine leader’s  determination to bring in honesty and integrity in serving the people.  PNoy has spelled out his goals for the people for 2012.  There will be vigorous resistance from those who will benefit most in preserving the status quo.  But the majority of the Filipinos have opted to support their president in bringing the long-delayed reforms for their suffering country. Many marched demanding prosecution of GMA and her minions.

Our  own “Person of the Year” is Benigno C. “PNoy” Aquino III.

2012: Year of the “Save Act”?

In this column last issue, it was said that the “Save Our Industries (Garment and Textile) Act”—a bill now pending in both houses of Congress has a long shot of being passed in the current congress. A quick rejoinder from the local trade office disputed that.  But as we go to press, no less than Phl Ambassador to the US conceded that the work for the passage of this bill is a priority on PNoy’s shopping list when he visits Washington this coming Spring. (Read: The bill is dead for the current session of Congress.)
This columnist is an advocate for the passage of the Save Act.  I would have celebrated its passage in 2011. Seeking people to support it is an ardous task. With the 5,000 petition letters solicited asking US lawmakers in the Midwest to sponsor or vote for this bill, we got only three congressmen  giving their support.  Mr. Cuisia also said that PNoy is expected to bat for more benefits for the 2,500 Filipino veterans who served under the US Army during WWII.

The ambassador is right on target when he said that Filipino Americans should register and vote. Otherwise, those letter of appeals from us won’t get the result we need to pass the bill. (Lawmakers listen to Americans who can make or break them in the polling places.)

Mr. Cuisia also assures us that we have the support of President Obama.  But then,  there should be a treaty passed first by Congress. In 2012, make sure you are an American voter. It will also help in mobilizing US legislators if Manila will send in a replacement for Trade Attache, Glenn Penaranda who finished his tour of duty in Chicago last June.

Good News For Mindanao

Is there good news from Mindanao?

A week before Christmas, more than a thousand residents of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City, Bukidnon and Zamboanga del Norte died in flash floods and mudslides brought in by an unseasonal typhoon, Sendong.  Hundreds are missing and thousands are homeless.  Refugees are crammed in evacuation centers.
The failure to warn residents or the lackadaisical attitude of many who assumed that Mindanao is not prone to typhoons is a factor on why there was a large number of casualties.

Thankfully, local organizations and individuals are however quick to respond to the call to meet the needs of the victims. I personally attest to the fact that few hours after the news is out, volunteers of the Gawad Kalinga  had passed the hat around. The following day at Elston Avenue United Methodist Church, where I was attending services, Rev. Noah Panlilio made several appeals to aid the victims.

Later in that afternoon, attendees of a Christmas reception hosted by DOT Director Vernie Morales started their early evening Christmas party with cash donations turned over to Ed Ramos, president of the Kagayanon of the Midwest. Mr. Ramos said the money was able to buy 350 blankets for refugees in Cagayan de Oro.  His group is following up with a Dec. 26th luncheon at Osaka Grill & Supreme Buffet in Bolingbrook. (Call Ed at 773-732-0683 to reserve.)

MJ Singson, a leading parishioner in St. Hubert Catholic Church in Hoffman Estates is calling his fellow alumni to donate to the Ateneans fundraising for this same purpose. National Federation of Filipino American Associations through its president, Ed Navarra, is also calling his members to assist in collecting donations. As with the appeal from the local consulate, the best donation is cash.

For those who are celebrating Simbang Gabi in the area, how about a basket on the fest tables for free-will offering to the hungry and displaced kababayans who lost all their material possessions in this latest disaster?

The Catholic Charities will surely appreciate your sharing of love and will deliver your gifts on time. . Same goes for the members of the area Couples for Christ.  CfC leader Expedito Funtera made an appeal through an email blast.  It is very heart-warming that people are helpful and supportive. So, please give generously in the spirit of the yuletide season…and because the need is truly great.

More Good Tidings for  Mindanao!

Here is to add to the good news for Mindanao…specifically for Davao which is benefitting from the generosity of people abroad. I am sharing a news release PINOY got on Dec. 15.  It is more than just a consolation for Chicago Bears fans who saw their hope for a playoff evaporated  Dec. 11 when the Denver Broncos pulled another last minute miracle and win in overtime, 13-10. •

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Bronco’s Tim Tebow builds a children’s hospital in Davao

By Aimee Herd

Broncos QB TIm Tebow with happy orphans in Davao during one of his many missions in that area.

In the midst of the nation’s current “Tebow-fever” over the Denver Broncos’ quarterback who has repeatedly come through with miraculous wins in the final minutes (sometimes seconds) of the game, what seems to dazzle the most about Tim Tebow is his genuine humility.
As in the past, the son of Christian missionaries to the Philippines (Bob and Pam Tebow), is again helping orphans in Davao City, this time with a children’s hospital.
“I’m excited to be a part of this hospital that will bring healing to thousands of children who would not otherwise have access to care,” says the celebrated quarterback.
Cutting through all of the commentary and hype is this young man’s unwavering faith in God, and his graciousness—even in the face of cheap shots and ruthless critics.(The latest of which was a tasteless skit on Saturday Night Live.)
Though Tim Tebow is unashamed to proclaim his love for the Lord Jesus and the Gospel, his actions speak even louder than his words, which reminds us of the saying often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
Another thing that has shone through the fog of media is Tebow’s passion, which—as he has stated in more than one interview—is more important than playing football in the NFL, or even than winning a Super Bowl ring; the children’s hospital the Tim Tebow Foundation and CURE are partnering together to build in the Philippines.
This endeavor is highlighted in a recent article by Mark Ellis on his blog, God Reports. According to Ellis, the hospital building project is set to break ground in Davao City in Mindanao in January of 2012.
“I was born in the Philippines and my parents have been missionaries to that area since 1985,” says Tebow. “The Philippines have always had a special place in my heart. I’m excited to be a part of this hospital that will bring healing to thousands of children who would not otherwise have access to care.”
Scott Worrall, vice president of CURE notes that the hospitals built by the organization are a place of both physical and spiritual healing.
“We see what we do as an extension of Jesus’ healing ministry,” adds Worrell.
Another aspect of the hospital in the Philippines will be “Timmy’s Playroom,” a space (named after Tebow) where “kids can be kids.” The new facility will have 30 beds and will concentrate mostly on orthopedics.
CURE has 12 hospitals around the world, and according to Ellis’ report, their focus on bringing healing to developing nations has resulted in more than 1.5 million patient visits and over 121,000 surgeries to correct physically disabling conditions. CURE has also trained more than 2,400 medical professionals, raising the standard of care in the countries where it operates.•

(Source: Mark Ellis – God Reports)

By Mariano Santos

In 2012, we will be surely back on square one—doing the hard stuffs we did this year. The challenges will be much more—next year being an election year.

I am referring to the “Save Our Apparel and Textile Industries” a trade act bill pending in both houses of the US Congress.  The current session on Capitol Hill is just about done for the year.  It is a long shot for this bill to pass.

The report filed in by Jon Melegrito, our correspondent in Washington, DC, just about summarizes what action was taken lately on this initiative which was banded around as the “savior” to revive the industries lost to a global economic change.  Up to 300,000 jobs are projected to be restored.  It will also save the couple of hundred thousands of what are left today from these distressed industries.

Unfortunately, more will be lost because the trade act will most likely not pass this year. This will be its second year of trying to get voted on but like last year,  it did not even go beyond committee work.

Here in Illinois, after all the petition writing campaign to US legislators we only got two Republican congresspersons who gave firm support for the bill.  Chicago area’s Michael Quigley is the only Democratic congressman who expressed support—a conditional one– for the bill during our visit to his north side office in early November.

US Congressman Michael Quigley (D-Chi) was visited at his Chicago near north office Nov. 9 by ConGen Leo H. Lim (R) and PINOY Editor/Publisher and Save Act Volunteer Mariano (Anong) Santos (L) to solicit his vote for the Save Our Industry Act. Rep. Quigley gave his conditional support for the bill. He said he will ask for an amendment that will specifically mention China being prevented from using the trade treaty as a means to dump cheap goods to the US via the Philippines. Two other US congresspersons from Illinois expressed support for the bill. They are Republicans Randy Hultgren and Judy Biggert.

Quigley wanted an amendment barring China from using the trade pact as loophole to continue dumping its apparel products via the Philippines.  It was a reasonable demand considering that the representative of various apparel industry federations back home emphatically accused, during their visit here late Spring in Chicago, the Chinese of unfair trade practices specifically on these industries.

Aside from what is essentially discussed in the accompanying “Letter from Washington” in this page— and being an active volunteer for the  “Save Act”– I could add that the difficulties in successfully passing this bill in Congress lies on the lack of will on the part of the Philippine government to do its job in this area.

Paid lobbyists are kept on a shoe-string budget.  Community volunteers find it hard to coordinate the work with salaried bureaucrats.  While volunteers are being pushed to raise the nationalistic and moral pitch of helping the poor workers, the work of getting support from legislators is for most part uncoordinated and unfocused.

The only saving grace for the efforts is marginal gain of making the community aware of the importance of being in touch with their elected US officials— of making their voices heard.  That is a good antidote for Filipino Americans who are fast gaining the bad reputation of being indifferent to their civic duties like going to the polls.

When Rep. Jan Schakowsky replied to her more than 600 constituents who sent her petition letters for this bill that she could not support the bill because of the dismal record of the Philippines on human rights violations—the prevalent reactions among her constituents is outright pledge on themselves that they are not going to vote for her reelection.

It is not that the Filipino Americans believe that human rights are not important.  It is just that for them,  creating or saving jobs for the workers is a positive move in promoting human rights.  Schakowsky’s constituents further pointed out that Third World countries like Haiti or Dominican Republic that had gotten similar trade arrangement  with the US are NOT necessarily models of human rights. Why then should Schakowsky be so hard on the Philippines—a long time ally of the US?

In short, those who took time to sign petitions gain some positive political consciousness—an involvement in democratic processes and how it affects their economic and social lives. For the many Christian church congregations that took time to participate in the campaign—it is a great lesson in making their Christian faith alive with good deeds for their fellowmen.

Additionally for me, as a member of the Order of Knights of Rizal, I would like to see my involvement as consistent to the ideals of Dr. Jose Rizal whose 150th birthday is being celebrated this year. Being informed by the Department of Trade and Industry representatives in Chicago that over 30 per cent of the petition letters submitted to them were attributed to this writer—that is a priceless feeling of fulfillment. It is a valuable gift that could have been appreciated by our National Hero for his sesquicentennial  birthday.

If only for these reasons, the campaign for the “Save Act” was not all in vain.  •

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.•