PHILIPPINE NEWS LEGAL NOTES GLOBAL NEWS inside look Lawmakers 9 H-1B Filing 13 Fraport To Sue 14 APRIL 2, 2011 Want Increase in Starts April 1 Phl Again in Assistance to OFWs the U.S. H AWAII’ S O NLY W EEKLY F ILIPINO - A MERICAN N EWSPAPER FIESTA TIME–A GREAT TIME FOR ALL FILIPINOS! By HFC Staff n the U.S. , there’s an old saying: ‘Everyone loves a parade.’ Americans come out in droves to see colorful parades of all shapes and sizes—from small towns Ito the more famous and extravagant Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston and the Independence Day Parade in our nation’s capital. In much the same way, Fil- ney), the 2010 fiesta focused on the showing their different talents, cul- ipinos love their fiestas. And in distinctive cultural aspects of the tural village showcasing the various Hawaii, the signature fiesta is the Philippines. It featured a historical- regions of the Philippines, food annual Filipino Fiesta & Parade, cultural parade from Fort DeRussy booths, a keiki village, and business which is currently in its 19th year. to Kapiolani Park in the morning, and non-profit booths. The 2011 version is scheduled for which showcased marching bands, Saturday, May 7, 2011 at Kapi- colorful floats, cultural groups, street THE SIGNIFICANCE OF olani Park Bandstand. dancers, and various business and FIESTAS Organizers of this year’s fi- community organizations. Fiestas are as Filipino as base- esta are looking to build on the Also included in the parade ball, hotdogs and apple pies are success of last year’s event, was the Flores de Mayo featuring American. Fiestas are not only which drew thousands upon thou- Filipina beauties. After the parade deeply ingrained in the psyche of sands to Kapiolani Park. Themed was an all-day Fiesta at the Kapi- Filipinos but are also a social force “Lakbay Kultura” (A Cultural Jour- olani Park with local entertainers that bring people together. (continued on page 4) Photos show First Liver Transplant in Phl Mirasol (left), sister of Sally Ordinario- a Success Villanueva, talking on the phone with By Aie BALAGTAS SEE relatives, and Cornelia Peralta, ANILA, Philippines - About four months mother-in-law of ago, 51-year-old rural health physician Ramon Credo, M Julito Sabornido Jr. was told he had only crying upon hearing news of the six months to live because of end-stage liver execution cancer. photo by Boy Santos Yesterday Sabornido gamely cracked jokes and posed for pictures when St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig presented him to the media to 3 Pinoys Executed relate his story and showcase the country’s first successful adult liver transplant on first try. Rural doctor Julito Sabornido Jr., the country’s first liver transplant survivor, By Pia LEE-BRAGO their final sentences, according to Consul Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, chief of the walks with Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes ANILA, Philippines - Weeks of an- General Noel Novicio of the Philippine em- hospital’s center for liver diseases, said at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig guish turned to national mourning bassy in Beijing. (continued on page 5) Myesterday as China carried out be- Villanueva, 32, was convicted for HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE fore noon the execution by lethal injection smuggling 4.11 kilos of heroin on Dec. 24, PRESORTED 94-356 WAIPAHU DEPOT RD., 2ND FLR. STANDARD of convicted drug couriers Sally Ordinario- 2008, and Credo, 42, four days later for U.S. POSTAGE WAIPAHU, HI 96797 PAID Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth smuggling a slightly larger amount of the HONOLULU, HI Batain – the first Filipinos to be executed same drug. Batain was sentenced to PERMIT NO. 9661 for drug crimes in China. death on May 24 in the same year also for The three learned of their impending drug trafficking. (continued on page 4) execution only during the promulgation of HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE - NEWS EDITION 2 APRIL 2, 2011 EDITORIAL No, To A General Excise Tax Hike; Yes, To Suspending GET Exemptions House hit and Senate miss -- this could be ought to receive special exempted privileges, the best way to describe two live tax propos- even in times of a potential budget shortfall. A als at Hawaii’s state legislature. In either sce- Hawaiian Airlines, Outrigger Enterprises Group nario, Hawaii residents and businesses may have and Alexander & Baldwin are among the large to take on a bigger financial burden should these companies opposing HB 799. All of them happen bills pass, but the question now is by how much to be solid, profitable companies. and who pays more. For far too long big corporations' special pro- If State Senate leaders have it their way, tections with tax exemptions and subsidies (or everyone’s pockets will undergo further unstitch- corporate welfare) have resulted in the tax bur- ing. Freshman Senate President Shan Tsutsui den being shifted onto middle to small busi- says raising the general excise tax is an option to nesses, and eventually poor and working-class close the budget deficit, despite Gov. Neil Aber- America. While these large companies maintain crombie’s earlier shelving of the idea. The Sen- stellar profits, Americans annual salary haven't ate’s unwise proposal to raise the GET comes at risen in the past 30 years, adjusted for inflation; a time when businesses are just starting to inch and middle-to-small businesses' closure rate out of the worst recession in decades; its passage propels skyward. Tax exemptions and subsidies could halt any momentum toward recovery. Tax- of rich corporations have ultimately contributed payers are already feeling the hurt of the recent to the diminishing presence of sound, healthy 0.05 GET percentage surcharge to pay for a now small businesses being able to compete fairly in questionable rail transit project. Additional finan- the market. This increasing absence of multiple- cial burden in the GET will do greater harm to poor and struggling work- sized and diverse companies in the long run weakens our country’s over- ing families in particular because of the broad nature of this tax affecting all economic strength, leading to a singular over-reliance on big all goods and services. corporations to move the economy forward. And as we have seen in this The State House, on the other hand, should be commended for its fairer recession, when big corporations are unable to perform, the whole coun- approach in distributing the burden of taxation to close the deficit gap. Like try suddenly finds itself deep in recession without a viable sector of mid- other state legislatures nationally, Hawaii’s House members are looking at dle-to-small sized businesses around to pick up the slack. Adding insult suspending tax exemptions of certain businesses. Such exemptions, usu- to this whole process of unfairness, large corporations are the first to ally handed to politically heeled and well-connected companies, could gen- passionately justify their need for continued tax exemptions while oth- erate millions in funds for the state and prevent tax hikes like the GET onto ers are expected to pay more. working families. Rep. Pono Chong said as this moment the state is giving It’s reprehensible for some of these local big corporations posting away close to “a billion dollars in overall exemptions from the GET.” He ap- healthy profits to be lobbying against this exemption bill. We encourage propriately described the process as “unfair” to exempt some types of busi- the House leadership to move forward on suspending GET exemptions nesses and not others. on select businesses and to reject the Senate’s consideration of raising the Under the House proposal HB799, businesses that have been enjoy- overall GET percentage. The powerful few ought to pay their fair share of ing exemption status finally would be charged a GET of 2 to 4 percent GET and spare the majority from greater hardship with a GET hike. We are over the next few years. HB 799 could bring in an estimated $55.7 million pleased that Hawaii’s House leaders are courageous enough to join this in fiscal year 2012 alone and could be the largest source of new revenue nationwide movement in what amounts to being corporate welfare reform. to help stabilize the state’s financial budgetary plan. The first step is to adopt a fairer tax structure. Some of the companies lobbying against the proposal are as ex- In one of the grossest example of corporate greed and irresponsibility pected, powerful large corporations whose executives somehow must to the people in our country, the New York Times reported that General have it in their minds that their companies' value to the community is more Electric posted worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, $5.1 billion came from important than small businesses. As a result, their businesses activities its operations in the US. GE's American tax bill? Nothing! Not only did GE (continued on page 3) HAWAII-PHILIPPINE NEWS EDITION www.thefilipinochronicle.com | www.efilipinochronicle.com Contributing Writers Advertising/Marketing Director Columnists Belinda Aquino, Ph.D., Clement Bautista, Chona A. Montesines-Sonido Charlie Y. SONIDO, M.D. Teresita Bernales, Ed.D., Linda Dela Cruz, Gov. Neil Abercrombie Publisher and Executive Editor Carlota Ader Fiedes Doctor, Danny de Gracia II, M.A., Amelia Account Executives Carlo Cadiz, M.D. Jacang, M.D., Caroline Julian, Paul Melvin Carlota Ader Chona A. Mayor Peter Carlisle Palalay, M.D., Glenn Wakai J. P. Orias Sen. Will Espero MONTESINES-SONIDO Creative Designer Grace F. Fong, Ed.D. Publisher and Managing Editor Junggoi Peralta Big Island Distributor Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, Ph.D.