FEBRUARY 28, 2009 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 1 ♦ FEBRUARY 28, 2009 ♦ Photography by TIM LLENA HAWAII-FILIPINO NEWS PHILIPPINE NEWS LEGAL NOTES INAUGURAL FILIPINO PHILIPPINES ACCEPTS CENTRALIZED FILM FESTIVAL SET NEPALESE DOCTORS PROCESSING FOR FOR APRIL AMID SHORTAGE NATURALIZATION HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE PRESORTED STANDARD 94-356 WAIPAHU DEPOT RD., 2ND FLR. U.S. POSTAGE WAIPAHU, HI 96797 PAID HONOLULU, HI PERMIT NO. 9661 2 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 28, 2009 EDITORIAL FROM THE PUBLISHER elcome to another issue of Publisher & Executive Editor Lessons Learned From Charlie Y. Sonido, M.D. the Hawaii Filipino Chroni- Ben Cayetano cle! A bill to legalize gay Publisher & Managing Editor marriages has again made Chona A. Montesines-Sonido enjamin Jerome Cayetano is back in the spotlight headlines and stirred rau- W Associate Editors with the release of his new, 560-page autobiography. cous debate at the State Leg- We’re familiar with Cayetano’s rags-to-riches story. Dennis Galolo How he—a poor Kalihi boy—rose through the islature. Filipinos seem Edwin Quinabo divided as well. Some sympathizers, espe- B ranks to become the nation’s first governor of Fil- Creative Designer ipino ancestry. We should be inspired by his accom- cially those who have faced discrimination or know of other Junggoi Peralta minorities who have been discriminated against, believe it plishments, which broke barriers and opened doors Design Consultant for people of all races, not just Filipinos, to achieve their dreams. all boils down to basic civil rights. However, it’s safe to say Randall Shiroma Cayetano’s enduring legacy is that he will perhaps be most that most Filipinos take the position of the Catholic Church, which opposes same sex marriages. We expect both sides to Photographer remembered as the ‘Education Governor.” A firm believer that Tim Llena education is the great equalizer, Cayetano, who as a youngster continue debating ad nauseam about the issue, which is far Administrative Assistant found school boring, studied hard to earn his law degree. It did- from over. So stay tuned, folks. Shalimar Pagulayan n’t end there. As governor, he launched the State’s A+ After Our cover story for this issue was written by contribut- School Program, increased State funds to build new schools ing writer Danny de Gracia, II who introduces us to a new Columnists Carlota Ader and modernize aging ones, raised the starting pay for teachers, book—“Ben: A Memoir, From Street Kid to Governor.” The Michelle Alarcon, Esq. extended the school year and invested in the new University book, written by none other than Ben Cayetano, is a behind- Carlo Cadiz, M.D. of Hawaii medical school. the-scenes view of island politics, with frank criticism of Sen. Will Espero Those who knew Cayetano say he was also big on honesty. some figures. In a candid interview with the former gover- Grace F. Fong, Ed.D Mayor Mufi Hannemann He may have been controversial, but not corrupt. In fact, not a nor, de Gracia also uncovers interesting tidbits about Amer- Governor Linda Lingle single case of corruption comes to mind while he was gover- ica’s first ever governor of Filipino ancestry, including his Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, Ph.D. nor. Cayetano ran a tight ship and expected cabinet members to background, rise to the top, as well as his personal triumphs Rosemarie Mendoza do likewise. He fought many battles during his combined 28 and struggles. Cayetano has been out on a tour of sorts to J.P. Orias Pacita Saludes years in office. He championed numerous causes, won as many promote the book. He has met with good-sized audiences at Charlie Sonido, M.D. friends as he did enemies, but never backed away from con- Barnes & Noble and Borders Bookstore locations island- Emmanuel S. Tipon, Esq. troversial issues or difficult decisions. wide, many of whom waited patiently in line for an auto- Felino S. Tubera History may yet determine Cayetano to be one of Hawaii’s graphed copy. The book has reportedly sold well. We hope Sylvia Yuen, Ph.D. greatest governors. Many forget that his term was bookended our story, on pages 4-6, will encourage you to pick up a Contributing Writers by turbulent economic times—much like today. Hawaii bene- copy, which we highly recommend. fitted as he was the tough leader needed for those tough eco- Calvin Alonzo, O.D. On page 7, we have a news item on the White House’s Rowena Ballesteros nomic times. With the state’s worsening economy, we can only Summer 2009 Internship Program. We urge Filipino stu- Clement Bautista hope for our next governor to be equally tenacious and unafraid dents to apply for the internships, which will allow them to Linda Dela Cruz to make the tough decision. Just like Ben. Constante A. Domingo develop leadership skills and give them a first-hand taste of Danny De Gracia politics in Washington, DC. The internship may just help to Amelia Jacang, M.D. encourage one of our youth to run for U.S. president one Caroline Julian The Case Against Albert Lanier day—who knows? But we’ll never know, unless our youth Ashley Monfort Legalizing Gay Marriage apply. The deadline to submit applications is March 22, Paul Melvin Palalay, M.D. 2009. Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq. hat to do about gay marriages. The bill that In closing, we hope you will take time to read these and Glenn Wakai gives same-sex partners the same rights as mar- other articles of interest in this issue— articles such as the Philippine Correspondent Guil Franco ried couples under state law remains in limbo first ever Filipino Film Festival at the Honolulu Academy after senators last week were unable to reach an of Arts in April, thousands of dollars worth of scholarships Big Island Distributor agreement after some 15 hours of testimony. for UH students majoring in Filipino Language & Litera- Elmer Acasio W Ditas Udani Senate President Colleen Hanabusa is now ture, and a special but limited concert series with Jasmine mulling over a rarely used ploy to pull the bill Maui Distributor Trias and the Society of Seven Las Vegas. Also, don’t forget Cecile Piros from committee and bring it before the full Senate where there our regular columns like Legislative Connection, Immigra- are enough votes for the measure to pass, supporters say. tion Guide, and Legal Notes. Molokai Distributor Invoking such a ploy could open a Pandora’s box in that Maria Watanabe As always, thank you for supporting the Hawaii Filipino controversial bills bottled up in committee could receive a free Chronicle! Until next time… Advertising/Marketing Director pass to the floor for a full vote. Understandably, senators are Chona A. Montesines-Sonido Aloha and Mabuhay! treading carefully, given the ramifications. You see, the House Account Executives and Senate have guidelines in place that govern the structure Carlota Ader of committees and the conduct of business. The guidelines are J.P. Orias commonly accepted and adhered to. If not, political chaos The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle is published weekly by The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle Inc. would ensue. It is mailed directly to subscribers and dis- Similarly, the legalization of gay marriages could open a tributed at various outlets around Oahu and Pandora’s box. If two men or two women are allowed to the neighbor islands. Editorial and advertis- ing deadlines are three weeks prior to pub- marry, what’s to stop a group of three men and two women lication date. Subscriptions are available at who profess love for each other, to do the same? Or a brother $75 per year for Oahu and the neighbor is- lands, continental U.S. $80, foreign country and sister who claim to love each other? Gay marriage propo- $90. Copyright 2006. The Hawaii Filipino nents want equal treatment for all couples. But why is love be- Chronicle Inc. is located at 94-356 Waipahu Depot, Waipahu, HI 96797. Telephone tween two people worthy of state sanction and not love (808) 678-8930 Facsimile (808) 678-1829. between three or more? E-mail [email protected]. Web- site: www.thefilipinochronicle.com. Opinions While our good lawmakers wrestle over the fate of the gay expressed by the columnists and contribu- marriage bill, let us pray for wisdom to prevail. The ancient tors do not necessarily reflect those of the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle management. Re- pillars were put into place for a reason—to preserve the fam- production of the contents in whole or in part ily structure and to protect children, whom researchers say de- is prohibited without written permission from the management. All rights reserved. velop best in homes headed by a mother and a father. Let us Printed in the U.S.A. be wise then and not remove these pillars. FEBRUARY 28, 2009 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 3 LEGISLATIVE CONNECTION Stem (Part 2) school students and their fami- powered cars, "mouse-trap" CD lies explore science and tech- racecars, football catapults, nology over five days. Students oaktag/chopstick rollercoasters, in last year's "Return to the and more. By Senator Will Espero Moon: Failure Is Not An Op- Each April the UH-Manoa's tion!" camp enjoyed a lunar cur- Institute for Astronomy holds 009 is the year of riculum tied in with NASA's an open house where families "Apollo: the mission to send orbiters and an can enjoy astronomy lectures, Next Generation, impactor to the moon to look "astronomy school," infrared Return to the for the presence of water under demonstrations, observatory 2 Moon" for the the lunar surface to prepare for linkups, telescope manufactur- 19th annual Fu- possible lunar habitation.