OPINION PHILIPPINE NEWS MAINLAND NEWS inside look Was Manny Villar 3 U.S. Embassy 11 Doctors Sue To 13 APRIL 10, 2010 Really Poor Issues Advisory vs Overturn The Health Travel to Mindanao Care Bill H AWAII’ S O NLY W EEKLY F ILIPINO - A MERICAN N EWSPAPER PHILIPPINE OLYMPIC MEDALIST TO BE INDUCTED INTO SWIMMING HALL OF FAME HFC Staff By e is to the Philippines what Duke Kahanamoku is to Hawaii, yet very few people know about Teofilo Yldefonzo—widely considered to be the Philippines’s greatest H Olympic swimmer. A three time Olympian, Yldefonzo won back-to- Norma Yldefonzo Arganda and two grandchildren to back bronze medals at the 1928 Olympics in Ams- the ceremony and are appealing to the Fil-Am com- terdam and at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. munity in the U.S. for monetary assistance. His specialty was the 200-meter breaststroke. Ylde- “If anybody should be at the inauguration, it fonzo also competed at the 1936 in Berlin but failed should be Teofilo’s direct descendants,” writes fam- to get a medal. ily friend Lani Eugenio in an email. “Please support Yldefonzo will be inducted into the International their quest to attend this celebration.” Swimming Hall of Fame in Florida on May 8, 2010. (continued on page 4) Friends and relatives want to send his daughter “The Ilocano Shark”,Teofilo Yldefonzo Mizuno Opposes EPOD, Shutdown of State DHS By HFC Staff ep. John Mizuno, chair of the State House Human Services Committee, Rcontinues to oppose an unpopular Sen. Mar Roxas and Sen. Noynoy Aquino move by the Lingle administration to close every single public assistance office statewide. Noynoy, Mar Top Latest State Department of Human Services (DHS) director Lillian Koller is proposing Pulse Asia Survey to create a new Eligibility Processing Op- By Helen FLORES erations Division (EPOD) which would the top choice of a majority of Filipino vot- streamline the processing of applications ANILA, Philippines - More than a ers, the same pre-election survey showed. and renewals for public assistance, includ- month before the May 10 elections, Aquino and Roxas said the result of ing welfare, Medicaid and food stamps. Rep. John Mizuno speaking at the plenary M Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Pulse Asia’s March 2010 Ulat ng Bayan sur- (continued on page 4) Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III continued vey is proof of the unwavering clamor for to dominate the presidential race, leading by change by Filipinos. HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE PRESORTED 94-356 WAIPAHU DEPOT RD., 2ND FLR. STANDARD 12 percentage points over his closest rival, Aquino obtained 37 percent voter pref- U.S. POSTAGE Nacionalista Party (NP) bet Sen. Manny Vil- erence compared to Villar’s 25 percent, WAIPAHU, HI 96797 PAID HONOLULU, HI lar, according to the latest survey by Pulse while Roxas got 43 percent voter preference PERMIT NO. 9661 Asia. as opposed to the 23 percent and 19 per- Aquino’s vice presidential candidate, cent obtained by NP vice presidential bet Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, also remained (continued on page 6) HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE - NEWS EDITION 2 APRIL 10, 2010 EDITORIAL No Rest for kidnapping for ransom, should be expected not to take a break during the elections. Authorities Troublemakers should try to find out if the two groups might hile everyone was busy with election- even be raising funds to help certain candidates related activities, the usual trouble- in the conflict areas of Mindanao. Local gov- W makers in Mindanao struck. Military ernment executives in these areas have long officers said members of the Abu Sayyaf and been suspected of receiving a share in the lu- the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front crative profits from kidnapping. teamed up in kidnapping Charlie Reith, a Swiss The incident should remind the military and resort owner who has lived for a long time in police that the kidnapping threat is very much the Philippines. Reith’s German friend man- around, and its perpetrators could take advan- aged to avoid being taken by the gunmen. tage of the current focus on political campaigns. As of yesterday, no ransom had been de- The kidnapping of a foreigner, even if he has manded for Reith, who was seized by about 10 been a Philippine resident for a long time, gives men in Zamboanga City last Sunday and then the story an international slant that can only be taken by speedboat toward Basilan. The mili- bad for the country. European missionaries and tary’s counter-terrorist team said the kidnap- tourists have been among the prominent vic- pers disguised themselves as police and tims of kidnapping in Basilan and Sulu in recent claimed they were arresting Reith on drug years, and Reith’s case is a reminder of that charges. fact. The best reassurance for the international Such attacks should be expected by authorities at the height of the community is for Philippine forces to find Reith quickly and neutralize his election period. The Abu Sayyaf and MILF, both with a long history of kidnappers. (www.philstar.com) a patent for it filed by OTC a week before it was awarded the contract. Beyond Reorganization How unique do taxpayers want something that is meant to give voters a t’s not a test and no one is going to copy answers, so there are voters measure of privacy as ballots are filled out? The cost of the deal is nearly who feel no need to use secrecy folders when they fill out ballots on a tenth of the amount for the poll automation contract won by Smartmatic- I May 10. For those who want privacy as they make their choices, the of- TIM. About P30 million will be added to the automation cost for the pur- ficial cardboard folders used in the 2007 midterm elections should suffice, chase of portable lamps that will read security features on each ballot. The unless certain enterprising souls in the Commission on Elections — and Comelec said Smartmatic used the wrong ink on the ballots, making the there seem to be a lot of them in the poll body — have sold the huge piles voting machines unable to read the ultraviolet marks. Why should taxpay- of cardboard by the kilo to scrap dealers. ers be stuck with the tab for such costly mistakes? Why taxpayers have to shell out P689.7 million for new polypropylene Even as Melo awaits the results of a probe into the contract for the bal- folders, at a cost of P380 each, only Comelec officials can explain. Com- lot secrecy folders, he should be prepared to go beyond a reorganization elec Chairman Jose Melo said the deal would no longer push through. He of the Bids and Awards Committee. He should also initiate a review of other caused some confusion the other day by saying that while the cost of the major purchases approved by the committee. Anyone who tries to pull a folders appeared exorbitant, there was no overprice. fast one on taxpayers should be punished for it. (www.philstar.com) Yesterday Comelec officials said their Bids and Awards Committee, whose head Maria Lea Alarkon had defended the price as reasonable, would likely be reorganized. An investigation has been ordered, with re- sults awaited within two weeks. Meanwhile, the company that won the deal through negotiated contract, OTC Paper Supply, said it would demand that the Comelec honor the deal. Can a contract worth P689.7 million be awarded without public bid- ding? The Comelec explained that the design of the folder is unique, with HAWAII-PHILIPPINE NEWS EDITION Contributing Writers Advertising/Marketing Director Columnists Calvin Alonzo, O.D., Clement Bautista, Linda Chona A. Montesines-Sonido Charlie Y. SONIDO, M.D. Carlota Ader Dela Cruz, Fiedes Doctor, Gregory Bren Garcia, Publisher and Executive Editor Carlo Cadiz, M.D. Danny de Gracia II, Amelia Jacang, M.D., Account Executives Sen. Will Espero Caroline Julian, Paul Melvin Palalay, M.D., Carlota Ader Chona A. Grace F. Fong, Ed.D. Glenn Wakai J. P. Orias MONTESINES-SONIDO Mayor Mufi Hannemann Creative Designer Big Island Distributor Publisher and Managing Editor Governor Linda Lingle Junggoi Peralta Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, Ph.D. Elmer Acasio Dennis GALOLO J. P. Orias Philippine Correspondent Ditas Udani Edwin QUINABO Pacita Saludes Guil Franco Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq. Maui Distributor Associate Editors Photographer Cecile Piros Charlie Sonido, M.D. Tim Llena Randall SHIROMA Emmanuel S. Tipon,Esq. Felino S. Tubera Administrative Assistant Molokai Distributor Design Consultant Sylvia Yuen, Ph.D. Shalimar Pagulayan Maria Watanabe The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle is published weekly by the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle Inc. It is mailed directly to subscribers and distributed at various outlets around Oahu and the neighbor islands. Editorial and advertising deadlines are three weeks prior to publication date. Subscriptions are available at $75 per year for Oahu and the neighbor islands, continental U.S. $85, foreign country $95. Copyright 2007. The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle Inc. is located at 94-356 Waipahu Depot, Waipahu, HI 96797. Telephone: (808) 678-8930. Facsimile: (808) 678-1829. E-mail: [email protected]. Opinions expressed by the columnists and contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle management. Reproduction of the contents in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission from the management. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE - NEWS EDITION APRIL 10, 2010 OPINION 3 person we knew. During the era of President Elpidio Quirino, a close Was Manny Villar Really Ever Poor? friend and former classmate of Dad, an opportunity was given to Dad to has been dodging the serious is- line bio, Villar cannot really justify soupy type where you can add po- make a cool P200,000 — a fortune AS I WRECK THIS sues pertaining to his use of public calling himself poor.