APRIL 11, 2009 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 1 ♦ WEEKLY ♦ APRIL 11, 2009 ♦ HAWAII-FILIPINO NEWS PHILIPPINE NEWS LEGAL NOTES SBA TO HONOR 3 NEW MALLS E-2 VISA FILIPINO ENTREPRENEURS TO CREATE 6,000 JOBS FOR INVESTORS 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 APRIL 11, 2009 EDITORIAL FROM THE PUBLISHER Publisher & Executive Editor elcome to another edition of Charlie Y. Sonido, M.D. Getting Ready the Hawaii Filipino Chron- icle! We hope you enjoy a Publisher & Managing Editor For Beautiful Music Chona A. Montesines-Sonido wonderful Easter with your awaii audiences will be treated to an another per- W family and loved ones. Associate Editors formance by the UST Singers, an award-winning Speaking of wonderful, Dennis Galolo choir from the Philippines. The group has been to our cover story for this issue, written by Edwin Quinabo Hawaii in 2001, 2004 and 2006. Each return visit J.P. Orias, is about a return visit by the Creative Designer H by this premier choral group is highly antici- Junggoi Peralta world-renowned University of Santo Tomas Singers. The pated. And for good reason. The UST Singers has 35-member choir is truly one of the good things about the Design Consultant been captivating audiences worldwide for the past 15 years Philippines and another thing that we all can take pride in. Randall Shiroma with beautiful renditions of its broad repertoire, which in- We look forward to hearing them perform! Photographer cludes Gospel, Filipino songs, Spanish folk songs (sung in We can also take pride in two Filipino senior volunteers Tim Llena Castilian, Gallego and Basque), Latin American songs and who were among several honorees at the 43rd Annual Administrative Assistant Broadway songs. Along the way, the UST Singers has won Mayor’s Senior Recognition Program. Also, several Filipino Shalimar Pagulayan 45 top prizes from choral competitions around the world. entrepreneurs were recognized by the Small Business Ad- Columnists That a choir from a Third World country in Asia has per- ministration for their business achievements—which is no Carlota Ader formed at such a high level for so long a time is truly noth- Michelle Alarcon, Esq. small feat, considering Hawaii’s flat economy. Congratula- Carlo Cadiz, M.D. ing short of remarkable. Credit must be given, obviously, to tions to both the senior volunteers and the small business Sen. Will Espero the singers for their dedication, and to the choir’s supporters owners! Both of their respective stories can be found on Grace F. Fong, Ed.D and financial sponsors. The lion’s share of their success Mayor Mufi Hannemann pages 8 and 10. Governor Linda Lingle however, goes to conductor Fidel G. Calalang, Jr. who has The City & County of Honolulu is continuing its ef- Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, Ph.D. had to organize and coach new groups all over again as choir forts to plan for the fixed rail project. City transportation Rosemarie Mendoza members graduate and disperse. He has met the unrelenting J.P. Orias officials have held Transit Oriented Development work- Pacita Saludes challenges time and again, and continues to produce an ex- shops in Waipahu over the past two years, which gave res- Charlie Sonido, M.D. cellent ensemble. idents the opportunity to participate in the planning of their Emmanuel S. Tipon, Esq. If you have not yet heard the UST Singers in concert, we Felino S. Tubera community. The City has further expanded its efforts to in- Sylvia Yuen, Ph.D. encourage you to make plans to see them in performance clude more neighborhoods in Leeward Oahu, particularly and to enjoy their beautiful music. Kapolei. We encourage our readers in Leeward Oahu to at- Contributing Writers tend these workshops. Please read more on page 8. Calvin Alonzo, O.D. We hope you will enjoy reading these and other Rowena Ballesteros Clement Bautista Proposed Cell Phone Ban columns in this issue, including Legislative Connection, Linda Dela Cruz Family Corner, Legal Notes and Philippine Language. Constante A. Domingo Makes Good Sense In closing, we again thank you for supporting the Danny De Gracia Amelia Jacang, M.D. sing a cell phone while driving would be illegal, Hawaii Filipino Chronicle! Until next time… Aloha and Caroline Julian under a bill currently making its way through the Mabuhay! Albert Lanier Ashley Monfort City Council. If passed, Honolulu would join six Paul Melvin Palalay, M.D. other states and the District of Columbia that Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq. U have already banned talking on a hand-held cel- Glenn Wakai lular phone while driving. The bill also bans the Philippine Correspondent Guil Franco use of music players, video games and other hand-held elec- tronic devices while behind a steering wheel. Big Island Distributor Elmer Acasio There are of course, exceptions. For example, mo- Ditas Udani torists are allowed to call 911 in the event of an emer- Maui Distributor gency and to use a hands-free device like a Bluetooth Cecile Piros earpiece. The bill also exempts emergency personnel and Molokai Distributor drivers who use two-way radios on the job. Maria Watanabe Officials with the National Safety Council say that Advertising/Marketing Director driving while talking on a cell phone puts drivers at a four Chona A. Montesines-Sonido times greater risk of a crash. While nationwide studies Account Executives support such a ban, most people don’t need cold, hard sta- Carlota Ader tistics to convince them that cell phones and driving don’t J.P. Orias mix. We have all seen our fellow drivers so absorbed in The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle is published weekly by The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle Inc. cell phone conversations that their ability to concentrate It is mailed directly to subscribers and dis- was severely impaired, thereby jeopardizing the safety of tributed at various outlets around Oahu and the neighbor islands. Editorial and advertis- vehicle occupants, other motorists and pedestrians. ing deadlines are three weeks prior to pub- lication date. Subscriptions are available at The inconvenience of a missed call or having to pull $75 per year for Oahu and the neighbor is- over to use a cell phone is a small price to pay for the sake lands, continental U.S. $80, foreign country $90. Copyright 2006. The Hawaii Filipino of safety. And the right call for the Honolulu City Coun- Chronicle Inc. is located at 94-356 Waipahu cil to make. Depot, Waipahu, HI 96797. Telephone (808) 678-8930 Facsimile (808) 678-1829. E-mail [email protected]. Web- site: www.thefilipinochronicle.com. Opinions expressed by the columnists and contribu- GETTING IT STRAIGHT tors do not necessarily reflect those of the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle management. Re- We apologize for the factual errors in our cover story "A Closer Look at production of the contents in whole or in part Hawaii's Early Visayan Pioneers" which appeared in our March 28, 2009 is prohibited without written permission from the management. All rights reserved. edition. A corrected version of the story will appear on our website at Printed in the U.S.A. www.thefilipinochronicle.com. APRIL 11, 2009 HAWAII FILIPINO CHRONICLE 3 MAYOR’S COLUMN Revitalizing Neighborhoods, and Youth deemed eligible under the Workforce Invest- Creating Jobs for Our Youth ment Act will be enrolled into the program on a first-come more pedestrian-friendly. The first-served basis. Applications plans will become the founda- must be returned complete with By Mayor Mufi Hannemann tion for specific zoning regula- original signature and attached tions and financial incentives. copies of eligibility documents, e are committed Zoning regulations will address and must be returned to and re- to revitalizing parking standards, new density ceived by the Youth Services our neighbor- provisions, open space and af- Center, Oahu WorkLinks Cen- hoods, using rail fordable housing. Financial in- ters, and Kailua Satellite City w transit as the cat- centives could include Hall no later than April 6, 2009, alyst, and we public-private partnerships, real 4:00 PM. will continue to ensure that the property tax credits and infra- For questions regarding ap- Filipino community and all structure financing. plications, please call Ms. other stakeholders are involved In another neighborhood, Head end of Kalakaua Avenue. to 5 a.m. beginning April 20. Donna Fautanu at 832-7818. with Transit-Oriented Develop- we recently activated new traf- We’re very committed to ensur- The comfort station behind the Locations for picking up ment planning. fic signals at the intersection of ing that our parks remain clean, Police sub-station will remain and dropping off applications I’m very pleased with the Gulick Avenue and Beckley safe and welcoming to every- open until 2 a.m., four hours are: first neighborhood TOD plan, Street in Kalihi, near Kalihi one. This extra effort will re- longer than before. Youth Services Center/WIA focused on the two rail stations Waena Elementary School. In- quire the collaboration of Our Summer Youth Em- Youth Program, 1505 Dilling- planned for Waipahu. Stake- stalling these new signals is part several city departments, but no ployment Program for disadvan- ham Blvd. Suite 206, Honolulu, holders are proud of these two of our comprehensive effort to additional funding. We’re also taged youth and young adults Hawaii 96817, and; Oahu areas, and their recommenda- improve traffic and pedestrian making sure the community is will employ 650 people this WorkLinks One Stop Centers, tions for each station are quite safety across our island. Com- involved, and we are consulting summer, from June 15 to July 1505 Dillingham Blvd.