Filipino nurses in ‘crime of century’

“There are crimes of passion and crimes of logic. The boundary between them is not clearly defined.”

―Albert Camus

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

SIXTY years ago, or on July 13, 1966, two Filipina nurses were butchered beyond recognition by a drunken rapist inside a dormitory on 2319 East 100th Street (I regularly passed by this street from where I stayed on Monroe Street on my way to the Union Station in 2008) in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Corazon Pieza Amurao, 23, of San Luis, Batangas; Valentina P. Pasion, 24, of Jones, Isabela; and Merlita Ornedo Gargullo, 22, of Naujan, Mindoro were among the nine student nurses attacked by a lone assailant, Richard Franklin Speck, a drifter from Texas, inside the dormitory.

Only Amurao survived in what was known as “crime of the century.”

Pamela Lee Wilkening, 22, of Lansing; and Nina Jo Schmale, 24, of Wheaton, both in Illinois were raped and killed.

The others who suffered multiple stab wounds and strangulation were Patricia A. Matusek, 21, Mary Ann Jordan, 20, and Suzanne Bridget Farris, 21, all of Chicago; and Gloria J. Davy, 22, of Dyer, Indiana.

According to US-based Fil-Am journalist Joseph Lariosa, who interviewed Jack G. Wallenda, the first Chicago police homicide detective to arrive at the crime scene, the incident chipped away at the conventional wisdom of accommodating an armed intruder instead of putting up a resistance to survive.

Amurao and Gargullo tried to loosen their hands and Amurao whispered to others that when she freed herself, she could pick up a steel bunk ladder and hit the man with it. They could have leaped on him and overpowered him.

Lariosa said they could have done this when Speck was stripping the bed sheets to use them to tie their hands and ankles as he laid his gun aside. But the rest told them to keep still as they accommodated Speck’s demand to give him $38 as he was heading to New Orleans.

 

DETECTED

 

Although a sneeze away from getting detected, Lariosa said two things that saved Amurao’s life were her foresight and her pure luck when Speck lost count.

As Speck took Gargullo out of the bunk bed from the room and stabbed and killed her in another room as he had done with the rest, leaving Davy on top of the bunk bed and Amurao under the bunk bed, Amurao summoned all her strength to wiggle herself towards the bunk bed earlier occupied by Gargullo.

So that when Speck returned to look at Amurao’s previous location and saw it empty, Speck thought that Davy was the last in the room.  She then climbed out of the bedroom window onto a ledge and screamed that her friends were all dead.

The next day, Amurao fled a scene of such great carnage that it made veteran cops and police reporters vomit.

Detectives would find Davy dead on the sofa, naked and sexually assaulted. Upstairs, Wilkening had been gagged and stabbed through the heart.

Farris was in a pool of blood, having been strangled with her own stockings and stabbed 18 times. Jordan was stabbed three times. Schmale was stabbed in a pattern around her broken neck. Paison's throat had been cut. Gargullo had been stabbed and strangled. Matusek was also strangled. The women had been so disfigured that the director of nurses was able to recognize only 3 of them.

According to Amurao, Speck, armed, had forced entry into the dormitory and tied up the women. She hid under a bed, forced to listen as he raped, beat, and killed each of her friends. His was an easy conviction, and Speck died in prison when suffered a heart attack in 1991.

 

RIGHTS

 

The case also demonstrated that individual rights take precedence over diplomatic niceties, added Lariosa. As the Philippine Consul General Generoso Provido in Chicago at the time wanted to provide legal assistance to Amurao, the young nurse diplomatically declined the offer after getting wind of the scheme that the Filipino American lawyer being recommended by Provido was more interested in getting a slice from money generated from rights to her story than protecting her legal rights.

In a curt statement, Amurao issued the following statement: “It is my desire to make it clear that the memory of dear colleagues is of such character that I do not want to have it tainted by the acceptance by me of money or other personal benefit.”

Aside from getting $5,000 out of the $10,000 reward money offered by the South Chicago Community Hospital leading to the solution of the case, Amurao has stuck by her word, resisting bids for her to sell her rights to her horrifying experience.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

‘Anong paki namin sa English niyo?’

“I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”

—Will Rogers

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WHILE pundits are saying seven out of 10 Filipinos support the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, we doubt if it carries a weight in the priorities of the hoi polloi, or the masa.

By support means they are in favor, but will they zero in on the extravaganza when it becomes intense and carnivalesque hook, line, sinker?

After three hearings, it remains unclear if the impeachment trial has sunk into the imagination of plebeians who don’t have appetite for two competing besuited panels trading debates using highfalutin English and legal jargons.

They may be squirming, “Anong paki namin sa highfalutin English niyo? The gasoline is up; the economy is in tailspin. The peso is being pummeled in the foreign exchange rate market. We want food, shelter, and medicine; we want jobs; we need to survive.”   

The average Filipinos still continue to struggle making both ends meet and are generally apathetic to politics.

They must prioritize daily needs, food on the table over raree-shows and all forms of discussions that don’t have direct impact on their day-to-day survival.

 

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They must ensure their children have daily meals and allowances and can go to school safe and sound.

Only the pundits, the political vloggers and social and mainstream media analysts are claiming that even the poor are interested in what’s going on in the impeachment trial.

Most ordinary income earners, the people selling vegetables and basic goods in the marketplaces and the sidewalks, are busy with their livelihood and have no patience for endless debates in the halls of congress now transformed as impeachment trial court.

According to the latest official data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), about 17.54 million Filipinos, or 15.5 percent of the population, were living below the national poverty line in 2023.

Many political combats like the impeachment trial and government policies only help drive up consumer prices, such as for food and energy, which disproportionately hurt the poor, or create artificial obstacles to jobs.

Concern for the poor is often equated with endgame of the impeachment trial in search for accountability of public officials. In reality, political intramural often makes it difficult for those striving to make ends meet.

 

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We didn’t push through with our male patient’s doctor’s appointment on 41st Street in Downtown Manhattan, NYC July 8 morning because of the danger posed by a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper under a massive renovation evacuated Tuesday after two interior columns began to buckle that made first responders to fear a collapse could be imminent.

Hours after the 8 a.m. evacuation on July 7, the buildings and streets around 235 E. 42nd St. near Second Ave. remained closed off because there was reportedly additional movement in one of the compromised columns.

New York City’s buildings commissioner said late Tuesday that a compromised high-profile housing project under construction near Grand Central Terminal was stable for now, even as he said that the neighborhood around it may remain in a tense situation “for the next couple of days.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said no additional movement has been observed at the Midtown Manhattan high-rise that was evacuated after structural columns buckled. Temporary shoring and beams have been installed on several floors to further stabilize the building, with more expected to be added today, the mayor said.

The developer behind the skyscraper told CNN faulty column supports carrying too much weight were to blame, adding they will determine the exact reason they bent “in due time.” Four buildings in the area remain under evacuation orders.

The building, located on East 42nd Street, is the former headquarters for Pfizer and is being converted into apartments. The developer intends to rebuild the damaged section and still finish the project on time.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Agog over Alex’s tiara and Sara’s trial

“To be a tennis champion, you have to be inflexible. You have to be stubborn. You have to be arrogant. You have to be selfish and self-absorbed. Kind of tunnel vision almost.”

—Chris Evert

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NO doubt Filipinos from all corners of the globe are more excited to watch Alexandra “Alex” Maniego Eala’s Round 16 fracas versus Tuscany-born world no. 17 Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon distaff side than the much-ballyhooed impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, which will also blast off on July 6.

Win or lose against the 30-year-old Paolini, 21-year-old Eala has already secured a soaring place in tennis history.

No Filipino tennis player—man and woman— in history has reached Wimbledon’s thrilling Round 16.

If Eala bundles out Piolini and enters the Magic 8, she will become an unreachable comet in women’s tennis as far as her fellow Asian tennis players is concerned.

If she wins the Wimbledon crown, all hell will break loose, so to speak, in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), as well as tennis as a whole, since Eala is only currently ranked no. 32 in the world.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed and wish Alex the best of luck.

Alex’s conquests have already brought tremendous pride and eminence to all Filipinos reeling from the sordid publicity and negative stories generated by political instability, economic ennui, and disasters like earthquake, volcanic eruption, typhoon, flood, etcetera.

 

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Assuming Alex rolls past the top-rated Italian phenom, our attention will still continue to be divided this week as Mrs. Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial finally unfurls where at least 90 percent of the Filipinos anticipate and support it; they want the trial to proceed without delay.

Filipinos are excited to hear and watch the historic trial because they are curious about the charges in the articles of impeachment and the pieces of evidence to be presented by both the prosecutors and defendants.

The week will be swamped by a mix tableau of sports and politics. Emotions will be in record high for many Filipinos agog over Alex Eala’s tiara and the impeachment trial of Mrs. Duterte-Carpio.

If Eala gets the boot and crashes out of the title contention, many Pinoy fans will be heartbroken.

Pro-Duterte fanatics will suffer from emotional meltdown if the impeachment trial, expected to last for a maximum of five to six weeks, tilts in favor of guilty verdict.

 

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This is a type of travel scam that we should be aware of. When planning a trip, people often search the web for help with booking their flights and accommodations or acquiring necessary travel documents like a passport.

They may find websites that look legitimate, but when making the purchase, the website will charge extra high or hidden fees. Worse, the purchased travel bookings or documents might be fake and won’t be accepted on the journey.

Capital Bank has offered some helpful tips: Before making any payments, do your research to ensure the business is officially verified and check reviews on trusted platforms to confirm they’re authentic.

For business email compromise. Scammers can send emails impersonating trusted vendors to redirect payments to a fraudulent account.

While these messages appear authentic, they often originate from a scammer who has successfully compromised the vendor’s email or other communication channels.

Capital Bank has offered some helpful tips: Closely review all sender details for subtle errors. Independently confirm any payment or account changes through a verified telephone number or known channel.

 

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The imposter safe haven scam. Scammers pose as bank employees, tech support or even law enforcement agents, claiming that your personal information or account has been compromised. Scammers try to convince you to “protect” your money by buying gold and physically mailing it to them, or by buying cryptocurrency and sending it to an account they control for “safekeeping.” Ultimately, these imposters trick you into believing they’re helping in order to steal your assets.

Capital Bank has offered some helpful tips: No legitimate financial institution or law enforcement agency will ever ask you to buy gold, crypto or move your money to secure your funds.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Selective justice

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

―Elie Wiesel

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE are not against the decision of the Ombudsman to file plunder case against loquacious Senator Rodante Marcoleta for we believe he, like any public official who violates the law, deserves his day in court.

What is perplexing is his case was expedited ahead of those involved in the irritating multi-billion pesos flood control project scam, the 60 congressmen and several senators in the 19th congress, who became multimillionaires if not billionaires at the expense of the taxpayers.

Before the Marcoleta donnybrook, there were reports investigators were reexamining anywhere from eight to 15 specific congressmen for direct involvement in illegal contracting and kickback schemes related to flood control projects, while up to 45 to 67 lawmakers across the 19th Congress have been broadly implicated or investigated for conflicts of interest in the scandal that rocked the Philippines the last time President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his SONA a year ago.

What happened to the cases of those crooks in the House of Representatives and the Senate?

 

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How about some subalterns of the President who had been implicated earlier in the testimonies of DPWH bigwigs who are also in hot water?

Was the Iglesia Ni Kristo (INK), which staged a tumultuous and wicked rally in EDSA recently, correct when they decried this administration’s “selective justice?”

The INK rally may have been unpopular due to the terrible inconvenience it created in public, but if we lend our ears to what this religious group has been bellyaching regarding selective justice, we can conclude they deserved attention from the government, especially the Department of Justice (DoJ).

Selective justice is really unfair, a biased application of the law because apparently in the cases of Marcoleta and other controversial political figures now in the dumps, authorities like the DoJ and the Office of the Ombudsman apparently enforce rules, prosecute crimes, or hand out punishments based on personal advantage, political motives, or discriminatory prejudices rather than true impartiality.

It will undermine the rule of law and create a system where the powerful, like Martin Romualdez, et al, evade accountability by virtue of their being presumed to be “inside the kulambo.”

 

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To successfully claim that a specific case involves this unequal treatment (often challenged in court as "selective prosecution"), legal professionals must prove that demonstrating that similar individuals outside the targeted group were not prosecuted for the same conduct.

Also showing that the selection was intentionally based on race, religion, gender, or political alignment, rather than the facts of the crime.

When laws are enforced disproportionately against vulnerable communities or political opposition, systems of impartial justice break down.

It transforms the legal system into a tool for oppression rather than an instrument of fairness.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

What we do on 4th of July

“What makes our revolution unique and so exciting, then, is that it changed the very concept of government. Here was a new nation telling the world that it was conceived in liberty; that all men are created equal with God-given rights, and that power ultimately resides in 'We the people.'”

—Ronald Reagan’s message on the observance of Independence Day, 1981

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

EVERYONE aspiring to become a US citizen will be asked in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) civics test and interview during the naturalization process what is the birthday of the United States.

Or, when do we celebrate Independence Day?

The answer is 4th of July or July 4, 1776, the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted, declaring the original 13 colonies free from British rule.

On July 4, 2026 marks the American nation's semiquincentennial or 250th birthday.

For many Filipino-Americans, the 4th of July also serves as a poignant reminder of Philippine-American history.

Because the United States granted the Philippines its independence on July 4, 1946, many of us here use the holiday to also reflect on our dual heritage and the deep historical ties with the Americans.

 

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We share the historic milestone that honors the United States’ founding principles of liberty and self-government while also reflecting on how those ideals have evolved over two and a half centuries.

Through exhibitions, public programs, and community initiatives across the country, the semiquincentennial will serve as both a celebration of American history and an invitation to consider the nation’s continuing pursuit of a more perfect union.

Just like other Americans, we typically celebrate the 4th of July just by watching fireworks, enjoying days off, and gathering for BBQs. Some of us uniquely weave in our rich cultural traditions and history, blending standard American festivities with classic Filipino "fiesta" elements and a reflection on historic ties between the two nations.

The 4th of July holds dual significance for many Filipino diaspora.

The United States officially granted us independence on July 4, 1946, following the end of World War II.

 

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While we now celebrate our official Independence Day on June 12 (the date it declared independence from Spain), July 4th is still widely recognized in the community and historically observed in the Philippines as Philippine-American Friendship Day.

Families use the day to reflect on the shared history, military alliances, and journeys of migration.

Meanwhile, celebrations in Filipino communities are loud, lively, and joyful. They often feature large extended families, karaoke (videoke) sessions that last well into the night, and music.

It’s usually a time for community gathering ang bonding, where generations of immigrants and Filipino-Americans or Fil-Ams connect over shared heritage.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)