Ilonggo indicted for ‘marriage for green card’ scam

 “With commerce comes fraud.”

—Nathan Blecharczyk

By Alex P. Vidal

ONE of the six Filipino nationals recently indicted by federal authorities together with five other alleged accomplices for arranging at least 400 fake marriages in Los Angeles, California and making millions of dollars from their business of securing green cards illegally for willing clients, is from Iloilo City.

This was confirmed by the Ilonggo accused’s New York-based friend who described Felipe Capindo “Peebles” David, one of those indicted, as “a family oriented person.”

“I was shocked when I heard the news,” said Rommel Leal, 49, David’s friend and former high school classmate at the Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Gen. Huges Street, Iloilo City.

“Felipe is a good son. He takes care of his mother who is in the Philippines.”

Leal, a Fil-Am from Lambunao, Iloilo, said all he knew was David, 49, has been engaged in the business of recruiting caregivers. 

“I thought he is connected in an agency that recruits or helps Filipino caregivers mostly in California,” he said. “Felipe also dabbles in lending business. He lends money to those who go home for vacation in the Philippines.”

Leal said David owns several properties in Molo district and lives a “good life” in L.A. 

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 According to the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office in District of Massachusetts, David and 10 other California-based individuals have been indicted in connection with running a large-scale marriage fraud “agency” that allegedly arranged hundreds of sham marriages entered into for the primary purpose of circumventing immigration laws.

The following defendants were indicted April 7, 2022 on conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud:

Marcialito Biol Benitez, a.k.a “Mars,” 48, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles; Engilbert Ulan, a.k.a “Angel,” 39, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles; Nino Reyes Valmeo, 45, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles; Harold Poquita, 30, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles; Juanita Pacson, 45, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles; and Felipe Capindo David, a.k.a “Pilipi” or “Peebles,” 49, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles. 

Their alleged accomplices were: Peterson Souza, 34, a Brazilian national residing in Anaheim, Calif.; Devon Hammer, 26, of Palmdale, California; Tamia Duckett, 25, of Lancaster, Inglewood and Palmdale, California;

Karina Santos, 24, of Lancaster, California; and Casey Loya, 33, of Lancaster and Palmdale, California.

Eight of the defendants, including Benitez, were arrested April 7 in California. 

They were scheduled to appear in federal court in the Central District of California April 7 and appear in Boston at a later date.

According to the indictment, Benitez operated what he and others referred to as an “agency” that arranged hundreds of sham marriages between foreign national “clients” and United States citizens. 

One of those foreign national clients resided in Massachusetts. The agency then allegedly prepared and submitted false petitions, applications and other documents to substantiate the sham marriages and secure adjustment of clients’ immigration statuses for a fee of between $20,000 and $30,000 in cash.

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“Marriage fraud is a serious crime that threatens the integrity of our nation’s lawful immigration system,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. 

“These defendants’ alleged exploitation of this system for profit is an affront to our nation’s tradition of welcoming immigrants and prospective citizens. Their alleged fraudulent behavior makes things harder for the vast majority of immigrants who follow the law and respect our immigration system. Beyond that, by allegedly submitting false applications that claimed domestic abuse, these charged defendants did further harm, this time to real victims and survivors of domestic violence. Today’s arrests are the result of impressively comprehensive, cross-country agency collaboration. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners across the country to identify and hold accountable those who seek to violate U.S. law by fraud of any sort.”

“It is the utmost honor and privilege to become an American citizen, and the individuals we arrested today have allegedly made a sham of that process by running a large-scale marriage fraud “agency” that arranged hundreds of fake marriages for foreign nationals, racking up millions of dollars in profits. We believe their alleged scheme broke immigration laws that are in place to protect public safety and created a disadvantage for those seeking to earn their citizenship lawfully,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Office “This case should serve as a warning to others that the FBI and our law enforcement partners are united in our efforts to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises that seek to circumvent our laws by fraudulent means.”

“Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners will continue to prosecute individuals and criminal organizations, who profit from manipulating the immigration system,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. 

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“Today’s arrests are a result of an extensive multi-agency marriage and document fraud investigation. HSI will continue to conduct criminal investigations into immigration benefit fraud as this crime threatens the integrity of the lawful immigration system.”

“This case is a prime example of multiple agencies working as a team to uphold and protect our countries lawful immigration system,” said Alanna Ow, Director of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, San Diego District. “Protecting America’s promise is at the core of what we do and I’m very proud of our Fraud Detection and National Security unit for the steadfast work they do to fulfill the agency’s mission on a daily basis.”

Benitez allegedly operated the agency out of brick-and-mortar offices in Los Angeles, where he employed his co-conspirators as staff. Specifically, it is alleged that Valmeo, Ulan, Poquita and Pacson assisted with arranging marriages as well as submitting fraudulent marriage and immigration documents for the agency’s clients, including false tax returns.  

Hammer, Duckett, Santos and Loya allegedly served as “brokers,” who recruited U.S. citizens willing to marry the agency’s clients in exchange for an upfront fee and monthly payments from the client spouses following the marriage—to keep the U.S. citizen responsive and cooperative until the client spouse obtained lawful permanent resident status.  

It is also alleged that Souza and Capindo David referred prospective foreign national clients to the agency for a commission, typically around $2,000 per referral.

After pairing foreign national clients with citizen spouses, Benitez and his staff allegedly staged fake wedding ceremonies at chapels, parks and other locations, performed by hired online officiants. 

For many clients, the agency would take photos of undocumented clients and citizen spouses in front of prop wedding decorations for later submission with immigration petitions.

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Benitez and his staff then allegedly submitted fraudulent, marriage-based immigration petitions to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency responsible for granting lawful permanent resident status. 

It is alleged that Benitez and his staff coached clients and spouses through interviews with USCIS and advised clients about maintaining the appearance of legitimate marriage to their spouses. 

According to the indictment Benitez and his co-conspirators arranged sham marriages and submitted fraudulent immigration documents for at least 400 clients between October 2016 and March 2022.

It is further alleged that Benitez and his co-conspirators would assist certain clients – typically those whose spouses became unresponsive or uncooperative – with obtaining green cards under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by claiming the undocumented clients had been abused by alleged American spouses. 

Specifically, the agency would allegedly submit fraudulent applications on clients’ behalf for temporary restraining orders against spouses based on fabricated domestic violence allegations. Benitez and his co-conspirators would then allegedly submit the restraining order documentation along with immigration petitions to USCIS, in order to take advantage of VAWA provisions that permit non-citizen victims of spousal abuse to apply for lawful permanent resident status without their spouses’ involvement.

The charge of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rollins, Boston FBI SAC Bonavolonta, San Diego HSI SAC Plantz and San Diego USCIS Director who made the announcement April 7.

U.S. Attorney Rollins personally thanked U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Tracy Wilkison for their valuable assistance in this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

“The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” said the press release from the Department of Justice. 

(The author, who is base in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo City.—Ed)

Jinkee’s transformation; the battle of acronyms

“I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back.”

—Henny Youngman

By Alex P. Vidal

JINKEE Pacquiao is, perhaps, the only wife who has been actively accompanying her husband in the presidential campaign all over the country. 

The wives of Bongbong Marcos Jr., Isko Moreno, Panfilo Lacson, Leody De Guzman, Norberto Gonzales, Ernesto Abella, Jose Montemayor, and Faisal Mangondato haven’t been seen physically and actively standing side by side their husbands in caravans and in other public appearances related to the political campaigns in the May 9 election.

Jinkee, 43, has become Senator Pacquiao’s exquisite harpoon and valuable package in the most important mission of his life. 

In the many times that I covered Pacquiao’s fights when he was active in boxing in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the past 14 years, I had the privilege on several occasions to sit down and eat breakfast and lunch with the Pacquiao couple in their apartment in La Brea, Los Angeles and in their suites in Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

I found Jinkee to be shy-type and someone who didn’t interact and say a word both in the dining table and the living room.

She also didn’t look in the eyes of anyone who visited her husband, but would steal a glance at individuals she may have hated or liked secretly. 

It’s a big surprise she is now singing and interacting with people in her husband’s campaign rallies.

If she becomes a First Lady, let’s hope she won’t be another Imelda Marcos.

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WITH less than 30 days to go before the May 9 Philippine election, the cat is out of the bag.

Several surprised realignments, “jumping of ships”, “changing and dropping”, and “multiple horse-riding” tactics among national candidates have been unearthed wittingly and unwittingly these past days.

In local politics, it’s hard to switch alliances or dump a party mate vice versa in the eleventh hour, but politics in the Philippines is so unique and bizarre that treachery and double-dealings aren’t implausible. 

Some nervous but segurista senatorial candidates, meanwhile, have been caught padding their canoes not only in two rivers but in multiple oceans.

Senatorial candidates can never serve two masters at the same time. They can’t ride on two caterpillars. 

In the name of delicadeza and transparency, they must choose only one presidential and vice presidential candidate and pick which party or camp to be with come hell or high water.

But this is not happening in the May 9 election. There are senatorial candidates who must be relatives of Judas Iscariot.

They are running in two to three parties (my golly) and attending the rallies of these parties in different schedules and time. 

They don’t reveal their candidates for president and vice president as freeloaders until their butts accidentally protrude while hiding in the curtains. 

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In the presidential race, it’s becoming a battle of acronyms. 

Weeks going to the homestretch, assorted combinations and pairings have surfaced: RoSa or Robredo-Sara and KaLeSa or Kay Leni-Sara for those pushing for Leni Robredo for president and Sara Duterte for vice president.

According to the grapevine, President Rodrigo Duterte, who has announced he wasn’t supporting any presidential candidate, “knew about the KaLeSa and RoSa” because the prime movers were mostly Mr. Duterte’s allies in Mindanao.

Other private groups and political mercenaries in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao that support different candidates for president and vice president reportedly have displayed their own creativity by floating different acronyms to endorse their chosen candidates from different parties.

There are movements that also root for Isko Moreno (president) and Sara Duterte (vice president); Manny Pacquiao (president) and Tito Sotto (vice president); Bongbong Marcos (president) and Sotto (vice president); Ping Lacson (president) and Duterte (vice president); Lacson (president) and Kiko Pangilinan (vice president); Pacquiao (president) and Pangilinan (vice president); and Moreno (president) and Pangilinan (vice president).

Because of the smorgasbord of pairings and other possible combinations as the judgement day approaches, the surveys consistently dominated by Marcos Jr. these past months have almost become irrelevant, to say the least.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

Apology remains unaccepted

 

“A stiff apology is a second insult. The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.”

—Gilbert K. Chesterton

By Alex P. Vidal

WE have been encouraged by our parents to say “I’m sorry” if we committed a sin since we were kids. 

According to our Christian Living teacher in high school, humility is the disposition to accept our impoverished dependence upon God.

Willingness to apologize is freedom from pride or arrogance.

Spiritual leaders also admonished, “If Jesus can forgive, why can’t we as humans?”

Although saying “I’m sorry” has become a fad nowadays, it did not release the recent sinners from public rebuke probably due to the degree of their malfeasance—even if ‘tis the season to forgive, or so it seems.

The son of a Negros congressman who, together with his bodyguards, assaulted a subdivision security guard and made him kneel; the actor who mauled his actress girlfriend “black and blue” in the hotel; the grandfather, 64, who raped and impregnated his own granddaughter, 16; Will Smith, who smacked Chris Rock during the live television broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards, to name only a few.

For some fans and observers, it’s hard to forgive and forget what they did. At least not yet.

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Will Russian President Vladimir Putin ask forgiveness for the apparent genocide in Ukraine? 

Will President Rodrigo Duterte apologize for the extrajudicial killings in the name of war against drugs? 

Will China apologize for bullying our fishermen and encroaching on the Philippine sea?

As Christians, we recall the events leading up to Jesus' death by crucifixion and, according to our faith, His Resurrection, during the coming Holy Week.

The week includes five days of special significance. The first is Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus' humble entry (on a donkey) into Jerusalem to observe Passover.

A rundown of what it all means is the following: Palm Sunday–entrance into Jerusalem; Holy Wednesday–into the darkness; Maundy Thursday–the Last Supper; Good Friday–Jesus' agony on the cross; Holy Saturday–Jesus visiting the tomb.

 

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Some supporters of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, 64, would get mad if supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo claimed that because of the big crowds in most of her recent rallies, the 56-year-old widow from Bicol might end up winning the presidential election on May 9, 2022 and becoming the third woman president after Corazon Aquino in 1986 and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2001. 

“That’s impossible,” they would holler in any discussion, including in the social media. “Look at the surveys. She’s not even closer to Marcos.”

The late dictator’s son was favored by 56 percent of respondents, down from 60 percent in February, according to the pollster Pulse Asia Research Inc. which reportedly surveyed 2,400 adults nationwide from March 17 to 21, 2022.  

Robredo got 24 percent, up from 15 percent previously, while third-placer Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno got 8 percent. 

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, Marcos’s running mate and the president’s daughter, similarly kept her lead in the vice-presidential race, favored by 56 percent of respondents. Her closest rival, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto, was at 20 percent, according to the same pollster.

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On the other hand, if Marcos supporters claimed that victory was “already in the bag” for the former senator from Ilocos because of the fairly imposing surveys, supporters of Robredo would sharply react that “the real surveys will be on May 9, the election day.”

Those who posed a pro-Robredo and pro-Marcos sentiments in their social media accounts would immediately find themselves being swarmed by angry commentators like bees and flies in the comment sections.

No one escapes the wrath of avid fans from both camps. 

The disagreement on who would win the presidency always ended up in sour notes, brickbats and insults between the two camps.

Supporters of other presidential candidates—Mayor Isko Moreno, Senator Manny Pacquiao, Senator Panfilo Lacson, and labor leader Leody De Guzman—seldom joined the fray especially if the names of their bets weren’t mentioned as possible winners.

In most cases, they made their voices heard and their presence felt by helping pick up the stones and threw them at Marcos Jr. 

The camps of candidates lagging behind the surveys didn’t sharpen their knives against each other; they mostly trained their revolvers at Marcos Jr., who is the most controversial among the 10 presidential candidates owing to his repeated no-show in the Comelec debates and recalcitrant behavior in the controversial estate tax issue of his family that has ballooned to P203 billion.    

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

The mighty U.S. dollar

“Money is my military, each dollar a soldier. I never send my money into battle unprepared and undefended. I send it to conquer and take currency prisoner and bring it back to me.”

—Kevin O'Leary

By Alex P. Vidal

THE exchange rate from Philippine peso to U.S. dollar as of April 6, 2022 was P51.42 to $1.

If we have a $100 bill, the highest value of denomination currently in production, it is equivalent to P5,135. 

Before sending money to the Philippines, I first check the latest exchange rate and start comparing the peso to dollar at $100 mark.

If it is P5,000+ for a $100, it’s easy to figure out the amount to send via direct bank deposit or Western Union and Moneygram, among other methods of remittance.

Some foreign-based dollar earners are “satisfied” if the current exchange rate doesn’t fall below P5,000 for one hundred U.S. dollar.   

Families in the Philippines that rely on remittances from their Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) relatives anywhere in the world rejoice if the exchange rate is higher because they will receive more.

Officially crowned the world's reserve currency and backed by the world's largest gold reserves, the U.S. dollar is still mightier thanks to the Bretton Woods Agreement. 

Other countries accumulated reserves of U.S. dollars instead of gold reserves.

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Some people are concerned that a higher peso to dollar exchange rate might have a bad effect on the wallet of those who don’t have OFW family members. 

While it is cause for celebration for OFW families, this might mean, on the other hand, a weaker economy as a country. 

The theory is that the higher the exchange rate, the weaker the peso will be and the weaker the economy. But let us leave the matter to the economists.

The most important is the U.S. dollar-dominated world economy continues to be stable despite the economic sanctions on Russia. 

This will alway be a healthy sign for the Philippines in as far as dollar remittances from OFWs are concerned. 

This is also the reason why we don’t want the war Russia had initiated against Ukraine to escalate. 

If we have a peaceful geopolitics and foreign relations, we will continue to have a peaceful and stable world economy.

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More dirty tricks and black propaganda will continue to hound some politicians seeking elective positions in the May 9 election. They are part of the game, whether they like it or don’t.

If they aren’t ready and will allow themselves to be provoked and pissed off, they lose in the psychological warfare.

Every now and then we will continue to receive reports that a certain politician—incumbent and/or challenger—“is a victim of a food delivery scam” among other laughable tricks, like what happened recently to reelectionist Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas.

If it’s not election time and there’s no ongoing campaign period, pranksters wouldn’t waste their time and energy to launch such irritating tactic meant to give their targets embarrassment and inconvenience, and nothing else.

Some local and national candidates in the coming election who are not doing well in the surveys are getting desperate and will just think of bizarre activities to harm their rivals. 

These abnormal things actually don’t happen only in the Philippines; and such is the behavior manifested by losers and those being eaten up by negative energy. 

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Are they still relevant nowadays? I’m referring to spiritual groups like the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) which recently appealed to candidates, their parties and supporters to ensure that the elections in May will be clean, honest and peaceful.

In a recent pastoral letter, the CBCP through its president and Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David also called on Filipinos to actively participate in the upcoming polls and to express themselves in a "just, respectful and peaceful manner."

Every election, we heard the same appeal and admonition yet, we continued to experience violent and fraudulent elections; and we continued to elect mediocre, thugs, ruffians, jokers, and circus players into office.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

A leopard can’t change its spots

“It is not the quantity but the quality of knowledge which determines the mind's dignity.”

-- William Ellery Channing

By Alex P. Vidal

THOSE who think, believe, and expect Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao to master the King’s English and argue like Cicero just because he became a presidential candidate may be nuts.

Not all presidential candidates are intelligent; not all intelligent are presidential candidates.

And those who ridiculed him in the social media for his disastrous performance in the recent Comelec 2nd PiliPinas Presidential Debates 2022 may be jokers.

Shaming Pacquiao in TikTok and other platforms for “shaming himself” in the debate won’t change anything in as far as his identity as a struggling speaker and his chances of winning are concerned. 

Pacquiao continued to lag behind in surveys whether his critics have succeeded in humiliating him after the second Comelec debate. 

Since when did it occur to everyone that the 42-year-old former 8-time world boxing champion was a good speaker and debater? 

Why express shock and awe when the ex-pugilist failed to satisfactorily answer the question of moderator Ces Drilon during the “live” debate on April 3? 

Did some of us really expect Pacquiao to speak and play with words like JFK or Benjamin?  

Without underestimating Pacquiao, we all know his background; we are aware his primary skills are in the square jungle, not in the rostrum; so why bother whether he can answer the debate question impressively? 

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Yes, it’s his fault when he once dared fellow presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to a one-on-one debate when the latter snubbed several past presidential debates.

But it was ostensibly more of a case of hubris for the retired boxer; a grandstanding in an effort to look big even if he is diminutive in the arena of the smart alecks.

The Tagalogs call it “pakitang gilas” or “pang gulat.”

When you’re a midget wanting to be someone not your height, you don’t pick up a fight with a dwarf.

The truth is pitting Pacquiao in a one-on-one debate with the more intelligent Marcos Jr. is like asking Will Smith to slap Hulk Hogan, or coercing Harry Roque to engage Vice Ganda in dirty dancing. 

Pacquiao became international superstar for disfiguring the faces of tough Mexicans as a prizefighter. 

He was never in the class of seasoned debaters and great thinkers even before the presidential election.

Just like a leopard that can’t change its spots, Pacquiao can’t change his talent and reputation overnight from a ring monster to a university lecturer and extemporaneous guru only because he was “allowed” to run for the highest position in the land. 

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If radioman Salvador “Jun” Capulot did not file his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for Iloilo City mayor in the May 9 election, reelectionist Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas would have joined the eight other mayoral candidates in Iloilo province with no opponents.

An unchallenged mayoral candidate during the election is normally being looked up to in the national level and respected by his peers in the League of Cities in the Philippines (LCP).

But Capulot spoiled the party. Having an official rival in the election means a mayoral candidate will have to shell out campaign funds and “take good care” of village officials.

We can’t blame the likes of Trenas to be pissed off if the likes of Capulot surface during the elections. 

Everyone, including those with no sufficient personal and campaign funds, has a chance to run in a free election. This is the beauty of democracy. 

Even if their chances of winning are nil, the likes of Capulot all over the country can give the incumbents—or the political Goliaths—plenty of trouble mentally, emotionally and financially. 

The eight candidates in the Iloilo mayoral race considered as “sure winners” are: Jett Roxas of Ajuy, Kenneth Alfeche of Alimodian, Suzette Mamon of Badiangan, Nielo Tupas of Barotac Viejo, Mark Palabrica of Bingawan, Janette Colada of Guimbal, Liecel Seville of New Lucena, and Trixie Fernandez of San Enrique.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

   

No need to hate each other

“Let's practice motivation and love, not discrimination and hate.”

—Zendaya

By Alex P. Vidal

IF we avoid disliking or hating those who disagree with our political leanings this early, we will not find it hard to interact and assimilate with them anew once the next Philippine president and vice president have been decided after May 9, 2022.

Elections come and go; relationships, if cultivated and preserved, stay and live longer.

Election and the throwing of support to certain candidates separately, have become the leading killer of relationships. It’s like a curse.

Family members who support different candidates quarrel at the dinning table; friends, officemates and classmates spar openly in the social media.

Before and after the US presidential election on November 3, 2020, I regularly watched the political talk show, Real Time, on HBO hosted by Bill Maher, who used to also host the similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect.

Maher, who hated to the max former President Donald Trump, always exhorted the Americans “not to hate those who continued to support President Trump.”

Maher said: “We need more people speaking out. This country is not overrun with rebels and free thinkers. It's overrun with sheep and conformists.”

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Because they are perceived to be weaker and slower, some elderly Filipinos have been the favorite targets of so-called “Asian haters” in New York and probably in other parts of the United States.

If we have elderly parents or relatives in the United States, let’s not allow them to walk or do their transactions alone. Either we accompany them if we’re available, or request somebody to chaperone them.

We just can’t trust and predict what’s on the mind of the muggers and brutes who might pounce on our parents.

If you’re Filipino, or Asian for that matter, who is fit as a fiddle or stocky, attackers in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, among other states with high incidents of hate crimes, will think twice.

No American with a normal mind will assault a civilian of any race without any apparent provocation in the sidewalks and in other public places unless he is either mentally or emotionally disturbed; or he is a criminal who intends to rob passersby randomly.

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The thugs who victimize elderly Asians are everywhere in the Big Apple; I see them everyday in Manhattan and Brooklyn. 

They are mostly crazy individuals or drug dependents and under the influence of liquor. And they are mostly black. 

Many of them are homeless and dirty. They provoke their targets by first engaging them in word war—if they don’t bump them intentionally to get their attention.

Sometimes it depends on the victim’s reaction. If you ignore them and continue with your walk, it’s one smart move to stay away from trouble. If you’re piqued and couldn’t control your temper and emotion, you’re giving them the privilege to further harm you. 

It’s probably a coincidence that in the two brutal incidents of physical assaults in March, all were Filipinos—a 53-year-old male customer in McDonalds and a 73-year-old man walking to church.

-o0o-

THE top five cities on my list around the world are: 1. Nagoya; 2. Vancouver; 3. New York; 4. Copenhagen; 5. Brisbane. I fell in love with Nagoya the first time I visited it because of its people, climate, city life.

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that is a neurotransmitter, a chemical that transmits its signals between the nerve cells and the brain. It reduces hunger, increase sexual interest, improve memory and mental alertness, and alleviate depression. (Vitamin Bible)

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

The homestretch

“Letting emotion get into it isn't part of my game. Letting animosity or a rivalry come into it, that's all for the show.”

—Michael Chandler

By Alex P. Vidal

THERE is no other exciting subject matter to tackle nowadays other than the May 9 presidential election, with barely a month to go. 

Covid-19 has taken a back seat in national discourse, and local politics isn’t so sellable in as far as headlines are concerned due to lack of competitions and tough rivalries.

Each passing day, emotions run high and the race for Malacanang’s top post is getting intense and dramatic with everyone watching on tenterhooks the next move of the main players in the national politics.

The decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to remain neutral, or not to endorse any presidential candidate, is unprecedented. No Filipino president in recent memory has refused to pick a successor to support in the election.

He may have a valid reason: it’s too “risky” to publicly reveal his preference for the next president, especially for someone who is facing a tough battle in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the controversial killings of drug addicts during his six-year incumbency.

Especially if there’s no absolute certainty that PDP-Laban and Nacionalista Party standard bearer, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., will roll past the surging Vice President Leni Robredo despite the lopsided surveys.

The homestretch in any race really provides the biggest and most exciting sparks, especially if two top contenders are locked in a neck and neck rivalry and both camps aren’t entertaining any possibility of a defeat.

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I refuse to support the decision of the Philippine Consulate General in New York to teach members of the Filipino community self defense for free. 

I learned that there was a scheduled “session” two weeks ago in the RP Consulate on Fifth Avenue regarding the proposal by no less than Consul General Elmer Cato to equip us with the basics of hand to hand combat in the light of the recent upsurge of assaults against the Asians, especially Pinoys, in the Big Apple.

My contention is that self defense is useless in the face of clear and present danger; it cannot save the life of any elderly who might be mugged and brutalized by thugs and the so-called “Asian haters” roaming in the streets.

Not all Filipinos can defend themselves from drug addicts and homeless maniacs determined to physically attack them anywhere and anytime in New York. 

An elderly victim, for instance, can’t slug it out toe-to-toe against a superior assailant as manifested by the recent incidents where the attackers were mostly younger, faster and stronger.

The best option is still prevention: avoid places that aren’t frequented by the crowd; do the transactions (grocery, non-medical appointments, ATM withdrawal, etcetera) in the morning and not after sunset; look around while walking in avenues frequented by homeless individuals and drug addicts.

If the attack is inevitable, call 911 or run away (for the younger ones who don’t want to clash with the attackers physically).

Also, we must protect our head and heart with our hands when the mauling occurs after we failed to run away so that we won’t instantly die just in case the attackers are carrying bladed and blunt weapons.

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If contending parties in the election—or even the government—will file cases for violation of Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against incumbent public officials running for reelection, it will be misinterpreted as politicking. 

If the cases are meritorious and valid, why not file them before the election period? 

Also, if the government intends to collect estate taxes against any family, why wait for the election period to commence the collection proceedings? It could have been done much earlier when there’s not much controversy attached to the issue.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)