FilAm Runs for Mayor

By Malou Aguilar/Asianjournal.com

VALLEJO — It was not his name that caught our attention. Cris Villanueva is the namesake of a popular Filipino teen actor in the 80s. In a letter published in the Vallejo Times-Herald sent by a longtime resident, Lagreeh Flores wrote her concern about the financial budget crisis facing Vallejo. She then continued to describe a man who she believes can change the quality of life in their city.

Villanueva, a resident of Vallejo, has continuously shown his passion for public service.  In 1989, he joined the city council race and was successfully elected for two consecutive terms (1989-1997). He was also appointed as vice mayor in 1994.  This same passion is the reason why he is running for mayor.

His philosophy, “vision into action,” is what makes Villanueva different from other candidates. He believes that it takes knowledge, dedication and hard work to deliver results and be a strong leader.   A certified public accountant, he is now busy preparing for the upcoming US elections on the first week of November.  The good news is that Villanueva has edged out his other rivals by raising as much as $113,000 in campaign funds, as reported by the Times-Herald.

Villanueva is a full-blooded Pinoy. He grew up mostly in the quiet town of Dolores, Quezon.    He used to be an accounting professor at the Lyceum of the Philippines. He taught at the Centro Escolar University and the Philippine College of Commerce. He also served as vice president for finance for Delgado Brothers, Inc. before moving to the US in the 1975.  He settled in Vallejo and for the first two years, worked overtime almost everyday to save money.  In 1977, the same time he bought his first house, he went back to the Philippines to marry his long time fiancee, Candy.

Though he earned his California Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in 1983, Villanueva admitted that he experienced some racial discrimination. This included working endlessly but being passed over other employees, in most cases, an Anglo-American.  Still, he was driven to serve the people of Vallejo, including his desire to improve how Pinoys are treated.

Bringing Vallejo ‘back in the black’

Villanueva believes that he is the candidate who can make positive changes in Vallejo.  His ‘back in the black’ plan focuses to resolve the city’s financial budget crisis to improve the quality of life.   In his website CrisVillanueva.com, he outlined his vision for economic recovery. This  includes issuance of new tax exempt bonds to create tourist infrastructures to make Vallejo a more inviting tourist destination, the creation of enterprise zones to attract green and clean industries to produce jobs for residents, and economic development and revenue enhancement without cuts and further taxes.

For budget, Villanueva strongly proposes long-term projections for both revenues and expenditures, fiscal impact analysis on every adopted resolution and periodic monitoring of actual and budgeted revenues and expenses.  He also has recommendations and proposals about other issues on public safety, health and welfare and
education, as well as programs for the youth and senior citizens.

With the programs that he plans to implement throughout the city, he knows that he can continue bringing more businesses into Vallejo.  These will provide continual job growth and stronger employment opportunities, balance the budget and satisfy the needs of residents and tourists.

Family man

For 30 years now, Villanueva has been a dedicated and faithful husband to Candy, who is a registered nurse at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo.  Having lost his father when he was only six months old, Villanueva and his three siblings were raised solely by their mother, Carmen.  Mrs. Villanueva worked hard to make sure that all her children received education. She believes that education is the best gift a mother can give with her children.

This lesson has been passed on to Villanueva’s pride and joy, his four children.  His only son, Christopher is now a State policeman in Napa, and a reserved captain at the US Air Force.  Daughters Crystal and Candace are both registered nurses at Queen of the Valley Hospital and Sutter Solano Medical Center, respectively, while youngest daughter, Carissa, is a sophomore at the St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School.  Villanueva is also a caring grandfather to only grandson, Noel.

Still a Pinoy at heart

Given the chance to serve as mayor of Vallejo, Villanueva’s heart is fixed on helping the Philippines and his fellow Filipinos.  “As soon as I win, I will set up a trade mission to the Philippines and other Asian countries,” he said in an interview with GMANews.TV.   During his term as vice mayor, Villanueva established Baguio as a sister-city of Vallejo.  At present, he plans to expand the trade relationship with Baguio and the Philippines with the possibility of establishing an American school of medicine and nursing.

While a number of Filipino immigrants tend to be passive about their heritage especially when they have been assimilated in the American culture, Villanueva still proves to be a Pinoy at heart.  In fact, he is taking a hands-on approach on his children by immersing them in Filipino culture.  He instills in them strong family ties and values, as well as the importance of education.

Apart from his public service record, financial knowledge, experience and qualification, dedication and ‘vision into action’ motto, his Pinoy heart and values is probably what makes him stands out from the rest of the candidates.

FilAms and the SoCal Wildfires

By Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com

WILD Fire: There were 15 major fires this past week in Southern California. The areas affected were in Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, Agua Dulce (Santa Clarita), Malibu, Martin Ranch (San Bernardino), Devore, Grass Valley (Lake Arrowhead), Green Valley Lake, Santiago (East Orange County), Ammo/ Horno (Camp Pendleton Marine Base), Rosa (Temecula), Rice (Fallbrook), Mt. Palomar (San Diego), Witch (Poway) and Harris (San Diego).

Damage: More than 485,000 acres were burned and 4,400 homes or structures lost as of press time. So far, the fires left more than $1 billion in damages. More than 500,000 people had to be evacuated. Seven people have been reported died although only a couple of the fatalities were killed directly by the fires.

Tax Relief: The Franchise Tax Board announced several relief measures to the victims of wildfires in seven Southern California Counties. The FTB will allow victims to receive additional tax refunds this year by immediately reporting their disaster losses through amended 2006 returns. For more information, go to FTB’s website http://www.ftb.ca.gov.

Reaching Out: The Los Angeles Philippine Consulate General has opened an emergency line for Filipino Nationals affected by the Southern California wild fires.

Filipino nationals  who are affected and need assistance can call (213) 268-9990.

Orange County Hotline: The Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAPOC) is also working with local emergency responders to help the victims of Orange County’s wild fire. Members of the Asian Pacific Islander community who are affected by the wild fires can call (800) 660-4232.

San Diego Hotline: Former Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of San Diego President Carmelita “C. L.” Larrabaster-Vinson has opened her home and office in Chula Vista to those who have evacuated their homes. She can be reached at (619) 948-2459.

Sal Gatdula Talks About ‘Finishing the Game’

By Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com

Despite not getting recognition for roles that he produces in his films, Gatdula still plays a most important part.

“I’m like Mr. Everything [on the set],” he said. “Whatever they need me to do I’ll do. I make sure that everything is taken care of,” he said.

The 35-year-old Gatdula is a producer for Trailing Johnson Production. Justin Lin, an Asian-American director, is the founder of Trailing Johnson Production. Lin is best known for his films, Better Luck Tomorrow and The Fast and the Furious.

This weekend, Lin and Gatdula’s latest work Finishing the Game will play with limited release at the Landmark Nuart Theatre in Santa Monica. The movie is a 1970’s period comedy that centers on the casting process for Bruce Lee’s replacement after the actor and martial arts expert passed away unexpectedly while shooting the Game of Death.

“Everyone always wonders who took over Bruce Lee [after his death],” said Gatdula. “We thought it would be funny to make a movie about it.”

The film also examined the role of Asian Americans in film. With a large minority cast of Korean, Chinese, Filipino and other Asian ethnicities, Finishing the Game aimed to study the Asian American identity and how it is related to the entertainment industry.

“I love the film,” he said. “It doesn’t take itself too seriously and I think it makes a statement. It’s about [Asian American] visibility and our struggle to be seen especially in front of the camera,” Gatdula added.

Lack of recognition

Gatdula is all too familiar with the lack of recognition for Asian Americans in the entertainment industry.  It was the reason why he did not pursue a career in the entertainment business after he graduated from UCLA.

Gatdula was fortunate enough that he used to be Lin’s former UCLA college roommate.

“Six guys in a three bedroom wasn’t too pretty,” he recalled. “But [it was] a lot of fun. Justin [Lin] was the most passionate person. You knew that if he didn’t make it, Asian Americans would have a hard time.”

But sharing a room with Lin proved to be more than just mere luck. Gatdula admitted that while growing up, it has always been his dream to be involved in the entertainment industry.

“My parents always told me to be an engineer, or a doctor. Something stable, ” Gatdula shared.

Gatdula graduated with a degree in Applied Mathematics and worked for a small consulting firm. He kept in close contact with Lin. When Lin got his first big break with Better Luck Tomorrow, Gatdula helped him in anyway he could. “From there, when Justin started his company he asked me to join him and I did,” he said.

After five years of working in the entertainment industry, hobnobbing with famous celebrities, Gatdula realized that the entertainment industry was only glitz and glamor on the outside. Inside, it was rugged and harsh  – especially if you’re an Asian American man or woman trying to become a mainstream actor.

“I would say the entertainment industry is one of the toughest industries to break,” he admitted. “It might be easier for an Asian woman to get a part [than a man] but her part [would be] stereotypical.”

Gatdula said that during the pre-production of Finishing the Game, Lin had to go to marketing meetings with the distributors.

“Basically, it’s a room full of people and they had a pie-chart of all the different slices of people who would watch the movie,” he said. “There was a Caucasian slice, a Hispanic [slice], and an African-American slice but there was no Asian category. They basically said that Asians have the same buying habits as Caucasians.”

“We [Asian Americans] are invisible in the heads of business people,” he added.

Asked how long before this is going to change, Gatdala said he wished he knew.

“Ten, maybe 15 years,” he said. “I don’t know. It took African Americans a long time to break in the industry. We see the Hispanics making their movies now. As for Asian Americans, it starts with support.”

“It needs to start in our [Filipino] community then spread it into the different Asian markets. The problem with Asians is that there are so many of us, it’s so broad, that we all can’t unite,” Gatdula further said.

Finishing the Game opens this Friday, October 26.

Undocumented Student Activist Arrested

By Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com

LOS ANGELES — The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) is asking for immigrant community support after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities arrested a 24-year-old Vietnamese immigration advocate and her family.

Tam Tran, a former honor student graduate and Ph.D. candidate at UCLA, and her family were arrested October 8 by ICE agents at their home in Orange County. ICE officials charged Tran and her family with being fugitives from justice despite being immigrants seeking political asylum in the US for the past 18 years. They were released the next day with monitoring devices.

“Many in our community are scared to come out and lend their voices to the immigration debate because of ICE actions like these,” said APALC’s Immigration Policy Advocate Daniel Huang. “Such heavy handed tactics do nothing to solve our immigration problems and only serve to hurt families, refugees, and those in greatest need of assistance.”

Tran’s journey has been well documented. She represents one of thousands of undocumented students and children of illegal immigrants.

Tran has been outspoken in her efforts before State and US House legislators for the passage of the Federal DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act that would allow children of undocumented to become US citizens if they meet certain criteria. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the State DREAM Act that would have allowed undocumented students access to school financial aid.  Schwarzenegger said it would strain the State’s General Financial Aid Fund.

The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that 1.5 million Asians in the US are undocumented. Of that number, the National Federation of Filipino American Association (NaFFAA) estimated more than 500,000 hail from the Philippines.

Tran’s Plight

“I am lucky…to share my story and give voice to thousands of other undocumented students who cannot,” testified Tran’s during a House hearing.

Since her graduation from UCLA in 2006, Tran has embarked on a series of speaking engagements to educate people and legislators about the plight of undocumented students.

Recently, Tran was one of many undocumented students that testified before the US House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law last May.

According to the House transcripts, Tran’s parents fled Vietnam during the Vietnam war. A German ship rescued Tran’s parents at sea and brought them to Germany where Tam and her 21-year-old brother was born. Her family then migrated to Southern California seeking political asylum. After a lengthy battle, they lost the asylum case. The Immigration court ordered her family to be deported to Germany.

However, Germany does not grant birthright citizenship. German officials did not grant the family a visa. The family stayed in the US and continued to seek political asylum.

In 2001, the Bureau of Immigration court ruled that the father had suffered persecution in Vietnam for his political beliefs. Tran and members of her family were able to obtain Government identification and work permits from immigration officials.

Meanwhile, Tran continued to succeed in school. She assimilated into the fabric of American culture.

“I am culturally an American… I grew up watching Speed Racer and Mighty Mouse (cartoons)  every Saturday morning,” said Tran.

She graduated with honors at UCLA and was accepted to a Ph.D. program in Cultural Studies. UCLA also awarded Tran a department fellowship and minority fellowship.

“But the challenges I faced as an undocumented college student began to surface once again,” said Tran in her testimony.

Despite the fellowship and scholarships, the hefty price tag of $50,000 along with living expenses thwarted Tran’s educational dreams. Her undocumented status did not allow her State financial aid.

“When you’re in my situation you have to, or learn to, or are forced to make compromises.”

Tran began to work as a film editor but also encountered problems. Three days before she testified in front of Congress, her work informed her that it would be her last day at work until she renews her work permit.

“Every year, I must apply for a renewal but never have I received it on time,” said Tram. “This means every year around this month (May), I lose the job that I have.”

“But it’s okay, because I’ve been used to this – to losing things I have worked hard for. Not just this job but also the value of my college degree and the American identity I once possessed as a child.”

Outspoken

Chair of the House Immigration Subcommittee US House Representative Zoe Lofgren accused ICE officials of “witness intimidation” and trying to silence Tran and her family.

Huang said the timing of Tran and her family’s arrest is suspicious.

Three days before her arrest, Tam was featured on a USA today article, “Children caught in the immigration crossfire” about the number of undocumented children that are raised in the US and eventually, threatened with deportation to their home country.

“Of course, we can’t say for certain [that Tam was arrested because she spoke out],” said Huang.  “She’s been here, her family checks in yearly to immigration officials. How can anyone interpret them as criminals? We’re very suspicious.”

Phone calls to ICE authorities were not returned as of press time.

Huang said looking at the bigger picture, this arrest might affect the number of undocumented immigrants to keep silent.

“That’s something that we’re very concerned about,” said Huang. “This immigration debate and policy issues rely on the voice that is most affected. We don’t want to see anyone’s speech silenced through this kind of intimidation tactic.”

“Those in our community who are judgmental about illegal immigrants often don’t realize that they include asylum denials, visa overstays, and immigrants who simply have no legal avenue for staying here,” added Sara Sadhwani, APALC’s immigrant rights project director. “We hope the Asian American community will unite in support of the Tran family and their painful ordeal.”

FilAms Stage Protest in Front of Disney Store in SF

By Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com

THE newly-formed Filipino Anti-Defamation Coalition staged a noontime rally in front of the Disney Store adjacent to San Francisco’s famed Union Square last October 13 in a continuing protest to what it has termed as a “bigoted remark” about Filipino medical professionals on the ABC Television Network series Desperate Housewives.

Disney-ABC Television Group, part of Disney Media Networks, manages among others, the ABC Television Network.

Carrying placards which stated “Desperate Housewives TV Show No Class,” “Disney/ABC We Need More Than An Apology,” “Desperate Bigots,” “Filipino Medical Schools Best” and “Shame on Disney,” around 60 protesters picketed the store for about an hour, chanting anti-ABC/Disney slogans and passing out flyers to passers-by.

In an interview with Asian Journal, Coalition member Atty. Rodel Rodis said one of the main reasons for doing the protest in front of the Disney Store is to get the attention of the entertainment giant.

“What we need to do is to get Disney to wake up, to see that this is not good for Disney and this is the parent of ABC,” Rodis stated. “Sometimes you have to go to the parent in order to get the child to behave. This is what we need to do in order for Disney to say that we need to give these people more than just an anemic apology.”

“It is insulting that who they have sent so far is their Vice President for Diversity,” added Rodis. “His job is to pacify the natives, pacify the minorities. We have not gotten any apology from the President of ABC, from the producers of Desperate Housewives. In fact, the apology does not carry any recognition that they made a mistake. It’s like, ‘We’re sorry we offended you. Too bad.’”

Rodis also explained that the remark, while it may have intended to be humorous, presents a bigger problem.

“This is far more serious than a racial slur. When you start putting into the minds of people that you better watch these doctors – that if they have medical diplomas from the Philippines, these are substandard and inferior – you better not trust yourselves or your relatives to them, then that’s very pernicious. This is a very serious insult to our people, and it is defamatory. The worst that I can think of or have seen in years,” he said.

As far as the class action suit discussed in a recent meeting is concerned, Rodis said they are studying every angle.

“The class action suit is being studied around the country by lawyers right now. They are coordinating through e-mails and conference calls,” he revealed. “It’s a very tricky situation so we know what the legal pitfalls are, but we are trying to find a way in order to be able to file it and make it stick.”

The coalition, Rodis said, will decide on further protest actions during future meetings. He revealed that a summit on November 10 is planned where doctors, organizations, nurses, professionals and all groups who were mobilized due to this issue will talk on what direction they will take.

The summit may even determine the final position of the Filipino medical community. “Hopefully, there will be a unified, an executive committee composed of the associations of Filipino physicians in America. We hope that there will be a coordinating body who will show one voice regarding the issue,” Rodis said.

Rodis is convinced that the medical community and the Coalition will take the fight to the end.

“There were doctors in a recent meeting who said they have been in the profession for 30 years, but felt like their contributions were overlooked because of what ABC did,” Rodis said. “They were really hurt… this is a very deep wound and not some small thing. That’s why it may take a long time to resolve.”

Dr. Carmelo Roco, former president of the Philippine Medical Society of Northern California, meanwhile, said that it may be too late even if ABC has deleted the offensive scene from the season opener.

“The damage has already been done,” he stated. “Many Americans have seen the episode that degraded Filipino American doctors. It was like a subconscious suggestion to the minds of all these people.”

“We need to cure this, not with just an apology, but for ABC to have a program that has a positive impact on the future of our countrymen. We need not only an apology but constructive television programs as well that will be good for everybody,” Dr. Roco added.

Dr. Roco said he  talked to his American colleagues, who expressed sympathy with their plight.

“Many American doctors have called me to say that we should fight for our rights… so that this mistake, which took a swipe at our honor and dignity, will not happen again. This is not only for our children, but also for those educated in the Philippines who want to go to America. We need to remove the doubt from the American people that we have a defective education [system],” Roco explained.

Like Atty. Rodis, Dr. Roco expects this issue to be a continuing struggle and present an opportunity for the Filipino people to be united.

“This is not just for now,” Dr. Roco said. “We will continue to safeguard our rights. Our community and our heritage should not be taken for granted.”

On the September 30 episode of the widely-viewed TV series, Teri Hatcher’s character expressed apprehension about the diagnosis of her doctor, saying that she needed to look at the diploma to make sure that it is not from some med school in the Philippines.

The remark triggered protests within the Filipino community, calling for ABC and the producers of Desperate Housewives to apologize for what was perceived as a slur against medical professionals who obtained their education from the Philippines.

ABC had issued an apology which did not appease many members of the Filipino community. It has also since edited the line from the episode, which can be viewed on abc.com.

FilAm Prof Cries Discrimination

By Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com

ANOTHER Filipino-American doctor is creating quite a stir in Georgia.

Dr. Emelita Breyer, a Chemistry professor, is suing her former employer Georgia State University (GSU) and the State’s Board of Regents for alleged discriminatory hiring practices.

After being denied tenure at GSU in 1995, Breyer investigated her tenure application and uncovered what she says is a history of anti-Asian discrimination in the University.

Breyer worked as an assistant professor at GSU for six years. She alleged that senior faculty members in 2005 denied her tenure because of her Filipino-Chinese heritage.

“It’s the bamboo ceiling,” said Breyer in a phone interview with the Asian Journal from her home in Atlanta. “They don’t want to hire Asians to top positions.”

In e-mail to the Asian Journal, Interim associate Vice Chancellor for Media and Publications John Millsaps said the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia did not comment on pending litigation. Millsaps did not return a phone call about the case.

Breyer said her pending lawsuit against the school is about “making a difference.”

“I’m trying to eliminate discrimination and the first step is to promote awareness to our fellow Asian Americans,” she said. “I don’t want our next generation to experience what I experienced.”

Breyer alleged that she was discriminated against during her tenure review in 2005.

She said a senior faculty member blatantly stated there were “too many Chinese” in the faculty as the reason why he didn’t vote to hire a new Asian faculty candidate in the chemistry department. There are currently five Asian professors, according to the GSU chemistry faculty website.

“I was denied three times [in 2005] – once by senior faculty, once by the [department] Dean, and then the Provost,” she said. “I started wondering about the question [why I was denied] so I addressed the issue just to get the facts. I wanted to know why I was not being promoted.”

This led Breyer to a fact-finding mission and requested an open record investigation. She was denied tenure despite having no complaints against her and other colleagues describing her work as “groundbreaking” in the field of chemistry.

Breyer’s investigation revealed that Asian faculty members at GSU had lower salaries than their American counterparts.

“Since all [Georgia State] employee records are open to the public, I found out that upon getting hired in 1999, I was the lowest paid faculty member in the department,” she said. “I compared my salary to that of a Caucasian male colleague who started at the same time, and he was getting paid more than I was.”

She believes that her nine years of experience should have merited equal pay. She said that the lowest salary for a professor at GSU is roughly $45,000 a year. She, however, was being paid $43,000.

“I worked hard and sacrificed to be where I am,” she said.

Educational Background

Born in Manila, Philippines, she graduated from the University of Santo Tomas College of Sciences. After working briefly for a corporation in the Philippines, she decided to pursue an academic career earning her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of New Orleans. She accepted a Clinical Chemistry Fellowship at the University of North Carolina Hospital in Chapel Hill. She taught at Emory University for seven years before applying for a tenure track at GSU.

“I know that if I worked at a corporation I would have been paid double to triple the amount of salary I was receiving at the school,” she said. “But I learned early on that academia is the place for me. Researching and teaching is where I belong.”

Breyer said people don’t understand the business mentality when it comes to a university.

“A lot of people don’t understand the university system,” she said. “Getting a tenure from a university is the goal of all university teachers and professors. It basically insures me a job. Assistant Professors and Lecturers are on an annual contract basis.”

Breyer believes that she earned that tenure position working up the academic ladder.

“I started as a Ph.D. student with a salary of $7,000 a year. In my post-doctorate job I was working seven days a week for $24,000 before moving on as an Assistant Professor. The university expects us to work 70 to 80 hours a week, seven days a week,” she said. “This is a business. Our work is based on grants and have students produce papers.”

More Allegations

Other than salary, she alleged that during her six years of teaching at GSU she was consistently given unfair treatment to an equivalent and junior faculty in terms of teaching preference, service and students.

But what upset Breyer most was that one of her colleagues openly lobbied against and supplied negative information about her to those in charge of her tenure application.

“I used to be just one the millions of Asians going through life happily never believing that I would be discriminated against that it [discrimination] doesn’t affect me, that I’m not part of the discrimination crowd.”

“Many of us don’t realize that we are being discriminated against,” she said. “Subtle discrimination is the worst kind. It’s not until you start looking and becoming aware of the situation that you realize what is happening.”

Community Support

Breyer ask the community to rally behind her for this cause.

“The fight is hard,” she said.

A lawyer told Breyer that she has maybe a 15 percent chance of winning a Title VII case against her former employer.

She admitted though, that she is at a serious disadvantage fighting the battle in the South, in Georgia.

There is hope, though.

“Where did Dr. Martin Luther King fight against discrimination?” Breyer asked. “Right here, in Atlanta. He fought it in the most difficult place and he made an impact.”

“I want people to realize that we are fighting for the same cause that if we win here in Atlanta, you will win in California and New York and other places in the US,” she added. (www.asianjournal.com)

For more information about Dr. Emelita Breyer’s case go to http://www.emelita-breyer.com

FilAm TV Viewers Tune Out

By Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com

BURBANK – Filipino-American television viewer Jon Ibay has nothing to do on Wednesday nights now that the creators of his favorite show “Lost” walked out.

Ibay is one of thousands of Filipinos and viewers who have religiously watched ABC’s hit show ‘Lost’ every Wednesday night since it first premiered in 2004.

Like most fans, he’s anxious about the new season and its engaging story lines.

“The time between last year’s season finale to this seasons premiere was already too long,” said Ibay, a 29-year-old LA County Administrator. “Now, the season is already in jeopardy.”

Last November 2, thousands of writers from every major Network and Cable studio across Los Angeles and New York put their pencils down and formed picket lines.

Particularly, the writers of ‘Lost’ joined thousands of their colleagues in one of the largest entertainment industry strike since 1988, jeopardizing viewer ratings and literally ‘lost’ many shows seasons.

More than 60 television shows from daytime Soaps, Late-Night television, to network and cable original series were affected by the strike. Not to mention the millions of viewers at home who had tuned out or settled for re-runs of their favorite shows.

The last time the writers walked out on studios, they demanded better VHS sales. This time around, new media such as DVDs, the Internet, downloads, web streaming and web/ TV phones that have been transforming the entertainment industry became a main focal point of the strike.

“Companies are basically saying that they should not have to pay our members for our material [on the internet],” said David Weiss, the Vice President of the Writers Guild of America, west (WGAw). “TV shows like ‘Lost’ that would have gone to re-runs or syndication that would have generated money for our members are now going to the internet and companies are saying we shouldn’t get paid for that.”

“The reason that’s crucial to us is that those residual payments is the money that keeps food on the table of our members between gigs,” he added.

He said that 45 percent of their members are not working in any given year. The WGA represents more than 12,000 members.
Another hot issue is DVD sales.

“Right now, we receive about 0.3 percent of DVD sales,” said Michael Tabb, a feature film writer carrying a “Writers Guild on Strike” stake. “We’re asking for 0.6 percent. That’s about five cents for every $20 DVD customers buy.”

However, many people think that writers are paid handsomely for the little work they do.

Tabb said that is not the case.

“It takes me as long as two years to finish a script that I’m proud of or as little as three months,” he said. “People don’t understand that [feature] film writers can go months of working on a script then realize it’s wasted time because the script is not working. We try to write three scripts a year and hope that one of them sells.”

Tabb added that even if he did get paid for a script, he would need to pay his manager, agents and government taxes.

“A lot of people throw big numbers out there on how much a screenwriter gets paid for a script but in reality, those are overblown, exaggerated numbers,” he said.

Adam Horowitz, a co-producer and writer for ABC’s hit show “Lost” said he’s striving for a fair deal with the networks.

“We’re here to show our unity and focus to get that deal,” he said standing in front of the Disney Studios in Burbank. “What it boils down to is if they [the studios] get paid, we want to get paid. This is a union town. We’re not only here to fight for ourselves but we are here to fight for all the unions so that we can all be treated fairly.”

Horowitz said he does not know what’s going to happen to the remaining seasons episodes of ‘Lost.’

“Well right now, the studio is filming the seventh episode and production continues even though we will not be doing anymore writing or producing,” he said. “I imagine they’ll [the studios] finish the episodes that were done before the strike but after that no more writing until this is resolved.”

So far talks with the studios have grown stale.

“There are no backdoor negotiations at this time,” said Weiss. “We’re basically waiting for them to respond to our offers.”

Despite the lack of negotiations, the strike is gaining momentum. Most recently, Actor and Writer Steve Carell of NBC’s hit-show ‘The Office’ refused to cross the picket line and joined the protest.

Viewers are also joining the cause. Chris Cheong, a 22-year-old student at UC Irvine, said to give these writers what they are demanding.

“They need to be paid for what they are doing,” he said. “I watch ‘The Office’ all the time. It’s funny and it’s very well written.”

Tabb said he and the rest of the writers are prepared to strike for “however long it takes.”

As for Ibay, he said he probably would not watch ‘Lost’ re-runs.

“Right now, I don’t watch a lot of other shows that is affected too much by the strike. I’ll just watch sporting events.”

Filipinas in the U.S. Military Smash Glass Ceiling

By Momar G. Visaya

WASHINGTON, DC – Filipinas continue to blaze the trail even in the military, a field traditionally dominated by men.

At the 5th Annual Filipina Summit held at the nation’s capital last week, seven high-ranking Filipina military officers took center stage and shared their stories on how they broke the proverbial glass ceiling in their chosen field.

Capt. Paz Gomez, Deputy Director of Installations Requirements and Management under the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Installations and Environment) led the panel. She is the first woman of color, and the fifth woman overall, to be promoted as captain in the navy.

“We are here to defend our country, but we cannot deny the fact that we are Filipinos, to. Even though we will gladly say we’re Americans, we will also gladly say that we are proud of our Filipino heritage,” Capt. Gomez said.

Capt. Gomez, who was born in Waukegan, Illinois, grew up in a military family.

Her father was recruited into the navy from his hometown in Mendez, Cavite. “He wanted to give his family a better opportunity so he signed up, first as a cook, then a steward. He studied electrical engineering and became an electrician,” Gomez shared.

Growing up in a “typical Filipino family” with seven other siblings, Gomez said that she loved the military lifestyle and that she didn’t mind moving every couple of years.

Her father, once he found out that the navy has opened its doors to women, began bringing navy catalogues home, which he would let the children browse.

Major Rosadel Dominguez Hoffman’s father was also recruited from Cavite when he was barely in his teens. Her decision to join the military years later emanated from the military influence she saw growing up.

“It has been great. I met my husband in the military and I am proud that both of us serve the country,” Maj. Hoffman said.

Col. Rebecca Samson, chief, Troop Support Division, Army G-4 on the other hand, was born in Angeles City and grew up just outside Clark Air Force Base.

“When I was a kid I had a dream. I wanted to join the military and be an officer. I liked the discipline,” Col. Samson shared.

Col. Samson said that she was raised by very strong women, among them her Visayan grandmother and her own mother. “My father was in charge but my mother was the one in control,” she quipped.

As an officer, Samson believes that her devotion to the military and the hard work she provided were crucial to her ascent in the army.

“Once I earned the respect of my superiors and mentors, the minority thing, the woman thing, they were out of the door,” she shared.

Lt. Col. Shirley Raguindin, State Diversity Coordinator & Supervisory HR Specialist (Labor Relations) of the Arizona National Guard began active duty service in the US Air Force where she was commissioned a Second Lieutenant following her graduation.

Under her leadership the Arizona National Guard achieved a 300% increase in Department of Defense and National Guard Bureau nationwide recognition for diversity initiatives in 2007.

“I grew up wanting to serve. I wanted to do more than just what a regular job could offer,” she shared.

Raguindin had a lot of barriers to go through in order to be where she is at right now, beginning with her father who told her that the military is not for women. “That did not deter me from running after what I wanted,” she said.

LCDR (Lieutenant Commander) Christina de Leon, program analyst of the U.S. Coast Guard, was born in Dagupan City, but was raised in various parts of the U.S. as a Coast Guard dependent.

Her family moved from Pangasinan to the U.S. when she was barely three months old when her father was recruited into the coast guard.

“Call it family influence. My father brought home brochures of the coast guard, salary tables and application to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy,” LCDR de Leon recalled.

She applied and eventually got in. In 1994, she graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management.

“I never looked back since then. I am my father’s only girl, the only one among his children who joined the service,” she added.

Davidson honed her craft and took further studies, eventually earning a Master’s in Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is currently assigned as a program analyst at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC.

Major Juliet Beyler recalled that she struggled and did not have good grades when she was in school.

“I was a wayward youth,” admitted Maj. Beyler, who is now the Legislative Affairs Director of the U.S. Marine Corps.

She realized that in order to straighten things out, she enlisted in the military, a decision that distraught her parents. “They almost had a heart attack,” she quipped.

Beyler said she found a home as she grew up in the military. “It was happenstance, but it was the best decision that I made in my life,” she said.

Lt. Lineka Quijano, judge advocate at the U.S. Coast Guard was born and raised in Florida. Her foray into a career in the military happened by accident.

“I was interviewing for a tax job in DC when I stumbled into a Coast Guard recruitment and back then, I had no clue what the Coast Guard did,” she said. Lt. Quijano currently serves as a criminal defense attorney and represents military members at both administrative proceedings and courts martial. (AJ)

Loida Lewis Shares Her Secrets to Success

By Momar Visaya/Asianjournal.com

NEW YORK — Businesswoman and lawyer Loida Nicolas-Lewis, one of the most successful Filipinas in the world, shared some of her secrets to success in a panel aptly called “Exercising Influence: Being Corporate Savvy” at the Fifth Filipina Summit in Washington, DC last week.

“I didn’t have a ladder to climb. I inherited TLC Beatrice which my husband bought in 1987 as a leveraged buyout for $985 million,” Lewis candidly shared, and explained that the term means a business strategy involving the acquisition of another company using a heavy use of borrowed money to meet the cost of acquisition.

Then in 1993, the unexpected happened. Reginald Lewis, Loida’s husband, died of a cerebral hemorrhage after suffering from brain cancer, six weeks after it was diagnosed. He was 50 years old.

“It was most devastating and (and the days that followed) were the darkest nights of my soul, and for six months, I was totally discombobulated. I had to hold on to God just to get going,” Lewis shared.

Almost a year after her husband’s demise, Lewis said that the business was “going south very fast” because the “company has lost its mooring.”

The company needed a CEO. They hired the best headhunters in town to do a search. Unable to find one who would suit the role, Lewis considered a thought.

“I might as well be the CEO. If I fail, I am the only one to blame,” she said.

And fail she didn’t. In fact, she was able to turn the company around, steer it in the right direction and in 1996, TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc. passed the $2 billion sales mark.

Currently, Lewis is the CEO and chair of TLC Beatrice LLC and TLC Beatrice China and Philippines, a successful multi-national corporation of food companies with holdings in many countries.

Success secrets

Lewis cited three things that she considers as her secrets to achieving remarkable success.

“Set your goals, have your own code of ethics and have much determination,” she said, adding “Goal-setting is important, as well as having a belief system or a culture with no shortcuts. Do not shortchange people. You must also have the tenacity to believe in your dreams.”

In essence, her secret is GOD, an acronym for her guiding principles – Goal-setting, Obedience to a code of conduct and Determination.

Citing her own personal history, Lewis admitted that she did not even know how to read balance sheets, so she had to work overtime to learn them in order for her to lead the company’s operations.

“It was daunting. I was afraid but I knew we had a goal,” she shared.

Armed with her conviction and the knowledge she learned along the way, Lewis brought the company right back on track, and gave their investors reason to be happy.

Spiritual

“We all need to have a relationship with God. We all have to have a spiritual life. With God, nothing is impossible,” Lewis said, explaining that she had to hold on to Him to get through the dark days, weeks and months after her husband’s passing.

Lewis also keeps a prayer journal, where she keeps the day’s prayers and lessons. Before embarking on a full day’s work, she prepares herself.

“My day starts with Zen meditation, which I do for about 15 minutes. It empties and clears me out. Then I read what’s on the readings for the holy mass of the day. I also spend around 15 minutes to an hour to do yoga. I need to take care of myself,” she shared.

Wikipedia describes the many hats that Lewis wears: industrialist, philantropist, socio-civic leader, motivational speaker, author, and lawyer.

They forgot the one that Lewis holds most dearly — being a mother.

During the panel, she told the audience that she is a proud mother to her two talented daughters, Christina and Leslie – both of whom graduated cum laude from Harvard.

Love story

Someone from the panel asked Lewis a question during the Q-and-A that followed. The question was brief. “How did you meet your husband?”

Lewis paused for a second, smiled, and said, “My sister’s date fixed us up on a blind date.”

Lewis’ sister Imelda was then studying at Columbia University while Lewis was in New York with their mother as a tourist. Lewis was given the privilege to travel around the world by her father, a gift she earned after she passed the Philippine bar examinations.

“Seven months later, we got married,” Lewis said, still smiling.

Lewis continues to rack up her achievements. She became the first Filipino and first woman to be inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame earlier this year.

She was the first Asian woman to pass the New York State bar exam with a degree from a law school outside the U.S. She graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law and is eligible to practice both in the Philippines and in New York.

FilAm Talents Shine in The Joy Luck Club

By Momar G. Visaya

NEW YORK – The new production of The Joy Luck Club, a play by Susan Kim adapted from the acclaimed novel by Amy Tan, started its previews this week, with three Fil-Am theater actresses in the main cast delivering stellar performances.

Tina Chilip and Sacha Bayot Iskra play Waverly Jong and Lena St. Clair, respectively, while veteran thespian Lydia Gaston essays the role of Ying Ying, Lena’s mother.

Both Chilip and Iskra, who both worked really hard for their roles, are making their Pan Asian Rep debuts. Both actors recently talked with the Asian Journal to share their thoughts on, among others, Asian American roles and how they landed their parts at The Joy Luck Club.

“I actually auditioned for the role of Jing Mei but the producers thought that I fit Waverly’s role,” Chilip said.
A union actor, Iskra went to the Actors Equity Association and found out about the open call for auditions. “It was kind of intimidating but I went. I got to go in a total of three times,” Iskra told the Asian Journal.

Mahjong

Set in San Francisco in the 80’s, The Joy Luck Club follows four Mahjong playing mothers from different provinces in China and their relationships with their American born daughters. This re-envisioning captures the historical sweep and operatic grandeur of feudal China and the dynamic pulse of modern America.
“Transcending nationality, culture and age barriers, The Joy Luck Club may be the most successful Asian-American fiction of the last quarter-century. It’s an Asian American classic and we would like to introduce it to the new generation of artists and audiences,” said Tisa Chang, who is directing the new production.

The film brought Tan’s story into the consciousness of millions and Susan Kim’s adaptation has brought Tan’s characters to life for audiences in both China and America. Pan Asian Rep mounted its New York premiere eight years ago.

Susan Kim’s adaptation had its world premiere in 1993 in a joint venture between Shanghai People’s Art Theatre and The Long Wharf Theatre in Connecticut. Performed in a Mandarin translation, the production launched in Shanghai before playing Hong Kong.

Chang directed the 1999 New York premiere at Pan Asian Repertory Theatre and the production proved popular with critics and audiences that it was extended to a sustained off-Broadway run at the Julia Miles Theatre, where the new production will also be playing.

Roles

“I have a pretty strong personality and I can be very competitive. She is more like an exaggerated version of me. I don’t have the same relationship that she has with her mom. I am very close to my mom. Waverly is a little bit more snide and competitive,” Chilip said, when asked about her similarities with the role she plays.
Iskra, on the other hand said that it is the respect and awe that her character Lena St. Clair for her mother, along with cherishing the importance of her mother’s opinion and her influence on her life’s choices, as some of the traits she shares with the character she plays.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Chilip moved to the U.S. when she was 19 as a transfer college student. “My mom didn’t want me to come here, she wanted me to just continue my studies at the Ateneo. She thought about it for a year and eventually she agreed,” Chilip shared.

“I’ve always enjoyed watching plays as a kid. I never thought acting would be a career, I thought it was just a hobby and I cannot make a career out of it,” she added.

Iskra, now married to a “wonderful husband” (of Polish descent), was born in the U.S. but her parents made sure that she went to the Philippines very frequently and with that, she became proficient in Tagalog.
Iskra’s father’s family is from Amadeo, Cavite while her mother’s family is from Pagsanjan, Laguna. “I’m so excited to visit them again next year because a cousin is getting married,” she said.

Influence

Back at the Ateneo, Chilip took up Business Management Honors, and she continued her interest in business when she took up and finished commerce at Santa Clara University. In between, she was yearning to act. Eventually, her passion in acting pushed her to enroll in a Masters in Fine Arts degree at Brown University, where she graduated in 2005.

“I was a very, very shy kid and I would hide every time we had visitors. Surprisingly, I have met a lot of other actors who are also very shy and acting is a way of expressing themselves, almost,” Chilip recalled.
Iskra recalled her fascination with acting started when she was 5, but her mother didn not take it seriously until she was in college. She considers Lea Salonga as a major influence in her passion to pursue a career in theater.

She has performed in various musicals such as Miss Saigon, where she played Kim, Evita, Ragtime and Pocahontas. Iskra is also into dance, staged readings and plays.

Asked where she is most comfortable with, she replied, “I would say it has to be musical theater but if the story is well-built and the story is well-written and you have a wonderful director and a great cast to work with, it almost doesn’t matter what discipline it is. The job is to tell the story and tell it beautifully.”

Chilip is hopeful as more roles for Asian American actors are becoming more available.

“I think it is changing more and more as we see more diverse casting going on onstage. I think part of it is just not to limit yourself because when the number of roles is limited, I shouldn’t put that on my head. You have to be brave enough,” she said.

“The situation is getting better,” echoed Iskra, “I believe we are making great strides. It’s still hard but it’s getting better.”

Growing up in the theatre scene, Chilip acknowledges the fact that there aren’t many Asian American role models out there. Asked for her advice to Asian American youth who are finding inclination in theater, she offered three tips.

“Training is very important. I am so grateful to have had that training at Brown. It just didn’t boost my confidence but I also gained a network where I can learn from. Being grounded is also important, like having a support group of family and friends. You need some other thing to support you financially. I have a day job and they are very wonderful to me and let me be flexible with my time so I can do acting,” she shared.
Founded in 1977, Pan Asian Rep is the premier producer of Asian American theatre with New York season international and national touring and residencies.  For 30 years, Pan Asian Rep has celebrated the artistic expressiveness of Asian and American theatre artists with the highest standards of professional theatre.

The company encourages production of new plays with contemporary Asian American themes, explores new forms by drawing upon the unique heritage of Asian American style, music and movement and nurtures emerging Asian  American talent. Under the direction of Tisa Chang, Pan Asian Rep continues to bring Asian American Theatre to the general theatre-going public and deepen their appreciation and understanding of the Asian American cultural heritage. (AJ)

(The Joy Luck Club runs October 28th – November 25th at the Julia Miles Theatre (424 W. 55th Street between 9th & 10th Aves).  Via Subway, take the 1/A/C/B/D trains to Columbus Circle or the C/E to 50th Street/8th Ave. **Performances are Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30PM with matinees on Sunday at 3:00PM. Tickets are $50. Senior tickets are $35. Student tickets are $20. For tickets, call Telecharge.com (212) 239-6200. Discounted rates available for groups of 15 or more are available by calling 212-868-4030.)