REFLECTIONS in the Life the Lord gifted us in 2013 and what’s in-store for us in 2014?

 

*Goodbye, Dr. Jojo Villalon, a “People’s Physician” *CHICAGO PHILIPPINE PRESS CLUB officers inducted

*AFIRE shares advocacy projects for year 2013

**Gerardo Gamboa, Filipino cabdriver in Nevada, awarded $10,000 for honesty HAPPY & BLESS-FULL NEW YEAR to all our dear Readers and Advertisers. Thank you for your loyal support to Via Times for the past 32 years! We hope and pray you enjoy reading our sassy and serious stories!

Welcoming the New Year gives each one of us different feelings, relevant to the human issues we face or are going through as the New Year ushers in. For me, being alone after losing Dennis, my imperfect-like-mebest- half, the month of December brings in much emptiness and loneliness in my heart that only God knows the pain I am going through behind my smiles. December, “the happiest month of the year,” a Christmas song goes. Indeed, there was a time in my life when December was my happiest time of the year: December 12, 1976, I exchanged “I Do’s” with my late husband Dennis, celebrated with a lovely, potluck reception (Dennis and I were both broke) hosted by my church, then, the Filipino Community Presbyterian Church (now Faith). Through hard work, we were able to buy our small home, had two dogs, Lady and Duke, who believed they were people, too; my senior citizen Mom (Lumen) lived with us, later joined by my sister Vilma and her son, JP . Every December, our living room was blooming in red with colorfull Christmas gifts! Looking back to our HAPPIEST CHRISTMASes: in 2000, we celebrated Christmas in the Philippines with my family members and relatives, who easily filled up our three-bedroom rented CondoTel in Makati; our Christmas was capped in January 2001 in Australia when we visited our two sisters and their families. That was, indeed, our LOVELIEST CHRISTMAS! NEVER DID WE KNOW IT WAS THE LAST! On December 9, 2001, Dennis and I celebrated our SILVER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, kind of “lavish and classy,” many of our guests commented. I told them I was trying to “make up for our potluck wedding twenty-five years ago! Dennis was overwhelmed with pride and joy, he teased me saying “let’s have another celebration next year,” and I snapped back, “DON’T PRESS YOUR LUCK!” Oh, yeah, the month of December was then, joyfully significant to me! Until that fateful December 3, 2002 morning. Dennis dropped me at my office on his way to his work. An hour later, I got a call telling me my husband dropped dead at the park lot of Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center where he worked as Youth Counselor. Without prior notice. That was six days short of our 26th Wedding Anniversary. That evening we were going to watch a James Bond movie, “Die Another Day.” Dennis died on that day. I had to cancel his dinner date reservation and our trip to Ireland. That December, half of me died… My family, composed of my sister, nephew, Mom, Lady and Duke, had a very lonely Christmas month. That was 11 years ago, last December 2013. Seems like only yesterday. The tears never stop. Today, I live alone. My Mom, Duke and Lady were also called by the Lord to “Come Home.” My sister and her son have their own home. As I write this column, I am relieved that the month of DECEMBER is over. My big THANKS to the Lord for His Gift of Life. Yes, let us have FAITH in Him. Call Him always. He will answer us. Ask Him. He will give us what we NEED. Not what we WANT. Be a Blessing to others. Thanks God upon waking up. Everyday is the Day that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Amen. *** With a heavy heart, I wrote the full-page Tribute in this VT issue — to the late Dr. Enrique “Jojo” A. Villalon, Jr., from his former wife, Dely. Dr. Jojo passed away last December 5, from cardiac pulmonary arrest, in Calexico, California, where he moved to — from Chicago. He was 76. A very kind-hearted and humble doctor, he was one of my and my late husband Dennis’ earliest Filipino friend in Chicago. When I was sick, he visited me at home to treat me. My husband and I were some of the few “brave ones” who joined Jojo, Sen. Benigno Aquino, Rev. Vic Esclamado, and a host of others – to stand up to the Philippine Consulate officials in Chicago to voice out against Martial Law. Among my “piles of papers” today, is a letter from the late Consul General Rodolfo Sanchez, banning me to set foot at the Philippine Consulate. Also banned at the Consulate was Veronica Leighton, VT publisher. We were both writers for Philippine News, the first Filipino American publication in North America, published by the late Alex Esclamado in San Francisco. It was a very popular anti-Marcos news publication of that era. We were also members of the radical Movement for a Free Philippines. At one time, the late Dr. Jojo and I drove long drives from Chicago to New York, Washington, D.C. and other states where the Movement for a Free Philippines (MFP) was at its height. Jojo’ s name then, was synonymous to the MFP. I wished I were in Calexico, CA to pay him my last respects. He was a Hero and a Healer. (Please don’t miss his Tribute in this VT issue.) *** CHICAGO PHILIPPINE PRESS CLUB second Induction: “I ( name), do solemnly swear to abide by and uphold the Constitution and By-Laws of this organization … that the public journal is a public trust…I believe that clear thinking, clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to a good journalism. I hereby pledge to perform my duties to the best of my ability without fear or favor, with the aim of furthering the purpose of this organization, and advancing the interest of the community to which it is dedicated; and to conduct myself in a manner befitting … I take this pledge without mental reservation or purpose of evasion. So help me GOD.” Above is an excerpt from the oath we pledged, as the officers and members of the Chicago Philippine Press Club, during our second induction held at the Via Times/CPRTV Christmas party last December 22, at the Loft Restaurant at Golf Mills, Niles. Inducting officer was Cook County Judge, the Hon. Israel Abella Desierto, first Filipino American Judge in Illinois. The OFFICERS are: President, ELSIE SY-NIEBAR; Vice President, MA.. GIRLIE PASCUAL; Secretary, JOVIE CALMA; Treasurer, RYAN TEJERO; Asst. Treasurer/Auditor, JOHN PAUL (JP) FERRER; Legal Adviser, ATTY. ROBERT GARD; Legal Adviser, ATTY. MARK JAVIER; Social/Cultural, JOVIE CALMA and NICK VERA PEREZ; Public Relations Officer, LOU MANINGAS-CABALONA; Press Photographer, ROSIE REID BOARD of DIRECTORS: JOE MAURICIO; SARAH LEE; MAYRA SALAZAR; Atty. ROBERT GARD; Prof. ROBERT BOYER; Rev. Dr. RICHARD MIRPURI, also Spiritual Adviser. MEMBERSHIP: VERONICA LEIGHTON. Chair; GIRLIE PASCUAL; TECHNOLOGY; JAMES DELA CRUZ, Chair; AL RUIZ; LOU MANINGAS CABALONA; LEE MANINGAS, BARON CABALONA Founder/Advisory VERONICA LEIGHTON Briefly, the mission of the Chicago Philippine Press Club is to promote networking relationships with working, retired, and supporting members of the Philippine press (international & domestic), public affairs, and the academic communities. This will be accomplished by holding seminars and social events relevant to the changes of the times — attendant to the needs for current events, issues and happenings in our immigrant communities. These can be accomplished by postings on website and other social media; distribution of publications and newsletters; and through face-to-face meetings with other members of the press, belonging to national and international organizations. Another very important mission of the Chicago Philippine Press Club is to build bridges with mainstream media to stir awareness of the invaluable contributions of “ethnic media” to America’s Nation Building. Brief intro of the HON. JUDGE ISRAEL ABAYA DESIERTO, “Our Very Own” – The Hon. Judge Desierto came to Chicago when he was five years old with his parents – Dr. Jose T. Desierto and Gloria Abaya Desierto, a pharmacist, from Manila. After graduating in 1990 from the ITT/Chicago-Kent College of Law, Judge Desierto worked for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He practiced in both the Civil and Criminal areas of the law. As a civil litigator, he practiced in the area of Medical Malpractice defense. As a criminal prosecutor, he tried primarily gangrelated murder cases. He has tried over seventy juries to verdict and hundreds of bench trials. On June 1, 2005, he was sworn in as Associate Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook Count, State of Illinois. Judge Desierto currently presides over criminal matters at 26th and California. He is the 3rd Vice President as well as on the Board of the Illinois Judges Association, composed of 1,250 active and retired Illinois State Court Judges; and also a member of the Illinois Judicial Council. He serves on the Board of Diversity Scholarship Foundation; the Asian American Bar Foundation, and Filipino American Bar Association. He continues to serve as an adjunct professor at IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law where he teaches Trial Advocacy. He has also taught Trial Advocacy at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Law School. He is the first Filipino American appointed Judge at the Circuit Court of Cook County, State of Illinois. He was a recipient of the Chicago Filipino American Hall of Fame award in the field of Law before he became judge. (ESN) *** Gerardo Gamboa, a Yellow Checker Star cab driver in Las Vegas, Nevada, hit the headlines nationwide and perhaps, worldwide, due to his honesty. According to reports, when his passenger got off his cab, he was surprised to see a huge package on the backseat of his cab left by his passenger. He had a surprise of his life when he found huge bundles of bills which when counted at the police station where he took the money immediately, totaled to $300,000! Police found out that the money belonged to a quiet poker player, who rewarded Gamboa $10,000 for his honesty. Yellow Checker Star cab boss Mr. Shranko, also awarded Gamboa $1,0000 and honored him as “Driver of the Year.” According to news reports, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman signed a proclamation to honor Gamboa’s honesty. Not to be outdone, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and U.S. Senagor Harry Reid (D), wrote a ‘Thank you” letter to Gamboa, telling him how Nevada is indeed, very proud of his honesty. Shranko also said that Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.-D) called him to tell Gamboa that they are going to write him letters of thanks for making the Nevadans very proud of Gamboa’s honesty. Mr. Shranko said: “What Gerardo Gamboa did was great for every taxi driver around the world. They will feel very good about their profession. When people come to Las Vegas, they will feel very comfortable. We are very proud of Gerardo.” Indeed, “HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY.”

WHAT ARE YOUR REFLECTIONS – personal or mainstream issues affecting the lives of immigrants and immigrants communities? This is a question I sent to a few. Only Jerry Clarito, executive director of AFIRE, responded as follows: “Warm greetings to you and VIA TIMES FAMILY! Since 2008, AFIRE Chicago has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights of the Filipino community. We have empowered Filipinos to access necessary public benefits, registered new voters, graduated community health workers, and assisted hundreds of ‘green card’ holders applying for U.S. Citizenship. AFIRE, as an organization rooted in the community, we value our Filipino bayanihan (people working together) spirit in sustaining our work. We need the people’s engagement to achieve change. We believe you will be impressed with our goals for 2014, as follow: • Continue to advocate for common sense, comprehensive immigration reform that respects the dignity of all Filipinos Educating the community about Hepatitis B and Cardiovascular disease. • Mobilizing our community to win a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights which promotes the basic human rights of caregivers, childcare providers, and housekeepers. Elsie, your support to AFIRE Chicago allows us to achieve a shared vision of the Filipino community that builds upon the work of countless pioneers and continues their passion for social justice. Mabuhay! Let’s work together in building a strong and healthy community. Salamat (Thank you), Jerry” HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR to Everyone! From me: Elsie ###

Chicago Philippine Press Club (CPPC) 2nd induction held simultaneously with the CPRTV and VIA TIMES Christmas Party last December 22, at the LOFT Restaurant in Golf Rd., Niles. From left are Gala Desierto and the Hon. Judge Israel A. Desierto; Elsie Sy-Niebar, CPPC president & ViaTimes senior editor

 

 

 

The late Dr. Jojo Villalon, an officer in the U.S. military, flanked by a couple of military officers.

 

 

Dr. Jojo Villalon, a well-respected leader of the Movement for a Free Philippines against Marcos, with MFP National Director, former Philippine Senator Raul Manglapus.

 

Notebook columnist, bringing a Christmas wreath and visiting the graveyard of her late husband, Dennis, who passed away last December 3, 2002.

 

 

Jerry Clarito, AFIRE Chicago Executive Director

 

 

The Filipino Int’l. Couples Society (FICS) held its CHRISTMAS GET-TOGETHER at the lovely home of Mike and Brenda Stevens in Oak Brook, celebrating the Birth of Christ and the Season of Giving during the exchange gifts. Shown above from left are: Myrna and Vishnu Mahant; Roger Gaden, president; Virginia Carino, Brenda Stevens, the host; Rosalyn Jain, Elizabeth Gaden, president, Ester Garcia, Vel Guffey, Mercy and Don Matousek, John; Merly Perricone, Anita Rosa, Elsa Tioco, Elsie Sy-Niebar (co-founder) and Richard Diesterheft. Not in photo are Aida Saldana; Mike Stevens, Dr. Denish Jain, Wayne, Geraldine and Laura Gaden, Kinjal Mahant, Ed and Beng Snow. (Photo by Aida Saldana, FICS official press photographer).

 

 

Shown above are the newly-inducted officers of the Divine Mercy Community parishioners, held last December 14, at the Lone Tree Manor. Seated in front from left to right are: Liza Soriano, Comelec; Delia Tamayo, secretary; Edna Jaboni, president; and Jenny Toque, vice president. Standing at back from left are: Grace Padao, Asst. PRO, Lou Jose, public relations officer (PRO), Carrie Adlawan, asst. secretary; Jackie Baccay, treasurer; Beth Enerio, asst. treasurer; Camela Estrada, auditor; Rogelio Rodrigo, asst. auditor; Leo Jaboni, Chairman of the Board,; and Jun Enerio, Comelec member. The DMC is a religious non-profit Fil-Am organization, licensed at the Secretary of State, and recognized by the Archdiocese Office of Asian Catholics, headed by Director Teri Nuval. (Photo by Elsie Sy-Niebar).

 

 

The Chicago Philippine Press Club charter officers and members officially inducted by Judge Israel Desierto, the first Fil-Am Judge in the state of Illinois last Dec. 22, together with the VIA Times annual Christmas party celebration. Ms. Elsie Sy-Niebar heads the CPPC as its charter president.

 

 

 

CARLOTA GRUSPE DOMANTAY, is endeared to everyone because of the Beauty in her Heart, as seen at the outpouring of love at the celebration of her 75th birthday last November 14th., held at the Lone Tree Manor in Niles. She is the widow of the last Dr. Antonio Domantay, a very good-hearted dentist, with whom she has three children, namely (and their spouses and kids) Antonio, Jr., married to Marian Mojica, grandkid, Michael; Annabeth, married to Jesus Vargas, their kids, Jacob, Joey, and Susan; and Roy, Dad to Arnee and Marisol. A native of Tarlac, Carlota, was about to finish law at the Manuel L. Quezon University, when she and her husband Dr. Domantay migrated to Chicago, leaving behind her powerful job at the Congress of the Philippines. Carlota is no stranger to beauty crowns. She was “Miss College of Law” at MLQ; “Miss Tarlac” and “Miss Central Luzon”, etc. Ate Carlota, Manang Carlota, Tita Carlota, Madam Carlota, or simply Carlota, with all due respect, is one Lady who could not say “no” when asked to help, particularly for community humanitarian events, like encouraging ladies to become Community Beauty Queens to help the community fundraisers. Carlota is noted as “Beauty Queens’ Impresario”. (Elsie Sy- Niebar)