New Year’s Tidbits

By: Veronica Leighton

 

When NBC News “Meet the Press interviewed White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, who inherited Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s position at the White House when the latter was elected Mayor of Chicago, the question was, “Your predecessor as Chief of Staff is now the Mayor of Chicago. The President endorsed him, the President campaigned for him, does the President still have confidence in Rahm Emanuel as mayor?” His answer was, “I just had a chance to be back in Chicago, actually, my in-laws live in Chicago and I tell you, the city looks great, the opportunities there are boundless. And so, I think what the President sees is a city and a people of Chicago and a Mayor of Chicago that continue to do very good work. The President is confident in Rahm Emanuel, and I’ll tell you, I just saw it up close and personal.”

Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay, after having been bruised, contused and lacerated by his detractors mainly from the administration headed by President Aquino, has been resurrected and re-emerged as front-runner to become the nation’s next leader, according to an independent poll released very recently. “Pollster Social Weather Stations said the vice president had regained a clear lead with 31 percent preferring him in its January 8-10 nationwide survey. “Some people are cynical, reasoning out that all politicians are corrupt anyway,” political analyst Ramon Casiple, from Manila-based think tank the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, told AFP. Binay, who leads the main opposition alliance, denies the corruption allegations against him and members of his family.” However, many Filipino voters have yet to make up their minds months before the May 9 election.

ISIS in the Philippines? President Benigno Aquino said there was no “credible threat” of attacks by the Islamic State group (IS) in the Philippines in the wake of the recent attacks in the Indonesian capital, which left two civilians and five attackers dead, but warned of a “general threat”. “We are not immune from extremism problem.” In particular, he said a Filipino-Lebanese and a Filipino-Saudi, both of whom were living abroad, had attempted to join the jihadist group, the Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf extremist group released a video pledging allegiance to IS. The Abu Sayyaf, a group of several hundred fighters notorious for kidnapping foreigners for ransom, is also responsible for the worst terror attacks in the Philippines. In 2004, it bombed a passenger ferry off Manila Bay killing over 100 people.

We have heard stories of dreams to win the recent Powerball lottery jackpot of $1.5 billion (the biggest in history so far) and plans on what to do with the money, from the sublime to the mundane to the ridiculous stories. So far, from our community, there was no winner, not even from the whole state of Illinois. Maybe next time The winning states are California, Florida and Tennessee, with just the Tennessee winning couple (John and Lisa Robinson from small town Munford, Tennessee) that came out and made themselves interviewed on NBC’s “Today” show . The Robinson couple decided to get their winnings in a single lump sum of nearly $328 million, rather than let the lottery invest the prize and pay them 30 annual installments totaling an estimated $533 million.

Why pass up on a certain income totaling more than $200 million? The Robinsons replied, “We’re going to take the lump sum, because we’re not guaranteed tomorrow,” Robinson said. “We just wanted a little piece of the pie. Now we’re real grateful we got the big piece of the pie.” They also added that they have no plans to leave Munford, where they both went to high school, and they plan to return to work because “that’s what we’ve done all our lives, is work, and “we won’t make wild purchases. You just can’t sit down and lay down and not do nothing anymore. No purchase of a big house either, as also you gotta clean ‘em We’re common people,” John said. “We’re just like y’all are.” “… and ask that our privacy is respected,” Lisa added.

Some Lottery veterans suggested that the winning couple were very ill-advised for coming out publicly right away as lottery winners as “now, every long-lost relatives and friends will approach them with a sob story, asking for money, and all the ‘financial crooks’ will come after them. Wise advice is, “talk seriously with experts in tax law, financial planning, privacy, security and other safeguards before they become known around the planet.”

“Too many lottery winners unaccustomed to sudden wealth have gone bankrupt, been victimized or experienced other losses because they were unprepared for an onslaught of unwanted attention,” said Andrew Stoltmann, an Illinois attorney who has represented winners. He compared it to “throwing meat into a shark-infested ocean.”

Having lived here in this Chicago FilAm community for many years, I can just comment about a handful of kababayans I know who are lucky Lottery winners, winning a few million to a lot of millions of dollars a few years ago; and naming one that we know personally are Mr. & Mrs. Pedro and Bambi Sotomil of Orland Park, IL., in the tune of $70+M. Unlike the Robinson’s who opted out not to have a big house, the Sotomils built a huge home and bought homes for some relatives as shares for their winning.

Another one was a close friend who suffered an unhappy ending with his millions when he and his two children were wiped out in a fatal fire in their Lincolnwood home that started from an altar candle. Sad fate and bad karma?

The FORCE is upon the PIWC (Philippine Independence Week Committee) which it actually showed at its official kick-off last January 9th held at Hilton Northbrook. Actually, the oldest organization for the Philippine independence celebration of which I am an original member when it was founded 40-some years ago, it was colored a few years back with the other additional group celebrations of PWC (Philippine Week Committee), Kalayaan, and FACC’s Kasarinlan. With the disappearance of Kalayaan and Kasarinlan, PIWC is now reduced to almost only one independence celebrator, as there are rumors that PWC is now dying of natural causes. Congratulations to 2016

PIWC Overall Chairperson Mercy Matousek and Kick-Off chairs Yoly and Ben Zoleta. Please see half page pictorial of the event on page 26 of this issue.

There have still been endless parties, luncheons, dinners and brunches with friends that are associated with the holiday festivities, as it seems that weekends in the calendar are not just enough for gettogether, exchanging greetings, and enjoying each other’s companies.

As pictures can describe more than thousand words, please enjoy my gallery of pictures with special thank you’s to these special people and friends.

The Philippine Independence Week Committee 2016 is sponsoring another ESSAY WRITING CONTEST in May. Details of the event will be provided / announced soon.There will be CASH PRIZES for the 5 best contestants.) Essay writing contest Chairperson is Mrs. Jo Wee Sit.

 

Photos show a special new year dinner specialty, authentic Sukiyaki, prepared by best pal Lesty Naval, exclusively for our post-new year dinner. This dish is Lesty’s special pride and joy, which she learned personally from a Japanese chef when she went to school in Japan for her cosmetic specialty many years ago. There’s nothing like Lesty’s sukiyaki in town, unless you go to Japan, I guess.

 

 

A post-new year luncheon get-together with Consul General Calonge at the popular Ginza restaurant in Niles, joined by, from left, Auring Bautista, Veronica, ConGen Calonge and Joe Mauricio. Ginza, which serves fresh Japanese food, is a Filipino fav restaurant and is always filled with Filipino clientele.

 

Post-new year and despedida luncheon for Henry Royales and Rosy Mercader from the Philippines, with Lesty Naval, Angie Francisco and Veronica, held at Siam Cafe restaurant in Niles.

 

Starting the new year right in togetherness, James DC, Joe Mauricio, Girlie Pascual, Don Kramer, Veronica and Flor Kramer at Kramer’s residence in Northbrook.