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President George W. Bush has practically gave up hope that a comprehensive reform bill will be passed this year. The optimism among proponents of the bill in the Senate is ebbing rapidly, mainly because of the stiff opposition from the House of Representatives. All members of the House are up for reelection this year and the immigration issue is a subject that is vehemently opposed by their constituents.

In a letter published in the Manila Mail last month, Gus Alzona, Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland, criticized some Filipino Americans, including some “so-called community leaders” for continuing to practice the ‘politics of personal destruction’ and to engage in that almost uniquely Filipino art of divisive ‘crab mentality’." Because of these practices, he predicts that the community will end up in a permanent split.

Mr. Alzona should be praised for having the courage to write about this pernicious practice of some members of the Filipino American community. While he did not mention any names, almost everyone in the community knows who the “crabs” are. The community knows who are practicing the “politics of personal destruction.” Many have also criticized the way some organizations are being ran, but no one, it seems, has had the courage to expose them.

● Whoever is appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to replace Ambassador Albert del Rosario will have a tough job ahead of him. This is because the outgoing ambassador has raised the bar for the next Philippine ambassador to the United States to follow.

 ● For instance, never in the history of the Philippine embassy in Washington D.C. has an ambassador ever received the same kind of adulation, friendship and support from the Filipino American community not only here, but around the US, than the outgoing ambassador. This was more vividly displayed by the spontaneous collective outrage that the community expressed over what they believed to be the “shabby” treatment the President gave the outgoing ambassador. And as far as one can recall, no other Filipino ambassador to Washington has ever received the same kind of sendoff that Mr. del Rosario was given by the Filipino American communities in San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C. and elsewhere.

Last year, Ambassador Albert del Rosario told newsmen he had had already informed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of his desire to return to the private sector. However, he added, no action had been taken since then. Explaining why he was still in his post, the ambassador said that like “a good soldier” he had to remain until the President appointed his replacement.

 This month, the ‘good soldier’ was unceremoniously yanked out of his post. Instead of accepting his earlier offer to resign, he was fired by the President. Reason for the President’s anger, according to Manila sources, was that while he was successful in helping the Philippines obtain more economic and military aid and reestablishing closer relationship between the two countries, he failed to defend her from criticisms in the media and US government circles. It is true that career ambassadors are supposed to be the alter ego of the President and therefore are duty-bound to defend all her President’s actions, right or wrong..

The Manila Mail in the last issue published a story about the Philippine American war at the turn of the century. The 14-year-old war which started in 1899 and ended in 1913 is cited by some historians as akin to the American invasion of Iraq.

 Filipinos at that time suffered from years of Spanish oppression, just as the Iraqis were oppressed by Sadam Hussein. Thus, when the American and coalition troops landed, Filipinos and Iraqis welcomed them as their liberators. President William McKinley said the only reason he ordered the occupation was to make the Philippines the first democratic country in Asia. President George W. Bush said this was also his objective in Iraq.

In his speech before a gathering of Asian Pacific Americans at the White House in celebration of APAH month on May 12, President George W. Bush expressed pride in the fact that “today more Asian Pacific Americans serve in my administration than in any other administration in history and that two of them (Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta) in my Cabinet.”

  At a time when the emotional issue of immigration is revving up in the United States, when anti-immigrant sentiment is taking center stage and when illegal aliens are taking to the streets to protest the draconian steps being taken against them in the House, a sober approach is needed.

 President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on the pretext that communist rebels were linking up with the opposition and certain elements of the military to oust her, late last month declared a “national state of emergency.” Ironically, she declared it at a time when the people were commemorating the historic People Power revolt against dictator Marcos.

Now is the time for all Filipino Americans to appropriately celebrate the centennial of the first significant numbers of Filipino immigrants who arrived in Hawaii in 1906 to work on the islands’ sugar plantations. This batch paved the way for the subsequent immigration of more and more Filipinos to the United States which now totals more than two million.