The crabs are at it again. They are scrambling all over the country, claiming credit for the passage of the Filipino veterans equity bill in the veterans affairs committees of both the Senate and the House. Some have started lambasting others for not doing enough or betraying their pledge to help. Others are digging up skeletons in their closets to denounce other leaders who have worked just as hard to help the veterans for the past several years. And as if it’s all over, others are asking various groups to account for funds collected for lobbying for the veterans.

And caught in the maelstrom are the aging veterans, particularly those in the Philippines, who are even now being preyed upon by ghouls claiming that the bill has already been approved and that their pension was coming. They are like the Filipino TNTs (tago ng tago illegal aliens) who have already started paying legal fees in anticipation of the approval of the comprehensive immigration reform bill. More of this in the next issue.

 ***
Now that the hope of tens of thousands of Filipino TNTs has been dashed with the defeat of the immigration bill, some unscrupulous people have resumed their scams. The most common approach is to give false hopes, for a fee, of eventually getting a green card. The most common enticement used by those in need of the services of nannies and housekeepers is “will sponsor.” As if this is the foolproof way to obtain a green card. Tsismoso has heard a lot of sob stories from Filipino women TNTs in the area. Several of them swear they have been duped by fellow Filipinos. And the problem is that they cannot even squeal to the authorities.. One woman who left her husband in the Philippines says she already paid thousands of dollars to one lawyer only to realize that her ‘green card’ remains a dream.. Another married an American citizen only to leave him a few months later after she was repeatedly abused. There are other reversed scams. One elderly American who married a young Filipina swears he will never be fooled again. It turns out that once his wife obtained her green card, she left him for a younger man!

Besides marriage, some Tsismosos say, the TNTs are asked to join a religious group as “pastors.” Others claim to be abused by their employers.. Many are hoping that they could pull a stunt like the “slave” of a doctor-couple in Michigan who not only received almost a million dollars in restitution, but also the possibility of becoming a green card holder.

“Pare, mahirap ngayon ang buhay namin”, confess one who has been living in the shadows for years. He is afraid that his employer will no longer continue to keep him for fear of discovery by immigration agents. Others have advertised themselves as gardeners, lawn mowers, chimney cleaners, carpenters, etc. Some Filipino illegals claim that unlike the Mexicans and other Latinos, they entered the US legally with a visa but only made a “slight” violation by overstaying. “It is not as serious as breaking the law by crossing the border illegally,” they add. Still others are blaming the activists who thought they could force Congress to bow to their demands by staging the so-called nationwide demonstrations early this year demanding legalization. This, they say, has resulted in a backlash. “Americans are now angry that those who violate US law have the gall to demand that they not only be pardoned for committing a crime, but to be rewarded with a green card,” they add..

***
Now it can be told! Nonoy Mendoza of Filamimage, Pinoy Global Online, the RAM Foundation, etcetera has revealed for the first time how the Twenty Outstanding Filipinos Abroad (TOFA) are selected. He says the selection of the awardees is not made by him or by the TOFA panel of judges but by “Divine Intervention.” Nonoy made the divine revelation while thanking a friend who obviously admires his guts for holding the annual selection of awardees. Here is part of Nonoy’s letter to his fan:

“Thank you for articulating ‘my guts’..that is precisely why my family and I dedicated ourselves to uplifting the ‘positive image’ for the Filipinos, first just around the United States, Canada and the US territoriesnow, we are global: the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americasevery year. I thank God for the blessing because another Twenty is added annually to ‘gutsy’ people like me and you who are for ‘positive image’ for the Filipinosthe ‘Circle of Leader.’ The TOFA Group is so unique because I sincerely feel, and know, that it is by ‘Divine Intervention’ that the TOFA awardees are selectednot by me or by the TOFA panel of judgesyou are chosenyou are chosen to serve by examples. As role modelsas inspirations to othersand eventually, to lead our homeland, the Philippines to its originality as the Pearl of the Orient.”

Nonoy expresses hope that as overseas Filipinos, “It is high time now to channel all of our efforts for the betterment of the Philippines and its people. How? Maybe not identifiable yetbut in the very near future, the path will be shown to usthe Filipinos overseas is the main source of Philippine’s existence. We feed our people in the Philippine through our own effortswe provide education, well-being and cares for all of our relatives and friends who are still in the Philippines. As overseas Filipinos, our ‘voice’ is loud and clear to all of thembut yet, we have still to find a common path. Eventuallyit is inevitablesomeone will lead the overseas Filipinos into listening to only ‘One Voice’ and ‘One Leader’right now, there are so many ‘leaders’ among the overseas Filipinos.