Reforming US Immigration: A boon to Filipinos

The last time the Regional Development Council Region 7 (RDC-7) had a city mayor as chairman was during the time of then Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña. It was that time when Mayor Osmeña fast tracked the development of Metro Cebu through the Metro Cebu Development Programs (MCDP). But since the MCDP has been shut down, Mayor Mike Rama brings nothing of that sort as he accepts the position as RDC-7 Chair. Let’s just hope that Mayor Mike would talk less in the RDC and do more.

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One of the most awaited issues that have been left hanging since the Administration of US Pres. Barrack Obama came into power is Immigration Reform, which in effect has shut down the doors for Filipinos who want to share the American dream to enter the United States of America. Pres. Obama focused more on his controversial Health Program, which, as we all know, funded abortion clinics all over the USA.

Since the US election campaign has already began, and since the Republicans have already regained control in the US Congress, Pres. Obama can no longer use the Health Program issue for his political benefit. Hence, he has turned his sights on his proposed comprehensive immigration reform where in a major policy speech in El Paso, Texas Pres. Obama pointed out, “There is a need to reform US Immigration laws in order to address our economic and security needs, while honoring our history as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.”

Pres. Obama wants to address the four main issues on his immigration reform – to secure the borders of the USA (this problem is really focused on their border with Mexico), ensure that businesses be held accountable if they exploit undocumented workers. Then he added that undocumented immigrants have to admit they broke the law, pay their taxes, pay a fine, learn English and undergo background checks before they can get in line for legalization.       

Perhaps of special concern to Filipino immigrants is his proposal where US immigration laws should be updated “to respect families following the rules-reuniting them more quickly instead of keeping them apart.” Now whether this is just a mere political campaign promise by Pres. Obama we will have to find out after the US elections come November. But this gives 300,000 overstaying Filipinos living in the US a ray of hope that they would become legal someday. Now that’s something to hope for.

There is also an estimated 3 million legal Filipino Americans who cannot be reunited with their families because of a huge backlog in the Bureau of Immigration. Hopefully, the immigration reforms proposed by the US President would unclog this bureaucratic process, which reunites families from 10 years to 20 years after the legalization of one member of the family. But as I said, this is merely a political campaign promise or strategy by Pres. Obama. What we ought to find out is what is the Republican immigration strategy? Unless Pres. Obama and the Democratic Party control both houses in Congress, I don’t expect any immigration reform.

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The blackbox:

It was a very elegant fine dinning evening at the Café Marco in Marco Polo Plaza Hotel last Wednesday evening for the Taste of Israel with Chef Michael Katz, an internationally acclaimed chef from Jerusalem, who came from the famous Le Cordon Bleu and runs three restaurants in Jerusalem. Chef Michael Katz taught in London’s Cordon Bleu for three years and as my daughter Chef Katrina told me, he still loves to teach and taught the chefs of Marco Polo Hotel what they wanted to know.

I must tell you that the bread that Chef Katz served was heavenly! Yes, if you want a taste of bread from Israel, the same kind that Israelites made 2,000 years ago, the same kind that our Lord Jesus Christ used when he instituted the Holy Eucharist, then hop over to Café Marco and get a taste of this wonderful oven-baked bread. Yes, it tastes like bread made in heaven!Of course one of the main courses is lamb, which is plentiful in Israel.

I sat between his Excellency Israeli Ambassador Zvi A. Vapni and his beautiful wife Limor at the table with Hon. Sammy and Emily Chioson. Emily is the Honorary Consul to Israel here in Cebu. Given our Christian heritage, I did not find any difficulty in talking with the Israeli Ambassador especially about their Jewish faith, after all the books of the Torah is written in our Old Testament. The Israeli Ambassador was also amazed that many Filipinos know much about the Six-Day War or the Yom Kippur War and acknowledges the close ties between the Philippines and Israel. Thanks to Marco Polo’s GM Hans Hauri for making the Marco Polo a venue for such great cultural exchanges between peoples and other nations.

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