HONOLULU, Hawaii—There she was looking like a fashion model rather than the leader of a third world republic. At the reception given by Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle on Sept. 16, President Gloria Arroyo wore a sleeveless brown/beige evening dress with Hawaiian motif held up by two thin straps that made her look taller than she really was – until she stepped behind the lectern used by the tall and svelte Gov. Lingle. Earlier at the unveiling of the sakada statue at the Filipino Community Center to commemorate 100 years of Filipino immigration to America and at the dedication of a plaque at the National Cemetery of the Pacific to honor Filipino American World War II soldiers who died in Bataan and Corregidor, Mrs. Arroyo wore a turquoise blouse with matching pantsuit which made her look cool. The sakada statue is a replica of the one donated by Dr. and Mrs. Charlie Sonido and Rep. and Mrs. Felipe “Jun” Abinsay, Jr. at Salomague, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, which was unveiled in January by Gov. Lingle. Beyond these functions, Mrs. Arroyo came to Hawaii to discuss alternative sources of energy for the Philippines which like Hawaii is totally dependent on imported oil. Arroyo and Governor Lingle discussed sugar cane based ethanol production, and power from wind and wave. As the two leaders were in the midst of their discussion, a power blackout occurred, which led Gov. Lingle to quip: “I hope President Arroyo still wants to discuss alternative sources of energy with Hawaii after this.” Praise for sakadas Arroyo praised the great pioneering spirit of the sakadas, the first 15 of whom came from Candon, Ilocos Sur. Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson of Ilocos Sur and Rep. Eric Singson of Candon were among the prominent guests. (The term “sakada” is probably derived from the Ilocano term “sakasakada”, “saka” means foot, hence “they are barefoot”), which might have been true of the very early cane harvesters but no longer true when they came to Hawaii as they had already sandals or slippers or even shoes. At least this writer’s father had shoes when he joined the sakadas in the 1920’s but moved on to Chicago when his contract expired so he could obtain a college education before returning to the Philippines). While commending the sakadas and their descendants for their contributions to America and for helping their home country, Mrs. Arroyo expressed the hope that someday Filipinos will not have to leave the Philippines to look for jobs abroad. This hope might seem at war with the report that she is encouraging the training of Filipino “super maids” to work abroad. They would not be limited to cleaning homes and caring for children. They would also have paramedic skills and English language fluency. Mrs. Arroyo lauded the strong ties that bind Hawaii and the Philippines based on “shared democratic values” and the fight against terrorism. Hawaii has sister state-province relationships with Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Isabela, and Cebu. No interaction with common tao Arroyo missed a golden opportunity to meet with and interact with the common tao in the 250,000 strong Filipino community, 90 percent of whom are Ilocanos, which constitutes one-fifth of Hawaii’s population. Thousands of Filipinos wanted to view Arroyo, even if many do not support her. Seeing her might have changed their feelings. However, they were turned off by the “by invitation only” announcements in the media. According to the FilCom center president, it was the Philippine Consulate that planned the event. Instead of an open-air ceremony, the unveiling was inside the FilCom center ballroom attended only by top Hawaii government officials and friends of the Philippine Consulate numbering about 150. The Philippine Consul General declined to be interviewed when this writer saw him at the reception for Arroyo at the Governor’s mansion and passed the buck to his deputy. Anti-Arroyo demonstrators crying “No Aloha for Arroyo” were present at the FilCom center. The sparse crowd at the event was in stark contrast to the festive mood of the more than 300 guests at the reception given by Governor Lingle in the mansion’s lanai. Atty. Emmanuel Samonte Tipon, Hawaii Contributor
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