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NEW YORK --- Now that everyone involved in the independence celebration appears to have settled down, an important unfinished business has cropped up.
Some folks are wondering when the official results of the raffle would be announced. Many of them have purchase raffle tickets, priced at $225 per booklet of ten chances or $25 per ticket, hoping they could win one of the major raffle prizes such as the Acura MDX, 43” Plasma HDTV, laptop computer and a round-trip ticket for two to the Philippines.
A call to Dennis Ortiguera, a member of Aquila Legis as well as the raffle committee, resulted in a quick response. He said all winners were informed within 48 hours of the raffle drawing and that flyers were distributed to people immediately that week. However, he admitted they were a bit negligent in releasing the information to the local newspapers promptly.
When asked who the winners were, Ortiguera gladly gave the following information: Larry Galang (Acura), Chris Fernandez (Plasma TV), Lowell Bulawan (Laptop), and Christine Tagurda (Trip). The six consolation prices went to: Anna Fe Padila, A. Paul Isla, Vic De Castro, Phillip Justin Velasco, Mindy Tangonan, and Lito Pernia.
That should put to rest whatever it is that’s bugging some people. But as we go deeper into examining how this raffle project came about, some questions remain unanswered.
For starters, we ask why a financial report has not yet been presented to the Philippine Independence Celebration Committee (PICC).
What’s causing the delay?
Is it true that Quiambao told members of the celebration committee that if Bing Fabricante, owner of Manila Connections, Inc. that printed the independence celebration journal, was not paid on time the raffle would be put off?
I was surprised about that: what was the connection of the raffle with the journal? I called Quiambao to verify a statement attributed to him but a certain Tita (from his office) said he was in a meeting and would return my call. He never did.
Apparently, pressed for more fund-raising efforts as grand marshal, Rudy Quimbao suggested a raffle and found Aquila Legis Foundation of North America as a willing sponsor. The organization, which is said to have a 501(c) 3 tax exemption, accepted the deal but required a ten percent “administrative fee” of the net proceed of the raffle.
At a meeting, Johnson Kho, chair of the car raffle, reportedly informed the committee that 250 tickets have been sold, which if true, would have resulted in a gross sale of $56,250. However, in a telephone interview, Kho said the 250 did not mean committed sales; the tickets were just out there.
He said that although 400 booklets (valued at $90,000) were printed, many were returned on the day of the drawing. Koh estimated that they’ve passed the break-even sales of about 200 booklets.
“We’ve probably sold about 232 booklets,” he said, and added that “$5,000 would benefit the Philippine Independence Day celebration.” According to him, Aquila Legis would get $500.
How much money was spent to run this raffle? Well, Kho was quick with an answer: $34,836 for the car, $4,699 for the plasma TV and $1,599 for the laptop.
Meanwhile, when I called TC Tsien, manager of the DCH Auto Group, that sold the car, the actual cost of the car, he said: “I don’t know. I have to check my records and I don’t want to mislead you.”
When pressed to respond more, he said, “I’m outside of the office at the moment.” Tsien also said that it was the Acura Montclair dealership that sold the car, which was collaborated by Kho’s statement.
I found Kho to be more forthcoming in responding to my queries. Unlike Quiambao who did not even bother to return my call. Was this the mark of a gentleman they call the grand marshal? Perhaps a word to the wise may help.
Aquila Legis was a willing partner in raising funds for the celebration. However, it may have compromised its tax-exempt status. Aren’t they considered professional fundraisers if they collect fees despite their getting permit number NYS ID GC60-190-499-07867 from the state Wagering Board?
If the organization loses its Internal Revenue Service as a public charity, is your purchase of raffle tickets still tax deductible? I guess since its members are lawyers, they know what’s a wise counsel, isn’t it?
But speaking about a word for the wise, how could Fabricante, with the help of Lito Pernia, the deputy overall chair and budget and finance officer, say that whatever Fabricante owes PICC (the $1,600 for the Heritage float and $500 for the independence gala) should be deducted from what PICC owed him in printing the journal?
Does this make sense? There are three accounts involved here: Heritage, Manila Connections and Fabricante himself. Even if Fabricante owns Heritage and Manila Connections, what is the link of these accounts to justify a claim against PICC? In so far as PICC is concerned, it can only recognize its obligation to Manila Connections and not to the other two. One account cannot be co-mingled with the other. PICC still expects to be paid from Heritage and Fabricante for the dinner-ball. Pernia, as an accountant, should know that.
Well, just as the word Aquila Legis, has its biblical roots, perhaps a word to the wise is in order. I don’t know how they could spend $34,836 for the car and other prizes for a mere $5,000 return.
But as some pundits say, it’s better to have gotten something than nothing at all. That maybe is a word for the wise.
Send comments to rickyxpres@aol.com or visit Website at PinoyOnBoard.com.
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I confess to the Jasmine Trias syndrome -- that in which Filipinos claim they are of Spanish -- Chinese descent instead of saying they are straight up Filipino. I don't know what it is that makes us clarify that Filipino isn't just one bloodline or ethnicity -- as if hyping our mixed ethnic heritage makes us better people.
I have Chinito cousins with almond eyes and Tisoy cousins with fair skin and brown hair but it would take some deep genealogical research to identify my Chinese and Spanish ancestors that bestowed these traits upon us. You see besides my Hispanic maiden name, I cannot claim to be Spanish any more than Judy Ann Santos can.
What is most obvious -- and this is true of most Filipinos -- is that we are of Malay stock. I have brown skin, dark straight hair and a not-so-pango nose. So what am I saying? Be brown and proud. Embrace our heritage but don't be embarrassed to say "I am Filipino." Of course where one is born and raised definitely contributes to who you are -- so go ahead, say you are Filipino-American. Me? I was born and raised in Manila, with Ilocano blood in my veins --- Ako ay Pilipino. (Taas noo kahit kanino, la la la so goes the song.)
Kayumangging Kaligatan, the words roll of the tongue. It is the color I was born with, brown like a café latte, golden brown after a day in the sun. I am comfortable in my skin tone now but it wasn't always like this. Growing up and attending a school chockfull of mestizos, I suffered what I called an "indio" (native) complex. Subconsciously I felt that because of my darker complexion, I just wasn't good enough.
Blame it on media, blame it on the old-school folks who told me "Maganda ka hija, pero maitim." Those people who called me "Black Beauty" and suggested skin whitening and a nose lift did little to boost my self-esteem. To this day, you can watch the Filipino Channel and see that there are more light skinned actresses on Philippine TV than there are morenas. But that's another issue. Eventually I learned -- like actress/model Melanie Marquez who loved her "long-legged", to love my brownness.
Imagine my surprise when I traveled to the West and people actually complimented the color of my skin. Aba, mabenta pala ang beauty ko dito! Is it sweet revenge or plain irony? Ah well…the grass is always greener on the other side and people are never happy with what they have. Filipinos will always buy whitening products while Caucasians will perpetually search for that potion/lotion that can give them the perfect tan.
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Take Five
I would like to introduce this new segment to my column called take 5 in which I will compile a list of things every Filipino should know, five at a time. Let's make this interactive. Submit your list -- maybe it's something you thought of, something you know about, or something you want to know about and I'll write about it, maybe even research on it. For starters, in honor of Philippine Heritage Month, here is a list of five national symbols of the Philippines --.National Anthem: Lupang Hinirang (and not Bayang Magiliw) National Bird: Philippine Eagle (it replaced the Maya in the 1990s, it was previously known as the Monkey Eating Eagle); National Tree: Narra, National Flower: Sampaguita, National Fruit: Mango!
Your turn: tell me the Five dishes every Filipino should know how to cook and the five dishes/foods/delicacies you think every Filipino should have eaten at least once in their lives. E-mail me at manilagirl01@hotmail.com
Visit www.missingmangoes.com and http://www.manila-girl.com/
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Copyright 2004. LMTaylor. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations with proper credit given to the author.
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