Part One of a “Neitherworld” Series

The Filipino-American “Neitherworld” Can Also Be Dubbed the “Fil-Am ‘Noranderthal’ Universe”

'Pex Aves is neither a lawyer nor a journalist' – Romeo P. Marquez, as stated in the hit, YouTube Newsvideo of Pex Aves, the Filipino Impostor of a “Lawyer” and “Journalist” in Los Angeles

T he “Neitherworld” part of this satire's title is not a typo. It is a new word that I coined after Toronto, Canada-based multi-awarded Journalist Romy Marquez inspired me to do it. Of course, the coinage was motivated also by the word, “netherworld.”

“neth·er·world” (noun \-ˌwərld\) has three meanings:

1. The world of the dead;

2. The underworld (As in “the netherworld of deceit … and espionage — R. M. Nixon”); or

3. No-man's-land (As in “lost in a bureaucratic netherworld”).

Now let me explain the subtitle. If there are American homo sapiens of Filipino descent, then the “Noranderthals” are probably the “Filipino Neanderthals” in the United States. OK, ngarud? But why? Sooner or later, they will become extinct like the Neanderthals.

Probably these Filipino-American “Noranderthals” have smaller brains, and therefore, have lower I.Q., than the Neanderthals. But surely, megastar of a singer Nora Aunor is not one of them and she is neither a drug addict nor an alcoholic.

Examples of the Denizens of the Filipino-American “Neitherworld”

H ere are the prime examples, especially when construed from Richard Nixon’s use of “the netherworld of deceit . . .”

Mr. Marquez described the perfect example of Pacifico Aves, who is “neither a lawyer nor a journalist.” As I said, “Pinabili lang ng avocado at pagbalik ay abogado na” (He was merely asked to buy avocado and when he returned, he was already a lawyer). As for Mr. Aves being a journalist, both Romy Marquez and I said, “Pinabili lang ng suka at pagbalik ay journalist na” (He was merely asked to buy vinegar and when he returned, he was already a journalist). Ergo, Mr. Marquez wrote that Pacifico "is neither one or the other."

Dioni, Pacifico’s “Pex-Man” (sidekick), was neither a member of the Cebu’s Finest nor of the Cebu’s Fourth Estate, as he claimed. This was why we took back the “Media Breakfast Club (MBC)-Dean Jose S. Reyes Journalistic Excellence Award” in 2001, which led several MBC members to say, “Kuwarta na, naging grava pa.”

Porfirio Diaz is another example. He migrated to the United States as an engineer but he failed to pass the engineering Board exam. So he became a real-estate salesman but he could not sell houses. So he became a “journalist.” So, in California, Porfirio is neither a licensed engineer nor a trained journalist (kuno). But as a licensed real-estate salesman, he was able to acquire a house that he turned into a board-and-care facility, where now he manages and takes care of ambulatory senior-citizen residents.

In the field of politics, Porfirio was elected as the treasurer of the Asian-American Republican Council of California but was later dismissed for allegedly commingling the council’s funds with his personal money in his individual checking account. Then in 2008, he openly supported then-presidential candidate Barack Obama of the Democratic Party. After the presidential elections, the Democrats did not want anything to do with him and now, he is neither a Republican nor a Democrat – as both parties do not like him as a member.

Rodel Rodis is neither the brilliant educator that he claimed to be (as he lost his re-election bid to the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Community College) nor the astute lawyer that he said he was. He lost a malpractice suit and declared bankruptcy, as he did not carry any malpractice insurance.

Both Mr. Rodis and Loida Nicolas-Lewis are neither the bright immigration lawyers they were supposed to be (as they have been insisting erroneously that Romeo P. Marquez, a Filipino citizen, was deported by the United States to Canada) nor able members of the NaFFAA’s Committee on Elections (COMELEC). The duo composed two out of the three members of the COMELEC of the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA). And at the Ballygate Scandal, the two moved for the COMELEC to “amend” the NaFFAA bylaws that required voters to be duly-registered convention delegates and to prepay the $25 voter’s registration fee. How can a COMELEC “amend” the bylaws, an hour before the casting of the ballots? As Filipino-American Southerners say, “Dugay na sa America, tonto pa gihapon.” And Ms. Lewis and Mr. Rodis are neither blood relatives nor in-laws of Greg “Lagareng Hapon” Macabenta.

In the NaFFAA, Loida Nicolas-Lewis, the Snow White(wash), and her Seven (Moral) Dwarfs are neither the honest leaders of the federation nor even the examples that the Filipino Americans, especially the youth, can look up to as good citizens.

A nd remarkably, some naturalized American citizens of Filipino descent are neither American nor Filipino (even if they become dual citizens), as they fail to act like true citizens of both countries. They become second-class citizens of the United States and are treated like pariahs by Filipinos in the homeland. Please read these articles,

How Some Filipino Americans Behave Like Second-Class Citizens and

A Dose of Reality: Why Many Filipinos Remain Second-Class Citizens in America

and/or

Why Most Overseas-Filipino Advocacies in the Homeland Are Often Exercises in Futility. But . . .

(To be continued . . .)