Interview at Embassy - Final Days in Manila

Interview at U.S. Embassy - Subsequently Denied!

Monday we went to the U.S. Embassy for our interview. A lady interviewed us separately. She was polite to me, asking questions about whether I was “hired by an agency.” I explained that was not the case. But I understand that when interviewing Aurelia she not so pleasant.

A month later I received this notice in the mail that that the U.S. embassy had denied my petition, resulting a year of stress and legal research. Consistent with my subsequent encounters with our government and justice system, the denial ignored our explanations. For example we had explained that i did not visit their family home because she had a "crazy" suitor who was very angry that she was marrying an American. We had met all the requisites of marriage - but even if we had not by law we were still legally married under Philippine and U.S. law. Educational difference? She had a BS in nursing - I had AA in computer technology, and working on my BS.

" . . . Based upon the lack of meaningful correspondence, any period of courtship, the discrepancies in addresses, the marriage without full compliance with all requisites of marriage, failure to have a reception, no honeymoon, no consummation of the marriage, no residence together, not visiting the beneficiary's home, ethnic and religious difference, educational background difference, and all other factors, it is clear that you have not established your marriage is bonafide, and that yours is a sham marriage of convenience for the entry of the benficiary into the United States in violation of the law."

I was working 3:30pm to midnight shift at Signetics which allowed me to go to the law library (in the Court building west of the Capitol Building in Sacramento - the same building where in 2004 I presented oral argument to the 5th District Court of Appeal over a divorce sanction) and read cases and immigration law. I went to Congressman Vic Fazio's office for assistance. Finally they said they would reconsider and grant another interview in Sacramento. This occurred in April 1984, which was after my second visit in February 1984.

My friend Jun referred me to an attorney who typed up a brief and appeared with me at the interview. (His office was in his house and I recall him watching Perry Mason on TV as he typed my brief on a manual typewriter on the kitchen table - wish i could remember his name.) The petition was approved within a few months and Aurelia arrived in U.S. October 1984.

Because Shakey’s Pizza was founded in Sacramento, I wanted to eat there. We also went to parks and museums, and the new “Philippine Cultural Center.”

We went to Nayong Pilipino in Pasay (next to the International airport) - which recently shut down and was moved to Clark in Pampanga.

Nayong Pilipino (or: Philippine Villlage) is a 45-acre theme park featuring a miniature version of the Philipppines and its culture. The display is divided into a number of geographic displays -- Ilocos, Cordillera Central, Tagalog, Bicol, Visayas, and Mindanao. Each of these displays contains a typical house or building and a typical landscape of its region. For example, the Visayas display contains a replica of the historical landmark, Magellan's Cross, Cebu, and Bohol's famous Chocolate Hills.

To the right is a 1971 stamp featuring Nayong Pilipino

This was a nice traditional house:

I bought one of these at Nayong Pilipino - I still have it:

Craftsmen at Nayong Pilipino

A Vigan House in Nayong Pilipino See the building in 2006 here:

Goat in Nayong Pilipino:

Here we are in Luneta Park after dark (time exposure):

We went to see a movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy” about how a coke bottle dropped from an airplane disrupts the life of a native tribe. (I recommend it.) It seemed we had not paid for balcony seats, so her father bribed the usher.

There were Metro Manila Aides everywhere:

There was a Signetics facility east of Manila. I phoned explaining that I was a U.S. employee. Aurelia’s father and I took a “trike” to the building and then were given a VIP tour of the wafer packaging and test facility by the general manager.

On the flight home and for the subsequent week I was sick with diarrhea, but was good enough to continue working and eventually felt ok again.

Departing Manila:

Arriving in Los Angeles: