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Filipino teacher honored by... PAGE A1 t Since it was introduced, more than 660,000 people have received DACA, according to the White House. “Applying to DACA is very personal. A lot of immigrants may be scared of coming out of the shad- ows because of the repercus- sions that may come with it. But personally, I feel that DACA has changed the way that I engage every day — I can drive, I can work, I can do all these amazing things I wouldn’t have been able to do without a social security number or a driver’s license...it has impacted me on a positive way,” Ballesteros said. “I definitely recommend that if you are eligible for DACA to pursue it because I don’t think there are negative repercussions from applying and trying.” Becoming a DACAmented teacher Ballesteros, who graduated from Drew University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in art history and a minor in chemistry, originally intended to go to medical school. But the reality of his status made him recognize that he wouldn’t be able to live out that plan. With Ms. Holberg and how she impacted his educational career in the back of his mind, he decided to delve into teaching. “…I changed my path in my senior year when I thought back to Ms. Holberg and what she did for me. I joined Teach for America soon after graduating from college,” Ballesteros said. Sharing how he “wanted to be civically engaged but didn’t know how to do that while being undocumented,” Ballesteros came across Teach for America (TFA) again in college when a friend applied, and saw that the program was accepting corp members who are DACA recipients. TFA first accepted two “DACAmented” teachers into the program in 2013, and 44 teachers were placed in 10 regions across the country the following year. To date, over 90 DACAmented teachers are working in 13 regions, according to the organization’s website. Among the areas where the organization has partnerships with schools to hire these teachers are the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. “TFA-Los Angeles has the largest number of DACAmented
LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 29-SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
Grace Poe’s birth... PAGE A1 t
the documents as part of the tribunal’s investigation into allegations by defeated 2013 senatorial candidate Rizalito David that Poe had distorted information in her certificate of candidacy filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) when she ran for senator. The NSO has been asked to produce Poe’s birth certificate, while the BI has been directed to show her complete travel records, citizenship papers and immigration records when she was still an American citizen. The SET wants to know if the senator has complied with the Leandro Otero, director of external affairs & partnerships for Teach for America - LA (TFA- LA); requirements under the Republic Stephanie Goodman; Lida R. Jennings, executive director of TFA-LA; Jaime Ballesteros; Joe Act 9139 or An Act Providing for Bernardo, policy analyst for the LA Mayor’s office of immigrant affairs; and Luis Figueroa at the Acquisition of Philippine CitiLA City Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 26. AJPress photo by Ding Carreon zenship for Certain Aliens by Administrative Naturalization and for other purposes. The SET also wants the BI to present documents on the oath reportedly taken by Poe when she
re-acquired citizenship. In the case he filed with the SET, David also alleged Poe failed to satisfy the two-year residency requirement for senatorial candidates. David said he wanted Poe removed as member of the Senate, citing her not being a natural-born citizen of the Philippines. Poe’s camp, for its part, said the subpoenas issued by SET were unnecessary because the documents being required for submission would all be included in her response to the petition filed by David. In a statement, Poe’s chief of staff Nelson Victorino said that “certified true copies of all pertinent documents from the NSO and BI relative to said matters covered by the subpoena will all be submitted to the SET as attachments to Senator Poe’s answer to serve as pieces of evidence that will prove that Senator Poe is a natural born
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Filipino citizen.” “She has complied with all other constitutional requirements to become and remain a duly elected senator of the country and that therefore Mr. David’s petition has no legal basis and must be dismissed,” Victorino said. Poe stated she re-acquired Filipino citizenship in 2005, a year after she decided to finally settle in the Philippines shortly after her father’s death in 2004. Poe became an American citizen in 1991 after she went to the US to pursue her relationship with her boyfriend, Neil Llamanzares. Poe married the young US navy officer who is a natural-born American. Poe earlier said she welcomed the filing of the SET case as it would give her the opportunity to address issues leveled against her by David. Immigration spokesperson Elaine Tan said that they have yet to receive SET’s order, but assured the tribunal that the bureau would comply with the order. (With reports from Marvin Sy)
Rep. Mike Honda condemns Jeb Bush’s ‘anchor babies’... PAGE A1 t
Nine educators who received DACA, including Jaime Ballesteros, were honored by the White House as “Champions of Change” in July. Photo courtesy of Teach for America - Los Angeles.
corp members in the country across our 52 regions and mainly because when we heard about the opportunity to have DACAmented corp members, we were able to call Los Angeles Unified School District and our big charter partners and say ‘will you hire our teachers? will you support this initiative?’ and all of them across Los Angeles said yes. We have tremendous support from our partners…we’re able to bring in all kinds of folks, like Jaime, as possible because we believe so deeply in his story, in him and the children who have the same experience,” said TFA-LA Executive Director Lida Jennings. For DACA recipients to be considered for TFA, they must have at least a 2.50 undergraduate GPA, a bachelor’s degree, a social security number and an Employment Authorization Document to meet the hiring requirements of partner schools. TFA
also helps corp members with legal assistance if needed. Ballesteros is now entering his second year as a high school chemistry teacher for Animo College Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. Since it’s an inner-city school, Ballesteros said he tries to be positive and engaging in the classroom, noting that some of students may not come from “healthy backgrounds.” “Throughout my first year, I found out that the key to me being able to make a great impact in the classroom is making strong individual relationships with my students…I pride myself in knowing the strengths of my students and what they need to improve on—that really guides me when I’m planning my lessons and teaching in class,” Ballesteros said. PAGE A4
sation and working towards real, comprehensive immigration reform.” Honda continued, “As the representative of the only Asian American majority district in the continental United States, and as a proud American of Japanese descent, I strongly condemn these statements.” He added, “Our country is one founded on a multitude of cultures and backgrounds, and such closeminded language goes against the foundation of our democracy.” Honda remarked that the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, “and we cannot
Jeb Bush
Rep. Mike Honda
stand by and let anyone diminish that right.” “In Silicon Valley, one of the most diverse areas of our coun-
try, we celebrate people from all backgrounds and their contributions to our nation,” Honda stated. (Inquirer.net)
PH seeks US help...
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Asked to confirm reports that the US has already agreed to help the Philippines deliver supplies to troops securing the West Philippine Sea, Lopez said: “We did not tackle that.” The Department of Foreign Affairs, for its part, said Harris has voiced his country’s commitment to its security arrangement with the Philippines. Harris made the commitment during a meeting with DFA
Secretary Albert del Rosario at Malacañang onWednesday, Aug. 26. The DFA said Del Rosario and Harris exchanged views on how to further strengthen the alliance between the Philippines and the US. They also discussed the current regional security environment, and agreed on the need to jointly protect freedom of the seas and oppose any unilateral actions by any country aimed at
changing the status quo in the region. Harris commanded the US Pacific Fleet from 2013 to May 2015. The AFP said on Wednesday the US intends to increase its military and humanitarian drills in the Asia-Pacific region as part of a strategy to counter China’s expansion in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea. Harries discussed key aspects of the Pentagon’s freshly drafted Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and AFP chief Iriberri at Camp Aguinaldo. n