Issuu

Issue 30, August 2020

What FilAms learned

About themselves from the pandemic

Cynthia Barker

Filipina mayor in the UK

'Lion at Heart' author Kai Hayes

Her life-changing journey toward personal growth

Letter from the Editor

The Conways : A Filipino American family

hey’re not the Conners where the head of the family, Dan, works as a contractor, and his wife Roseanne ran a diner in a fictional working-class suburb called Lanford in Illinois. We are talking about the Conways where the head of the family, George, is a high-powered Manhattan lawyer, and his wife Kellyanne is a senior adviser to the White House. Their eldest, Claudia, has been giving her parents grief because she has been developing a mind – and a political philosophy — of her own. While the Conways would be considered a Filipino American family — unlike the football-and-apple pie Conners — they do not necessarily represent the stereotypical FilAm family whose socioeconomic profile includes a member who is a health care worker. Or one that typically sends bloated balikbayan boxes to relatives in the Philippines during Christmas. Or sings Karaoke at parties. Or eats with their hands and uses layers of banana leaves for plates. George’s educational roots, for instance, can be traced to Harvard and Yale. His father is a defense contractor and his Philippine-born mother, according to reports, worked as an organic chemist. George Conway III makes no attempt to hide his disdain for Donald Trump, his wife’s boss. He would call Trump nuts and “unfit” for office and has slammed many of his decisions and actions. He co-founded the Lincoln Project, composed of Republicans determined to defeat Trump’s reelection bid and they have been running ads that have gotten under the man’s skin. His wife, on the other hand, remains totally invested in Trump and would go as far as defending his handling of the Coronavirus epidemic as “decisive” even as almost 150,000 Americans have died from the virus and more than 4 million are infected.

George, Claudia, and Kellyanne Conway Now their daughter. Claudia, 15, showed up in the spotlight after it was reported that she has been dishing liberal leaning – “Radical Leftism” is the word she used — content on TikTok and that the object of her attacks is none other than Donald Trump, the man who pays her mother a salary of $183K a year as his Assistant and Senior Counselor. She is a supporter of Black Lives Matter, and has spoken out demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, the Louisville, Kentucky woman gunned down by three police officers who barged into her home by mistake. She said she loves her parents and that her mother is her best friend although they have political disagreements.

Contributing Writers Tricia J. Capistrano Ludy AstraquilloOngkeko Joel David Mariel Padilla Wendell Gaa Maricar CP Lindy Rosales Hampton Danielle Vania Angelito Cabigao Bonus

Founding Editor Cristina DC Pastor Address P.O. Box 8071 New York, NY 10116

It is not unusual for American families to hold a rainbow of political ideas under one roof. The Conways are no different. What’s significant is that George and Kellyanne – both conservatives – have apparently cautioned their daughter from sharing her political views on social media. Before signing off Instagram and TikTok, the one-fourth Pinay Claudia livestreamed a fight with her mother, who tried to take her phone away. She said, as reported in the press, “I’m just showing everyone the truth. You’re literally not letting me use my freedom of speech.” Let’s wait a couple of years. Claudia, who is navigating the terrain between adolescence and adulthood, is clearly not done.

Contact Thefilamny@gmail.com

The FilAm is a publication of A&V Editorial THE FILAM |

The world of Donald Trump, according to his niece Much of what the world has seen of Donald Trump’s behavior is now being understood by way of a tell-all memoir written by his niece Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist.

“T

oo Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” portrays the American president as a psychologically impaired individual who craved parental affection from his father, a real estate businessman and an emotionally withholding parent. According to the book, Donald, the fourth of five siblings of Fred Trump and Mary Ann MacLeod Trump, did not enjoy the love and attention of his parents, therefore developing traits that are deemed frightening for one who is the leader of the Free World. He is known to have bullied world leaders, humiliated women, punished immigrants, rewarded his loyal friends, corrupted politicians, lied, heckled, yelled, tweeted mindlessly. We are reprinting here some excerpts from the Simon & Schuster-published book, the White House has denounced as “full of falsehoods.” A spokesperson said the book needs to be fact-checked, which all good journalists should normally do. We believe though the insights in the book by a mental health professional will help explain Trump’s disturbing behaviors and his constant and intense need to be cold-blooded cruel in his judgment and treatment of others. 1. Mary Trump believes her uncle suffers from multiple personality disorders and a “long undiagnosed learning disability that for decades

Clinical psychologist and author Mary Trump 3. “This is far beyond garden-variety narcissism. Donald is not simply weak, his ego is a fragile thing that must be bolstered every moment because he knows deep down that he is nothing of what he claims to be…In Donald’s mind, even acknowledging an inevitable threat would indicate weakness. Taking responsibility would open him up to blame. Being a hero – being good – is impossible for him.” 4. “Honest work was never demanded of him, and no matter how badly he failed, he was rewarded in ways that are almost unfathomable. He continues to be protected from his own disasters in the White House.” Trump’s tortured relationship with his family is examined in the book. has interfered with his ability to process information.” 2. “Donald is much as he was at 3 years old: incapableof growing, learn-

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ing or evolving, unable to regulate his emotions, moderate his responses, or take in and synthesize information… Donald suffered deprivations that would scar him for life.”

5. Fred Trump “perverted his son’s perception of the world and damaged his ability to live in it… Every one of Donald’s transgressions became an audition for his father’s favor, as if he were saying, ‘See, dad, I’m the tough one. I’m the killer.'” — Cristina DC Pastor

1st Filipina mayor in the UK is daughter of an OFW

ast June 24, Cynthia Barker was sworn in as mayor of Hertsmere Borough during the council’s annual meeting. She became the first Philippine-born mayor of a borough in the United Kingdom. The handover was done virtually instead of formally in a ceremony where the outgoing Mayor Councillor Rabbi Alan Plancey would have turned over to the incoming mayor the chains of office to be placed over her shoulder. However, the real drama was not becoming mayor because she was already deputy mayor one year earlier. Traditionally, the deputy mayor succeeds the mayor the following year for a one-year term. At the Annual Meeting of the council, it was moved by Conservative Party Councillor Meenal M. Sachdev and seconded by Councillor Sarah Hodgson-Jones that Conservative Party Deputy Mayor Councillor Barker be elected as mayor of Hertsmere Borough Council for the 202021 municipal year. It was a testament to Barker’s reputation that she was the only candidate as the two other parties, Labour and Liberal Democrats, desisted from putting their own mayoral candidates. Councillors from the three political parties unanimously and democratically elected Barker. How did a Filipino woman become Mayor of Hertsmere, a big district in Hertfordshire in England? In an interview with U.S.-based Melody Garcia, Cynthia Bartolome Alcantara Barker shares her story. It all began in 1972 when Barker’s mother, Nelia Elauria Bartolome, a public school teacher, chose to leave behind her five children in San Pablo City in Laguna with her husband Romeo Alcantara, another teacher, to seek a better life in London as an Overseas Filipino Worker. (Barker’s father died in 1986 of brain tumor in Manila. Her mother survived him by 11 years and died in 1997 following an ulcer operation at St. Mary's Hospital in London.) Her mother supported her five children’s education while working initially

Mayor Cynthia Barker of Hertsmere Borough: ‘It’s the Bayanihan spirit.’

At a wine tasting fundraiser. in a private household as a nanny/ housekeeper, then as a hospital catering assistant and later as a full-time carer. All the five siblings now live outside of the Philippines, either in the U.S. or in the UK. The eldest, Ador Alcantara, is now a retired civil/highways engineer in Sacramento, California. Next is Gene Alcantara who is a London-based immigration adviser and journalist. Cynthia herself finished industrial engineering from Adamson University in Manila and began to work as a production supervisor in a garment factory, while waiting to immigrate to London. Her younger brother Rey Ramir Alcantara is THE FILAM |

a senior healthcare worker in London. The youngest sister Joy Moreno is a senior nurse in Sacramento. Finally, in 1983, Barker was able to join her mother in London. She embraced her being an immigrant in England, which she treated as a new adventure. She worked towards full integration into British society. She went to study further at the University of Hertfordshire and worked as manager, operations manager, recruitment manager and immigration law practitioner. She believes in continuous professional development. More recently she attended a leadership development 4

course Pathways to Success at Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University, sponsored by the university, the House of Commons, Lloyds Bank, and Operation Black Vote. From her previous marriage to an English gentleman, she raised a daughter named Christine, who is now married and blessed the family with four grandchildren. She said her grandchildren keep her young and give her that “balance in life.” At the same time, she volunteered her free time in the Rotary Club, and did various charity work in her neighborhood. She was given the British Community Honours Award at the House of Commons. In the Filipino community, she was chosen as one of 100 Most Influential Filipinas by the U.S.-based Filipina Women’s Network. She remains a member of the Filipino Women’s Association in the UK. Because of her active charity work and volunteering, she got noticed by the Conservative Party which invited her to join them. She has been a full member of the party since 2014 although she helped out in their political campaigns for a number of years before joining them. One year later, in 2015, the party asked her to run for councillor in two towns in Hertsmere Borough Council. She was at first hesitant because she had no experience in running for a public office, and running for two was even more daunting although it was a strategy to do so to maximize her chances of winning. In fact, the Conservative Party wanted precisely a woman, who was not in politics and a member of a minority group to demonstrate their inclusivity. She was the perfect candidate. To everyone’s surprise, most of all to Barker, she won handily in both towns and thus became the first female Philippine-born councillor simultaneously in the towns of Borehamwood and Potters Bar in the district borough of Hertsmere. That was the really significant victory. She said, “My mother’s sacrifices gave me the inspiration and drive to pursue my aspirations. I must also acknowledge my father’s sacrifices as he was just as lost as we children were when my mother went abroad to support the family.”

Barker added, “My mother’s traits, compassion and the willingness to help was instilled in me. I didn’t realize the light I had inside of me was from my mother who worked as nanny/housekeeper in a foreign land when it was not fashionable to do so. And how successful she was in her journey specially in inspiring me and my siblings. From her journey, I was energized by people around me, our Filipino community and our local British community who believed in me and helped made me who I am now. They inspired me to integrate into the British community while proudly preserving my own heritage.” In 2019, four years later, she run for re-election this time only in Borehamwood under difficult political conditions due to Brexit, where the mood of the people was very negative against the Conservative Party which was being blamed for even conducting the

referendum in the first place. She won re-election by a nail-biting three votes. Across the nation, the Conservative Party lost 1,200 seats all together. In the council, she was nominated as Deputy Mayor and was elected by a majority of the sitting councillors. She embraced the challenge again of being the first Filipina to be deputy mayor. In June 2020, the council elected her unopposed as mayor of Hertsmere Borough. When asked by Melody how she manages to fulfill all the demands of being mother, grandmother, councillor and mayor at the same time, Barker replied that “when you do the work without expecting any return, the good comes back to you.” Barker remains gracious and humble. She said what she has achieved in British politics as a Filipina is now inspiring other immigrants to aim for similar empowerment as important participants in their host society.

With veterans and their families as they observe Remembrance Day in honor of soldiers who died in line of duty.

THE FILAM |

Disney to create Melissa de la Cruz Studio to develop original stories Disney is partnering with Filipino American author Melissa de la Cruz to create a new studio to develop and create stories, according to an announcement published in Hollywood Reporter.

he Melissa de la Cruz Studio will work with new and established authors to create original content for development across multiple Disney platforms, it said. De la Cruz is the New York Times best-selling author of the “Blue Bloods” series, “The Ring and the Crown,” and the romantic comedy “29 Dates.” “As an author within the Disney Publishing Worldwide family, we have seen firsthand how Melissa de la Cruz cultivates a story and develops content for multiple platforms and media,” said Disney Hyperion & New Intellectual Property vice president and publisher Emily Meehan in a statement. “Her strong creative vision will inspire the next generation of best sellers and content creators for entertainment beyond the pages of a book.” De la Cruz said she is “beyond thrilled to forge a new journey with the (Disney) team, full of even more incredible opportunities, nestled within The Walt Disney Company powerhouse. It is a dream come true.” Her website says De la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, #1 Publisher’s Weekly and #1 IndieBound “bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages.” She has written more than 30 books that have also topped the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and have been published in over 20 countries. “De la Cruz is the author of the ‘Blue Bloods’ series (with three million copies in print), among

many others. Her first series for adults launched with ‘Witches of East End,’ which People magazine called a ‘bubbling cauldron of mystery and romance.’ The bestseller was followed by ‘Serpent’s Kiss’ and ‘Winds of Salem.’ Lifetime Television aired a two-season drama series based on ‘Witches of East End,’ starring Julia Ormond, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Rachel Boston, and Mädchen Amick. “Her recent books include ‘Something in Between,’ a YA contemporary novel inspired by her own immigrant experience coming from the Philippines which launched the Seventeen imprint at Harlequin Teen, as well as ‘Alex and Eliza,’ a historical novel about the romance between Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler. “She grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. At Columbia University, she majored in art history and English. She lives in West Hollywood, California with her husband and daughter.” In a video recording, De la Cruz said she worked as a computer consultant for nine years before she became a full-time author. “That was my day job.” As a prolific novelist, she works all by herself missing the sound of computers and the murmur of people in an office setting. “I work at home alone now.” She spends a lot of time reading and has a preference for books on American history and biographies of American women.

The Manila-born bestselling author. Website photo

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FilAms cannot travel to the PHL using U.S. passports Warning to Filipino Americans: you cannot travel to the Philippines using a U.S. passport or any foreign passport. We have Filipino clients who were turned away by Philippine Airlines (PAL) because they were using U.S. passports. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has been ordered not to allow foreign nationals to enter the Philippines, although temporarily until further notice.

ilAms with dual citizenship must bring with them their Philippine passports to be allowed to fly. If a passenger does not have the Philippine passport, a certified copy of the Oath of Allegiance must be obtained from the Philippine Consulate where the oath was taken. There is a fee of $25 for the certified copy. American spouses or children travelling

with a Filipino American (with dual citizenship) are allowed to travel. This is an important announcement to avoid inconvenience among FilAms from different states around the U.S. only to find out they cannot board the plane. Before you purchase an airline ticket bound for the Philippines, ask the airlines first for requirements before you confirm your flights. – Filipino Law Group

THE FILAM |

The Marcos Dictatorship and the irreparable damage to a family

he Quimpos achieved fame (or notoriety, depending on one’s perspective) for having had several of them participate in the anti-dictatorship movement during the martial-law regime of Ferdinand Marcos. Since the only genuine opposition during most of this period was provided by the outlawed Communist underground, the Quimpo family, by its association, underwent dramatic upheavals, acute heartbreak, and occasional but still-too-rare moments of grace that would appear almost fantastic had the book been announced as a fiction. The fact that these events actually happened, related by the individuals who directly experienced them, provides the reader with a sense of how irreparably damaging authoritarianism has always been for our particular national experience. I remember how, as a student at the state university, I could always rely on the fact that my smartest classmates would be sympathetic, if not involved outright, with student-activist causes – in sharp contrast with the situation I later observed as a teacher. “Subversive Lives” provides a panoramic chronicle of how the militarized dictatorship, profitable only to foreign and mercenary local business and religious interests, upheld the worst legacies of colonial education and magic-patriarchal morality: backward thugs armed, fed, and protected by the machinery of an irredeemably corrupted state were allowed to wield life-or-death mastery over the very people in whom, by virtue of their capacity to exercise discernment, creativity, and determination, the future of the nation would have resided. The Quimpo children, in this respect, may be regarded as representative of the country’s best and brightest, had they emerged in another place, another time. Starting out as stereotypical overachievers, the only source of pride of their financially distressed parents, they grew up just when the storm clouds

By Joel David

Activist Susan Quimpo holds a copy of ‘Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years,’ which she co-authored with brother Nathan Gilbert Quimpo. She passed away on July 14, 2020. Photo: Philippine Daily Inquirer of tyranny were gathering; having moved to a cramped apartment near the presidential palace, they were initially witnesses, then active participants, in the increasingly violent protest actions then taking place in their neighborhood. One of the most powerful dramatic undercurrents in the book is how the Quimpos’ parents coped with the spectacle of several of their children giving up their scholarships, then their bright futures, by moving from school dropouts to wanted figures, hunted down and tortured by the military. One of the sons recollects his reconciliation with his father at the latter’s deathbed, and his story suddenly breaks free of the storytelling mode, addressing his father THE FILAM |

in the present as if he were still alive, and as if no reader would wonder: “Talk to me. I’m your son…. Why don’t you express all your heartaches, disappointments, and frustrations?” The siblings never shake free the realization that the paths they chose were not what their parents had hoped for them. If their parents lived long enough, they would have seen that the Quimpo children had been able to attain impressive career trajectories, covering several continents and participating in impactful projects (of which the book serves as group memoir) that would have been the envy of the more privileged families with their utterly predictable and vision-impoverished choices. 8

Even the sister who had opted for life as an Opus Dei numerary found inevitable parallels between her Order and the fascist system that her siblings were struggling against. The story of the retrieval of their brother’s body is hers to tell, and one would probably wind up smiling, in the face of the long-anticipated tragedy, at how she had managed to muster enough reserves of strength to confront and intimidate the military officers who felt like aggravating her and her grieving female companions, just for the heck of it. When, famished after the confrontation, one of them mistakenly brings one too many orders of Coke and the driver of their vehicle innocently asks who the spare bottle is for, then they turn toward their brother’s body and cry all over again, I could not help turning as well toward the best moments in Pinoy cinema, where our film-authors are so casually able to incite these tender combinations of humor and warmth amid overwhelming sadness. The book ends with a controversy that has shaken up, and continues to do so, the Philippine revolutionary movement. The Quimpos who were then still involved were major participants, and express the opinion that the leadership they challenged had taken on qualities of the dictatorship that they had fought against and (in a sense) succeeded in ousting. “Subversive Lives” is sprawling, occasionally meandering, sometimes indulgent, and necessarily open-ended. It is also gripping, heartfelt, insightful, and forward-looking, so much so that the aforementioned “flaws” would be a small price to pay for its still-rare literary largesse, just as the Quimpo children’s rebellion has made the country’s journey to a more meaningful present a trip for which we as their witnesses ought to be grateful. Joel David is associate professor for Cultural Studies at Inha University in Incheon, Korea. He is the author of a number of books on Philippine cinema and was founding director of the University of the Philippines Film Institute.

Kumusta! 2020 Census taker po ako. Ang aking responsibilidad ay gawing safe at simple ang pagtugon sa 2020 Census. Importante ang trabaho ko ngayong taon! Bumibisita ako para makatulong sa 2020 Census habang nakasuot ng mask para sumunod sa patnubay ng pamahalaan para sa ikabubuti ng lahat. Kada sampung taon, layunin naming makakuha ng isang buo at tumpak na bilang ng lahat ng naninirahan sa bansa. Ang mga numerong ito ay nagbibigay ng mas mahusay na pag-unawa sa mga pangangailangan ng bawat komunidad. Napakaimportante na lahat sumagot. Pwede kayong sumagot online, sa telepono o mail o sa isa naming kasamahang census takers.

Kumpletuhin ang census sa

2020CENSUS.GOV/tl o tumawag sa 844-478-2020 Paid for by U.S. Census Bureau

COVER STORY

Author Kai Hayes: A life-changing journey toward personal growth

Kai speaking before a LifeVantage seminar on entrepreneurship.

As a young girl, Lilibeth Salonga Avelino already knew what she wanted.

oming from a family of very little means, she yearned to get a good education so she could achieve bigger things and provide a comfortable life for herself and her family. Her mother was a stay-at-home parent, and her father was in the military scraping a government salary to send his four children to school. The youngest sibling, she has known what it is to live a “life of destitute poverty.” At age 25, the responsibility to look after her parents and grandparents fell on her lap. Lilibeth performed the obligation expected of a youngest child in the traditional Filipino family culture. At 33, her marriage fell apart. “I became a single mom only after being married for three years. Blessed with my one and only son

With husband Greg Hayes. ‘A wonderful man.’ Nico, he became my biggest inspiration to break the generational chain of poverty in my family. By the Grace of God, I did,” she said. With a degree in Management and a wealth of experience in Philippine companies, she founded her own Asian telecommunications company, WPTI-EasyLink Services Telecoms, a UK based company. This is when she was known as Kai which means in the Japanese language as “Ocean” and in Hawaiian connotes “warrior”. Her first name is a shortened version of her pet name ‘Kikay’ given by friends when she worked as a TV/ print advertising model. The year was 1998. In 2000, she met Greg Hayes, an IT director for a consultancy company, at a trade show in New York. She sold her company and moved to the U.S. with her son in 2003 and married Greg. After five years as a stay-at-home housewife, the itch to work returned. She found a job at Wells Fargo’s Austin, Texas, office managing assets for high-value clients as well as developing businesses. “I love my name, it’s me,” Kai said. In fact, the title of THE FILAM |

her inspirational memoir “Lion at Heart” corresponds to the initials behind Lilibeth Avelino Hayes.

||New life

“I left my whole entire life in Manila and began a new life here in the U.S.” Texas has been home since 2003. She said: “Being a stay-at-home mom in the U.S. for five years, I got bored, so in 2008 I found myself as a business banker at Wells Fargo bank but was unhappy not getting paid my worth. Modesty aside, my productivity was equivalent to three bankers. But it has always been my choice not to stay in a cubicle scheme. I don’t want to work until I am 65, and not have financial freedom like many others have. I began searching for a better way to be able to run my own show like I did before.” She discovered network marketing and “embraced” the business model. In 2011, she joined LifeVantage Corp., a publicly traded company on NASDAQ that pioneered a “breakthrough technology called Nrf2 activation.”

“It has been such a glorious 10 years,” she said. She recalled, “Greg has turned his back away from the corporate world which he served for 37 years. He was afflicted with stage 3 brain cancer in December 2014 and the company he worked for 19 years laid him off while he was still fighting for his life. Greg hit rock bottom. Thank God, we had a miracle. It’s been five years. Greg is now cancer-free. Building a leverage income is a powerful platform anyone can fight for and achieve. Freedom is what we worked for, freedom is what we got.” She continues to help her family back in the Philippines. Kai and Greg established a Bridge of Hope Ministry helping the St. Rita Orphanage in Manila and the Priesthood Mission in Tanzania. “Now Greg and I wake up together,” she said. “We travel together. And the biggest takeaway for me was writing a book on Leadership, Personal, and Spiritual growth. That’s life changing for me.” “I am no longer the same person as I

was before. It’s a total transformation from the time I made the decision to change the trajectory of my life and I feel good about it. Now I can take my business to the next level. Becoming a role model to serve and inspire sharing my tough and incredible journey in life as well as encourage everyone that it’s possible to achieve your dreams and thrive in life versus just surviving. After all, aren’t we all called to do great things in life?” Due to the success of the book publication and sales Kai Hayes established the Lion at Heart Freedom Journey, a powerful crusade with its Mission: To be the Voice for the Voiceless in June 11th with its pioneering members: Beth Busa Kara Petron Emmie Cadavez Kay Castro Betty Pickard Sylvia Morales Anne Cubarrubia Gigi Donohue Riza Connel

Son Nico is her ‘biggest inspiration to break the generational chain of poverty in my family’.

PHL Consulate receives face masks donation Consul General Claro Cristobal received 1,000 pieces of KN-95 masks donated by FilAm JoAnn Sy Bathia, owner of The Prescription Shoppe, a pharmacy based in Jersey City.

he masks will be distributed to members of the FilAm community and guests who have official business with the Consulate but are not wearing face covers. Since the reopening of the Consulate on June 12 after the lifting of the lockdown in NYC, the wearing of face mask inside the Philippine Center has been made mandatory to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 as advised by health authorities. Bathia said that her donation is her small contribution for the safety and well-being of the FilAm community. The donation and turn-over was facilitated by Grace Labaguis of Synergy Production and Marketing. Cristobal thanked Bathia and Labaguis and said that the masks will benefit kababayans who forget to bring their masks when coming to the Consulate. He emphasized the importance of following health protocols, including temperature check and hand sanitizing, when entering the Philippine Center to ensure the safety of kababayans and Consulate personnel.

From right: Grace Labaguis of Synergy Production and Marketing, JoAnn Sy Bathia of The Prescription Shoppe, Consul General Claro Cristobal, and Consul Arman Talbo during the turnover of the face masks donation at the Philippine Center in New York. THE FILAM |

Organization supports cleft surgeries in the PHL

mile Train, the world’s largest cleft organization, has supported more than 60,000 cleft surgeries in the Philippines since its first program opened in 2001. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smile Train partner hospitals globally, including those in the Philippines, have temporarily suspended cleft surgeries. As of July, Smile Train is beginning to see a slow increase in surgeries being resumed in regions where operations can be supported safely. Prior to COVID, Smile Train supported greater than 4,500 surgeries each year through 122 hospital partners in the Philippines. A critical resource for Filipinos to find free treatment resources, updated news and profiles of those that have been treated – and even a way to donate to

Gracee was born with a cleft lip and palate in the Philippines and was always bullied growing up. Today, she is a confident and happy woman, dedicated to serving others as a perioperative nurse at a local Smile Train partner hospital. She is proud to have a career helping the children who have the same problem she once had.

The Heart of the Filipino is ready to serve you again.

THE FILAM |

fund surgeries in the Philippines can be found at Smiletrain.ph. Smile Train’s vision is to give every person in the Philippines with a cleft the opportunity for a healthy and productive life. Over the last 21 years, Smile Train has supported safe and quality cleft care for more than 1.5 million people around the world. Follow Smile Train Philippines on Twitter and Instagram @SmileTrainPh and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/smiletrainphilippines. Smile Train partners with local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.org.

28M renters face evictions An estimated 28 million renters in the U.S. are facing evictions as states begin lifting their COVID-19-related eviction moratoriums in the coming months.

experiencing homelessness such as California’s Project Homekey, a $600 million state initiative to buy hotels and motels to house un-sheltered people. “But this will be a drop in the bucket for people who are currently experiencing homelessness and will not address the new inflows into homelessness,” she cautioned, n April, most U.S. states imposed adding that permanent solutions some manner of lockdown to require a dramatic increase in the control the spread of the virus, number of affordable housing units, restricting most workers to their along with an expansion of rental homes. Unemployment rates shot support. to 14.7 percent, according to the Bureau Delegate Kumar Barve, who of Labor Statistics. More than onechairs the Maryland state House third of renters did not pay their rent of Delegates Environment and that month, according to data from the Transportation Committee, sent a National Multifamily Housing Council. letter July 7 to Maryland Governor Many states enacted eviction Larry Hogan, asking him to extend moratoriums, banning landlords from the state’s eviction moratorium evicting a tenant due to non-payment to Jan. 31, 2021. He noted that of rent. But as those moratoriums in a typical year in Maryland, a expire in August, up to 28 million miniscule portion of the population renters are facing evictions, said faces eviction. Emily Benfer, visiting professor and “If you up that to 10 percent or director of the Health Justice Clinic 15 percent, you suddenly have a at Wake Forest School of Law and problem. What we’re talking about co-creator of the COVID-19 Housing in that instance would be a full-scale Clockwise from top left: Dr. Margot Kushel of the Center for Vulnerable Populations at Policy Scorecard with the Eviction social disruption,” said Barve, the the University of California, San Francisco; Nisha Vyas of the Western Center for Law Lab at Princeton University. longest serving Indian American and Poverty; Akash Kalia of the Palms Inn in Santa Rosa, California; Emily Benfer of The The Congressional CARES Act, legislator. Eviction Lab COVID-19 Housing Policy Scorecard at Princeton University; and Delegate which provides 120 days of eviction Nisha Vyas of the Western Center Kumar Barve, Maryland state House of Delegates. All photos via Twitter relief for tenants in federally-backed for Law and Poverty discussed the lack housing, is set to expire July 25. of due process for tenants, who must “50 million renters today live in households that file a response to their eviction notice within five suffered COVID-19-related job loss or income loss. And days. Eviction lawsuits are fast-tracked: more than 40 percent of that occurred in especially low-income 75 percent are settled within 45 days, largely in favor households,” said Benfer, at a July 17 briefing on of the landlords who are represented by attorneys, evictions, organized by Ethnic Media Services. while the vast majority of tenants are not. Other speakers at the briefing included Delegate “The process is designed to be very efficient and Kumar Barve, of the Maryland state House of to provide consistent results for landlords to be Delegates; Dr. Margot Kushel, director of the able to eject tenants and recover their properties. Center for Vulnerable Populations at the University There’s often very little regard for the outcome of of California, San Francisco; Nisha Vyas, senior tenants,” said Vyas. attorney at the Western Center for Law and Poverty; “Evictions have played a significant role in and Akash Kalia, who in 2015 converted his father’s creating California’s affordable housing crisis and Santa Rosa, California motel into a shelter for our homelessness crisis,” she said, noting that chronically homeless people and veterans. some extremely low-income households pay 90 Black and Latino renters — who have percent of their income in rent. disproportionately experienced COVID-19 job “We’ve talked about the eviction crisis as a losses and deaths — are at highest risk for being tsunami, and that metaphor is intended to capture ‘A full-scale social disruption.’ unable to pay their rents, said Benfer. the magnitude of the crisis, but this is not a natural Children are severely hit by evictions, Kushel Kushel predicted there would be a 20 percent disaster. It’s a disaster of our own making. To said, noting that an abrupt loss of home can lead to 40 percent rise in homelessness as eviction prevent it, we need to advocate for meaningful to disruptions in education and resulting mental moratoriums are lifted. She acknowledged state governmental intervention,” she said. — Sunita health issues. and federal efforts focused on people currently Sohrabji, Media Services

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Post-war romance depicted in journalist’s memoir By Allen Gaborro

It is at distressing times that people look to some diversion to enable them to temporarily forget what’s going on in the mad, mad world around them. Myrna Lou Jastra, a pseudonym for Filipino American writer Ludy Ongkeko, has provided just such a diversion with her paperback novel “When Writing Morphs into a Lifetime.”

t 115 pages, “When Writing Morphs” is really more of a novelette than a full-fledged novel. But even in that limited space Jastra attempts to fit in much about what would become the conjugal existence of her two protagonists, Lor and Ermin. Their love affair began in the years following the end of World War II in the Philippines and would last more than six decades and extend across the Pacific Ocean to the United States. Jastra’s portrayal of what Lor and Ermin had together comes across as gratifying and uplifting even as she employs unprepossessing, unadorned language. Jastra’s vanilla writing style is just able to convey a certain amount of emotion and resoluteness in Lor’s and Ermin’s relationship. All the same, if you are looking for amorous longing and teary-eyed melodrama, you won’t find it in “When Writing Morphs.” In Jastra’s story, there are no tortured figures seeking redemption or the excruciating pangs of unrequited love. Between picking out unforgettable personal experiences and memories, Jastra gives us what amounts to

Reporter Ludy Astraquillo wed PMA alumnus Hermie Ongkeko in 1952 a low-watt, boilerplate-like narrative of an everlasting marriage. Yet, Jastra’s authorial guilelessness and austere expressiveness are what imbue “When Writing Morphs” with its simple charm and virtue. What you read in Jastra’s text is exactly what you get, especially considering that it is devoid of symbolism and laden with factual elements from the writer’s very life. Indeed, her novel is not so much a work of literary fiction as much as it is an autobiography posing as a novel (or novelette). This is not to take anything away from “When Writing Morphs” in terms of its creator’s inspirational journey. With a clear hand and aided by the power of nostalgia, Jastra has devoted herself to writing the love story she shared with her real-life husband. The tale begins in 1948 when Lor, a young female writer, receives a letter from Ermin Oro, the THE FILAM |

‘When Writing Morphs into a Lifetime’ by Myrna Lou Jastra, 115 pp., AuthorHouse 14

editor of “The Corps,” the official magazine of the Philippine Military Academy. In the letter, Ermin asks Lor to make an article submission to the magazine. Thus begins a bond that is destined to last a lifetime. Lor and Ermin had to overcome obstacles including having to make some difficult decisions. One such decision was the one faced by Lor in which she had to balance the scales between pursuing her chosen profession and being able to foster a loving relationship and family with Ermin. Ultimately, Lor and Ermin put the trials and tribulations they endured behind them and later emigrate “to a new land where future problems would seek solutions not only for the older generations but for those yet to come.” As so many other hopeful Filipino couples did before and after them, Lor and Ermin eventually settled in the United States where, as Jastra writes, the two of them “lodged their crucial hopes that, as worthy Americans, they would render their best, to do what they were capable of doing in their very modest manner.” In their “adopted land,” Lor and Ermin would teach their three children “to be grateful for America’s gifts.” It was in the United States where the couple would be certain that “permanence was theirs.” The ideals of constancy, sacrifice, and perseverance that the reader gathers from “What Writing Morphs” are its most endearing qualities. I think this is more so the case than with the familiar immigrant theme that Jastra puts forth. When all is said and done in Myrna Lou Jastra’s literary memorialization, what matters most is that love conquers all in what is a fine portrait of the indissoluble union of a Filipino American man and woman. Based in San Francisco, California, Allen Gaborro has been a freelance writer of social, historical, political, cultural issues for more than 25 years.

What I’ve learned from staying home and living in dread of a pandemic

hen my parents needed to teach me a lesson, it usually began with, “Nung panahon ng Hapon…” as they recounted what were unspeakable hardships during the three years Japan had occupied the Philippines. They hid in bunkers, divided a piece of fish among 10 siblings, and feared neighbors with paper bags over their heads. Some people feel conditions today in a time of a public health crisis are just as dire: Several months of lockdown, tens of millions jobless, and people dying from a virus that governments cannot seem to control. It seems like the world is falling apart and being alone at home gives you a sense of helpless rage in that you are powerless to change anything. Some people remain hopeful though that the world will pull through somehow. We spoke to five FilAms who reflected on what has happened to them since the pandemic erupted early this year and what they have learned living through it. – Cristina DC Pastor

||SHARON ADARLO

||LAWREEN BORNEOEGERTON Home health care worker

First of all, I’m thankful to God that me and my family are doing fine during these tough times. Second, my relationship with my family has grown much closer and stronger. We look out for each other more because tomorrow we can’t tell what will happen. This pandemic has taught me to value life even more. I am really thankful that I can continue to work and safely take care of my elderly clients.

||JOEL JAVIER Chef Flip Eats

Writer, illustrator and artist

I don’t think my life has changed somewhat except I hate shopping for groceries more and I am beginning to hate Zoom calls with a passion. So, my daily life is okay, I have been more creative and doing more fun stuff personally. But in a macro sense I am very upset. I feel that COVID-19 has thrown into high relief that our country is not functioning well compared to others. We have not done a good job being on top of the virus, and it makes me very upset.

I think this lockdown reminded me of the importance of taking a break. Since I do most of my cooking/work at home and never done freelance work before and was always in the mindset of scarcity. I was always working. Never knowing when the next paycheck is going to come was all new to me. The pandemic kinda gave my wife and I the permission to stay still and to be reminded of how simple life could be or is. The importance of taking care of oneself was placed in the front burner. Our state of mind overflowed with gratitude made each day a celebration of life. THE FILAM |

||TROI SANTOS

IT Management and Desktop Support NYU Langone Health

The weeks before the shelter-in-place was announced, it was a mass exodus of electronic devices for WFH (Work From Home). When the shelter-in-place took effect and restaurants ordered to close at 8 p.m., I saw the whole city in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness while I drive to and from work. The pandemic hit me hard when OCME (Office of Chief Medical Examiner) started building Morgue City near the FDR with freezer trailers lined along the road. I saw carpenters building wooden shelves for the body bags and a forklift to move the bags. Earlier in the year, my aunt died in her sleep, then my dad, and then my uncle, and just recently my sister-in-law from mysterious circumstances. I knew a lot of people under 50 who dropped like flies unexpectedly. From that point, I accepted that when it’s your time, it’s your time. As a religious Catholic, I have prepared my soul for whatever happens. Life goes on. Deal with the current situation and prepare for the unexpected. Pray for the best.

||MARICAR TAINO

Tax Investigator New Jersey Department of the Treasury My line of work before the pandemic was majority field contact with taxpayers — businesses and individuals — and so working remotely, away from my office is not new to me. However, working from home on a lockdown, social distancing ordinance, an overseer of subordinates plus home schooling of three children – all of these was quite a 15

learning process with challenges. It may seem simple to say now but in time and gladness I can say that I developed work ethics of efficient planning, communications, prioritizations, compassion, attentiveness and all this into one major trait: to be productive in a time of uncertainty. My key insight was making the best of time and use of available resources. For instance, I really take the time to include being a homeschooling mother of three in my daily schedule. This means I will take a good quality break time from work to make breakfast, lunch, dinner and homework support without the feeling of hesitation away from work hours. This was the hardest feeling I had to face. At first, I felt this was taking time for me to be productive working from home. I realized however that my family is priority and the reason why I work in the first place. I would communicate more with my team about my priority schedule and make arrangements with meetings and work. As a team leader I was able to be considerate and make compromises in helping colleagues with their work and in return they would also help me. As a compliance officer, the sense of fulfillment in the ability to be able to make time to do what matters to me produces the most compassion in my service. I would wholeheartedly take breaks to deliver meal packs on a schedule to health front liners in hospitals. I was even more motivated to work with organizations with ideas to provide PPEs to nursing homes. Without hesitation I volunteered to the NJ Department of Labor in processing unemployment claims. So again, my key insight is taking time to do what matters, gave me the most motivation to be productive at work and service amidst this unprecedented time.

achieve success. For what we focus on is what we get. The world needs your voice. You need to be felt, you need to be seen. Decide to be visible. Tell yourself you are invisible no more! This book is for you – for those of you with wounded hearts, who are searching for answers to your prayers, hoping to see the light. In reading this book, you will learn: • The way to map the road to your personal success. • Inner strength is found during struggle. • There is joy behind pain. • How to unleash your greatest potential. • The tools and resources for empowerment. • How to achieve & create the lifestyle you’ve dreamed of. • Ways to develop the proper mindset to break through barriers. • Who you really are! • What you are capable of achieving! • The most important things on earth are people. • There is a lion within your own heart.

ON MENTORSHIP & ADVOCACY: ‘LION AT HEART’ by Kai Hayes Discovering Courage and Greatness Within I wrote a book because I believe that a book is an opportunity to use our Voice for the Voiceless. My book is a voice for the invisible. The invisible are the poor, the old, the sick (mentally, physically, emotionally), the orphans and the underdog I was once before. This is a journey to discovering your greatness and finding the courage to thrive. As you read these pages, you will discover your own strength. You will discover the only person who can change your life is the person you are looking at in the mirror each day. You will discover your own worth, your own value on this earth. You will eliminate the things that are insignificant in your life and begin to focus on what will help you achieve success. For what we focus on is what we get. The world needs your voice. You need to be felt, you need to be seen. Decide to be visible. Tell yourself you are invisible no more! This is a journey to discovering your greatness and finding the courage to thrive. As you read these pages, you will discover your own strength. You will discover the only person who can change your life is the person you are looking at in the mirror each day. You will discover your own worth, your own value on this earth. You will eliminate the things that are insignificant in your life and begin to focus on what will help you

In ‘Lion at Heart, Discovering Courage and Greatness Within,’ Kai Hayes shares her remarkable story and determination in breaking through barriers in her life. Kai Hayes is a five-foot dynamo of energy, inspiration, and determination who once walked down the dirt roads of the Philippines, and today walks across the stage to inspire crowds of thousands with her secrets to Personal, Spiritual and Leadership growth , which led her to financial success and an amazing lifestyle. She’s risen from the depths that very few of us can imagine, to achieve a level of success that is inspiring to all. Born in the Philippines into destitute poverty, at the age of 25, Kai Hayes became the sole breadwinner for her

parents and grandparents. After a short marriage of three years, she became a single mother at the age of 33. Looking into an uncertain future and still the sole breadwinner for her family, she took her infant son in her arms and with tears flowing down her cheeks, she whispered to him, “I promise you, my son, that I will do my best to make sure you won’t have to grow up with the hardships and poverty that I did." Her inspiring story will encourage you to rise above your present-day circumstances of fears, and failures to become a Lion at Heart, able to conquer and triumph during the seasons of your life. Featured twice in Business for Home for her story of success, she will inspire you to develop a mindset that breaks through personal barriers. Kai believes everyone has the Heart to create the lifestyle of their dreams. In Lion at Heart, Kai becomes your personal guide and mentor in your life’s journey. “WHEN WE SHARE, WE CHANGE THE WORLD These 7 powerful words have become the inspiration for many and immensely impacted hundreds of thousands of people globally! With every “Story” that we “Share” • we change the course of every individual • we stimulate personal and leadership growth • we enhance understanding and create awareness To become a Warrior in life. A LION AT HEART To order the book, visit: www.kaihayes.com or amazon.com 10% of the proceeds of the sales of the book will be dedicated to the Bridge of Hope Ministry Projects: St. Rita Orphanage in Manila, Philippines and Priesthood Mission in Diocese of Tanzania, Tanzania

How to save money at dollar stores By Lisa Lee Freeman, AARP

hile other U.S. retail stores are disappearing, dollar stores are popping up everywhere. In fact, the two biggest operators added 942 storefronts over a recent 12-month stretch, for a total of more than 31,000 sites. That's more than all the McDonald's and Starbucks outlets in the U.S. combined. That's no surprise to anyone who has shopped in a dollar store lately. These retailers — Dollar Tree and Family Dollar (both owned by the same company), plus Dollar General — now carry all kinds of groceries, including brand-name products, in addition to usual dollar store fare like no-name batteries and greeting cards. A new study by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, found that 84 percent of produce and 89.5 percent of non-produce items cost much less at these discount chains, and the produce quality is comparable to what's in supermarkets. But just because there are lots of bargains doesn't

Discount stores carry all kinds of items including brand-name products. Photo: Alamy mean everything's a good deal. Here are five ways to save more at dollar stores — and avoid the duds.

||1. Read the ingredients

When buying packaged foods like granola bars, crackers, soup and cereal from unknown brands, check nutrition labels. I found a box of granola bars that looked a lot like a Quaker Oats product. But the top ingredient in the dollar store product was high fructose corn syrup; Quaker Oats lists granola first.

||2. Do the math

Sizes are often different at dollar stores, so it's not always easy to do a quick apples-to-apples price comparison. My advice: Before going, jot down unit prices of items you buy regularly at your grocery store. Then, if need be, use the calculator on your smartphone to compare those to dollar store prices. Some products aren't as cheap as they might seem. For example, I bought a 5-ounce can of shaving cream at Dollar Tree for $1, which comes out to 20 cents THE FILAM |

per ounce. Bed Bath & Beyond, though, sold a 10-ounce container of the same brand of shaving cream for $1.24, or 12.4 cents an ounce — 38 percent less.

||3. Pile on the coupons

Dollar General and Family Dollar feature sales and juicy store coupons on their websites, plus they accept manufacturer coupons. You can also download dollar store phone apps for coupons on the go. The Family Dollar app's newly launched Smart Spins feature offers surprise coupons, and the store allows you to combine store and manufacturer coupons. Just be sure to check retailer websites for restrictions; for example, Dollar Tree — where everything truly costs no more than a dollar — accepts manufacturer coupons, but you're limited to four a day. Also sign up for email alerts to keep up on special deals.

||4. Try the store brands

Though ingredients might not be the same as big brands, many are

worth a try. For example, I found a small container of liquid Downy for 10 cents an ounce; Dollar Tree's LA's Totally Awesome private-label fabric softener was less than 2 cents an ounce. Major dollar stores may have multiple house brands. Dollar General's private-label brands include DG, Clover Valley, Heartland Farms, and Smart & Simple. Family Dollar's brands include Eatz, Family Chef and Silver Falls.

||5. Review products carefully

The three big dollar store chains last summer settled charges from the New York attorney general that they sold obsolete or expired goods, including over-the-counter drugs. And in November, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to Dollar Tree about “potentially unsafe” over-the-counter drugs. So check expiration dates, and beware of super-cheap items that could pose a hazard.

COVER STORY

Dr. Emilio Quines: ‘Fely was a dreamer’

By Cristina DC Pastor

he Summer of 2019 was a time of a profound grief for Dr. Emilio Quines. He lost his wife, Felicisima David, to pancreatic cancer on June 26. Through years of treatments and a determination to hold fast, she passed away at the age of 75. Emilio lost his best friend of 43 years, a fellow physician, a nurturer, and a dreamer. “Fely was a dreamer. I’m the practical guy. She was thinking that if every person in Philippines plants a tree, well we just can imagine how many trees that would be,” mused Emilio as he recalled the countless times Fely spoke about how she would like to see a more caring world. He misses her gentle presence, her affectionate way with words, her spontaneous wit. Fely was born in Cabanatuan City when it was still the capital of the rice-producing province of Nueva Ecija. She finished her Doctor of Medicine at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) in 1968 and migrated to the United States the same year. Emilio was born in Baguio City and grew up in the town of Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. He too finished his Doctor of Medicine at UERM but two years ahead of Fely. College chums, aspiring medics They met in medical school. So did Conchita Patricio, Emilio’s first wife. They were all college chums and aspiring medics. Emilio and Conchita, a pediatrician from Batan, Aklan, wed in 1969. She passed away five years later from a crippling connective tissue disease. “Fely, our long-time friend with my first wife, was always there, helping my first wife who was very sick,” he said. “We fell in love after the passing away of my first wife.”

That was in 1974. Emily, his firstborn with Conchita, passed away too in utero from a condition called Placenta Prévia.

Out boating by the waterfront in Long Island where the couple used to catch fish and crabs. Photo by Miguel Braganza

||Water in the barrio

In one of their medical missions to the Philippines, the couple met with President Duterte.

THE FILAM |

He and Fely went on numerous medical missions to the Philippines. “We went to the barrios where water is a basic necessity, and where residents have to go far just to fetch. Fely and I joined projects donating pump wells. Saw the same thing when I was growing up, saw classmates walking miles twice a day just to attend school.” He said Fely wanted to adopt impoverished families. “I told her there’s just a limitation of how much you can do to help.” When they went to visit his hometown in the North, he learned about a more efficient way of fundraising. “Being the practical guy, I thought to fundraise we might as well do it legitimately. That’s when I studied how to have a foundation to do it. It has been successful up to the present. We were able to support many projects.” “The thing I liked most about her, is that we have a similar way of thinking. We both believe that nobody should look down or discriminate upon others, because they are poor,” he said. “No one knows the destiny of anyone. Only God knows. We agreed on this concept not just to provide the fish, but to give the fishing rod to catch their own fish.”

||Careers

After training at Brooklyn Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Emilio passed the medical exams in the 1970s. He specialized in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine, and the couple opened their private practice. When the children were born, they found running a private clinic to be “stressful and demanding.” They decided to take on salaried jobs where time was more structured and manageable. Fely worked for the Veterans Affairs Hospital, while Emilio became an Attending Physician at the Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center at West Islip, where the Quineses ultimately established residence. He became a Medical Director at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Center in Wyandanch, New York for five years, and an HIV Specialist until his retirement in 2011. Meanwhile, Fely cut her own career path in the field of Adult and Geriatric Psychiatry working as a physician at Downstate SUNY and Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn. She retired in 2016. Despite their productive medical careers, the couple found time for the community. He founded the UERM Medical Foundation, Inc. and is currently its

advisor. He joined the Knights of Rizal and revived the dormant KOR chapter on Long Island. They have participated in annual medical missions to the Philippines since 1992. “The last medical mission we did was in 2018. It was in Tondo, Manila. It most probably will also be the last,” he said. The couple are charter members of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, as well as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation and Museum. Emilio fills his time joining friends for small get-togethers. He is on Facebook where he writes of life’s “ups and downs.” The radiant good humor is still there, so is the robust health. Memories of Fely are never far behind. “Our life together was an immense one,” he said. “We complemented each other.” Emilio has three children, all accomplished professionals: Emilio III, his son with Conchita, is an executive director of Asset Management at JP Morgan. He and Fely have two children – Alan, an Information Technology manager and consultant at Allscripts Co, and Lisa Hulse who was a vice president at Goldman Sachs. They are blessed with three grandchildren.

Dr. Emilio Quines and his wife Dr. Felicisima David Quines who passed away in June 2019. Photo by Rolan Gutierrez

Handang Tumulong’s run/walk to end Oct. 3 Set your timers, ready, get set, go!

he Handang Tumulong Foundation, Inc. is hosting its 11th Annual 5k Run/Walk event from July 3 to October 3 but with certain changes. In view of the current COVID pandemic, the event will be conducted as a virtual run, where participants can run in the safety of their own homes or in any accessible outdoor environment. Completion is based on an honor system and all registrants should track and submit their own time using fitness apps on activity tracker devices. Anyone can submit their best running times as long as the 5K/3.1 Mile Run is completed between now and October 3. The HTFI was founded in 2010 with the main goal of establishing “ready

HTFI’s 2015 run/walk at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Photo by Troi Santos funds” to help victims of natural calamities or disasters in the Philippines. It assumes a proactive role in raising funds all year long to provide

THE FILAM |

financial relief expeditiously to where resources are needed. As a non-profit and tax-exempt entity, it has provided approximately $206,000 to various

charities and organizations since its inception. Its current set of officers are Dr. Winston Umali (President), Alex Esteban (VP, Internal Affairs), Ave Pimo (VP, Community Relations), Mia Fernandez-Ayala (Secretary), Liza Galon (Treasurer), Amb. Leslie Gatan (Auditor), Dr Dennis Bernardo (PRO), Troi Santos (Technology Officer). The trustees are Carmen Flores, Kristin Liz Ignacio, Jennie Jonson, Nelsie Parrado, Steve Parrado, Angelita Peña, Eduardo Peña, Aniano Rabe, and Belinda Molina (Over-All 5K Chairperson). The 11th Annual Running Event was launched on July 3, 2020 and will end at 11:59 p.m. on October 3, 2020. Registrants are invited to check out our website at www.handangtumulong. org or www.raceentry.com (search for HTFI). Registration is $30, and all registrants shall receive a race bib, finisher shirt, medals and certificates of completion.

Issue 30, August 2020

Donald Trump

Melissa de la Cruz Studio

Photo by Miguel Braganza

To create content for Disney

His world according to his niece

Dr. Emilio Quines

Reminisces about his wife, the dreamer