FILAM August 2022

Issue 54, August 2022

NaFFAA at 25 Bringing generations of FilAms together

Eleuterio Timbol One of N.Y. State's best teachers

Tina Marie Romero

‘America has a caregiving crisis'

Letter from the Editor

In the battle over water, a FilAm is the arbiter

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nvironmentalists have long warned that one of the major conflicts of the future will be over water. For the longest time, it sounded like science fiction. But global warming is hastening its arrival given the megadrought that has hit the western United States. It has been pointed out that the federal government may be forced to step in on a looming multi-state battle over water rights.

Filipino American Camille Calimlim Touton will be the referee or arbiter of that quandary as head of the barely known U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. She will be making the painful call that will affect millions of Americans in states from California to Colorado.

States such as California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado have to hammer out by next year who gets access to a shrinking, vanishing resource. It is a combustible issue because a prolonged drought, climate change and unabated development in cities like Las Vegas, Nevada, and Denver have caused a severe water shortage. The amount of water coming from systems like the Colorado River far exceeds the amount of water they produce.

The two biggest reservoirs, Lakes Mead and Powell, have been driven down to historic lows. Same with the lake stretching behind the Hoover Dam. The bottom line is: The Sun Belt is drying up.

If there is no deal among the states on the allocation of water use by 2023, the Bureau of Reclamation will need to step in to determine who gets what and how much. Calimlim Touton, as commissioner, is going to get slammed by ranchers and farmers, cities, states and towns, no matter what decision she makes in trying to thread a needle on an issue more than 100 years in the making.

“As a Nevadan, I understand what this crisis means for people and the environment, and I look forward to working collaboratively with farmers, tribes, local communities, and with Congress to face these challenges,” she said in her confirmation hearing.

The FilAm recognizes the challenge ahead for Calimlim Touton, a water policy advisor with long years of experience working with diverse stakeholders. We hope political partisanship does not muddle the issue and make it even more complicated.

But politics is inescapable. The Democrats and Republicans will jump in and will, make for odd, no weird, bedfellows. Farmers in Imperial Valley, California, who get too much water to grow crops like rice and alfalfa that Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton of the U.S. gobble up a lot of a scarce resource, will latch Bureau of Reclamation onto any official who will protect their access Some towns and cities in California are to the Colorado river. already thinking of putting in place expensive It is that kind of issue. The climate wars desalination plants that would convert sea have just opened up, and the West is ground water into drinking water. zero.

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

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

Contact Thefilamny@gmail.com

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

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Eleuterio Timbol, one of 54 outstanding teachers in N.Y. State

By Cristina DC Pastor

Math teacher Eleuterio Timbol dedicated his Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award to his deceased mother and brother, who both passed away in the last two years.

lence in Teaching Award is a “great honor,” he said.

“My family way back home in the Philippines is full of excitement upon hearing this recognition,” he told The FilAm. “I have two sisters and seven brothers and I can hear the sounds of loud excitement when they heard the news.”

“Ely is my very best friend,” said Judilyn Canete, president and CEO of MedStar USA/PH medical billing company. “He is a quiet, humble, down-toearth guy.”

Said Ely, “I’m humbled to be recognized for the great job I do with my students every day by the State University of New York.”

The award recognizes outstanding P-12 educational leaders who exemplify progressive and innovative teaching, striving to attain New York standards and success for all students, according to a press statement. Awardees are career learners and educational professionals who are eager to represent their discipline, share their skills, and advise policymakers on important issues in education.

Awardees receive a $5,000 stipend distributed by the State University of New York. It will apply toward professional learning opportunities to continue to develop their knowledge and skills.

“I

feel this award will make them happy in heaven,” he said when reached by The FilAm. Ely is one of 54 New York State public school teachers awarded the prestigious honor. As announced by Governor Kathy Hochul, she said the recipients were rewarded after an extensive process which also involved several New York State professional education associations. In the end, 54 outstanding educators were chosen “for their hard work and effort,” “for inspiring thousands of children across our great state,” and “for selflessly showing up for our kids.”

Ely received the news with a mixture of surprise and gratitude. “This recognition is one of the significant events in my personal and professional career. It's an honor to be one of the 54,” he said.

Ely has been a teacher for 24 years, five years in the Philippines and 19 years in NYC. He is currently a New York City District 28 teacher, the Math Lead teacher at the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety in Jamaica, Queens.

Born in Romblon and raised in Laguna province, he finished his elementary education at Platero Elementary School as 1st Honorable mention, and secondary education at Saint Michael’s College of Laguna as Salutatorian. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Saint Michael’s -- awarded Gold Medal Excellence -- where he majored in Mathematics.

He pursued his master’s degree and finally earned his PhD in Educational Management from Cavite State University.

He started his career as a high school teacher in Laguna. He became Math Department Coordinator from 1998- 2003 before moving to New York.

In 2015, Ely was given Americas’ Finest Teacher Award by the Association of Filipino Teachers in America. The following year, he was named Saint Michael’s Outstanding Alumnus.

The New York Governor’s Empire State Excel-

‘A great honor.’

From Laguna to New York City, a teacher for 24 years.

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NaFFAA celebrates 25 years in Las Vegas

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wenty-five years ago, in the spring of 1997, Alex Esclamado, Rodel Rodis, and Michael Dadap visited me for lunch when I was CEO of TLC Beatrice International.

Alex, the former publisher of the Philippine News, discussed the need for a national organization for Filipinos because other Asians had well-known national groups. But we decided that membership would be by organizations instead of individual Filipinos to avoid vote buying and fraudulent elections.

It was Rodel who suggested the name National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).

After that meeting, Alex and his faithful, hardworking wife and secretary, Luly Esclamado, went and visited 27 cities in the United States to invite FilAm community leaders to Washington DC to attend the first National Empowerment Conference (NEC) in 1997.

Because of his persuasive campaign of "Panahon Na," meaning "It is time," a thousand Filipino Americans poured Brendan Flores with President Joe Biden at the White House in celebration of the Asian into the Capitol at the Marriott Hotel, American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in May 2022. where NaFFAA was officially incorporated.

To dramatize the injustice done to the Filipino soldiers in World War II with the Rescission Act of 1946 stripping them of the benefits given to soldiers who fought under the U.S. flag, uniformed FilAm veterans marched to the White House, chained themselves to the fence, and got arrested. I paid the bail to get them out.

The next Empowerment Conference was held again in Washington D.C., where the Charter and By-Laws of NaFFAA were passed. Alex was unanimously elected Chair, with the dynamic Gloria Caoile as Vice Chair from 1998 to 2002.

I was elected to the position in 2003.

During my term of office, the official logo Loida Nicolas Lewis with First Lady Hillary Clinton who attended the 1998 National of NaFFAA created by Tambi Wycoco Empowerment Conference in New York City. was adopted. Areas were regionalized, giving each Regional Chair authority to followed by Ed Navarra, re-elected for NaFFAA occurred. Brendan Flores, a chart its own fundraising and purpose. the second term in 2012. J.T. Mallonga 31-year-old millennial who was born in Alma Kerns of Seattle, WA, became came after Ed Navarra in 2014.

Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, was elected National Chair after me. Then, Greg First millennial National Chair National Chair. His parents brought Macabenta was elected to the top job, Then in 2016, a remarkable change in him to Las Vegas when he was in middle THE FILAM

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school. When his dad left for America, their maternal grandmother took care of the five Flores children with Brendan being the middle child.

Brendan was very close to his Lola, so when she died when he was in the 11th grade, he very much wanted to go back to say goodbye. As it turned out, only his mother could buy one airplane ticket due to limited funds. He was utterly crushed for not being able to attend his beloved Lola's funeral service. That impacted Brendan tremendously and made him ambitious. He vowed there would never be another situation in his life where money became a factor in family decisions.

At 17 years old, he was an intern at Wells Fargo Las Vegas while still in high school. The bank saw that he had lots of potentials, so Wells Fargo offered him a job as assistant vice president before graduating. He was only 21 years old when he was promoted to vice president during the merger of Wachovia Bank and Wells Fargo.

In 2018, after being courted for three years by a headhunter, Brendan accepted the position of senior vice president at Bank of America overseeing performance management over 150 bank locations in Florida. In January this year, Brendan was promoted to head the nationwide Consumer Vehicle Lending Channel Integration effort.

||How did he get involved with NaFFAA?

It began when Alex Esclamado visited a Wells Fargo branch in Las Vegas and noticed a young Filipino banker with whom he wanted to connect. Alex made his pitch. Brendan listened to Alex's exhortation of why NaFFAA was the only national organization for Filipinos in America working for their political, financial, cultural, and personal empowerment. It did not impress Brendan to attend the Conference of Filipino Americans held in Las Vegas then.

He struggled to fit in the Filipino-American community. He was having a self-identity crisis as he did not see many Filipinos who looked like him. In addition, he was warned not to

NaFFAA founder Alex Esclamado addressing the1999 first National Empowerment Conference attended by a thousand Filipino American community leaders. join any Filipino group because it's all "Tsismis" (gossip), Karaoke singing, or ballroom dancing.

He was introduced to the late Jing Espiritu, NaFFAA Nevada state chair, who invited him to attend the NEC in Las Vegas in 2000. This time he listened.

He was appointed as State Youth Chair after that conference.

His attitude toward being a Filipino began to change. He saw the passion, the civic duty, the advocacy for empowerment, and the richness of the culture and creativity of FilAms. In the end, he began to appreciate himself being a Filipino.

Thus began his engagement with NaFFAA. He was elected in 2016 as the first millennial National Chair, re-elected in 2018 and 2020, and again, he has submitted a change in the By-Laws to have two separate leadership roles for the organization's growth: a National Chair for external affairs and a President for internal affairs.

||Brendan’s term as President and National Chair

During his six years at the helm of NaFFAA, membership quadrupled.

We saw a record number of corporate sponsorships validating the importance of this large national organization being the united voice for FilAms. He focused

on empowering Filipino Americans and ensuring FilAms get their seats on the critical tables. In his first year, he traveled to 32 cities in the country to get a pulse of how to become the leader that NaFFAA needs.

General Tony Taguba began the campaign to get Congress to grant the Congressional Gold Medal to FilAm Veterans of World War II. It was supported by NaFFAA under JT Mallonga and was signed into law by President Obama during Brendan's term of office.

Brendan's administration was also responsible for assisting several FilAm celebrations at the White House with various organizations to honor their rich history and contributions to the United States. He emphasized empowering more Filipino-Americans to run for public office in the Run for Office campaign. A great effort was also made to maximize the 2020 Census registration of 4 million Filipinos in America, now the third largest among the Asian population.

NaFFAA, under Brendan's leadership and other FilAm organizations working

together, has led to President Joe Biden naming a ship after a Filipino hero of WW II – USS Telesforo Trinidad.

However, his term was also faced with challenges during a time of a massive spike in Anti-Asian hate crimes. He and his team reacted quickly and organized a Hate Crimes Task Force in response to the rise in attacks to protect our "Lolos" and "Lolas."

Most of all, Brendan considers his most significant contribution is the coming and working together of the young and the older FilAms, the Baby Boomers and the Millennials, and Generations X, Y, and Z. He believed that when the keys to the NaFFAA leadership were passed on to him, he did not just receive the baton, but he held it together with all generations of FilAms aspiring to write a better history for themselves in this country! He hopes his mandate will make NaFFAA more inclusive and a "Bayanihan" spirit-centered community, where everyone always seeks to lift each other up.

2 FilAms bring home Taekwondo golds

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hile Taekwondo is a sport rooted in Korea, it is branching out to different parts of the world and producing great athletes.

Two Filipino Americans from New York City won gold medals at the July 3-9 AAU Taekwondo competition in Las Vegas. Charleston John Silla and James Santos earned the title of AAU 2022 National Champions in their divisions.

James also earned a gold in Team Poomsae and received the title of 2023 AAU National Team Member.

Charleston also received a silver medal in the Male Sport Team Forms.

AAU -- or Amateur Athletic Union -- describes itself as a multi-sport organization that promotes amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It was founded in 1888 and has 700,000 members in the U.S. It has 34 sports programs, including beach volleyball, soccer and wrestling.

Gold medal winners James and Charleston serve Taekwondo titans Charleston John Silla (left) and James Santos their community by teaching at Champions Martial Arts (CMA) in Forest Hills. Charleston is the head James began taking Taekwondo lessons at the age of Taekwondo instructor at the school, and James is a 4 and is now in the process of earning his 3rd Degree staff member. Much of their work ethic comes from the Black Belt. His competitions started at the local level principles of the discipline and from their coaches Mas- in New York and New Jersey. James is also part of ter Oh and Master Lee. Master Oh posts inspirational the Poomsae Team, which is also known as the forms quotes on their Facebook pages that serve to inspire part of Taekwondo. He won his second gold medal in them. One such quote is from the late Kobe Bryant who his team competition, earning him a coveted spot as a stated: “Show up every single day and do the work.” member of the 2023 AAU National Team.

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He is 16 years old, the son of a Filipino father, Don, and a Korean American mother Sandie. His paternal grandmother worked in the United Nations as a secretary. His Filipino ancestry, on his grandfather’s side, is associated with the Lorenzana Food brand known for its dips, gravy and fish sauce. His grandparents migrated to the United States in the ‘60s, and are now retired. He attends the Bronx High School of Science.

Taekwondo runs in Charleston’s family. His brother Charles Michael is also an instructor at CMA in Kew Gardens and holds the title of Master.

On July 5th and 6th, 2022, Charleston became the 2022 AAU WT Traditional Forms National Champion, Sport Team Form Silver Medalist, and Sport WT Forms Top 6 Finalist.

Charleston, 23, was born and raised in Queens. His parents Charlie Silla and Annalynn Silla came from the Philippines to the U.S. in 1991 where they launched their nursing careers. Charleston began to study Taekwondo at age of 5 inspired by his older brother Charles. Charleston also sought inspiration from his favorite martial arts actors such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li. He has actively been training for 18 years and has a 4th Degree Black Belt. He currently trains with Master Oh at Bayside CMA and teaches in his school, Champions Martial Arts Forest Hills. His dream of becoming a Taekwondo master and opening his own school has turned into reality.

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Little Manila Avenue: ‘A spot to call our own’

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By Lindy Rosales

s I walked along Roosevelt Avenue on June 5, I could hear OPM music playing. I saw a big white tent on 70th Street, right next to the Philippine National Bank. Traffic was blocked off on 70th Street and event security personnel were directing foot traffic.

“This is a historic moment in our Filipino history, and I wanna be part of it,” raved Carolyn Marticio of JCI Philippines-New York. “We waited so many years. I feel very honored that we’re being appreciated and honored for the years that we contributed here in New York.”

NYC-born Marticio said the street naming is also a way of honoring the nurses and health care workers, many of them Filipinos, who sacrificed their lives providing care through the pandemic.

Some of them have perished, others who survived lived through the nightmare of seeing one death after another especially in the first two years of the health care crisis.

“Sometimes our Filipino health workers are forgotten. This is such a great gesture,” she said.

While indicating a stretch of road, Little Manila Avenue is actually the southwest corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 70th Street in Queens. Roosevelt is a very busy roadway with many restaurants, shops and offices, many of them immigrant businesses. The 7 train runs on the aboveground tracks.

Many Filipino restaurants, lawyers and doctors offices have set up shop on Roosevelt. It is a long and prominent thoroughfare that snakes its way from 48th Street all the way to 103th Street. The old Payag Restaurant is at the corner of Roosevelt and 52nd. Jollibee is on Roosevelt and 63rd. Red Ribbon is on 65th. Max’s Restaurant just opened on 69th st, next to the old Krystal’s restaurant and bakeshop -- now called Amazing Grace.

The Philippine National Band, Phil-Am Foodmart and Ihawan have an address on 70th street. Also somewhere between 69th and 70th along Roosevelt are Kabayan Restaurant, Johnny Air, Renee’s and a beauty parlor named Gwapa. It is on

this corner where the Little Manila Avenue street sign is visibly in place. FilAm residents of Queens and tourists like to have their photos taken under it to show a sliver of Filipino pride in NYC. “It’s a big honor that a small portion (of the street) is being named into our community. It’s a recognition of our contribution here in the US,” said Carolina de Leon, a Jackson Heights resident and a member of the grassroots group called Malaya New York. “We’re all taxpayers like anybody else, and I feel like this is long overdue.”

She wished Little Manila could be longer. “If we can take the streets from 50th to 70th, that would be ideal. It will really reflect that we are a strong community.”

The seed of the idea for a Little Manila was first brought up in 2012 to Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer by then NAFFA New York State Chair Steven Raga. “It was supposed to be named after an individual that contributed to New York. We were thinking of Jose Rizal,” he said. The proposed location was 69th Street along Roosevelt Avenue. Raga, who is running for a State Assembly seat, helped start the petition two years ago, which paved the way for the current movement.

Said Raga when interviewed by The FilAm: “This has been a long fight. It has almost been a decade since we started pushing this as a community. So it’s great that there’s multiple community partners and stakeholders that participated, and this is the end result.”

He continued, “This is a moment of celebration, a moment of happiness that not just from what we started but also to all the participants that added more work and their contributions throughout the years. I thank all of them”.

The inauguration ceremony on June 5 was hosted May Madarang and Michael Garrovillas who kept the program upbeat and lively. Both are members of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns northeast chapter. A small crowd of about a hundred people came. The 7 train would rumble by and the program had to pause for a break.

One of the speakers was long-time THE FILAM

‘Long overdue.’ Photo: Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts resident Elizabeth Diente, a retired NYC nurse. She is known in the neighborhood as Lola Beth, the mother of Xenia Diente who is one of the leaders of the current street-naming project.

Lola Beth reminisced that when the Phil-Am Food Mart opened in the 1970s, she was one of the first customers. “What a big relief,” she said. “I didn’t have to travel to Port Authority to buy Filipino goods.”

The current movement to rename the street Little Manila started two years ago, according to Xenia, one of the organizers together with Jaclyn Reyes. The core group that worked for two years to get the sign installed included Nafcon northeast chapter, the Filipino American National Historical Society New York Chapter, Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts and Phil-Am Food Mart.

“There’s some history behind that which goes back many many years,” she said. “But after 2020, with the Mabuhay mural, just on the other side of the block in 69 street, in honor of healthcare workers. At that ceremony, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said he would help make this happen.”

A petition was launched, and on December 2021 the legislation sponsored

by Van Bramer was approved by the City Council with about 3,000 signatures collected. | 8

“We couldn’t be more proud. It’s a long time coming,” said Xenia.

Joe Castillo, owner of Phil-Am Food Mart spoke on stage. “For me, this is home. I grew up here. I moved back here. My kids go to school here, this is part of who I am. My family and I have been incredibly blessed and lucky by the growth of this community. It’s incredible to see everybody kind of coming together and rallying together the way this is happening.”

He remembered as a little boy how he would ask his mother to make him a ham sandwich for lunch, just like every other kid in school. What he got was rice and some Filipino food. Now, his kids want rice and Tocino or something. “And they don't feel weird about it.”

An “exciting milestone,” said Father Julian Jagudilla, director of The Migrant Center at The Church Of St. Francis Of Assisi.

“We now have a spot to call our own.

We are proud, we are happy that we are gathered here this afternoon, especially on Independence Day, to celebrate, to acknowledge and thank all those who made this event and this project possible.”

He emphasized the importance of unity and the urgency of protecting the community against racial violence. “We have a lot of work to do, to organize and educate our people. So dapat nag-kakaisa tayo.”

Steven Raga wins Democratic primary; braces for Assembly race

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By Lindy Rosales

istory has just been made. Community leader Steven Raga won the Democratic primary elections for the New York State Assembly, the closest a Filipino American has ever reached in a race for a State-wide

office.

“We’ve never had representation in any level of government”, said Raga at a dinner hosted for him by CEO and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis in her Fifth Avenue residence on June 21, a week before the New York primary elections.

If elected, he will be the first FilAm to be elected to the New York State and the first to hold political office in Albany.

Raga ran under the Democratic Party for District 30, which covers Elmhurst, Woodside, Jackson heights, Maspeth and some parts of Middle Village and Astoria. This is the first election after redistricting where new district boundaries were drawn as a result of the 2020 census.

He had amassed an impressive lineup of endorsements from New York leaders: Representative Grace Meng, Senator John Liu, Representative Gregory Meeks, Representative Catalina Cruz, Borough President Donovan Richards, and endorsements from 35 organizations like the AFL-CIO, 1199 and others.

Drew Sterman is his campaign manager.

Raga’s family has been in Woodside since the 1960s.

His father passed away when he was a young boy, and he was raised by his single mom in Queens. A big part of his passion in public service he got from his mother, who worked as an administrator in a NYC hospital.

The centerpiece of his program is public safety, with special focus on anti-Asian violence. He also vowed to work for greater access to health care. Said Raga: “Some folks that need help are Filipinos, they just don’t speak up until it’s too late.”

In the campaign for the primary, Raga knocked on doors for six hours each day until election day. He did not take anything for granted.

“After this, we need more Filipinos in city councils, Senate and State levels. Our time is now, just wait a few more days”, he said.

He wants to make Philippine Independence Day a State event and have the community come to Albany and celebrate Philippine culture and heritage in the seat of power.

Raga will face the Republican nominee Sean Lally in the November elections. Ballotpedia lists his profession as “Petition carrier for Andrew Giuliani's gubernatorial campaign.”

“It is time that we take our voice to the Assembly and that we are represented by someone who

Taking the immigrant voice to Albany.

Photo by Angelito Cabigao

Indefatigable campaigner. Facebook photo

understands the spirit and the needs of this amazing community. Together, we can reimagine the future of Queens,” Raga said.

Raga was the executive director of Woodside on the Move, after previously serving as regional manager for Policy & Advocacy for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, senior advisor for AARP, and chief of staff for Assemblymember Brian Barnwell of District 30. It is Barnwell’s seat Raga is looking to take over.

Currently, he is an advisor for the United States Civil Rights Commission, a member of the Queens District Attorney Commission for Asian American Affairs, and sits on the boards for the following organizations: National Association for Filipino American Associations, Western Queens Community Land Trust, the National Urban Fellows Alumni, Queens Community Board 2, Queens LGBT Pride, and Pilipino American Unity for Progress which he founded in Woodside in 2009.

Raga thanks staff, volunteers and supporters after winning the primary.

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COVER STORY

CEO Tina Marie Romero: ‘America has a caregiving crisis’

By Maricar CP Hampton

Back in 2000, Tina Marie Romero visited homebound seniors as a volunteer at her parish in New Brunswick, N.J. She thought she was helping them but unbeknownst to her, they were helping her discover her life’s mission. One in particular, Grandpa Joe, aka GPJ, became her BFF. It was a friendship that would change the course of her life’s path.

In their conversations, GPJ adaSharing her story, ‘A Million Dollar Decision mantly expressed his wish to stay at That Led to a Mission,’ in this anthology home rather than “die in a nursing published February 2022. home.” When he passed away, years later, it would prove to be, in a strange way, Tina Marie’s “lightbulb moment.”

It happened at a time when she was looking to start a business but did not know what kind.

“This is exactly the reason why I opened my homecare business. I realized that homecare granted the wish of GPJ, his sister and their friends to stay at home and live with dignity and independence,” she said in an interview with The FilAm. Tina Marie is the owner and CEO of Synergy HomeCare of North Central NJ, a franchise nonmedical agency that provides certified home health aides and companion caregivers to anyone needing care at home.

The demand for both caregivers and in-home care services is far way more than the supply. She said, “With aging comes an increase in chronic conditions With former business partner Tom such as obesity, diabetes and hyperHoranoff receiving an award in tension. Then there’s the increasing recognition of year-over-year revenue wave of people with Alzheimer’s and growth at Synergy HomeCare's Annual other forms of dementia who will need Franchise Meeting in 2019. assistance with daily living, further live in a nursing home. Stanford increasing demand.”

School of Medicine puts the number at She disclosed how a lot of agencies “approximately 80 percent.” The New including hers had to turn business away because they do not have sufficient York Times echoed a parallel finding that says “more Americans are dying at caregivers. “The caregiver shortage home than in hospitals.” makes it challenging to consistently deliver the quality of care I want to give because I am limited with what I have.” ||A caregiving crisis Tina Marie substantiates with Unfortunately, she exclaimed, research that just like GPJ, 61 percent “America has a caregiving crisis.” It’s of Americans would rather die than a problem that will only get worse by THE FILAM

At Eastern Point Retreat House in Massachusetts in September 2020 where Tina Marie discovered her ‘life's purpose and calling.’

2040 as the U.S. population grows older and America will soon consist of more old than young.

The solution she sees requires a retooling of the immigration system where foreign caregivers, such as Filipinos, are granted fast-track visas to fill up the shortage. Tina Marie is lobbying for new visa categories designated for low-skilled home care workers.

She is specifically looking to source caregivers from the Philippines. “I want our beloved American elders to experience compassionate and high-quality care in the hands of Filipino caregivers at the end of their lives,” she said.

In 2020, when COVID-19 was raging, she felt helpless seeing seniors highly at risk while quality of care was compromised due to shortage of caregivers. She was set to take a lucrative opportunity | 10

to sell the business. Coming out of a week-long spiritual retreat to mull over her options, she decided to buy out her partner and keep the business.

“I clearly discovered my life's purpose and mission: Be part of a solution to America’s caregiving crisis by bringing in caregivers from the Philippines. This will not only elevate lives of thousands of deserving caregivers but can also raise quality of care. Home health aide certification in NY/NJ only requires a three-week course whereas in the Philippines, caregiver training takes a minimum of eight months with emphasis on value formation,” she said.

Filipinos are fortunate to have large extended families who can provide care to parents and grandparents. “Having a caregiver living in the same household provides a safety net

that many families in the U.S. do not have,” she said.

Not to say that Americans do not take care of their elders. She said, “Close to 42 million Americans today serve as family caregivers, but 60 percent of them also work full-time, creating a challenging work/life balance.”

||Culture shock

Born and raised in Bacolod City, Tina Marie came to the U.S. in late 1990s to join her dad, a veterinarian with his own animal hospital in Queens, NY. In the U.S., Tina worked in hotels and in Corporate America while pursuing her MBA and MA in Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University at night.

“It was a big culture shock. Even though I was fluent in English, I found everyone talking so fast and I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I cried so many times because I felt so out of place,” she said.

And then she met Grandpa Joe. The connection set her up on a path

The entrepreneurial Romero family. They all help out at Merrick Blvd.

Animal Hospital in New York or Villa Romero de Boracay in the Philippines.

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scohnmd@universalmedicalrecord.com THE FILAM

fraught with risks and challenges.

She is proud that after eight years, Synergy HomeCare has consistently made the grade as “Best Home Care Provider of Choice” in industry and client reviews.

Homecare costs vary from state to state. In 2022, the typical annual cost of in-home care in New York and New Jersey is $58,240 for an average of 40 hours of care per week. “That is about half the annual cost of a private room in a nursing home,” she said.

The pandemic has put into clear focus the importance and value of home care. She said, “This is true especially for older Americans at risk of worsening physical health and social isolation.”

Passing immigration reforms that will ensure supply to match increasing demand for homecare is critical.

Tina Marie knows it is a long shot, but aren’t most dreams? She believes the world always conspires to make dreams come true when one passionately pursues something she is meant to do.

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Calendar EVENTS

||Ongoing till September

In America: An Anthology of Fashion The Met’s Anna Wintour Costume Center 1000 Fifth Avenue, NYC

||August 4 to 7

14th NaFFAA National Empowerment Conference Harrah’s Las Vegas Hotel Nevada

||August 6

Star Magic US Tour: ‘Beyond the Stars’ Kings Theatre 1027 Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, NYC

of Events

||August 7

Special Feast of Our lady of the Rosary of Manaoag St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church 220 E Blancke St. Linden, N.J.

||August 11 to 13

FANHS National Conference Seattle University 901 12th Avenue Seattle, WA

||August 14

People’s Ball of Fiesta In America Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott Hotel 1 Hotel Rd., Newark For details call 212-682-6610 or email info@fiestainamerica.com; sepmgzn@yahoo.com

||August 27

10th Homecoming sa Konsulado Picnic at Van Saun Park Pavilion 1 Paramus, N.J.

||September 4

||September 17

Katrina Velarde Live in New York Sheraton La Guardia East Hotel 135-20 39th Avenue Flushing, NYC

Hawaiian Night of New York 2022 Astoria World Manor 2522 Astoria Blvd Astoria, NYC

||September 16

12th Annual TOFA Awards: Celebrating the Global Filipino The Town Hall Times Square NYC

||August 6

Testimonial Dinner with His Eminence Jose Cardinal Advincula Jr. OP, DD, Archbishop of Manila Pines Manor 2085 Lincoln Hwy Edison, N.J.

||August 19

||October 2

A night with The debonair Gabby Concepcion Queens, NYC August 21 Clarion Hotel 815 Rte 37 W Toms River, N.J.

Festival of Faith: Celebration of Filipino Saints Holy Spirit Church 971 Suburban Road Union, N.J.

BOOKS

||August 20

‘Storm Across my Cherished Bamboo Bridge’ A novel by Gene del Carmen To order, contact: genepdelcarmen@ icloud.com

Fiesta In America American Dream 1 American Dream Way East Rutherford, N.J. THE FILAM

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FAFI celebrates th 10 anniversary Yes, we made it to our 10th year! In celebration of this milestone, the Annual Filipino American Festival will be held on Sunday, September 4, 2022 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the New Overpeck Bergen County Park located at 199 Challenger Road, Ridgefield Park in N.J.’s Bergen County.

W

ith 10 years of uninterrupted service to the community, this non-profit organization takes pride in celebrating Filipino cultural heritage year after year.

“It’s been an enormous job,” said Ludi Hughes, chairwoman of FAFI. But it’s also a commitment to help that keeps her going.

She said FAFI has helped those affected by the pandemic, especially the seniors and the elderly, through COVID-19 Food Drives. It has also extended support to people in disastrous calamity situations through its Typhoon Disaster Funds.

It has spearheaded a Stop Asian Hate March together with 30 Asian American organizations and gathered about 2,000 marchers.

A FAFI festival brings together business leaders, philanthropic leaders, community leaders and the young generation toward one common goal.

Said Hughes, “Our mission is to create greater community participation by bringing awareness on advocacy, education, preserving our culture, valuing the importance of heritage and making the community aware that we are part of mainstream America. It is especially important that the next generation Filipinos are very much part of this ongoing relationship.”

FAFI has hosted a Signature Fashion Show featuring handwoven fabrics made by the indigenous people of Central Mindanao. Socksargen USA has promoted homegrown artisans, one of them being Ador Feliciano, the talented designer of Jinkee Pacquiao, Manny Pacquiao’s lovely wife.

Chairwoman Ludi Hughes with Tammy Murphy, First Lady of New Jersey at a FAFI event

Board Members and Chairs: From left, Maria Ramirez, RN; Jessica Herb, RN; Ruben Serrano, Hilde Lezaron, Mert Lezaron, Abe Aquino, Rowena Aquino, RN; Cristy Gania, Patrick Hughes and Ludi Hughes FAFI has a very unique festival and this is why. “We made it a practice that our festival will be inclusive to everyone. We are open to anybody who can share with us talents that Filipinos can learn from and open to a mainstream”, said Jessica Herb, president of FAFI. Last year’s Pinoy Broadway Ballyhoo was hosted by Scott Siegel.

He is the creator/writer/director and host of the critically acclaimed Broadway by the Year Series at Town Hall.

Another talent who has performed at FAFI is the Broadway pianist and musical director, Eugene Gwozdz. He is married to a Filipina. He played the piano for the Broadway artists who have performed on its stage.

THE FILAM

“We focused on cultural shows.

Many Filipino groups as many as 30 performers in one performance deserved to be recognized. Many performers like the Filipino nurses, our frontliners also performed. It was a different setting for them as they struggled throughout the pandemic.

We have a festival that everyone is longing for,” added Rowena Aquino, former president of FAFI and chair of FAFI’s Cultural Show.

FAFI is proud of the many dignitaries and elected officials who have graced its event: a U.S. senator, a member of Congress, the First Lady of New Jersey, Assembly members, county executives, among many.

“There is so much respect for our organization,” said Hughes. | 13

FAFI cannot continue without the support of its major sponsor like AT&T and Silver Sponsors, such as Hackensack Meridian Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, URW Westfield Garden State Plaza, 1st 2nd Mortgage Company, and Bergen County. Food and Non-Food vendors have been participating year after year.

FAFI also recognizes the hard work of its Board Members: Rowena Aquino, Jessica Herb, Cristy Gania, Mert Lezaron, Madeline Bansil, Jose Planillo and Abe Aquino, Patrick Hughes, and the Committee Members for their selfless dedication as volunteers.

Social media is at the heart of FAFI’s visibility. You can visit the website: www.filipinoamericanfestival.com. It is also on Facebook and Instagram as ‘Filipino American Festival,’ on Twitter: @fafi810. It is also at the New Jersey State’s list of events - visitnj.com. See you all on September 4.

U of Michigan faculty lead a project to decolonize PHL artifacts

T

he University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus is 8,199 miles from Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. Spread throughout multiple campus locations is one of the largest collections of historical Filipino artifacts outside of the archipelago nation.

But how did such a robust collection end up at a Midwestern university? It’s a long story.

“There’s not enough recognition of how complicit our institution was in American imperialism, and not enough knowledge and education about that history,” says Deirdre de la Cruz, associate professor of history at the College of Literature Sciences and the Art. “It’s outrageous when you think about it. What are these Philippine artifacts and photographs and archival materials doing here, halfway around the world, in the middle of the United States? Do Filipinos even know they exist?”

Ricky Punzalan, associate professor of information and Filipino scholar, wanted to upend the curation confusion and repair the damaging colonial history of the Philippine collections. He teamed up with de la Cruz, and together they are co-leading a new project: ReConnect/ReCollect: Reparative Connections to Philippine Collections at the University of Michigan.

The goal of the ReCollect/ReConnect project is to look at the collections with fresh eyes, repair harmful historical descriptions, and construct new models for how to best engage community members and scholars with the plethora of Filipino history stored at U-M. Punzalan and de la Cruz assembled a team of researchers, students, librarians, archivists, and community members to take on this critical reparation work.

The project also works in partnership with collections faculty and managers at the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library, Special Collections Research Center, and Museum of Anthropological Archaeology to create recommendations for representing Philippine collections held by various campus units.

U-M recognized the importance of this reparative work on the Philippines collection and awarded the project a $500,000 grant toward the pilot program.

“This project is really a first in terms of bringing together curators, librarians and archivists from across campus to look at collections that are highly distributed,” says Nancy Bartlett, associate director of the Bentley Historical Library. “We are having conversations as a team about these important collections that we've never had before.”

The imperialist origins of the Philippine collections is only one part of its problematic history. The collection is spread out around the campus, housed in

By Sarah Derouin

Worcester and other colonists who lived in the Philippines took thousands of photographs of indigenous Filipinos during their stay on the islands. Photographs like the one above are stored in numerous locations on U-M campus. Photos: University of Michigan School of Information various libraries and museums. Artifacts are separated by campus geography, but also further isolated by spotty, poorly named, and disconnected records.

“There is, at best, inaccurate information around the description of the collection, and that's to put it mildly,” says Punzalan. “Some items have information that is just wrong, racist, or harmful to Indigenous source communities.”

Repairing the Philippine collections at U-M is crucial not only to the academic community but also to the Filipino community here in Michigan and beyond.

“These are hugely important collections at an international level, in terms of the history of imperialism in the Philippines,” Bartlett says. “The University of Michigan is a ‘go-to’ destination for that highly complicated story.”

Punzalan says the first step of good stewardship is to recognize the problems with curation practices and storage over the past century. He notes that while some people may worry about framing the Philippine collections as harmful, reparative work requires honest assessment. “You really cannot repair relationships if you don't admit that you harmed people.”

That acknowledgement of harm means understanding the connection between the Philippines and U-M. How did U-M get these collections?

It all began with a rich uncle, a 19th century-drive to collect natural history specimens, and a U-M alumnus with wanderlust named Joseph Beal Steere.

“Steere was an adventurous guy,” says Kerstin THE FILAM

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Barndt, director of the Museum Studies Program and group member of ReConnect/ReCollect. “He was a 19th century naturalist who studied everything that came his way.”

Barndt has been unearthing the history behind U-M collections. She co-edited “Object Lessons and the Formation of Knowledge. The University of Michigan's Museums, Libraries and Collections,1817-2017.”

Barndt also wrote the chapter on the first U-M global collecting tour, which was led by Steere.

Collecting artifacts from the other side of the world wouldn’t come cheap, but Steere had help. His uncle, wealthy businessman, newspaper publisher and U-M alumnus Rice Aner Beal, agreed to finance an expedition in exchange for letters chronicling the tour that Beal could publish in his paper, the Ann Arbor Courier.

With his funding secure, Steere mapped out an ambitious itinerary. Between 1870 and 1875, he traveled to South America, the Philippines, Taiwan and China, with stops along the way. Steere’s collections grew, and by the time he returned to U-M, he had amassed some 60,000 specimens of plants, animals and insects, and more than 800 cultural objects. The haul became the foundation of the first U-M museum building project and landed Steere a position as a zoology professor at the University.

In 1887, Steere returned to the Philippines, this time with students in tow. That group of students included Dean Conant Worcester. The trip was pivotal for Worcester, who eventually settled in Manila and was appointed Secretary of the Interior of the Philippine

Islands by President McKinley during the American colonial occupation of the country.

“Like a lot of white imperialists, Worcester was an avid photographer, and over the course of his career in the Philippines used photography extensively to document Indigenous communities and Filipinos, and to defend the imperialist ideology and civilizing mission,” says de la Cruz, adding that Worcester’s photographic collection and archive is spread across the U-M Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, the Bentley Historical Library, and the University Library’s Special Collections. “It makes up one of the most extensive Philippine collections in the world, and has been used by many scholars.”

Worcester’s work and knowledge spurred collaborations with other scientists, including Carl Guthe, an American anthropologist at U-M. University administrators persuaded Guthe to carry out a major archaeological expedition in the Philippines, with the promise of establishing an anthropology museum and an anthropology department from 1922-1925. He agreed, and today, the U-M Museum of Anthropological Archaeology (UMMAA) has a

Ricky Punzalan, associate professor of information, and Deirdre de la Cruz, associate professor of history and Asian languages and cultures, are co-principal investigators of the ReConnect/Recollect project.

large collection of Philippine archaeological artifacts.

"UMMAA as well as other museums and collections on our campus are deeply marked by the history of colonial collection efforts and systems of knowledge production," says Barndt. She notes as UMMAA is getting ready to celebrate its 100th birthday later this year, it will also critically engage with that history.

It is not just the physical collections that connect U-M to the Philippines, but also the lingering presence of the university in the country over more than 100 years, says Punzalan. “If you look deeply, U-M’s connection to the Philippines is because we sent our students and faculty there and they became colonial administrators,” he says. “We sustained this as a university; we willingly brought people there because we found the potential of studying another territory so tantalizing.”

Sarah Derouin is a public relations specialist at the University of Michigan School of Information. This article is being republished with permission from the UM’s ReConnect/ReCollect project. The complete report is available in www.Thefilam.net.

‘A Texan can look like me’

By Gus Mercado

Filipino Americans in our state, especially in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, brimmed with pride when our very own Averie Danielle Bishop won the Miss Texas crown on June 25th.

F

rom North Texas to the Miss America stage in December, she made history as the first Asian American ever to win the title in the pageant’s 85-year history.

Averie put herself through college, earning two degrees from the Southern Methodist University, including a bachelor’s degree with double majors in Political Science and Human Rights, and a JD law degree with a 3.9 GPA. She is a first-generation Filipino American, born to a Filipino immigrant mother Marevi Sabalilang and fourth generation Texan Danny Bishop. Her younger brother Teddy is in the U.S. Army.

Beneath all the success and praise that have come her way, she has humanitarian blood running in her veins. She and her mom created Tulong Foundation, providing education, livelihood and scholarships to poor children in their native village in Banga,

South Cotabato, Philippines. Their foundation has supported 45 poor students including seven full scholars in different colleges in their province. With funding from SMU and some friends, she worked to build potable water systems for the community and their elementary schools.

She was appointed by the Mayor of Dallas to the new Anti-Hate and Discrimination Advisory Council.

In an impromptu interview, she said serving the community is her way of paying back, “growing up in very challenging circumstances with parents who sacrificed so much for me to become the force of nature that I am today.”

Averie spent a sometimes painful childhood in Prosper where she was confronted with bullies and hateful language.

“From the way I spoke, the shape of my eyes, my flat nose, my upbringing, the adverse financial condition that I grew up

in, sometimes the way my Mom spoke,” she recalled. Some people say rude things because they just don’t understand what they don’t know.” My mission as Miss Texas and as a person is to try to teach everyone in our state that a Texan can look like me and feel equal and welcome.”

When she was Miss Dallas, before she became Miss Carrollton and went on to win as Miss Texas, we saw greatness in this articulate and down-to-earth young Filipina.

At our last PACC Texas Awards Night, Consul Ethel Mercado and I honored her with our Founders’ Award as “Most Outstanding Young Leader in Texas.”

Averie is looking forward to her very hectic duties as Miss Texas while preparing for the Miss America pageant in Connecticut in December.

Gus Mercado is a business and civic leader in Dallas, Texas. He is a recipient of the Presidential Banaag Award for Outstanding Community Leadership, the Distinguished Service Award from the Mayor of Dallas and a three-time Jaycee of the Year awardee

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Averie Bishop is the first Asian American to be crowned Miss Texas.

With mom Marevi Sabalilang. They founded Tulong Foundation providing scholarships to children in Banga, South Cotabato.

Artist Ruben Baradi: Putting God’s creation on canvas Mixed media artist Ruben Baradi has been creating phenomenal art pieces for almost five decades.

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Baradi’s 3D art recreating images of birds and nature. rowing up in San Fernando, La Union in the northern part of the Philippines, he would wake up in the morning to soak in the beautiful landscapes of the Philippines, its variety of mountains, forests, and fields. He thought to himself, “These lovely scenes will never escape my mind, especially when art is running through your blood.”

Art was his way of recreating what he saw in “God’s creation” and putting them on canvas. Thus began his journey in drawing, sculpting, and 3D mixed media canvas art. He began his creative career with stippling, a technique in which areas of light and shadow are created using nothing but dots. Today, Ruben has transitioned into his current favorite medium: 3D art.

A long-time resident of Virginia Beach with his wife Erna and four children — Erbin, Erson, Erman, and Rena — the family home is filled with Ruben’s artworks from over the years. His 3D pieces adorn the Philippine Cultural Center in Virginia Beach, one of the biggest Philippine cultural centers in the United States.

“I first started my art experience with stippling and drawing people I know,” he said. “When I had

a family of my own, I drew them, too. Recently, I took up 3D art, where my imagination brings me to gardens and oceans. What you’ll see in a lot of my work is stunning flowers and plants and fish and coral reefs.”

He expressed his fascination for his new medium.

He said, “3D art feels like the art is popping out at you in terms of depth. Regular art is done on flat surfaces whereas 3D has dimensions of depth, height, and width. Think of a sculpture! Every angle you look at it, it takes up physical space. Nowadays, I love making 3D art of colorful peacocks, coral fish and undersea geography, and gardens.”

Ruben left the Philippines in 1981 through the petition of his parents. Although he graduated with a degree in B.S. in Architecture from Far Eastern University, he worked for a structural engineering company while doing arts during his spare time.

His family of six, with his wife, Erna and four children — eldest son, Erbin; twin sons, Erson and Erman; and daughter, Rena — all have very creative minds.

Said Ruben: “Erbin knows how to be innovative with everyday objects and can turn them into new things. Take any scrap and he can creatively THE FILAM

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His artworks are on display at the Philippine Cultural Center in Virginia Beach. create something new! My wife’s culinary skills exhibit creativity in how she enjoys experimenting with various ingredients. It doesn’t matter if two ingredients don’t go together typically.

“Erson is an artist just like me. He’s great at painting and sculpting, and nowadays he works with digital art including making company logos. He’s working on his own superhero comic book with his siblings. Erman is the writer of the family and writes screenplays. He works in the entertainment industry and is pursuing a career in film and television.

“I played the guitar through the years, so now Rena has the musical gift and can play many instruments and can harmonize with anything. In their teen years our kids played Filipino instruments in a ‘rondalla’ group, which included the octavina and banduria. They also have a background in Philippine cultural dancing.”

Ruben and his millennial children are looking to promote his art on various social media, including TikTok and Instagram reels.

Luis Francia’s political satire to be staged at Ice Factory Festival The Atlantic Pacific Theatre is staging Luis Francia’s play “The Strange Case of Citizen de la Cruz” from August 10-13, as part of the Ice Factory Festival sponsored by New Ohio Theatre.

C

laro de los Reyes and Robert Thaxton-Stevenson are directing.

Set in an unspecified time in the Philippines, this political satire explores the phenomena of radical nationalism through the lens of Filipino politicians, housewives, military men, faith healers, and covert spies. A multidisciplinary, mixedmedia production with elements of audience participation.

According to Francia, “The play deals with the absurdities of dictatorial rule, and was written in the immediate aftermath of the People Power uprising that saw the Marcoses flee the Philippines.

Given current political developments in the Philippines, this is a timely revival.”

It will be an in-person production, though it can also be viewed online.

Claro de los Reyes is an actor, playwright, educator, and a social practice theatre artist. He is the founder of Atlantic Pacific Theatre, described on its website as “an independent theater company that creates theatre works, public history programs, and community-engaged social practice art experiences for and with communities of color.

Through partnership-driven projects, APT aims to enhance visibility, awareness, and understanding around POC histories and identities in local and transnational contexts.”

As an actor, Claro he has performed with N.Y. theater

companies that include NAATCO, Pan Asian Rep, Leviathan Lab, and International WOW. He has had the honor of co-creating theatre alongside community members in NYC, Minnesota, the Philippines, and Rwanda.

Robert Thaxton-Stevenson is a Brooklyn-based theatre maker and educator. His APT profile cites performance credits, in “The Kavanaugh Files” (Geva), “Up & Away” (Trusty Sidekick Theater Company), and “The Last Coin” (Spellbound Theatre).

Luis Francia is a poet, playwright, journalist, and nonfiction writer. He has published numerous works of fiction, non-fiction and anthologies. His memoir “Eye of the Fish: A Personal Archipelago,” is a winner of both the 2002 Open Book Award and the 2002 Asian American Writers award. “The Strange Case of Citizen de la Cruz” is his first full-length play.

Ice Factory invites the most exciting downtown companies to present their latest projects in an environment of generosity, dialogue, and inspiration. Ice Factory is a place where artists can take risks, try out new ideas, and bring their projects to a new level.

Plays introduced in Ice Factory have gone on to garner Drama Desk nominations, Obie Awards, Audience First Awards in Edinburgh, Off-Broadway productions, commercial runs, and national and international tours.

THE FILAM

Claro de los Reyes (left) and Luis Francia. Photo by John Keon

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jasmin@manhattanhomecareltd.org | 17

COVER STORY

Arlin Fidellaga, RN: ‘Roe v Wade is a health care issue’

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The RN is also a showgirl. Arlin performs at a Philippine Nurses Association convention where she choreographs dance numbers and performs with fellow nurses.

She is active with the New Jersey chapter.

By Cristina DC Pastor

urse educator Arlin Fidellaga was on her way to work on June 24 when the news popped up on her phone: “Supreme Court overturns Roe v.

Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights.”

It was a jarring piece of news, something Arlin did not expect to hear that morning. With a nursing career spanning nearly 40 years, something in her mind was unwilling to process the report. More than 20 years ago when she was a young operating room RN of 21, she assisted in an abortion procedure in a non-denominational New Jersey hospital.

“My first job here in the U.S., they did abortions because it was not a Catholic hospital,” she told The FilAm in an interview. “So pretty much, we have to sometimes be assigned to that procedure room. We have Surgical Technicians who assist the surgeon and the role of the RN is to make sure that the patient is safe at all times, do the documentation and assist the anesthesiologist with his needs.”

Arlin’s first time was truly uncomfortable because she is Roman Catholic, and “it is against our belief and moral ethics.”

“But, I told myself that I should be respectful of the patient’s wishes and that was a decision that she made with her doctor and it had nothing to do with me,” she said.

She performed a couple more times until she transferred to her current hospital where assisting in terminating a pregnancy is not mandatory and nurses are given a choice.

“Each time I was in an abortion procedure, I always said a prayer and sprinkle sterile water on the products of conception like in a baptismal blessing,” she said.

The debate over Roe v Wade continues to inflame both sides to this day

A young nurse in New Jersey: Pro-choice and Catholic.

‘It’s a decision between the woman and her doctor.’ Facebook photos since the Supreme Court has reversed the constitutional right to an abortion.

Five conservatives in the court said they would prefer to give states the power to restrict or allow it, while prochoice groups believe such decision are best left to women, at least in cases of rape or incest or when their pregnancies put their health or lives at risk.

A perioperative nurse who is THE FILAM

currently the OR Nurse Educator in Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, Arlin said politics and religion tend to muddle the issue. Abortion, she declared, is principally a health care concern. Nurses are there to help save lives.

“We cannot judge people and we are in the profession of saving lives and | 18

making sure that they are given the safest and best treatment while they are under our care,” she said.

She likens it to criminals on the wrong side of the law or soldiers from enemy countries. “When they are brought to us for medical care, we treat them and provide unbiased care.”

||What exactly happens in an abortion?

Arlin gave a medical blow by blow. “Depending on how many weeks the fetus is, we have the D&C+ (Dilatation and Curettage.) for up to eight weeks gestation. This procedure involves scraping the products of conceptions from the uterus and then suctioned out. The D&C for 12 weeks and beyond involves taking out the products of conception in segments or parts because the fetus is already bigger. D&Es are also done for fetal demise or when the fetus is no longer viable. It is also indicated sometimes in rare cases where the fetus detaches from the uterine lining causing an intrauterine infection or abscess that can cause toxicity to the mother.”

Arlin said, she would characterize her position on Roe v Wade as “pro-choice.”

“There are instances of rape and sexual abuses that result in unwanted pregnancy especially with teenagers from stepdads or uncles, teachers, pastors,” she pointed out. “We cannot subject a young girl to a lifetime of hardship because they are not ready to tackle the difficulties of raising a child because they are still children themselves.”

Born and raised in Cebu, home of the Sto. Nino baby Jesus, Arlin said her family understands her job and the circumstances they presented.

“They were understanding of it; they know it was part of the job,” she said.

Arlin’s family. From left, husband Rodney Fidellaga, who works in the pharmaceutical industry; elder daughter Alexandra, who is a cardiothoracic ICU nurse; and younger daughter Talya, who is a registered occupational therapist.

THE FILAM

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Issue 54, August 2022

University of Michigan

Decolonizing Philippine artifacts

Little Manila Avenue

‘A spot to call our own’

Arlin Fidellaga, RN

‘Abortion is a health care issue’