FILAM July 2021

Issue 41, July 2021

Maria Torres-Springer A better world through philanthropy

Lydia Gaston

$5M condo scam FilAm seniors are the target

Seeing herself playing Jo Koy’s ‘mom’

Letter from the Editor

The reluctant president O

f all the people who became head of state in the Philippines, Benigno Simeon Aquino III – Noynoy to all of us -- is one who would rather be somewhere else.

He did not aspire to the presidency; it was thrust upon him when his beloved mother, former president Cory Aquino, died. The weight of expectations fell on his shoulders because he is the only son and inheritor in a family that has always been relied upon to rescue the country when the leadership has lost all respect and legitimacy. The Philippines is singularly marked by its unprincipled political culture which has produced men and women who, for the most part, are venal and petty in the exercise of their power.

Noynoy Aquino passed away on the 24th of June, Araw ng Manila, at a tender 61.

Even from the beginning, he was a different kind of politician. Noynoy was easygoing chummy but sometimes exuded an air of aloofness which could easily be mistaken as rich-boy snobbery. A former diplomat once shared an encounter with him: “I approached him to congratulate him for something, and he just walked past me looking like he did not see me.” That kind of standoffishness is what some critics have pointed out as one of his “imperfections.”

As a former speech writer so thoughtfully put it in a personal tribute to her former boss, Noynoy had developed an air of brutal caution from the trauma of losing his father to an assassin’s bullets and then his mom to the ravages of cancer. Some Filipinos, especially his critics, jumped all over him for attending

Benigno Aquino III, the 15th Philippine president died from ‘renal disease secondary to diabetes.' the inauguration of a car manufacturing plant instead of presiding over arrival honors for the 44 officers and men who perished in the 2015 Mamasapano clash. He pleaded for “understanding” and did not apologize.

The measure of a man is what he stands for and who he is, fundamentally. Aquino, sec-

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

ond in his family to become president of the country, is a decent man.

Unlike some presidents, he did not enrich himself. Unlike other and present occupants of the office, he did not order the jailing of his opponents nor cheer on the wholesale murder of innocent people. He did not engage in profanity, which some justify as a measure of being “totoong tao.”

One could wish he was more aggressive in repairing the country’s ills of inequality and poverty.

When he challenged another regional power, the rationale involved a simple tenet: “It was the right thing to do.” One can contrast that with the position of the current dispensation to justify appeasement and border-line treasonous behavior.

While we would wish the perfection of our leaders, one quickly realizes that it should be enough our leaders are good and honorable people. In a speech given by Robert Kennedy in apartheid-ruled South Africa: “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Noynoy laid down a brick to make the Philippines a better place.

It is in that vein that we honor and remember him. Our future should never be defined by the dictators and murderers of our homeland. Duty and doing what is right should.

Contact Thefilamny@gmail.com

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

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Husband arrested in murder of Fil-Briton woman A Filipino-British woman married to a Greek pilot was found dead on May 11 in their Athens home.

Weeks later, the husband of Caroline Crouch was arrested for her murder.

Babis Anagnostopoulos was led away in handcuffs after a memorial service for his wife.

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he killing has gripped Greece for weeks after Anagnostopoulos’s story about his wife being killed by three masked men who broke into their home hit the headlines. Crime in Greece is quite low and mostly non-violent. Greek police later announced the arrest of the pilot who they say “smothered” his 20-year-old wife with a pillow during a fight. Reports say she was planning on leaving him. He faces a life term if convicted.

The baby will likely be placed in the custody of her grandparents, Crouch’s Filipino mother and British father, according to the Daily Mail.

The initial story, as told by Anagnostopoulos, was that burglars barged into the family’s home and demanded money and jewelry. The couple begged them not to hurt their baby daughter. He was tied to a bed while they tortured his wife. The baby was unharmed.

What actually happened, according to police, was Anagnostopoulos killed his wife during a domestic quarrel. The marriage has been troubled for some time and at one point “Caroline texted him that he was ‘stupid’…He lost his cool. He disabled the home's surveillance camera, discarding its memory card, before charging up to the attic

UK-born Caroline Crouch, husband Babis Anagnostopoulos and their baby daughter. Photo: Tim Stewart where he had another heated argument with Caroline, pushing her onto a bed there, and smothering her to death.”

The couple met in the southern island of Alonissos, known for its vacation beaches, and fell in love.

He was a helicopter pilot and she a teenage student. They wed in 2018.

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Police said there was mounting evidence against the husband. He claimed he was tied to a bed, but tracking device showed he was moving from the attic to the basement during the time he was supposed to be in one place. A fitness tracker on Crouch’s wrist showed her heart has 3

stopped breathing before the supposed attack.

When police and suspect arrived at headquarters, it did not take long for Anagnostopoulos to confess to the killing. He sensed right away that he was invited for questioning not as witness but as prime suspect.

Creating change, improving lives through philanthropy In 2019, Maria TorresSpringer became one of the first highest-ranking Filipino Americans in philanthropy.

She is vice president for U.S. Programs at Ford Foundation.

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he Foundation website provided a brief history: “The Ford Foundation was established in 1936, with an initial gift of $25,000 from Edsel Ford, whose father, Henry, founded the Ford Motor Company.

When Edsel and Henry died in the mid-1940s, they left an additional $250,000 worth of Ford Motor stock to the foundation—creating the largest philanthropy in the world. Through prudent investment, this original endowment has grown to some $14 billion today…They (the Foundation and FMC) are two separate and legally unrelated entities whose operations are completely independent and have been for more than 50 years.”

As the vice president for U.S. Programs, Ms. Torres-Springer “oversees the foundation’s domestic programming for Civic Engagement and Government, Creativity and Free Expression, Just Cities and Regions, Technology and Society, Future of Work(ers) and Gender, Race and Ethnic Justice,” according to a press statement.

During our interview at the Harvard Club, Maria told me that her father, Manuel Torres from Pampanga, and her mother Elsa Torres from Batangas, immigrated to California in 1976, a year before Maria was born. She was the second eldest child. When she was 9 years old, her mother passed away from cancer.

Maria believes that this loss strengthened her resolve to work hard and do her best in school.

She graduated salutatorian in High School and went to college at Yale University. While Yale was a very different environment and she initially expe-

Accepting her 2018 The Outstanding Filipinos in America Award for Women Empowerment.

Photo: RJ Ensalada rienced culture shock, she eventually learned to adapt to both the institution and the East Coast weather. But remembering that her father sacrificed for her to attend Yale, she shouldered on and prospered academically. She graduated with a BA in ethics, politics and economics.

She was intending to go to law school but working for two years in a law office made her turn away from law and moved on toward more mission-driven work.

She went on to earn a Maria Torres-Springer, Ford Foundation vice president master’s degree in public policy for U.S. Programs: ‘She understands how to pursue from the Kennedy School of justice within complex systems.’

Government at Harvard University.

There she met her future husband in the Mayor’s Office under Mayor Jamie Torres-Springer from Canada Mike Bloomberg and then served as who was also studying at Harvard. They chief of staff at the New York Economic have two daughters and live in Brooklyn. Development Corporation. She left City Thus, she started her public service government for two years to serve as career in New York City lasting close to Chief Operating Officer for Friends of 15 years. She was a Senior Policy Advisor the High Line.

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Under Mayor Bill de Blasio, she was the first woman to serve as president of the NYC Economic Development Corporation. She implemented the new Citywide Ferry service, made major investments in NYC’s economy including technology, life sciences and modern manufacturing. She then served as commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the nation’s largest housing agency. She led the Mayor’s five-borough, 12-year plan to create or preserve 300,000 affordable homes and apartments. During her tenure, she financed a record 60,000 affordable homes, producing housing for seniors, the formerly homeless, the lowest-income New Yorkers while launching programs to protect tenants’ rights.

Earlier, Mayor de Blasio appointed her as commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services.

She worked to raise wages and expand skill-building in workforce placement programs, grow women-owned and immigrant-owned businesses, streamline the regulatory environment for small businesses, and launch path-breaking initiatives like the Tech Talent Pipeline to grow the tech sector and prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs.

The President of the Ford Foundation Darren Walker said upon her appointment “I have known Maria since she was COO of Friends of the High Line and I was on the Board, and have watched with administration as she has grown into one of the most impressive social justice leaders around. She is a creative leader and manager who understands how to pursue justice within complex systems and that’s a skill we need more than ever.”

Maria has this to say, “Surviving the loss of my mother at a young age was incredibly hard but that experience has shaped who I am and I believe given me the strength and faith to overcome all other obstacles.”

How elderly FilAms fell victims to the Pagudpud Ponzi scheme

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etween July 14, 2017 and September 8, 2017, Maria Macasaet invested a total of $265,000 in a project called the Pagudpud Sands Resort LLC (PSR), a luxury condotel in the province of Ilocos Norte in the Philippines.

She issued a check in two installments of $100,000 and $165,000 on behalf of herself and her husband Ricardo Macasaet, according to court documents.

Their investments were received by Larry Dela Cruz and Rick Rivera.

On July 31, Rivera, identified in court documents as secretary/ treasurer of PSR, and Dela Cruz, the CEO, issued Membership Certificates to PSR to Ricardo Macasaet.

A website called Pagudpud Sands Resort -- https://pagudpudsands. com/about-us/the-partners/ -- describes Dela Cruz and Rivera as partners of PSR Development who are “highly successful in their respective profession, they have always had the dream of bringing a world class resort to their homeland, The Philippines.”

It says PSR will assist Fil-Ams on “how to utilize their Self-Directed Individual Retirement Accounts (SD IRAs) to own real estate.

The office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed felony complaints for Conspiracy to Obtain Money or Property

by False Pretenses against Dela Cruz, Rivera and 13 others: Louis Maser, Christopher Jaromay, Garry Gerardo, Bernard Campilan, Christela Balubar, Matt Rose, Marina Jaromay, Merito Jaromay, Gregory Pritchard, Juan Murillo, Thu Dang, Kristel Villar, and Nelson Manmano. Maser was identified as Chief Financial Consultant of PSR, and Gerardo and Manmano as members of the Board of Advisors.

Their victims -- at least 30 elderly individuals who lived in the Sacramento and Stockton areas -- generated combined investments of $5 million, according to Bonta’s office.

PSR is registered in Nevada as a Domestic Limited Liability Company. A business license was issued to the company on March 15, 2016. There would be annual filings until 2021. The company has been operating in the state of California since 2012, recruiting investors who are mostly elderly Filipinos.

“The defendants made false claims that Wyndham Resorts, a well-known hotel company, had committed to managing the resort.

Victims were also told that their investments would go toward the construction of PSR, when instead, the money was primarily used toward paying two of the defendants a minimum of $10,000 a

month, commissions for those who brought investors to PSR, and other multi-level marketing schemes unrelated to PSR,” says a statement from Bonta’s office.

The crime of “theft from an elder” was alleged to have been committed by the defendants who engaged in embezzlement, forgery, fraud and identity theft of property and money with a value exceeding $950, states the court documents. It is a violation of the Penal Code.

“Senior citizens were the direct targets of this fraudulent, international investment scheme.

Our most vulnerable loved ones should never be deceived and defrauded of their hard-earned retirement money,” said Bonta, a Filipino American. “Those who take part in the financial abuse of elders must be held accountable for their actions.” – Cristina DC Pastor

The Pagudpud Sands Resort LLC website.

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta: ‘Senior citizens were the direct targets of this fraudulent scheme.’ Photo: California Department of Justice

Honoring the women who came before her

By Maya Rowencak Crauderueff

Food was important to me as a child. My mother always fed me. But there’s one moment that sticks in my head: eating a fish head.

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ow, I’m as American as you can possibly imagine. My mother used to say I was “bastos” and “you’re just like your father” and “(insert bad word in Tagalog)” when I did something “inappropriate.” The most Filipino thing I ate regularly was rice and ‘patis’ (fish sauce). But eating a fish head,

by American standards, is considered disgusting. I wouldn’t dare tell my friends I eat a fish head in fear of being tormented even more than I was.

She told me, “Boojie (that’s my nickname), it’s good.” Really, it’s the best part of the fish. I obliged. She dug out pieces of meat from the face, the eye, pressed some rice with it, and with her thumb pushed it in my mouth. I was maybe 9 years old at the time. It was odd to have my mom feed me with her hands but it was okay, it made me feel like a baby. We all love those moments, no?

My mother chose my name Maya to represent both my cultures: the Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and the national bird of the Philippines. I was also named also after both my grandmothers: Katrina Ariane.

I first set foot on the island of Luzon when I was 7. My mother’s family lived near the Mother of Perpetual Church in Baclaran. I remember the smells, the ants that bit my legs, the calamine lotion, the man The author founded Maya’s Hope, a charity that helps children with disabilities in the Philippines and Ukraine. Facebook photo yelling ‘balut,’ I was baptized there.

I remember the blind man begging outside of the or tell me to pray to St. Anthony or St. Raphael. I I had no idea. church. He had no legs and flies danced around would never eat her chicken adobo again. A year She said, “You are your ‘lola.’” I learned that I his sunburnt head. I was so frightened and asked later, I went to the Philippines longing to spend was tied to my roots. my mom where his legs were. She said he didn’t Christmas with children who didn’t have a mother.

To this day, I haven’t eaten a salmon head, but have any as she gave the man money in his hand. I Instead of being called ‘anak,’ the children called what I wouldn’t give to have my mom feed me. remember her also saying, “I wish God would just me ‘ate.’ They also used to drag to me to pray the Because it was in that moment, I learned what it give these people a break in life.” rosary and go to church, just like my mother did. felt like to be loved and how to share this love with If she saw a child begging, she pulled out her Back in NYC, my aunt told me at dinner, “You others. wallet. To her, it could have been her “Boojie.” know, you remind me a lot of your Lola Januaria Filipino American-Ukrainian Maya Rowencak Fast forward, I moved to New York City, lived by (Ariane).”

Crauderueff is the founder of Maya’s Hope, a myself, and was independent of my mother. Out of “How so?” I didn’t know much about her. charity organization inspired by her mother and the blue, my mom was rushed to the hospital. She “Your ‘lola’ used to feed the poor children in grandmother’s love for children. She dedicated died three days later. the neighborhood. She was so loved that when she her The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New From that moment, I felt I had lost my family and died, they had busloads of people come to pay their York award to her mother, Maria Milagros Cruz lost my Filipino ties. No one would call me ‘anak’ respects.”

Rowencak, and ‘lola’ Januaria Apolinario Cruz.

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Wrestling star Dave Bautista is the new action hero

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t is enthralling to see how our own fellow FilAm Dave Bautista has evolved from a WWE wrestling icon into a growing force in mainstream Hollywood as a leading action hero. Although I never followed his career closely at the WWE, I grew fond of his stature as a pop cultural cinematic figure in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films as the lovable antihero alien Drax the Destroyer. He also appeared as a villainous henchman in the 2015 James Bond film “Spectre” opposite Daniel Craig. His new zombie action-heist film “Army of the Dead” was just recently released on Netflix.

Of all the horror genre movie monsters, arguably no other group of boogeymen have captivated the imagination in quite the way zombies have, mindless and ravenous flesh-eating creatures which have often served as a metaphor for the self-destructive nature of mankind upon its own society. From the classic “Night of the Living Dead” film series dating back to the 1960s all the way through to the early 2010s when pop culture was once again infused with mass fascination for these undead beings due in large part to the popularity of “The Walking Dead” TV series and films such as “World War Z” starring Brad Pitt, it seems as if Hollywood will never grow weary of bringing these soulless creatures to life. The ongoing global COVID pandemic has seemingly brought on new symbolism to zombies and the urgent need for humanity to come together to effectively “contain” the threat of death and sickness.

“Army of the Dead” isn’t an original or revolutionary story by any stretch of the imagination; it is quite formulaic. But it is highly entertaining, and the brooding visuals and gory costume makeup are exactly what you would expect from the slow-moving style of director Zack Snyder, who also helmed the historic-action ancient Greek period epic “300” and the DC superhero movies “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League.” This isn’t a film though I would recommend for everybody, especially for those not fans of the horror-zombie film. It is worth watching for those who seek pure escapist thrill and fun. Seeing Bautista coming into his own as a bona fide lead action star is by itself rewarding.

The film’s setting is none other than glitzy Las Vegas which has now been overrun by an apocalyptic horde of zombies. They are led by an

By Wendell Gaa

FilAm actor Dave Bautista plays a former mercenary in ‘Army of the Dead.’

His grandfather is a Filipino World War II veteran.

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alpha male and female who are shockingly and highly evolved in strength, speed and intelligence. As the entire gambling oasis city has now been quarantined by the U.S. military, a casino owner by the name of Bly Tanaka recruits former mercenary Scott Ward (Bautista) to recover $200 million from his casino vault before the entire Vegas is scheduled to be obliterated by the military in a nuclear strike in order to end the zombie threat.

Ward accepts the task and in turn puts together his own ragtag team of soldiers to take part in the heist. This team consists of an international group consisting of Mexican, German, and French members, not all of whom have a military background. Further complicating Ward’s mission is the demand of his own estranged daughter Kate (played by English actress Ella Purnell) to join them on their mission so that she could rescue two friends of hers trapped in the middle of the quarantine zone.

Watching how the team’s mission unfolds is engaging and their stunt choreography in their battles is quite well done. But a big problem I had with the film’s execution was its lack of effective character progression for much of the team members, save for Ward and his daughter. Their father-daughter relationship is very similar to other film character interactions which you may have seen before in such action films as “Armageddon” (with Bruce Willis and Liv Tyler in the father-daughter role), but Bautista’s emotional range in his scenes with Purnell is so believable and emphatic that you are willing to align yourself wholeheartedly with him to complete his mission, protect his daughter and save humanity at any cost. It is a pity that such effective character growth didn’t come across quite as effectively with the rest of the cast members. And it surely doesn’t help that the film’s long running time doesn’t devote to such character progression as much as it could have.

Notwithstanding such shortcomings, “Army of the Dead” is still a highly enjoyable treat worth seeing for Bautista’s further ascendency as an all-around action hero with a true heart and soul.

I would say that his dramatic performance here is even deeper and more flawed and vulnerable than his other popular cinematic alter ego Drax the Destroyer. We can be happy to be reminded that he is one of us and is definitely fighting on our side.

25 years of KAWS art at the Brooklyn Museum

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By Tracy Dizon

nce again, the Brooklyn appropriating a variety of popular cartoon culture.

Museum and BrookThis is where I get to admire his artistic views in lyn-based artist KAWS trying to communicate the familiar figures that (American artist Brian Dontotally embrace pop culture. nelly) worked together to ||PART 4: Introspective Art give us another influx of great American Street Art that spans 25 years and tranThis section of the exhibit is where it gets deep. scends a wide range of cultural spectacle This is where KAWS started to ponder human from graffiti art, cartoons, toy culture, relationships, emotions, and states of mind. I fashion, sculpture and even furniture personally just knew about KAWS’ pop culture design. KAWS: What Party is on display impact at first. It is a delightful chapter to see how from February 26 to September 5, 2021. his works get reflective and personal over time.

For those who want to explore a mod||PART 5: The KAWS Collectible ern-day art inspiration from the city that Collaboration Phenomenon cradles the richest street culture -- New York -- checking out KAWS: What Party It is every artist’s and creator’s dream to reach a is one exhibit I highly recommend. This marketing peak like KAWS. From highly collectsummer is a good time to visit especially ible sought-after toys, sneaker shoe limited edition coming out of a very long isolation during collections, skateboards, up to that iconic furnithe pandemic. As the city is starting to open ture design created in collaboration with Brazilian up slowly, art is always a good activity for designers Humberto and Fernando Campana. leisure, inspiration, and just to see someThis is where KAWS spreads his genius. It is quite thing fresh and new to the eyes. A fresh admirable when art is highly regarded and also break from staring at our computers and becomes a commercial success being one of the gadgets for a change! most highly collectible brands.

KAWS has been known for that “x_x” ||PART 6: KAWS’ Gigantic, Monumental cartoon-like characters. Even if you are Works not in tune with the latest street art, you will realize that you have seen KAWS’ Having reached his artistic peak, one wonders work at toys stores, on t-shirt prints or how else can KAWS grow and develop? Well, he even his appropriated cartoon adaptaliterally did. From little, hand-held toys, his works The author, an artist and fashion designer, framed by a collage of KAWS’ works. tion. I personally appreciate this kind of expanded into art installations and parade balPhotos by Atreyu Dizon loons! KAWS’ latest medium is AR — Augmented art -- a pop culture phenomenon! KAWS’ Reality – a kind of computer-generated image or signature style is so familiar that I feel ||PART 2: Naive Art information! KAWS really has been growing to become it is so inclusive of different people. Everyone can The second part of the exhibit was mainly his JapaThe Present-Day Pop Art Empire! appreciate it. The exhibit is presented like one is nese influences and that’s when his love for cartoons walking through KAWS’ journey as an artist. ||PART 7: Shopping KAWS started to surface into his works. I, being the NHK KAWS: What Party was curated with seven chapWorld Japan’s Kawaii International last appointed Entering the exhibit, I noticed some written remindters (including the souvenir store!) of his career. Let Kawaii Ambassador, can totally relate with the woners about limiting purchases to two items per exhibit me give you a walk-through of what to expect from derful world of Japanese street culture. It’s something guest. I became curious. Didn’t they want to sell out the exhibit. that really aroused my interest with KAWS’ evident all their merch? Soon enough reaching the end of the ||PART 1: KAWS Earliest Works influences. I could relate when KAWS mentioned that KAWS: What Party Exhibit, I learned why. You cannot I personally love witnessing the humble beginhe does not speak Japanese but he was able to commuaccess this souvenir store without passing through nicate relatable icons like The Simpsons. Cartoons has nings of any artist, KAWS especially. Witnessing his the entire exhibit and you cannot do a repeat round! that cultural appeal to the world because we were all early sketch pad of art studies and graffiti drawings So strict, huh? I found out that the KAWS Merch are always has this inspiring nudge effect on me. “Every- young once in our lives! almost sold out with the collectible figures and some body starts somewhere.” And that motivational books! Upon researching for this article, I was so sur||PART 3: Cartoon Appropriation reminder that everyone who made it big also started prised that KAWS Merch is selling double the original price. As a fashionista shopaholic myself, I was really from the beginning and bloomed into an impactful The third part of the exhibit explores that appeal of intrigued! One way or another, you should not miss artist. cartoons to KAWS market and audience. He explored

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Why some FilAms will keep their masks on

By Lindy Rosales

New York City woke up to a bright sunny Friday morning in May with news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given the green light that fully vaccinated people do not have to use their face masks in most indoor and outdoor settings.

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s of May 16, 2021, 42.5 percent or 8,272,406 people in New York State have been fully vaccinated. While 51.8 percent or 10,068,056 people have had at least one dose.

Fully vaccinated means 14 days have passed since the second dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

For the first dose of a Johnson and Johnson vaccine, it also means 14 days have passed since the first dose. These three vaccines are the only ones authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) for adults in the United States.

Filipino Americans have this to say: “Personally, I still prefer to wear a mask considering my co-morbidities,” said Monalie Arico, a retired Registered Nurse who

From left: Monalie Arico, Grace Montalbo, and Rowena Inojales Garana worked for the city of New York.

“Even with some friends who are already vaccinated, I don’t know who they mingled with. Maybe if an event is an open area with minimal number of people ok na. Wearing a mask doesn’t bother me at all.”

Grace Montalbo, a hemodialysis technician from Yonkers, said: “My family and I talked about it and we all agreed we should still wear masks. There is no way to know which person is vaccinated or not unless we are wearing badges that says the person is vaccinated. We managed to protect ourselves with masks for more than a year and it won’t hurt to wait or continue wearing it a little longer. In our facility we encourage our patients to still wear their masks outside, and most of them agree that we should still wear them.”

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Rowena Inojales Garana, a New York City public school teacher who is currently working remotely but might soon go back to face-to-face instruction, said: “I will continue to wear my mask outside and inside the building because I don’t fully trust these politicized decisions.”

“I am skeptical about the CDC announcement for many reasons,” said Garana. “First, the U.S. is still working on the target herd immunity, two, the virus is still out there, three, the vaccine effectivity is still in question and four, we should consider the density of the city or town. All these reasons make me skeptical.”

“I may be vaccinated but it’s no guarantee that all my students are,” she continued. “Nakakatakot ang decision na ito ng CDC kasi it is too early pa.”

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For this writer, who also happens to be a nurse who works in a hospital, this decision by the CDC hits close to home. It will make no difference to me as I still have to use a face mask at work. But it makes life complicated as you navigate this new guideline outside. Do you trust the honor system that people who get rid of their masks are fully vaccinated?

There are more questions than answers in this new guideline.

Three days after the CDC announcement, the NYS Governor is still reviewing it. The mask mandate has not yet been lifted in New York State even as the state announced its lowest positivity rate of 1 percent as of Saturday, May 15. As the first epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, it seems that New York is just being cautious.

COVER STORY

Actress Lydia Gaston: 'I see myself in Jo Koy's mother'

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By Cristina DC Pastor

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hoa! Stage actress Lydia Gaston gets to holler the signature monicker “Josep”!

Josep is none other than Jo Koy – real name: Joseph Glenn Herbert — the celebrated Filipino American comedian who broke barriers and, with crossover appeal, boasts a massive following among Filipinos and mainstream Americans alike. He is co-producing with Steven Spielberg his biographical comedy “Easter Sunday” where Lydia is cast as his mother.

“In the movie her name is Susan,” shared Lydia in an interview with The FilAm. Lydia, who began as a classical dancer and became a New York stage actress (“The King and I,” “Miss Saigon” on Broadway; “Dogeaters,” “Joy Luck Club” Off-Broadway), portrays Josie Harrison, the single parent who raised Jo Koy and his sisters Rowena and Gemma. “Easter Sunday” is Lydia’s first film.

||Crazy Pinoy life In late February, Lydia learned about casting for the movie. “I was excited to hear there was going to be a Jo Koy movie,” she said. She sent a selftape audition and got a callback. The film follows a FilAm family as it prepares for the Christian holiday celebration.

“Definitely there will be a lot of comedy,” she said careful not to give away the plot to the film slated for release sometime in early 2022. “We have a lot of similar stories about family, and there is immediate recognition of the jokes.”

Lydia has been watching Jo Koy on YouTube since 2015 and is hooked on his ‘crazy Pinoy life’ comedy. “He is able to show our crazy Filipino family lives and relationships. I know that Filipinos who live in the U.S. and in the Philippines, young and old, relate to his stories. Even my non-Filipino friends say that Jo Koy’s stories remind them of their own Italian and Jewish families.”

In 2018, she came to see Jo Koy in New York who was then doing a publicity event. “I said hello afterwards and asked to take a picture with him.

At that point, I never imagined I would be on a film set with him.”

Lydia has worked as a NYC Teaching Artist and is currently an adjunct professor at SUNY Empire State College. Photo: Lydiagaston.com

Jo Koy’s real-life mom Josie Harrison; Lydia portraying her as Susan.

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Lydia was born in New York City. Her parents, who got married in City Hall without the blessings of their families, were “disowned” Filipino style, “scandalous” in those days. They were asked to return when they learned a new grandchild had been born. Lydia grew up in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, a steadfast, full-blooded Ilongga.

“My mom had been a ballerina in N.Y. She opened up a ballet school in Bacolod which endured for 50 years, until she passed in 2011. She was a harbinger of the arts in our hometown. I became the ballerina who continued my mother’s dreams in New York,” she said. Interestingly, in Bacolod she grew up listening to musical theatre, an influence from her parents who lived in NYC during the heyday of Broadway in the late 1950s.

“I grew up listening to ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Pajama Game’ and imitating that old musical theatre style of singing. My mom also enrolled me in voice lessons.”

While in Manila she became a member of Ballet Philippines. She returned to New York when she was 18. “I didn’t have an easy time getting into a ballet company. I didn’t have ‘the classic ballerina look.’ Also, most classical companies in the States rarely hired ballerinas of color in those days.”

Lydia’s dance training led to musical theater that kept her employed for many years. “I could learn multiple parts because ballet had trained me to pick up choreography quickly. This skill also helped in mastering blocking, learning music, etc.”

From starting out as a swing for chorus parts, she was eventually hired as an understudy to cover principal roles. “Being in a long running show like ‘Miss Saigon’ gave me the time and money to start studying voice and acting. I knew I couldn’t be a dancer forever,” she said.

Her first professional theatre job was the 1981 national tour of “The King and I” with Yul Brynner. “I auditioned as one of the replacements for the tour and got in,” she recalled. “I didn’t really want to do it, because it felt like I was giving up on a classical dance career. But it got me my union card and a real salary. I did the tour for about 14 months before resuming a concert dance career for a few more years.”

She continued: “Around 1985 I started working with a modern dance choreographer in New York, Rachel Lampert.

She was creating dances that had us also speaking, singing and acting onstage.

This was all new to me and a far cry from classical ballet. However, I discovered that I actually fit into this dance/theatre world much more easily.”

||First movie “’Easter Sunday’ is my first movie,” she disclosed. “This work, as opposed to the television work (“The Sopranos,” “The Path”) I’ve done before, gives me the opportunity to interact with more characters in the story and work more closely with the director.”

She delights in her role as Jo Koy’s mom.

She said, “I see myself and my mother in it. The overprotectiveness, the threats, the rules, the importance of having a good reputation, what will people think, make something of yourself, etc. I am a mom myself, and although my daughter was raised in Brooklyn, she recognizes all of Jo Koy’s stories, and appreciates the humor he brings to them. After all she was raised by me, a Filipina.”

Comedian Jo Koy (far left) and the mostly Filipino cast of ‘Easter Sunday.’ Director Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, Inc. is the film’s producer. Facebook photo

PNB, N.J. real estate firm ink home loan partnership

P

hilippine National Bank (PNB) has partnered with New Jersey-based Alexander Anderson Real Estate Group (AAREG) to beef up its marketing efforts to help push Philippine properties to Filipino Americans in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area “We are making it easier for them to obtain a good investment while they are still in the U.S. We see those in the New York metropolitan area remain to be interested in these investments despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” said PNB President and CEO Wick Veloso in a statement.

PNB is making it easier for those living abroad to purchase a home in the Philippines through the Own a Philippines Home Loan (OPHL).

AAREG is PNB’s first marketing partner for OPHL. CEO Eric Anderson shared, “The reality of today's business landscape is that collaboration and strategic partnerships are fundamental to improving business

From left, Roberto Ramos, AAREG chief operating officer; CEO Eric Anderson; and PNB New York General Manager Eric Bustamante. outcomes. Our team is excited to grow this relationship with PNB.” Veloso said PNB continues to see a growing number of Filipinos who are interested in acquiring a second home or another home here in the Philippines.

“Many Filipinos work hard building

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their careers outside the country and would like to return to their roots. PNB is here to help them acquire their dream home,” he said.

While many foreigners and Balikbayans can rent property, the OPHL may be a good way for them to acquire

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real estate as investment in the Philippines, especially if they’re retiring or planning to stay longer in the country, Veloso said. For Filipinos and those with dual citizenship, they can purchase land and real estate property. Foreigners are prohibited from owning land in the Philippines, but they can legally own a condominium unit for their residence.

In 2019, about seven out of 10 Filipino Americans are fully employed with median household income at $90,400.

Six out of 10 of them said they owned their homes there.

In April 2021, remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) continue to drive demand for affordable to mid-income (Php1.7 million to Php5.99 million or $34,000 to $119,800) condominiums in Metro Manila. Developers will likely continue to cater to families that receive remittances from abroad.

An estimated 40% of the developers’ revenues were being generated by Filipinos or foreigners overseas.

For more details, visit PNB’s website at https://www.pnb.com.ph.

Calendar

of Events

||July 2

Newly elected members of the board, Filipino American Cancer Care Josie Moralidad Ziman- Founder Edward Penaflor Logan- Co-Founder Josie Harrison- Board Member (Las Vegas, NV) Vellie Dietrich Hall- Board Member (Cullen, VA)

Ai’m Back: Comedy Queen Aiai delas Alas back in New York City D’Haven Queens NYC Contact for more information: 347-705-2967

||July 21, August 4 and August 11

The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Webinar Series Register here: https://www.nationalacademies.org/

||August 22

Fiesta in America People’s Ball RSVP before July 20 Contact Nanding Mendez at sepmgzn@yahoo.com or call 212-682-6610

Evelyn Bunoan- Board Member (Fairfax, VA) Alma Conty- Board Member (Falls Church, VA) Eugene Banez- Board Member (Centerville, Virginia) Richie Vicente- Board Member (Germantown, Maryland) Januario (Warie) Azarcon, Esq.- Board Member (Ashburn, Virginia) Mithi Aquino-Thomas- Board Member (Tampa, Florida) Rocky Andal Brito-Board Member (New York, NY) Carl Abella- Board Director (Bethesda, MD

||July 21 to 25

42nd PNAA Annual National and 2nd Virtual Convention Register now: MyPNAA.org

“From Sweet Potatoes to French Fries” New book by Phoebe Andes, PhD, MA, RN, the first Filipino American to serve on the New Jersey Board of Nursing.

Available on Amazon.

||August 21

Gensan Celebration: Sister Cities Signing between General Santos City and Jersey City J. Owen Grundy Pier Park Exchange Place, Jersey City Contact Darlene Borromeo: 973-931-9833 Rowena Randman: 516-698-6036

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The economic impact of the pandemic on Astoria neighborhood: report Eve lost her babysitting job when the family of her 4-year-old ward moved to California in the middle of the pandemic. She is one of several thousands of Filipinos who call Astoria home. A nanny for more than 10 years, Eve – with no health insurance and other employment benefits -- is facing her own economic dislocation as she, too, will have to move out of NYC to temporarily live with a sister in the south as the cost of living in New York becomes too much of a load.

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ve’s story is one of many that amplifies the economic impact the pandemic has on residents of this neighborhood as New York City begins to reopen for business, according to a report, “The Astoria Project Survey: Employment, Health and Well-Being in One New York City Neighborhood During Covid,” published by the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. The economic impact is “widespread,” it states, and the post-pandemic jobs landscape “remains uncertain.”

Below is an excerpt from the report: “The Astoria Project offers a unique portrait of workers in one neighborhood’s Covid experience that reveals the depth and breadth of the challenges the city will face as it emerges from the pandemic. Survey results were weighted by industry of employment to approximate the industry distribution of workers residing in Astoria.

“Economic impacts were widespread and the post-pandemic jobs landscape remains uncertain for many workers. Astoria contains a diverse workforce; the survey included respondents from more than 20 industries. A third of Astoria respondents were furloughed or laid off, with only 38 percent of these dislocated workers having returned to work either fulltime or parttime at

the time of the survey. Many workers also lost hours or pay during the pandemic. Two-thirds of all respondents reported that their employment status had been negatively impacted during the pandemic, through jobloss, furlough, lost pay, or reduced hours. More than three-quarters of all households making less than $50,000 per year saw negative employment impacts due to Covid, more than one-and-a-half times the rate of households with annual earnings over $150,000.

“Despite the extension of Federal unemployment benefits to freelancers and others not eligible for regular state unemployment benefits, more than one in 10 dislocated Astoria workers was unable to access unemployment insurance. Moreover, the survey reveals the deep sense of uncertainty that dislocated workers feel about the opportunities available to them in a post-Covid workforce. Only 42 percent of dislocated workers think that they will be able to return to the same employer post-pandemic and 20 percent think they will have to shift to a new occupation. Together, these factors will create enormous workforce uncertainty in the post-pandemic economy.

“With more than 30,000 deaths across the five boroughs, and unemployment levels and duration not seen since the Great Depression, the psychological disruption and

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The study was conducted between December 2020 and February 2021 comprising 726 individual responses of workers in Astoria and surrounding neighborhoods, such as Long Island City. economic aftermath of the disease will likely be long-lasting. Jobless workers report high uncertainty about the longevity of their health insurance and what kinds of jobs might await them after the pandemic recedes. More than a third

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of Astoria respondents reported feeling anxious nearly every day (35 percent) and mental health help was a reported top immediate need, alongside reemployment, cash assistance, and the extension of unemployment benefits.”

Hate crime survivor calls for ‘vigilance’ vs anti-Asian violence

By Vicky Potenciano-Vitug

The Filipino health care manager who was attacked on June 8 coming out of the 103rd Station said his bruises are “almost gone” but he continues to receive counseling for possible emotional trauma.

“T

he extent of the impact on mental health is still being assessed,” the assault survivor told The FilAm. “It would be difficult to fully describe the experience as I am still going through the after effects.”

The man who requested that he remain anonymous, said that on June 8, he got off the train at 103rd Street Subway Station when he witnessed a male passenger, possibly another Asian, being attacked by a black male who was angrily screaming “Get out!” and “Go back to where you came from!”

The attacker looked young, possibly in his 20s, he said.

The Asian man was able to escape

from the attacker who then turned his attention on the Filipino who was standing nearby. The suspect then charged toward the Pinoy while continuing to scream, “Go back to where you came from!” He cornered the Filipino man against the wall, then repeatedly hit him hard on the head and face. Although somewhat disoriented with the impact of the blows, he was able to stagger toward the exit at the far end of the station platform. There were bystanders, but no one offered to help, he said.

The man said, “Can someone please help!” as he was trying to get to a safer location. “No one helped.”

He has since avoided taking the train unless absolutely necessary, he told this writer. “My spouse drives

me to work in the mornings from Monday to Wednesday, then public transportation on other times.”

His case remains pending, he added, but there is now a detective assigned to track down the attacker.

“Is it a hate crime, I cannot say for certain without the official report from the police,” he said. “I can only judge it based on my personal recollection. There was violence, and the man to my recollection

was shouting, ‘Get out!’ or ‘Go back where you came from!’ So I would say that it is potentially a hate crime.”

He said the encounter left him emotionally scarred and shocked that such hateful violence has happened to him and that other Filipinos that may include members of his family could also become victims.

“Statistically there’s been a surge of violence due to Asian hatred. We are calling on our officials to help us address this now! We should not want another statistic. Asian haters are still out there. Let us be more cautious and vigilant,” he said.

Needs are constantly changing.

Monetary donations allow for the most effective disaster relief.

No one offered to help the Filipino man who was attacked at this station.

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Tsinelas-making workshop and a sharing of personal journeys “Oras Na,” an art installation and workshop led by artist Karl Orozco, was held on June 12 at the Little Manila neighborhood of Woodside, Queens, to celebrate Philippine Independence Day. The event was hosted

by Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts.

O

rozco led three Tsinelasmaking workshops, where participants customized the Tsinelas, which means “slippers” in Tagalog.

"The footwear is kind of a metaphor for our personal journey, journeys that will bring people to a community and taking into account that everybody has their own personal journeys, personal migration stories to tell,” said Noah Flora of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns - Northeast Chapter.

The workshop was held at a triangle park activated by a temporary bamboo shelter, “Art Home” designed and built by architects Sabrina Herbosa Reyes and Giovanni Antonio Rivera of Alma Sphere. The Art Home is inspired by the Filipino bahay kubo or nipa hut, a precolonial house once endemic Artist Karl Orozco (in white shirt) moderating the workshop. The name ‘Oras Na’ (‘It’s time’) is throughout the Philippines. Reyes’s and inspired by shoemakers organizing their union in Marikina in the 1930s. Photos: Xenia Diente Rivera’s vision for The Art Home was to create a roving gallery space so that artists’ works could be displayed in public spaces.

“Using bamboo here in New York City creates this juxtaposition against the New York City infrastructure: the steel, the concrete. For me, it represented the diaspora and how our experiences coming to the U.S. is so different and how we have to navigate different environments here in New York,” said Reyes.

Rivera, the other architect, said, “We've also been interested in the public domain, the space in between space.

Colorful flip flop sandals usually made of rubber, also known as slippers or Tsinelas.

You know, we're always in a house and

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inside of a room. But what about the streets and the sidewalks and where we can meet with each other in the public? The Art Home was developed to have public art in these spaces.”

Orozco shared his thoughts: "I think it's so important for art to be where audience is located. I think a lot of times we think of art only existing in museums, galleries— very white spaces. And I think that a lot of ways that it kind of changes our perception of who is making art or who is art for it to have it here on this corner of this very, very populated intersection.”

In support, Filipino community organizations—National Alliance for Filipino Concerns - Northeast Chapter (NAFCON-NE), National Federation of Filipino American Associations-New York Chapter (NaFAA-NY), and Pilipino Unity for Progress-New York (UniPro-NY)—were present to discuss the current issues and needs of the local Filipino community. There was discussion encouraging civic engagement, including in the upcoming NYC primary election.

Though Little Manila in Queens is recognized as an important hub for Filipinos in New York City, community leaders are still fighting for its visibility. On the same day last year, the Mabuhay mural was unveiled to show gratitude to the Filipino health care workers and small businesses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The Little Manila Street Co-Naming Initiative, a campaign to have a Little Manila street sign installed on 70th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, was launched last summer. The street co-naming application was submitted in August 2020 and is still awaiting approval from the New York City Council.

5 reasons some long-term marriages crumble

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ver since Bill and Melinda Gates announced that their 27-year marriage was over, one question has been on the lips of many talk show hosts and everyday folks: How can this be, after all that time together?

The billionaire philanthropists aren't the first high-profile couple to split up decades after tying the knot. Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, ended their marriage after 40 years.

Though not divorced, actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman separated after 30 years together.

Midlife breakups are much more common than a generation ago.

"Older adults today are much less likely to be willing to remain in what we call ‘empty shell marriages,’” says Susan L. Brown, codirector of the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

In fact, the divorce rate for people older than 50 doubled between 1990 and 2010, though it has remained stable since then, according to Brown's research. As of 2019, that's 10 divorced people per 1,000 married folks 50 and older.

"Marriage now is more about self-fulfillment and personal happiness than it was decades ago,” Brown observes, “and we have very high expectations as to what constitutes marital success."

So what are some of the main culprits that lead to divorce after a long union?

studied couples’ behavior since the mid-1990s, uses the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as a metaphor for the communication styles that, according to the institute's research, can predict the end of a relationship.

The four styles are criticism, contempt (the number one predictor of divorce), defensiveness, and stonewalling.

||4. Empty nest

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates: 27 years together

||5. Unresolved issues of the past

||1. Infidelity

Suzy Brown, 74, says she tried for “three long, agonizing years” to persuade her husband to break off an affair with somebody he met at work.

But, ultimately, after 33 years of marriage, she filed for divorce.

Brown, of Kansas City, Missouri, was devastated, hurt, sad and furious. She found herself doing things she never would have expected, such as hiding behind bushes in the parking lot across from her former spouse's apartment — at 2 a.m. — to see if the woman was there.

Brown, who remarried in 2004, has

In the summer of 2019, once his two daughters were grown, Dan Tricarico realized that he and his wife had been living separate lives long enough, focusing more on raising their children than on connecting with each other. And so he decided to end his 24-year marriage. Although he'd always considered himself “a matefor-life kind of guy,” Tricarico doesn't think the decision — or his marriage — was a mistake. “Sometimes you just move in different directions and have different priorities and don't have that shared path anymore,” he says.

Al Gore and Tipper Gore: Separation after 40 years of marriage. a lot of adjectives for her life these days: good, fun, adventurous, purposeful.

||2. Money issues

In the American Psychological Association’s 2020 “Stress in America” survey, 64 percent of adults said money is a significant source of stress in their lives. And because different people often manage money in different ways, conflicts easily arise. A classic example of marital THE FILAM |

tension over money is the spender versus the saver. For the spender, money equals freedom; for the saver, it represents security. Spenders may view savers as frugal or miserly, and savers may view spenders as frivolous or wasteful.

||3. Lack of communication

There's poor communication, and then there's harmful communication.

The Gottman Institute, which has 16

For Bernadette Murphy, 58, the unraveling of her 25-year marriage revealed that she and her partner “had always been a poor fit for each other.”

Murphy's mother had severe mental health issues and was in and out of institutions, leaving Murphy to raise her three younger siblings.

Meanwhile, Murphy believed that her husband had an unresolved issue with his mother, who had passed away. Murphy sought therapy and felt herself growing as a person. Her husband, however, not only eschewed individual therapy, but, she says, liked the way she was — “a quiet person who stuffed everything down” — and wanted her to stay the same.

And though everyone in their inner circle was shocked the pair were splitting, the decision had been brewing in Murphy's mind for nearly 15 years. Couples counseling didn't help. -- AARP

Social media has turned us into spontaneous storytellers. Our new feature called “Remembering: Pinoy. Powerful. Personal” is a collection of short essays of memories pushed aside by time and making themselves apparent in the writer’s present. Some of the essays are contributed; others culled from social media posts. To send your essays, email thefilamny@gmail.com.

Missing my courageous travel partner

Only bright red lipstick for my Nanay

By Vicky Perez

By Muloy Luib

My Nanay, former public school teacher Lolita Tabayo Luib, 73, died in her home on February 21, 2021. I forgot to remind my relatives to make sure the mortuary makeup artist applied on my mother’s lips her preferred shade of red. My Nanay didn’t have in her vocabulary of lip colors what women these days call ‘nude.’

A

few days before she passed away, she gave instructions on the dress she wanted to wear for her wake and burial. She joked about wearing that same dress on a vacation she’d take to another country, I was told. That was typical Nanay.

Raising all four of us siblings as a single mother, she’d sometimes complain that she could no longer buy herself new underwear. But I suspected she always managed to put away some cash for her lipstick. She had it bright quite often, in different shades of red. Nanay applied lipstick as if to signal she was ready to go to school and face her students.

She was passionate about her career as an educator at the elementary school of what was then named East Visayan School of Arts and Trade in Dumaguete City.

If anyone of you viewing her remains spots the wrong lip color, blame the mortuary makeup artist for not asking family members. Nanay fought hard and we wish to remember her in her cheerful years. I, for one, wish to look back to those years when she had the energy and enthusiasm to paint her lips red.

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My mother, who died this day two years ago, was my best travel partner. She was inquisitive, knowledgeable of history, courageous when it came to new experiences.

S

he was the one who trekked into jungles to find wild growing papaya, hiked through valleys to find the elder in a village to learn their history, hiked across terrain to find semi-precious stones, or had a taxi drive us through a politically tense area prone to violence to find the restaurant that had epic crab. She was an adventurer, a woman of the world, and loved gatherings of people to discuss ideas, art, history, projects all over a nice tea. I made tea cakes in her memory today.

COVER STORY

LOOKING BACK

Former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III 1960-2021

The Aquino family in their Times Street residence in Quezon City. Kris Aquino, the youngest child, was not yet born.

Power is peacefully handed over from Aquino to President Rodrigo Duterte.

With former U.S. president Barack Obama at the 2016 U.S.-Asean meeting in California.

A selfie with the President.

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Obliging the Malacañang Press Corps with a song during 2010 Christmas party.

Reviewing the troops. Photos: RTVM, Malacanang Photo Bureau, Facebook/Noynoy Aquino, YouTube

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Issue 41, July 2021

Dave Bautista

Wrestling star is new action hero

Tsinelas-making workshop

A sharing of personal journeys

Benigno Aquino III 1960 to 2021