Issue 52, June 2022
Maria Ressa N.J. school auditorium named after Nobel laureate Photo by Tim Knox
Bongbong Marcos Landslide victory stuns the world
Tenor Martin Bakari
A Fil-African American voice in opera
Letter from the Editor
‘The world wonders’
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hen the unofficial results of the Philippine elections began streaming through the Internet, the collective reaction of a disbelieving universe was echoed in the 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf when the Americans were fooled by the Japanese into chasing an empty carrier. “Where is Task Force 34,” asked the American commander in Pearl Harbor. “The world wonders.” Indeed, the world wonders: Why would Filipinos -- whose peaceful People Power revolt led Ferdinand Marcos and his family scampering into exile – vote the dictator’s son Ferdinand Jr. making him the 17th president, 36 years after Edsa. The world wonders why the unreconstructed scion of a family known to have amassed anywhere from $5 billion to $10 billion of ill-gotten wealth, plus 3,000 pairs shoes could have won. The reactions have ranged from disbelief to anger to resignation and bitterness from followers of Leni Robredo and global observers of Philippine election. A basic question bubbled to the surface: Can Filipinos ever be mature enough to handle the responsibilities of being a nation? Can our people ever understand the true meaning of justice, accountability and laws that apply to one and all? The results are not encouraging for a proud people that take victory laps around the notion that we are one of the first democracies in Asia.
The Red campaign of Bongbong Marcos. He had an overwhelming lead over Vice President Leni Robredo. Facebook photo How do we look to the world now? As a people, some of us look at elections as an entertainment circus, not a constitutional exercise to choose well-regarded personalities to lead us every six years. We appreciate flash more than the substance, the catchy slogans more than the idea that public office must be taken seriously because it involves the running of a nation’s affairs. We look at candidates based on familiar surnames and gimmicky campaigns, not so much on what they can do, what they stand for and what their values they represent.
We took for granted a democracy that was taken away from us by the Marcos dictatorship, and which a groundswell of us -- led by Cory Aquino, some opposition politicians, the Church, and segments of the military -- fought to take back in 1986. When democracy was ours, we forgot to nurture it and hold it sacred. We voted back the political families and their spouses and rolled out the red carpet for showbiz entertainers and athletes to enter politics even if they had nothing much to offer but their popular appeal. Several decades ago, American journalist James Fallows, pointed out that
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
the Philippines has a “damaged culture.” Specifically, he wrote in The Atlantic: “The tradition of political corruption and cronyism, the extremes of wealth and poverty, the tribal fragmentation, the local elite’s willingness to make a separate profitable peace with colonial powers—all reflect a feeble sense of nationalism and a contempt for the public good.” He was raked over the coals by an outraged elite who slammed his views as those of a privileged, arrogant outsider. Those views stung because it highlighted something uncomfortable; that we ourselves are our own worst enemy and we just rewarded the greediest and most horrid amongst us. All these years later, it would have to be conceded that he is likely correct. This election showed that we disdain the very simple notion of truth. The family of the man assuming the presidency represents our worst instincts. Those traits are vainglory, corruption and a refusal to accept responsibility. But we do not mean to give up on the nation that we love. It just means we have to fight harder. There are still many Filipinos out there who look for the qualities of a decent human being in their leaders, but they were outnumbered by many others who do not. That gives us pause for reflection and a sense of despair. We are facing a struggle that will be generations in the making. Let us roll up our sleeves and begin.
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Faith, folk tradition mark 500 years of Filipino Christianity
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Carrying the cross as a Lenten sacrifice
Santacruzan procession in honor of the Virgin Mary
ollowing a year-long jubilee, hundreds of Filipino Catholics from throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties filled Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart for the Archdiocese of Newark’s final celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines on May 1. The festivities began with a massive procession that highlighted some of the Philippines’ many faith traditions, including Simbang Gabi and Santacruzan. This procession was meant to embody the pageantry that is a hallmark of Filipino worship. As a result, many of the participants carried intricately designed statues of religious figures, while others dressed in elaborate, vibrantly colored costumes and cultural attire. It all culminated in the observance of Flores de Mayo, a Filipino institution in which numerous people placed flowers on a large effigy of the Virgin Mary. Once the procession concluded, Bishop Michael Saporito blessed those gathered during a joyful Mass. He also delivered an impassioned homily in which he urged everyone to embrace Jesus’ teachings communally rather than succumb to the secularism and “radical individuality” of today’s society. “Faith, family, and community are essential to disciples of Jesus, and I know that the Filipino people know that so incredibly well,” Bishop Saporito said. “It has been 500 years of tradition, faith, and culture. So, together here, let us all… follow Christ with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds.”
Though the Archdiocese’s 500th anniversary celebration is over, local Filipino Catholics will have plenty more opportunities to honor their faith and culture through the recently relaunched archdiocesan Filipino Apostolate. In the coming months, the Apostolate plans to hold a picnic at Liberty State Park, guest speaker presentations, and other faith-based events. Those interested can learn more by visiting the Arch-
diocese of Newark Filipino Apostolate’s Facebook page. The Archdiocese of Newark, under the leadership of Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark, serves approximately 1.3 million Catholics in 212 parishes and 73 schools throughout the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union. The Archdiocese serves the northern New Jersey community.
Costumed dancers with their Sto. Nino figurines Photos by Julio Eduardo Herrera/ Archdiocese of Newark THE FILAM
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COVER STORY
Tenor Martin Bakari: Opera’s Fil-African American voice
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hat a surprise to discover Martin Bakari, a Filipino-African American operatic tenor whose mother was born in Naga City, Camarines Sur and whose father is from Zanzibar, Tanzania. Bakari recently performed as the tenor soloist at Carnegie Hall in the well-attended “Carmina Burana” concert of the Cecilia Chorus of New York. “Praised by Opera News as a ‘vocally charismatic’ performer with a ‘golden tenor,’” says the Carnegie Hall program, “Martin Bakari has recently joined Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera for the title role in ‘Charlie Parker’s Yardbird.’” I was introduced to Martin by Aida Bartolome, founder of the Foundation of Filipino Artists Inc. in New York. I was able to interview him in Seattle where he was rehearsing “The Marriage of Figaro” in preparation for performances with the Seattle Opera. His mother Maria Purificacion General met his father Iddi Bakari at the University of the Philippines Los Baños where she was a scholar studying sociology. His father was also on a scholarship from the United Nations to study agriculture. They fell in love and eventually got married in her hometown, the Bicol city of Naga. Martin's strong-willed and determined mother was not afraid of breaking the conservative rules of Philippine society: marrying an African who is of Muslim faith. They had their first son Umoja (which means "unity" in Swahili), and seven years later the family moved to the United States. Martin was born shortly thereafter in Seattle where his mother’s aunt, Remy, had immigrated. He was named after St. Martin de Porres and was baptized at the Immaculate Conception Church, Seattle’s oldest Catholic church. His younger sister Zyna (which means "beautiful treasure" in Swahili) was born seven years after him. His parents intentionally spaced their children seven years
His Carnegie Hall dressing room. Facebook photo apart to allow them “breathing room.” Martin's maternal family is very musical. His mother, her 10 siblings, his grandparents, and his many cousins have all enjoyed playing the piano or strumming the guitar, and of course singing karaoke. When he was 2 years old, Martin's family moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio
near the home of his maternal grandmother Luz. His father's first job in Ohio was as a dishwasher in a nursing home, and he soon learned what a rewarding and in-demand profession nursing is. He began pursuing his own career as a nurse. After completing his LPN and Registered Nurse studies, he worked in several hospitals and nursing homes and would
Recording Grigory Smirnov’s ‘Dowson Songs’ at Oktaven Audio in New York. Photo by Grigory Smirnov THE FILAM
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eventually become a Director of Nursing before retiring. Martin's mother worked as a preschool teacher when he was a child, and she later went back to school herself to become a Licensed Massage Therapist. Since earning her license, she has continued her studies throughout the world in various healing modalities, including lymph drainage and craniosacral therapy, which she has used to treat hundreds of individuals in her Yellow Springs office. When Martin was 8 years old, his mother brought him to audition for a local children's theater company. He would perform with this group for six consecutive summers. Though it was only intended to be a fun, recreational activity for Martin, these early stage experiences ignited his love for the theater.
Mother’s Day celebration with mom Maria Purificacion General-Bakari. Photo by Wendy Alviar
Martin played trumpet and clarinet in the school band and took piano lessons with a local musician named Karen Gorden. After hearing Martin sing in a high school musical theater production, Gorden encouraged him to take voice lessons and consider auditioning for college voice programs. He took her advice and began taking singing lessons at age 16. Following his college auditions and graduation from high school, he enrolled at Boston University, where he studied voice and music education. He completed both the Bachelor of Music degree and Opera Institute programs. His talent, hard work, positive attitude, and dedication helped him win a scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York for his graduate studies in voice. He earned his Master of Music degree in 2013, gained additional training and experience in various young artist programs, landed an agent, and has since enjoyed a career as a principal operatic tenor. Aside from the above-mentioned opera companies, Martin has performed with the Kennedy Center, Washington
Cast as Don Basilio in Seattle Opera’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. Photo by Philip Newton
HIRING:
National Opera, Dallas Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Cincinnati Opera, Portland Opera, Utah Opera, Virginia Opera, Detroit Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Carolina, and other esteemed music organizations. He has also performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in Marsalis' "Abyssinian Mass.” Internationally, he has appeared at major venues in Dresden, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Bari, and Tel Aviv. In 2018, Martin was a prize winner in the George London Competition. His recording of Grigory Smirnov’s “Dowson Songs” (Naxos) was featured by Opera News as a Critic’s Choice album. To what would he attribute his success in the rarefied world of opera? Martin mentioned his mother’s insistence on following his passion, focus, dedication, and most of all, a sense of gratitude to God for all the things he has been given. To learn more about Martin and keep up with his performances, feel free to visit his website www.martinbakari.com and follow him on Instagram @martinbakari1.
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Leni savors Brooklyn
“S
Martin and his president.
he just wanted photos with greenery.” That’s family friend Martin Romero’s recollection of the day he took Vice President Leni Robredo and her daughters, Aika, Tricia, and Jillian to Brooklyn and Central Park for a photo shoot. It must have been bittersweet. On that day, May 18, her youngest daughter Jillian graduated from NYU with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Economics and Mathematics. Several days earlier, on May 9, she was buried with a landslide margin in the presidential election. “That day, we didn’t talk about politics, just very New York things,” recalled Martin. A multimedia creative in New York and a long-time friend of the Robredo family, Martin said it was secretary of Interior and Local Government Jesse Robredo he first met around 2012. He would meet eldest daughter Aika
The Robredo women find a shaded spot in a park.
Leni finds her greenery. Photos by Martin Romero around that time also. “I was a young government employee in the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office at the time,” he told The FilAm. He was introduced to the rest of the Robredos, including VP Leni, in Batanes in 2018 at a lunch hosted by the Abad political family to celebrate Ivatan artists and the opening of a new gallery. Martin said seeing the Robredo women “happy and hopeful” as they explored the Dumbo neighborhood was the solace he wanted to see after a “distressing” election. The daughters were joyfully teasing their mother how she was in NYC and she was looking for greenery!
Tricia (left) and Jillian “Thank you for roaming with us in Brooklyn and Central Park… and taking the best pictures,” writes Leni on Facebook in a post dedicated to Martin. “You are the best.” – Cristina DC Pastor Roaming in Dumbo THE FILAM
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U.S. reiterates shared vision, history with ASEAN
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ecretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr. led the Philippine Delegation to the two-day ASEAN-U.S. Special Summit which the White House announced was to re-affirm the importance of U.S.-ASEAN cooperation in ensuring security, prosperity, and respect for human rights. President Biden welcomed the leaders of ASEAN for the historic summit held May 12 to 13 in Washington D.C. “A great deal of history of our world in the next 50 years is going to be written in the ASEAN countries, and our relationship with you is the future, in the coming years and decades," Biden told ASEAN leaders. “We're launching a new era in U.S.-ASEAN relations." For her part, Vice President Kamala Harris said that "the United States and ASEAN have shared a vision for this region, and together will guard against threats to international rules and norms." She said the United States would remain in the region for "generations." The White House pledged $150 million to ASEAN in support of initiatives for clean energy and maritime security. A statement from the White House says, the United States has “steadily deepened” its partnership with Southeast Asia, providing over $12.1 billion in development, economic, health, and security assistance to Southeast Asian allies and partners since 2002 and over $1.4 billion in humanitarian assistance, including disaster assistance, emergency food aid, and support to refugees throughout Southeast Asia. It said further that the Biden-Harris Administration’s FY 2023 Budget Request included over $800 million in bilateral assistance for ASEAN partners and over $25 million to “enhance ASE-
AN’s capacity to tackle pressing regional challenges.” “The United States and Southeast Asia also benefit from our far-reaching commercial and trade ties. ASEAN represents the world’s fourth largest market and the United States is ASEAN’s largest source of foreign direct investment, while our two-way trade amounted to over $360 billion in 2020.” The statement made mention of the “special friendship” shared by the U.S. and ASEAN and their combined one billion people. Its people-to-people programs extended to ASEAN countries included the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative’s 155,000 alumni, and the connections forged through nearly 6 million U.S. visas, including student visas, granted to Southeast Asian travelers since 2010. At the end of the summit, the White House has announced over $150 million in initiatives which will mobilize billions more in private financing that will “deepen U.S.-ASEAN relations, strengthen ASEAN centrality, and expand our common capacity to achieve our shared objectives.” Locsin participated in discussions with ASEAN leaders, President Biden, Vice President Harris, members of the U.S. Congress, as well as the U.S. business sector. He reaffirmed Manila’s commitment to collaborate with its neighbors and partners for a “sustainable post-pandemic recovery and lasting peace and security in the region.” The Special Summit in Washington D.C. was the second special summit hosted by the United States since it became ASEAN’s dialogue partner in 1977, making it a momentous occasion celebrating 45 years of ASEAN-U.S. partnership. A 2016 summit hosted by then President Obama was held in California. THE FILAM
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. at far right with President Biden and nine ASEAN heads of states and governments. Photo: White House Instagram
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U.S. senators call Leila de Lima charges ‘politically motivated’: Release her now A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, led by Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Ed Markey, called for the “immediate release” of Senator Leila de Lima who has been in jail for five years following bogus drug charges against her by the government of Rodrigo Duterte.
Former Senator De Lima: ‘Bogus, spurious’ charges
Top, from left: Senators Patrick Leahy, Chris Coons, Marsha Blackburn Bottom: Senators Marco Rubio, Ed Markey and Dick Durbin
T
hey were joined by senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). after two Philippine government witnesses have come forward recanting their statements. “The recent recanting by key witnesses of allegations made against Senator Leila De Lima warrant her immediate release,” said the U.S. senators in their statement dated May 3. “Clearly, the bogus charges against her were, as we suspected all along, politically-motivated and based on false information.” The statement adds, “That she has lost five years in jail due to these spurious charges is a travesty. She should be released immediately and any remaining charges should be dropped without further delay.” Markey from Massachusetts is chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee. Self-confessed drug lord Roland “Kerwin” Espinosa has withdrawn his statements that were used to convict De Lima. Another witness, Rafael Ragos, a former official of the Bureau of Corrections, said he had been “coerced” into testifying against her by a Department of Justice official. De Lima welcomed the U.S. senators' renewed call for her release. She has been in detention since February 24, 2017. "The recent development on my case, along with the unwavering trust and faith in me of prominent leaders and co-justice warriors, further bolsters my determination to fight against the lies and see this battle to end in freedom and vindication," she said in a statement. "After two witnesses recanted their allegations THE FILAM
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against me, it is clearer now that the charges against me are politically motivated, obviously invented by the Duterte machine of lies. I thank U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Ed Markey, Dick Durbin, Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons and Patrick Leahy, for acknowledging the truth and staying consistent in demanding justice for me," she added. De Lima was a constant critic of Duterte’s war on drugs. When she was chairperson of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, she initiated an investigation into supposed death squads within the police and military that carried out executions of suspected drug users. The toll from those killings is said to be anywhere from 7,000 to 30,000 deaths as of 2019, according to human rights organizations. The Department of Justice countered with their own shocking charges that De Lima was running a drug syndicate in prison, allegations she has fiercely denied. In 2019, Rubio and Markey had filed a bipartisan resolution, Senate Resolution No. 142, calling for her immediate release from wrongful imprisonment and invoking Global Magnitsky sanctions against her persecutors. It was supported by Senators Durbin, Blackburn and Coons.
COLONTITLE
Calendar
EVENTS
||Ongoing till June 26
NE x SE: Conversations of Home. Featuring works by Julio Jose Austria, Jeho Bitancor, Mic Boekelmann, Francis Estrada, Eva Marie Solangon, and Maria Stabio Governors Island, Nolan Park 5B
||June 1, 18, 26
NYC Film & Craft Night The direct ticket link can be found at https://lovelerstudios.eventbrite.com
||June 3
Up Close with Nino Alejandro D’Haven 58-02 37th Avenue Woodside, NYC
of Events
||June 11
Picnic in the Park by the FAACNJ Princeton Country Club 1 Wheeler Way Princeton, N.J. RSVP by May 21
||June 12
Florante The Backyard 331 West Side Avenue Jersey City For tickets 347-705-2967
||June 19
Breaking Barriers Tour 2022 with Kitchie Nadal, Aia de Leon & Acel Bisa Van Ommen Hard Rock Boston 22-24 Clinton Street Boston, MA
||August 5
OPM Summer Fest Tour with Gloc9, Rivermaya and Introvoys: Live in Virginia Capital One Hall 7750 Capital One Tower Road Tysons Corner, VA
||July 2 to 3
RJP Sports Festival Sportika New Jersey 150 Woodward Road Manalapan Township, N.J.
||July 6 to 10
43rd PNAA National Convention New York Marriott Marquis For details contact: Philippine Nurses Association of America
||July 16
||June 4
Iconic with Sharon Cuneta and Regine Velasquez Newark Symphony Hall Tickets: 917-991-5524
Pivot to the Future: A Conference Marking 20 Years of Confronting Clergy Sex Abuse Co-sponsored by STTOP, BishopAccountability.org, Road to Recovery, and Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Marriott Boston-Quincy Hotel 1000 Marriott Dr, Quincy MA
||July 16
Piolo Pascual & Sam Milby in Heartthrobs Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center 4915 E. Campus Dr. Alexandria, VA
||June 10
Florante D’Haven 58-02 37th Avenue Woodside, Queens
||July 17
||July 9
Four Kings and a Queen with Marco Sison, Hajji Alejandro, Rey Valera, Nonoy Zuniga and Pops Fernandez Bally’s Casino N.J. 1900 Pacific Avenue Atlantic City, N.J. For inquiries call Amore at 562-832-4959 Tessa 732-492-4170
THE FILAM
Fashion Culture & Cause Leonard’s Palazzo 555 Northern Boulevard Great Neck N.Y. Contact event chair Joyce Aligarbes: 646-515-2611
||August 4 to 7
14th NaFFAA National Empowerment Conference Harrah’s Las Vegas Hotel Nevada
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||August 11 to 13
FANHS National Conference Seattle University
||September 16
12th Annual TOFA Awards: Celebrating the Global Filipino The Town Hall Times Square NYC
BOOKS
‘Storm Across my Cherished Bamboo Bridge’ A novel by Gene del Carmen To order, contact: genepdelcarmen@icloud.com
AAPI museum bill passes House unanimously, now in Senate The House of Representatives passed on April 27 a bill seeking to create a national museum dedicated to preserving the history, culture, and accomplishments of Asian Pacific Americans. The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) and passed unanimously by voice vote, is now with the U.S. Senate. Entitled the “Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture Act,” Meng’s bill would create a commission of eight individuals with various expertise in museum planning or Asian Pacific American history and culture to examine the feasibility of establishing, maintaining, funding and operating such a facility in the nation’s capital, possibly as part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. which is the world’s largest museum and research complex. “For the last seven years, I have worked to push this legislation through Congress, and I am thrilled that it has finally passed out of the House of Representatives,” said Meng, the First Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been pivotal in contributing to the growth and prosperity of our nation since its founding. We have helped make the United States the greatest country in the world, but unfortunately many remain unaware of the crucial role we’ve played throughout our history. It’s time for that to change and creating a national museum would ensure there is a physical space to commemorate and share our story with future generations. “Over my congressional career, we have seen the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened, and I have been proud to stand by my colleagues as we passed legislation to create a National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women’s History Museum. But never before has a bill like this, that seeks to advance the history and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through a national museum, been approved by the House, and I’m honored to champion this effort. Our achievements, history, and experiences are American as everybody else’s, and we must recognize that the narrative of the Asian Pacific American community is woven into our greater American story. I am excited that we are one step closer to this bill becoming law, and one step
Art historian Dr. Florina Capistrano-Baker
New York Rep. Grace Meng is the bill’s principal sponsor. closer to a national museum filled with our Asian Pacific American history being established.” Art historian Dr. Florina Capistrano-Baker said the bill is “timely and perhaps overdue.” She said, “Educating the general public on the important contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who helped shape America will hopefully rectify the widespread misconception that they are not ‘real’ Americans. The U.S. owes much of her success to Asia and the Pacific. The first American millionaires created their wealth, in fact, through trade with Asia in the late 18th century. “Asian Americans and Pacific islanders built important U.S. infrastructure, provided labor and expertise in America’s agricultural enterprises, and fought in numerous American wars. This history should be more widely disseminated in a national museum celebrating their critical contributions, culture, and legacy. Education is the best antidote THE FILAM
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to the ignorance of discrimination,” said Capistrano-Baker who curated the Philippine Gold exhibit at the Asia Society in 2015. Meng’s proposed measure would require the proposed commission to: • Report recommendations for a plan of action; • Develop a fundraising plan; • Obtain an independent review of this fundraising plan; • Report on the availability and cost of acquiring collections for the museum, identify potential locations for the facility in Washington, D.C., and determine its regional impact on other related museums; and • Submit to Congress a legislative plan of action on whether to and how to establish and construct the museum. The legislation would also direct the commission’s recommendations to address whether the museum should be part of the Smithsonian Institution. The commission would have 18 months to complete the full study and its members would be appointed by the House Speaker, Senate Majority Leader, House Minority Leader and Senate Minority Leader. Meng’s legislation passed with 120 co-sponsors including Democrats and Republicans.
‘A million sorries is not enough’ -the daughter of General Fabian Ver
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anna Ver spent her early childhood in a lavish Forbes Park mansion flanked by foreign diplomats’ homes. As the youngest daughter of General Fabian Ver, Ferdinand Marcos’ most trusted ally and loyal military officer and close childhood friend, Wanna was kept under close watch by security guards. When Wanna was forbidden, for safety reasons, from joining her third-grade classmates at a movie theater to watch “Bambi,” Gen. Ver’s soldiers fetched her a baby deer from Baguio. Wanna was not allowed to join a school camping trip either, so the school camped in her garden, in two army tents set up by soldiers. Wanna’s father was Marcos’ armed forces chief of staff and head of the National Intelligence and Security Authority (NISA). Though suspected and later acquitted of the assassination of the anti-Marcos politician Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, he was in command of the armed forces during ‘martial law, when the military was involved in multiple human rights abuses, including torture and forced disappearances. Gen. Ver, often tied up in the presidential palace, redeemed his absences with presents. Wanna loved Wonder Woman; so when Lynda Carter stopped in Manila, Wanna found herself in the star’s hotel room getting an autograph, arranged on her father’s orders. Yet it was not a completely happy life. Dressed in fancy clothes, Wanna was chauffeured daily in a stretch limo from the gate of North Forbes Park to her school in South Forbes. Stopped in traffic while crossing McKinley Road, children her age knocked on her windows, begging for a few centavos. "It was a lot of luxury and a lot of feeling guilty of how much I had and how little everyone else had,” Wanna said. Her yaya (nanny), Tarcella Cerbules, or “Nanay,” as Wanna’s family called
By Wanna Ver, Atmi Pertiwi, Leonardo Taddei, Jody Fish, Adolfo Canales
The triumvirate of Ferdinand Marcos, Imelda Marcos, and Fabian Ver Rep. Sara Jacobs; NaFFAA National Chair Brendan Flores
Wanna Ver (left) with Kapwa Pilipinas co-founders Michelle Söderman, Adela Buhay and Nolasco Buhay in Sweden. Photo: Wanna Ver her, helped the young girl develop a sense of empathy. Nanay was the only staff in Wanna’s home not from Ilocos Norte or Cagayan, the Marcos’ supporters base. “Nanay was from a poor province in Iloilo. She made me understand that many Filipinos didn't have anything, and reminded me to not take my good fortune for granted.”
||Fleeing after the fall
Wanna’s mother, banker Edna Camcam, was Gen. Ver’s long-time companion. After the 1986 “people power” THE FILAM
uprising overthrew the Marcoses, Gen. Ver and his first family fled with them to Hawaii. Edna, Wanna and her sister escaped to Hong Kong, where they were separated, searched and questioned—a traumatic event for the eight-year-old. Once reunited with her father, Wanna asked him why her family kept moving from one country to another. “Better you don’t know,” Gen. Ver replied, “The less you know, the safer you are.” Wanna, now 44, grew up in exile in the U.S. and Europe. She was taught | 14
that the Philippines had needed heavy-handed martial rule to fight poverty and communism, and usher in a golden age. For a good part of her life, she believed that Marcos did many positive things for her country. “People still say, my family included, that Marcos’ iron fist during batas militar saved us from communism. He built bridges, schools, our economy flourished, he put our country on the map”, she said. “After my father’s death, Mrs. Marcos told me that multiple PR firms were hired internationally to tarnish the Marcos name, so, when I saw anti-Marcos news, I wrote it off as foreign propaganda.”
|| Confronting the truth
In 1993, Wanna read “Waltzing with a Dictator,” a book on Marcos by the American investigative journalist Raymond Bonner. The book said that her mother was in fact her father’s mistress and she, an illegitimate child. Wanna, trained to be wary of such accounts and to view them as American propaganda, still wondered “If my family did lie about that, what else might be lies?” The questions remained in Wanna's mind but she was not yet ready to confront them. Over the next two decades, while Wanna tried to separate herself from politics, friends encouraged her to write her memoir. In 2019, Wanna was preparing for the birth of her first child so she sought a doula to assist her delivery. She was assigned a Filipina, Michelle Söderman, an experienced doula from the Philippines who was newly licensed in Sweden. Wanna was her first client, and was unaware Michelle was a “martial law baby.” Michelle said, “I know people who disappeared and never came back.” As Wanna had grown accustomed to using her married name rather than her father’s, Michelle was unaware of her client’s family. But the day before Wanna’s due date,
Michelle got an automated Facebook friend recommendation for a Wanna Ver. Michelle assumed Wanna was a distant relative of the Marcos general. What came to her mind, said Michelle, was “the image of Fabian Ver: the right hand of Satan or the devil, if not the devil himself.” She described feeling fear, anger and confusion. “If Wanna is connected to the devil, am I going to help her?” Michelle decided not to let Wanna in on her discovery. She did her job. When the child was born, Michelle realized: “How would you connect a beautiful child to the doing of an evil person?” Nonetheless, Michelle refused to accept payment, worried that Wanna’s money was tainted and part of the funds stolen by the Marcoses from the Filipino people. She told Wanna she had resolved to ask her first client in Sweden to donate to a nonprofit she supported in the Philippines. The pandemic came, and they lost touch. In 2020, Wanna began writing her memoir, in an effort to reconcile her
Wanna discovered what had been withheld from her about her history by examining different accounts of what she had been taught was a golden age. Wanna Ver images conflicting understanding, and to work out how she would eventually tell her family’s story to her child. Her research revealed opposing martial law narratives but it was viewing Lauren Greenfield’s documentary,
“The Kingmaker” that had the most impact. “Before watching it, the data on human rights violations were names on a page, numbers on a graph”, Wanna explained. “After seeing the interviews
of [human rights victims] Hilda Narciso, Etta Rosales and May Rodriguez, they turned into real people to me. They had been harmed and continue to suffer from the abuses of my father’s regime. It was the human rights survivors that made me finally realize that the Marcos’ Golden Age history was a fabrication.” “The Kingmaker” showed Ferdinand Marcos Jr. being asked whether he should apologize for the abuses of his father’s regime. His response: “What am I to say sorry about?” Wanna thinks differently: “I feel like a million sorries is not enough,” she said. “I needed to learn the truth of what happened so I could tell a different story, to help those without a voice to tell their story... because of the role my father played in their suffering.” This project is the result of an investigation by a team of journalists at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Wanna Ver is part of this collaboration as both a source and co-author for this article. This account is excerpted from the full essay published in Thefilam.net.
N.J. school auditorium named after Nobel awardee Maria Ressa By Maggie Downs
Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Toms River Schools alum, was celebrated on May 23 at Toms River High School North during the dedication of the school’s auditorium being named in her honor. Ressa was a part of Toms River North’s class of 1982 and was honored with a Nobel Peace Prize for her work as an activist and journalist. Ressa is the first Filipino recipient of this prestigious honor.
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mong those who spoke at the event alongside Ressa were President of the Toms River Board of Education Jennifer Howe, Superintendent of Schools Michael Citta, and longtime friend of Ressa, Shelly Bromberg. Hundreds of students from all three high schools were in attendance, as well as friends and family of Ressa and faculty of the school.
Shelly Bromberg, who graduated in ‘82 alongside Ressa, has been a longtime friend of Ressa’s since high school, and was the one who organized Ressa’s return to her Alma Mater originally. Bromberg stated, “Maria’s high school journey started here at North, and here we are, 40 years later. You [Maria] continue to weather the storm as the courageous Mariner that you are.”
Maria Ressa told the audience that she “owes a lot to Toms River”, and reminds not only the students in the auditorium, but everyone there listening, to “aim as high as you can. If you aim for the moon, you’ll land amongst the stars.” A welcome reception preceded the main event, which involved a meetand-greet with Ressa in High School North’s media center. The event itself ended with a student rendition of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the HSN band Grill Cheese, as a tribute to Ressa, who performed the song years earlier when she was a student. This story, which originally appeared in trschools.com, was written by High School North graduate and Monmouth University communications student Maggie Downs.
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Ressa was class president for three years at the Toms River North High School. She belonged to batch 1982 and was voted “most likely to succeed.” Photo: trschools.com
‘Everything everywhere:’ Comedy, action, sci-fi all at once
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By Wendell Gaa
verything Everywhere All At Once” is the most original and clever film I have seen for this year yet, and another “Asiancentric” piece to be proud of. As much as I loved and enjoyed this season’s other exciting blockbuster “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (and Marvel’s darkest movie yet), “Everything Everywhere” brings on a new smart twist to the whole “multiverse” concept. A unique film which remarkably combines elements of martial arts Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang: The laundromat owner who jumps to different action, comedy and science-fiction, its times and realities. story revolves around a Chinese-American woman named Evelyn Wang, a family woman who owns and operates a laundromat business together with her husband Waymond. Life is not quite as ideal as Evelyn wishes it to be as her business is financially struggling and is in the process of being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As if things couldn’t get any worse, Waymond wishes to file for divorce from Evelyn, and her overbearing father Gong Gong (longtime Hollywood veteran actor James Hong) has just arrived from China. Further yet, her rebellious daughter Joy who has come out as a lesbian is attempting to get her mother to accept her girlfriend Becky, whom Evelyn views with disdain. The Wang family. From left, young actress Stephanie Hsu as the daughter Joy, VietnameseOne day when Evelyn and Waymond born actor Ke Huy Quan as the husband Waymond, and Hollywood veteran actor James meet up with IRS inspector Deirdre Hong as the overbearing father Gong Gong. Beaubeirdra (played by Hollywood veteran Jamie Lee Curtis), Waymond’s the bodies, skills, thoughts, memories and what may not be can seem literally personality suddenly transforms of their “parallel universe” counterdizzying and confusing, at least on the when his body is taken over by Alpha parts by accomplishing particular surface. However, if one were to pay Waymond, a version of Waymond from conditions. Alpha Waymond then real close attention, then the pieces another universe called the “Alphavexplains to Evelyn that the multiverse to the puzzle all do come together erse.” Waymond reveals to Evelyn that is being threatened by a mysterious quite logically. And it is this type of a many parallel universes exist since power and being, and that her help storytelling device which I found so every choice made by any individual is needed in order to save the very engaging and innovative with “Everycreates a totally new and different survival and existence of everyone in thing Everywhere.” universe of existence. He further the multiverse. Reality-bending as a science-fiction describes how the people existing in Watching the entire film is a wonnarrative has been addressed before the “Alphaverse” have developed a derful treat, but the plotting here is in such contemporary classics as “The new “multiverse-jumping” technology not always easy to follow, as figuring Matrix” and Christopher Nolan’s which allows people to have access to out which particular “universe” is real “Inception,” but there is something THE FILAM
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Jamie Lee Curtis almost unrecognizable as the IRS inspector. about “Everything Everywhere” which feels so fresh and inventive, and I would dare say to a level in which the notion of multiverse jumping has never really been explored in modern cinema. Adding to the fact that social issues of Asian-American identity with its conflicting concerns of loyalty to family and dedication to personal love and desire are dealt with head on here, this is a film which simply put, is a must-watch for an entire generation. The casting here is incredibly put together. Internationally renowned Malaysian superstar Michelle Yeoh shines brilliantly as protagonist Evelyn, and this is seriously some of the best dramatic work which I’ve seen her do yet as she steadily carries this film. Newcomer Chinese-American actress Stephanie Hsu does a serviceable job as daughter Joy, but the real supporting standout for me is Waymond, played by Vietnamese-born actor Ke Huy Quan, whom I remember so well when he was a child actor in the popular 1980s hits “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “Goonies,” two among many favorite childhood films of mine. Only time will tell on how cinematic history will judge “Everything Everywhere All At Once” in the years to come, but this much I can say. This movie will stand out as one of the most outstanding and imaginative for 2022.
AAPI women account for 20% of those seeking abortions By Sunita Sohrabji
Almost two thirds of women seeking abortions come from communities of color, a data point often overlooked in the conversation around a woman’s right to choose.
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arlier this month, a leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Center appeared on the website Politico. In the draft, Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, stating that the 1973 seminal Roe vs. Wade case was “egregiously wrong from the start,” and “must be overruled.” Twenty-six states currently have “trigger laws,” effectively banning legal abortions once the Supreme Court decision is officially announced. At a May 13 news briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services, panelists noted the impact of the decision on women of color, particularly AAPI women, who account for 20 percent of those seeking abortions. One in four women in the U.S. have had an abortion. “The people that will bear the burden of these laws are people who can't afford to go across state lines, who can't afford to pay whatever it's going to cost for an abortion,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington state. “It is not that abortions are going to go away. But safe and legal abortions will go away, and it will be the people who are most vulnerable who are left,” she said. “Abortion is an issue that happens in every community. There is no community where this is not something that pregnant people are thinking about,” said Jayapal, who herself had an abortion, but did not initially tell her family because of the stigma among Indian Americans. She finally told her mother. “We are talking about millions of people across this country whose lives will quite literally be in danger because an extremist court decided to politicize health care. This will be a literal death sentence for millions of people,” said Jayapal. “When I first read Justice Alito's draft opinion to overturn Roe versus Wade, I was disgusted, appalled, and heartbroken,” said Rep. Judy Chu, D-California, in videotaped remarks. “But I was not shocked because Republicans have been telling
From left: Rep. Judy Chu, AAJC’s John Yang, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal the American people for decades that they plan to overturn this decision.” Chu is the lead sponsor of HR 3755, the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would establish in federal statutes the right to receive abortion care. The law would override any Supreme Court ruling limiting access or banning abortion outright, and
‘Abortion is an issue that happens in every community.’ THE FILAM
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would prohibit any state law that bans abortion. The House passed HR 3755 last September on a vote of 218 to 211. But the Senate did not pass the measure in a vote taken on May 11. “We knew we were facing an uphill battle because even if we could get 50 Democratic votes, this bill is subject to the filibuster, a tool of segregation that lets the minority block the will of the majority,” said Chu, noting that 61 percent of Americans support choice. The Jackson Women’s Health Center, based in Mississippi, is the only facility in the state to provide abortions, noted John Yang, president and executive director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice—AAJC. He added that AAPI access to terminate a pregnancy in the state is thus extremely limited. If Roe versus Wade is overturned, in states such as Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina with huge populations of AAPI residents, women would no longer have access to legal abortions, said Yang. “Their ability to make choices about their bodies and reproductive rights, would be significantly, significantly curtailed,” he said. “As a Chinese American male and as the father of two daughters, this is my responsibility to speak up about this issue. And it is not solely the responsibility of women. It is a responsibility that should be held by all of us as people that believe in civil and human rights,” said Yang. – Ethnic Media Services
COVER STORY
Jesusa Sonora is gone; long live Susan Roces By Joel David
Susan Roces’s recent passing made me realize at first how she could have been a star in Philippine politics as well, as the best First Lady and First Mother we never had. .
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’d voted for her late husband, actor-producer and National Artist Fernando Poe Jr., and later for her daughter, Grace Poe, during the presidential runs where they placed first and second respectively, according to their most ardent supporters (in spite of what official tallies claimed). The studio that launched her, Sampaguita Pictures, had claims to another aspirant on a similar level: Imelda Marcos, who had screentested for them, and whose sudden marriage to the man who would be dictator probably spared them a lot of embarrassment after the couple was deposed by a popular uprising. I went over my files and was surprised to find that I had written her
a letter, though not as a fan. The book I edited, Huwaran/Hulmahan Atbp.: The Film Writings of Johven Velasco, was being launched at the University of the Philippines; Johven was such a Susanian that he requested, if his collection were to be published, that he appear on the cover along with her. His most important scholarly essays were about her films, but he also wrote an admirable account of his fandom, invoking Jacques Lacan, Laura Mulvey, and most intensively Jackie Stacey, in order to explain his identification: “not based on pretending to be something one is not but rather selecting something which establishes a link ... based on a pre-existing part of the spectator’s identity.”
A star ahead of her generation. Photo: GMA News
Susan Roces and Fernando Poe Jr. marry in 1968, cementing their showbiz brand as the ‘King and Queen of Philippine Movies.’
With daughter, Senator Grace Poe. Photo: GMA News THE FILAM
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Roces became a star ahead of the generation that finally allowed women to dominate Philippine film production, relegating men to equal status at best, secondary positions more often. The two top movie figures around her time were FPJ (whom she married) and Joseph Estrada, now footnoted as one more deposed Philippine ex-president, although better remembered for his populist antihero roles and empathetic (earlier) performances. Yet again, when I went over the First Golden Age films that were listed by a research team in a forthcoming all-time canon project for Summit Media, two Swanie films were cited: Armando Garces’s Sino ang Maysala? [Who’s at Fault?] and Tony Cayado’s Mga Ligaw na Bulaklak [The Wild Flowers], both from 1957. The latter, in fact, is also figuring strongly in the short study I’m finalizing on working women (the equivalent of the Korean “hostess movie”) in local cinema.
A 2009 book written by Susanian Johven Velasco and edited by the author. I’m sure Johven would have been able to explain how the best movie stars wind up affecting serious students of popular culture, whether they know it or not. During the
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launch of his book, one reader was an actor he had trained and who was at that time on his way to becoming the biggest independent-to-mainstream crossover star of the moment. Before
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reading his assigned excerpt, Coco Martin remarked how he made sure to impress Johven by playing up his resemblance to Susan Roces. That was how Johven knew that Coco would also make it big: he had a “face that refreshes,” as Susan was once described. The lady born Jesusa Sonora has gone, reminding us how so much preferable it would be to live with as much dignity and productivity as we could leave to posterity. Joel David is a professor of Cultural Studies at Inha University and was founding director of the University of the Philippines Film Institute. He was given the Art Nurturing Prize at the 2016 FACINE International Film Festival in San Francisco and was the 2021 recipient of the Writers Union of the Philippines’ Balagtas Award for Film Criticism. He has written several books on Philippine cinema and maintains a blog at https:// amauteurish.com.
Issue 52, June 2022
Leila de Lima
U.S. senators demand her release
Wanna Ver
General’s daughter offers her apologies
Susan Roces
A star ahead of her generation