Issue 49, March 2022
Sheila Coronel How the Marcos mythmaking began
Photo by Corky Lee
Apollo Quiboloy Wanted by the FBI
Ninotchka Rosca
Writer and activist of influence
Letter from the Editor
Tom Brady: Paying homage to sporting excellence
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t is a little mind-boggling when one writes about the all-time great athletes who dominate their sport like no other. For one, they define an era. That is the case with Bill Russell, who led the Boston Celtics dynasty of the late 1950s and 1960s, winning 11 of 13 NBA titles in his career. Same with Michael Jordan. In baseball, you could place Derek Jeter and the core New York Yankees in that category. All of them had superb supporting casts, but the trio are the centers of their team, simply the leaders of their teams. In the helmeted, fully padded spectacle of American football, the man who defined the game in the first 20 years of the 21st century is Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. They call him Tom. He is acclaimed as the GOAT (Greatest of all time) in this sport. One digression. The New York Jets, whom Brady spent a career torturing in the AFC East division, were seemingly relieved to see him hang it up, initially asking if the retirement was for real. Come to think of it, that goes for every other team in the NFL in that they were happy to see him ride into the sunset. That happens when you light up the league with seven Super Bowl victories, and 10 appearances in that American
Commitment. Passion. A willingness to do what it takes despite the odds. Photo: NBC entertainment extravaganza where the half-time show is just as big as the game itself. One gets the feeling that when his wife, Brazilian super model Gisele Bundchen, whispered to Brady some-
thing along the lines of ‘what else do you have to prove?’, her husband knew the answer even before announcing his retirement. It was time. In assessing the greats, America pays
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
homage to the spirit with which they approached their task and the resolve it takes to pull it off. They do so under a spotlight that is merciless in their intrusion into every aspect of their lives. Nothing exemplifies the outsize influence of Brady than Super Bowl LI, the game against the Atlanta Falcons where the Patriots fell into a deep hole at 28-3 and still roared back to win 34-28 in overtime. The odds were impossible, but somehow, Brady led the team back and won. What we should take from his decision to end his involvement in the game he deeply loves should not just be the records or victories he rang up in football. It is a hackneyed phrase. But character matters. When one pours himself or herself into something and emerges triumphant despite the odds, it requires the willingness to dig deep and never give up. It is the reason why over the years, we loved watching Tom Brady play. We may have taken it for granted that he will always be there. But now that he will no longer grace the game, we can appreciate what he brought to the field. In our community, we value deeply the qualities he showed. Commitment. Passion. A willingness to do what it takes despite the odds. May it be the same as well in our collective, individual lives.
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FBI Wanted: Apollo Quiboloy, Teresita Dandan, Helen Panilag
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he FBI is investigating individuals associated with a church called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and a related charitable organization known as the Children’s Joy Foundation. The agency has issued a warrant poster for KOJC founder Apollo Quiboloy, and two of his trusted officers, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag. In its website, the FBI laid out the alleged criminal violations against the three: Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the founder of a Philippines-based church, is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the United States year-round. Furthermore, it is alleged that females were recruited to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” for Quiboloy and that victims prepared his meals, cleaned his residences, gave him massages and were required to have sex with Quiboloy in what the pastorals called “night duty.” Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest. Teresita Tolibas Dandan is wanted for her alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought members of a Philippines-based church to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the United States year-round. Dandan allegedly played a central role in recruiting female victims, including minor victims, to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals” for church founder Apollo Carreon Quiboloy. The victims allegedly were required to prepare his meals, clean his residences, give him massages and were required to have sex with Quiboloy on a schedule determined by Dandan, Quiboloy, and others in what was referred to as “night duty.” Dandan is the alleged “international administrator” who was one of the top overseers of the church and the bogus charity operations in the United States. Dandan was indicted in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspir-
acy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and promotional money laundering, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for her arrest. Helen Panilag is wanted for her alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members of a Philippines-based church to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the United States year-round. Panilag is the alleged one-time top church administrator in the United States who oversaw the collection of financial THE FILAM
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data from church operations around the globe. Panilag was indicted for conspiracy by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for her arrest. The FBI said it is speaking to current and former members of the KOJC and members of (the) community who are providing information concerning potential criminal activities of this group. “Information developed during this ongoing investigation indicates that there may be victims of labor trafficking in the United States, the Philippines, or elsewhere. We are actively investigating these allegations and will hold accountable anyone victimizing our community members.” The FBI is urging people with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. That number is 1-800-225-5324. When prompted, choose option 4, and then option 3. If you prefer to contact the FBI online, please visit tips. fbi.gov. Tagalog speakers are available. Says the FBI: “We want to help victims. We understand that you may fear retaliation if you speak with law enforcement. We know victims may be afraid, and we understand these fears. But there is hope. We will do everything in our power to protect you. If you remain concerned, you may provide information anonymously.” Meantime, on Facebook, Quiboloy continues to engage with followers who have remained steadfastly supportive. “The person who goes with me becomes better. Evil is gone from him and he fulfills the Will of the Great Father,” he writes on the KOJC Facebook page. A non-fan writes back: “Kung wala kang takot pumunta ka ng U.S.”
COVER STORY
Ninotchka Rosca: Writer and activist of influence The Pulse Asia and the SWS January 2022 Polls for the Philippine elections three months away were devastating to the campaigners of Leni Robredo and exhilarating to the followers of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It showed that Marcos Jr. is almost 30 points ahead of Robredo in the presidential race.
other women were given a small room separated from the men. As the number of women detainees increased, they were transferred to another building, whose windows were covered by burlap sacks. The worst thing was the uncertainty and the utter cruelty of the guards when any one of them was not following their instruction or showing defiance. She detested the situation of Filipinos doing their dastardly acts towards their fellow Filipinos. She remained in jail for six months until three soldiers raped and killed a young woman in a holding cell of another building. Because the girl said she would file a complaint against the rapists, the soldiers poured muriatic acid down her throat. They then Proud Kakampink at a rally for Vice President Leni Robredo. Photo by Edwin Josue claimed that she committed suicide. ecause Marcos Jr. brings Her parents were also persecuted when back the dictatorial martial they tried to investigate and protest the murder law years of his father former President of their daughter. Ninotchka suspects she was Ferdinand Marcos, Ninotchka Rosca’s released as a kind of damage control because of the 1988 novel “State of War” has been ensuing scandal over the girl’s murder, the first but released by Anvil Press with a blurb from Senator soon would not be the last to occur at Camp Crame. Kiko Pangilinan. The U.S. edition, available at For five years, Ninotchka gathered donations for Amazon.com has a different cover without blurbs. the underground resistance while she working in For the Philippine edition, Ninotchka had presciently an investment company, at the same time writing secured Sen. Pangilinan’s comments three years as a journalist. When she was tipped off that she earlier, impressed as she was by the senator’s active was going to be arrested again, and this time, and effective leadership for the lowly Filipino farmers the threat of being executed was more real than and his love for literature. before, Ninotchka decided it was time to go into On September 21, 1972, when President Marcos exile. A friend in the U.S. Embassy got her into declared martial law, Ninotchka herself was picked an international writers’ program in the United up in her home early in the morning of October 10, States, where she has lived ever since. 1972 and jailed at Camp Crame. It is her experience Her name, derived from the 1939 Greta Garbo and knowledge of what happened in Camp Crame movie, made her a writer with a singular monicker. in particular and in the country in general that But in due time, as she became known for her formed the nucleus of her obra maestra “State of writings, she would learn of several baby girls in War” which took her six years to complete. the Philippines named after her. Why did she write “State of War”? In her own A famous line spoken by Greta Garbo as words, “I wrote it because I was homesick. I was Ninotchka, “Don’t make an issue of my womstuck in Hawai'i on my way home at the end of my Illustration of ‘the First lady of Philippine Literature’ by anhood” has followed Ninotchka’s career as a writer's fellowship, but my mother called and said Charlene Sayo. Facebook photo champion of women’s rights. She was a founder I was on the hold-order list at the Manila airport. and first national chair of the largest and only The family found out when my younger sister was longevity of this novel. It must hold certain truths U.S.-Philippines women’s solidarity mass organileaving for Japan and she was mistaken for me; that people find relatable.” zation GABNet. She represented a U.S. women’s they tried to haul her off for interrogation. Also, She was fingerprinted (“Naku, ang lambot ng I felt the need to tell the stories of people I had kamay mo,” a solder shouted), placed in a gym with organization at the 1995 United Nation World Conference on Women in Beijing, China and was known and the oftentimes horrifying experiences 250 politicians, writers, journalists, suspected with Amnesty International at the 1993 UN World they went through. I remain amazed by the leftists, all men and just four women. She and 10
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Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, Austria. There, she drafted the Survivors Statement where the phrase “modern-day slavery” was applied to the trafficking of women. She was press secretary at the International Women’s Tribunal on Japan’s WWII Sex Slavery which convicted Japan’s wartime era for using Comfort Women as an instrument of war. Aside from “State of War,” Ninotchka wrote “Bitter Country and other Stories” (1970), “The Monsoon Collection (1983), short story “Epidemic” (1986), “Endgame: The Fall of Marcos” (1987), “Twice Blessed” (1993 American Book Award), “Jose Maria Sison: At Home in the World - Portrait of a Revolutionary” (2004, co-authored with JoMa Sison), short story “Sugar & Salt” (2006), “Gang of Five” (2004), “Stories of a Bitter Country” (2019). When she got the American Book Award for “Twice Blessed”, she confessed, “The only other person who had received this award before me was Bienvenido Santos – ironically, one of the teachers at my first writing workshop. I was somewhat astonished when I received the plaque. Also, a little embarrassed. The book is about the Philippines and I get an American award. For months, I hid the plaque in a desk drawer. At the time I was writing this novel, there were so many books about the Philippines and the Marcoses already – however, I felt that most missed the experience – the texture, as it were – of being at
‘Behold the next generation.’
the center of the Goth politics of the country.” When asked why she became an activist and a writer, she replied, “I was involved in organizing against the use of UP as a research laboratory for the war in Vietnam. I received a message from an editor that their magazine was interested in doing an article on the topic and would I be willing to share what information we had. To this day, I don't know what made me reply, "Only if I write the piece myself." That was how it started. It seemed like another pre-ordained path.” When Ninotchka learned to read Tagalog at 7 years old, the neighborhood ‘katulong’ (household helps), ‘lavandera’ (washerwoman), and ‘tsuper’ (driver) would ask her to read to them once a week in the afternoon Liwayway magazine and the Tagalog Comics. They would sit in front of her when she read the stories in Liwayway which was an all-text publication. They would stand behind her as she read the comics so they could see the illustrations. It was the equivalent of watching television which was not available at that time in Laguna, Bulacan, Manila – Ninotchka’s maternal clan residences. It could have been the influence of Ninotchka being the writer and activist of influence that she has become, when she enjoyed entertaining her audience with stories of the imagination at such a young age.
Springtime unveiling of Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway
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fter many years, countless meetings, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, I’m proud to share that the Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway will be installed and unveiled this spring,” said Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, who represents Historic Filipinotown on the Los Angeles City Council. “This project has been a labor of love by so many people...This beautiful, historic landmark will be a source of pride for the Filipino community, and will rightfully celebrate this vibrant neighborhood and the incredible contributions Filipino Americans make to the City of Los Angeles.” The gateway, officially called “Talang Gabay - Our Guiding Star,” was commissioned by the City of Los Angeles and has a construction cost of $587,000. It will rise 30 feet high and span 82 feet across the width of Beverly Boulevard, at the eastern entrance into Historic Filipinotown. The project, which features the work of Filipino American artists Eliseo
Eastern entrance Art Silva and Celestino Geronimo, Jr., has numerous design elements, including: the Parol; the Gumamela flower also known as hibiscus, which pays tribute to frontline workers; and the Sarimanok. All are symbols with deep roots in Filipino culture. “The key to building and enhancing the beautiful neighborhood we all know as Historic Filipinotown has always been community. The community has long advocated for more visiTHE FILAM
bility and was committed to bringing the Eastern Gateway to life, and thanks to Councilmember O’Farrell’s leadership and all our community partners, we are almost at the finish line,” said Commissioner Jessica Caloza, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works. The effort to install a landmark at the eastern entrance to Historic Filipinotown has been in the works for nearly two decades, beginning with a community study of Historic Filipinotown improvements commissioned | 5
in March 2003 by then-Councilmember Eric Garcetti. When O’Farrell took office in 2013, he worked with the Filipino American community to continue many improvements that were being advocated for by local stakeholders, including: the restoration of the “Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana” (A Glorious History, A Golden Legacy) mural at Unidad Park, HiFi Highlights, beautification of the HiFi Western Gateway, and to identify funding for the Eastern Gateway. In 2018, through Council motion, O’Farrell committed an initial $152,000 for the Eastern Gateway Project and then identified additional funding that would pave the way for completing this historic landmark. With full funding finally secured, construction began in March 2021. The project has involved many community-based organizations, including longtime legacy non-profits such as the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), and the Filipino American Service Group Inc (FASGI).
Married to a frontliner: No place in health care for unvaxxed RNs
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he beginning of the pandemic was the first time Merck pharmaceutical research executive Joyce Andes-David saw her husband exhibiting some signs of stress. “Definitely burnout,” she said. Her husband Arman, a registered nurse at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, was working long hours, using garbage bags for protection against the coronavirus and witnessing deaths day after day. She saw how he would go to work full of hopeful confidence and come home tired and feeling like it was all for naught. “In his unit of 12 people, he was one of the last three standing,” said Joyce on Makilala TV’s episode ‘Married to a Frontliner.’ “Others took leaves, some decided to retire, they couldn’t handle it. I felt so bad for him.” When the coronavirus began to spread and claim lives in early 2020, there was very little awareness of what it was and why deaths came swiftly. While governments around the world were responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with alarm and growing concern, the families of medical frontliners were living in fear they might unknowingly bring it home and risk the lives of loved ones. “Early in the pandemic, it was a concern,” said Bristol-Myers Squibb pharmaceutical sales representative Rodney Fidellaga, who is married to RN Arlin Fidellaga, an operating room nurse educator for Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. “So much was not understood then. We had to take precautions like making sure she had changed clothes from work before she came home,” he said sharing his family’s experience with The FilAm. Joyce cracked a smile when she recalled the fear in the early days of the pandemic when Arman had to “strip down in the garage” and “go straight to the shower.” “He was not bringing any of those (clothes) inside. We were spraying down his shoes. We kept distance from each other for the first few weeks. He doubled up on his Vitamin C. That’s the only precaution we could take at the time,” she said. The family may have understandably overreacted. They have five children, the youngest being 7 at the time, they need to protect from getting sick. Judith Sanchez, who is married to Mt. Sinai RN Menchu Sanchez, stressed the importance of education in making people understand the need to be vaccinated and to observe masking and social distancing. “Education and being responsible (are important),” he said on the Makilala talk show. “If you
By Cristina DC Pastor
Joyce Andes-David and husband Arman David, RN
Rodney Fidellaga and wife Arlin Fidellaga, RN have a problem, are you just going to think about the problem or are you going to think about the solution?” queried Judith, a hotline manager and technical specialist at Diagnostica Stago medical equipment company. THE FILAM
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Judith Sanchez and wife Menchu de Luna Sanchez, RN Judith, Joyce and Rodney do not take pleasure in seeing people lose their jobs for whatever reason, but argued strongly that unvaccinated nurses and doctor should not continue working in a health care environment. Said Rodney, “Yes, people should lose their jobs if they refuse (to be vaccinated) if they are in healthcare.” He explained, “If you are in the business of caring for people professionally, you have to protect yourself as well as your patients. I understand there may be religious reasons to not want to get vaccinated. That should be very rare if ever as an excuse. The science supports that the vaccines are safe and effective. All other reasons, like political, hearsay, conspiracy etc., are unacceptable.” It is the height of “irresponsibility” to be working in health care and not be vaccinated,” echoed Joyce. “If you’re in the health care field, you should know and believe in science. If you don’t, you are doubting the hard work of your colleagues.” She urged people to take the time to educate themselves and not resist in the belief “the government is forcing it.” People who work in health care should know better, said Judith. “Everybody must be responsible.” As of February 6, 2022, according to the CDC Covid Data Tracker, 212.8 million Americans are “fully vaccinated,” meaning they have received two doses of the vaccine, and 89.8 million received a booster dose.
The last seven weeks By Rowena Cruz
I love this picture of my mother. This was taken in February 1977 as she boarded a Korean Air Lines flight from Manila to San Francisco. She left behind her husband and three young children in the Philippines to build a life for us in this country. She worked hard, saved, and purchased a fourbedroom townhouse in Fremont. We joined her two years later as immigrants.
characters, whose relationships still played out in real life. During the last three weeks of my mother’s life, she became bedridden and received hospice care at home. Every night, my partner, Kalpana, and I watched her favorite game shows and Filipino soap operas while she penned what she called “The Story of My Life” on notebook paper. She had finished a dozen handwritten pages summarizing the various events in her life with some details that I had not previously heard. This past summer, she was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a condition of the heart, where the valve had become too narrow. As a result, her heart worked too hard to pump blood to the other organs. She also suffered from Stage 4 chronic kidney disease. Mama struggled with fatigue and fainting spells when she exerted too much energy. At her age, she did not want to risk surgery to replace the valve, so we knew that her Author’s mother, Jessie Subijano Cruz, departs for the U.S. in 1977. time was limited. e lost my mom a week ago. When I left the Bay Area I am so grateful for having spent the last seven 20 years ago, I embarked on weeks of her life with her. We also spent good a journey of self-discovery. I quality time together for three months this remembered what I had told summer when I worked remotely from her home. my mother one day as an 8-year-old. I came home At times, it felt like I was still “the responsible from school, holding a map of the United States, one” cooking and cleaning for everyone while after correctly naming each state capital of all taking care of a family member, except this time, 50 states. I was giddy. “Mama, Mama,” I told her. it was not my younger sister with special needs, it “I’m going to visit all 50 states one day!” She put was my elderly mother nearing the final stretch of her hand on my head and smiled. her journey. I knew that there was nothing else I As a 16-year-old, I had visited the East Coast would rather do. Work would always be there. My for the first time with my mother and we stayed mother might not. with relatives in New York City. When we walked I had finished typing her written pages and the streets of Manhattan, the bright neon lights given her a printed copy. She returned it to me and the blaring horns of taxi cabs captured my with her corrections. We repeated this exchange imagination. This city vibrated with an energy three times in her last days. Her health took a unlike I had ever experienced. At home, I took on turn for the worse when she gasped for breath the role of “the responsible one” who cooked and in the middle of the night two days before she cleaned for the entire family while taking care of passed. After she read that final copy, she felt my younger autistic sister. Mama and I had a great Mother’s 76th birthday nauseous, struggled to breathe, and shot a glazed time while on vacation. When we returned home look that led to her final demise. to the Bay Area, I told her that I wanted to live in for graduate school. It was the very last state that I Her scribbled writings on lined paper were her New York one day. had not yet visited. Done. And done. parting gift to me, her daughter, a writer. I can now I’m not sure what she ever thought of my bold When I graduated from Columbia University give myself permission to write her story, our story. declarations as a young girl and a teenager. She with a Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction Writing My life today would not even be possible had she never discouraged them. I was 30 years old by the in June 2010, I was not yet ready to be a writer. My never boarded that plane bound for San Francisco time I figured out what I wanted to do for work. personal essays and memoir pieces inspired by my 45 years ago. I wanted to travel the country and meet other family and my Filipino American upbringing in the Rowena Cruz was born in the Philippines, raised in Americans from every corner of the United States. Bay Area, remained in a folder in the hard drive of the San Francisco Bay Area, and lives in New York My career as a customer training instructor in high my Mac and later stored in the Cloud. I went back City. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a BA tech became the engine to the vehicle that drove to work to do what I did best. I traveled. Every in American Studies, and Columbia University with that dream. now and then, I worked on revisions, but at the an MFA in Nonfiction Writing. Her mother, Jessie In the summer of 2005, my mom treated me to a end of the day, I found it too emotionally difficult Subijano Cruz, CPA, passed away on January 11, 10-day cruise to Alaska before I moved to New York to dig deeper into my own material and develop 2022 in Hayward, Calif. She was 78 years old.
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’Drive My Car:’ Another Asian flick gets the Oscars’ attention By Wendell Gaa
Asian cinema has once again been recognized at this year’s Academy Award nominations for Best Picture.
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apan’s “Drive My Car” seems assured of at least bagging the Oscar for Best International Feature Film of 2021, and for good reason. Directed by auteur and Oscar nominee Ryusuke Hamaguchi, this is an excellently crafted introspective film which revolves around the story of theater director/actor Yūsuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) as he oversees rehearsals for a multilingual theatrical production of the classic drama “Uncle Vanya” by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, to be performed to the public in Hiroshima. Gifted with an eye for theatrical talent, Yūsuke and his wife Oto have already experienced tragedy losing their 4-year-old daughter to pneumonia and attempt to find solace in their lives by creating drama screenplays. But matters are further complicated after Yūsuke secretly realizes Oto is having an affair. This is compounded by the fact that a near fatal car crash and glaucoma in one eye, may lead to vision loss unless he takes daily eye drops. Mourning another loss in the family, Yūsuke attempts to act out in the “Uncle Vanya” performance, but his grief overwhelms him, and he is unable to complete the performance. A couple of years pass, and Yūsuke is finally able to somehow move on to accept a two-month residency with a theater program in Hiroshima. While there, he is tasked to direct a multi-lingual theater production of “Uncle Vanya,” which involves actors from the Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea who shall all perform speaking in their own native language. During the audition process he meets an oddly-behaved gentleman who provides Yūsuke a measure of moral and emotional support at a time he desperately needs it the most. The Filipino actor who earns a spot in the play cast is portrayed by none other than stage and film actor Perry Dizon, a native of Mindanao who was born in Misamis Oriental, Mindanao and grew up in Davao de Oro. However small of a supporting role which Dizon has in this film, it was nonetheless fascinating to hear him speak Tagalog in both the rehearsal and performance scenes of the play while the other cast members would speak in their respective languages in Japanese, Mandarin, Korean and even Korean sign language!
A young woman (played by Toko Miura) becomes the chauffeur of a theater director (Hidetoshi Nishijima) after he loses his wife.
Filipino actor Perry Dizon spoke Tagalog in this three-hour film. Photo: IMDB THE FILAM
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The theater company that has employed Yūsuke deems it mandatory that he be accompanied by a driver escort due to his past road accident in relation to his glaucoma. The person assigned to this job is a young woman named Misaki Watari who proves to be capable on the road. The two form a budding friendship learning from each other’s tragic backgrounds how to cope with their unrelenting sorrowful life circumstances. As a film focuses heavily on a driver-passenger relationship, I was honestly initially wary that this movie would follow a similar plotline of two other past Oscar-winning Best Pics “Driving Miss Daisy” and “Green Book,” both films of which have garnered well-deserved criticism for being overly sanitized “racial reconciliation” stories tainted by that infamous “White Savior” trope. What makes “Drive My Car” stand out even so much more in a meaningful way is how it so movingly addresses the theme of finding the inner strength and will to move on in the face of irreversible loss.
The curious case of Peter Dinklage and a rumored Filipino identity that won’t go away By Cristina DC Pastor
Full disclosure here. The two main characters in this little story are not Filipino but one of them was long rumored to be Pinoy until his suicide in 1993: American actor Peter Dinklage of “Game of Thrones” fame; and deceased French actor Hervé Villechaize who played the dapper and diminutive butler in “Fantasy Island.”
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oth gentlemen suffer from a genetic condition called dwarfism where a person has a height of 4’10” or less and some parts of the body, like the limbs, are not fully developed. In the Philippines, we call them “unano,” to mean short people. The term “midget” is now considered politically incorrect. The Little People of America (LPA) support group says the M word is usually associated with “freak shows.” The multi-awarded Dinklage and the Paris-born Villechaize are probably two of the most famous Hollywood actors known to play memorable character roles because of their height. But Villechaize’s acting arc would be short-lived. The “man with the golden gun” (title of a Bond film where he has a prominent role) took his life with a gun in 1993. It’s not one but many issues that may have pushed him to pull the trigger – failed relationships, money, disenchantment with his acting career, a distant mother, just a joyless little person trying to navigate the complicated film industry.
brother, his girlfriend, people who worked with him – said he was 'so proud'…If [being Filipino] was part of his heritage he would have been very proud of that.” Dinklage blames the confusion on Villechaize’s Wikipedia entry. A check with the page does not show that detail anymore. The LPA estimates there could be about 30,000 Americans with dwarfism, and 651,700 in the world. On another tangent, Dinklage finds himself at the center of dwarf people’s ire when he blasted Disney’s remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” “…You’re still making that fucking backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together?” Other dwarf actors said the “Game of Thrones millionaire” does not speak for them. Wonder what Herve would have said.
‘Game of Thrones’ actor Peter Dinklage
||Peter plays Herve When Dinklage was cast to play Villechaize in the 2018 HBO’s “My Dinner with Herve (based on Villechaize’s interview with journalist Danny Tate),” there was social media pushback: Why would Dinklage, an American, be cast as Villechaize when Herve is a Filipino, came the protest seeming to bemoan accusations of “whitewashing.” Not many Filipinos have heard of this. Dinklage set the record straight, albeit sounding annoyed that this bit of misleading trivia has been circulating and is still being repeated. He said in a 2018 interview: “Hervé wasn't Filipino... I've met his brother and other members of his family. He was French, and of German and English descent. So, it's strange these people are saying he's Filipino… Everybody I met – his
Herve Villechaize playing Tattoo in ‘Fantasy Island,’ Peter Dinklage as Herve THE FILAM
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The legend of Ferdinand Marcos began a hundred years ago: journalist Sheila Coronel
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nvestigative journalist Sheila Coronel delivered a cogent and well-chronicled presentation about Ferdinand Marcos, the former Philippine president and rapacious dictator and father of now presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos Jr. In Coronel’s lecture – organized by the Adrian E. Cristobal Lecture Series and the Unyon ng Mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas – she reflected on the rise of Ferdinand Marcos and how his acquittal for the 1935 Nalundasan murder may have foreshadowed what was to come. We didn’t call it impunity at the time. Her narrative was told alongside the story of her own family and how her father ended up becoming Ferdinand’s lawyer. The Coronels (Ilocos Sur) and the Marcoses (Ilocos Norte) are both Ilocano families. While appealing his murder case, Ferdinand graduated valedictorian of his class, studied for the bar, and topped the exam. The Supreme Court justice who argued his case was in awe, saw a brilliant man who could become an asset to the country. At the tender age of 18, said Coronel, Ferdinand learned lessons on chicanery and political murder. Excerpts from Coronel’s lecture below: I was a martial law baby. My generation grew up watching the unending spectacle of Ferdinand and Imelda. Remember this was the 20th century long before YouTube and Netflix. There were only five TV channels and three newspapers, all owned by Marcos cronies. We didn’t call it fake news then but it was vintage 1970s propaganda. Obvious and crude. I was in first grade when Marcos was first elected president. I studied across the street from Malacañang in a school for girls run by the Sisters of the Holy Ghost. I remember that in the 1960s the streets around the presidential mansion filled with traffic and commerce. On Thursdays hundreds flocked to the church nearby to pray to St. Jude, patron saint of hopeless causes. I was barely in my teens when martial law was declared. Suddenly, the streets were silent. The palace gates were shuttered. Barbed wire barricades kept people away. The neighborhood, the entire country was hushed. Marcos was still president when I finished high school. He continued to issue decrees from his barricaded palace when I went up to college, graduated and got my first job. My generation had reached adulthood with no memory of any other president. Most of us didn’t know that while we were growing up thousands of dissenters had been tortured, killed or jailed, that in faraway villages the army had been let loose to pillage, rape and murder. That the Marcoses were stealing our money and squirreling it in Swiss banks and Manhattan real estate. We didn’t read any of that in the news. Instead,
Coronel speaking before the Adrian E. Cristobal Lecture Series, which was co-sponsored by the Unyon ng Mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas.
The Marcoses saw themselves as royalty, and Imee was being matched with Prince Charles.
Mariano Marcos with wife Josefa and children Pacifico, Elizabeth and Ferdinand. we were entertained. Mohamad Ali beat Joe Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila. We had beauty pageants, the Bolshoi ballet, Van Cliburn, international film festivals. We watched the Marcos party with Brooke Shields and Cristina Ford. George Hamilton twirled Imelda to the tune of “I love the nightlife,” while Gina Lollobrigida photographed Ferdinand. Imee was being matched with Prince Charles. The Marcoses behaved like royalty so we were not surprised that in yet when another Marcos inaugural, the choir sang ‘and he shall reign forever and ever.’ Marcos was the messiah. How did we think we can get rid of him so easily? The truth is that the Marcos mythmaking began long THE FILAM
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before I was born. Not in my generation not even my parents’ generation. It began with my grandparents’ generation. Today we blame social media disinformation and the textbooks that glorify Marcos and martial law, but the lies, evasions, elisions, exaggerations were sowed almost 100 years ago. If they are difficult to weed out now, it is because they are so deeply rooted. My grandfather Juan B. Coronel was born in 1909. He was a school teacher in Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur. So is my grandmother Victorina Pimentel. Marcoses parents’ Mariano and Josefa were more than 10 years older than my lolo and my lola. And they too were school teachers. They were among the first generation of Filipinos to be educated in English in the public school system set up by the American colonial regime. Mariano eventually gave up teaching, took up law and went into politics. In 1935, along with his friend and ally Gregorio Aglipay, he ran in the first-ever election of the Philippine Commonwealth. Aglipay ran for president against Manuel Quezon, Marcos as representative of Ilocos Norte in the National Assembly. Both of them lost, Marcos to his longtime rival Julio Nalundasan.
Not long after the results were announced, Nalundasan’s triumphant followers paraded around town in cars and trucks. One of them carried coffins with Aglipay’s and Marcos’s names on them. The revelers lingered in front of the Marcos home in Batac and shouted “Marcos is dead.” For the Marcoses, this was, in the words of the Supreme Court, both provocative and humiliating. We all know what happened next. The following night Nalundasan was shot and killed. The principal suspect: Ferdinand Marcos. Champion shooter of the ROTC rifle team. He had then just turned 18. A court in Laoag tried and found him guilty but he made an impassioned plea to be allowed to continue his law studies while in jail. Ferdinand was bad-ass. Here was the valedictorian of his class acting as his own lawyer and appealing the ruling while studying the bar. He topped the 1939 bar exams, wrote an 830-page brief to the Supreme Court and argued his case in an all-white sharkskin suit. He was acquitted and saved from the death penalty. By 1940, the wide publicity given the case had made him a legend. If you were Ilocano like my grandparents, from a part of the country that was hardscrabble poor, its people living on land wedged between mountain and sea, famous for their frugality and work ethic and who value family and honor, you would be cheering for him too. Up to now we don’t know who killed Nalundasan.
The Marcos family on the day of Ferdinand’s 1969 inaugural. From left, Bongbong, Ferdinand, Imelda, Imee, and Irene. Photo: Malacanang Palace Archives
We do know that Jose P. Laurel, the Supreme Court justice who wrote the decision, was Marcos’s law professor at UP. It was he who convinced the high court to reverse the conviction by arguing NOT that Marcos was innocent but the country needed brilliant people like him. The justice’s son Jose III was Marcos’s classmate since high school and his
Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity mate. It was he who drove Ferdinand to Malacañang so President Quezon no less could congratulate him on his acquittal. Jose Jr., Justice’s Jose’s son would tell me all of this when I interviewed him many years later. Like so many other politicians of that era he likes to tell the Marcos-Nalundasan story. It was legend.
Daughter of a veteran named SBA administrator for IL region President Biden on January 27 announced the appointment of Geraldine ‘Geri’ Sanchez Aglipay as Small Business Administration (SBA) regional administrator for Region 5.
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s Region 5 administrator, she will oversee SBA programs, offices, and operations in the Great Lakes region, serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Aglipay is a second-generation American and a daughter of a veteran. She has over 20 years of experience in workforce, entrepreneurship, and economic development and is passionate about strengthening collaborative innovation across sectors and industries to create more equitable paths to financial security for small business owners and the self-employed, especially to create a level playing field for socially and economically disadvantaged communities. Prior to the SBA, she served as director of the Midwest Region and National Manager of Women’s Entrepreneurship for Small Business Majority, where she expanded and directed the organization’s strategic education programs, policy, research, and financial development efforts in the
Geri Aglipay: A champion for AAPI small businesses.
Midwest and oversaw women’s entrepreneurship nationwide to address disparities. She worked with the Asian Health Coalition and GetCoveredIllinois.gov to help roll out the Affordable Care Act in underserved areas. She is a graduate of B.S. Communications, Health Sciences from Bradley University. THE FILAM
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Aglipay is a member of KAYA 2012 National Leadership Team, Filipinos for Obama; and Asian Americans for Obama, IL. She served on the Biden-Harris Economic Policy Committee and working groups. She is known to champion Asian American small businesses across the U.S. In a message celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, she said: "As engines of neighborhood commerce, economic activity, and job creation across the United States and in Illinois, AAPI small businesses must be included in the conversation addressing the racial inequities that are holding us back. For this reason and more, we must support them this month and all year round, and I am proud to join the state of Illinois in shining a light on the challenges and opportunities facing this community." A White House statement says Biden’s latest round of appointees (which includes Aglipay) will be critical to the “President’s efforts to rebuild communities most impacted by the pandemic, the economic recovery, and climate change. They bring deep expertise in their issue areas as well as critical relationships with federal, state, tribal, and local leaders. And, consistent with the President’s commitment to building an administration that looks like America, these regional appointees represent the diversity of America and the communities they serve.”
Calendar EVENTS
||Ongoing until May 8
Carlos Villa: Worlds in Collision The Newark Museum of Art/Special Exhibition Gallery 49 Washington Street, Newark, N.J.
of Events
||March 25
Pinoy Rak Fest D’ Haven 58-02 37th Avenue Woodside NYC Contact JCNYC 718-286-9179
||March 26
Boston Pinoys March Madness Starland Sports Complex 637 Washington Street Hanover, MA Contact Ronnie Ocampo: 516-582-7309
MUSIC
‘Love you a lifetime’ by Elaine Ficarra Listen now on Spotify, Apple Music, and more
1000 Boardwalk Atlantic City, N.J. For tickets contact: Mel & Ogie Mendoza 917-613-4139
||April 20
||March 6
Lea Salonga: Dream Again Tour Town Hall 123 West 43rd NYC
Pink Caravan of Hope for LeniKiko 2022 Veterans Memorial Park Bergenfield, N.J. Contact for details: 512-963-3635
||March 19
The Queens Project Band with Michael ‘Mitoy’ Yonting D’ Haven 58-02 37th Avenue Woodside NYC
||July 2 to 3 ||April 9
Timeless Seasons: Nonoy Zuniga & Lani Misalucha (with Jed Madela & Louie Reyes) Bally’s Casino 1900 Pacific Avenue Atlantic City, N.J. For tickets: Tessa Guanzon 732-492-4170
||April 15
Jo Koy: Funny is Funny World Tour UBS Arena Belmont Park, Long Island N.Y.
||April 16
Threelogy: Live in Atlantic City (with Erik Santos, Morisette & Christian Bautista) Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
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RJP Sports Festival Sportika New Jersey 150 Woodward Road Manalapan Township, N.J.
||July 7 to 10
43rd PNAA National Convention New York Marriott Marquis For details contact: Philippine Nurses Association of America
||August 11 to 13
FANHS National Conference Seattle University
||August 18 to 20
Convergence: Technology. Convenience. Sustainability (hosted by Filipino Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest) Seattle Westin Hotel
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Sing, Dance, Act & Perform With International Teaching Artist Miguel Braganza II Enroll now online For inquiries: 813-405-5713 or Miguel. braganza8@yahoo.com
BOOKS
‘Storm Across my Cherished Bamboo Bridge’ A novel by Gene del Carmen To order, contact: genepdelcarmen@icloud.com
Asian women on how to move beyond hate attacks
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By Jenny Manrique
sian American women are experiencing a fresh wave of violent, hate-related attacks. According to the web portal Stop AAPI Hate, since March 2020, there have been over 10,000 attacks, 16 percent of which have been physically violent. Elders were the targets in the majority of incidents. A poll commissioned by The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum found that 70 percent of AAPI women voters experienced some sort of racialized harassment or discrimination between June 2019 and January 2021. Panelists convened by Ethnic Media Services on Feb. 25 discussed the significant happenings in the history of the United States that created an unsafe environment for AAPI’s, long before the pandemic, and how communities have responded to keep their people safe.
||Sung Yeon Choimorrow
Executive Director National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
“As Asian American women, many of us felt this living in the United States long before COVID… we are targeted both for our race and our gender. “The first Chinese immigrant woman in the United States was brought over by a New York businessman who put her on display so that Americans could watch her eat, look at her small feet, look at her skin color or hair, and the way she talked. From the get-go of the Asian immigrant women’s experience, we were seen as entertainment or an experience to be consumed. “Asian women are also depicted as submissive, and terms such as ‘geisha girl,’ ‘china doll’ and ‘lotus blossom’ are not favorable terms, but rather a way to hypersexualize Asian women that makes them easy targets for sexual and other forms of harassment.”
furious and frustrated over the attacks and killings of eight innocent people and six Asian women. “In Georgia, the first generation of Korean Americans formed the Atlanta Korean American Committee Against Asian hate on March 17… The committee created a space where black, brown, and other people of color gather to heal and support each other. “During the 2021 elections AAPI’s made a tremendous effort to elect representatives who pushed the country in solidarity to stop hate crimes and to achieve inclusion and racial equity… Georgia AAPI is making a historical record having 12 progressive Asian American candidates, including young candidates in their 20s to represent all Americans.”
||Sasanna Yee
Inspirational speaker and yoga teacher whose grandmother was fatally attacked at a San Francisco Park in 2019
Top row: Marita Etcubañez of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC; Michelle Kang of Atlanta Korean American Committee Against Asian Hate Second row: Sung Yeon Choimorrow of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum; Sasanna Yee, San Francisco-based mindful movement instructor and community wellness activist.
||Marita Etcubañez
Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives Asian Americans Advancing Justice
“In terms of education and awareness, we now have more voices speaking out to help people understand the harm that racist rhetoric have on our communities…Since launching our joint bystander intervention trainings in the spring of 2020 (with Hollaback Stop Harassment), AAAJ affiliates in Illinois, California and DC, have trained about 150,000 people. “We marked a victory in May, with passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, a federal bill that requires the Justice Department to formulate guidance for THE FILAM
law enforcement agencies and others on creating online reporting systems for hate crimes and hate incidents. “We need greater investment in our community, including in social services, improving education, so that we can better create the conditions where people not only feel safe, but are able to thrive.”
||Michelle Kang
General Secretary Atlanta Korean Committee against Asian Hate
“AAPI’s have become louder during the pandemic in response to the rise of Asian hate, especially after the March 16 Atlanta shooting massacre. We were | 13
“My grandmother immigrated here in the late 80s. She was unfortunately physically attacked across the street from her home when she went for a walk in the park in the neighborhood that I grew up in and I still live in. It’s called Visitacion Valley. “The young man that hurt her was 17 years old at the time… My grandmother’s brain was bashed, she fell on her face with her broken ribs. She was in very bad condition… What happened to this young man that caused him to do such a thing? He must be in so much pain. I know because when I’m in pain, I also hurt people. “Black Lives Matter was such a powerful rallying slogan. What is it for Asians? My team and I came up with “Asians belong”. This phrase is affirming. This phrase acknowledges that we have been seen as perpetual foreigners but no longer. We are reclaiming our stories and our voice.” – Ethnic Media Services
2 films win praise, awards at Sundance filmfest In a historic first for the Philippine film industry, two Filipino films received praise and won awards at the recently concluded 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the United States. Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank Ferrer congratulated the filmmakers behind “Leonor Will Never Die” and “The Headhunter’s Daughter”, as well as the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), “for representing the best of the Philippines at the largest independent film festival in America.” Feature film “Leonor Will Never Die” became the first Filipino recipient of the Sundance Special Jury Award for Innovative Spirit. This comedy-drama movie follows the story of a retired Filipina filmmaker who became an action hero of her own unfinished screenplay. Jury member La Frances Hui said, “Switching in-between genres, this film within a film follows an ailing screenwriter who enters her unfinished screenplay of a gangster film to experience and edit her own creation. Constantly shifting in tone, the film is a playful display of the love of cinema. Its innovative and risk-taking spirit is especially commendable.” “Leonor Will Never Die” competed against nine other film entries from around the globe under the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic
‘The Headhunter’s Daughter’
‘Leonor Will Never Die’
Category. According to the FDCP, the country’s last participation in the World Cinema Dramatic section was in 2006, with Auraeus Solito’s “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros). Meanwhile, “The Headhunter’s Daughter” became the first Filipino film to bring home the Sundance Short Film Grand Jury Prize. In the movie, an aspiring country singer traverses the harrowing roads of the Cordilleran highlands with her trusty brown horse to try her luck in the city.
Jury member Blackhorse Lowe said, “We were entranced by this poetic and dream-like film, which follows its character’s intimate journey with gorgeous cinematography and direction and acting, capturing a unique sense of place.” “The Headhunter’s Daughter” is the second participating Filipino short film entry in Sundance history, following Sonny Calvento’s “Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss” in 2021. For this year, “The Headhunter’s Daughter” joined 98 other movies in the Sundance Short Films Program.
An honor society nurse named Marvellous
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arvellous Undag, LPN of Worcester, Massachusetts will be inducted into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) at a ceremony to be held in the Spring. Undag, who comes from San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, is a student of Bay Path Practical Nursing Academy in Charlton. The honor society “celebrates the accomplishments of career and technical education students empowering them to know the value and impact of their career paths,” said Gretheline Bolandrina, academy director at Bay Path. It will mark the 7th annual induction ceremony for the academy. Since 2016, Undag has been a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Blaire House Long Term Care Facility of Worcester. As a CNA, he has more than five years of experience working in long-term care and focused on dementia care. He is certified in Dementia Care, completed a course on domestic violence, and is Mental Health First Aid-certified. He is a member of the UNICEF Club, helping raise funds and spread awareness for children’s advocacy.
Marvellous Camiso Undag of San Carlos City He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy degree from Davao Doctor’s College in the Philippines. He believes empathy is one of the most essential attributes of a nurse. THE FILAM
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“Competence can be drilled into muscle memory and knowledge can be obtained from books, but that sparkle of warmth and concern is a differentiating quality felt by patients under your care,” he said in a statement. He cared for his grandparents in the final years of their lives. “It was such a privilege, and I did my best to make them feel both comfortable and loved.” He believes he can extend the kind of attentive service to his patients as well. Undag stated why he wants to be a nurse. “I’ve always found meaning in helping other people, especially the vulnerable and the sick. Being there for patients during the most difficult time in their lives, and knowing that I am truly making a difference, that’s the most rewarding vocation.” “Making it through nursing school is an achievement, being inducted into the NTHS is another feather in their cap,” said Bolandrina, who has been organizing the induction ceremony for the last six years. Eligibility for induction into the NTHS is based on a minimum 3.0-grade point average, faculty recommendation, character, leadership, and involvement in extracurricular activities.
56 overseas Filipinos receive presidential awards; 5 from N.Y.
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utstanding Filipino individuals and organizations abroad are being honored with Presidential Awards for “dedicat(ing) their work in the service of Filipinos” and “excelling in their field of work or profession.” The 2021 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO) will go to 56 Filipinos in 20 countries and territories. The batch includes three individuals from New York and two From left, Roxanne Racquel Cajigas, Laura Garcia, Lord Leomer Pomperada organizations. - Science teacher Roxanne Racquel Cajigas from the NYC Department of Education. She has received several ‘outstanding teacher’ recognitions from FilAm organizations. (Linkapil Award) - Kayumanggi Chorale, Inc., a not-for-profit choir group whose repertoire includes Filipino songs of pride, heroism, and unity, and songs of worship. (Linkapil Award) -Nurse educator Laura Garcia who has served two-terms as State Chairperson of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations. She completed her D.N.P. at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is currently Associate Professor of Nursing at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, and a clinical instructor at NYU. (Pamana ng Pilipino Award) -Lord Leomer Pomperada who has served as president of the World Philippine-American Friendship Community, Inc. Instagram photo Youth Alliance WYA for six years. He has traveled and lectured in over 60 countries. (Pamana ng Pilipino Award) -Philippine-American Friendship Community, Inc. or PAFCOM., one of the biggest not-for-profit organizations created 30 years ago to advocate for FilAms in New Jersey and assist the elderly, the handicapped, the youth, the LGBTQ, and families in need in the community. (Banaag Award) Duterte will present the awards but details of the awarding ceremonies will be announced later because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement. The awardees were selected from a Kayumanggi Chorale, Inc. Facebook photo total of 117 nominations received by THE FILAM
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the CFO-PAFIOO Secretariat since it opened the nominations in August 2019. The nominations came from 31 countries and endorsed by 39 Philippine foreign service posts across Asia, North and South America, Europe, and Australia. The PAFIOO has four award categories: “The Linkapil Award is conferred on overseas Filipino individuals and organizations for exceptional or significant contributions to the reconstruction, progress, and development of the Philippines. “The Pamana ng Pilipino Award is conferred on Filipinos overseas, who, in exemplifying the talent and industry of the Filipino, have brought the country honor and recognition through excellence and distinction in the pursuit of their work or profession. “The Banaag Award is conferred on overseas Filipino individuals and organizations for their contributions that have significantly benefitted a sector or advanced the cause of overseas Filipino communities. “The Kaanib ng Bayan Award is conferred on foreign individuals and organizations for their exceptional or significant contributions to Philippine reconstruction, progress, and development that significantly benefitted a sector or community in the Philippines, or for advancing the cause of overseas Filipino communities.”
Coming Out Soon "An inspirational story that will not disappoint the reader. It exudes the pursuit of high principle and purpose, easy to sympathize with. I have read Gene's other books with much interest." Felix Alberto
How OFs can meaningfully participate in elections: Explain why you left the country
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ver the past several decades, the contributions of Overseas Filipinos (OFs) have anchored the Philippine economy and fitted a financial life jacket to many families in the motherland. But why have OFs not been able to translate that economic clout into a political force for good during an election? According to a dated December 2013 report posted on the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) website (cfo.gov.ph), there are an estimated 10.2 million Filipinos residing or working overseas. That number could be anywhere between 11 million and 12 million by current estimates. The monies sent by OFs contribute a steady 10 percent (much more if you factor in money sent through unofficial channels) to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Remittances – the second-largest source of foreign reserves after exports – yielded a record high $33.5 billion in 2019 and despite the pandemic, still reached $31.5 billion in late 2021. Those based in the United States are the runaway top givers sending $12 billion (approximately 40 percent of the total remittances) in 2020.
||Electoral impotence? Every vote counts. An informed vote dictated by one’s conscience counts even more. Yet, the OF’s influence in Philippine elections is completely disproportionate to their economic contributions to the country. The highest overseas Filipino voter turnout occurred during the 2016 elections where 31.45 percent (approximately 432,000 voters) cast their votes. However, this figure comprised less than 1 percent of the total actual voters in the elections. For 2022, Comelec will print over 65.7 million ballots of which 1.7 million (about 2.6 percent) are allocated for OFs. But the latter may have significantly decreased because of the repatriation of over 800,000 OFWs back to the Philippines due to the pandemic. OFs enjoy a 30-day voting period running from April 10 to May 9, 2022. OFs can however participate more than cast a ballot. Many lived through the Martial law years and can “remit” a generous lesson in the real legacy of this dark era in Philippine history. Those who marched along EDSA in February 1986 can “send” a balikbayan box filled to the brim with stories of the People Power revolution that ended a despotic and rapacious regime. Many can ship a freight of valuable wisdom, based on grounded historical perspective and true understanding of the political events that shaped the collective life of
By Andy Bautista
our people. Amidst the incessant social media disinformation campaign, OFs can play a crucial role in disseminating true and accurate information that can influence the 99 percent of the citizenry whose votes will decide the fate of our nation.
||Action plan The OFs can intensify their participation in the 2022 elections using technology. For example, they can make a “Zoomitment” to host regular zoom meetings with relatives, friends, schoolmates, former workmates, etc. who are voters in the Philippines that are still undecided or still persuadable. They should identify people whom they have provided assistance to (e.g., sent a balikbayan box to) as they would be more susceptible to listen to them. 1. During the zoom, listen intently to these voters and learn about the problems they are facing and their concerns for the future. 2. Emphasize the importance of electing the right leaders for our country. Explain the conditions why you left the country to explore greener pastures abroad. The author. Technology and truth-telling, two ways OFs can play a role 3. Help them understand that leaders with a in the elections. proven track record present the best chance of addressing the country’s challenges and future aspirations. 4. Try to get them to help spread the gospel of good governance and convince at least two more individuals in the Philippines. These zoom meetings may be the best way to harness the tremendous influence of OFs that will help turn the tide in the 2022 elections. OFs all over the world should be applauded for their contributions. But they can contribute more than their hard-earned dollars, they can transfer the stronger currency of truth-telling and combat the infodemic of fake news. George Orwell said “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” OFs can be peaceful revolutionaries whose unstinting remittances in truth will steer our nation to an enlightened vote in May 2022. Andy Bautista was chairman of the Commission on Elections from 2015 to 2017. Before that, he was appointed chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government. After graduating with a LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School, Andy worked with prominent international law firms in Atlanta and New York. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1995. He lived in New Jersey and worked in New Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong gather outside a public park York City for several years before relocating to Hong on their day-off. Getty Images Kong. THE FILAM
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COVER STORY
King vs Lorenzo: Who makes the baddest Burrito?
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By Cristina DC Pastor
buddy competition between a home cook and a professional chef played out on the YouTube reality show Epicurious. Kuma Inn Chef King Phojanakong and home cook Lorenzo Beronilla staked their professional reputations on making the Breakfast Burrito – using each other’s ingredients. Needless to say, there was a lot of slicing, mixing, frying, ribbing, and laughing in the kitchen. Here’s the caveat. Each had to assemble his own ingredients – and swap them. Lorenzo’s ingredients cost $13, as he wisecracked King’s expensive budget of $206 for his ingredients is equivalent to his “Spectrum bill.” King’s ingredients included a cut of Kurobuta pork, Maitake mushrooms and banana blossoms. The Kurobuta pork is to make the Longganisa. Lorenzo who enjoyed needling King was shocked that King’s recipe called for Longganisa. “I’m making Longganisa? I buy it in packs,” he wondered laughing. King noted how Lorenzo’s ingredients are “simpler,” using items easily found in a local bodega. “I will use it to the best of my abilities.”
King carefully folding his Burrito
Lorenzo’s Torta
||Help! King’s recipe required making a lot of components from scratch: the Nam Prik Pao or the Thai Salsa, the garlic fried rice, and the Longganisa sausage. He wanted a Burrito full of Filipino and Thai flavors, he said like he was setting the bar high for Lorenzo. Lorenzo, who is unfamiliar with some of King’s ingredients sought the help of food scientist Rosemary Trout. From a video, she explained how to open a banana blossom and what parts of vegetable were to be eaten or to be discarded. “This is frightening,” he said.
The Burrito challenge with Chef King Phojanakong (right) and home cook Lorenzo Beronilla The banana blossom is similar to the banana heart, artichoke or the heart of palm in terms of texture and sweetness, said King who clearly knew his fixins and how they would taste. Home cook Lorenzo was a diligent learner. King, who is also chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, decided to improvise and make his own mayonnaise. “Mayonnaise is an emulsification. Emulsification is when you combine two things that usually don’t go THE FILAM
together,” he said sounding like he was giving a lecture in class. While beating eggs he was adding little bit of vinegar to hasten the emulsification. His mayo was a dark yellow paste; he was pleased with the taste. King showed how patience is required when frying bacon. He threw about five slices in a hot cast iron pan to render out the fat. “Music to my ears,” he said of the sizzle. “You turn it over 25 times.” Lorenzo made some magic of his own | 18
with beautifully cooked garlic fried rice topped with shreds of banana blossoms. His tomato-based Nam Prik Pao which he flavored with shrimp paste and then put through a blender would be great with chips, he said. He was proud of his Torta and how it held together when neatly folded. Both gentlemen made their Tortilla wrapper from scratch. But Lorenzo was unruffled. “If this doesn’t work out, there’s a bodega downstairs,” he joked. King, once more winging it in the
kitchen, deep-fried his Burrito turning it into a Chimichanga. Lorenzo’s Burrito cracked open. They took a bite of each other’s Burritos and were pleased at how bravely they made use of the ingredients even if some were unfamiliar and being tried for the first time. Lorenzo teased King about giving him a hard time and some heart palpitations. Epicurious is a YouTube series featuring food, recipes, chefs, home cooks, and celebrities who cook. Lorenzo Beronilla whose pilot episode garnered 45 million views is one of the show’s regulars and “fan favorites.” His first book “Let’s Do This Folks: Home Cooking with Lorenzo” with easy-to-follow recipes was published in 2021. King Phojanakong opened Kuma Inn on New York’s Lower East Side in 2003, where he’s served Filipino and Southeast Asian food for more than 15 years. Cooking was an influence that came from his Filipino mother and Thai father. He joined the Institute of Culinary Education as a Chef InstrucThe results tor in 2017.
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Issue 49, March 2022
Presidential Awards
Go to 56 overseas Filipinos
Married to a fronliner:
Unvaxxed RNs have no place in health care
King Phojanakong & Lorenzo Beronilla Chef vs. home cook challenge