FILAM Oct2023

Photo by Maricor

The suffocating battle to ending a culture of corruption

There used to be a time when a whiff of scandal was enough to drive an official out of public life.

It was called ‘palabra de honor’ in the Philippines and ‘fuhai’ meaning corruption in Japan. That sense of shame which would prompt an official to step down because honor demands a deep sense of obligation if you did something wrong.

That’s no longer the case. At least not in America, judging from recent circumstances. These days, there is an almost maniacal desire to hang onto a position at all costs.

How else can you explain New York Rep. George Santos, who lied about his career, was charged with more than a dozen counts of fraud and is running for reelection in 2024?

And then you have gold-bar loving New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, who faces bribery accusations involving a foreign government. You’d think after just beating the rap the first time he faced accusations by Federal authorities, he would learn to keep his nose clean. If anything, he doubled down on getting illegally rich.

There is also Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, who has shown particular cluelessness in accepting gifts that are nothing short of bribes -- private resort vacations, VIP sports passes, private jets and super yachts, mother’s rent paid

Founding Editor

Cristina DC Pastor

Managing Editor Rene Pastor

by millionaire friend, etc. -- and refused to even admit that what he has done is plain wrong. Not to mention a wife who was present at the January 6 rally. Decency in public life dictates all three should resign from their offices because of corruption. Instead, all three have dug in, out of seeming love for the power and influence their positions give to them. One can only view with dismay the rockbottom ethical standards that seem to rule these days. All three have shown a cavalier disregard for right conduct. The primary

example for unethical behavior is of course the reported Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election who would not stop until he gets back the power he loved so much.

The brazenness of the corruption is breathtaking. How much uglier will the corruption get before Americans say “enough”?

The debasement of our public life should see a limit, but the extent of darkness in our society will only get progressively worse before we say the limit has been reached.

Contributing Writers

Tricia J. Capistrano

Joel David

Wendell Gaa

Allen Gaborro

Maricar CP Hampton

Ludy AstraquilloOngkeko

Lindy Rosales

Vicky Potenciano-Vitug

From left, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, and New York Representative George Santos

Lady Aileen Orsal: Harvard’s 1st Filipino language preceptor

By Cristina DC Pastor

The first Filipino language preceptor to teach at Harvard University originally aspired to be a journalist. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (major in Journalism) from Cavite State University.

Along the way to getting a higher education, she “fell in love” with the Filipino language program offered by De La Salle University. She is finishing her PhD in “Araling Filipino – Wika, Kultura, Midya” from said university with her research focusing on the cultural inputs in teaching Filipino language in universities in the U.S. She is also a former Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois from August 2018 to May 2019 where she returned to pursue an MA in Communication Studies as a second graduate degree.

One year after Dekalb, the title of “first Filipino language preceptor” for Harvard fell auspiciously on her lap.

She now wants to integrate her background as a communication scholar to teach the Filipino language abroad — a “cultural ambassador for the global community” as she put it.

“I am excited to teach and learn too,” she said when interviewed by The FilAm.

The 32-year-old Aileen — also called Lady by her friends — comes from a “very simple yet happy” family from Amadeo, Cavite which is minutes away from Tagaytay City. Her father is a carpenter and her mother is a stay-at-home parent. She has three older brothers, two of them are twins. She married Raymon Carlo Orsal, a classmate in college, in 2017. He will eventually be joining her in their future home in Boston area as she fulfills her job as a preceptor.

“This is the first time I will be living around Boston area and I am really overwhelmed with the city life,” she said. “I live in sort of rural areas both in Cavite and in Illinois so getting used to busier streets is something I am learning these days. The good thing is the public transportation is reliable and I have been meeting good Filipinos around the area who are very kind and indeed, Filipinos are hospitable everywhere. They are always willing to help their ‘kapwa.’”

Throughout the academic year, Aileen will be teaching five language courses: Two for the introductory level and two for the intermediate level which is basically Part I and Part II for Fall and

Spring, then another Advanced class to be added in Spring.

The “approach” she will be using is a combination of strategies recommended by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) that aims for the 5 Cs — communication, culture, connections, comparison, and communities.

“We are doing a mix of communicative, functional-situational, task-based and other relevant approaches that make language learning more holistic, culturally-relevant, and practical for the learner’s daily tasks,” she said.

Also, she added that she will be leading her students to resources with authentic texts from the Philippines and helping them have Filipino con-

versation buddies. “These are some of my plans to make their learning more sustainable even after the semester is done.”

She is expecting that learners will come from different levels and background.

“I am sure that through partnering with them and the community around them, their communicative competency will be enhanced and their cultural understanding of the Philippines and the global Filipino perspective will be developed,” she said.

“My role in the classroom is to facilitate that learning, support them in becoming the Filipino language learner they aim for at the end of the semester, and to sustain that motivation even beyond the classroom. Basically, my ultimate goal is for them to embrace the Filipino in them, whether they are heritage learners or totally foreign to the language,” Aileen continued.

Aileen submitted her paperwork in mid-April, was interviewed in May, and was given the offer letter in June.

She wasn’t aware how many people applied for the position, but she sensed it was a “healthy competition” among many. Her thinking at the time was, “It is a joy whoever gets it and I cannot believe I was selected.”

She calls herself a ‘cultural ambassador for the global community.’ Courtesy of Lady Aileen Orsal

From Cavite to Cambridge, trying not to be overwhelmed by the city life.

It’s never too late to find love. Just ask these octogenarians

By Rosalie R. Radomsky The New York Times

Maria Teresita Angeles

Asuncion Cruz celebrated her 80th birthday on Sept. 7, the same day she married Dr. Emilio Parpana Quines Jr.

“To wait 80 years, I can’t believe it myself,” Dr. Cruz said. She had never been married before, while Dr. Quines, 83, was a widower. “At first I felt embarrassed — 80?” she said. “Then I thought, People will see you are never too old to find true love.” Dr. Cruz, who goes by Angie, has a doctorate in sociology.

Both of them are from the Philippines: Dr. Cruz is from the central part of the island of Luzon, and Dr. Quines is from Tagudin in the Ilocos Sur province. They are also active in their local Filipino American community — as was Dr. Quines’s first wife, Dr. Felicisima David-Quines, who died in 2019.

Dr. Quines had been in mourning for two years after his wife’s death when his friends persuaded him to start dating. “The way I looked at it was: Go out, have a nice time, have dinner, go home,” said Dr. Quines, who holds the highest rank in the Knights of Rizal, an order of chivalry created by the Philippines to honor the national hero José Rizal. Dr. Quines is now retired and has three children and three grandchildren.

Until 2011, he had practiced family medicine at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Health Center in Wyandanch, N.Y. He has also led medical missions to underserved areas in the Philippines as well as helped build medical and dental clinics — naming them after his parents — in his hometown.

Dr. Quines graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pre-medicine from University of the East in Manila and received a medical degree from University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center College of Medicine in Quezon City, in the Philippines.

“I met Angie on several occasions,” said Dr. Quines, who had initially dated much younger women before noticing Dr. Cruz. He liked that she was from his generation.

Dr. Cruz, who came to New York when she was 27, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in humanities and education from St. Theresa’s College in Manila. She later received a doctorate in sociology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. As the founder and executive director of the Institute for Spirituality in the Workplace, a nonprofit in New York, she has organized and led pilgrimage retreats to several countries including Israel, Palestine, Spain and Italy.

In April 2021, Dr. Cruz went to a mutual friend’s birthday party held in Dr. Quines’s backyard in West Islip, N.Y. When he asked her for a dance, she was surprised. “You’re starting gossip,” Dr. Cruz said. He responded, “Who cares?”

In June, he invited her to his birthday dinner with 10 other friends at Marea, an Italian restaurant near Central Park. A month later, as a birthday gift, she took him out to dinner at Robert, an American restaurant inside the Museum of Arts and Design.

“I ordered a piece of chocolate cake with his name,” said Dr. Cruz, who kept the conversation light as the duo dropped a word here and there in Tagalog. “I wasn’t expecting anything romantic at my age.” The next day, he thanked her over text and asked if she would like to get to know Long Island.

A few weeks later, he took her to Captain Bill’s, a seafood restaurant in Bay Shore, N.Y. “I was starting to feel he was really becoming a friend,” said Dr. Cruz, who had a loft in the Flatiron district in Manhattan.

Dr. Quines counted on that friendship when he asked her to a ball, where he was being honored as one of the “Phenomenal Men” in the Filipino

community by Friends Indeed, a Filipino community organization. The two arrived in formal Filipino attire and were teased by good-natured friends. Elmer Cato — a friend, legal officiant and then the consul general of the Philippines in New York

“I was thinking about it,” Dr. Quines said. “She’s an intelligent, beautiful woman.”

In October, after an event at Carnegie Hall where Dr. Cruz was the honoree for spirituality work, the couple went out to dinner with friends. Later that night, they kissed for the first time.

“We went out on dates and all that stuff,” Dr. Quines said. They were engaged in August 2022. This summer, when Dr. Quines had a knee replacement surgery and Dr. Cruz took care of him in his home, they grew even closer. “I realized I really love him,” Dr. Cruz said.

On Sept. 7, the couple married in front of their close relatives at St. Aedan’s: the St. Peter’s University Church in Jersey City, N.J. The Rev. Rocco C. Danzi, who officiated, led the ceremony and Mass with the Rev. Joseph Costantino. They are both Roman Catholic Jesuit priests. Later, everyone dined at Maddy Rose Restaurant at Liberty House nearby.

On Sept. 10, the bride’s matron of honor and best friend, Loida Nicolas Lewis, hosted a party at her apartment on Fifth Avenue with 50 guests, including Msgr. Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the papal nuncio to the United Nations. Then on Sept. 16, the couple hosted over 100 guests at Dr. Quines’s house.

“It’s kind of funny,” Dr. Quines said after he broke into song during an interview with the opening lines of “Too Young,” performed by Nat King Cole and written by Sidney Lippman and Sylvia Dee. “Love is not my thing. But when it comes, it comes.”

This article was published in the September 22, 2023 issue of The New York Times. Permission to reprint pending.

A year ago, Dr. Emilio Quines Jr. — a widower who is now 83 — became engaged to Angie Cruz, who had never been married before. This month, she turned 80 on their wedding day. Photo by Fernando Mendez/Boyet Loverita

Unauthorized immigrants estimated

Filipinos

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) released on September 13 its newest estimates of the size and top countries of origin of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States, estimating the number at 11.2 million in 2021. That figure is up from 11.0 million in 2019—a larger annual growth rate than seen since 2015.

The estimates derive from MPI’s unique methodology, developed in concert with demographer Jennifer Van Hook at The Pennsylvania State University’s

Top 10 Countries of Origin for Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States, 2021. Migration Policy Institute estimates of the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population are developed in collaboration with Jennifer Van Hook of The Pennsylvania State University’s Population Research Institute by subtracting the number of legal immigrants from the total of all immigrants for each country and region represented in U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) data. The number of legal immigrants is estimated by adding up all legal admissions from each country and region in every year—using U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) administrative data—and then reducing this number to account for deaths and emigration of legal immigrants. Finally, the unauthorized immigrant population estimates are adjusted upward slightly to account for the recognized undercount of this population in the ACS.

Population Research Institute, to assign legal status to foreign-born populations recorded in the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), for which 2021 is the most recent year available.

While the U.S. public might expect an even greater jump in the size of the unauthorized immigrant population, it is important to note that these 2021 data do not capture the record number of border encounters witnessed in 2022 and the high levels seen this year. These mid-2021 estimates also reflect the population during a period when global mobility was still depressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And there is always population change, with people exiting the unauthorized immigrant population due to voluntary or forced departure from the United States, death or, in a narrow set of circumstances, access to legal permanent residence.

MPI’s latest estimates reflect the growing diversification of the U.S. unauthorized population, due both to the decade-long decline in the size of the Mexican unauthorized immigrant population and the widening array of nationalities arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border from within and beyond this hemisphere. The diversification also stems from visa overstays by migrants from around the world.

The Mexican unauthorized immigrant population, which stood at 5.2 million in mid-2021, had fallen about 32 percent from its 7.7 million peak just before the start of the 2008-09 Great Recession. In addition to voluntary and forced return and other factors driving this decrease, it is likely that more Mexican migrants were utilizing lawful pathways to come to the United States, including the H-2A visa for seasonal agricultural work, so fewer were migrating irregularly.

Declines in the Mexican unauthorized immigrant population for this period were offset by increases in irregular arrivals from other countries. The unauthorized immigrant populations from places such as Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and other parts of South America grew between 2019 and 2021, as did populations from the Caribbean and Africa, among others.

Migration Policy Institute

at 11.2 M;

number 309 K or 3%

Unauthorized immigrant population is growing, says MPI study. Photo: Unsplash

Imelda Marcos’s nephew funds Harvard’s new Tagalog language course

By Cristina DC Pastor

The university, through a Harvard spokesman, declined to disclose the donor's identity. The FilAm was informed that Harvard does not discuss the terms or specifics of individual gifts.

A Harvard Asia Center newsletter recently highlighted the “generous gift” that enabled the university to hire Tagalog instructor Lady Aileen Orsal, yet did not name the donor.

But Harvard students and alumni who attended a dinner last April in honor of Imelda’s nephew, Martin Romualdez, a prominent Philippine politician and first cousin of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., say they were clearly told that Romualdez was the donor but were asked by organizers of the dinner that this not be revealed to others.

The dinner was hosted by Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine, a Harvard alumna of Filipino descent and a member of Harvard’s Board of Overseers. Sunshine did not respond to requests for comment for this article. At the dinner, according to guests, James Robson, an official of the Harvard University Asia Center, gave a speech thanking Romualdez.

A Harvard alumnus who was present at the dinner confirmed what transpired during the dinner. About 20 to 30 people attended and some of them were told that Romualdez made a $1 million donation to fund the Filipino language course.

“Yes, the Speaker was the donor,” the alumnus, who declined to be named, told The FilAm. “And we were told not to share this information. I found that very suspicious. If you are doing something without any nefarious intent, then why make it so secretive?”

Martin Romualdez is the Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives.

When asked for comment on the donation, Romualdez's office sent The FilAm a press release from last April that confirmed the dinner gathering but did not comment on the donation. Romualdez had also spoken at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government during the same trip. A Romualdez spokesperson told The FilAm that they had nothing else to add.

“The teaching of Tagalog at Harvard University is a

source of great national pride,” Romualdez said at the dinner, according to his press release.

Martin Romualdez is the youngest son of the late Benjamin “Kokoy” Romualdez, Imelda Marcos’s younger brother. The Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG), established after the ouster of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. in 1986, has recovered assets worth over $3 billion that it claims were illegally obtained by the Marcos family. According to the PCGG, Martin’s father Benjamin was a conduit for Marcos to acquire substantial shares in a major electric company (Meralco) using “sinister strategies and underhanded maneuvers.”

“There are also outstanding civil cases against the Romualdez family related to the family’s assets in banking, mining, Meralco (electricity), and newspaper publishing,” said Ruben Carranza, a New York-based lawyer and a former commissioner of the PCGG.

“There is obviously something wrong if it is true that Harvard accepts donations from families of dictators who are corrupt, whether for teaching Filipino or any other

Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives Martin Romualdez. Facebook photo

Speaker Martin Romualdez and cousin, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Facebook photos

A nephew of Imelda Marcos and the late Philippine dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., has given a “generous gift” to Harvard University to fund its new Tagalog language course, according to sources connected to Harvard University.

Former first lady Imelda Marcos; younger brother Benjamin ‘Kokoy’ Romualdez

course,” Carranza told The FilAm. Martin Romualdez himself has long been considered one of the Philippines’ wealthiest political leaders, according to his own disclosures to the government, with substantial holdings in Philippine media companies. While the Philippine donation to Harvard has caused barely a ripple, with no other news reporting on it so far, a previous donation to another Boston-area university at the height of the Marcos martial law regime was met with public criticism and wide media coverage.

In 1981, the Philippine government tried to donate money – also $1 million – to endow an academic chair at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to be named the Ferdinand E. Marcos Chair for East Asian and Pacific Studies. The pledge for the donation was withdrawn after critical editorials and reporting in U.S. newspapers. As reported in the Harvard Crimson, citing sources at the Fletcher School, “Marcos withdrew the funds because he was dissatisfied with his treatment by both Tufts and the U.S. government.”

UPDATE: After being posted on the Inquirer. Net, this article was deactivated by order of the owners, who are related to House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

Inquirer.net takes down story on Martin Romualdez’s reported funding of Tagalog course in Harvard

By Carmela Fonbuena Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

Did Speaker Martin Romualdez give $1 million (about P56 million) to fund a new Tagalog course at Harvard University?

On Thursday, Inquirer.net, one of the Philippines’ most-read news websites, asked that question in an article based on an exclusive report by The FilAm, an online magazine based in the United States with which it has a content partnership.

The article was up for several hours and getting multiple comments from readers when it was taken down, reportedly on orders from top management. The link to the piece now directs readers to a landing page of reports by Inquirer.net’s US contributors.

A link to a cached version could still be found on Sunday morning. It now renders a 404 error.

It’s the latest in a number of instances of Philippine news sites taking down reports on the country’s powerful politicians and businessmen. The CEO of the Inquirer Group of Companies, Sandy Prieto Romualdez, is married to the Speaker’s brother, Philip.

PCIJ reached out to Inquirer and Inquirer.net on Sunday morning for comment. It has not received a response as of this writing.

The Inquirer was founded in 1985 in the wake of massive protests against the regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, eventually displacing the pro-Marcos Bulletin Today as the country’s number one newspaper. Speaker Romualdez has neither confirmed nor denied the donation, which amounts to around 10% of his declared total net worth. In 2016, the Speaker, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, reported a net worth of P475 million. In 2018, his wife, Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, declared a net worth of around P488 million in her statement of assets. This was the last time the House of Representatives released summaries of its members’ statements of assets.

The FilAm reported the Speaker’s $1-million donation based on information from a well-placed Filipino Harvard alumnus who attended a dinner in April this year at the home of Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine, a wealthy entrepreneur of Filipino descent and a member of the Harvard board of overseers.

“Yes, the Speaker was the donor,” the alumnus, who joined other Filipino alumni and students of Harvard at the dinner, was quoted as telling the U.S.-based online magazine. “And we were told not to share this information. I found that very suspicious. If you are doing something without any nefarious intent, then why make it so secretive?”

Ruben Carranza, former commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), told The FilAm it would be “wrong” for Harvard to accept donations from the family of the late dictator. Romual-

dez is the first cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator. His father, Benjamin “Kokoy” Romualdez, had been tagged by the PCGG as the elder Marcos’ conduit for taking control of the electric company Meralco. A compromise agreement between the Meralco Foundation and the government said that Marcos, through Kokoy Romualdez, used “sinister strategies and underhanded maneuvers” (according to a Rappler report) to acquire the electric company’s shares from the dictator’s rivals, the Lopez family.

There are also cases against the Romualdez family in relation to their assets in mining and in newspaper publishing.

“There is obviously something wrong if it is true that Harvard accepts donations from families of dictators who are corrupt, whether for teaching Filipino or any other course,” said Carranza.

Marcos Jr. won the presidential elections in May 2022. In July of the same year, Romualdez was elected Speaker. Shortly after, a bill was filed seeking to abolish the PCGG, saying the agency has “not produced significant accomplishment [and] has outgrown its usefulness.”

In its 2021 Annual Report, the PCGG reported recovering P175 billion in Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth since it was established in 1986. The fund supported farmers and human rights victims. As of December 2020, about P99.678-billion worth of assets were still under litigation.

Speaker Romualdez was in the United States in April for a series of engagements with his counterparts in the U.S. Congress. He also gave an address to Harvard’s Kennedy School, saying that he hoped to help strengthen

U.S.-Philippine ties. There, he said that Harvard’s Tagalog offering was “a source of national pride."

A Harvard spokesperson told The FilAm that it could not disclose the identity of the donor who made the Tagalog course possible, saying it does not discuss details of individual gifts. (The report may also be read on The FilAm’s website.)

The FilAm also reported that in 1981 the Philippine government tried to donate $1 million to endow an academic chair at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to be named the Ferdinand E. Marcos Chair for East Asian and Pacific Studies.

“Marcos withdrew the funds because he was dissatisfied with his treatment by both Tufts and the U.S. government,” the Harvard Crimson reported, citing sources at the Fletcher School.

Former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., the most vocal critic of the Marcos dictatorship, was a research fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. In his fellowship, taken after his release from prison in 1980, he did research on the history of Philippine democracy.

In 2018, Inquirer.net took down a series of reports on the rape case of actress Pepsi Paloma following a request from then Senate President Vicente Sotto III. The reports tagged the politician in an alleged attempt to whitewash the rape case that accused his colleagues in the entertainment industry — Vic Sotto, Joey De Leon, and Ritchie d’Horsey — of raping Paloma. In a statement after the takedown, Inquirer.net said the articles on the Pepsi Paloma case “are currently under review and are

Speaker Romualdez has neither confirmed nor denied the reported $1 million donation, which amounts to around 10% of his declared total net worth as of 2016.

unavailable at the moment.”

In 2019, the Philippine Star website, philstar.com, also took down a 2002 article on businessman Wilfredo Keng after he informed the newspaper of the “possibility of legal action.” Keng, once one of the country’s richest according to Forbes, was tagged in the article as the prime suspect in the ambush-killing of former Manila Councilor Chika Go. The report was cited in a 2012 Rappler article identifying Keng as the owner of the vehicle used by the late Chief Justice Renato Corona. The Rappler report became the subject of a cyber libel case against Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and researcher Reynaldo Santos.

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Sen. Francis Tolentino also reportedly asked philstar.com to remove a story about his access to rare COVID-19 test kits. His post about his negative test prompted an online uproar because many Filipinos with serious symptoms did not have access to test kits at the time.

Speaker Romualdez himself became a key player in the Philippine broadcasting industry following a joint venture agreement between ABS-CBN and his Prime Media Holdings to produce content for radio and cable television. The Romualdez family also owns the national broadsheet Manila Standard and the Journal Group of Publications (which owns tabloids People’s Journal and People’s Tonight, among other publications).

Computer science major receives Outstanding Achievement award from university

Patrick Emmanuel Sangalang, a computer science major in the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at Cal State LA, hopes to use his passion for computer science to inspire young students to pursue the many career possibilities in the STEM fields.

“Mr. Sangalang’s aptitude for computer science, coupled with his commitment to helping others, makes me certain that he will positively influence the lives of others in the field of technology,” said William A. Covino, president emeritus of Cal State LA, in a nomination letter.

Sangalang is one of 23 students statewide to receive the 2023 California State University Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. The award is given each year to students who demonstrate superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service, and financial need.

“It is very reassuring to know that I am being recognized for my personal, academic, and community service accomplishments, as it lets me know that I am on the right path to achieving my goals,” said Sangalang, a Los Angeles resident.

“At a very early age, my parents have emphasized the importance of academics,” he told The FilAm in an email. “They taught me how school is an essential part in finding success in my future. I took their advice seriously, which paid off as I finished Salutatorian in middle school, 3rd in my graduating class in high school, and Magna Cum Laude at Cal State LA.”

Both his parents were born, raised, and finished their studies in Manila. Around 2010, after his mom earned her Master’s degree in special education, she took Patrick and his younger brother to Texas where she taught for a brief period of time. The whole family moved to Los Angeles in 2013. Sangalang’s maternal grandfather is Puerto Rican who served in the U.S. Marines.

Sangalang was honored on Sept. 12 with the top academic achievement award in the CSU system. He will be awarded $7,000 and named a Michael A. and Debe Lucki Scholar. This past spring, Sangalang graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He is now

working toward a master’s degree in computer science at Cal State LA.

“After graduating from the master’s program, I plan on pursuing [a career in] cybersecurity and getting as much experience and knowledge as possible from that field,” he said. “I eventually would like to build my own company that revolves around that area.”

Since arriving at Cal State LA through the university’s Honors College, Sangalang has excelled by achieving a 3.875 GPA and making the Dean’s List.

Mauricio Castillo, a professor of technology and an undergraduate advisor, described Sangalang as “a quick learner” and “always eager to take on new challenges.”

Sangalang is also committed to serving the community through mentoring youth from middle schools in the surrounding neighborhoods on Los Angeles’ Eastside. He has served as a student mentor for the Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers program at Cal State LA. He assisted the middle schoolers as they learned coding, robotics, 3D printing, and augmented reality.

“Throughout the program, I thought about how this [STEM enrichment program] is a great opportunity that all young students should take advantage of because it exposes them to an entirely new world that is developing at a rapid pace,” he said.

In his free time, he plays sports including basketball, football, and running. “I also like to do volunteer work, watch anime and YouTube videos, and make music,” he said.

Patrick Sangalang is recognized for his personal, academic, and community service accomplishments.

Photo: J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA

Speaker delivered on April 20, 2023 a speech at the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He said the Philippine Congress is committed to build stronger alliance between the Philippines and the U.S. He also said that the military alliance between the two countries is ‘iron-clad’ and the economic relations are ‘robust.’ Photo courtesy of congress.gov.ph

General Manager Eric Bustamante: ‘PNB is like home’

By Maricar CP Hampton

Whe n Eric Bustamante accepted the job of general manager of Philippine National Bank New York branch, he was not quite sure what to expect as he was out of the banking circle for a long time since migrating to the United States in 2012. But PNB has a proud heritage of being the Philippines’s first overseas bank established in 1917. It was hard to say no.

Eric was confident of his experience and the many awards he had garnered as a banker. Maybe, he could apply whatever industry wisdom he had acquired from the private sector to turn things around. He put his Faith on the power of prayers to guide him in this new endeavor.

“I leave everything to God,” Eric told The FilAm in a phone interview. “We cannot do anything without the blessing of our Lord.”

So, in 2018, he left the family-owned EB Tax Consultants, a tax and accounting service business in Brooklyn to become the general manager of PNB New York. He supervises two branches in both Manhattan New York and Queens Extension Office.

Within his first few weeks in the bank, he was faced with trials and challenges that he was not expecting. There was a severe manpower shortage caused by several critical employees’ resignation to move in another industry. Eric found himself doing everything he could to keep PNB functioning against all odds.

“I was helping in operations, customer service and loans of the bank, aside from doing marketing as the general manager” he said. “I had to do everything and make do with whatever manpower resources are left.” It was a herculean task for even the most seasoned banker to hurdle.

Not one to back out of any challenges, Eric confronted the problem head-on. Hiring was top in his priorities. He “handpicked” college students, offered them jobs as well as a flexible schedule that allowed them to work at PNB as well as go to school. After all vacant positions had been filled, he said, “I trained them, motivated them and transformed them into a fighting team with a never say die attitude.” GM Eric instilled in the hearts and minds of his young team his fighting motto that, “In order to win a war, you have to stay together. You don’t win a war by fighting each other.” True enough, at the end of 2018 on Eric’s very first year, PNB New York became the “No. 1 and most profitable overseas branch of PNB worldwide.”

This distinction has been proudly carried on by PNB New York for six consecutive years from 2018 to 2023, a record unmatched by any PNB overseas branch. PNB New York is considered the “Bank of Choice” by the FilAm community on the U.S. East Coast, he said.

| Easy home financing

For years, Eric has overseen the growth of PNB’s Own a Philippine Home Loan (OPHL), a unique home financing program for Filipinos and foreigners looking to own their dream residential homes and investments in the Philippines. OPHL grants borrowers residing and working in the United States to obtain a dollar denominated loan without age requirement, no co-borrower or attorney in fact, spousal consent on best effort basis, no forex rate risk and no remittance charges.

“Own a Philippine Home Loan (OPHL) is wellreceived by our FilAm communities in the United States.” He said the PNB brand remains a trusted name in financial services.

Eric has also launched an innovative way for clients to open an account, whether with PNB New York or PNB Philippines through video authentication. This is his way of bringing PNB closer to the people, wherever they are located in the United States.

Eric Bustamante on the Times Square billboard.

Eric and family: With wife Jedy, daughter Camille Erica, son Charles Jeric, and Camille’s boyfriend Dante (kneeling with family dog Charlie).

Eric is given a private tour of Malacañang.

“I personally do the video call for authentication. Clients just fill up the account opening forms sent via email, then set up a video call for them to sign in my presence via video. After that, client would just send the original documents to PNB New York via mail and we will send them to the respective PNB Philippines branch of their choice,” he explained.

Eric was conferred the PNB Service Excellence Award both in the categories of Customer Service and Extraordinary Leadership. It is the highest accolade given by the home office in Manila to a deserving PNB employee.

| PNB is home

Eric joined the banking industry in the 1990s after graduating from college. He was initially hired as a loans assistant, then loans supervisor at Far East Bank and Trust Company. He later moved to Metrobank as management trainee and quickly climbed the ranks as senior bank manager and cluster sales head. He was a fast-rising star, did not realize in the beginning he had the smarts and the cutthroat streak of a banker. Not just any banker, but one that values a client as his own family and serves them with a heart. For Eric, a happy customer is the best business strategy of all.

PNB, he said, is more than just a bank for Filipino Americans. It is home. It is where Filipinos hang out for “kwentuhan” with fellow Filipinos “because they missed their families in the Philippines.”

“I think that’s our distinct advantage,” he said. “All our employees are Filipinos, so they feel like they’re at home. I have asked some of our clients, some in wheelchair, why are you staying with us in spite of the distance of New York from New Jersey and other states. They say “because I miss my family back home

and coming here at PNB New York feels like home.” While Eric gives enormous credit to his New York team, he also has his family by his side through all his achievements. He has been happily married to his wife Jedy, a registered nurse for half of his life. They live in a well-appointed home in Matawan, New Jersey with their two loving children: Charles Jeric, 26, and Camille Erica 24. Charles is soon to be an

occupational therapist, while Camille is studying to be a physician assistant.

“It’s really family first,” he said. “Anytime I have to choose between family events and important events in the community, I always prioritize my family, and the community understands that.”

Eric is summed up by those who know him as a “model banker” and “devoted family man.”

PNB New York staff joins Independence Day parade on Madison Avenue in June this year. Photos courtesy of Eric Bustamante

At work, the PNB NY team is one close-knit group.

Eric receives the President's Award during PNB's Gabi ng Parangal 2023, the highest award given to a PNB overseas branch.

October 1

Calendar of Events

October 8

Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction

Featuring booths and tables by Broadway shows, theater owners, union guilds, etc.

West 44th and West 45th Streets in midtown Manhattan

October 19

Filipino American Festival by Harvard Square Philippine American Alliance With Harvard Square Business Association

October 8

Hawaiian Night 2023

Da Mikelle Palazzo

69-02 Garfield Avenue Queens NYC

October 7

Bahaghari Filipino Drag Dinner

Hana House

345 Adams St, Brooklyn, NYC

October 15

Parokya ni Edgar Live in New York

Palladium Times Square 1515 Broadway, NYC

Harana: A Concert of Philippine Romantic Songs

Presented by Bakás Pilipinas and Ilustrado, LLC, in celebration of Philippine Heritage Month

The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral

263 Mulberry Street NYC

October 19 to 22

UP Alumni Association in America Grand Reunion & Convention

Hyatt Regency

New Brunswick, N.J

October 21

PACCAL Awards

The Graycliff

122 Moonachie Avenue

Moonachie, N.J.

October 21

Birthday solo concert by Jenn Cuneta

D’Haven 58-02 37th Avenue

Woodside, Queens NYC

October 22

3rd Annual Fall Fest

Teaneck Public Library 840 Teaneck Road

Teaneck N.J.

October 24 to 27

4th Assembly National Association of Filipino Priests-USA

New Jersey & New York

For details: Fr. Juancho de Leon 973-743-8615

October 21

A Smile in Your Heart with Ariel Rivera & Rufa Mae Quinto Breslin PAC Felician University 262 S Main Street Lodi, N.J.

October 28

FACC Runway for a Cure charity gala

Marriott Fairview Park Falls Church, VA

Contact FACC at 571-352-0165 or email cancercare 2022facc@gmail.com if interested to join as one of the models

October 28

Somerstrong 5K run/2 mile walk Health Fair

Duke Island Park 189 Old York Road Bridgewater, N.J.

November 4

2nd Annual Scouts Royale Brotherhood Basketball Tournament

45 Cherry Valley Avenue #1 West Hempstead, N.Y.

Application Requirements

 Accomplished OPHL application form

 Latest 2 years Income Tax Return IRS Form 1040 and W2

 Latest 2 months payslips or Certificate of Employment with compensation and tenure

 Photocopy of 2 valid IDs

 Copy of latest 2 months bank statement (Payroll Account)

 Copy of Contract to Sell or Reservation Agreement

 Copy of Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) or OCT

Got questions? Reach us at PNB New York Branch.

Eric B. Bustamante

General Manager

Tel# 212-790-9616

Emai: bustamanteeb@pnb.com.ph

Bernard B. Paliguin

Officer for Business Development

Tel# 212-790-9646

Email: paliguinbb@pnb.com.ph

or visit our PNB New York branches at:

 Manhattan : 561 Seventh Avenue 2nd floor New York, New York 10018

 Queens : 69-18 Roosevelt Avenue. Woodside New York 11377

Build your dream home in the Philippines while you’re in abroad.

1,477 books banned across U.S. mostly about race: PEN America

By Selen Ozturk

PEN America reports 1,477 individual U.S. book bans during the first half of the 2022-2023 school year — 28% more than the prior six months. Forty percent of books banned from July 2021 to June 2022 had protagonists or prominent secondary characters of color; 21% had titles indicating race issues. Examples of such banned books include “I Am Rosa Parks,” “I Am Martin Luther King, Jr.,” “The Bluest Eye” and “The Hill We Climb.”

Although greater representation is an uphill battle on the legislative front, some states like Illinois — which, in June 2023, became the first to pass a ban on book bans — and California, which passed a similar bill in September — are making historic progress.

“As we work toward more freedom in this nationwide,” said Dr. William Rodick, “We’ll be using our report as a basis to work closely with publishers, teachers and curriculum advocates to make guides for reviewing what kids are reading, understanding the limits of how people, groups, and topics are portrayed in these books, and deciding how to present these books for the fullest understanding of what’s being portrayed.”

Rodick co-wrote with Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall a study of racial representation in U.S. school books by The Education Trust. The study published on September 14 states: Among 300 U.S. grade school books — randomly chosen, evenly across grade levels, from publishers commonly used in English language arts curricula like Scholastic and Penguin Random House — nearly half of the people of color are portrayed negatively.

“An increase of Black characters in children’s books is great,” said Rodick, “but we want to push beyond the count — not just whether they’re portrayed, but how often they’re portrayed in negative ways.”

“We don’t want anyone to remove or censor any books on the basis of their representation, or deem them bad or good; many which are limited are of indispensable value,” he continued. “We want to recognize the value of these limited books by adding more perspectives to them, to engage students with them more deeply. If a book presents a topic in a very problematic way, it’s not about whether the reader should approach it, but how they can approach it best.”

One of the books examined, for instance, is the autobiography “Ruby Bridges Goes to School.” In it, Bridges frames racial segregation as a personal issue, whereby certain white people think they should not befriend Black people.

Per the study, a more complex view of an adjacent topic is presented in the picture book “Nasreen’s Secret School,” set in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. In the story, the eponymous girl’s

parents disappear and the regime forbids her to attend school and leave the house without a male chaperone or burqa. In defiance, Nasreen’s grandmother enrolls her in a secret school, where the girl takes solace in an outlawed world of art and literature at the encouragement of her teacher.

That Ruby Bridges’ personal perspective conveys a more limited representation of educational segregation than Nasreen’s does not mean that it isn’t an invaluable way to learn about it, Rodick emphasized. It does mean, however, that readers would learn more about it if the book were taught with others which present segregation in its social, economic, or legal dimensions, beyond this personal limitation.

In short, representation doesn’t stop at a mirror.

“We engage students not only when they can see themselves come to life on the page, but when they can see others come to life on the page, when they can step into others’ worlds through their experiences,” said Rodick. “A whole understanding of the people who have these experiences, however, you can’t get that through a single story — by anyone.” -- Ethnic Media Services

‘I Am Rosa Parks’ is an example of a banned book.

How are people of color portrayed in books? A question about representation. Photo: Unsplash

Filipina mother, daughter killed by teen’s ex-boyfriend

A teen and her Filipina mother were killed September 14 by the girl’s former boyfriend at their home in the borough of North Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, according to multiple news reports.

Rianna Glass, 16, and her mother, Rosalyn “Rose” Siobal Glass, 39, appeared to have been stabbed to death, caused by “sharp-force trauma.”

Rianna’s former boyfriend John Derwin Bradley, 17, was charged with double homicide and theft. After allegedly committing the crime, he and a companion, a 14-year-old girl, stole the mother’s car, drove too fast and crashed. They survived. A knife with the DNA of Bradley and the two women was found near his body. The relationship between him and the 14-year-old girl is not known.

Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck told reporters Rianna was murdered just hours after she told the suspect she was dating another boy.

An obituary for the women states that Rose Siobal Glass of Catasauqua was born February 24, 1984, in Pangasinan, Philippines. “Rose was known for her love of singing and dancing. She was a member of Grace Christian Fellowship, in Bethlehem.” She worked at iHerb, a supplements company. She is survived by her parents; and siblings, Alexander Siobal and wife, Rebecca, Michael Siobal, Jennyfer Limon and husband, Frank, Melissa Fernandez and husband, Paul, Jonathan Siobal, Jessalyn Siobal, Marlou Siobal, Marilyn Siobal, and Mariano Siobal, Jr; and many extended family and friends.

Her daughter Rianna Lynn “Nanna” Glass of Danielsville was born August 18, 2007, in Fork Polk, L.A. Her father is Terry Lee Glass, Jr. Rianna was in her junior year at Northampton High School. She loved to dance and was active with the 3D Dance Studio in Northampton. She is survived by her stepmother, Amber; sister,

Serenity Kiss; brother, Hunter Glass of Danielsville, PA; grandparents and several extended aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A prayer service will be held on September 23rd at 11:00 a.m. at the Reichel Funeral Home, 326 E. 21st St., Northampton. Family and friends may call Friday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday morning from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the funeral home. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be presented to Grace Christian Fellowship for Rose and to Wolfpack Search and Recovery in memory of Rianna.

Rose Siobal Glass (left) with 16-year-old Rianna. Mother and daughter loved to dance. Photo: reichelfuneralhome.com

Deaths are caused by ‘sharp-force trauma.’

D.C. community serenades veterans with ‘Dahil Sa Iyo’

Before ending “An Evening of Opera and Jazz,” tenor Allan Palacios Chan and soprano Justine Moral sang “Dahil Sa Iyo” (“Because of You”) before an enchanted audience of 50 guests.

They listened for an hour with rapt attention, even as a steady falling rain tried to steal the show.

“We want to dedicate this song to our Filipino World War II Veterans, and thank them for their service and sacrifice,” Allan said. Halfway through their duet, they invited everyone to sing along.

Originally written as a poem by Jose Corazon de Jesus in 1929 and set to music by Constancio de Guzman, the significance of the song was not lost on some in the audience.

“It served as a protest song by Filipino nationalists during the American occupation of the Philippines,” said Sonny Busa, a professor of Philippine and American military history and a board member of FilVetREP. “And since the evening’s theme is to benefit FilVetREP’s campaign to repeal the 1946 Rescission Act, the community singing of “Dahil Sa Iyo” was even more meaningful. We are protesting how America unjustly treated our veterans 77 years ago.”

By then, the rain had stopped. The hearty applause and standing ovation capped a memorable evening of music that filled a private home’s open porch by the woods in Herndon, Virginia. Thunderstorms and a heavy downpour hours earlier did not dampen the spirits of everyone who came.

In his opening remarks before the concert, FilVetREP Chairman Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret) underscored the impact of the Rescission Act on the more than 260,000 Filipino soldiers who served under the American flag.

“It tarnished their honor and brought pain and sorrow upon their lives and their families. We must close this dark chapter in U.S. history and restore the honor and dignity of our heroes who were betrayed by America’s broken promise,” he said.

| Music of the Night

The evening event of September 9, which started with cocktails at 5 o’clock, included renditions of jazz, some opera, and musical theater selections from “The King and I,” “My Fair Lady,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Miss Saigon” and “The Sound of Music.” Allan and Justine alternated in performing vocal solos, with duets in between and at the end. Altogether, they sang 15 songs, including an encore number. They were accompanied by pianist Wei-Han Wu and percussionist TJ Maistros. Both Allan Palacios Chan and Justine Moral are from the Washington, D.C. area. They are accomplished stage performers and widely-hailed musicians. Both have sung the national anthems at FilVetREP events, notably on the Day of Valor at the National World War II Memorial.

FilVetREP’s event coordinator Lida Peterson organized the evening concert to raise funds which will be needed in a national campaign to repeal the Rescission Act. She was assisted by Marie Blanco, Bing Branigin, Sonny & Ceres Busa, Hieu Nguyen, Brittany Peterson and Jon Melegrito.

Tenor Allan Palacios Chan and soprano Justine Moral sing ‘Dahil Sa Iyo’ and Broadway classics. Photos: Jon Melegrito

The fundraising dinner is attended by DC community leaders including Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret), Marie Blanco, Bing & Bill Branigin, Sonny & Ceres Busa, Hieu Nguyen, Brittany Peterson, Ben de Guzman, and Jon Melegrito.

SoCSKSarGen Sisterhood: Mindanao sends its love to the world

By Cristina DC Pastor

Lorelie Pacquiao, the mayor of General Santos City, snubbed the 5th Founding Anniversary of SoCSKSarGen USA, Inc., and the commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the signing ceremony celebrating the Sisterhood relationship between Jersey City and her home city of GenSan. The mayor also failed to come to another momentous sisterhood signing on September 12 between Bergen County and General Santos City.

Bergen County leaders, Philippine Consulate officials and members of the Filipino community were all expected to grace the occasion,

only to be told last-minute that the sister-in-law of Manny Pacquiao would not be coming. No apology was offered, angering some guests

and embarrassing the organizers. “We were so devastated. I felt bad, but we moved on,” said Darlene Dilangalen Borromeo, one of the

liaison organizers, when reached by The FilAm. She pointed out how the event was only the second time that the five-year-old sisterhood is being

New York Assemblymember Steven Raga giving citation to SoCSKSarGen, USA with Darlene Dilangalen Borromeo; Julius Estucado, first vice president; and Rowena Mejia Randman

The women of SoCSKSarGen with Dr. Dely Go, Darlene Dilangalen Borromeo; Fil-Am's Who's Who’s Myrna Gutierrez; Angelica Rose Mejia; Rowena Mejia Randman & Alma Aguja and Mercy Aquino of General Santos City

A historic commemoration of sisterhood mural in Jersey City, with Jersey City's Jose Arango & Migdalia Pagan; Bergen County's Ludi Hughes; Dr. Dely Go; General Santos City's delegation; Knights of Rizal Jersey City chapter; SoCSKSarGen members and friends. Photos by Rolan Gutierrez; Facebook

celebrated, because of the COVID pandemic that lingered for three years.

Julius Veneracion Estucado, the outgoing VP of SoCSKSarGen USA and a constituent of Bergen County enthused, “I gave my wholehearted support to the cooperation between Bergen County and General Santos. This is a historic event and a winwin for both great communities. I am a proud Bergen County resident and equally proud coming from General Santos. It was a shame that the Gensan mayor did not come, but we must move on. We have other important events lined up for the week.”

The mayor’s absence did not stop officials, community and business leaders and stakeholders of Bergen County in New Jersey from offering a toast on the fifth anniversary of the SoCSKSarGen USA and the sisterhood between Jersey City and General Santos City. Two landmark pillars were unveiled to the public: the Jose Rizal Monument and the General Santos City Sisterhood Mural depicting all the foreign cities that have a sisterhood relationship with Jersey City.

More than 50 people came to witness the celebration of a sisterhood anniversary that continues to evolve and grow. Community leaders from the Knights of Rizal New Jersey, Filipino American Festival, Inc., Fiesta In America, among others, offered their support with their presence.

So did officials of the Philippine Consulate.

Darlene and Rowena Mejia Randman spoke of the sisterhood’s tangible outcomes:

- A company based in New York importing large volume of fresh tuna from other Asian countries is very interested in tuna supplies from Gensan after listening to a presentation from the Gensan Senior Tourism Officer, during the business exchange at the Jersey City Hall. The company learned about abundant supplies of export quality tuna as well as other seafood products like Vannamei shrimps and tiger prawns;

-A T’boli exhibit of costumes and artifacts from South Cotabato’s Lake Sebu was held at the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C.;

-The naming of a street in GenSan to be called ‘Jersey City Avenue’

There’s more going on in the areas of economic development, technological advancements, and cultural and educational exchanges as the sisterhood comes of age, said Rowena Mejia Randman, who is the outgoing president of SoCSKSarGen USA.

“The sisterhood became our springboard in showcasing our culture, arts, traditions, and heritage,” she said. “By sharing all these, we are sending a message to the world that Mindanao, is not just a land of conflicts and strife, but a land of incredible people of diverse ethnicity gifted with artistic ingenuity.”

Consul General Senen Mangalile and wife Fe Mangalile at SoCSKSarGen USA's gala with Rowena Mejia Randman and Carra Tito Forgea, incoming auditor of SoCSKSarGen

Lady Meredith Malasig of Ladies of Rizal Jersey City and Darlene Dilangalen Borromeo

The men of SoCSKSarGen and friends with Assemblymember Steven Raga, second from left

Celebrating five years of sisterhood with Rolando Lavarro (cutting the cake), past council president of Jersey City

Photos by Rolan Gutierrez