May 30 - June 5, 2014
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Los Angeles Dodgers to host Filipino Heritage Night in honor of PH Independence LOS ANGELES, California -The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the fifth annual Filipino Heritage Night in honor of Philippine Independence Day (June 12) on Friday, June 13. The club will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:10 p.m., and this event features a special ticket package that allows fans to have access to the Coca-Cola All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion, which offers unlimited Dodger dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, and soft drinks. Fans can also stay after the
Festive, starstudded ... From page 1 Badilla; Grand Marshals Drs. Emilio and Felicisima Quines; and nearly 200 Filipino American-related nonprofit and for profit organizations will participate in the day-long celebration, whose attendance would likely peak at 100,000 people, made up mostly of Filipinos and Filipino Americans who come from the New York Tri-State area, Pe n n s y lva n i a , C a l i f o r n i a , Canada, and the Philippines. Leading the parade, along with the Grand Marshals, are PIDCI President Fe Martinez; Philippine Consulate General New York, led by Consul General Mario L. De Leon Jr., who also acts as an honorary adviser to PIDCI; Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Luis Cuisia; Permanent Representative to the United Nations Libran Cabactulan; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Lorna Schofield; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. Jersey City Council
game for the “Friday Night Fireworks,” which occurs after every Friday night home game. Fans who purchase the ticket will also receive a one-ofa-kind Filipino Heritage Night T-shirt voucher and a portion of the proceeds from this event will directly support The American Red Cross in their Philippine Typhoon Relief efforts. Groups of 20 or more tickets can be purchased by calling the Dodger Group Sales department at 323-DODGERS o r b y e m a i l i n g
President Rolando Lavarro and New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) President Ram Raju, MD will also attend. PIDCI's Goodwill Ambassadors 2014 Mrs. Kalayaan (Mrs. Independence) Josephine Vilar Rafael and 2014 Diwa ng Kalayaan (Spirit of Independence) Mikaela Alexa Rada will also ride one of the many festive floats featured in the parade, alongside worldrenowned Filipino cultural festival live acts such as Bacolod City's Masskara Festival, Cebu City's Sinulog Festival, and Kalibo, Aklan's Ati-Atihan Festival. Scheduled activities include the following: 8:30 to 9:00 a.m.: FLAG CEREMONY AND INDEPENDENCE DAY MASS at the Philippine Center, 556 Fifth Avenue. 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: STREET FAIR, 26th Street down to 24th Street and Madison Avenue. 11:45 a.m.: PARADE OPENING CEREMONY, 38th Street and Madison Avenue 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.: INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE, 38th Street down to 27th Street
britnih@ladodgers.com. Groups of 20 or more will also receive special benefits including a personalized group message printed on their tickets and shown on the message board during the game. Individual game tickets can be purchased by visiting www.dodgers.com/filipino. For additional information or for covering the pre-game activities during this event contact the Dodgers Public Relations Department at (323) 224-1301. Inquirer.net
and Madison Avenue. 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.: CULTURAL FESTIVAL, 23rd Street and Madison Avenue For updates, like PIDCI on Facebook: facebook.com/pidci or visit pidci.org. About the Celebration Theme: Triumphs of the Filipino: Pride of the Philippines Everyone in the world was in awe of the Filipinos' capacity to persevere and triumph over adversity, especially when Ha iya n , on e of t he m ost powerful tropical storms in h i s t o r y, s t r u c k c e n t r a l Philippines last year, but never destroyed the unflagging optimism of the Filipino spirit. On our 25th year celebrating the Philippine Independence Day its 116th anniversary - in the center of the world, no less - we honor the shining triumphs of Filipinos across different fields and industries: from business and technology to sports; from world ambassadorship to e n te r t a i n m e n t ; a n d f ro m volunteerism to social activism wearing only national pride in our hearts.
Filipino event scrapped in Singapore after drawing abuse Agence France-Presse SINGAPORE -- A Philippine independence day celebration in Singapore has been cancelled, organizers said Tuesday, after plans for a public event generated online abuse and threats against Filipinos in the city-state. “In view of all considerations in the search for equivalent suitable venues, the PIDC 2014 deemed it is best to cancel the event,” the Pilipino Independence Day Council (PIDC) said in a statement sent to AFP. The PIDC had initially announced a June 8 event outside a shopping complex along the Orchard Road shopping belt. It invited Singaporeans to join them in commemorating the 116th anniversary of the Philippines' declaration of independence from Spain. But police suggested alternative venues, citing “public order and safety concerns” following threats by an antiimmigration activist to hold a protest at the venue. The PIDC said other venues would not be able to cater to the expected large crowd and would not be as accessible to public transport. Online commentators, mostly on anonymously-run local websites and Facebook pages, have heaped racial abuse on Filipinos particularly the PIDC over the planned event, saying the choice of a city center venue was an example of foreigners overstepping their welcome. Others called on the organizers to hold the event within the Philippine embassy grounds, while a few commentators threatened physical harm to participants if the event was held on Orchard Road. G i l b e r t G o h , a n e m p l oy m e n t
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counsellor critical of the government's i m m i g ra t i on p oli c y, ha d ea rli e r threatened to hold a protest on Orchard Road on the same day as the Filipino event. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in April condemned the campaign against the Filipino event as “thuggish behavior” and called the anonymous “trolls” a “disgrace to Singapore”. In its statement the PIDC said it was satisfied with other events it had held this year, including a cultural sharing session at a primary school, a blood donation drive and a visit to a home for the elderly. It said the events were “in line with this year's theme of inclusiveness and reaching out to the local community as our way of expressing friendship and partnership between the Philippines and Singapore”. Anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise in some segments of Singapore's local population, with many complaining that foreigners compete with them for jobs, housing, medical care as well as space on public transport. This is despite a per capita income of $55,183, one of the highest in the world, and an unemployment rate of just over two percent. Singaporeans make up just over 60 percent of the 5.4 million population, with its low fertility rate forcing the government to rely heavily on guest workers. The Filipino community is estimated at more than 170,000, many of them professionals seen by some Singaporeans as rivals for jobs, compared to the past when most F i l i p i n o s wo rke d a s d o m e s t i c s . Inquirer.net