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PHL...

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to come.

“We were the target of racist speech two more times on the same day,” she also said.

The second incident occurred on the Brooklyn Bridge, and the third misencounter took place as the group was on its way to Ground Zero or the 9-11 Memorial Site.

The four Filipino journalists were proceeding to the 5th Avenue subway station which was closest to the hotel where they were staying. That was when the fi rst “incident” took place.

As the foursome were walking towards the platform, they heard a woman screaming.

At fi rst they thought the woman was having an argument but it soon became clear to them that they were the objects of her hate-fi lled rants.

The group was clearly the object of the woman’s tirades as there were no other people at the platform at that time, said the Manila Times reporter.

The group ignored her and were relieved when their train arrived.

On their way to the Brooklyn bridge, a street vendor who was described as a “person of color” kept saying “corona, corona” as they passed by him, clearly referring to the coronavirus.

The third encounter was when a member of the group got separated from the others, when she saw a Black man walking towards her and saying “F#ck you!” over and over, until she made her way back to the other three.

They considered themselves lucky that no physical harm had happened to any of them, but they say that the experience left them wondering where all the hate was coming from.

Several Filipinos who had been to the US recently told Philippine News Today that they were shocked at all the hate thrown Asians and Asian-Americans’ way.

One surmised that the former president before Joe Biden was as much to blame as anyone, having coined such terms as “kung u,” and the “Chinese virus” in place of coronavirus.

It is not clear if and when Asian hate will end, but travelers from Asian countries are being already warned by airlines and travel agents to avoid walking

Filipino...

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The most spectacular winner among Filipinos in Hawaii was Valerie Aquino Okimoto, a 40-something, very attractive mother of 2 young daughters. She won in Honolulu City Council District 8, which is predominantly Japanese and Filipino. She easily beat the career politician Ron Menor, an attorney and former Councilmember of Honolulu, a former State Senator and a former State Representative, thereby e ectively ending Menor’s career. Okimoto obtained 19,917 votes (53.3%) to Menor’s 15,225 votes (40.8%).

Menor, while a state Senator in April 2008, was arrested by police on suspicion of drunken driving although he claimed he was arrested only for driving too slowly on the freeway. He reportedly admitted drinking at most two glasses of wine during a meal. His 11-yearold son was his passenger. According to reports, Menor pleaded no contest and the court sentenced him to two days in jail and 8 fi ne. He was shown on television in a jailbird s outfi t.

Valerie joins two other Filipinos in the Honolulu City Council: (1) Radiant Cordero, daughter of prominent realtor David Cordero and the beauteous Fil-Am Courier publisher Mary Llanos Cordero, and (2) Augusto “Augie” Tulba, a popular comedian who traces his roots to Siquijor.

ROSE MARTINEZ

The second most spectacular winner among Hawaii Filipinos was Rose Martinez who unsuccessfully ran 3 times for the position of state legislator in District 40, Ewa Beach, before winning on November 8. Her district is predominantly Filipino. Rose is a former teacher and a health care worker. She is from Urdaneta, Pangasinan. She is the wife of popular radio host and announcer Florante Martinez of KNDI radio station, owned by Geronimo Malabed, the only Filipinoowned radio station in Hawaii.

The winning State Senators of Filipino descent were:

Lorraine Rodero Inouye, Dist. 1

Joy San Buenaventura, Dist. 2

Donna Mercado Kim, Dist. 14

Brandon Elefante, Dist. 16

Donovan de la Cruz, Dist. 17

The winning Filipino State Representatives were:

Della Au Belatti, Dist. 26

Ernesto Ganaden, Dist. 30

Rose Martinez, Dist. 40

David A. Alcos, Dist. 41

Diamond Garcia, Dist. 42 COUNCILMEMBER, HONOLULU (1 out of 3)

Valerie Aquino Okimoto, Dist. 8

GREEN WINS AS HAWAII GOVERNOR

Elected Governor of Hawaii was Josh Green, a prominent physician and current Lt. Governor. Green’s father had a construction business in the Philippines during the Marcos I years and he had lived there with his father. He is the only human being I know who answers my text messages in one minute, even when he was confi ned in the hospital for Covid-1 . Dr. Green said that he is “inspired by the hopes, challenges, and values of the families he cares for.” “Let’s Go Green,” was a campaign slogan I suggested to him.

Governor-elect Green is married to Jaime Kanani Ushiroda, a lawyer whom this writer has met, who is said to have some Filipino blood in her veins. They have a daughter Maia, 14 and a son Sam, 10.

2 more contracts for Metro Manila Subway Project signed

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By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

MANILA — The Philippine government has formally signed two more contract packages on civil works related to the country s fi rst underground railway, the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), from Valenzuela to Paranaque City which is expected to be completed by 2028.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing of MMSP contract packages 102 and 103 at the Malacañang Palace by Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista and the contractors which involves the building of four subway stations in Quezon City.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte also witnessed the signing together with other offi cials

Contract Package 102, a P21billion agreement with fi rms Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd. and D.M. Consunji Inc., involves the construction of the MMSP’s Quezon Avenue and East Avenue stations, including their connecting tunnels.

Contract Package 103, another P28-billion agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd., will enable the construction of the MMSP’s Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo stations. The former is expected to connect with the current LRT-2 Anonas station.

In his speech, Marcos said that the MMSP, once completed, will reduce travel time from Quezon City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay to about 35 to 40 minutes.

The MMSP, he said, is aimed at addressing the “terrible stories” about lack of quality time for many Filipinos due to traffi c congestion.

“We will reduce the terrible stories that we hear of people who no longer see their children because they come home at 1:30 in the morning and the children are asleep,” Marcos said.

“They have to wake up at 4:00 in the morning to get back on the bus to fi ght with the traffi c coming back to work. And that the subway and all our public transport systems will be able to help and to remedy,” he added.

Marcos said he hopes the MMSP will help “improve quality of life” in Metro Manila.

When completed in 2028, the MMSP is expected to carry at least 500,000 passengers daily from Valenzuela City in the north to Parañaque City in the south.