Maniolas

Advocate for equality Chloe Reynaldo at TCU campus. KYLIE FALES SAN FRANCISCO — She may not be a TED Talking Adora Svitak, but she has proved herself to be on a par with child prodigies and accomplished adults. Chloe Reynaldo, 16, is the youngest and the first Filipina chosen by the Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas, for the 2016 Global Innovator Awards. Nominated Jan Ballard of the Faculty of Graphic Design Department of College of Fine Arts, Chloe visited TCU campus on September 26-30. According to its website, the Global Innovators program brings groundbreaking individuals from developing countries to the TCU campus to participate in multidisciplinary curricular programs. The program is under the Discovering Global Citizenship endeavor, which is a quality enhancement plan to internationalize TCU. Previous awardees have been men who excel in cultural, environment and disabilities advocacies. Among its prominent awardees is Gerald Oriol, Jr., Haiti’s Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities. “Coming to the TCU campus has been a learning experience, which I like to believe was mutual. I’m sure we’ve achieved TCU’s goal of broadening minds of individuals to have a global mindset and outlook,” says Chloe. ‘Beyond cultural barriers’ Chloe spoke in different colleges at TCU about gender equality, reproductive health and youths’ responsibilities, addressing students from different racial and cultural backgrounds. An LGBTQ student observes, “It’s awesome that Chloe at such a young age already has such awareness about important issues and it makes me feel better Read More …

“I could see more and more on a larger scale that this guy had absolutely no respect for institutions, had no understanding of what policy meant, had no appreciation of planning and was running (the country) like a small town.” The person being referred to was a president of the Philippines. No, it was not Rody Duterte. The “guy” in the quote was Joseph Estrada. Erap was overthrown just a few weeks after Karina David, the academic activist who served as his housing czar, described to me her tumultuous stint as a member of Erap’s team. Erap was like Duterte in many ways: a popular tough-talking maverick with a macho swagger who presented himself as a man of the masses. Erap won the support of many well-known activist social reformers like David and former rebels, Horacio Morales and Edicio de la Torre. And so has Duterte. In fact, the progressives on Digong’s team, some of them respected veterans of the fight against the Marcos dictatorship — led by Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo — are considered one of the hopeful signs that the Duterte era could be a period of meaningful reforms. That certainly was the hope during the first six months of the Erap presidency in 1998. It was a time of optimism when the country appeared to have a president who was serious about addressing issues of poverty and social injustice. “The first six months were to me inspiring,” David told me. Edicio Read More …

Atty. Rodel Rodis tells ecumenical service attendees that the number of victims of extrajudicial killings in the 14 years of martial law under President Marcos figures has been surpassed by the reported 3,800 deaths in the two-month-old Duterte presidency. JUN NUCUM DALY CITY, California – Filipinos here marked 44th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law with an ecumenical prayer service and community discussion in Daly City “to remember the victims of martial law,” which signaled the dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos. They also prayed for the current victims of human rights violations, particularly the victims of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs), which are on the rise in the Philippines with President Duterte’s war on drugs. They reiterated their opposition to President Duterte’s plan for a hero’s burial to dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Participants later broke into smaller groups to talk about what they could do “as Filipinos residing in the U.S., to respond to the EJKs, and to the current threats to civil liberties and democracy in the Philippines due to the seduction of strong-man, dictatorial rule.” Kontra Libing coalition member Ago Pedalizo says that the extrajudicial killings happening right now are reminiscent of martial law. JUN NUCUM While the organizers of the event in a statement welcomed President Duterte’s invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur, the European Union and the United States to probe allegations of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, they also “called on President Duterte to take all steps to ensure Read More …

CHICAGO – In 2009, the US Congress through the House of Senate and House of Representatives respectively passed H. Res. 780 recognizing October 2011 and every October thereafter as Filipino American History Month (FAHM). Starting in 2011, the Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF) spearheaded a move to organize a variety of events to celebrate FAHM. The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) announces “1946: A Turning Point” as the theme for this year.  This to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of events and pieces of legislation that transformed the lives of Filipinos such as the following: The Rescission Act of 1946 barred veterans in the Philippines from receiving GI Bill benefits The Luce-Celler Bill on July 2, 1946 granted access to naturalization for all Filipinos who had come to the US before March 1934 however  immigration was limited to 100 per year. Philippine independence from the United States was granted on July 4, 1946. Oct 1 to Oct 31: Art and Anthropology: Portrait of the Object as Filipino*. Display of 10 paintings and creation of collaborative mural by 5 FilAm artists from Chicago and 5 artists from the Philippines. Field Museum of Natural History Chicago, 1400 S. Lakeshore Dr. Events take place during museum hours. (Almira [email protected]) OctNov15:Focusing (Vol. II)is a continuation of Alejandro T. Acierto’s exploration of the breath through the colonial history of  Filipino involvement in the 1904 World’s Fair.  at Corner  2912 N. Milwaukee Ave. (storefront)  Chicago, IL 60618  -, Call Grace Needlman, 216-533-2824,[email protected] Oct 1, Sat., 9am – 10am – Opening of month long FAHM exhibit display at Bank Financial 1354 E 55th St, Chicago, IL 60615. (Email Estrella Alamar [email protected] –FAHSC) Oct 1, Sat., 11am – 1:00pm – 2016 FAHM Celebration Kickoff at Read More …

Pro-Duterte coalition spokesperson Atty. Adnan Alonto (extreme right), who stressed the need for unity and change for progress under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, and former Vice President Salvador “Doy” Laurel’s son Lorenzo (middle), who declared the Laurel family’s support for President Duterte, meet with Consul-General Henry Bensurto Jr., who extended the consulate’s sympathy on behalf of Filipino-Americans in the Bay Area to the victims of the Davao City and their families. JUN NUCUM SAN FRANCISCO — A week after a prayer rally was held in front of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, groups supporting President Rodrigo Duterte held a similar religious-themed rally in front of the Philippine Consulate here, capped by a Mass in the consulate to honor the victims of the recent Davao City bombings and their families. More than 50 prayer rally participants, including those from Migrante Northern California, chanted slogans for “genuine change,” sang and honored the innocent victims of the terroristic Davao blast.. Digong Duterte Supporters NorCal Chapter head Kelly Dayag urged Filipinos to move forward for a progressive Philippines. JUN NUCUM Coalition of pro-Duterte groups spokesperson Atty. Adnan Alonto that the casualties “were victims of terrorism and the political purpose is to discredit the president and the reform agenda that he is pursuing.” For national unity Alonto stressed that they are praying for national unity because “Filipinos really need to be on the same page” regardless of political affiliation for the progress and development of the country. “What we need now is unity for Read More …