AFTER the much-anticipated, most watched presidential debate in history, a majority of Filipinos in America who tuned in on Monday, September 26 said Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton won this round versus Republican Party nominee Donald Trump. In an online viewer poll of The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America,” 65 percent of the viewers…
by Rodel Rodis IT all started with a radio interview on Manila radio station DZRH on September 19, 2016 when Pres. Duterte’s Communications Secretary Martin Andanar announced the news that Filipino Americans in New York were planning a coup against Pres. Duterte in January of 2017. This is how Andanar said he learned the news: “I…
SUPPORTERS may have praised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for standing up against America in declaration that he is not a puppet of Uncle Sam and that his administration’s foreign policy is veering away from the United States. But as far as Fil-Ams are concerned, this is not a good idea. In the online viewer poll…
THE word on the street is that for the next six years, the Philippines will “cross the Rubicon” with the United States, an idiom which means to pass a point of no return. This was stated by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte to reporters on Monday, Sept. 26, wherein he recalled his previous meeting…
IN the previous edition of this column, I presented the position that would probably resonate well with Filipinos in America who are used to seeing government officials embroiled in controversies resign to protect the integrity of their post and the public’s trust in whatever investigation their office is duty bound to undertake to seek the…
by Gwynne R. Dumbrigue, Esq. IN Ms. Noeth’s opinion piece, “Why am I a Filipino-American Republican?” — published in the Las Vegas Asian Journal on Sept. 1 — she writes that her Republican identity comes from the party’s embrace of her Catholicism and family values. She tells her parents’ story of coming to the United…
SENATOR Leila de Lima should not have been ousted, but instead, should have inhibited herself from being chairman of the Senate Justice Committee even before any hearing started. After all, she has also been accused of being part of the drug syndicate while she was still justice secretary during Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s term. This…
OVER the past three months, more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and traffickers have been killed amidst the Philippine government’s current bloody war against drugs. More than 600,00 others—mostly drug users—have surrendered to authorities for fear that they might be next on the “Kill List.” Officials said there are about 3.7 million drug addicts in…
U.S. Pinoys for Real Change (USPRC), a Fil-Am group created to support Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and criminality in the Philippines, recently held a prayer vigil in front of the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC. Simultaneously, USPRC acts as a watchdog to make sure the Duterte administration follows the rule of law and…
I learned what it means to be a U.S. citizen at the family dinner table. My earliest memories are of the vivid stories my parents told me, stories that shaped the values I hold to this day and that emphasized the importance of citizens playing an active role in shaping and improving our world. Over…
by Rina Jimenez-David WHEN you come to think of it, Mary Jane Veloso, who is still—as this is being written—held captive in an Indonesian jail even as she faces execution on drugs charges, has received better treatment at the hands of her captors than thousands of Filipinos suspected of being either drug pushers or users. Veloso…
ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, Fil-Am group U.S. Pinoys for Real Change (USPRC) held a prayer vigil in front of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. to declare its support for Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s all out war against the drug pandemic in the Philippines, while making sure the Duterte administration follows the rule of law, due…
FILIPINOS in America are divided in their reactions after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to curse U.S. President Barack Obama should he question Duterte about the human rights violations and drug-related deaths in the Philippines related to the all-out war against drugs. Obama canceled what should have been their first formal bilateral meeting. The stock…
Those old enough to remember using that trusty contraption called a typewriter, before the advent of personal computers, may recall the typing exercises, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” and “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” The second exercise was what appealed…
“PUTANG ina mumurahin kita diyan sa forum na iyan…(Son of a whore, I’ll curse you at that forum).” These are just some of the toxic words spewed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as a warning to U.S. President Barack Obama, when asked in a press meeting what he would do if Obama questions him about…
U.S. President Barack Obama has described the Philippines as America’s oldest ally in Asia, a relationship bound by friendship and mutual respect. This may not hold true for his Philippine counterpart because even before leaving for his first official foreign travel, President Rodrigo Duterte has managed to cause an international stir with a “son of…
As an American of Filipino descent living in the traditionally conservative state of Arkansas, I have a unique viewpoint that many of my fellow Filipino-Americans on the West and East Coasts have not experienced. I know what it feels like to look different and be treated as an outsider, although I was born and raised…
AS the global debate continues about Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s all-out war against drugs, the newly organized advocacy group of Filipinos in America called “U.S. Pinoys for Real Change in the Philippines” (USPRCP) will hold a vigil rally in front of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. on September 11 to declare full support for…
WE TRUST that President Rodrigo Duterte, the consummate lover, will know how to play this geopoliticalménage à trois among China, the United States and the Philippines. With the fair Philippines as the object of the escalating rivalry between China (a neighbor since the earth came to be) and the US (a latter-day colonizer that came…
As the 2016 U.S. presidential election draws closer, I believe that my political ideology as a Republican resonates with the Filipino culture, which includes family, faith, self-determination through entrepreneurship and my desire to serve the Nevada community. My parents passed down to me the importance of countless Filipino traditions while I was growing up. Family…
With less than 100 days until Election Day, Nevada voters will soon be asked to make an incredibly important decision: determining who will be our nation’s next president. That decision will be between someone who wants to use fear to unravel our progress, and a proven leader who values diversity and will continue knitting our…
Not only did August’s jobs report reveal that the American economy added 255,000 jobs in July, it marked an even more important milestone for our country’s economy. Our job growth in July means that over the past 77 months, the private sector has added 15 million jobs to the economy. This marks the longest streak…
EVEN U.S. President Barack Obama has raised concern about the recent statements of Philippine Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and his war on drugs, which has already claimed the lives of more than 1,800 people since Duterte took office. Obama is set to meet with Duterte in Laos next week to talk about the alleged issue of…
ARTICLE III Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution states that “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.” This is recognized to give people a conducive environment for participation and…
ANYONE with a relatively good grasp of current events can tell you who said this: “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” Or this: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” The first one was John F. Kennedy’s classic statement during his inauguration as…
“YOU can’t stop me,” declared Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, despite the criticism from international organizations like the United Nations and the Human Rights Watch, as well as by major international news organizations, for the drug war-related deaths since he took office. They call the killings a violation of human rights and due process, however, Duterte…
INTERNATIONAL organizations like the United Nations (UN) and Human Rights Watch(HRW) did not mince words in their concerns about how Philippine Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is governing the country, specifically on his war against drugs. The United Nations may send observers to the Philippines after it has expressed concern regarding what the international organization deems as…
HISTORY will tell that the Philippines has one of the world’s most celebrated democracies today. On Sept. 21, 1972, former Philippine Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law. For today’s Filipinos, 42 years may seem like another lifetime—a bygone period with sketchy details of what martial law entailed for the people who had to endure…
WILL it be a test of will between President Rodrigo Duterte and those who protest the burial of the remains of President Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani? It will require an irresistible force to make a seemingly immovable object budge. Do the protestors have the dogged determination to become that irresistible force?…
IN a recent The Filipino Channel “Balitang America” viewers’ poll, a majority (55 percent) of those who voted say they agree with President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to allow the interment of deposed Pres. Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Duterte says he is just executing the law, and claims the law grants Marcos…
