As we bid farewell to 2017 and greet the new year 2018, join me and the whole team of “Balitang America” (BA) in revisiting the stories of 2017 that made headlines in the Filipino American community. The Filipino Channel airs BA’s 2017 Year-end Report on December 29, with an encore presentation on January 1. This is yet another special presentation on BA’s 15th anniversary.
Our News Desk Editor and Senior Correspondent Henni Espinosa keeps score of President Donald Trump’s achievements in his first year in office, including what may be considered Trump’s “moments” in 2017.
Don Tagala, BA’s New York Correspondent, will present another newsmaker in 2017 — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte — and the impact he has made not only in the Philippines but on kababayans here in North America and around the world.
Another headliner in 2017 was Mother Nature. BA’s contributor Cheryl Piccio reports on the wrath of Mother Nature. From the wildfires in California, to the gulf coast of Texas and along the Atlantic coastline, BA brings you how Americans endured a string of devastating natural disasters in 2017 and how the resilience of the American spirit helps in rising up and starting anew.
BA’s Los Angeles Correspondent Steve Angeles reports on the tragedies that happened in the Fil-Am community and how these stories have helped kababayans learn from these sad news stories. Meanwhile, Las Vegas Correspondent Bev Llorente presents the massacres and atrocities that America endures in 2017 and how the Filipino Bayanihan spirit helped in the recovery of the scarred communities.
Jon Caña, one of BA’s producers, brings us the emergence of social movements in 2017, and examines what sparked the engagement among Filipinos in voicing out their opinion and making a stand in issues that matter to the country.
BA’s San Francisco Bay Area Correspondent Rommel Conclara reports on the major achievement of Filipinos in America in 2017, and what paved the way for these triumphs for our community. We also bring you how talented Filipino athletes took center stage in sports news this year.
Our Entertainment Correspondent Yong Chavez presents success stories of Filipinos in Hollywood and the controversial outspokenness of celebrities about politics.
Ginger Conejero reports on BA’s most watched videos on YouTube, and talks about which of our news stories caused the most buzz on BA’s social media platforms.
WATCH BA’s special presentation — our 2017 Year-end Report on December 29, 2017 with a replay on January 1, at 6:40 p.m. across all time zones.
HAPPY BLESSED NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
