IN less than three weeks, on November 8, the American people will elect the 45th President of the United States, along with the VP and other public officials. Filipinos in America, both naturalized and natural-born, will have their voices heard and will cast the consequential vote that will determine the future of the country in the next four years.
To help Fil-Ams make an informed decision, The Filipino Channel (TFC)’s daily newscast “Balitang America” will air “The Fil-Am Vote 2016” on October 30, Sunday on TFC.
Written and produced by Troy Espera, the election special examines the race to the White House through our uniquely Filipino-American lens, taking off with a thorough review of the the backgrounds and platform of the major candidates for president — Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton — by our New York Correspondent Don Tagala.
I sat down with Clinton and Trump surrogates to discuss if their respective candidate has the character needed to hold the most powerful position in the nation, and arguably, of the world.
Balitang America conducted its own scientific national survey of Filipino-American registered voters and found out that 42 percent of Fil-Ams identify as Democrats while 26 percent identify as Republicans.
This poll’s results are consistent with the findings of other independent surveys covering minorities/voting blocs in the nation, as discussed by Dr. Robyn Rodriguez, professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis.
In a two-way match-up, the same poll reveals that Clinton leads by 15 point, 53 percent versus Trump’s 38 percent.
Balitang America Senior Correspondent Henni Espinosa presents a closer look at the issues that Filipinos in America, and even in the Philippines, are keeping an eye on in this election.
Northern California Correspondent Rommel Conclara presents a focus group discussion with millenial voters— those between 18-34 to know what issues matter to them and what motivates them to go out and vote, including how they see the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte may influence their decision.
Southern California Correspondent Steve Angeles takes a closer look at the Filipino-American community’s heightened engagement in the political process, while my round table discussion with veteran journalists Odette Keeley and Emil Guillermo covers how much our community has been seen and heard in this campaign, highlighting the power of the Fil-Am vote as the “sleeping giant”.
WAKE UP that sleeping giant! Watch Balitang America’s “The Fil-Am Vote 2016”, and make an informed decision come November 8!
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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 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
