US-based media groups raise funds for slain journalist

CHICAGO, Illinois - Chicago-based media organizations – including a group of Filipino journalists in the United States – have begun raising funds for one of the 31 media workers who were killed in the Maguindanao massacre.

Donations have begun to be collected by members of the National Press Club of the Philippines in the United States (NPC Philippines-USA) for the survivors of the late Alejandro “Bong" Reblando, reporter of Manila Bulletin, who was among the slain journalists.

Although NPC Philippines-USA aims to donate to survivors of other victims, its limited resources “would only be good for the survivors of Reblando as we want to return him the favor when he paid us a visit eight years ago," former NPC Philippines-USA president Yoly Tubalinal, said.

“Perhaps, if we can get more donations, we can consider giving away donation to other victims’ survivors in the future," she added. [See: Journalist in Ampatuan town carnage saw himself on front page]

To start the fund drive, a $100 donation was committed by the Chicago Journalists Association (CJA) for Reblando’s surviving family members.

Marlon L. Pecson, Joe Balmadrid and Manny Zambrano and other members present started contributing as low as $20 to kick off the donation drive.

One of the friends of the NPC-Phil.-U.S.A., Atty. Loida N. Lewis, has also pledged to donate to the fund drive.

Names and amounts of the donation are going to be posted on the club’s listserv.

Prospective donors may communicate with the club treasurer, Ms. Ting Joven-Giovanelli, at her email address at tingjoven@aol.com.

In 2001, Reblando was one of the NPC delegation members who visited Chicago for the induction of NPC Philippines-USA officers led by Bart SG. Tubalinal, The Fil-Am Weekly Megascene publisher-editor.

Reblando was accompanied by then-NPC President Louie Logarta, Director Lolit R. Acosta, Fred Gabot, former NPC president; and Mel T. Velasco also of Manila Bulletin.

In the meantime, the CJA also announced it was offering a $1,000 scholarship to one of the orphans of the slain journalists who is pursuing a journalism or mass communications degree.

The scholarship check will be handed over to the recipient if another sponsor can extend a complimentary round-trip ticket that will take the recipient to Chicago for turnover ceremonies slated for October 3, 2010, CJA President Allen Rafalson told GMANews.TV.

Earlier, the New York City-based Committee to Protect Journalists, issued a statement saying, it “is working with local and international media support groups to extend assistance to the families of the numerous journalists killed Monday in a brutal election-related massacre in the Philippine province of Maguindanao." - Joseph Lariosa, GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more