Fil-Am activists raise overseas Filipinos' concerns in 'People's SONA' --- Steve Angeles | TFC News Los Angeles

Filipino-American activists took to the streets across 10 U.S. cities as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his second State of the Nation Address. FULL TEXT: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s 2023 SONA In Los Angeles, over a hundred activists gathered in Koreatown and marched to the Philippine consulate, bringing with them a six-foot tall effigy of the President. Groups held what they called a "People's SONA" where they called for increased awareness on issues overseas Filipinos face. They also called for an end to the economic suffering of Filipinos. The activists said that the economic conditions at home continue to force many to migrate to other countries. This, they added, subject Filipinos abroad to poor working conditions, as well as anti-Asian hate crimes, just to provide for their families. "Up until now, the separation of families continues," said Diane Mediano of Migrante South Bay. "The answer to [the problem] of jobs in the Philippines is not outside. There are a lot of OFWs being abused." Activists said that they have been looking out for each other to cope amid various issues, from Asian hate to immigration, and labor problems. "Many Filipino organizations continue to show the Bayanihan spirit with each other," said Karen Roxas of NAFCON, "to unite as people in the biggest and smallest possible ways, to voice out these issues in our community and to come out for positive change." Actions with similar themes took place in other cities including in San Diego. There, activists marched to National City's Plaza Boulevard, a heavily Filipino populated neighborhood.

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