Aside from his well publicized comfort food eating experiences with hotdog, hamburger and pizza, PNoy definitely had accomplishment in his first US trip. He gave an opportunity for Filipino Americans to voice out their concerns as immigrants. Both popular networks, ABS-CBN and GMA7, provided a forum for the community to have this dialogue.
ABS-CBN through The Filipino Channel (TFC) held a town hall meeting of global Filipinos in the US, Canada, Dubai and London. While GMA Network, through a more intimate setting, held a “one on one” interview with PNoy on various issues affecting Filipino immigrants. All these happened a few hours before PNoy’s scheduled return to Manila last September 26.
PNoy appeared contented to report the accomplishments of his trip. Among them, the $2.7B investments and pledges of US-based companies to generate 10,000 jobs in the Philippines. Listening to these developments, many overseas Filipinos would be happy for the jobs that are expected to soon be generated by these grants and investments. The first thing that comes to mind would be the potential employment for relatives and friends residing in the Philippines who will benefit from these projects. Maybe, the Filipino senior citizen who was present at the town hall meeting and asked if there is any future in the Philippines, will be more inclined to return to the Philippines after being jobless in California for a long time.
PNoy was happy to know that Filipino immigrants have sincere concerns for the homeland. He said that, “Natutuwa ako at naramdaman ko ang malasakit ng mga Filipino sa America.” Despite having resided for many years in the US, the sentiment of the majority of first generation Filipinos is still towards returning to the homeland.
There were many positive accomplishments of PNoy’s US trip. The commitment of many investors, grantors and businesses is clearly of economic value for the country. However, there are also questions that were unanswered. This left us immigrants thinking of what actually is the position of PNoy’s administration on the issue of undocumented Filipinos as well as the veterans’ issue.
Undocumented Immigrants
The hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have decided to live and work abroad either for family or economic reasons face many difficult challenges. They have to find suitable jobs to sustain their standard of living and be able to continue assisting their families left behind in the Philippines. There are also restrictive immigration policies and enforcement thereof to deal with. At the town hall meeting sponsored by ABS-CBN, at least two groups raised the question on how PNoy may assist the undocumented immigrants. One group was skyping from London and the other group was from Los Angeles. As expected from a head of state, PNoy said that he does not have anything to do with the immigration policies of countries like the United Kingdom and the United States. He mentioned, though, that there are “humanitarian and civil” rights that may be asserted.
Unlike the former President of Mexico, PNoy clearly distanced himself from the issue of immigration. Mexico is the country with the most number of illegal immigrants. Based on a study published by the US Department of Homeland Security, the Philippines ranks number 5 in terms of unauthorized population int he US. While we do not have the exact numbers, there were definitely thousands of undocumented immigrants who were listening to PNoy as he responded to the question on this issue. Based on his response, there seemed to be a lack of “malasakit” for the undocumented Filipino immigrants. While it is true that undocumented immigrants are in violation of immigration laws and it will definitely be awkward, if not embarrassing, for PNoy to support that part of the Filipino TNTs law breaking, the least that PNoy could have said was to express empathy and to mention that he will encourage President Obama to continue to pursue Comprehensive Immigration Reform with a path to legalization for the undocumented. Former President Fox of Mexico expressed in clear terms his advocacy for change in US immigration policies in the interest of his nationals. We would expect nothing less from PNoy to also advocate for the undocumented Filipinos. After all, majority of the Filipino TNTs are also taxpayers and consumers who send billions in remittances to their families in the Philippines.
As overseas Filipinos, PNoy is our president too. We do not expect his administration to only assert “humanitarian and civil rights” after hardship has been imposed or harm has been done to undocumented Filipinos. More than that, we expect our President to lead and advocate for us. Undocumented Filipinos do not get the chance to sit with Barak Obama. PNoy does. Undocumented Filipinos, whose voices are not heard by the political establishment, deserve to have their President advocate for them.
The World War II Veterans
Host Sandra Aguinaldo asked PNoy during GMA Pinoy TV’s “one on one” interview with him what assistance he could give to the Filipino World War II veterans, PNoy said he will look into this issue. He said that at the moment, his administration is concentrating on the issue of benefits to veterans and retirees given by the Philippine government. Not the issue of veterans benefits given by the US government.
Since PNoy has no position yet on the issue of equity for the Filipino World War II veterans, it is this writer’s wish that PNoy re-examine this issue with a different perspective from that of the last administration. The grant of Lump Sum Benefits of $15,000 and $9,000 to surviving veterans is economically beneficial to aging war veterans but does not fully address the issue of full equity for deserving war veterans. In fact, even the lump sum benefits discriminate against those whose names are not on the Missouri List. This controversy is now the subject of a pending federal lawsuit filed by Filipino World War 2 veterans against the US government.
PNoy’s US trip may be considered a fruitful one. So many pledges and plans were discussed and if it comes to fruition will benefit the Philippines. The more than four million Filipinos residing in the US are likewise holding great expectations from him as the new leader. Majority, if not all, have sincere concerns for the homeland.
PNoy, aside from just reporting about the country conditions and merely seeking help from overseas Filipinos, should also show concern for the same overseas Filipinos. Most of us are still Filipinos at heart who yearn for the leader’s “malasakit.” He may show this, as head of state, by becoming our fearless advocate for what is right for the veterans and what is just for all Filipino immigrants irrespective of status.
(Tancinco may be reached at law@tancinco.com or at 887 7177 or 721 1963)
