January in Review
Jeanne Franchesca Dela Cruz
6 February 2017
A new year, a new start. And despite the mixed events that have occurred thus far, particularly with the recent executive orders and President Duterte’s dismissal of appointing a US envoy, it is clear that the people are making their voices heard.
It has been less than a month since President Trump was inaugurated and already his actions have sparked both panic and protests alike—one most recent example being that of the Immigration ban. The executive order, which was issued on January 27th, barred citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen—all Muslim-majority countries—from entering the US. This also applied to green card and visa holders from these areas.
The order prompted thousands upon thousands of demonstrators nationwide to make their voices heard against the Islamophobic travel ban. But, they’re not alone: a multitude more in several other countries have expressed their support against the order through their own localized protests. One such country is the Philippines.
“We condemn the decision of President Trump to ban immigrants from Muslim countries,” said Mikhail Geriane, a member of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. Geraine had been a part of a student activist-comprised protest rally that occurred outside of Manila’s U.S. embassy. “It’s clear that they can do the same to the Philippines. We have to remember, Trump once called the Philippines a terrorist nation.”
Additionally, the activists disapproved of President Duterte’s intentional inaction regarding the news and its affect on Filipinos abroad. While Duterte has suggested that the Philippines can be a “sanctuary” to those affected by the ban and seeking refuge, he stated that the Philippine government will “not lift a finger” if undocumented Filipinos were to be “caught and deported”.
Geraine expressed that they “encourage him to stand up for the Filipinos and for all the people oppressed by US policy because, one way or another, it will affect us.”
On a similar note, former Permanent Representative to the United Nations Lauro Baja urged Duterte to reconsider his stance about the lack of a Philippine ambassador and send one to the US “as soon as possible”. The country has not sent any US envoys since Jose Cuisia Jr.’s departure from the role 7 months ago.
Duterte had previously appointed Chief Protocol Officer Marciano Paynor Jr. as the new ambassador. The latter, however, had to hold off from the role because of his current work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Jose Manuel Romualdez was later nominated as the next US envoy, but had to decline due to health reasons.
Now, Duterte said that he “[doesn’t] feel like sending one.”
The remark has sent others questioning Duterte’s decision. I, for one, was alarmed. When my family received news that Duterte had no present plans to appoint another ambassador for the country, we grew worried. Having no ambassador to depend on, especially in light of the ban, can leave Filipinos vulnerable to anything that may come their way. Such may apply moreso to those who do not have U.S. citizenship, regardless of whether they have a green card or a visa, as demonstrated by the ban.
Baja further explained that though the Philippines does have Patrick Chuasoto as a representative in DC’s Philippine embassy, Chuasoto is the current chargé d'affaires. “A regular ambassador can open doors much more easily and much more reliably than not having one,” he said. “And somehow, it doesn’t project a good diplomatic practice of not sending a regular ambassador to an important post like Washington.”
Though, nothing is set in stone.
Baja noted that the Philippines has “no policy for… not sending immediately an ambassador [to DC]”. Duterte could still send an ambassador to the US.
Even the Immigration ban was quickly made ineffective nationwide by Seattle’s Judge James Robart, who was appointed by George W. Bush in 2003.
And as Stephanie had been asking in her October and November in Review articles, who knows what will come next? For now, all we can do is keep making our voices heard and, hopefully, guiding this start to a good year.
Culture Show
Juliana Curry & Robin Rodolfo
19 February 2017
Tandaan is the most exciting part of the year for me. And my favorite part of it is all the various beautiful dances in the show. With five different suites of dances from Maria Clara (Spanish influenced romantic era) to Igorot ( tribal dances from mountainous region), every dance expresses a different aspect of Filipino culture. Some of the dances in the show this year are: Subli, a rural suite dance of couples recognizable because of the castanets that the male dancers use, it is typically performed at town fiestas; Makatod, a lumad suite dance where male dancers mimic the wing movements of eagles which focuses on a young prince who is given a place of honor among his people; and Tahing Baila, a muslim suite dance of sea-faring people mimicking the movements of a fish. One of the best parts of the dances in Tandaan are the costumes. They are colorful and have intricate patterns and designs that really bring out the beauty of the dances. Tandaan is the Tagalog word for ‘remember’ because every year PCS uses the show to remember and display our roots to our community. The dances are a big part of that because many people are unaware of the rich foundation of dance that has always been present in the Philippines. So, not only are all of the dances fun and beautiful, they also demonstrate a deeply rooted part of our culture.
Culture show is an annual tradition of PCS, focused on highlighting Filipino culture and bringing awareness to social issues faced by the Filipino/Filipino-American community. The straight play portion of culture show specifically aims to bring to light these social issues. This student written, directed, and produced piece is often based on current issues and/or applicable historical issues in order to educate those within the local community about the state of affairs of the Filipino community. The play has never been one to shy away from covering heated controversial issues (e.g. human trafficking, the harsh reality of emigrating in order to find work, etc). In doing so, PCS has always remained at the forefront in raising awareness of important issues that may not be covered in the global narrative of the media. This year's play will be no different in its attempt to deliver the social controversy surrounding the pageant culture of the Philippines, in the midst of the current political environment.
