PINOY NEWS-BALITA

Celebrate APAHM at Chicago Libraries

Chicago, Il. – May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. We invite you to attend two events organized in celebration of APAHM at the Chicago Public Libraries.

1. “Above the Clouds” film screening May 12, 2016 at Harold Washington Library in Chicago 6PM-8PM Free and open to the public Description: After his parents die in a flood, 15-year-old Andy is forced to live with his estranged grandfather, in the cold northern parts of the Philippines. Andy becomes withdrawn and isolated here and nobody can get through him, until one day, his grandfather gets an idea. He shows the boy photos of his parents hiking up a beautiful mountain, and he takes his grandson to this place against his will. Tensions rise on their overnight hike, but through the journey, they start to come to terms of their grief. Directed by Pepe Diokno

2. Readings from the book “Memoirs of a Manang: The Story of a Filipina American Pioneer” by Victoria Santos and Constance Santos Saturday, May 14 Chicago Public Library Free and open to the public 1pm to 2pm Archer Heights 5055 S. Archer Avenue Chicago IL 60632 3pm to 4pm – Uptown 929 W. Buena Avenue Chicago IL 60613 Description: A Filipina elder recounts the journey with her mother from a small provincial town in the Philippines to the urban setting of Chicago in 1929. She chronicles the joys and heartaches of her immigrant family as they face the Great Depression and World War II. She moves effortlessly between two cultures throughout her life. As the Filipino population grows after the war, we watch her emerge as a community leader and advocate, becoming one of the most successful fundraisers for the community center.

Sponsored by Filipino American National Historical Society Greater Chicago Chapter and the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago

 

PIYESTA PINOY (Philippine Fest) returns to Bolingbrook 6/11/16

Chicago, Il. – We are so happy to announce that the biggest Filipino American event in the Chicago area will be back – the 3rd Philippine Fest Celebration (Piyesta Pinoy sa Bolingbrook) will be on Saturday, June 11, 2016 ) at the beautiful Bolingbrook Performing Arts Center in Bolingbrook. The event will be coordinated by the Philippine American Cultural Foundation in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago and the Village of Bolingbrook.

Last year’s event attracted about 7,500 people in attendance, 10 food vendors, 25 merchandise and service vendors and 12 not-for-profit organizations. It featured 12 hours of music and dance entertainment including performances by super star Sam Milby from the Philippines, singer Geneva Cruz from California and several other local singers, dancers and musical bands plus food cooking demos by well-known Fil- Am chefs, several other interactive activities and children’s games. With your support and participation, we hope to make this year’s Piyesta an even bigger event. The Filipino Channel (TFC) is this year’s exclusive Philippine media partner for the second year in a row. We will soon be announcing the name of the TFC celebrity star from the Philippines who will be performing at the Piyesta in June. Check out our website piyestapinoy.org and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PiyestaPinoy/ for announcements of performers, vendors, activities and schedule.

Founded in 1996 as a Not-For-Profit tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization, the Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF) is highly dependent on the goodwill and generosity of its supporters, its volunteers and friends like you. We need your assistance in our fundraising activities to promote our Filipino culture to Filipinos and Non-Filipinos in Illinois thru music, dance & exhibits, sponsor our youth PACF Performing Arts Group; co-sponsor cultural projects such as Philippine Fests (Piyesta Pinoy) in Bolingbrook & Chicago locations, recognize FAHM Outstanding Filipino American Seniors during the. Filipino American History Month, showcase the Philippines in Asian & International Festivals in the Midwest (e.g. Christmas Around the World at the Museum of Science and Industry, Neighborhoods of the World at Navy Pier, Asian Festivals at the Daley Plaza and at the Morton Arboretum) and expand its educational/cultural/social services programs and intensify its humanitarian efforts.

Your participation and support are always valuable and critical to the survival of PACF and its programs. Your help in any capacity is greatly appreciated. To donate to PACF and to get more information on Piyesta Pinoy and all other PACF events please visit the newly designed Philippine American Cultural Foundation websites – http://pacfmidwest.org/.

The Piyesta Pinoy Committee is inviting performers, artists, sponsors, partners, donors, vendors, exhibit/display/information booth/table participants and volunteers to join the 2016 Piyesta Pinoy celebration. All volunteers are requested to commit at least 4 service hours and must attend at least one meeting for volunteers scheduled on April 17, May 15 and June 5 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm at the Fountaindale Public Library 300 W. Briarcliff Rd Bolingbrook, IL 60440. To join, please fill up the appropriate application forms that are now available for downloads in our website – http://www.piyestapinoy.org/

 

Campaign for Overseas Voting Intensified, Mailing of Ballots Prioritized

“In a couple of days, we shall commence our solemn duty of administering the overseas voting for the 2016 Philippine National Elections and help preserve the will of our electorate,”

Consul General Generoso D.G. Calonge announced even as the Consulate General started the process of mailing ballots to registered voters. Consul General Calonge instructed the Special Board of Election Inspectors at the Consulate to conduct the Final Testing and Sealing of the Vote Counting Machines or VCMs this Thursday, April 7, in accordance with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) guidelines on the Automated Election System (AES) with Modified Postal Voting (MPV).

Under this system, voters may participate in the electoral exercise either by mail or by personally casting their ballots at the Consulate. However, the Consulate General, realizing the practicality for most overseas voters to receive their ballots through mail, will no longer wait for a formal notice from the voters before sending the ballots to them in order to encourage greater turnout and promote enfranchisement.

Those who will receive their ballots and send them back through mail are advised to carefully follow the instructions enclosed in the envelope, as shown in a sample provided by COMELEC below:

To make sure that their ballots are counted and not invalidated, voters should place them in the official return envelope, seal it using the official sticker seal and sign the envelope on the designated area. In addition, all ballots must be received by the Consulate General not later than 4:00 a.m. Chicago time on May 9, coinciding with the close of voting in the Philippines on May 9 at 5:00 p.m.

Those who wish to personally pick up and cast their ballots are advised to inform the Consulate General as soon as possible; otherwise, their ballots will be mailed even before the earlier announced deadline of April 22.

During the Field Voting activities, voters who received their ballots through mail can drop their ballots in properly sealed and signed official envelopes with the members of the Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG). No VCM will be used for the Field Voting.

Voters who received their ballots in the mail may also wish to personally deliver their ballots in properly sealed and signed official envelopes. They can also request to witness the “batch feeding” of mailed in ballots on Mondays and Thursdays, and cast their ballots during this process.

The Consulate General will further make available to the voters and the general public upon request copies of the presidential, vicepresidential and senatorial candidates’ profiles, as well as an enumeration of party list organizations vying for representation, provided by COMELEC.

“The entire voting period runs for one month starting on April 9th. We urge our kababayans who are registered overseas voters to take advantage of this opportunity and not wait until the proverbial eleventh hour to decide and cast their votes,” Consul General Generoso Calonge said. For more details about the upcoming overseas voting, the Consulate General may be reached at tel. no. (312) 583-0621 ext. 26 or 27 and email address: chicagopcg_ov@att.net.

 

Temporary Restraining Order on Philippine Comelec Prohibition on Political Campaigning Abroad

MANILA – United States-based philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis on Monday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to declare as unconstitutional the prohibition on political campaigning abroad during the election period being enforced by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) under the Overseas Absentee Voting Act.

In a 20-page petition for Urgent Application For Temporary Restraining Order and/Or Writ of Preliminary Injunction, Lewis through her lawyers from the Ateneo Human Rights Center, asked the High Tribunal to issue an injunction to stop the implementation of the ban under Section 36.8 of R.A. 9189 and Section 74 (2) (8) of Comelec Resolution No. 10035.

Lewis said the questioned provisions prejudice not only her right to freedom of expression, but also of others’ in future similar cases involving the information and education of the electorate.

“With no other plain, speedy, and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of law that could free Petitioner from the injurious effects of these questioned provisions in violation of the right to freedom of expression, she was thus constrained to file this Petition for Certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court,” the petition said.

The assailed provision prohibits any person from engaging in any partisan political activity abroad during 30-day overseas voting period, April 9 to May 9 this year.

“The prohibition against the petitioner and the rest of the Filipinos all over the world to conduct information campaigns and organize peaceful assemblies, by the Philippine Consulates, during the 30-day period before May 9, 2016, is effectively a gag to their fundamental freedom of expression and constitutes a controversy that is ripe for judicial adjudication,” she said.

“Definitely, to prohibit Filipinos abroad from campaigning and engaging in partisan political activities not only violates their freedom of speech, expression and assembly, it also violates their right to be properly informed and educated about matters which would affect them, particularly on issues affecting the government and governance itself,” Lewis added.

Lewis said the said provision also violates the constitutional guarantee to equal protection of laws.

Likewise, Lewis said there is no criminal jurisdiction over Filipinos abroad. “In a criminal case, the prosecution must not only prove that the offense was committed, it must also prove the identity of the accused and the fact that the offense was committed within the jurisdiction of the court. But it is simply ridiculous for any prosecution of an alleged election offense committed abroad since the Philippine authorities simply have no jurisdiction over the offense,” she added.