Love for the Philippines’ and United States’ History of Friendship

By: Veronica Leighton

 

It’s almost the official start of summer by this deadline, and yet Chicago’s known hot summer (a reversal, just like its windy, wintry cold), is becoming unbearable due to its sweltering heat.

But Chicagoans, not to be dampened by the drastic changes in temperature and who just can’t have enough of the outdoors, are just out there and loving beautiful Chicago’s lakefront and all kinds of fests all over, and engaging in all kinds of games, athletic activities, and social gatherings.

Our utmost pre-summer event held last May 31st was my combined birthday and wedding celebration, as you can see on our cover page and inside pages 36-37. Yes, I got married to my devoted and loving partner of 20+ years, Joe Mauricio, who’s also my business partner. It was a small but intimate gathering of special friends and VT staff. It is a PERFECTLY IMPERFECT LOVE STORY, as our noted G-Mail Columnist Girlie Pascual, described it on our June cover and on the inside pages.

I call this issue as our nationalistic/patriotic issue as June 12th is the celebraton of the official proclamation of the Philippine Independence from the hands of its conquerors, now on its 120th year anniversary celebration. Our columnists Joe Mauricio (Objectively, page 22) and Elsie Sy-Niebar (Notebook, pages 12-13), will take you to a brief history of our Motherland, the Philippines, to stir in us that spirit of nationalism. This leads us to the United States’s celebration of its independence on July 4th from the hands of British colonial rule 242 years ago, our first independence date that we used to celebrate together with the Americans. These days, July 4th is being celebrated as Filipino-American Friendship Day.

Another discovery for this month for our list of broadcast personalities on Chicago Philippine Reports TV (CPRTV) is young, pretty and talented Maya Leighton, my 15-year-old granddaughter, who is a high-school sophomore at Maine South Township High School in Park Ridge. Nervous at first, Maya felt relaxed immediately in front of the TV camera after just a couple of takes. Welcome to the CPRTV family, Maya Leighton. Our CPRTV newscasters on leave are Veronica Mendoza (vacationing in Philippines) and Lou Maningas Cabalona (on maternity leave). Congratulations to Lou (and new Dad Baron) for the arrival of the most photographed cutest baby Reign Malaya (Read and enjoy pictures of Baby Reign in her Arts/Tech column on page 35), proudly talking about the newest addition to the Cabalona family and her feelings as a new doting mom.

Our beautiful pictorial pages on various event coverages will delight you, from the Consular Philippine Independence reception, Philippine Independence Week Committee annual picnic, ABC Channel 7’s annual luncheon for the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Hotel Baker’s 90th anniversary gala, Bata columnist’s birthday Xavier Divinagracia, and many others for your reading pleasure. You surely will enjoy reading, as usual, your favorite columnists, from Nancy Abiera, Melody Dizon, Jan Paul Ferrer, Atty. Janice Dantes, Girlie Pascual, Dr. Margarita Holmes, Prof. Robert Boyer, Mayra Salazar, Ryan Tejero, Elsie Sy-Niebar, Victoria Smith, Joe Mauricio, Pureza Pacis, N. Rocklin, James DC, Lou Cabalona, to your Bata columnists. ##

Maya Leighton – New CPRTV Newscaster

Enjoy the beautiful summer of Chicago’s lakefront, and around the neighborhood.