From the Readers

Concerned Citizen Reader
Dear Veronica:
It must be God’s calling that I was directed to go to Seafood City today and “STUMBLED” upon a copy of your VIATIMES where I found out about your 86th birthday. Although it has been a belated birthday greeting for you, I believe every GOOD “WISHES” and good “THOUGHTS” has NO expiration date. Happy Birthday to you.
Now, another “GOSPEL” or good news is that I found out that Aaron Del Mar, the Lieutenant Governor candidate for Illinois, is a FIL-AM. As FIL-AM myself, I would specially request for VIA TIMES to support and promote the candidacy of our fellow FIL-AM Aaron Del Mar to be featured in every issue of VIATIMES until he is elected on November 3, 2026. It would be our GREAT honor to help support and elect Aaron Del Mar the FIRST Fil-Am Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
By this email, the CONCERNED CITIZENS OF ILLINOIS are urging the Illinois Republican Party and all Illinois Republicans to support and promote the candidacy of Darren Bailey for Governor and Aaron Del Mar for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
Thank you very much and God Bless the Republicans.
Danny Prado
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Thank You From CN
Thank you, Tita Vero, for publishing and always supporting our community events! We love Via Times! Hope all is well! Warmest regards,
Rose San Diego
Past President,
Chicago Nightingales
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Thank You From Santacruzan
Maraming salamat for including our Santacruzan celebration in your multi-award-winning Filipino newsmagazine in Chicago June 2026 issue. Your continued support helps keep our traditions alive and inspires our community.
World Apostolate Fatima/
Santacruzan 2026
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Thank You From Buhay-Buhay Sa Amerika
Thank you so much po Tita Vero Leighton of Via Times Newsmagazine, MidWest & Chicago’s most famous Filipino-American
Magazine! Btw, Mi-ae Nkulu, West Point 2026 Fil-Am graduate featured in Via Times, was born in Chicago, too!
Rhia Luz
Buhay-Buhay Sa Amerika
Radio Host in Arizona
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Thank You From Maria Pappas
I want to personally thank you for attending my Philippine Independence celebration on June 10 at the Cook County Treasurer’s Office.
I truly appreciate your participation in this special event as we joined the Philippine Independence Week Committee in honoring distinguished Filipino American civic, business, cultural, and community leaders whose contributions continue to strengthen Cook County and the greater Chicagoland region. Your presence helped make the celebration a meaningful tribute to the rich heritage, traditions, and accomplishments of the Filipino community.
I also wanted to make sure you could see firsthand all the news coverage our event generated. With that in mind, my staff has prepared the enclosed report highlighting the websites and media outlets that featured our news release. I hope it reflects the enthusiasm surrounding the celebration and the many contributions
the Filipino community continues to make to Cook County.
Thank you again for joining me in celebrating this special occasion. I look forward to seeing you at future events as we continue recognizing the many cultures and communities that make Cook County such a vibrant place.
Sincerely,
Maria Pappas
Cook County Treasurer
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From APIA and AAPI
Dear VIA Times News Magazine,
Today, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and AAPI Data released the 2026 AAPI State Fact Sheets, a comprehensive set of demographic and voter data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Updated every two years, the fact sheets provide policymakers, advocates, researchers, journalists, campaigns, and community organizations with essential data on the nation’s fastest-growing racial demographic and voter bloc.
You can access the voter factsheets on the APIAVote or AAPI Data websites. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to press@aapidata.com if you have questions.
All the best,
Amanda Ong