More Fil-Am Identity Politics

A double mindedness persists when it comes to Fil-Ams and their identity. It's right their in the descriptive. Fil. Am. Filipino and American. One word excludes the other. You cannot be a Filipino and an American nor can you be an American and a Filipino. Ever hear of a Brit-Fil or an Am-Fil? No you have not. So what to make of a Fil-Mex-Am?

https://usa.inquirer.net/17061/filipina-mexican-american-mom-wins-west-covina-california-council-seat

Letty Lopez, a 36-year-old mother of two, ousted incumbent city council member Mike Spence in West Covina District 2, in the last midterm elections, becoming the first Filipino-Mexican- American councilwoman of West Covina, California. 

Lopez, a senior director for the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks for 13 years, is married to a Filipino. Her mother is from Manila and her late father was from Mexico.

No doubt this lady will be the ONLY Fil-Mex-Am councilwoman in West Covina or anywhere for a long time to come. Honestly how often would you get the quadruple threat of a Mex-Fil-Am woman? Not as common as a Fil-Am woman like this lady who also won a seat on a the council of a California city.

https://usa.inquirer.net/17006/fil-am-becomes-only-woman-city-councilor-of-artesia-california

Filipina American Melissa Ramoso on Wednesday, November 21, declared victory on winning a seat as the only woman on the Artesia, California City Council. 

“It has been such an incredible journey, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone before the Thanksgiving Holiday for their love and support.  I am deeply humbled to be one of Artesia’s newest Council members,” said Ramoso in a statement.  “I promise to work hard to justify Artesians confidence in me, keep residents informed about what the city is doing, and ask for their input as new projects and issues arise.  My door will always be open.” 

“I love the hometown feel that it has, and the people, and pride that many residents show and express,” Ramoso previously told the Asian Journal during her campaign. “I want to keep that spirit, in addition to making the city grow and be innovative as our families grow as well,” she added. 

Being one of Los Angeles County’s Gateway Cities, Artesia is home to numerous ethnic enclaves, including the Filipino community which makes up the majority of Artesia’s Asian population. 

There are also the Portuguese and Dutch communities who first settled in the area in the early 1920s and 1930. The burgeoning South Asian community along Pioneer Boulevard is the largest Indian enclave in Southern California.

The make up of this city is like this:

45.8% of the residents of Artesia are foreign-born, and 25.2% are not US citizens. 

For Europeans, 9.4% of Artesia is of Portuguese ancestry, with 49.4% of those foreign-born. Dutch is the second most commonly reported European ancestry at 4.6%. 

27.4% of Artesia is of Asian ancestry. The most commonly reported ancestries are Filipino 10.4%, Chinese 5.1%, Asian Indian 4.6%, and Korean 4.5%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesia,_California#Demographics

With a solid block of foreign born residents most of whom are Filipino is it any wonder this lady won a seat on the city council?  Who is she thanking but the Filipino community? And what will they require of her?

Back to the Mex-Fil-Am woman. Its's kind of funny that her mom is from Manila and her dad is from Mexico. Mexico and the Philippines were both Spanish colonies and the people in those nations are for the most part mestizos! Spanish blood runs thick diluting the blood of both the Mexican and Filipino natives. But make no mistake. This lady was born in the USA and knows nothing but the USA.  She is an American. Except for when the alleged homeland wants to claim her. Kind of like these students at Virgina Tech.

https://usa.inquirer.net/17068/virginia-tech-sorry-for-using-photo-of-fil-ams-in-flyer-for-foreign-students

However, the photo used was taken at the International Street Fair last spring. All of the Filipino students in the photo are all American, not international students. 

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the issue gained attention after Rajni Kapania, a junior majoring in business information technology, posted the flyer with the caption, “VT stays disrespecting minorities when literally NONE of these students are international … when is this gonna end” 

The Asian American Student Union, a Virginia Tech organization that umbrellas 13 other student organizations, released a statement on social media that said “microaggressions make it difficult to feel a sense of community, especially at a predominately white institution (PWI). A university is supposed to be a (home) away from home for students. When Virginia Tech advertises a false narrative, it supports the idea that those who look foreign do not fit the image of an ‘American’. (sic)”

These people want to have their cake and eat it too. These Fil-Ams were photographed where? At the INTERNATIONAL STREET FAIR! And who takes offence?  THE ASIAN AMERICAN Student Union.  There is a Filipino American Student Union at Virgnia Tech.

Founded in 1988, The Filipino American Student Association (FASA) is an organization formed to enhance interactions between Filipinos and other students, faculty, and staff of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University through cultural, educational, and social activities.

http://www.vtfasa.org.vt.edu

These AMERICANS refer to themselves as FILIPINOS.  No doubt they take advantage of all the amenities that comes with being an American and have absolutely no idea what it is to be a Filipino except for the food like this lechon they have pictured on their web page.

Is it any wonder they would be mistaken for international students when they are photographed at an international street fair and have a club that presents them as international students?

But it seems I started this article off wrong.  You really can be a Fil-Am. You really can have your cake and eat it too.

https://usa.inquirer.net/17097/becoming-dual-citizens-having-the-best-of-both-worlds

Romulo A. Alejandro became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1992, following the established legal processes. During the oath-taking, he says there was a brief twinge of sadness as he was renouncing his allegiance to the country where he was born and raised. He was reminded, he recalls, of an oration entitled “I am a Filipino and Proud to be One.” 

However, it did not take long for him to fully realize that “I am an American and I am Proud to be One.” 

“Becoming an American became very real when I voted for the first time as an American,” Alejandro adds. “I felt then that I had a voice that counted in an election process that was not rigged. I made a conscious and deliberate decision to embrace the American culture. It was time to assimilate not isolate with my fellow Filipinos. To me this is the only way to live and be an American.” 

In 2015, Alejandro was advised that to own property in the Philippines, he had to be a Filipino citizen. Under existing laws of the U.S. and the Philippines, dual citizenship is allowed. However, there is actually no U.S. Immigration statute that specifically addresses this issue. So, he applied for dual citizenship. As a result, he is now a citizen of both the United States of America and the Philippines. 

It is like “having your cake and eating it too, and having the best of both worlds,” Alejandro muses. “I say unequivocally and with strong pride and conviction that I am an American and a Filipino and I feel great. I simply say, I am a Filipino by birth and an American by choice!” 

Like Alejandro, Eleanor Macalma of Richmond, Virginia. has also applied for dual citizenship. “At first, I did it for the properties in the Philippines which we are trying to update and upgrade,” she explains. “Also, my husband and I are preparing for retirement in the Philippines, which will be economically be better for us.  When I took my oath to become a Filipino citizen again, it was very emotional for me as national pride swelled in my heart. I am home again where I was born and raised to be an adult. The heart never left. Being an American citizen gave me the chance to raise my family and avail of many opportunities. It’s a good feeling now that I have two countries, I can call home.” 

To Maria Lourdes Moody, becoming a dual citizen means being able to work in both countries without applying for work permits or visas. “Now I can purchase properties, go back to school, work, vote and elect leaders,” she points out. “My family owned several properties in the Philippines, and I am going back to invest more. More than that, what I had learned as an American is the power to vote, and I will certainly exercise my duty as a returning Filipino.”

There is so much to unpack in this article. Where to begin? These people took an oath of citizenship to become citizens of the United States of America.  But then......whoopsie!.....they found out only Filipino citizens can own real property, land, in the Philippines!  What to do? Become a dual citizen!

Eleanor Macalma wants to retire in the Philippines with her husband because it "will be economically better for us." No kidding!! The Philippine Peso is worthless and if you are bringing in social security retirement plus a pension you will be doing great!

All three of these people want to own land but after living in the USA they should prepare themselves for all the shady dealings with realtors who routinely issue fake titles.

Dual citizenship of course means double the taxes. What a headache. Why become an American in the first place if your plan is to return to the Philippines? Read the quote from Eleanor:

When I took my oath to become a Filipino citizen again, it was very emotional for me as national pride swelled in my heart. I am home again where I was born and raised to be an adult. The heart never left. Being an American citizen gave me the chance to raise my family and avail of many opportunities. It’s a good feeling now that I have two countries, I can call home.

If home is where the heart is and if her heart never left the Philippines then her home is the Philippines and not the USA. She admits she used the USA to raise her children and "avail of many opportunities." What could those opportunities possibly be except the opportunities to earn more money than she would ever earn in the Philippines? It's like a scam. And we all know Filipinos are good at scamming stupid white men out of their money.

These people have no loyalty.  Not to the Philippines. Not to the USA. Not even to themselves. Who do they want to be? What do they want to be? Filipinos or Americans?

Choose. But choose wisely.