Filipinos Prepare for Trump 2.0

Filipinos both in the Philippines and the USA are preparing for Trump's second term as President. His cornerstone proposal is to put a halt to illegal immigration and deport all illegal aliens currently living in the USA. Illegal Filipinos are being urged to self-deport.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/11/08/2398606/philippine-ambassador-warns-mass-deportation-under-trump

The Philippines' ambassador to the United States has called on undocumented Filipino workers there to start the process of obtaining legal status before US President-elect Donald Trump assumes office next year. 

With an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 undocumented Filipinos currently in the US, Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez advised them to immediately seek legal aid or face deportation, which could permanently bar them from re-entry.

Trump secured a return to the White House in a decisive electoral victory earlier this week after leading a campaign that promised "the largest deportation effort in American history." 

On Friday, November 8, Trump told NBC News that his administration has "no choice" but to carry out that promise and that it will not have a price tag.  

"My advice to many of our fellow men who actually are still here but cannot get any kind of status, my advice is for them not to wait to be deported," Romualdez said in a forum with international and local media on Friday.

The ambassador said it is likely that Trump will proceed with his plans of deporting illegal immigrants en masse. But this will "take a lot of resources," he added.

The increased exchange of information among American immigration authorities now makes it nearly impossible for undocumented individuals to remain undetected, Romualdez said.

He estimated that nine out of 10 "TNTs" (tago nang tago or always hiding) — a term coined for Filipinos abroad who are in hiding or overstaying — "will be discovered at some form or another." Different US departments from immigration to the transportation security administration (TSA) are now interconnected, he added.

"Plus, anybody can just simply send a picture of you or whoever it is to the [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.] That's the one that goes after illegal immigrants, and then you have a problem," Romualdez said.

The Philippine ambassadors advice to self-deport comes with the caveat "if you cannot get any kind of status." Lucky for all those illegals the Pilipino Worker's Center is holding free legal clinics to educate illegal Filipino aliens of their rights. You see, they can't simply be deported. 

https://usa.inquirer.net/160023/mass-deportation-help-hotline-free-legal-clinics-for-undocumented-filipinos

The Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) has announced initiatives to support undocumented Filipinos as Donald Trump’s return to the presidency sparks anxiety among immigrant communities.

“(Trump’s) return is causing a lot of anxiety, fear and stress among many in our communities,” said PWC Executive Director Aquilina Soriano Versoza during a virtual post-election town hall Friday night.

“We gather here to prepare to protect and stand strong for our communities, especially the immigrant families.”

PWC announced the launch of a rapid response hotline that undocumented Filipinos can call for deportation defense.

The center will also hold free legal clinics and “Immigration Know Your Rights” trainings, and launch new communications plans “to make sure that our community is able to have up-to-date information.”

Versoza has urged undocumented immigrants “not to panic and self-isolate” and to make sure they are “connected to reliable information.”

She reminded undocumented immigrants that “ICE can’t just deport you…there’s a legal process and that’s why it’s important to connect to legal support.”

Versoza also stressed that undocumented immigrants should not feel they need to voluntarily leave the United States to avoid deportation as “they have rights and don’t need to leave.”

She was reacting to the statement of Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez advising undocumented Filipinos to voluntarily leave the US instead of facing deportation.

“There are real economic reasons why (undocumented immigrants) are here,” she said. “They don’t have to self-deport. There are resources…and pathways to citizenship and we’re ready to support the immigrant community.”

PWC is preparing for their legal advisors “to be paired” with their 24/7 rapid response hotline, Versoza said.

Perla Santos, one of the more than 100 town hall participants, shared that “many of our kababayans are feeling downhearted” in the face of Trump’s mass deportation plan and the shifting immigration policies.

“We’re not liabilities. We are assets,” Santos said, bewailing Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Looks like there is no need for illegal Filipino aliens to panic. The PWC has their back. All they have to do is reach out and grab that lifeline. 

Trump's 2nd term is also being seen as bad for remittances. This would seem to be related to the mass deportations of illegal Filipino aliens but this article does not make that very clear. 

https://business.inquirer.net/489317/trump-2-0-seen-bad-for-ph-remittances

Remittances to the Philippines and receipts from the business process outsourcing sector could take a hit from US President-elect Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, while the possibility of diminished security support from Washington could stir up more tensions in the West Philippine Sea, said Japanese investment bank Nomura.

Those are the channels where the Philippines is most vulnerable after Trump won the race to the White House again following a divisive Nov. 5 election.

Zooming out, Nomura said in a commentary that Trump 2.0 will be negative for growth in Southeast Asia, albeit at varying degrees.

“The Philippines does not have a similar cushion and will be at risk from the impact on workers’ remittances from a possible tightening of US immigration policy and on the outsourcing sector,” Nomura said.

“Increased geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea due to the lack of US security support could put the Philippines on the front line. This could be an issue for the broader region, if China’s assertiveness in the disputed waters intensifies,” it added.

There are thousands if not millions of legal Filipinos in the USA working in every sector sending big bucks to the Philippines. What are they worried about exactly. Besides this just goes to show how fake much of the Philippine economy is as it relies so much on remittances.

Senator Escudero is urging the government to prepare for a Trump presidency. 

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/255157/escudero-urges-ph-govt-prepare-for-trump-presidency

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Monday urged the national government to start preparing for potential policy shifts in the US with the looming fresh administration of  Donald Trump.

Escudero referred to Trump as a “major macroeconomic assumption” that the Philippines must be “one step ahead” because his moves as US president would impact not only Americans but also Filipinos.

He pointed out how Trump has always been transparent about his plans as US president, encouraging the Philippine government to assess his promises and see how they would affect the Philippines.

“From trade to security to immigration, what he said he plans to do, some on day one of his administration, would certainly impact us,” the Senate president stressed.

For one, Escudero pointed out Trump’s commitment to carry out mass deportation of illegal immigrants. The Senate leader noted there are 300,000 undocumented Filipinos in the US.

“How many of the estimated 300,000 vulnerable Filipinos will be in the first wave of expulsion?” Escudero asked.

According to the Senate president, even if the US deported only one percent of the 300,000, it would already require 10 big airplanes.

He also suggested that the national government think about how Trump plans to impose high tariff walls and how it would affect the Philippine economy, especially how almost $1 of every $7 in its economy comes from its trade with the US.

“If because of him the dollar will strengthen, what effect will it have on us if it causes the peso to weaken? The value of our foreign debt is sure to balloon,” Escudero said in mixed Filipino and English.

Escudero further urged the national government to revisit the US-Philippines relations, noting that the alliance was only boosted because of the Biden administration.

“On the security front, will a second Trump administration be hawkish or dovish against China?  We must be ready in case they have a new position in Washington,” he said.

“There is no reason for the Philippine government to be caught flatfooted and stand helpless as the ground beneath it caves in,” he added.

Escudero is out of his mind! He's thinking too much about all those illegal Filipino aliens that might be deported calling them "vulnerable." Is he going to stop the Philippines' deportation of illegal aliens who are here to work, most notably the Chinese? Of course not. 

As for his questioning as to whether or not Trump will be hawkish or dovish against China, has he listened to a single thing Trump has said? US-Philippine relations weren't boosted becasue of Biden. They were great under Trump who was a good friend of Duterte. He even visited the Philippines in 2017 for the ASEAN meeting. EDCA was signed into law while Trump was President. 

Ambassador Romualdez has a different take on Philppine-US relations under Trump. 

https://www.reuters.com/world/philippines-confident-us-alliance-under-trump-amid-china-tensions-envoy-says-2024-11-07/

The Philippines expects U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific and support for its treaty ally amid South China Sea tensions to remain steady under Donald Trump, driven by bipartisan resolve in Washington, its ambassador to the U.S. said on Thursday.

Both Democrats and Republicans prioritise countering China’s influence, including in the South China Sea, Jose Manuel Romualdez said, suggesting that military cooperation, economic ties and security commitments with the Philippines will continue.

"It is in their interest that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, peaceful and stable, especially given the economic part of it, with trillions of dollars passing through the South China Sea," Romualdez told Reuters in an interview.

U.S.-Philippine security engagements have deepened under President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with both leaders keen to counter what they see as China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.

Marcos said in a congratulatory message after Trump's victory: "I am hopeful that this unshakeable alliance, tested in war and peace, will be a force of good that will blaze a path of prosperity and amity, in the region, and in both sides of the Pacific."

Under Marcos, the Philippines has increased the number of its bases accessible to U.S. forces to nine from five, some facing the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems.

The U.S. has proposed $128 million for infrastructure improvements at those bases, in addition to a $500 million pledge for the Philippine military and coastguard.

Romualdez expressed confidence that these commitments, including joint U.S.-Philippine maritime exercises that began last year, would continue under Trump.

"We have very strong bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress where the money comes from. Every single one of our friends in the Republican side has signified their concern and strong support for whatever we're doing right now in relation to the challenges we face with China today," Romualdez said.

He suggested potential changes under Trump would be "minimal" and could even be favourable.

During Trump's previous term, the U.S. dispelled any doubts about its defence commitments when then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured Manila in 2019 that Washington would defend its ally if attacked in the South China Sea, reinforcing the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. 

Beijing claims much of the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, with the area becoming a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. There have been recent clashes over territorial claims between China and the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Romualdez emphasized Manila's intent to manage disputes peacefully, and "will continue to dialogue with China as long as it's not detrimental to our interests."

"We're not at war," Romualdez said, adding there are many areas where Philippines and China can work with.

How much more reasonable is Romualdez thats Escudero. It seems Chiz forgot he was a Senator during Trump's first term and everything was fine.

President Marcos has assured the nation PH-US relations will be normal under Trump. After all he did get the overwhelming support of the Filipinos-AM community.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/255960/marcos-calls-to-congratulate-trump-cites-fil-am-votes-he-got

President Marcos said he had personally congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump in a “very friendly and productive” phone call on Tuesday morning, where he expressed his desire to see the Philippine-American alliance enduring under Trump’s second term.

Marcos said he reminded the incoming Republican president that Filipino Americans “overwhelmingly voted for him” and that “I’m sure he will remember that when we see each other.’’

“I expressed to him our continuing desire to strengthen that relationship between our two countries, which is a relationship that is as deep as can possibly be—because it has been for a very long time,” Mr. Marcos said.

“[I]t was a very good call; it was a very friendly call, very productive. And I am glad that I was able to do it, and I think President-elect Trump was also happy to hear from the Philippines.”

The conversation, he said, did not touch on Trump’s immigration policy, a key issue of his campaign that can potentially affect the Fil-Am community.

“We didn’t talk about that. It was just a congratulatory call,’’ he said when asked if the subject came up. “But, of course, our ambassador (to Washington, Jose Manuel Romualdez) is already working on that.”

“The overwhelming support of Filipinos in the United States on your triumphant win is a testament to the deep and enduring friendship between our nations.”

Democrats and liberals in the USA are losing their minds over Trump's election and Filipinos also seem to be losing their minds or are at least being cautious. But there is nothing to worry about. Philippine-US relations were great under Trump. Mass deportation of illegal Filipino aliens won't be so easy and there is legal help available for them. Remittances will likely not change because there are many legal Filipinos slaving away for their deadbeat families in the Philippines. It's very doubtful Trump 2.0 will change the status quo.

First Woman of Color Makes Historic Win as Miss Universe Philippines 2024

In the Philippines beauty pageants are not only big business but also a source of pride for many. No beauty contest is more important to Filipinos than Miss Universe. So far the Philippines has brought home the Miss Universe crown four times. 

But apparently not a single Miss Universe Philippines winner has been "a woman of color." Until now.

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/fashion-and-beauty/2024/05/23/2357317/woman-color-makes-historic-win-miss-universe-philippines-2024

Chelsea Manalo of Bulacan was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2024, besting 52 other hopefuls at the close of glitzy ceremonies in Pasay City.

Outgoing titleholder Michelle Marquez Dee passed on the beautifully crafted La Mer de Majeste crown to the dusky Bulakeña as the first national winner of color, who won the title on her first try.

A dark horse, in the truest sense of the word, though not alluding to her skin color, Chelsea was beneath most of the prediction radars, probably because she was a first timer to the national stage. She came out of nowhere to win the most coveted title. 

Chelsea will be the country's representative to the Mexico pageant toward the end of the year. She will also be the country's first delegate who is a woman of color.

Excuse me but aren't all Filipina women women of color? From yellow Chinoy's to light brown mulattos to the dark Negritos and Igorots isn't every single Filipina a woman of color? Apparently not. Here are  two pictures of several Miss Universe Philippines winners over the years. 

To call Chelsea Manalo "the country's first delegate who is a woman of color" is bizarre. A woman of color, a person of color, is someone who is not White. 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woman%20of%20color

a woman whose skin pigmentation is other than and especially darker than what is considered characteristic of people typically defined as white : a woman who is of a race other than white or who is of mixed race

Are Filipinas White? Catriona Gray, who was raised in Australia by a Scottish father, could be called White but look at the ladies in the above pictures. They are all women of color. 

What this dsignation really means is Chelsea Manalo is the first half-African American to represent the Philippines. 

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/fashion-and-beauty/2024/05/23/2357300/bulacan-barbie-becomes-first-filipino-black-american-win-miss-universe-philippines

The 22-year-old stunner from Meycauayan, Bulacan is a Filipino-American who is not new in the pageant scene. 

In the comments section, fans have been supportive and even projected her as the next Miss Universe.

“Living black barbie," one comment said. 

The Bulakenya beauty is believed to be the first-ever Filipino-African American who will represent the country in Miss Universe in Mexico by the end of the year.

At least Chelsea, unlike Catriona Gray, is a native Filipina. The only thing American about her is her father who died a few years ago. But because she inherited his black genes she is now being touted as the first woman of color to represent the Philippines at the Miss Universe pageant. It's as dumb and untrue as when Jennifer Lawrence claimed she was the first female action star. It is also incredibly racist and denies that Filipinas are women of color.

OFW's Drive the Philippines' Foreign Policy as Soft Power

The OFW program is undoubtedly a brain drain program which robs the Philippines of its best and brightest. No rational nation would encourage its workers to leave the nation. But not is all as it seems as the DFA recently made clear.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217840

Diaspora, or the spreading of Filipinos across the globe along with the Filipino culture, is the country's “soft power”, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

In diplomacy, soft power is the ability of a nation to influence other nations through attraction and persuasion instead of force or intimidation.

"We send our people or they themselves go without government intervention or support. We deploy our workers, beginning 1973 in the oil crisis, caused by the conflict between Israel and their cousin, the Arabs but not just as workers," DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said during his speech at a multi-stakeholder symposium.

He said these Filipinos sent abroad are instruments of the country's foreign policy.

"Oftentimes, especially after Republic Act 8042, our diaspora drives our foreign policy," he added.

According to DFA's latest report to Congress, there are 10,854,592 Filipinos abroad. The Americas host 49.04 percent of the tally; the Asia-Pacific, 22.83 percent; the Middle East, 21.88 percent; Europe 6.03 percent and Africa, 1 percent.

Filipinos experience disasters, calamities, famine, war and pandemic happening in their host countries.

While the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) ensure the welfare of Filipinos abroad, the DFA sees their potential to be leaders -- their capability to be rescuers instead of being only rescuees.

"In such manner, our diaspora becomes not only a group of Filipinos who seek employment abroad, but more than that: they are a great gift of the Filipino nation to all peoples on earth, and our contribution to world peace and harmony," he added.

To establish a framework of the RA 9148 implementation abroad, de Vega said the DFA could work with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, the DMW, Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency.

That is an absolutely incredible admission. It should not be forgotten that Philippine citizenship is by blood or "jus sanguis." That means the children of OFWs born abroad are Filipino citizens and are "are instruments of the country's foreign policy."  It's a ridiculous policy as anyone related to a Filipino citizen can become a Filipino citizen despite never having set foot in the Philippines. 

So, how exactly does this soft power manifest? RA 8042 says:

SEC. 2. Declaration Of Policies—

(a) In the pursuit of an independent foreign policy and while considering national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination paramount in its relations with other states, the State shall, at all times, uphold the dignity of its citizens whether in country or overseas, in general, and Filipino migrant workers, in particular.

(c) While recognizing the significant contribution of Filipino migrant workers to the national economy through their foreign exchange remittances, the State does not promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic growth and achieve national development. The existence of the overseas employment program rests solely on the assurance that the dignity and fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Filipino citizens shall not, at any time, be compromised or violated. The State, therefore, shall continuously create local employment opportunities and promote the equitable distribution of wealth and the benefits of development.

These words are very clear that "the State does not promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic growth and achieve national development. That cannot be any clearer yet what do we see in reality but OFWs sustaining economic growth!? Nay, as a PILLAR of economic growth!

https://www.philstar.com/business/2023/11/25/2313962/

Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will continue to fuel consumption and boost the Philippines’ economic resilience, according to British banking giant HSBC.

Aris Dacanay, economist for ASEAN at HSBC, said OFWs are among the Philippines’ strongest “exports,” providing services and manpower to the rest of the world.

“In return, OFWs earn incomes that are usually better than what they could get back home, and a substantial portion of these incomes is remitted to their households to cover their daily expenses,” he said.

Dacanay said OFW remittances remain a pillar of Philippine economic growth.

“This cycle has strengthened the country’s current account, supported the peso, and fueled consumption to the point where consumption became the economy’s pillar for growth,” he said.

According to Dacanay, remittances have represented around 20 percent of the economy’s current account receipts and around nine percent of gross domestic product (GDP) since 2006.

Latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed personal remittances grew by 2.8 percent to $27.24 billion from January to September versus last year’s $23.82 billion.

Of the total, cash remittances coursed through banks rose by 2.8 percent to $24.49 billion from $23.82 billion.

Remittances are the LIFEBLOOD of the consumption-dependent Philippine economy. 

Remittances are considered the lifeblood of the consumption-dependent Philippine economy. Money sent home by overseas Filipinos augment their families’ income here. 

https://www.philstar.com/business/2022/11/15/2223976/remittances-sustain-growth-expats-help-ease-inflations-sting

Now, those are not official government pronouncements but if the rest of the world can see what is so obvious you can bet your bottom dollar or peso the Philippine government knows the score. The government is not seeking to retain workers by raising wages and working conditions. They are elated that more OFWs are leaving the country post-pandemic. In fact, they encourage it by partnering with other countries to ship off healthcare workers among others. 

This is not merely a private working relationship between employer and employee. The government is deeply involved in promoting overseas jobs. 

The rest of the RA 8042 is mostly about protecting workers. 

SEC. 4. Deployment of Migrant Workers – The State shall deploy overseas Filipino workers only in countries where the rights of Filipino migrant workers are protected.

SEC. 5. TERMINATION ORBANONDEPLOYMENT – Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4 hereof, the government, in pursuit of the national interest or when public welfare so requires, may, at any time, terminate or impose a ban on the deployment of migrant workers.

SEC. 23. ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. – The following government agencies shall perform the following to promote the welfare and protect the rights of migrant workers and, as far as applicable, all overseas Filipinos:

(a) Department of Foreign Affairs. – The Department, through its home office or foreign posts, shall take priority action its home office or foreign posts, shall take priority action or make representation with the foreign authority concerned to protect the rights of migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos and extend immediate assistance including the repatriation of distressed or beleaguered migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos;

That whole section is outrageous. Filipinos are regularly deployed to countries where they are raped and murdered by their employees. This happens with alarming frequency in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Employment bans on those countries should be permanent but they never are. It is only when a particular case is amplified and causes outrage that the DFA does anything and only for a month or two when the commotion dies down. If they really cared about protecting migrant workers no Filipino would be allowed into countries where they are routinely killed. 

This final section contradicts Section 2 Paragraph c which says "the State does not promote overseas employment as a means to...achieve national development."

SEC. 31. INCENTIVES TO PROFESSIONALS AND OTHER HIGHLY-SKILLED FILIPINOS ABROAD. – Pursuant to the objective of encouraging professionals and other highly-skilled Filipinos abroad especially in the field of science and technology to participate in, and contribute to national development, the government shall provide proper and adequate incentives and programs so as to secure their services in priority development areas of the public and private sectors.

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1995/06/07/republic-act-no-8042-2/

This section says that the government does encourage highly-skilled OFWs to "contribute to national development" by providing them with proper incentives to "secure their services!" That means the government is encouraging workers to go abroad, hone their skills, and return to the Philippines to participate in national development!

I mentioned that people not born in the Philippines but born to Philippine citizens have Philippine citizenship by right of blood. That is VERY important. This is where the real soft power of the Philippines could come into play. Here is a recent example. 

https://usa.inquirer.net/144013/3-fil-am-legal-luminaries-named-superior-court-judges-in-southern-california

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced the appointment of 16 Superior Court judges, including three Filipino Americans in Southern California.

Appointed as Superior Court judges in Los Angeles County were Cristina Legaspi, a principal deputy county counsel for the Office of the Los Angeles County Counsel, and Lowrie Mendoza, assistant head deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Bryan Clavecilla, a commissioner at the Orange County Superior Court, was named Superior Court judge in the County.

Mendoza has been assistant head deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2023 and has served in several roles there since 2005.

She was a law clerk at the Law Offices of Enrico Mendoza from 2004 to 2005 and at Yuhl, Rhames, Yuhl & Atkinson in 2003.

Mendoza earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School Los Angeles. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Terry A. Green.

Legaspi has served as senior deputy county counsel in the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office since 1999 and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law since 2022.

She was an associate at Weissman and Associates from 1998 to 1999 and at Ivie, McNeil and Wyatt in 1998.

Legaspi earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Monica Bachner.

Clavecilla has served as a commissioner at the Orange County Superior Court and a senior deputy district attorney and assistant head of court at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office Central Justice Center.

Clavecilla earned a Juris Doctor degree from Chapman Law School. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Linda Marks.

Legaspi, Mendoza and Clavecilla have been active as leaders in the Fil-Am community.

Legaspi has served on the Board of Directors of the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) and the UCLA Pilipino Pipeline Project.

Mendoza is PABA Foundation  director and Clavecilla is a PABA lifetime member.

Founded more than 40 years ago, PABA is the largest local association of Filipino American lawyers in the United States.

Late last year, Gov. Newsom also appointed accomplished Fil-Am lawyer Christine Gonong as a judge in the LA County Superior Court.

As children of Filipino immigrants these people are all Philippine citizens. This is how Philippine soft power is really working through OFWs. They migrate for economic reasons, raise children who are born citizens of the host country and yet retain their Filipino identity and citizenship, and work their way into the higher echelons of power in a foreign land. 

And the Philippine government wants it this way. Rather than build up the Philippines as an industrial and technological powerhouse with livable wages and safe working conditions the fat cats in charge would rather plunder the national coffers, drive away the best and brightest so they can send back dollars and euros to prop up the economy, and let the masses eat cake pretending they are so happy and resilient. But the DFA did not need to tell us this is what they are doing. It is rather obvious to anyone who cares to look. 

Is Manny Pacquiao's Boxing Career Built on a Lie?

Could it be that the career of one of the greatest boxers in modern times and a national hero of the Philippines has all been built on a lie? It seems that is indeed the case. The reason being a corrupt referee.

https://sports.inquirer.net/487960/ref-admits-he-cheated-to-help-pacquiao-win

It has long been an open secret—fans joked about the obvious long count in the aftermath of a fight in 2000.

And in the years that followed, the joke lost its punch, flattened by the frequency of its retelling and the eventual incomparable career of one Manny Pacquiao.

Until the World Boxing Council (WBC) uploaded a video that featured renowned Filipino referee Carlos Padilla admitting he facilitated a rigged result in Pacquiao’s infamous fight against Australian Nadal Hussein.

“So, you know the opponent, Hussein, or whatever his name was. He is taller, younger, stronger and a dirty fighter, managed by Jeff Fenech. So in the [fourth round], Manny got knocked down, I thought he was going to get up, but his eyes were cross-eyed,” Padilla said in a video on the WBC’s YouTube channel that has since been taken down.

“I am Filipino, and everybody watching the fight is Filipino, so I prolonged the count. I know how to do it,” Padilla said after taking nearly twice as long to count to 10. “When he got up, I told him, ‘Hey, are you okay?’ Still prolonging the fight. ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Okay, fight!’”

It turns out this not a new revelation but an old inside...joke? Was the WBC unaware of what the fans new all along? Padilla admits he prolonged the count out of solidarity for being a Filipino. But he wasn't just a Filipino as we shall see. 

“[B]ecause Manny was not like Manny is now, he wasn’t trained by Freddie Roach yet, he holds on for his dear life, and [Hussein] throws him, and he went down again. I said to the opponent, ‘Hey, you don’t do this.’ You know, I was prolonging the fight. ‘You don’t do that. Okay, judges, [point] deduction.’”

To cap it off, Padilla also admitted forcing the outcome when he ruled a head butt as a punch, resulting in the 10-round TKO win for Pacquiao.

“[B]ecause he is shorter, he headbutted the other guy and there is a cut, but I declared it a punch. If there is a headbutt, you have to stop the fight and declare to the judges a point deduction, but I didn’t do that, meaning the fight could continue. [The cut] is not really big—but I never got the doctor to check it [because] I want to see it serious,” Padilla said.

Pacquiao could not be reached for comment.

So, Manny headbutted his opponent and the referee called it a punch!? How did the WBC ever let this ruling stand? 

Hussein, however, had a lot to say, particularly on how both fighters’ paths diverged after that bout.

“I can’t say Pacquiao’s career would never have been the same, but it would have been derailed, that’s for sure,” Hussein said.

After that, the Australian didn’t have much of a career, failing to win a world championship. He eventually settled for a career in sales.

Pacquiao’s career bloomed the following year when he was picked as a replacement fighter on two weeks’ notice to face Lehlo Ledwaba in the undercard of a fight scheduled at MGM Grand in Las Vegas that featured Oscar de la Hoya in the main event. Pacquiao hammered out a sixth-round stoppage in that fight for the International Boxing Federation junior featherweight to engineer one of the finest runs in boxing history.

Hussein said his camp smelled something fishy early on and accused the organizers of using a loophole to slide Padilla into the referee’s position.

“With the referee, the terms were there was going to be an Australian judge, a Filipino judge and a Korean judge. Then they said the referee was going to be American. But … [Padilla] was an American-Filipino. So because he was an American citizen, they had their loophole.

“He was a Filipino all along. But it wasn’t supposed to be an issue because he was based in America. But we didn’t know anything about it until the last minute, to be honest.”

Ah, the perks of dual citizenship! Padilla was not supposed to referee but only snuck in because he is also an American which created a loophole. 

It would certainly be wrong to pin the blame on Manny Pacquiao when the decision here is solely the responsibility of Padilla. 

https://news.yahoo.com/manny-pacquiao-breaks-silence-referee-173956934.html

Speaking to ABS-CBN’s "TV Patrol," Pacquiao denied being involved in any way with Padilla's decision-making. 

“I did not cheat. We were just probably favored because of home court [advantage],” the former Philippine senator told TV Patrol. “As a boxer, I just did what I needed to do. I’m a boxer. I only do my job inside the ring. That is his problem, not mine.”

The WBC has not yet released a formal statement but has formed a panel to review Padilla's remarks. His daughter claims his statements have been misinterpreted. 

https://www.philstar.com/sports/2022/12/01/2227820/daughter-filipino-referee-says-pacquiao-cheating-statement-misconstrued-misinterpreted

The daughter of now controversial referee Carlos Padilla has called the statements where his father admitted helping Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao win a fight in 2000 as "misconstrued" and "misinterpreted".

In a letter addressed to the "boxing community of the world", Suzy Padilla Tuano came to defense of the 88-year-old referee who was shoved into the center of attention after a recent interview during his induction to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.

"My father is an 88 year old man who is just that — old and aging. Despite the fact that he has been living in the United States for decades, English remains his 2nd language," the letter read.

"Communications can be misconstrued and well intentioned words can be misinterpreted. The present situation is one such glaring example of what might actually have been said, (no pun intended), and what may have been taken out of context," she continued.

"My father is a decent and honorable man. He dedicated his life to boxing and boxers and cared for them and their well being, regardless of nationality or circumstance," she said.

"He refereed numerous historic fights with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, and many more fighters for the entirety of his career. He has since retired and has been out of the spotlight for as long as I can remember. Oh, but he loves to talk and entertain because like any other human, he still yearns to feel relevant. I invite everyone to ask about Carlos Padilla among his peers: promoters, fighters, referees, or anyone from his era and hopefully, you will learn about my father's true character," she continued.

"He does not need controversies at this very late stage in his life."

It's hard to see how anything Carlos Padilla said has been taken out of context. Watch the interview for yourself.

The talk about the Manny Pacquiao fight begins at 17:36.

Historic Tricycle Ride Across the Golden Gate Bridge Pays Homage to Illegal Filipinos in the USA

In the Philippines the nation has been celebrating the historic voyage of Ferdinand Magellan. With his arrival in these islands 500 years ago came Christianity and after him the Spanish period of colonization. Though he did not make it alive out of the Philippines his ship and remaining crew finished the first circumnavigation of the globe. It is a truly historic journey all of humanity should celebrate.

Meanwhile in the USA Filipinos are celebrating an altogether different historic journey. A Filipino rode a tricycle across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco.

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/philippine-tricycle-makes-history-by-crossing-golden-gate-bridge-160042486.html

A legendary Philippine vehicle crossing an iconic US landmark is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

A humble Philippine tricycle, dubbed TNT Traysikel, recently became the first such trike to cross the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The historic trek was made possible by two Filipino-Americans, Michael Arcega and Paolo Asuncion, joined by 60 other Fil-Am riders in the parade.

TNT Traysikel described by the Fil-Ams as a “mobile public artwork that operates as a cultural marker for the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District” in San Francisco, California. It resembles the motorized sidecar made in the Philippines.

The motor vehicle includes several features that shout out to the Filipino culture.

"Hoy" can be seen on the windshield and it is used by Filipinos to call someone's attention.

The "TNT" on the front and back of the sidecar means "Tago ng Tago", and is a colloquial word for undocumented Filipinos in the United States.

On the front of the tricycle sitting above "TNT" is "Por Wan Pibe" or Four One Five, a nod to California Penal Code 415 – Disturbing the Peace. Tricycles in the Philippines are typically boisterous contraptions like their big cousin, the Filipino jeepney!

At the back are the big bold "UFO" letters that supposedly means "Unidentified Filipino Object". But one can never take its meaning at face value, so it could also mean "Unapologetic Filipino Object". Again, a nod to the tricycle's tough reputation on the streets of the Philippines.

Inside the sidecar are two clever signages usually seen on jeepneys – “God Knows Hudas Not Pay” and “Basta Driver Sweet Lover”. The former is a call back of familiar scene in the Philippines where some commuters jumps out of a jeepney without paying their fare. Such people are likened to Hudas (Jesus Christ's betrayer). The latter is a common perception that Filipino (jeepney) drivers have a soft, sweet side, specially for their partners, in spite of their tough work environment.

This tricycle is less a functional mode of public transportation and more of a "mobile public artwork." Funny that this piece of art pays homage to illegal Filipino aliens and admits that the tricycle can be unduly noisy to the point of violating noise ordinances. We also get a reference to Filipinos being likened to Judas for skipping out of paying their fare. Breaking the law is surely something a Filipino wants to highlight when they are attempting to show off Filipino culture, right? 

I do not believe I have ever seen, in the Philippines, a tricycle like the one which made the historic journey across the Golden Gate Bridge. Allow me to show one of my favorite tricycles from the Philippines.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/08/picture-of-week-filipino-nazi.html

And just one more.

Now, that is the Philippines I know and love. You cannot duplicate that in the USA. God bless them, every one.

But this tricycle celebrating the traditional Filipino pastime of law breaking is not just public art. It's also propaganda.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL7zKLAln41/

TNT Traysikel is a mobile public artwork that operates as cultural marker for the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District in San Francisco. The aesthetic of the traysikel is adjacent to Filipino-customized transport Jeepneys left by Americans after WWII. TNT Traysikel is an immigrant metaphor constructed from a deep colonial history. As a social sculpture, TNT Traysikel was used as an aesthetic object, a protest tool and symbol of solidarity with the Black community against Police brutality and delivery vehicle during the Covid-19 pandemic. It will be the main site for collecting stories of Filipinx diaspora in a forthcoming documentary. This is a collaboration between @mike_arcega and @pao_silog with help from our communities. Hand-Painted by Meng Nguyen, @allthingsmeng


TNT Traysikel was funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Commission #sfacfunded with additional financial support from Awesome Foundation, San Francisco State University @sfsu_school_of_art and Balay Kreative @balaykreative .

What is the metaphor this tricycle is supposed to represent? Funny that this thing is funded by the City of San Fransisco and is "a protest tool and symbol of solidarity with the Black community against Police brutality."  Tell that to all the Filipinos who have been brutalized by the Black community. And what exactly do family oriented Filipinos have to do with Black Lives Matter which wants to "disrupt" the family?

https://web.archive.org/web/20200408020723/https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

What does a Filipino-style tricycle have to do with any of that? You know, to heck with the Filipinix diaspora. You know what Filipinix is? It means they are including delusional, self-mutilating transexuals. Just like Latinx. It is also "a relatively new label that Filipino-Americans have been using to differentiate their own “identities and experiences.” It's an attempt to avoid gendered language to be inclusive despite Tagalog having a plethora of gendered language. 

To heck with these people. So many Americans and Europeans and others come to the Philippines to live. Do they build Little America's or Little UK's or wherever they are from? Do they drive around in "mobile public artwork" which shows-off their culture? Do they wring their hands about their "identities and experiences" and invent fake words to refer to themselves? No. They assimilate. They learn the language, they eat the food, and they embrace the culture. They marry the women and have miscegenated children. 

But Filipinos abroad? They don't assimilate. They attempt to reestablish the Philippines wherever they go. Just stay home! If you want to live in the Philippines then live in the Philippines and not the USA or the UK or Germany or elsewhere. Save yourself the fake self-serving identity crisis of you and your children by staying home. Heck anyone with a single drop of Filipino blood, like Dave Bautista, is hailed as a Fil-Am hero. Now, Dave Bautista is an American, born and raised, but his father is the son of Filipino immigrants. That means Dave can obtain Filipino citizenship and vote in the presidential election! That is nuts! But that is the end result of citizenship based on sanguinity.

This is a good place to segue into the next part of what this tricycle stunt is about. 

It's a commercial for a TV show called TNT SideCaraoke which is to air on the television network TNT. That is really funny because as noted above TNT means illegal Filipino alien. Here is a teaser for the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK03mMigki0

I think when I think about my Filipinoness the first thing that comes up is food which is why it's a good thing we're eating.

So this person, when they think about their Filipino heritage, the first they think of is food. I guess that is fitting because it's not like Filipinos built large empires or huge monuments of stone that have survived millennia or vast philosophical systems or tremendously beautiful pieces or art or anything of cultural value and importance really. From reading Pigafetta's account it would seem Filipinos didn't even know what clothes were when first encountered in 1521! 

These people live in liberty and according to their will, for they have no lord or superior; they go quite naked, and some of them wear beards, and have their hair down to the waist. They wear small hats, after the fashion of the Albanians; these hats are made of palm leaves. 

The women also go naked, except that they cover their nature with a thin bark, pliable like paper 

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:First_Voyage_Round_the_World.djvu/149

But they do have the delicacies known as balut and red hot dogs on sticks with marshmallows.

Mmmm....masarap! That is Filipino culture looking back at you! Duck fetuses and red hot dogs which are used in everything from pizza to spaghetti sauce. I cannot find any word on when this show is set to air but I will be keeping my eyes open.

Let me say here that you don't get a TV show or government grants without knowing people. I am sure if we dig further into those behind this joke of a tricycle masquerading as art and cultural expression we can find unsavory and un-American elements. Heck, we already have with its alignment with BLM.

So, let's peer a little further at artist Mike Arcega who is the creator of this tricycle.

Michael Arcega is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture and installation. His research-based work revolves largely around language and sociopolitical dynamics. Directly informed by Historic narratives, material significance, and geography, his subject matter deals with circumstances where power relations are unbalanced. His investigation of cultural markers are embedded in objects, food, architecture, visual lexicons, and vernacular languages.

Michael was born in Manila, Philippines, and migrated to the Los Angeles area at ten years of age. He relocated to San Francisco to attend college. He currently lives and works in San Francisco, California where he is an Associate Professor at San Francisco State University.

https://arcega.us/contact.html

Arcega is a man who uses his art to make socio-political statements. Here is one of those statements called "El Conquistadork."

https://arcega.us/artwork/2052326-El-Conquistadork.html

A Manila galleon made primarily of Manila file folders was successfully sailed by the artist in Tomales Bay, California to commemorate the famed trade route of 1565 through 1815 between Mexico City, Manila, and California. Based on one of the first intercontinental trade routes, the performance and installation is a humorous critique on contemporary and historic issues of colonialism and cultural exchange.

That performance is never going to be repeated so all there is now is this large Spanish Galleon constructed out of Manila file folders. Get it!?? Spain conquered the Philippines and the capitol of the Philippines is....Manila!!! What a bunch of "Conquistadorks!!" The subtle humor here is what makes it such a "humorous critique on contemporary and historic issues of colonialism and cultural exchange." Not! It is a neat looking thing though. What would be humorous and critical is if it were inside an equally oversized bottle and on the bottle were drawn the countries of Spain and the USA. 

Here is a little bit more about Michael's method.

Michael Arcega: I was born in Manila, the year after Benigno Aquino got shot. That was like, fifth grade? A year later we moved to L.A. and I lived there until I moved to the Bay Area to go to Art Institute … Other people would say my work is humorous, well-crafted, political, identity based. They would probably say that it’s smart, probably smart-ass (laughs). But I try to stay away form being locked into “identity art.” It has so many connotations, I’d like to see myself and other people working in topical or political issues go beyond that. I want to be more open so that other people can relate to it. That’s the attempt at least. I hope that my work is humorous but with a bite. In the end or the beginning or wherever, but with a bite somewhere. 

How do you balance playfulness with the themes of conquest, colonialism, war and violence? How do you reconcile humor and history?

It’s a tricky balance. I take mental notes on how comedians communicate. They deliver the message with a spoonful of sugar. I think The Simpsons do it best. But I’m also afraid of being didactic. I’m not here to lecture. I’d rather begin a conversation rather than end it. Like “El Conquistadork Project.” If it weren’t called “Conquistadork” it would be this macho thing. But by adding this one little “k,” it creates a change in perception and it becomes self-deprecating.

https://hyphenmagazine.com/magazine/issue-9-play-summer-2006/all-puns-intended

"'I'd rather begin a conversation than end it." That is the essence of modern art. Zero objectivity. 

In modern art the artist lacks a vision. He has a conceptual idea but the goal is to make the art subjective and thus about the viewer and not any objective vision of the artist. Michelangelo had a clear vision when painting the Sistine Chapel. Everyone experiences it differently but the objective vision of Biblical history remains the same. Michael Arcega's art is completely different in that there is no objective vision except in so far as it leads to a "conversation" with the the viewer. Thus the viewer and his experience becomes the real subject of the art. This lack of objectivity is why there will never be another Hieronymus Bosch or Rembrandt. Instead our age gets Yves Klein, Duchamp, and Michael Arcega. In fact Micheal Arcega is now the subject of middle school classrooms!

https://a.s.kqed.net/pdf/arts/programs/spark/404-arcega.pdf

Conceptual artist Michael Arcega likens the titles of his works to punch lines. The titles speak to the artist’s quirky sense of humor and his obsession with wordplay, while mobilizing humor to delve into weighty issues. Born in Manila, the 30-something artist uses his puns to address his interests in Filipino history, imperialism and global socio-political issues.

Pretty sickening how even art has become politicized today. Being that this is the liberal Bay Area you just know this is more of the anti-white narrative being pushed on children. Would Arcega even be noticed if he was not a Filipino and he did not make commentaries about "imperialism and global socio-political issues?" Imagine if a white American came to the Philippines and began making conceptual art about how awful this place and its people are but did it in a humorous and subversive way. Do you think the people would be amused? No, because too many people here are humorless and not self-deprecating or introspective. Besides what people in their right mind would tolerate an outsider besmirching their culture and uplifting another? Yet Michael Arecga is in the USA and is commenting on "imperialism and global socio-political issues" so he is a darling of the local art scene.

Despite Arcega's admission that he does not want to become locked into "identity art", as so many immigrant artists do, he has failed. The TNT Tricycle celebrating illegal Filipino aliens and fare skippers is proof of that. Heck the majority of his "art" testifies to the contrary as it is almost all steeped in socio-political critiques of "colonialism and cultural exchange." Behold his art known as SPAM/MAPS.

https://arcega.us/artwork/2062382-SPAM-MAPS-World-Detail.html

A series of maps made of Spam luncheon meat. Spam was used as ration by the United States Armed Forces during WWII. It ultimately spread through many Pacific Island nations as a standard source of meat. Spam’s diasporic nature is symbolic of America’s ongoing influence on many nations. S-P-A-M is M-A-P-S in reverse.

You know I am inspired. Looking at this map entirely made out of SPAM has given me a great idea. I'm going to save all my dog's poop and I will construct a detailed map of the Philippines out of it. This project will be representative of the stray dog problem which permeates this nation as well as a political statement about the state of the government and the environment. Who knows but maybe it will launch my career and lead to my own TV show? Now, excuse me while I go reread Tom Wolfe's The Painted Word where he exposes the fraud that is "Modern Art."