Sunday Read: Support gathers steam for news, entertainment source for Filipino Americans

Demonstrators in the Philippines rallied for press freedom last Friday, Feb. 21.

Filipino Americans are expressing support for the media giant ABS-CBN that has become one of the major sources of information about the Philippines and Filipino America.

ABS-CBN, which operates the The Filipino Channel in the US and has US editions of the Inquirer newspaper, is being threatened by the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a press statement, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) praised the network’s programming, which “reflects the touchstones of Filipino culture and heritage.” ABS-CBN, through its global television network, The Filipino Channel (TFC), connect over-four million Filipinos in the United States to their country of origin.

“ABS-CBN and TFC are a significant media resource whose importance to the Filipino American community cannot be overstated,” says Brendan Flores, NaFFAA National Chairman. “As a Filipino news and media entity dedicated to artistic and journalistic excellence, they thoughtfully bridge the gap between the Philippines and its diverse diaspora across the United States and the world.

“Since the founding of NaFFAA, ABS-CBN has been a consistent and strong collaborative partner in NaFFAA’s efforts to empower Filipino Americans. They have helped further NaFFAA’s mission through support of programs such as the Biennial National Empowerment Conference, through TFCUniversity (TFCU), and Kollective Hustle.”

From Honolulu to Toronto, the media giant operates bureaus in major urban centers in the US and Canada under The Filipino Channel or Balitang America. Much of the news broadcasts are in English although most of the station's entertainment programming originating from the Philippines is in Tagalog. The US edition of the Inquirer prints in English

The Philippines' media are granted franchises with time limits that allow them to operate. ABS-CBN's franchise agreement is due to end at the end of March.

Duterte's administration is using the renewal of the 25-year licensing agreement as an opportunity to rein in criticism of the current president.

“We want to put an end to what we discovered to be highly abusive practices by ABS-CBN,” the solicitor general, Jose Calida, said in a statement. “A franchise is a special privilege granted by the state, and should be restricted only to entities which faithfully adhere to our constitution and laws.”

When the media giant refused to air Duterte's campaign commercials in 2016, the strongman said, “I will make sure that you will remember this episode of our times forever.” Calida denied that politics were behind the decision to file the petition.

SCREEN CAPTURE / TFC

The Filipino Channel covers Filipino American events such as the Parol Festival in San Francisco.

Calida alleges that the media company had issued Philippine Depositary Receipts to foreigners, raising questions about foreign ownership of the broadcast and print giant, which against the Philippine Constitution. The media corporation is owned by the prominent Lopez family of the Philippines.

“We did not violate the law. This case appears to be an attempt to deprive Filipinos of the services of ABS-CBN,” the company said in a statement.

Calida and Duterte used the same argument against Rappler, an online news site that has been critical of the Philippine president.

“These actions are part of a broader crackdown on media outlets and civil society groups that dare criticize him (Duterte),” lobby group Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

“This proves without a doubt that this government is hell bent on using all its powers to shut down the broadcasting network,” said the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines “We must not allow the vindictiveness of one man, no matter how powerful, to run roughshod over the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of the press and of expression, and the people’s right to know.”

Thousands of supporters were joined by ABS-CBN personalities and employees in rallies in Manila and Bacolod City Friday evening urging the government to grant the franchise license.
ABS-CBN has produced a number of investigative reports highlighting extrajudicial executions and other human rights abuses committed as part of the government’s so-called “war on drugs” according to Amnesty International.

“It is unacceptable for the authorities to blatantly attempt to restrict freedom of expression and then expect people in the Philippines to simply remain silent," said Amnesty International’s Regional Director Nicholas Bequelin.

"If anything, the government’s continued efforts to undermine the press’s ability to report freely will only invite more criticism," he continued. "The government would do better by listening and addressing what is driving such criticism rather than resorting to legal theatrics to suppress human rights.”

TGIF Feature: The Filipino Channel reaches out to Filipino Americans as it celebrates it's 25th anniversary

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A scene from the TFC-produced video #BeingFilipno.

In honor of their 25th anniversary, The Filipino Channel (TFC) launched a digital video series on social media platforms to highlight the diversity in the Filipino communities and their contributions to the US.

In #BeingFilipino, directed by filmmaker Marie Jamora, the series of videos feature three Filipinos — a teacher, doctor and a poet — and the impact they’ve made on the people in their lives. It will be debuting this month on YouTube and other digital platforms.

Olivia De Jesus, COO of ABS-CBN Global, said fthe media company always created content for Filipinos in the Philippines. targeting the Filipino immigrants who wanted entertainment content from the Philippines. However, the emerging Filipino American market, the second and third generation, has become large enough to deserve content aimed at their needs.

“Today, there are more native born Filipinos — those born in the U.S., in Canada and all over — and they identify more as Americans, Canadians and other nationalities because the countries their parents migrated to are the only ones they’ve ever known,” De Jesus told NBC. “And we feel like we have to be a part of it to let overseas Filipinos know that we are able to bring them a piece of home.”

A TFC-sponsored concert presented Aug. 3 in San Jose, Calif. , ASAP Natin 'To In the Bay Area  featuring performers from TFC's ASAP show. TFC brought in Filipino American entertainers including Youtube's AJ Rafael, Jej Vinson (The Voice), Jasmine Trias (American Idol) and Angelica Hale (America's Got Talent).

Last week, TFC released #BeingFilipino on social media platforms Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

De Jesus said while they have other projects planned for TFC in the near future, she hopes that #BeingFilipino can be the beginning of more digital content to come for not only TFC, but all their platforms.

“We have to help the younger generation appreciate the culture and heritage and values of their parents and grandparents,” De Jesus told NBC. “They have to understand that being Filipino isn’t just defined by the color of their skin, but by behavior and traits that were passed on from generation to generation, and guided by this knowledge, they can continue making a positive impact on the world.”

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Documentary on Filipino adoptees airs Saturday

By Louis Chan
ASAM NEWS

ANNA WAMBEKE was just six years old in the Philippines when she was forced to become mom to three younger siblings.

Her dad died of cancer and her mother’s schizophrenia worsened.

“Most of our lives as kids were pretty rough, but good at the same time,” said Wambeke, now 26. “It was a trying time, going from having everything to nothing. In short, it was the roughest, most traumatizing life event for us.”

She was adopted in 2007 along with her brother and sister, Christine and Ariel, to Chuck and Tina Wambeke, a couple who was then in their 40s from Bozeman, Montana. A third sibling, Lala, was adopted to relatives,

Wambeke’s is one of many adoptees who ended up in the state of Montana who shared their stories in the new Filipino Channel documentary, Lost and Found.

Filipinos comprise less than 1 percent of Montana’s population, not exactly a hotbed of Filipino/American culture.

“When I found out there was a community of Filipinos adopted into places like Montana, that opened up a curiosity,” said Steve Angeles, a correspondent for Balitang America, who produced the documentary.

Most of the adoptees featured in the special are in their 20s and have the hindsight of nearly a decade living with their new families. They overcame the challenges of adjusting to a new land and a new culture. The nearest Filipino market was nearly two hours away for many of these families. Yet with the help of Netflix and DVDs, the families have managed to build a sense of Filipino culture.

“It does come with cultural and identity challenges but then again their birth country didn’t give them much of a chance,” Angeles said. “They’ve lost a lot at a young age, so as long as there was a family willing to love them and care for them as their own unconditionally, then why not.”

The Wambeke children spent six years at Samaritan’s Place, an orphanage in the Philippines, before being adopted through the Summer Miracles/Sacred Portion Children’s Outreach program founded by Jan and Craig Druckenmiller. Under Philippine law, they could not be adopted by an international family until efforts to adopt them in the Philippines were exhausted.

“My life has changed dramatically, from losing everything to having it all over again with the new family,” said Anna. “If it wasn’t for my loving parents, I wouldn’t be here at all. I probably would have ended up being a mess with no direction in life, but with the compassion and support from Chuck and Tina, I no longer have to worry about taking care of my siblings or being a parent to them. Now I can enjoy being a child and a big sister more than their “mom”.

Lost and Found was shot by 2017 Northern California Emmy-award winning videographer Jeremiah Ysip. Sticking a lens into the faces of people with a very personal story to tell comes with its challenges. It was both Ysip and Angeles’ job to make the families feel comfortable enough to share a wide range of experiences ranging from painful to joyous.

“I like talk to our subjects, get to know them, allow them to get to know me, and from there I gain their trust,” said Ysip. “Once I establish a connection, from there the story unravels at its most truthful form with nothing held back. As long as I’m real with them, then they will be real with me. Trust and genuine interest in their lives allowed them to open their souls to us.”

Today Anna is the mother of two children, Benjamin, 8 months; and Evelyn, 2. She is now planning a June wedding to her boyfriend, Mateo.

“I’m thankful for the past I’ve had, it has kept my tradition, patriotism, and love for Filipino food very much in my heart. I miss my family, but having two makes my life even more blessed. I’m so thankful, now having my own kids I want to make sure that they are loved and to build a better future with them.”

Lost and Found can be seen on The Filipino Channel on Saturday, March 17 at 4:25 p.m. After that, The Filipino Channel hopes to submit it to film festivals around the country.

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