Pacquiao wins over Thurman

Pacquiao’s win is a victory of Philippines — Palace

Faye Orellana

Philippine Daily Inquirer

21 July 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao’s victory is a victory of all, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Sunday.

Manny Pacquiao reacts after defeating Keith Thurman by split decision in a welterweight title fight Saturday, July 20, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Panelo extended the congratulations of the Palace after the victory of the boxer-senator over opponent Keith Thurman was announced at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

“Pacquiao’s victory is not only his, but of the entire nation. As such, the Palace is one in rejoicing with the Filipino people as the Pambansang Kamao once again puts the flag above the pedestal with his display of tenacity and courage,” Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo also said that despite the age gap between Pacquiao and Thurman, the Filipino boxing champ showed no signs of being intimidated by his younger opponent during the fight.

“Although his opponent, Thurman, is way younger than him, our pound-for-pound King did not show any signs of intimidation as he embodied what a FIlipino spirit is all about – a fighter,” he said.

“We thank Senator Manny for not only bringing honor and glory to our flag, but for once again uniting all Filipinos worldwide with his display of athleticism, power and Filipino pride. Mabuhay ka, Manny! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!” he added.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also thanked the People’s Champ for bringing pride to the country once more while proving that life should be a balance of work and faith.

“You have proven time and again that hard work and faith are the one-two punch to winning in life, inside and outside the boxing ring,” he said.

Nograles then wished Pacquiao to continue inspiring the public with his achievements and serve as a role model to his countrymen.

Pacquiao won the fight against Thurman via a split decision.

Two judges scored the fight 115-112 for Pacquiao, while Glenn Feldman scored it 114-113 in favor of Thurman. /je

Pinoy Parliamentarian in New Zealand

First Filipino New Zealand parliamentarian champions Pinoy values in maiden speech

MANILA, Philippines — Known for being competent construction workers, nursing home employees, information technology experts and engineers, Filipinos are now also excelling as lawmakers in New Zealand.


This is how lawyer and diplomat Paulo Garcia opened his historic maiden speech as the first-ever Filipino member of New Zealand Parliament.

The first ‘KiwiNoy’ Member of Parliament Paulo Garcia delivers his historical maiden statement in Wellington, New Zealand in May 2019. In his speech, Garcia highlighted the innate values of being pro-God, pro-life and pro-family.

New Zealand Parliament, screenshot

“Nagmamahal na Panginoon, kami'y buong pusong nagpapasalamat na minarapat mong mabigyan ng pagkakataon ang inyong mga anak na makapaglingkod sa bayang New Zealand,” he began his speech in his native Filipino tongue.

“Hindi lamang sa mga nursing homes at ospital, sa mga dairy farms at construction sites, sa IT, engineering at hospitality. At ngayon pati na rin sa larangan ng pambabatas. Pagkalooban ninyo po kami ng puso, isip at katawan na matatag upang maisatupad namin ang inyong layunin para sa amin sa bansang New Zealand,” said the “KiwiNoy” who delivered his speech in Te Reo Maori, Filipino and English.

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/on-the-radar/2019/06/14/1926414/first-filipino-new-zealand-parliamentarian-champions-pinoy-values-maiden-speech#yVuxTfRoHg88kD0W.99

“We thank our loving God that he has given his children the opportunity to serve New Zealand not just in nursing homes and hospitals, in dairy farms and construction sites, in IT and engineering and hospitality but also now in the New Zealand Parliament.”

An immigrant who served as Philippine Honorary Consul General in 2012 in Auckland, Garcia was elected last May 16, following the resignation of National Party MP Nuk Korako.

“I am Paulo Garcia, I am Catholic, I am a Filipino and a New Zealander, and I am happy, excited, and blessed to be standing here before you. It is a privilege and an honor to work with all of you, and it is a testament to this great nation that migrants can become New Zealanders and represent this nation in our House of Parliament,” Garcia added.

Born in the Philippines and a graduate of the University of the Philippines, Garcia also studied in the University of Auckland and in Academy of American and International Law in Texas. He practiced commercial law for 10 years in Manila, focusing on foreign and multinational companies operating the country, before moving to New Zealand, where he practiced immigration law and investor migration for 14 years.

After working for McLeod & Associates and Corban Revell Lawyers, Garcia then founded his own law firm, Garcia Law, in New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland.

Victory over hardship, discrimination

But Garcia’s road to power was not paved. Like many Filipino migrants, the lawyer admitted in his speech that he also “experienced hatred.”

“I have also I have been slandered and have been ostracized,” he added.

He recalled how hard his life had been as a migrant.

“Fourteen years ago, I was a struggling student at the University of Auckland law, taking papers and the bar exam. Those were tough times. We were a single income household of six,” he shared.
“But now here I stand as a Member of Parliament of this great nation… Many will say that I am living a dream. I disagree. This is not a dream; this is a Kiwi reality.”

Garcia expressed his gratitude for being voted to represent the ethnic Asian and the religious minority.

“That I am here tonight as the first member of the New Zealand Parliament of Filipino descent is a tribute to the National Party's recognition of strength in diversity and the value that ethnic communities bring to New Zealand—a New Zealand that holds itself out as open to all, where people from the world over are able to live without fear in the practice of their faith and values, and in observance of their cultural norms. This makes for a multicultural and ethnically diverse New Zealand. There is not a day that I wake up without giving thanks for being in New Zealand.”

In his speech, the Filipino lawmaker condemned religious intolerance as seen in Christchurch mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, last March, which killed 51 people.

“The evil man who aimed to drive religious intolerance into our midst must not be allowed to succeed. Equally, those who aimed to do the same in Sri Lanka when they attacked and killed hundreds of Catholic worshipers sought too to drive religious intolerance. Equally, they must not be allowed to succeed.”

Respect for life

In his speech, Garcia also highlighted the innate values of being pro-God, pro-life and pro-family.

“Whatever laws we might pass in this Chamber, the pro-life voice must no longer be despised and discounted as offensive. Preachers of tolerance and inclusion must no longer seek to silence and condemn those with opinions that make them uncomfortable but are nevertheless opinions based on another person's own beliefs and values systems. While we need to stay vigilant and investigate people who post offensive material online, we need to be equally concerned about any move in this House to restrict freedom of speech, a move which has all too often been used by those in power to silence those with differing opinions or ideas.”

He reminded Kiwis of the M?ori proverb “He tangata, he tangata, he tangata,” which says, “it is the people, it is the people, it is the people,” referring to “the most important thing in the world.”

“Even though we have evolved to be just and compassionate, we also have the evolved capacity for greed, anger, and hatred. All of us have the seeds of prejudice within us, but it is a question of which seeds we water and grow. There have been people who say my views are intolerant. Why? Because I am pro-life? Because I believe in the sanctity of life?”

Likewise, he quoted great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, who said that “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members,” underscoring the importance of protecting the unborn.

“When it comes to human beings, we cannot pick and choose which ones are protected and which ones are not, and we cannot say some vulnerable lives must be protected but others not.”

He honored mothers who chose to give birth and raise their children despite the odds.

“I salute in absolute praise all single mothers. I can honestly say that if either my wife or I had had to raise our daughters alone, we would have struggled severely as well. Despite the due importance we all attach to this task in our hands—that of governing this country—parenting is the most important job we really have. As mothers and fathers and, collectively, as a Parliament and as a nation, we need to support our parents, we need to support our families, and we need to support our children, but I highlight that the men of this country need to do more. We as men need to stand strong in our relationships. We must be reliable providers and protectors. We must show tamariki the way to respect and honor women.”

He acknowledged that he would not have succeeded if not for his family’s love.

“I would not be here without the help of amazing examples of fortitude and courage. My mother, Anna, as she personally took loving care of my father over the 10 years he suffered dementia until his death. My father-in-law, Rene, who personally took loving care of my mother-in-law as she was struck by ALS until her passing… The love of my life, Malu, and my beloved daughters, who inspire me to give myself to others more and more every day, leaving nothing for myself.”

He concluded his speech with “Mabuhay” and with the poem “Identity” his daughter wrote: “A migrant house is built tall on foundations filled with sky, stacked with the hopes of generations into storeyed bastions that testify to us… We were made to hold together… I stand proud in the shade of a roof made for me to raise high by proclaiming I have a Spanish name, an American accent, and an Asian face… And I have been welcomed in Aotearoa.”

Garcia then received a standing ovation from the Members of Parliament at the end of his maiden speech and most of them lined up to shake his hand. The public gallery, filled with Filipinos, KiwiNoys and New Zealanders, celebrated his speech by singing and dancing to the tune of Orange and Lemons' "Pinoy Ako."

Daly City is 32% Filipino

Daly City, population 32% Filipino, raises PH flag

Jun Nucum| Philippine Daily Inquirer

13 June 2019

DALY CITY, California — Philippine Independence Day celebrations started early here in the San Francisco Bay Area, even as far California’s capital city of Sacramento.

This was gathered from the Philippine Consul-General in San Francisco Henry Bensurto who proudly announced after hoisting the Philippine flag in Daly City Hall the fifth time in as many years, that he was in Vallejo on the first day of June and in Sacramento for the Pistahang Nayon the next day for their own Philippine Independence Day celebrations.

Bensurto hoisted the Philippine flag with community leader Perla Ibarrientos. Bensurto thanked the leadership and the community of Daly City for being the first to ever raise the flag in commemoration of Philippine Independence thereby honoring Filipino heritage and community.

From left to right) community elder Perla Ibarrientos, Mayor Ray Buenaventura, ConGen Henry Bensurto Jr., Vice Mayor Glen Sylvester, Council Members Juslyn Manalo and Pam di Giovanni and representatives of Congresswoman Jackie Speier, San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, State Senator Scott Weiner, and California Assembly Member Phil Ting among others. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

“Every time you hoist the flag, you actually elevate the profile of the Filipino community and recognize the contributions, the value of what the Filipino community is all about in Daly City,” said the consul general.

“From then on, we have been hoisting the flag in San Jose, in Milpitas, San Mateo County Building, among others,” acknowledged Bensurto. “Each celebration shows that the Filipino community is alive, active and vibrant, a good indication that we Filipinos are no longer afraid of our identity.”

Bensurto also shared that the Philippine flag will similarly be hoisted at the San Francisco City Hall led by Mayor London Breed on June 12, the day the Philippine flag was first raised and the national anthem was first sung 121 years ago.

The guests at the flag-raising ceremonies include members of the Filipino community, Daly City Hall officials and employees, and officers of the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

In an interview, Daly City Mayor Ray Buenaventiura, who was also the master of ceremonies, acknowledged that Daly City, being the first to raise the Filipino flag recognizing Philippine Independence Day, has always been very progressive, tried to think ahead and are always trying to recognize the Filipino community.

“We have such a large population [32% of residents] here and it is something wonderful for us to see. To have four council members with Filipino background shows the strength in number. It does say a lot on how our community has responded to wanting the leadership to reflect on the people in the community,” stated Buenaventura

“Filipinos are slowly but steadily increasing their visibility and their positions in government setting a good position for all of us,” Buenaventura noted, citing the examples of Rob Bonta in the California Assembly to TJ Cox in the U.S. Congress.

Vice Mayor Glenn Sylvester stated,“The thing that stood up to me in World War II was that 200,000 Filipinos fought alongside U.S. troops. And they were promised the same benefits as our veterans who are U.S. citizens but they didn’t get them. So, Congresswoman Jackie Speier created a bill so that all Filipinos who fought will get the same benefits,” Sylvester pointed out.

Sylvester also paid respect to Philippine flag by citing the significance the three stars that represents the three major islands of the country namely Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, among others.

Former Mayor and currently Daly City Council Member Juslyn Manalo said, “As one of the cities with the largest population of Filipinos, it is so important that we remember our roots and our heritage from the Philippines. Now that I have a son, it is more important me to pass on to him what our culture and our traditions are and who our historic heroes and heroines are, like Jose Rizal, Lapu Lapu, and Tandang Sora that paved the way in the Philippines.”

She added: “Here in the United States, (we have the) likes of (Filipina American) Victoria Manalo Draves, the first woman diver to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States and stories like hers are what paved the way for our community.”

The only non-Filipino member of the Daly City Council, newcomer Pam di Giovanni recalled that she has been in each and every flag raising in the last five years because she feels in her heart that she is a Filipina.

“I am Pinay because this community has always embraced me with open arms. But to be here as new council member is more humbling as ever because I know that I now represent the community and this Filipino community that is so beautiful, so accepting, so heartwarming. And I look forward for more leadership, embracing them, and bringing them in."