Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Election 2008 and New Media
Ben Goldberger, Chicago Bureau Chief of the Huffington Post talks about the relationship between the media and citizen journalists in an era of instant communication. Goldberger was one of the panelists of the conference, "Election 2008: New Voters, New Media, New Engagement" hosted by Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and the new Center for Civic Engagement, last October 2. (Video by Ted Regencia)
Friday, August 8, 2008
Op-Ed: Obama and the Fil-Ams
Barack Obama and the re-education of Fil-Am voters
Text and photos by Ted Regencia
Also published in the Inquirer.net's Global Nation Section
and Destin de l'Afrique
Chicago, IL -- At the height of the US presidential primaries that pitted Chicago's very own Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, one Filipino American social butterfly emphatically said, "Ay, ayaw ko kay Obama! Baka yung White House magiging Black House (Oh, I don't want Obama! The White House might turn into a Black House)."
It's a sentiment not so few of Chicago's Filipino Americans feel towards their very own senator, who is an African-American. Now that he is the Democratic nominee for president, a historic achievement for a black candidate, the antagonism has only intensified.
It all started when Obama won the Iowa caucus on January 3. Shortly after, an online group of Filipinos received a forwarded email attacking Obama's "Muslim upbringing."
The email asked, "Are you aware that Obama's middle name is Mohammed (It's actually Hussein, which means "the handsome one" in Arabic). Strip away his nice looks, the big smile and smooth talk and what do you get?"
It warned that Obama is "possibly a covert worshiper of the Muslim faith, even today." "This guy desires to rule over America while his loyalty is totally vested in a Black Africa," it added.
Witch-hunt
The smear provoked a sharp response from Chicago-based Filipino publisher and editor, Mariano Santos, who described it as "worse than witch-hunt."
"People who started this fear-mongering are more dangerous than their black propaganda. Filipinos had lived through this dark age, when they can not even rent a house in a white neighborhood, or date a white American without being in danger of lynching. Now these pathetic Pinoys are circulating this email like they are scions of the Ku Klux Klan," he said referring to the white supremacist group, KKK.
"These rumor mongers have only prejudice and lies to peddle. They are the danger to true American way of life," Santos said while castigating the source, a Filipino American and devout Catholic.
The online message turned out to be just an initial assault of the candidate. A second version of the email immediately followed. This time, it accuses Obama of having "a black Muslim" father "a white atheist" mother, and "a radical Muslim" Indonesian step-father.
"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's presidential candidacy. The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level," it warned.
Curiously, the attacks were not based on Obama's liberal policy positions, like his support of abortion rights and civil unions for gay couples. Or even his Iraq withdrawal plan. Rather, it was an in-your-face attack of his race, and his "Muslim links."
Reports of Obama's Muslim upbringing, however, have been repeatedly debunked by international news organizations like CNN and New York Times.
Americans of the Muslim faith also assailed the malicious implication that being a Muslim automatically equates to being unpatriotic, or worse, a supporter of terrorists.
Truths and untruths
By March, as the odds of an Obama nomination increased, the voices of opposition within the Filipino community became even louder.
A former president of the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago taunted the Chicago-based publication, PINOY Newsmagazine, by e-mailing altered pictures with the heading, "If Obama wins." One image shows the Kentucky Fried Chicken logo with Colonel Sanders wearing a turban. Another photo shows the iconic McDonald's sign changed to McHammed's.
The Chicago alumni president of a very reputable Catholic university in Manila chimed-in by forwarding a message with the subject entitled, "Interesting: Barack H. Obama, 50 Lies and Counting." Asked by one of the recipients, who is he recommending for president, his loaded reply was, "The one who tells the TRUTH." When confronted, he feigned innocence by saying, that he was only trying to pass the information around.
Yet another personality, who was crowned Mrs. Philippines in Chicago, was more direct. Santos, the newspaper publisher, recalled that after writing about Senator Obama, he was confronted in public by the said individual who claimed "in loud and emotional outburst" that Obama is an "evil man." That same community leader also heads the Philippine Lions Club of Chicago.
The onslaught of racially-charged denunciations continued by the start of Spring.
On the 40th Death Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. last April, for instance, this reporter invited a friend to watch a one-act play honoring the legacy of the foremost civil rights leader. Out of nowhere, a pointed rejection came: "Those blacks are parasites" followed by an Obama-bashing comment.
Another friend, a graduate of the Philippines' oldest university, could not hide his disdain of Obama either. As a healthcare practitioner, he said that he had encountered a number of African-American patients. He said that they are "lazy" and dependent on government dole-outs. He concluded that a win by Obama will only perpetuate the black's sense of victimhood.
Suspicions and mistrusts towards the African American community run deep, and the Filipino community is not immune to those false impressions.
For one, many Filipino immigrants have limited understanding of the very violent black experience in America. As Filipinos migrate to America, many bring with them, some deep-seated prejudice against people of darker color, in itself a product of colonial mentality that dictates that everything white is superior.
Even religious upbringing may have unwittingly played a role in forming these pre-conceived notions about color. In church, black always represents sin and bad omen. A wild child in the family is called a "black sheep."
Racial and economic disparity
It's not always the fault of Filipinos migrants to have brought with them these views from the motherland. Many are hard-working, decent and God-fearing individuals who only have the best interest of their families and community in their hearts. But, as they become part of a multi-cultural and pluralistic society like the United States, it is also necessary for them to understand the new dynamics of the whole community, including the important issue of race. Ignorance of that can create misinformed if not bigoted views.
A deep economic disparity, however, generally prevents Filipino Americans from interacting with their African American brothers and sisters. An estimated 60 percent of Filipino Americans have income over $50,000 a year, allowing them to live in middle-class and upper middle-class neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, majority of blacks who suffered many decades of racial discrimination remains disproportionately stuck in the lowest income level, pushing many of them to live in urban ghettos. Many become unemployed for long periods and get involved in various crimes.
Absent those physical bonds, the opportunity to have a healthy social integration and interaction between the African American and Filipino American communities is vastly limited. The only exposure many Filipinos may have of blacks is when they appear in the news about gang shootings and drug arrests, and that only exacerbates the already dysfunctional view towards the black community. The recent spike in murder rate in Chicago, which is naturally getting intense media attention, only highlight those existing unease.
It's not unusual to hear comments by Filipinos like, "They're lazy! "How come we've managed to improve our way of life here in America, when we are only here for five, ten year?" "These blacks have been here in America their whole life, and they're still poor." While maybe true, comments such as those, are myopic and ill-informed. It does not take into account the long history of slavery and racial discrimination. It also misses the fact that a significant number of African Americans have climbed up the economic scale by sheer hard work, just like many others.
Indeed, even here in the Windy City, home of well-loved African Americans like the entertainment titan Oprah Winfrey and sports legend Michael Jordan, racial understanding still has a long way to go.
And that's the fragile scenario, where all these political dramas about Senator Obama are being played. As the new face of politics, the Hawaii-born and Harvard-educated politician has become "a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."
As CNN political commentator Donna Brazile said, "Race is one of the most difficult issues to navigate in presidential politics especially when often the race card is played. So it all depends if the race card is play and whether or not barack obama will be able to navigate that. Bottom of the deck."
In this 2008 presidential derby, the challenge for the Filipino American voters is to avoid being dealt with those race cards, as they decide on their choice for president. A vote for Republican candidate Senator John McCain, should not be a vote against Senator Obama's skin color. Rather it should be about what the Arizona senator stands for on critical issues at that matter. Let it be about the debate on the economy and national security, and never about who does and doesn't look "All-American."
It was not too long ago when Filipinos from all over the world were up in arms over the perceived racist treatment of Filipino doctors by the popular US television show, "Desperate Housewives." And rightly so, for indeed Filipino doctors are of the highest caliber.
Locally in Chicago, Pinoys slammed the department store H&M for the racist slur directed at a Filipino-American customer Frannie Richards, who is a nurse and a U.S. Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt.
There was also the brouhaha over the identification by a local television station, of a crime suspect as "Filipino." The protesters argued that by calling the suspect by his country of origin, it stigmatized the whole Filipino community. The station would later apologize, while the suspect was convicted.
Filipino Americans cannot claim to be victims of racism, while turning a blind eye on its own prejudice towards the black community and the candidacy of Barack Obama.
The larger point is, Filipino Americans cannot allow the stain of racism smudge its image as a model community. It must confront it head-on and condemn it with full force. So when history is written, we will not be sidelined with a footnote as a bunch of racist minority.
It's a sentiment not so few of Chicago's Filipino Americans feel towards their very own senator, who is an African-American. Now that he is the Democratic nominee for president, a historic achievement for a black candidate, the antagonism has only intensified.
It all started when Obama won the Iowa caucus on January 3. Shortly after, an online group of Filipinos received a forwarded email attacking Obama's "Muslim upbringing."
The email asked, "Are you aware that Obama's middle name is Mohammed (It's actually Hussein, which means "the handsome one" in Arabic). Strip away his nice looks, the big smile and smooth talk and what do you get?"
It warned that Obama is "possibly a covert worshiper of the Muslim faith, even today." "This guy desires to rule over America while his loyalty is totally vested in a Black Africa," it added.
Witch-hunt
The smear provoked a sharp response from Chicago-based Filipino publisher and editor, Mariano Santos, who described it as "worse than witch-hunt."
"People who started this fear-mongering are more dangerous than their black propaganda. Filipinos had lived through this dark age, when they can not even rent a house in a white neighborhood, or date a white American without being in danger of lynching. Now these pathetic Pinoys are circulating this email like they are scions of the Ku Klux Klan," he said referring to the white supremacist group, KKK.
"These rumor mongers have only prejudice and lies to peddle. They are the danger to true American way of life," Santos said while castigating the source, a Filipino American and devout Catholic.
The online message turned out to be just an initial assault of the candidate. A second version of the email immediately followed. This time, it accuses Obama of having "a black Muslim" father "a white atheist" mother, and "a radical Muslim" Indonesian step-father.
"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's presidential candidacy. The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level," it warned.
Curiously, the attacks were not based on Obama's liberal policy positions, like his support of abortion rights and civil unions for gay couples. Or even his Iraq withdrawal plan. Rather, it was an in-your-face attack of his race, and his "Muslim links."
Reports of Obama's Muslim upbringing, however, have been repeatedly debunked by international news organizations like CNN and New York Times.
Americans of the Muslim faith also assailed the malicious implication that being a Muslim automatically equates to being unpatriotic, or worse, a supporter of terrorists.
Truths and untruths
By March, as the odds of an Obama nomination increased, the voices of opposition within the Filipino community became even louder.
A former president of the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago taunted the Chicago-based publication, PINOY Newsmagazine, by e-mailing altered pictures with the heading, "If Obama wins." One image shows the Kentucky Fried Chicken logo with Colonel Sanders wearing a turban. Another photo shows the iconic McDonald's sign changed to McHammed's.
The Chicago alumni president of a very reputable Catholic university in Manila chimed-in by forwarding a message with the subject entitled, "Interesting: Barack H. Obama, 50 Lies and Counting." Asked by one of the recipients, who is he recommending for president, his loaded reply was, "The one who tells the TRUTH." When confronted, he feigned innocence by saying, that he was only trying to pass the information around.
Yet another personality, who was crowned Mrs. Philippines in Chicago, was more direct. Santos, the newspaper publisher, recalled that after writing about Senator Obama, he was confronted in public by the said individual who claimed "in loud and emotional outburst" that Obama is an "evil man." That same community leader also heads the Philippine Lions Club of Chicago.
The onslaught of racially-charged denunciations continued by the start of Spring.
On the 40th Death Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. last April, for instance, this reporter invited a friend to watch a one-act play honoring the legacy of the foremost civil rights leader. Out of nowhere, a pointed rejection came: "Those blacks are parasites" followed by an Obama-bashing comment.
Another friend, a graduate of the Philippines' oldest university, could not hide his disdain of Obama either. As a healthcare practitioner, he said that he had encountered a number of African-American patients. He said that they are "lazy" and dependent on government dole-outs. He concluded that a win by Obama will only perpetuate the black's sense of victimhood.
Suspicions and mistrusts towards the African American community run deep, and the Filipino community is not immune to those false impressions.
For one, many Filipino immigrants have limited understanding of the very violent black experience in America. As Filipinos migrate to America, many bring with them, some deep-seated prejudice against people of darker color, in itself a product of colonial mentality that dictates that everything white is superior.
Even religious upbringing may have unwittingly played a role in forming these pre-conceived notions about color. In church, black always represents sin and bad omen. A wild child in the family is called a "black sheep."
Racial and economic disparity
It's not always the fault of Filipinos migrants to have brought with them these views from the motherland. Many are hard-working, decent and God-fearing individuals who only have the best interest of their families and community in their hearts. But, as they become part of a multi-cultural and pluralistic society like the United States, it is also necessary for them to understand the new dynamics of the whole community, including the important issue of race. Ignorance of that can create misinformed if not bigoted views.
A deep economic disparity, however, generally prevents Filipino Americans from interacting with their African American brothers and sisters. An estimated 60 percent of Filipino Americans have income over $50,000 a year, allowing them to live in middle-class and upper middle-class neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, majority of blacks who suffered many decades of racial discrimination remains disproportionately stuck in the lowest income level, pushing many of them to live in urban ghettos. Many become unemployed for long periods and get involved in various crimes.
Absent those physical bonds, the opportunity to have a healthy social integration and interaction between the African American and Filipino American communities is vastly limited. The only exposure many Filipinos may have of blacks is when they appear in the news about gang shootings and drug arrests, and that only exacerbates the already dysfunctional view towards the black community. The recent spike in murder rate in Chicago, which is naturally getting intense media attention, only highlight those existing unease.
It's not unusual to hear comments by Filipinos like, "They're lazy! "How come we've managed to improve our way of life here in America, when we are only here for five, ten year?" "These blacks have been here in America their whole life, and they're still poor." While maybe true, comments such as those, are myopic and ill-informed. It does not take into account the long history of slavery and racial discrimination. It also misses the fact that a significant number of African Americans have climbed up the economic scale by sheer hard work, just like many others.
Indeed, even here in the Windy City, home of well-loved African Americans like the entertainment titan Oprah Winfrey and sports legend Michael Jordan, racial understanding still has a long way to go.And that's the fragile scenario, where all these political dramas about Senator Obama are being played. As the new face of politics, the Hawaii-born and Harvard-educated politician has become "a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."
As CNN political commentator Donna Brazile said, "Race is one of the most difficult issues to navigate in presidential politics especially when often the race card is played. So it all depends if the race card is play and whether or not barack obama will be able to navigate that. Bottom of the deck."
In this 2008 presidential derby, the challenge for the Filipino American voters is to avoid being dealt with those race cards, as they decide on their choice for president. A vote for Republican candidate Senator John McCain, should not be a vote against Senator Obama's skin color. Rather it should be about what the Arizona senator stands for on critical issues at that matter. Let it be about the debate on the economy and national security, and never about who does and doesn't look "All-American."
It was not too long ago when Filipinos from all over the world were up in arms over the perceived racist treatment of Filipino doctors by the popular US television show, "Desperate Housewives." And rightly so, for indeed Filipino doctors are of the highest caliber.
Locally in Chicago, Pinoys slammed the department store H&M for the racist slur directed at a Filipino-American customer Frannie Richards, who is a nurse and a U.S. Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt.
There was also the brouhaha over the identification by a local television station, of a crime suspect as "Filipino." The protesters argued that by calling the suspect by his country of origin, it stigmatized the whole Filipino community. The station would later apologize, while the suspect was convicted.
Filipino Americans cannot claim to be victims of racism, while turning a blind eye on its own prejudice towards the black community and the candidacy of Barack Obama.
The larger point is, Filipino Americans cannot allow the stain of racism smudge its image as a model community. It must confront it head-on and condemn it with full force. So when history is written, we will not be sidelined with a footnote as a bunch of racist minority.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Fil-Ams for Obama
Published in the Global Nation Section of Inquirer.net
Presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Sen. Barack Obama
with one of his campaign aides, Filipino American Mario Bonifacio.
(Photo courtesy of Mario Bonifacio)
with one of his campaign aides, Filipino American Mario Bonifacio.
(Photo courtesy of Mario Bonifacio)
Exclusive Interview: Fil-Am Army captain hits the trail for Obama
By Ted Regencia
Chicago, IL – As an army captain assigned in Iraq, Mario Bonifacio experienced the war firsthand. Now, he is in a different battlefield helping Barack Obama get elected president of the United States.
“This is an extremely historic event and I am very proud to be a part of it,” Bonifacio said, referring to the Illinois senator's candidacy.
Bonifacio is the Regional Field Director of the Obama campaign for the state of New Jersey. He is one of the very few Filipino-Americans with an inside look at the campaign from its early stage. Recently, the campaign also recruited Charmaine Manansala as director of the Asian American Pacific Islanders voter outreach program.
During Obama’s crucial primary campaign in North Carolina, Bonifacio was in the trenches, mobilizing voters as Obama’s regional Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) coordinator. The effort paid off with a decisive 14-point victory in the Tar Heel State, cementing Obama's delegate lead.
On June 3, Obama officially clinched the Democratic nomination, becoming the first African-American major party presidential candidate in the nation’s history.
“It felt very good,” Bonifacio said of Obama’s victory. He said that despite the intense fight between Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, which dragged on for months, the contest was good for the party.
“It was encouraging for the campaign because it included a lot more people in the nominating process,” he said.
Bonifacio expressed confidence that Clinton supporters will embrace Obama’s candidacy, saying that “people are really hungry for change.”
“I think people recognize the very serious issues that we face in this election, and I think that it will override any sort of feelings” people had during the primaries, he said.
Political awakening
The California native was not always this political. As the eldest son of an accountant and an engineer, he is good with numbers. In college, he steered clear of politics, instead taking up economics at the University of California at Berkeley.
“I really never had any inclination towards politics, although I always voted,” Bonifacio said.
Half-way through his major, 9/11 happened and it altered the course of his career and outlook in life. The terrorist attack prompted him to sign-up for the ROTC.
"My parents have always been grateful for the opportunities they've had in America, and I'm grateful to them in turn. They've worked hard to be able to buy a home, raise four kids and send us to college."
Bonifacio's mother, Marilen, is a native of Manila, while his father, Oscar, is from San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. The Bonifacio family now resides in Orange County, California. His two younger brothers, Jordan and Michael, attend school, while his younger sister, Lauren, lives and works nearby in Los Angeles.
Bonifacio said that joining the military at a time of crisis was his way of expressing his gratitude to the country that welcomed his immigrant parents.
After graduation, he formally joined the Army, and eventually rose up the ranks to become an army captain.
Mario Bonifacio in full military gear poses with his family.
(Photo courtesy of Mario Bonifacio)
The view from Iraq
In 2006, at the height of violence in Iraq, he was deployed there. He served as a trainer and liaison to the Iraqi Army, a dangerous assignment, given the fact that he had to interact with former soldiers of Saddam Hussein.
Along the way, he had to fend off hostile fire and evade roadside bombings. Luckily, he wrapped up his tour of duty and returned unscathed.
But it was in Iraq that Bonifacio first realized how decisions in Washington D.C. impacted the execution of the war on terror.
“I came to realize and believe that politicians really affect how I lived my life,” while fighting in Iraq, he said. He cited the deep disconnect between Washington and what was happening in Iraq during his time there.
“I thought that we really needed a better leadership.”
Signing-up for Obama
As soon as he finished his active duty, he began to explore political activism. As a military man, he was a natural fit for Senator John McCain, now the presumptive Republican nominee, who is a decorated Vietnam War hero. Instead, he signed up for the Obama camp on June 4, 2007.
“I never joined the Obama campaign to be against anything,” he stressed. He said that he admired Obama’s support of the GI Bill, and most of all, his position in ending the war in Iraq.
It all began in Iowa
After a short stay in Chicago, where the Obama headquarters is located, Bonifacio was dispatched to Iowa, where the first-in-the-nation caucus was held.
In the dead of Winter of 2007, when “Obama was 20 percent behind in the polls,” Bonifacio put to good use the skills he learned in the military. As a field organizer, he knocked on doors and registered new voters.
Bonifacio credited his military experience for instilling in him the value of discipline, adaptability and leadership, skills that were very useful in his first political work.
“I easily adapted to the early morning wake-up calls and long hours of work,” he said.
At the Hawkeye State, he engaged college students, veterans, farmers, and housewives.
“We kept on talking about Senator Obama and pushing the message. We had a chance to talk to people, and they asked us questions. And after taking a long and fair look at the candidate, they came on board” Bonifacio explained.
He also pointed out that the small Filipino community in Iowa was very receptive of Obama's candidacy.
As a then 27-year old veteran of the Iraq War, Bonifacio was also an authoritative face in reaching out to the veterans population in Iowa.
On January 3, Obama won Iowa, a state with a 97 percent white population, catapulting him into front of the pack. On the night Obama delivered his victory speech and declared, "We are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come" Bonifacio was in the crowd cheering and savoring the victory.
Bonifacio also played a supporting role when Obama made a very strong showing on the night of Super Duper Tuesday. Leading the the February 5 multi-state contest, Bonifacio was assigned at the Chicago headquarters helping coordinate strategy for the campaign's Latino outreach.
During both occasions, Bonifacio witnessed the event in person and he would only describe it as "powerful."
Skepticism
As the campaign enters the general election phase, Bonifacio directly addressed the prevailing skepticism among the Filipino American community towards Obama. He urged them to study the policy differences between Obama and McCain.
"Once they listen to him explain his policies, they will come around," he said, adding that issues such as immigration, healthcare and education, that are important to the Filipino American voters are top priorities of an Obama administration.
As the very first African American nominee for a major party, Obama also faces questions about his race. Bonifacio admitted that even within his extended Filipino family, there were many doubters, especially those who belong to the older generation. But after seeing him reap the fruits of success as a new political operative, "now, they are all supporters of Senator Obama," Bonifacio proudly said.
By Ted Regencia
Chicago, IL – As an army captain assigned in Iraq, Mario Bonifacio experienced the war firsthand. Now, he is in a different battlefield helping Barack Obama get elected president of the United States.
“This is an extremely historic event and I am very proud to be a part of it,” Bonifacio said, referring to the Illinois senator's candidacy.
Bonifacio is the Regional Field Director of the Obama campaign for the state of New Jersey. He is one of the very few Filipino-Americans with an inside look at the campaign from its early stage. Recently, the campaign also recruited Charmaine Manansala as director of the Asian American Pacific Islanders voter outreach program.
During Obama’s crucial primary campaign in North Carolina, Bonifacio was in the trenches, mobilizing voters as Obama’s regional Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) coordinator. The effort paid off with a decisive 14-point victory in the Tar Heel State, cementing Obama's delegate lead.
On June 3, Obama officially clinched the Democratic nomination, becoming the first African-American major party presidential candidate in the nation’s history.
“It felt very good,” Bonifacio said of Obama’s victory. He said that despite the intense fight between Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, which dragged on for months, the contest was good for the party.
“It was encouraging for the campaign because it included a lot more people in the nominating process,” he said.
Bonifacio expressed confidence that Clinton supporters will embrace Obama’s candidacy, saying that “people are really hungry for change.”
“I think people recognize the very serious issues that we face in this election, and I think that it will override any sort of feelings” people had during the primaries, he said.
Political awakening
The California native was not always this political. As the eldest son of an accountant and an engineer, he is good with numbers. In college, he steered clear of politics, instead taking up economics at the University of California at Berkeley.
“I really never had any inclination towards politics, although I always voted,” Bonifacio said.
Half-way through his major, 9/11 happened and it altered the course of his career and outlook in life. The terrorist attack prompted him to sign-up for the ROTC.
"My parents have always been grateful for the opportunities they've had in America, and I'm grateful to them in turn. They've worked hard to be able to buy a home, raise four kids and send us to college."
Bonifacio's mother, Marilen, is a native of Manila, while his father, Oscar, is from San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. The Bonifacio family now resides in Orange County, California. His two younger brothers, Jordan and Michael, attend school, while his younger sister, Lauren, lives and works nearby in Los Angeles.
Bonifacio said that joining the military at a time of crisis was his way of expressing his gratitude to the country that welcomed his immigrant parents.
After graduation, he formally joined the Army, and eventually rose up the ranks to become an army captain.
Mario Bonifacio in full military gear poses with his family.(Photo courtesy of Mario Bonifacio)
In 2006, at the height of violence in Iraq, he was deployed there. He served as a trainer and liaison to the Iraqi Army, a dangerous assignment, given the fact that he had to interact with former soldiers of Saddam Hussein.
Along the way, he had to fend off hostile fire and evade roadside bombings. Luckily, he wrapped up his tour of duty and returned unscathed.
But it was in Iraq that Bonifacio first realized how decisions in Washington D.C. impacted the execution of the war on terror.
“I came to realize and believe that politicians really affect how I lived my life,” while fighting in Iraq, he said. He cited the deep disconnect between Washington and what was happening in Iraq during his time there.
“I thought that we really needed a better leadership.”
Signing-up for Obama
As soon as he finished his active duty, he began to explore political activism. As a military man, he was a natural fit for Senator John McCain, now the presumptive Republican nominee, who is a decorated Vietnam War hero. Instead, he signed up for the Obama camp on June 4, 2007.
“I never joined the Obama campaign to be against anything,” he stressed. He said that he admired Obama’s support of the GI Bill, and most of all, his position in ending the war in Iraq.
It all began in Iowa
After a short stay in Chicago, where the Obama headquarters is located, Bonifacio was dispatched to Iowa, where the first-in-the-nation caucus was held.
In the dead of Winter of 2007, when “Obama was 20 percent behind in the polls,” Bonifacio put to good use the skills he learned in the military. As a field organizer, he knocked on doors and registered new voters.
Bonifacio credited his military experience for instilling in him the value of discipline, adaptability and leadership, skills that were very useful in his first political work.
“I easily adapted to the early morning wake-up calls and long hours of work,” he said.
At the Hawkeye State, he engaged college students, veterans, farmers, and housewives.
“We kept on talking about Senator Obama and pushing the message. We had a chance to talk to people, and they asked us questions. And after taking a long and fair look at the candidate, they came on board” Bonifacio explained.
He also pointed out that the small Filipino community in Iowa was very receptive of Obama's candidacy.
As a then 27-year old veteran of the Iraq War, Bonifacio was also an authoritative face in reaching out to the veterans population in Iowa.
On January 3, Obama won Iowa, a state with a 97 percent white population, catapulting him into front of the pack. On the night Obama delivered his victory speech and declared, "We are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come" Bonifacio was in the crowd cheering and savoring the victory.
Bonifacio also played a supporting role when Obama made a very strong showing on the night of Super Duper Tuesday. Leading the the February 5 multi-state contest, Bonifacio was assigned at the Chicago headquarters helping coordinate strategy for the campaign's Latino outreach.
During both occasions, Bonifacio witnessed the event in person and he would only describe it as "powerful."
Skepticism
As the campaign enters the general election phase, Bonifacio directly addressed the prevailing skepticism among the Filipino American community towards Obama. He urged them to study the policy differences between Obama and McCain.
"Once they listen to him explain his policies, they will come around," he said, adding that issues such as immigration, healthcare and education, that are important to the Filipino American voters are top priorities of an Obama administration.
As the very first African American nominee for a major party, Obama also faces questions about his race. Bonifacio admitted that even within his extended Filipino family, there were many doubters, especially those who belong to the older generation. But after seeing him reap the fruits of success as a new political operative, "now, they are all supporters of Senator Obama," Bonifacio proudly said.
Monday, June 30, 2008
FINC at the 2008 Chicago Gay Pride
Inquirer.net Global Nation SectionAlso featured on GMA News and Ambibo.com
Filipino contingent shines at the Chicago Gay Pride Parade
Text, Photos and Videos by Ted Regencia
Chicago, IL -- For the first time in the 39-year history of the Chicago Gay Pride Parade, a contingent of Filipinos joined in the festivities Sunday, June 29, capping their trailblazing participation with a victory in the Best Organization Float category.
An estimated 450,000 people -- 25,000 more than last year, according to reports -- gave the Filipinos and Friends in Chicago (FINC) and other parade participants a wild and frenzied welcome. FINC is an organization of young Filipino professionals in the Windy City.
"We really want to highlight the rich and colorful culture of the Philippines, and make known to the world that as Filipinos, we are proud to be a part of the Chicago community," Oliver Cutamora, a founding member said.
FINC's street performance, a fusion of native Filipino dances and modern rhythms, conceptualized by professional choreographers Mike Vallente and Chip Payos, sent the crowd into loud cheers.
Featured on CNN.com's iReport SectionAs the performers entertain the crowd, other FINC members distributed pink beads, while an advance party carried the group banner, the American and Philippines flags, and the rainbow-colored flag of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community.
An intermittent rain and a minor accident stalled the parade for nearly an hour, but the revelers stayed put in solidarity with the performers.
The parade featured scores of floats decked in colorful designs. Hundreds of organizations also participated, including Lambda Legal, a national civil-rights group and Lake View East Chamber of Commerce, which shares the same award with FINC.
Recognizing the political force of Chicagoland's gay community, political leaders such as Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and North Shore Congressman Jan Schakowsky also marched. Schakowsky is hinted as Senator Barack Obama's replacement, should he win the presidency in November 2008, also marched. Obama himself did not show up, but a group of supporters distributed leaflets and stickers promoting his candidacy.But not all who showed up were in support of the event. A group of evangelical Christians rallied at the southwest corner of Clark and Belmont to condemn the parade. But their group was drowned-out by a bigger group of counter-protesters. Later, they moved to Diversey to resume their protest.
The theme of this year's march "Live, Love, Be Proud" took on a greater significance with the legalization of same-sex marriage in California. Expanding on the theme, hundreds carried placards calling for equal treatment of all people.
Serving as grand marshal was Eric Alva, a gay rights advocate and ex-marine from Texas. Alva is calling on the government to allow gays to serve openly in the military.Other major cities such as San Francisco, Toronto in Canada, Mumbai in India and Brno in Prague also held their parade last Sunday. The event commemorates the bloody riot in New York City in 1968 that sparked the gay rights movement.
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky chats with FINC organizer Oliver Cutamora.Thursday, June 19, 2008
From the Mountain Province to the Windy City
Pacquiao's foe David Diaz trains with Fil-Am from Mountain Province
WBC Lightweight boxing champion David Diaz during workout.
David's sparring partner: Diamond Gut-oman Baier, a 31-year old native of Mountain Province.Text, Photos and Video by Ted Regencia PINOY Newsmagazine
Chicago, IL -- As he prepares for his biggest fight against the Philippines' Manny Pacquiao on June 28, lightweight champion David Diaz now spars with a Filipino-American southpaw.
Diaz has enlisted the help of Diamond Gut-oman Baier, a 31-year old native of Bontoc, Mountain Province, as one of his three sparring partners, all lefties.
Diamond, as he is popularly known in Chicago's boxing community, is an amateur boxer and trains with the Chicago Boxing Club. He is also an entrepreneur and long-time resident of the Chicago's South Side. At the age of 10, Diamond moved to Chicago after he was adopted by his aunt. He took his last name Baier, from his German-American uncle.
"I hope he doesn't get in trouble," Diaz jokingly quipped after revealing Diamond's name. "We didn't just get him because he's Filipino. We got him because his style is similar to Manny's. He is fast, he's pretty strong and he's from around the area," Diaz said.
On Thursday, June 19 as Diaz held court with the Chicago media, Diamond kept a low-profile staying at the back of the Jabb Boxing Gym, where the press conference took place.
David Diaz is being interviewed by a Chicago journalist."I learned a lot from David. It's a small world, years later, here I am helping him out for his championship fight," Diamond said in a soft-spoken voice that belies his hard-hitting punches.
"This is going to be a great fight," Diamond predicted of the match between the two boxing champions, Diaz and Pacquiao. "For all the boxing fans out there, I hope they'll get a chance to see it."
He also offered some analysis about the sports, particularly on the advantages of lefty boxers like him, saying that "they are just awkward to fight." "Most people who are right-handed usually fight right-handed fighters. So, when you fight someone who is left-handed, you're thrown-off just because of all the angles."
What makes the fight between Diaz and Pacquiao interesting is that both are lefties, Diamond pointed out. "This will be a great fight. I can't wait to see it."
While Diamond was not picked by virtue of his birth as a Filipino, he said he is proud of his Mountain Province ancestry.
"I'm always gonna be Filipino. Absolutely" Diamond said adding that he still loves to eat adobo, pancit and lumpia. Last year, he returned to the Philippines to attend the funeral of his mother, and will visit anew in September.
Diaz's two other sparring partners are Oscar Leon of Colombia and Ivan Popcea of Mexico. He is being trained by Bob Arum and promoted by Top Rank.
Just a little more than a week before his fight at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Diaz said as of June 18, he weighs 137 lbs., two pounds above the lightweight division that he is fighting.
Asked whether there's still some part of his training that he needs to work on, Diaz said that "like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, it's all coming together." "What we need is conditioning, so we need to work on that conditioning until the couple of days before the fight. And then from there, see what happens."
As to his psychological readiness, the Chicago-born pugilist said that "he doesn't think about it too much." "I just go with the flow and see where it takes me. If the day of the fight, I have to do something, then I'll do it. Other than that, just go forward man."
David Diaz with his father, Anselmo a native of Mexico. David is the youngest of nine children.
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