In photos: A Heavy NYC Weekend

By Marivir R. Montebon

New York – The Philippine flag at the Philippine Consulate General on 5th Avenue is hoisted half-mast in honor of Pres. Benigno Aquino III, predecessor to Pres. Duterte of the Philippines, who died on June 21, 2021 at age 61.

While on a state visit to the US in 2010, Pres. Aquino made quite a stir when he decided to buy hotdogs and soda from a street vendor on Madison Avenue, right around the neighborhood of the Philippine Center in NYC. The entire meal for himself and his crew cost $54.

Aquino, son of Pres. Corazon Aquino and Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., will be remembered as having fought and won against China in defense of the South China Sea before the UN International Tribunal on the Laws of the Sea. At the end of his term, the Philippines posted a remarkable growth rate and unprecedented record savings for the Philippine economy.

PRIDE. At the Philippine Center, Consul General Elmer Cato (2nd from left of the lower photo) leads the Philippine celebration of Pride Month. With him, from R-L, are media practitioners Felix Manuel, Momar Visaya, and Don Tagala. Ms. Kimberly Itskov (rightmost) co-hosted the program along with Cicero Oca.
Meanwhile, FilAm leaders Edwin Josue and Jerry Sibal attend NYS celebration of PRIDE at the Chelsea Piers where Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Gender Recognition Act that ensures expanded protections for transgender and non-binary New Yorkers on June 24, 2021. In photo (topmost) with Edwin and Jerry is David A.C. Turley, director of Tourism Programs and Education at Empire State Development.
WOMEN WRITERS IN MANILA. Issues & Inspiration digital show on June 19, 2021 guested four women journalists of the nonprofit Women Writing Women where they introduced their book, COVID19 Journals, a compilation of narratives by women in the time of the Coronavirus pandemic. Marivir Montebon and Grace Labaguis co-host and co-produce the digital program.
TOUGH QUESTIONS, BREEZY ANSWERS. Journalists and mentors Dr. Diosa Labiste, UP Associate Professor of Journalism; Diana Mendoza, associate producer and head writer for One New Cignal TV; Chi Laigo Vallido, operators manager for Women Writing Women; and Pinky Serafica, communications specialist for the Asian Development Bank do an overtime over Issues & Inspiration digital show. Is Philippine journalism now dominated by pseudo-journalists? Dr. Diosa Labiste said no, but the challenges are enormous because Philippine journalism is currently undermined by misinformation which has economic, political, and even ideological reasons. Labiste said there is a need for a media literacy campaign and an activism for truth.
FULBRIGHT PHILIPPINE SCHOLARS. The Philippine Consulate General welcomed them at once, despite the short notice. (L-R) Fulbright scholars Ronald Arlet Villaber, Atty. Gina Marie Abellana Crucio, Mary Kryslette Bunyi, and Atty. Antonio Ceasar Manila paid a courtesy visit to ConGen Elmer Cato and Deputy Consul General Arman Talbo on June 13, 2021 while on a summer break. Prof. Villaber teaches at the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the Visayas State University and currently taking up PhD in Chemistry at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. Atty. Gina Abellana Crucio is taking her MS in HRD at the Rochester Institute of Technology in NY and currently serves as Director II at the Civil Service Commission. Ms. Bunyi is with the Anti-Money Laundering Council Secretariat as Financial Intelligence Analyst. She is taking her MS in Data Science for Public Policy at Georgetown University in VA. Atty. Manila is Court Attorney IV at the Office of the Chief Justice and taking his Masters of Law at the Columbia University in NY.
(Contributed photos)

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