Global Diaspora sparked at the first Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies in Hawai’i

By Marilie Bomediano
Hilo-Hawai’i
December 29, 2017



US travel bans affected the first Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies in Hawai’i Big Island of Hilo recently Global Filipino Diaspora, multiculturalism and cohesion still resonated despite of the two-day shortened conference hosted by the Filipino Studies Program of the University of Hawai'i Hilo.
US Appeals Court Ruling Against Latest Travel Ban news on eight countries was confirmed by New York Times’ journalist Miriam Jordan last Dec 22.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/us/travel-ban-court.amp.html
“In its latest version of the ban, the Trump administration restricted travel from eight nations, six of them predominantly Muslim. Most citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria and Yemen are barred from entering, along with some groups from Venezuela, New York Times’ reporter Ms. Jordan wrote….

 “A federal appeals court ruled Friday against President Trump’s latest travel ban, saying that it “exceeds the scope of his delegated authority,” but that it was ultimately for the Supreme Court to decide.

"Exactly 40 global lecturers were denied of US Visa out of the 67  delegates invited. Only 25 international PhD and about to be PhD presentors lectured at the conference themed Filipinos around the world: Enriching knowledge, beauty & culture related to Filipinos & the Philippines, less than 20 has successfully attained US visas joined by US citizens-residents or US visa holders" 
- Dr. Rodney Jubilado (UHHilo)

“A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle affirmed the decision of a federal judge in Hawaii who ruled on Oct. 17 that the order was unlawful on statutory grounds.

“The ruling on Friday was a procedural but important step. This month, the Supreme Court allowed the ban — the third version issued by the Trump administration — to take effect for now, and encouraged the appeals courts to rule on the case, a sign that it intended to take up the matter. The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is considering a similar ruling out of Maryland.

“Neal Katyal, who argued the case before the Ninth Circuit court for the state of Hawaii, hailed the decision, Ms.Jordan added.

“We are very pleased the Court of Appeals recognized that the president’s latest travel ban is flatly illegal,” he said, “and that his order defies the law Congress has laid down.”

 As a direct result, fourty attendees were officially denied of the US Visa among the sixty seven international presentors invited to lecture at the first Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies Conference  held last October 27-28 at University of Hawai'i Hilo (UHHilo) on the beautifu paradise of Hawai'i, USA.

Global Filipino Diaspora, multiculturalism and cohesion still resonated despite of the two-day shortened conference hosted by the Filipino Studies Program of the University of Hawai'i Hilo  due to its lack of international presenters coming from countries facing restrictions or heightened scrutiny like Saudi Arabia and Iraq among others.

This writer, an Australian Citizen, entered Hawai'i under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enabling nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business (visitor visa purposes) for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

Not all countries participate in the VWP, and not all travelers from VWP countries are eligible to use the program. VWP travelers are required to apply for authorization though the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), are screened at their port of entry into the United States, and are enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security’s US-VISIT program.

Dr. Rodney Jubilado, Chair & Associate Professor, Dept of Languages, Coordinator UHHilo Filipino Studies Programme and the conference organiser explained:

"Only 25 presentors has lectured, majority successfully attained visas for the conference related to Filipinos and the Philippines themed: “Filipinos around the world: Enriching knowledge, beauty and culture" joined by US Citizens-Residents or existing US visa holders.

Topics of conference focused on the fields of agricultural science, allied health services, anthropology, art and cultural studies, diaspora and migration studies, education, politics, economics, education, ESL, film studies, gender studies, languages, indigenous studies, linguistics.

The good side of the story is its success in exchanging and sharing of their study abstracts, ideas, researches, studies, experiences, and other academic pursuits, endeavors and interests related to the Filipinos and the Philippines.

FILIPINO global diaspora blossomed regardless of the  40 attendees denied of the US Visa among the 67 international presentors invited to lecture last October 27-28 at University of Hawai'i Hilo (UHHilo) on the Polynesian islands of Hawai'i, USA.

The two-day shortened conference was opened to academics, K-16 teachers, students, media practitioners, policy makers, postdocs, professionals, researchers, and other practicing scholars.

The Big Island community has attended with activities that included a traditional kipaepae opening, entertainent, they feature Filipino Food and cultural exsis (Big Island by Iris Gil Viacrusis (Big Island Fashion Artist).

Hosted by the University of Hawai'i-Hilo's Filipino Studies Program of an equal opportunity affirmative action institution, pinoy global diaspora emanated during the shortened 2-day conference resulted from lack of international presenters coming from the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and other USA banned seven listed countries like Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea.

COUNTY of Hawai’i Mayor Harry Kim and the PÃHALA Filipino community welcomed Mayor Josh Edward Cobangbang of Philippines as new sister city CABUGAO, Ilocos Sur, as they officially declared the sisterhood agreement between the County of Hawai'i and Cabugao City, Philippines

This PinOz media spectator saw the good side of the story which lies in  its success  in exchanging and sharing of their varied global study abstracts, ideas, researches, studies, experiences and other academic pursuits, endeavours and interests related to the Filipinos & the Philippines.

With the Filipinos and the Philippines in focus,  topics focused on the fields of  agricultural sciences, allied health sciences, anthropology, art studies, cultural studies, pinoy global diaspora and migration studies, education, ESL, film studies, gender studies, languages.

More importantly subjects on indigenous studies was discussed along with Southeast Asian studies, linguistics, literature, media and communication, museology, performing arts, popular culture, politics and governance, economics, psychology, religion, sociology, sustainability studies, tourism studies, urban studies, women’s studies, World Englishes, and other areas

This PinOz writer although married to an Iranian-Australian dual citizen, has successfully entered the Hawai'ian US territories as an Australian Citizen, under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) though the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), screened at their port of entry into the United States, and are enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security’s US-VISIT program.

Dr. Rodney Jubilado, Chair & Associate Professor, Dept of Languages, the Filipino-Malaysian multi-lingual coordinator of UHHilo Filipino Studies Programme and the conference's Abstract Committee and Organizer explained:

"Only 26 presentors has successfully attained visas for the conference related to Filipinos and the Philippines themed "Filipinos around the world: Enriching knowledge, beauty and culture"

This writer travel escorted the two Philippine delegates and presentors from Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology(EARIST namely): Editha Pillo, EdD, on her lecture on 'The Effect of Sodium Ions and Calcium Ions on a Batch Biosorption of Lead (II) on the Surface of Sargassum Ilicifolium" and co-presenter Marlene Mallo Monterona, EdD, DPA, RLGC Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Masters in Guidance and Counseling, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Pulic Administration who lectured on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Minor Offenders in Metro Manila: Basis for Policy enhancement.

Dr. Monterona has been a resource speaker of various forums like International Multi-Discipline Education and Development Conference 2014 conducted by Pan Asia Training And Research Institute as well as International Research Conference on Higher Education sponsored by Alliance of Dreamers and Leaders for Excellence, Asia Pacific Society for Public Affairs (APSPA), Philippine Association of Institutions for Research, Inc. (PAIR).

She is an active member of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP), Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association (PGCA), Integrated Professional Counselors Association of the Philippines (IPCAP) and Philippine Society of Public Administration (PSPA).

The second presenter under my watch is Editha Pillo, EdD, on 'The Effect of Sodium Ions and Calcium Ions on a Batch Biosorption of Lead (II) on the Surface of Sargassum Ilicifolium"

Dr Pillo’s abstract study is undertaken to identify the effect of alkali and alkaline metal ions on the biosorption capacity of Sargassum Ilicifolium by varying the temperature, the initial concentration of Lead II in solution, the concentration of competing ions and the quantity of the biosorbent on the system.

The experiments were conducted using batch process. The result shows that Sargassum ilicifolium used before the batch process is a lead-free biomass.

The effect of sodium ions and calcium ions is significantly noticeable on the biosorption of lead (II) onto the surface of the biomass. The sorption of lead is directly proportional to temperature, to the initial concentration of lead (II) and the amount of the biomass.

However, the sorption of lead (II) decreases as the concentration of the competing ions increases.The effect of calcium ions is relatively low compared to sodium ions.

There is no significant effect on the sorption of lead (II) on the system of low concentration of sodium ions and high concentration of lead (II).

Those results can be accounted to design a biosorption process of lead (II) using Sargassum Ilicifolium that will optimize its adsorption capacity.

It will also show the effect of impurities, which is naturally present in water and wastewater, as interference in the sequestration of the biosorbent of lead (II) in actual wastewater.

The conference's keynote speaker, Canberran Jose Wendell P. Capili, MPhil (Cantab), PhD (ANU) Professor and Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs, University of the Philippines lectured on the arts and culture specifically focused on the Metro Pop and the Rise of Original Pilipino Music (1976-1985)

He was joined by the plenary speaker American Dr. Bruce Mathews (UHHilo), the Dean and Professor of Soil Science from the College of Agriculture Forestry and Natural Resource Management.

Bruce is married to a Filipina, he lectured on the Resilience of Philippine Crop Production in the Face of Soil Degradation and Climate Change in Bukidnon.

The lecture on Exercise of Rights of Biracial Children in the Philippines by  Maria Margarita “Marjs” Lavides (Auckland University of Technology) was winning research presenter “Angeles City is internationally known as an ‘entertainment’ hub in a country where prostitution is both a crime and, according to the Catholic Church, a sin.

“My PhD research is a qualitative study about, for, and with the biracial children in Angeles City, including, but not limited to, those who are offspring of Filipina sex workers and foreign sex tourists, winning lecturer Marjs Lavides said.

“My research aims to address the biracial children’s limited ability to fully exercise those rights guaranteed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

It also investigates the local government’s restricted engagement with children, as well as its lack of specific policies for biracial children.”

Marjs spent almost seven months in Angeles City for the preparation and fieldwork for her research. 10 biracial children of different ethnicities participated in the study, as well as 26 caregivers, teachers, local government officials and other adults.

A few of the Philippine delegation’s were presenters from De La Salle, Dasmarinas namely:  Maria Victoria Aguilar, Michelle Catudio, Xie Na, Meng Gaowang, Betty Puzon, and Rafael Santiago Jr is from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde; Maria Victoria Aguilar  lectured on Religious Tourism in the Philippines: A focus on Taal Batangas, Michelle Catudio on: Status of Filipino Programs Outside The Philippines Collections and Analysis.

Xie Na explained: A Study on the Significance of Confucianism in Constructing the Maritime Silk Road in ASEAN while Meng Gaowang on the Comparative Study on the Curricular Offerings of English Education Programs and De La Sale Dasmarinas and Huaibei Normal University

Betty Puzon on  Introductions in Research Genre: The Filipino Ingenuity while Rafael Leal Santiago, Jr. Lectured on Paghahanda Ng Kagamitang Interaktibo Sa Pagpapaunlad Ng Pag-Unawa Sa Pagbasa while Yolanda Alfaro Tsuda, (Kobe College) lectured on The Early Filipino Migrants To Japan.

Three Fil-Am Hawai’ian presenters were from University of Hawai’i- Manoa: Jordan Luz, Elena Clariza and Paul Lyons and the Big Island of Hilo’s(UHHio) presenters were Norman Arancon, Celia Bardwell-Jones, Sajed Ingilan, Rodney Jubilado PhD (UHHilo), and Chantal Vos (Netherlands-UHHilo)

Jordan Luz narrated his abstract: Standing Up to Silence: Finding Voices Through Storytelling In When The Elephants Dance, Elena Clariza on the Talk Story Activism: Preserving and Sharing Our History of Triumph and Resistance from the Philippines to Hawaiʻi.

Celia Bardwell-Jones, associate professor of Philisophy and chair, Gender and Women Studies spoke on What does a Filipina Feminist Look Like? Reflections of a Filipina Daughter.

UHHilo’s Dutch-American Chantal Vos and Filipino-American Norman Arancon’s combined abstract is on the Challenges for Papaya Growers in Hawai’i

Kais Amir Kadhim, of Buraimi University College had a paper 16  focused on: The Structural Changes in English-Arabic Translation of BBC News Text Arising from Cultural, Ideological and Sociolinguistic Differences

The rest of the Fil-Am (Pinox) presenters were: Kristin Oberiano (Harvard University), Rachel Tatro-Duarte (Porterville College), Vince Schleitwiler (University of Washington)
Kristin Oberiano on Addressing American Empire in the Pacific: Chamorro-American Identity and Filipino Settler Colonialism in 20th Century Guam

Rachel Duarte spoke of Payag sang iya Hinigugma (the Hut of her Beloved): Reading Through the Cultural Palimpsest of Juanita Cruz and Vince Schleitwiler on Waking Up from the Afro-Asian Century in the (Black?) Pacific.

Other presenters were American Guy Emerson Mount (University of Chicago and Filipino-American Jace Saplan of (Hamilton College).

Dr. Emerson Mount focused on: Narrating a Black Pacific: Black Imaginaries in Filipino Geographies and Black Pacific Assemblages while Jace Saplan on Konduktor na Bakla: Queer Filipino American Choral Conductors and the Performance of Gender, Sexuality, Race, and Choral Music.

Emceed by FAHM Committees 2017:  Jane Clement president of COVO Foundation, president of KONA Visayan Club and Dr. Norman Alarcon, Assoc. Professor of CAFRNM, Affiliate Faculty , Fil Studies, the Barrio Fiesta Night’s  programme displayed Pinoy and Hawaiian heritages.

The University of Hawai'i students were the conference volunteers and participated with the program, aimeheaded by Rodney Jubilado Phd to help build their leadership skills that ended with the Barrio Fiesta evening traditional dances, funfare sharing 2 yummy lechons, varied pinoy viands and colourful sweets.

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Multicultural Cohesion Substory: Sisters Cities declared between County of Hawaií and Cabugao

By: Marilie Bomediano

COUNTY of HAWAI’I Mayor Harry Kim and the PÃHALA Filipino community welcomed Mayor Josh Edward Cobangbang of Philippines as new sister city CABUGAO, Ilocos Sur, as they officially declared the sisterhood agreement between the County of Hawai'i and Cabugao City, Philippines

Mayor Cobangbang, 21, one of the youngest among the elected  Mayors in the Philippines recently arrived in the Big Island (HILO)  welcomed by Mayor Harry Kim of the County of Hawai’i and Dr Marcia Sakai, the University of Hawai’i-HILO’s Interim Chancellor along with Cabugao City Council Members Danilo Gazmen, Viky Serna, Jemaima Tan-Yee, M.D. and Josefina S. Valljo.

With the twin city concept , Cobangbang  promised an ecocultural activity between the sister cities.   "Hawai‘i Island  is my second home! Generations ago, Cabugao became the main portal for Filipinos seeking work in Hawai‘i's sugar industry, Mayor Cobangbang  said.   “Its port is the place where families said goodbye in 1946 to the SAKADA -  workers headed across the Pacific to Hawai‘i. Leoveguildo "Hildo" Mercado, the last living Sakada in Ka‘ū, greeted the delegation from Cabugao, he added.   Members of the sister city delegation said that a museum  is planned in Cabugao to honor the Sakada.

They sang a folk song commemorating the families who sent the workers from Cabugao to Hawai‘i, hoping they would someday return home. Many people living in Ka‘ū have roots in Cabagao, having chosen to stay in Hawai‘i.   Like Pāhala, Cabugao has a deep tradition in agriculture. There, small family farms grow food to sell at markets. It is also famous for its bamboo, and family workshop, bamboo furniture making. Its deep port has been used for trading since ancient times.

In YouTube: ⚡️✨HWPL Ambassador-Australia Marilie Bomediano🇭🇲️ 💫♋️⚡️✨IWPG🥀Dr Marlene Mallo-Monterona spreads …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7JBX8WBL4s