Author: admin

Koreans are everywhere in the Philippines and I don’t know hope Korea and the Philippines can forge real string ties beyond the Philippines being one of the primary places that Koreans learn speaking English from.
from GMA News Here:

RP airs 1st broadcast in South Korea
08/22/2008 | 09:27 PM
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines now has its presence felt in the airwaves of South Korea, taking part in a daily multi-cultural radio broadcast, the Foreign Affairs Department said Friday.
The first multi-cultural radio broadcast in Filipino started airing last August 15, a statement on the DFA Web site said.
Aside from Filipino, the multi-cultural radio program will be provided in the languages of three other countries, including China, Vietnam and Thailand, the DFA said.
Regina Arquiza, a Philippine scholar at Ehwa Woman’s University, will host the Philippine segment of the multi-cultural radio program everyday for 30 minutes.
She will play traditional and modern Filipino music, and present educational and cultural programs, such as medical information, legal counseling, job information and an introduction to Korea culture, language and customs.
The program’s time slots are 3 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.; 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.; and 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
It can be heard at audio channel No. 855 of Skylife; channel 811 of cable TV operator C&M; and Internet Web sites of Woongjin Foundation (www.wjfoundation.or.kr) and Digital Radio KISS (www.radiokiss.co.kr) respectively.
Woongjin Foundation, the project proponent of the multicultural radio broadcast, hopes to target not only foreign workers but also most especially foreign spouses of Koreans, as a way to help them connect with their roots and keep abreast with developments in their home country.
The Philippine Embassy in Seoul is closely collaborating with Woongjin Foundation by supporting them with materials and information needed by Filipinos at Post. – GMANews.TV

I have a friend who only wants to meet his siblings. With the way that Japan is slowly accepting that their close society can no longer be as restrictive, it is just a matter of time before my friend gets his wish.

Most Japinos prefer dad’s ‘love’ over citizenship
MARK JOSEPH H. UBALDE, GMANews.TV
08/21/2008 | 12:47 PM
MANILA, Philippines – Most Japanese-Filipino (‘Japino’) children would rather meet their fathers in person and be recognized as their children than be granted Japanese citizenship.
According to Mikas Matsuzawa, president of the Batis-YOGHI (Youth Organization Gives Hope and Inspiration) most first generation Japinos like her are not so much interested in getting a Japanese visa.
“We are more interested in being recognized by our fathers than being Japanese citizens,” Matsuzawa told GMANews.TV in an interview.
First generation Japinos are children of the first batch of Filipinas – mostly entertainers – who went to Japan in the 1970s to work.
There are no reliable data on the number of Japanese-Filipino children, but estimates range between 10,000 and 100,000.
Matsuzawa raised concern that the plight of Japinos would be constricted only to the issue of citizenship. “Most Japinos don’t even have enough knowledge about the issue. They’re confused. They are often stereotyped. It’s a complex situation.”
She explained that Japinos begin their ordeal with their quest to find their fathers. From there they still need to be recognized by them before dealing with their own nationality and identity.
“Japino children need to resolve the issue of their identities first before being coerced to become Japanese citizens,” she said adding that Filipino mothers often push their children to go to Japan to take advantage of the vast ‘opportunities’ there.
Nationality in Japan is determined by bloodline rather than place of birth, though foreigners may apply to become citizens. Many ethnic Koreans, for instance, have been born in Japan but retain the Korean nationality of their parents.
Under current law, a child born out of wedlock to a foreign mother and Japanese father is automatically granted Japanese nationality.
But a child born outside marriage can only obtain nationality if the father acknowledges paternity while the mother is still pregnant.
If the father recognizes the child as his only after the child’s birth, the child is unable to receive citizenship unless the parents get married, the report said.
Children born to Japanese mothers are automatically granted Japanese nationality, no matter what the nationality of the father is or whether the parents are married.
Voting 12-3, the Japanese Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional last June, a provision in the Japanese Nationality Law that states that such children can only become citizens of the mother’s home country.
The ruling applied to 10 Japanese-Filipino children in Japan — one child being deported for overstaying with his mother and nine others with resident visas.
In overturning the High Court’s decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the provision in the law resulted in “discrimination without any rational reason” and thus violated Article 14 of the Japanese Constitution, which stipulates equality under the law.
“The disadvantages caused to the children by this biased treatment cannot be disregarded,” said the ruling that found unlawful the clause requiring that the parents be married.
Meanwhile, Rieko Ito, secretary general of the Citizens’ Network for Japanese-Filipino, said in an interview last year that such children face an “identity crisis.”
Ito said these children can receive welfare benefits as long as they have residential status but will not have the right to vote as adults.
“Without suffrage, we are afraid they will feel alienated and face discrimination in job-hunting activities,” Ito said. – GMANews.TV