President Barack Obama delivers his victory speech. - Photo courtesy of REUTERS
By MARIE ANONAT
AND why think global? Consider
the Bicolanos. They can influence the rise of a prominent world leader.
Atty.
Loida Nicolas-Lewis, born and educated in Bicol, TLC Beatrice CEO, and
chairperson of US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), represented US President
Barack Obama in a townhall-style debate days before the US presidential
elections this November.
Lewis showed wit and calm and
showed even more facts and statistics over what, according to
balitangamerica.com, was a heated debate versus Nimfa Gamez who spoke for Gov
Mitt Romney and the Fil-Am Republicans.
Fil-Am communities in various
states asked what the presidential candidates’ stand on issues that concern
them, such as immigration, healthcare, US economic recovery, gender and women’s
issues, and the Spratley’s row.
Lewis emphasized Obama’s humane
approach when he gave very young immigrants the right to stay while Gamez said
that Romney would rather make sure that rules of immigration will be better
observed.
On healthcare issues, Lewis cites
the advantages of “Obamacare” and Gamez counteracted with what she saw as flaws
of the program, including more tax demands from citizens.
Gamez frequently said that more
jobs will be available if Romney gets elected while Lewis said that Obama is
funding schools and colleges for better education and skills in fields such as
entrepreneurship. (Entrepreneurship is known to be self-sustainable and
entrepreneurs don’t rely mainly on job availability for livelihood.)
Lewis revealed that the Democrats
have a pro-choice stand on women’s issues, that the government is not the
church and therefore not in the position to impose beliefs and morality on
citizens while Gamez stood by the Republican pro-life conviction.
Regarding Spratley Islands, Lewis
said that “under the Mutual Defense and Treaty Act, the US is duty-bound to
help the Philippines, but let’s not even encourage any type of war.
Kasi,sino’ng mamamatay? Filipinos!” (Who’ll get killed? Filipinos!) To this,
Gamez replied with, “It all goes back to the economy. In a poor economy, The US
will not have the budget even to defend itself. How can we send help to other
countries when we cannot help ourselves here?”
As final remarks, Gamez, CEO of
Mission Hope Day, an organization that provides empowerment and healthcare
services to individuals with development disability said, “Success comes with
sacrifice. Personal interests come secondary only to economic issues affecting
livelihood, gas prices, the US$16 trillion debt, lost jobs, homes, healthcare,
and retirement benefits.”
On the other hand, “Who
understands us (Fil-Ams) better between the two men?” Lewis says in her
culminating speech.
“Obama is the son of mixed-race parents,
raised by a single mother who relied on food stamps, grew up in Indonesia and
Hawaii, has middle-class upbringing and values. He worked his way up to Harvard
Law School with scholarships and student loans.”
Atty Lewis, well-esteemed
immigration lawyer, CEO, and philanthropist, is the founder and president of
The Lewis College in Sorsogon City.
In its eleven years of operation,
it has accepted enrollees who are either orphans or who came from very poor
families, mostly children of small-income fisherfolks, farmers, and casual
wage-earners.
Through unique scholarship
programs, these determined students graduated and are now working as
professionals here in Bicol and other big cities.
TLC’s practical courses such as
Business Management, Entrepreneurship, Education, Nursing Assistant, and
Computer Studies have gone global, qualifying graduates to work and travel to
Japan, China, Australia, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, etc to work and forge
better lives for themselves. - Bicol Mail
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