PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 41 NO 20 MAY 14 – MAY 20, 2022
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Local residents dismayed at Marcos Jr. winning Philippine presidency
Images provided by scam victim
$170,000 lost to Pig Butchering scam
By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Left: Singaporean passport of the scammer. Right: Message to victim about MDTCOIN
By Becky Chan NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Photo by Assumta Ng/NWAW
“Bongbong Marcos winning the presidential elections gives many of us pause,” said Maria Batayola of the Filipino American Political Action Group of Washington. The namesake son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos appeared to have been elected Philippine president by a landslide in an astonishing reversal of the 1986 “People Power” prodemocracy revolt that ousted his father. Batayola said, “No matter how Marcos denies the cruel corrupt dictatorship of his father through martial law, many Filipinos and the world remember. In the 1980s, many of us Filipinos and our allies protested the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. This does not bode well for our people.” Marcos Jr. had more than 30.8 million votes in the unofficial results with more than 97% of the votes tabulated as of May 10. His nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, a champion of
A local protest group, part of the May 1 protests, in the Chinatown-International District
human rights, had 14.7 million votes, and boxing great Manny Pacquiao appeared to have the third highest total
with 3.5 million votes. (see MARCOS on 12)
The mental health toll of being a model minority By Vivian Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
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(see SCAM on 14)
Op-ed published in Asian Weekly led to controversial plaque removal By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo from ICHS
The month of May recognizes and celebrates two important observances—Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. For International Community Health Services (ICHS), a nonprofit health clinic primarily based in Seattle, this month is a confluence of their original mission. Founded in the early 1970s, ICHS initially focused on providing medical treatment to low-income Asian immigrants in Seattle’s Chinatown neighborhood. Now, the organization serves a diverse set of patients all over the region, and provides several services including primary care, dental care, behavioral care, and more. Jia Yin Lee is a behavioral health specialist at ICHS. She provides mental health support to patients as part of the integrated care team model, as well as behavioral interventions to
Connie Trinh’s (an alias) curiosity cost her $170,000. A seemingly harmless online conversation with a stranger turned her into a victim in the Pig Butchering scam, named for the way the scammers build trust over time by feeding their victims with financial or romantic promises— fattening the pig. The empty promises soon turn into painful realization and shame when the scammers vanish with the victims’ money. It’s social engineering that tugs on heartstrings and purse strings. “The scam is a variation on a theme, made easier with cryptocurrency,” said Jason Chan,
ICHS behavioral healthy specialists assist patients of all ages, genders, and sexual orientations.
patients who have issues with anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. “Mental health and wellness should not be a privilege but a right to anyone regardless of race, age, or any other circumstance,” said Lee.
Stigma against mental health treatment Asian Americans face a unique challenge when it comes to addressing their mental health. (see ICHS on 10)
If you’ve been to Volunteer Park, you may have unwittingly been exposed to American propaganda about some of its worst deeds. A panel of academics from the University of Washington on May 7 met to justify a decision by the city to take down a commemorative plaque last year. They described the park as infused with the racist and imperialist history of the United States. “Volunteer Park is one of the most important public spaces in Seattle, and yet like many of the public spaces in Washington and the U.S., it is permeated with the legacies of the U.S. Empire,” said Vicente Rafael, professor and historian of Southeast Asian history and American colonialism. Christoph Giebel, an associate professor in the Jackson School of International Studies and of history who focuses on colonialism and imperialism in Asia, moderated the May 7 panel. In a press release, speaking of the plaque, he said, “There is simply no way around this misrepresentation.” Giebel’s May 2021 op-ed in this paper, along with a community complaint, led to the decision to remove the plaque, which glorified the U.S. conquest of the Philippines from 1898-1906 as one of liberation. Over 250,000 people of the Philippines were (see PLAQUE on 13)
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