Pinoys in US ‘just glad ugly elections are over’

DONALD Trump’s victory drew mixed reactions from some Filipinos living in the United States, with some expressing relief and others, disappointment.

Trump’s win “means a lot to faithful Filipino-American Catholics because he is firm on his stand against abortion and gay marriage,” according to Mia, a Filipino nurse, who has been living in Florida for the past 21 years.

“Trump will fight against ISIS and strengthen our military. He will keep God in the schools, and he will strengthen our military,” said Mia (last name withheld upon request), a 45-year-old Cebuana, who voted for Trump.

She said that liberal Filipinos and “those who do not have much faith voted for Hillary Clinton.”

“I am so revved up because he just won and it is the first time that I’ve voted for a presidential winner,” Mia said in a message to Sun.Star Cebu through Facebook.

As of 2010, more than 3.4 million Filipinos already lived in the United States, according to its census bureau.

For Mia, Trump’s victory shows that voters there are tired of the corruption in Washington, DC, just like the Filipinos were tried of the corruption in the Philippine Government.

“He is far from perfect, and the liberal media controlled by the Clintons wanted to propagate his errors from 11 to 20 years ago,” she said.

But Mia admitted that she never expected Trump to win.

“This was the ugliest election ever. I am so glad that it’s over now. In social media, it’s all about Hillary. And Hollywood stars are all for Hillary. When I recently posted (on Facebook) that I voted for Trump, I was surprised that I share the same values with a lot of my friends from different states,” she said.

What mattered

If Clinton had won, she said, “she would have had a chance to appoint three Supreme Court justices who will legalize abortion and gay marriage, prevent gun ownership. We will be stuck with liberals with no values and they will serve until they die.”

Ding Fernandez, 48, a Cebuana who has been working as a teacher and living in New Jersey for more than 12 years, said she was not able to vote yet, as she is still a green-card holder.

But she noticed that a lot of Filipinos had mixed reactions on Trump’s victory. Asked for her choice, if she were to vote, Fernandez said she had not yet decided.

“Some of those that I know voted for him because they wanted some change in the government’s political agenda, just like Obamacare. However, there are also those who have apprehensions that his victory would mean deportation or harsh policies against immigrants,” she said.

In a separate interview, Charry Villarosa, 30, a Cebuana nurse who has been living in Wisconsin for the last 22 years, said she voted for an independent candidate.

Villarosa said she was “dismayed big time” when she learned that Trump won.

Names

She said that the Trump’s victory is “not good for Filipinos in the US.”

“During his campaign, at one point, he called Filipinos animals,” she added.

But for Cebuano Stephen Cañete, a nurse in a Washington, DC hospital and a resident of Maryland for the past 38 years, Trump’s victory will be good for skilled Filipino immigrants or would-be immigrants who can contribute to the welfare of the US.

“Filipinos are basically known to be law-abiding and progressive immigrants here and pay their taxes. I feel they will be more welcomed here (by the Trump administration) than thugs and terrorists who come illegally through our borders. Those who respect our laws and are willing to contribute to the US are definitely more than welcome,” he said.

Cañete, who voted for Trump, is among the close to four million Maryland residents who cast their vote.

In New York City, Elaine, also a Cebuana, said a lot of Filipinos in their community voted for Trump despite his “not-too-pleasant” persona. She said they sided with his stand against abortion and illegal immigrants.

“Trump is not widely perceived to be a personable and pleasant president but I know a lot of Filipinos who voted for him, particularly in states like Texas and Georgia. Generally, Filipinos there think conservative. I just hope he truly walks the talk,” said Elaine, who requested that her last name be withheld in this story. With GAC

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