International Televangelist Bro. Eli Soriano published a blog on August 13 urging Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump to reconsider his anti-Filipino statements and learn history first.
Bro. Eli responded to Trump’s disrespectful and offensive utterances to the Filipino people by way of his blog entry dated August 13 titled, “Donald Trump: Pls Learn a Little History about Filipinos.”
Observers note that since the start of Trump’s campaign, the U.S. Republican presidential nominee has been uttering over-the-top rhetoric. His tirades against immigrants and minority groups have earned him massive media time and attention, including backlash from various sectors in the U.S. and other nations, including the Philippines.
In his speech delivered before rallyists in Portland, Maine on August 4, Trump’s name-dropping the Philippines as one of the nine ‘terrorist nations’ has received public outcry from Filipinos.
Trump’s anti-Filipino remarks has moved Filipino lawmaker Jose “Joey” Salceda to pen a House Resolution calling to ban Trump from entering the country for being “inimical to the national interest,” reported the Philippine Star.
Through his blog, the International Evangelist seeks to enlighten Trump about the so many good things about the Philippines, such as being a “formidable ally” of the U.S. for a very long time, which contradicts the candidate’s statement about the country.
Historically, A Hospitable Nation
For more than a hundred years, “the Philippines has been a hospitable home for Americans,” according to Bro. Eli, adding that the U.S. had set up three military bases here that served as its “strategic strongholds in Southeast Asia.”
These miltary bases include: “the Clark Airbase in Pampanga, the Subic Naval Base in Zambales, and Sangley Point in Cavite.” Filipinos have served the American forces for decades.
Not only is the Philippines an ally to the Americans, according to Bro. Eli. He said that the “Pearl of the Orient” nation is friend to other nations. The blogging preacher mentioned that during the Holocaust, “the Philippines, through its President Manuel L. Quezon, was the only country that opened its doors to receive almost 1,300 Jews.”
The Philippines is also historically-recognized for accepting and accommodating other refugees, including Indochinese (Vietnamese, Cambodians, Lao) refugees. It was also told that the country had played a vital role in the international community when its “vote became the tiebreaker at the United Nations in favor of UN Resolution 181,” which contains the decision on the partition of Palestine and the creation of the State of Israel in 1947.
“So how could Philippines be a terrorist nation?,” asked Bro. Eli. “[The] Philippines is the only Christian country in Asia, home to most American preachers and peddlers of the word of God!”
World Class Citizens
Bro. Eli noted that the Filipinos are indeed “World Class Citizens“ who enjoy many American households’ trust and confidence. Many Filipinos in the U.S. are employed as domestic helpers, caregivers, and professionals par excellence.
Writing as “Mr. Controversy”, the international evangelist added: “Twenty percent of all workers in all luxury cruises in the world that traverse its greatest oceans are Filipinos. If this twenty percent of workers, engineers, technical people, and professionals will declare strike, practically there would be a standstill in the operation of all of these luxury liners.”
Bro. Eli tweaked Trump for speaking out of ignorance against the Filipinos. “To ban the Filipinos in America is gross ignorance of who the Filipinos are!,” said the preacher.
Not A Terrorist Nation
With the country being predominantly Christian, Bro. Eli mentioned that the Philippines cannot be a terrorist nation. The Philippines, according to Bro. Eli, is the “only Christian country in Asia, home to most American preachers and peddlers of the word of God!”
“I am a Filipino and I know truly who Filipinos are! We are peace-loving people. We are God-fearing people. The Philippines is the only country in Asia home to almost all religious beliefs that originated from America and Europe,” added Bro. Eli.
The blogging preacher did not deny that there are completely no Filipino extremists. But these extremists, explained Bro. Eli, are those who were deceived by “ideologies that equally deceived Americans as well!”
The blog was shared on Facebook and Twitter by Mr. Controversy with the hashtag #TrumpWrongAboutFilipinos.
Written by: Ma. Therese Quita, RN
Illustration: Paulo Gaviola
