Amerasians gather at Clark today

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Hundreds of Amerasians, mostly fathered by US servicemen formerly stationed in the country, will gather at the Bicentennial Park here today to press for the declaration of March 4 as National Amerasians Day and for the government and private sector to help curb discrimination against them.

There is an estimated 57,000 Filipino-Amerasians in the country, according to a resolution pending with the Olongapo City council.

A group calling itself the Agency Collaborating Together with Amerasians and their Care-givers (ACTAC), is pushing for the resolution’s approval.

ACTAC coordinator Paul Walden, also an Amerasian, said findings by the University of the Philippines’ Center for Women’s Studies showed that majority of Filipino-Amerasians, along with their families, have lived in dire poverty since their American fathers abandoned them.

Walden said Amerasians also "carry social stigma and psychological stress that affect their schooling and their normal integration into their communities." — Ding Cervantes