CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A.

INTRODUCTION
In the time of the American forces that reached and captured Angeles City after

the battle with our local forces to the Japanese troops, the end of World War II marked the liberation of the Philippines from Japan and not long after, the independence was celebrated when the Philippine flag was raised while the U.S. flag was going down. This historical event took place in one of the biggest U.S. military installation in Asia. The military installation made the United States of America (U.S.A.) rise to become the sole super power in the 20th century. The Philippines is one of the countries in Asia that experience global expansion of the U.S. militarism. The presence of U.S. military bases, in Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City and Subic Naval Base in Olongapo City became a permanent fixture of our social environment since our independence in 1946.

In 1991,Mount Pinatubo which was located in the vicinity of these two military ba ses, erupted. Some believed that this reason and not necessarily the Senates decision, made the American military vacate the bases and leave the country. When the dust has settled and the bases were empty, we were left to confront the manifold negative effects of U.S. military occupation. Among other things, we were left to deal with the toxic waste that the U.S. military had left behind. We were also faced with the dire situations of many Amerasian children

The product of an illicit affair of two different races involving an American soldier and a Filipina who usually works as hospitality girl. The solutions called for by the latter problem are more complex than that of the former since it involves several dimensions of being and becoming human. The predicament was exacerbated by the fact that the Philippines Senate, in its decision tore fuse renewal of the U.S. bases leases, neglected to include provisions and contingency plans for the

Filipino Amerasian children.

The objective of the study is to look into the self perception / identity of the Amerasian children in the Philippine who were abandoned, who grew up with no father figure, who were ostracized for their being illegitimate, and who were left with no

sustainable resources from both parents. Specifically, the study aims to elucidate thesel f identities of the Amerasians who were products of the American bases and whore side in Angeles City.

B. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In 20 years of the historic Mount Pinatubo eruption which triggered the departure of US military troops from the former Clark Air Base, an estimated of 6,000 to 10,000 Amerasians in Angeles and Pampanga are being abandoned and was later found out that this population is highly threatened with mental health risk and severe socioeconomic misfortune.

According to the research study majority of the Amerasians experienced high discrimination and intensely stigmatized, it is because of their skin colour and physical feature differences. Because they are being abandoned and neglected by their Filipina mother, most of them live in poverty, engaged in sex exploitation and entertainment occupations. Until now the new generation of Amerasians is still growing. The finding is base on the field study interview with 16 African and Anglo Amerasians.

C. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Nowadays, poverty is part of the incessant flux of modernism. And there is a sector of community who lives in the shadow of poverty and mostly discriminated for their physical appearances. They are populated by impoverished minors and out of school youth who suffer from the stigmatization and mental stress issues. These Amerasians are those who would have been infants, children or adolescent that has been neglected and abandoned with their Filipina mother. Because of these circumstances, they need prior support and medical attention for their mental stress issues. According to the preliminary research findings, it indicate that many Amerasians may have or are developing various psychopathological illnesses, clinical and severe depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis or paranoid schizophrenia and other complications in metal illnesses due to heavy drugs and alcohol dependency.

D. TITLE JUSTIFICATION and SCOPE LIMITATION

The proposed Amerasians Learning and Youth Center or A.L.A.Y. Center means in Filipino to give or to share, The Amerasian youth will be educated and to give them prior medical treatment. It also aims to help them develop and obtain skills to help them build a real future and in order to escape to the cycle of poverty. The center will facilitate their needs and gives prior treatment to be a sense of place for the Amerasian Childrens who are being abuse, abandoned and neglected with their Filipina Mother. Our project is to be constructed in a site having an area of 37, 487 sq. meters. It is located at Barangay Pampanga (Sto. Nino) in the Angeles City Province of Pampanga. a) Admin Learning Center b) Livelihood c) Chapel d) Therapy Clinic e) Activity Center f) Dormitory g) Information h) Guard House i) Comfort Rooms j) Vegetable Garden

k) Herbal Garden

E. IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

Base on the 3 years dissertation research study on the population conducted by U.S. army. There is an estimate of 50,000 to 60,000 Filipino Amerasians residing in the Philippine Archipelago and most of them are found in Angeles and Pampanga. The doctoral dissertation research was conducted in Angeles City,Pampanga and included participants enrolled in Amerasian outreach programs conducted by the Sacramento, California based Philippine Childrens Fund (PCFA) and the Pearl S. Buck International (PSBI) Foundation-Philippines. The project aims to help the Amerasians to be acknowledged in the society to support their basic necessities and education. It also provides prior assistance and medical attention because of the high discrimination and stigmatization. These include homeless, alcoholic and drug abuse and dependency and severe poverty that may lead them to engage in sex and entertainment occupations.

E.1. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The A.L.A.Y. Center aims to help and avoid them to be involved in these circumstances and help them cultivate in their future. The idea is to have these entire activities house in one structure that shall:

Create an Institutional Center that will adopt and provide the necessities of the AmeRasians Children.

To educate and obtain skills to help them build a better standards of living.

Give them prior medical assistance that is highly threatened of discrimination and mental stress issues.

Prevent or avoid them to engage into sex entertainment industry.

Facilitate the needs of the project through viability and structural concept.

Create an environment that sincerely care for the children and strive to create a nurturing future.

F. PROJECT RATIONAL
The proposed project for the Amerasian youth is located at Barangay Pampanga (Sto. Nino) in the Angeles City Province of Pampanga. The A.L.A.Y. Center aims to help and avoid them to be involved in these circumstances and help them cultivate in their future. It also provides prior assistance and medical attention because of the high discrimination and stigmatization.

G. SPECIALTY OF THE PROJECT

The speciality of our project is that Amerasian youth will be educated and to give them prior medical treatment. It also aims to help them develop and obtain skills to help them build a real future and in order to escape to the cycle of poverty. The project also aims to help the Amerasians to be acknowledged in the society to support their basic necessities and education

H. INTENDED BENIFICIARIES
The possible beneficiaries and intended to support the proposed project Amerasians Learning and Youth Center (A.L.A.Y.CENTER) are the following:

Philippine Children Foundation Wedpro (womens and abuse children) Bayanihan Foundation Pinoy Kids Pearl S. Buck Foundation International Local Government of Angeles city Systems Plus College ICC

Philippine Children Foundation of America / PINOY Kids Composed of staff and volunteers from different backgrounds and ethnicity, Philippine Childrens Fund of America (PCFA) is dedicated in providing educational, medical, health and nutritional programs to thousands of needy children while addressing community empowerment through the provision of training and livelihood opportunities to many poor Filipino families. It collaborates with church administered agencies all over the country and supports many other partner NGOs at the locale.

PREDA Foundation Peoples Recovery Empowerment Development Assistance or Preda is a charitable organization that was founded in Olongapo City, Philippines in 1974. The original name, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines, was "Zambales Rehabilitation Center (ZARECEN)" (LINK), and was stolen, according to Shay Cullen's own book, Passion and Power, but the case against him became moot and academic when he was given the authority to have the property. This small nonprofit organization has a number of purposes which include the promotion and protection of the dignity and the Human Rights of the Filipino people, especially of women and children. The main focus is to assist the sexually-exploited and abused children. The Preda Foundation is licensed and accredited by the Philippine

Government. The Preda Foundation is dedicated to the protection of children and working for social transformation and a just and corrupt free society, plus goals in researching atomic energy. It has worked to prevent children being locked in small, cramped jails without basic rights. Preda has been actively involved in helping victims of the human trafficking and sex slave trade in the Angeles City

Pearl S. Buck Foundation International Promoting the legacy and dreams of Pearl S.Buck: her commitment to improving the quality of life and expanding opportunities for children, promoting and understanding

the values and attributes of other cultures, and the need for humanitarianism throughout the world.

Paradise ranch in Clark Pampanga Has a clear advocacy for assisting Amerasians (half Americans and half Asians) to reunite with their long lost mothers or fathers who are US citizens. They get financial support from their organization based in Sacramento California. As part of their advocacies, another objective of the organization is to employ the native Aetas who live in a community surrounding the ranch. They are good workers very much dedicated well-skilled on farming and raising crops. Some Amerasians speak fluent English language so they are effective on serving as tourist guides for ranch guests. During the holidays, when school is off, Paradise ranch in Pampanga Philippines also extends support to the students wanting to have part time jobs working at the ranch to support their parents and siblings. You will notice a very friendly atmosphere when you stay at the ranch, superb service since the team of workers adheres to the guests standards. They are very approachable and reliable which will definitely make the guests feel at ease.

I. PROJECT SITE LOCATION

Our project is to be constructed in a site having an area of 37, 487 sq. meters. It is located at Barangay Pampanga (Sto. Nino) in the Angeles City Province of Pampanga.

J. DEFINITION OF OPERATIONAL TERMS

Amerasians Amerasian is not a synonym for either Asian American or Eurasian. The word dates to the early 1950s and has been used primarily with reference to children fathered in Asia by American servicemen. Since American servicemen are of varying backgrounds, there is no particular racial or ethnic connotation to Amerasian apart from the fact that one parent, generally the mother, is an ethnic Asian. In contrast, Asian American is typically used of a person whose parents are both ethnic Asians but whom by birth or naturalization is an American citizen, while Eurasian designates a person of mixed Asian and European, or white, parentage. Though many Amerasians are, ethnically speaking, also Eurasians, in practice the two terms do not overlap very much, with Amerasian continuing to be restricted in usage to the historical context of the American military presence in East and Southeast Asia.

Stigma
(plural: stigmata) is a word that originally means a "sign", "point", or "branding mark.

Stigma comes in three forms:

Firstly, overt or external deformations, such as scars, physical manifestations of anorexia nervosa, leprosy(leprosy stigma), or of a physical disability or social disability, such as obesity.

Secondly, deviations in personal traits, including mental illness, drug addiction, alcoholism, and criminal backgrounds are stigmatized in this way.

Thirdly, "tribal stigmas" are traits, imagined or real, of ethnic groups, nationalities, or religions that are deemed to constitute a deviation from what is perceived to be the prevailing normative ethnicity, nationality or religion Stigma is a Greek word that in its origins referred to a kind of tattoo mark that

was cut or burned into the skin of criminals, slaves, or traitors in order to visibly identify them as blemished or morally polluted persons.

Discrimination The word "discrimination" (in the non-social sense) denotes a virtue representing the ability to "make sensible decisions" or "to distinguish by noting differences"(American Heritage Dictionary).

Psychopathology

Is the study of mental illness, mental distress, and abnormal/maladaptive behavior. The term is most commonly used within psychiatry where pathology refers to disease processes. Abnormal psychology is a similar term used more frequently in the non-medical field of psychology. Psychopathology should not be confused with psychopathy, a genetic subtype of antisocial personality disorder.

Dissertation A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.In some countries/universities, the word "thesis" or a cognate is used as part of a bachelor'sor master's course, while "dissertation" is normally applied to a doctorate, while in others, the reverse is true.

The term dissertation can at times be used to describe a treatise without relation to obtaining an academic degree. The term thesis is also used to refer to the central claim of an essay or similar work.

Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics or socio-economic or social economics is an umbrella

term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society. More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through capital and social "markets" (not excluding for example, sorting by marriage) and the formation of social forms. In the latter, it studies the relation of economics to social values. A distinct supplemental usage describes social economics as "a discipline studying the reciprocal relationship between economic science on the one hand and social philosophy, ethics, and human dignity on the other" toward social reconstruction and improvement or as also emphasizing multidisciplinary methods from such fields as sociology, history, and political science.

K. ACRONYMS
PCFA - Philippines Childrens Fund of America PREDA - Peoples Recovery Empowerment Development Assistance PSBI - Pearl S. Buck International DSWD - Department of Social Welfare and Development

DENR - Department of Environment and Natural Resources ALAY Center - Amerasians Learning and Youth Center CPDO - City Planning and Development Office CEO - City Engineer Office ICC Integrated Christian Church