CITIZEN PINOY GETS ROUSING WELCOME FROM TFC VIEWERS

FATHER'S NATURALIZATION CAUSED YEARS OF EXTRA WAITING FOR SONS' PETITIONS Emmanuel Caoile (second from left) along side his two sons, Ricardo and Randolf, with Citizen Pinoy hosts Atty. Mike Guingona and Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel.   Emmanuel had petitioned his two sons while he was an immigrant, and never thought that becoming a citizen would add many additional years to the sons' waiting time for a visa.   Watch Citizen Pinoy, and learn how a new law allowed them to come to the U.S. years ahead of schedule.

CITIZEN PINOY, the only public affairs program on television devoted solely to U.S. immigration issues, premiered last Sunday, May 8, on The Filipino Channel (TFC). Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in the United States and around the world watched the show with family members on Mother's Day.

The one-hour show is hosted by Daly City Vice Mayor Mike Guingona, broadcast executive Odette Alcazaren-Keeley, and immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel. The show airs on TFC every Sunday at 5 p.m., with replays every Monday at 4 a.m. , and on ANC-USA every Friday at 8 p.m. (all Pacific Standard Time).    In the Philippines, the show airs every Saturday at 11 a.m. on ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel).

The premiere telecast featured Asia's songbird, Regine Velasquez, who narrated for the first time, the true story behind the cancellation of her US visa and "alien smuggling" issues with the US Embassy in 2000. Later in the show, Atty. Gurfinkel elaborated on the topic of "alien smuggling" and answered questions sent in by viewers.

Estela of Carson, California said in her e-mail: "I'm a big fan of Regine, and I know she's a very private person. She was comfortable narrating her story with her trusted attorney, Michael Gurfinkel, beside her. She took time from her busy schedule to share with viewers her experience, and we all learned from her mistakes that we should always be careful in trusting others."

Edith of Glendale, California said, "I ordered TFC two weeks before the showing of Citizen Pinoy.   We ordered take-out and celebrated Mother's Day with my sisters and their families in my house.   We decided to watch Regine on Citizen Pinoy together since we have always been curious about what really happened!"  

Aida of New York said, "All my sisters and brothers stayed home to watch Citizen Pinoy, along with our mother.   We liked the "Question and Answer" portion.   We learned a lot from it.   It was fitting that Citizen Pinoy opened on Mother's Day when we Filipinos gather to honor our nanays , and have fun together as a family. After all, the show is in line with Atty. Gurfinkel's slogan of "BRINGING FAMILIES TOGETHER."

Congratulatory messages and questions for the succeeding episodes came in droves after Sunday's premiere telecast.

In a text message, Pat of Virginia Beach, Virginia, said: CONGRATS 4 GOOD SHW. WILL MY SON'S PRIORITY DATE CHANGE IF I BECOME CITIZEN?"

"I found the program very informative and very timely, especially now that the US has enforced stricter immigration laws," said Joanne of Houston, Texas.

Elaine of Los Angeles, California, said: "Very informative. I'll look forward to coming episodes for answers to immigration questions lingering in my mind."

"The episode was very interesting. The three hosts interacted well with Regine, and made us very comfortable listening to the discussion of a very important issue. I'll be watching every week," said Jimmy of Toronto, Canada.

In the second episode , which will air on Sunday, May 15, at 5 p.m. on TFC , the topic will be "Family Petitions."   Two clients of Atty. Gurfinkel will relate how they almost gave up on being reunited with their family members in the US, but persisted, and in the end, achieved their dream.

Viewers in North America may send their questions and/or reactions via text: type CP <your name,> < your city,> <question> and send to 23661 (Ex: CP Eric, Foster City, How do I change from tourist to work visa?) or via e-mail at questions@citizenpinoy.com .   Texters in the Philippines may send their messages by following the same format above and sending to 2331 (for Globe & Sun) and 231 (for Smart).

Back to Main