Family Torn Apart by the Pinatubo Explosion Reunites on this Sunday’s CITIZEN PINOY!

ADOPTION PROBLEM on this Sunday's CITIZEN PINOY! Ken Barnes (left) and his wife Sally (center) left their adopted son Jay (2nd from right) behind in June 1991, amid the devastating Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The Embassy refused him a visa due to the fact that he was over 16 years old when the adoption took place. Many years later, the Law Offices of Michael Gurfinkel gave new hope to the family and got Jay his green card. Join hosts -- attorney-of-last-hope MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL (right) and broadcast personality GEL SANTOS-RELOS (2nd from left) when they bring you CITIZEN PINOY on Sunday, at 6:10 pm (PST), with a replay on Tuesday, at 11:20 pm (PST) on TFC. CITIZEN PINOY also airs on ANC-US every Saturday at 5:00 pm with replays on Sunday at 9 am, all PST; and on ANC- Philippines every Sunday at 8 am with replays at 12 midnight on Mondays.

REDWOOD CITY, CA. --- During the 1980s, Ken Barnes and his wife Sally were living at Clark Air Force Base in Pampanga. They did not have any children, but they raised two siblings – Jay and Mary Ann – as their own. Ken and Sally grew fond of the kids and adopted them when Jay was 17 years old and Mary Ann was 14. When Ken petitioned the children, the Embassy granted only Mary Ann a visa. Jay was refused because in order to be eligible as an “adopted” child, the adoption must have been finalized before the 16^th birthday. Jay was already 17 when he was adopted, and this missed the age cut-off.

In June 1991, the whole world became witness to the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The Barnes family was also emotionally devastated amid the ruins. Clark Air Base and the surrounding communities had to be evacuated. Ken, Sally and Mary Ann Barnes were being evacuated back to the US, but Jay had to be left behind because he over aged. Sally has a very vivid recollection of that gloomy day. All she could see, as their barge was going out to sea, was her son Jay left alone, crying on the pier, with an erupting volcano and the falling ashes that clouded everything in the background.

Years passed but the pain of separation so many years ago continued to haunt each member of the Barnes family. The Barnes relocated to Florida. Jay finished college in Manila. And Mary Ann had joined the military. In 2004, Sally tried to re-petition Jay. Again the USCIS denied the petition due to adoption age issue. It seemed hopeless. But Sally had a spark of hope while watching Citizen Pinoy. Sally is an avid fan of the popular immigration program. She says that “from the very start I’d watch the program.” Husband Ken confirms this saying that the show inspired the family to revive Jay’s case. Sally said “Let’s try this lawyer (referring to Atty. Gurfinkel). He seems to be knowledgeable.” So the Barnes family went to the Law Offices of Michael Gurfinkel for assistance. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Find out how an eternity of waiting was resolved in almost an instant, – when your hosts leading immigration attorney MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL and broadcast personality GEL SANTOS-RELOS bring you another brand-new episode of CITIZEN PINOY this Sunday, at 6:10 pm (PST) with a replay on Tuesday, at 11:20 pm (PST) on TFC.

CITIZEN PINOY is made possible with the generous support of sponsors who are also dedicated to giving back to the Filipino community: Asian Journal -- with circulation in Northern and Southern California, Nevada, and in the East Coast; and Guiding Star Realty, with its latest investment opportunity at the Flamingo Resort, in South Beach, Florida. CITIZEN PINOY is also supported by ABS-CBN Global’s key product offerings: Star Kargo, Starry Starry Store, and TFC Direct.

Informative. Entertaining. Inspiring. Watch CITIZEN PINOY -- the Filipino American community’s immigration program every Sunday at 6:10 pm (PST), with replays on Tuesdays at 11:20 pm (PST) on TFC. CITIZEN PINOY also airs on ANC-US every Saturday at 5:20 pm with replays on Sundays at 9 am, all PST; and on ANC- Philippines every Sunday at 8 am with replays at 12 midnight on Mondays.