US elections

‘Mahal nating Amerika’: Biden woos Fil-Am hearts with Filipino ad

Camille Elemia

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‘Mahal nating Amerika’: Biden woos Fil-Am hearts with Filipino ad

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The video has translations in 9 Asian languages, including Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, and Tamil
‘Mahal nating Amerika’: Biden woos Fil-Am hearts with Filipino ad

With just a little over a week before the election, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris are reaching out to Filipino Americans through digital ads in Filipino.

The digital campaign video, The America We Love, featured photos of Asian American families, while parts of Harris’ speech at the Democratic National Convention played in the background with translations (provided by the campaign) in Filipino and 8 other Asian languages.

“To love our country is to fight for the ideals of our country. We have a chance to change the course of history,” Harris said in the ad.

She called on voters to fight for the country (“Ang ating bansa”), for the community (“Ang ating komunidad“), for respect (“Ang karangalan“), and for empathy (“Ang pagkakaisa,” but more accurately pakikiisa or pagdamay).

‘Mahal nating Amerika’: Biden woos Fil-Am hearts with Filipino ad

“Let’s fight with conviction, fight with hope, let’s fight for the America we know is possible, the America we love (Ang mahal nating Amerika),” she said.

At the end of the video, the ad, using different translations, called on the public to vote early.

The Filipino translation read: “Bumoto nang maaga. Gumawa ng plano para bumoto (Vote early. Plan so you can vote).”

biden-harris-tagalog-ad
CALL TO VOTE. The Biden-Harris team used Filipino, other Asian languages to urge Asian-Americans to vote early.

The other video translations were in traditional Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. According to India New England, the others were in Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Hmong.

Harris is the first South Asian and Black woman vice presidential candidate. She was born to an Indian mother and Jamaican father.

There are more than 20 million Asian Americans in the US. At least 4 million of them are Filipinos, making up the 3rd largest migrant group next to Indians and Chinese.

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In October, at the start of the Filipino-American History Month, Biden vowed to “work alongside” the Fil-Am community as he paid tribute to the contributions of frontline workers during the pandemic.

Filipino nurses have been one of the hardest-hit groups in the US’ pandemic, representing some 4% of the sector’s workforce in the country, yet comprising over 30% of its COVID-19 nurse deaths. – Rappler.com

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Camille Elemia

Camille Elemia is a former multimedia reporter for Rappler. She covered media and disinformation, the Senate, the Office of the President, and politics.