“Broken Hallelujah” Screens at Philippine Center New York

Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega speaks before the screening with Director Roland Sanchez, Ms. Grace Baldisseri, and Ms. Potri Ranka Manis (photos by NYPCG)

11 January 2018 NEW YORK – The Filipino film “Broken Hallelujah” directed by Roland Sanchez screened at the Philippine Center in New York on January 08 to raise awareness on human trafficking issues.

Organized by Rescue Homeless Youth Through Hymns, Movies and Spoken Word (RHYTHMS) and New York advocacy groups against Human Trafficking, the screening drew an audience of over 60 persons who stayed on for a dialogue with Roland Sanchez, an agent of the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), who wrote and directed the feature film as part of his advocacy to educate the public on human trafficking.

The screening is a timely means of encouraging more community members to educate themselves about the evils of human trafficking and the need to help victims, said Filipino-American poet Grace Baldisseri, a representative of RHYTHMS.

Philippine Consul General to New York Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega talked of the need for more awareness and more concerted actions to prevent human trafficking which occurs practically in all parts of the world. She noted the seminars which the Consulate General, in partnership with advocacy groups, has been spearheading to educate the public on the issue.

Prior to the screening, RHYTHMS cited the contributions of ten Filipina members of the Community in efforts to uplift the condition of the underserved. These include: Angela Ponce of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York, Kim Mende Itskov, Laura Garcia, Myrna Gutierrez, Gloria Cabrera, Evelyn Gonzaga, Rosario Magno, Zenaida Santos, Carol Sibbaluca, and Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega. END

For more information, visit www.newyorkpcg.dfa.gov.ph/ www.newyorkpcg.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinNY/

Director Roland Sanchez introduces the film before its screening.