TFC's Balitang America launches current affairs monthly specials, kicks off with a documentary on Filipino TNTs

 P.O.T.G. BULLETIN (TV):

Balitang America, the only Filipino daily news program in the U.S., is proud to present its first current affairs offering, a documentary written, produced and anchored by ABS-CBN North America news bureau chief Nadia Trinidad. When one talks about political incorrectness, Filipinos have a term for an undocumented immigrant that’s synonymous to society’s pariah. "TNT", which comes from the vernacular "tago nang tago (always hiding)," is a label given by Filipinos to other Filipinos staying illegally in the United States.

But what happens when an overseas worker unknowingly overstays in America because his employer duped him?

This documentary chronicles the continuing struggle of the “Florida 15,” a group of Filipino workers who claim they are victims of human trafficking by their Filipino employer, Jose Villanueva, who owns recruitment and employment company San Villa Ship Management Co.

Inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas and other Filipinos who came out of the shadows, these seasonal workers from Miami, Florida tell their story of survival as they continue to seek justice. They also talk about the community that repudiates its own, one that is always ready to turn on them.

"After 10 years of doing prime time news about Filipinos, for Filipinos in the United States, the men and women behind ABS CBN's North America bureau is venturing into documentary film making, in an attempt to give a more in-depth look and analysis of the stories that affect the global Filipino," said Trinidad.

"Once a month, TFC will take you through 30 minutes of stories that changed lives, stories that may initiate conversation about change, stories that will help build a nation," she continued. "These are stories surrounding the Filipino diaspora, its quest to make a difference and its struggle to keep its identity. We will share with you, in a longer format, the stories of people we meet in our daily news coverage in America. We will share footage captured by our cameras that didn't make it to the news because of our two-minute limitation -- all in the aim of telling you stories that will keep you informed for in the end, that is essentially, what we are called to do."

 "TNT" airs on The Filipino Channel (TFC) July 21, 2012, Saturday at 2:50 PM (PST), preempting Barangay USA.