Alumni Update August 16 – 22, 2021
The Silliman University Alumni Association New York-New Jersey Chapter (SUAA NY-NJ) issued a Letter of Condemnation on the recent, violent attack on Silliman University alumnus and Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee, Miguel C. Braganza, last August 7, 2021, in Fort Tryon, New York.
Braganza a theater actor, director, and “Miss Saigon” alumni, was attacked outside his apartment on August 7, the same day his “Sandiwa: A Journey of Song and Dance” concert opened at the Philippine Center, along 5th Avenue, New York.
“I was mugged at gunpoint, and I was hit with a gun,” Braganza said.
A news report from The FilAm said he was coming home to his apartment in the quiet Fort Tryon neighborhood at around 1 a.m. on August 7. When he got out of his Uber ride, he said two black men jumped on him like in an ambush and one of them began striking his head with a gun. He was already in front of his building.
Miguel was so scared his muggers might pull the trigger so he hollered for help. When neighbors were alerted, the suspects ran away. The police arrived shortly after. “I lost so much blood from the wound,” he said.
He was taken to the emergency room of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and discharged after several hours because “Sandiwa” was having its presentation at the Philippine Consulate that same evening. “I told my doctor to release me because of the show. I was able to catch the second part,” he said.
Braganza believed the incident was a robbery attempt. However, he is not ruling out the attack may have been triggered by his Asian ethnicity. “It is more of attempted robbery, a bit of Asian hate,” he said.
Braganza an active member of the SUAA NY-NJ Chapter, was in the original cast of “Miss Saigon.” He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech & Theatre from Silliman University (1978). He was a recipient of the 1987 Walter Terry Memorial Scholarship for Dance and Choreography from Harvard University. Braganza spent most of his teenage years in Dumaguete City. He conducts dance and musical theatre workshops for children and teens in New York and Beijing. Braganza received his Outstanding Sillimanian Award in 2015 in the field of Theater Arts. (With news reports from The FilAm)
