19 year-old Fil-Am left blind in one eye after being shot in California

A 19 year-old Filipina-American has been left blind in one eye after she was shot in California last week.

According to a Balitanghali report, Jessica Dimalanta was at an intersection in San Francisco on March 21 when unidentified suspects shot her in the face.

Dimalanta is also being treated for COVID-19.

Her family has not issued a statement on the incident, which is believed to be a hate crime, but her uncle has set up a fundraiser for her medical bills.

The incident happened amid the rising violence against Asians in the US, fueled by anti-Asian statements made by former President Donald Trump as COVID-19 hit last year.

On Wednesday, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the rising anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States will “influence” the country’s foreign policy.

"This is gravely noted and will influence Philippine foreign policy. I might as well say it, so no one on the other side can say, 'We didn’t know you took racial brutality against Filipinos at all seriously.' We do," Locsin said on Twitter after the New York Times reported a recent brutal assault on a 65-year-old Filipino woman in New York City.

In February, the Philippine Embassy in Washington advised Filipinos in the US to exercise "utmost caution" amid rising incidents of hate crimes against Asians in the country.

"We note with concern the rise in attacks on Asian Americans in various parts of the country. Filipinos are advised to exercise utmost caution in view of these incidents," the statement said.

Several US media outlets have been reporting attacks against Asians and Asian-Americans in several states.

Asian communities in the US have called for action, vigilance, and an end to anti-Asian violence. — Hana Bordey/BM, GMA News