In 2010, Ed Navarra was elected unanimously as National Chair succeeding Greg Macabenta. Close to 200 delegates from all over country attended the conference which was organized around the theme “Building the Next Generation of Community Advocates.” The conference program included workshops and panels on “Bridging Generations,” “Mentorship: Intergenerational creativity and leadership with service,” and advocacy through technology, social networking and digital media. JT Mallonga and Brendan Flores were elected as National Vice Chair and National Youth Chair, respectively.
“Building Our Next Generation of Community Advocates” November 19 - 21, 2010
In his acceptance speech after his swearing in, Ed Navarra vowed to re-establish NaFFAA’s political presence in the nation’s capital through active advocacy and coalition building. His new administrations also vowed to focus their efforts in the next two years on advocacy, voter education, partnerships with other organizations, rebuilding NaFFAA’s infrastructure. “While we will continue to be concerned about events in the Philippines, our collective energies will be directed towards issues that affect our community here in the U.S.,” he declared. “We will undertake these initiatives not as an umbrella organization but as an equal partner with other national formations and local groups that have a stake in protecting and promoting the interests of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in this country.”
“It was a very successful conference,” said Ed Navarra, NaFFAA National Chair. “We unified our ranks throughout the US, defined our strategy of primarily empowering our community through advocacy, discussed ways and means of strengthening all NaFFAA regions, and approved resolutions of concern to our community.” The following advocacies were discussed at the Conference of about 90 members of the Executive Board and representatives from NaFFAA’s 12 regions in attendance: FilAm VOTE, SAVE Act, Medicare Portability, DREAM Act and Global Summit on Filipinos in Diaspora. The conference was highlighted by NaFFAA honoring Luly Esclamado, who is one of the founders of the Federation along with her husband, Alex who was the founding chair.
Vicki & Emraida
Rozita, Luly & Gloria
Ed honors Alex Esclamado at the Memorial Mass, November 17, 2012 in San Francisco.
NaFFAA at 15: Celebrating Our Identity and Solidarity (Champions: P. Emraida Kiram, Willie Dechavez)
Ed Navarra was re-elected to serve his second term as National Chair in 2012. The 10th National Empowerment Conference held in Detroit, MI has substantially made accomplishments in the following areas: Revision of the NaFFAA By-Laws, Creation of the Board of Governors, Political workshops (Democrats/ Republicans), Promotion of Philippine Trade Mission, and Resolution of the Conduct of Medical Missions to the Philippines. The 10th NEC Organizing Committee obtained sponsorships from the following: National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), Wells Fargo, Beaumont Health System, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), Megaworld Properties, Reginald Lewis Foundation and The Lewis College.
2013 NaFFAA Summit in Las Vegas, NV (Champions: Giselle Rushford, JT Mallonga, Gloria Caoile, Jing Espiritu, Ryan Tejero)
Creation of NaFFAA Task Force/s. Six Task Forces were created and Board approved. They are under the auspices of the National Task Force Committee (Brendan Flores, Emraida Kiram and Giselle Rushford) with National Chair-Ed Navarra and Vice Chair--JT Mallonga as ad-hoc members. The Board approved Task Forces/Chairs are as follow: Finance and Funding--Jing Espiritu; Communication--Lorna Dietz; Training and Education--Dr. Rommel Rivera; Advocacy--Merit Salud; Community Organizing--Mariela Fletcher, and Community Services--Marilyn Doromal. Within the framework of the By-Laws and existing Committees, the six Task Forces pave the way for a more transparent and nimble way of doing business in NaFFAA. The operational theme of the Task Forces will be based on teamwork, communication and professionalism. The whole focus of the Task Forces will be to enable NaFFAA to become a more efficacious and disciplined nonprofit organization worthy of emulation and replication. All six task forces are delivering workshops at the 2014 NaFFAA Empowerment Conference.
Setting Up NaFFAA Directions through One-Pagers. The 2013 Summit created an opportunity for participants to discuss program directions of the Federation in the years to come. There were more than 10 topics presented in the form of One-Pagers that were approved for adoption by BOD as NaFFAA’s strategies to accomplish its mission. The following topics were discussed: Newsletter and Website, Washington DC Office, FilAm Tax Help, Programs and Grants, 2014 Empowerment Conference, Improving Healthcare, Alex Esclamado Scholarship Project, Digital Engagement, National Crisis Management Policy, Strategic Alliance Partnership, Economic Empowerment, Mentoring Future Leaders, and Filipino American Youth in Higher Education.
Partitioning Region 3. (Champion: P. Emraida Kiram) Due to high concentration and continued growth in population of Filipino Americans and organizations, and a high number of states in Region 3, NaFFAA BOD adopted the resolution creating NaFFAA Region 3 East. This new region includes the 5 states of Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. The other Region 3 West includes the 5 states of Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
“We Break the Dawn, Master Planning the Future”
Alex Esclamado Memorial Awards for Community Service Launching of Alex Esclamado Scholarship Program NaFFAA Champions: Aurora Cudal, Leezel Ramos Greg Macabenta & Gloria Caoile
NaFFAA National Newsletter (Champion: Ryan Tejero) The NaFFAA National newsletter started to circulate in October 2012. It became a major breakthrough in the NaFFAA community, as it strengthened the roots and development of the federation by providing its readers with NaFFAA-focused articles. With over 20 issues now, the newsletter continues to receive numerous accolades from its NaFFAA and non-NaFFAA readers. NaFFAA National has become a monthly anchor that features empowerment events as reported by state and regional chairs. It also headlines outstanding NaFFAA leaders by highlighting their unwavering support and unique contributions to the federation. The newsletter has become a vehicle of major national pronouncements on issues and advocacies of NaFFAA, thereby, educating the general public on who we are as an organization, what we do for the community and encouraging others to get involved.
NaFFAA-National Facebook Community Site/ Twitter Account (Champions: Armin Sayson & Ryan Tejero) The NaFFAA-National Facebook Community Site (http:// www.facebook.com/NaFFAA.National) and NaFFAA National Twitter Account (http://twitter.com/NaFFAA_National) provide real time online tools for disseminating timely information about news and events of interest to the Filipino-American community in the United States. With a current following of nearly 600 users, the Facebook community site allows NaFFAA to capitalize on social media to capture the attention of tech-savvy users. The Twitter account is used to expand the reach of postings to the NaFFAA National website so announcements and Calls to Action reach a wider audience.
Revitalized NaFFAA-National Website (Champion: Armin Sayson) The creation of NaFFAA-National Website (http:// NaFFAA-National.org) established an online resource aimed at communicating a consistent message describing the history, mission, and structure of the organization. It contains current information on NaFFAA activities and accomplishments. It serves as a repository for historical information, such as summaries of past national empowerment conferences and a library of NaFFAA National Newsletters, and it provides an online tool for disseminating announcements and Calls to Action. The website identifies the corporate sponsors of National Empowerment Conferences and on-going events. With nearly 14,000 hits since its inception in 2012, the website continues to inform FilipinoAmericans not only in the United States but globally that an organization exists to empower them in this country. The website is maintained and monitored to keep its content relevant and to provide a reliable source of information on NaFFAA and of news items or articles that are submitted by NaFFAA leaders.
In August 2012, NaFFAA supported the Philippine Embassy’s legislative effort to get The SAVE Act passed by the U.S. Congress. The measure is a trade legislation that would allow the Philippines to compete with the low cost and subsidized leading apparel exporters to the U.S., while creating an opportunity for the U.S. textile manufacturers to export fabric to an Asian market. The bill, however, failed to enlist enough congressional sponsors and it died in committee. NaFFAA was involved in information dissemination campaign at the time when this initiative needed community support through press releases and official statements from national leadership.
Among the provisions of the comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) bill passed by the U.S. Senate in April 2013, would fast-track the visa applications of eligible children of Filipino World War II veterans, thus uniting families that have been separated for many years. This amendment was included in the main measure without debate, due in large measure to our friends in Congress who have consistently championed Filipino veterans’ benefits. CIR didn’t go anywhere this year because the House leadership never brought up the senate bill for a vote. NaFFAA was involved in information dissemination campaign at the time when this initiative needed community support through press releases and official statements from national leadership.
Related to CIR is The DREAM Act, which would provide legal status to children (ages 35 or below) who were brought as minors to the US by parents who are undocumented. To qualify, these children must have graduated from U.S. high schools, lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment, or completed two years of military service. Although there’s nationwide support for this measure, the House leadership did not bring it to a vote. NaFFAA was involved in information dissemination campaign at the time when this initiative needed community support through press releases and official statements from national leadership.
NaFFAA Champions: JT Mallonga, Loida Nicolas Lewis Eric Lachica
NaFFAA spearheaded the advocacy for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as a result of Typhoon Haiyan on behalf of all undocumented Filipinos in the U.S. The leadership of Loida Nicolas Lewis and NaFFAA National Vice Chair JT Mallonga mobilized the Federation’s delegation that have actually spoken with decision makers at the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and the White House. NaFFAA has promoted a widespread, community-wide mobilizing of Filipino American communities by calling the attention of members of the legislatures and the White House to grant TPS for the Philippines. NaFFAA has also partnered with the Philippine Embassy and Consulates by holding town hall meetings to discuss the benefits under TPS.
NaFFAA Champions: Gloria Caoile, Rudy Asercion, Merit Salud Inclusion of NaFFAA's successful FilAmVote Program. For over a decade now, NaFFAA remains active in participating in major key states in Voter Mobilization - Voter Registration, Voter Education, and Voter Protection. Many States have reported their political actions in the past and continue to do so. This past election cycle, FilAms have successfully mobilized to accomplish efficient census reporting and increased voter registration in the state of Nevada. To cater in to the needs of a number of Filipino American voters, voting materials have been translated to Filipino language.
The US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG) believes that overseas Pinoys can help in creating a better Philippines economically and politically by influencing other countries regarding policies affecting the Philippines. It seeks to support effective and honest leaders and government policies that result in good governance, as well as identify and define the problems faced by overseas Filipinos and explore workable solutions. NaFFAA supports the advocacies of USP4GG by featuring their campaigns in the newsletter and through press releases and official statements from national leadership.
NaFFAA Champions: Loida Nicolas Lewis & Rodel Rodis
NaFFAA has actively promoted the Global Diaspora which was organized by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) in Manila through its communication tools. This international summit has attracted Filipino participants from all over the world. In the words of Loida Nicolas-Lewis, this CFO initiative will enable “the summit participants to come to a consensus on how to increase positive political influence in the Philippines even as they live and work abroad, and to connect and network among participants so we can unite and work together for good governance.�
Filipino American World War II Soldiers Recognition Project
(Champion: Jon Melegrito)
This ongoing initiative, spearheaded by MG Antonio Taguba, seeks to win official recognition for Filipino World War II veterans through a Proclamation and the Congressional Gold Medal Award. Advocacy involves educating Congress about the critical role Filipino soldiers played during the war in the Pacific, and mobilizing grassroots support for appropriate legislation in Congress. This project is separate and distinct from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) fund, a bill signed by President Obama in 2009, granting one-time lump payments to about 18,000 eligible veterans. The “Recognition Project” will also establish a national education program for schools and colleges, in partnership with the Smithsonian. NaFFAA was involved in information dissemination campaign at the time when this initiative needed community support through press releases and official statements from national leadership.
Digital Literacy Training & Engagement
(Champion: Lorna Lardizabal Dietz)
NaFFAA’s Digital Literacy Training is designed to embrace digital technology and influence as advocacy tools that complement its grassroots advocacy initiatives. NaFFAA's digital advocacy campaigns are uniquely the organization's organic efforts in complementing grassroots advocacy campaigns. The focus isn't about popularity (how many likes on Facebook) or influence (how many Twitter followers). Digital engagement means immediate action when the situation calls for it --- rallying the advocates through "word of mouth" and activating a seasoned volunteer group to coordinate and motivate all stakeholders in digital and grassroots efforts. This training is an ongoing program for current and new NaFFAA members.
US-Philippines Friendship Caucus
(Champion: Bing Branigin)
NaFFAA was involved as an active partner with the Philippine Embassy' re-launching of the US-Philippines Friendship Caucus. NaFFAA has campaigned to get more Congressional Members to sign in the Caucus, which was Chaired by Cong. Daryl Issa, and Vice Chair, Cong. Bobby Scott. This Caucus is aimed at generating more meaningful and productive engagements or interaction between the governments and citizens of the Philippines and the United States.
APIA and NCAPA
(Champion: Bing Branigin)
NaFFAA has been represented through the efforts of Bing Branigin at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote (APIA) roundtable discussion and meetings at the White House, US Congress, and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA). APIA is the only national institution focused on voter mobilization and civic participation of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community. NCAPA is a coalition of thirty-two national Asian Pacific American organizations around the country, which aims to represent the interests of the greater Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for AA and NHPI issues.
EWC-USAID Support (Champion: Jon Melegrito) In June of this year, NaFFAA agreed to a project alliance between the East-West Center, USA, and the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington DC to submit a project Concept Paper in response to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Call for Partnership for Diaspora Engagement to Rebuild Livelihoods after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines. The purpose of this project alliance is to assist the Philippines in developing long-term sustainable development, livelihoods micro-financing, disaster-resilient policies and preparedness, and environmentally-compliant reconstruction in the Central and Eastern Visayas regions afflicted by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda with the strategic engagement of the Philippine private sector, Filipino diaspora communities and international technical expertise.
PDRF (Champions: JT Mallonga, Giselle Rushford) NaFFAA Board of Directors approved the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF) to be a non-exclusive partner in addressing rapid response to disasters in the Philippines. In February 2014, NaFFAA Region 5 donated $20K to PDRF to build a category 5 resistant school room. Jay LaVigne who was appointed Chair of the NaFFAA Committee on Disaster Relief delivered the check personally. The Committee's task is to create a process to monitor handling of donated funds which can become a Best Practice for NaFFAA.
FALDEF (Champion: JT Mallonga) Filipino American Legal Defense & Education Fund (FALDEF) is a national organization that provides pro bono legal services to members of the Filipino American community who are suffering legal injustices by reason of their immigrant origins and status and unable to engage legal aid and assistance on account of poverty. NaFFAA promotes FALDEF’s services and events through the newsletter.
Wells Fargo
(Champion: Brendan Flores)
Wells Fargo was tapped by NaFFAA to become one of the major donors for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Through the initiative of NaFFAA’s BOG member, Brendan Flores, Wells Fargo donated $25K to the typhoon victims. It also generated over 250K of donations from its customers. Wells Fargo has been a major sponsor of NaFFAA’s 2012 National Empowerment Conference in Detroit and the 2013 National Summit held in Las Vegas.
WHAAAPI
(Champion: Rozita V. Lee)
Rozita Lee, NaFFAA's past National Vice Chair and current Board of Governors was appointed by President Obama to his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She was on the Commission from September 2010 to May 2014. Though Rozita did extensive work in all AAPI communities nationwide, she specialized working with the Filipino community through NaFFAA coordinating projects on issues affecting us and keeping her colleagues and the President informed. She has met with the President personally in D.C. and Las Vegas. She spearheaded educational workshops and rallies; held townhalls and summits on issues like Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Hepatitis B awareness and screenings; advocated for Filipino World War II Veterans with Congress. She represented NaFFAA when she accompanied Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid when then Philippine President Gloria Arroyo conferred The Order of the Golden Heart Award on Senator Reid and thanked Rozita for the work she and NaFFAA were doing with the WWII Fil-Vets. She continues being the resource to the White House.
REGIONAL APPOINTMENTS Noel Omega – New Region Chair for Region 9 (Los Angeles Area) Noel S. V. Omega is a charter co-founder of the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles (FACC-LA) and serves as President and CEO of Mindbread Communications, an information technology development and consulting company. Noel studied Electronics and Computer Engineering at Cal State L.A. and later switched to Computer Systems and Programming at the Computer Learning Center in Los Angeles where he eventually became head instructor. Noel has over 35 years of professional experience in the Information Technology industry, including over 20 years of combined general management and business ownership, and over a decade of proactive leadership in socio-civic causes in the greater Los Angeles area.
Anthony Guevarra – New Region Chair for Region 6 (Texas) Anthony was judged as one of “Ten Outstanding Young Leaders in the Country – 2013” representing Texas and the Philippine Consulate General in L.A., and received by President Benigno S. Aquino III and his cabinet. Senior Loan Officer at Affiliated Bank Mortgage (AMP Lending); founded the Filipino American Council of South Texas Youth Organization; Regional Youth Coordinator of National Federation of Filipino-American Associations-Region VI; served on the board of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Texas; graduate of Texas A&M University, where he served as President of the Philippine Student Association.
HUMANITARIAN RELIEF EFFORTS AT REGIONAL AND STATE LEVELS Regional and State Chapters were involved in fundraising activities at the height of Typhoon Haiyan. Reports of leaders are found on the naffaa-national.org website. Please check the November 2013 Issue of NaFFAA National newsletter for leader’s reports (http://NaFFAA-National.org).
MISCELLANEOUS - Medicare Portability for the Philippines (Champions: Eric Lachica, Rommel Rivera) - FilAm Network California TV Alliance (Champion: Rodel Rodis) - Hawaiian Hotel Employees Fair Labor Contract Support & Resolution (Champion: Former Region 12 Ron Menor) - 2011 NaFFAA General Retreat & Summit in Las Vegas (Champion: Gloria Caoile) - NAFFAA Alliance with the US-Philippine Society (Champion: Loida Nicolas Lewis)
Compiled and prepared by Ryan Tejero. Photos and excerpts of texts appearing in this material were researched from the articles and narratives of Jon Melegrito, Rodel Rodis, Eric Lachica, Bing Branigin, Greg Macabenta, Celia Lamkin, Merit Salud, and Lorna Dietz. Milestone reports were submitted by NaFFAA Champions. Thank you everyone for truly making this a meaningful four years of NaFFAA leadership. It was a job well-done because of your dedication in serving the Filipino American community. Thank you!